Alabastards

The next morning, Shining Armor turned over the ticket in his hooves as he sat at the edge of his bed. He hadn't slept very well last night. His night was restless and devoid of dreams, despite his best hopes. But he'd been in worse spots before. He had energy enough to go to a simple ship christening. As appealing as the open bar sounded, he knew perfectly well what had happened the last time he'd disregarded moderation. He would not make the same mistake again.

At least for a while.

The back of the ticket had the details of the event. The where and when. He was familiar with the area, the fabrication docks where the air yachts were built. He'd been near there once before, though he couldn't remember why. He flipped the ticket back over to its front. 'Admit One' it read in gold emboss. He was still on the fence about whether or not he would actually go. He had until that afternoon to decide. He resolved that it was unwise to make such an important decision on an empty stomach.

Breakfast was uneventful. He quietly ate his food. His parents did the same. They's already given him their well-wishes yesterday when he'd returned home, presumably from the hospital.

"It's your sister's birthday tomorrow." His mother, Twilight Velvet, said in an implying tone. Implying that he'd forgotten. Which he had.

"I know." Shining lied. Or rather, he truthed, now that he did indeed know after her having told him. "I didn't forget." He lied.

"Did you remember to get her something?" His father, Night Light, asked.

"Of course." Shining fabricated, trying to buy himself some time. "I ordered it a while ago. I just need to go pick it up."

"Oh? What is it?" His mom pressed. He hesitated. What was it that Twilight liked that he could get for her? The answer was obvious.

"A book." He said, vaguely.

"What book?" His dad asked. Shining's mental catalog of every book he knew whirred through his mind. It didn't take very long.

"D-Daring Do."

"Oh." His mom said, in a noncommittal breath. "Which one?"

"The... new one." He said. It was suddenly getting very warm under this interrogation.

"Hmm." Night Light hummed and gave his wife a dubious, raised eyebrow. She sighed, disappointed.

"Well Shiny, I'm afraid you've wasted your time." His mom said. "I'm pretty sure she already has the new one. She was reading it while she was visiting from Ponyville. But you've been in the hospital." Shining felt relieved that he hadn't been called out on the lie. But he was back a square one. Her birthday tomorrow, and he had nothing to give her. Just like last year. And the year before. It had become an awful tradition.

"Well- uh, is hers signed?" He asked. His mom's eye lit up a little.

"You got her a signed copy of the new Daring Do?" She asked. Shining just smiled. His question was loaded, sure. But he needn't incriminate himself any further. Better to just let her make the assumption than to explicitly say anything. Now all he needed to do was get a signed copy of the red-hot new Daring Do book in less than twenty four hours. Simple as that.

About as simple as calculus. He finished eating and cleared his plate from the table.

"Well, I'm off to go pick it up!" He said as he walked out of the door. He hoped he wasn't lying. He had the bits for just such a commodity from his... service the day before. But now it was just the matter of tracking it down. He spent the rest of the morning hitting up every book shop in the city. Few had the book at all. And most of those were already reserved. And every time he asked if there was a signed copy...

"AH HAHAHAHA!" The clerk laughed right in his face. "Did somepony put you up to this? Do you even know what it is that you're asking!?" She asked.

No. He didn't.

"A. K. Yearling doesn't do signings. She doesn't do appearances. And she definitely doesn't do special orders. She's the most secretive author I've ever heard of. She could teach me a thing or two about paranoia!"

The other clerks, while not as crass, were equally unhelpful. It seemed that her observation about A. K. being so seclusive was right on the mark. All of his inqueries turned up nothing but dead ends. He needed a miracle. He fumbled around in his bag to dig out his list of stores to check. The golden ticket fluttered to the ground. His golden ticket!

"That's it!" He exclaimed. If anypony had the connections to know who A. K. Yearling was and how to get her autograph, it'd be Fancy Pants. The clock on the tower chimed that it was noon. He still had an hour to get across town.

The crowd had amassed on the small outcrop on the western side of Canterlot Mountain, below the castle. He took the path leading down to the tunnel. At the entrance was a bouncer checking tickets. He checked Shining's and waved him through. At the far end, a small bar had been set up, with chests full of ice and various beers, ciders and other spirits.

It wasn't as large of a gathering as he'd expected. There couldn't have been more than a couple dozen ponies at the ship launch. Despite being several minutes late, the airship was still firmly moored. He spotted Fancy entertaining a group of guests. He made his way over to him.

