Fortunately for the Prince, Shining Armor’s tenacity proved no bounds when it came to getting him the best medical treatment the Crystal Empire had to offer. One of the unicorn surgeons from the city’s hospital was brought in, who happened to be a specialist when it came to regenerative magic. So while the six ponies who attacked him were being held in tight custody by Shining himself, Sombra’s mangled face was able to be fixed with the aid of the stallion’s bright-green aura. The magic not only enhanced the healing process of any wounds -- which closed up any cuts in minutes where it likely would’ve taken weeks otherwise -- but any broken bones in Sombra’s muzzle were quickly mended and brought back to working order. By the time he was finally able to come to, Sombra’s face only carried the slightest evidence that he had been in any kind of scuffle; a few bruises may have remained across his torso and face, but it appeared more that he fell down a flight of stairs than being victim to a merciless beating.

Meanwhile outside the castle’s medical ward, Cadance and Velvet were sitting on a bench in wait with worried looks. Cadance was holding Flurry Heart in her hooves, and was trying her best to keep herself occupied to avoid getting too overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Twilight Velvet was fidgeting her hooves nervously, her eyes pinned on the closed door in front of them. Even though they were confident that their husband would make a speedy recovery, the ligering silence was leaving both of them uneasy at best. And as soon as the door opened up, both mares shot up on their hooves when the surgeon finally stepped out.

“Well, that was a workload…” The young unicorn wiped some sweat from his brow, but his brown mane was still well-combed to keep his appearance professional. It was hard to see much emotion behind his large glasses, but he carried a look of unbridled confidence nonetheless. Before Cadance or Velvet could ask about Sombra’s prognosis, the unicorn used his magic to pull off his glasses and wipe the lenses with a cloth. “Well, the good news that is that Sombra will be alright. He might need some more time to recuperate, but I don’t think he experienced any permanent damage from that attack.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Cadance and Velvet both sighed deeply in relief, with the older mare hugging her daughter-in-law tightly from the side. Flurry Heart cooed sweetly in her Mother’s embrace, mostly due to how happily Cadance was smiling. The Princess nodded back at the surgeon and said sincerely, “Thank you so much for telling us that, Doctor West.”

“It’s alright, it’s just part of the job.” The unicorn gave both mares a brief smile with a nod, and put his glasses back on with his magic. After tucking a small cloth back in his pocket, which had the name ‘H. West’ on a name-tag above it, he added with a scoff, “Although I’ll admit, he certainly looked worse for wear when he first showed up. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of gruesome cases, but jeeze! I’m just glad I didn’t have to use any…”

The stallion paused his statement when he saw how bitterly both mares were scowling at him. He covered his muzzle with a hoof to cough lightly, before re-wording his assessment to both of them. “W-Well ummm… What I’m trying to say is that Sombra is very lucky. If your husband hadn’t shown up when he did, well…”

Cadance looked away from Doctor West, her muzzle tightly pursed with a look that bordered between anger and regret. Twilight Velvet took notice of the Princess’ conflicted silence, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Oh, honey,” she said in consolation, “please don’t blame Shining for what happened. We both agreed that Sombra could have him alone for lunch, remember?”

Cadance closed her eyes with a sigh, but was able to feebly nod her head. Flurry wasn’t sure what got her Mommy so upset, but she reached up to hug her nonetheless. Meanwhile, Doctor West narrowed his eyes on both of them in confusion. He didn’t say anything, but his puzzled look caught Velvet’s attention quickly enough to blurt, “OH! Umm, I-I just mean that we decided to get some fast food after all the work organizing the formal tomorrow. I didn’t want to bother the kitchen staff when everypony was so busy, you know?”

Despite how forced Velvet’s smile may have looked following her excuse, the surgeon merely shrugged his shoulders before looking back at his clipboard. “Well, alright then,” he said without giving it much thought. “I don’t really leave my lab too often, so I get what you mean.”

While the stallion was looking away from them, Cadance nudged Velvet and gave her a thankful smile. The older was still blushing in embarrassment, but seemed happy that she didn’t accidentally out either of the stallions. Fortunately for both of them, the focus was redirected to the sounds of hooves galloping down the hallway. The group looked over to see Princess Twilight and her brother Shining coming in; even though Twilight seemed less distressed than the other mares were, Shining had his head hung low to hide his shameful expression.

“Well, I just finished my interrogations with the ponies who attacked Sombra.” Twilight took notice of her brother’s morose look, and placed a hoof on his shoulder sympathetically. “Apparently, that group had been planning an attack for several months, and were just waiting for the opportunity to strike. But from what they told me, it seemed that it was only those six ponies involved. I’m still setting up interviews with the rest of the castle staff, but I’m willing to believe they were telling the truth.”

Cadance had her muzzle skewed while nodding her head, almost as if she had her doubts about Twilight’s claim. Meanwhile, Velvet just sighed before saying with a shrug, “Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Sombra told me in his letters how well he’s been reconciling with a lot of the castle staff. It’s honestly surprising that something like this happened in the first place.”

“Wait, Sombra wrote you letters?” asked Doctor West with a confounded stare on the older mare. Velvet, as well as Cadance and Shining, all grew wide-eyed in worry from hearing the surgeon’s surprised tone. However, after a moment of contemplation, the stallion looked back at his clipboard with another shrug. “Eh, nevermind. It’s not my place to ask.”

Velvet had to try her hardest not to sigh too audibly in relief following that close-call. Cadance kept her focus on the surgeon, and asked, “Doctor, would it be alright for him to have visitors right now?”

“Ummm, sure I guess,” he said with a disinterested tone as he glossed over his charts. “Although I’ll warn you, he might still be a little woozy from the pain-killers.”

“Thank you, Doctor West.” Since Cadance was technically Sombra’s legal wife, she went into the medical ward first to make sure she was alright. However, she paused briefly enough to look back at her Ex. “Shining? Are you coming?”

Twilight had to cover her muzzle to keep from snickering at that accidental (and very ironic) wording. Meanwhile, Shining kept his guilty expression pointed away from them as he shook his head. “N-No. I… I-I just, ummm…”

Despite knowing just how pathetic of a cuck her son was, Velvet was quick to lean in and give him a supportive hug. “Awwww, honey. You really shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“She’s right, Shining,” noted Twilight after taking a calming breath. “One of the ponies confessed their alternate plans, and it seems like they would’ve tried something regardless. They even had plans to restrain you if you hadn’t left the room.”

“Nnnghh!!” Shining winced painfully upon being reminded of that last part, and he quickly walked away from the group with his eyes clenched shut. Velvet tried to run after him, not wanting to see her son acting so distressed in a non-sexual way. Cadance looked just as worried as the others about her Ex’s state, despite knowing he had enough reason to feel guilty. But regardless of what she may have been feeling, her focus returned back towards her husband as she handed Flurry Heart to her sister. “Can you hold onto her for me? I want to talk with Sombra alone.”

“Absolutely,” said Twilight as she took her niece with a smile. “I’ll have Mom handle her when she comes back with Shining.”

“Thank you so much.” After the two shared a quick hug, Cadance went into the medical ward to find her spouse.

“Sombra?” Since the Prince was in his own personal hospital room, Cadance only needed a quick glance around to make sure they were alone. After closing the door behind her, she went up to his bed with a hopeful smile. “Honey, are you alright?”

“Hmph~” Considering how bad he looked from his beating earlier, Sombra’s recovery almost looked like a miracle from where Cadance was standing. Aside from a couple bandages here and there, the stallion looked relatively fine in his hospital bed. He was even reading a magazine before Cadance showed up, which he put down before giving her a coy smirk. “Really, Princess?” he asked rather cheekily. “Even with Shining not around, you’re willing to call me that?”

“Well, I wouldn’t consider it to be inappropriate when it’s between us~” Cadance was able to smile just as naturally as Sombra, mostly due to how relieved she was of his healthy state. However, the Princess still sighed before adding more morosely, “Still though… Sombra, I’m so sorry about what happe--”

“It’s alright, Cadance.” Sombra was quick to reassure her with a raised hoof, and silenced her apology to say, “You have absolutely nothing to blame yourself for. You and Twilight were busy setting up the formal, and I said myself that I wanted to have the day alone with Shining Armor. If anypony should be blamed for what happened, it should be me. I should’ve known better than to keep myself alone with those ponies.”

Cadence's muzzle wrinkled as her eyes veered away from her husband. Even though she tried her hardest not to scowl in anger, she still muttered under her breath, “Well, Shining should’ve known too.”

Sombra instantly got mad. “Now don’t you dare blame him!” As he pointed a hoof warningly at his wife, Cadance jolted back in surprise from how quickly Sombra’s mood changed. His eyes narrowed on her as he spoke in a more serious tone. “Honey, Shining Armor saved my life today! If he hadn't shown up when he did, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now! And for your information, I was the one who allowed him to leave the room. I considered having him piss himself in his seat, but I decided against it.”

