The Prince's Predicament

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.