//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Where to From Here? // Story: I Love You, Shining Armor // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “So you know why I needed to see you?” Cadance asked. Blueblood shrugged, “I thought this has to do with Shining.” “It does.” Cadance sipped her tea, as it was getting colder outside, their weekly brunch had moved indoors into the sunroom of the palace. The two of them sat alone with a table of light snacks, tea, and a tense atmosphere as Cadance was being more serious than usual. “But more importantly, it’s to give some full disclosure on my part.” “Being what, exactly?” After another sip, Cadance set aside her teacup. “You see, Bluey, at the beginning of all this, Shining was supposed to rise the ranks in the Royal Guard while I finish up my final semester in college. Now the reason why I’m bringing that up, is that it was the only condition that Celestia promised us before we could get engaged.” Blueblood’s eyes widen. “I beg your pardon!?” “At the moment, however, we’re still technically dating, and we won’t be fully engaged until I get my degree. For Shining, he hoped to get beyond basic training and earn his way up. And he certainly did. Yet, things have gotten a little more complicated since then, have they?” “I can see that,” Blueblood took a sip from his cup. “But what I don’t understand is why are you bringing this to my attention now?” “Originally we wanted to surprise both our families before we made it official to the whole of Equestria. At least, that was the idea several months ago. Since then, however… things have changed.” Using her magic to levitate a teaspoon to stir her tea, she added, “You do know that Shining loves you too, right?” “Yes, but he loves you as well.” Cadance nodded, “Let’s be honest, we both love Shining, and Shining loves us. The idea of him dating you was so that you could gain experience with dating to give you confidence to possibly move on. Yet, realistically I don’t see that happening anything soon.” Blueblood nodded. “So the real question here is where do we go from here? Do we continue this or try out something different?” “I see.” Blueblood leaned back in his seat. “You are right in one thing, I don’t want to let go of Shining so soon. Perhaps things may change in the future, but I feel a strong attachment to him. Of course, you do as well and you’ve been with him for much longer.” Then after a pause, he added, “Going forward, there may be one of a few possibilities for us.” “That being?” “Option one, Shining might marry one of us but he will still be allowed to see either one he wishes. Option two, we don’t get married and instead keep the status quo that we currently have. Option three… one of us may have to let go of Shining.” “That’s all assuming that the three of us will still feel this way in the long term.” Cadance pointed out. “Ya know, it’s a little hard to figure this out when you’re unfamiliar with polyamorous relationships.” “Beg your pardon?” “Polyamorous is a word meaning to be in a relationship with more than one pony at the same time. The funny thing is that although I have heard about it, I never knew anypony in one. I never would have expected it of Shining either until recently, but here we are.” Picking up his cup of tea, Blueblood meditated on the matter while consuming a little of the flavorful brew. “Of course, the real question is what does Shining want out of this? We could go back and forth all the whole long day on this and that - but in the end, Shining would be key in how this will go.” “Agreed.” Cadence nodded and took another sip. “Bluey, could I ask you a personal question?” “Why?” He raised an eyebrow, “How personal is personal?” “Very. A couple of days ago you had Shining over at your place. He didn’t say much about it but I was wondering about something. Just be honest with me here, did you two… you know?” The prince’s suspicious brow hadn’t lowered one bit. “Didn’t you say it was okay for him to do so?” “Yes, but he never said anything. So…?” Blueblood’s cheeks turned red. “I would be lying if I said that nothing happened that night.” Taking a deep breath, he added, “But at the same time, I don’t regret it either.” “Thank you for your honesty.” There was a long pause between them. Finally, Blueblood asked, “Aren’t you the least bit angry?” “Angry? Not really, I mean I did encourage him. Jealous? A little. Still, between you and me, the idea of someone as hot as Shining doing it with another stallion is something I wished I had a front-row seat to.” “...” “Hey don’t judge me.” Cadence sipped her tea. In hindsight, this might be a bad idea. No, scratch that, this was an insane idea in every regard. There were at least a million ways this could explode in their faces, and Shining knew it. For anypony else, this would be difficult to even explain. It might be harder given that he’s been seeing two ponies at the same time - and now, everything is in motion.  He is bringing both Cadance and Blueblood to his parents. For dinner. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Cadence asked.  “Truthfully? Not really.” Shining shook his head. “But this is something that they should know about.” Blueblood eyed the house - Shining Armor’s foalhood home. To his eyes, the two-story, renaissance-style white stucco with wooden beams home in a decent neighborhood of Canterlot was like a toolshead compared to his chateau. A part of him almost couldn’t believe that somepony as amazing as Shining had grown up in a place so… humble. He didn’t say it out loud, but he was taken aback that both he and his sister - the personal student of his aunt - originated here.  “Do they know that we are coming?” