House of the Rising Sun

I shaded my eyes from the late day summer sun to stare at the address Giselle had written down for me, then up again at the white marble row house. Heavy stone carved into delicate architecture told me money ran deep and old in this neighborhood. I hadn't thought about where she lived, but I wouldn’t have guessed here.

I checked the address two more times before approaching the iron-banded oak door with its heavy bronze knocker cast in the likeness of a horse/bird hybrid. The ancient hippogriff glared at me as I approached, daring me to grab the ring in his mouth.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mister Marley,” I said before using him to give the door two rather satisfying knocks.

The echo hadn’t faded before the door was opened from the other side. A grizzled old stallion with a blank expression and a black suit looked up at me.

He blinked once, then asked, “Were you talking to the knocker?”

“Yeah...”

“His name is Doctor Witherstone.” Opening the door wide, he casually stepped aside. “I assume you’re The Lady’s date. I’ll let her know you’re here. Make yourself comfortable in the parlor.”

I followed the butler’s gesture to a cozy little side room filled with delicate furniture and heavy book shelves. Hands on lap, I was careful not to touch anything or even put my full weight on the chair beneath me—my mother’s voice warning me not to break anything. I did make use of the mirror on the wall, however.

My new clothes had finally come in. Saddle had done a great job with them. There was a distinctly Equestrian touch to them, but I could almost pretend they’d come right off Butler & Harber’s shelf back home.

She’d even managed to kinda reproduce underwear briefs. They were comfortable at least, even if I wasn’t the biggest fan of the design.

I’d just finished straightening my shirt when Giselle’s voice interrupted me. “You look good. Ready?”

“Thanks.” I smiled. She had on a cute summer dress made of cream eyelet fabric. “You look nice, too.”

Her wings made a happy little motion. “Lets go before my dad decides to interview you,” she said curtly.

A bit of teenage dread washed over me at the thought of an old griffon grilling me about, ‘My intentions with his daughter.’

I stood and nodded. “After you,” I said, opening the door for her.

Outside, I let Giselle lead the way. “So, where we going?” I asked.

Giselle slowed her pace till she was beside me, her wing brushing my leg every odd step. “Little hidden place near the palace.”

“Oh?” I tried to think of a place near the palace that wasn’t a bar or a quick service cafe, but nothing came to mind.

I let my hand rest between her wings as we walked.

“How’s work?” Giselle asked.

“Umm...” It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what I did, but it still felt awkward. A coy glance up at me said she was intentionally having fun at my expense. “It went by fast. Kinda boring I guess.”

Giselle wings pursed together, momentarily gripping my hand between them. “Good.”

“How ‘bout you?” I asked.

“Ugh...” her whole body sagged. “Exhausting. I feel like I’m living in the rehearsal hall now.”

I used the rest of the walk to ask about her typical day in the dance hall. It was an athlete's life with carefully scheduled workouts, drills, and even meals. Today’s little outing was burning her week’s cheat day.

To my surprise, we ended up walking not near the palace but right into it. I started to ask again where we were going, but decided to wait and see. Instead, I filled in Giselle about my new golem project and how I was hoping to have The Baron up in the air soon.

“And here we are!” Giselle announced as we came to a small but fanciful arch in the brick wall at the back of the royal garden.

I blinked and looked around. “I had no idea there was anything back here.”

An indigo curtain served as a door, hiding whatever was on the other side. It couldn’t block the smells though. A sudden blast of savory aromas sturred my stomach into a whining grumble.

Giselle’s wing pinched up as she giggled. “I was hoping you hadn’t been here yet.” Turning back, she pushed through the curtain, leaving me alone in the garden.

I grinned and stepped through as well, eager to see where Giselle had brought us.

A moment later and I found myself on a patio that seemed to hang off canterlot mountain in defiance of gravity. An airy decor of gold trimmed white marble somehow made the place feel like a misplaced cloud. It wasn’t a huge space, but not tiny either. More than enough room for the few dozen tables spaced across the patio with an elegant pavilion in the center covering a shining kitchen staffed by pegasi in white coats.

