Teatime on Hearts And Hooves Day

Chapters

I: Hearts And Hooves Day
II: A Night to Remember
III: A Cold Night
IV: SexEd
V: Out Sick

I: Hearts And Hooves Day

Flash stretched his wings and did his best to stifle his yawn. “Man, won’t this shift ever end?”

His fellow guard glared at him and whispered through his teeth, “Dude, shut up! We’re on duty!”

Flash spared his partner a momentary, indifferent glance. “Burner, lighten up dude. At least you haven’t had to work two shifts back-to-back today.” Flash sighed to himself as, yet again, his mind’s eye replayed the events of earlier in the day…

~~~

Flash sat outside the staff entrance to the castle and waited for Dewdrop to check in for her shift. Hearing somepony call his name, he turned around; before he could say a word, a blue crystal unicorn wrapped her hooves around him and gave him a big hug. “Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! I’m so excited about going to the Crystal Canter for dinner tonight! You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this all week, Flash!” she said while she squeezed him in a tight embrace.

Flash squinted his eyes and clenched his teeth when he heard those words. “Uhm… yeah, actually, I need to talk to you about that…” Dewdrop pulled away from the embrace and as she did her smile faltered. Flash’s ears were pinned back as he continued to look away from her.

“Flash… what’s wrong?”

“I…” Flash fidgeted his hooves as he tried to form words, but none would come out. Dewdrop’s smile continued to falter as she watched him struggle to speak. “I have to cancel tonight,” he said in the meekest of tones.

Dewdrop let go of Flash and took a step back, her eyes wide and her ears laid flat. “What?! Again! But… why, Flash?”

Flash sighed heavily. “Shining Armor stuck me with yet another back to back shift. His excuse this time was that we’re short-staffed due to Hearts And Hooves Day, and I got picked.”

“But… the Crystal Canter! That reservation required a deposit! Didn’t you tell him that?” Dewdrop said as tears started to form at the corners of her eyes.

“I did, but it didn’t change anything.” Flash looked back to Dewdrop and did his best to smile. “Look, I’ll make this up to you! I promise!”

Her ears were still wilted as she rubbed her hoof over her foreleg. Dewdrop continued to look away from him as she said, “Flash… I… I have to go.”

Flash’s smile faltered. “Dewdrop?”

Dewdrop took a few steps forward and wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. She choked back tears as best as she could, but some of them escaped onto his shoulder. A pit began to grow in his stomach as she quietly sobbed. Flash closed his eyes and nuzzled his head into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dewdrop. I really am.” She pulled away from the hug and trotted into the building, never once looking back.

~~~

Flash was snapped out of his reverie when his ears picked up the faint sounds of hoofsteps echoing through the corridor. *Somepony’s approaching the Royal Bedchambers in the dead of night?* Flash thought to himself. “Burner, are we expecting staff this evening?”

Burner shook his head. “Not for another ten minutes.” He took a few steps back. “Check it,” he said as he assumed a defensive stance.

Flash snapped to attention and took a few steps forward, tensing up and unfurling his wings, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice if need be. As he cleared the archway, the tension drained from his body, replaced with relief. “It’s just a maid.” Both ponies let out a sigh and fell back into their respective positions.

The crystal unicorn approached the two stallions and gave a sly smile. “Hi boys!” she said cheerfully.

Flash nodded at the maid. “Evening, Ma’am.” He didn’t make eye contact, but when he caught a glimpse of her cutie mark, his eyes went wide. “Wait, Dewdrop?!” he exclaimed, taking a startled step back.

Dewdrop set the tray she carried with her magic down and smirked mischievously at him. “Well, well… if it isn’t my date, the one who ditched me to take another shift just to impress–” Dewdrop’s theatrics were cut off when Flash’s eyes widened and he started waving his hooves around frantically.

“No no no no! I had no choice, I-Hmph!?” Dewdrop had ran up to him and quickly placed her hoof on his muzzle.

“Shh! Flash, calm down! I’m kidding, alright?” Flash’s ears wilted; he blushed from embarrassment and nodded.

Dewdrop sighed and removed her hoof from his mouth. “But what about this morning?” Flash asked in a muffled tone.

Dewdrop looked at the ground for a moment. “Flash, I’m sorry about this morning. I was really looking forward to finally having a proper date with you this evening. So when you canceled again I just–” Dewdrop was cut short by an annoying sound that came from behind her.

Burner couldn’t help but snicker at the two fumbling ponies in front of him. “You two are hilarious! Seriously, has Flash even taken you on a date yet?” Both Flash and Dewdrop turned to glare at him for a moment before Flash turned back to Dewdrop with a questioning look.

“Wait… what are you even doing here? And why are you wearing that outfit?” Flash blushed as he looked over Dewdrop’s new outfit, doing his best to not stare at her plot.

“You like it? I didn’t have to wear one of these uniforms, but I wanted to surprise you. And I thought you might like how I looked in one.” She gave Flash a slow twirl as she let him gawk at her in her maid uniform. Giggling at the sight of a broken Flash, she lightly brushed her tail against his nose to snap him out of his trance. It was only partially effective. “As for why I’m here, after you told me that you had to work this shift, I talked to my supervisor and made arrangements to work a shift that lined up with yours. It turns out they needed a high-level caster this evening, and they were pretty short-staffed to begin with.”

“Ah… that makes… sense…” Flash said with a warm smile, still lost in the moment as he gazed upon her.

She rolled her eyes a little and smiled. “Anyway, I was hoping we could still do something together tonight, even though Hearts And Hooves Day is basically over and I know it’s too late to go to the Crystal Canter. So, if it’s alright with you, I was thinking we could go to the Oak and Barrel after our shifts are over?”

Flash smiled warmly at her. “I would like that.”

“Count me in too!” Burner said with a wide smile from over Flash’s shoulder. Flash just glared at him as Dewdrop giggled at his expression.

“Excellent! I thought you two might say that, so I brought something to help you stay up tonight.” She winked at Flash as she levitated a cup of coffee over to Burner, who took it with his magic, and a cup of tea over to Flash, who gripped it with his hooves. “I know you don’t like coffee, Flash, so I thought you would like this special tea I’ve been working on instead."

“Thank you, Dewdrop, you’re too kind.” The tea was a nice warm temperature that didn’t scald Flash's lips when he drank it. The pleasant sensations of the tea quickly faded when Flash’s senses were overpowered by a harsh blend of spices followed by a repulsive citrus aftertaste. Flash glanced back at Dewdrop, who smiled at him while she watched him drink.

Flash decided the best course of action was a swift end to this torture by tea, so he downed the rest of the cup in one gulp. Dewdrop’s smile faltered when she saw Flash gulp down the tea. “Flash, is everything–” Dewdrop was interrupted as Flash set the cup down and spoke.

“T-Thank you! That was d-delicious!” Flash did his best to hide the discomfort in his voice as he overcame the battle of sensations that went on in his mouth.

“Oh, okay. Well thank you, Flash! I put a lot of effort into that tea so I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said in a very sincere voice.

Flash cleared his throat before he spoke, “It was fantastic, Dewdrop. Thank you very much for sharing it with me,” he said in the warmest tone he could while he fought the tea’s terrible aftertaste. “We’ll be getting off work here in a few minutes after a shift change.”

“Me too, I just need to deliver these last two cups of tea to the Princess and I’m done for the evening!” Dewdrop said with a little bit more energy in her voice than she had before. “Just put the cups off to the side and I’ll have Cherry pick them up after my shift. Catch you boys later!” She flicked the very tip of her tail gently against Flash’s nose, which made the stallion jump slightly in surprise.

Burner glanced over at Flash as the chamber doors closed. “You know, if you’re not taking her home tonight, I will.”

Flash furrowed his brow and enunciated every word cleary to make his discontent known: “Say one more word and I swear to the Moon, I will buck you into next week.”

