The Prince's Predicament

"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.