The Prince's Predicament

Chapters

Chapter the First: Not in My Bed
Chapter the Second: Working It Out
Chapter the Third: A Quiet Evening
Chapter the Fourth: Nightmare
Chapter the Fifth: Crying for Help
Chapter the Sixth: Lifting the Spirits
Chapter the Seventh: Out on the Town
Chapter the Eighth: Recurring Dream
Chapter the Ninth: Medical Abnormality
Chapter the Tenth: A Spicy Endeavor
Chapter the Eleventh: Fresh Musk
Chapter the Twelfth: Steamy Shower
Chapter the Thirteenth: Lightning Rod's
Chapter the Fourteenth: Cherry Pop
Chapter the Fifteenth: Decoding the Dream
Chapter the Sixteenth: The Ideal Shining Armor
Chapter the Seventeenth: Breakfast in Bed
Chapter the Eighteenth: Strolling through the Park
Chapter the Nineteenth: Appetizer
Chapter the Twentieth: Apology
Chapter the Twenty-First: Trouble at Home
Chapter the Twenty-Second: Diamond Likes it Rough
Chapter the Twenty-Third: Acceptance
Chapter the Twenty-Fourth: Everything You Know is Wrong
Chapter the Twenty-Fifth: It Doesn't Fit
Chapter the Twenty-Sixth: Uniform Inspection
Chapter the Twenty-Seventh: Intentions
Chapter the Twenty-Eighth: Invitation
Chapter the Twenty-Ninth: The Final Pop
Chapter the Thirtieth: Tensions
Chapter the Thirty-First: Shining's Apology
Chapter the Thirty-Second: Beautiful and Wonderful
Chapter the Thirty-Third: Shining's Happiest Night
Chapter the Thirty-Fourth: Fallout
Chapter the Thirty-Fifth: Patina
Chapter the Thirty-Sixth: Shining Once More
Chapter the Thirty-Seventh: Long Road Ahead

Chapter the First: Not in My Bed

Shining Armor grabbed Cadance's ankles and pushed her back further, ensuring that his cock drilled directly down into her vertically. Both of their tongues were hanging out, as drool dripped from his lips onto her neck. She couldn't pay attention to that, however, as her attention was focused on the massive rod that had been jackhammering into her for the last forty-five minutes.

"Aaickhaa!" she managed to grunt out, unable to form complete words.

Still, Shining had been with her long enough to know what she meant. He geared up for a few last powerful thrusts, and then plunged all the way in, filling her with his seed. Seconds later, she clamped down on him, spraying everything; his fluids, her own, the strawberry kiwi lube, all over the bed.

Once Shining's balls were empty, he flopped onto his back. He let out a heavy breath.

"Girls, clean up," huffed Cadance.

The two mares that had previously been involved in their sexual congress earlier that morning came forward. They'd been tired out for quite a bit with the sexual appetites of their rulers, and had left them to finish up on their own. One began licking and sucking the cum off of Shining's cock, including the little spurts that were still erupting from the tip every so often, and the other was sucking the fluid from Cadance's canal.

"This was a fun morning," smiled Shining. "I can't think of a better way to work out after breakfast."

"I can think of some other fun things to do of a morning," smirked Cadance, scooting closer and wrapping her hooves around his bicep.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Picture this: First, you lie down on the bed, on your back as you are. Then I climb on top of you, and that great big cock of yours goes right up my pussy."

"I like that."

"Then, another stallion comes in behind me an--"

"No."

Cadance grunted in frustration. "Just hear me out: Another stallion comes in behind me and he goes up my arse."

"Cadance, no. If you need something to go up your arse, we have plenty of dildoes."

"But a dildo is not as good as the real thing, Shiny."

"Then I will go up your arse."

"And let the other guy into my pussy?" She placed a hoof over her heart. "Shining, you do care."

"No," he said again. "No other stallions."

Cadance rolled over. "Shining, I'm not asking you to suck them off or take them up your own arse. I'm just asking you to let them join you in showing me a good time."

"You're asking me to let their balls and my balls to occupy the same space. No."

"Fine," said Cadance. Forget them taking me from behind."

"Good."

"Imagine instead one fucking my throat."

"No!"

"What's the problem?" growled Cadance. You don't want me being DPed because you're afraid that you'll touch his balls. Now your balls are nowhere near his!"

"Yeah, they're smacking me in the nose!" argued Shining. "That's worse!"

"So it'd be better if he took me from behind?"

"I won't have another stallion's cum dripping on my face,--"

"Then we're doing that."

Shining stood up. "I said no, Cadance. I'm not going to be involved with another stallion!"

As he walked out of the room, his balls now clean, he sighed. It was a harrowing thought that he wasn't enough of a proper stallion to satisfy his wife. Having some other stallion come in and do his job because he was incapable of fully pleasing her would label him a failure. He was fine with involving other mares; they knew what they were doing to please his wife, but they could never replace him.

He wished he could be better about this, to allow her the fantasies he couldn't provide, but it all just felt wrong. He was a prince, and as such, he should be leading by example. And the example he wanted to lead with was that they should be what their loved ones need, and to take care of them. Not to send some other pony to take care of them while they lazed about.

Shaking his head, he went down to the barracks. It was about time for the weekly uniform inspection, anyway. Perhaps doing some work would calm him down.

As he entered the room, he spotted several of the guards enjoying their time off. He was early, so he didn't expect them to be ready, and in fact, no less than eight were cleaning their armor, and one was painting over a freshly-repaired dent. What had been damaged was repaired, so some pride in his men was warranted.

"Attention!" shouted one of the at-ease guards that had been playing a card game, leaping to his hooves and saluting. Everypony else in the room followed suit, falling into line at the foot of their beds and saluting.

"At ease," he saluted back. "As you were."

While some of them just went back to their seats and worked on their tasks, others stood at the ready, wondering if they would be inspected early if they just stood at the ready. Early inspection meant early dismissal, after all, and they could go back home for the day. But it was obvious that some of their fellows weren't ready for inspection, so Shining opted to wait, sitting down at one of the tables, where a game of poker was going on.

"Cards, sir?" asked one of the soldiers, who was holding the deck. He was the dealer for this round.

Shining waved his hoof, declining joining the game. "I just came down to see how things were going. I needed to move away from my troubles for a bit to think things over."

"If you want, I can brew a cup of tea for you," smiled one of the guards, Lieutenant Mustard Greens, pushing back his mane. "My coltfriend won't let me leave the house without it."

"How is he, by the way?" asked the dealer. "I haven't seen him since the parade."

"Kind of upset, actually. His dad's not happy about the fact that he was there at all, and even more pissed that he was on the float. Celestia's sake, seeing his son kissing another stallion on the front page created such a yelling match, you would not believe how much flak I had to take for that."

"Well, you know," offered Shining, "I could have Cadance talk to his father. It's no good for his dad to hate him for being romantically involved with a stallion, and even more wrong for him to despise you for it."

Mustard shook his head. "Nah, he lives for the drama. Plus, he always grips my dick just a little bit tighter after somepony tells him to leave me. Tea?"

Chapter the Second: Working It Out

After a satisfactory uniform inspection and tea with Mustard and his coltfriend, Shining made his way to the gymnasium. The tea had helped him calm down, but if he wanted to be what his wife needed, he figured it wouldn't hurt to be in good shape.

As he walked in, he spotted his captain at the weights bench. "Afternoon, Pyre," he greeted. "How are we today?"

Captain Pyre said nothing for three reps, then hung up his barbell and sat up. "Two more sets, and then I'm hitting the showers," he breathed, wiping the sweat from his neck. "How are you, sir?"

"A bit stressed. Figured I'd take it out on the bags or something."

"Well, you know, just about anything here is going to help you. The rush of endorphins will make you feel good, the quiet will help you think, and you know anyone in here is willing to help you talk out your problems if you want help." He stood up. "Tell ya what, I'll let you take the bench for a set and spot you while I cool down for my next set."

With a smile, Shining took his place on the bench and grabbed the bar in his hooves. The weights he was using were heavier than what Shining typically used, but the captain did have bigger muscles. He was a prime specimen of pony health, and a beacon that Shining hoped all the guards would strive for.

As Shining began lifting, Pyre stood over him, making sure every lift was good. All the way up, and then all the way down. He even kept count, encouraging Shining to keep going until he hit twenty.

"That's heavier than I usually go for," huffed Shining as he sat up. "I'm usually working five kilos lower than this."

"I can take it off for your next set," offered Pyre. "I don't want to injure you by accident."

Shining shook his head. "No, it's not that big of a difference. I'll just limit my sets to compensate."

Pyre furrowed his brow, then pulled off five kilos and returned them to the rack. "It'll be better if you're not straining yourself, and I'll just do more reps per set with less weight. Much healthier."

"Okay, then," shrugged Shining, switching positions with him. "Whenever you're ready."

"So what's been eating you?" asked Pyre, gearing up. He wouldn't be able to talk, count and lift at the same time, so this granted Shining the opportunity to spill his problems.

"It's my sex life," admitted Shining. "There's some things Cadance wants to do, but I'm not really amenable to that sort of thing. Nothing untoward, mind you, I'm aware that a lot of ponies do that sort of thing, but... it just doesn't sit right with me. I mean, when I was younger, it was driven into my head that this is all a bad thing, and that I should hate the ponies that do this, but there's nothing wrong with the ponies. They're good ponies. In fact, I had some lunch with a couple of them, and they made me feel welcome at their patio table. I have no problem joining them for tea, but joining them in bed... I just don't know if I can do it."

At twenty-five reps, Pyre hung up the weights and swapped to the other side. As Shining took to the bench, he replied, "It's hard to say whether or not you're being reasonable without knowing the request. Still, if you say it's a common kink, it surely can't be all bad. Personally, I'd recommend you try it at least once and find out how bad it really is. If it doesn't make good ponies bad, then you're probably going to be fine. Of course, I will also add to that the caveat that, whatever you decide, make sure you take the necessary safety precautions. I'm looking to see you happy, not hurt."

They swapped positions again. It was time for Pyre's last set. "It's fooling around with other stallions," clarified Shining. "I don't mind the troops being gay, as long as it doesn't cause a problem among the ranks, and it hasn't so far. If they want to go home and rub their dicks together, it's no skin off my nose. But the only stallions I want touching my balls are doctors. It just doesn't sit right with me."

"A reasonable answer," nodded Pyre. "Personally, I don't mind either way. Stallion or mare, if they want to wrap their lips around my shaft, I'll not stand in their way. I won't take it up the arse, but I'll gladly shove my sausage up between another stallion's buns if he asked. Or a mare. But for Cadance's sake, I'd suggest you try to find some way of making it easier. Talk to your gay friends and see if one would be willing to mitigate your discomfort. After all, better to have a friend that won't take it too far than a stranger who wouldn't care about your happiness."

Shining hung up the bar and stood up. "That's actually not a bad idea. It still sounds unpleasant to me, but at least it won't be as unpleasant." He sighed. "I need a shower, now."

After wiping down the exercise bench and rehanging the weights, the two of them moved into the communal showers. It was pretty nice, even having soap dispensers paid for by the castle to encourage the soldiers who worked out in the gym to shower afterward. It worked pretty well, too.

"Have you thought about who you're going to ask?" asked Pyre, lathering up his mane.

Shining stood next to him, starting with his face. "I don't know. I figure I'll ask around; cast a wide net. I don't want to force them into it, after all."

"Well, keep me in mind," smiled Pyre. "If you don't find anyone, I'll let you suck my cock. May not be what you're after, but you do have access to my medical records. Totally clean, and I can even give you some tips if you're doing things wrong."

Shining chuckled. "Thanks, but no."

"Hey, if Cadance gives you an ultimatum, aren't my balls going to be preferable to some random stallion picked by your wife?"

Chapter the Third: A Quiet Evening

As Shining walked back into the throne room, Cadance looked up from her conversation with the chef. "Make it happen," she said, glancing back at him with a stone face before returning her attention to her husband. "Hi, Shiny! How was your day?"

"It was alright," he answered back as the chef walked past him. "What was all that about?"

"Oh, just a minor error in the kitchen," she waved. "Nothing to worry about. Just something that wasn't quite right that needed to be corrected. Don't trouble yourself with it, Shiny, the problem's been solved!"

Shining nodded and sat down next to his wife, taking her hoof. "So, there's somewhere I need to be the day after tomorrow," he said. "Some ponies I need to talk to."

"To whom do you need to speak? I can have them brought here now."

Shining shook his head. "It's a surprise. For you. Very hush-hush. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, I'm just tell in you that I won't be around that day, as I usually am."

From there, they sat and chatted with each other until the chef came back to inform them that dinner was ready, a mere ten minutes after he had left. Whatever the issue was in the kitchen, it must not have been the most damaging of problems.

The issue was clearly some sort of delay, as when Shining sat down to eat, it was already beginning to turn cold. He contemplated sending it back to be reheated, but if there were problems in the kitchen, he'd rather they focus on fixing whatever it was.

"How is your food, dear?" asked Cadance.

"Not the best," answered Shining. "The potatoes have a bit of an odd taste to them. Parsnips are a little dry, too."

Cadance looked a little bit worried. She was trying to hide it, but Shining had been with his wife long enough to tell that something was wrong. "Are you going to finish it?"

Shining shook his head and pushed the plate away. "I thought I might, but with the damage to the kitchen, I think it'd be best if we went out. Somewhere nice, you know?"

Cadance went on the defensive, folding her hooves. "We're lucky enough to have one of the best chefs in Equestria, and you want to just go out?"

Shining sighed and pressed his hoof against his forehead. "I'm not saying he's a bad chef. Most days, it's good food. Today, something's off, and I'm inclined to believe it's because of whatever went wrong in the kitchen. I'm not saying he pales in comparison to the pretzel cart down the road, I'm saying we give him a day to put his kitchen back in order, so that my mashed potatoes and gravy don't have a sour flavour to them. I'm sure it'll all be fine tomorrow."

Cadance scowled at him. "Shining, I've been assured that there's nothing wrong with that food. I promise, it's good for you. You need to eat it."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "You're being oddly aggressive about this."

Cadance took a deep breath and summoned one of the serving staff. She pushed the plate into her hooves. "My husband is not pleased with his meal. Tell the chef to make him something better."

Shining stood up and took the plate back. "Look, I'll power through it, just... Let the chef know that I'm disappointed, and hopeful that whatever piece of equipment broke, he can either have it fixed or be able to work around it tomorrow. Hoping for the best, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Let him know if there's anything he can do to help?" sighed the chef. "I really feel bad for the guy, but there's nothing I can do."

"So you know what's wrong with his meal?"

"The princess had me mix his medication into his potatoes. I had to grind it down into a powder, first. That's probably what he's tasting."

"I didn't even know he was sick," shrugged the server. "He looked fine to me."

The chef sighed. "I don't even think he knows. Cadance told me not to tell him. And now I'm telling you the same." he shook his head. "This would be a lot easier on me, and my reputation if he just swallowed the pill before dinner, or if it needed to be ground down and mixed with food, that he could know it was there, and blame the pharmacist for the awful taste. I could end up ruined because of this little bout of secret-keeping."

"I don't think you'll be ruined..."

"Ruined! Because if I keep serving him stuff that tastes bad, then the two obvious answers are that I'm a bad chef, or the prince has terrible taste. I'm not about to shovel shit all over the royal seal, so it's my skill that must be tarnished!"

"He did try to blame it on faulty equipment," offered the server, rubbing the chef's shoulder. "He doesn't think you're a bad cook."

"A bad cook... A bad cook blames his tools. A good cook makes sure all of his equipment works, and if it's busted, he finds a workaround. If the frier breaks down, a bad cook will eighty-six every fried item on the menu. A good cook will put oil in a pot over the stove and light it up to make a smaller, slower frier, and tell the waitstaff to alert the guests that there's going to be a wait on all fried items, encouraging other items to help supplement the dining room. If I blame my equipment, would it not be easier to just mash the potatoes with a fork? How fucking hard is it to make fucking mashed potatoes and gravy? Literally three ingredients for each! Children could make that dish work!"

"Yeah," sighed the server. "If it makes you feel any better, I can't hard-boil an egg."

"That doesn't make me feel better," he grumbled. "But it would make me feel better to teach you how. At least then, my talents aren't being completely wasted. Come on, grab a saucepan, an egg, and some water."

Chapter the Fourth: Nightmare

After a quick romp between the sheets with Cadance, Shining went to bed. He wasn't satisfied with dinner, and he wasn't satisfied with Cadance once again suggesting that he let another stallion bed her. Even if he wasn't around, he had issues with the idea.

When he'd proposed to Cadance, he'd made a deal with Luna. Once they were married, Luna would devote her efforts away from solving Shining's nightmares unless there was either no one else in Equestria that needed help, or if his nightmares were causing his waking life to be different than it should be. If he failed to send troops where they needed to go because he was scared of a monster under the bed, Luna would step in, but otherwise, they would stand united to protect the dreamers of Equestria. Her by cleaning up nightmares, and him by keeping their homes secure.

He hadn't thought about that deal since the last time he'd spoken to Luna, and even then, it was a passing thought that didn't really need a full discussion, or even any discussion. Luna had written to him after every nightmare to check in on him, and they were thankfully few and far between.

The only reason that thought was crossing his mind right now was because he knew he'd be receiving a letter with his breakfast as soon as he fell asleep. He opened his eyes to find himself tied to a rack, rather than his bed. He was in some kind of dark basement, with a wooden arched door at the far end.

It was quiet for a moment, but after a bit of waiting, the door swung slowly open, and a black, faceless stallion entered the room. "Hello, my pet," he said, stepping closer. "Did you miss daddy?"

Shining kept his mouth shut. Even if this was just a dream, he prided himself on his defenses. Whether it was protecting from physical threats with guards, magical threats with abjuration, or international espionage with silence, he was stoic as a stone wall. While he had been bested before, he'd not gone quietly, and that was against some of Equestria's greatest foes. The worst of them had even been a challenge to Celestia and Luna. Shining was proud of his ability to put up resistance.

"Because Daddy missed your tasty arse," chuckled the faceless stallion, grabbing Shining's hind end. "Daddy missed you so much."

Shining said nothing, only scowling. This was a dream, and he knew it. He just had to power through it and wake up tomorrow morning, and he'd be fine.

A swift smack to his flank caused him to let out a yelp. It didn't hurt, and he knew it wasn't going to cause damage, but it surprised him, for sure.

"You like my hoof on your arse, my pet?" the stallion chuckled. "You're such a slut."

"You can release me," growled Shining. "Then we shall see who's hoof is on whom's arse."

"is it release you want, my pet?"

"Do it quickly, and I'll go easy on you."

Despite not having a mouth, Shining knew that the spectre was smiling. "Beg for my cock, pet. Tell daddy how much you want him."

Shining turned up his nose. "You're making a grave error..."

A sharp sting lashed across his backside. "Beg for me to rail you!" shouted the stallion.

"No!"

Another lash. "Tell me how much you want me inside of you!"

"Never!"

Another. "Beg me to fuck you, slut!"

Shining was tired of arguing. If this sadist was just going to keep making unreasonable demand after unreasonable demand, there were no words that would stop him. It was no use wasting his breath.

"There's a good slut," smiled the stallion. "Open your mouth for daddy."

Despite trying to keep his mouth shut, Shining found his jaw being pried open, perhaps by magic. His tongue pushed out on its own, and he began to salivate.

As this was happening, the stallion was climbing up on top of the rack. His penis was entirely erect, and it was a big one. Or perhaps Shining just thought it was big because he wasn't used to seeing one this close.

"Slick Daddy up, pet," he chuckled, resting his balls on Shining's chin. "You know how you react when I go in dry."

Shining had no idea what it felt like when a stallion went in dry. He only knew what Cadance had told him when they first tried, and it was not a pleasant experience for either of them. While he would prefer to just bite down hard on this stallion's balls and rip them clean off, he didn't have full control of his jaw. He couldn't bite down if he tried.

Even so, he didn't want to know how dry felt, so against his better judgement, he licked and slobbered as much as he could. He had to slick it up, to mitigate his torture.

"You're really wanting this, aren't you?" chuckled the stallion.

Shining just glared. It was deplorable, and something he wouldn't wish on his greatest of enemies.

"Well, I'll not keep you in suspense any longer."

Sliding down, the stallion pressed his tip against Shining's tailhole. With a powerful thrust, the entire thing went up into him, not stopping until his hips clapped against Shining's arsecheeks.

Shining had no idea what it really felt like, and had nothing to base the feeling on. He'd hoped that, since some of his friends were into it, and that Cadance seemed to like it from time to time, that his brain would fill in the blanks with good thoughts and he'd end up at least kind of enjoying it.

Unfortunately, he felt nothing but shame. It wasn't something he had a physical representation of, and as such, it was like nothing. He did feel ashamed of doing it, though.

It also made him realise that there was no flavour to the cock he'd licked. All the better, he'd thought, as it seemed preferable that it have no taste than the bad taste of the potatoes, but still, it was odd.

Then, he did experience something familiar. Something he associated with having sex. A pressure was building in his loins.

"Ready, my pet? Here comes your release!"

Shining shot upright in a cold sweat. He'd just shot his load all over the sheets. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at the time. It was six fifty-five in the morning. Almost time to wake up.

Chapter the Fifth: Crying for Help

"That is absolutely horrifying!"

Shining took a hearty swallow of coffee. He'd taken the day to go and visit one of his friends, specifically Lt. Mustard Greens. "I had the same dream the night before, when we first started talking about it."

Mustard's coltfriend, Cinnamon Snap, refilled Shining's cup. "It's good you came to us, hon," he frowned. "A lot of ponies of our persuasion would take that dream as an insult."

Mustard put his hoof on Shining's. "We know you're not that way, sir. We know you're not the kind of pony that goes around bashing us down. If you were, you can bet we wouldn't have let you into our home."

Shining shook his head. "To whom you opt to give your love is none of my concern. What matters to me is that you feel love in your heart, as that keeps the Crystal Heart at full power. If it's protecting the kingdom, I'm happy. Your love for each other is provably a good thing, and that's great! I'm just not really into it, myself."

"And no wonder," huffed Cinnamon, "the way you've been dreaming us up. I had a dom once that liked to be called "daddy." The sex was good, but he was really abusive. Trust me, if I don't want to be in a relationship like that, you shouldn't have to be, either."

"Isn't he the one that gave you that scar?" asked Mustard.

"Scar?" inquired Shining.

"You'll have to come inside if you want to see for yourself," chuckled Cinnamon. "I can't fault you if you say no, though."

"I suppose I should ask you inside, then," swallowed Shining.

Nodding, the three of them moved from the back patio into the kitchen, where Cinnamon jumped up and sat on the table. As he spread his legs, Shining could see a scar on his inner thigh, a single, straight line going from just above the knee to just below his testicles.

Shining raised his hoof. "May I?"

"As long as you're gentle."

Shining ran his hoof along the scar. It was pretty deep. "What happened?"

"He was a construction worker," started Cinnamon. "I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be nice to have a back porch or deck area where I could serve drinks and dine al fresco?" Since I had him staying with me three nights a week, I figured I'd have him build it for me. Well, in the middle of building it, he comes home drunk, we have an argument about it, he pushes me, and I fall right on top of the saw. Well, the neighbors called the guards about it, and that's the night I first met Mustard, here. We hit it off, and a few days after we started dating, he was given orders to transfer here. I was kind of fed up with Baltimare, anyway, and at least now I have a finished patio, with furniture and everything."

Shining listened intently. There was something about seeing this scar that made him feel like a nicer, more caring pony. That is, something in his head told him that kissing the scar would make it feel better. He didn't do it, of course; that would be silly. But he wanted to.

As he stood up and pulled away, he looked at Mustard. "It's very comforting to know that you came to his aid when he needed you. You make me very proud to have you among our ranks."