Burner smiled slyly at Flash. “Word.”

~~~

Dewdrop closed the doors of the Royal Suite with her magic, taking care not to slam them. The foyer was larger than most houses, and opened onto several rooms decorated in different styles. Scanning the room, she noticed the flickering of a fire that came from one of the studies. She cleared her throat to make her presence known. “Princess, I’ve brought your evening tea as requested.”

Princess Cadance closed the book she was reading and stood up. “Ah, Dewdrop, please come in,” she said in a very warm and inviting voice.

Dewdrop nodded and walked into the study where the royal couple casually spent their evening. She gently placed the tray on a nearby coffee table and smiled back at Cadance.

“Thank you my dear, your services this evening in preparing this delightful tea are most welcome.” Dewdrop glanced over to Shining Armor, who looked more tense than he should for this hour of night.

“You may take your leave now,” said Cadance in the warm tone she used to address all of her subjects.

Dewdrop shifted her hooves in place. “Um… Milady?”

Cadance paused and looked at Dewdrop. “Yes, Dewdrop?”

“I was wondering, Your Highness… you had me brew and prepare this tea for most of today. With all the effort that went into it, why did you instruct me to discard the rest of the batch after I prepared only two cups? I just don’t understand.”

Cadance said nothing and took a step closer to the maid. *Has she taken some for herself?* Cadance wondered.

Dewdrop’s ears wilted ever so slightly as Cadance approached. “Y–You told me this morning that this tea had special sensual properties that stimulated and aroused the senses.” said Dewdrop in an inquisitive tone.

“Yes, I did say that. It is a very special tea that I enjoy on very special occasions. It’s extremely soothing, causing those who drink it to experience heightened sensations in a very sensual way. And if taken with the right company,” Cadance glanced at her husband, “it makes for the most breathtaking of evenings. Truly a night to remember for the rest of your life.”

“Yes Milady, that’s why I just don’t understand why you would instruct me to throw out all but two cups’ worth instead of sharing it with others?”

Cadance was taken aback. “I suppose that is a fair question. Let me just say that this tea is not for everyone.” She tilted her head ever so slightly. “You did dispose of the extra tea, did you not?”

Dewdrop’s voice shook slightly as she answered. “Yes, Princess. I disposed of the extra. I did not take any for myself.” She had told the truth, mostly. She took some for her special somepony—well, soon to be special somepony—but none for herself.

Princess Cadance did her best to hide her smirk. “I know a lie when I see one. I think you’ll soon discover first-hoof what this tea really does.”

A thought crossed Dewdrop’s mind that made her tense up; her eyes betrayed her uneasiness. “There isn’t anything,” she swallowed nervously, “harmful about the tea, is there, Your Highness?” She suddenly felt afraid for Flash’s well-being.

“Relax, my dear. The tea isn’t harmful. Let’s just say this tea makes some social interactions a bit awkward when your senses are so aroused.” Dewdrop sighed in relief, but noticed Shining Armor flinch out of the corner of her eye. Cadance raised an eyebrow. “Now I know you drank some.” She smiled secretively. “Thank you very much for preparing this for us, my little pony. You may leave now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Dewdrop raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have a shift tomorrow, Your Highness.”

“Oh, my mistake.” Cadance smiled ever so slightly. “Have a good evening, then.”

“T-Thank you Your Highness,” Dewdrop said hesitantly as she left the room. *What was that about?*

Cadance’s smile only grew as she waited for the doors to close before turning to her husband. Shining Armor lowered the papers that obscured his frown. “Are you sure it was a wise idea, not telling her what the tea actually does?”

Cadance smirked as she brought a hoof up to her chest. “My dear husband, are you insinuating that I lied to her?” she asked theatrically.

Shining Armor set the papers down and settled deeper into his cushion. “No, dear. What you told her was the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth. If she has a lover, things could get awkward fast.”

“Oh, Shiny, you worry too much. In an hour’s time she’ll be in bed fast asleep.” Shining Armor still continued to frown despite his wife’s reassurances. Cadance rolled her eyes and brought a hoof to her forehead. ”Ugh… Shiny! She worked an extra shift on Hearts And Hooves Day. Couples don’t do that!”

“She might go out tonight…”

“Shiny, stop! She’ll be fine! It’s just a little lesson in following directions and I doubt anything bad will come of it. Tomorrow morning I’ll tell the staff we have a new employee and insist she is to see me immediately upon arrival. Then when she’s here I’ll trigger the reversal spell and everything will be back to normal.” Cadance picked up her cup of tea with her magic and brought the cup to her lips, drinking deeply from the cup and savoring every last drop of the magical brew. “Mmm… I do enjoy the taste of this tea… but that’s not why we drink it, isn’t that right Shiny?” As she set the empty cup back on the tray, Cadance watched Shining Armor stare at his cup, almost as though he was afraid to indulge in the beverage.

Cadance walked slowly up to her husband and licked her lips. “Shiny, what troubles you?” She slid next to him and pressed her body against his as she nuzzled up to him. She gently placed her cheek next to his and pressed her nose up to his ear, which caused it to twitch and spasm from her breath. Cadance could see her husband’s cheeks flush, and a shiver ran down his spine as she slowly teased his ear with just the tip of her tongue. She smiled, realising the torment she was inflicting upon her husband. “Now drink up, Shiny, and I promise I’ll make the next hour worth your while.”

The cup shook in his magic as he stared at it. “And after that…?” he asked sheepishly.

“Oh…” She nuzzled into his neck and smiled. “Let’s just say the first few hours won’t be as pleasant as the next. But that’s what the gag’s for.”

Shining Armor looked at the tea and gulped. “You’re never going to let me live that night down, are you?”

Cadance slipped her hoof around Shining Armor’s jaw and pulled him into a deep and sensual kiss. Shining Armor’s thoughts clouded as Cadance held him in a passionate embrace. She slowly pulled away from him as she tugged on his lower lip with her teeth for just a moment. When she broke the kiss, she smiled and gazed into her husband’s eyes. “Nope.”

II: A Night to Remember

Flash had just stowed the last pieces of his armor in his locker when Burner trotted up to him. “Ready to go?” Burner asked.

Flash looked at the ground and let out a long sigh. “Burner… would you mind not tagging along with us tonight?”

Burner chuckled and slapped Flash on the back. “Sure. I was just playing with you earlier anyway. I’ll give you two a head start before I head out.”

Flash sighed with relief. “Thanks dude.”

“No problem. If you need me, I’ll be hitting on mares at the bar.” Flash just rolled his eyes as he grabbed his bitbag and headed out to meet Dewdrop.

~~~

Dewdrop was waiting for Flash when he trotted out of the barracks. “Hey, Flash! So I take it you got rid of Burner?” she asked playfully.

Flash rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. “Eh, he said he’ll catch up later but won’t bug us. Been waiting long?”

Dewdrop smiled. “Not really. I’m just glad to finally be off work. Princess Cadance was acting weirder than usual tonight, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah…” Dewdrop brought a hoof up and rubbed her foreleg. ”I’d rather not talk about it. Anyway, you’ve had a long day… How are you feeling?”

Flash smiled warmly at her. “To be honest, better than I should be, all things considered.”

“Well alrighty then, shall we?” The couple walked away from the castle and toward the Oak and Barrel.

As they walked away, Flash cleared his throat. “So, what’s up with the saddlebags? Are we dropping them off before going to the pub?”

Dewdrop chuckled nervously. “Oh these? Nah, I figured I’d just bring them with me to save time. I need a few books for a spell I’m working on.”

“Ah. Well, that makes sense…” Flash said as the two ponies continued to make small talk until they reached the pub.

When they arrived, they were shocked to see how full the place was. “Hey Flash, I’ll grab us a seat over…” Dewdrop scanned the pub and pointed with her hoof to a nice secluded booth. “There! And you go get a round of green apple cider. Alright?”

“Alright!” Flash agreed, nodding happily.

When Flash got to the bar, he called out to the bartender, an old crystal pony cleaning a wine glass. “Hey Barrel!”

“Flash, haven’t seen you in here for a while. What can I get for ya?”

“Two green apples please.”

“Comin’ right up!” Barrel placed two mugs under the spout and filled them to the brim, then slapped them on the bar in front of Flash. “Here ya go son, that’ll be four bits.” Flash paid five bits and gave the bartender a nod, then took the mugs in one hoof and made his way over to the booth. He set the drinks down and scooted next to Dewdrop. He was about to pass Dewdrop her drink when two more mugs of cider appeared on the table.

“Here ya go ma’am,” said a unicorn barmaid.

“Wait, what?” Flash said with a little surprise.

“First round is on you, second round is on me,” Dewdrop said as she picked up one of the mugs and took a few quick gulps. “Ah… that’s good stuff… What? You thought I was going to have you buy all the drinks tonight?”

Flash placed a hoof on the back of his head and smiled stupidly. “Hehe… after all the times I’ve canceled?”

Dewdrop set down her mug and tapped her chin as a mischievous smile stretched across her face. “You know, you make a good point. You can buy the rest of them!” The two ponies chuckled for a bit before taking a hearty drink of cider.

~~~

Time flew by as the two nursed their cider and joked about the goings-on at the castle.

“Well, there was this one time in training when–” Flash’s voice cracked, and he trailed off, blinking.

Dewdrop giggled at the flustered stallion. “I thought only colts had that problem,” she said playfully.

Flash blushed. “Yeah, no kidding. I don’t think I’ve had that happen to me since”– Flash stopped abruptly when his voice cracked again. He slapped his hooves over his mouth. “Ugh… what is wrong with me?”

Dewdrop’s playful giggles died down when she saw beads of sweat forming on Flash’s brow and realized he was breathing erratically. “Flash, are you alright? Y-You don’t look so good,” she said, frowning with concern.

Flash used one of his hooves to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Eh… I’ll be fine, I just need to go to the bathroom. I’ll grab us another round when I get out, alright?”

Dewdrop gave a shallow nod. “Y-Yeah, that’s fine.”

Flash got up and made his way to the other side of the bar. Once he was out of sight, Dewdrop reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a blue-colored card with a pink heart on it. “I should’ve given him this earlier. If he’s not feeling well, then… I guess I blew my chance…”

Dewdrop waited anxiously for Flash to return. The first few minutes passed quickly enough. Then five, then ten more. Dewdrop was tapping the card nervously on the table, supporting her head on one hoof. More time passed, and she found herself resting her head in her forelegs. She was doing her best to fight the urge to nod off, but felt she was rapidly losing the battle. “Flash… where are you?”

~~~

Flash had just gotten up from the table and stumbled to the restroom. “Two ciders should not be making me feel like this.” He shook his head to clear his vision. “Maybe I should go back after this? I’m just not feeling that… Hmph–!“ Flash slammed a hoof over his mouth as he felt a hard, sharp pain in his gut. “GAH! Out of the way!” yelled Flash as he plowed his way into the first empty stall, cutting off a mare that was about to enter it.

“Hey you jerk! It was my turn, get out of there this–!” She placed a hoof over her mouth and recoiled from the sounds that emanated from the stall. “Eww…! Nevermind…” she said slowly, trotting briskly away.

