“I hope you weren’t too upset back there,” said Sweetie Belle, as they walked on through the moonlit campus. “We just thought it would be a fun little joke.”

Deep down, Chrome had to admit he was somewhat peeved. Fortunately, he was willing to rise above it…mostly.

“It wasn’t quite so little if you ask me,” he replied.

“Is that a cheap shot at my chest?” she asked.

“N-no,” he said. “It’s just that you kept the joke going a bit too long.”

“Alright then, Mr Comedy,” she said, stopping in her tracks, “what would you do different?”

“I…well, I wouldn’t have kept going after the dress reveal. You kept pushing further and I already saw through everything.”

“Even this?” she asked, turning towards him and pressing her chest against his.

“Y-yes,” he said.

“Are…you…sure?” she asked, pushing further against him with each word.

“Is there something you’re hoping to accomplish by doing this?” he asked, pretty sure she couldn’t sense he was starting to enlarge down his pant leg.

The response somewhat stunned Sweetie Belle. She expected some sort of reaction, but not something so…accusatory.

“Well, I…uh..” she stammered out, before backing off and quieting down.

Chrome was tempted to shoot off a comment about how he had “won” over her last temptation, but held his tongue. Instead, he just extended his hand out a bit, and once she took it, they walked off in awkward silence.

But even after a minute of this, a pang of guilt began to fester inside him, and he tried to find someway to salvage the moment.

“You know,” he said. “With all that ‘fun’ back at your apartment, I never did get a good look at your dress.”

“Oh,” she replied. “Well as you can see, it’s very pretty.”

Yeah, but your sister Rarity made it, right? She obviously put a lot of thought into it. Come on, show me how it all looks!”

“Chrome, we’re going to be late,” she said.

“We got time,” he said, walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down. “Now come on Ms Belle, I know you can’t resist showing off.”

As he said this, a small smile played across her face, as she saw a light post nearby.

“Alright,” she said, and walked over to it.

Chrome expected her to just stand there, but was surprised as she started to pose with the lamp!

She began to strike all manner of poses, to the point where Chrome felt that he could possibly ruin his pants.

“Something wrong…stretch?” she asked, as she grasped the post with both hands and stuck her bottom out towards him, the material causing the light to glisten off her well-encased derriere.

“No,” he murmured. “I think I’ve seen…enough.”

“Are you sure? There’s still a few more poses I’m sure you’ll-“

“Nope, that’s all I need to see,” he said, rising ‘stiffly’ from the bench. “Your sister really is a great seamstress.”

“You better believe it,” she said, walking over to him.

Chrome thought she was going take his hand, but instead, she gave his hand a slap, strutted over to the bench, and bounced on down into a sitting position.

“Now, it’s your turn,” she declared. “Come on, hurry up, we still got a dance to go to.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey, if I’m going to be oogled by a horny stallion, I want some reciprocation!”

“Recipro-what?”

“It basically means if I got to do it, you got to do it.”

“Now wait a minute,” he protested. “I just wanted to-“

“Pose, pony-boy,” she commanded loudly. “Show mama what a real cadet looks like!”

And so under the lamp light, he began to pose as best as he could.

”Yeah, that’s right,” hollered Sweetie Belle. “Work that uniform.”

As he continued to pose, a few ponies walked by, eyeing the strange scene. Once they were out of earshot, Chrome stopped.

“Okay, I’m done,” he said. “Satisfied?”

“I’ll never tell,” she smiled, getting up and taking his hand, signaling that they could continue on their way.

Once they had gotten several blocks off-campus, the buildings began to become more upscale, and the ponies and stallions that were out and about, began to appear in much fancier clothing than a normal college-age pony could afford.

“Where are they all going to?” Sweetie asked Chrome.

“Given the time, I’d guess to dinner,” he replied. “And probably after that, a fancy party or three.”

As they continued on their way, a number of fancy vehicles could be seen on the streets, along with numerous taxis going to and fro.

“I almost thought of contacting a service to take us to the dance,” admitted Chrome.

“And how much would that have cost?” asked Sweetie.

“Let’s just say…a lot of bits.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but notice some gentlecolts nod their head or tip their top hats to Chrome as they walked on by. It took a few of these events for her to realize that they were acknowledging his cadet attire, thhough she did notice a few of them casting a wandering eye over her cleavage as well.