Cadance may have been surprised at how quickly her husband defended the cuck, but her expression quickly soured up from that last detail. “Oh, eww! Please don’t tell me you’re serious about that!”

“Hey, it would’ve been funny~” Sombra tried to lighten the mood with a scoff, but his spouse still looked grossed-out by his watersports idea. The Prince then sighed before dropping his smirk. “Not to mention, I should’ve realized who those attackers were when Shining and I were having lunch. Those six ponies you have arrested? They were the remaining members of a resistance group I was planning to execute before the Crystal Empire went into limbo.”

Cadance’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, what?!”

“Seriously, ask them yourself!” Sombra had to take a breath before looking down at himself, his expression carrying more remorse than Cadance would’ve expected to see. “I… I realized who they were while they were attacking me… I did some egregious things back in my day, and… it wasn’t just them who suffered…”

Cadance’s expression softened, and she went up to his bed with a more sympathetic look. “Oh, Sombra… Sombra, you really shouldn’t dwell on your past like this.”

“Well, it’s kinda hard not to when my past kicked my ass today.” Sombra actually chuckled to himself after that quick retort, despite how self-deprecating it may have been. However, his muzzle soon re-grew his pained frown as he looked away from his wife. “Still though, I… I didn’t take it easy on any ponies who resisted my rule. There were dozens who tried to fight back, and I… I didn’t just target them to make my impact…”

Sombra couldn’t bear to look back at Cadance after that admission, and bit his lip to keep from looking too upset at himself. The Princess may have known about the severity of her husband’s Tyrannical years, but could only nod while staying silent on the matter. Even though the past was firmly in the past, she couldn’t doubt how badly his actions would’ve impacted the Crystal Empire as a whole. And even with his recent efforts to turn a new leaf, she couldn’t say that the attack on Sombra was a complete surprise.

Neither of them said anything for a moment or so, mostly due to the shared feelings of shame both of them were experiencing. But even with his own overwhelming guilt, Sombra took a breath before reaffirming his earlier statement. “Cadance, please… Do not place the blame on Shining for what happened to me. Those ponies would’ve likely tried to kill me anyway, and I would’ve felt much worse if they had to hurt him to get to me.”

Cadance may have shown some doubt in her expression, but Twilight’s statements from earlier prompted the Princess to nod her head. Not to mention, considering how quickly Shining sprung into action, she could understand why Sombra would be so forgiving of him leaving in the first place. Even though part of her still wanted to smack the Private over the head with an oar, her husband’s insistence prompted her to sigh and respond with, “I… I get what you mean, Sombra. Twilight told me the same thing after interrogating them.”

“That’s right. If anything, I’m just grateful that I was the only one who got hurt. And for very justified reasons at that.” Sombra then scoffed a little as he grew a more sincere smirk. After looking around the room, he leaned in to say with a knowing grin, “Besides, what’s the worst you could do to him, eh? He’s kinda already getting his comeuppance tomorrow, if you catch my drift~”

Despite how morbid that detail may have been in retrospect, it was enough to make Cadance giggle alongside her husband. She tried to look away in an attempt to hide her smirk. “Oh, stop it!” she said with a guilty wave of her hoof towards him. “I don’t need to be laughing about that right now!”

“Hey, at least I got to make you smile a little~” Sombra perked his brows while widening his grin. “Besides, maybe now you’ll be looking forward to it just as much as I am~”

Cadance didn’t say anything, but her smile dropped rather quickly as she glanced back at him with a light blush. Sombra narrowed his eyes on her, his grin showing the same level of sadistic glee as he would have carried towards their little bitch. “Oh, come on… Don’t act like you’re not accepting the idea more naturally~”

As the silence from the Princess grew more notable, so did her blush before she looked away from him. Sombra chuckled to himself while staring back at his wife, not needing to hear a response from her to know the truth of the matter. Fortunately for Cadance’s sake, there were a couple knocks from the door before hearing Twilight’s voice through the other side. “Guys, is it alright to come in? I have Shining with me, if that’s okay…”

“Yes, bring him in!” said Sombra with a more cheerful tone of voice. “I want to show my thanks to the stallion who saved my life!”

Through the door, both he and Cadance could hear some hushed whispers between Shining and Twilight.

“See? He’s not mad at you for what happened.”

“Twilight, please. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“Oh, come on! Are you really saying this is your limit right now?~”

“Nnnff! I-Its not like THAT, Twily!”

“I’m just saying, you really shouldn’t be so worried about his response. If anything, you should be excited~”

“TWI!”

“SHINING.” Cadance raised her voice firmly enough for both siblings to hear her through the door. “Do I need to order you to come in here?”

“N… N-No…”

“Yeah, that’s Sombra’s job~”

“TWILIGHT!”

The door quickly opened, and Shining waddled in with a heavy blush on his face. Twilight was giggling to herself with a devilish smirk as she followed her cuck of a brother inside the room. The Private/slave had his head lowered in shame, unable to look up and see his Superior’s prideful smile. Meanwhile, Twilight made sure to close the door before walking past her sibling, and went to give Sombra a purposely big hug. “Oh, there you are!~”

Sombra wasn’t expecting for Twilight to hug him before his wife, but he was more than happy to reciprocate the gesture while Cadance and Shining stood in surprise. Twilight took a quick glance back at her brother to make sure he was watching, and then went in to nuzzle Sombra lovingly. “Mmmm… I’m soooo glad that you’re alright~”

Sombra chuckled in delight while wrapping his hooves around her back, and made sure to shoot Shining a grin of his own. “Well, this is certainly a warm welcome~”

He then took Twilight by surprise as he grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her in for a deep, open-muzzle kiss. Shining’s eyes widened in shock, and he was left frozen as he watched his sister openly make out with his Owner. The two may have been aware of how uncomfortable Shining already was, but that didn’t keep them from tonguing each other’s muzzles to really intensify that feeling for him. The cuckold squirmed a bit with his muzzle skewed awkwardly, his cheeks deeply blushed while struggling not to show his discomfort. Meanwhile, Cadance was trying not to chuckle when she glanced down at her Ex’s fidgeting legs, and saw how much his tiny cage was twitching between them.

“Wow, you’re still trying to get hard, hmm?” Cadance’s jeering remark caused Shining to jolt a little, and his head to lower even more in embarrassment. The Princess may have still been miffed about everything that happened, but that didn’t mean she was against taking a page from Sombra’s book. “Well, I suppose it’s only fair that I show my gratitude as well~”

As she walked past her Ex, Cadance gave the top of his head the gentlest pat like she was rewarding a puppy for not pissing on the floor. She then went up towards the opposite side of the bed her sister was at, and went to kiss her husband properly as well. “Come here, you stud~”

Strings of his and Twilight’s saliva were still connected to their muzzles, but Cadance didn’t seem to mind that as she went in to make out with Sombra after her. Twilight seemed content about the Prince sharing a deep and passionate kiss with his spouse, and went up to nibble on one of his ears teasingly. The sensation caused the stallion to chuckle a little inside of Cadance’s mouth; fortunately though, Sombra was able to continue taunting his bitch as he lewdly made out with her with their tongues in full view.

“Mmmm… Oh, Sombra~” When Cadance pulled her lips back with a wet pop, her voice sounded absolutely sensual as she eyed him in half-lidded adoration. “My, my, my… What would I have done if I lost you?~”

“Hmph~” Twilight pulled away from Sombra’s ear, and shot a shit-grin back at her brother when she said, “Well, she probably would’ve lost a proper stallion~”

Both of the mares openly giggled following that cruel remark, which left Shining to squirm more painfully at the foot of Sombra’s bed. Since he was already feeling guilty about what happened to his Superior, hearing his Ex and his sister openly mocking him so directly was like rubbing salt into the wound. Meanwhile, Sombra’s cocky grin on Shining was especially prevalent, and he narrowed his eyes on his slave when he said, “Honestly, I’m feeling much better already~”

Cadance and Twilight shared another teasing laugh, and then went back in to share the Superior stallion with more sensual kisses. Shining wanted to look away from the three out of politeness; but given how badly he felt about his actions, he almost felt compelled to stay present and watch in order to appease his Superior. Yeah, that was it. Totally not because he was getting painfully hard in his cage out of arousal or anything…

“Mmmmm…” Sombra took his sweet, sweet time while swapping spit with each of the Princesses, making sure to glance back at Shining each time he switched muzzles. Since the blushing cuck was remaining silent, the only noises that could be heard were the mares’ muffled moans, and the fidgeting grunts Shining tried to conceal with his muzzle shut. Sombra was sure if the bitch was wearing his Private armor again, he would be hearing a lot of metallic creaking due to how much Shining was fidgeting in place. But despite how fun it was to torture the stallion, Sombra tried his hardest to ignore his own erection peeking from the blanket covering his lower half. He eventually pulled back from Twilight and Cadance, and shuddered before saying, “Nnnfff~ W-Well, despite how wonderful it is to receive both of your courteous gestures, I’d like to have a moment alone with Shining, please.”

