Servile

It was nearly seven at night and I was still sitting there, tapping my hooves against the counter and sighing. Frankly, at that moment it felt like a huge waste of time to have stayed open that evening. No customers were coming in, and even if they had I would have had a hard time focusing. Something kept distracting me, something the bat-mare had asked me. I knew that she hadn’t said it with any sort of malignant intent, but for some reason the words kept stinging at the back head, coming up over and again as I churned that afternoon’s events over in my head. It didn’t quite make sense to just ignore what she’d told me, the point she’d brought up.

‘Does anypony else know?’ She’d asked me.

I’d had to reply in the negative, of course. Nopony in Ponyville knew anything about me. Even in Cloudsdale the only ponies that were in on my secrets were my family, close relatives and one very trusted friend. Besides, ‘coltcuddler’ had such a negative connotation to it back then. I’d only ever heard the words used for insulting means, and had such anger behind it that I couldn’t help but feel as if it was something frowned upon. I can hardly recall the amount of times when somepony used coltcuddler as an insult, or some derogatory word that usually signaled that somepony was of lesser social standing than the one who said it. Although I knew that there were plenty of ponies that weren’t the most fascinated with mares, I did know at that point a few outspoken ponies that had no problem telling anypony who’d listen that they were, in fact, coltcuddlers. I surely didn’t share those select few stallions’ confidence, for a myriad of reasons. One of them is that, by my very nature, my personal life had to be kept as private as possible.

Something I’d learned throughout my entire time in Cloudsdale is that, if a pony like me, who has a great amount of empathy and understanding, becomes a good friend of somepony, that pony eventually ends up guessing the nature my secrets. A few ponies back in the city in the clouds managed to piece together my unique nature, and it only led to disaster. Excluding the aforementioned tragedy on the day of my graduation, there were a few things that happened leading up to that point. One of which ended up with me having to be sent to the hospital. Through some means, the same group of ponies that ruined my graduation ceremony got ahold of a pony with a terrible bout of mental illness. The moment that pony touched me, on my right shoulder if I remember correctly, I took on a strange semblance of their psychological sickness. I was in the hospital for weeks, unable to tell which way was up and or if I was living in reality of everything was just a dream.

As one can infer, I’ve grown… weary of telling ponies about myself. I’d love to have friends, close acquaintances even, but to this day the idea of having a best friend scares me. The last best friend I had betrayed me by giving out very precious information about my gift, and thus I suppose I’ve become jaded in that sense. Nothing scares me more than a pony knowing about me and my life, and to this day there is only a small, silent group of ponies that I truly trust to talk to about any aspect of myself outside of my professional career. Aloe and Lotus know my boundaries, talk to me about normal things like shopping and occasionally they will bring up my life outside work, but not to any great detail. They knew not to mention my social life, as I had none. Both of them at that point had both inferred me being a coltcuddler, which I had no problem with. The spa twins were more than trustworthy. I’d known both of them since I was old enough to fly down to Ponyville on weekends.

While I sat, engrossed in my thoughts, a pony trotted up to the door of the spa and knocked, snapping me out of the trance. I nodded to the pony, signaling that the door was open and I would be able to take them if they wanted. I habitually straightened the papers in front of me and hid the magazine I’d been reading under the register, as I knew Aloe and Lotus frowned on the practice of being distracted while behind the counter. I’d had the lights in the lobby dimmed slightly, in order to make looking into the spa easier and also a great deal easier on my eyes as night fell. This also made it easier to look out of the spa onto the brightly lit street, which allowed me to occupy myself with counting the number of ponies with scarves on. Such was the trivial games I occupied my time with. As the pony that knocked trotted in I dropped the pen I’d been holding between my teeth, ready to write down their name. I probably looked so shocked, most likely resembling a deer caught in headlights.