I turned in place to better take in the view. The space had a reclaimed feel to it, like a fancy bar in some old brick factory. The palace wall closed off the patio from the rest of the Canterlot completely, save for the one little door. Which would explain why I was the only one here without wings.

“Thought you’d like it,” Giselle said, then motioned for me to follow her. “Come on, let’s get a table near the edge. The view is awesome.”

I smiled and nodded. “What did this place used to be?”

Giselle settled at a table right next to the edge. A meager hedge seemed to be the only thing keeping anyone from accidentally falling over. “Wonderbolts used it for something. But it’s been a pegasus restaurant since before I moved here.”

“Madam, Sir,” A slate gray pegasus stallion greeted us as I took my seat. He gave us each a menu before filling our goblets with ice water.

“Huh...” I mused, looking over the menu. There really wasn’t anything fancy on it, just things like crab salad on mixed greens and quinoa with poached egg. Though, they did of course take the time to explain the quality and providence of all their ingredients. “Kinda expected weird small stuff like over on restaurant row.”

Giselle snickered. “I mean... If you want boiled carrot shavings on wheatgrass pudding, we can leave and head over there.”

“No.” I echoed her laugh. “I’m not a fan of the water overpowering my meal.”

When the waiter returned, I decided to go with ceviche on sprouts, and Gisselle picked the quinoa. The food was good. Something like I’d expect at a summer luncheon. It seems pegasi like quality over form when it comes to food. Also, something about flying after eating too many carbs.

The view, however, was absolutely wonderful: both the airy decor of the restaurant, and the bird’s eye view of the great blue sky stretching across Equestria. There were a few puff-ball clouds drifting around, but for the most part it was a clear sky as far as I could see.

“Can griffons walk on clouds?” I asked.

Giselle perked up at the question. “Of course! We can’t really do weather magic, like the pegasi, but we can move around on them about the same. Even been on one?”

I laughed. “No, they’re no different than air to me. I’m like an earth pony.”

Giselle gave me a dismissive wave. “There’s a spell for that. I see earth ponies on clouds all the time. Heck, I know of a minotaur family that live in Cloudsdale.”

The idea of walking around on a cloud mulled around my brain for a moment. It was equal parts intriguing and terrifying.

“Dessert?” our waiter asked, seeing that we had both polished off our plates.

After a bit of discussion, we settled on splitting an order of baked zap apples.

“You know what sounds nice after this?” Giselle popped another slice of caramelized zap apple into her mouth.

“What’s that?”

Giselle leaned back to stretch, the dusk light beginning to give her lean body a more sensual tone. “A nice hot soak in the hot springs.”

I smiled. The evening air had turned cool, and I couldn’t say I didn’t like the thought of watching her in the water. “I’m game. I know there’s a few on the mountain, but I haven’t seen them.”

Giselle’s wing shifted into a pose that struck me as predatory. “Oh. Then we’re definitely heading to my favorite spot.”

With a stack of bits left on the table, we meandered back into the garden. “So, where we heading?” I asked.

Giselle motioned towards the sheer cliffs above the palace. “Mostly up.” She paused for a moment, not looking much more excited at the stairways ahead of us than I was. “You mind if I just fly us up?”

A younger, more reckless voice in my head cheered at the idea of flying griffon-back. The older part of me that knew I didn’t heal from falls like I used to told me I at least needed a saddle. “You sure I’m not too heavy for you?”

“Yeah! Come on.” Giselle proudly flared out her wings in an invitation for me to sit where they normally covered her back.

“Umm...” I hesitated, trying to decide if this was a good idea or not.

Giselle’s voice took on a teasing tone. “Come on. You’re the one always whining about missing flying.”

The idea bounced around my head for a moment until it sounded like fun. “Okay, but I’m going to haunt your ass if I fall off and die.”

