Chapter 17- Breakfast

Cadance’s fingers drummed across the table. They were the only sound at the dining table apart from Flurry Heart’s impatient crying and Twilight’s rumbling stomach. Breakfast time had been scheduled an hour ago, as Twilight was repeatedly and consistently reminding Cadance. Cadance could practically hear the organized and neurotic Twilight grinding her teeth at her husband’s tardiness.

Cadance herself, though, was not quite as impatient as Twilight. Beyond the simple fact that she had the responsibility of taking care of Flurry Heart and had less of the anxiety that would often eat at Twilight, there was another thought in her dirty, perverted mind that soothed her impatience. She could not help but wonder if her darling husband was pushing his cock into another busty mare right then and now. Moving one step closer to being the dominant, perverted, iron-dicked tyrant that Cadance so desperately wanted him to be.

Could he be fucking another guard right now? A maid? Maybe one of the nobles of the Crystal Empire? Or Umbra again. The thought that Shining Armor now had his dick deep in the cunt of another mare, bringing her to her knees with the strength of his savage cock. The possibility was enough to make even the princess of love herself shiver in excitement. She simply couldn’t get enough of the thought; the irony that it was her, the princess of love herself, having these perverted thoughts was what really made her pussy drip, the betrayal of everything she was supposed to believe in.

Finally there was the sound of footsteps approaching the door, but strangely it seemed her dear husband would be accompanied by someone. Hopefully, Umbra. Who would have thought that her old nemesis would prove to be her greatest ally in her dream? She didn’t recognize the third pair of footsteps, though, perhaps a sexy noble, maid, or guard that Shining Armor had fucked.

The door opened, and Cadance was pleased that at least two of her predictions were immediately proven true. The first was her husband, who, despite his half-hearted attempts to hide it, was clearly returning from a brutal fucking session. Key clues to such a conclusion were the messy mane, the stench of his addicting cum in the air, and the goofy smile that kept creeping onto his face, despite his best efforts to hide it.

Umbra, meanwhile, was also smiling, sending a massive wink towards Cadance, who returned it with a beatific smile. Oh how things must be coming together well. Umbra did not have as strong a scent of sex on her. This led Cadance to conclude that most likely it was in fact another pony that Shining Armor had been fucking, a conclusion that suited Cadance very, very well. But Cadance didn't know the third mare, the one with a crystal blue mane and a purple coat. For a second she hoped that she might have been the one her husband had been ravaging before, but alas, none of the telltale signs were there. And Cadance had gotten very used to identifying these sorts of signs.

Before Cadance could say anything, though, Twilight was leaping to her feet, her eyes narrowed with fury, and pushing an accusatory finger at Shining Armor. "YOU. ARE. LATE! Breakfast starts at 8:30am, as it says on my schedule. It is now 10:00am, and now my entire schedule has been thrown out of whack. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Shining Armor shrunk back, a bead of sweat falling down his forehead as he backed up against the door as if Twilight were brandishing a sword. "Twily, please. I was distracted."

"DISTRACTED?" she roared. "What could possibly be so important? My day is now completely off schedule. Do you know how badly I'm behind everything now?" Twilight demanded, yanking on her hair.

"Why didn't you just eat without him?" Umbra asked with a frown. Almost immediately she regretted it as Twilight's full fury was directed to Umbra.

"Eat without him?" Twilight repeated, as if Umbra had suggested some disgusting act. "Umbra, do you know who I am?"

"A pain in my ass?" Umbra said, folding her arms over her massive tits.

"THE PRINCESS OF FRIENDSHIP!" Twilight shrieked, jabbing a finger at Umbra. “And as the Princess of Friendship, it is important that I maintain all my friendships together. And as breakfast is one of the best times in the day to maintain one’s own friendships with conversation and small talk, I cannot just ‘skip’ it without failing in my duties.”

Cadance placed a hand on the shoulder that brought Twilight back to her senses and calmed her down considerably. Though still seething deeply at the perceived insult to her precious schedules and friendship. “Calm down there, Twilight; not everyone is as meticulous as you. Remember, part of being princess of friendship is accepting those differences.”