The pony that trotted in did indeed have a scarf, a subdued navy with stripes of silver, and indeed they were a stallion, a rare enough occurrence on its own. The stallion was tall, with my ears only reaching the tip of his nose, and had a bearing about him that was almost perfect. He seemed distracted, his bright blue eyes focused towards somewhere in the past instead of directly in the present. In the curves of his legs I didn’t see much muscle, but I knew that what was there was almost unnaturally strong by the way he trotted towards the counter, a glazed-over expression gracing the fathomless pools that were his eyes. Although focused, he wasn’t very attentive, as he almost didn’t stop as he reached the counter, blinking as if he’d had a sudden lapse of attention when he’d walked in the door. His blue coat and feathers were groomed to perfection, but a few errant tuffs of rebellious mane broke form and stuck out at odd angles. It was impressive that he looked as good as he did with the wind outside, to say nothing that he didn’t even blink when he’d strode over the ice outside the door.

Another stallion trotted in after him in a loose-fitting striped sweater, his lilac wings ruffled, mane disheveled and flying in almost every direction. This new stallion was shorter, and had something resembling the diligence of a scholar as he trotted up to the other, apparently annoyed. I noticed that he was almost equally as graceful as the stallion before him, not having missed a step on the ice outside and I swear that his hooves didn’t actually contact the snow. Then, like so many gears roaring to life in my head, I realized who these two were. Their identities clicked into place so perfectly that I nearly fell off my chair, struggling to address the two princes.

“So sorry, Prince Lune, Dusk Shine.” I said, standing up to fall into an immediate bow. “I almost didn’t recognize you for a second.”

“Please, don’t call me a prince.” Dusk Shine said with mild disdain at the title, turning to Lune. “What are you doing? We were heading to the bookstore and you just walked away from me at the intersection. What’s gotten into you, Lune?”

The other prince turned and shrugged, as if he had no other excuse. “I felt like going and experiencing a little more of the city. I’ve always wanted to know more about the ponies that live here, especially after Nightmare Night last year. Now… let me think.” He said, turning to the list of services the spa provided.

Dusk Shine rolled his eyes at the absentminded prince and sat down in one of the chairs, waiting for his friend to pick a course of action. I could still hardly believe that the royals were sitting in the lounge, one silently tolerating the other’s random antics. I couldn’t help but see a curious dynamic between the two, with Lune being the one who took the occasional random side-trip while Dusk Shine mostly stuck to his schedule. The former of the two, which was currently running his hoof along the list, muttering to himself about how nice it’d be to have a spa at the castle, seemed to enjoy living in the moment rather than planning his life out. Although I could see that Dusk Shine tolerated his behavior, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about a sudden excursion into someplace he’d already been a few dozen times.

“Dusk, what would you recommend for us?” Lune asked, using the royal form of ‘us’. As if he was trying to break a habit, the prince quickly corrected himself. “What would you recommend for me, I mean.”

“Hot towel, then massage, then hot tub.” Dusk Shine sighed, listing the things that he usually got. Aloe and Lotus told me about how they’d once had the privilege of having him there and could detail what he’d ordered from memory. “May I ask why you wanted to come here when you’ve never even been to a spa before? And up until three months ago you’ve never heard of one?”

“It interested me.” The stallion shrugged again. “I’d rather be here than on my way back to Canterlot.” The word Canterlot had an almost imperceptible undertone of resentment added to it, but I managed to catch it, though it was subtle. “You’ll know what I mean after a year or two in service to Equestria. You’ll get so tired of taxes and budgets you’ll want to burn the records reserve to the ground. I know I do.”