Giselle rolled her eyes. “Ghosts aren’t real. Now come on.”

It took a little longer than Giselle expected for me to get settled where we were both comfortable. “Sure you wouldn’t rather just walk?”

“Na, you’re getting a different kind of griffon ride today.” And with that, Giselle launched us into the air.

My butthole puckered hard enough to make a diamond when she first leapt. Then, there was that moment of panic between the end of the leap and when her wings first took our weight.

“You okay?” Giselle asked.

A nervous laugh escaped me. “Yeah.”

It was a lurchy flight. Every wing beat held a tiny moment of falling followed by a violent push upwards. Yet, Giselle seemed confident and in control. I closed my eyes to focus on learning the rhythm of her flight, ignoring the idea we were flying at all and just letting decades of riding experience take over. After that, I dared open my eyes to look around.

“You okay back there?” Giselle asked again.

We were already well above the city’s buildings and heading towards the cliffs above the palace. “Yeah, just needed a second to adjust.”

As we gained speed and altitude, Giselle’s flight smoothed out; her wings shifting into more of a glide. It was a short flight however, and by the time I was truly comfortable Giselle was already lining up for landing. I’ll have to admit the idea of landing inside a cave opening gave me some hesitation. “Need me to lean any specific way?” I asked as we neared the cliffs.

“Just don’t go tumbling off ass-over-head.”

I wouldn’t call it a rough landing, but I definitely needed to mind my balance between touchdown and skidding to a stop.

“Ha!” Giselle cheered. “Bet you’ve never flown like that!?”

I had to laugh. “No, first time flying by feathers.” As my eyes adjusted, I realized just where we were. Gold and silver trimmed furniture arranged around a pair of pristine pools beneath a natural skylight; one pool steaming with inviting warmth, the other still and chilly. It all screamed of Celestia and Luna’s taste in decor. “Giselle, is this the royal bath?”

“Yep!” Giselle chirped. “I have a standing invitation. The guards know me.”

A simple wooden door creaked open in response to our intrusion. Thick steam rolled out of the room behind it, followed by Celestia; her ethereal mane muted and plastered to her neck. Her crown and petral were missing as well, making her seem strangely nude to me.

“Shane, Giselle!” Celestia said with a smile. She turned back into the room for a moment. I could hear her talking to someone else, but I couldn’t make out her words. The mystery was answered immediately, however, when Celestia stepped out a moment later with Ruby behind her.

“Oh, hey!” I turned to give introductions. “Ruby, this is my date, Giselle. Giselle, this is my boss, Ruby.”

“Your boss? Is that all I am to you?” Ruby said, feigning insult, but the smile ruined it.

After a few pleasantries, we learned Ruby and Celestia frequently used the excuse of discussing work to chat in the sauna.

“Who’s up for a soak? Ruby asked, taking advantage of a lull in the small talk.

Taking the invitation, Giselle shed her dress with one motion, tossing it to the safety of a nearby chair, before turning her bright expression towards the steaming pool and leaping in with grace. Her silhouette darted beneath the water as she crossed the pool's length with impressive speed, before popping up on the other side.

Ruby followed, easing into the water with her usual sensual grace as she found a seat where just her head was above water.

“I’m still a bit warm from the sauna,” Celestia said, stretching out on a stone shelf just behind Ruby, but allowing her hooves to dangle into the warm water on either side of her. It was a far more casual and relaxed pose than I had ever seen her in.

It occurred to me that I’d never really thought of Celestia as a sexual creature, but here she had a MILF vibe that was hard to ignore.

Just as I was trying not to ogle the princess, I became aware of the force of three mares’ gazes. Giselle, Ruby, and Celestia were all watching me with expectant expressions.

“Getting in?” Giselle asked.

“Yeah.” I answered with a smile, pulling over a chair to lean against as I took off my socks. I paused for a moment at the thought that I was about to go skinny dipping with my date, boss, and a princess. But this probably wasn’t even the strangest thing I’d do this week, so with a mental shrug I began to disrobe.