Twilight took a deep breath and slowly lowered her aggressive pose and became much more calm. "You're right, Cadance. I'm sorry, Shining, and I'm sorry, Umbra." Cadance could spot the blush coming to Twilight's cheeks as she looked at her brother, embarrassed. Almost certainly fantasies of Shining Armor punishing her were crossing her mind as her legs subconsciously crossed and her pose became ever so subtly more submissive. Sadly for her, Shining Armor wasn't yet thinking of Twilight in that way, and all the signals breezed past him. Her husband and her master might be the ultimate stud, but so often he was such a damn fool.

For Cadance's part, however, her attention was brought to her new guest. Her violet mane contrasted with the mane that sparkled like the sky on a sunny day, with a slender yet beautiful body and a bust that rivaled even Umbra's. Already Cadance was imagining her in a sexy tight French maid outfit kneeling at her husband's cock, or perhaps being prostrating herself on the floor as Cadance taught her how to eat cunt, or being punished by Umbra the dark mistress's amusement.

But even beyond the fantasies was the attraction she sensed between this new guest and Umbra. How curious, she had always assumed that Umbra had no friends beside herself. This was quite unexpected. But intriguing, very intriguing.

"Umbra, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend here?" Cadance asked politely. That was enough to draw Twilight's attention.

"Don't you mean-"

"I'm Radiant Hope, my princess." Radiant Hope said, curtsying. To her right Umbra gave a disgusted roll of her eyes. "I've known Sombra since childhood, or I suppose it's Umbra now. Or both? She's mentioned having issues. In any case, we grew up at the same orphanage together, and so we've been friends ever since. Despite how things have played out, even if they weren't always for the better, I like to think we've always remained friends."

Uncharacteristically, Umbra did not show any signs of disgust or annoyance with Radiant Hope's friendship speech, which could only highlight the strength of their bond. Cadance and Twilight could not say they weren't surprised, though, and even Shining Armor seemed to be processing this as new information. They had always thought of Sombra as a lonely, cruel creature since birth. Much like Chrysalis.

“You never told me you had a friend, Umbra.” Twilight squealed, taking Radiant Hope’s hands into her own and beaming. “I always thought you were a lonely sourpuss.”

“Hey!”

“But it turns out there’s so much more to know about you that I had never even imagined. It’s fascinating!”

“I had one friend growing up. Whoop de do.” Umbra said, lazily twirling a finger in the air. But Twilight missed the sarcasm, grabbing both of Umbra’s cheeks like she was her long-lost mother.

“But this changes everything! My research into friendship, my understanding of you, the history of the Crystal Empire. I have to know more; Princess Celestia will be thrilled to hear about this! I must write a letter!”

“Please don’t.” But Umbra might as well have been speaking a different language for all the good it did her.

“Will you be up for a friendship session later? They’ll be notes, and games, and snacks and I’ll invite Spike from Ponyville and maybe Pinkie Pie too to keep us all entertained and-“

“NO!” Umbra said, quite a bit more firmly this time. Which thankfully seemed to cut through Twilight’s train of thought.

“But I really think—"

“No.”

"But—"

“No.“

“I really think—"

“N.O. That means no. Do you need me to fetch a dictionary to explain it to you, or are you familiar with the concept? Perhaps if all else fails, you might think to send Princess Celestia a letter to inquire about the concept of the word 'no.'" Umbra snarled, and Twilight’s ears dropped.

“No need to get snippy about it.” She muttered under her breath and folded her arms over her tits. As she did so, it occurred to Umbra that her tits had grown since she had last seen them; where once they were barely a handful, they were now growing into quite a respectable size.

“Magic, Twilight?” Umbra said quietly, not eager for Radiant Hope or Shining Armor to hear. “Or perhaps some kind of potion?” She asked, giving Twilight’s boobs a little flick, making them jiggle ever so slightly.

“If you must know.” Twilight huffed, but a pleased blush was sneaking onto her face. “It was a mail order delivery from Zecora in the Everfree Forest. One of my friends.” She said, putting great emphasis on the word ‘friends’ as if making some point. Not that Umbra knew what she was talking about, nor particularly cared.

“Whatever.” She said, shrugging and shaking her head, enjoying how she was making Twilight’s teeth grind. “But let me suggest you keep growing them. You’ve started well, but you’re far from the same league as your sister and me. Keep it up and make sure to show them off. Consider it a suggestion from a friend.” Umbra’s voice was dripping with mocking sarcasm, none of which flew over Twilight’s head.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” She said bitterly. Umbra could practically read her mind. Twilight hated the condensation in Umbra’s voice, but at the same time the student in her couldn’t bring herself to turn down the good advice no matter the source. So her pride had to be swallowed, and she had to nod and let Umbra have the satisfaction she so enjoyed.

