The Honeymoonby SpicaChaptersOh, buck it!Last DayThe way the wind blewThe way the wind blew (2)Passing the pagesShining CadenceOh, buck it!Royal Guard Captain and recently crowned Prince Shining Armor loved his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, more informally known as Princess Cadence. The happy couple finally contracted marriage after some years of dating, as per Cadence’s own dispositions. The Princess of Love is one mare who knows better than anyone how serious real love is, and didn’t settle for anything less than pure bliss. It was a hard gained one, nonetheless, as they were no different to any other couple in the kingdom of Equestria, with their ups and downs. Shining Armor did however perform exceptionally in all his functions. Their final test came at the wedding itself, when a race of creatures that feed on emotion known as changelings almost conquered the castle and the city. In the end, despite all their dastardly machinations, Shining Armor's and Cadence’s love prevailed, liberating ponykind of a terrible fate. The marriage was then celebrated at last and the happy couple rode in their carriage towards the horizon. Their destination: Coastal metropoli Baltimare, ashore of the Horseshoe Bay. The pegasi driven carriage finally landed just before the hotel. The prestigious Le Parker Mareidien was the one their aunts had recommended, not too far away from the beach. A elegantly dressed bell-pony received them, opening the door for the just married couple to step down. “Your Majesties, welcome to Le Parker Mareidien. Allow me to help with your luggage.” Shining observed the hotel entry. Two sets of revolving doors led to an ample main hall. To the left a long service counter lay; in front of it another set of normal doors led to the restaurant. In front of the main entrance, the elevators and the stairs stood next to each other. Few ponies beside the employees walked around. The unicorn bell-colt levitated their packages, not too numerous, and led them to the reception for their check-in. Once signed in, they were led to an elevator. Upon arriving to the tenth floor, they were led to their room, a double suite with a view to the nearby ocean. Shining looked through the crystal window, taking in the view of the bay in the distance. It left him breathless; the Royal Guard Captain had few opportunities to take on journeys such as this one. Cadence, despite being freer to do as she pleased, was a very hoofs-on Princess, just like her Aunts, and so didn’t enjoy such views too frequently as well. They would have five wonderful days to enjoy the scenery and each other’s company aplenty. The Princess turned to her husband. “What do you say, love? Beach?” “Beach it is!” They packed the necessary stuff for their walk to the shore and left the hotel, taking in the sight of Baltimare. They had done so previously, but it was their first time not worrying about official duties. Baltimare basically didn't differ much from Cantertot, being a cosmopolitan city. However, being located in the sea shore gave it a different atmosphere. They could breathe the saline aroma from the water and as they approached, the sound of the waves greeted them along with the sight of ponies, with the occasional gryphon walking around. They settled for a spot just straight from where the street ended. Shining set up a towel and umbrella and they sat down to enjoy the sights, with the sun almost on the horizon line. Shining went in for a swim while Cadence stayed behind, enjoying the last of the suns rays. Shining felt the coolness of the water, the waves licking his coat, the salty taste in this tongue as he swam across the beach, enjoying every minute of it. Forty five minutes later, he laid beside Cadence, enjoying the soft colors of sunset together. After about an hour, they packed up and set out for a walk along the streets of the city, viewing its many marvels. They finally came back to the hotel, and settled in at the restaurant for a ratatouille dish, prepared by an earth pony chef live in front of them. Once they had eaten to their stomachs’ satisfaction, they returned to their suite at a leisurely pace, as Shining had recommended Cadence do. Upon arriving on their floor, while they walked towards their destination, Cadence pushed herself playfully against her husband. “We can always do more exercise, honey,” said the Princess in an equally playful tone, stressed especially on the last word. Shining just smiled, pushing back in the same way. They opened the suite’s door, which Cadence closed against herself. And that was the beginning, Princess Celestia... It was a fun night, indeed. I must say I didn’t really expect that from Cadence. Hoo-boy... Shining opened his eyes. He recognized the room he was in after some seconds. Turning his head, he found his wife sleeping, tightly embraced to him, a peaceful smile on her lips, but with a certain touch of mischievousness mixed in it. He looked at the bedroom window, the sun had already come out. Not too much later, Cadence began to stir and soon woke up. “Oh, Shining... Good morning...” “Good morning, honey,” answered the stallion, smiling. “Shining...” “Yes, Cadence?” “You were delicious...,” said the Princess, with a voice half awake, but very sultry, playfully nibbling at Armor’s ear. He laughed, and pushed her playfully away. “You naughty mare, you’re going to spend everything too soon...” “I don’t think I could spend you too soon...” He smiled and gave her a peck on the lips, which made the Princess smile just as wide as him. He leaped out of bed. “I’m going to make breakfast for us two.” “Sounds delicious...” The happy couple ate Shining’s preparations, and then lazed around in bed for a while, before venturing out in the city. They walked around, seeing beautiful landscapes, statues, and visiting malls until Shining was exhausted from walking, and that’s for a Royal Guard. Cadence kept on seeing wonderful things to buy as souvenirs, and buy they did. Returning to the hotel in the afternoon, Shining gave himself away to deep slumber while Cadence organized their gifts; she slept a little as well. By night, they attended a play in a theater nearby, finishing their night with a dinner it a neightalian restaurant, before going back to the suite. His eyes opened when he saw what she had floating in front of him. “Holy Sun, Cadence! That’s... that’s...” “Oh, Shining... I thought I had told you to leave your sword at home, honey...” And that was the second night, Princess. She definitely deserves the title of Princess of Love... I hope I’m not being too indiscrete here... It’s all right, my dear Shining. Please go on. If Shining had thought the walk they day before was hurting, he reformatted his ideas after he woke up the next day. His muscles were aching; Cadence had had it good, as an alicorn. He got out of bed, and was greeted by the smell of fresh toast; he trotted to the kitchen, where his wife awaited with a delicious breakfast. “Good morning, sweetheart!” He devoured hungrily her offer, enjoying every single bite. They took a cold shower afterwards -the water woke up Shining’s muscles, making him feel quite better- and decided for a delicious day at the beach. The weather was just warm enough to be perfect. Shining inflated a beach ball and they played happily for some time. Then they swam together, enjoying the clearness of the water and the occasional shy sea creature that passed by their side. After a couple of hours, they settled down in their towel and slept embraced to each other. In retrospect, maybe sleeping under the sun wasn’t the best idea out there... After waking up, they snuggled some more, simply watching the scenery, lulled by the sound of the waves hitting the shore, Shining treasured every moment, his blue eyes reflecting the glow of the sun. Around three in the afternoon, they went back to the hotel and relaxed at a spa it had on the last floor. Another hour was spent sleeping there and they then went down to the restaurant, asking for a simple dinner: pasta with cheese sauce. Have you ever seen Lady and the Tramp? Besides that, I had sauce in my lip, and she did clean it good. Once in the room, they sat next to each other. Cadence embraced him with her hooves, bringing him close to her. She whispered in his ear. He looked at her nervous. “I really don’t know about that, honey...” “Aww, come on, love... It’ll be fun...” “And if it goes wrong?” “Don’t you trust me, Shine?” She looked at him with the damn puppy eyes. He looked back at her. “I guess a try wouldn’t hurt.” “Oh, I know you’ll enjoy it...” And enjoy it I did, Princess. It was weird not feeling some things, but I would’ve never even imagined how it felt during that... Every single movement was a electric surge going through my body, signals making me squirm and scream.... They flapped open, you know? I’d observed it in her, wondering how it’d be a couple of times, but of course never thought I’d experience it. That is pretty intense, Shining. It’s a very rare occurrence, not to say it hasn’t happened, but the last case I had note of was about forty years ago... I don’t know why I let myself get carried away... Shining and Cadence woke up their fourth day in Baltimare. They looked at each other, laughing at first, until Cadence set off to deactivate the spell. It didn’t work. “Come on, Cadence, don’t joke around...” “I’m not joking, Shiny. It doesn’t come off...” “Cadence...” Cadence looked at her husband, tears coming down copiously. Shining himself was dumbstruck. Just what was happening? They looked at the mirror and confirmed the veracity of their situation. They looked at each other. “We’ll have to go back to Canterlot, Cadence. Your aunts are the only ones that can help us.” “Yes, we’ll have to... I’m sorry, Shining. I didn’t mean for this to happen...” “Please don’t cry now, love. We just have to turn this back to normal and everything will be fine.” Shining and Cadence packed their things, checked out of the hotel and hired a carriage back to the Equestrian capital, where they would be just a few hours later. Celestia was taking a stroll by the gardens when she saw the couple running to reach her. “Cadence, Shining! So good to see you here! But isn’t it a day too early, dears?” “Aunt, I’m Cadence,” said the unicorn stallion, gesticulating wildly. “And I’m Shining Armor,” followed the pink alicorn, imitating “Cadence”. Celestia tilted her head looking at the pair. “Come again?” “And that’s how we’re here, Princess.” Cadence had locked her... himself … something, in her room just after greeting Celestia, leaving Shining Armor to explain everything. “I’ve told Cadence to be more responsible with her spells. The body swap spell is a serious one. And as for you, I expected more common sense of the Royal Guard Captain.” Shining Armor backpedalled, flipping his/her wings nervously. S/he bowed his head in apology. “I’m very ashamed, Princess.” S/he took a deep breath, looking at the Princess of the Sun. “But there isn’t anything that could be done?” “I’m afraid not, Shining. If we tried to repair it right now it would be catastrophic for all involved.” The Shining!Cadence sighed deeply. “Then it’s true...” Celestia looked at him and nodded gravely, though one could detect a hint of enjoyment in her face. S/he could easily tell Celestia was employing all her might not to crack up, but s/he had more pressing matters at the moment. “I, Shining Armor, Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, am pregnant...” The wisp of green flame materialized a letter, which Spike transmitted to Twilight Sparkle verbatim. The lavender unicorn heard its contents. Her eyebrows lifted. “I’m going to be an aunt... And Shining Armor is its mother?” Last DayTwily Cadence and I have just returned from Baltimare, a little bit early. It happens that during our journey there, we had a small accident. On … enjoying our recent married couple status, we let ourselves get carried away a bit too much... Now we’ve changed minds. I occupy Cadence’s body and she has mine. That wouldn’t be much of a problem in itself, easily solvable in a matter of seconds... Except that we did it in order to … enjoy ourselves in a different way, and... And we managed to get her body pregnant while I’m inside of her... Any attempt to return our minds to their proper bodies would undoubtedly spell problems for the foal. Until it is born, its better not to mess with it. So, I’m stuck like this. Princess Celestia wants us to have a family reunion in order to discuss this, so she asked that you come in haste. I will send a copy of this letter to our parents... I will see you soon, Twilight... Your... brother Shining Armor Shining bit his lip as he reread the letter and then he shook his head. Where had that come from? He didn’t have that habit at all... While I’m inside of her. I’m lucky it’s Twilight. She’ll find nothing wrong with that phrase, the poor filly. I’ll have to edit the copy to my parents, though... He summoned another piece of parchment over and began rewriting the letter meant for Dusk Shine and White Night. He bit his lip again in the middle of writing, but immersed as he was on it, he didn’t pay any heed to it. After almost an hour had passed he glanced at the finished product. He restrained himself from hitting his wife’s body. “AARGH, this is almost the same letter I prepared for Twilight! Why did I even bother?” With Cadence’ greenish glow, he sealed the letters and carried them along in search of Celestia. Both of the Great Princesses were standing in one of the castle’s balconies, with Luna fighting back a yawn as she had just woken up. Celestia didn’t look at him. The purplish-orange hue of the sky soon gave way to absolute darkness as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. At the same time, the pale shine of a crescent moon lighted the night on a cloud free sky. “Hello, Cadence. How did the journey go?” asked the dark alicorn, walking over to her with a smile on her lips, her previous dreamy state all but gone. “Good night, Shining Armor,” said simply the sun mistress, as she stepped by their side. Luna looked at her sister, and blinked. “What do you mean Shining Armor, sister? This is Cadence right here.” She gestured towards the third pony in the room, who couldn’t be more uncomfortable. He stepped forward to Celestia and held out the letters; one was sealed with a lavender string and the other had a blue one. “He... here are the letters for my family, Princess...” Luna now looked from one to the other, trying to understand, while Celestia simply nodded, and with the light from her horn, the letters vanished in a puff of green smoke. Luna still stood in there until she found her voice again. “What is happening in here? Explain now!” bellowed the frustrated Night Princess. “Of course, Luna,” said Celestia calmly, turning to look at Shining. “If you were so kind as to explain it to her.” A current of chilling air washed over him, making Shining tremble with cold. He instantly composed himself and turned to look at the younger sister, telling her the whole story with all the composement of a Royal Guard. Which didn’t help at all when Luna stomped her hoof on the floor of the balcony, which shook as if a tremor had just occurred. Luna’s eyes were blindingly white as she spoke with the might of a rumbling thunder. