The Prince's Predicament 2: The Princess's Predicament

The bell jingled as Shining walked through the front door.

"I'll be right with you!" shouted a voice from the back. "Just a moment!"

Shining stepped forward and took a seat in one of the chairs, humming along to the recording of the piano tune. He didn't have to wait long before the curtain opened, and a familiar face stepped out. "Your highness!" smiled Cinnamon Snap. "Good to see you again!"

"And you, as well," smiled Shining. "I need a private session. Can you take me now, or should I schedule an appointment?"

Cinnamon furrowed his brow. "Didn't your wife come back?"

"She did."

"I can schedule a couples' massage, if you like?"

Shining shook his head. "Maybe later, but right now, I need it to be private."

With a nod, Cinnamon grabbed a small sign and hung it from the door, alerting passers-by to the fact that there was a private session in progress, and that the small parlor would be closed until it was finished. He then locked the door and led Shining into the back, where a large massage table was waiting. "You know the drill."

Shining nodded and climbed up onto the table, lying face-down as Cinnamon began applying the oil. "Thanks for squeezing me in," he smiled, though his expression couldn't be seen.

"Not a problem," chuckled Cinnamon as he began to rub Shining's shoulders. "You're very tense. What's troubling you?"

"Well, as you know, Cadance has been away for awhile..."

"Yeah, she poisoned you, right?"

Shining froze for a moment, then let out a breath. "Mustard told you, huh?"

"No, I was hiding in the bathroom when she told you. Well, I was brushing my teeth when she told you, but when you started fighting about it, I was hiding in the shower. I didn't want to walk through the middle of the room. But I haven't told anyone. I didn't even know that Mustard knew."

"I've been in here a dozen times. Why didn't you mention it?"

"I thought you wanted to keep the reason why she was gone a secret. That's why you told everypony else a different story."

"Even in the private sessions?"

"You wanted to talk about something else. Now you want to talk about your wife being back from wherever she was. I don't know where she was."

Shining sighed. "Well, since you know, I guess I can skip disguising my words. You know how my first time with a stallion was with you and your husband?"

"I do."

"Well, I wasn't remotely gay before that. I enjoyed the company of stallions well enough, but never thought kindly about having sex with one. The thought alone turned me off completely."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

"No, I mean... I was okay with other stallions doing it, just not with me."

"Oh. I suppose that's fine, then. What changed?"

"Well, that's what the poison was," admitted Shining. "It made me crave it."

"So, all of the times that we..." Cinnamon cleared his throat as his hooves moved further down Shining's back. "That was just the poison talking?"

Shining shook his head. "Just at the beginning. Once I'd grown accustomed to it, Once I'd experienced it a few times, I was less upset about it."

"And now it's wearing off, and you are upset by it?"

"If I was, I'd have stopped you before your hooves moved to my butt."

Cinnamon retracted his hooves. "Sorry."

"Nah, go ahead."

Resuming in a more professional manner, Cinnamon cleared his throat. "So, do you know what was holding you back?"

"Fear," answered Shining without hesitation. "The stallion is supposed to provide for his mare and keep her happy. I thought that, if I couldn't make my wife happy, if I couldn't be what she needed, that I was a failure. If she needed another stallion, then I wasn't enough for her."

"I seem to recall you mentioning that at some point, yeah," nodded Cinnamon.

"I know it's not true," sighed Shining. "I was stupider back then."

"Admitting that," shrugged Cinnamon, "shows how much you've grown over time."

"Maybe... it's just one fact that's changed in my head to be correct. That's not a lot of growth, just noting that it's unrealistic to expect one pony to fulfil all of your needs and desires."

"That's true. Mustard may be lovable and strong, but we went bird-watching with my mom a few weeks back, and he can't tell the difference between a robin and a sparrow. I doubt he's even heard of a shrike. If I want to talk about crows and how amazing they are, I need my mom. Sorry, Mustard, but you're not the only pony I love."

"That's true," chuckled Shining. "It's not quite what I meant, but close enough."

Having reached the bottom of Shining's legs, Cinnamon released him, and Shining rolled over onto his back. "So, how do you plan on proceeding, as far as your wife is concerned?" he asked, spreading some oil over Shining's chest. "Are you going to keep hiding what she did?"

"I don't know," answered Shining. "For now, at least. The public doesn't need to know. They never did. Why destroy their view of the princess?"

"I suppose that's true..."

"I'm going to try to work with her for a bit, I guess... See where things go, you know? I'm hurt, sure, but I don't want to throw it all away like it meant nothing to me. Yesterday, I told two different couples that love can hurt sometimes, but if you love your partner, you push through. How can I say that without pushing through, myself?"

"Sounds like you already know what you want to do."

"Yeah..."

"So, why'd you need to talk to me about it?"

Shining chuckled. "I guess hearing it out loud changes things. I don't know why I thought I was confused..."

Cinnamon's hoof wandered down to Shining's balls, gently fondling them. "That's right. A little bit of stress release, talking things out... That's how problems are solved."

Shining chuckled as his penis began to swell at the stimulation. "Is my captain not filling your needs at home?"

"No, he is," answered Cinnamon. "But rubbing all over a hot body like yours has my blood boiling. Besides, it's my job to relieve you of your stress through aggressive rubbing."

"Touché," chuckled Shining. "Alright, climb on up..."