In the fading rays of Celestia's sun, the barrier surrounding Canterlot gleamed like polished rose quartz. The brightest of Luna's stars still shone through the barrier, glittering through the shield and adding to the image of a city encased in crystal. Below the castle's parapets, the city of Canterlot spread out like a blanket, each streetlight and lit window adding its twinkling to the display.
Shining Armor lifted his head from the view, a smile spread across his muzzle, and gave a toss of his azure mane away from his face. He lifted his eyes to the shimmering field far above, and focused his attention at its zenith, on the subtle imprint of his stars-and-shield stretched across the firmament. Behind the base of his horn, energies gathered, then lanced upwards to the heavens in a glittering stream of power. The barrier rippled as the unicorn's energy fed into it, then pulsed once in return as the spell flared back to full strength.
Then pain blossomed just beneath his horn, and a new flurry of stars danced before Shining's vision. He crumpled forward against the railing, hooves clattering off of the carved stone. The city below capered, its lights spinning, and and his stomach spun sickly with it. He clenched his eyes tightly shut and gritted his teeth, trying to will away the nausea. His head throbbed once and he gagged, the carrot and celery stewo he had for dinner tickling the back of his throat.
"Another migraine?" A voice behind him cooed, its presence alone enough to soothe some of the pain. "Poor Shiny." Hints of ice curled around the edges of his marefriend's words, but at the moment, he was grateful for the soothing chill.
"Yeah," he said weakly, forcing his dinner back down with a heavy swallow. "It'll pass in a bit."
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza clucked her tongue. "They've been getting worse, haven't they?" He nodded again, gagging at the motion, and she chuckled softly. "My noble defender," she murmured as she lay a gentle hoof on Shining's shoulder. "You don't have to fight so hard, you know. You're not the only one who can keep that going."
Shining shook his head, then immediately regretted it, grimacing as the stars swam in his vision. "It's me or... or half a dozen others all trying to coordinate. There's, like, four ponies strong enough to keep a bubble this big for this long, one's not here, and two have more important things to worry about. It's me or nopony."
Cadence smiled at that and rubbed the back of Shining's neck, her emerald eyes glittering in the pink-tinged twilight. "I can live with that, I think." She leaned forward and kissed her coltfriend's cheek. "It's only for another week or so, anyway. Want me to...." She paused for effect, giggling, her other forehoof to her lips. "Kiss it and make it better?"
Shining's cheeks darkened with embarrassment. "Yeah."
The alicorn's smile broadened, and she rose onto hoofpoint to press her lips gently to the base of Shining's horn. A soothing chill spread out from the touch of her lips, stilling the pounding of blood in his ears. Still, he took an unsteady step backwards. "Not here! One of my crew might see."
The slender alicorn laughed quietly and pressed herself close to her coltfriend again. "Let them see! They know love when they see it." She leaned forward and nuzzled into Shining's neck. "It is love, isn't it, Shiny?"
The unicorn turned and wrapped a foreleg around his betrothed, hugging her close, the pain spreading. Stars danced at the edges of his watering vision. "I love you, Cadence." As he spoke, the last of his strength faded, and he slumped against his marefriend with a grunt.
Cadence stood up straight, inhaling sharply. "Oh, Shining, you're really hurt!" She blinked, lavender eyes wide and full of concern. "I'm sorry, honey. Let's get you inside, quickly. Lean on me, dear; you've suffered enough." She stepped back from the railing, and Canterlot vanished from Shining's view, replaced with Cadence's mane as she gingerly eased him against her, away from the balcony.
Once inside, the vertigo began to ease, and Shining's stomach started to settle. By the time they had reached the ground floor, he no longer felt like dinner was a lost cause, though his headache remained. Motes of light still flickered at the edges of his vision, and his horn still felt as though it would fall off if he touched it. Still, he forced himself to carry the bulk of his weight on his own four hooves, only relying on Cadence to guide him. It was easier, really, letting her direct where he went. It took the pressure off of his mind and gave his thoughts space to wander while she escorted him down the ample hallways of Canterlot Castle, back towards the barracks and his private room.
The glittering pink bubble of Shining's shield spell still shone outside the unicorn's windows, but Cadence gently closed the shutters with a flick of her horn. Once the pale light from the spell was gone, the only light in the room came from a single muted desk lamp. Long, twisting shadows crawled along the walls as the two stepped into the room. Shining groaned as his marefriend eased him onto the bed. "You're too good to me." He rolled onto his side, stretching out as best as he could, not bothering to crawl under the covers.
Cadence laughed again, hints of ice curling around the edges of her voice. "You're just right for me, Shiny." She crawled up into bed beside him and stroked his chest with a hoof. "I know how much you love me. You show me every day, taking care of Canterlot to protect me." She caressed his barrel and gently kissed just below his horn. "Thank you."
Shining groaned weakly as the touch of his marefriend's lips sent a fresh wave of soothing cold through his forehead and down his neck. "You're tole.. totally worth it, Cadence." Shining's voice slurred a little from the chill, and he swallowed heavily. He squirmed onto his back, legs spread limply while stars glittered around the edges of his vision. "Sorry, I just... I just need to relax a while."
