Line #34 FanFic/CadenceInAMinor


1	Shining Armor has been married for one month, and things are a little difficult for him. Despite his loving relationship--and their assistance in defeating both a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 changeling]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 army]] and an [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 evil]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 king]]--life is anything but happy for the new husband. Shining Armor's new position has him swamped with the duties of a pencil-pusher; he can't seem to shake these disturbing, recurring dreams; and, worst of all, he's having a little bit of...bedroom trouble.
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3	[[TheLoinsSleepTonight Yes,]] ''[[TheLoinsSleepTonight that]]'' [[TheLoinsSleepTonight kind]] of bedroom trouble.
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5	With much prodding from his concerned wife, Shining Armor signs up to see a sexual counselor. Shining Armor's sure he doesn't need it, though. What sort of issues could he possibly have?
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7	''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/66834/cadence-in-a-minor Cadence in A Minor]]'' is a mature ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic written by Isseus. The story follows Shining Armor in his journey of self-doubt and self-discovery following the events of the show. What sets this fanfic apart is its mature handling of sensitive subject matter, and its mastery of MoodWhiplash: the story has standout comedy, sad moments, and horrifying scenes--sometimes all in the same chapter.
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10	!! This ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic provides examples of:
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12	* BlackComedy: Some of the comedy is just straight laughs, and but a lot is dark humor.
13	* BlueBlood: Shining Armor is a commoner who married a princess. Trying to fit in with the nobility is pretty hit-and-miss for him.
14	* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler:Shining Armor does not actually desire his sister in a sexual way, but eventually masturbates while fantasizing about her in an attempt to vent his sexual frustration. The shame of doing this drives him to tears and sends him spiraling into self-loathing.]]
15	* CerebusSyndrome: Starts off silly, remains somewhat silly while continuously approaching darker themes.
16	* DisproportionateRetribution: Iron Sight got Shining Armor drunk and spooked Cadance. [[spoiler:So naturally, he gets charged with ''treason.'']]
17	* DoesNotKnowHerOwnStrength: As an alicorn, Cadance physically outpowers Shining Armor and often forgets herself, accidentally hurting her husband. [[spoiler:Including ''breaking his ribs'' when she accidentally hugs him too hard. ''16 times'' prior to the events of the story!]]
18	* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[spoiler:Averted. Shining's rape by Chrysalis is treated as a horrendous event by Shining himself and his therapist as well, and there's no doubt it's responsible for a lot of his current issues.]]
19	* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:Averted, Shining Armor and his wife make up from their fight pretty quickly but they don't fully trust each other and still have more of their relationship to repair.]]
20	* EveryoneHasStandards: Broom Sweep and Feather Duster make plenty of disparaging remarks about Shining Armor. However, both are instantly remorseful when they learn their suggestion that he can't perform in bed is accurate, assuring him that they would never have said it had they known.
21	* FanDisservice: Despite its "mature * sex" tag, this is no clopfic. There are definitely sex scenes, but [[spoiler:Shining Armor having graphic nightmares about being raped by Queen Chrysalis]] or [[spoiler:him venting his sexual frustration by fantasizing about his own sister, while hating himself and crying]] are not particularly palatable.
22	* TheGhost: Queen Chrysalis, despite having more influence on the story than almost any other character, never appears in person.
23	* HenpeckedHusband: Shining Armor feels like one. [[UnreliableNarrator Whether he]] ''[[UnreliableNarrator is]]'' [[UnreliableNarrator one]] is up for debate.
24	* HeManWomanHater: Part of Shining Armor's discomfort in his new role as prince is that he is now surrounded by mares like his wife and the other two princesses who are not only politically influential, but as alicorns also physically intimidate him, wounding his masculine pride. [[spoiler:There's a lot of indication that this isn't usual behavior on Shining Armor's part, and that he's projecting some of his post-rape trauma onto them.]]
25	* ICallHimMisterHappy: Shining Armor calls his "The Prince" and "Little Shiny".
26	* InterspeciesRomance: A soldier under Shining Armor's command has begun dating a griffon. Shining Armor and Cadence might count themselves, depending on how you view alicorns in relation to the rest of the ponies.
27	* InVinoVeritas: Shining Armor ends up spilling a lot more beans than he intended after a night drinking with his soldier buddies.
28	* LemonyNarrator: All over the place in the first chapters, appears sporadically in the later ones.
29	* TheLoinsSleepTonight: Shining Armor can't get it up for his wife, and it's why he eventually goes to therapy in the first place.
30	* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Shining Armor has this mindset, attributing curious or enigmatic behavior on the part of his wife or the maids to their femininity, though there are hints this isn't usual behavior for him. And most of the motivations behind the mares' actions aren't tied to their gender.
31	* MasturbationMeansSexualFrustration: TheLoinsSleepTonight when it comes to bedding his wife, but self-stimulation helps Shining Armor get some relief.
32	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Iron Sight comments on how hot Twilight Sparkle is. Shining Armor warns him not to try anything if he doesn't want to be in a world of hurt. [[ShipperOnDeck Doesn't stop Iron Sight from setting things up for Flash Sentry to make an attempt. ]]
33	* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: [[spoiler:Played with, and [[PlayedForDrama for drama]] as well. Shining Armor directs this attitude towards himself, displaying self-hatred for the fact that his rape by Chrysalis was pleasurable for him--so much so that his own wife is sexually unsatisfying in response.]]
34	* NonIndicativeTitle: His name doesn't appear in the title, but Shining Armor is the main character. Princess Cadance is, however, probably the most important supporting cast member.
35	%%* NoSocialSkills: Princess Luna
36	* PoorCommunicationKills: Shining Armor has difficulty telling his wife the truth about what happened, and that's not getting into the assumptions Cadance makes about him, because of the way he was acting because of the assumptions he made about the maids, [[OverlyLongGag because of the assumptions the maids made about him and Cadance...]]
37	* PowerPerversionPotential: What finally makes their bedroom business work? [[spoiler:After Twilight told them about the age spell Trixie used in "Magic Duel", Cadance learns it and turns herself into a teenager.]]
38	* RagingStiffie: To his chagrin, Shining Armor keeps getting these when he's with mares other than his wife.
39	* RankUp: Shining Armor was recently promoted.
40	* RebelliousPrincess: According to Cadance, she had this attitude as a newly-coronated teenager, which is why she did things like babysit.
41	* RecurringDreams: Shining Armor's nightmares.
42	* SexSlave: [[spoiler:Chrysalis turned a brainwashed Shining Armor into little more than this.]]
43	* SitcomArchnemesis: Shining Armor and those two maids. [[spoiler:[[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed,]] their hate for one another, while initially comical, is very real and it does some real damage to all parties involved.]]
44	* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Starts on the "silly" side, but the deeper we probe into Shining Armor's issues the further we drift down to the "serious" side.
45	* StepfordSmiler: Cadance is not as well-adjusted as she appears.
46	* TalkingInYourDreams: Princess Luna visits Shining Armor during some of his dreams, and the two chat it up quite nicely.
47	* ThoseTwoGuys: Broom Sweep and Feather Duster, Cadance's maids/nannies/lifelong friends.
48	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Shining forgot about the exact instances of Chrysalis using him for sex; Luna unlocked his memories in an attempt to determine if there was some kind of magic left behind that caused his panic attacks and inability to get it up for Cadance.]]
49	* WhamEpisode:
50	** Chapter 4. [[spoiler:Shining Armor admits to himself and his counselor that he was raped by Chrysalis.]]
51	** Chapter 8. [[spoiler:Shining Armor and Cadance have a huge fight.]]

Context FanFic / CadenceInAMinor