//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Shining... I'm Not Your Wife! // Story: Help! I've Turned Into a Princess! // by ScorchingFlamesInc //------------------------------// On my way to the castle, I began to get the attention of many crystal ponies. All of them either stared, whispered to their peers with glee, or greeted me. I knew right off the bat that they would be relieved to see their Princess back in the Crystal Empire. Soon, we finally returned to the castle. We kept on going through the hallways, Shining continuing to speak to me. And then, when we were near Flurry's room... "Now Cadance, nearly the whole Empire was worried about you when you were gone-" "-and they'll probably be expecting me to pull off some sort of speech signifying my return and that everything is all right," I interrupted. Shining blinked. "Um... yes, that was kind-of it." Shining said. "Are you all right? You seem distant.” I looked at Flurry, who stood beside me. Since we were close to her room, I took the chance. I moved to stand in front of her and bent down to her eye level. "Sweetie, go play in your room for a moment," I instructed in a mother-like voice (that I didn't even intend to use). "Daddy and I will need to talk for a moment." "Ok, Mom," she happily replied before she went to her room. Flurry closed the door to her room as soon as she got in. "You want to talk with me?" Shining questioned. "Not when we're this close to her room..." I answered. "Ok..." So we both began to walk away from Flurry's room. For half a minute, we were quiet, with no word being spoken. "So... what is it you wanted to talk about, Cadance?" Shining asked. Since I felt that we were far enough, I stopped. Shining Armor took a few more steps before turning around to face me. I didn’t say anything for a second. “Before I tell you this, I need to promise you that my concussion is long gone, and I’m not crazy. And this will not be a joke. Understand?” “O-okay?” Shining stammered, unsure of where I was going with this. I took a deep breath. “Shining, I’m not Cadance. Well... sort of. When that chaos magic sent her away from this world, she ended up in my world. When she arrived, however, somehow we merged and now my mind is in her body. I have a feeling her brain merged with mine also. Who I really am is a 20 year-old named Leo. I went to a college for comic books and hung out with my four friends.” Shining blinked. “Oh,” I remembered. “And I used to be a guy.” “Okaaay...” Shining raises his brow. “I find that a little hard to believe. I don’t think your crazy, but are you sure your mind is 100% fine?” “Is there some way I can prove this to you?” Shining rubbed his chin. “Alright... let’s read that story that always makes the both of us cry on the last chapter.” “We’ll only read the last chapter, right?” I asked. “It always makes the both of us cry like it’s a reflex so... yeah.” This was definitely something odd. But if my predictions were right, I wouldn’t cry, and Shining would be sobbing. Shining sobbing at the end of a sad book definitely sounds like something he would do... One long read later... After reading, I levitated the book back to the shelf I got it from. Now, as I predicted, I didn’t shed a single tear. But Shining was crying a literal river. My forehoof was actually around him, patting his back while he sobbed into my coat. Again, this definitely felt like something I would see him doing in the show. Or a fanfiction. Not only that, but I could have sworn that I heard the loud sound of sobbing in my head. And it sounded like... Cadance? “Well... the ending was sad... and disappointing...” I began. Shining brought a tissue to blow his nose. I cringed as I continued speaking. “And now I know how the story ends if I’ll read it... even though I won’t. But see? I’m not crying or anything (even though I can hear Cadance crying in my head).” Shining sniffled and wiped his tears. “I don’t get it,” he said, tears still rolling. “We’ve read this ending over fifty times and always cried! How are you not-“ “Because... I’m not Cadance,” I replied. “NOW do you believe me.” Shining, who was now silently crying, looked away for a moment. “I... need a minute,” he says before getting up and leaving. “I’ll... just stay here,” I said. Now... looks like it’s time for more inner thinking. I’m not sure if what just happened is going to convince Shining. He did say they both cry while reading this as if it’s a reflex, but I’m not sure it’s enough. I’ll just have to wait until he returns. The crying in my head has subsided. I found it strange... I’ve never heard sounds from Cadance while she was in my head before. So this means there are three possibilities: I’m hearing things, she could be getting stronger and soon I’ll hear every word she says, or it’s nearly time for her to exit my head and become my shadow again. I continued thinking. As I always do. Can you blame me? Which of you has ever turned into a Princess pony with a husband and child before? Answer: none of you. Minutes later, the door opened. Shining was no longer crying, but I couldn’t tell his mood or where he stood on all of this. Plus, he wasn’t making eye contact with me. Does he even believe me now because I didn’t cry while reading? “So... I guess you’ve thought about all of this?” I queried. “Mhm...” Shining nodded, still not looking at me. “So... what do you have to say? Do you believe me?” This question provoked Shining to finally look at me again. He opened his mouth and spoke. What he said was something that caught me off guard. It wasn’t yes. But it wasn’t no. “How does it feel down... there?”