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

The rest of the evening went off without much issue. Shining ate quickly and descended from his table to interact throughout the room, while Cadance was kept at the table by ponies constantly approaching to speak with her. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak with them; she did, but she would prefer to speak with her husband. But Luna kept her seated, repeatedly reminding her that failing her duty to the crown was what sent her away to begin with.

After a long night of watching other ponies have fun with her husband, the nightmare finally came to an end. Half of the guests had left, which meant that the feast was officially over. The guards could ensure the safe expulsion of the remaining guests and the staff could handle the cleanup. It was time for the royal couple to go to bed, and there was nothing standing in the way.

Nothing except Luna, that is... As soon as the party ended, she excused herself from Cadance's presence to go speak with Shining Armor. Whatever she had said to him, He'd made a disgusted face. He didn't like what she'd told him, but with a nod of acceptance from him, she left the great hall.

Once Cadance finished chatting dismissively with the guest that had approached her, she made a beeline for Shining, who was sitting between two stallions. As she approached, she managed to catch some of the conversation.

"--cing in that mesh shirt of yours? They're all very curious as to when you're coming back."

Shining chuckled. "Celestia knows I'm looking forward to it. I certainly could go for a bit of distraction right about now, and boy, do your dancers know how to distract me. However, with my wife returning from her goodwill mission, I have a lot of work to do. I will try to make it in there soon."

"Hey, we'll have a real party when you do," laughed the other stallion. "Drinks'll be on me that night."

"Oh?" smirked Shining. "I might just have to lick you clean, then."

The three of them burst out laughing as Shining wrapped a hoof around their shoulders. Clearly, he'd made close friends with some of the local business owners.

"Excuse me, gentlecolts," smiled Cadance, wrapping her hooves around Shining's shoulders. "It's been a lovely evening, but it's about time I escorted my husband to bed."

"Of course, of course," waved the club owner. "Hey, before you go, his invitation extends to you, as well. We know you've been busy with your mission, so if you need to unwind, you're welcome to visit the Booty Boutique."

"With drinks included!" added the bar owner. "And bring your husband, if you can. He's a big hit in there!"

The two stallions shared a laugh, but Shining could not muster more than a chuckle. "It's been fun, sirs, but the bedroom calls. May the princess of the night provide you with the same protection she offers to me."

"Sweet dreams to you, too."

"Not that you're going to have a problem with that, eh?"

With a vote of confidence from each of them, Shining stood up and escorted Cadance out of the room. "They seemed nice," she smiled as they walked down the hall.

"They are," confirmed Shining.

"How'd you meet them?"

"I helped them put together their establishment."

"That doesn't tell me how you met them."

"I walked in while they were renovating and introduced myself. They introduced themselves, and we talked about what they were planning to do with the place."

"Why did you go in there in the first place?"

"There was a business opening nearby, and since I was responsible for the empire, I thought it best to talk with the new owners."

Cadance furrowed her brow. "Well, that wasn't a long story..."

"I never said it was." Shining stopped outside the door to the royal bedchambers. "I've arranged for the bed to be cleaned up. It should be ready for you by now." He opened the door, and the whole room was clean.

Cadance sauntered in and looked around. It was mostly how she'd left it. There were a few bare spots on the walls where paintings had been hung, but they weren't there anymore.

"Those have been taken to be cleaned," noted Shining. "I'd intended to have them put back up this afternoon, but with you and Luna showing up early, I must have forgotten. Sleep well."

As he went to close the door, Cadance stopped him. "You're not coming in?"

"I need to go speak with the maid about your paintings," he bowed. "I'm going to personally make sure that they're completely free of any and all dust. I wouldn't want to wake you from your slumber with my noisy return."

"Oh, feel free to wake me," smirked Cadance, lying sensually across the bed. "In fact, the maid can wake me, as well..."

Shining nodded. "I shall let her know."

"I'll be waiting..."

As Shining closed the door, Cadance moved to the bathroom and grabbed her supplies. Shining had always been insatiable, and she'd only had guards of lesser skill for the past few years. Now she was not only about to have sex with her husband for the first time in a long time, she was going to have it in the form of a threesome. She hadn't had one of those in weeks.

With lube, body oil, and a little bit of body paint for good measure, she climbed back into bed and started rubbing herself. It had been a stressful day with Shining ignoring her, but with all of his duties now fulfilled, it was time for them to have some fun. She just had to wait for him to return.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened. She removed her hoof from between her legs. She was ready for him.

The maid came in, first, with a stack of paintings sideways on a rack. "Oh, sorry," she said, lowering her adorable head. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was waiting for you," Cadance smirked.

"For me, ma'am?" asked the maid shyly. "I'm sorry. I'll have these painting hung for you right away."

"That can wait," assured Cadance. As she waved the maid over to the bed, she looked to the door. It was sitting closed. "Is he coming in?"

"Is who coming?"

"My husband, Prince Shining Armor."

"He said he was going to bed, ma'am. He was exhausted, ma'am."

Cadance took a deep breath, then sighed it all out. He had been working through most of the day. He'd even skipped lunch to set up the banquet, and hadn't eaten much at dinner, in favour of joining the crowd. His only respite through the day seemed to be the orgy, which she'd interrupted. Plus, while she'd been gone, he'd been running the entire Crystal Empire by himself. Maybe he really was too tired.