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

After her dinner and a shower, Princess Luna thought about going to the bedroom Shining had prepared for her. She didn't do it, but she thought about it.

Certainly, she could, and presumably, should, start early and make calm the dreams of everypony that was going to bed early, but having been up for so long, she was all but guaranteed to be cranky. She wasn't upset with her subjects, but just because she felt that way didn't mean she would come across that way. Ponies would see her the way she presented herself, not the way she wanted to present herself. It was going to be a long night, and she knew it.

However, there was something else going through her mind. Cadance had said that Shining wanted her. Shining Armour, the great stud of the Crystal Empire, wanted to bed the Princess of the Night.

She knew he deserved some sort of reprieve. He had worked incredibly hard on the Empire, after all. It had never been better, since... She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be worried about that. Now was the time to be worried about the prince. She'd seen the dreams of ponies he'd slept with right after, and they were vivid, powerful, and pleasant. Not always fantasies, per se, but memories of reality being replayed. Every single one of them had been satisfied. Even Ms. Harshwhinny had tried him out once, and her standards, high as they were, were met.

What it came down to, however, was the princess's own needs. She had a few sources from which to draw pleasure, but they were few and far between. While Celestia could have any stud she wanted, and even Twilight had some pull, Luna's options were limited. Granted, she had a lot of exotic options, being one of very few ponies able to handle a dragon, but only when one was around. She needed attention, as much as she was loathe to admit it. Taking Cadance up on her offer, Luna made her way to the royal bedchamber and raised her hoof to knock on the door.

"Princess Luna?"

She turned and looked down the hall. Shining Armor had just come around the corner. "Prince Shining Armor."

"Was there something wrong with your room? I can try to have it fixed."

"No, no, I..." she thought about it for a moment, then changed her mind. "Actually, yes. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak with you about it."

"Certainly."

Luna led Shining back to her room and closed the door. She was giddy on the inside, her hooves almost shaking, but she kept herself composed.

"So, what was wrong?"

Luna cleared her throat. "I wouldn't say it was "wrong," exactly. It was just something I wanted to check, to ensure it was correct."

"Ah." Shining looked around, looking for anything that was out of order. He knew that one of the bedposts was a bit loose, and he'd wanted to repair it a few times, but he'd always had more pressing matters. Still, that's what he checked, first, to ensure that the wedge he'd driven in there as a temporary solution was still there. It was. "So, what needed checking?"

Luna took a deep breath. "Cadance mentioned that you might be interested in having intercourse with me."

Shining froze. He didn't know how to respond to that at first.

"If it's untrue, we can just forget it..."

Shining sighed. "It's not... It's not untrue, per se..."

"So, you do?"

"It's... a bit more complicated than that..."

"Would you care to inform me of the truth, then?"

Shining nodded. "On one condition."

"And that condition is?"

"You promise not to think less of me for it. Also, I guess, there's a second condition that the whole truth stay between us."

"Hiding things from your wife?" chuckled Luna.

"She can know. I just don't want the rest of Equestria thinking about it."

Luna nodded and sat down on the bed, patting the mattress next to her. "Any secret you may have will be safe with me, unless it may do significant harm to other ponies."

Shining came over and sat down. "So, it's not about the sex, per se," he started. "It's not really about the sex at all. We were talking about how I've been helping the needy stallions around me, specifically those who've had little luck in the bedroom. I mentioned that taking them to bed wasn't about making me feel better, but about making them feel better. And by "better," I mean "sexually fulfilled." So, she asked if there was anypony I actually wanted to take to bed, and I said it was you."

"That all sounds about right so far. So, where's the confusion?"

"Well..." he scratched the back of his neck. "It's not really about the intercourse, at all. You've been helping me out a lot these last few years, and I thought it might be nice if you had a bit of a break, you know? Somepony should show you a good time, and I do owe you a lot. So, if there was anypony that I would actually want to take care of..."

"You would pick me," finished Luna. "Not out of want to bed me, but out of desire to give me pleasure."

"Please don't take that the wrong way. I do think you're very attractive, but my desires in regards to you stem from respect and admiration, not from lust."

Luna chuckled. "I'm flattered, actually. I'm not sure why I should be insulted."

"It was never my intention to insult you."

"I honestly don't understand why you asked me to not take that the wrong way. Is there even a wrong way to take that?"

Shining nodded. "I've been informed that saying something similar was rude. I didn't want to be rude to you."

Luna shook her head. "So, is that offer still on the table?"

Shining blushed. "I was going to stop by the barracks and ask about the night shift, and see if any of them needed relief, but I can save that for a bit later. If you want me now, I can oblige. If you need time to prepare, or you want to wait, I can wait. I want to do this, but I want to do it for you."

Luna chuckled. "Come. Let us discuss a few rules, before we begin."