Mustard blushed. "Thank you, sir. I do my best."

"That's nothing," smirked Cinnamon, leaning back. "He thought he wasn't into stallions when we met."

"Yeah," smiled Mustard. "When I carried him to the hospital, I was sure that would be the last time I saw him, and at the time, I was okay with that. I was looking for a mare, and having no luck. But when I personally brought him home from the hospital, he offered to make me dinner if I stayed, for fear of his coltfriend coming back. I opted to stick around for his protection, and that night, we shared a bed, and I realized I could be into stallions, too. Especially one as cute as Cinn."

They shared a quick kiss before turning their attentions back to Shining. Seeing the smile they'd brought to his face, Cinnamon grinned. "Glad we could help you move past your problems, even if only temporarily."

Shining nodded. "Thanks for the help. It's good to know I have friends like you, willing to hear me out." He looked around, having not actually been inside their house in its casual state before. While he had spent time with them in the past, a lot of it was in the backyard, in public, or at the castle. The few times he had been inside their house, it was during a party, where they'd obviously cleaned up from the smell of detergents. Being in here naturally was a new experience.

"Is that a massage table?" he asked, looking into the living room.

"It is," answered Cinnamon. "I'm not licensed yet, but I'm taking classes."

"He's really good," confirmed Mustard. "I thought he was good when he was just rubbing my shoulders when I came home, but now he's reaching muscles I didn't know I had."

Shining glanced to Cinnamon. "Are you available?"

Cinnamon pursed his lips. "Yes and no. Like I said, I don't have a license. I have the time and skill, but not really a legal leg to stand on if I mess up. And I can't really hire a lawyer, either, because I can't charge for my services."

"Call it a gift, then," chimed in Mustard. "Prince Shining Armor is gifting you some free practice, and you're gifting him a free massage! I'm sure he'd be willing to pay for your services once you're licensed."

"Sure," nodded Shining. "Not just for me, either, but also for my sister, my wife... If you're a good masseur, I'll be willing to hire you for real in the future."

Cinnamon smiled and hopped off the table. "I'll go grab my oils then. Mustard can help you move into position."

Shining hopped into position on the table and waited for Cinnamon to come back. "Why aren't the oils kept near the table?" he asked.

"They are, sometimes," explained Mustard. "But the last massage he gave me was in bed, so we moved the oils in there."

"But I'm sure that's not the kind of massage you're looking for," chuckled Cinnamon, coming back with a light brown bottle. "Though it might help you out, I think it'd be a little bit discomforting for you at this stage in your life. So let's just do what feels right for you."

Cinnamon climbed up on top of Shining's back, sitting on his thighs. While Shining was a bit upset at another stallion being so close to his butt, the feeling of his oiled-up hooves on his lower back was wonderful. Shining's discomfort melted away in an instant.

"Wow. You are good at this..."

"Told you," chuckled Mustard.

Chapter the Sixth: Lifting the Spirits

Shining wasn't a regular at the gym, but the massage he'd experienced had him feeling energized, and a bit of light cardio was exactly what he needed. Prye was already there, coaching somepony on the use of the heavy bag. Shining couldn't make out what they were saying, but Pyre waved, and Shining waved back as he approached the treadmills.

Shining has made it a good half mile before Pyre came over. "How's it hanging, sir?"

"No improvements since last time," Shining huffed. "How about you?"

"Oh, my sex life is great," he smiled. "Had me a foursome last night. I see no reason to complain about that."

"I wouldn't, either."

"Two mares and the most adorable stallion. Weird mane, but he was phenomenal with his mouth. Such stamina, too."

"Was that him on the heavy bag?"

"Nah. New recruit. He's not interested in me, though."

Shining rolled his eyes and kept galloping.

"So did you find any stallions for yourself?"

Shining nearly tripped over his own hooves, but quickly recovered. "No, I haven't found anyone that'd be willing to help me out."

Pyre furrowed his brow. "Did you even ask?"

Shining could have very easily told Pyre to drop the subject, to stop talking about his personal life, or to be silent. He was the prince, after all, or at least the royal consort. He had the authority to shut this entire line of questioning down, and he even considered doing so.

"I forgot," he sighed. It wasn't a total lie. He'd considered asking Mustard and Cinnamon, as their affairs seemed hot and spicy, but when he'd actually gone over to their place to speak with them, he'd forgotten to bring it up, as his nightmares were foremost on his mind at the time.

"Honestly, you can't expect this problem to just go away. Let me put it this way..." He hopped on the treadmill next to Shining and began to outpace him almost immediately. "The number of mares that joined me in bed because their husband couldn't satisfy them is something I've started, and then stopped counting. I made it as high as thirty before it stopped being special and started being a regular occurrence."

"What's your point?"

"Ponies that are not satisfied with their sex lives tend to seek out solutions in other ponies than their spouse. Some mares want a bigger dick than that of their husband. Some stallions want a tighter pussy. Some weirdos want to take a dump on somepony else's chest and then smear it around."

Shining crinkled his nose and shivered. "No thanks..."

"If they can't find happiness with their spouse, they seek outside help," concluded Pyre. "If you can't fuck Cadance the way she likes, with another stallion on top of you, she'll find out about the stallion I railed last week, and he'll let me rail him while he fucks your wife. And I'm open to that."

Shining shot a scowl at Pyre. "That's not funny, Captain Pyrrhic Victory."

"Good," urged Pyre. "Perhaps you'll heed it as advice, then. Do what it takes to keep your wife satisfied, or I'll step in to replace you. I don't want to damage your relationship, sir, so don't make me step in."

Shining knew he was right, of course. He needed to kick this dream, and he also needed to find some stallion to test the waters with. Sure, he'd intended for Cinnamon and Mustard, but perhaps it would be better if he didn't impose on them.

"You know a lot of stallions that like this sort of thing," observed Shining. "Can you pick somepony who'll make it easier for me?"

Pyre chuckled. "Well, I had hoped you'd find one for yourself, but if it's a wingpony you need, I'll totally back you up. Come on."

They stopped their treadmills, and took note of their time and distance as measured by the machines. Shining had run four and a half miles today, and Pyre just short of six. They moved to the locker room where, rather than going straight to the showers, they stopped at Pyre's locker. He pulled out a small black book and opened it up.

"These aren't in any order. What are you looking for in a stallion?"

Shining shook his head. "Somepony who's willing to ease me into it. Other than that, I don't really care."

"You sure?" He held up a picture. "This one's really clingy."

"Not him, then," sighed Shining. "Look, just... Pick someone you think can help me, okay? I'm not really picky."

Pyre flipped through a couple of pages, then smiled. "I have just the guy."

"Great," smiled Shining. "When can I meet him?"

"In just a few minutes," assured Pyre. "He's just downstairs in the barracks! Let me go grab him for you."

"Shouldn't I go with you?" asked Shining.

Pyre turned to look Shining square in the eye. "There's a lot of stallions down there. I see that as either breeding jealousy among the ranks, which would cause a problem, or if not, a lot of other ponies watching you having your dick sucked by a lower-ranking guard. Up here, we can hide you away in a shower and nopony will know the difference."

Shining nodded. "Okay. I'll wait here."

As Pyre headed off, he left his locker open. While it was true that he had left it in the capable hooves of Shining Armor, who was frankly allowed to open it at any time with or without the permission of Pyre, Shining was not the type to go rummaging around in it.

Or so he thought.

For some reason, no matter how he tried to push the thought out of his head, something in that locker was calling to him. It was reaching out and willing him to invite himself in. He resisted at first, but something smelled wonderful, and his curiosity reasoned that there was no harm in just looking.

Carefully, Shining moved in front of the locker. He looked around to confirm that he was alone, then tried to sniff out the source of his desires. He couldn't see anything that could be producing that scent, so he closed his eyes and let his nose lead the way. It didn't take long to find it after that, and a strong whiff told him that whatever it was, it was something he liked.

As he pulled away, it fell on his nose. It was some sort of cloth, very lightweight. He took one more big sniff before opening his eyes.

It was a jock strap. Shining Armor had been sniffing a sweaty jock strap.

It was typical to wear these in the leg press to prevent any accidents with the machinery, and Pyre had three hanging up. For some reason, Shining had been attracted only to the dirty one.

The door squeaked as it opened. In a rush, Shining shoved the cloth back in the locker and pushed the door slightly closed, even going so far as to close his legs to hide the erection that was beginning to poke out.

"There you are," noted Pyre, coming out from behind the corner. "So listen, bad news is that he had a schedule conflict, so I'll have to talk to him after. But we'll set up a meeting tomorrow, and you can size him up for yourself. Good news is, some of the boys are pretty sure he's still good at sucking cock."

Chapter the Seventh: Out on the Town

After two days of sub-par food, Shining wasn't taking any chances. He'd given the chef the day off to clean the whole kitchen with his staff and restock the fridge with fresh ingredients. Meanwhile, he was headed out to dinner with his wife.

"How'd your meeting go?" asked Cadance as they took their seats.

"Good," answered Shining. "Not the way I wanted it to go, but still good. I didn't finish, either, so I have to go back again, but we made some tangible progress, and in the right direction."

"Oh, good," she smiled. "Is it still a secret?"

"It is," he nodded. He didn't know if it should be a secret, though. Despite the fact that he was doing this for her, he didn't know how long it would take, and if he let her in, she could help. He shook his head. Two weeks. If he wasn't ready, or at least almost ready in two weeks, he'd tell her.

He was called from his thoughts as the waitress approached. She was hot. Her white buttoned shirt clung tightly to her chest, slightly damp around the collar from her hard work, but not enough to warrant a change. Her black pants were a size too small, accentuating her wide hips and sumptuous thighs. Her mane was tied back in a tight pony before curling out, with a tail to match. To top it all off, her eyeshadow and lipstick were begging the patrons to notice her.

"Good evening," she smiled, offering them menus. Her voice was deep and husky. "How are we this evening?

"We're lovely," smiled Cadance back. "What sort of appetizer would you recommend?"

"Well, there's the ever-popular onion flower. Everypony loves that."

"Let's start with two," answered Shining. "And some iced tea."

"Sweet or regular?"

"Regular," answered Cadance. "With lemon wedges."

"I'll have those right out for you."

As she walked away, Shining watched her hind end shake with every step. He was swayed by her swaying to the point where anypony hiding under the table would be best served with wearing eye protection.

"She has a nice arse, doesn't she?" smiled Cadance in a whisper.

"She does," agreed Shining.

"Perhaps coming out was a good idea, after all. Such eye candy..." She rubbed her hooves together. "I think I'll ask her if she'd like to stop by the castle sometime."

Before he could say anything to stop her, Cadance was up on her hooves, going back toward the kitchen. Shining was flying his flag at full mast under the tablecloth, so following her would cause an embarrassment. Instead, he had to stay where he was and try to calm down.

Cadance was gone for a good five minutes before returning. "Well?" asked Shining. "What'd she say?"

"I couldn't find her. I couldn't even ask for her, as I didn't catch her name."

"It's Diamond," smiled the mare, having come up behind Cadance. She placed the two dishes in front of her diners. "Have you decided on your entrees?"

The same off flavour that was driving him to look elsewhere for food was present in Shining's appetizer, as well. Given the sweaty dreams and bad taste following him around, Shining was rethinking something being wrong with the royal chef. If the same thing that was wrong with his chef was wrong with this one, and no one else noticed, maybe it was something wrong with him. Maybe he was sick. That would explain a lot.

"Shiny, are you okay?" asked Cadance. "You've been awfully quiet."

He wanted to tell her the truth. Really, he did. But there was a good reason he didn't. If he were to announce that he was ill right after eating here, it would tarnish the restaurant's reputation. He'd already damaged the reputation of his own chef, and would be issuing a formal apology, but it wasn't the restaurant's fault that he was ill, and he would not do anything that he knew to be unconscionable.

"Shiny?" Cadance asked again.

"Just lost in thought," he answered. Not a lie, but not the whole truth. "I suppose I've just been a bit upset lately. Recent stresses, you know? I should be fine once it's cleared up."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I can't tell you that," he smiled. "That's all part of the surprise I have for you."

"Still, you could talk to me. How do you feel?"

At exactly that moment, Shining's bowels were ready to fire. "Like I need to use the toilet. Excuse me, won't you?"

With no real hurry apparent, Shining made his way to the lavatories, picked a stall and sat down to relieve himself. There was nothing particularly odd about it, just a regulation bowel movement at a regulation pace into a regulation toilet. It wasn't a bidet, nor was there an irregularity in his stool. It was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill poop.

As he was gearing up to leave, however, something strange occurred.

A stallion walked into the stall next to him. This wasn't odd, per se, but he immediately knocked on the wall. "You busy tonight?"

Shining was quiet for a moment. "Are you talking to me?"

"Unless there's somepony else in there with you. I won't judge if there is."

"Well, I don't know if I'd say busy, but I'm not sure what you're asking."

"Look, I'm really in a bind, here. I just need you to take the edge off for me. Just a little nip to hold me over until the end of service."

Shining's ears perked up. This was not what he was wanting to hear. This was supposed to be a night off, and now he was being roped into dismantling some drug trafficking. He took a silent breath and remembered his lines. "Do you have the money ready?"

"Of course. I'll pass it right through the slot. I'll even pay double, just hurry up!"

"Alright, pass it through."

"Lift up the flap, already!"

Shining looked down, and right above and to the left of the toilet paper, there was a small door with a handle and a latch. It was locked closed, but it could be locked open.

As Shining undid the latch and opened the door, a penis slipped through the hole. All along the top were bits that had been placed there for him. "Come on, man; hoofy, blowy, I don't care, but my break ends in two minutes! I'm begging you, here!"

Shining was caught off-guard. He was not prepared for this plump, juicy spectacle to come ramming into his stall. He didn't grab the bits, he didn't touch the dick, he didn't wash his hooves, and he even forgot to flush. He rushed right back to his table, very red in the face. Whoever it was, they'd been left high and dry, but with their wallet intact.

Chapter the Eighth: Recurring Dream

Shining had full confidence that he would sleep well tonight. Luna, as a result of his multiple nightmares, had sent multiple letters checking in on him. The one he had received this morning was very clear.

Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire:

It has come to our attention that you have had another nightmare. As per our agreement, we were remiss to step in, but given the facts that, (a) you have had a nightmare two nights in a row and (b) it was the same nightmare each time, it can only be presumed that something has ensnared you in a dire grapple. Tonight, if you should have the same nightmare a third time, we will have cause to come forward and halt these proceedings. If left unchecked, we fear that this foul power will impair your ability to govern your ponies.

Humbly and with cautious optimism,
Princess Luna of Equestria
Dictated but not read.

He was reluctant to accept her help, wanting to kick this on his own merits, but Shining knew when he was beaten. One of the many things that made him a good commander was his ability to read the scenario and know whether or not he needed help, and Luna was better at this than he was. He wasn't glad to accept the help, but he knew he needed it.

As he drifted off, however, he noticed something different. It was not a rack that he was tied to, but a diagonal cross. The walls were much the same, but the colour was lighter than he remembered. Rather than the black bricks, these were slate grey, and a little bit shined up.

The door still opened as usual, but the stallion that entered was lighter in colour. Like the walls, he'd gone from black to grey. He also had grown a mane, unkempt, scraggly and dark blue. "Hello, my pet."

"Oh, good, you showed up again," snorted Shining.

"Did you miss Daddy?"

"No, I was actually hoping you ended up lost on the way here. Why are you bothering me again?"

"Because Daddy missed your tasty arse." He grabbed Shining's cheeks and tried to pull them apart.

"No, I'm pretty sure you were right on target," he grunted.

"Daddy missed you so much."

This was the same nightmare again. Where was Luna? Wasn't she supposed to come in and pry him out?

A slap on the arse brought him back to his senses. "You like my hoof on your arse, my pet?"

"Usually," grunted Shining, straining against the bonds, "ponies ask that question before touching. It's called consent, you miserable fucking dicksneeze!"

"You're such a slut," chuckled the stallion.

"Look," sighed Shining. "I don't enjoy this little game you've put together. If you let me go free, I'm willing to overlook a lot of this. Stop what you're doing, and I won't press charges."

"Is it release you want, my pet?"

"Why are you twisting my words?" growled Shining. "I specifically said "let me go free." Your redefining of the terms is only serving to complicate things. Unchain me, that's all I ask…"

Shining didn't have to hear what he said next. He knew there was no way out of this situation unless Luna showed up. It was just going to continue as it had been.

"Beg for my cock, pet."

"This again? Come on, at least come up with an alternative…"

"Tell Daddy how much you want him!"

"Look, this whole thing is making me want "Daddy" even less."

He felt the crack of a whip on his flank. "Beg for me to rail you!"

"Please, stop…"

"Tell me how much you want me inside of you!"

Shining was silent as the whip struck him twice more. He didn't want to do this. And where in Equestria was Luna when he needed her?

"Beg me to fuck you, slut!"

Shining shook his head. "Whether I say it aloud or not, you're just going to do it, anyway. Why even bother asking? To claim you had my consent?" He sighed. "Just do it and be done with it."

"There's a good slut," smiled the stallion. "Open your mouth for Daddy."

While it still disgusted Shining, he felt his jaw being opened. He didn’t resist, as trying twice had led to no results, but he figured that complying would at least hurry things along. Maybe not, and it would just go at the same pace regardless, but if it wasn't quicker, at least it'd be easier.

There was something strange that happened when he was face-deep in the stallions dick, however. It was just as dark as ever, but now it had a smell. It had been odorless and tasteless the night prior, and the night before that, but now it was pungent.

To make matters worse, he could pinpoint the odor right away; it was that of Pyre's jock strap. It even smelled of cotton, which it should not have, but this was the only scent of testicle Shining had ever known. He washed his own too frequently to allow a musk to arise.

There was still no taste to it, likely because there was nothing to latch onto, but if it smelled this bad, and yet strangely alluring, he wasn't sure if he wanted a taste.

"Slick Daddy up, pet. You know how you react when I go in dry."

Shining thought to himself that anal had to be off-limits until this dream stopped recurring. If the scent could worm its way in, so could a dirty cock taste and a tearing sensation in his arse. That was too big a risk.

"You're really wanting this, aren't you?"

Shining rolled his eyes. "Just do it already…"

"Well, I'll not keep you in suspense any longer."

As before, there was no feeling when the stallion entered his arse. Why would there be? There was no fact as to how it felt that Shining could latch onto. That was a good thing.

In fact, it was better this time. Before, he'd felt shame at being made to be a fucktoy. Now he knew with absolute certainty that he had no say in the matter, and that was a very encouraging thought. If he couldn't stop it, then there was less shame in letting it happen outside of his control.

"Ready, my pet?" Asked the stallion as Shining could feel his climax building. "Here comes your release!"

Chapter the Ninth: Medical Abnormality

Shining knocked on the door to Mustard and Cinnamon's house. Anypony looking in from the street would be able to tell that he was nervous, so he tried to keep his face hidden from view. He didn't want anypony to see him like this.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The reason he was upset was because he'd received some disturbing news, which had only been confirmed with testing, but he wasn't sure what it meant, what the plan was, or how to fix it. All he knew was that there were some things he needed to check.

Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire:

It has come to our attention that your nightmare is recurring. As per our agreement, we tried to access your dream last night to make things a bit easier to deal with. However, we were met with heavy resistance. There are several things that may stand in the way of this, and we were hoping you would help us understand, that we may ask you to help us to help you.

Of the many causes, the most common is that you are resisting our advances. This usually occurs if there is something embarrassing that you do not wish for us to see. If such is the case, we give you the assurance that we will do nothing to damage your reputation, nor will we be judging you on what we see. It is your actions that define you, not your desires. At worst, we would have reason to start an inquiry, but we have faith that you are doing little wrong, if anything.

The second most common cause is that there is some kind of magic sealing your dreams off. If that is the case, we fear that the Crystal Empire may be under attack, and soon. From whom, we cannot be sure, but we recommend putting an abjuration field up before lying down for bed. We feel no need to explain in further detail, as you are a master-level abjurer, and your wife is an expert abjurer.

However, because of your chevaliery* and your skill in the art of abjuration, we can safely presume that neither of the two most common scenarios is the case. That leaves the most likely cause to be the third most common reason, and for that, we urge caution. We insist that you speak to the royal physician at once, as we fear that there may be a plot to poison you. We especially encourage you to have somepony else taste your food for you, as an off taste will denote something is wrong with it.

Wishing you the best of health,
Princess Luna of Equestria
Dictated but not read.

Shining had gone to the doctor, and had tested his blood, saliva and urine. The urinalysis had yet to come back, but the blood and saliva tests had shown no trace of anything deadly. However, his blood tests had shown an increase in Estrogen levels. While the doctor had said he was currently at safe levels, if they continued to rise, they would need to do something about it. Letting it rise unchecked could lead to gynecomastia (which was explained as swelling and sensitivity around his breasts), decreased sex drive, and erectile dysfunction.

The worst part was, he had no idea who was doing this, or why. His best guess was the jealous lover of a mare he'd slept with, as those were common enough, but nopony had come forward to accuse him of breaking up a marriage. If they had, he would have helped them put it back together. Cadance would have helped, too, as she was really good at that.

He also considered that it might be entirely accidental. A few things that were well-known to cause increased estrogen levels, according to the doctor, were extracts of ginkgo or ginseng. Ginkgo leaf could be found in teas, and ginseng was a muscle relaxant used in some massage oils. If he found both here, it may explain why his estrogen was increased.

He knocked again, louder this time. If he was convinced that this was a vile plot, he could come back with a warrant, but he didn't think that behaviour was warranted. If it was an accident, then he only needed to look at the box the tea came in, and the bottle of massage oil. It wasn't so bad that doing so needed to be a punishable offense, but something that would say that any massage given in the future needed a different oil, and drinking a different tea.

"You lookin' for Cinnamon an' Mustard?"

Shining turned to see an older stallion just over the fence, a trowel in his hoof and a straw hat on his head. "Yeah."

"They left, 'bout an hour ago. Said they was goin' shoppin'. Don't know what fer."

"Did they say when they would be back?"

"I didn't ask. Didn't matter to me at the time. Still doesn't."

Shining sighed. "Did they say where they were going?"

The stallion shook his head. "I was payin' attention to the flowers. Or maybe I was workin' on the berries by then. Either way, about the same time. They walk out, talkin' about some stallion at the bar. I'm guessin' that's you?"

"No, I... I haven't been in a bar in six years. Probably some other stallion."

"I can let 'em know you were lookin'."

Shining shook his head. "I'll just come back in a bit."

As he walked to the street, it occurred to Shining that, if this all was an accident, that Cinnamon and Mustard might not have a tea and massage oil that didn't have these ingredients. After all, most ponies seemed to be unaffected by the amount widely considered reasonable, and it wasn't as though Shining was pouring down gallons of tea and soaking in drums of massage oil. He had a rare weakness to a common household item; like an allergy, but presenting in an odd way. They might not have a massage oil free of ginseng, though it was likely they had an amenable tea. Still, in the event that they didn't, a box of tea was not very expensive.

He opted to do some shopping of his own, and headed into the market. Among the massage oils, perhaps a third of them contained ginseng in some form or another, whether the root was dried and ground up, or the oil was extracted and mixed in. One of them was the same stuff Cadance liked, and may have been absorbed through his hooves. He'd have to be careful moving forward, if that were the case, but there, it was clearly accidental. Cadance would never drug him on purpose.

Author's Note

*Chevaliery, in this context, is an olde-timey variant on "Chivalry." Much as a cavalier practices cavalry, a chevalier practices chevaliery. But when it was translated from French to English (Battle of Hastings), it was respelled to be chivalry. Cavalry, chivalry and, in this case, chevaliery, all mean "the behaviour expected of a knight," where "knight" means "mounted soldier."