The stallion nodded and returned his attention to the counter, looking directly at me for the first time. Our eyes met in what I could only imagine was a thousand-yard stare of pure shock. I suddenly realized that I wasn’t breathing, and inhaled, but never took my eyes from his, my gray eyes reflected in his brilliant sapphire mirrors. It almost felt like he was looking for something, probing my mind for some strange curio that he’d thought long lost. He obviously found it, whatever he was searching for inside my shocked expression. He smiled, almost causing me to stop breathing again. I became almost frighteningly aware that my wings were trembling at my sides in unexpressed joy, all stemming from that fantastic smile of his. He began to place his order and I memorized it, took it all into memory as he spoke with that dated, yet charming manner of his. Dusk Shine looked at me with an expression of half curiosity, half alienation as I nodded numbly to the elder prince’s orders. He could most likely see how unabashedly ecstatic I was to be able to meet Lune.

“Y-yes, your highness.” I said, nodding. I got out of my chair and stumbled, almost tripping over my own hooves as I struggled to regain composure. “Right this way.”

I led them down the main foyer to the main spa, which was mainly a room consisting of chairs meant to accommodate mares who were getting their mane and hooves done. I was talking somehow, impossibly fast as I expressed my unrelenting excitement in the form of infinite, run-on sentences. To be quite honest I hardly think what I was saying made sense, and had something to do with how nice stars were on this particular night. I didn’t even know how I was supposed to service the two, my hooves and wings were shaking so madly I could barely put one hoof in front of the other. I turned left and directed the two towards the massage parlors. As the two followed me I saw them exchange a glance, the words between them were lost on me but I swear I saw Dusk Shine roll his eyes, expressing something bordering on irritation. I stopped talking, taking his cue to stop. I led the two down the hall to the largest room we had, a massively spacious chamber that had a number of features, including a hot tub and a shower, which we allowed the customers to use after any treatments involving hot wax.

I opened the door for them and followed the two inside, still in what felt akin to a stupor from how long I’d dreamt of this moment. Although I knew that Dusk Shine thought that I was something short of irksome, I knew that Lune and I had made much better first impressions with one another. I hurried about, turning the towel heater on and getting everything ready for the two princes.

“Um, I’ll take your scarf and sweater, if that’s okay, of course.” I chirped meekly, accepting their winter apparel and folding it fastidiously. Once I’d set it neatly under the counter I stood up and dusted off my hooves. “Would you like me to dim the lights? Or maybe you’d like to listen to the radio?”

Both of them agreed that the lights could be a little dimmer, and so I adjusted the lights accordingly. Once the room was at the luminosity of a mid-winter twilight I nodded, taking my hoof from the lightswitch and washing them in the sink before I started. I felt Lune staring at me as I did, his eyes examining me in that oddly calming way. I couldn’t help but wonder what it was about me that fascinated him. This was the second occasion in which he’d stared quite pointedly in my direction, searching for something that I neither I nor Dusk Shine could fathom. I worked through it, drying my hooves and opening the lid to the towel heater.

“These might be a bit hot at first.” I warned, praying as I always did that it didn’t’ cause him discomfort.

I laid one of the towels on Lune’s shoulders, slowly as to not shock him. The stallion tensed, then sighed as the steam drew the tension out of his shoulders. Ignoring my wings, which at that point were doing a madcap dance around my ribcage, I set another one of the towels on his lower back, just as I’d been taught. The prince spread his wings slightly, stretching them before he withdrew them back to his ribcage. I trotted over to Dusk Shine and set the towels on his back, but with much lot more trouble than the other prince had offered. He wasn’t quite as much a heat type of pony, and it took a long time for his back to adjust. I couldn’t help but feel as if I was increasing his agitation towards me as I trotted back over to Lune, ready to start the massage in earnest.

“So, what’s your name?” Lune asked me just before I set my hooves to his left shoulder.

“F-Felt feathers, your majesty.” I said almost impulsively. I cursed myself for stuttering.