"Mm-hm," the alicorn acknowledged casually, her hoof trailing down his barrel as she kissed along his jawbone. "You relax, and I'll take care of you." The edge of her hoof stroked down his chest, then over his waist, as her lips neared his, until she caught him in a delicate kiss.
Shining moaned weakly into Cadence's muzzle, eyes closing as he sank into the softness of the mattress below and the tenderness of her ministrations above. Even as his head throbbed anew, he could feel his body responding to her cool and gentle touch. His sheath thickened and his shaft throbbed, rising to the occasion. As she brushed it with the soft underside of her hoof, he let out a weak groan, almost a whimper, and pressed himself back into the mattress. "Cadence," he murmured as he broke the kiss. "Love you...."
Cadence hissed at the words, sucking in air, then let out a groan of her own as she pressed her muzzle to his once more. As her icy lips touched his, a soft drone rose in the room, like the constant grind of a whetstone against steel. Somewhere in the back of Shining's mind, doubt and concern rose at the sound, but Cadence's scent and touch were too insistent, too immediate and too important. He made a note to ask her about it, later, once they were less... entwined. He felt himself rising to her caress, and he moaned weakly into her muzzle, signaling his desire.
The alicorn pulled back with another soft gasp and licked her lips, and Shining looked up to see Cadence staring back at him hungrily. Her slitted-green eyes drank in the sight of him, vulnerable before her. "Tell me I'm pretty," she murmured, both of her frigid hooves now stroking his shaft.
"Cadence..." he groaned in reply, sagging limply against the bed. "You're... you're beautiful... regal... delicate...." Every word left him weaker and stiffer, unicorn putty in her hooves. The blankets had begun to creep up his hind legs, ensnaring him and draining the heat from his hooves. He tried to buck his hips against her touch, but between the entrapment and the heat leaching from his limbs, he could barely move.
Cadence smiled more broadly at every word. "Tell me you're mine, Shiny." Her wings buzzed with excitement, making the sickly green shadows against the far wall shimmer. Her hooves never stopped their intimate caresses, sending chill ripples along the unicorn's spine.
"I–" Shining gulped, stars swimming across his whole field of vision. He could barely see Cadence above him, a dark shape with a spiraling, curved horn. "I'm yours. Body. Heart. Soul." His words were little more than a murmur, the blood pulsing in his ears and elsewhere. The blankets froze around his hind legs and began to work their way up his sides, sucking the heat from him. Deep in his loins, his pleasure began to boil, eager to escape.
Shining's lover moaned in response, greedily swallowing every word. "Tell me you want this." Her hooves whistled as she stroked the unicorn's shaft, the only bit of him still erect.
Shining managed the barest of nods as the shimmering green crystal grew over his chest and up his neck. "I... I do... yes... plea–" His need hit its tipping point, and his body throbbed in response. He jerked once, his final motion as the crystal covered his face–
"–nngh." Shining's eyes snapped awake at the sudden spasm that shook him, then quickly rolled onto his side, biting his tongue to keep himself silent. His mane was plastered to his withers, and the pads of his hooves were damp. The bedsheet clung to his coat, clammy with cooling sweat. Beside him, his wife lay with her back to him, curled up beneath a thicker comforter on the bed that he shared. With her. His wife, the _real_ Princess Cadence. Not the one in his dreams.
Not... her.
Something cold and slick brushed Shining's thigh, and his cheeks flushed with guilt. Carefully, he folded back the covers, then slid out of bed and trotted over to the window. The sky was mostly dark, but a sliver of Aunt Luna's moon hung overhead like a squinted eye, watching and reproachful. "Shining?" He turned sharply at the voice, then quickly back to the window, so that his wife couldn't see the darkness of his cheeks. "Shiny, what is it?"
Shining Armor shook his head. "It's nothing, Cadence. Just... dreams."
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza giggled. "'Nothing' must have been pretty intense. You soaked the sheets." The slim alicorn put her forehooves around her husband and hugged him from behind. "Want to tell me about it?" Shining turned to face his wife. A gentle smile rested on her muzzle, but her eyes were filled with concern.
The unicorn took a deep breath and let it out. "It's..." He squinted down at his hooves. Visions of his wife with changeling eyes floated behind his eyelids. He rubbed the bridge of his muzzle angrily, as if the pain could wipe away the image and the stirring it caused in his groin. "It's nothing."
Cadence clucked her tongue, like she did in his dream. "Honey, I'm your wife, and in case you'd forgotten, understanding love is part of my special talent. Attraction and arousal is part of that." She turned enough to present the heart-shaped jewel on her flank. "This is the third time in a month that 'nothing' woke you up in a cold sweat and sticky sheets. I think we should at least talk about it."
Shining swallowed again, tasting carrots, celery, and bile. "Let's talk about it in the morning, honey. Please. I shouldn't have even gotten out of bed." He kissed Cadence on the cheek, then gave her a nuzzle. "I'll tell you about it after I've had a chance to sleep on it."
The alicorn gave Shining a look that clearly said exactly how far she believed that statement, but then her gaze softened and she kissed him in return. "Alright, Shiny. You go get cleaned up; I'll change the sheets and then we can go back to bed."
Shining Armor blushed again and rubbed his sweat-slick mane with one hoof. "Yeah, I'll... I'll just grab a quick shower." He let his head drop as he trotted towards the bathroom. "A nice cold one."