Flash hadn’t made it in time. He was sitting on the floor with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, trying to catch his breath. Fortunately for him the mess was far enough away that he had no fear of touching it. “What is happening to me? I shouldn’t be this… Ugh–!” Flash felt another set of cramps hit him hard, then the room went dark as he blacked out.

~~~

There was a high-pitched tone as Flash’s world came back into focus. Flash brought a hoof to his head as the last bits of fuzziness in his vision cleared. A few moments later Flash felt… fine? He blinked a few times to clear his senses. “Ugh… that was…” Flash paused for a moment. “Well that’s just great! Now my voice is stuck like this? Ugh… I’m going to have to see the doctor tomorrow.”

Flash thought his senses must have been dulled by the alcohol, because certain things didn’t feel quite right. Flash shook off the sensation of wrongness. “I just need to focus on salvaging what’s left of this evening. I’m not even sure when I’ll be able to have another date with the way Shining Armor has been lately.”

Flash got up and looked at the mirror, but years of neglect and hooligans scratching it up made the image reflecting back almost unrecognizable. Flash fixed his disheveled mane as best he could, from what he could tell from the blob in front of him.

He was just about to leave the stall when the thought of the mess on the floor made him stop. He stealthy jumped out of the stall, making sure nopony saw him; he weaved and dodged his way around the patrons. He seemed to be moving faster than usual, which brought a confident smirk to his face.

He was just a few hoofsteps from the bar when he lost his footing and went tumbling forward; he flared his wings, but a magic force caught him before he could stop himself.

Once Flash was on his hooves again, the magic dispersed, and a concerned unicorn stallion with a dark coat trotted up to Flash. “Are you alright?”

Flash sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. My pride’s hurt more than anything. I had things under control, but thanks anyway.”

“If you say so,” the stallion said doubtfully. “I’m Graphite, and you?”

Flash turned and faced the stallion. “Look, I appreciate the help, I really do, but I should be going.”

“Could I buy you a drink?” Graphite asked with a smile.

“What? No!” Flash sputtered. “I was getting some drinks for myself and my date!”

Graphite’s ears wilted. “Eh… figures you would be here with a stallion,” he said with a disappointed frown.

“What?! No, I’m here with a mare!” Flash cried.

Graphite’s ears perked up as his frown turned back into a smile. “Really? Well, maybe the three of us could get a booth together? You know, get to know one another?”

“This conversation ends now!” Flash snapped, whipping around and walking up to the bar.

Flash sat there, fuming at what the stallion had proposed. After a few minutes, he looked back and saw the stallion had wandered off. Flash was about to give Barrel his drink order when Barrel gently placed a mug of green apple cider in front of him. “Courtesy of the fine stallion over there, ma’am.”

*Ma’am?! Now why would he…* Flash followed Barrel’s hoof to see a stallion smiling at him. Flash deadpanned. *Hitting on mares at the bar… har, har… very funny, Burner.* A devilish smile crept onto Flash’s face as an idea popped into his head. “Two can play at that game, Burner,” Flash mumbled just under his breath.

Flash cleared his throat, not even attempting to hide his new voice. “Ahem… I will take this, and I would like one more Green Apple please.” Barrel nodded as he filled up another mug, then jumped as Flash slammed down two bits, grabbed the two mugs, and gave a frightening grin. “Oh, and if you would be so kind to relay a message for me to that stallion? Tell him if I were Celestia I would banish his flank so far into space that not even Luna would be able to find him!” With a huff, Flash whipped around and trotted away with the mugs.

Barrel just stared after Flash for a moment, then grabbed the bits and grumbled, “Hmm… That one’s trouble.” Barrel walked back over to Burner, who had a confused looked on his face. “Sorry son, that mare ain’t interested.”

“What?! Oh come on, did she at least say thank you?” Burner asked with a disappointed frown.

“No. She had other words for you, but I ain’t repeating them.”

Burner was taken aback. “What! Really? I don’t even know that mare!”

“Yeah… You want my advice kid? You’re playing with fire with that one, go find yerself another mare to bed tonight.” Barrel took a moment to fill another mug with cider. “But that one would sooner buck your teeth in or bite off something important, if ya get my drift.” Burner looked down at his empty mug, ears pinned back. “Kid, I’ve been a barkeep for longer than you’ve been alive… I know ’em when I see ’em.” Barrel set the fresh mug in front of the stallion. “Drink up son, it’s on the house.”

~~~

Flash made his way to the booth where Dewdrop was sitting. He placed a mug in front of Dewdrop, slid into the booth, and leaned up against her. “Here ya go Dewdrop, sorry that took so long…” Flash said, doing his best to match his proper tone.

Dewdrop was resting her head in her hooves. “Mhhm…” she said, snuggling up to Flash. “Sorry, Flash, you were gone for a while there and I might have nodded… off…” her eyes flew open.

Flash smiled awkwardly as he tried to read Dewdrop’s confused expression. His ears drooped when she pulled away from him.

“Who are you?” Dewdrop asked shakily.

Flash chuckled. “Who am I? I know my voice is a little messed up, and we’ve had a few drinks. But you should know who I am.”

“No, really… who are you, and where’s Flash?” Flash could see genuine fear and confusion in Dewdrop’s eyes, and he stopped chuckling.

“Dewdrop, I’m sitting right here,” Flash said in as calm of a voice as he could muster.

Dewdrop slowly shook her head. “You’re not Flash.”

Flash extended a hoof to put onto her shoulder but Dewdrop smacked it away and pushed herself farther away. Flash recoiled from the sudden outburst. “Dewdrop?! What’s gotten into you?!”

Dewdrop was about to get up when she saw something that made her freeze. The pony in front of her was not a stallion, and yet had Flash Sentry’s cutie mark! Dewdrop’s eyes snapped back and forth between the cutie mark and the face of the mare in front of her. Bits and pieces of her conversation with Cadance came flooding back. *…heightened sensations…social interactions awkward…Truly a night to remember for the rest of your life.*

Dewdrop slapped her hooves over her muzzle. Her mane stood on end. “Flash?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Dewdrop?”

Dewdrop swallowed a lump in her throat, and her voice quavered. “Do… do you know?”

Flash’s puzzled look said more than words could have. “Know… what?”

Any composure Dewdrop had left broke at that moment. Dewdrop’s eyes went wide and her pupils constricted. She scooted right up to Flash, grabbing her special somepony’s head in her hooves and staring straight into strange yet familiar eyes. “Flash, this is IMPORTANT! DON’T PANIC! I NEED YOU TO STAY CALM!” Dewdrop yelled into Flash’s face.

“Ow! Okay, okay! Now PLEASE just let go!” Dewdrop let Flash’s head slip from her hooves. “Dewdrop, what in the hay has gotten into you?! I mean really, that was just uncalled—”

“Flash,” she stuttered. “You’re… you’re a… mare.”

Flash’s brow wrinkled in bemusement at her. “…Excuse me?”

“Flash, your voice, your body! Just… just look at yourself!” Before Flash could say another word, Dewdrop levitated a small compact mirror out her saddlebags and popped it open in front of Flash’s nose. Flash’s eyes went wide and his ears pinned back almost immediately as he looked at the mare staring right back at him in the mirror.

Dewdrop could only nod as the color drained out of Flash’s face. Flash started to hyperventilate; Dewdrop scooted next to her and wrapped her hooves around Flash. “Flash, I need you to stay calm. Do you understand me?” Flash said nothing, beads of sweat popping out all over her face. “Flash?”

Flash slowly opened her mouth and took a deep breath. Dewdrop knew all too well what was about to happen, and held Flash’s muzzle shut with her magic. Flash’s screams were muffled, but there was no mistaking her complete state of panic. Dewdrop continued to hold Flash down as she thrashed. “Flash! Stop!” Dewdrop hissed urgently, doing her best not to cause a scene.

Flash’s thrashing died down as a stream of tears flowed from her eyes. Flash sunk into Dewdrop’s embrace and squeezed her tight. “Flash, do you promise not to scream if I let go of the spell?” Flash nodded her head, burying it in Dewdrop’s chest. Dewdrop continued to stroke Flash’s mane and soothe her.

It was some time before Flash finally calmed down enough to speak. “Dewdrop… what’s going on?” she whispered into Dewdrop’s barrel like a frightened foal.

“Flash, we need to leave.”

Dewdrop jumped when an empty mug of cider banged onto the table. “Hey, Dewdrop.” Flash and Dewdrop both froze when they heard the voice. “Just checking in to see how you two lovebirds…” Burner paused for a moment after he realized it wasn’t Flash she was embracing. His expression turned into a frown once he recognized the mare. “What’s she doing here, and where’s Flash?”

“Burner, this isn’t a good time.”

“The buck it isn’t… I bought this mare a drink earlier and Barrel wouldn’t even repeat the stuff she told him! If you weren’t interested then a simple thank you would have been enough.” Flash cowered and buried herself deeper into Dewdrop’s chest.

Dewdrop’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way to defuse the situation. “Burner, just stop! This mare… she…” Dewdrop paused for a moment, a plan coming to fruition in her mind. “She’s… Flash’s sister! Her jerk of a special somepony decided to dump her on Hearts And Hooves Day! So knock it off!”

Burner cringed when he heard Dewdrop’s story. “I eh… I’m sorry, I didn’t know. So where’s Flash?”

“Well… We ran into her a little while ago and after she explained what happened, it kind of… well, killed our evening too. So, I told Flash I could stay here with her for a bit if she wanted another mare to talk to, they both agreed and he headed back to the barracks a little while ago.”

Burner nodded and looked over at the mare that was still cowering in Dewdrop’s embrace. “I see. Look I just wanted to check in before I headed out. I’m sorry about earlier.”

Dewdrop smiled and nodded warmly at him. “It’s okay. Thanks for understanding, Burner.”

Burner turned around and waved as he walked away. When he got far enough away, he mumbled under his breath, “Hmm… I never knew Flash had a sister.”

Dewdrop watched Burner leave before turning back and nuzzling into Flash’s shoulder. “He’s gone, Flash, but we need to leave before we attract any more attention.” She glanced down at her saddlebags. “You better wear my saddlebags, they’ll cover your cutie mark so ponies won’t recognize you.”

Flash pulled away from the embrace and wiped her eyes with her forehoof, sniffling. “Okay.”