“Let’s eat.” Shining Armor said quickly, worry clear in his voice. “I’ve kept you all waiting long enough; you must be starving.”

“Yes, yes, let’s. After all, a growing girl needs plenty of food.” Umbra chuckled at her own joke as she sat down. Twilight herself said nothing but merely flushed. The breakfast proceeded amicably enough; slowly the tension dissipated and small talk began. Twilight herself found herself quickly engaged in a conversation with Radiant Hope, eager to gain as many details about her childhood as possible, despite Umbra’s frustration.

“So you used to play all sorts of imaginative games growing up?” Twilight said between mouthfuls.

Radiant Hope nodded. “I was always the creative little filly. Always coming up with all sorts of new and creative games to play with Sombra. Like knights and dragons, climbing the battlements or shadow tag. Sombra really enjoyed it, even if he was always shy around other ponies.”

“I wasn’t shy.” Umbra spat, nose high in the air as she took a sip of apple juice. “They were simply beneath my notice."

“So Umbra, how did you meet Radiant Hope?” Twilight asked, beaming at the news. It sickened Twilight.

“We were friends since childhood; that’s all you’ll be getting out of me.” Umbra spat, but unfortunately Radiant Hope was having none of it.

“We met at the orphanage; we were both orphans at the same orphanage, I mean. Sombra because he was a shadow pony, and I because my parents had died of a plague.”

"Oh, I’m so sorry,” Twilight said, but Radiant Hope waved her off.

“It’s fine, it’s not like I was old enough to remember them anyway. I suppose that’s why Sombra and I got along; neither of us could remember our parents.” Radiant Hope explained.

Cadance had been listening in to the conversation but was happily letting Twilight lead it without interruption. Nevertheless, the princess of love could sense grief in Radiant Hope’s heart nonetheless. Grief was simply love at its most painful and was something Cadance could sense magically.

Twilight, however, seemed eager to shift the topic. “So I’m guessing it must have been a surprise to meet Sombra as Umbra. I mean, you knew him as a colt; it must have taken some getting used to.”

“Not as much as you might think; you know, at the Crystal Empire there’s always been a common fettti—" Radiant Hope trailed off, no doubt about to go into an embarrassing conversation about her stripping career and her cosplay as a female version of Sombra. At least until she saw Umbra’s glare and realized that she had plenty to live for at the moment and did not think it would be particularly conducive for her health to be on the wrong end of her **** glare. "It's something I've gotten used to. To be honest the whole split personality thing has been the toughest part for me."

“Oh yeah, I’m a bit confused about that. It seems sometimes she’s Umbra, sometimes she’s Sombra. A split personality issue perhaps?” Shining Armor said, and Umbra’s glare shifted from Radiant Hope to Shining Armor with equal fury.

“HEY!” Umbra shouted, more petulantly than she had meant to, but Shining Armor gave a noncommittal shrug.

“I mean, you do seem to keep flipping between your Umbra and Sombra sides a bunch. Like sometimes you’re all too eager to dominate and conquer other ponies sexually, and sometimes you’re acting like you don’t care about sex.” Radiant Hope pointed out. “Plus there was that bit where you tried to bury your Sombra crown and identity in the park.”

“Really?” Cadance asked, intrigued and maybe a bit worried.

“I would prefer if you didn’t mention that, Radiant.” Umbra said, covering her face with a hand. Radiant Hope had never been very good with secrets growing up, one of the few things that Sombra hadn’t liked about her.

"Well, you’re the one who’s acting all dramatic about this, Umbra. I had to dig up the crown and stuff. Plus, in your dreams there were like two versions of you fighting.” Radiant Hope said, as pleasant as ever and yet seemingly completely oblivious to how much Umbrw wanted her to shut up.

“That’s not how Dissociative Identity Disorder works. At least to my knowledge, maybe something else is going on.” Twilight said frowning, almost certainly thinking about official documents she had likely studied under Celestia’s tutelage.

“Well of course I mean no offence, sweetie. Whether it’s Sombra or Umbra I’ll be happy to accept you for whoever you choose to be.” Radiant Hope said, gently patting Umbra’s arm. The dark queen looked away, blushing a mad storm.

“For now just call me Umbra.” She growled, but she could not maintain any true malice in her voice. It was so sweet for Cadance to watch.