“Those are cute,” Giselle said as I folded my jeans.

I looked up to see Giselle eyeing me, her amused gaze locked on my new underwear while Celestia and Ruby were pointedly keeping their attention on the other side of the room.

I decided to be a flirt, and stood to better show my new underwear.

They were fantastically comfortable, but they weren’t something I would have had the courage to wear back home. The fitted, sheer, ivory-white cloth left little to the imagination, and the gold trim gave my butt more definition than it really had. Thankfully, months of hitting the gym with Spinner as a coach had left me in the best shape of my life and given me just enough confidence to wear nothing but a Celestia-themed pair of speedos in front of three mares.

“Like them?” I asked. “I don’t know Equestrian fashion. Ruby, what do you think?”

Giselle nodded as Ruby and Celestia turned to face me. A predatory grin from Ruby told me I was going to get teased about this later. Celestia just gave me a passive smile. “Certainly draws the eye,” Celestia commented.

I mentally shrugged. Part of me had hoped to get a reaction out of the princess, but I suppose Celestia has seen far more interesting things than myself. Not waiting for a second invitation, I stepped naked into the warm water. I half waded half swam over to Giselle to sit next to her. We all chatted as we enjoyed that warm soak, Celestia having rolled into the water shortly after I had settled in. Ruby caught me up on some events that were planned for The House, Giselle bragged about how well the play was coming together, and Celestia even vented a bit about some messy trade relations between Equestria and the Yak nation.

At some point, a comfortable silence had fallen over us. Snuggled against Giselle, I closed my eyes and absently hummed some old tune to myself.

“Sway low, kind chariot,” Celestia’s sang in tune with my humming. “Coming forth to carry me home...”

I blinked, staring at Celestia in confusion.

Celestia tilted her head, mirroring my expression. “Are those not the words?”

I nodded. “Very close. Is that a song here too?”

She gave me a teasing smile. “You used to sing that to yourself in the hallways all the time. I’d guess half the staff knows it.”

I had to laugh. “My grandmother would be happy to know I taught her favorite song to some unicorns. I’ll have to make her chocolate oatmeal cookies for you sometime.”

Celestia perked up. “Luna mentioned you had some sweets from your homeland that were rather good.”

“Yeah,” I tried to not look embarrassed. “Those were actually pet treats. She ate one before I could stop her.”

A snort of laughter escaped all three of them.

We all chatted a little longer before Giselle nudged me. A flirty look told me she was hoping for some alone time. So, leaving Ruby and Celestia to enjoy the spa by themselves, we excused ourselves.

“How about a flight back to my place?” Giselle asked.

“Hmm...” I pretended to debate the offer while admiring the lights of Canterlot below us, casually running my fingers through the feathers on her neck. “Sure, I haven’t snuck past a girl’s dad since I was sixteen.”

Giselle rolled her eyes. “Hop on,” she said, lifting her wings for me to sit on her back again. “Should be a smooth glide all the way to my house.”

I obliged her, and a moment later, she leapt from the balcony. I knew what to expect this time, and let myself relax into Giselle’s rhythm of flight. With no engine and prop roaring a few feet from me I could really soak in the quiet city lights below me. A fall chill had crept into the night air, leaving the cloudless sky crystal clear. I had to let out a boyish giggle. Peacefully floating between the stars above and the busy lights below, I felt all the world like a wayward Lost Boy.

“What’s so funny?” Giselle asked with a teasing tone.

“This is how I imagined flying when I was a kid.”

Giselle looked over her shoulder at me for a moment before returning her focus to flying. “Would you want to go walking on a cloud next weekend?” She asked.

I imagined myself sitting on a cloud, watching wagons and ponies navigating the city street below me. “Sure,” I answered. “I’d like that. Do I need to buy a potion or something?”

“Giselle again turned one bright eye toward me. “Nah, Leave it to me.”