The Price Of Being A Princess

by TheOneAJ

Chapter 4

“Shining, is that you?” a male voice shouted. A moment later, a light blue stallion, clad in armor, walked in the hall space Shining and I had just entered. “Ah, good and... Princesses.” He paused, gaped for a moment, till why I assumed was his knowledge about my babysitting duty came back to him. “Well it's a pleasure. Names Nightlight.” He bowed.

“Please,” I said raising a hoof.

“Yes of course.” he said, almost too quickly for my liking. “I need to go, but I’ll leave you both too it. Left some money if you wanted to order out. Twilight’s in the living room, I got to go!” He put on his helmet, smiled at Shining, and was out the door.

I looked to the floor, then back to Shining, who motioned in the direction of the living room. I followed him, but not before I caught sight of an, author of the year plaque. Before I could ask about it, something hard hit my face.

“Oh, Celestia!” Shining cried out. “Twily!”

Rubbing my head, I looked to the floor to see it was a red wooden block with the letter, A, on it. Before I could blink, another, yellow B block, sailed towards my head.

This time, though, Shining Armor caught it in his magic. “Now, Twily, that’s no way to behave towards guest!” he scolded.

Glancing in his direction, I saw said filly. A cute little bundle of lavender surrounded by toys. She looked to be, at most, a year or two old. The whites of her eyes still being developed as she stared at me with her tiny purple pupils.

She turned her head to her Shining and smiled, then turned to me, picked up a green C block, and started to throw it. Shining Armor took it out of her hooves. Twily began to cry.

“Full of energy I see!” I winced, rubbing my noise.

She paused in her wails, furrowed her eyes, pointed at me and said, “Icky Princess, Shiny!”

Both mine, and Shining Armor's eyes widened.

“Now that’s a very rude thing to say, Twi!” he chuckled nervously, leaning down next to her. “What do we say?”

She paused to think on that for a moment. Even rubbing her chins. Finally, she smiled, clapped her hooves together and said, “Smelly Princesses!”

Shining Armor’s smile didn’t leave his face as he stood up. Body shaking. “Foals and their imagination, right?”
he awkwardly asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. “I feel like there's a ‘funny story,’ here.” I deadpanned.

Shining Armor rubbed his neck. “Well... if by, funny, you mean, me being in a bad mood one day, at you, Twily asked what was wrong, by chance you were in a magazine on the coffee table, I pointed and said you, and then said a bunch of mean things about you I encouraged... Then yeah, funny story.” His eyes shut as a bead of sweat ran down his neck.

I glared at him for a good minute. That was, until Twilight began to pout again.

“Go way, meanie!” the foal protested.

With that I sighed. “It’s alright.”

Shining Armor frowned. “Looked to the floor.” if it means anything, it was already a rather lousy day. Before…” he shook his head. “In anycase!” he said firmly before i could protest. “Yes, Twilight,” he said looking down at his sister. ‘Yes, she was a… spoiled, princess, but now she’s good and here to help me play with you.”

My heart sank at his words. Not so much that he said them, but from how he said it. At first, i thought he was just stretching the truth to make his sister like me more. On the other hoof, I couldn’t help but feel like he genuinely meant that about me being a good pony now.

‘Now.’

I pushed that thought out of my mind. I needed to focus on getting this filly to like me. So, as Shining Armor sat on the floor, I sat down next to him. Eyes focused on Twilight. The purple filly regarding me as if I was a piece of broccoli. Only interested in me because someone she trusted told her so. However, that didn’t mean she had to like it. So i did the only thing I could think of.

“Hello, Twilight,” I smiled. “I am Princess Mi Amora Cadenza. But you can just call me Cadence.”

She didn’t smile, but she seemed more curious than disgusted at me.

“I am a… friend,” I coughed out, “of your brother’s.” small comfort came from Shining's reaction that I wasn’t alone in cringing. “And i’m hoping we can become friends if you let me.” I reached out a hoof.

Twilight looked at my hoof, then to her brother.

“It’s okay.” Shining Armor assured. “See.” he then, of all things, reached out and touched my hoof. Sending chills up my spine. But not the kind that made my skin crawl as I might have thought if this had happened a week ago. It was more a warm feeling. Matched only by the first time Buck had complimented me.

Fortunately, before I could think more about it, Twilight smiled, took my hoof, letting Shining armor release his grasp, as she shook my hoof.

“Friendly, princess?” she asked.

“Yes.” Shining assured her. ‘Friendly.”

“No bimbo more?” she asked with an innocent smile.

As Shining Armor coughed on thin air, i did the last thing i’d thought i’d do.

“Well,” I laughed. Causing him to gape at me. “I suppose there could have been worse things to call me.”

*****

For the next hour, we spent playing with Twilight. Slowly but surely, gaining her trust as we taught her what to, and not to, call a princess. After the hour, we started to get hungry. So, Shining opted to order the pizza while i bounded alone with Twilight for a sec. She protested, reaching his hooves out and crying when he got up. Only for him to promise to be right back, and it would be story time.

That cheered her up for a bit, until her left the room. Leaving me with the object of my punishment all by ourselves.

“Well,” I said booping her nose. Extracting a giggle from Twilight. “Even if I wouldn't have asked to do this, and if anyone asks i’m miserable!” I whispered in a hiss. “I’m having a good time.” I smiled when i heard shining's voice ordering the pizza.

“And between you and me, your brother is rather cute.” ‘Not that i’d act on it.’ I told myself.

Cute, sure. Good for maybe a colt to fantasize about who wasn’t Buck. However, I wasn’t going to fall for, firstly, a one-sided crush kind of romance. Second, this was only temporary. Shining would serve his detention sentence out next week. The week after, things would go back to normal. Well, if I wasn’t still grounded by then. Maybe by the time my foalsitter duties were done, but I doubted it would happen before.

Speaking of duties. My nose began to wrinkle. I looked down to the smell. Where i had noticed twilight's face going from constipated, to one of joy as she started to giggle.

“Shining!” I screamed, backing away from Twilight.

“What is it!” Shining cried, charging into the room, horn glowing, picking up his sister with his magic and bringing her towards him.

“Sh… She!” I gasped, fighting to get the smell out of my noise.

I took him a minute. Looking from Twilight, to me pulling tissues by the dozen. Once it clicked, he started to laugh. “Well,” he said, smirking to Twilight. “Looks i need to save the princess again. For the horrors of dirty diapers.”

Twilight laughed and clapped.

I stomped a hoof.

“Hey, take it easy,” he said. “You’re going to have to deal with changing her diapers sooner or later.”

“Isn’t…” i said, but stopped to drive heave. “Isn’t there someone else to do it.”

He lowered his eyes.

I weakly chuckled. “Right… and that pony would be me.”

Author's Note:

Boy did I underestimate how little I would get done on weekends >.<
Still, more to come if I don’t reach the 50 K goal. Go nuts with the grammar correction, this one was a bit more rushed that the others for reasons I just mentioned. Will edventually do at least a light clean up when I’m done with this story

Comments

[Gulver]

Isn’t…” i said, but stopped to drive heave. “Isn’t there someone else to do it.”

Dry heave.

[Purosso]

Great chapter