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS TRAVESTY? THOU HAST BEEN TRAINED AS A RESPONSIBLE PONY AND SHOULD KNOW BETTER. AND WHAT OF OUR NIECE? SUCH AN INDECOROUS BEHAVIOR IS UNBECOMING OF SELF-RESPECTING ROYALTY. WE WOULD HAVE WORDS WITH THEE!” “Luna, count down from twenty,” said simply Celestia, undisturbed by her sister’s booming voice. Silence reigned for the next few seconds, only interrupted by Luna’s shallow breaths, as the shine in her eyes slowly receded. Soon her face had come back to normalcy, if not for the hard look her eyes retained towards the presence of her nephew in law inhabiting her niece’s body. She was silent once again, Shining cowering from the strong aura she expelled; Celestia used those moments to speak. “I’ve already made him send letters to summon his family here . They should be here by tomorrow and then we’ll discuss this properly. Now, if you’d excuse me, I’ll retire for the night. Good night, sister, Shining.” Celestia left the balcony, leaving them both behind. Shining looked at Luna, and then bowed. “If you excuse me, Princess, I shall retreat as well. Have a good night.” She didn’t answer anything as he crossed the door of the balcony, heading towards his room. As he passed through Cadence’s rooms, he looked at the closed doors, and decided to pass by; later would be a better time for talking to her. He closed his door behind him and reached straight for the bed, laying upon him, looking at the dark ceiling, as only slivers of moonlight entered from a window behind him. Time passed and as he could not get any sleep, he walked over to his desk, lighting a candle,and just chose one of his books to read. The hours slipped by as he passed the pages until he finally fell asleep on top of the open book. His cheek felt the scratchy sensation of the paper against his skin as he woke with his head upon the desk, and on trying to lift his head he felt how the book tried to stick to his skin. He got free and wiped his eyes, going over to the bathroom to wash. Lavender eyes returned his gaze and he sighed. He opened the door to his room and to his misfortune, a couple of guards were walking around at that time. They stopped, looking to him without saying anything. They simply bowed and followed on their way, but Shining could almost hear their thoughts as their steps echoed on the floor. He sighed and kept on walking. Cadence’s door were still closed. He made it to the royal dining room. Upon entering he came to a halt, as he saw his own body sitting next to the ruler of the Sun, with Luna sitting in front of his wife. He slowly walked towards them and sat next to Cadence. “Good morning... aunt Celestia, aunt Luna. Good morning, honey,” he called out nervously. Cadence turned to look at him with a small smile on her lips that wasn’t shared by her eyes. “Good morning, Cadence,” said she with a flat voice. “Good morning, Cadence. I’m happy that you joined us for breakfast. Did you get enough rest from your exciting journey?” Celestia’s visage was the same affable kindness as always, with her soft, regulated tone betraying no hidden thoughts. Luna, on the other hand, was as silent as when Shining had parted with her the night before. “Shining, I received a letter from Twilight last night. She’ll be here soon today, and I suspect your parents will be as well, later,” continued Celestia, taking a bite from a piece of toast. “Yes, Princess,” said both Shining and Cadence simultaneously. He cursed inwardly, while feeling the pain on his flank from a jab of Cadence’s white hoof. She continued, while he limited himself to a spoonful of oatmeal, savoring it slowly. “I can’t wait to see Twily again, and how’ll she be doing, and my parents as well.” “I’m eager to see them as well. Despite only having been a few days since your wedding, I’m sure they’ll be terrified to see you, dear.” Luna chose that moment to stand up. “If you excuse me, I shall take my leave now. Have a good day, all of you.” Celestia nodded. “Of course, Luna, sleep well.” “Sweet dreams, aunt Luna,” said Shining without looking at her. “Rest well, Princess,” said Cadence, concentrating on her food. They finished their meal in silence and Celestia rose up first. “If you excuse me, I have to go and revise some documents. Why don’t you both enjoy your last free day? I’m sure you’ll need it. We will meet later, Cadence, Shining.” They nodded quietly and Celestia slipped out of the room. Cadence rose up from the table. “Cadence, if you’ll excuse me, I have something to check out. I’ll be with you later.” And without waiting for his answer, she left the room as well, leaving him sitting behind, looking at the empty space. One of the royal waiters approached him. “Is there something that you would desire, Princess?” He looked at the uptight stallion looking at him with a blank expression on his face, pure deference towards one of royal blood. He shook his head, rising from his chair. “Thank you, good gentlecolt.” Crossing the door, he looked at both sides of a seemingly deserted corridor. Not knowing what else to do, he went back to his room. Some of the books he kept around helped him pass the long hours; he didn’t even go for lunch. The sun had already disappeared completely from the window, going to the other side. He changed page only for him to hear the heavy knocking at the door. Twilight’s voice came from the other side, loud and harsh. “Shining Armor, come here right now.” The way the wind blewThe Captain of the Guard turned Royal Princess walked towards the door and opened it, looking down to see his sister with a deep frown marked on her face. Behind her stood Cadence on his own body. “What is the meaning of this... brother?” A long pause bridged between the last word and the rest of the sentence, and every word was carried with Twilight’s characteristic angry voice. “Twily---” Shining began, being cut before he could get much more in. “Magic is not a toy and you are perfectly aware of it. You both should have been aware of it!” Each word coming out of Twilight’s mouth rang in Shining’s ears, as tears fell down the lavender unicorn’s cheeks, flowing copiously. “I can’t believe this.” Without saying another word, she turned around and walked away -the sound of her sobbing being the only thing she left behind-. He looked at her leaving until she disappeared around a corner, heading towards the main hall. He then felt his wife putting his own white hoof on her own shoulder. “Do you remember all the magical training Twilight and I did as foals?” He asked without looking at her, his eyes still fixed on the point at which his sister had vanished. The lavender glow of Twilight’s magic surrounded the book, whose pages were being passed quickly in front of the white colt. It finally came to a halt at a certain page. “And this is the most difficult spell we’re practicing this week! She told me it was a couple of levels more advanced that the one I’d normally be in. I’ve been trying it too hard, but there’s always something that doesn’t let me complete it...” Twilight’s voice carried on, squeaky, as Shining peered over the indicated spell, whistling in awe when he finished. “It is a difficult one, really. Can you show me what you’ve got until now?” Twilight looked at him, with a little uncertainty on her face, but nodded slowly. “I’ll try it.” After the purple glow dissipated, Shining nodded, pensively. He looked at her, who was looking back at him, with her gleamy eyes that made him break apart, lest he die of cuteness. ‘Darn filly.’ “Maybe you’re trying too hard, Twilight. You’re leaking way too much magic, though not as much as what happened with Spike. You’ve got to reign in your instincts and look at it from another angle.” “Reign in your instincts,” repeated the older stallion as the memory that had played in his mind vanished. He turned to look at his wife. “I’m sorry, Cadence. I should’ve really thought about it and stopped. We let ourselves get too far.” “I know, Shining. But now it’s too far to beat ourselves over it. What we ought to do now it’s to confront this together. We made those vows, didn’t we?” He looked into her bright blue eyes, recognizing Cadence’s very determined look in his own face. “You’re right, love. Let’s step forward.” She approached him and gave a soft nuzzle to his cheek and a peck on his lips. He was surprised to taste his own lips. Unlike Cadence’s soft, sweet lips, he found his quite rough. His mind lingered for some moments on the absurdity of the situation but then let himself enjoy the brief kiss. They broke apart and Shining felt the aftertaste. Their last kiss had been on that fateful night and he realized how he had missed her contact. “Should we go, honey?” asked Cadence, smiling at him. He began to walk along her. Greeting a couple of guards along the way, they crossed the empty main hall, through whose vitrals the dying light of dusk was filtered and made their way to the other side, to Celestia’s rooms. Passing past a couple of doors, Shining knocked at the third one, the door to Celestia’s private study. “Come in,” answered the voice of the Princess of the Sun and he pushed the door open to enter the room, with Cadence shutting it behind her. Many cushions had been set on the middle of the room, serving as seats. At the left ot the chimney sat Luna and Twilight, just ahead of it lay Celestia and on her other side, Shining’s parents were sitting; the whole group looked at them. Luna had the very same look of barely controlled anger, while the unicorn by her side had abandoned her angry face and now looked as if on the verge of tears. Celestia held her same neutral expression while his parents just looked at them in shock. He lifted a hoof and cleared his throat. “Good night, everypony?” He saw his mother advance towards them. The unicorn mare with whom he shared a white coat -well, in his normal body, that was- stood in front of him, and looked into his eyes with an inquisitive expression which shifted from uncertainty, to recognition to a sad expression. “Shiny?” whispered his mother, looking at him intently. “Yes, mother, it’s me,” answered he simply. A trail of crystal clear tears flowed from her eyes as she gazed upon her firstborn. “How could you let this happen?” She shifted her attention from her son to her son’s body, reaching towards it. “Cadence?” “I don’t have an answer, Mrs. Star Gleam. I just don’t.” The older mare sighed. She closed her eyes for a little and then opened them again. Now her face bore a warm smile and she looked back at her son. “I can’t wait for it, Shiny. You’re going to be a father! And a mother too...” She chuckled and embraced her son and daughter in law. “You have to be good parents, won’t you? Of course you will.” She finally separated from the dumbstruck Shining and Cadence and went back next to her husband, who said nothing, only casting a glance upon them. When silence again filled the room, Celestia herself saw it fit to break it. “The current circumstances are quite unusual indeed. For any normal couple this alone would be extenuating, but you’re a Princess and the Captain of the Royal Guard, and a Royal Consort. All the implications and troubles this incident would arise if it ever became a public domain matter would be truly disastrous.” All the faces were turned back towards the Princess of the Sun, who herself had her sight set on the couple. “We of the Royal family are the prime example for all of Equestria, and this issue would greatly tarnish our public image, something that we simply can’t afford.” “And that is why my sister and I have come to a decision,” interjected Luna. She avoided looking at the couple, instead fixing her gaze at the youngest unicorn in the room. “Shining Armor will go to reside in Ponyville for as long as the pregnancy lasts. He will stay with you. Nopony but the Elements of Harmony and one of the palace’s doctors, who will assist you must know about this. As for Cadence, we shall do an arrangement with the Vice-Captain of the Guard. He will assist you in your duties, ensuring that the statu quo is protected. All these ponies will be sworn to secrecy.” Celestia spoke again. “We will deal with the public exposure for these arrangements. This is not open to discussion or complaint of any kind. This is a royal decree and a family order that you will obey,” said Celestia when the recently married couple opened their mouths to retort, silencing them on the spot. She turned towards the door, opening it with her magic. On the other side, two unicorn stallions stood. One had a white coat covered by an equally white medical robe, red hair and golden eyes, with a caduceus as his cutie mark. The other wore a blue military coat over his black fur, had light silver eyes and hair; his flank bore the image of a shield and short sword. “Please come on in and close the door behind you, gentlecolts,” instructed Celestia. They complied and walked over to the group, bowing before the Princesses. Celestia nodded. “Sharp Scalpel, Iron Shield, what you will hear in here must not get outside of this circle, have you understood?” “Perfectly, Princess. You know I stand at absolute discretion, as any respectable medical worker.” “I abide by the royal orders,” answered the vice-captain, with a very militar stance. “Very well. I will brief you on the situation and the orders that will be issued to you, then.” The way the wind blew (2)“I think you should reconsider that, Princess.” All