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Yes, but I didn’t say why.” Shining let out a heavy breath, “This is gonna be so hard.” Cadence patted Shining’s back, “It will be okay.” “I hope so, I'm just not sure how to explain all this.” “Do the best you can,” Blueblood told him, giving a nuzzle. “I know better than anypony that this is the most terrifying thing in the world. But you can do it.” Shining let out an exhausted whinny. “And if… if it doesn’t go well?” “Even in the worst-case scenario,” Cadence said, “just remember one thing - both of us are royals, I’m an alicorn. Even if things go south, at least we will be there with you.” “She’s right, even if they do more than disapprove,” Blueblood added, “I’d like to see them try.” Taking a deep breath, Shining prepared himself for the worst and the three of them approached the front door. Ringing the doorbell, there was a moment before the red entryway opened to a gray mare.  “Shining, how are you?” She hugged him. “Hi, Mom.” Shining hugged her back. “Did we keep you waiting?” “Oh no, you’re just in time. Your father is getting dinner dished out right now.” She noticed Blueblood there, “Where are my manners? How do you do, Your Highness?” She gave a bow. “I’m Twilight Velvet, Shining’s mother.” “Hi Miss Velvet,” Cadence waved, “haven’t seen you in a while.” “Same here, dearie. But come in, all of you. Dinner is just about ready.” Entering through the front door, Blueblood spotted a set of stairs right ahead, an opening to a living room to the left, the dining room to the right, and along a wall by the stairs were hung family photos and certificates. No doubt displays of the more prouder moments of the family drew his interest.  While Shining and Cadance went into the dining room with Velvet, Blueblood went over to the wall of memories. There were plaques and awards from the parents - one of which gave the name of the father: Night Light. An astronomer going off by the college degree, Velvent had awards for editing a few books. Yet, what drew his attention were the photos. Pictures of not just Shining and his parents, but also a purple unicorn. ‘This must be Twilight Sparkle I’ve heard about,’ he thought. There were photos of Shining when he was a colt, a picture of his graduation gown for high school, and one in his Solar Guard uniform. He also took notice of a couple that had Cadance in a few pictures, one of which looked like when they were at prom.  He was no detective, yet from what this wall of memories tells, this was a loving family that was proud of their children. A cynical part of him wonders if the parents loved their children for who they were, or who they thought they were based on their accomplishments.  “Blue? Aren’t you coming?” Shining called out. After a moment of pushing his thoughts aside, Blueblood walked into the dining room. There he found Shining and Cadance taking their steats while Velvent and a blue stallion that he figured to be Night Light were setting the remaining glasses on the table. There was a part of him that saw the table arrangement as simplistic, and the food elementary, yet he told himself that he was a guest in their house and they were offering their best. “Good evening, Prince Blueblood,” Night Light said, giving a bow. “Care to take a seat?” He asked, pulling a chair for him. While the prince did take a seat, a part of him wondered if Shining’s parents were on their very best behavior simply because he was there. “You know, we’ve heard a good deal about you.” “How so?” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Shining told us that he’s your bodyguard and that you two have become fast friends.” “That, and you two stood up for each other,” Velvet added, taking a seat at the table. “Shining took a stand against a bully within the guard and you reprimanded them for punishing him unfairly. I mean, it was shocking that they did that in the first place.” “I agree, it shouldn’t happened at all.” Cadance nodded. “His integrity is something that I admired, and Bluey has seen that first-hoofed.” “Our kids are amazing, you know.” Night Light said, opening a cabinet filled with wine bottles. “With Shining, he has done the right thing, even when it got him into trouble.” “Trouble?” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “For example, back when he was in…” Night Light looked over his shoulder, “Was it the seventh or eighth grade that you got into that fight?” “Seventh,” Shining answered. “Anyway, back when Shining was in the seventh grade, I was called by the school principal saying that he and another kid had gotten into this big fight during lunch. It was unexpected because Shining was never the type to do something like that. So I went to the school, and I found Shining in the school’s office where he was bruised and had a black eye. Same with the other colt next to him. As it turned out, the kid in question was teasing a filly to the point that it made her cry. Yet, what was the tipping point was that the kid also had a pair of scissors and was about to cut her tail off. Shining pushed the kid aside and the two got into a fight.” “Don’t get us wrong,” Velvet added. “We were upset that it got so violent. However, the fact that he stood up to bully, not for himself but for somepony else made us proud.” With a smile, and her husband had uncorked a bottle, she said they should go ahead and eat. “So, how’s the studies for you?” Night asked as he sat down, looking over to Cadance. “Looking good so far, I will be filling in the paperwork to apply for graduation.” “That’s good to hear,” Velvet said, getting some salad. “It would be nice for you and Shining to get engaged, finally.” An uncomfortable hush fell on the three of them. Velvet took notice, “I mean it’s still gonna be happening, right?” “Uh…” Cadence rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, about that.” Shining coughed in his hoof. “What’s wrong?” Night tilted his head, a worried look on his face. “The engagement is gonna be announced after graduation, right?” “Yeah I… I think so…” Shining said with confidence left out of him. “However, things had gotten a bit complicated as of late. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad but…” “Did something happen?” Velvet inquired. “It’s a little hard to explain,” Cadance told them, glancing over to Shining she saw how teetering on the anxiety he was. In a look at him, she can read that they were on the edge of jumping into the unknown like budgie jumping over a cliff without a rope. Even Blueblood could see that both Shining and Cadance were a little too unnerving to make the first move. So, he decided to pour himself some wine and say, “Shining is dating two ponies at once, and they’re both at this table.” “Blueblood!” Cadence and Shining yelled.  “What? If neither of you were going to say it-” “Hey, I was trying to break this gently.” Shining interrupted. “But both of you were hesitating.” Blueblood turned to the rather shocked parents. “Sorry about this, these things turn out the way we thought they would.” “Wait, waitwaitwait, back up.” Velvet raised her forelegs, “I’m completely lost. What’s going on?” “Two ponies?” Night blinked. “Shining, where did this come from? Why are you dating two ponies at once?”  “Well…” Shining was at a loss for words, “I mean… aren’t both of you mad?” “Kinda difficult to do when you don’t know what’s going on.” Night said, filling up his glass with wine. “I mean… who else are you seeing?” “That would be me.” Blueblood raised a hoof. Velvet looked between him and Cadance, “Wait, how? Why?” “How much time do you two have?” Cadance inquired. One bottle of red wine, a gallon of vanilla ice cream, a pint of coffee, and three re-dos of explanations later, the conversation had moved from the dining table to the living room. If Shining was thankful for one thing, is that at least his parents hadn’t acted as though he betrayed them. To say that they were flabbergasted at the beginning was an understatement. They held confusion for the first twenty or so minutes when the three of them explained how all of this started. Yet once they got past that, they had plenty of intrigue and questions. “But aren’t you jealous, even a little?” Velvet asked. She was seated on the loveseat with her husband while the three sat across from them on the couch. “I felt more conflicted than anything else,” Cadence said. “If anything I was more worried that Shining was falling out of love with me. But I don’t think that’s the case.” “It isn’t.” Shining looked down at the mug at his hooves. The still coffee reflected his eyes back to him. “I still love Cadance, that’s the honest truth. Yet, at the same time, I also love Blueblood just as much.” Looking up, he added, “What’s hard for me is that I don’t feel right in simply letting the other go. Truthfully, while I still want to marry Cadance after she graduates, I don’t want Blueblood to be out of my life either. So really, I’m stuck.” Blueblood patted him on the back, “Honestly, I thought you two would have a conniption over Shining being attracted to a stallion.” “I won’t lie,” Night sat his mug down on the coffee table in front of him. “That is surprising since… as far as I’m aware of, Shining didn’t show signs that he was. If he did, we didn’t notice it.” “So…?” Shining raised an eyebrow, “Do you have a problem with it or…?” “What? The attraction?” Velvet asked, “Hon, you can’t help who you happen to like. I mean, for Celestia’s sake, you do know that your Uncle Shore is gay, right?” “He is?” Shining blinked. “Wait, I always thought that he was living with Uncle Tide, ya know, brothers.” “No sweetie, Tide isn’t related.” Velvet then added with the thought of, “Didn’t we tell you that?” “This is news to me,” Shining shrugged. “Point being, I don’t have a problem with your sexuality. Besides, if it turns out that you went behind Cadance’s back about this - oh yeah, I would certainly be more upset.” “Though I wished we’d known about this sooner,” Night said. “Still, what exactly are you going to go from here? Last time I checked, polygamy isn’t exactly legal in Equestrian. That and Shining, you have known Blueblood over here for less than a year.” Shining let out a heavy sigh, running his hooves over his head. “I’m very much aware. Personally, I didn’t expect to be caught up in this at all. Of course, I didn’t expect to fall for Blue here, but here we are. I hoped that by teaching him what I know about love he might move on without me, but I didn’t think I would be this invested in it. If it sounds like I’m rambling or that I’m lost, that’s because I am.” Velvet took a sip of her coffee. “From what I’ve been hearing,” she says, “it sounds to me that you two trying to give the prince over here some experience about dating that has gone off the rails. At the moment you are too emotionally invested in both, but uncertain how to move forward.” “Pretty much,” Shining nodded. “I see,” Velvet nodded. “Well Shiney, if it’s advice that you’re looking for, I’m going to say something that may sound harsh, but this will be me being realistic about the situation.” “And what’s that?” Cadence asked. “To put it bluntly, if you’re still planning on getting engaged with Cadance, you can still go ahead and do it. But that probably wouldn’t mean that you still can’t see Blueblood either. If something like this has any chance of working, I’d say that compromise and communication from the three of you would be critical.” “That would be smart,” Night nodded. “Blueblood, I know that you love my son, but has it ever occurred to you that maybe your feelings about him could change?” Blueblood folded his forelegs, “Nonsense! My love for him is forever!” “It may feel like that,” Night said, “and believe me, as someone who has been around the block for a while, having a crush on someone eventually does fade away. And while you would be passionate about someone for a while, eventually you will be left with the pony you chose to stay with - warts and all. And believe me, before I married Velvet, I dated her for eight years before we got married. My perception of her has changed, but what remained was a remarkable mare that made me a better pony.” The prince raised a suspicious eyebrow, “So you’re not exactly telling me that I shouldn’t see him either, aren’t you?” “On the contrary, if you still want to be around Shining because he makes you happy and can make you a better pony than you were before, then there’s no reason to stop you. At the same time, if someone else were to come along and you think they would be a better fit for you; then you aren’t entirely tied down.” “So why let him and Cadance get married anyway with advice like that?” “Because she has