“So,” she said, seeing the castle drawing closer over the buildings, “how does, security at this thing work? Do the cadets take turns throughout the night?”

“No, they actually bring in cadets from The Crystal Empire for assistance and security.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was implemented years ago after Shining Armor married Princess Cadence, and they moved to the Crystal Empire. Word is the empire’s security forces were not up to par for what Shining was used to during his days here in Canterlot, so he took full command in creating a cadet and guard program up there.”

“Wow, this is news to me,” she said, somewhat fascinated.

“And because he had roots here, he requested a cooperative pact with the Canterlot program,” continued Chrome. “He had a number of personnel work to make the program up there just as good as this one. Eventually, that led to the exchange of cadets for the Spring Dance. And in turn, The Crystal Empire holds a dance for their cadets in the fall, and some of our ranks go up there.”

“Have you ever been to the Crystal Empire?” she asked.

“No, but I hear it’s nice. Have you been?”

“A few times, but mostly when I was younger. I hear it’s grown quite a bit since then.”

They were now only a few blocks away, but the street was open enough that they could see the castle, bathed in the brightness of numerous spotlights.

Over the main entrance hung a gold and blue banner that read: “Welcome Royal Guard and Cadets!”

Along the lowered drawbridge, they also saw a number of ponies and stallions (several of whom were arm-in-arm), passing by the cadets from The Crystal Empire. Each cadet was in silver armor, and there were glints off their crystalline forms.

Chrome gave Sweetie Belle’s hand a squeeze as they crossed the final street, and set hoof on the drawbridge. He couldn’t help but feel as they walked up to the entrance, each of the cadets was shooting small glances at Sweetie Belle.

At the entryway into the castle, stood a snooty-looking stallion, flanked by two more crystal cadets.

“Identification, please,” he asked in a snooty voice.

Chrome presented him with his card, and Sweetie pulled her student ID out of her clutch. After a few moments, the snooty stallion nodded his head.

“Welcome, Cadet Shield,” he replied, returning their cards, “and to you also, Ms Belle. Please follow the hallway. Coat check is in the next room, and do be aware of all signage, as only certain areas of the castle are open for this event. All guests will be held in the main receiving room, until formal greetings are presented by our host.”

Chrome and Sweetie nodded acknowledgment, and once they were down the well-lit hall and out of sight, Chrome attempted to mimic the stallion’s snooty look, causing Sweetie Belle to chuckle.

“Almost,” she said, as they came into the receiving room.

The well-ornate room was incredibly full, as they observed a number of stallions and ponies milling about. Sweetie Belle observed that on the upper balconies, were a number of Crystal Cadets surveying the room. Coat checks had been set up in four separate areas of the room, and each had a considerable line.

“Better check this in,” said Sweetie, wiggling her shoulders under her wrap.

As they got into one of the lines, a voice rang out: “Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, is that you?”

Sweetie turned to see a golden-haired pony with a shimmering gold dress, that hugged every inch of her golden-orange body.

“Gold Dust?” she cried out, and soon the two were embracing as the line of ponies moved towards the counter.

“I didn’t know you were coming to this event,” giggled Gold Dust. “Oh my stars, you are a sight!”

“My sister Rarity made it,” smiled Sweetie, doing a small twirl in the limited space.

“Oh right, the fashionista. She really outdid herself.”

“And I should introduce you,” Sweetie continued. “Chrome Shield, this is Gold Dust. She’s in my Advanced Alchemy class.”

“How do you do?” smiled Chrome, shaking her gloved hand.

“Well hello,” she giggled. “My-my Sweetie Belle, you never told me you were dating a cadet.”

“Oh we’re not dating, we’re just here as friends,” said Sweetie Belle. “We’re actually in Twilight Sparkle’s advanced magic class.”

“Well, he’s quite a handsome one, that’s for sure. So tell me Chrome, what year are you?”

And for the next 12 minutes Chrome and Sweetie fielded a number of questions from Gold Dust. Eventually, they got to the head of the line, where Chrome checked in his suit jacket, Sweetie her white wrap, and Gold Dust her gloves and a shimmering wrap of her own.

“You know what?” said Gold Dust as they walked away, “I was just thinking, do you two have any plans on where to sit for dinner once the hall opens up?”

“Not really,” said Chrome.