the heads in the room turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was addressing the royal mare. “There will be nothing good coming from breaking them up. Both of them should be coming to Ponyville.” “Twily--” began Shining, before being interrupted by his sister. “Hush, Shining Armor. I’m still disappointed of you and your reckless usage of magic. But you have an absolute lack of understanding when it comes to possessing a mare’s body, and Cadence has no military training at all. You both should come to a more tranquil place... relatively speaking.” The lavender unicorn turned her gaze towards the Princesses, who looked towards each other. The unicorn doctor, Sharp Scalpel took a step forward. “I’m afraid I do not understand the current situation, Princess. I believe you were going to cast some light upon it for us?” “Yes, I think that shall be in order right now.” Celestia beckoned the doctor and the vice-captain to come closer to her and she relayed the story to both ponies’ attentive ears. Once she was finished, the military pony could do naught but look at Shining Armor in Cadence’s body with his jaw wide open. “Shut your trap, Shield,” said the captain turned Princess, seeing the gleam on the other unicorn’s eyes. Shield’s mouth formed a slight grin. Sharp Scalpel, meanwhile, had his eyes shifting from the princess’ body towards the guard captain’s body with a look of absolute interest. “Amazing. I had read a couple of reports about a situation like this, but given how rare it is, I doubted I would ever see it with my own eyes. Who would have thought.” The royal doctor walked around, observing the couple. He stopped in front of Shining. “Captain? How do you feel?” Shining Armor looked towards the doctor with an expression of uncertainty in his face. “Of course I feel quite weird. I didn’t plan to come back from vacation incarnated as my pregnant wife.” He looked at his sides. “I do like having wings, though. Even though I can’t fly just yet, they’re pretty good for keeping warm...” A chuckle came from everypony in the room except Twilight and Luna. The doctor nodded and looked at him. “Could I do a check-up on you?” “Proceed, doctor.” Scalpel nodded, producing a stethoscope from a pocket in his robe. He put it on the princess’ chest, listening. He retired it and pointed his horn towards Shining, gleaming with a golden hue. The captain of the guard felt somewhat ticklish while the spell scanned him. When the scanning spell was over, the doctor looked curiously towards Shining. “The scanning spell doesn’t show any trace of your pregnancy, in such an extremely early state. That body swapping spell must really have a safe mode locked in, for it to discern your uncommon circumstances. Perhaps it’d be worth it investigating it. I assume you have knowledge of its workings, Princess Cadence?” One white unicorn looked to the other. Cadence drew back a gulp. “Yes... I have it in my personal library. I could look up the book for you if you want it.” “That would be very helpful from you, Princess.” He then turned back to Celestia. “There’s nothing I can infer safely now, I’d like to monitor this closely if your majesty will allow it. And I am, with the due respect towards your highness, agreeing with Ms. Sparkle here. It would be most beneficial for everypony involved.” Celestia swept the room with her gaze, stopping to look at Luna. “What do you think, Luna?” “I suppose we could work at it from another angle. It would certainly be less effort for certain things. The sudden removal of both the third princess and the captain of the Royal Guard would arise talk on Equestria, though. We will have to broaden the circle a little more, sister.” Celestia sighed, looking towards the couple. She then turned towards Iron Shield. “Vice-captain, please bring your most trusted Lieutenant here.” “At haste, Princess.” Iron Shield turned tail, trotting out of the room. “Cadence, dear, why did you go and turned this all on its head? It was pretty tough dealing with the Changeling incident. I hope nothing of the sort happens so soon.” After speaking, Celestia sat next to her sister. “If you excuse me, Princess,” said Twilight’s mother, talking quietly towards the royal mare. “Does this mean you’ll be sending them both to Ponyville?” Celestia smiled at her, nodding. “That is what we’re going to do, Star Gleam.” “First Twilight, and now Shining as well?” The white coated mare approached her son and crossed her neck with him, closing her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, Shiny.” “I’m going to miss you too, mom.” He looked at her when they disentangled. “But perhaps you and dad could now come to Ponyville sometime. You’re always going on and on how much you miss Twilight, but you’ve never taken a chance to see her new life.” Twilight moved uncomfortably in the back. “You’re right, Shining. It’d be a good time for us to see how Twilight’s been doing. You little missy are almost always on something or other thing and rarely write to us!” The lavender unicorn shifted awkwardly while sitting on her place. Her father walked next to her and put a hoof on her neck. “Come on, Star, you know Twilight. I’m sure it’ll be quite charming to take a stroll away from Canterlot, anyway. And we have to keep tabs on our oncoming grandfoal, you know?” “I’ll be waiting for it, dad,” said Twilight with a half-baked smile, mentally calculating all the details of a possible travel of her parents towards Ponyville. The door of the room opened again and Iron Shield came inside again, followed by an grey coated, white haired earth pony who bowed as soon as he stopped walking. “At your orders, Princesses.” “Safe Step is your name, isn’t it?” asked Celestia. “Indeed, Princess,” answered Step, after lifting his head. “Very well, Step. I will be clear with you. We have a situation developing in our hooves, and we would require of your help. However what we will ask of you is a quite difficult mission, so you must hear carefully what I will tell you, understand?” “I understand, your majesty.” “Very well.” Celestia breathed, closing her eyes. She then opened them and turned to her sister. “Luna, tell him the story. I’m rather tired of talking so much...” General silence invaded the room as they all looked at the Princess of the Sun, gawking. Luna facehoofed. “I’m a Princess, not your messenger, Celestia! But ‘tis all just fine. Come over here, gentlecolt.” The lieutenant followed Luna’s instructions, standing in front of her. Clearing her throat, the Princess of the Night pointed towards Cadence’s body. “Your Captain, Shining Armor and the third Princess, Cadence, had a little magical accident, and are now trapped in each other’s body. That one is Shining Armor.” Safe Step blinked, looking towards Shining Armor in Cadence’s body and then towards the princess inhabiting her husband’s body. He turned back towards Luna. “Pardon me, Princess, but this is not any sort of joke, is it?” “I’m afraid it is not, lieutenant. The happy couple decided that a certain... experiment was a safe bet for them while in their honeymoon. It turned out not to be the case, and the Princess wound up pregnant while Shining Armor inhabited her body. Now they cannot turn back.” His mouth was closer to the ground with every word Luna said. He trotted over to the Captain and looked at him, almost piercing him with his eyes. Shining snorted. “Lieutenant, you’re making me uncomfortable. Piss off,” said Shining, with a shadow of a smirk in his lips. “You could end up with a whole month’s worth of training regime. Twice a day.” “It is you!” shrieked Safe Step, letting a myriad of loud laughter come out of his mouth. When he recovered he looked around him, to find all the occupants of the room looking at him. Shining had a murderous look on him, Iron Shield facehoofed, Twilight, Star Gleam and Luna glared at him while Celestia, Night Shade -Twilight’s father- and the doctor simply looked away. “I am deeply sorry, everypony,” said Step, while clearing his throat. “I had never heard of such a thing happening though.” “The last recorded incident of this happened decades ago, lieutenant, and in a small town near Fillydelphia. It wasn’t very well recorded,” explained Luna. “I understand that, Princess. But what has that got to do with me?” “It’s been decided that Cadence and Shining Armor will go to Ponyville to stay while the pregnancy lasts. But he cannot simply leave his post unattended for almost a whole year. And that is where we need someone to fill his shoes. You’re going to take Shining Armor’s place and appearance while he gets yours. He’ll go to Ponyville in the capacity of Cadence’s escort while you’ll support Vice-captain Iron Shield in leading the Royal Guard.” Safe Step didn’t even feel his jaw hitting the ground once more as he processed Luna’s words. His wasn’t the only one, though. Shining looked at Luna in open disbelief. “Is that for real?!” “Of course it is, Shining. Would you or Cadence like to say something?” answered Celestia, gazing down to him. He could feel the full weight of Celestia’s might falling down upon him. “This is the least you can do for the tight spot you’ve gotten yourselves in.” Meanwhile, Luna faced the stricken Lieutenant. “I know there are a lot of things to take into consideration for you, Lieutenant, but this is needed in order not to make a mess out of the statu quo for the kingdom. You’ll be given a day to think it over. However, no single word of this shall get outside, do you understand?” After some more moments of looking at the Princess in disbelief, he nodded. “Yes, Princess, I understand. I will think it over. If you all excuse me.” Safe Step exited the room as fast as he could without turning it into a trot, closing the door behind him. Luna watched him go, and let out a sigh when he disappeared. She looked at Celestia. The elder sister saw into her gleaming blue eyes. “I bet you didn’t miss anything about court intricacies, did you, Luna?” “I can’t say that I didn’t, but now that I relive them...” “Well, everypony,” said Celestia, “I think it’s time to call this meeting off. We’re all quite tired and a good night of resting will do marvels upon us. Night Shade, Star Gleam, would you like to be our guests today at palace?” Night Shade shook his head, smiling to the Princess. “I thank you for the invitation, Princess, but we will head home. We will be back tomorrow.” “That is fine, as well. Twilight, why don’t you go with your parents? They obviously miss you very much.” “Yes, I’m going home with them. Thank you, Princess. Good night to you all.” The three unicorns said goodbye to the ones left in the room and parted from the castle. Iron Shield and Sharp Scalpel parted as well. Celestia turned to Shining and Cadence. “Well, I think it’s best if we head to our rooms now as well. Good night, Shining, Cadence. Good night, Luna.” “Good night, sister. Good night to you as well.” Celestia, Shining and Cadence left the room and headed towards their own quarters. While Shining followed the two mares, seeing his own blue tail swishing, he let out a big sigh. Passing the pagesShining Armor locked the door behind him with more force that he intended. A sigh escaped his lips as soon as he had parted ways with Cadence just at the corner down the corridor in front of the room. His violet eyes were drawn towards the window, with the moonlight casting dim gleams over the floor. He trotted over to the bed, throwing himself to it. The room still felt alien to him; even though it was his wife’s room, a room they should be sharing. A single flash of magic was all that it took to bring this all tumbling down... Since I was young, I’ve only known Canterlot, with the exception of special missions to other parts of Equestria, my life has been spent here. I cannot imagine anything else but protecting this city. And being away from it... Among all the thoughts that were crossing his head in a wild frenzy, a single face came to approach him. A blurred profile of a pony appeared in front of him, seemingly turning its back to him. With the passing of time, light fell upon it, clearing its appearance for Shining to take in. Twilight Sparkle turned around to look right at him, with a pleading look on her eyes. Her lips moved briefly, and even though no sound came from them at all, Shining knew very well what she was saying to him. Since she had left Canterlot, the communication between them both had been very scarce. While in the Castle, they had their constant encounters and dinner at their parents’ house to meet on, but as they were forced apart, the pair of workaholic siblings had grown distant without them realizing it. His eyes opened further, gleaming in the dark room. Twily... The bed creaked under him as he turned around on it. Suddenly his eyes couldn’t stay open any longer and he drifted into sleep, the gleam of Twilight’s eyes being the last thing that saw him off. Shining pushed open the door to the Throne Room, and found that only Cadence was missing from the reunion, with all the others already in place around the breakfast table. He trotted towards it. -Good morning, everypony.