Chapter the Tenth: A Spicy Endeavor

Shortly after returning to their house and knocking on the door to no answer, Shining once again left, but as he came to the end of the yard, he spotted them coming around the bend with several large bags of groceries, which he was quite happy to help them carry back home and put away.

"Glad you were in the neighborhood," smiled Mustard, folding up the last of the paper sacks and sliding the stack into the cavity between the fridge and the wall. "I thought that was going to take out the rest of my morning. Tea?"

Shining nodded, but pushed forward his own box of tea. "Can you brew this one, though?"

"Making requests?" chuckled Cinnamon.

Shining nodded. "I have to. I talked to my doctor this morning, and he found chemicals that were knocked way out of balance."

"So this is a medicated tea?" asked Mustard, looking at the box. "Looks normal to me."

"It is normal," replied Shining. "There are just a few things I have to stay away from to keep the balance in check. By the way, can I look at your tea box?"

"Oh, sure."

Shining examined the box, and it was the exact same brand. They had been serving him a bergamot tea, and he had bought a lemon-ginger blend. Neither had ginkgo leaf, so he was safe on that front.

"Do you really think we'd feed you something harmful?" asked Cinnamon.

"Not on purpose," assured Shining. "It's like giving a colt a chocolate bar on Nightmare Night, and then finding out the next day that he was allergic to almonds. No harm intended; it was an accident. I just happen to be having an adverse reaction to a few ingredients of teas and massage oils. It's rare in teas, but it turns out the massage oil ingredient I'm having a bad reaction to is in thirty percent of the massage oils I looked at in the market. It's a common muscle relaxant."

"I can check the oil," offered Cinnamon. "What's the ingredient?"

"Ginseng."

Cinnamon didn't even bother to go find the bottle. He just shook his head. "Yeah, it's in there. I bought it with that in mind. Sorry."

"I didn't even know," smiled Shining. "Not until this morning. Here." Shining pulled out the bottle he'd purchased and offered it to Cinnamon. "That's safe for me, at least for now."

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what's this problem you were having?" asked Mustard, sitting down as he waited for the water to come to a boil. "You don't have to say, if you don't want. I'm just curious."

"Well, aside from the dreams, whatever it is is causing my estrogen levels to be really high."

Mustard glanced to the side. "Isn't estrogen only found naturally in mares?"

"Stallions have it, too," affirmed Shining. "It's just much lower. High estrogen in males is like high testosterone in females. Doesn't usually occur naturally, but sometimes it does. Mine was a sudden onset."

"And ginseng causes it to rise?" asked Cinnamon. "They don't say that on the bottle! There should be a health warning!"

Shining shook his head. "The change there should be negligible. It may not even be from there. Princess Luna thinks somepony may be poisoning my food, and I don't know how. We went out to eat last night."

"Whoever's doing it must have access to the kitchen," reasoned Mustard. "Come with us to the bar tonight. We know the owner, and he personally runs the kitchen. You can even watch him prepare your meal for you. Guaranteed safe."

Shining thought about it. Sure, it would be safe, but a lot of bars had a minimum number of drinks one had to order. Shining wasn't a heavy drinker, and any alcohol he consumed would impair his judgement. Would he even be able to detect the off taste he was looking for?

"I don't know..."

Mustard stood up, walked to the front door, and came back with his helmet and saluted. "Sir, it is my solemn vow to protect the many wonderful citizens of Equestria and its enclaves. As a royal guard, to let my prince be harmed is to bring shame upon the entire kingdom. I will not fail to keep you safe tonight."

Cinnamon leaned toward Shining. "Doesn't he just look damn sexy in uniform?"

Shining sighed his way into a smile. "Okay. Just for tonight."

"It's a date," smiled Cinnamon.

"I'll just tell Cadance before I leave. That way, she'll know that I'm alright."

"Shouldn't she come, too?" asked Mustard.

"Whoever's coming after me, they don't seem to have any interest in her."

"Are you sure? What if she has elevated estrogen levels?"

Shining scoffed. "She's always had elevated estrogen levels. But they're not putting anything in her food or drink. At least, she hasn't said anything. Pretty sure they're after me, trying to give me erectile disfunction."

"We should check for that to be certain," joked Cinnamon.

Shining looked up. "Do you want to?"

The room fell silent. Nopony talked, or even moved until the tea kettle began to whistle.

"I suppose I'd better explain what I mean," sighed Shining. "Cadance wants me to be more open to having stallions join us in bed. I don't like the idea, not because of the act itself, but more because I don't want to be involved, and I don't like the idea that she's going to replace me with another stallion; a better stallion. It scares me to think that she'd be happier having sex with some other guy.

"I don't want to lose her. Really, I don't, but I'm not cut out to be what she needs. What I need is to be even more okay with gay stuff, specifically performing it. I want to be the stallion she deserves. I came to the two of you because I'd like you to help me learn what I need to do to change myself for the better."

There was a pause as Cinnamon and Mustard looked at each other, then left the room at Cinnamon's beck. They spoke in hushed tones, and if Shining cared to eavesdrop, he had the means, but whatever they were discussing, he was sure they would let him in on it soon enough.

When they returned, Cinnamon had a big smile on his face. "You'd better tell Cadance that you won't be back until morning, because after we come back from the bar, we're going to spend the night making sure you have a good time."

Chapter the Eleventh: Fresh Musk

After informing Cadance privately of his plans, but keeping to himself the results of his medical tests as not to worry her, Shining went down to the gym. Cinnamon and Mustard still needed time to prepare for their date. They had insisted that he give them time to clean up the house.

In the meantime, Shining had organized to meet with Pyre and his choice of stallion. Sure, it might not be necessary to meet with them anymore, as he now had Mustard and Cinnamon to guide him, exactly as Pyre had suggested. Clearly, things were moving along as intended.

Unfortunately, Pyre wasn't in the gym when Shining arrived. Sure, they spent a lot of time together at the gym, but Pyre had other things he did, and it wasn't unheard of for him to be elsewhere, or even running late. Perhaps he was even home, sick with a stomach bug. Who could say for sure?

Deciding to just wait for him, Shining made his way over to the weights bench and loaded up the barbell with his regular load. As he considered the fact that he was without a spotter, however, he shook his head and removed five more kilos. If he balked, which was possible with the sensitivity of his breasts, there was nopony around to help him, so it was better to play it safe for now.

He managed two sets before Pyre showed up. He was with another stallion, a mottled red and yellow earth pony with a bright yellow mane. He looked kind of doughy to be a guard.

"Sorry for the wait," sighed Pyre as they approached. "The princess, here, had to prepare for her date."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "You're a princess?"

The stallion giggled at that and offered his hoof. "Gala Applewaites."

Shining Armor grabbed the hoof and shook it. "I was told you were a member of the guard."

"I am, kind of. I'm employed as a guard, but I'm not an active member. More of a caretaker. Specifically, I'm a cook."

"He's met the minimum requirements to be a member of the guard," clarified Pyre, "but his specialty is in making pies and tarts. We have him operating almost exclusively in the kitchens."

Shining nodded. "I see."

"Best not to interrupt your workout," said Pyre. "We'll hold off on the main event until you're ready, so feel free to continue. Need a spotter?"

Shining nodded. "Having a spotter means I can go back to my normal weight. I'd reduced it for a problem with my chest, but with a spotter, I can rest assured that I'll be safe."

After increasing the weight back to its normal level, Shining lay down and Pyre stood over him as a spotter. Shining made it all of two lifts before he had to stop.

He'd never noticed before how big, heavy and saggy Pyre's balls were. He'd lifted with him scores of times, and had been in this exact position on hundreds of occasions, but had never stopped to take a look. They were just hanging there, right in front of his eyes, and a simple flick from his horn would see them rubbed.

"Shining? You alright?"

Perhaps it was the smell. The used jock strap had pulled him into the locker. He closed his eyes and sniffed at the air. The scent was there, hidden amongst his workout sweat. But also, something sweet, like Cadance's body butter. It was an intoxicating mixture of adventure and joy.

He snapped back to his senses as Pyre pulled the weights off of his hooves. "Perhaps you were wrong about bumping up the weight," he observed. "What happened?"

"I guess just stress," lied Shining. "Kind of lost myself."

"When you're holding almost fifty kilos of steel above your neck is a bad time to lose yourself," scolded Pyre. "What if I hadn't been here? What if you'd dropped that with nopony around?"

If he hadn't been here, Shining wouldn't have had a sudden craving to sniff his balls. "I guess I'd be in deep shit."

"Damn right," sighed Pyre. "Still, I can tell you that the blood wasn't rushing to your brain."

"How so?"

"This thing," answered Gala, running his hoof along Shining's thunderous erection. "You sure it was stress that distracted you, and not the eye candy hanging in front of your nose?"

Shining didn't answer. He didn't need to answer. His face turned beet red at the assertion, so if he tried to deny it, they would be able to tell right away.

"Perhaps it's time we hit the showers?" suggested Pyre. "I don't know if you want that on full display out here. I know I don't."

Shining couldn't help but look again, and Pyre was beginning to slip from his sheathe. Apparently, being ogled was a turn-on for him.

"Perhaps it is time," agreed Shining. The weights were returned to their rack and the trio went to the showers.

While privacy curtains hung between every stall, they were seldom used. A lot of stallions liked to show off their muscles and physique, and a lot of the guard training promoted positive interactions between its members, and conversations in the shower were totally allowed, as long as none of the conversations caused problems.

Today, the curtains would see use, and for once, it wasn't by a new recruit who was embarrassed by his smaller frame. All three of them disappeared into a single stall, and Pyre turned on the water to a low pressure. This created a low-pitched whine and a rumbling from the pipes, with only a small amount of water spattering them.

"What's that for?" asked Shining.

"Drowns out the noise so nopony will hear us and ask to join in," explained Pyre, leaning his back against the wall. "Some stallions can be pretty curious about weird noises."

"How many times have you done this?"

"For the record, sir, I've never done this before in my life."

"Off the record?"

Pyre paused for a moment. "About once or twice a month. If they're going to be loud, I'll take them somewhere quieter, like my apartment."

"Enough talk," groaned Gala, dropping down to his knees. "If there's anything I've learned growing up in the Apple family, it's that actions are way more important. Whip 'em out, boys!"

Chapter the Twelfth: Steamy Shower

Shining pressed himself up against the wall in a pose similar to Pyre. He wasn't sure how to best accommodate Gala's form, so he was placing his trust in Pyre's former experience.

"Scoot a little closer, I need to be able to reach both of you."

Shining scooted over until he was shoulder to shoulder with Pyre. "Is this normal?"

"I've never had two at once," smiled Gala, reaching up and rubbing his thigh. "I usually only do one at a time, but I'll make an exception this time."

Shining was positively throbbing now. He wasn't sure if he was going to pop off prematurely, but he was going to try not to.

"Easy, now," urged Pyre. "You're going to want to hold off for a bit."

Shining nodded. He was sure he'd be experiencing erectile disfunction, as that's what the doctor had warned him about, but this was the exact opposite.

Even with the warning, Shining couldn't last. As soon as Gala pressed his cheek against Shining's cock, he fired off, and he fired off hard. His blast was powerful enough that he was able to move the plastic shower curtain back.

"Holy shit," chuckled Pyre. "How long has it been since your last ball draining, Shining?"

"A few days," he answered. "I haven't been feeling up to it these last two days."

"Two days?" laughed Pyre. "That's a month's worth of pressure!"

Shining looked down at his softening member. "It's only been two days, though."

Cadance had cast some enchantments on him back when they were dating to make him more virile and produce more seminal fluid. Even then, he'd been having nightly emissions since the dreams had started. He couldn't possibly have stored it up for a month.

"It's okay," assured Gala, kissing hid thigh. "Lots of stallions end up being too excited to see me. When I'm done with your coltfriend, here, how about you pin me to the floor and make me your bitch?"

Shining swallowed hard. "That, uh... That sounds like diving a little too deep."

"Remember, it's his first time," affirmed Pyre. "Go easy on 'im."

Shining slipped away and sat down on the edge of the stall. "I'll just watch, this time."

"Are you sure you don't want to join in?"

"Let 'im watch," breathed Pyre. "He has an open invitation to join in if he likes. Or, he can chicken out and leave."

Shining scowled and moved a metre closer. He was no coward.

With a last snort of approval from Pyre, the focus for all of them became the interaction between Pyre and Gala. Shining watched as Gala buried his nose in Pyre's balls, sniffing and nuzzling at the dangling orbs as his cock slid cross his forehead and between his ears.

As Pyre began to stiffen, Shining was impressed with what he saw. Aside from being bigger than Shining in both muscle mass and height, Pyre also had a very large cock. If Shining had been feeling insecure about Cadance leaving him for Pyre before, that thought was only coming in stronger now. His assessment that Pyre was a magnificent specimen of stallion anatomy was spot-on, as he'd never seen a more perfect cock before.

He wouldn't be seeing it for very long, though, as Gala began licking and kissing his way up the underside of Pyre's shaft. Every so often, he'd go back down and take in an audible sniff of his balls, something Shining already understood the desire for, but he was mostly just slicking up Pyre's shaft.

Once Pyre had two or three dozen lipstick marks marring his smooth black rod, Gala stuck to his tip. Shining had it in his head that he'd seen this before, and could almost feel it himself. Was it really that different to have a stallion doing it as opposed to a mare? He supposed that if he were to return the favour, it would matter, but without tit-for-tat, there really was nothing to it.

Opening his jaw, Shining was astounded to see the first half of Pyre's cock disappear down Gala's throat. He could see the tip creating a pronounced bulge in his neck, as he held his lips against the medial ridge. Shining could also see the soft flesh under his jaw moving about, which indicated that his tongue was milling about in there, completely unseen.

"Quit bein' lazy," breathed Pyre, grabbing Gala by the mane. "You said you wanted to show off, so Show 'im what you can do!"

In a smooth motion, though not slow by any standard, Gala swallowed the whole of Pyre's gargantuan cock. He was neither choking, nor gagging, nor fighting back, at least as far as Shining could see. His eyes did roll back in his head and twitch, but from the way his hooves were gripping Pyre's hips, he didn't seem to be in any kind of danger.

Pyre released Gala's mane, and he slid back to the tip before licking the whole thing again and kissing his urethra. "I just didn't want to scare him," he smiled.

"He's far from scared. Look at his hoof."

Shining looked down at his own hoof, and suddenly realized that he'd been stroking himself absent-mindedly. In addition, he was already pretty firm.

"Do you maybe want to join in?" asked Gala coyly.

Part of Shining was ready to jump in, but it wasn't enough. In truth, watching had been more of a boon, because Shining didn't know who he wanted to be more. If he took the place of Pyre, that would be a very clear message that he was interested in being sucked off. Which, of course, he was; it was a true statement he would be making.

On the other hoof, he thought it was really hot to watch Gala deepthroat him like that, even if it did seem forceful. There was a very clear notion in Shining's head, yelling at a constant volume that he wasn't interested in sucking off stallions that had been there for ages. But now, an equally loud voice was shouting with the exact same fervor, "Make him teach you how to do that!"

In the end, Shining shook his head. "I'll just watch for now..."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Gala, swallowing Pyre again without needing to be pushed this time.

Chapter the Thirteenth: Lightning Rod's

Cinnamon led Shining down the street, with Mustard trailing behind them. Despite his promise to protect Shining Armor, he wasn't dressed in his armour, but he didn't really need to be. As the threat wasn't one that needed to be matched with steel, he was ready to meet the challenge with his mouth.

"So where is this place?" asked Shining. "I haven't seen any bars in this district."

"Well, it's not a bar, per se," admitted Cinnamon. "There is a bar, and they do serve food, and that food does meet the requirements of the local health administration, but their primary income is from a different source."

As they rounded a corner, Shining saw the neon sign welcoming patrons, not to a bar and grill, but to a strip club. The blinking lights showed a stallion dancing on a pole that was being struck by lightning bolts. The awning over the door read "Lightning Rod's Gentlecolts' Club."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, come on, Shining," chuckled Cinnamon. "We promise the food's good, and it's safe. We also promised we'd introduce you to stallion-on-stallion culture in a safe environment, where they are allowed to look, but don't touch. This fulfils both criteria!"

With a worried sigh, Shining walked through the door. The foyer was small and dark, and only a single bouncer was there. "Evening, boys," he said, fishing out six tokens from a small box. "I'll need to see your IDs."

"Oh, ha ha, Scotch," sneered Cinnamon. "You know we're allowed in."

"And your cos-playing friend?"

Shining pulled out his ID and presented it. After closely examining it, the bouncer looked up, wide-eyed. "O-oh..."

Cinnamon fished out a couple of bits and placed them in the tray next to the bouncer. "Tokens, please."

"R-right away, sirs."

With tokens in hoof, Shining walked through the opposite door into the club proper. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the stage, where not one, not two, but five stallions were dancing with poles to a hooting crowd. Despite the fact that they were wearing more clothing than most, the dancers seemed to be more scantily clad than the customers.

"So what are these tokens for?" asked Shining, not looking back.

"They're for drinks," answered Cinnamon. "There's a two-drink-minimum at most bars, but if you just want to walk in and watch the dancers without paying for anything, the club still has to make money. So they sell you these tokens so you can come in, which you can then turn into drinks at the bar. It's a safety measure. Come on."

Shining had to be pulled away from the dancing stallions on the stage, but once he had moved to the bar, he was fine. The bar was a decent size, but most of the tables were on the other end of the room, where the dancers were.

"Howdy, Cinn," smiled the bartender, tipping his Stetson. "Brought ya two bits of arm candy tonight?"

Cinnamon chuckled. "This is Prince Shining Armor. We're here to show him a good time. And of course, you remember Mustard."

"An honest-to-goodness prince," smiled the bartender. "At the very least, you look closer than most of the other costumed pretenders I've seen running around here. What'll ya have?"

Cinnamon explained the menu, which was divided into six boards over the back wall of the bar. A was for Alcohol, meaning the drinks there were the standard singles that were expected. B was for Boyfriend, meaning they would be best served with two straws for ponies on dates. C was for Cold, meaning these were frozen drinks, made in a blender with crushed or shaved ice. D was for Designated Driver, meaning these were non-alcoholic drinks, either for the pony chosen to take everyone else home, or for those that had some other aversion to alcohol, like the Saddle Arabians. E was for Everyone, as in bulk drinks that would tend to an entire table. F was for Food.

"I'll start with a hayburger and a grapefruit juice," answered Shining. "Just something simple for now; calm my nerves a bit."

"Grapefruit juice'll be a token, if ya have it, but the burger's three bits."

Shining reached for his coinpurse, but Cinnamon beat him to it. "This is our treat," he interjected. "Enjoy yourself."

Shining nodded and the other two ordered food and drink. While Shining had stuck to the non-alcoholic side, Cinnamon and Mustard ordered Boyfriend drinks, with Mustard ordering a single non-alcoholic beverage to be able to taste Shining's food for contaminants.

"So, see anypony you like?" asked Cinnamon, once the bartender had stepped away. "You can have them dance for you."

Shining blushed. "I guess a couple of them are pretty cute..."

"Go pick one you like, and tell them you think they're pretty."

Shining's face turned red, and he shook his head.

"Stop teasing," chuckled Mustard, pinching Cinnamon's flank. "You know he's shy at this stage. Remember how I was the first time you brought me here?"

Cinnamon scoffed. "Shining, if you think you're going to leave Cadance to have a torrid affair with a sexy stripper that'll ruin your relationship, tell me now."

"She'd probably invite them to bed, as well."

Their jaws dropped. They knew Shining and Cadance fooled around with other ponies, but to say it so openly... They were not expecting it.

Shining, realizing that he'd misstepped, backtracked a bit. "I'll try later. Some other day, but not today."

As soon as he finished talking, their food came. Mustard had ordered exactly the same thing Shining had, so that in the event that the food was being poisoned, he'd have a backup plan right away, while Cinnamon had called for some hushpuppies.

Despite the very fast service, the burgers were actually very good, at least as far as Shining was concerned. Then again, they'd been left untouched for so little time that there was no way that it could have been tampered with. It took a week of foul-tasting food items, but for the first time, Shining was in awe of common bar food.

After a few drinks, the bartender brought the owner out of the kitchen. Shining actually knew him, too, as he used to be a royal guard. Lightning Rod had taught him quite a bit before the accident that had cost him his leg, and they spent almost an hour catching up before the kitchen needed him to come back.

Chapter the Fourteenth: Cherry Pop

By the end of the night, Shining was carrying Cinnamon on his back, as he was having trouble standing. The same was true of Mustard, to a lesser degree. He was able to stumble, but was much faster if he was holding onto Shining's shoulder. As they walked, they belted out a sloppy version of the Crystal Kingdom Anthem, with Shining trying to quiet them down while humming along to the patriotic tune.

As soon as they were back at the house, Shining carried Cinnamon up to the bedroom and laid him down on the mattress. "My hero!" declared Cinnamon, reaching up and wrapping his hooves around Shining's neck.

"More a noble steed," chuckled Shining, laying him back down. He turned back to Mustard, who was still by the bedroom door. "Can you make sure he stays safe through the rest of the night?"

"Oh, he's been much worse," answered Mustard. "He'll be fine. He probably could have walked home; he's just really clingy when he drinks."

As if in response, Cinnamon pulled himself back up to Shining and hugged him again.

"I noticed." With a smile, Shining laid him on the mattress a third time. "Well, thank you for a wonderful time. If you're sure everything's going to be fine, I'm going to head out, but if you need help, I'll be right on the couch."

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Cinnamon, leaping on him again. "The night's still young! Take me! Like one of your Prench mares!"

Mustard sauntered up and placed his hoof on Shining's shoulder. "You know, despite his current state, he actually does want that. He wrote it down that he was willing to give you consent until noon tomorrow to have sex with him to a reasonable degree. It's..." he looked around the room. "I put it somewhere..."

"I don't know," breathed Shining. "I'm not sure what would be reasonable in this context."

"Well, whatever you think is reasonable," answered Mustard. "You are the least drunk one here. So, like, anal is fine, but drowning him in the toilet isn't."

Shing was mortified. "I should hope not!"

"So, yeah. If you're unsure if it's okay, I'm sure he'll stop you, or something..."

Cinnamon was gently nuzzling Shining's neck. "I can suck..."

Shining considered the offer. It was true that this had been the point of the evening, but it felt wrong. Not the gay stuff, but... He felt as though he was taking advantage of a friend. Cinnamon may not have been his closest friend, but he didn't want to abuse that, even accidentally.

"You're sure he wrote it down?"

"Positive," answered Mustard. "I just don't know where I put it."

Shining took a deep breath and sat down on the corner of the bed. "Okay. I'm going to sit down right here. I'm not forcing anypony tooOO--!!"

Before he could finish, Cinnamon had reached around him. Cradling his balls in his left hoof and grabbing his shaft in his right, Cinnamon began to stroke up and down the massive member. Deftly, he maneuvered his neck under Shining's shoulder and began smacking his tip against his cheek.

Shining raised his hooves. "You d-don't have to if you d--"

"He wants to," repeated Mustard, sitting down and grabbing a bottle of flavoured lubricant. "Either enjoy it or push him away."

Shining leaned back until he was lying down. If he closed his eyes, it felt just like a mare. Just as well, it should. He had no idea why it shouldn't. Even when he took it into his mouth and deepthroated the whole thing, it felt like a mare.

It was also very surprising, and after a few seconds, Shining pulled him back up. "Whoa, there, remember to breathe!"

"Hm?" Mustard looked up from spreading lube under Cinnamon's tail. "Oh, yeah, he does that sometimes. He can be down for quite a while and be fine."

"Still, I--"

"He's alright," assured Mustard. "I appreciate your concern, but this is a safe space."

"He's bigger than you, Mustard," Cinnamon teased.

Mustard snorted. "Oh, really?"