The prince sighed, seemingly contented as I laid a hoof on his shoulder. I honestly didn’t know how to interpret the sensations that flooded me as my hoof took in his impulses, which wavered from getting up and taking a shower to slapping Dusk Shine with magic for being rude to me behind my back. Although all these didn’t seem to come in any rhyme or reason, they all revolved around me in some way shape or form. I snapped out of my initial trance and began to push my hooves into his shoulders, which seemed to get progressively looser as I ran my hooves over them, applying pressure in all the right places. Lune looked back at me with an expression of interest, making me hold my breath as I tediously worked at a particularly difficult knot. Although his posture might look amazing, I could tell that it put a lot of stress on neck. I looked at Lune, directly into his eyes.

“May I, um, see your neck for just a moment?” I asked hesitantly. I couldn’t help but feel as if I was overstepping my boundaries. It wasn’t part of the massage, really.

“Of course.” Lune replied, smiling back at me.

I gave him a shy smile and subconsciously tucked a lock of my mane behind my ear. He arched a brow at me questioningly, amused by the gesture. I turned a light shade of red under my coat and trailed my hooves over his shoulders to his neck, which was so fraught with tension I wondered how he even looked towards me from his sublevel position. I began to work my hooves into the multitude of rigid nerves, earning an immediate, tense inhale from the prince. I continued, and soon his slight expressions of pain dissolved into sighs and even what sounded like a low moan, which I blushed vividly at. I wondered if I should continue, but the signals I was getting from him weren’t even near telling me to stop. So In continued, making my way back to his shoulders. Although there was slight disappointment that I hadn’t lingered on his neck just a little longer, he accepted that I had to move on, and soon that disappointment dissolved as I got to his midsection.

I honestly don’t know how to explain what happened next. I don’t even think Lune could tell you if he wanted to. What he did the moment my hooves lighted on his waist area was so… unashamedly bold that I don’t really know how to describe it. The prince turned over, reversing onto his back and leaving my hooves to lie on his lower stomach. I turned a bright red, wondering how I could even respond to that sudden move. What happened after that was truly shocking. The prince, in all his regality, picked me up with his magic and set me directly on top of him.

“Lune what in Solaris’ name are you doing?” Dusk Shine asked, almost fearing the answer.

“You interest me.” Lune said, staring into my eyes while I struggled to hold completely still. I’d never been levitated before, and that had been quite a shock for me. Not to mention I’d never stood over a stallion’s chest before. “That, and this massage is going far too fast and is far too pleasant to be over so soon. I wanted to talk to you first, maybe get to know you better.”

I couldn’t say no at that point. There was no amount of sorcery in the world that could falsify the sheer attraction I felt towards him in that moment, how much I basked in how amazingly impulsive he could be around me. I nodded, still a little in shock from being moved so suddenly.

“Don’t mind Lune.” Dusk Shine apologized. “He gets like that around ponies sometimes. I guess he just forgets what century it is and that he can’t do whatever he wants.”

“I don’t mind.” I replied, much to Dusk’s surprise. “As a matter of fact… I think I like this better.”

Dusk Shine, who’d been doing his best to ignore the promiscuous undertone of the situation at hand, sighed and laid back down. He admittedly wasn’t the type of pony who did things like this, and if Lune wanted to make a foal out of himself he wasn’t about to stop him. I settled next to Lune with great care, grateful the massage tables in there were large enough to accommodate two. Once I was situated next to him he began.

“So, let’s just begin with why I came here tonight.” Lune started the conversation off. “One of my guards came to me and told me that she’d met a colt today, a very lonely colt who is afraid to be friends with anypony because he’s terrified by the possibility that they might turn on him. Her name was Magpie, and she told me to come see you because of two reasons. First, you give very good massages. Secondly, she wanted me to meet you. She told me you and I have a lot in common.”

“We had an almost forty-minute conversation about how I like the same type of tea you do.” I said, recalling her complaining about how she didn’t enjoy literature either. “She was quite sure that we’d be friends if we only met one another.”

“Well… we aren’t going to be great friends over a massage, now are we?” He sighed. “If only there was some way that I could possibly spend just a bit more time with you. Ever since I came back from the moon, everypony avoids me like I’m some sort of bomb waiting to go off. Although I can see why they’re afraid, I don’t know why they think that means I don’t have feelings. Conversations end when I walk into rooms a lot of the time.”

