Princess Cadence and the Art of War
Princess Cadence raised her hand to knock on the wooden door she'd been through so often now, it felt like a second home to her. Yet today was different. There was that same knot in her stomach as the first time she knocked, back when she'd started her part-time job as a foalsitter.
Lowering her hand again, she smoothed out her pink summer dress to make sure it fit perfectly. Turning her head, she checked her mirrored appearance in the window. Her mane was fine, and the small crown she'd been given by her aunt as a gift on her eighteenth birthday sat straight.
“Right, no reason to be nervous,” she told herself and finally knocked.
“Come in!” somepony shouted from inside.
Cadence opened the door and stepped into the homely living area. She stood there for a moment, waiting for somepony to greet her. “Hello?”
A mature mare with an intricate curl in her purple-and-white mane leaned out of the door that she knew led to the kitchen. “Oh, Cadence. How lovely to see you.” She frowned. “Twilight is studying at the castle with Princess Celestia right now. Did you get your dates mixed up?”
“Uhm, no, Mrs. Sparkle. Actually I'm not here to see Twily ...”
Twilight Velvet gave her a knowing smile. “Ah, I see. Shiny's upstairs in his room. Go right ahead.”
Cadence nodded and went up. She knew the way. Stopping at his room, she could see that the door was slightly ajar and snuck a peek at him sitting at his desk. He seemed to be concentrating rather heavily on a textbook. She wondered why he was wearing his cadet uniform while on break, but she wasn't complaining. She'd always known that her stallion looked good in a uniform.
“He's done nothing but study since he came home.”
Cadence jumped slightly at the comment. When had Velvet followed her up here, and how had she managed to stay hidden. “Really?”
The mare nodded, sighing heavily. “I've hardly seen him. He even eats his meals in his room. On that note,” she said, handing Cadence a tray with a bowl of snacks and two glasses of lemonade on it, “could you be a dear and take this to him?”
“Uh, sure,” Cadence affirmed.
“Maybe you can convince him to finally take a break.” Then a mischievous grin crossed her face. “By the way, I'm off to see my editor and my husband is at work right now. You and Shiny will be all alone in the house, so you can be as loud as you want.”
Cadence began to blush. “I … I don't know what you mean.”
Velvet giggled. “Oh, come on. You haven't seen each other in six months. You're both adults, and physical intimacy is important in a relationship.”
The Princess didn't know how to respond, except blush even harder beneath her pink coat.
“I get it. You don't have to say anything. Have a good time.” With a wave, her coltfriend's mother had turned around and gone back down the stairs. A short time later, she could be heard exiting the front door.
Cadence took a deep breath and entered. “Shining?”
The stallion didn't respond, continuing to look at his book and take notes.
“I brought some snacks.”
Still he didn't seem to have noticed her presence. A little miffed at that cold response, she marched up to the desk and put the tray down next to him.
Shining Armor seemed genuinely startled by the mysterious object suddenly materializing next to him. He looked up, and a huge smile spread across his face. “Cadence!”
Only now, as he took the headphones out, did Cadence realize why he hadn't responded earlier. He made up for that, though, as he stood up, wrapped her in an embrace and locked his lips with hers.
Cadence began to smile as she returned the kiss. “I've missed you.”
“I've missed you more,” he replied and gave her another kiss. “Thank you so much for the letters. I think they're the only thing that got me through the first few weeks.”
“So I take it, you haven't been cheating on me with a pretty nurse you met after pretending to have a tummy ache to get out of training?”
He laughed. “After our initial medical, I gave the medical facility a wide berth.” He took one of her hands and kissed it lightly. “Unlike you, the nurses there have terribly cold hands.”
“Well, my hands could get cold today. I was thinking we could go to that ice-cream parlor downtown, the one next to your favorite arcade. You know, recreate our first date?”
Shining had a complicated expression on his face. “Oh man, as much as I'd love to do that, I just have so much work to do.”