- He was met with several greetings, as he reached the table, sitting next to his mother. At his side of the table was sitting his family, while Celestia was at the end of the table, with Luna at the other side, followed by Sharp Scalpel, Iron Shield and Safe Step, who could barely hide his amusement when he saw Shining approaching in his new body. The captain threw a look towards him. “How do you feel, son?” asked his mother, smiling towards him. He let out a small smile as well, before letting it falter from his face. “It’s still too much to take, mother. Last night I was thinking about how difficult it would be for me to leave the life of service that I’m accustomed to so much.” Her smile dimmed, but didn’t disappear as she looked at him. “Oh, sweetheart, I know how disappointed are you, but I assure you some good months of relaxing will do wonders on you. You’ve just gotten out from a pretty perilous situation and gotten married. You’re entitled to enjoy a little, even if it’s somewhat more extended than what you intended. Trust me, you’re going to relish these incoming months and wish back to them once this little one comes out,” said his mother, pointing at his pink belly. He looked towards it. The fact of being pregnant, or even of being a mare was still one that had not yet sank completely into him; that very same morning he still had had problems in the bathroom. “And besides, you’ll see your sister more. I know you haven’t been the same since she left, and it worried me so much. I’d like to drop by there someday as well,” completed his mother, showcasing her smile again. He nodded and turned to pick up a plate, selecting several of the fruits that had been served. Peeling an orange, he picked a wedge from it, eating slowly. “Shining Armor?” Celestia’s voice called to him from across the table, calm but clear. He turned his head and bowed towards her. “Yes, Princess?” “You might want to know that Lieutenant Steps has already made his decision.” Shining turned back to look at his subordinate, who bore a big smile on his lips and waved a hoof towards him. “Good luck, Captain!” The unicorn didn’t open his mouth, instead just staring at the pony in front of him. He soon regained his composure though, and nodded towards Safe Step. “Thank you, Lieu... no, Captain.” Twilight shut the curtains of the small room, as Shining Armor, Cadence, Safe Step, and the Sisters entered to it. Celestia shut the door behind her, and only the dim rays of light penetrating through the curtains’ corners gave any -insufficient- lighting to the room. Both sisters then stood next to each other. “Cadence, come, stand in front of me,” asked Celestia softly. The third princess inhabiting her husband’s body complied, walking up to her aunt, looking straight to her. At Luna’s beckoning, Safe Step stepped next to Cadence, looking towards Luna. The younger princess addressed them both. “From now on, you are going to take each other’s place. By that, of course, it is understood that the lieutenant will replace Prince Shining Armor, currently Princess Cadence.” Luna sighed and rubbed her temples with her hooves, taking in a couple of breaths before continuing. “The Lieutenant has already said goodbye to his family and is ready to depart. So then, let us get this over with.” The horns on both of the alicorns began to shine, illuminating dimly the darkened rooms. Cadence and Safe Step were soon covered by a magical cocoon not very different from the one produced by the glitter wings spell, as Twilight noted; its colorful hues filled the room with even more light that reflected itself in the ponies’ pupils. When it disappeared,leaving the room in the same darkness as it had before both ponies were now standing on the opposite side. They looked towards each other, squinting their eyes as they recovered from the sudden change. “Wow, I’m really there...” Safe Step looked into his own eyes before lowering his gaze and lifting a white hoof. He shook it and looked towards his side, seeing more white fur. “What would you think, I’m the Captain now!” He turned towards Shining Armor, putting on a frown. “It’s so weird. You’ll be still a couple, but you’re using my body. Does that mean that---” He moved to one side, dodging a hit from a Shining Armor with burning eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll let it aside. Gee, you’re no fun.” Meanwhile, Cadence was imitating him. She was confused by the very unfamiliar grey hooves; then she looked towards the pony that was now occupying Shining’s body. “I guess this is it?” she asked, looking towards her aunts, who nodded. “Yes it is. Now, you and Shining’s luggage has already been prepared by palace’s maids, and your departure has been set for the afternoon. I suggest you spend the rest of the morning relaxing and learning about each other a little. A year will be quite a long period, after all.” Celestia, Luna and Twilight left the room, with the unicorn tagging along with her mentor. The three ponies remaining in the room looked towards each other. Safe Step let out a weak laugh that died the very moment it left his lips, smiling to the couple. “What a life, isn’t it?” Shining Armor, in his guise of Cadence, didn’t answer and instead turned towards the door and opened it, being followed by the figure of Safe Step, as the real earth pony was the last one to leave, bearing the unicorn’s appearance. For the first time since they had come back from their journey, Shining and Cadence found the royal dining hall open. Celestia and Luna had already let out word of their departing via discrete means. Cadence followed his husband’s footsteps, as a proper guard would do in such circumstances as they entered the room. Leading the way, Shining felt more uncomfortable with every step he gave. He had always held the role of guard and escort, taking pride in performing his duty at the top of his game, and he was now providing the role of the escorted, something that did not sit well to him at all. He did not turn his head to look back, despite having an overwhelming desire to do so. Besides, all the gazes had been fixed on them since they entered. The slow trot finally led them to the side of the table. Shining stopped, feeling Cadence coming to a halt behind him. Sweeping the table with his eyes, he felt a small drop of sweat at the attention that was on him; he put a smile on his lips, despite not feeling a little bit like smiling. “Thank you all for coming today...” His mind was blurred as his mouth moved practically of its own free will. Despite coming from an aristocratic family and being constantly in the company and presence of royalty, nevermind being married to one now, the captain of the guard was not accustomed to making speeches. He could feel himself emulating what he had learnt from long years of listening, while all of the eyes were drawn to him. He didn’t even realize when he had been finished; his only clue was a silence that seemed to cover the whole room, spreading through the air. He blinked. A ethereal voice cut through the void. “That was lovely, Cadence. Wonderful. I’m proud of you, my niece.” He turned his head to look at Celestia, who was smiling warm and serenely from one side of the table. At her right side, Safe Step himself was sitting down in Shining’s own body, next to two empty places. He began to walk over there, with Cadence following him. They went around the table, with Shining taking a seat next to Safe Step, and Cadence seating next to him. At the very same time they sat down, Shining’s ears perked up. Whispers were heard around the table, being silenced almost immediately by Celestia clearing her throat. “You have heard well, mares and gentlecolts. My dear niece will be taking an extended leave of absence due to the recent, unforeseen circumstances of her pregnancy. Even though such news have been quite unexpected for our family, we receive Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s announcement with joy.” She looked towards them with a radiating smile, while from the background, the sound of hooves hitting the floor could be heard. A very polite hoof stomping celebrated the announcement from the royal couple. Safe Step and him bowed their heads towards the crowd, smiling. He stole a look towards Cadence, who had joined the rest of the ponies on congratulating them. He very slowly held a hoof towards her, under the table, until he felt her own hoof joining his, and a more pronounced smile coming from her own lips. He didn’t even care about the sight of Safe Step’s face in front of him, feeling the very same warmth his wife produced in him. The moon shaped necklace hung from his neck. Made from polished silver, it gleamed in the sunlight, with a special bright sparkle on its tips. He looked towards Cadence, who stood next to him. A silver chain hung from her neck, going into hiding in the inside of the military uniform she carried. From the platform came the calling to get on the train that was stopped in front of them. Turning back, he and Twilight waved goodbye to their parents. “Goodbye, mom, dad. I hope to see you in Ponyville soon!” called out the lavender mare, smiling towards their parents. She then turned back, entering the train. Shining waved to his parents once again, and then he and Cadence embarked on the locomotive, following his sister towards their compartment. Once Twilight had located it, she opened the door at the same time a rumble indicated them that the machine was pushing forward. “I’m so happy to have you two coming to Ponyville! I know you’re going to love it.” The purple mare was almost out of herself with excitement. Shining couldn’t help but smile, looking towards Cadence, who had the very same expression towards his face. He reached his hoof towards hers, taking it strongly, lying next to his wife, as his sister provided with plans and endless prospects. He smiled even wider. “Of course, Twily.” Shining Cadence“Captain, you’re back early! Did something happen?” The couple of guards strolling across palace were left dumbstruck when Shining Armor ran by their side, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. They turned to see him disappear around a corner; they looked at each other. “Was it that awful?” The other shook his head, closing his eyes in a clearly reprobating attitude. “Screwed-up royalty.” Cadence shut the door behind her with a thump, throwing herself above her bed, being received by a mountain of soft cushions. She lay in there, pressing her face against one of the cushions, until she couldn’t breathe any more. She lifted her head, her tears dried in her coat and her blue eyes covered by intense redness. She looked down to see the pristine white coat in the body she was inhabiting. It was her husband’s coat. She was Shining Armor, and it was primarily her fault. She didn’t think anything like that would come to pass... She didn’t understand anything of it. Maybe if she went to sleep it would all reveal itself as a horrible nightmare. The sun was midway through the sky, and she was in tune with Celestia’s schedule when it came to slumber, so that was out of the question. She got out of bed and walked to her private bathroom. When she was in the middle of washing her face, there was a knock on her door. She sighed and opened it with a glimmer of her horn. The mirror reflected the face of Shining Armor looking back at her, while she heard the hoofsteps coming inside and the door closing again. “Cadence?” Cadence’s jaw fell upon hearing the voice of her elder aunt. She walked out of the bedroom slowly and found the alicorn of the sun looking straight at her, her face indicating the full displeasure Celestia felt with this situation. Next to her, Shining Armor stood, apparently very interested in checking her hooves. Celestia advanced towards her, without taking her eyes away. They finally were face to face, and the bearing of the High Princess weighed over the minor alicorn, who nevertheless returned the gaze. “Aunt Celestia.” Celestia fixed her glacial gaze upon her for some time, Cadence felt herself being melted by the overwhelming warmth of the sun, when a muscle on the Sun Princess’ face twitched. Cadence looked at her in confusion, as did Shining Armor. Not being able to restrain herself anymore, Celestia fell into a state of mirth, laughing heartily, her voice resounding off the bedroom walls, before she calmed herself. “Oh, my lovely niece, you sure outdid yourself. This is priceless!” Neither member of the couple could talk; they just stared at Celestia with surprised, big eyes. She looked at both of them, a wide smile in her lips, and turned to look at the Princess of Love encased in the Guard Captain’s body. “So, did you learn anything, Cadence?” “Yes, aunt Celestia. I must be more careful with my ideas and spells from now on. Magic is not something to be taken lightly.” Her face returned to its normal state, Celestia set her gaze upon Shining’s light, violet eyes. “And you, my nephew?” Shining spoke, and for the first time he registered that the one he was using wasn’t his voice. He fell silent upon considering Cadence’s higher pitched voice; he opened his mouth a couple of times. Celestia waited patiently, but his wife finally poked him in the ribs. “Ouch! I’m sorry, I’m getting on... Yes, Princess. I learnt, or remembered, not to let myself get too carried away, lest unexpected bad things happen. Like this...” The couple was too pointedly avoiding Celestia’s eyes to notice the glint that reflected in her pupils very briefly. She put one hoof forward, her step resonating in the marble floor clear and loudly. “Well, you both will do well to enforce this in the future. As for now, though, as I indicated to Shining, the spell is impossible to break, given that you, Cadence... Shining... you,” she said, pointing to Cadence’s body with a hoof. “This is going to be a real pain in the plot.” Celestia allowed herself that slip of the tongue while Cadence looked at her, a white lower jaw almost dislodging itself from its upper partner. “WHAT?!” Celestia turned to look at her again. “Yes, my dear niece. That is the reason that prevented you from cancelling the spell. You managed to get pregnant. Isn’t it nice?” Cadence struggled to form words. “But Shining it’s there! He doesn’t know anything about how to deal with a female body, let alone be pregnant. How are going to do it?!” Shining’s hair was getting dishevelled, while she flailed his arms around and the voice raised its tone. Shining himself was about to protest his wife’s words, when Celestia spoke again. “Well, you should have thought of that before playing this little trick of yours, Cadence. Now, the best action of course will be to have a family meeting to discuss this at large. I will inform Luna about this once she has woken up. And you, young colt. No, don’t give me that look, you know you earned it. You’ll write to your parents and your sister informing them of this. Now, nopony else but them must know about this, and I stress that point. You are going to have to live each other’s lives for almost a year from now, and it wouldn’t be any good it word about this leaked out. So you must make absolutely sure of it. “ She looked at both of them to assure herself of their understanding, receiving silent nods. “Very well. Shining, go forth and write to your family. As you had another day off from the Guard, there’s no need for Cadence to go there yet. Come with me, Cadence.” The Royal Guard Captain in the body of the princess headed to his room, shutting the door behind him and sitting before his desk to compose his letters. Thinking of a certain lavender unicorn, he let out a sigh. “She’s not going to take this well. At all.”
