Shining Armor awoke first, which was unusual. Cadance tended to awake before him and he always knew that because he could tell when her warmth left him. This time, he had the advantage and Equestria be cursed if he didn't use it.
It was hard to decide exactly what he wanted to do. The faint blue-orange glow of pre-sunrise was coming in over the horizon of the sea visible between broad plantlife outside the bedroom window. Their bedroom, grand but sparsely decorated in adherence to the cottage's modern motif, was finished with white carpet and a glass wall facing the same side as that in the lounge room. Less of the ocean was visible but still enough to be breathtaking at this time of the early morning.
Just outside the wall, which had sliding doors, was a patio. Though in all honesty, the term “patio” seemed a bit low-rent for the intricate design of it, which curved around in steps enough to be beautifully artistic without being absurd. Plenty of potted flowers and visually appealing plants were littered about in compliment and a well-kept path lead out towards the cove-like area seen the previous day from the lounge.
There was some tropical-sounding bird squawking somewhere outside and the exotic nature of it left Shining a smile rather than a frown of annoyance. The air was perhaps a little humid on his nose but it was far less so inside than outside the house because of the artificial climate control. There may have been the faint smell of some pleasant native flower throughout the cottage but Shining had little knowledge as to what exactly it could actually be. Twilight could probably give the scientific name for it off the top of her head.
The white stallion shifted the tiniest bit under the covers so as to feel the coat and feathers of his beloved against his own. Sometimes he wished he did have two wings because it might give him better insight to those that were attached to his wife. In spite of his lack of them, he had learned much about the flight-enabling appendages over his relationship with Cadance.
Sure, the bed was plenty big enough for the both of them to lay on opposite sides and have a full pony's width separating them in the middle. Did that matter? Not in the slightest. Cadance had ensured last night that there was negative physical distance between them. In other words, last night had seen the emergence of a singularity in...great flaming Celestia, Twilight's analytic breakdowns were invading his mind again. Blast that little sister of his.
He tried thinking in more realistic terms but the soft warmth that was his wife's body was blanking out his mind again. She was still asleep. He knew this because of her steady breathing, general lack of movement, closed eyes, and occasional mutterings that were incomprehensible but sounded like they were about how content she was to be where she was. Or perhaps that was just his own disposition. He was certainly very happy to be where he was.
In spite of losing the game last night, Cadance had decided to forfeit her acquisition of a special request and give him two instead. She may have done this knowing that he would choose to spend the requests on nothing she wouldn't as well, but that point was moot. Last night had been perfect. Cadance had been perfect. Not that she had to live up to some judgment of performance, but rather she was a goddess in his eyes.
Said goddess stirred, her eyes shifting a bit but staying closed. Her wings also stayed wrapped around him but seemed to tense up a bit to draw him closer, which couldn't happen because there was no distance to close between them in the first place. That was when Shining was finally able to form a useful thought beyond the musings of how much he adored the mare in his hooves. He knew what he would do.
Cadance had made the mistake of betraying one of her sensitive spots on their wedding night. “Mistake” was, of course, another way of saying that she betrayed the knowledge of something that he proceeded to exploit nearly every day. She liked it and so only encouraged him.
Shining Armor shifted, ducking his head under the sheets and below the pillow. He bent around so that he came right up to the point his wife's wings met her body. It was a mechanical thing to him and he tried, this time, to make it a tad more deliberate. He nuzzled her coat right behind her wing and then kissed the spot.
“Mmah,” a sudden combination of surprise wake-up groan and pleasurable moan escaped Cadence's lips. Her eyes tried opening but succeeded only by blinking open half-way several times at first. “Shiny...”
The prince smiled. He heard the familiar tremble in her voice that betrayed her content awakening. He sought to make every little action a significant expression. They loved each other and needed no grand gestures to show it. He said nothing but moved up to the lower feathers on her left wing and began nuzzling around them gently, half seeking any need for preening and half eliciting further contentment for his mare.
“Mmm,” Cadance hummed groggily. “Morning, love.”
Shining found a feather out of place, but it didn't need anything more than a gentle realignment. His teeth carefully corrected it and he was back to feeling the feathers against his face. He would swear Cadance's wings were better than any pillow he had ever slept on.
“Love,” he breathed out as he stroked her other wing with a forehoof.
“What was that?” she asked from where her head rested above the sheets, her voice sleepy.
“I love your wings,” he expanded the thought. “I love your coat, too.”
Cadance sighed in that way that told the world that it had been rather nice to her of late and needn't change anything more on her account. “Is this going to end with you saying that you love me?”
“No,” he smirked still under the sheets. “Just your hot bod.”
Cadance laughed loud and hard.
“I think I'll need rehab after this because I'm addicted,” he added with his own coltish giggle as he ran his cheek up the plush coat on her chest.
The pink princess pushed the sheets down from her to reveal her husband. “Alright, Mr. Perfect,” she said on the tail end of her laughing, “there's a penalty for loving a mare's body and nothing else.”
“What would that be?” he came back, looking up at her from below.