Her face fell. “What's so important?”
He gestured towards the desk that was littered with books and notes. “I gotta study. As soon as I get back to the Academy, there's gonna be a placement exam for the second semester. I gotta place within the top third of the class, if I want to have any chance at getting into the officer's program.”
Cadence resisted the urge to smack him for turning down a genuine date, after not having seen her for so long. She wanted to tell him that there was no shame in completing his training as a petty officer. But she didn't. She knew that his dream was to become Captain of the Royal Guard and that he'd worked his flank off to get where he was now. It was one of the things she loved about him.
“Alright, I get it.”
He gave her another kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for understanding.”
But then she did something he hadn't expected. Bringing the spare chair in his room over to the desk, she sat down beside him. “But you don't get rid of me that easily. So I'll help you study.”
“You wanna help me study for my officer exam?” he asked with a slightly bemused expression.
“And why not?” she responded with a raised eyebrow. “I seem to remember a certain young stallion who begged me on hands and knees to help him prepare for our 11th grade history exam the next day.”
“Well, sure. But this is strategy and tactics we're talking about, and you're, well, a mare.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
Shining scratched his cheek. “Well, mares don't know anything about war,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Cadence frowned. She knew that he was a gentlecolt at heart. It was one of his best qualities, though it also had the unfortunate side effect that he sometimes harbored such sentiments. He wasn't sexist per se, but he did have the habit of viewing mares as the weaker sex who needed to be protected from the world. “Tell me something, Cadet Shining Armor,” she said with a slight edge in her voice. “Who is your Commander in Chief?”
“Well, Princess Celestia, of course,” he answered without a second's hesitation. “Now, I see what you're getting at. But she's not exactly your average mare.”
“Uh-huh. Indulge me for a moment. Say Equestria went to war and something happened to Celestia, then who'd be in charge?”
He crossed his arms and thought about that for a moment. “Well, as Royal Guards, we take our orders from royalty. And I guess the next person in line for the throne would be …” Comprehension dawned on his youthful face as he regarded her crown. “You.”
“Damn right. Equestria is a peaceful country, but do you honestly think my aunt would neglect that part of my education, just in case I had to step in?” She gave him a confident smile. “If you want to place in the top third, you shouldn't turn away the help of a pony who was top of her class in war studies.”
He narrowed his eyes at that statement. “What class?”
Cadence pursed her lips. “Well, it was just Blueblood and myself under the instruction of General Battle Axe,” she admitted. “But trust me, you'd rather have me lead you into battle than him.”
Shining Armor shuddered at the thought of taking orders from the self-important stallion. “You'll get no argument from me there. Alright, let's tackle the first set of questions.”
…
“No!” Cadence reprimanded him with exasperation in her voice. “If you thin out your front line to reinforce the flank, the enemy is gonna break through the center. What you do is bring up a regiment from your reserves and put them at a right angle to your formation. It's called 'refusing a flank'.”
“I knew that,” Shining replied testily, but nonetheless scribbled the term down to look it up in detail later.
She sighed. This wasn't at all what she'd expected their reunion to be like. They'd been at it for hours, with no significant progress to speak of. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're drawing this out on purpose.”
He glared at her, but soon his eyes seemed to glaze over as they began to wander across her body. “You know … it's not exactly easy to concentrate with you … looking like this,” he muttered with a blush.
Cadence looked down on herself and began to blush as well. “I came dressed for a date, not a study session, you know.” At least he was finally acknowledging that the short summer dress and generous cleavage were having an effect on him. That was something she could be happy about. “Anyway, battlefields are full of distractions. If you can't deal with this, how do you expect to command effectively in the future?”
She'd expected another snappy remark, but instead he remained quiet with his eyes lowered. “Maybe … maybe I'm not officer material after all.”