Oh, buck it!Royal Guard Captain and recently crowned Prince Shining Armor loved his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, more informally known as Princess Cadence. The happy couple finally contracted marriage after some years of dating, as per Cadence’s own dispositions. The Princess of Love is one mare who knows better than anyone how serious real love is, and didn’t settle for anything less than pure bliss. It was a hard gained one, nonetheless, as they were no different to any other couple in the kingdom of Equestria, with their ups and downs. Shining Armor did however perform exceptionally in all his functions. Their final test came at the wedding itself, when a race of creatures that feed on emotion known as changelings almost conquered the castle and the city. In the end, despite all their dastardly machinations, Shining Armor's and Cadence’s love prevailed, liberating ponykind of a terrible fate. The marriage was then celebrated at last and the happy couple rode in their carriage towards the horizon. Their destination: Coastal metropoli Baltimare, ashore of the Horseshoe Bay. The pegasi driven carriage finally landed just before the hotel. The prestigious Le Parker Mareidien was the one their aunts had recommended, not too far away from the beach. A elegantly dressed bell-pony received them, opening the door for the just married couple to step down. “Your Majesties, welcome to Le Parker Mareidien. Allow me to help with your luggage.” Shining observed the hotel entry. Two sets of revolving doors led to an ample main hall. To the left a long service counter lay; in front of it another set of normal doors led to the restaurant. In front of the main entrance, the elevators and the stairs stood next to each other. Few ponies beside the employees walked around. The unicorn bell-colt levitated their packages, not too numerous, and led them to the reception for their check-in. Once signed in, they were led to an elevator. Upon arriving to the tenth floor, they were led to their room, a double suite with a view to the nearby ocean. Shining looked through the crystal window, taking in the view of the bay in the distance. It left him breathless; the Royal Guard Captain had few opportunities to take on journeys such as this one. Cadence, despite being freer to do as she pleased, was a very hoofs-on Princess, just like her Aunts, and so didn’t enjoy such views too frequently as well. They would have five wonderful days to enjoy the scenery and each other’s company aplenty. The Princess turned to her husband. “What do you say, love? Beach?” “Beach it is!” They packed the necessary stuff for their walk to the shore and left the hotel, taking in the sight of Baltimare. They had done so previously, but it was their first time not worrying about official duties. Baltimare basically didn't differ much from Cantertot, being a cosmopolitan city. However, being located in the sea shore gave it a different atmosphere. They could breathe the saline aroma from the water and as they approached, the sound of the waves greeted them along with the sight of ponies, with the occasional gryphon walking around. They settled for a spot just straight from where the street ended. Shining set up a towel and umbrella and they sat down to enjoy the sights, with the sun almost on the horizon line. Shining went in for a swim while Cadence stayed behind, enjoying the last of the suns rays. Shining felt the coolness of the water, the waves licking his coat, the salty taste in this tongue as he swam across the beach, enjoying every minute of it. Forty five minutes later, he laid beside Cadence, enjoying the soft colors of sunset together. After about an hour, they packed up and set out for a walk along the streets of the city, viewing its many marvels. They finally came back to the hotel, and settled in at the restaurant for a ratatouille dish, prepared by an earth pony chef live in front of them. Once they had eaten to their stomachs’ satisfaction, they returned to their suite at a leisurely pace, as Shining had recommended Cadence do. Upon arriving on their floor, while they walked towards their destination, Cadence pushed herself playfully against her husband. “We can always do more exercise, honey,” said the Princess in an equally playful tone, stressed especially on the last word. Shining just smiled, pushing back in the same way. They opened the suite’s door, which Cadence closed against herself. And that was the beginning, Princess Celestia... It was a fun night, indeed. I must say I didn’t really expect that from Cadence. Hoo-boy... Shining opened his eyes. He recognized the room he was in after some seconds. Turning his head, he found his wife sleeping, tightly embraced to him, a peaceful smile on her lips, but with a certain touch of mischievousness mixed in it. He looked at the bedroom window, the sun had already come out. Not too much later, Cadence began to stir and soon woke up. “Oh, Shining... Good morning...” “Good morning, honey,” answered the stallion, smiling. “Shining...” “Yes, Cadence?” “You were delicious...,” said the Princess, with a voice half awake, but very sultry, playfully nibbling at Armor’s ear. He laughed, and pushed her playfully away. “You naughty mare, you’re going to spend everything too soon...” “I don’t think I could spend you too soon...” He smiled and gave her a peck on the lips, which made the Princess smile just as wide as him. He leaped out of bed. “I’m going to make breakfast for us two.” “Sounds delicious...” The happy couple ate Shining’s preparations, and then lazed around in bed for a while, before venturing out in the city. They walked around, seeing beautiful landscapes, statues, and visiting malls until Shining was exhausted from walking, and that’s for a Royal Guard. Cadence kept on seeing wonderful things to buy as souvenirs, and buy they did. Returning to the hotel in the afternoon, Shining gave himself away to deep slumber while Cadence organized their gifts; she slept a little as well. By night, they attended a play in a theater nearby, finishing their night with a dinner it a neightalian restaurant, before going back to the suite. His eyes opened when he saw what she had floating in front of him. “Holy Sun, Cadence! That’s... that’s...” “Oh, Shining... I thought I had told you to leave your sword at home, honey...” And that was the second night, Princess. She definitely deserves the title of Princess of Love... I hope I’m not being too indiscrete here... It’s all right, my dear Shining. Please go on. If Shining had thought the walk they day before was hurting, he reformatted his ideas after he woke up the next day. His muscles were aching; Cadence had had it good, as an alicorn. He got out of bed, and was greeted by the smell of fresh toast; he trotted to the kitchen, where his wife awaited with a delicious breakfast. “Good morning, sweetheart!” He devoured hungrily her offer, enjoying every single bite. They took a cold shower afterwards -the water woke up Shining’s muscles, making him feel quite better- and decided for a delicious day at the beach. The weather was just warm enough to be perfect. Shining inflated a beach ball and they played happily for some time. Then they swam together, enjoying the clearness of the water and the occasional shy sea creature that passed by their side. After a couple of hours, they settled down in their towel and slept embraced to each other. In retrospect, maybe sleeping under the sun wasn’t the best idea out there... After waking up, they snuggled some more, simply watching the scenery, lulled by the sound of the waves hitting the shore, Shining treasured every moment, his blue eyes reflecting the glow of the sun. Around three in the afternoon, they went back to the hotel and relaxed at a spa it had on the last floor. Another hour was spent sleeping there and they then went down to the restaurant, asking for a simple dinner: pasta with cheese sauce. Have you ever seen Lady and the Tramp? Besides that, I had sauce in my lip, and she did clean it good. Once in the room, they sat next to each other. Cadence embraced him with her hooves, bringing him close to her. She whispered in his ear. He looked at her nervous. “I really don’t know about that, honey...” “Aww, come on, love... It’ll be fun...” “And if it goes wrong?” “Don’t you trust me, Shine?” She looked at him with the damn puppy eyes. He looked back at her. “I guess a try wouldn’t hurt.” “Oh, I know you’ll enjoy it...” And enjoy it I did, Princess. It was weird not feeling some things, but I would’ve never even imagined how it felt during that... Every single movement was a electric surge going through my body, signals making me squirm and scream.... They flapped open, you know? I’d observed it in her, wondering how it’d be a couple of times, but of course never thought I’d experience it. That is pretty intense, Shining. It’s a very rare occurrence, not to say it hasn’t happened, but the last case I had note of was about forty years ago... I don’t know why I let myself get carried away... Shining and Cadence woke up their fourth day in Baltimare. They looked at each other, laughing at first, until Cadence set off to deactivate the spell. It didn’t work. “Come on, Cadence, don’t joke around...” “I’m not joking, Shiny. It doesn’t come off...” “Cadence...” Cadence looked at her husband, tears coming down copiously. Shining himself was dumbstruck. Just what was happening? They looked at the mirror and confirmed the veracity of their situation. They looked at each other. “We’ll have to go back to Canterlot, Cadence. Your aunts are the only ones that can help us.” “Yes, we’ll have to... I’m sorry, Shining. I didn’t mean for this to happen...” “Please don’t cry now, love. We just have to turn this back to normal and everything will be fine.” Shining and Cadence packed their things, checked out of the hotel and hired a carriage back to the Equestrian capital, where they would be just a few hours later. Celestia was taking a stroll by the gardens when she saw the couple running to reach her. “Cadence, Shining! So good to see you here! But isn’t it a day too early, dears?” “Aunt, I’m Cadence,” said the unicorn stallion, gesticulating wildly. “And I’m Shining Armor,” followed the pink alicorn, imitating “Cadence”. Celestia tilted her head looking at the pair. “Come again?” “And that’s how we’re here, Princess.” Cadence had locked her... himself … something, in her room just after greeting Celestia, leaving Shining Armor to explain everything. “I’ve told Cadence to be more responsible with her spells. The body swap spell is a serious one. And as for you, I expected more common sense of the Royal Guard Captain.” Shining Armor backpedalled, flipping his/her wings nervously. S/he bowed his head in apology. “I’m very ashamed, Princess.” S/he took a deep breath, looking at the Princess of the Sun. “But there isn’t anything that could be done?” “I’m afraid not, Shining. If we tried to repair it right now it would be catastrophic for all involved.” The Shining!Cadence sighed deeply. “Then it’s true...” Celestia looked at him and nodded gravely, though one could detect a hint of enjoyment in her face. S/he could easily tell Celestia was employing all her might not to crack up, but s/he had more pressing matters at the moment. “I, Shining Armor, Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, am pregnant...” The wisp of green flame materialized a letter, which Spike transmitted to Twilight Sparkle verbatim. The lavender unicorn heard its contents. Her eyebrows lifted. “I’m going to be an aunt... And Shining Armor is its mother?”
Last DayTwily Cadence and I have just returned from Baltimare, a little bit early. It happens that during our journey there, we had a small accident. On … enjoying our recent married couple status, we let ourselves get carried away a bit too much... Now we’ve changed minds. I occupy Cadence’s body and she has mine. That wouldn’t be much of a problem in itself, easily solvable in a matter of seconds... Except that we did it in order to … enjoy ourselves in a different way, and... And we managed to get her body pregnant while I’m inside of her... Any attempt to return our minds to their proper bodies would undoubtedly spell problems for the foal. Until it is born, its better not to mess with it. So, I’m stuck like this. Princess Celestia wants us to have a family reunion in order to discuss this, so she asked that you come in haste. I will send a copy of this letter to our parents... I will see you soon, Twilight... Your... brother Shining Armor Shining bit his lip as he reread the letter and then he shook his head. Where had that come from? He didn’t have that habit at all... While I’m inside of her. I’m lucky it’s Twilight. She’ll find nothing wrong with that phrase, the poor filly. I’ll have to edit the copy to my parents, though... He summoned another piece of parchment over and began rewriting the letter meant for Dusk Shine and White Night. He bit his lip again in the middle of writing, but immersed as he was on it, he didn’t pay any heed to it. After almost an hour had passed he glanced at the finished product. He restrained himself from hitting his wife’s body. “AARGH, this is almost the same letter I prepared for Twilight! Why did I even bother?” With Cadence’ greenish glow, he sealed the letters and carried them along in search of Celestia. Both of the Great Princesses were standing in one of the castle’s balconies, with Luna fighting back a yawn as she had just woken up. Celestia didn’t look at him. The purplish-orange hue of the sky soon gave way to absolute darkness as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. At the same time, the pale shine of a crescent moon lighted the night on a cloud free sky. “Hello, Cadence. How did the journey go?” asked the dark alicorn, walking over to her with a smile on her lips, her previous dreamy state all but gone. “Good night, Shining Armor,” said simply the sun mistress, as she stepped by their side. Luna looked at her sister, and blinked. “What do you mean Shining Armor, sister? This is Cadence right here.” She gestured towards the third pony in the room, who couldn’t be more uncomfortable. He stepped forward to Celestia and held out the letters; one was sealed with a lavender string and the other had a blue one. “He... here are the letters for my family, Princess...” Luna now looked from one to the other, trying to understand, while Celestia simply nodded, and with the light from her horn, the letters vanished in a puff of green smoke. Luna still stood in there until she found her voice again. “What is happening in here? Explain now!” bellowed the frustrated Night Princess. “Of course, Luna,” said Celestia calmly, turning to look at Shining. “If you were so kind as to explain it to her.” A current of chilling air washed over him, making Shining tremble with cold. He instantly composed himself and turned to look at the younger sister, telling her the whole story with all the composement of a Royal Guard. Which didn’t help at all when Luna stomped her hoof on the floor of the balcony, which shook as if a tremor had just occurred. Luna’s eyes were blindingly white as she spoke with the might of a rumbling thunder. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS TRAVESTY? THOU HAST BEEN TRAINED AS A RESPONSIBLE PONY AND SHOULD KNOW BETTER. AND WHAT OF OUR NIECE? SUCH AN INDECOROUS BEHAVIOR IS UNBECOMING OF SELF-RESPECTING ROYALTY. WE WOULD HAVE WORDS WITH THEE!” “Luna, count down from twenty,” said simply Celestia, undisturbed by her sister’s booming voice. Silence reigned for the next few seconds, only interrupted by Luna’s shallow breaths, as the shine in her eyes slowly receded. Soon her face had come back to normalcy, if not for the hard look her eyes retained towards the presence of her nephew in law inhabiting her niece’s body. She was silent once again, Shining cowering from the strong aura she expelled; Celestia used those moments to speak. “I’ve already made him send letters to summon his family here . They should be here by tomorrow and then we’ll discuss this properly. Now, if you’d excuse me, I’ll retire for the night. Good night, sister, Shining.” Celestia left the balcony, leaving them both behind. Shining looked at Luna, and then bowed. “If you excuse me, Princess, I shall retreat as well. Have a good night.” She didn’t answer anything as he crossed the door of the balcony, heading towards his room. As he passed through Cadence’s rooms, he looked at the closed doors, and decided to pass by; later would be a better time for talking to her. He closed his door behind him and reached straight for the bed, laying upon him, looking at the dark ceiling, as only slivers of moonlight entered from a window behind him. Time passed and as he could not get any sleep, he walked over to his desk, lighting a candle,and just chose one of his books to read. The hours slipped by as he passed the pages until he finally fell asleep on top of the open book. His cheek felt the scratchy sensation of the paper against his skin as he woke with his head upon the desk, and on trying to lift his head he felt how the book tried to stick to his skin. He got free and wiped his eyes, going over to the bathroom to wash. Lavender eyes returned his gaze and he sighed. He opened the door to his room and to his misfortune, a couple of guards were walking around at that time. They stopped, looking to him without saying anything. They simply bowed and followed on their way, but Shining could almost hear their thoughts as their steps echoed on the floor. He sighed and kept on walking. Cadence’s door were still closed. He made it to the royal dining room. Upon entering he came to a halt, as he saw his own body sitting next to the ruler of the Sun, with Luna sitting in front of his wife. He slowly walked towards them and sat next to Cadence. “Good morning... aunt Celestia, aunt Luna. Good morning, honey,” he called out nervously. Cadence turned to look at him with a small smile on her lips that wasn’t shared by her eyes. “Good morning, Cadence,” said she with a flat voice. “Good morning, Cadence. I’m happy that you joined us for breakfast. Did you get enough rest from your exciting journey?” Celestia’s visage was the same affable kindness as always, with her soft, regulated tone betraying no hidden thoughts. Luna, on the other hand, was as silent as when Shining had parted with her the night before. “Shining, I received a letter from Twilight last night. She’ll be here soon today, and I suspect your parents will be as well, later,” continued Celestia, taking a bite from a piece of toast. “Yes, Princess,” said both Shining and Cadence simultaneously. He cursed inwardly, while feeling the pain on his flank from a jab of Cadence’s white hoof. She continued, while he limited himself to a spoonful of oatmeal, savoring it slowly. “I can’t wait to see Twily again, and how’ll she be doing, and my parents as well.” “I’m eager to see them as well. Despite only having been a few days since your wedding, I’m sure they’ll be terrified to see you, dear.” Luna chose that moment to stand up. “If you excuse me, I shall take my leave now. Have a good day, all of you.” Celestia nodded. “Of course, Luna, sleep well.” “Sweet dreams, aunt Luna,” said Shining without looking at her. “Rest well, Princess,” said Cadence, concentrating on her food. They finished their meal in silence and Celestia rose up first. “If you excuse me, I have to go and revise some documents. Why don’t you both enjoy your last free day? I’m sure you’ll need it. We will meet later, Cadence, Shining.” They nodded quietly and Celestia slipped out of the room. Cadence rose up from the table. “Cadence, if you’ll excuse me, I have something to check out. I’ll be with you later.” And without waiting for his answer, she left the room as well, leaving him sitting behind, looking at the empty space. One of the royal waiters approached him. “Is there something that you would desire, Princess?” He looked at the uptight stallion looking at him with a blank expression on his face, pure deference towards one of royal blood. He shook his head, rising from his chair. “Thank you, good gentlecolt.” Crossing the door, he looked at both sides of a seemingly deserted corridor. Not knowing what else to do, he went back to his room. Some of the books he kept around helped him pass the long hours; he didn’t even go for lunch. The sun had already disappeared completely from the window, going to the other side. He changed page only for him to hear the heavy knocking at the door. Twilight’s voice came from the other side, loud and harsh. “Shining Armor, come here right now.”
The way the wind blewThe Captain of the Guard turned Royal Princess walked towards the door and opened it, looking down to see his sister with a deep frown marked on her face. Behind her stood Cadence on his own body. “What is the meaning of this... brother?” A long pause bridged between the last word and the rest of the sentence, and every word was carried with Twilight’s characteristic angry voice. “Twily---” Shining began, being cut before he could get much more in. “Magic is not a toy and you are perfectly aware of it. You both should have been aware of it!” Each word coming out of Twilight’s mouth rang in Shining’s ears, as tears fell down the lavender unicorn’s cheeks, flowing copiously. “I can’t believe this.” Without saying another word, she turned around and walked away -the sound of her sobbing being the only thing she left behind-. He looked at her leaving until she disappeared around a corner, heading towards the main hall. He then felt his wife putting his own white hoof on her own shoulder. “Do you remember all the magical training Twilight and I did as foals?” He asked without looking at her, his eyes still fixed on the point at which his sister had vanished. The lavender glow of Twilight’s magic surrounded the book, whose pages were being passed quickly in front of the white colt. It finally came to a halt at a certain page. “And this is the most difficult spell we’re practicing this week! She told me it was a couple of levels more advanced that the one I’d normally be in. I’ve been trying it too hard, but there’s always something that doesn’t let me complete it...” Twilight’s voice carried on, squeaky, as Shining peered over the indicated spell, whistling in awe when he finished. “It is a difficult one, really. Can you show me what you’ve got until now?” Twilight looked at him, with a little uncertainty on her face, but nodded slowly. “I’ll try it.” After the purple glow dissipated, Shining nodded, pensively. He looked at her, who was looking back at him, with her gleamy eyes that made him break apart, lest he die of cuteness. ‘Darn filly.’ “Maybe you’re trying too hard, Twilight. You’re leaking way too much magic, though not as much as what happened with Spike. You’ve got to reign in your instincts and look at it from another angle.” “Reign in your instincts,” repeated the older stallion as the memory that had played in his mind vanished. He turned to look at his wife. “I’m sorry, Cadence. I should’ve really thought about it and stopped. We let ourselves get too far.” “I know, Shining. But now it’s too far to beat ourselves over it. What we ought to do now it’s to confront this together. We made those vows, didn’t we?” He looked into her bright blue eyes, recognizing Cadence’s very determined look in his own face. “You’re right, love. Let’s step forward.” She approached him and gave a soft nuzzle to his cheek and a peck on his lips. He was surprised to taste his own lips. Unlike Cadence’s soft, sweet lips, he found his quite rough. His mind lingered for some moments on the absurdity of the situation but then let himself enjoy the brief kiss. They broke apart and Shining felt the aftertaste. Their last kiss had been on that fateful night and he realized how he had missed her contact. “Should we go, honey?” asked Cadence, smiling at him. He began to walk along her. Greeting a couple of guards along the way, they crossed the empty main hall, through whose vitrals the dying light of dusk was filtered and made their way to the other side, to Celestia’s rooms. Passing past a couple of doors, Shining knocked at the third one, the door to Celestia’s private study. “Come in,” answered the voice of the Princess of the Sun and he pushed the door open to enter the room, with Cadence shutting it behind her. Many cushions had been set on the middle of the room, serving as seats. At the left ot the chimney sat Luna and Twilight, just ahead of it lay Celestia and on her other side, Shining’s parents were sitting; the whole group looked at them. Luna had the very same look of barely controlled anger, while the unicorn by her side had abandoned her angry face and now looked as if on the verge of tears. Celestia held her same neutral expression while his parents just looked at them in shock. He lifted a hoof and cleared his throat. “Good night, everypony?” He saw his mother advance towards them. The unicorn mare with whom he shared a white coat -well, in his normal body, that was- stood in front of him, and looked into his eyes with an inquisitive expression which shifted from uncertainty, to recognition to a sad expression. “Shiny?” whispered his mother, looking at him intently. “Yes, mother, it’s me,” answered he simply. A trail of crystal clear tears flowed from her eyes as she gazed upon her firstborn. “How could you let this happen?” She shifted her attention from her son to her son’s body, reaching towards it. “Cadence?” “I don’t have an answer, Mrs. Star Gleam. I just don’t.” The older mare sighed. She closed her eyes for a little and then opened them again. Now her face bore a warm smile and she looked back at her son. “I can’t wait for it, Shiny. You’re going to be a father! And a mother too...” She chuckled and embraced her son and daughter in law. “You have to be good parents, won’t you? Of course you will.” She finally separated from the dumbstruck Shining and Cadence and went back next to her husband, who said nothing, only casting a glance upon them. When silence again filled the room, Celestia herself saw it fit to break it. “The current circumstances are quite unusual indeed. For any normal couple this alone would be extenuating, but you’re a Princess and the Captain of the Royal Guard, and a Royal Consort. All the implications and troubles this incident would arise if it ever became a public domain matter would be truly disastrous.” All the faces were turned back towards the Princess of the Sun, who herself had her sight set on the couple. “We of the Royal family are the prime example for all of Equestria, and this issue would greatly tarnish our public image, something that we simply can’t afford.” “And that is why my sister and I have come to a decision,” interjected Luna. She avoided looking at the couple, instead fixing her gaze at the youngest unicorn in the room. “Shining Armor will go to reside in Ponyville for as long as the pregnancy lasts. He will stay with you. Nopony but the Elements of Harmony and one of the palace’s doctors, who will assist you must know about this. As for Cadence, we shall do an arrangement with the Vice-Captain of the Guard. He will assist you in your duties, ensuring that the statu quo is protected. All these ponies will be sworn to secrecy.” Celestia spoke again. “We will deal with the public exposure for these arrangements. This is not open to discussion or complaint of any kind. This is a royal decree and a family order that you will obey,” said Celestia when the recently married couple opened their mouths to retort, silencing them on the spot. She turned towards the door, opening it with her magic. On the other side, two unicorn stallions stood. One had a white coat covered by an equally white medical robe, red hair and golden eyes, with a caduceus as his cutie mark. The other wore a blue military coat over his black fur, had light silver eyes and hair; his flank bore the image of a shield and short sword. “Please come on in and close the door behind you, gentlecolts,” instructed Celestia. They complied and walked over to the group, bowing before the Princesses. Celestia nodded. “Sharp Scalpel, Iron Shield, what you will hear in here must not get outside of this circle, have you understood?” “Perfectly, Princess. You know I stand at absolute discretion, as any respectable medical worker.” “I abide by the royal orders,” answered the vice-captain, with a very militar stance. “Very well. I will brief you on the situation and the orders that will be issued to you, then.”