“You have to make me breakfast,” she grinned.
It hardly fazed him. “Well that's not too bad,” he also grinned. “Especially since all I have to do is call it in. What do we want, dear?”
“Something light,” Cadance brought a hoof to her chin. “I don't want to eat heavy when we're going to go out doing things today.”
“Oh?” the stallion raised his brows. “Making our schedule are you...? I thought we'd just stay in.”
Cadance was about to remind him to go order some food but he climbed up to her nose-to-nose and kissed her. Everything from her horn to her tail felt like melting back asleep. Her wings folded around him snugly again.
Shining broke the kiss, still smiling.
“You said as much yesterday,” the mare commented and then reluctantly started moving away from him and off the bed. “Come on, Shiny. It's not like you can't molest me while we're actually doing something with this resort.”
“Molest?” Shining laid back in fake shock, sprawled out across the sheets. “I'd never do it in public, though...”
Cadace gave him a deadpan look from the bedroom door. “And I suppose the last Council summit didn't count? The one where you were groping me during every five minute break?”
Shining chuckled as if he found it funny. “We were outside the break room. No one saw us.”
Cadance rolled her eyes and tried very hard from letting him know that she had actually enjoyed his attentions. He already knew but she thought it was honorable to pretend he didn't and try not to show it. Well, she didn't really think it was honorable because that was an idea one of her “how to be a stuck-up royal” classes tried indoctrinating her with. She preferred being honest unless she was looking to play with her husband, which she had all the time in the world for now.
“Let's get breakfast,” she reiterated as she left the room with a beaconing flick of her tail.
“Fruit was a good idea,” Cadance admitted. Her husband had chosen wisely. “The light oats helped too.”
“Yeah, I'm pretty awesome,” Shining Armor admitted humbly.
“My little molester,” she smirked as she ran a hoof up his back.
“You're not going to let that go are you?” he looked at her, trying not to let her be the only playful one.
“Never.”
They were both aboard the Hydro Star and moving at an easy pace towards Beach 5. One of the resort staff had arrived earlier to their cottage to deliver their light breakfast and they related then that they were interested in getting in some diving orientation before the resort season officially started tomorrow. Oxygen Rush might end up being rather busy and this was their last day to take advantage of her time. She did, after all, indicate she was quite excited about teaching them how to dive. Especially since she went to all that trouble of making custom equipment for them.
The stallion that had brought them breakfast related that Oxygen would be waiting for them at the Diving Center whenever they were ready. Shining Armor felt their craft, the Star, was plenty simple enough to pilot there and he had been paying careful attention during yesterday's tour to know how to operate it. That was precisely what he was currently doing.
The waves on the bay were splitting around them as they coasted towards the large beach sign with the number 5. When they approached, Shining slowed the vessel using the deceleration paddle and successfully got the green mooring light lit. He figured even a greenhorn from Guard Academy could pull it off.
Both the rulers of the Crystal Empire headed back down the ship's side corridor, through the hatch, and across the dock. Sure enough, Oxygen Rush was just opening the door as they came up to the Diving Center. She looked a little tired but had a vibrant smile on all the same.
The day was just as bright and refreshing as it had been previously. The smell of sand, salt water, and cleaning chemicals came at them in waves upon the breeze. No doubt the spotless dock and streakless windows on the Center were responsible for that last scent. Still, it was pleasant. Shining Armor had never really been to a tropical resort in the first place and most of his experiences were telling him that he should have visited long ago.
“Good morning, my little couple,” she lit up and failed utterly on cleanly pronouncing the “l.” Her accent was more obvious now than it had been yesterday. Likely related to how tired she looked.
“Good morning,” both royals return in cheer.
“Are you alright, dear?” Cadance added with a tint of worry as she came up to the other mare.
“Of course,” Oxygen just smiled it off. “The resort directors called a late meeting last night, is a-”
There was an odd moment while the mare struggled with her words.
“It is nothing,” she decided to end with instead.
“We can do this another time if you need some rest,” Shining offered generously.
Oxygen dismissed it, though. “Never necessary,” she persisted. “Come. We can begin.”
Cadance exchanged the same concerned look with her husband, both catching how their caretaker/guide had lost some of her articulation. But neither wanted to insult her by coming up with some excuse to cancel. If anything, Oxygen was more determined than they were.
So they followed her in and noticed a few other uniformed ponies that hadn't been there the day before. Things were obviously picking up, but their business was with Oxygen Rush and so they followed her into the locker room. She retrieved their diving suits for them and got her own from the last locker in the row. Hers was a pure white with the depiction of a single tropical flower on either side painted in polychromatic hues. She practically glided her body into it as if she had put it on a thousand times, which she no doubt had.
“Okay,” Oxygen proclaimed as she came up to them in her suit and motioned to the two still unequipped and held in the royal ponies' magical grip. “Normally I would give some instruction to easing into them but we are very lucky – both of you have magic. I assume both of you have used spells before to put on clothing or armor?”