Flash slid out of the booth while Dewdrop gathered her things. Flash didn’t seem to notice the card when Dewdrop quickly shoved it back into her saddlebags with the mirror. Dewdrop glanced at the two full mugs of cider and sighed. *Well, this night could have gone better.*

III: A Cold Night

Flash flinched as the weight of Dewdrop’s saddlebags settled onto her back. “Dewdrop, these saddlebags… are they empty?”

Dewdrop sighed. “Don’t worry about it, Flash. I want to go somewhere more private before we discuss this any further, okay?”

“Oh… okay.” The two ponies swiftly made their way out of the tavern, doing their best to avoid the gaze of the patrons who had observed their earlier panic.

Dewdrop exited the tavern, slowed to a stop, and turned her gaze towards the castle. Flash gave her a worried look. “Um… Dewdrop, is everything alright?”

Dewdrop took one last look at the castle before slowly turning back to Flash, ears pinned back. “Flash, there’s a park south of here.” Dewdrop lowered her head. “I–I’ll explain everything when we get there.”

Dewdrop slowly led the way to the park, hoping Flash wouldn’t notice the tears she occasionally wiped from her face.

*Things were going so well… so why does it have to end like this?* Dewdrop thought to herself.

~~~

Dewdrop’s shift had just ended and she was packing her usual supplies into her saddlebags for her next assignment. She had asked Check List earlier that day for an additional task to take her mind off Hearts And Hooves Day, because the last thing she wanted to do was spend the rest of the evening at home sulking.

When Dewdrop arrived at Check List’s desk, she simply smiled and slid over a piece of paper with a room number on it. “Is… this the assignment? Room 311, eastern wing?” Dewdrop asked with a touch of confusion.

“That’s the assignment. I think you will find it will make excellent use of your talents, Dewdrop.”

Dewdrop smiled. “Thank you, Check List. I appreciate it.”

Dewdrop trotted through the vaulted hallways of the castle and up several flights of stairs before she finally reached the door. “Room 311…” Her ears flattened. ”Is this some kind of joke? This room looks like a broom closet!” Her brow furrowed.

Dewdrop grumbled as she opened the door. “I swear, Check List, if this assignment is about sweeping the damn throne room or–” Dewdrop’s jaw dropped. Princess Cadance was standing right there! Her back was to the door, busy reviewing the supplies that were in the small room.

Dewdrop broke out of her momentary panic and swiftly bowed. “Princess!”

Princess Cadance jumped, startled from the sudden outburst. She turned around to see Dewdrop bowing. “Ah, Ms…” Cadance glanced back at a form that was in front of her. “Dewdrop, it’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness,” Dewdrop said while still bowing. ”How may I be of service to you this evening?”

Princess Cadance smiled warmly at her. “Rise, my little pony. I need a unicorn who specializes in magical brews and potions to make a special brew for me this evening, and your name came highly recommended by Check List.”

“It would be my pleasure to do this for you, milady,” Dewdrop said enthusiastically.

Cadance flipped through the forms in front of her and raised a brow. “I must ask, my dear. I’m not inconveniencing you with this request, am I? I see you already worked a shift earlier today.”

“Oh no, Your Highness. I…” Dewdrop’s cheerfulness faltered for a moment. ”I actually welcome the distraction this evening,” she finished.

Cadance nodded. “Ah I see… Very well Dewdrop. I have already procured everything that is required.”

Dewdrop walked up to the bench to inspect the materials. Her eyes went wide as they darted back and forth between the exotic items. There were herbs she’d only seen in reference books, poison joke extract and rare tree roots from the Everfree Forest, and even dragon scale powder. “T–this is an impressive collection of materials, Your Highness!” Dewdrop did her best not to show it, but she was squeeing like a fanfilly at a Wonderbolts show on the inside.

Her excitement was cut short at the sight of a rather out of place, common collection of herbs and… orange zest? “Wait, what’s this?”

Cadance smiled and stomped her hooves on the floor. “Oh, I love those! They will make up the base of the brew.” She took a moment to regain her composure. ”Ahem… Anyway, you will find all of the instructions in that book over there. Please have a quick look to make sure you don’t have any questions.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Dewdrop levitated her saddlebags to the ground and took out a pair of half-oval reading glasses as she approached the tome. She placed the glasses on the bridge of her nose and flipped through a few of the pages. “Let’s see… hmm… muscle relaxant…” Dewdrop continued flipping through the tome then stopped, cocking an eyebrow. “Hormone manipulation…?” Dewdrop set the book down and looked at the Princess. “What exactly is this potion for?”

Princess Cadance blushed furiously and stammered a response. “Umm… It’s a very special type of potion designed to soothe… and… special, sensual properties that stimulate and arouse the senses! Yes, that’s it!” Cadance said in almost a fit of panic.

Dewdrop was taken aback by the abrupt change in Cadance’s behavior. “Oh, um… okay.”

Princess Cadance regained her composure almost instantly. “This brew, or rather tea, is for Shining Armor and myself. Do make sure to follow all of the instructions. From testing, up through disposal.”

“Disposal?”

“Yes, disposal. Only two cups are to be prepared and the rest of the brew disposed of.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Ms. Dewdrop. There are other preparations that require my attention, so I will leave this task in your capable hooves.” Dewdrop bowed as Cadance left the room.

Dewdrop waited for Princess Cadance to get far enough away before she started gushing over all of the materials in front of her. “Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! This is going to be so much fun!” she said as she bounced up and down. “Ah… this is exactly what I needed to get my mind of–” Dewdrop noticed the assignment list Cadance left behind. Her eyes went wide when she read the sentry assignment for the Princess’ chambers for the evening. “Flash?” Dewdrop set the assignment sheet down, eyes wide. “He was telling the truth… and wasn’t just making excuses.”

Dewdrop sank to her haunches, ears lying flat. She glanced again at the paper; her ears perked up when she realized that they would be getting off duty at the same time. Rising, she levitated the tome over to her and scanned the first two pages again.

“I actually don’t have to start this for another hour.” Dewdrop set her glasses down as a smile crept on her face. A plan forming in her mind, she trotted back the way she had come, giggling like a filly. “I think I’ll go ask Check List for one of those maid uniforms…”

~~~

Dewdrop arrived at the park to find only a few couples out on blankets, enjoying the stars with their own special somepony. Dewdrop did her best to ignore them, but her heart sank at the sight.

She scanned the park for someplace quiet and pointed to a grassy knoll on the far side, away from the other ponies. “L–let’s go there…” Her voice shook when she spoke.

“Dewdrop?” Flash said with concern.

Dewdrop said nothing as they walked to the knoll. Once on the other side, she levitated the saddlebags off of Flash and took out a blanket that she had packed earlier, spreading it on the grass. She also took out a small card and placed it in her hooves. Flash took a seat on the far side of the blanket and eyed Dewdrop as she fumbled the card around in her hooves.

Flash waited patiently for an explanation, but none came. Flash finally broke the silence. “Dewdrop?”

Holding back a flood of tears, Dewdrop spoke. “I just want you to know that I wanted tonight to be special. I needed it to be special after what happened this morning, because I honestly thought we were done.” She wiped the tears that had escaped before she looked down. ”I thought you were just trying to get rid of me by canceling and making excuses all the time. So after this morning, I was done. I had enough.” Flash bit her lip and looked away. “I needed a distraction. So I took the extra shift to take my mind off of today, not to meet up with you. But by chance, I saw that you actually did have sentry assignment, just liked you said. So I started getting hopeful that you were telling the truth, so I put together a plan.

“At first it was just me surprising you and we would go out for drinks, but as my shift wore on, things got more elaborate. I thought we could go stargazing so I packed a blanket.” Dewdrop took a moment to wipe her eyes again. “A–and near the end of my shift I… I decided I would do something I shouldn’t have.” Dewdrop lowered her head even further. “I decided… to share the tea I was preparing for Princess Cadance with you. Even though she instructed me to dispose of the extra.” Dewdrop was still looking down, but she could feel Flash’s gaze boring into her. She winced. “She told me the tea did wonderful things, Flash. I didn’t think I’d ever have a chance to make it again, given how rare the raw materials are. So… against my better judgment, I… I took some to give to you.” Dewdrop sniffled, scrubbing at her eyes with a hoof. “I know it was stupid of me to do that… and Princess Cadance confronted me about it shortly after. But she never told me anything more about it! You have to believe me!”

Dewdrop noticed Flash get up and walk a few steps towards her. The dam finally broke and her tears were now running freely. “I–I’m sorry Flash, it’s all my fault!” Flash just stopped in front of her and said nothing. She saw Flash’s hooves leave the ground and tensed up, not knowing what to expect.

Dewdrop’s eyes shot open at the sudden sensation of a warm, soft touch wrapping around her. Flash had gripped her in a tight embrace. Then she felt something wet on her shoulder.

Flash had been crying this whole time, and Dewdrop hadn’t even noticed. Flash choked back tears as she spoke. “D–don’t get me wrong. I’m mad as all hell right n–now.” Dewdrop cringed when she heard those words. “B–but I’m not mad at you.” Flash squeezed Dewdrop tight after saying that. “And I want to stop crying, but I can’t!”

The two ponies held one another for some time, sobbing into each others’ embrace. The relief that washed over Dewdrop was overpowering as she clung to Flash as tightly as she could. Finally, Flash calmed down enough to break the embrace and look into her eyes. Flash glanced down to see the card Dewdrop was still holding in her hooves. “Is that for me?”