The way the wind blew (2)“I think you should reconsider that, Princess.” All the heads in the room turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was addressing the royal mare. “There will be nothing good coming from breaking them up. Both of them should be coming to Ponyville.” “Twily--” began Shining, before being interrupted by his sister. “Hush, Shining Armor. I’m still disappointed of you and your reckless usage of magic. But you have an absolute lack of understanding when it comes to possessing a mare’s body, and Cadence has no military training at all. You both should come to a more tranquil place... relatively speaking.” The lavender unicorn turned her gaze towards the Princesses, who looked towards each other. The unicorn doctor, Sharp Scalpel took a step forward. “I’m afraid I do not understand the current situation, Princess. I believe you were going to cast some light upon it for us?” “Yes, I think that shall be in order right now.” Celestia beckoned the doctor and the vice-captain to come closer to her and she relayed the story to both ponies’ attentive ears. Once she was finished, the military pony could do naught but look at Shining Armor in Cadence’s body with his jaw wide open. “Shut your trap, Shield,” said the captain turned Princess, seeing the gleam on the other unicorn’s eyes. Shield’s mouth formed a slight grin. Sharp Scalpel, meanwhile, had his eyes shifting from the princess’ body towards the guard captain’s body with a look of absolute interest. “Amazing. I had read a couple of reports about a situation like this, but given how rare it is, I doubted I would ever see it with my own eyes. Who would have thought.” The royal doctor walked around, observing the couple. He stopped in front of Shining. “Captain? How do you feel?” Shining Armor looked towards the doctor with an expression of uncertainty in his face. “Of course I feel quite weird. I didn’t plan to come back from vacation incarnated as my pregnant wife.” He looked at his sides. “I do like having wings, though. Even though I can’t fly just yet, they’re pretty good for keeping warm...” A chuckle came from everypony in the room except Twilight and Luna. The doctor nodded and looked at him. “Could I do a check-up on you?” “Proceed, doctor.” Scalpel nodded, producing a stethoscope from a pocket in his robe. He put it on the princess’ chest, listening. He retired it and pointed his horn towards Shining, gleaming with a golden hue. The captain of the guard felt somewhat ticklish while the spell scanned him. When the scanning spell was over, the doctor looked curiously towards Shining. “The scanning spell doesn’t show any trace of your pregnancy, in such an extremely early state. That body swapping spell must really have a safe mode locked in, for it to discern your uncommon circumstances. Perhaps it’d be worth it investigating it. I assume you have knowledge of its workings, Princess Cadence?” One white unicorn looked to the other. Cadence drew back a gulp. “Yes... I have it in my personal library. I could look up the book for you if you want it.” “That would be very helpful from you, Princess.” He then turned back to Celestia. “There’s nothing I can infer safely now, I’d like to monitor this closely if your majesty will allow it. And I am, with the due respect towards your highness, agreeing with Ms. Sparkle here. It would be most beneficial for everypony involved.” Celestia swept the room with her gaze, stopping to look at Luna. “What do you think, Luna?” “I suppose we could work at it from another angle. It would certainly be less effort for certain things. The sudden removal of both the third princess and the captain of the Royal Guard would arise talk on Equestria, though. We will have to broaden the circle a little more, sister.” Celestia sighed, looking towards the couple. She then turned towards Iron Shield. “Vice-captain, please bring your most trusted Lieutenant here.” “At haste, Princess.” Iron Shield turned tail, trotting out of the room. “Cadence, dear, why did you go and turned this all on its head? It was pretty tough dealing with the Changeling incident. I hope nothing of the sort happens so soon.” After speaking, Celestia sat next to her sister. “If you excuse me, Princess,” said Twilight’s mother, talking quietly towards the royal mare. “Does this mean you’ll be sending them both to Ponyville?” Celestia smiled at her, nodding. “That is what we’re going to do, Star Gleam.” “First Twilight, and now Shining as well?” The white coated mare approached her son and crossed her neck with him, closing her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, Shiny.” “I’m going to miss you too, mom.” He looked at her when they disentangled. “But perhaps you and dad could now come to Ponyville sometime. You’re always going on and on how much you miss Twilight, but you’ve never taken a chance to see her new life.” Twilight moved uncomfortably in the back. “You’re right, Shining. It’d be a good time for us to see how Twilight’s been doing. You little missy are almost always on something or other thing and rarely write to us!” The lavender unicorn shifted awkwardly while sitting on her place. Her father walked next to her and put a hoof on her neck. “Come on, Star, you know Twilight. I’m sure it’ll be quite charming to take a stroll away from Canterlot, anyway. And we have to keep tabs on our oncoming grandfoal, you know?” “I’ll be waiting for it, dad,” said Twilight with a half-baked smile, mentally calculating all the details of a possible travel of her parents towards Ponyville. The door of the room opened again and Iron Shield came inside again, followed by an grey coated, white haired earth pony who bowed as soon as he stopped walking. “At your orders, Princesses.” “Safe Step is your name, isn’t it?” asked Celestia. “Indeed, Princess,” answered Step, after lifting his head. “Very well, Step. I will be clear with you. We have a situation developing in our hooves, and we would require of your help. However what we will ask of you is a quite difficult mission, so you must hear carefully what I will tell you, understand?” “I understand, your majesty.” “Very well.” Celestia breathed, closing her eyes. She then opened them and turned to her sister. “Luna, tell him the story. I’m rather tired of talking so much...” General silence invaded the room as they all looked at the Princess of the Sun, gawking. Luna facehoofed. “I’m a Princess, not your messenger, Celestia! But ‘tis all just fine. Come over here, gentlecolt.” The lieutenant followed Luna’s instructions, standing in front of her. Clearing her throat, the Princess of the Night pointed towards Cadence’s body. “Your Captain, Shining Armor and the third Princess, Cadence, had a little magical accident, and are now trapped in each other’s body. That one is Shining Armor.” Safe Step blinked, looking towards Shining Armor in Cadence’s body and then towards the princess inhabiting her husband’s body. He turned back towards Luna. “Pardon me, Princess, but this is not any sort of joke, is it?” “I’m afraid it is not, lieutenant. The happy couple decided that a certain... experiment was a safe bet for them while in their honeymoon. It turned out not to be the case, and the Princess wound up pregnant while Shining Armor inhabited her body. Now they cannot turn back.” His mouth was closer to the ground with every word Luna said. He trotted over to the Captain and looked at him, almost piercing him with his eyes. Shining snorted. “Lieutenant, you’re making me uncomfortable. Piss off,” said Shining, with a shadow of a smirk in his lips. “You could end up with a whole month’s worth of training regime. Twice a day.” “It is you!” shrieked Safe Step, letting a myriad of loud laughter come out of his mouth. When he recovered he looked around him, to find all the occupants of the room looking at him. Shining had a murderous look on him, Iron Shield facehoofed, Twilight, Star Gleam and Luna glared at him while Celestia, Night Shade -Twilight’s father- and the doctor simply looked away. “I am deeply sorry, everypony,” said Step, while clearing his throat. “I had never heard of such a thing happening though.” “The last recorded incident of this happened decades ago, lieutenant, and in a small town near Fillydelphia. It wasn’t very well recorded,” explained Luna. “I understand that, Princess. But what has that got to do with me?” “It’s been decided that Cadence and Shining Armor will go to Ponyville to stay while the pregnancy lasts. But he cannot simply leave his post unattended for almost a whole year. And that is where we need someone to fill his shoes. You’re going to take Shining Armor’s place and appearance while he gets yours. He’ll go to Ponyville in the capacity of Cadence’s escort while you’ll support Vice-captain Iron Shield in leading the Royal Guard.” Safe Step didn’t even feel his jaw hitting the ground once more as he processed Luna’s words. His wasn’t the only one, though. Shining looked at Luna in open disbelief. “Is that for real?!” “Of course it is, Shining. Would you or Cadence like to say something?” answered Celestia, gazing down to him. He could feel the full weight of Celestia’s might falling down upon him. “This is the least you can do for the tight spot you’ve gotten yourselves in.” Meanwhile, Luna faced the stricken Lieutenant. “I know there are a lot of things to take into consideration for you, Lieutenant, but this is needed in order not to make a mess out of the statu quo for the kingdom. You’ll be given a day to think it over. However, no single word of this shall get outside, do you understand?” After some more moments of looking at the Princess in disbelief, he nodded. “Yes, Princess, I understand. I will think it over. If you all excuse me.” Safe Step exited the room as fast as he could without turning it into a trot, closing the door behind him. Luna watched him go, and let out a sigh when he disappeared. She looked at Celestia. The elder sister saw into her gleaming blue eyes. “I bet you didn’t miss anything about court intricacies, did you, Luna?” “I can’t say that I didn’t, but now that I relive them...” “Well, everypony,” said Celestia, “I think it’s time to call this meeting off. We’re all quite tired and a good night of resting will do marvels upon us. Night Shade, Star Gleam, would you like to be our guests today at palace?” Night Shade shook his head, smiling to the Princess. “I thank you for the invitation, Princess, but we will head home. We will be back tomorrow.” “That is fine, as well. Twilight, why don’t you go with your parents? They obviously miss you very much.” “Yes, I’m going home with them. Thank you, Princess. Good night to you all.” The three unicorns said goodbye to the ones left in the room and parted from the castle. Iron Shield and Sharp Scalpel parted as well. Celestia turned to Shining and Cadence. “Well, I think it’s best if we head to our rooms now as well. Good night, Shining, Cadence. Good night, Luna.” “Good night, sister. Good night to you as well.” Celestia, Shining and Cadence left the room and headed towards their own quarters. While Shining followed the two mares, seeing his own blue tail swishing, he let out a big sigh.
Passing the pagesShining Armor locked the door behind him with more force that he intended. A sigh escaped his lips as soon as he had parted ways with Cadence just at the corner down the corridor in front of the room. His violet eyes were drawn towards the window, with the moonlight casting dim gleams over the floor. He trotted over to the bed, throwing himself to it. The room still felt alien to him; even though it was his wife’s room, a room they should be sharing. A single flash of magic was all that it took to bring this all tumbling down... Since I was young, I’ve only known Canterlot, with the exception of special missions to other parts of Equestria, my life has been spent here. I cannot imagine anything else but protecting this city. And being away from it... Among all the thoughts that were crossing his head in a wild frenzy, a single face came to approach him. A blurred profile of a pony appeared in front of him, seemingly turning its back to him. With the passing of time, light fell upon it, clearing its appearance for Shining to take in. Twilight Sparkle turned around to look right at him, with a pleading look on her eyes. Her lips moved briefly, and even though no sound came from them at all, Shining knew very well what she was saying to him. Since she had left Canterlot, the communication between them both had been very scarce. While in the Castle, they had their constant encounters and dinner at their parents’ house to meet on, but as they were forced apart, the pair of workaholic siblings had grown distant without them realizing it. His eyes opened further, gleaming in the dark room. Twily... The bed creaked under him as he turned around on it. Suddenly his eyes couldn’t stay open any longer and he drifted into sleep, the gleam of Twilight’s eyes being the last thing that saw him off. Shining pushed open the door to the Throne Room, and found that only Cadence was missing from the reunion, with all the others already in place around the breakfast table. He trotted towards it. -Good morning, everypony.