"And why are there still lizards?!" Shining loudly not-yelled at no one in particular, before leaning back into his chair with a sigh and looking at the ceiling as if it could somehow answer all his problems.
"Highness, would you like a drink?" the stallion at his side asked.
Shining exhaled heavily once, to calm himself. "Sure, Paper," he answered, straightening himself again. "Water will do. Cold, please. Not frozen." The other pony's attitudes still weirded him out, but he'd gotten at least used to enjoying the convenience of them.
Paper Letters returned in far less time than it could have possibly taken him to reach anything resembling a fridge, and without having left the room by the sound of it. Nevertheless he held up a tall glass of clear water, damp with moisture on the outside.
Shining took it from his hooves without saying a word, and drank from it. It was pleasantly cold, just as he'd asked. Frighteningly close to exactly what he'd meant when he'd asked.
Cadence's neck joints popped and crackled as she stretched out. "At least the train is working safely so far."
Shining put the glass down. "Until one of those things ends up under the tracks. Or digs through them. Or until they're spotted."
"They're smart enough to avoid the train," Cadence replied. "And we can tell as much to the passengers, if it becomes necessary."
"You're banking on animals acting rationally," Shining said. "Violent animals, and not particularly smart."
"They're not going to attack the train while it's moving," said Cadence.
Shining sighed again, and took another sip of water, emptying the glass. "We might need to close travels soon anyway, going by what Twilight was saying."
Cadence got closer to her husband. "She might find a solution to that. It's her. She will find a solution." She stood in front of him and smiled. "And what have I told you about problems?"
"As a ruler, you have too much to worry about in terms of what you can influence to worry about what you have no control over as well," Shining recited back. "I remember, yes." He smiled at his wife. "Who did you get that from? Celestia?"
Cadence gave a chuckle and soft nod. "I think she tried to teach it to Twilight as well, years ago. It never stuck, and she just gave up at some point." She looked at the wall, thinking of something else. "I don't know if it's because she decided to teach her differently, or because Twilight is the one pony who'll manage to solve even problems she shouldn't have been able to if she puts her heart to it."
"That sounds like admitting defeat on Celestia's part," Shining said. "Would she really?" he jokingly asked.
"Well, she did pass on the crown," Cadence replied in the same tone. "Sometimes I wonder what your parents must think. Would they ever even have dreamed they'd end up with both their foals as royals?"
"I think they got a clue about it when me and you started started dating." Shining winked and smirked at her. "Twilight ruling Equestria, though? Yeah, they didn't see that coming. I didn't either. You should have seen my face when Celestia told me."
"I can imagine it," Cadence replied. "Probably close to the face you made when I told you I was pregnant."
Shining laughed a little at that. "Probably, yeah."