“That’s awfully rude.” I agreed, thinking back. “That happened with me quite a bit as well. I moved away to avoid it, since eventually it went too far.”

“Where did you live, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Cloudsdale.” I replied.

We lapsed into a long silence, each one waiting on the other to build another foundation for another conversation to stand upon. After a few minutes of this I heard Dusk Shine get up from his massage table, setting his towels in a neat pile.

“I’m quite sorry, but if you two are just going to be talking I’m going to enjoy a hot-tub.” He said, dismissing himself. “Get back to me when Lune’s done.”

That was perfectly fine with me, seeing as how Lune and I were the only two having a meaningful conversation anyways. Almost the moment he was out of the room Lune sighed and sat up on the massage table, propping himself up with his forelegs. He seemed melancholy, as if he didn’t want to stop talking, and the idea of ever leaving this place saddened him. For a moment he looked almost unequivocally tired, and I felt bad for feeling so full of excitement and life in his presence. He turned to me and recognized that I felt that same sadness, that same dreadful feeling at the notion of leaving one another. It was like meeting a person on a bench in the park and becoming great friends. You know that whenever you get up from that bench you’ll never see that person again, no matter how much you have in common or how much you liked that person.

“I could do it, you know.” Lune said, his voice hinting. “I could make it so that we could become the best of friends, and see each other day after day… it would require me to know just how much you’re willing to pay into this, though. Would you be willing to move to Canterlot?”

“Anything.” I said, astounding myself.

It had always been a dream of mine to run off to Canterlot and live in the castle, to get up every day and trot around the one place in Equestria where I could hardly be judged for my gifts when ponies a thousand times stranger walked the halls every day. I’d always dreamt of having one close pony that I could trust infinitely, and making the massive gamble of trusting that one pony with my life. So… here it was. The most risky, insipid, impulsive thing I’ve ever done. I figured right then that, if I couldn’t trust a prince, Lune at that, whom could I confide in? He looked at me for a moment, shocked that I’d even said such a thing. Then, with the utmost of control, he smiled a broad, ecstatic grin. I’d never seen him that happy until that point, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the fact that I’d given him a sense of value when everypony else saw him as something dangerous.

“Anything, you say?” He asked, that smile still gracing his immaculate face. “Care to put that to the test? You’ll be my personal masseuse, which means that you’re going to have to deal with me quite a bit. I’m going to need a test of your resolve.”

“I’m at your command, your majesty.” I said with a nod.

The prince spent a few seconds chewing the inside of his cheek and thinking, his eyes scanning my face and mane, tracing the lines of my ears in deep thought. After a few moments of pondering my test of resolve, he had a ‘eureka’ moment and smiled wide, that cunning, quirky smile that I was almost intoxicating to witness. I swear that in that moment I became hooked on that smile, and I’d do anything to see him happy again. Between his gloriously white teeth that had a small gap between the two fronts and the way that it barely moved any other part of his flawless expression, it was hard to resist not pining for that jovial grin. The smile turned to a devious smirk as he settled on the idea, one that I knew he thought would deter me for sure.

“I’d like you to preen my feathers.” He said, spreading his immaculate wings. “Properly.”

I immediately blushed, harder than any other time that evening. My face was red enough to mix with the light blue of my coat and make a bright lilac, and the heat in my cheeks was at a high enough centigrade to roast marshmallows. To any who are ignorant towards the source of my obvious embarrassment, the preening of another pegasi’s wings is reserved between best friends, and couples especially. What he was insinuating here is that he wants to forge a relationship with me, with me playing the role of the mare. In pegasi courtship rituals the mare grooms the stallion, then he judges her as a worthy enough mate depending on her performance. The implications of what he was saying meant that he was going to be judging me as a partner, not as a masseuse. The full extent of what he was saying in those few simple words shook me to my hollow bones, but I nodded numbly and smiled, up to the task even though my hooves were shaking.