Even though Sombra was smiling warmly with that last part of his statement, Shining couldn’t help gulping nervously in response. Meanwhile, both Princesses nodded with smiles of their own, and began to make their leave. Twilight was the first to go up to her brother, and said with a genuinely thankful tone, “You did a wonderful job in defending Prince Sombra, Private Armor. And as Princess of Equestria, I’d like to personally thank you for your efforts.”

Shining felt weird being thanked for his actions by Twilight, since she said it in the same manner she likely would’ve done for a stranger who made a good deed. After the first Princess shook his hoof, and then walked out of the room, Cadance was the next to go up and personally address the cuck. The Alicorn’s smile appeared fairly sincere from her Ex’s perspective; unfortunately, when she spoke, her head tilted to the side in slight curiosity. “So, Private… I was talking with Velvet earlier, and she told me about some documents Sombra ordered you to sign…”

Both of the stallions’ eyes widened at the same time, each showing the same level of worry regarding her reaction. Since that was one of the orders Sombra didn’t discuss with Cadance beforehoof, Shining could only imagine how upset she might’ve been about his response. But before either of them could try to clarify how private those documents would remain, Cadance asked the stallion, “Did you actually agree to those measures, Shining Armor?”

Shining’s muzzle clenched tightly, and his blush deepened while trying to process his Ex’s blank smile. He had no idea if she was remaining polite as a facade, or if she was really okay with him committing one of the highest betrayals in regard to his former ranking. But alas, even with how worried he may have felt, Shining breathed out feebly through his nostrils and nodded his head. “Ummm… Y-Yes, your Highness. I… I did…”

Cadance didn’t give an immediate reaction, and merely looked away from Shining to stare back at her husband. Sombra tried to keep his smile from looking too nervous, but he gave a meager shrug to his wife while nodding his head. “Uhhh… Heh heh heh… I-It’s not I was actually planning to--”

“It’s alright, honey,” she said in interruption, her voice remaining surprisingly calm to match her smile. While Sombra tried his hardest not to appear too worried, the Princess turned back to her Ex and proclaimed, “Well, considering how valiant your efforts in protecting the Prince have been, and how dedicated you’ve been to your role beneath him…”

Cadance motioned for Shining to lower his head. The stallion stood frozen for a moment, his eyes bulging from the terrifying realization he didn’t want to be real. Unfortunately, as the Princess continued to stare him down without thinking, Shining felt just as intimidated from her as he was with Sombra. And the very moment he exhaled weakly, and lowered his head the tiniest bit before her, Cadance placed a hoof on his shoulder while keeping her confident smile.

“Shining Armor, as the standing Princess of the Crystal Empire, I hereby verify those documents as being legally binding. From now on, you’re officially notarized as Sombra’s personal slave~”

Shining’s eyes remained wide-open as his body froze in absolute terror. Meanwhile, Sombra’s muzzle went agape while staring at his wife, with the tent in his blanket twitching especially hard from such a statement. While the newly-legal slave had his head lowered in stunned silence, Cadance leaned down to whisper into his ear, “And considering how stupid it was to leave him alone like that, you should be very grateful I gave you such an order you deserve~”

With that, Princess Cadance exited the hospital room to leave Shining and Sombra alone. As soon as she closed the door behind her, a very long moment of silence lingered between the two stallions staring at one another. Shining appeared to be scared shitless, and had to keep from hyperventilating while his pupils shrunk before his Superior’s looming grin. Meanwhile, Sombra was blinking repeatedly while stunned in absolute awe. With the way his gaping muzzle kept a wide and excited smile, he looked like he just won the lottery with Cadance’s proclamation.

“Okay, ummm…” Sombra needed to close his eyes for a moment, and took several deep breaths to keep himself calm. “Wow! I… I’m not going to lie, I would’ve never expected to see her so angry~”

Shining lurched his head down with a horrified wince, unsure of how to handle such a cruel confirmation of his status below Sombra. Even though his cage felt like it was going to break like the previous one had, it was hard for him to really notice while his heart was thundering in his chest. Fortunately, Sombra was able to keep his focus after letting out an excited shudder. “Okay, okay… I-I-I had some things I needed to say, so just give me a moment…”

Sombra looked unbelievably happy with himself, and took advantage of Shining’s horrified silence to get himself calmed down. As soon as he was able to keep his hooves from fidgeting, Sombra let out a deep exhale before giving a more serious expression. “Alright! First of all, I… Okay, I know I probably don’t look like it right now, but I was seriously feeling bad about how I treated you after you saved me.”

“Ummm… W-Well, I--Wait, WHAT?!” Shining was just barely able to catch what his legal Owner just told him, and his head reeled back up to reveal a shocked expression.

“What?” asked Sombra with a lighthearted shrug. “I mean, I treated you horribly today, Shining! I did things to you that could never be taken back! Heck, I probably gave you a harder time than that rapist Chrysalis! But even with everything I did to you, I…”

Sombra had to pause to blink a couple times, staring at the stunned stallion like he was still processing what had transpired earlier. Shining’s brows rose up when he saw a couple of tears bulbing at the corners of Sombra’s eyes, as well as that fanged grin morphing to a more sincere smile of admiration. “I… I would’ve never expected you to burst in and save me like that, but… but you did…”

Sombra looked down at his hooves, and gave a weak sniffle to keep from getting too emotional. However, his voice started to sound choked-up as he continued to speak from the heart. “You… You went up against six ponies… Six ponies who had every reason to murder me for my crimes… And you took them all down with the same level of dedication I wouldn’t have received from my most loyal Guards back in my rule…”

By the time Sombra pulled his head back up, Shining was taken aback when he saw a couple tears streaming down the Prince’s smiling face. “A-And you… you didn’t even use your magic.”

Due to how floored he was from seeing such a sincere side of his Superior, Shining had to look away from him with a bashful blush. Even though he couldn’t blame Sombra for being so grateful, it took him a moment to recollect on what all had transpired in that rescue. The very instant he broke down those doors, Shining felt like he was on autopilot as he restrained those would-be assassins with brute force; and by the time reinforcements arrived to assist in their arrests, Shining didn’t even realize that he never lit up his horn even once. He may have known how foolish it was not to take advantage of his appendage in the heat of battle; but at the same time, the only response he could give was a brief shrug before looking back up at Sombra. “Well, I… I was only following orders…”

Sombra’s gracious smile widened immensely, and more tears went down his face while staring at Shining in adoration. Much to the slave’s shock, Sombra closed his eyes before throwing out his hooves. “Come here… Please come here…”

Shining had to glance back at the door to make sure nopony was peeking in, but he walked up to the side of Sombra’s bed without hesitance. As soon as he was within reach, Sombra pulled the stallion in for a strong and much-needed hug. “Thank you, Shining,” he said with the deepest tone of sincerity Shining had ever heard from him. “Thank you so much for saving my life…”

Despite how shocked he may have felt to receive such a grateful response from the stallion overtaking his life, Shining couldn’t help smiling before hugging him back. The two held each other for a long moment, with Shining being able to appreciate Sombra’s gesture for every second spent in his embrace. By the time the two pulled away, both of them had to wipe their cheeks from the tears that matted their fur. And even with Shining still reeling from his Ex’s statements, his smile remained genuine when he said, “I… I wish I knew what to say right now.”

“Don’t worry, I already know what I have to say next.” Sombra took a deep breath while coming down from his emotional high, and regained his composure enough to speak more directly. “First thing’s first, I’m instantly rescinding my ‘No Magic’ order on you. I meant to do that as a means to emasculate you, but it’s obvious from what happened that it was a very stupid idea on my end. So for my personal sake, as well as the Crystal Empire’s, please keep using your magic whenever you can. I cannot risk you not being able to do so.”

Even though that order rescind was fairly meager in comparison to his other still-enacted orders, Shining still sighed in relief and nodded his head. “Ummm… Thank you, Sombra,” he said with a grateful smile. “I really appreciate that.”

“Furthermore,” added Sombra with a hoof pointed at him, “I’m extending your sleeping privileges immediately. From now on, you’re allowed to sleep in the same bed as Cadance and I. After seeing how well you handled that coffee pot, you don’t deserve that couch any longer.”

Shining’s smile widened even more, and he nodded more thankfully in response. “Thank you, Sombra! That means a lot to hear!”