“Of course, Umbra.” Radiant Hope said, returning to her meal. Cadance, for her part, leaned into Shining Armor's ear and whispered, "I ship those two so hard.”

Her husband smiled, that endearing smile that one had when their spouse was doing something that was so typically them. Shaking his head in bemusement, he returned to his meal. “That is so you, sweetie. You always are so eager to push for these couples.”

“I am the princess of love, dear; it’s part of my charm. I simply love to know there’s always more love in the world.” Her hand moved to her mouth to cover the perverted grin on her face. “And you know I’ve always thought that society has too many dos and don'ts when it comes to love. I’ve always been happy to share the love around.”

Shining Armor swallowed hard, no doubt thinking of how he’s been sharing the love with quite a few members of staff recently. In his mind Cadance had probably been a bit too close to comfort. Of course, he still seemed naive about how far she really wanted him to go. But rather than simply be humiliated, his cock was starting to harden. Umbra was making good progress.

“And I’ve always thought that some of the staff around this place could do with a little more love in their lives.” Cadance continued, her voice dripping with innuendo. “It’s such a shame so many are lonely. I’ve been trying to get them out of their comfort zone and get them some sweet, sweet love.”

“Is that why there’s been a change to all the guards' armor recently?” Shining Armor said, frowning and folding his arms. “Without anyone asking me.”

“The poor sheltered mares needed to express themselves more.” Cadance assured her husband. They’ve been ever so lonely and pent-up; they’ve all been asking me to find a big, strong man to claim them for his own. I simply had to do what I could.”

"But it's not exactly protective, is it?” Shining Armor said, a faint blush coming to his cheeks.

“I believe that in the art of romance, protectiveness is a vice, not a virtue.” Cadance said, channeling the wise tone of Celestia as she spoke, even as her perverted mind was already conjuring up such lewd fantasies.

“That’s not exactly what I meant, Cadance. I mean in a fight, they’re not exactly well protected. It leaves them exposed and **** in a real fight.” Shining Armor said, but his voice was betraying him. There was a temptation in him for him to overlook this detail in favor of huge tits and sexy cleavages. Thankfully he would get his wish.

"Oh, is that all, sweetie?” Cadance asked, pretending to be surprised. “You don’t need to be worried. The gems are magical in nature, enchanted to be more protective in a fight than a wall of solid diamond.”

“I helped design them, Shining Armor.” Twilight piped up, delighted to have the chance to gush about her magical talents. "Me, Cadance, and even Starswirl had a hand in it. The crystals act as an independent magic supply, so they’re constantly on and alert even when the guards are asleep. They project a shimmering field of magic that can detect whether anything is a threat or not, and when it detects anything that is a threat, it protects the pony with a shield more powerful than an alicorn. The gems themselves come from—"

“Thank you, Twilight.” Cadance interjected before Twilight could get carried away. “So you see, darling, all the guards are more protected than ever. And the gems also provide them heat during the winter, better than even the thickest warm coat while still being as chilly as a bikini in summer. So quit your worrying, dear. Everything will be fine.”

“And besides, with Umbra now on our side, we don’t have to worry about any more threats to the Crystal Empire.” Twilight added with a delighted smile.

“I never said that I was ever on your side.” Umbra said, but was not able to muster any more malice to her voice than a pouting teenager.

“There’s always Chrysalis.” Shining Armor pointed out, but he was looking much less worried now and more relieved than he was before.

“She’s not been seen for ages; besides, without her hive or any amount of love, she’s hardly a threat.” Twilight reminded Shining Armor, who sighed.

“If you say so, but it is my job to worry about these things.” Shining Armor said before returning to his meal. As he did so, Cadance noticed Twilight adjust her top, clearly trying to make more of her new cleavage visible. Sadly, Shining Armor remained as oblivious as ever. Perhaps it would help if there were fewer people in the room to distract him.

“I think Flurry Heart’s starting to get tired, dear.” Cadance said, standing up and scooping the infant into her arms. “I think I’ll put her to sleep and return to my duties. If anyone needs me, I will be in the throne room. I’m sure there are a lot of ponies there asking about love.”

Cadance chuckled to herself, certainly thinking about some inside joke. Alas, it seemed only she and perhaps Umbra knew what that joke was as she left Twilight, Shining Armor, Radiant Hope, and Umbra behind to return to her duties. And leaving Shining Armor free to act on impulses without the fear of his wife ‘finding out.’