The stallion rolled over onto his stomach and gestured for me to stand over him, so that I could properly preen him. If there was any more blood in my cheeks at that point the vessels would burst, so I obeyed and carefully positioned myself over his sizable frame. Despite the fact that he was much larger than me, his navel was thin enough for me to put my front legs over without much difficulty. Once my hooves were on either side of him he lifted his wings, the tips of his primaries brushing against my nose. I laughed coltishly as his feathers tickled my nostrils, my eyes locking on his.

“Properly.” He mouthed, making sure I understood. “According to the old ways.”

My wings strained to stay at my sides as I considered what he was telling me to do. Anypony who would list the most sensitive places on an alicorn’s body would say the obvious first choice of their nethers. A close second would be an alicorn’s horn, so full of delicate nerves and fragile bones. Directly after that is their wings, which to a pegasus is borderline sensual treatment to be groomed by another. The way that he wanted me to groom his wings was also very intimate, as the old ways dictated that I straighten his feathers without the help of my hooves. That left only one appendage nimble enough to properly groom him and still be accurate.

I fastened my lips around a single primary feather, moving it into place. All the while he kept his eyes on me, watching me occasionally break form and let the feather brush against my teeth. He didn’t mind, as he knew that I’d only ever groomed myself. He only smiled as I wet my lips and moved to another, this one much closer to his skin. The prince closed his eyes briefly and inhaled sharply, an inaudible waver in his breath spurring me to put more pressure on his wing as I moved on. He opened his eyes again, breath coming out in flutters. I was apparently doing quite a good job, and he even smiled as he nodded for me to continue. I did as I was told, eager to please my newfound leader. Lune kept a sharp eye on me as my wings opened, unashamedly displaying that I was enjoying this just as much as he was. A blush spread over his face, just as vivid in hue as mine was. Soon my lips were on the last feather on his left wing, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It hadn’t lasted nearly as long as I’d hoped. Just before I moved onto the next wing he said to me, in a voice so light that I had a hard time hearing him.

“You can stop… you’ve proven yourself.” He said, his breathe still coming in sporadic bursts. “I’ve never met anypony like you, Felt Feathers… willing to groom another for the sole sake of gaining a friend.”

I brushed my mane behind my ear, smiling. “Not just a friend, I’d hope… I’ve always wanted a pony I could trust myself to. You seem to be the best stallion I can trust. After all, if not the prince of Equestria, whom can I confide in? Not only that… but whenever I see you smile… it’s like a reward, a grand prize for making you happy. There is no other position I’d rather have than right next to you.”

“You think an awful lot of me.” Lune said, propping himself on his front legs, bringing his muzzle close to mine. “How are you so sure I’m the pony you can give yourself to? What makes me the pony?”

I leaned in just a bit, enough to smell his warm, calming breath that carried a strong scent of spearmint. “Because you’re willing to give me so much. To let me into your life. Very few stallions would do that for somepony they’ve known for years… much less somepony they just met. Since you let me in… I’ll let you into mine. As much as you want to know about me, I’ll tell you. However much of me you want, you can have it. I’ll serve it to you on a silver platter, fresh.”

I don’t know if he couldn’t control himself, or he wanted to know if I was telling the truth, but he pressed his lips to mine without any further hesitation. I submitted immediately, letting his lips draw over mine without any concern for what might befall me. Before I could react by putting a hoof on him he pulled me close, wrapping his wings around my smaller frame and pulling me down on top of him. I was about to make another move, to at least try and be proactive, but he separated, his voice cracking slightly from emotion. His voice was struggling to make itself heard as he told me, in a voice so full of happiness it was contagious.