"It's no big deal," urged Shining. "Some stallions are--"

"How can you be so sure?" Mustard hopped up behind Cinnamon and grabbed his front hooves, pulling them back. "Perhaps you need a reminder of just how big I can be..."

Shining watched as Mustard's entire cock disappeared into Cinnamon's arse in a single thrust. It was a lot faster than Shining slipped into any of them, whether Cadance or a guest.

"It's big!" gasped Cinnamon, a look of joy plastering his face.

Moments later, Mustard began to buck his hips, smacking them against Cinnamon's flanks. Slowly, he released Cinnamon's hooves in favour of his hips, allowing Cinnamon to twist himself so that every thrust from behind pushed Shining down his throat.

This was a feeling Shining had never experienced before. Not quite like this, anyway. It felt like a blowjob, but at the same elliptical movement as a good fucking. It was not the same as either, and was brand-new to him.

Slowly, he came around to the idea, and began thrusting as well, counter to Mustard's movements. They were using Cinnamon's momentum to bounce him back and forth between them. The only way Shining could have felt this before was with a mare using a strap-on dildo on the other side. It was in this moment that Shining realized just how much he'd been missing out.

Normally, throughout the night, Shining would swap partners, holes, and sometimes even beds, but tonight, he was all about Cinnamon's throat. He did regularly pull out to let him breathe, but when it was finally time for them all to reach their climax (despite the fact that it was actually Cinnamon's second), Shining, for the first time, painted the face of a stallion with a hot blast of cum.

Another first happened seconds later, as while painting Cinnamon's back, Mustard oversprayed and hit Shining in the chest. It wasn't there for long, as Cinnamon was quick to slurp it up, as well as wiping his face against Shining's abdomen to swallow that, as well.

Soon, they all flopped down onto the bed, tired from their session. Shining lay on his back, with Cinnamon cuddling up against his chest, with Mustard behind him. "Was it good for you?" asked Cinnamon as he started to drift off.

"Like nothing I've ever done before," admitted Shining.

Chapter the Fifteenth: Decoding the Dream

Shining had hoped that, with the night being so great and ending up in a different bed, and no detectable poisons in his food, that the dream would stop recurring. He didn't like it, and was really upset when he drifted off to find himself once again tied down.

But again, it was different. Whereas last time, the walls had gone from black to grey, they had lightened up again. He was tied not to a cross, nor to a rack, but to a bed. A comfortable bed, at that. Even more, his bindings felt like they were made of leather, rather than steel.

Most peculiar of all, however, was the pony in the corner, likely a mare. The place where she now sat had been in complete darkness the last two times, or at least dark enough that he couldn't see it.

"Hello?"

He wasn't sure whether she was part of the dream, or if she'd been brought in. She seemed to be a unicorn, but then her wings began to spread.

"Princess Luna? Is that you?"

There was no answer. If it was Luna, and she was being blocked by something, would it allow her to watch without being able to appear, even in a diminished state?

The door swung open, and both of them looked to the source of the noise as the stallion came in. "Hello, my pet."

Shining looked back to the alicorn. "Whenever you're ready, jump in."

The stallion sauntered up to the foot of the bed with a smirk on his face. He was now light grey, like the walls, with scraggly dark blue hair, with a silver streak running through it. For the first time, too, he had eyes, brilliant and azure. Were it not for the fact that Shining knew what was supposed to happen, he'd be just fine meeting this stallion on the street, because he didn't look nearly as sinister now that he had facial features.

"Did you miss Daddy?"

"You always ask that. Why would my answer change?"

"Because Daddy missed your tasty arse."

Shining rolled his eyes as the stallion squeezed.

"Daddy missed you so much."

"You know what would make me more inclined to come back? If you didn't grab me like that."

"You like my hoof on your arse, my pet?"

Shining endured the slap. "If you could be more gentle, sure."

The stallion chuckled. "You're such a slut."

"You say that, but I'm not the one propositioning you."

"Is it release you want, my pet?"

Shining pulled his head to the side to tell Luna that he was ready to be untied, but to his surprise, the alicorn watching him was rubbing herself to the interaction. "Luna!?"

"Beg for my cock, pet."

"Luna, please..."

The lash came out, and its crack only served to make the alicorn more fervid. "Tell Daddy how much you want him!"

"I'm begging you," cried Shining, tears running down his cheeks. "Put a stop to this!"

Another lash. "Beg for me to rail you!"

"Please!!" The mare tossed back her head, loving the scene before her.

"Tell me how much you want me inside of you!"

"Stop this!"

"Beg me to fuck you, slut!"

As the final lash went across Shining's flank, he wept. Not for the sting of the lash and not for what was about to happen. He wept because despite being surrounded by more ponies than ever, he'd never felt so alone. He'd always had somepony around to watch out for him, even when he was being a jerk.

"There's a good slut. Open your mouth for Daddy."

As he opened his jaw, he took one more look at the pony in the corner, masturbating furiously. He had but one hope. He couldn't see her face, no matter how hard he squinted. He had to presume, by the logic that the stallion had been faceless until tonight, that she, too, was part of the dream, and a figment of his imagination. She wasn't Princess Luna, she was just some faceless bitch who was hoofing off to his torture. If this was to be a nightmare, his nightmare, then it stood to reason that he should feel as bad as possible, for whatever reason.

So, why, then, did the stallions testicles smell so much better tonight than they had the past two nights? Could it be that his brain, in a loving and kind gesture, wanted him to feel better? No longer was it the smell of Pyre's sweaty jock strap, but the fresh, aromatic musk of straight balls. Or rather, bisexual balls, but the scent was without contaminants. There was no sweat, no cotton, just the natural draw of Pyre.

"Slick Daddy up, pet. You know how you react when I go in dry."

Shining didn't know what to think anymore. If this dream was brought on by the drugs, that would make sense, but why was he being drugged? If it was his brain trying to teach him a lesson, there were really only two logical conclusions: Either it was trying to tell him that being gay was wrong, which he was going to fight against, or that being gay was fun, in which case it was doing a piss-poor job. If it was Luna trying to mess with him (which would be very odd, as Luna wasn't a big fan of pranks, and probably wouldn't go this far), it was in poor taste.

"You're really wanting this, aren't you? Well, I'll not keep you in suspense any longer."

Shining just sighed and watched the alicorn in the corner, who was not wearing a tiara, have her fun. There was nothing else for him in the dream, as it was just numbness and hooves and a single line before the end. If there was anything to learn from this, it would come from the mare in the shadows. He wanted to know what his brain was trying to tell him, and as she was the biggest revelation, she had to mean something. She had to be important, somehow.

"Ready my pet? Here comes your release!"

As shining felt the dribblings of his cum hit his chest, and also his chin, he closed his eyes. It was time to wake up.

Except, he didn't. Not right away, at any rate. For the first time, the dream was continuing onward.

"That was beautiful, my love," smiled the alicorn, approaching them both. "Where'd you find somepony so willing to cooperate?"

"Oh, around," chuckled the stallion.

"Well, see that he comes back," chuckled the mare, walking out of the room. Every fourth hoofbeat was accompanied by a wet squish. "He's an adorable cumdumpster, Shiny."

Shining looked up at the stallion standing over the top of him. He didn't look like Shining, per his usual self-exposure. This was not the mirror image he was used to, but the unfamiliar look that he had in photographs. Every line of his face was the same, just flipped. He hadn't recognised himself because, apart from the flip, he had a different voice, and the stallion above him looked like he'd been covered on coal dust.

Chapter the Sixteenth: The Ideal Shining Armor

Shining shot upright so quickly that he nearly knocked Cinnamon out of bed, had he not been holding on. His chest was heaving, and he grasped the sides of his head, just below his ears as he tried to catch his breath.

"Was that your nightmare again?" asked Mustard, picking Cinnamon up and placing a hoof on the prince's shoulder.

Shining swallowed and nodded.

"You need to talk to Princess Luna. This isn't normal, and it's not okay."

Shining nodded again as he tried to slow his breathing to a more relaxed level.

"It's really weird that you keep having the same nightmare," hugged Cinnamon. "You'd think it would change, at least a little bit."

Shining stopped. It had changed. It wasn't the same. That time had been different and was a far cry from the original. "There was... an extra bit at the end this time," he said, catching his breath. "And there was more light. I could see my surroundings better. And there was a bed."

He had their rapt attention. "What was the extra part at the end?" demanded Cinnamon.

Shining took a deep breath. Could he tell them? If the alicorn that was rubbing one out to his abuse was closely related to the stallion, then it had to be Cadance. In his dream, Cadance was encouraging him to force himself on another stallion, one that he'd been inhabiting. Shing had never failed to confirm the consent of the mares he had relations with, though it now occurred to him that they might have said "yes," not because they wanted to, but because he was the prince and they'd been too afraid to deny him.

He shook the thought from his head. "I can't tell you all of it, because I'm afraid of what it means, but... I'm now very afraid of the stallion."

Mustard climbed up behind Shining and wrapped his hooves around his chest. "He's not real, you know."

"He is, though," answered Shining. "I've seen his face. Like I said, there was more light this time."

Cinnamon crawled onto Shining's lap. "Did you recognize him?"

"Not at first, but put his face in a mirror and turn the lights on, and I would."

"I can investigate him for you," offered Mustard. "See what he's up to. I won't draw a lot of attention."

Shining shook his head. "That won't help. I know he's clean. He wouldn't do anything like this. Not consciously, anyway."

"Maybe he's being coerced? He could be the victim of blackmail, or he might be bribed, and too afraid to ask for your help because he's being watched?"

Shining shook his head. "No. Whoever's behind this, he doesn't know who it is or how they're manipulating him."

"We can make him stop. Make him stop and pretend that he's still doing this."

"Can't do that, either. He doesn't know how to stop."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because it's me."

Their jaws simultaneously dropped as Shining held his head in his hooves.

"I've been the one forcing myself to do these horrible things. I don't know why, but I've wanted it to stop, and I've sought help, but it just keeps happening. I can't..." Tears began to stream down his face. "I don't know why this is happening, and I don't know how to stop it. I don't want to hurt anymore, but I'm the one hurting myself. I don't want to hurt anypony..."

Mustard pulled Shining back down into a reclined position, with Cinnamon climbing on top of them both, sandwiching Shining into a group hug. "It's okay," whispered Mustard into his ear. "You're going to be alright."

"Nopony here wants you to be hurt," added Cinnamon. "We want you to be happy."

Shining sniffed. He was lucky to have friends who cared about him. While he was still afraid to tell them that Cadance was there encouraging the act, he still had to figure out what the rest of it meant. That part at the end, the new section, made it sound like whoever it was Shining was inside of had agreed to it. If whoever it was was into BDSM, then all of this was only a nightmare because he didn't want it. That would also explain why the smell of testicle was better. It wasn't supposed to be a nightmare, it just was because he was resisting it.

If everything in the dream was meant to be lawful and consenting, then the version of himself that he had been seeing was a better version of himself. He wasn't just okay with stallions, he was excited to have sex with them. That was better than his current state, being afraid to be with them.

"Perhaps the dream will go away if I do what it says," he reasoned.

Cinnamon looked up at him. "You're going to sexually assault another stallion?"

Shining shook his head. "I refuse to commit such an act. I'll do what he did, but with a consenting stallion."

Cinnamon shrank back a bit. "Count me out. I don't like whips."

"And I have panic attacks when I'm tied up," added Mustard. "I don't even like tying up criminals. It feels like an abuse of power, even though it's sometimes necessary."

Shining nodded. "I'll not ask either of you to feel what I have. I don't want to hurt you. If it would make you uncomfortable, we can try something else, instead. I'm sure I can find a stallion that likes that sort of thing if I looked hard enough."

"Try something else?" smiled Cinnamon. "Does that mean you feel like fooling around some more?"

Shining couldn't deny that he wanted it. Even with his own discharge on his chest and chin still warm, he felt himself beginning to stiffen. He couldn't deny it if he tried; he wanted to mess around with them again.

"Shining," chuckled Cinnamon, "Does Cadance let you play with pool noodles in bed?"

"No," answered Shining, "I'm just happy to see you."

Shining could feel Cinnamon's dick pressing against the inside of his thigh, and Mustard began climbing up his spine. Not only was he happy to see them, but he could feel that they were happy to see him. This would be a fun morning, no question.

"So, what would you like to do this morning?"

Chapter the Seventeenth: Breakfast in Bed

It all began with a bit of rubbing. Cinnamon took the initiative and started rubbing his shaft against Shining's abdomen. Aside from just wanting to feel him rubbing back, he wanted to know if doing so was still a turn-off for Shining. While it was a nice step forward that Shining could accept having intercourse with a gay stallion if he could pretend it was a mare, it didn't mean as much as if he couldn't close his eyes and imagine it was somepony else. He could not deny that Cinnamon was a stallion this way, so this would determine whether Shining was actually starting to enjoy it, or was faking it.

The way Shining stiffened up, coupled with how firmly he grabbed Cinnamon's arse, it was pretty clear that he liked this now. It was a bit of a shock at first, seeing Shining so gung-ho about something he had shown no interest in a week prior, but that was a distinct possibility. After all, he'd never done anything like this before, or at least had claimed as much. Now that he'd tried it, there was at least a chance he would enjoy it.

"So, what's your next step, highness?" asked Mustard, rubbing Shining's chest. "If nothing else, we can start easing you into things."

"Well..." Shining thought about it for a minute, then remembered back to something he'd seen the other day, something he'd wanted to try. "So, there's this... other stallion... that I've been asking for advice, apart from the two of you. He's acatually the one who told me I needed to experience this with a stallion I could depend on, and that's you two."

Cinnamon put a hoof to his chest. "I'm touched."

"Well, he brought another stallion last time we met, and something he did was so impressive that I just had to figure out how to do it myself. In fact, Cinnamon proved to me last light that there's a way for other stallions to be good at it, and I'd like to try."

"You want to try giving oral?" confirmed Mustard. "That's a skill that has to be learned with practice. I can't guarantee we'll be able to teach you in a day."

"Still, I..." Shining took a deep breath. "I think it'd be nice to do something for any stallions I'd end up taking to bed."

Cinnamon scrunched up his nose. "You know that a lot of doms don't think about that, right? They're more concerned with pleasuring themselves."

Shining thought about it for a minute. "If I'm the dom, and they're the sub, and they're "my property," so to speak, doesn't that mean that their dick also belongs to me?"

"Yeah? So?"

"So I can do whatever I want with it."

"Uh huh?"

"And I want my cock to be sucked, and it'll be pretty hard for him to suck it."

Mustard's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. "You make a very good point."

"No he doesn't," answered Cinnamon, rolling onto his back. Hooking his left hoof behind his knee, he pulled tight until he had touched the head of his cock to his lips. He went no further than the head, as that was all the further he could reach. "It'sh nok eashy, dough..."

"While that is impressive," admitted Shining, "I'm still interested in figuring out how to do it right. If whoever it is is going to be my "pet," then I should probably learn how care for and appreciate him."

"Fair enough," shrugged Mustard, pulling back his hooves along his chest. "Cinnamon knows more than I do about that, so I'll just be a practice dummy."

"Yeah, he hasn't quite figured out how to not use his teeth," chuckled Cinnamon. "He could be better."

"Hey, I tried!"

Cinnamon leaned up and kissed Mustard's neck. "I know, Darlin'..."

Shining turned around and looked at what had been rubbing against his back. It was a bit longer, and a bit wider than his own, and had a dark green semigloss tone to it.

"Hang on, let me clean that up for you," said Mustard, reaching for the wipes.

Before he could pull one out, however, Shining couldn't resist dragging his tongue along it. Something just felt right about it, and he couldn't explain what compelled him to do it, but it tasted great.

When he pulled back, they were both looking at him. Fishing for an excuse, he found none, and what came out was accidentally the truth. "It's real nice as it is."

Cinnamon, pleased as punch to see the enthusiasm, clapped his hooves giddily. "Awesome! I just came up with a brilliant plan!" He rubbed his hooves together and pointed at Shining. "You, show us what you think is the right way, and I'll watch closely." He pointed to Mustard. "You, tell us if anything feels off. And to make sure it all goes smoothly..." He grabbed the bottle of strawberry banana lube and applied a generous coat to Mustard's dick. "There. Now, let's see what you can do."

Shining swallowed hard. He was in for it now, whether he wanted it or not. Granted, he could probably decline and walk away, and they wouldn't be too offended, but on some level, he knew he wanted it. Not just because he was actually wanting that thing in his throat, but also because he wanted to prove that he was better than the dreamed-up version of himself.

He didn't know where to start, as he'd had it done up multiple ways for him, but a small voice in his head said to start by nuzzling his balls, and that felt a good a place as any. Before long, however, he had licked his way to the top, listening to the voice as it directed him. With no complaints from Cinnamon and moans of hoof-curling pleasure from Mustard, Shining knew he was doing it right.

Following the voice's advice, he took a deep breath, and started down the shaft. As he felt he was about to hit his limit and push himself back up, however, his hoof slipped on the bottle of lubricant, and his face fell all the way down until he was absolutely choking on Mustard's cock. The shock must have lasted for quite awhile, too, as it was several seconds after telling his hoof to pick him back up that he actually managed to come back up to the medial ridge.

However, while the voice seemed to be on his side, luck was not, as he stepped on the bottle of lube and lost his stability yet again, deepthroating Mustard once more. This time, Mustard was so moved by the feeling that he blasted his load right down Shining's throat, meaning he didn't even need to think about swallowing. He just did it naturally.

"You alright?" asked Cinnamon, helping him back up after seeing him slip twice.

Shining nodded. "Never thought I'd find such joy in a squirt of Mustard..."

Chapter the Eighteenth: Strolling through the Park

Shining was, much like his sister, very single-minded when he had a goal. Once he'd decided that he wanted to be better at sucking dicks, he was locked to that path. However, while Twilight would find as many books as she could on the subject and research how to do it the right way, Shining was less about preparation and more about practice. Sure, he would spend time later looking it up, but for now, he had something to practice on, and a coach to correct his behaviour.

That is, until just before noon. Mustard, needing to take his shift on afternoon patrol, grabbed his helmet, out of which fell a signed piece of paper with clearly-laid out consent for Shining to do stuff to Cinnamon's body, and put it on, along with his pauldrons. Likewise, Cinnamon needed a shower and some lunch before his massage class, so it was time for Shining to leave and go home. Not that he was unwelcome, but it was about to be an empty house, and not his own. It would be best if such a wonderful morning turned to a pleasant afternoon, rather than a guest that overstayed their welcome.

Shining wasn't going home right away, though. Sure, he'd be back in Cadance's hooves tonight, but for now, his throat was a little sore, and an ice pack was sounding like a good idea. The kitchens would be his first stop.

Or not. As he was walking back, he passed a vendor selling frozen treats to children. As a lot of the kids lined up, Shining took his place behind them and waited. When it finally came time for him to order, he picked a round bar, coconut flavoured.

As he opened it, he spotted a nearby news vendor, and a magazine Cadance used to frequent caught his eye. As he approached, he saw that one of the featured articles was on how to please a stallion. Reasoning that he had promised himself to read up on it later, and it was currently later and a good opportunity to read up on it, he purchased a copy and sat down on a bench to read.

A lot of tips in the article were things he already knew, as they were fairly obvious. For example, a home-cooked meal would show that you cared enough to spend time to make his home happy. Doing laundry helps him to stay clean, which will make him less irritable. Regular bathing was something you should be doing, anyway. Only at the top of this top ten list did it offer him any bedroom advice, and it was infuriatingly minimalist. "Try something adventuous in the bedroom!" it said. "He'll quickly grow bored if you're only using one hole, so experiment to see what he likes."

He closed it. Sure, fresh young mares would benefit from this advice, but none of it was a tangible way to improve anything. If the hint to learn how to cook had come with a recipe, if the hint to do laundry had come with instructions on how to use a washboard, maybe, but this was garbage. It was no wonder Cadance had stopped reading these.

As Shining dropped the magazine in front of him, he saw two stallions across the path flirting with him. One was rubbing up and down a long, imaginary shaft with his right hoof while either beckoning with his left or perhaps rubbing a pair of balls He giggled and smirked coquettishly. The other was clearly waving him over, holding his right hoof away from his body to indicate what he wanted Shining to think his full length was, all the while kissing the air in front of him and winking.

To confirm this, Shining looked behind him to see that nopony was there. Then he realized that he was deepthroating a coconut popsicle while reading about how to please a stallion. As his face turned red, he grabbed the stick for the popsicle he'd been holding between his teeth and pulled the frozen bar out, slurping and sucking as he went so as not to lose any of the flavour. Still, a bit of the white liquid dribbled down his chin. He had been planning to tell them off, but now he was too embarrassed.

He walked through the park, sucking and licking his popsicle as it shrank down. The cold treat eased the pain in his throat from the stretching, which he thought would have felt worse, but wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated. It had actually felt pretty good, but that may have just been because he was among friends. It may have also been that he had been wrong about the size of Mustard's cock.

At any rate, having a better understanding of the flavour was better than not, and having it be pleasant would mean that the taste would be nice following him into his dreams. That was a relief, as it meant that it would be a better night for him when the dream inevitably came back. Unless, of course, he stopped having the dream, so he was on track for a win-win situation. It would either be less bad, or not bad at all.

It wasn't long before he was finished with his popsicle and the stick and paper were disposed of. His throat felt better, now, at least. At any rate, it was time to return to the castle.

When he arrived, however, he was greeted by a bit of an odd sight. Luna's chariot was sitting outside, and one of her personal guards was sitting nearby, eating from a bag of carrot sticks. "She's waiting for you upstairs," he said, pointing up.

With a nod, Shining rushed to the throne room. Luna was standing next to the throne, chatting with Cadance. They both looked up as Shining walked in.

"Prince Shining Armor," Luna bowed her head. "It is good to see that you are well."

"You look to be in magnificent health, as well," smiled Shining. "Before we begin, is there anything we can do to accommodate you?"

"We have already made our request," answered Luna, "And it has been met. Last night, in fact. We came to guard over your sleep personally, but it seems you were away, unexpectedly."

"Yes," admitted Shining. "I went out with some friends to ease my mind, and slept somewhere else to try to avoid the nightmare."

"Alas, it does not work," smirked Luna. "Sleeping elsewhere, we mean. Going to spend time with dear friends is a splendid idea. We hope it provided you with some amount of comfort, as we are well aware that it did not change the nightmare."

"Actually, it did," argued Shining. "The whole thing lasted a little bit longer, and several details changed. Why don't you and I find a conference room, and I'll tell you my thoughts on the matter?"

Chapter the Nineteenth: Appetizer

"Indeed, I look forward to it," smiled Shining as he left the room. "I'll definitely be around tonight."

He took a deep breath. Luna had listened to his plan, and while it had some flaws, she had encouraged him to go through with it. For example, going along with the dream's wishes and pretending to be amenable to them would not change anything, nor would fighting against it. But it may change the experience to be more enjoyable, and if there were some malicious element that had latched on, it may come out of hiding. As for trying to find a stallion to have sex with that was into BDSM, Luna would not judge. It likely wouldn't change anything in his dreams, but if it made Shining happy, she would not stand in the way. She loved all of her subjects, including those who were no longer under her rule.

Shining had two more planned events for the rest of his day, at least before he went to sleep. Before going to bed, he would be having dinner with Luna, but as there were still several hours before that, he was planning to go to the gym again. He had brought it up to Luna in discussing the plan, and she thought it a wonderful idea. He could clear his head, tire himself out for tonight to make sleep easier, and if possible, spend some time with the pleasant company of Pyre.

Shining was very much looking forward to talking with Pyre. He had been a stable source of advice throughout this whole ordeal, and Shining expected nothing less today. Even if he didn't know how to proceed, Pyre would still do his utmost to keep Shining on the right path. Besides, it would be a great opportunity to brag about this morning.