“I figured so…” Sombra kept his warm smile on Shining, and paused briefly enough to sigh in contentment. However, his expression softened immensely in order to give his next statement as seriously as possible. “And finally… Shining, I really cannot stress how important this is… As soon as you leave this room, I want you to release those ponies without any prosecution.”

Shining’s smile instantly vanished, and was replaced with a shocked expression as he shouted, “WHAT?!”

“You heard me!” barked Sombra with great insistence. “Shining, I’m fully aware that what they did was wrong, and you had every right to defend me from them. But considering the sick, sick things I’ve done to their resistance group and their families, I wouldn’t feel right giving them criminal records for their actions. They already got their punches in, which is more than fair in my opinion. If you need to fire them from the castle staff, that’s fine. But please… please do not put them in dungeons for something I can’t fault them for.”

Due to how badly Sombra was beaten to a bloody pulp from that group, Shining was left completely awe-stricken from his Owner’s insistence. He may have known how cruel Sombra had been back in his rule, which likely would’ve made his own treatment seem downright minimal in comparison. But at the same time, Shining needed a couple seconds before he could ask, “You… You seriously just want to let them go?”

“Yes, that that’s a direct order!” Sombra then reached over to the nightstand beside his bed, and picked up a notepad and pen resting on top of it. As he used his hooves to write on the top sheet, he continued to speak towards his slave with a slight smirk on his muzzle. “Besides, what would I need them for? I already have you, which is more than enough torment I’m willing to dish out~”

As the Prince chuckled to himself in a low and venomous tone, Shining’s face began to pale and emphasize his dreadful expression. But as the slave remained deathly silent, Sombra kept his eyes on the paper while writing down his details. After a couple minutes of strenuous writing, Sombra ripped off the sheet of paper to hoof to Shining. “Here you go. Those are the directions to a hidden safe I had written out of every blueprint of this castle. Only I know of its location, as well as the combination. In the safe, I have all of the resistance members’ personal uniforms that I kept as trophies. I want you to give them back to those ponies upon their release, and tell them that it was my idea not to press charges. I also have several pieces of jewelry inside of the safe, which I want you to give to them as reparation for my actions. Is that understood?”

Shining had to do a double-take while reading through the instructions, clearly not aware that Sombra was keeping such a large secret about the castle from himself and Cadance. Even though he was grateful to know this fact now, and could even respect Sombra’s plans to make amends, he was still rightfully stunned to be given such a sudden piece of intel. Nevertheless, when he finally looked back at his Master, he made sure to give him a faint nod before saluting him. “Sir, yes Sir.”

Sombra shot a firm nod back to his slave, and motioned for him to exit the room. “Now run along, Shining. Doctor West said I’ll be out of here shortly, so I’ll meet up with you back in the living quarters following your duties. Do you understand?”

Shining nodded back at him, and strengthened his posture to answer, “Absolutely, Sombra. I’ll have it all completed shortly.”

“Well done! Now off you go.” Shining gave a final nod before turning around, and headed towards the door to exit the medical ward. However, just as his hoof wrapped around the doorknob, he froze upon hearing Sombra say, “Oh, and one last thing…”

When Shining glanced back at his Owner, his eyes widened upon seeing the more lecherous grin that spread across Sombra’s fanged muzzle. “I already know what to do to you when you get back~”

Shining’s ears twitched when he heard the venomous chuckle Sombra gave following that foreboding statement; unfortunately, all the only response he could give was a deep and audible gulp.

“Aaaahhhh… I propose we have a little toast~”

With the dining hall of the castle completely emptied, and the only light sources coming from the candles in the middle of the table, Sombra’s smile was illuminated with a warm and flickering glow. The stallion was wearing one of Shining’s finest suits, which he was able to freely don while thick curtains covered all the windows. Princess Cadance, who was smiling just as suggestively as her husband, was wearing the same red cocktail dress she wore with him when they went to that social in Canterlot. Since the two ponies were within hooves’ reach of one another from their sides of the table, Cadance didn’t need to light up her horn while extending her wine glass. “I couldn’t agree more~”

“Here’s to us,” said Sombra proudly, as his voice echoed out among the large and emptied dining room. Since Cadance made arrangements for Flurry Heart to be watched by Velvet and Twilight tonight, the only other pony present was their subservient staff when the Prince proclaimed, “and our plans for the Crystal Empire Formal still being able to continue as planned~”

Clink~

Cadance and Sombra giggled to one another, looking like a couple of teenagers in love while illuminated by candlelight. Due to Cadance’s pregnancy, her glass was filled with grape juice as a safe substitute for the vintage bordeaux Sombra had in his own. After the two shared their varying drinks, Sombra raised his emptied glass and shouted, “SLAVE! I need another refill, pronto!”

“Nnnnghhhh…” The doors to the kitchen opened up, which revealed a very downtrodden stallion who walked up to the couple with the wine bottle in his aura. Shining Armor tried to keep a neutral smile for the sake of appearance, but his embarrassed blush was still visible beneath the limited lighting. Of course, that had less to do with Sombra’s crass behavior, and more to do with the frilly Prench maid outfit that he was forced to wear. Lacey pantyhose went up the length of both his hind-legs, only for the top hems to be covered by the poofy skirt that wrapped around his backside. He also had a dainty pink bow tying up his blue mane, which he was ashamed to admit he needed Cadance’s help with applying.

“H-Here you go, my Prince…” Shining used his magic to carefully refill Sombra’s wine glass with the vintage drink, which would’ve likely racked up a five digit price-tag in the Equestrian market. Meanwhile, Sombra kept his eyes on Cadance while holding the glass in wait, and sporting a confident smirk across his muzzle. The Princess tried not to giggle from how ridiculous her Ex looked in that skimpy getup, but was able to stay silent by the time he finished his refill.

“Oh, while you’re here...” Sombra made sure that Shining remained in place, and asked his wife curiously, “Honey, are those the actual maid outfits worn by staff around the castle? Because it’s rather revealing if you ask me.”

“Hey, you were the one who wanted him to wear it~” Cadance chuckled with a grin just as smug as her husband’s, and glanced over at Shining to add, “I was the one who suggested he dress up as a waiter, remember?”

“That may be true,” he retorted with a shrug, “but that’s just a simple suit with a bowtie. I am glad I was able to convince you otherwise though~”

“As am I~” Cadance kept her eyes on Shining while sipping her grape juice confidently, and then silently extended her empty glass for a refill. Shining trotted away from his Owner to pick up the bottle of grape juice beside his Ex, and went to pour a fresh glass for her as well. “And to answer your question,” she said back towards her husband, “that outfit is not standard regulation. I actually purchased it about a month before we started discussing cuckolding as a couple. I was planning to wear the getup for him, but well...”

Shining tried not to pause after refilling her glass, and pulled away silently with his head hanging low. Unfortunately, he could still hear the amused chuckle from his Master after he learned of the costume’s origin. “Oh, really now?” asked Sombra with a piqued smile on his wife. “I wouldn’t have imagined you wearing such a degrading outfit. I mean, you’re Royalty, after all~”

Both of the ponies shared a coy, jeering laugh after that little quip, leaving the sissy maid to wince in his helpless state. It was bad enough to be tormented so badly by Sombra, especially while knowing he had every opportunity to stop the madness before it began earlier that day. But after Cadance joined in on the debauchery to further demean her Ex, carrying the same level of malice as her husband, Shining couldn’t have felt more hopeless while standing in his cheap maid costume. He had no idea if the Princess’ new demeanor was meant to be an act of revenge for Sombra’s near-death experience, or just her way of growing better accustomed to the new “normal” the three were experiencing as a Truple. But regardless of what her motives may have been fueled by, Shining could tell from her taunting smirk that she felt very little remorse (if any) for Equestria’s only legal slave.

“Mmph!” Sombra was halfway through his glass before stopping abruptly, and turning his attention towards the slave in question. “Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to thank you for settling all those legalities with the ponies from earlier. Hopefully there wasn’t too much of a scuffle with Princess Twilight regarding my orders.”

“Uhhhh…” Shining had to glance back at his Ex, who nodded her head to allow him permission to speak freely. Because of that, the stallion was able to breathe out before answering his Owner. “W-Well, it wasn’t too difficult to stop her proceedings after mentioning your orders. In fact, she was really impressed that you were able to drop all the charges against them. She even wrote about it to Celestia to show how much you’ve been reforming.”

Shining tried his hardest not to bite his lip after that last part, mostly due to how bitterly ironic it was for the Prince to be considered “reformed” while owning a literal slave. Nevertheless, Sombra’s smile still looked genuinely pleased with that new information Shining presented him. “Oh, wow! Seriously? That’s amazing!”