“Well I’ll tell you what, why don’t you two join me and my date at a table? My friend Daisy May and her date will be joining us too, and I’m sure we can squeeze all three of us around a table for the evening.”

“Sounds wonderful,” said Sweetie Belle. “That’s alright with you, right Chrome?”

“Sure is,” he replied.

Suddenly, there was a loud fanfare of trumpets from the balcony above the main floor, causing many to turn in that direction, where another well-dressed stallion stepped forward.

“Presenting, co-ruler of The Crystal Empire, and overseer of the the Canterlot and Crystal Empire Royal Guard and Cadet programs…Shining Armor!”

As the room burst into applause, a white stallion with blue hair appeared through the nearby curtains, adorned in resplendent attire, and coming to the edge of the balcony steps, where the light shone on a number of medals adorning his uniform.

“Welcome, Canterlot Cadets and Royal Guards, and honored guests,” he proclaimed. “And also, many thanks to our cadet brethren from the north, who are here with us tonight as well. Once again, I am happy to see so many of you here, to celebrate the seasonal change, and to enjoy the company of our fellow brothers-in-arms and their guests. We hope that you will enjoy your evening here in Canterlot Castle, and make plenty of wonderful memories.”

Hearing the proclamation, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but bite her tongue a little. It sounded like a bunch of fluff given what Chrome had gone through recently, and she even wondered if Shining Armor knew of what had happened.

“Before we have our communal meal, I would like to bring forth a very honored guest,” continued Shining Armor. “By now she would have left the castle on her nightly duties, but we were able to persuade her to spare a few minutes to greet you all. May I present: Princess Luna!”

An even bigger cheer rose up from the room, as the curtain behind Shining Armor was drawn back, and out stepped The Princess of the Night, wearing a shimmering dark blue cloak, with her Cutie Mark decorating a clasp near her neck.

As Sweetie Belle watched, Chrome Shield and every single cadet and royal guard came to attention and saluted. After a few moments, Luna returned the salute, and they all resumed their regular posture.

“THANK YOU ALL!!!” came a regal voice so loud it seemed to fill the room, and caused the applause to die out in seconds. “A-hem, well, I wish to thank Shining Armor for his invitation this evening. As many of you know, to be a protector to the royal crown of Canterlot, is a very serious responsibility. We expect nothing but the best from those who wish to join. The honor to serve and protect not only my sister and myself, but also the lives of every stallion, pony, child, and all creatures that wish to call our lands home. I do hope you enjoy yourselves this evening, and now I must depart. Good evening!”

And with a dramatic swirl of her cloak, Luna disappeared behind the curtains, as the crowd applauded her exit.

“The banquet hall is now open,” announced Shining Armor, as another fanfare rang out over the crowd.

With a loud rumble, a large set of doors opened into the next room. Through the entryway, one could see a number of tables and chairs set up all over the checkerboard floor, under gold and crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling.

“Stay close,” called out Gold Dust, as the crowd began to move, and a mass of pony and stallions filtered into the next room like an orderly wave.

Sweetie Belle found herself with one hand in Gold Dust’s, and the other holding onto Chrome, as they passed into the expansive room.

As expected, most of the guests entering first took tables closest to the entrance, leaving Gold Dust and her group to press further on into the room. Suddenly, she heard her name being called, and saw a stallion waving to her from a nearby table.

“There’s my date,” she called out, waving in response before she led Chrome and Sweetie over to the table.

It also appeared that Gold Dust’s date had also encountered Daisy May, a light orange pony with long white hair, clad in a white gown of her own.

Introductions were made around the table, before everyone took their seats. Sweetie Belle found herself blushing a bit as her chest rested on the table in front of her. She could see Gold Dust and Daisy May’s dates trying their best not to stare, but could see that like almost every other stallion that evening, they were losing the fight.

Meanwhile, Chrome shifted uneasily as the view of her large breasts resting on the table, was causing his cock to stiffen once more.

Good thing this table cloth is here, he thought.

Author's Note

This was a chapter that also benefitted from having stuff from the previous chapter pushed into it. Also more of a character piece with it’s talking points.

I had considered having some more reactions and interactions on the way to the dance, but kept that to a minimum. Plus, it could have ended up leading to more of an adventure to get to the dance than was necessary.

The idea of bringing the Crystal Empire into the story in some form I felt was a good way to show how things had changed over the years, and showed cooperation and unity among cadets and guards across Equestria.