Forbidden Fruit

by NocturneD85

Chapter 6

Forbidden Fruit

By NocturneD

After the guests left in disappointment, worry and confusion. I went straight into my aunt's study area. But before that I was in between the two stallions. One that I wanted to devote my life to and promised. And the other that I seduced but did not want to make any trouble. Well, until they rumbled in the ball room that is. Made quite an amount of damage by cracking marble floor. Destroying tables. Slamming into pillars knocking them over. Walls damaged. Ponies that tried to stop the fight ended up getting hurt themselves.

So here I wait. Waiting for my aunt to cast her judgment on all of us. Not too much longer Big Mac entered the room all bandaged up. I tried not to look too concerned but just seeing an innocent pony like him makes me cringe. He did not ask for all this to happen, he was just protecting his sister from verbal harm. Why he's here is a mystery though. But surely I know his reason was going to be the old, "Did not want to waste an invitation" excuse. Big Macintosh just looked at me once then lowered his head in shame and sat on the farthest side of me while still in front of my aunts desk. I just could not help but notice, Big Macintosh can really make you feel sorry for him by just looking the part. I did not know him that well except for the night we shared. Next came in Shining Armor who also was bandaged up. To his side Twilight was helping him in as he limped. I would have ran up to him and cuddled him, soothing him but I did not. Twilight kept her venomous look at me and helped Shining Armor sit down and soon she did as well.

We exchanged glances. Kept our moods towards each other the same, but we knew what was in stored for us. Trouble. Punishment. Being chewed out by the highest authority of all Equestria. We said nothing to each other. All that escaped our mouths was our inhaling and exhaling breaths. Just then the doors behind us bursted open. I turned my head and no surprise, aunt Celestia walked into the room in a foul mood. And she had the right to be. But still, my stomach ached and nerves were tense just thinking about what would be in stored for us. She walked behind her desk as the guards outside closed the door behind her as soon as she entered. She sat down behind her desk and looked at us for a whole minute with a scowled look on her face. Scanning us. Not sure who she should berate first.

She shook her head and threw her arms up in the air only to slam them back down in tremendous force. She spoke, "I don't know which one of you I should yell at first!" I looked over at Big Macintosh who still had his head lowered. Shining Armor tried to look his best but knew his end was coming. Same with Twilight, I knew she got scared of aunt Celestia at times worrying if she would do something drastic. And tonight we were going to find out.

"I don't know what to even say to you four." She crossed her arms. "My ballroom is ruined. Ponies got sent to the medical ward for scraps, bruises, cuts even. All because you four can't resolve your differences like grown ups."

"It's more complicated than that princ..." Twilight tried to speak.

Celestia held her hoof up to stop her, "I heard enough from your mouth tonight young lady. Just sit there and I will get to you later." She looked at Shining Armor and yelled, "Shining Armor what in blue blazes happened out there?" Shining Armor did not say anything. He was too ashamed and yet still felt like he wanted to do something about it.

"Princess can I..." Twilight tried to speak again.

"No Twilight. I want to hear Shining Armor's story. Not yours." Celestia warned again.

Shining Armor sighed, "I just lost my cool princess. I know I should not start a fight but..." He looked over at Big Macintosh, "This stallion here." He growled, "Slept with my wife. Let alone to make matters worse he shows up here!"

"From what Apple Jack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie said he was asked to come because Rainbow Dash could not make it. And that gives you the right to punch him in the face? Let alone throw more insults his way?" Celestia again yelled.

"Because he took something from me! He took my Cadence!" Shining Armor raised his voice, "The pony I married and promised to devote my life to! I had to juggle my responsibilities of being a former captain and trying to love my wife but it was just no possible with the way how things are being run around here!"

Celestia tilted her head, "Elaborate for me then."

"What's there to say? I work my flank off and things are still trying to push me back down. My own wife cheated on me because of everything here! I teach the new recruits and try to get to know them. I run drills. I'm in charge of the guards. I assign where guards go and do what. That is everyday from some rise to sun set. When I get home either Cadence is not home or I just plop down on my bed and go to sleep waiting for the next day to come and repeat itself." Shining Armor defended himself with his own reasons. Just then his anger subsided, he bowed his head in shame. "You know what.. screw it. I'm not cut out to be a royal guard anyway."

"It's not his fault princess Celestia. Cadence put him in this position!" Twilight tried to blame me again. I cringed and wanted to yank on her hair now than ever.

"Twilight. One more word out of you and you're punishment is going to be extreme." Celestia growled. She looked back at Shining Armor. "If you're not happy here Shining Armor then you can always quit. No pony will think of you any different for leaving... earlier. But right now you might not get an honorable discharge for what just happened out there."

"Believe me princess I wanted to quit." Shining Armor frowned, "Its just that my family and relatives had members in the royal guard as well that did great things."

"Let me guess. You wanted to do something else but feared you would be letting down your family." Celestia rested her chin on her hoofs, still giving a ticked look. "You're welcome to leave Shining Armor. It's up to you. Can stay on if you want but you will be facing toilet duty and another demotion. But right now I want a straight answer out of both you and Cadence." The fur on the back of my neck rose up.