“Well, I would’ve done the exact same thing in Twilight’s hooves,” noted Cadance with a proud smile on her husband. “I mean, I know that your treatment of Shining might be questionable to some, but it really says a lot that you’re willing to show forgiveness towards that group.”

Sombra nodded his head with a smile, but his muzzle was notably skewed to conceal his more conflicted expression. “Well… in their defense, I certainly did a lot towards them to warrant that kind of attack. Even if it was a thousand years, they still remember it as having happened less than a decade ago. Besides, I didn’t want to make them jobless and with criminal records.”

“Oh! Now that you mention that,” added Cadance more insistently, “Shining and Twilight managed to have the four Guards transferred to a probationary platoon under Flash Magnus, so they’re not fired per say. The kitchen staff ponies were moved to Canterlot Castle as well, since they needed some new staff as of recently.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Sombra looked legitimately happy to hear such positive news, despite how close those ponies were to murdering him earlier that afternoon. He turned his attention back to the maid, and said, “Shining, when you finish cleaning up after our dinner, can you write my letters of congratulations to those six? I want to keep a positive image after all of this, you know?”

Shining sighed with a faint smile, and nodded diligently to his Owner. “A-Absolutely, my Prince.”

“Hmph~” Cadance was smirking quite devilishly while staring the maid down as well. “What a coincidence. I was planning to have you write a letter too~”

Shining wouldn’t have expected for his Ex to scare him as badly as Sombra had, but that statement was more than enough to make his blood run cold. When he looked back at her wide-eyed, the Princess was carrying a disturbingly sinister gleam in her eyes while they narrowed on him. But even with Sombra staring at her with a particularly curious smile, Cadance quickly changed the subject by asking, “Shining, before we begin, might I ask what our dinner will be for tonight?~”

“O-Oh! Ummm… Shining was still blushing with a petrified look on his face, but he only needed the briefest jolt of his head before coming back to reality. “I, errrr… I-I made a roasted rack of lamb for Prince Sombra, with a side of au gratin potatoes. And for you, I made a mushroom risotto with radish rosettes, and a garden arugula salad.”

“That sounds wonderful~” she said with a deceptively kind smile, before she motioned for the maid to trot back to the kitchen. “Now run along, slave. I’d like to enjoy my meal while you entertain us some more~”

Cadance may have been trying to keep a demeanor as cruel and teasing as her husband, but she couldn’t help blushing with a shocked gasp after making such an upfront command. Fortunately for the Princess, Shining was quick to trot back to the kitchen after nodding his head. “R-Right away, Princess…”

As soon as Shining exited the dining room, Cadance fanned her face with a hoof and whispered to Sombra, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I actually said that!”

“Mnnnghhh, I know~” Sombra shuddered with a very turned-on grin. “Cadance, if you keep going like this, I might not wait to fuck you right on this table~”

Cadance’s blush deepened even more, mostly due to how seriously she could tell Sombra meant that statement. But instead of looking worried or offended, Cadance continued to fan her face before shooting back a piqued grin. “Hmmm… Oh, do you now?”

The Princess took a quick glance back at the closed doors of the kitchen, and then leaned in close to ask her husband, “So tell me… are there any ideas you would recommend for me to try on him?~”

Sombra’s eyes widened just as much as his fanged smile. “Ohhhh, I have many suggestions for what you could do to him. For starters, you could alw--”

Sombra didn’t even have enough time to point to the kitchen doors, before Shining practically bursted through them with the couple’s plates. “H-HERE’S YOUR DINNER, YOUR HIGNESSES!” Given how frantically the maid was waddling back to their table with several plates in his aura, it was obvious that he overheard enough to intervene as quickly as possible. Before either of the ponies could say anything, Shining placed the appropriate dishes before each of them at the table. “E-Enjoy!”

Shining took a couple steps back, remaining present as he stood with a very scared-looking smile that spread a little too wide across his face. Sombra and Cadance were both giving amused smirks towards their maid, appearing identically entertained by how pathetically he was acting before them. Cadance hummed for a moment in contemplation, glancing down at her expertly-made dinner with an appreciative smile. After a couple seconds, the Princess shrugged before picking up her fork with her magic. “Oh, alright then,” she said with an accepting shrug. “I’ll save that discussion for later~”

“Are you sure, honey?” asked Sombra while using his steak knife to begin cutting the lamb from the bone. “We could always talk about it while he’s right here to listen~”

Any attempt Shining may have been trying to keep his smile dissipated in an instant. Instead, it was replaced with a seriously worried scowl that froze across his face, which caused Cadance to giggle to grin teasingly at him. “Well, I’m not sure what I could necessarily do,” she noted before taking a bite of her salad. “Mmm! Wow, this dressing is amazing~ B-But as I was saying, I don’t even know what all you did to him today aside from the paperwork.”

“Oooohhhh~” Sombra looked back at the maid wide-eyed, and quickly proclaimed, “Slave! Stand up and show Cadance what I put on you this morning~”

“Nnnnghhh…” Shining tried not to whimper in dread, but only needed a quick breath before doing as told. He got up on his hind-legs, but found some slight difficulty balancing due to his frilly getup. Nevertheless, the slave was still able to pull up his skirt, eliciting a surprised gasp from Cadance when she saw the tattoo proudly adorned above his chastity cage.

“SOMBRA!!” Cadance gawked at her husband with a dropped jaw, looking absolutely shocked by Sombra’s choice of marking. “Is that a real tattoo?!?”

“Yes it is~” Sombra’s chest puffed out pridefully as he shot a gloating smile to his wife. “I’m already claiming his balls tomorrow, so I figured I could do something else with permanent effects.”

Cadance leaned back in her chair with a hoof over her mouth, her eyes still bulging while processing such a severe option. She glanced back at the tattoo over her Ex’s junk, while the maid tried not to stumble in his bipedal position. Cadance needed a moment while reading the boldly-fonted label ‘Property of King Sombra’, blinking repeatedly before she could give a response. However, by the time she was able to realize what her husband had actually done, she looked back at him to ask, “Wait a minute, is that why you wanted me to wear those panties for dinner tonight?”

“Surprise!~” Sombra chuckled in delight, and made sure to say to Shining, “Yeah, I figured it would be appropriate to have something that matched between the two of you~”

Cadance may have been shocked about her husband being given such a damning tattoo, but Sombra’s admission prompted her to get out of her seat with an amused smirk of her own. As soon as she was back on all fours, the Princess turned herself around so her pregnant backside was pointing towards the maid. She then lit up her horn, which allowed her to lift up her dress to reveal the lacey panties underneath; much like the slave, she had the same phrase etched across the fabric. Since Shining was still standing with his tattoo exposed, Sombra smiled to himself in satisfaction when he saw both of them wearing items that claimed them as his Official Property.

“Mmmmm… Now that’s a lovely view~” Sombra pulled his seat back a little, which allowed for him to freely unbutton his trousers and pull them off his legs. “To be honest, I considered giving her a tattoo as well, but I figured that would be too dangerous for a pregnant mare.”

Despite how shocked Shining looked from that unknown detail, Cadance merely giggled without much hint of offense in her voice. “Well, considering how you caused this pregnancy,” she said with a grin while rubbing her swollen belly, “I think that’s more than permanent enough~”

“Well, you certainly have a point there,” he retorted teasingly. “Plus, it’s not like we can’t make another right after that~”

Sombra and Cadance shared another little chuckle with knowing grins, while Shining was left wincing in his embarrassing position between them. By that point in their “discussion,” Sombra had already gotten fully erect while seated bottomless in his seat. Cadance’s eyes could be seen veering down at that thick endowment, causing her to lick her lips with a sensual moan. Meanwhile, Shining tried not to show the same look while his chastity cage was still on display, still twitching and leaking from the constant torment he was enduring from both of them. Unfortunately, before he could try to head back into the kitchen for any condiments, Sombra’s booming voice kept him right in his place. “Slave! Cadance and I have more things to discuss, so you’re hereby ordered to service me during that. I can’t have you trying to interrupt while your mouth is stuffed~”

Cadance giggled tauntingly at her Ex, and sat herself back down so their dinner could resume. Meanwhile, Sombra was perking his brows while staring Shining down, making sure to spread his legs apart to better reveal his twitching cock. Shining sighed under his breath, but dutifully complied by walking over to his Prince. And even with Cadance watching in full view, now being able to see the full scale of her husband’s debaucherous actions without any filter, her intrigued smirk didn’t do anything to assist her Ex as he pathetically crawled beneath the table between them.

“Therrrrreee we go~” Sombra was grinning rather smugly as he looked beneath his side of the table, and saw his diligent maid crawling up between his legs without apprehension. Even though Shining’s muzzle was notably wrinkled in discomfort, he was able to nestle his face up between Sombra’s thighs like it was standard practice between them. Of course, considering how many times he had to abide by his Prince’s rule since all this debauchery began, it wasn’t too surprising when the cuckold perched his snout right beneath the heavy girth of his Owner’s plump balls. And as soon as that low-hanging ballsack was draped over the bridge of his muzzle, his nostrils flared out to get a strong hit of the unwashed musk that he had grown so accustomed to since his downfall began.