Cadence hated seeing him like that. But she knew that it wasn't true. Shining had a natural charisma and leadership potential. She'd seen that on the odd occasion when she'd observed him during his Oubliettes and Ogres campaigns in highschool. He'd always been the one to lead his party of friends through dungeons and hordes of monsters. If only he could project that confidence into the real world.
He sighed heavily. “Sorry, you got all dressed up to see me, and all I do is dump my troubles on you. This has gotta be the worst date in ...” He jumped, when he could suddenly feel her hands getting to work on his trousers. “Cadence?”
With surprising speed and dexterity, she pulled out his stallionhood and began to rub it with her soft hands. “I think I know what your problem is. This is all just theoretical. What you need, is a practical demonstration.”
He drew in his breath sharply as she took him into her mouth. It was so warm, and he hadn't felt like this for six months. Still, he cast a worried glance at the door. “What if somepony comes in?”
“Your family are all out. The theater of war is clear, so concentrate on the enemy in front of you,” she told him and continued to suck on his hardening pride with slurping noises.
Shining closed his eyes, moaning softly as his tip brushed against the inside of her cheek. “Ohhh, I missed you so much.” In a matter of seconds, he was fully standing at attention.
But then she stopped abruptly, looking up at him with a naughty smile while drawing circles on his glans with her index finger. “Alright, Cadet. The enemy has launched a surprise attack on your camp. What do you do?”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression, but then realized what she meant. Their study session wasn't over yet. “The first thing I need to do is...” He gulped, but reached around her body nonetheless. The basic training had given the former nerd some muscles, so he had no problem seizing her thighs and lifting her up. He sat her down on the desk and positioned himself between her legs. “Seize the initiative!”
Cadence giggled. “Very good. Your swift maneuver has halted the first attack and gained you a pause in combat. How do you use it?”
Shining thought about that for a moment, before picking up the hem of her dress. “First of all, I'm gonna need to do some reconnaissance.” Slowly pulling it up, Cadence offered no resistance as she lifted her arms above her head. “Woah.” Shining Armor almost wept at seeing his marefriend's bare breasts.
“Told you I came dressed for a date.” It had taken her a lot of courage to go without a bra. But seeing his reaction was definitely worth it. “Go on. You were going to do some scouting.”
“Right,” he mumbled, bringing his hand closer to her mounds. He brushed his thumb against her nipple even as his palm traced the curves of her upper body lovingly. “Gotta get a feeling for the battlefield terrain. All the way from the mountain tops … to the valleys.”
Cadence let him proceed as his fingers danced along her sides and traced a line down her stomach, getting ever lower. But when he brushed up against her panties, she slapped his hand away. “Nuh-uh.”
Shining looked at her with a hurt expression. “What?”
Holding up one finger, she explained. “You've discovered the enemy stronghold, but it's too well fortified for a direct assault.” To emphasize the point, she placed both her hands in front of her secret spot, which had the added effect of pushing up her perky breasts with her upper arms.
Being denied so close to his ultimate goal, the stallion's face contorted in thought. “In that case, I'm gonna have to launch a diversionary attack!” He quickly seized one of her breasts and his head came rushing forward as he locked lips with her. Cadence moaned into his mouth as he, rather forcefully, pushed his tongue past her lips.
He kept this up for a while, before moving on to kissing her collar bone and moving down towards the other tit. “Ah!” Cadence screamed, when he lightly bit down on her nipple. “Taking the high ground, I see. You've managed to draw out some of the defenders.” Bringing one hand up, she seized the horn that was right in front of her face, beginning to stroke it like she'd done with his pride earlier. Sticking out her tongue, she circled it around the tip, knowing that this was one of his most sensitive spots.
Shining Armor grunted, aroused beyond comparison, but he knew that he hadn't won yet, when he began moving his hips and felt his stallionhood brush up against her other hand. “Looks like I need to commit more forces to this skirmish.” Reaching around her, he began to squeeze that gorgeous flank.