Dewdrop blushed, nodded, and gave Flash the card. Flash’s expression softened as she tumbled it around in her hooves. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “Dewdrop… I…”

Dewdrop’s smile quickly faded when Flash gently placed the card back in her hooves. “It’s not a yes, or a no. I just don’t feel like I can say right now.” Flash gently placed her hooves onto Dewdrop’s shoulders. “You understand, right…?” Fresh tears welled up in Dewdrop’s eyes as she whimpered and nodded. Flash drew Dewdrop into a comforting embrace and nuzzled into her neck, letting her choke out the last of her tears.

The two stood there embracing in an awkward silence for some time before Flash finally spoke up. “So… if this was for the Princess and Shining Armor, then do you think I’ll be alright by morning?”

Dewdrop broke the embrace, rubbing her foreleg and shaking her head. ”I don’t think it’s time based. It’s possible, but there were aspects of the potion that repeated itself. So it’s unlikely it will simply wear off with time.”

Flash blinked for a moment as she let those words sink in. “So you’re saying I’m going to be stuck this way?!”

Dewdrop lowered her head. “The Princess will know… I’ll see her about it in the morning and we can get this all sorted out. Look… I know this is awkward, but you shouldn’t be left alone like this. So you can stay at my place tonight.” Dewdrop smiled weakly, the first time she’d smiled since they left the tavern. “Besides, it might be kind of hard for you to get into your quarters at the barracks.”

Flash chuckled. “You’re right about that one. Alright, I’ll accept.”

The walk was quiet; neither of them spoke, and Dewdrop spent most of her time regaining her composure. When the two ponies reached Dewdrop’s place, she noticed the lights were still on and turned to Flash. “Flash, how do I look? My roommate Rose Quartz is still up and I don’t want to look like a train wreck. Otherwise she just won’t stop asking questions.”

Flash took a moment to look Dewdrop over before he responded. “Your mane is a little messed up and your eyes are red, but all things considered, not bad. Given we were drinking and how long our days have been it’s probably fine.”

Dewdrop nodded in acknowledgment. “Okay, let me do the talking. I’ll just tell her the same thing I told Burner, alright?”

Flash nodded. “Alright.”

Dewdrop was about to open the door, but stopped. “Oh, my room is upstairs, first door on the right. I’ll try to make this quick then we’ll go right up.” Dewdrop opened the door and walked in with Flash in tow.

“Rose, I’m home!”

A pink crystal pony, wearing a white choker was reading a book in the living room. When she took in Dewdrop’s disheveled state, she got up to ask what happened. Then she saw the mare behind Dewdrop and stopped. She gave Dewdrop a smile before saying, “I thought you weren’t into mares, Dewdrop?”

“Rose, I’d like you to meet—Wait what?!” Dewdrop said with surprise.

Rose’s smile softened as she took a few steps forward. “It’s okay, dear. There are a lot of mares that date other mares. I just never pegged you as being one of them.” Dewdrop gaped at her. She tried to form words, but nothing came out. ”So, things didn’t work out with that pegasus guard you were interested in?”

Dewdrop snapped out of her daze when she finally registered the question. “Flash? Well, we… we—” She turned back to Flash for a moment before turning back to Rose. “—now is not a good time. She’s here and I don’t want to talk about this tonight, okay?”

Rose cocked her head and paused for a moment. “She?”

“Flash’s sister–” Dewdrop eyes went wide and she slapped a hoof over her mouth.

Rose’s eyes widened with surprise at Dewdrop’s response. She stared at the two for a brief moment until a rather mischievous smile grew on her face. “Ohh… I get it now…”

“What?” Dewdrop blushed, eyes wide after realizing what she was implying. ”Oh, no no no no no! It’s… it’s not what you think!”

“It’s okay, Dewdrop, I won’t judge.” Dewdrop just stammered for moment, trying to think of something to say.

Rose started walking to the kitchen. “Say, I’m making some tea. Are either of you–?”

“NO!” both Flash and Dewdrop shouted.

Rose put her hoof over her mouth and giggled a bit. “That eager to get to business, eh? I suppose I can’t blame you.” Dewdrop’s own coat color could have been mistaken as a shade of crimson by this point with how furiously she was blushing. “Oh and Dewdrop, dear, just try to keep the noise down tonight, alright? I know how you get, and I have to work in the morning,” Rose said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Dewdrop was fuming. She squinted her eyes shut and pointed a hoof to her room. “Ugh! Flash, upstairs! Now!”

Flash started to trot up the stairs, but stopped when she heard Rose say, “Kinky… you even call her by her brother’s name.” Flash was stunned and couldn’t move, as if she had just been shot with a tranquilizer dart.

Dewdrop stomped right up to Rose. Raising a hoof, she pointed at her misguided roommate. “We will NEVER speak of this night AGAIN!”

Rose raised her brow for a moment before lowering her voice and leaning in to whisper, “Oh, so she’s like a… one night thing?”

“AHHH!!” Dewdrop slapped her hoof over her face and yelled in frustration. She whipped around and marched up the stairs, using her head to push Flash’s flank as she went. She shoved Flash into her bedroom and bucked the door shut.

Rose blinked for a moment, taking in everything that had just happened. “Geez… and I thought I got testy on Hearts And Hooves Day,” she muttered to herself as she poured a cup of tea.

~~~

The upper floors of the Imperial Suite were dark and still. A sign hung over the royal bedchambers:

“By Royal Decree: Only in the event of a changeling invasion, Sombra rising from the grave or other world-threatening catastrophic events may the sanctity of this room be disturbed.”

Beyond those doors was a circular room lit by candlelight and a small fire burning in a fireplace. Various implements that would normally not see the light of day were scattered about the room. In the middle, there was a large bed. Cadance was holding Shining Armor in a loving embrace, with a pink silk sheet draped over them while they cuddled.

Cadance’s jaw and snout had taken on a sharper, more angular shape, and she appeared to be significantly larger than Shining Armor. She pulled him close and spoke in a voice that belonged to a stallion, “Oh Shiny, thank you so very much for letting me do this.”

Shining Armor’s usual strong facial features were much softer and more rounded, and his mane was quite a bit longer. His eyes were half-closed, face flushed and he wore a pleasant smile. “Well when you asked if we could reverse the roles for this little game, I did–Ahh!” She tensed up when Cadance snuggled in closer to her.

“I’m sorry, my love. I was just getting more comfortable,” Cadance said, grinning slyly at the mare in her grasp.

“I–It’s okay. I’m just not use to all of this, that’s all. Like I was t–trying to say, I didn’t think you would take this”—Shining Armor had to bite her lip for a moment—”role r–reversal thing this far.”

Cadance chuckled a bit. “I thought you might enjoy experiencing the heightened sensations that we mares feel.”

Shining Armor giggled. “Is that why I feel this way right now?”

Cadance looked at the empty wine bottle at the foot of their bed and smiled. “Well, that’s not the only reason. I’ve also introduced a few other… enhancements as well.”

“You don’t say–Ahh?!”

Shining Armor’s eyes squeezed shut. Cadance had gently bit down and was now playing with her ear. Shining’s inhibitions melted away and she moaned in ecstasy at Cadance’s touch.

Cadance grinned, still holding her ear. “I think you’ve had enough rest for now.”

~~~

Dewdrop was trying to calm down, but it wasn’t working. Her nose was scrunched, and she was still looking at the now-closed door.

“Dewdrop, are you alright?”

She took one deep breath and exhaled in an attempt to calm her nerves. “I’m fine, Flash. I just don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Rose…” Her head drooped and she sighed in defeat. “Whatever. I’ll deal with it later.”

Flash took a moment to take in her surroundings. The room was surprisingly spartan. There were no photos, and only a few modern amenities, such as a clock. Flash thought this room probably looked exactly as it had a thousand years ago. It also struck Flash that the room was surprisingly small, and that Dewdrop’s bed looked barely big enough for one pony. Flash cleared her throat before she spoke. “So… Where am I sleeping?”

Dewdrop sighed. “We’re sharing my bed. It’s a single, so we’re going to be a little tight… I hope you don’t mind.”

Flash shook his head. “No, it’s fine.” She walked over to the bed and slipped under the covers. Dewdrop joined her and turned the lights off with her magic as she turned to her side, her back facing Flash.

Flash stared off into the emptiness of the dark room for some time. She was fidgeting with her hooves, unable to relax.

“Dewdrop?”

“Hmm…?”

“Thank you.” Dewdrop’s ear flicked up and she rolled over to face Flash. Even in the dead of night she could still make out her form, staring at the ceiling. “You’ve done a lot for me today, and when I couldn’t give you an answer earlier, you still stuck by me. So thank you for that.” Flash sighed and brought a hoof to her forehead. “I really wanted to say yes earlier, but I’m really confused right now. It’s just really hard to explain.”

Dewdrop smiled in the darkness and snuggled into Flash’s side. “I’ll take that.”

IV: SexEd

Dewdrop nuzzled into Flash’s soft blue mane as she woke up. Her scent was sweet, like lavender with just a hint of ferns on a warm summer day. She giggled as she stretched in bed, wondering if Flash might actually smell like this when she was a stallion. Dewdrop smiled; thinking back on it, this was the first time she had ever really cuddled with Flash.

Dewdrop pushed herself up to her haunches, continuing her morning stretching routine. “Morning, Flash. You sleep well?” Flash stirred, groaning, but did little else. She lowered her forelegs after stretching and giggled. “Not a morning pony, eh?”

The smile on Dewdrop’s face vanished and her ears perked up when she looked at Flash’s face. Flash was blushing and her tongue lolled out slightly. “Flash, are you alright?” she asked with concern as she brought a hoof to Flash’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever but you’re…” Disturbing the sheets overwhelmed her senses with a very familiar scent. She paused for a moment as she looked over Flash’s form again. Then, very slowly, she slipped out of the sheets and got out of bed. “Umm… Flash, it’s probably best you just stay put till I get back.”

Flash rolled over. Her mane was disheveled and her eyes were half glazed. “Why? What’s the matter?”