Sombra’s head reeled back to let out a deep, satisfying hiss through his fangs. “Nnnnnfffff…” While his dominant hoof was still holding onto his lamb-skewered fork, Sombra’s left hoof went down to tightly grasp the back of Shining’s head. Fortunately, the slave already knew what he was expected to do in such a position, and quickly opened his muzzle to extend his drooling tongue. While his nostrils continued to flare out, sucking in deep breaths of his Owner’s musk to overpower the remnants matted in his fur, his tongue began to slather across the bare, wrinkled flesh of Sombra’s taint. Even when the heavy weight of those balls draped over the bridge of his snout, which plugged them up with his loose sac every time he tried to breathe in, the slave tried his best to remain vigilant between Sombra’s legs.

“Oh my~” Cadance had to lean back in her seat to look underneath the table, which gave her a prime view of the treatment her husband was receiving from Shining. Since the slave was bent over to nestle his muzzle underneath those musky balls, his rump was sticking up to reveal the underside of his frilly maid skirt. Cadance tried not to giggle when she saw that tiny cage peeking out between her Ex’s legs, which was fidgeting pretty hard with a couple drops of pre lingering at the tip. She could also see the look of elation on her husband’s face while he sat in pure contentment, clearly treating this night as he would’ve done back in his days of rule. Even though she knew better than to find that sight so alluring, the Princess had to fan her face with a hoof while smiling lustfully back at Sombra. “I’m not going to lie, you look really attractive like that, honey~”

“Hmph~” Sombra reopened his eyes just enough to see the enamored smirk Cadance was giving him, which allowed him to grin more confidently above his slave. “Oh, do I?~” Since Shining was clearly able to hear the two, Sombra motioned his head down towards him while asking his wife, “Do you think I look better than him?~”

Shining tried not to cringe too badly, and continued to drag his tongue across his Master’s balls to collect as much musky sweat as he could. But alas, he couldn’t help shuddering when he heard his Ex giggling sweely to such a question. “Well, you certainly look more like a leader than he does right now~”

“Mmmmm… Yes, I certainly do,” noted Sombra, just before he let out an especially strong shiver from Shining’s tongue slipping in deeper. “OOOOHHHH!!~ Mmffffff… Tha… T-That’s why I had him sign those demotion papers this morning. It’s not li--Oh, yeahhhhh… I-It’s not like he’s proving himself as much of a leader in the Crystal Empire~”

Shining had to clench his eyes shut while servicing his Prince, even though it did nothing to keep him from hearing his Ex’s teasing chuckle. Part of him wanted to think that his rescue on Sombra earlier that day, as well as that genuine moment they shared alone in the hospital room, would’ve been enough to warrant a little more respect from his Owner. But at the same time, considering what he was doing now as the newly legalized slave of Sombra, Shining didn’t have to think too hard about why he was still being treated this cruelly. After all, given what all he agreed to endure so far, there was no doubt that the Royals were just giving him exactly what he was wanting.

“Hehehehehe~ I’m actually glad you brought that up,” said Cadance with a more chipper tone of voice. After taking a couple more bites from her dinner, which was admittedly well-done by her Ex, Cadance decided to bring up something while he was in earshot. “Because after authorizing that paperwork, I took the liberty of reading through the details you listed. And I have to admit, you were very thorough when it came to how deserving he was of his insubordination~”

Shining tried his hardest not to whimper beneath his Master’s balls, even as he began to throb more painfully inside of his cage. Since it was only Sombra who was giving him such a hard time about his rank for the longest time, hearing Cadance joining in was leaving him in a particularly morose state. He pulled his muzzle back the slightest bit, only to moan out weakly before wrapping his lips around one of those plump balls for better sucking. But even as Sombra shuddered loudly in response, and his cock spurted a thick glob of pre right on top of Shining’s mane, he wasn’t too titillated to keep from asking, “I… I’m glad you feel that way, honey. I was worried I was going too far with issuing such a request.”

“Oh, not at all~” With that more sensual purr, Cadance decided to pause her meal in order to light up her horn brightly. “In fact, considering how badly things went during lunch, it seems only fair to go a little further~”

Shining’s eyes finally reopened as he froze in horror, and he felt that thick ball pulsating needily between his lips. Meanwhile, his ears twitched when he heard a magical poof of his Ex’s magic, as well as the rustling of some papers. “Ooh!” exclaimed Sombra with an excited tone of voice. “And just what are those papers for?~”

“Well, if you’re holding onto paperwork that may or may not be submitted for approval, I figured I could craft up my own~”

Shining tried to pull his muzzle back, which caused his Owner’s balls to slip out of his mouth with a wet pop. Unfortunately, Sombra was quick to push him back in between his legs. “Oh, don’t you dare stop, slave! If you’re so eager to see what my wife wrote about you, I’ll read it myself~”

Sombra grinned down at his slave as he redirected that musk-plastered muzzle towards the head of his cock. Shining’s muzzle trembled a little, mostly due to feeling his Ex’s evil grin staring him down from behind. But when he saw that plump, meaty head pointed at his face with a thick bulb of pre at the tip, Shining only needed a brief gulp before he reopened his maw. And as he closed his eyes, allowing him to savor the feeling of Sombra’s cockhead slipping into his mouth, he began to suck diligently over the sounds of papers being rustled.

“Okay, let’s see here… A’hem! ‘Dear, Princess Celestia’...”

“MMPHH!!” Shining gasped around the girth of his Master’s cock, but his open throat just gave Sombra an excuse to push back against his head. As Cadance watched from behind with an intrigued grin, and one of her hooves nestled itself past the hem of her dress, Shining was forced to continue his blowjob while his lips were tightly gripping Sombra’s shaft.

“Oh my~” Sombra may have been blushing from the alluring pressure of his slave’s mouth, but his brows rose with interest as he continued reading out-loud. “‘For the past several years, I, Prince Consort Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, have carried a lot of pride when it came to upholding my duties for the sake of Equestria. Unfortunately’...”

With that ominous pause, Sombra’s grin widened while reading through the parchment crafted by his wife. “... ‘I’ve come to make a grave realization about myself over the past several months. For you see, ever since Princess Cadance and I took in Sombra for his reformation, it’s been difficult for me to not feel intimidated by his sheer presence. In fact, whenever I try to think about my legacy in comparison to Sombra, I can’t help but feel that I’m significantly inferior to him in nearly every way’...”

Shining couldn’t believe the words he was hearing from Sombra’s mouth, nor could he fathom how Princess Cadance could conjure up such a cruel opening in that letter. If either of the ponies were actually sick enough to send it out, there would be nothing he could do to save face before Celestia herself. Unfortunately, due to the strong grip Sombra had on his head, his eyes remained pathetically closed while feeling his cockhead push deeper into his muzzle. Shining could barely pay attention while sucking that thick cock for all it was worth; but even with how strong the heady musk was tasting against his tongue, Shining could only breathe in through his nostrils while hearing more of that letter being recited.

“‘I know this is a shocking thing to confess to you, your Highness,’” said Sombra with an especially giddy-looking grin on his face, “‘But with the birth of Cadance’s foal coming soon, I couldn’t keep such a secret to myself anymore. As of recently, whenever I have the pleasure of speaking with Sombra, both as a friend and as a confidant, I can’t help but feel a sense of inferiority that just cannot go away. Not only is Sombra far more attractive than myself, carrying a sense of prime masculinity I could never compare, but his sheer charm and intelligence leaves me feeling absolutely pathetic in comparison. It’s hard for me to truly explain how hard it’s been to lead the Crystal Empire in his presence; but at the same time, I’ve been growing more contemplative about my place alongside somepony as stunning and magnificent as himself.’”

Sombra paused his reading long enough to shoot his wife a thankful coo. “Ohhh!~ Honey, that’s so sweet!”

“You’re welcome, darling~” she said with a wide grin of her own, not showing any remorse for the tactless way she was portraying her cuckold of an Ex. She could hear Shining’s measly groans between the slides of his lips up and down Sombra’s shaft; but instead of glancing down to get a better look at her cocksucking Ex, Cadance pointed to the letter and said, “Keep going! I feel like he needs to know what else is in that letter for my Aunt~”

Shining could feel tears gilding up at the corners of his eyes, mostly due to the betrayal he felt from Cadance going this far. Of course, those tears could’ve also been from the painful pressure when he felt Sombra’s cockhead prodding the back of his throat. As soon as he sucked in one final breath, which flooded his lungs with the unwashed musk around his Master’s cock, his eyes clenched even tighter when he felt all that hot cockmeat cramming its way down his gullet.