He usually spoke to Pyre in the afternoons, as that was after Pyre's shift and when Shining had time. He was a bit late, but Pyre was still there, having just stepped off the treadmill.

Pyre looked up from his data sheet as Shining walked up. "Hey, you made it!" he smiled. "I thought when you didn't show up that I'd scared you off with that little display yesterday."

"No, no," waved Shining. "I had an unscheduled meeting with Princess Luna. I mean, I was expecting her to show up, but I didn't know when. Turns out it was last night, but I wasn't here, so she's sticking around a bit longer."

"Ah. So where were you last night?"

Shining looked around, making sure they were alone. "I went to a strip club with some friends."

Pyre nodded. "Out looking at girls, huh?"

Shining blushed. "No..."

Pyre flicked his eyes to the side. He was silent for a moment as a big grin slowly stretched across his face. "Lightning Rod's?"

Shining sheepishly nodded.

With a laugh, Pyre placed his hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, don't be embarrassed! Be proud! Be proud of yourself, because one of two things is true. Either you went and didn't enjoy yourself, meaning you tried to be accepting of a culture that isn't your own, in which case you should be proud of your efforts, or you enjoyed yourself, meaning you found out something new about yourself, in which case you should be proud of your discovery. You should be proud! I'm proud of you, anyway."

Shining took a deep breath. "You're right. I went, I had a good burger, I had some non-alcoholic drinks, and I watched some stallions dance. And you know what else?"

"What else?"

Another stallion walked by at that moment, heading off to the showers. As he brushed by Shining's tail, all the wind left his sail, and his pride was deflated.

"What else?" asked Pyre.

"I... um..."

Pyre shook his head. "Shining, be proud of who you are and what you've done. Unless what you did was wrong, and you know it, then you have no reason for regret. I doubt you did anything wrong on purpose, so what was it that you were so proud to tell me a moment ago that now has your tail between your legs?"

Shining looked around again, and quietly whispered, "This morning, I..."

"Speak up."

"Today, when I woke up..."

"Yes?"

Shining took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I sucked a dick."

The world was silent. Shining listened for Pyre's response, but none came. Not in the form of words, anyway, but in the form of a hoof across his cheek. Shining opened his eyes and looked at Pyre, shocked that he would slap him.

"What's wrong with you?" scowled Pyre.

Shining lowered his head, but Pyre grabbed him and lifted his jaw. "What...?"

"I asked what's wrong with you?" demanded Pyre. "Why are you ashamed of doing something nice for somepony else? What you did shows your appreciation for the stallion. Any guy in here today would love to be on the receiving end of that! Why would you smother it away? Be proud of it! Be proud of yourself!"

Shining still shrank away. He knew Pyre was right, and he should be proud of his achievements, especially since Cinnamon had praised him for being a fast learner and having a smoother technique that made him that much better than Mustard after very little practise, but the clenching in his chest told him to be ashamed. He was scared of being judged. He was supposed to be the prince, leading the ponies of the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria by example, but here he was, going to strip clubs and sucking cock. Was this the Equestria he wanted to see?

"I'm disappointed, Shining. I expected better from you." Shaking his head, Pyre walked off toward the showers, leaving Shining in an empty room.

As Pyre's last words sank in, Shining knew that he was right. If he hid this aspect of himself, if he was ashamed of the time he spent with Cinnamon and Mustard, he didn't deserve to be their friend. They had been good to him, and he'd not returned the favour. He should have been more proud. He should have been able to stand up and confidently say, "I sucked a dick. More than that, I sucked two back to back, and the stallions they were attached to are magnificent, and I'm proud to call them my lovers, because here in the Crystal Empire, we are accepting of all sexualities."

But he wasn't. He was ashamed to admit that he spent the night and morning in an all-male threesome, and had a good time. He deserved to be slapped for that. He deserved to be slapped for even thinking that being a bisexual prince would tarnish the Crystal Empire's reputation. And that slap had lit a fire in him that needed to grow.

Chapter the Twentieth: Apology

Shining didn't know how long he sat there, thinking about how to fix this, but four stallions had walked past him, and one had even taken his treadmill.

However long it had been, it didn't matter. Life was not made better by waiting. The only way to make life better for Shining was if he stood up and righted what had gone wrong. No amount of complaining, whining or begging would solve the problem. He had to do something about it.

He stood up and walked from the gym into the locker room. Pyre had just come from the shower, and was towelling off. "I have something I need to say," he said, looking right at Pyre.

Pyre turned to look at him. "I'm listening."

Shining took a deep breath. "Last week, I had no inkling of how good this felt. I was blind to it, and I regret that. If there is something to regret, it's that I was afraid of finding how good this could be. I'm sorry for not indulging sooner, and I would be open to experimenting further."

"Good. Regret not the good times."

"I don't want to be ashamed of this. I want to feel better about it. I want to be better about it. I want to experience the freedom it brings, but I'm still stuck in my ways, and it is solely for that reason that I feel the shame. You've helped me so much already, and I appreciate that, but please, help me go further. I need you to help guide me. Please, don't abandon me over this."

Pyre took a deep breath. "I was never going to abandon you. I was concerned because you were afraid to step forward. Puff out your chest, hold your head high, and be glad of who you are. Not scared of what other ponies might say about you. Whoever you spent your time with last night, I'm sure they want you to be happy, and I'm sure that you made them happy. That's not a bad thing. Don't be afraid to make other stallions happy."

"I won't be, eventually. I'm still new to this. I've never fellated a stallion until this morning. It still scares me, a bit."

"Don't be scared," breathed Pyre. "Breathe in, breathe out. You've faced tougher challenges, and won. This is nothing. This won't destroy all of Equestria, this won't enslave the crystal Empire, not a single pony is going to die because of this. At worst, somepony might be injured if you suddenly bite down, but still... There's nothing to be afraid of. Why are you more scared of admitting this openly than you are of a full-blown war with the dragons?"

Shining shook his head. "I don't know. But I am." He furrowed his eyebrows. "But not for long. I will conquer this."

Pyre smiled. "Good attitude. I presume you have a plan?"

Shining nodded. "Have a seat, and stop me if I seem to be going too far."

Pyre sat down on the locker room bench and leaned back. "I'm all ears."

But Shining wasn't going to talk about his plan. He was just going to start. Seeing that there was nopony else in the locker room at a glance, he dropped down and spread Pyre's knees apart.

"Whoa..." Pyre looked around. "You sure about this? Somepony could walk in and see us."

Shining smiled. "Then I'll have no choice but to admit to it, huh? Can't deny it with witnesses." Despite saying that, he visibly shivered. He desperately hoped nothing like that happened. He really didn't want to be seen.

He took a big whiff of Pyre's balls. There was no sweat, no grime, just clean testicle, with a bit of the soap he used still giving fragrance. These had been his first foray into the world of homosexuality, and now he was licking and kissing them as Pyre began to stiffen up.

"Well, now, this is a pleasant surprise."

Shining just smiled in response as he licked his way up Pyre's shaft. "You haven't seen anything yet," he chuckled. Wrapping his lips around the tip, he used the skills he had learned this morning to go as far down as he could. Unfortunately, the change in angle, along with Pyre's impressive size, made it difficult to swallow him. Still, Shining did his best, and managed to leave quite the impression before he had to come back up for air.

"See?" asked Pyre, tousling Shining's mane. "Why are you ashamed of that? Almost nopony can make it that far, and it takes a special kind of pony to take the whole thing. I bottom out in mares, and you can take me to the medial ring in your mouth? You have a fantastic talent, worth years of practice. And you're ashamed by it? Be proud of what you can do!"

Shining nodded. "Can you push me down a little bit? I don't know why I can't take more, but I was able to this morning..."

"It would be my pleasure."

Pyre grabbed Shining's horn with his left hoof and the back of his jaw with his right, and as Shining took the tip into his mouth, he helped him down gently. He could feel the muscles in Shining's throat, and could make judgements as to whether or not to let go.

Down, down, down he went, his throat stretching out gently and slowly until finally, Shining could hold his breath no longer, and smacked his hoof gently against Pyre's thigh. Immediately, Pyre let go of him, letting him suck his way smoothly back up to the tip, releasing it with a loud wet pop.

"Wow."

Shining turned around. He and Pyre had been so enraptured in what they were doing that neither had taken note of the crowd that had gathered at the end of the hall.

"I call dibs on next!" shouted one, raising his hoof.

"Like hell you do!" growled another. "I was here first!"

"Both of you have a mare at home! I'm top priority!"

"Take his mouth, for all I care! I'm going for that arse!"

Shining was beginning to shy away, but looked to Pyre and took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. "Boys, I--"

"Line up, boys," interrupted Pyre, standing up. "If you all want to suck my dick so bad, you can start taking numbers. Now, who wants to go first?"

Shining had wanted to explain that he couldn't service all of them, but with Pyre redirecting the conversation, they all scattered. "How'd you do that?"

Pyre shook his head and placed his hoof against Shining's cheek. "Fairweather bisexual males. They can be gay when someone's ready to suck their dick, but when it's time to return the favour, "Oh, my, it's time for me to go..." Granted, I'm little better, but at least my partners are more than just a warm hole. Perhaps you'll come back to my place some time, and we can continue?"

Shining swallowed, his face red. "I'd like to think I'd enjoy that."

Chapter the Twenty-First: Trouble at Home

After a shower, Shining joined Luna and his wife for dinner. He didn't know whether or not his food would be drugged again, but he had told Luna that he could now tell whether or not it was, and she could confirm it, spitting it out if she so desired. If Cadance still didn't believe him, At least Luna would, and that would prove that he wasn't going crazy.

"So as a result of that, I had a really nice meal," finished Shining, going over the safe version of last night's events. "Then we went back to their place. They were drinking heavier than I was, so we... I, decided that I was going to crash at their place overnight to make sure they didn't choke on their own vomit, or anything. You know I care for their safety."

"That we do," smiled Luna. "We've not stuck around the homes of our subjects, but we have seen them safely to bed. We do appreciate and envy the care you have for our beloved subjects."

"Yes, we all care for our little ponies," nodded Cadance as the doors opened and the serving staff brought in their meals. Tonight, dinner would be ratatouille, with all fresh ingredients and clean tools. If there was to be a poison of some variety in the food, it would show up here. If he had imagined it, there would be nothing but a pleasant meal in good company.

Luna waited with bated breath as Shining picked up a forkful of eggplant and brought it to his lips. He was nervous, visibly so. He'd just told her how last night's bar food didn't taste poisoned at all, and to be coming back to the first table at which he'd been hit... She knew his apprehension well, but they both knew it had to be done.

Shining spent quite a long time chewing. Not because it was rubbery, or that it tasted off, but he couldn't tell if something was wrong with it. The taste was there, and it was faint, but he couldn't pin it down. Every time he would try to confirm it, it would move, and it made him wonder if he had imagined it due to expecting it to be there.

"Something wrong, Shining?" asked Cadance, looking his way.

Shining took a deep breath and gave the whole thing one last taste. He couldn't find a tangible answer. It was gone now. He swallowed. "No, just savouring the flavour."

Cadance nodded, but Luna watched closely as Shining took another bite. She could swear she saw a single spark fly off the tip of Cadance's horn and land in her own bell peppers, but it may have just been nothing, as it happened in her peripheral vision, if it happened at all.

Shining had eaten all of his ratatouille and a slice of strawberry pie. He had noted nothing particularly wrong with the rest of his dinner, and dessert was fine. He still had to apologize to the chef, but he figured he'd do that after Luna was satisfied, which would likely be when he was satisfied.

"Now, then, Prince Shining Armor," started Luna, as they were on their way back to their rooms. "Have you been putting up the abjurations we recommended?"

"I have," answered Shining. "Small ones, personal-sized."

"Abjurations?" asked Cadance.

"Force fields," clarified Luna. "We recommended that Prince Shining Armor put up a shield to block out any attacks that may come from outside of his range. If somepony has been assaulting him in his sleep, these would help to shut out any unwanted visitors from his dreams."

"Aren't dreams your domain?"

Luna nodded. "Alas, we are not the only one capable of accessing and changing dreams. The Knight of Nights, for example, is a group of three gryphons who do the same thing we do from their lair under Griffinstone. Only one at a time, however, and they all don the same costume to do so. Tia also mentioned that a group of ponies arose just after our departure to force "lesser beings" to their will through dreams. They were unsuccessful, as they set loose an ancient aberration that killed them all, that our sister had to destroy, but still, they had the ability. Even some today have the ability to walk the paths of dreams, though many are kept in check by Oneiros."

"Oneiros?"

Luna held up her hoof. "Long story, and we have already said too much. In the meantime, rest well. We shall be watching from our bedroom. If something goes wrong, we shall come running to correct it."

As Luna disappeared into her room, Shining and Cadance turned to their door. "Why didn't you tell me you were having such nightmares?" asked Cadance. "You've been so distant, lately."

"I didn't want to worry you," answered Shining. "Plus, I wanted to hold off until my apology was ready."

"Apology?"

Shining nodded. "I did something last week that I've been feeling pretty bad about. It's not what caused the nightmare, but I've been working on an apology for it. A good one."

"You could just tell me what you have now. I'm sure I've already forgiven you."

Shining shook his head. "No. I want my apology to mean something. I'm not just going to say I was wrong and be done with it. I want to fix it. I'm making pretty good progress on it, too. You're going to love it when you see it, but I still need some time to put the finishing touches on it."

"Oh, Shining..." Cadance drew him into a kiss. "I have an apology for you, as well. I've done something I shouldn't have. I didn't trust you, and I've been going against your wishes, and I feel kind of bad about it. So I had an apology of my own for you. But this one's waiting for you just in there." Cadance pointed to their bedroom door.

Shining smiled. "You know I'd just forgive you. You didn't have to give me anything."

"Well, I'm not really giving you anything," said Cadance, opening the door. Diamond, the waitress from the restaurant, was sitting in a chair, wearing a short dress. "More like inviting you to have a fun time with a pretty mare."

"Your highness," bowed Diamond.

Chapter the Twenty-Second: Diamond Likes it Rough

Diamond lifted her skirt to show her petticoat, and then turns and lifted her tail to show her cornflower blue and white striped panties. "Does my prince like what he sees?" she giggled.

"Very much," smiled Shining, taking a few steps closer. He stopped, as a question came to his mind, and he had to know for certain. "Are you sure you want to be here?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just..." Shining took a deep breath. "I've been wondering lately if the girls come because they want to, or if they come because they fear my wrath should they refuse. If you want to leave, I will not stop you."

Diamond took a few steps closer. "Do you want me to stay? Would my leaving make you happy?"

Shining shook his head. "I want to know that you're happy. Whatever you feel is best; I don't want to force you here against your will. But if you'd like to stay, I'd be happy to have you."

"In that case..." Diamond pounced on Shining, knocking him onto the bed. "I want to feel you inside of me."

As he felt Diamond's tongue enter his mouth, Shining's apprehension melted away. This morning, he'd questioned if he'd been bringing mares here against their will, but now, to know that he was not feared, but beloved made his day. He was so scared that Diamond would leave him when he offered her freedom that he'd almost expected to be slapped again. He was glad she hadn't.

With consent now firmly in his grasp, he began running his hooves down from her shoulders. She wasn't one of those mares who tried to go super-thin, nor did she seem to be all that heavy. She was pleasantly plump, with a small amount of flesh bulge that rippled ever so slightly as she moved. Slowly, Shining's hooves moved down to her arse and squeezed her cheeks. They were soft and jiggly.

She moaned into his mouth, sucking on his tongue as she came up. "Since you asked, though, there's one thing I want to request."

"Name it," breathed Shining, his cock already quite hard.

"I want oral and anal only. It's the way I like it. No messing around with the front, okay?"

"Is that all?" chuckled Shining. "By all means, if it makes you comfortable. But this is a safe place; you don't have to be afraid of your body here."

Diamond smiled. "You're sweet." She grabbed his dick and began to stroke it. "Or rather, I think you are. Let's put that to the test, shall we?"

Before Shining could finish nodding, she was cradling his balls, sucking him right down her throat. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that she did this for a living, rather than waiting tables. She knew exactly where to go with her tongue, how much care to pay to his balls, and right when he needed a break. She operated almost perfectly, even better than Cadance. Shining couldn't believe she was this good.

"How was that?" she giggled, coming up for air.

"Like no mare I've ever had before," Shining wheezed.

"So I'm told," Diamond smirked. "You taste wonderful, by the way. Lavender oil in your soap?"

Shining nodded as she climbed on top of him and turned around, scooting her panties down just enough to reveal her arsehole. "You ready?"

Shining nodded. "I'll gra-ha-HA!!"

Before he could even reach for the lube, Diamond slid down over top of him. She had already loaded up her arsehole with lubrication and all it took was a bit of pressure to spill it out around him. Because it had been inside of her, it wasn't even cold when it touched his flesh. It just slid down, enveloping him until she was sitting on his balls.

"How did you...?"

"Years of practice," she giggled. "Now, let's make you want me to come back."

Not that she needed to, as Shining already wanted her to return, but she grabbed his knees and began bouncing up and down. Every slide added friction and made him hot, every squeeze added pressure and had him ready to pop. He loved the feel of her arse, and the way she was moving, and she knew he loved it. He had to wonder if she could really cum like this, as she didn't seem to be drawing any sexual pleasure from it. She just kept going, even when he began to throb.

Shining's hooves took control of themselves and grabbed her hips, pushing her down over and over until he slammed them down a final time. Her cheeks made a loud, wet clap as he blew his load inside of her, causing her to clamp down and let loose a loud cry of pleasure. She loved it, even if she hadn't a moment ago.

Shining brought her back down to the bed, and spotted Cadance walking over, having been watching from a chair in the corner. "Do you accept my apology, Shining?" she asked.

Shining nodded. "I do. It didn't have to be this good, but I'm glad you did."

"Do you mind if I stick around?" asked Diamond. "I don't want to bother a guard to walk me home."

"Nonsense," smiled shining. "A cute mare like you? They'd be happy to have your company. But if you like, you can stay."

Shining had meant that she could have a guest room, but as she nestled into Shining's hooves, he found that he could not bear to kick her out of bed.

"Are you sure you had a nice time?" asked Shining.

"All of this questioning about consent," huffed Cadance. "Where is this coming from?"

Shining shrugged. "Paranoia?"

Cadance sighed. "Shiny, everypony we've had here were happy to join us. You're a stud! Everypony loves you."

Shining nodded. "I'm probably just imagining things. After all, that's what Luna's here to find out, isn't it?"

Cadance sighed. "Okay. Rest well. And please, let me know what happens. I want to know more about what's going on with you, and I want to hear it from you, not Luna."

Shining nodded and squeezed Diamond. He didn't want her to lose sleep on his account, so he began to rub her chest, then her stomach. He felt her drift off as he did. He was glad she was happy, and he couldn't wait to have her come back. She had been fantastic.

Chapter the Twenty-Third: Acceptance

Shining had prepared for this dream. He was ready for it this time. He'd been ready to fight it in the past, but now, he was ready to have the dream. He was ready for the stallion to take him.

He was in his bed, just as he had been, and Cadance was sitting in the corner, very lightly rubbing herself. He could see her clearly this time, though she was still in the shadows. The colour was off, but the shape of her nose, the contour of her wingtips, the subtle way she pushed her chin forward when she was aroused... That was his wife, he was sure of it.

"Enjoying the show?" asked Shining, winking at her. "A shame my guest couldn't be here, too."

He felt a hoof on his shoulder, coming up through the bed behind him. Finally, Luna was here. She'd promised to try to make things easier, but tonight, she was just watching from behind the veil, looking for any signs of tampering. Shining had told her everything he could remember, and every change he'd noticed. Luna was well aware that she'd see some familiar faces, but there was a question of who Shining was inhabiting that they were both curious to find out.

The door swung open, and in walked "Daddy." It was very obvious that it was meant to be Shining Armor now. The colours matched perfectly, the facial features were spot-on, even the tiny scar above his knee was right where it was supposed to be. Whoever constructed this, whoever was gently pushing this dream forward, they had intimate knowledge of Shining's body.

"Hello, my pet," he smiled. "Did you miss Daddy?"

"I've been waiting for you to show up," smiled Shining. "What are you waiting for?"

"Because Daddy missed this tasty arse..." Shining winced at the squeezing, but then the tingle of magic slipped across his arse. Luna was already set to work. She couldn't stop the dream from squeezing him without blowing her cover, but she could make it easier, and a simple spell that made it a warm embrace was all Shining needed. Now, rather than a pinch, it was a wide grab, not unlike one of the massages he'd felt from Cinnamon. "Daddy missed you so much."

It was all going according to plan, but Shining had not expected Luna to do this well. She was fantastic. Shining couldn't help but let out a small moan of pleasure.

"You like my hoof on your arse, my pet?"

Shining looked deeply into the eyes of the stallion over him. "Very much..."

The stallion chuckled. "You're such a slut..."

That may have been the first time that line had been an honest one. Rather than pushing him into the role where he didn't fit, it was calling him out. Then again, if this was a jealous coltfriend, it may have been an accusation.

"Is it release you want, my pet?"

"Oh, please?" smiled Shining. "Daddy?"

"Beg for my cock, pet."

Shining looked up. "Do I really have to beg? Come on, just give it to me!"

At the crack of the lash, the pain almost caused Shining to falter. He had begun to lose himself in the dream, but a sharp pain drew him back to attention. Apparently, Luna had not been ready yet.

"Tell Daddy how much you want him!"

"A-all of you!" answered Shining, struggling to maintain control.

As the second lash struck against his hind end, something was different. Immediately following the pain, there was a warm, soothing glow. Not enough to stop it, as the timing was off, but there was a bit of enjoyment to it.

"Beg for me to rail you!"

"P-please, Daddy, fuck my arse so hard you leave a gape!"

Cadance was practically drooling off in the corner as the next lash crossed him. It was still a bit off, but it was close enough that the sting was gone quickly, leaving Shining with just the sensitivity.

"Beg me to fuck you, slut!!"

With the final lash, Luna finally found the perfect timing. There was no pain at all, only the smooth shearing of Shining's supple buttocks, leaving him exposed and weak.

"Please," huffed Shining. "I need to feel you inside of me. I want to know such joys. I'll suck your dick, just... please, fuck me... Daddy?"

"That's a good slut," huffed the stallion. He'd never seemed even remotely tired before, but now he was almost panting. "Open your mouth for Daddy."

Before the dream could force Shining's jaw open, he opened it himself and prepared his throat for the intrusion. It always slid in easy, but this time seemed easier than normal. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had practised beforehoof, perhaps it was due to the fact that he was wanting it, to a degree, or possibly it was because it tasted like Pyre, Cinnamon and Mustard all at the same time. He was combining positive experiences into a single point, and that would only benefit his enjoyment.

He loved the feeling, he loved the taste, and he loved the ponies it reminded him of. They were good ponies who had helped him through a troubling time in his life, and if they were providing this defense for him, then he had to thank them for standing behind him and keeping him from falling back. They were his heroes.

"You're really wanting this, aren't you?" asked the stallion, pulling out.

"Oh, yes, Daddy, I am!" answered Shining. "Take me!"

"Well, I'll not keep you in suspense any longer."

Unexpectedly, Luna jumped in here. Shining was pretty sure he'd told her that there was no pain when trying this, as there was no experience to match it to, but she had opted to sooth the area, regardless. So now, rather than the lack of feeling, it was replaced by a soothing feeling, that felt almost like Shining would imagine. True, he'd never taken a cock up his arse, but this felt incredibly detailed, as if Luna was implanting her own pleasant experience to make it easier for Shining.

And it worked. Shining was unable to keep his thoughts in order, surrendering to the dream and letting it take him.

