The Prince's Predicament

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?"