“Well, alright then~” After clearing his throat, as well as sighing blissfully from his slave’s tenacious cocksucking, Sombra returned his attention to the letter in his hoof. “Let’s see… Ooh! ‘I’ve even been having dreams as of recently, where Sombra would ask for me to return the Crystal Empire to him. And while I know such an action is banned by all the Princesses, including yourself, I’ve developed wet-dreams from the mere thought of doing just that! Whenever I find myself within his presence, it’s been taking everything in me not to bow to him like a common servant. I’ve even found myself trying to avoid him as often as I could, just in case he tried to ask me for anything I couldn’t deny him.’”

Shining was feeling more and more dreadful with every push of his lips up and down Sombra’s shaft, especially when he felt that cock throbbing from the words being read out-loud. Unfortunately, even with how rich and overwhelming Sombra’s musk may have tasted, he could also catch the sweet, almost fruity scent of Cadance’s arousal as she grew hotter beneath the table as well. The Princess was no longer paying any focus to her dinner, and was rubbing her marehood beneath her dress instead. “Aaaahhh!~” Even though she knew how wrong it was to get so heated over a letter with such cruel content, she couldn’t help moaning out, “K-Keep going, Sombra~ I… I want him to hear all of it!~”

Part of wished he could just pull his mouth off of his Owner’s cock, and plead for his Ex not to continue with such a cruel hypothetical. But alas, even with how horrified he felt about that letter being sent out, his legs couldn’t stop fidgeting due to how badly his dicklet tried to break from its cage.

“Hmmmm… Oh, wow!~” Sombra’s face lit up excitedly as he read more of the letter addressed for Celestia. “‘I honestly don’t feel comfortable hearing Sombra address me as his Prince any longer. The more time I spend alongside that stallion, it only confirms to me how superior he is in every way. I needed the assistance of my wife to keep the Crystal Empire running as smoothly as it is; whereas in comparison, Sombra was able to achieve so much more during his rule by himself! I might be thankful to have had the support of my family and friends, and that gratitude will never change. But at the same time, I cannot in good conscience pretend to be the Superior for someone as magnificent as Sombra. As I write this very parchment, I can feel my heart racing from the confessions I’m so happy to finally admit~’

“‘I might be the Prince Consort, but I truly feel that Sombra is better than me in every way. He’s a better leader, a smarter tactician, a more suave and charming stallion than I could ever hope to be, and a pony who I honestly feel is much smarter and stronger than myself. In fact, I’...”

Sombra’s eyes shot wide-open, and looked back at his wife in surprise. Shining could catch that his Owner was taken aback by something, but he could only wait while feeling that cock sliding up and down his throat. Meanwhile, Cadance continued to schlick herself quite blatantly while narrowing her eyes on her husband, and nodding her head with a blush. “Mmmph~ Kee… Keep reading before I cum and regret writing that part~”

“Okay!” chirped the Prince before clearing his throat once more. “‘In fact… When Cadance and I agreed to have Sombra appointed as the Royal Crystaller for her upcoming foal, I was secretly wishing for such a role so he can prove himself to be a better father as well. I might love Flurry Heart with all the devotion a father could possibly provide, and there’s no doubt I would do everything I can for Cadance’s upcoming son as well. But as I write this letter, and envision Sombra in my place alongside Cadance and the kids, I’ve been feeling a sense of closure that only confirms how much better he could be for that role~’”

Shining was grateful that Sombra was pushing his head back and forth, so his lips were the only thing doing any actual work during his blowjob. Because if that wasn’t the case, the slave would most likely be frozen in fear from what he just heard Cadance write in that damning letter. He wasn’t sure if his Ex wrote it as part of her vendettic nature today, or if she truly believed such a detail regarding Sombra around their children. But the moment Sombra uttered those words with such a touched and gleeful voice, Shining could feel how hard his Master’s cock was swelling up to better clog his throat. Even though his lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen in his system, Shining could barely focus on that pain while hearing the letter finishing up.

“‘If Sombra asked me for Cadance’s hoof in marriage,’” continued Sombra in shocked awe, “‘I wouldn’t hesitate to sign the divorce papers myself so she could have a proper husband. I would even hand that stallion my Royal regalia before the Crystal Empire, solely to prove just how much I feel he’s a better pony than myself. I might love Cadance more than anything, but the pure adoration I have for Sombra can’t even compare! If anything, if I haven’t publicly surrendered to Sombra by the time you receive this letter, it will be the only proof you have that I have some amount of resolve to continue pretending to be a competent leader’...”

“Mmmphh!!~” Cadance’s back was arching out from her chair as she reeled rapturously in her seat. Shining wasn’t able to see the trickles of her clear, syrupy arousal trickling down the inside of her legs; however, he could certainly smell the potent arousal wafting from her nethers, soon overpowering the musk he could catch right up against Sombra’s crotch. However, as the air circulation grew more severe from Sombra’s deep-throating, his vision was beginning to blur by the time he felt that cock throbbing harder inside of his gullet. Meanwhile, his ears kept twitching as badly as his cage when he heard the final proclamations in Cadance’s letter.

“‘S-So with that being said,’” moaned Sombra with a deep shudder as he tried his hardest to recite the last of ‘Shining’s’ admission, “‘If… I-If you do receive this letter without any knowledge of my inferiority, I implore you to give me a status worthy of my feelings. I might be the Captain of the Royal Guard on paper, but my desires to serve beneath Sombra have made me feel inadequate of such a title. I beg of you Celestia, more than anything else, that you issue out a legal demotion to make me a Private among all Royal sectors. Not just in the Crystal Empire, but across all of Equestria as well’...”

Sombra couldn’t take much more, and reeled his head back while panting between heavy moans. Shining could feel tears trickling down his face as his vision grew spottier, and he could feel himself about to pass out at any moment. He could hear Cadance moaning guiltily across from her husband, clearly loving how well her contributions were getting both of the stallions riled-up in sadomasochistic pleasure. And even as one of his hooves slipped on the puddle of precum between his legs, Shining could only focus on the hard pulsations in his mouth when Sombra belted out:

“Aaaaahhhh! ‘P-Please… Please remove me from my high status before I do so myself! I… I want nothing more than to give in before everypony, and proclaim Sombra as the Superior stallion!!’ NNNNNGHHHHHH!!!~”

Sombra couldn’t take it anymore, and groaned out deeply through his fangs as he erupted deep inside of his slave’s throat. Shining’s body convulsed wildly as he remained locked tightly around his cockhead, unable to pull back while thick ropes of cum shot right down into his stomach. He couldn’t even make any noises while his mouth was stuffed to the brim, leaving only Sombra and Cadance to moan out boisterously from up above. The Princess had her eyes clenched shut, and she was reeling in ecstasy as she allowed herself to orgasm right at the dinner table like a total deviant. Meanwhile, unlike Cadance’s secretions which trickled down to the floor, Sombra’s load was being obediently swallowed down by his slave, as they continued to shoot out for a lengthy amount of time.

“Mmmphhh!!~” Shining’s eyes clenched tighter as he felt how much of his Prince’s cum he was guzzling down. Without even realizing it, the front straps to his maid costume began to snap as his belly started to protrude out, soon filling to the brim with Sombra’s seed. The sheer weight of all that cum was causing his stomach to swell down, almost making him look as pregnant as his Ex wife. Fortunately though, by the time Sombra finally reached his climactic end, his member was able to soften just enough for Shining to fall back with a wet pop. And as he collapsed underneath the table, his body stuffed with his Owner’s hot and gooey cum, his heavy gasps for air weren’t enough to keep from hearing Sombra sigh in contentment.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh… A’hem! ‘Sincerely, Shining Armor~’”

After smiling in gratitude, Sombra tossed the letter down so it could fall beside Shining’s blushed face. The slave was barely conscious when he caught sight of that parchment, but he was able to light up his horn to read over the contents himself. Much to his dismay, he was able to see that every word spoken was written down with great eloquence by Cadance’s skilled hoofwriting. Shining would’ve never fathomed writing a letter as self-deprecating or pathetic as the one in his aura; nevertheless, considering what all he’s done so far, he couldn’t exactly say this letter was inaccurate either.