“Well, you see… you’re… umm… on your estrous cycle. So I really wouldn’t recommend wandering around in your current state. Or at least not until you settle down a bit.”

“My what?”

“You know, estrous.” Flash gave Dewdrop a blank stare, causing Dewdrop to facehoof. “In laypony terms, you’re in heat, Flash.” Dewdrop sighed and sat down on her haunches.

Flash stared blankly at her. “What?! How is that even possible?” Flash put her hooves over her head and buried her muzzle into the mattress. “I-I can’t have foals!” Flash looked up and Dewdrop as her ears wilted back. “It’s not possible, right?” she said in a pleading tone.

Dewdrop sighed. “It’s strong magic and right now you appear to be an anatomically correct mare…” She paused for a moment and slouched her shoulders. “But honestly, you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

Flash buried her head in the sheets and pillows. Dewdrop thought she was sulking until she stretched herself along the bed and let out a muffled moan as she flicked her tail about. “Flash… this may sound a little weird, but… you’ll feel a lot better if you…” She hesitated for moment, fiddling with her hooves as she tried to finish her sentence. “Take care of business, and have a cold shower.”

Dewdrop got up and walked over to the other side of the room. She pulled out a box, brought it to the side of the bed, and took out two magazines with her magic. She walked over to Flash and placed the magazines in front of her. “If you need a visual aid you can use one of these.”

Flash eyed the two magazines for a while before she cleared her throat. “Dewdrop? Why do you have both Playcolt and Playfilly magazines?”

Dewdrop raised an eyebrow in response. “Because I like reading the articles. Why, what are you implying, Flash?” Flash just sat there for a moment, nervously shuffling her hooves. Dewdrop just shook her head before saying, “Anyway, just pick the one you’re more into and put them back when you’re done.”

Dewdrop waited patiently for Flash to pick up one of the magazines, but she didn’t. Flash just stared at the Playfilly magazine. Occasionally, Flash would glance over at the Playcolt, but her vision returned to the other magazine, and the longer she stared, the more the frown on her face became apparent.

Dewdrop took a few steps towards Flash when she saw tears starting to well up in her eyes. “Flash, i-is everything alright?”

Flash shook her head. “I’m not comfortable with this.”

“Comfortable with what?”

Flash looked up at Dewdrop with quivering lips and pleading eyes. “I know what I’ve liked, I know what I should like…” Flash’s eyes drifted down to one of the magazines. “But this isn’t it.”

Dewdrop gave Flash a sideways glance in confusion. “Flash, you’re not making any sense.”

Flash licked her lips as she stared down at the magazine. “I can’t stop staring at the stallion on the cover of this magazine. His muscular, sculpted body. His strong angular face and his mane… The way it just flows in the wind.” Flash looked up at Dewdrop with mix of pain and lust in her eyes. “I want him… I want him to take me, I want him to ravage me.” Flash paused for a moment as she blinked away the beginnings of tears. “And I hate myself for it. I just…” Flash’s head dipped down and buried her muzzle in her hooves. “I don’t want these feelings.”

Dewdrop’s eyes softened; she walked up to Flash, wrapped her hooves around her neck, and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, Flash. As strange as this might sound, these feelings are normal enough for a mare in your state.”

Flash shook her head in Dewdrop’s embrace. “But I don’t want them!” Dewdrop held the embrace for a few more moments before letting go after a final reassuring squeeze.

Flash gulped. “There’s another problem,” she said sheepishly. She spent the next several moments just fiddling with her hooves before she finally finished, “I don’t think I know how.”

Dewdrop snorted and put a hoof over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She peered over at Flash, fully expecting her to be laughing as well, yet she slowly stopped as the awkwardness of the outburst set in. Flash’s head was buried in her hooves and her ears were wilted. “Oh Celestia, you were being serious.” She looked down at Flash and took a moment to regain her composure. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

Flash blushed and looked away. “Well… I do have some idea. But I’ve been a gentlecolt all of my life and haven’t spend much time thinking about… well you know, that stuff. Plus I’ve only been on a few coffee dates with other ponies, but those never went anywhere so I’ve never…” Flash fidgeted as she tried to explain.

Dewdrop nodded and looked down at the magazines. She picked one up and started flipping through it. “The magazines are not exactly a ‘how to’ guide, but they should give you the right idea of what to do.” She smiled, set the the magazine down, and stroked Flash’s mane.

Flash shivered, biting her lip to stifled a moan from Dewdrop’s touch.

“Just try it. You’ll feel more like yourself afterwards, I promise.” She paused for a moment, looking at how flustered Flash was as she stared into the magazines. She gently wrapped her hooves around Flash and drew her into a warm, comforting hug. “Flash… it’s okay. If you still haven’t figured it out by the time I get back I’ll help.” She gave Flash a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not trying to make this weird for you, I just want you to feel more like yourself,” she said softly.

Flash’s face turned a deep shade of crimson, too embarrassed to do anything more than meekly nod. Dewdrop broke the embrace and hopped off of the bed. “Well, I better get going.”

“Say, I’ve been thinking this over, and… it’s probably best if you report that I’m sick and couldn’t make it in for roll call this morning.”

Dewdrop tilted her head. “I can, but we really shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves. Besides, the Princess would be able to fix any issues this might have caused.”

Flash sighed. “I’m suppose to report in about thirty minutes, and I’ll be considered AWOL after that. So I’ll need some kind of alibi if that happens. I mean, I’m sure the Princess can say I was acting at her request for royal duties, but it’s highly irregular for that to come after the fact. Being out on medical leave is the least conspicuous way of me not showing up.”

Dewdrop nodded. “Alright, I see your point. If I don’t talk to the Princess immediately I’ll definitely do that. I’ll see you in about an hour or so.” Dewdrop left the room and closed the door. As she trotted down the stairs, a smirk crept onto her face. *Despite how awkward this situation is, Flash might actually learn a thing or two with this experience.*

She was about to leave the house when she saw a sticky note on the door:

Dewdrop, the girls and I are going out tonight. If you want to come with, I’m sure we can make it worth your while.

Dewdrop stared at the note for a moment with a sideways glance. “I really don’t want to know where she’s going with this.” She took the note off the door, shaking her head as she left for the castle.

~~~

Flash turned her attention back to the magazines after Dewdrop left the room. Flash picked up the Playcolt magazine and flipped through it. Each of the mares in all of the compromising poses did nothing to sate her hunger.

She sighed, set the magazine down, and picked up the Playfilly. She flipped to the front of the magazine to see if there was anything that caught her attention… “What’s this? Mare to Mare advice with Dr. Cuddles.” Flash flipped to the back of the magazine where the advice column was.

Dear Dr. Cuddles, I’m super awesome and everypony knows it! So I figured every stallion in Equestria should want me, yet I can’t get their attention at all! Plus mares hit on me all the time. I mean, all the time – RD

Flash stared over the magazine into space for a moment. “Hmm… well, that’s kind of like what happened to me at the bar last night...” She lifted up the magazine and continued reading.

Ms. RD, You need to make yourself noticed.

Find a dashing stallion at a bar… wiggle your plot in front of him, then follow with eye contact and have him buy you a drink. Massage his ego a little bit and he’ll be putty in your hooves after that. Then liquor him up and drag his flank to bed.

Also, make sure there are witnesses. Mares love to gossip, so that should solve your problem.

Flash put the magazine down for a moment and blinked. “Okay I am not doing that!” Flash sighed. “Okay, what about this next one…”

Dear Dr. Cuddles, I’ve read every book I can find about intercourse, and I mean every one. But I still can’t seem to get stallions to notice me! I mean this just isn’t mathematically possible! – TS

Ms. TS, I really hope you don’t mean text books. Also, romance novels are great, but they are idealistic. Might I recommend my book, Psychological Warfare And The Art of Dating?

Flash blinked. “Mares actually listen to this advice?!” Flash spent the next few moments skimming through the rest of the article before giving up.

Flash sighed, went back to the middle of the magazine, and opened up the centerfold. She stared at the stallion, her eyes traveling down every edge, every part of his majestic form. She felt her breath quicken, and bit her lip as lust compelled her hooves to move of their own accord.

~~~

Dewdrop arrived at Check List’s office and tapped on the door. She could see the white crystal pony had her nose buried in paperwork and her inbox was stacked higher than she was.

“This had better be important, I’m very busy.” She looked up from her paperwork and paused as she adjusted her glasses. “Dewdrop? What are you doing here?”

“I need to see the Princess.”

Check List set her papers down and rubbed her temples. “I’m sorry Dewdrop. I have special orders to not let anypony see the Princess till afternoon court, and even then, if memory serves, they will just cancel it. Like they did last year… I swear, those two just make far too much paperwork–”

“Cadance told me last night she expected to see me this morning!”

Check List gave Dewdrop a sideways glance before reaching into her desk and pulling out a paper. She glanced over it and quickly put it back. “I’m sorry, Dewdrop. You must have been mistaken.”

Dewdrop sighed. “Let me guess. You had orders to allow a pony to see the Princess this morning. A crystal unicorn stallion with an Erlenmeyer flask cutie mark. Who would also be hiding a raging hard-on.”

Check List blushed and stammered as she said, “There was no mention of a cutie mark! I mean… I am not at liberty to disclose this information.”

Dewdrop shrugged. “Fine… can you at least forward a message that Dewdrop would like to see Her Highness this afternoon?”

Check List nodded. “I can do that, but there is no guarantee she’s going to read it today.”

“We’ll see about that. Anyways, I need to report Flash Sentry is too sick to come in and I’m taking care of him.”

Check List shook her head. “You need to go through one of the administration Staff Sergeants for that, and even then you would need to be a member of his immediate family or have a doctor’s note stating he is too ill to be transferred to the infirmary. Simply prancing in here and saying he’s sick at your house isn’t proper protocol.”