“I haven’t had a pony trust me this much in… lifetimes. Hundreds of years have passed since the last pony told me that they were at their disposal, personally and physically. The servants at the castle are always so distant… scared, like they’re terrified of me. You want to be my… partner. That means the world to me, Fine Feathers. I’d be honored to have you as my personal assistant and private masseuse.”

He was obviously overwhelmed with emotion, with his eyes watering and hooves clutching my back so firmly that I couldn’t escape his grasp if I tried. The smile on his face was mirthful, and the way it radiated gratitude warmed my heart in a way I’d never experienced. He closed the distance between us again, locking his lips onto mine as I let his tongue brush over my own. Despite being a prince he had no problem being informal as he explored my mouth, making sure he marked every inch of my pallet. I couldn’t help but let out a small, effeminate gasp as we separated and met again, only pausing to take in a lungful of air and return to the task of sharing each other’s lips.

“Ahem.” Dusk Shine coughed.

We separate, a thin strand of saliva still connecting us. I hurriedly swatted the trail of liquid out of the air between me and the prince, wiping my mouth and extricating myself from his firm embrace. He did likewise, both of us slightly surprised that we’d gotten so lost. It was nearly midnight, and Dusk Shine was less than amused that we had been taking so long. Although I was doing my best to put distance between me and the royalty I’d been snogging for roughly ten minutes, the prince was doing his best to herd me back into his arms, putting a wing between me and the edge of the massage table. He leaned over and wrapped his forelegs around me again, pulling me close while I squeaked like a frightened rabbit. He set me in his lap and tucked my mane behind my ears, placing a kiss on each as he did. He did all this within plain view of Dusk, whose jaw dropped in shock. Lune was bold, but this was a whole new level of audacity as he rested his head on top of my own.

“I have a new assistant, Dusk.” Lune said, petting my wing with one hoof and containing me with the other, placed firmly on my chest. “He’s much less afraid of me than all the others… and we have a lot in common. He’s very polite, and the way he treats me is to die for. On top of all that, he’s superbly gifted in knowing how to spoil a prince. We just became best friends today and I already think that he’ll make a great pony to spend my time with.”

“What are you talking about, Lune?!” Dusk Shine said, massaging his jaw from having nearly dislocated it. “And were you two just… kissing?”

“Yes.” The prince replied casually, as if it was no big deal. “So, can I keep him?”

I couldn’t tell if I was demeaned by this behavior or I felt more valuable, but the way that he was treating me like a lost kitten he found was anything if not comical. I played along and widened my eyes, staring up at Dusk Shine in as pathetic a manner as possible, anything as long as he let Lune take me back to Canterlot. I’d rather spend the rest of my life as his friend than working here in Ponyville. I’d gotten a taste of how nice it was to have a partner, and I’d be lost if I didn’t have Lune at my side from that point on. The other prince looked from me to the much older prince, his expression one of shock and slight disdain as he pieced what had been happening together, and what we were both asking.

“You want to… keep him. As an assistant.” Dusk Shine stated blankly. “You just met, and you want this… random masseuse to be your personal servant.”

“Yes.” Lune replied, smiling. “I’ll give him his own room off of my quarters, and buy him whatever his little heart desires. He deserves it for spoiling me like he does. He regards me like any other stallion, like a normal pony would treat a best friend. He belongs at the castle, anyways. His tastes far supersede that of the ponies here, for he has a love of fine literature and teas. Not to mention that it would be a shame to give him a taste of the fine life…” He paused to put emphasis on what he’d said, chuckling to himself. “… merely to let him down by leaving him behind. He let me indulge myself in him by telling me about his life, and I feel that it would be rude to not let him into my own. It is only proper manners to reciprocate a show of trust in a pony, after all.”

Dusk Shine sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose with his hoof, sighing.

“Fine, you can have him as an assistant.” He said, before adding the stipulation of. “But promise me that you two will keep… what I walked in to behind closed doors. Solaris will have my head on a platter if he learns that I condoned this. You know how he feels about public appearances.”