"Ready, my pet?" huffed Shining's counterpart, picking up the pace to match Luna's emulation. "Here comes your release!" Shining now knew what it was like to be filled up, and to have the stallion pull out and paint his belly.

The rest of the dream proceeded as normal, but he did blush at being called an adorable cumdumpster. Perhaps it was meant as an insult, and he may have taken it that way a week ago, but to be fair, that was what he intended to be tonight, and it had been an unexpectedly wonderful experience.

Chapter the Twenty-Fourth: Everything You Know is Wrong

Shining awoke well-rested for the first time in days. He'd not felt so refreshed on waking up in so long that it instantly put him in a good mood, despite the dream. He felt like rolling over and making sweet love to his wife.

But as soon as he moved, he felt something weighing him down. Something heavy. He looked down at his chest, and he smiled, letting out a small snort of a chuckle. Diamond had climbed on top of him in the middle of the night and had planted herself there, wrapping her hooves around his chest.

Shining took a deep breath and moved his hoof down to her flank. She'd taken very good care of him last night, and he was very grateful. Perhaps, because she'd helped him sleep well, he'd do something nice for her. She had said that everything in front was off-limits, but he could still manage.

He started with her butt. It was soft and plump, and it felt good in his hooves. He loved it when there was a plushness to be found here, as it felt so good when his hips crashed into something that bounced back. If he wanted to feel like he was pressing his hips to a brick wall, he'd find a glory hole. Come to think of it, there was one at her restaurant.

However, as his hooves started down toward her thighs, she shifted, and something hit his groin. It wasn't his own, as that was pressed against his other leg. He lifted up the sheet, and poking through the side of Diamond's panties was a small penis. In fact, as memories of the last time he'd seen her came rushing back, he recognized it. This was the very same one he'd been afraid to do anything with when it came through the glory hole. It was the same shape, same colours, and holding a couple of bits near it to confirm the size sealed it. Diamond was not a waitress, but a waiter, as well as an unsatisfied client.

He was also starting to wake up. Shining quickly tucked the sheets back down. He was going to confront Diamond about it, anyway, he just didn't want to seem like he was staring.

Diamond stretched and flexed, before settling back on Shining's chest. "Good mo--" He coughed a few times, as his voice had deepened. Perhaps that was his natural voice, and he was trying to hide it under the dress with everything else? "Good morning, my prince. Sleep well?"

"I did," nodded Shining. "I slept really well. Looks like you had a pretty nice dream, too."

"Hm?"

Shining shook his head. "I owe you an apology, Diamond."

"Really? What for?"

"Do you remember the night I visited your restaurant?"

Diamond chuckled. "Well, it's not my restaurant, per se, but yeah."

"You and I made a deal, and I backed out."

Diamond scrunched up his face. "I don't recall that."

Shining picked up a few bits and pushed them down below the sheets, pressing them against his morning wood. Diamond looked horrified. "I know those are supposed to be anonymous," Shining sighed. "But the language you used made it sound like you were asking for drugs. The egg on my face when your cock came in... I looked then like you do now."

"I, um..."

"I left you high and dry, and for that, I'm sorry."

Diamond glanced over to Cadance. "Please, please don't tell the princess..."

Shining shook his head. "I wasn't going to. She doesn't have to know." He took a deep breath. "But I would like to know why you're hiding all of this."

"Hiding what?"

"Well, you're a stallion, right? There's nothing wrong with being a stallion, and now that I've heard you, I can hear the falsetto in your voice. Doesn't that hurt your throat?"

Diamond looked down and clenched his eyes shut. "It's because nopony liked me," he said in his normal voice. "I like spending time with other ponies, but they didn't like me. So, I changed myself. When I'm a stallion, I couldn't even convince any of my colt friends to invite me to a trading card game. They even turned me away because they thought a nerd like me would scare away the mares. So, I told everypony I was leaving, and nopony cared. I even opened a P.O. box, and the only mail I receive are bills.

"SoI packed up all my stuff in a wagon, left town, dressed up as a mare, and moved back in. I took up my old job, went to the same shops, only instead of being asked to leave, ponies I never met would walk up and invite me to do stuff with them. I just... I finally found a way to be happy, and I'm afraid to reveal the truth, because then I'll just be a loser again. I want to be Diamond Dust, not Perceived Platitude. Ponies like me this way, and I want to be liked."

Shining gently rubbed his back. "It's okay. I understand." He wanted to be a comfort to him. "Diamond Dust, is it?"

He nodded.

"Well, what kind of prince would I be if I let slip the painful secret of a pretty mare such as yourself?"

Diamond smiled and wiped her face. "Thank you, your highness."

Shining looked over to Cadance. She was still asleep. "Can I ask you something, Diamond?" he whispered, careful not to wake her.

"Of course."

"How does it feel, when a stallion goes up your butt?"

Diamond fidgeted a little bit. "At first, or now?"

"Both?"

Diamond thought about it for a moment. "It was awful, at first. I just stuck with it because all I really wanted was to be accepted and liked, and that's why I was only doing it that way. I actually ended up being beaten up a few times by stallions that found out I couldn't do anything but oral and anal. They didn't say anything, thank Celestia, but that's how I learned to put on makeup. It's a lot easier now, though. I had my doctor smooth it all out so they all go in easier. The operation's a little bit painful on its own, but it helps."

Shining nodded. "Do you enjoy it?"

Diamond shook his head. "No. It's kind of numb now. But I do enjoy the feeling of a stallion shooting a load into me. I like making other ponies happy, so if they're satisfied, that just finishes me off right then and there."

Shining took a deep breath. "Okay."

Chapter the Twenty-Fifth: It Doesn't Fit

"No, I don't think so," chuckled Diamond.

"Of course it does!" smirked Shining back. "You think I don't know my own measurements?"

"I think you used to," answered Diamond. "How about you prove me wrong?"

"I think I will."

Shining walked over to his closet. Cadance had needed to leave early, and she had left Shining with the task of finding a guard to walk Diamond home. Shining would have liked to spend the morning with her, as he was finally feeling up to it, but alas, a travelling scholar needed to speak with her, personally and urgently.

Shining opened the door and pulled out his regalia. "Look here, the tag on the inside is fitted with the measurements, hoof-written by the very tailor that put them together."

Diamond nodded. "And those pants don't fit anymore."

"They did last week."

"That was last week. Try it now."

With a snort, Shining began putting on the regalia, starting with his shirt. If Diamond was going to claim that he'd gained weight, he was dead wrong, as the shirt was even more loose now than it had been. Around the waist and chest, there was even more room than normal, so he wasn't gaining weight, but losing it. Then came his vest and jacket, and even they felt loose. Especially around his shoulders.

"See there?" he bragged. "Still fits just fine."

"Looks a little baggy," smirked Diamond. "But those aren't pants. Put on the pants, highness."

Shining turned around and shook his flank, teasing Diamond in turn for teasing him. As he pulled up his pants, however, he found that he couldn't squeeze his arse past the waistband. He didn't understand it. It wasn't just fat, but his hips; the bones in his legs seemed to have shifted. Sucking it in, he could only just fit in.

"See?" he grunted. "Fits just fine."

"Just fine? Look in the mirror!"

Shining turned and looked in the mirror. He looked ridiculous. This outfit had been perfect at the charity dinner he'd hosted two weeks prior. It was ridiculous that it didn't fit now. His shoulders had shrunk, his hips had widened... He quickly removed his pants before he popped the seam. These would have to be let out.

"Okay, fine, I look horrid," he conceded.

"Only when you're wearing clothes that don't fit," smiled Diamond. "You look good, I just..." he shook his head. "You quoted me your measurements, and I refused to believe you. Now you know why."

Shining removed his regalia and put on his armor. He'd taken pride in the fact that it fit him well throughout his military career and into his marriage. Now it rattled around his shoulders and didn't quite sit properly over his flank. A few quick adjustments in the belts fixed that right up, but it dealt a nasty blow to his pride.

Still, at least he knew now, rather than finding out when he put it on later for an event, and had to emergency tailor it to fit in less than a day. A non-issue would be great, but he'd settle for a non-emergency.

"Don't be too upset," smiled Diamond, waltzing over. Like I said, you're still damn sexy. I wish I had a body like yours."

Shining pursed his lips. "What's wrong with yours?"

Diamond gabbed part of her gut and pinched it. "I have all this flab. I'm going to have to have my clothes refitted soon because they're becoming a bit too tight. My whole identity is hidden behind a mask. If I looked like you, why would I ever feel the need to hide? If I looked like you, everypony would like me, at least as much as they would having not met me."

Shining shook his head. "I think you'd be fine. At least your clothes fit." He sighed. "Tell ya what: If you send me your measurements, I'll have a suit made for you, and we'll go out and see."

Diamond looked a bit uneasy. "You're sure about this?"

"I'll even dress up for it," offered Shining. "If they all think you're as bad as you say, I'll owe you an apology. A good one, too."

Diamond thought about it for a moment. "How about this? We make it a date. If they treat me well, you can decide what we do in bed. If they don't, I decide. Sound fair?"

Shining smirked. "It'll probably be the same thing, either way."

"So everypony wins."

Shining shrugged. "Okay. It's a deal."

"It's a date."

As Shining walked out into the hallway, Luna was waiting for him. "Good morning, Prince Shining Armor," she bowed. "You look as though you have slept quite well. We are pleased to see that."

"I did," smiled Shining. "Thank you for that. This is Diamond Dust, she stayed here last night, and was a comfort."

"Diamond Dust," nodded Luna. "We recall suggesting that you become the pony you would like to see in the world. Has that been going well for you?"

Diamond blushed, but did not answer. Her face said enough.

"Prince Shining Armor, there is something we must discuss. If you would, we suggest you send your new friend home. It is imperative that we speak as soon as possible."

"Of course," nodded Shining, waving a guard over. As soon as Diamond had given him a kiss on the cheek, she was off. Shining had her dress size and address, anyway, so he knew he'd see her again.

As Luna closed the door, she turned to Shining. "You are aware that Diamond Dust is actually a stallion under that dress, are you not?"

Shining nodded. "Found out this morning."

"It is a sad thing, truly. He was being bullied relentlessly, so now he hides behind the makeup. We wish him well, but now, let us talk about you."

Shining nodded. "You were there, weren't you?"

Luna nodded. "We saw everything. It is all as you claim. Except, we are not convinced that it is a nightmare anymore."

"It's not?"

"You enjoyed it, did you not, Prince Shining Armor?"

Shining chuckled. "I did, yes. Finally having some control over it, even a little bit, did wonders for me."

Luna pursed her lips. "We are still concerned that it is a terrible thing to have happened to you. Quite frankly, that it happened at all is quite concerning, and to see it for ourselves, even to know that you were fighting it the whole time, bothers us to a fair degree. And yet, we are no longer concerned for your safety."

"You're not?"

Luna shook her head. "Not as we were, at any rate. "The fact that we were able to enter your dream at all means that whatever alchemy was done to you has worn off. If what you told us is true, and you have not tasted the poison since the restaurant, we are convinced that it has not been added to your food since."

"I thought I had tasted it last night, actually."

Luna shook her head again. "Then we would once more have been unable to enter your dream. Still, this leaves us with an array of questions. For now, we suggest you go about your day as if nothing is wrong. We shall confer again tonight."

Chapter the Twenty-Sixth: Uniform Inspection

When Shining made it down to the barracks, all of the soldiers were ready for him, waiting in line and cleaned up. He was eight minutes late, and they had been waiting for him, as opposed to last week when he showed up early and caused them to scramble. It filled him with pride to know that they took the time to prepare for his visit, even though it was part of their jobs.

He walked down the line, making sure everything was as it should be. He didn't have to worry about most of them, as they were all pretty good about keeping their equipment in top shape. Even the guard that had been patching up his damaged breastplate the week prior was fitted with a fully-repaired set. It still had a few light dings and the paint seal wasn't as faded as the rest of it, but it was close enough that nopony would notice without looking right at it, as he was.

It wasn't until a third of the way down the line that he noted some snickering behind him. He turned around, but there wasn't so much as a grin. Usually, Shining was pretty lax in his discipline, for as long as he could be. If the men were capable of handling themselves, he wouldn't have to, and if he knew what was funny, he might be willing to allow it.

But for now, just letting it go would have to do. He would presume it was harmless, and keep going.

When he came to Mustard, neither could help but smile. "Sleep well, Sir?" he asked.

"Not horribly. Still not great, but improving."

"Glad to hear it," nodded Mustard. "Were we any help at all?"

"I believe so," affirmed Shining. "Looks like your left shoulder's loose."

Mustard looked down at his shoulder and pulled back the pauldron. With a small adjustment, he tightened it down and secured it in place. "I'll see about securing that, Sir."

"See that you do."

As Shining made to move to the next in line, he heard the giggling again. And yet, as he turned to look, their faces snapped back to normal. He spotted a few eyes glancing his way before snapping back to attention.

Weith a deep breath, he continued on. Three quarters of the guard he'd passed through before the next bout of snickering bubbled forth. He was in the middle of telling one of the guards to replace a rivet that was starting to bend when he heard it. He spun as quick as he could, and caught two of the men laughing.

"You two, step forward!"

They both snapped back to attention, then slowly moved forward, standing at attention.

Shining marched up in front of them. "This does not have to be a difficult event. This does not have to be a long event. It takes less than a minute to go over two uniforms. In fact, barring any interruptions and in ideal conditions, we can knock out every single soldier in the city in less than half an hour. This may not be the fastest, but all I ask is that you stand still for the time it takes to inspect your uniform. Do you think your fellow guards want to stand around for the several extra minutes it takes to tell you two off?"

"No, Sir!" they answered in unison.

"Because let me make this clear: I don't want to be forced to spend any extra time administering punishments than I have to. If I don't have to give out any punishments, my time can be spent on better things. Giving out rewards, helping to fix problems, and doing things that will improve the lives of my little ponies. I can't do those things if I have to dole out punishments, instead. Would you rather I make things more difficult for you?"

"No, Sir!"

Shining looked into the eyes of the two guards. "Tell me the joke."

The room fell silent as nopony spoke.

"Spit it out," repeated Shining. "If this gag of yours is funny enough that you had to disrupt the simple activity of uniform inspection, I'm sure we'd all love to hear it."

The stallions began to sweat. They didn't know what to do.

"Sir, permission to approach?" requested Mustard.

"Granted."

Mustard ran up, and standing next to Shining, whispered to him, "Your erection is very visible."

As Mustard returned to his place in line, Shining didn't move. He didn't look, he didn't reach down to feel it, he just stood there, glaring at a spot on the wall while he considered his next move.

"I don't want to hear any more giggling," he said finally. "Situations such as this are a common occurrence. If you cannot handle this in a dignified manner, I can send you back to basic training. Is that what you want?"

"No, Sir!"

"Back to your places. Not a peep out of you until the inspection is done."

The guards filed back into line and Shining returned to his duties, now aware of his own arousal. He was more terse with his tone, but most of the remaining guards were helpful to speed things along, with one even promising to repair his tasset before Shining even saw it. One of the plates had ripped its rivet out of the belt. It was difficult to repair or replace. If this had happened on the battlefield, it wouldn't be his end, but even so, it had to be fixed.

As Shining finished up, he turned and looked at the room. "Very well done, men. What problems are visible are set to be fixed. Never forget that this uniform inspection is for the safety of your loved ones. You work hard to keep them safe. Your armour works hard to keep you safe. As you draw breath, be thankful that your equipment is in good condition and is well-maintained. Remember that you represent Equestria every time you don that armour and wear it with pride. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" they all said in unison.

"Dismissed."

As they all filed out, Mustard waited near Shining for an opportunity to approach. His shift was starting soon, but he still had a few minutes. "Would you like me to have Cinnamon come up and take care of that for you?"

Shining shook his head. "Leave him be. I'll be alright."

"Okay," nodded Mustard, looking around. "You know, you weren't the only one with a stiffy. I managed to overhear some things, and some of the boys think you have a great arse."

Shining smiled and blushed.

"Just thought you ought to know."

Chapter the Twenty-Seventh: Intentions

Luna took a deep breath. This didn't make any sense to her. While she was glad Shining was feeling better, she wasn't sure that was such a good thing. This dream wasn't good. And yet, it wasn't registering as a nightmare last night. Shining wasn't scared, he wasn't angry, he wasn't sad... While Luna had only been able to observe it though a barrier that kept her out, she knew that it had been a horrible time in the past. So why was it now registering as being different? She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew there was something afoul, here. Whatever was going on, it wasn't right, and she had to know for certain in order to fix it.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "You may enter."

A guard walked in, saluted and bowed. "Princess, it is almost time for lunch. Would you like us to bring you something to eat?"

Luna sighed. Half the day she'd spent going over the dream, already. "Before we answer, we must know: Has Princess Mi Amore Cadenza finished her meeting?"

"I don't know," answered the guard. "I can check."

"Do so," answered Luna. "If she has time, we would like a private lunch with her."

"Ma'am."

As the guard saluted and rushed off, Luna picked herself up and ran a brush through her mane. She hadn't spoken much with Cadance the night prior, but she had noted that Shining had not brought up the nightmare with her. She wasn't sure why not, as the two seemed to be better together than apart, but seeing that Shining had not told her about it happening, she doubted that Cadance knew what was happening in it.

Half an hour had passed, and Luna had been brought to a decently-sized room with a table. It was the sort of room where contracts were discussed and signed. It wasn't the best dining room, but it would give them some privacy.

Cadance came in moments later, followed by a mare pushing a cart with their lunches on it. "How are we, today?" smiled Cadance, sitting down.

"We are rather perplexed by an obsequious circumstance that has left us with quite the vexation," responded Luna. "We were hoping to discuss that."

"Of course," nodded Cadance, brushing the mare away as soon as the food was served. The door closed, and the two were left alone, with only a guard left outside of the door. "Is this about Shiny's nightmares?"

Luna nodded. "Have you spoken with him about it?"

"I did," answered Cadance. "Very briefly, though. We didn't discuss much."

Luna closed her eyes. "What did you do last night and this morning?"

Cadance shrugged. "Last night, we had a visitor, and I didn't want to bring it up and ruin his mood. This morning, I was called away, and he had some duties to which he had to attend."

Luna nodded. "Would you care to hear about the event?"

"Oh, certainly."

As Luna delved into the surface-level activities that she had seen, Cadance listened intently. Shining had inhabited the body of a faceless stallion, And Luna described him as such throughout. Before she'd finished, Cadance was very clearly excited by the idea. Luna could see the blush, she'd seen Cadance lick her teeth, and she could smell the pheromones in the air. If she didn't know better, she would swear that this sounded like an erotic novella to her.

"We need not ask your opinion, as it's quite apparent on your face," finished Luna. "We find it to be quite upsetting."

"Are you kidding?" smirked Cadance. "Sure, it's odd that he pulled out a whip, but that's Shining Armor at his hottest! I'd love for him to bring a stallion back to bed!"

Luna nodded. "It may come as a shock to you, then, that your husband is not Shining Armor in that scene."

Cadance blinked a few times. "What?"

"Your husband, the one who has been having this dream every night for a week, is not the Shining Armor we just described."

"I heard you, I just... What do you mean?" The smirk had melted off her face, replaced by confusion.

"It is exactly as we have said," answered Luna. "We are not well-versed in theoretical jokes, nor in clerical jokes. We do not even find our days brightened by lightbulb jokes. What makes you think we would be strong in the field of practical jokes? Your husband, Prince Shining Armor, was the recipient."

Cadance scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Why wouldn't Shining be himself in that dream?"

"Our theory right now is that he was drugged. We believe it can be done with grumm eggs, rot scale and screaming cap mushrooms, and a serotonin supplement."

"Melatonin," corrected Cadance, before suddenly realizing what she'd said.

Luna had not been trying to trap her, having actually slipped up in her words, but the fact that Cadance knew the actual brew and had the most guilty look on her face, she instantly put it all together. "As we have previously wielded the element of honesty, it is appalling to us that you would not come forward sooner. Tell us what you have done, and why."

Cadance reached up and rubbed her face with both hooves. "I was very meticulous in constructing that dream. Shining was supposed to have a good time, and then let it be slowly revealed to him that he was enjoying his time with a stallion. He wasn't supposed to end up in the body of whoever, he was supposed to fill that in!"

Luna shook her head. "There is a reason dreams are regulated, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

"I know! But it was just one dream!"

"Seven," corrected Luna. "He's been having the same dream for a week, now."

Cadance lowered her head into her hooves. "I just wanted to open up his eyes, let him see that there's something missing from his life." She took a deep breath. "What do I do?"

Luna folded her hooves. "Know you which elements we once carried?"

"Honesty," answered Cadance. "Loyalty and generosity."

"He deserves to know, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. He has spoken truly to us, and has asked us not to ruin the surprise of the apology he wants to bestow upon you. We would recommend that you be deserving of such an apology, as we have noted his progress, and it is quite the feat he has pulled off for you, assuming he is telling the truth."

Luna stood up and walked to the door. She'd barely touched her lunch.

"We shall do for you several favours. First, we shall not tell your husband. Second, we shall keep this dream manipulation completely under our tiara. Bad things happen to ponies who mess with dreams. We are prepared to take that hit when we must, but it is best if we need not. Third, if you repair the damages, we will forget that this ever happened. If you will excuse us, we have a mess to clean up."

Chapter the Twenty-Eighth: Invitation

"Well, you have to admit, it's a really nice arse," chuckled Pyre, closing the door to his apartment. "You know, when I said I'd like to bring you back to my place to finish what we started, I didn't expect you to take me up on it right away."

Shining shrugged. "I guess I just... wanted some clarification on some things."

"Oh? Like what?"

Shining blushed. "Oh, more on that later. Would you show me around?"

Pyre shrugged. "Sure, I guess. This here's the living room," he unfolded a small table, "dining room," he added a hot plate, "kitchen," he put the hot plate and table back, "conservatory, library," he folded out the mattress from inside the couch, "and bedroom. The bathroom's on the other side of that door."

"Seriously?" asked Shining. "I sign your receipts. I know how much you make. Is this really all you can afford?"

"This is all I choose to afford," answered Pyre. "I'm saving up; gonna buy a health club. Gym, spa, juice bar, health food restaurant, the whole shebang. For eight years, I've been doing that, and once I have my startup funds, it's happening. That is, after I finish my tour of duty."

"Is that so?"

"Well, I spend some at the bar and grills I frequent, but that's for food, drink and companionship. Impress a mare with your wit and charm, and you don't have to pay them to come home with you. Keep their eyes on you until you're inside of them. If you do it right, they won't notice it's a studio apartment until they wake up the following morning. That way, if they judge you for where you live, you'll know they're really shallow, and you already have what you wanted. I have encountered only one exception."

"What's that?"

"She wanted to make breakfast, and there's no fridge in here."

Shining nodded. "That does put a damper on things."

"Does it?" asked Pyre, knocking a pear out of the fruit basket with his wing and catching it. "I have no trouble finding my breakfast."

"I suppose not..."

Pyre flopped down on his bed and scooted back so that he was sitting on it like a couch that reclined, reaching over with his hoof to wrap it around the phantom shoulders of whoever was sitting next to him. As if beckoned, Shining took that place. "Now, you came here in search of something other than to see where I lived and in what condition it was. Now that you know it's clean and humble, What's the real reason you came down here?"

After a deep breath, Shining told Pyre about the dream. Not every iteration, only the last one.

"Is that why you've been wanting to experiment? I thought it was because Cadance wanted to try some new things in bed?"

"A stallion can have two reasons to want to do something," argued Shining. "Yeah, it was originally for Cadance, but the more I do these things, the better I feel. A part of me is afraid to go forward with it because I feel like I'm being pushed into it, like it's not my choice, but... part of me wants this. There's some piece of me that is driving me forward with every fibre of my being, because there's clearly something good, but my life was already good. I don't want to lose the good things I had, but I feel that I'm moving into the new stuff too fast."