known Shining for much longer,” Velvet pointed out. “They had gotten to know each other for years. I would call their relationship inseparable, but the one good thing about all of this, however, is that at least finding out that Shining might want an open relationship is brought out before marriage instead of later. That way, at least you all know what you’re getting yourselves into. I’ve known a few couples whose marriages gone up in flames simply because they didn’t communicate what exactly they wanted.” “That said,” Night added, “I should point out that you three are adults. You can take what we said, or do something else. This is a leap into the unknown, and the best any of you can do is figure out for yourselves where you want to go from here.” There have been a few decisions in Shining’s life that he would call life-changing. Decisions such as if he should go say hello to Cadance, go to college, and he should join the Royal Guard. They’re the kind of decisions that need plenty of time, thought, and gaining opinions because to do so otherwise could easily go disastrous. Needless to say, how to go forward between Cadance and Blueblood is certainly one of those decisions that need a second opinion. Deep down, he knew that he was what was holding this love triangle together. If there was anyone that had the biggest stake in all this, it was him. And he would need all the help he could get to settle this. So that left him to seek out the one pony that he was the most uncertain about.  Because of his relationship with Princess Cadance, Shining had one privilege that few ponies in the entire world had - to be granted an audience with Princess Celestia herself. Shining rarely used this privilege, partly because he didn’t want to bother her unless it was absolutely, one-hundred-and-ten percent necessary. And partly that even though he could ask to see the princess at any time, even as a private, he was determined to prove with worth through his merits.  “Shining, it has been too long,” Princess Celestia said warmly.  In this case, Shining felt this was absolutely necessary. “Good Morning Princess.” He bowed down and exhaled, “There’s something I like to talk to you about, something personal if you don’t mind.”  “Of course,” Celestia nodded, “but first, can I offer you anything? Something to drink or nibble on?” “No thank you, I’ve already had breakfast. Still, if you could spare a few minutes, I figured you could help me a little.” Celestia tilted her head, “Well that’s new. You don’t usually ask for my help on anything.” “I know. But this might be an exception.” Shining’s ears folded back, “I would appreciate it if I could talk to you in private.” “Now things are getting interesting.” Celestia stood up from her throne, “Very well, follow me.” “Where?” “Behind the throne.” She pointed, “Come here, I’ll show you.” Curious, Shining walked up the steps toward the throne, and Celestia’s horn glowed to pull away the curtains behind the chair. He never knew that the throne itself was a heavy door as thick as a safe that led to a room he didn’t know existed. The only way Shining could describe this small room was cozy. If almost sickly sweet. The first thing to greet him was an enormous stuffed rabbit in front of a small table. There were other plush animals around in bright pastel colors with friendly faces. “What’s all this?” Shining raised an eyebrow, following Celestia inside. “I call it my de-stressed room.” She said, taking a seat on the lap of the large plushy rabbit. “When I have days when it becomes too much, or have a lot of pressure put on me, or if I just need a nice, quiet place to sit back and let everything go - I come here. And don’t worry about the sound, the walls are thick enough to withstand having a cannon being fired at point-blank range. So yes, we will have all the privacy we need. In fact, one moment…” Celestia’s horn glowed, and the heavy door behind them was sealed behind them. As soon as the door was shut, Shining could instantly tell that all the sound had ceased. Any normal noise such as the wind outside, the distant chatter of servants, or anything else had stopped the moment they were sealed in. “There we are. Now we have all the privacy we need.” “Okay, do you want me to sit down or…?” Right away, Shining noticed that aside from the table, there were no other chairs around. Not even a cushion to sit on. “You can sit on the stuffed animals,” Celestia leaned back, “you’d find they’re quite comfy.” “Um… no thank you. I’ll stand if that’s alright.” “Suit yourself. But anyway, what is it that you want to speak to me about?” “Well… Lately, I’ve found myself in something I didn’t expect to get in.” “Do tell.” “Firstly, you remember about wanting to get engaged with Cadance, right?” Celestia nodded, “And only after she graduates, yes, I remember.” “Okay, and you do know that I’m also Blueblood’s bodyguard, right?” “I think he has mentioned you once or twice,” Celestia smiled. “Well… truth is, Blueblood has developed a crush on me.” “Yes, I know that.” Celestia nodded. “Blue told me about that.” “Wait…” Shining blinked, “You knew? From what Blueblood has told me, he said that you didn’t know who he had a crush on.” “Shining, of course, I knew. And I also know that you have been taking turns dating him and Cadance.” “Wait, if you knew this whole time, how come you didn’t say that I was with Cadance, to begin with?” “Because, when he told me about it at first, I saw him in a state that rarely happened. He was happy. Genuinely happy. Yes, I could have told him that you were already seeing somepony else. Yet to do so would, I believe, reinforce his biggest fear.” Shining blinked, “And what’s that?” “The fear that he isn’t worth being loved. Yes, I lied about that, however, I also felt that he would also need to take that important step into the dating pool. To learn how to get to know a pony you like.” “Well, apparently it has worked. A little too well. Because on the one hoof, I did promise Cadance that after we jumped through these hoops, we’d be on our way to finally getting married. Yet, on the other hoof, I also have a guy who not