Dewdrop frowned. “You’re not making this very easy on me today, you know that?”

Check List shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, but rules are rules. It’s nothing personal, Dewdrop.”

Dewdrop rolled her eyes and walked out of the office.

~~~

Cadance paced around in circles, looking very much like her usual Princess self. Shining Armor looked like his normal self as well, except he was lying on his belly on a seating cushion instead of sitting on it. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit on my haunches for a week, dear,” he said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

Cadance stopped her pacing to stifle a yawn before responding, “Oh please… You have any idea how hard it was to sit on a stone throne for hours on end during court last year?”

Shining Armor smirked with a hint of satisfaction. “Isn’t that why you cancelled court for a week last time?”

“No, I only cancelled for the first day. I endured the rest of the week, thank you very much.” She smirked, looking back at her husband. “And now it’s your turn.” She shrugged and turned her attention to the door of their private chambers. “Anyways, where is Dewdrop? I thought I told her to be here by now.”

“Maybe something happened?”

Shining Armor’s voice echoed in Cadance’s mind as she sighed. “Shiny, nothing bad happened. She’s just taking her time, maybe she likes being a stallion.” A nervous smile appeared on her muzzle. ”Yes, that’s probably what’s going on.” Cadance resumed her pacing. ”She’ll be here any time now. Any time now…” she said in an uneasy tone.

~~~

Dewdrop approached the front door of her house. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, knowing she might have to do something she really didn’t want to. *I’m sure Flash was able to figure this stuff out on her own,* Dewdrop thought.

She opened the door and found Flash sitting on a reading cushion in the living room. Flash was no longer flushed and her mane looked clean and well groomed. She was reading the latest copy of Equestria Daily and didn’t notice Dewdrop enter the room. “Hi Flash, you’re looking much better.”

Flash peered up and smiled. “Hi Dewdrop, yeah that advice of yours was great! It… wasn’t easy at first, but I kind of got the hang of it.” Flash’s cheeks flushed at the thought of what she had been doing earlier.

Dewdrop breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear,” she chuckled. “When you’ve been though a few heats, you figure out what works and what doesn’t.” She paused for a moment when the realization struck her. “So, Flash. What are you doing down here anyways?”

“Oh,” Flash chuckled nervously. “Well, I had to take the sheets off of the bed, and there was no place to really sit in your room.”

“Wait… why did you have to do that?”

“Well,” Flash began nervously, “your advice worked so well that… I kind of…” She smiled while rubbing the back of her head.

The color drained out of Dewdrop’s face at the realization of what Flash was trying to say. “I thought you were going to take the magazine to the bathroom!” Flash’s ears wilted as she blushed furiously. Dewdrop galloped up the stairs to her room and swung open the door.

She stared in disbelief at her bed. The pungent odor was still lingering in the air. “Flash! Why would you do it on my bed?! I sleep there!”

Dewdrop turned around with a hoof in the air and was about was about to yell but stopped. Flash’s ears were wilted and she was looking down at the mat. She lowered her hoof and took a deep breath. She did this a few times before she lowered her head. “This is my fault… I should have known better.” Dewdrop walked back down the stairs. “There should be same spare sheets in the closet. But first, we need to talk.” She came alongside Flash and sat down next to her with a sigh. “I couldn’t get an audience with the Princess.”

Dewdrop spent the next few minutes telling Flash what happened back at the castle. Flash said nothing throughout the entire explanation, merely sitting there with her head down, her mane obscuring her face. “When will you know?” Flash asked.

“In a few hours probably, if–Hey!” Flash had stood up and started walking to the door. Dewdrop jumped at the sudden movement. “Flash, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to impersonate my fake sister and report my absence at the Barracks.”

Dewdrop got up and trotted in front of Flash, placing a hoof on Flash’s shoulder. “Whoa whoa whoa… Wait!”

“Dewdrop, I was suppose to report an hour ago, so I’m already AWOL.” Flash put a hoof on Dewdrop’s shoulder and smiled. “I just want to keep things from escalating any further than they have to in the meantime.”

“No! This is unnecessary!”

“Dewdrop, if you want to hide you hide in plain sight.” Dewdrop stopped and stared at Flash with a puzzled look. “Look, I need an alibi at this point and it will just look like I’m on medical leave. Nopony will be the wiser.” Flash took a breath and smiled.

Dewdrop lowered her hoof and took a few steps so she could nuzzle into Flash’s shoulder. “I just don’t want you getting hurt, but if it means this much to you, then let’s do it.”

Flash nodded before grabbing Dewdrop by her shoulders and thrusting herself back to make eye contact with her. “Wait, what? You don’t have to come along.”

Dewdrop smiled back at Flash. “I’m not letting you run around like this by yourself.” She brought a hoof to her shoulder and placed on her hoof on top of Flash’s. “So what name are you going to go by? You know, in case they actually ask your name.”

Flash paused for a moment, placing a hoof on her chin in thought. “How about… Flare Warden. Has kind of a nice ring to it.”

Dewdrop nodded. “Alright, works for me. Let’s get going.”

V: Out Sick

Flash and Dewdrop left the house, headed towards the administration building. As the two walked through the streets, Flash noticed stallions looking at her. Some would just glance at her before going about their business, while others would stop what they were doing and stare. Rarely did they look at her face; their eyes seemed to be fixated on her rump and… other things. When Flash would look at the stallions, they would usually go back to what they were doing, but some just stared back and smiled. Flash slowed her pace and tucked her tail closer to her body. Moving closer to Dewdrop, she asked, “Dewdrop, why in Celestia’s name are all of these stallions looking at me?”

Dewdrop pondered the question for a moment, looking at the stallions around them to gauge their reactions. “I think they’re just curious,” she said. “I mean, it’s strange enough you’re not a crystal pony, but it’s a rare sight to see normal mares around here. That, and mares always tend to get a few looks from stallions.”

“Isn’t that annoying?”

Dewdrop hummed as she pondered the question for a bit. “Yeah, but I suppose you learn to ignore it.”

Flash did her best to ignore the wandering eyes for the rest of the walk to the castle, but the thought of all those stallions looking her over still bothered her.

When Flash was a few hundred yards away from the building, she stopped and Dewdrop came alongside her. “Alright, so here’s the plan. We’ll get to the checkpoint and I’ll explain I’m here to report my absence. They’ll have me escorted in, I’ll file what ever paperwork I have to, and I’ll leave. That simple.”

Dewdrop nodded, and the two ponies approached the guard booth in front of the building. The guard on duty took a few steps to get directly in their path. “Halt! No civilians beyond this point. Please turn around and go about your business.”

Flash cleared her throat. “Excuse us sir, we’re here because Flash Sentry, a member of the Royal Guard, was too sick to report in this morning.”

The guard eyed both of them for a moment before nodding. “In that case, please proceed to the receptionist in the lobby.” The guard stepped out of the way and snapped back to attention. “Proceed!”

Flash and Dewdrop walked into the building. When they were a few steps inside, Flash whispered into Dewdrop’s ear, “Told you this would be easy.”

The reception area was very open, with a green crystal floor and a single desk near the other side of the room where a light green crystal pony was working on paperwork. Near the desk was another set of doors and a guard standing at attention.

Flash’s hooves clopped louder than she would have liked on the slick surface as the two approached the desk. When they were a few steps from the desk, the receptionist glanced up for a moment before returning to what she was doing. “State your business.”

“We’re here to report that Flash Sentry is absent, ma’am,” Flash said in a formal tone.

The mare stopped and looked up. “Do you have a doctor’s notice?”

Flash shook her head. “No ma’am.”

The receptionist paused for a moment and looked Flash over. “Relation?”

“Flash’s sister, Flare Warden, ma’am.”

The mare glanced over at Dewdrop with an inquisitive look. “And you?”

Dewdrop smiled nervously back at her. “Umm… a friend?”

She turned to the guard behind her. “Escort Ms. Flare Warden to Sergeant Graphite’s office to take a statement.” She turned back and looked at Dewdrop. “I’m sorry, but this is a family matter, so you will have to wait here until Ms. Flare Warden returns.”

Dewdrop nodded and looked over at Flash with a bit of worry in her eyes. Flash gave her a reassuring smile before saying, “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

The guard opened the door with his magic and waited. Flash walked over and the pair made their way to one of the offices down the hall, hooves echoing on the hard surface as they went.

*Graphite, now where have I heard that name before?* Flash shook off the thought as the two continued. They were near the end of the hallway when the guard stopped, knocked on the door and stood at attention.

“Enter!” The door unlocked and swung open by a magical force. Flash turned her gaze from the guard to the Sergeant and froze. Dark coat, unicorn and a face that Flash clearly remembered. Both ponies just stared at one another for a few moments before Flash cleared her throat and walked in.

Flash couldn’t seem to keep eye contact with the stallion as she entered the room. The door slammed shut behind her, and Flash heard the deadbolt click. The room was still for a moment, and Flash could hear her own heart being rapidly.

The stallion gave Flash a devilish smirk and placed his forehooves on his desk to support his chin. “So… about that name?”

Flash chuckled nervously as she approached his desk. “I-It’s Flare Warden.” She sat down at one of the cushions in front of the desk. “Look, I know last night was a bit of a debacle, so… maybe we could just drop it and start over?”

“Alright, Ms. Warden. I’m Graphite, Sergeant Graphite.” His smile softened. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Despite his smile, Flash could feel the stallion staring at her features and not even making an attempt to maintain eye contact.

Flash blushed slightly and tried to angle her flank away from the stallion’s gaze. “D-do you think we could probably tone down the staring there buddy? You’re making me uncomfortable.”

