“Shining,” Cadance tilted her head. “How long did it take you to find a place?”
“Like...half an hour?” Shining replied, not meeting her eyes. “I thought I’d get some more foal clothes for Flurry on the way back.”
“I don’t suppose you want to go back?”
Shining gulped.
“I suppose not.”
“Good,” Cadance spat, using her magic to swing the hotel door open. Shining looked down at the ground as he trotted inside, moving past Petunia as he ascended up the stairs. After hearing their door slam shut, Cadance approached Petunia’s desk.
“Don’t let him leave anywhere without me,” Cadance ordered.
“M-Miss, I can’t dictate where he goes or if he-”
Unfurling one of her wings, Cadance revealed a pouch of bits and dropped them on the counter. Petunia pushed the bits back towards the princess, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry,” Petunia sighed. “If this continues to be a problem, I’d suggest staying somewhere else.”
Cadance swept the bag of bits back under her wing, sticking out her middle feather at Petunia before turning around and going up the stairs.
In the dead of night, beside his sleeping wife, Shining stared at the ceiling with his front hooves resting over his chest, feeling the thudding beat under them. His mind reflected back on countless mares that came and went from the bed of the Princess of Love. Could she blame him? When the supposed love pony turned away from his needs?
Perhaps she was just waiting, biding her immortal time until Shining passed on. Shining imagined Cadance throwing herself at the hooves of mares and stallions, bathing them in the touches and kisses that she’d been holding back. Shining gritted his teeth as he glanced at his wife, feeling his blood boil.
Maybe it’s my fault, Shining contemplated. How could anypony expect the Princess of Love to commit to one pony?
When Shining Armor attempted to pull up more detailed memories of his recent conquests, everypony came up blurry, or without a name. But this Kerfuffle, had his heart caught in her cage with her big purple eyes and waves of pink mane. The way heat crept up to his cheeks, and the way his chest warmed up around his beating heart, caused him to softly gasp. This Kerfuffle, he realized, felt different than all the other encounters. But why?
Shining glanced away from his wife, looking at the small crib a few hooves away. Shining imagined Flurry on his back as he took off with Kerfuffle, and...no, Cadance would...Shining shook his head. If he left her, ran away with the pegasus, nopony would refer to him as the noble former Captain of the Royal Guard, or co-ruler of the Crystal Empire. He would be the scum on the sidewalk, a name not spoken in public. Was it worth it for her?
And even if he didn’t take Flurry, would Cadance take this lying down? Shining growled.
Of course she’d take it lying down, whilst a stallion bangs her. What reason is there to stay? For her love?
Shining’s ears flattened as he finally closed his eyes, sharply exhaling.
Zooming past Kerfuffle’s shop, Barley giggled as her brother’s attempts to fly past her failed. Pickle flapped his wings with increased efforts, but still couldn’t catch up to his sister. Feeling a rush inside him, he batted his wings like a hummingbird and caught up to his sister, now if only-
“Hey you two!”
“Huh?” Barley looked over her shoulder, only for her brother to collide into her and send the both of them tumbling into the bushes. Groaning, Barley felt a hoof prodding at her.
“Oh dear,” the voice said. “I didn’t mean to startle you foals, I’ve just noticed the both of ya wearing the same red outfits everyday. Where’s your mother?”
“Off napping with her bottle again,” Pickle huffed. “And we’re not foals.”
“Of course,” Kerfuffle giggled. “You poor dears come inside, I’ll getcha some water.”
Kerfuffle frowned as she looked at the dirt and tears in their clothes, helping both of the twins back onto their hooves and into her shop. Kerfuffle turned away from them, flying to the back and collecting two water bottles before returning to the twins.
“You two darlings should try out some of my collection,” Kerfuffle explained as she handed them the bottles. “I know the perfect beanie for you to wear, little lady. And a hoodie for you too...what are your names?”
“I’m Pickle, and this is Barley,” the colt gestured his head in his sister’s direction.
“Lovely names,” Kerfuffle remarked, flying away from them. “Let’s see here, here’s the beanie. And there’s a few necklaces and hoofwear over here too.”
“May I?” Barley closed her bottle shut, walking over to the bigger pegasus. Kerfuffle nodded, gently dropping a lavender beanie in Barley’s hooves.