only brought my sexuality into question, but I don’t want to break his heart either.” Shining ran a hoof through his mane, “If I’m being honest with you, Your Highness, I feel like I’m in a loose-loose situation.” “How so?” Celestia tilted her head. “In that no matter what choice I make, somepony is going to get hurt. If I end up marrying Cadance, I could risk Blueblood thinking that everything we’ve built was for nothing. But on the other, if I went with Blueblood, I’d be betraying Cadance despite the years we’ve gotten to know each other. Then again, if I do nothing, eventually something is gonna give.” Shining slumped to his hunches. “You know that I don’t come to you unless it’s necessary. Well, now, not only is it necessary, it's personal.” “It sounds rather overwhelming,” Celestia said. “That I hear you’re scared overall.” Shining shamefully looked away. “It’s okay to be. There’s no shame in being in a situation where most of it is out of your control.” “Except, this one is. Not just for me, but for two others that I could effect dramatically.” After a long pause, Celestia leaned forward. “If I may, I would like to offer up what I think, if that’s alright.” “Yes please.” Shining nodded. “Now, do keep in mind where I’m coming from with this. You see, Shining, I’m a mare that has over a thousand years of both watching ponies falling in and out of love and my experiences with it - however rare they were. I’m speaking as someone who has seen relationships being born, and marriages die in front of me. Do you understand me?”  “I think so.” “With that said, if there’s anything I’ve learned about the nature of relationships, especially since the Romantic period sprang out, it is this. Using reason, when your gut feeling says that it’s the least bit romantic you could be - is oftentimes what is most needed. Yes, having to set your emotions aside and look at it rationally is… forgive me for saying this, the least sexy thing you could do. Yet, doing so has saved marriages and dissolved those that should have been broken up.” “But how?” “Well, let’s do a thought experiment. Let us say that you are a father who has a son. Let’s say that over the years, this son has developed a deep emotional relationship with a mare that he intends to marry. But then he also has feelings for a stallion just recently. Although relatively short, he also has a connection with him but doesn’t want to let the mare go either. Now, if you were the father of such a son, what would you say?” Shining thought it over for a long time. Be it minutes or hours in that room, he wasn’t sure. Yet, here he seriously thought it over. He reflected on the relationships he had, the ponies whom he trusted and trusted him. As personal as it was, thinking of it through this hypothetical scenario was something completely different. It was one thing to have it all experienced. Yet, it’s another if you think of it as someone else going through it. “I suppose-” “No, don’t suppose.” Celestia cut him off. “What do you know for certain?” Another pause. And this time, Shining had an answer. “I would say… You can still marry your marefriend, and yet find time to date your coltfriend. Because at the end of the day, when everypony knows about you and each other… love is still love. It’s meant to help you grow. It’s meant to show how to be the best pony you can be with the ones you care about. If one feels they want to move on, let them. If they want to get closer, let them. As long as you still have love, even if it’s from one pony - it makes a world of difference.” “That sounds very wise.” Celestia nodded, “Love is complicated, yet having to deal with the trouble gracefully is always worth it.” “Still,” Shining adds, “I’m also worried about Blueblood too. From what you’ve said, I don’t want him to think that he’s unlovable either.” “And I don’t think he is either,” Celestia smiled, “perhaps, what he might need is confidence and a wing guy.” She winked. “Maybe, but do you think he would take it well? I’ve already broken his heart once.” “Shining, I may be someone who has outlived countless ponies in my life, but even I have still one life like everyone else. If I learned anything, is that it isn’t wise to uphold others' happiness at your own expense. Death will not show up at your door one day to give you a break because you spent years to make everypony happy while you remained stressed and miserable. Sometimes you have to learn that it is better to inconvenience others temporarily than to inconvenience yourself permanently.” He nodded. “I think I know what to do.” Shining got back up on his hooves. “Of course, it will be unconventional, what I, Cadence, and Blueblood have.” “Maybe. But at least it is something that will make you happy.” One Year Later Overall, not what anypony expected, but the royal wedding ended happily. Nopony could have seen the Changeling invasion coming - that was, except for the sister of the groom, Twilight Sparkle - no could anyone expect that anything positive would come out from such a catastrophe. And yet, despite all the setbacks: the foalnapping, the brainwashing, the invasion of creatures that Equestria has never seen before - there was a happily ever after.  The real Cadance and Shining did get married. Shining and Twilight did reconcile after the day’s events. And the afterparty went off without a hitch. “I take it you haven’t seen him either?” Cadence asked as the two engaged in their slow dance. When Cadance, now his wife, asked that, it was already evening in the royal gardens. The two danced on a quickly built platform where overhead a disco ball spun with specks of light glittered everywhere. The DJ was playing their love song loudly over the speakers while their friends, family, and palace staff watched on.  “Not really, not since the… you-know-what,” Shining looked over Cadance’s shoulder. “Do you think he’s okay?” “I don’t know, though if I were in his horseshoes… probably not.” “He seemed fine last time I saw him. But maybe we should make sure.” “Do you want to check up on him?” Shining nodded, “Yeah. It couldn’t hurt. Besides, we don’t need to head out for our honeymoon until tomorrow morning.” “That’s fair.” She nodded, “To reassure Bluey or… reassure?” Cadence smirked. “Hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But yeah, just that after today and all, I still want to reach out to him to make sure he’s okay.” Cadence kissed him on the lips, “Alright, once everything is done and we head out, we’ll swing by Bluey’s chateau first. Okay?” Holding him close, she added, “And if you want to crash there for the night, you can.” “Cade, it’s our wedding night, I’m supposed to be with you.” “Just a suggestion, not an ultimatum. Besides, once we get out of Canterlot there will be plenty of nights where you will be with me. Remember that you still have plenty of love to go around.” “I understand,” Shining nodded. “Do you think he might be mad at me?” Cadence raised an eyebrow, “What makes you say that?” “That I end up marrying you. Blueblood insists that he loves me but I married you instead. I couldn’t help but feel that I broke his heart again.” “Or maybe he isn’t upset?” “But we haven’t seen him at the wedding, so how do we know?” Shining’s ears folded back flat against his head, “Even if he is okay, I just wanna make sure.” About an hour later, Cadence and Shining bid everypony goodbye as they boarded the carriage to be driven away. Once they were out of sight, Cadence told the driver to take them on a detour to another part of Canterlot. The carriage passed through several streets where signs of the invasion were still present. They spotted patches of green slime here and there, while passersbyers waved at the newlyweds. Although neither of them said it, they both wondered if Blueblood was affected by it in any way.  Upon reaching the chateau, Shining got out and went to the front door. Before he could knock, Maximilian opened it. “Shining Armor? What are you doing here?” “Hey, is Blueblood here? I want to come by to see if he’s doing okay.” After a beat, he added, “Actually, is everypony here okay?” “Mercifly yes. We had quite a scare when a portion of the staff had turned into those bug things. They trapped the prince in a green slime at one point and I was certain they were going to eat him until that burst of pink light swatted them away. The prince is fortunately unharmed, and so are we, yet he has been taking a long bath to get the slime off of him.” “Can I come in?” Nodding, Maximilian let him inside, escorting him through the halls and up the stairs towards the prince’s chambers. As they got closer, the sound of a violin concerto was heard through the door. “How is he?” Shining asked. “After being attacked, sir?” The butler raised an eyebrow, “I’d say he’s trying to destress himself as much as possible.” Stopping at the doors, he bowed to Shining, “I will leave you to it. If you need anything, ring the bell.” And like that, he left. Bracing himself, Shining knocked on the twin doors. “Blue? Are you in there? It’s me, Shining.” For a moment, nothing but the concerto was heard, but a moment later Shining heard the doors unlock, and it opened to Blueblood in a pink bathrobe. His mane wrapped in a towel turban on his head, the prince looked at him, wide-eyed. “Shining?” Blueblood blinked. “What are you doing here?” “I came to see if you’re doing okay.” Shining leaned his head over, spying the phonograph playing a record, and a tray that had a cup of coffee and pastries. “I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” “No, no, come in,” Blueblood said, stepping aside. Stepping inside, Shining glanced at the state of the room. Right away, he noticed a few things. The scent of lavender and sweet orange loomed over the air, coming from a humidifier that blew mist out. There was a collection of records near the phonograph - most of which had labels of soothing classical music. Joke books were towered up in piles near the bed. And there were tell-tell signs of crumpled tissue paper that filled nearly half a garbage can nearby.  “I thought this was your wedding night,” Blueblood asked, closing the door behind him. “Were you able to get married today?” “Despite everything, yes I did.” Shining enveloped the prince in a comforting hug. “Are you doing okay?” “As much as I can be, given the circumstances.” Blueblood nuzzled him. “I was attacked today by those things.” “So I’ve heard.” Breaking the hug, he added, “I also noticed that you weren’t at the wedding.” “It would have been too awkward,” he shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense in my mind to be at an occasion where my coltfriend was getting married to someone else. Bug invasion notwithstanding, it didn’t feel right for me to be there.” “I imagine that you might have been feeling down-” “Down is an understatement, Shining.” Blueblood went over to the table, picking up the coffee in his aura. “How would you feel if your first real coltfrined whom you trusted and cared for than any other stallion had gotten married to someone else?” “Not great…” Shining blushed. “Believe it or not, it wasn’t anything against you. Seriously, I didn’t regret those dates we were on, if anything you showed a side of myself I didn’t know was there. I’m thankful that you showed me that. Cadence especially has encouraged me to embrace my sexuality, even in our marriage.” “It’s still cold comfort.” “Blue, you have to realize that I did so because I had gotten to know Cadance for much longer. If the situation was the other way around instead, I would have married you. But as it is, we have to be realistic. I’ve known you for about a year now, and we all agreed that you can still date me.” “I already know that…” Blueblood sighed into his cup. “Where does that leave me now?” “Sorry?” “Now that you’re officially married, is it only a matter of time until you don’t want to see me anymore?” Shining trotted over, nuzzling him. “You remember why I dated you in the first place?” “Pitty?” “No. To teach you so you can have the confidence to pursue other guys with confidence. I still stand by in saying that you’re not cursed to be unloved. If stallions gave you half a chance, they will come to see what I see from you.” Blueblood shook his head, “I’m not