Pyre placed a firm hoof on his shoulder. It made Shining feel as if he were protected, as if Pyre wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. "I'm sorry about what I said," he sighed. "If I'd known how you felt, I'd have acted with more caution. I thought you were doing this on your own, but to have something forcing you into it, even if it's your own dreams... I want to help you fight it."

"Well, that's why I came here today." Shining looked into Pyre's eyes. "I spoke to Luna, and she seems to think that if I engage in the dream's activities, I can find out who's enforcing it. After we find out, I can be free of the dream."

Pyre nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Only..." Shining placed a hoof on Pyre's chest. "There's more to this than that. While I wanted to end the dream at first, it's felt better of late. It's not a nightmare anymore; Luna said so herself. It's pleasant now, so even if we don't end up finding our assailant, we're already winning. Even so," he leaned up and kissed Pyre, "I still have enjoyed every moment of what's happened, and I want to thank you for your help."

Pyre furrowed his brow. "Is this you, or is this whatever's trying to push you this way?"

Shining lowered his head. "A little of both, I suppose. I really have enjoyed it, and I do want to go forward, but with somepony I trust. I believe that, even if it ends up a bad experience for me, it'll be because I don't like it, not because of anything you do." Shining took a deep breath. "It's less of "I want you to do it," and more of "I want you to do it." Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense," nodded Pyre. "You're not sure if it's a good idea, so you want me to guide the way because this is a road I've walked before and can keep you from being injured by way of a false step."

Shining smiled. "Thank you."

Pyre shook his head. "I didn't agree to it."

"Thanks for understanding, anyway."

As Shining made to stand up, Pyre wrapped his hoof around Shining's chest and pulled him back down. "I didn't say no, either." He leaned forward and planted a kiss on Shining's mouth, digging his tongue around. He was pretty aggressive about it, but Shining didn't put up any kind of fight. He lay back and enjoyed it, even reaching down to put his hooves on Pyre's member.

"I want you," he huffed as soon as his mouth was free. "You're the first stallion to make me realize these feelings. I never knew I wanted one until this hit, but now that I've experienced it, I can't go back to ignorance. I have to know. I need to know what I've been missing. Please," begged Shining. "Fuck me..."

Chapter the Twenty-Ninth: The Final Pop

Shining was filled with a wide range of emotions. Fear, excitement, curiosity, dread... There was no doubt that his life was about to change forever. For the better or worse, he could not say. It could be a boon to everypony involved, or it could be a huge detriment.

He turned around and looked at Pyre. "We'll still be friends after this, right?"

"I've told you twice," answered Pyre. "This will not damage our relationship. Not on its own, at any rate. You'll have to compound it with a bunch of other problems to even create a strain on our relationship. I can only respect you more for having the balls to go through with this. Now, please relax."

Shining buried his face in the couch cushion that doubled as a pillow. Pyre had been rubbing his arse for a good ten minutes now, trying to relax the muscles and work in the lubrication. It started with just some light pressure, but now it was very firm. Pyre was literally stretching out Shining's arsehole with his hooves. It had to be done, as Shining had seen and almost swallowed Pyre's cock, and it was big enough that the extra preparation was much appreciated.

"Are you ready?" asked Pyre. "You look ready."

Shining spread out his back legs a little further and lifted his tail. It was time for him to know whether or not he'd been completely wrong.

But Pyre wanted to give him one more chance to back out. Grabbing Shining's hips, he positioned himself on top of him, but rather than entering, as he pushed forward, the tip of his cock slid down the underside of Shining's until their hips met. Shining looked down between his legs, and he was embarrassed at what he saw.

When Shining had looked at Pyre's cock in the past, he'd known it was huge. He'd known it was bigger than his own. But now that they were both at full extension and right next to each other, the comparison was wild. Not only was Pyre a good ten centimetres longer, even backed up behind him, but he had a good centimetre of width on either side, not even counting the depth. Shining's balls trembled on top of Pyre's cock, while Pyre's own hung low and swung, nearly double the size.

"Last chance to back out," warned Pyre.

Shining nodded. On one hoof, this monster of a shaft was probably bigger than any he'd ever seen, and definitely bigger than he'd ever felt. He was afraid it would split him in half. But he was even more afraid of disappointing Pyre. Even though he'd been told that he could walk out at any point, demand to slow down, or put a stop to this whole event, he was afraid to. Not just because the last time he'd backed out, he'd been slapped, and rightfully so, but because he was sure that, even if letting this happen damaged their relationship, running away from it would do even worse.

"It's my first time," he breathed finally. "Be gentle."

"As a lamb," smiled Pyre. He drew back, placed his tip against Shining's pucker, and gently pressed. "Relax..."

Shining took a deep breath, and on the exhale, he felt a firm pressure from behind as Pyre slid in. It wasn't just the tip, either. He made it all the way to the medial ridge in a single stroke.

"Sorry," apologized Pyre. "That's on me. I pushed too hard."

Had he, though? Diamond had said that the first time was going to hurt. Luna had anticipated that it would hurt in the dream. Even Cadance had asked him to be more gentle when they first tried it. And yet, with all of that warning, it didn't hurt. Not at all. All Shining could feel was a strong, powerful warmth inside of him, very loving and well-lubricated. There was a bit of a sting, but it was practically nothing.

"Keep going," moaned Shining. He'd intended to just say it, but it came out as a moan. He didn't try to correct it, either, as it was still his intent to start up again.

Pyre nodded. "Let me know when it's too much," he said, pushing in further. He went at a steady rate, with Shining breathing deeply as he went until finally, their hips met again.

Shining had never felt so full in his entire life. Diamond was right; it felt amazing to be wrapped around a cock like this.

"I'm impressed. You took the whole thing on your first try."

"I guess... that preparation was worth it..." Shining panted

Pyre nodded. "I'm going to start moving now."

As Pyre pulled out, an immense pleasure filled Shining's gut, and quickly scattered all over his body. It felt like having sex, only rather than being just his dick being the source of excitement, it was everything inside of him. And Pyre's massive size meant that there were more points of contact, so the pleasure was very intense.

Then back in. Faster, this time, because Pyre was sure he could do it without injuring Shining. Even if he came close, Shining could stop him.

Then out again, and back in.

Soon, they had a nice, steady rhythm going. Shining was moaning like a whore, his eyes half-lidded and his tongue hanging out. He no longer cared about how small his cock seemed to be, or if anypony heard him, or anything of that nature. What he cared about now was pushing his hips back to meet Pyre's. That satisfying clap, the feeling of fullness, and every extraction felt like a blowjob inside of his body; those kept him going.

He did feel some shame, however. He was ashamed that he'd never done this before. This felt so wonderful, so magnificent, that he cursed himself for all the times he'd actively avoided spending time with gays in his youth, for all the times he'd spoken out as an adult against them, despite his mild language, and especially for declining Cadance the ability to bring stallions into their bed. Finally, he'd seen the true error of his ways, or at least he thought he had, and now that he was full of regret, he had the first stage of his five-part apology ready to go. It was time to put the rest of it together.

Pyre picked up speed suddenly, gripping Shining tighter. Shining clenched his teeth, but left his sphincter loose, preparing for what he knew was coming. Pyre slammed his hips forward, and the first two spurts went right into Shining's intestines. The feeling of warmth and fullness was just as Diamond had described, and Shining couldn't help but to cum right then and there. Even when Pyre pulled out, he hit Shining's flank with two blasts, one for each cheek, and then the last three of diminishing power were draped in long, ropy strands across his back.

It felt glorious.

Chapter the Thirtieth: Tensions

Shining's vertebrae popped as he leaned back into Pyre's chest. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but when he did, he settled into the embrace. Pyre responded by wrapping his hooves even tighter around Shining and leaning forward.

"This is about the time when I send you home and go to bed," whispered Pyre. "I'll make an exception, though, because it's your first time. How ya doin'?"

"Good, good," breathed Shining. "Better than I thought I would be, at any rate."

"I told you I'd keep you comfortable."

"I never doubted you. That's why I came to you, specifically."

"I saw that," smirked Pyre. "You came twice."

"Don't be gross," chuckled shining, pushing back with his hoof. "Anyway, the nap you suggested was great."

"No scary dreams, ironically or otherwise?"

Shining shook his head. "But, uh..." he gestured down to the pool of semen they'd left. "Is that going to wash out nicely?"

"Of course," scoffed Pyre. "The number of ponies I've brought back here to do this have left behind so many fluids, and it all just disappears in the wash. This isn't my first romp."

Pyre picked himself up and walked over to the "kitchen." The pear he'd pulled out earlier, he tossed to Shining, and grabbed a pomegranate for himself. "Have something to eat. It's a few days old, but should still taste fine."

Shining bit into the pear. He knew it was just a pear, but he also knew that the natural sugars would energize him. They would act as electrolytes, and the juice would help rehydrate him, which he needed right now. "This is delicious."

Pyre scoffed and emptied his pomegranate seeds into a bowl. "It's a pear. It has all the flavour of a fresh pear, plucked from a tree, washed and left raw." He took a deep breath. "How do you feel, vis-a-vis the reaming? Any thoughts telling you to do anything else?"

Shining shrugged. "Well, there's one telling me to shower, but otherwise, no."

"Everything feel okay?"

Shining stood up and stretched. "I feel great, actually. Like I said, when I do what it says, I feel good after, just... ashamed. I'm trying to combat that last part, because so far, it hasn't made me do anything inherently wrong. Just things that feel wrong based on what I was led to believe."

"It's hard to break through those thoughts sometimes," nodded Pyre. "Still, even though I grew up hearing about all of this being wrong, all it took to change my mind was a bully ripping down one of my friends. I decided then that this is a good hill to die on, and even if it kills me, I will hold this position for all the ponies that can't hold this position, but need it. I may not do it myself, but I'll support anypony else's right to suck my dick. Stallions, mares, even the odd gryphon. Beak's a little chilling, but sure, they can do their best."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I'm a selfish arse. But I'm honest about it."

"That you are..." Shining took a deep breath. "Hey, can I ask you for a favour?"

Shining returned to the castle, late for dinner. One of the guards directed him toward a dining room where Luna and Cadance were waiting for him. "So sorry," he huffed, sitting down. "I was rushing all over town trying to organize something important."

Luna nodded knowingly. "Are we to presume that your gift shall come tonight, then?"

"It took some convincing, but yeah." He turned to Cadance and took her hoof. "Cady, I have something I need to tell you after dinner, before we go to bed. It's very important."

Cadance nodded. "There's something I need to say to you, as well."

Luna rapped her hoof on the table. "While we appreciate the apologetic mood, perhaps it is best if we were to have Prince Shining Armor begin this one."

Shining looked at Luna. "I'm not ready yet."

Luna nodded. "We are aware. And yet, we are also aware of what the apologies entail. If Princess Mi Amore Cadenza were to speak first, we are not sure if all would be well."

Luna knew full well what Shining had planned for tonight. Knowing what he'd prepared, she did not wish to ruin what was meant to be a pleasant evening, not for Cadance, and not just for Shining, but for the other ponies he'd brought in. Shining had been working on tonight's fun for over a week, and it was a task that would take a regular stallion at least a month. Granted, he had help, but she was not going to let that effort go to waste, even if it was undeserved.

"Well, I... I guess we should eat, then," shrugged Shining. "How'd your investigation go, Luna?"

Wordlessly, Luna levitated onto the table a glass jar with a few grey clumps in it. Some of them had rubbed against each other and left an ashy dust at the bottom.

"What's that?"

Luna scooped a miniscule amount onto a spoon. "Taste this, but do not swallow. Immediately rinse out your mouth with water."

Shining did as he was told, spitting the foul powder into a spare glass. "That's the stuff, alright."

"Typically, this mixture is cut with ordinary, run-of-the-mill sugar, and then encapsulated. It is an uncommon, but still fairly often used mixture that can slip suggestions into dreams. It is a very risky operation, but trained psychologists are able to plant ideas in the minds of their patients to inspire empathy, alter perspectives or, in some malicious cases, force them to their will. The actual medication is heavily regulated, of course, but it is possible to synthesize a bootleg version of it. This is the bootlegged version. It tastes awful, is slightly less effective, is usually mixed better than this and comes with an extra side effect."

Shining swallowed hard after rinsing his mouth profusely and scrubbing his tongue with a towel. "Muscular degradation?"

Luna shook her head. "If the subject desires something in tandem with the suggestions being provided, the concoction will start changing the body's chemistry to make it happen. If their goal is to lose weight, for example, it will reorganize their body chemistry to increase their metabolic rate." She snorted. "Had we known in advance, we never would have agreed to your plan. We thought it was a spell, an enchantment, or some malicious being with access to dreamwalking as we had. We did not anticipate this exact scenario. For our part in making this worse, we profusely apologize."

Shining took a deep breath. This was a lot to take in. "So, what can we do about it?"

Luna smiled. "Thankfully, there's little to actually do. While you did end up taking far more than you should have, due to the imprecise nature of this being unregulated, all that must happen now is for the psychological aspects to wear off on their own. We cannot say how long that will be, but they will begin to diminish shortly, as long as you don't ingest any more of this, and we have seen to that."

Shining looked down at his body. "And the physical changes?"

"You are no less healthy than you were. If you feel that you are not..." Luna smirked, "We believe you have installed a gymnasium. We have faith in you."

Chapter the Thirty-First: Shining's Apology

Luna explained the intricacies of the compound; how it was made, how it was supposed to be made, how the proper compound was kept locked away, how ponies that were caught abusing it were typically punished, everything Shining wanted to know aside from who had been doing this and why.

"Can't you at least make a guess?" he asked, starting in on his cheesecake.

Luna shook her head. "We could, but our focus has shifted. Rather than finding the guilty party, we are content with being able to prevent further damages. We have set up systems within your guards that should target this bootleg drug, as well as the real one and any similar setups. You should be safe."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

Luna put down her fork. "Prince Shining Armor, we have full faith that your guards will work to protect you now that they are familiar with the threat. If the pony responsible tries this again, Not only will you be able to identify the taste, but they'll be able to identify who brought it in, for what purpose, where and when it was created. They will report to you, the victim, and they will report to us, the expert. Rest assured that this will not happen again without both of us knowing exactly who is to blame."

Cadance swallowed hard. Luna already knew who was at fault this time, and Shining would know soon enough. If somepony else was to blame next time, she'd have to join in on the investigation and prove that she wasn't involved. It would be an uphill battle, and to that end, she had a vested interest in ensuring that those standards were upheld.

After dinner, they all returned to their rooms, with Shining stopping Cadance outside of theirs. Luna had made it clear to Cadance that she wasn't leaving until Shining knew the truth, and that if Cadance didn't tell him, she would. Nevertheless, Luna's request that Cadance wait until after Shining had finished his would be upheld.

"Cady, there's something important I have to say, and I've been trying to come up with the best way to say it. I didn't want to say it with just my words, because actions are more important. After my staunch resistance to it, I've finally taken steps to open up my heart. I truly am sorry about the way I acted, the things I said and the twisted things I used to believe. The help I've received from this would not have been nearly as effective if I hadn't truly meant it when I said "I want to be better.""

"And I believe you do," answered Cadance.

"That's why it took me so long to put this together," continued Shining. "It's not enough to say that I want to be better, nor is it enough to say that I am better. It will never be enough until I can prove that I'm a better pony than I was. In effect, I've been so resistant to the change that I've damaged a few relationships, but I've been working on repairing them. Cady, If you'd step into the room..."

Cadance put her hoof on the handle and took a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect, only that it was supposed to be big. As the door swung open, she was met with two guards, a masseur, and a waiter in a skirt.

"Shiny, what's going on here...?"

Shining stepped forward with a big smile on his face. "Cady, you have always wanted to expand our orgies. You're always pushing me to try new things, and out of all the things I've pushed back on, there's only one that I did out of ignorance. It's also the only one that I've ever stood in support of once that ignorance was diminished. Now, it is entirely gone, and I have these four wonderful stallions to thank for my change of heart." He turned to them and smiled. "Thank you all for your help. I could not have done this without you."

"Oh, yes, you could have," smirked Pyre. "But it's a lot easier with help; I'll give you that."

"Honestly, I can't tell how much help I really was," blushed Diamond. "I don't know if I deserve the same praise as these other three..."

"You helped," assured Cinnamon. "Not as much as I did, obviously, but if you didn't, you wouldn't be here. Unless you're calling the prince a liar, and that's a bad idea..."

"Oh, hush, you," scolded Mustard. "Tonight's not about you, so stop tooting your own horn."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll toot it for you," snorted Pyre.

Before Cinnamon could ask what he meant, Pyre reached over and grabbed Cinnamon's flank, giving it a firm squeeze. Much like a horn, Cinnamon squeaked and contorted. "What was that for?"

"You wanted to be the center of attention," chuckled Pyre. "All eyes are on you, now."

Cinnamon's face turned bright red and he shrank down. Diamond couldn't help but giggle at the exchange. If nothing else, he felt more comfortable knowing that the focus wasn't going to be on him, but on somepony else. He'd still do what he could to guarantee a nice time, but he still felt that he hadn't contributed much, and didn't want to be mocked for being such a small influence.

"So, what do you say, Cady?" smiled Shining. "Do you still want to have a fun night in?"

Cadance took a deep breath. This was exactly what she had wanted. This was the whole point of what she'd been trying to accomplish. Shining had put it together, despite her botching the entire process. Not only had she mixed the components poorly, as Luna had pointed out at dinner, but she'd ended up overdosing her husband by a wide margin. After all of that, he had still taken the time and effort to not only push past his personal gripes, but to set up a whole thing for her, bigger and better than she'd asked for.

"Shiny, I..." she couldn't find the words. She closed her mouth and shook her head. "I don't know if..."

After a long pause, Pyre stepped forward. "Looks like she needs to see how much fun it's going to be. Let's go, boys!" He pushed Shining onto the bed and climbed on top of him. "Let's give her a preview!"

Chapter the Thirty-Second: Beautiful and Wonderful

Shining landed squarely on his back in the middle of the bed. It was a soft bed, to be sure, but he still landed pretty hard. Hard enough to bounce and land in position the second time. He wasn't accustomed to being tossed like that, but no matter. He was in good company.

Pyre climbed onto the bed right behind him, pushing his legs forward. Cinnamon immediately straddled Shining's chest, draping his tail over Shining's shoulder. Mustard tossed him the oil, and Cinnamon immediately set to work preparing Shining's arse.

"Did your butt grow in size since your last massage?" Cinnamon asked, squeezing and rubbing the bubbly addition. "I don't remember you being this tasty."

"It's a recent change," answered Pyre. "I've been tracking his body shape for almost a year now."

Mustard scrunched up his face. "Why?"

Pyre shrugged. "So I can make recommendations for his workouts? It's literally my job to keep you in shape; I can do the same for him."

"So you could have told us his butt was gonna look this inviting?"

"No, this was sudden. But I could have helped him do it earlier if he'd asked."

"Does it really matter when?" interjected Diamond, shifting Shining's balls gently to the side and tying up his tail so as not to be in the way. "He has now the tastiest arse in the room. Can't we just appreciate how lovely it is?" He leaned in and gave it a kiss. "It's a magnificent butt, your highness, and you should be proud of it."

"That's what I keep telling him," replied Pyre, smacking his shaft against it. Immediately, Cinnamon and Diamond's eyes were drawn to the absolute beast of a cock in front of them. Cinnamon even started to drool.

Alas, it was Diamond who took hold of it with his hooves and lubed it up. Cinnamon already had his hooves all over Shining's arse, and this was Diamond's specialty.

As Mustard came over to sit behind Cinnamon and help keep him focus on Shining's arse, he did not expect Shining to pay him tribute right away. And yet, as he hovered over Shining's mouth, he found that his balls were suddenly very warm, very moist, and moving more than expected. Shining had leaned up, sucked the dangling orbs into his maw, and was running his tongue all over everything.

After a few minutes that seemed way too short when they were over, Diamond guided Pyre's monster into Shining's arse. Everypony, even Cadance, watched as it began to disappear, centimetre by enthralling centimetre, until every decimetre was nestled snugly inside.

"Sweet mother of Celestia," breathed Cinnamon.

Mustard placed his hoof on Shining's abdomen to feel its mass. The length, the girth; it was beautiful, even to him; a top. He was more about sticking his dick into holes than having one enter him, but this was something else. Still, it was within his wheelhouse to be proud of an outstretched abdominal bulge, and this was one of the finest he'd ever seen. His biggest regret was not having been the one to do it.

To that end, he pulled back. It was time to make a bulge of his own. Down into Shining's throat he went, sliding in far more easily than last time. He made sure Shining's hooves were free in the event that something went wrong, of course, but it was time for him to show that he, too, could create a protrusion in the prince.

Shining was practically a professional this time, swallowing the whole thing with little issue. The poison that had shifted his body had made it way easier. He had wanted to accept cock, and now he could. He could do without the thinner chest and shoulders, but if sucking cock was this much easier, he certainly couldn't complain. He thought it had been easy enough when he was gagging, but now, he could even breathe through his nose. There was no need to come up for air anymore.

As both of them began to spit roast Shining Armor, Cinnamon wrapped his hoof around the topside of Shining's firm member and rubbed the underside against his own. Cinnamon could be, but wasn't the most enthusiastic about being, inside of other stallions. He much preferred having them inside of him. Even so, he was never one to turn down a good frotting. In addition to feeling a cock pressing against him, there was a strong, muscular, if not big, chest beneath his buttocks, and a thick, powerful, veiny monster in front of him. He could not ask for a better position.

Diamond took a step back. He didn't want to intrude on this, but he didn't see a place where he could fit in. He considered leaving, but didn't want to cause an incident by turning down such an invitation as this. After all, he was already here, but he still didn't know what to do with himself.

"Hey," called Pyre, looking right at him. "You in the skirt. Are you feeling left out?"

Slowly, Diamond issued forth a shallow nod.

"Come here, then."

Diamond did as he was told, approaching gingerly. Pyre stopped, leaned down, and whispered something to him. Immediately, Diamond shook his head, then Pyre whispered something else, which garnered a nod, and then another statement, which resulted in a second nod.

"Okay, gents, let's rearrange."

Pyre reorganized all of the bedspread until Shining, sitting in the center, had his hips elevated not by Pyre's hooves, but by a stack of pillows. Pyre had dropped down to his knees behind him, lifting Shining's cock up so that Cinnamon could ride it. On the other end, Shining was once more holding a pair of balls in his mouth, Diamond-flavoured this time. Cinnamon's cock was now in Diamond's mouth, and Mustard was situated quite firmly behind Diamond, his balls slapping against Shining's nose with every push.

"Everypony comfortable?" asked Pyre. "Shining, Cinnamon, Diamond, Mustard? All four of you good?"

Nods and grunts of approval and agreement came from each of them.

"Well, you don't need me to tell you what to do. Dig in!"

Chapter the Thirty-Third: Shining's Happiest Night

Shining rolled onto his back and grabbed his ankles. After the fivesome had broken in two, he'd paired with just Diamond while Pyre gave Cinnamon something more useful to do with his mouth. Mustard had followed them, to make sure Cinnamon behaved himself, knowing that a few slaps to the arse would settle him down if he was being a little too saucy.

But now he had to shift, because Pyre had Cinnamon firmly under control, and Mustard was making his way back over to the others. He had to give him a place to be, as he didn't want his guests to miss out.

To has surprise, though, Mustard picked him up to his knees, guiding his head forward. Likewise, he had Diamond kneel on the other side, and while Shining sucked him off, Diamond was more than happy to lick his arsehole.

"I've been thinking," huffed Mustard, drawing Shining's attention. "You and Cinn... You look like you enjoy bottoming. Perhaps it's not so bad as I thought."

Diamond pulled his tongue out of Mustard's arsehole. "It's really fun. It hurts at first, though, so be careful. Ease into it."