- He was met with several greetings, as he reached the table, sitting next to his mother. At his side of the table was sitting his family, while Celestia was at the end of the table, with Luna at the other side, followed by Sharp Scalpel, Iron Shield and Safe Step, who could barely hide his amusement when he saw Shining approaching in his new body. The captain threw a look towards him. “How do you feel, son?” asked his mother, smiling towards him. He let out a small smile as well, before letting it falter from his face. “It’s still too much to take, mother. Last night I was thinking about how difficult it would be for me to leave the life of service that I’m accustomed to so much.” Her smile dimmed, but didn’t disappear as she looked at him. “Oh, sweetheart, I know how disappointed are you, but I assure you some good months of relaxing will do wonders on you. You’ve just gotten out from a pretty perilous situation and gotten married. You’re entitled to enjoy a little, even if it’s somewhat more extended than what you intended. Trust me, you’re going to relish these incoming months and wish back to them once this little one comes out,” said his mother, pointing at his pink belly. He looked towards it. The fact of being pregnant, or even of being a mare was still one that had not yet sank completely into him; that very same morning he still had had problems in the bathroom. “And besides, you’ll see your sister more. I know you haven’t been the same since she left, and it worried me so much. I’d like to drop by there someday as well,” completed his mother, showcasing her smile again. He nodded and turned to pick up a plate, selecting several of the fruits that had been served. Peeling an orange, he picked a wedge from it, eating slowly. “Shining Armor?” Celestia’s voice called to him from across the table, calm but clear. He turned his head and bowed towards her. “Yes, Princess?” “You might want to know that Lieutenant Steps has already made his decision.” Shining turned back to look at his subordinate, who bore a big smile on his lips and waved a hoof towards him. “Good luck, Captain!” The unicorn didn’t open his mouth, instead just staring at the pony in front of him. He soon regained his composure though, and nodded towards Safe Step. “Thank you, Lieu... no, Captain.” Twilight shut the curtains of the small room, as Shining Armor, Cadence, Safe Step, and the Sisters entered to it. Celestia shut the door behind her, and only the dim rays of light penetrating through the curtains’ corners gave any -insufficient- lighting to the room. Both sisters then stood next to each other. “Cadence, come, stand in front of me,” asked Celestia softly. The third princess inhabiting her husband’s body complied, walking up to her aunt, looking straight to her. At Luna’s beckoning, Safe Step stepped next to Cadence, looking towards Luna. The younger princess addressed them both. “From now on, you are going to take each other’s place. By that, of course, it is understood that the lieutenant will replace Prince Shining Armor, currently Princess Cadence.” Luna sighed and rubbed her temples with her hooves, taking in a couple of breaths before continuing. “The Lieutenant has already said goodbye to his family and is ready to depart. So then, let us get this over with.” The horns on both of the alicorns began to shine, illuminating dimly the darkened rooms. Cadence and Safe Step were soon covered by a magical cocoon not very different from the one produced by the glitter wings spell, as Twilight noted; its colorful hues filled the room with even more light that reflected itself in the ponies’ pupils. When it disappeared,leaving the room in the same darkness as it had before both ponies were now standing on the opposite side. They looked towards each other, squinting their eyes as they recovered from the sudden change. “Wow, I’m really there...” Safe Step looked into his own eyes before lowering his gaze and lifting a white hoof. He shook it and looked towards his side, seeing more white fur. “What would you think, I’m the Captain now!” He turned towards Shining Armor, putting on a frown. “It’s so weird. You’ll be still a couple, but you’re using my body. Does that mean that---” He moved to one side, dodging a hit from a Shining Armor with burning eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll let it aside. Gee, you’re no fun.” Meanwhile, Cadence was imitating him. She was confused by the very unfamiliar grey hooves; then she looked towards the pony that was now occupying Shining’s body. “I guess this is it?” she asked, looking towards her aunts, who nodded. “Yes it is. Now, you and Shining’s luggage has already been prepared by palace’s maids, and your departure has been set for the afternoon. I suggest you spend the rest of the morning relaxing and learning about each other a little. A year will be quite a long period, after all.” Celestia, Luna and Twilight left the room, with the unicorn tagging along with her mentor. The three ponies remaining in the room looked towards each other. Safe Step let out a weak laugh that died the very moment it left his lips, smiling to the couple. “What a life, isn’t it?” Shining Armor, in his guise of Cadence, didn’t answer and instead turned towards the door and opened it, being followed by the figure of Safe Step, as the real earth pony was the last one to leave, bearing the unicorn’s appearance. For the first time since they had come back from their journey, Shining and Cadence found the royal dining hall open. Celestia and Luna had already let out word of their departing via discrete means. Cadence followed his husband’s footsteps, as a proper guard would do in such circumstances as they entered the room. Leading the way, Shining felt more uncomfortable with every step he gave. He had always held the role of guard and escort, taking pride in performing his duty at the top of his game, and he was now providing the role of the escorted, something that did not sit well to him at all. He did not turn his head to look back, despite having an overwhelming desire to do so. Besides, all the gazes had been fixed on them since they entered. The slow trot finally led them to the side of the table. Shining stopped, feeling Cadence coming to a halt behind him. Sweeping the table with his eyes, he felt a small drop of sweat at the attention that was on him; he put a smile on his lips, despite not feeling a little bit like smiling. “Thank you all for coming today...” His mind was blurred as his mouth moved practically of its own free will. Despite coming from an aristocratic family and being constantly in the company and presence of royalty, nevermind being married to one now, the captain of the guard was not accustomed to making speeches. He could feel himself emulating what he had learnt from long years of listening, while all of the eyes were drawn to him. He didn’t even realize when he had been finished; his only clue was a silence that seemed to cover the whole room, spreading through the air. He blinked. A ethereal voice cut through the void. “That was lovely, Cadence. Wonderful. I’m proud of you, my niece.” He turned his head to look at Celestia, who was smiling warm and serenely from one side of the table. At her right side, Safe Step himself was sitting down in Shining’s own body, next to two empty places. He began to walk over there, with Cadence following him. They went around the table, with Shining taking a seat next to Safe Step, and Cadence seating next to him. At the very same time they sat down, Shining’s ears perked up. Whispers were heard around the table, being silenced almost immediately by Celestia clearing her throat. “You have heard well, mares and gentlecolts. My dear niece will be taking an extended leave of absence due to the recent, unforeseen circumstances of her pregnancy. Even though such news have been quite unexpected for our family, we receive Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s announcement with joy.” She looked towards them with a radiating smile, while from the background, the sound of hooves hitting the floor could be heard. A very polite hoof stomping celebrated the announcement from the royal couple. Safe Step and him bowed their heads towards the crowd, smiling. He stole a look towards Cadence, who had joined the rest of the ponies on congratulating them. He very slowly held a hoof towards her, under the table, until he felt her own hoof joining his, and a more pronounced smile coming from her own lips. He didn’t even care about the sight of Safe Step’s face in front of him, feeling the very same warmth his wife produced in him. The moon shaped necklace hung from his neck. Made from polished silver, it gleamed in the sunlight, with a special bright sparkle on its tips. He looked towards Cadence, who stood next to him. A silver chain hung from her neck, going into hiding in the inside of the military uniform she carried. From the platform came the calling to get on the train that was stopped in front of them. Turning back, he and Twilight waved goodbye to their parents. “Goodbye, mom, dad. I hope to see you in Ponyville soon!” called out the lavender mare, smiling towards their parents. She then turned back, entering the train. Shining waved to his parents once again, and then he and Cadence embarked on the locomotive, following his sister towards their compartment. Once Twilight had located it, she opened the door at the same time a rumble indicated them that the machine was pushing forward. “I’m so happy to have you two coming to Ponyville! I know you’re going to love it.” The purple mare was almost out of herself with excitement. Shining couldn’t help but smile, looking towards Cadence, who had the very same expression towards his face. He reached his hoof towards hers, taking it strongly, lying next to his wife, as his sister provided with plans and endless prospects. He smiled even wider. “Of course, Twily.”
Shining Cadence“Captain, you’re back early! Did something happen?” The couple of guards strolling across palace were left dumbstruck when Shining Armor ran by their side, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. They turned to see him disappear around a corner; they looked at each other. “Was it that awful?” The other shook his head, closing his eyes in a clearly reprobating attitude. “Screwed-up royalty.” Cadence shut the door behind her with a thump, throwing herself above her bed, being received by a mountain of soft cushions. She lay in there, pressing her face against one of the cushions, until she couldn’t breathe any more. She lifted her head, her tears dried in her coat and her blue eyes covered by intense redness. She looked down to see the pristine white coat in the body she was inhabiting. It was her husband’s coat. She was Shining Armor, and it was primarily her fault. She didn’t think anything like that would come to pass... She didn’t understand anything of it. Maybe if she went to sleep it would all reveal itself as a horrible nightmare. The sun was midway through the sky, and she was in tune with Celestia’s schedule when it came to slumber, so that was out of the question. She got out of bed and walked to her private bathroom. When she was in the middle of washing her face, there was a knock on her door. She sighed and opened it with a glimmer of her horn. The mirror reflected the face of Shining Armor looking back at her, while she heard the hoofsteps coming inside and the door closing again. “Cadence?” Cadence’s jaw fell upon hearing the voice of her elder aunt. She walked out of the bedroom slowly and found the alicorn of the sun looking straight at her, her face indicating the full displeasure Celestia felt with this situation. Next to her, Shining Armor stood, apparently very interested in checking her hooves. Celestia advanced towards her, without taking her eyes away. They finally were face to face, and the bearing of the High Princess weighed over the minor alicorn, who nevertheless returned the gaze. “Aunt Celestia.” Celestia fixed her glacial gaze upon her for some time, Cadence felt herself being melted by the overwhelming warmth of the sun, when a muscle on the Sun Princess’ face twitched. Cadence looked at her in confusion, as did Shining Armor. Not being able to restrain herself anymore, Celestia fell into a state of mirth, laughing heartily, her voice resounding off the bedroom walls, before she calmed herself. “Oh, my lovely niece, you sure outdid yourself. This is priceless!” Neither member of the couple could talk; they just stared at Celestia with surprised, big eyes. She looked at both of them, a wide smile in her lips, and turned to look at the Princess of Love encased in the Guard Captain’s body. “So, did you learn anything, Cadence?” “Yes, aunt Celestia. I must be more careful with my ideas and spells from now on. Magic is not something to be taken lightly.” Her face returned to its normal state, Celestia set her gaze upon Shining’s light, violet eyes. “And you, my nephew?” Shining spoke, and for the first time he registered that the one he was using wasn’t his voice. He fell silent upon considering Cadence’s higher pitched voice; he opened his mouth a couple of times. Celestia waited patiently, but his wife finally poked him in the ribs. “Ouch! I’m sorry, I’m getting on... Yes, Princess. I learnt, or remembered, not to let myself get too carried away, lest unexpected bad things happen. Like this...” The couple was too pointedly avoiding Celestia’s eyes to notice the glint that reflected in her pupils very briefly. She put one hoof forward, her step resonating in the marble floor clear and loudly. “Well, you both will do well to enforce this in the future. As for now, though, as I indicated to Shining, the spell is impossible to break, given that you, Cadence... Shining... you,” she said, pointing to Cadence’s body with a hoof. “This is going to be a real pain in the plot.” Celestia allowed herself that slip of the tongue while Cadence looked at her, a white lower jaw almost dislodging itself from its upper partner. “WHAT?!” Celestia turned to look at her again. “Yes, my dear niece. That is the reason that prevented you from cancelling the spell. You managed to get pregnant. Isn’t it nice?” Cadence struggled to form words. “But Shining it’s there! He doesn’t know anything about how to deal with a female body, let alone be pregnant. How are going to do it?!” Shining’s hair was getting dishevelled, while she flailed his arms around and the voice raised its tone. Shining himself was about to protest his wife’s words, when Celestia spoke again. “Well, you should have thought of that before playing this little trick of yours, Cadence. Now, the best action of course will be to have a family meeting to discuss this at large. I will inform Luna about this once she has woken up. And you, young colt. No, don’t give me that look, you know you earned it. You’ll write to your parents and your sister informing them of this. Now, nopony else but them must know about this, and I stress that point. You are going to have to live each other’s lives for almost a year from now, and it wouldn’t be any good it word about this leaked out. So you must make absolutely sure of it. “ She looked at both of them to assure herself of their understanding, receiving silent nods. “Very well. Shining, go forth and write to your family. As you had another day off from the Guard, there’s no need for Cadence to go there yet. Come with me, Cadence.” The Royal Guard Captain in the body of the princess headed to his room, shutting the door behind him and sitting before his desk to compose his letters. Thinking of a certain lavender unicorn, he let out a sigh. “She’s not going to take this well. At all.”