The stallion smirked. “I’m sorry, it’s just so rare to have a mare in here. An out-of-uniform, very, very attractive mare. I mean, just look at how toned and slender your body is,” he said as he continued to examine her form.

Flash pointed a hoof to her face and said, “H-hey buddy, eyes up here!” For the first time since she entered his office, he finally made eye contact.

“Look, you’re creeping me out.” Flash looked away and rubbed one of her hooves over her foreleg. “I just want to report that my brother, Flash Sentry, was too sick to report this morning. I’ll have someone bring in a doctor’s notice to confirm this later, but that’s all I’m here to report.” She looked back at him. “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave now.”

Graphite took a long sigh and sat back at his desk. “Well you’re no fun.” Graphite stood up and paused for a moment. ”I need to file this first before you go, so make yourself comfortable while I get this together.” The stallion walked over to a nearby file cabinet. Flash turned away immediately, still feeling uneasy about what had just happened. She continued to look away while the stallion rummaged around in a few other file cabinets.

Flash’s attention was snapped back to the desk by the sound of a file and some forms slamming down. “Alright, do you have any other information? Other than he’s sick offsite?”

“Umm… no, he’s just really sick and didn’t have the energy to get out of bed.” Flash sighed. ”Look, I’m sure we’ll have a physician’s report to attest to this later today. I don’t have one right now because there just wasn’t enough time.”

“Calm down, Ms. Warden. I just have to file the report with as much detail as I can.”

Flash relaxed after Graphite spent the next few minutes filling out the form, seeming to have lost interest in her. “Okay. that’s done. One will go out to his commanding officer, and this copy will go into his file…” Graphite opened the folder and paused.

Flash tilted her head. “Is there something wrong?”

Graphite shook his head slowly while looking at the file. “Not really wrong, just weird.” He pulled out a photo of Flash’s cutie mark and showed it to her. “You two have the same cutie mark. Not to mention the same mane and coat colors.”

Flash chuckled nervously and her ears wilted. “W-we’re identical twins, I mean really identical! And you know most twins have very similar cutie marks. Ours just happen to be very… identical.” Flash gave a toothy grin.

Graphite raised an eyebrow and looked back at the file. He continued to stare at it for a moment before he gave a soft grunt and closed it. He looked up at Flash, but there was something different in his eyes now. He was calm and professional, like a completely different stallion than he was only moments earlier.

Graphite’s horn briefly light up with a small magical pop. Flash’s ears twitched, and she staggered to her hooves and slowly backed away from the stallion. “I-I should probably go now. I mean you have your report, right?”

Graphite smirked and picked up the file. “Before you go Ms. Warden, I do have one question.” At that moment, the guard that had escorted Flash into Graphite’s office teleported next to Graphite. ”According to his records, Flash Sentry is an only child.” The unicorn guard’s horn light up as Graphite spoke, “So who are you–?!”

Before the guard could act, Flash spread her wings and took to the air with a strong thrust, flinging herself against the closed door. The door shattered and broke off of its hinges, and Flash skidded into the hallway, lifting off from the ground and flying away as swiftly as she could. Her mind raced. Reinforcements were undoubtedly on the way, and she had to get herself and Dewdrop out of the building fast.

The unicorns were caught off-guard by the sudden outburst and took off after Flash. The guard leading the way entered the hallway, and his gilded hooves lost traction with all of the debris on the floor, causing him to faceplant into the wall across from the office. Graphite slowed down, grabbing the door frame before glancing down the hallway. By then, Flash was nearly gone.

~~~

Moments earlier, Dewdrop was sitting on a cushion in the visitor area reading a magazine when she heard a high-pitched sound. She looked up to discover that the unicorn guard who had been standing at attention near the hallway was gone.

She slowly went back to reading her magazine, but she couldn’t dismiss the nagging notion that something was wrong. There was a crashing sound from down the hall. Dewdrop dropped the magazine, looking around wildly for the source of the noise. A yellow blur crashed into her and pinned to the ground.

Dewdrop looked up and saw Flash getting up, muttering under her breath. She quickly grabbed Dewdrop and pulled her back to her hooves. “Dewdrop! We have to go, NOW!”

Commotion had already started breaking out in the office. No one seemed to know what the issue was, but Flash had no intention of sticking around long enough for them to find out.

“Wh… what is going on?!”

“No time to explain!” Flash said as she pulled Dewdrop towards the exit. But before they could escape, Flash gasped, screwed her eyes shut, and bit down hard as a blue glow engulfed her. Flash thrashed in the magical embrace, but was unable to unable break free. “You have to get out of here!” Flash said while gritting her teeth.

Dewdrop turned back and saw a dark unicorn panting in the doorway, horn lit up. Without a moment’s hesitation, Dewdrop used her magic to grab a potted plant that was directly behind him and hurled it at the unicorn, striking him in the back of the head. He collapsed to the floor like a rag doll.

Flash plummeted to the ground, panting and shaking for a brief moment before scrambling to her hooves and grabbing Dewdrop. Flash had pulled Dewdrop only a few steps before Dewdrop felt a searing hot burst travel from her back all through her body. For a moment, it felt like her entire body was on fire, and then nothing. She let go of Flash’s grip when her body went limp and crashed to the ground.

“Dewdrop!” She felt Flash wrap her hooves under her barrel and pick her up.

The room was spinning as she rolled onto her back. Dewdrop could hear Flash yelling something, but couldn’t make it out. She blacked out for a moment; when she came to, she saw Flash standing over her, wings flared and shouting at somepony she couldn’t see. She tried to look in the direction Flash was yelling at, but found she could only turn her head slightly.

Moments later, she saw Flash’s body crash down next to her as several earth ponies pinned her down. She felt somepony holding her head down by her horn and another putting pressure on her back to keep her pinned, while another restrained her. Dewdrop heard Flash yell, “Hey! Don’t hurt her!” just before a knee came crashing down and pinned Flash’s muzzle to the floor. Not long after that, Dewdrop drifted into a heavy sleep.

~~~

“Dewdrop?”

“Uhh… my head. Where…” Dewdrop’s eyes went wide when she saw Flash across from her. Her front hooves were chained to the wall and her wings were strapped to her body with some kind of harness. “Flash!”

She tried to get up, but found she too was chained to the floor. She closed her eyes and started to concentrate when she heard Flash yell, “Dewdrop! Don’t!”

Dewdrop’s concentration was broken; she opened her eyes and saw a relieved expression on Flash’s face. “That’s not a normal magic suppressor on your horn, it’s a reflection ring. If you try to cast anything too large it’ll knock you out.” Flash chuckled and moved one of her hooves to rattle the chain. “I think we made an impression on the guards earlier, don’t you?”

“What happened, Flash? And what happened to your muzzle?” Dewdrop asked in a worried tone as she surveyed the cell they were in.

Flash looked the other way to hide the red mark that was still on her muzzle. “Well, after you went down I did the only thing I could do: stand over you and try to defuse the situation. I was hoping they would just take us into custody, given the circumstances. But things got out of hoof pretty quickly after they realized they couldn’t stun me.” She sighed and shook her head. “I still had defensive wards cast on me from my last shift, so I was able to resist most of the attempts to stun me using magic. The paralytic aspect of the spell didn’t work, but they still hurt like hell.

“When they saw they couldn’t subdue me using normal methods, they dogpiled on me and restrained me.” Flash brought a hoof to her red cheek. “When I saw the way they were roughing you up, I sort of lost it.” She sighed and lowered her head. “I kept telling them that this was a terrible misunderstanding. As you can see, they clearly listened to me.”

“So where are we? Is this the stockades?”

Flash looked up at the walls of the cell they were in. “No… they threw us in the dungeon. Which is kind of impressive really, given they only throw the worst of the worst down here.”

“Why would they do that?!”

“Perhaps they thought we were part of some some botched espionage or assassination attempt on the princess.”

Dewdrop deadpanned. “You’re joking, right?”

“Dewdrop, we’re chained up in the lower levels of the castle dungeon. We’re the only ones here.” Flash’s voice echoed from the cold, bare walls. “Why else would they go to such extreme measure?”

“How long do you think we’re going to be here?”

Flash lowered her head before answering, “It won’t be long until the Princess is notified that there are new prisoners here. She could just leave us down here,” she added under her breath.

Dewdrop’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. “She wouldn’t!”

“Think about it. She didn’t see you when she had the chance, and she didn’t even explain anything to you earlier! If she really wanted to be helpful, she had more than enough opportunities. And I was stupid enough to lend a hoof in it. Why else would we be down here?!”

“Yes… why indeed,” said a voice that echoed from the hallway.

Both Dewdrop and Flash froze as they heard the echoes of two sets of hoofsteps approaching the cell.

The two ponies stopped and looked into the cell. Dewdrop’s eyes went wide when she saw who was standing on the other side of the bars. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you have been causing me the last two days, Dewdrop? The Princess has been riding my flank all day trying to find you after you left the castle. And I’ll be honest dear,” she took a moment to look around at the cell. “This was the last place I thought about looking. But when a report came to my desk about two mares that were locked up down here, and one of them had an Erlenmeyer flask cutie mark, I had my suspicions it was you.” Her face softened and she smiled. “But at any rate, I’m glad you’re not hurt.” She looked over at the guard, who nodded and opened up the cell.

“How did you find out?”

Check List smirked. “I am the keeper of notes, filer of minutes and the wrangler of expense reports. I know far more about the mundane comings and going that happen in this kingdom than the Princess does.”

As the guard was unlocking the restraints, Dewdrop asked, “What about my friend?”

“You have an audience with the Princess. Your friend does not.” Check List paused for a moment before continuing, ”But I’m sure you can bring it up after you finish whatever it is you needed to talk about.”

Check List glanced back at Flash before the three of them left. “If you want some free advice dear, don’t eat the food.”

Flash frowned. “I’m well aware.”