Shining pulled back. "I dove in just fine."

"Exceptions exist," argued Diamond. "I'm just saying, it can be scary, but fun."

"Scary butt fun aside," breathed Mustard, "I think Shining was pretty brave to try something new. Maybe I should, too. If the prince thinks it's a good idea, it probably is."

Shining smiled as broadly as he could with a full mouth. At several points during the past week and a half, he'd questioned whether or not he was doing the right thing. He was pretty sure he'd only told Pyre and Luna about this worry, but to him, this sounded like a confirmation that he was doing the right thing.

Meanwhile, Cadance's stomach was twisted into knots at the thought. If, instead of prince, he'd said princess, then it would seem as though she'd done the right thing. True, she'd done her best to keep this all under wraps, and only the kitchen staff had any indication, miniscule as it was, but if news of her actions had spread beyond that, would little colts and fillies try to emulate her actions? Just when she thought she couldn't feel worse...

Pyre picked up his pace, gripping Cinnamon by the mane and shoving him down as far as he could go. Cinnamon, in turn, choked down as much as he could, and maybe a little bit more, as the overflow shot out of his nose. Even as Pyre let go, Cinnamon's hooves wrapped around his hips and pulled tighter. He wasn't about to let go.

Panting and satisfied, Pyre flopped onto the bed, his length turning flaccid and slowly shrinking down. He was finished for the night. He was big, to be sure, but this had been his third round today, and he was drained, in more ways than one. Nevertheless, Cinnamon lay across his thigh and licked him clean, as he was wont to do as they watched the other three.

They'd shifted again, with Diamond in the middle, bouncing back and forth between Shining up front and Mustard behind. Every thrust sent ripples back and forth through Diamond, and his cock flopped back and forth beneath his skirt. As much as he'd denied enjoying the act in contrast to the finishing blow, he was certainly enjoying himself here.

Just as that was drawing to a close, Mustard pulled out and came around to the other side, holding himself on the edge. He kept himself there for a moment, until Diamond could pull off and open his mouth, sticking out his tongue to catch as much of Mustard's seed as he could. Thick, white bursts draped over his face, with the last of it being sucked up from the underside as soon as Diamond could lean forward. He showed his mouth full of the stuff, closed his lips, and then opened them again to show that he appreciated the gift.

After, he went back to Shining, as he was the last one on the bed to be satisfied. He wasn't moving quickly, savouring this moment for as long as it would last. Diamond was a sensitive soul, even if his body was durable, and the tenderness of one-on-one after the frenetic fantasy was where he shined brightest. Even if it was a slower stroke for Shining, he was able to feel every single movement, from the soft, pillowy lips to the smooth wrapping of his tongue. While it felt like less than a minute, it was closer to five, with time seeming to cease existing for how unimportant it was to either of them. It was a moment of joy that did not grow weary, but just faded away as its time came, leaving behind its pleasant tone.

Having exhausted themselves, the group fell asleep. Pyre, of course, was the biggest pillow, and Cinnamon and Mustard spooned on his chest, his hoof as their blanket. Diamond snuggled up between his legs, and Shining sat in the middle, curled up with his head on Pyre's abs. No need tonight for a blanket, or even a sheet, as they drew on each others' warmth and comfort.

Cadance wanted to join them, but something stayed her hooves. It was the same magic that enshrouded her, making the boys almost forget that she was there. This was Luna's doing, she knew. It kept her from joining in on the fun. It was just as well, as she hadn't made up for what she'd done, and this had been a big step for Shining to take. In fact, she wondered if it wasn't all due to her concoction. Somewhere in Shining, this desire existed for real.

She turned to the couch and found a spot where she could curl up away from the pile. She would tell Shining everything tomorrow morning. She would whisk him away from the others, take a moment of privacy with her husband, and come clean for all that she had done.

And to add everything up, knowing what she knew now, Luna had recreated the same dream she had placed Shining into, but from Cadance's perspective. Where Shining had been, he was now, a faceless stallion had commandeered the autonomous body, And Cadance was made to watch the whole thing, silently rubbing herself against her will.

Chapter the Thirty-Fourth: Fallout

When Luna awoke the next morning, she felt awful. She knew it had to be done, and she knew that her hoof was more practised and more careful that Cadance's. Shining had had the same dream again, but with the added caveat that his hooves were unbound, and he could wrap them around the automaton's neck. She had the capacity to change more, and did away with the whips in favour of spanking, but unlike reality, she did not shroud Cadance in shadow. She had watched the entire event, and Cadance hadn't said a word to Shining. Best not to cause any undue strife, and wait for the better opportunity she knew was coming.

She didn't have to wait long. Before she'd even climbed out of bed, she heard a door slam, and stomping hooves. She knew somepony was mad, and she had to step in. She bolted to the door and poked her head out. Shining was apoplectic.

"Prince Shining Armor!" she called.

"Not now," he growled.

"We know what was said! Come, speak with us!"

Shining turned and glared at Luna. "You knew?!"

"It was we who demanded that you hear. Come, speak with us."

With a snarl, Shining begrudgingly walked into her room, and she closed the door. "How long have you known?" was Shining's first question.

"We found out yesterday at lunch. We demanded she tell you as soon as we find out. Had she not told you in two more days, we would have."

Shining glared up at her. "That would have hurt worse!"

"We know. That's why we wanted to have her tell you, instead."

Shining lowered his head. "I can't thank you. Not for this."

"We take no pleasure in it," replied Luna. "Unfortunately, there is little time to recover. We need to decide right now what happens here. Calm your heart, Prince Shining Armor, and think of your citizens."

Shining took a deep breath. "I won't abandon them. But perhaps it's best if I don't stay here."

Luna shook her head. "As foul a taste as it leaves in our mouth, we have been thinking on this for all of yesterday. This is not a problem with an easy solution. Were you to annul your vows, and end up separated, your status as "Prince Shining Armor" would also be annulled. You would once more be "Captain Shining Armor," or at best, "Lieutenant Colonel Shining Armor." We recommend you stay together, on paper, anyway. We would ask that you continue to protect the Crystal Empire."

Shining swallowed hard. "I couldn't even protect myself. How am I supposed to protect the empire on my own?"

"We did not say you had to be alone."

Shining glanced up. "You're not seriously suggesting I sit next to her and pretend everything's fine?!"

"Of course not!" scoffed Luna. "That would be ridiculously foolish at this stage!" She took a deep breath. "Find your most trusted advisor. Who is that?"

Shining shrugged. "It was my wife."

"Who is next?"

"Twilight?"

"Somepony who can be here."

"General Exact."

Luna nodded. "He shall be your right hoof."

"She," corrected Shining.

"We offer our apologies," bowed Luna. "We have not met her personally. Nevertheless, she shall be your right hoof. You, Prince Shining Armor, are the new interim regent for the Crystal Empire."

Shining's jaw dropped "You can't mean..."

"We do," nodded Luna. "Temporarily, Cadance shall be stripped of her right to rule, and her power shall be diminished artificially. We still must take her to trial, but with her admission and cooperation, it will be much easier to solve the issue of assigning guilt."

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Are you concerned for her safety?"

Shining nodded. "Look, I still love her, despite all of this. I'm not condoning her actions, but I'm not condemning her. She told me her plan, and it had good intentions!"

"There is a road carving its way through Tartauros that is entirely paved with those," spat Luna. "You said to her last night that actions are better at speaking than words. Let her actions speak."

"Actions are meaningless if not tempered by intent. We don't sentence tresspassers who tried and failed to save a foal from drowning." He took a deep breath. "Just don't hurt her, okay? I don't feel like it now, but eventually, I want to feel like I have the option to forgive her."

Luna sighed. "You know that means she'll return to power eventually?"

Shining nodded. "I'm not pretending that this is a good thing. I'm not pretending that it doesn't hurt. But as far as the citizens are concerned, her time away is... Some kind of learning experience. You had to take her back to Canterlot to discuss something, and she's staying there while you both try to solve the problem."

Luna sighed. "You know how much we hate lying..."

Slowly, Shining nodded. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Don't lie to Celestia, and don't lie to Twilight, but keep this from damaging the hearts of the crystal ponies. Don't heave my pain onto them..."

Luna took a deep breath. "Your words strike us deep, Prince Shining Armor. And yet, we find ourselves compelled to honor your request. Not for her sake, but for the sake of our subjects."

"Thank you," breathed Shining. "And also, thank you for bringing me in here. I think this may have been the healthiest way to calm down."

Luna smiled and placed a wing on his shoulder. "Perhaps we did not always believe in you, Prince Shining Armor, but you have shown us that we should have. You have more than earned our trust, and we will do what we can to make this easier for you." She looked up at the door. "Your friends from last night are standing by to help you, as well."

Shining followed her gaze to the door. It was still closed and locked, but perhaps her look was more of a gesture. Perhaps it was asking a bit too much to have them standing there. Still, they were a reliable sort. If they'd helped him out of this jam, they'd probably be willing to help him out of another. He could only hope that he wouldn't need to ask.

Chapter the Thirty-Fifth: Patina

Shining pounced onto Periwinkle Panache, pinning her to the bed, digging through her mouth with his tongue. "You, madame, have been a tease all night."

"Is that so?" she smirked up at him. "Are you going to correct me?"

"I do think some spanking is in order," he chuckled back. "I think I'll have your husband do it, though."

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he rolled over so she was on top. Her husband, Honeydew Melon, was already walking over when Shining offered him a table tennis paddle. He hesitantly accepted the offer and started swatting, with a little bit of guidance from Shing to make sure it was pleasant for all three of them.

As Shining watched from below, he thought about these past three months without Cadance. He'd spoken the truth at her private trial, and Luna had backed him up with evidence. Cadance had even admitted her guilt in the matter. Celestia had suggested stripping Cadance of her right to rule entirely, and Twilight had refused to pass judgement one way or the other. She could either side with Shining and hurt Cadance, or side with Cadance and hurt Shining, and she didn't want to have any say in damaging either side.

It had come down to Luna's choice, with Shining's partial vote being the deciding factor. She would be sent to one of the many safehouses that dotted Equestria, along with a team of guards and a behavioural psychiatrist that was licensed to work with the real stuff. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to use it, but for the time being, she wasn't to come to harm. Not her body, not her mind, and not her reputation. They'd meet up again after six months of separation to make another judgement.

"I think that's enough," huffed Shining, reaching back and squeezing Periwinkle's arse. "Should be nice and tender now."

"Very," panted Periwinkle.

Shining took her by the shoulders, rolling her over onto her back. Holding her down against his chest, he reached down between her legs and smeared lube over everything. Every single nook and cranny was massaged by the firm rubbing of his hoof. To help with this, his cock came up, rubbing around her velvet folds before moving down to coat her arsehole.

"Do you like that?" asked Shining. "Does it make you quiver with excitement, being held down by a stallion who's not your husband, right in front of your husband?"

She didn't answer. She didn't need to. A small moan escaping her lips was enough to tell them both everything.

"I thought so." Shining placed his tip against her arsehole and pushed his way in, slowly stretching her out as he went. "Relax," he whispered into her ear. "A real stallion is going to show you how great you can feel."

She nodded and looked right at her husband, who looked back and forth between the two of them. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in response to that.

Shining had expected one of two responses, but staying back was neither of them. Still, he had to do something, so he opted for plan B. He started to buck his hips, slowly at first, but picking up speed as time went on. It was mere minutes before the sound of his balls slapping against her pussy and then back against his taint in an endless cycle filled the room.

Seeing his wife being taken so completely like this stirred something within Honeydew, and soon, his instincts took over. He tackled them, pushing his way firmly into her sopping pussy. Unlike Shining, he didn't work his way up, he just started drilling. Luckily, she was well-lubricated and ready to accept him.

Shining smiled. Despite some setbacks, they were back to the plan. One of the two plans, anyway. He was still sure he could do both, but for now, he just matched pace to ensure that none of their testicles smacked against each other. It wasn't because of the connotations, it's just that, at these speeds, it would hurt a lot if they collided going in opposite directions.

Shining held the mare firmly in place. It wouldn't do to have her sliding off the edge of the bed. "Tell her," he huffed, leering at Honeydew.

"I love you," he panted, kissing her. "I... I want you to be mine!"

"I want to be yours," she moaned. "But you never take me!"

"I will," he promised. "I'm so afraid, though..."

"Of what?!"

"You know..." He began to slow down.

"Say it," demanded Shining. "Tell her!"

He choked. He couldn't say it.

"You're more than enough stallion for me," she said, pulling him down for a kiss. Now, breed me like the big, strong stallion you are!"

With a good bit of thrusting, assisted by Shining's magic encouraging him, Honeydew came hard, or at least grunted like he had. As he pulled out, Shining could see the swelling, as well as the pitiful dribble that barely oozed out of the tip. He grabbed it with his hoof, trying to coax it all out, but there was nothing for it. Honeydew was still clogged and sterile.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Shining switched holes, pumping his hips as fast as he could until he came inside of Periwinkle, filling her womb to the state of overflowing before pulling out.

"Oh, look at that," he said, pointing to her dripping crotch. "Your effort to be better for her has resulted in you putting a baby in her. I guess that narrow urethra is fixed, huh?"

Honeydew hid his face. He knew Shining was trying to help, but this felt like it was cheating. They'd wanted a child for so long, but with him unable to conceive, he'd lost his confidence. Shining had tried to light a fire under him, and had ignited a spark, but it'd gone out. Still, points for trying.

"It's not really mine," Honeydew sighed. "Look, thanks for trying, but I think I'm just going to crash on your couch..."

"Out of the question," answered Shining. "You made a vow to do what's best for your wife." He stood up and grabbed Honeydew's shoulder. "You said you wanted her? Climb up on that bed and take her. Your love is not going to die today."

Honeydew took a step forward, his hooves shaking. He had to be brave.

As the second round began, this time just the two of them, Shining took a step back and sat down, gently stroking himself. He knew he wasn't the best at this, and wished he had a second opinion to help him along, but he was doing the best he could with a warped perspective. A part of him wished Cadance was here, as she was always better at this sort of thing, but he still wasn't ready to forgive her yet. He'd have to keep trying until he found something that worked, or keep failing until he was out of ideas.

Chapter the Thirty-Sixth: Shining Once More

As Shining walked his guests out of the castle the following morning, he remembered that it was once again time for the uniform inspection. He'd not had any incidents since the day everypony was chuckling at his arse. But he didn't want to go down there today. He'd been up half the night trying everything he could to reignite the spark in his guests' marriage, and he didn't know if he'd done too much, or not enough. He only knew that he'd not succeeded. Regardless, he was exhausted.

Still, he had to do it. A splash of cold water on his face and a good shake pulled him out of his stupor, and he made his way down to the barracks. He was early, still having twenty minutes or so, so he stopped off at Mustard's table.

"Cards, sir?"

Shining nodded, and was dealt a seven of clubs and an eight of hearts. With a few chips that had no monetary value, he played.

"You feelin' okay?" asked Mustard, working his way around the table. "You look a little tired."

"Didn't sleep much last night," answered Shining.

"Need a nap?" Mustard asked, burning a card and playing a flop of two eights of clubs and diamonds, and the seven of spades.

"A nap would be wonderful," Shining chuckled. "But I have a meeting at noon, another at two, and then at four, I have to attend a banquet. I don't have time for a nap today."

Mustard nodded. "When does that banquet end?"

"About eight. I can sleep then." Shining raised to triple his bet. everypony else matched, except two who folded.

Mustard fell silent and pursed his lips. Shining didn't know if he was thinking about his cards, or his situation, but eventually, he matched the bet. "There has to be something we can do to help you," he said, burning another card. The turn was the two of spades.

"I wish there was," answered Shining, checking. "Unfortunately, this is just one of those times where I'll have to deal with it and move on. Nopony said this would be easy."

Checks around the table. The river was the two of diamonds. Shining checked again.

"I'm not going to sit idly by and let you wear yourself down," Mustard sighed. "If I win this deal, I'm ordering you to take a nap."

Shining scoffed. "Since when do you give me orders?"

"I don't. You need this, though. I'm making that part of my bet. If you don't like it, fold."

"Somepony has to do uniform inspection," argued Shining.

"I'll do it."

Shining thought about it for a moment. Anypony could do the uniform inspection; the outlines were published in a small book in a sleeve at the front of the room next to the door. Even the basic list could fit on a large card. The only reason that Shining didn't let somepony else do it was because he wanted to be absolutely certain, and also because it was one of the few guard-related things he was still able to do. Even sparring was out of the question. It was nice to feel like a protector again.

"Okay," sighed Shining. "If you win this deal, I'll go take a nap." He checked. "After the game."

When it rolled around to Mustard's turn, he pushed his chips into the pot. "All in."

Shining chuckled. "Seriously?" He matched. Everypony else folded. "Knocking yourself out of the game won't stop it."

Mustard shook his head. "You're going to bed, sir."

"Then you'd better beat a full house." With two sevens and three eights, Shining leaned back and folded his hooves. "That's not an easy hoof to beat."

"I know," answered Mustard, lying down a pair of twos. "But four of a kind will." He pulled in all of the chips. "Go to bed, sir. I will make sure this is dealt with properly."

The nap didn't do much. It was almost worse, having glimpsed sleep only to be torn away from it. He was groggy through his meetings and the banquet was upsettingly long, with less food than he'd like. He was very cranky, and unable to vent any of that through his fake smile. At least his bed was waiting for him.

Or so he thought. As he stepped through the door, Mustard was waiting for him. "Good evening, my prince. Did the banquet go well?"

"No," sighed Shining, letting his façade fall as he trudged toward the bed, which had the canopy closed for some reason. "The food was good, but such small portions. And with all eyes on me, I can't sneak off with extras..."

Mustard smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Shining looked up. "What?"

Mustard backtracked a bit. "Okay, I know how that sounds, but hear me out: Cinnamon is now officially licensed, and I brought him here to help relieve some of your stress so you can sleep better. More stress means he has a better chance of lifting your spirits."

Shining sighed. "I don't know, maybe I should just go to bed."

"Oh, stop whining and lie down," called Cinnamon, opening up the canopy a bit. "I'm ready for you in here, so climb in and lie down. If you fall asleep, you'll just wake up more refreshed in the morning, anyway."

Shining sighed, and then let out a loud burst of laughter. "Okay, okay, you win..." He climbed in and lay down on his stomach, discarding his tailored outfit.

Cinnamon sat down on his butt and wiggled around. "I'm never going to stop being amazed with how comfortable your arse is. You can sit just about anywhere and be comfortable." As he started rubbing some oil on Shining's back, he chuckled. "You know, now that I have a license, I'm allowed to start charging for my services. I mean, you can have a discount, obviously, and some freebies from time to time, but what I bring it up for is that I can have my license revoked for sexually harassing the customers. What I'm trying to say is, no more hinting at happy endings. You have to explicitly request them now."

"If I ask you for a happy ending, will your fiancé join the fun, too?" joked Shining.

"If you like," answered Mustard.

Shining raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected that, entirely. "Okay, then. You two should sleep here, tonight. Bed's big enough..."

Chapter the Thirty-Seventh: Long Road Ahead

Cadance pulled herself out of bed and flopped onto the floor. Her regalia sat in a magically sealed glass case on the other side of the room to remind her of what she used to be, and of what she must strive to be once more.

She shook her head. Luna had stopped protecting her dreams when she'd settled in, as an additional punishment. She was still monitoring them, checking to make sure it was all going well. She had made it clear at the hearing that her decision as to whether Cadance would be allowed to return to her throne would be based not on testimony, but on evidence. That is, the doctor watching her had to file a report, and Luna would be basing her decision on that.

Furthermore, the doctor was happily married and monogamous. She couldn't seduce him to accent the report in her favour. It meant that she actually had to make progress. But that was okay. She wanted to be better. She hadn't meant to cause harm to Shining Armor, and she would gladly take it back if she could.

A knock at the door caused her to remember why she'd pulled herself from bed in the first place. She quickly brushed her mane and tail, and left the room. Immediately, a guard started following her, having been waiting outside the door.

"Good morning, Private Information. How are you? Sleep well?"

"Sure."

"Oh, come on, you can tell me..."

"Indeed I can."

"Did you have any dreams?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What were they about?"

"Dreamy stuff."

Cadance chuckled. One of these days, he'd stop dodging her questions and just answer one, but for now, the chase was the most exciting part of her day. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Food."

"What kind of food?"

"Edible."

"What's it called?"

"Breakfast."

It's not like the name of breakfast was that hard to figure out. The kitchen was right down the hall, and she could already smell the eggs and grits. She knew the answer, but bothering this curmudgeon was the most fun she could have inside the cabin.

She walked into the kitchen, where her plate was waiting for her. "Morning," uttered Doctor Heart, barely glancing up. "Sleep well?"

"No, I made a few mistakes," joked Cadance.

"I'll tell Luna to take a closer look, then..."

"No," sighed Cadance. "I slept fine."

"Then perhaps you should say as much. Your breakfast is ready."

Cadance sat down at the table and ate with some of the guards. As much as this was supposed to be a punishment for her, it was still a cozy little cabin with a good view from the windows. She was even allowed outside to tend to the flowers. Shining always loved lupine. The many different colours, the tall, spiked crown... Sure, he couldn't eat them, but they were beautiful to look at.

After breakfast, Cadance washed her dishes and moved to the living room. The doctor was waiting for her, and closed his book as she approached. "You are ready, then?"

Cadance flopped down on the couch. "Yeah, let's do this."

The doctor set aside his book and opened his clipboard. "You have three hours. Now, yesterday, we left off with your friends telling you that this was a good idea. Let's continue from there."

"...So that's where I was able to pick up the grum eggs."

Doctor Heart jotted that down. "Dragons tend to be pretty resourceful. Even moreso, given that grums tend to like cold environments, a dragon who breathes fire would be a good candidate." He glanced up at the clock. "Let's call it there for today. I'm going to go compile this and start lunch." He flipped the cover of his clipboard closed and stood up, walking into his office.

Cadance just lay there on the couch for a bit. She knew there were multiple reasons she was being made to talk about everything that happened over and over. This was the third time she'd gone over the events from the beginning. Every time she admitted it, she felt worse, and that was one of the reasons. Comparing the stories was another reason, as the truth would be consistent, whereas a lie would not. Humility and honesty would win the day for her, that she knew, but reliving the events over and over was just making her more stressed. Although, perhaps that was just another point.

She rolled off the couch and walked outside, her guard escort following close behind. The cabin was half-buried in a hillside, with a hefty garden on the roof. It was a bit of a slope going up, but it wasn't a long walk.

Aside from the Lupine, she was also tending to a few vegetables up here. The cabbage was coming along nicely, and the radishes were ready to pull up. The peppers weren't doing too well, but considering her lack of experience, having any of this growing properly was an achievement.

She still had the power of flight, as her wings were unbound. She'd even flown up into a tree a few times to sit in the branches. She had the ability to fly away, and probably even return to the Crystal Empire. But she wasn't that desperate yet. It would still be a few months before her next hearing, and her hope was that she'd be released. She was trying to cooperate, after all.

Then again, with very little out here to occupy her time other than the very basic stuff, she'd done quite a bit of thinking. She'd taken the time to look outside of herself at the big picture. Had it been anypony else, she'd have demanded that they spend the entirety of their remaining life in prison for daring to harm her Shining Armor. Six months was nothing, especially with her extended lifespan in comparison to normal ponies.

She clung to the hope that Shining would forgive her. Maybe it wouldn't be swift, maybe she'd have to spend a year or two in here, but she held onto her hope, her fear, and her sorrow. Sorrow for her actions, the hope that she would be forgiven, and the fear that she would not be. It could even be that Shining had moved on, and she would be ruling alone; The princess of love, with love departed. She deserved nothing less.

A greater regret, she could not imagine.