Shining smirked at the hint. With a simple flash of his blue magic, the diving suit was on his body. His own reaction, however, was less in line to his expectation. Even knowing that the suit would be tight to his coat, he didn't anticipate how true that would be. He blushed quickly at the snug full-body contact. It was also just a tad bit cold at first.
Cadance cooed. “You look adorable in those colors!”
Shining's face warmed up a little more. “Adorable?” he felt unsure about the compliment. He wasn't exactly accustomed to wearing pink and the moment of realizing he was wearing his wife's colors was just a tad embarrassing in front of their guide.
The lean alicorn princess followed by flashing her pink magic. The white of her suit was striking indeed. Shining forgot all his own blushing as he stared at his wife in combination awe and elation. He couldn't prevent a “wow” from slipping out of his mouth. Spurred on, Cadance struck a pose, stretching out a forehoof to the air and doing the same with a back hoof on the opposite side.
“Oh, I like,” she smirked. “White with a little blue...sexy.”
Oxygen giggled behind a forehoof and Shining's blush returned with greater force while his mouth hung open.
“Thanks for making it, Oxy,” Cadance winked at the other mare. “I might need to ask for a few more outfits from you if this is the kind of attention they get me from my little prince.”
Oxygen stepped back politely. “Oh no, I am not so good with making regular clothes. Diving suits are of special design and material. It is sort of my niche.”
“Hm,” Cadance thought as she got back to all four hooves. “Still, perhaps some special requests to fit your talents...”
That only made Oxygen join in the blushing.
“I'm playing, dear,” the princess reassured her.
“L-let's get to diving,” Shining offered in before Cadance could distract them any more with her teasing antics. As serious as his wife could be in royal matters, she had a knack for messing around off-duty. Probably had something to do with her foalsitting days.
“You probably noticed the pool,” Oxygen turned to point to the roped-off pool behind her. It was well illuminated with bright and clean white lights casting down onto it and the lockers. The bottom wasn't visible and the dark color of the water seemed to indicate it was deep. “We use this to help new divers.”
She then walked over to the rope poles barring the edge on their side and unhooked one end. She hooked it back onto the other pole with her mouth and resisted the urge to gesture with her wings. They were currently beneath her suit since it was quite bad to have pegasi wings wandering about under water. Some ponies would use them instinctively in an effort to flap against the current, but wings were not made for such things and the result was nothing more than sprained muscles and broken feathers. She knew there were exceptions but she also knew to play on the side of caution.
Oxygen walked over to the edge of the pool and tested it to ensure the heaters were doing their job. It was warm enough not to freeze but not so warm as to disillusion one as to the real temperature of real diving. That fact reminded her to say something about it.
“Cadance,” she turned to address the mare behind her. “Your wings may have the urge to spread against cool water. I must warn you to relax and keep them folded. The suit will restrain them but you still don't want to push them against it. Doing so might cause a strain.”
“I see,” the princess nodded with pursed lips. She took the advice to heart.
“If at any time either of you feels uncomfortable or feel as if you might panic, just grab my shoulder gently with your magic and I will take you back to the top. This is as much about trust as it is learning and I do hope you will trust me.”
Shining Armor was first to answer on that point. “I don't think you'll have any worries there. I've spent a lot of time in the Guard, so it takes more than this to make me panic. And Cady here used to foalsit. That's like a hundred times harder than what I've done.”
Cadance smiled, shook her head, and poked her stallion in the side.
The spring blue mare nodded and began her routine. She carefully trotted over to the nearby ladder leading down on the edge. In practiced movement she got down into the pool and drifted back from the side. She was a natural in the water, destined as such from birth because of her cutie mark. Or perhaps the logic was the other way around. In any case, she made swimming look as easy as breathing. The two watching knew they weren't so talented, though. Oh, they could swim, but not with such flawless grace as Oxygen was exhibiting in her backward strokes. She seemed to move with the water and get to where she wanted to go rather than battle it and force it into submission.
There was hardly even the sound of splashing water as she drifted over to the the edge again near them and instructed. “Either of you can get in now. I'll help you, so do not worry about drowning.”
“Don't we need more than the suits to dive?” Shining asked.
“Of course,” Oxygen replied and moved her wet mane from her face. “But we are not diving yet. I must be certain you are first comfortable with the water and the depth below you before you attempt to breach it. I must also know you are comfortable with trusting me.”
“I suppose that settles it then,” Cadance nodded to herself as if in resignation. “Darling,” she looked starry-eyed to her husband, “you must be the first casualty.”
“Huh?”
Immediately, Cadance started shoving him toward the pool's entry ladder.
“Hey, hey,” the stallion objected without knowing why his hooves suddenly started pushing in the opposite direction. “I don't mind going first but what's this 'casualty' stuff?”
“Isn't it obvious?” Cadance smiled deceptively as she continued to magically encourage him down the ladder. “I can't be the first one to lose my perfectly styled mane. Mr. Perfect has to get the wet look first.”
“You just want to see me with my mane wet,” Shining insinuated conspicuously.
“Right as rain,” his wife countered.