“Mnnnnghhhh…” Cadance sighed in deep pleasure as she collapsed in her seat, and pulled her hoof out from beneath her dress. It was glistening with a thick sheen of her juices, and she didn’t hesitate to lean across the table to present it to her husband. Sombra growled out ravenously, and clutched the foreleg with both hooves before eagerly licking up the secretions with his forked tongue. As the Prince made himself busy cleaning his wife’s hoof, Cadance used her magic to toss a pen under their table as well. “Oh, slave?~” she tauntingly asked down at Shining. “Be a dear and sign the bottom of that letter, will you? I’m planning to place it right beside all those other documents Sombra made you sign today~”

Shining was still breathing heavily for the sake of his aching lungs, but he meekly nodded before grabbing the pen in his hoof. After re-reading through the letter, Shining knew he had no choice as he placed his signature right at the bottom beside his name. Even though he doubted Cadance would actually send out the letter to Celestia, that didn’t keep his heart from racing at the thought of them being sadistic enough to do so. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if that response was more due to the fear of being ruined by Celestia herself, or from some twinge of anticipation he desperately wanted to ignore.

“... Huh…” Shining took a couple calming breaths after signing his name on the letter, thus verifying it as his own words for Celestia to possibly read someday. However, before he could hoof the letter back up to his Ex, his eyes narrowed on the blank space on the bottom of the page. He could hear Sombra continuing to moan between eager licks of his wife’s hoof, as well as Cadance giggling from her husband’s ticklish tongue. And after only a moment of contemplation, Shining took a deep breath before writing something else at the bottom of his letter…

“Hmmmmm…” By the time Sombra finished lapping her hoof clean, Cadance was smirking more confidently following that raunchy orgasm. When she settled back in her seat to resume her meal, both she and Sombra noticed Shining crawling out from beneath the table in his rustled maid outfit. He stumbled a little when he got back on his hooves, mostly due to his swollen gut that was poking out through the seams of his dress. But despite his disheveled appearance, the slave went up to his Ex before bowing his head.

“H… Here’s your signature, your Highness,” he said while floating the folded letter towards her with his magic.

Cadance huffed with a satisfied grin, and reached down to pat the top of his head like an obedient pup. “Thank you very much, slave~”

The Princess didn’t even feel guilty about calling him by that role anymore, and kept her smile as she opened up the letter. “And don’t worry,” she assured to Shining without even looking down at him, “I don’t plan to actuall--HUH!!!”

Cadance’s shocked gasp caught Sombra’s attention, and he paused while holding one of the lamb racks between his hooves to gnaw from the bone. “Hmph?”

Now it was Cadance’s turn to look wide-eyed in stunned silence, her pupils pinned to the additional content below Shining’s signature. After blinking repeatedly in confoundment, she glanced back down at Shining to see him hanging his head with a bashful bush. She wasn’t able to say anything, but she could tell from his meek stance that he truly had no regrets about what he added to the letter. But even as her eyes stayed pinned on the maid, she used her magic to float the letter towards Sombra so he could read it himself.

“Hmmm, what’s this…” Sombra wiped his hooves clean with a handkerchief, and picked up the letter from his wife’s blue aura. He only needed a second before his eyes shot wide-open as well. “WHAT THE?!”

Just below Shining Armor’s signature, the slave wrote down in a more haphazard hoofwriting:

“... Holy shit…” Sombra looked just as floored by Shining’s P.S. as Cadance, and needed a moment before gawking at him in awe. “You… You’re actually willing to admit that?”

Due to how stunned Sombra and Cadance had gotten, Shining had to avert his eyes from both of them while blushing bashfully. “W-Well, I mean… If that letter is only meant as a hypothetical, I don’t see why not…”

After his brief pause, Shining Armor was able to look back up at Sombra with a nervous, albeit sincere-looking smile. “B-Besides, I… I already gave you my word as your Private, haven’t I? So… I-I might as well prove it the boldest way I can before it happens~”

Sombra was still gawking at him in silence, his eyes blinking to better process how seriously Shining was willing to take their cruel measures. The slave lowered his head while continuing to blush, slightly unsure of how well his addition to the letter would be handled by them. Cadance took the letter in her magic again, and read through her Ex’s admission with a baffled shake of her head. Meanwhile, Sombra only needed another second before he pulled himself out of his chair, and rushed around the table towards his slave. “THAT’S IT, COME HERE!!!~”

“GAAAHHH--Mmmmphhh!!~” Shining shrieked out like a little filly when he saw the Prince running right up to him, not sure of what to expect from his sadistic Owner. But the very moment Sombra wrapped his hooves around the stallion, he locked muzzles with Shining to give him a deep kiss on the lips. He even leaned Shining back so he was over the stallion like a pose in a cheesy romance novel, leaving the slave completely helpless to stop the forked tongue sliding into his mouth. Cadance gasped with a heavy blush as she watched the two stallions going at it, and brought a hoof over her muzzle in silence.

“Mmmmphhh!!~” Sombra held his slave tightly while dominating the inside of his muzzle, kissing him just as intensely as he did for Cadance on their wedding night. Shining was taken aback by his advance at first, but eventually rolled his eyes back before being able to kiss him back. His hooves wrapped around Sombra’s muscular back, and their intense makeout session lasted for over a minute straight while Cadance watched them in awe.

“Oh, wow~” she muttered to herself, a small smile growing at the corners of her muzzle. “Hehehe~ I guess I really am able to contribute more to this relationship…”

“Mmph!~” Sombra abruptly stopped his kiss with a pop of their lips, and looked up at his wife while holding Shining in place. “Oh! Funny you should mention that, because I was wanting to ask your permission for something he can do at the formal...”

He pulled Shining back up, and allowed him to stand freely while looking flustered in his maid outfit. Sombra pulled his slave close to his side, and addressed his wife cordially. “Your Highness, I know this is a big request to ask so soon before the event, but Shining was downright insistent about doing something else while on stage~”

Shining looked back at him wide-eyed in shock, already knowing what Sombra was going to bring up. Even though it was an idea that Sombra and Velvet concocted without his say, he wasn’t able to clarify that before Sombra nudged him insistently. “RIGHT?~”

Shining looked absolutely overwhelmed by the time he glanced back at his Ex, and saw her confounded stare on him. “Is that so?” she asked in a puzzled voice. “Shining, what else could you possibly do? You’re already being gelded, remember?”

Sombra made sure to nudge him a second time, emphasizing how seriously he was meant to abide by his order. The idea of making such a request made him wince in pure embarrassment, but Shining could feel the burning stare of his Owner without even looking back at him. Of course, even after taking a breath to prepare himself, the slave couldn’t help lowering his head when he sheepishly spoke. “Uhhhh… P-Princess Cadance, I… I was…”

When he took a split-second glance back at his Owner, Sombra was grinning wide with an approving nod of his head. Because of that, Shining sighed one last time before asking his Ex, “I was… h-hoping that during the formal, that I…” Shining pause was accompanied by a strong cringe, and his eyes clenched when he blurted, “th-that I could kiss his ass on stage!”

Shining tensed up greatly after that admission, expecting for Cadance to blow her stack and yell at him for suggesting such a stupid request. He couldn’t look up to see his Owner’s reaction either, but he could tell he was grinning smugly from making his slave ask for that himself. A couple seconds of silence passed, with Shining unable to see how Cadance may have been processing “his” wish. But before he could reopen his eyes, he heard his Ex respond in a firm tone of voice.

“Permission granted~”

“WHAT?!” shouted Shining and Sombra at the same time. They reeled back in shock from how quickly the Princess gave her approval, as well as the sultry grin she was shooting at both of them.

“What?” she asked with a shrug, before hopping out of her chair to walk up to them. Her smirk grew more confident while staring the stallions down, which left even Sombra blushing meekly. “If that’s what the two of you were wanting to do, I’m curious enough to see how you’re able to pull it off without causing a riot~”

Cadance chuckled in perverted delight, but didn’t give Shining the chance to speak up before lighting up her horn. She used her magic to bow the slave’s head down, forcing him to comply as she said, “Shining Armor, as Princess of the Crystal Empire, I order you to kiss Sombra’s ass on stage at the Crystal Empire Formal~”

Shining may have been absolutely mortified, but he didn’t look nearly as wide-eyed as Sombra while standing stoically beside him. After letting go of her Ex’s head, Cadance shot a cocky grin at her husband and said, “Have fun figuring that one out, honey~”

With that, Cadance walked away from the two, and used her magic to lift up her dinner plates. “I’d rather not eat in my own puddle, so I’ll just put these in take-out boxes and eat upstairs. Meanwhile, I’ll let you two boys plan your big show~”

Since she had already done her part, Cadance giggled to herself while exiting the dining hall with her food. “Oh, and thank you for dinner, Shining! The radish rosettes are delicious~”

With a slam of the doors, Shining and Sombra were left back alone in the dining hall. Shining looked over at his Owner, surprised to see him looking nervous for a change. After blinking a couple times, Sombra’s expression showed a very rare look of regret while blushing deeply. “Ummm…” When he looked back at Shining, Sombra grew a worried smile before stammering out, “O-Okay, I… I might need some help, because I didn’t actually plan for her to say yes…”

“WHAT?!?”