Celestia pulled out the drawer to her side and pulled out a paper, "I was hoping to never. Ever. Ever. See these in action. But I need you two to tell me straight." She looked at me then at Shining Armor. "You can talk it over if..."

"NO!" I shouted.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "No to what?"

"I don't want to talk this over anymore!" I shouted.

"Cadence are you sure? Because once you sign these you two will be divorced officially." Celestia explained in her stern voice.

"Shining Armor and I already discussed this in the ballroom. We rushed into this and could not met the requirements!" I shouted, "Even if we got back together again we would back to square one where this problem started!"

Shining Armor sighed. Twilight just kept staring daggers at me. Big Macintosh raised his head, "Could I say something?"

Celestia nodded, "Go ahead then."

"I just want to state that I'm sorry if I caused any trouble for you two. I never meant to break up any pony and did not know." Big Macintosh took a deep breath and kept talking, "But a marriage should be a proud bond between two ponies of all shapes and sizes. Marriage does mean something in my family and lately all I hear in these fancy pony magazines of the celebrities. It's just about who gets paired up with who, gets married, then shorter than a year later they get divorced. I see happy normal couples in my town enjoying what they have." He continued, "They have their fights and their differences but they take the time to work through them. They also have their moments of one pony not trusting the other. It takes a lot of work to make a relationship to work. I seen a relationship of a trucker being gone more than six months away from his family, his wife waiting for his return patiently but still keeps in touch. Now today its nothing but, you do one bad thing and all of a sudden divorce is the only option."

I was in surprise when he said this. Celestia turned her scorned face into somewhat peaceful. Big Macintosh continued to talk, "I'm really sorry for putting that wedge in your relationship Cadence and Shining Armor. But if there is anyway of you two to fix your marriage and if you want then go for it." He sighed then looked back at the princess, "I understand that I might be getting a punishment?"

Celestia shook her head, "No Big Macintosh. From what you said it was sincere and from the heart. And with the look in your eyes I can tell you feel guilty for what happened. If you would like, then you are permitted to leave."

"WHAT?" Twilight stood up from her seat. "He just ruined a good marriage!"

"Twilight sit down." Shining Armor grunted.

"No! I'm tired of being told to sit down and shut up. I know Big Macintosh is just going to go home so he can go find more girls to wreck homes for!" Twilight kept yelling, Big Macintosh looked hurt.

Shining Armor put his hoof to his forehead, "Twilight. For the last time SHUT UP!"

"But this is injustice!" Twilight declared, "The good name of the Sparkle family is ruined because of your hussy wife!"

Shining Armor said nothing. Celestia just about had it, "Twilight Sparkle. You're suspended from being my student for one month. Leave."

"SUSPENDED? " Twilight asked in rage. "Oh yeah? I thought about this long and hard if you plan on giving Shining Armor the boot. I GOT NEWS FOR YO..."

"Twilight don't say something you will regret later." Shining Armor rubbed his forehead.

"I QUIT! The Sparkle family has served the royal family for generations and this is what we get!"

Celestia glared at Twilight, "Well Twilight since you thought long and hard about this. If you quit then I want you out the library by tomorrow afternoon, you can go wherever you want after that."

"Good. Can't take it anymore in that stink hole Ponyville!" Twilight stood up. "I wanted to transfer to another school anyway!"

"THEN GO!" I shouted. "Go back to your mom and dad telling them you quit being a student here. That will make them really happy that you're giving up a once in a life time chance!"

"Yeah a once in a life time chance of sitting on my flank reading friendship letters!" Twilight shouted, "Or I can lay on my back and take it like you!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT TWILIGHT! YOU WERE THE WORST FILLY I EVER FOAL SAT FOR! I CAN'T BELIEVE A QUIET LITTLE GIRL COULD CHANGE INTO SO HEARTLESS AS YOU NOW!" I shouted.

She only rolled her eyes, "Please Cadence. I was well behaved back then every pony else you could not handle and no pony would call you because you were a crappy foal sitter!"

"No!" I shot back, "You whined! Cried! Demanded things when you were clearly said you were not allowed to. You wrote on the walls! You threw tantrums like crazy! You broke a window that had to come out of my pay! Plus you gave me a scar when throwing that book at my head! But oh no you're parents won't believe their precious little spoiled brat could do any of that!" Shining Armor only shook his head. The only chance of getting back together with him looked very bleak.

"Twilight. Leave." Celestia rubbed her own forehead. With that Twilight stuck her nose in the air and left the chambers.

"I... I'm sorry for my sister princess." Shining Armor grunted.

"She really takes too much pride in the family." Celestia sighed. "Not sure if she means it though about quitting."

"The paper?" Shining Armor asked.

"Oh yes..." Celestia slid the paper in his direction. He looked at me and motioned me to come closer. I did and we read over the contents. Pretty much the legal mumbo jumbo and the agreements once we both sign it.

"Well. Which one of you is going to sign first?" Celestia asked.

I was terrified. I did not know if I wanted to do this.

Comments

[Axel IV]

Gah! I wanna know what happens next!

[djElectrOctavia]

Twilight was too out-of character. No me gusta.

[NocturneD85]

1555272 meh, characters tend to exaggerate in and out. there is a reason for it

[SFaccountant]

And don't forget the out-of-control magic! That has to be worth some foalsitting hazard pay!