In reflex, Cadence put her hand on his fore-arm. With a grin on his face, he pushed his hips forward again. “Enemy at the gate.” He rubbed his pride against her through the thin cloth. “Looks like there's some dissent among the defenders,” he commented.
True enough, a wet spot had formed on her panties. Shifting them aside, she allowed him entrance. “Indeed. They're impressed by the size of your army, so some of the defenders have decided to open the gate for you.”
He lined himself up, pressing against her from the outside. “Ready. Aim. Fire!”
Her back arched and she screamed loudly as he hilted himself all the way inside in one go. “Ahn! You penetrated my defenses.”
“Charge forward! Take no prisoners!” he roared, seizing her ass with both hands and rutting her hard as he put half a year's worth of pent-up feelings into every single stroke.
Cadence wrapped her arms around him, her fingernails digging into his back. “Sweep around the flanks. We mustn't let him break through!”
“Too late! The battle has already turned in my favor. Now all I have to do is overwhelm the defenders.” Using his weight, he pushed her onto the desk, not once letting up with his thrusts. Untangling himself from the embrace, he pinned her arms down.
“My forces have been surrounded! I surrender!” Cadence yelled between moans.
“No prisoners!" he repeated his sentiment from earlier. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!” Then he sealed her lips with his and began to speed up even more for the final stretch.
Having long since abandoned her playful defense, Cadence wrapped her legs around his mid-section to draw him in even deeper. She could feel the heat rising within her as her mind lost to the oncoming rush of pure ecstasy. Six months of waiting had made them both more sensitive than usual.
Her body shivered and convulsed as they both came at the exact same time. Shining made one effort to pull out, but her legs kept him locked in place, so he buried himself inside of her once again while releasing his seed in several large spurts.
He rested comfortably on top of her, rubbing his face against her chest as if never wanting to move again. “That was some hands-on teaching,” he commented with a happy sigh.
“You did well, Cadet,” Cadence told him warmly while stroking his mane. Then she giggled. “I can feel your little soldiers overwhelming my inner defenses right now. We might well have our own little recruit very soon.”
Realizing the implications of what she'd just told him, Shining Armor lifted his head to look at her, his eyes wide in an utterly terrified expression.
Cadence giggled again, and then flicked him lightly on the forehead. “Just kidding,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “Today is a safe day.”
He released his breath explosively. “Don't scare me like that, Cadence. I'd like to be a father someday, but this isn't the right time.”
She gave him a smirk. “What did you forget during your battle preparations, Cadet?”
“I didn't check my intel on the enemy thoroughly enough,” he replied with a sheepish expression.
“Hm.” Cadence leaned up to lightly kiss him. “Guess we'll have to keep studying.”
“Indeed.” His hand once again made its way to her flank and squeezed it playfully. “You think we could try a strategy that involves taking the enemy from behind?”
* * *
FROM: Col. Iron Hoof, CO 1st Year Cadets
SUBJECT: Cadet S. Armor
EVALUATION:
Although Cadet Shining Armor has exhibited an exemplary physical performance and good teamwork with his squadmates, until now his instructors had only considered his talents in the area of command as average.
That is until he got a near perfect score on the infamous S.T.R. (Special Tactics and Reconnaissance) Exam at the beginning of his second semester. As you know, no cadet has ever scored more than 80% on this test.
Cadet Shining Armor scored 99% (only getting a one point deduction on a logistical question, arguing that a steady supply of condoms was essential for any long-term campaign,) thus showing a grasp of strategy and tactics that is far beyond his years and training. If he keeps up this performance, he might well become the finest officer this Academy has ever produced.
RECOMMENDATON:
Immediate transfer to Elite Officer Training Program and Promotion to Cadet Commander.
* * *
FROM: Maj. Gen. Battle Axe, Superintendent Equestrian Royal Military Academy
SUBJECT: RE: Cadet S. Armor
Transfer: APPROVED
Promotion: APPROVED