sure if I could move on after you. I don’t know if there would be anyone like you out there.” “Maybe not, but if there’s one thing that you taught me, and I hope I could get across to you, is that it’s possible to love anyone. Yes, there aren’t many ponies like me, but why should there be? Chances are, there might be guys who would be a better fit for you than I am. After all, I’m not the first pretty-faced stallion with a good heart, and I doubt I would be the last you’ll meet.” “But I still want to see you.” Shining kissed him, “And you will. The circumstances have changed, but the three of us are still the same ponies as we were from the start.” He hugged him again, “I’ll still be here for you.” “Will I ever find love again?” Shining pat him on the back, “As certain that the sun will rise in the morning. I’ll even be there to help you out with it.” Then, after a pause, he added. “Blueblood, do you want me to stay with you for the night?” Blueblood was surprised by this, “But Shining, this is your wedding night with Cadance.” “I know. Do you still want me to?” There was a long, long pause between them. Shining could see Blueblood’s conflicted thoughts on his face. That desire to have him be here and yet… “No.” Shining blinked, “Are you sure?” “A wise aunt taught me a saying. ‘If you love someone, let them go. If they come back, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.’ Believe me, part of me wants you here. To show you the love that only I can give… But it wouldn’t be fair for you, or Cadance. Perhaps it’s that pesky conscious stuff speaking, but stealing you from your wife - tonight of all nights… No, you should go with her.” This was new for Shining, in all the time he had gotten to know the prince, he had never seen such a level of sacrifice coming from him. An act of selflessness. Kissing him again, Shining said, “Thank you, Bluey. We’ll go on a date when I get back.” “Don’t keep your bride waiting.” After a final hug, Shining bid Blueblood goodbye before he left.  It was strange. A part of Blueblood thought that after something like that, he would enter a state of mourning that he may never get out of. It is depressing that the love of one’s life not only had gotten married but said would help find somepony else that he could love. He thought he would… but that never came. Blueblood knew that it’s never easy doing the right thing, even when it would put one at such a great disadvantage, and yet… it didn’t seem so bad. Yes, he didn’t get Shining, but something told him that this wasn’t the end either. Eight Months Later “All I’m saying is that I’m a little jealous that you got a kingdom of your own.” Shining laughed, “Oh, c’mon, Blue, I wouldn’t call it a kingdom. If I’m honest, it’s not an empire either. Just a city.” “Still, a city-state run by you and your wife where the ponies and everything else is made out of crystal. That certainly beats out my chateau any day!” Sat at a booth where in a dark, neon wonderland of an underground bar - Prince Blueblood and (now Prince) Shining were on their weekly date. Tonight Shining decided to finally take the prince out to a place outside his element - a gay bar. One of three in Canterlot, this one, The Rainbow Railroad was unique. Not only was it the oldest, not only said to be the most popular but once upon a time, it used to be the old railway station before Celestia had a new one built. Here underground, the lights changed color like a mood ring, with bright, twisted neon wrapped around the walls and mirrored ceiling above. There was a soundtrack of synthesizers and thumping beats that some ponies were dancing to. Shining took a sip of his drink. Given the ever-changing light of the place, he wasn’t sure what color the flamboyant drink was, but he could taste the tropical pineapple and mango on his lips. “So what’s been new with you?” Shining asked. “Not too much, except that I’ll be heading over to a summit in Casaflanka soon.” “Oh really? What for?” “More or less to act as a referee between Shanghay and Neighpon. From what I know, the diplomats have been on edge since last month so I expect things will be tense. Yet what they need is for someone to sit them down and talk some sense into them. Being the third party in all of this, I’ll be acting as the mediator.” Blueblood took a sip of his drink which had a twisted orange and a cherry sticking out on a toothpick. “Still, I’m surprised that you were able to come down here since you and Cadanced moved up north.” “Well, as long as there’s a railroad, I have a way. Besides, it was Cadance’s idea that we should continue our dates. Part of me wishes you could move with us.” “I would love to, but unfortunately I’m needed here.” Blueblood took another sip when a thought came to him, “Speaking of Cadeance, I’ve heard a rumor about you.” “That being?” “She’s on the lookout for a new coltfriend for you.” Shining sat his cocktail down on the table, giving it a swirl with his aura. “Well, that’s not exactly true. In reality, we’ve been so busy trying to do a bunch of things at once. Stabilize the Crystal Empire, get the ponies up to speed on what they’ve missed, introduce them to new technologies, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We barely had time for anything else but…” Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “But…?” “I would be lying if I said that Cadance didn’t float the idea past me once or twice. You know, since I’m not exactly straight, she wondered about the possibility of me hooking up with a guy. Maybe someone in the guard?” The prince laughed, “Oh that would be ironic on so many levels.” “Yeah, but remember, nothing’s settled or anything. We still have priorities that need to be taken care of before we can figure out where to go from here.” “I understand.” Blueblood took another sip of his drink. “What about you?” “Hm?” “Has anypony caught your eye?” Blueblood shook his head, “Not at all. Even if I did, I don’t think they would want me. I still have a reputation, remember?” “With mares, but not with guys. I mean, look around, I’d bet any one of them would be lining up to even go out with you.”  “Then why hasn’t anyone done that?” “Maybe it’s because I’m drinking with you.” Blueblood’s mouth hung open for a moment, but nothing came out. “Still, I doubt that anyone would even come up to say hello.” Before he could take another sip, Blueblood paused as he spotted something from the corner of his eye. “What’s he doing here?” “Huh?” Shining looked over his shoulder, “Who?” “Over at the bar, do you see what I see?”  At first, Shining didn’t know who Blueblood was talking about. He didn’t see anyone recognizable at first as all the stallions at the bar were strangers. All, that was, except for one at the end. At first, he thought maybe it was a trick of the light, but no, it was. From the suit to his blue mustache, his monocle, and the three crowns as a cutie mark - it was Fancy Pants. “Didn’t imagine he was here,” Blueblood thought aloud, “I wonder what he’s doing here.” “I would say probably getting a drink, but then again, it is a gay bar.” Shining downed the rest of his drink when he got an idea. “Hey, I’m gonna get a refill, I’ll be right back.” Getting up from his seat, Shining carried the cocktail glass over to the bar, close over to where Fancy sat. “Hey can I get another one of these?” Shining asked the bartender. “Which one was that?” “The Flaming Tiki.” Once the bartender grabbed his glass, he turned over to Fancy, “You look familiar, have I seen you before?” “Huh?” Fancy looked up from his drink. “Wait… Aren’t you Prince Shining Armor?” “Yep.” “By jov, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a wife?” “And don’t you have a marefriend?” “Don’t change the subject.” “Fine. Firstly, yes. Secondly, she knows I’m here. And third, if anything, I’m here to help out a friend of mine.” “Who?” Shining pointed, “Over there, the booth in the middle. That’s Blueblood. The three of us had met once before.” “Really? When was that?” “That modern art exhibit a couple of years ago. The one that had that mirrored cube?” “Oh…? Oh! Of course, I remember now! You were once Blueblood’s bodyguard at one point.” “Uh-huh. And I remember you mentioned how Blue’s coming out was a brave thing and all that… I guess seeing you here, I think I can piece together why.” In the weird lighting of the bar, Shining could swear that Fancy’s cheeks had darkened. “Well yes… Not many ponies know this, but Fleur de Lis is my bodyguard. A wonderful friend who has saved me more times than I could count. I’m aware that ponies get the impression that she’s my marefriend by the way she drapes over me. In reality, however, I don’t feel attracted to her whatsoever. She knows this. If anything me coming to these bars is her idea.” “Okay, I get it. Can I ask you a personal question?” “Go ahead.” “Are you seeing someone?” Fancy raised an eyebrow, “If I were to say that I wasn’t, why are you bringing this up?” “Oh no, not about me. But uh… Blueblood over there.” Shining nudged his head towards the prince’s direction. “I couldn’t help but notice he’s been eyeing you for a while.” “He is?” Fancy cocked his head to the side. “Yeah. Just so you know, he’s single too and has been looking for a coltfriend for a while. I’m acting as his wing guy to see if he could meet somepony.” “Why would he need a wing guy? He’s a prince.” “Because partly he’s a little too shy, and partly because he doesn’t think anypony would come up to talk to him. With him eyeing you I thought, maybe you should pop by to say hello.” “Me?” Fancy was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Blueblood, Prince Blueblood wanted to meet him. “I don’t know if I should.” “Trust me, I think he’ll appreciate it. Just go up and say hi. After all, what do you get to lose?” Fancy looked between him and Blueblood. After a moment of downing the last of liquid courage and straightening out his bowtie, he said, “I swear, Old Sport, if this turns out to be a joke-” “No joke, just go up to him.” Fancy got out of his seat and went over to Blueblood. Shining knew that this was a gamble, for all he knew, they probably didn’t have much in common. He wasn’t sure if it would go beyond a simple hello.  Shining watched as Fancy went up, and said hello, getting Blueblood’s attention. Although Shining couldn’t hear them over the noise of the other ponies on the dancefloor and the music, he saw that the two got into a bit of small talk. He watched for a minute, watching the prince’s expression that transformed from confusion to annoyance (giving Shining a sharp glance), and then, to intrigue. There was a moment when Fancy was just about to walk away, but Blueblood stopped him and offered him a seat. Fancy accepted where he sat next to him. And just like that, the two started to talk to each other. “Here’s your drink.” The bartender told Shining, placing his refilled cocktail down. As Shining started to drink, a smile grew across his face as he watched the two become more engrossed in their conversation. He saw them exchange antidotes and laughter. He bet that if Cadance were here with him, she probably would say that the two have developed a connection. Seeds for something beautiful to grow between them. Minute after minute the two seem to be in a world of their own, engulfed in one another. About half an hour since they started, Fancy got up, took a card out of his pocket, and gave it to Blueblood with a wink. Yet, before Fancy could leave, Blueblood hastily told him to wait before rushing over to Shining. “What happened?” Shining asked. “Fancy Pants, he… he wants me to go over to his home… What should I do?” “I mean… do you wanna?” “Yes but, what about you?” Shining smirked, “I can get home. Blue, go after him.” “But-” Shining’s hoof was on his shoulder.  “Maybe something will come out of this, maybe it will not. But sometimes you just need a leap of faith. If you think he might make you happy, go for it.” Blueblood looked over his shoulder. “Tell me how it went, okay? Same time next week?” Blueblood looked over his shoulder once more, then with a small smile said, “We’ll see.” And like that, he trotted over across the dance floor, where he and Fancy Pants walked out. Shining raised his glass to them, “To a brighter future.” The End.