“I always find certain shades of green and purple to compliment each other,” Kerfuffle explained. “It’s subjective though, so if you don’t-”
“I love it,” Barley smiled, wiggling the red beanie off her mane and placing the new one on top. “What kind of hoofwear do you have?”
“I got a pair of durable socks for landing from flight,” Kerfuffle pulled out the tight and elastic socks from a box. “I have them in ten different colors. I made these back in the day before my incident. Suppose I could use them now, but I haven’t flown the skies in years.”
“I’d like to see you fly,” Pickle pointed a hoof to the socks. “Try ‘em?”
“Hmmm…..alright,” Kerfuffle nodded as Barley hopped over, assisting her in putting on the socks. “Dear, could you assist me in unhooking this prosthetic right here? Don’t want it damaged on the landing.”
“Oh, of course,” Barley worked her hooves over the foreign brown leg, latching it off. “Where did you want this?”
“Oh you can hold onto it while I fly,” Kerfuffle stood up, her special socks attached to her three hooves. Managing over to the field outside, Kerfuffle leaned on her hind leg, spreading her wings and taking to the sky. Nearly careening on her side from the wind, Kerfuffle managed her balance in the air and flew past the hotel window nearby. After a few more seconds of flying around Hope Hollow, Kerfuffle landed with the Barrel twins supporting her weight.
“Thank you dears,” Kerfuffle hugged Pickle as his sister propped the prosthetic back in its normal place. “I doubt I’ll ever get back to the skills I had as a filly, but the wind was definitely refreshing.”
“Maybe Rainbow Dash can help!” Barley suggested, grinning from ear to ear.
“Maybe,” Kerfuffle smiled. “I can have the mayor send her another letter sometime.”
“Awesome,” Pickle whispered. “Did...you have a hoodie to show me?”
“Oh certainly!” Kerfuffle led the two back into the store.
The afternoon came and went with Pickle and Barley leaving with several of Kerfuffle’s items. When she’d told the twins that no bits were necessary, her heart warmed up at the sight of their elated expressions. As night began, Kerfuffle started putting different items away and began closing up shop.
This day is almost as wonderful as the day my role model came from Ponyville. Oh stars, I miss that pony and her pristine white fur, complimented by her royal purple-
“Kerfuffle, was it?”
Kerfuffle, who was organizing shirts by color, looked over her shoulder to see a familiar white stallion with a royal blue mane. Her heart quickening even more, Kerfuffle smiled and waved her hoof.
“Yes! And you’re Shining, right?” Kerfuffle asked. “What brings ya here?”
Shining Armor closed the distance between them in several strides, sneaking his left hoof over Kerfuffle’s silky pink mane and pressing his lips against her own. Kerfuffle’s eyes widened for half a second before she closed them and pressed further into the kiss, the cricket chirps from outside being the only sound in the cold night.
Shining pulled away from the kiss, his eyes locked onto Kerfuffle in a way that made her legs shake.
“Run away with me,” Shining said.
“W-Wha...what about your family?” Kerfuffle whispered.
“I’ll be doing them a favor,” Shining sighed, the smile never fading from his lips. “What would I be doing, dragging them down any longer? It was always a relationship meant to fall at the seams, a foal could notice that.”
“Does yours?” Kerfuffle asked, to which Shining shrugged.
“Time will tell,” Shining answered. “So what do you say?”
Kerfuffle glanced at all of her shirts, necklaces, hats, and then at the pegasus-made socks she’d left on her desk. Feeling her heart pulled away from them, Kerfuffle turned to the stallion holding her and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll run away with you,” Kerfuffle pressed her lips to his once more, before breaking away. “Just let me put up a sign for my shop.”
Kerfuffle grabbed a marker and paper from her desk, writing a few words on the paper before grabbing the paper and her keys. Alongside the stallion, Kerfuffle locked the door to her shop and attached the paper to it with a swipe of tape.
“There,” Kerfuffle confirmed. “I trust we won’t be gone too long?”
“We won’t,” Shining replied. “After all, I’d like to try any suits you might have in there.”
Kerfuffle blushed, covering her smile with her hoof.
“Lead the way, my knight in Shining Armor,” Kerfuffle leaned against the stallion, winking at him.
Shining Armor wrapped his foreleg around Kerfuffle’s shoulders, and with a spark from his horn, the two ponies disappeared from sight.