"Ah, Captain! So glad you could make it!" Fancy called out, to him, waving him over. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I introduce to you all Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, and my friend." He said, putting a hoof on the captain's shoulder. "Shining, have you met the Prince, Blueblood?" He motioned to the white unicorn stallion beside him.

"Not personally." Shining answered, extending a hoof. "Your Highness." Blueblood shook his hoof.

"Charmed." Blueblood greeted. "I was looking forward to meeting you first-hoof away from formalities of Royal Guard ceremonies." He said with a firm hoofshake. "Fancy Pants has been telling us a great deal about you."

"Oh, hehe, well I deny everything." Shining chuckled, joined by the others.

"All good things, I assure you." Blueblood said. "He and the Princess both hold you in quite high regard."

"Princess Celestia?" Shining asked.

"Indeed." He answered. "It seems she has her sights set on you to be on the fast track for promotion."

"Well who can blame her?" A voice came from the back of the crowd. Shining turned to see a white furred unicorn mare with stunning blue eyes and a gorgeous purple mane.

"Rarity! My new favorite party guest!" Fancy greeted her.

"The Princess with one of her Royal Guards?" Another mare asked rhetorically. "How scandalous!" She jested with a blush.

"Now, now!" Fancy interjected, diffusing the situation. "I'm sure that the Princess's interest in the Captain is entirely professional. His reputable career entirely justifies his speedy ascension." He turned his attention to the other newcomer. "Rarity, by chance have you met the Captain?"

"Haven't had the pleasure."

"Well then let's rectify that right away." Fancy said with a smile. "Shining Armor, let me be the first to introduce to you, Miss Rarity."

"Madame." Shining greeted her, bowing his head politely and kissing her hoof.

"Well, now that our guest of honor has arrived, we can proceed. I'm quite anxious to get this gal aloft."

"Me? Or the ship?" Rarity asked.

"Both! But I'll need you to do the honors first." He said, directing her up to the podium where the bottle of champagne awaited, alongside the Prince. "Captain, with me."

Shining followed Fancy Pants up the gangplank onto the airship. He admired the craftsmanship that had gone into restoring the vessel. In darker times, these had been used in warfare. But they'd since been decommissioned from the military, now either in museums or civilian employ. Disarmed of course. On the bridge, Fancy took up his position at the wheel.

"You can pilot one of these?" Shining asked.

"Be it a galleon or a freighter, I'm an expert navigator." Fancy half-sang. He stopped himself and smirked. "I actually need you to be a spotter. Look for her signal and let me know when she hits the ship with the bottle."

"Okay." Shining looked out the window. Down at the podium, Rarity took the bottle in her mouth and let it swing toward the ship. It bounced off without breaking. Blueblood rolled his eyes. He'd have put a little more force behind it than none. "Now!" Shining said. Fancy released the moorings, letting the ship slide away down the launch. He gave the wheel a hard turn clockwise, pulling it alongside the cliff.

The dock crews scrambled to bring the gangplank back over to the side of the ship to let the guests of honor board. The Prince declined this portion of the event, claiming other responsibilities. Rarity and a select few other guests boarded and the dock crew waved them off. Fancy pulled away from the cliff side and set sail on the yachts maiden voyage. Shining began to get nervous. He certainly couldn't get caught up in a multiple-day cruise to Trottingham or something like that. He had a birthday to get to in the morning.

"Um, where are we going?" Shining asked.

"Oh, just taking her for a lap around the mountain. Shouldn't be more than a couple hours. Standard fair." Fancy explained. "Which is why I've asked for your presence. Could you take the wheel while I attend to my guests on deck?"

"Me?"

"Do you see anypony else on the bridge?" Fancy motioned to the otherwise empty room.

"Sir, I'm not qualified for that."

"Nonsense. It couldn't be easier. The weather today is clear. The wind is calm. Just keep the mountain on the starboard and don't get too close to it." Fancy said as he walked out of the wheelhouse.

"But what if- Shit!" Shining tried calling after him, but he was already gone as the ship began to list to the right. Shining took the wheel and straightened it out, watching through the window as the large yellow fins on the side actuated, redirecting the airflow. Fancy spoke to Rarity and the others out on the deck. His panic quickly subsided. Piloting an airship had been a dream of his when he was a colt. But Fancy was right about it being easy. At least in these conditions.

Now the only challenge was staying awake. The airship lumbered along, keeping a level altitude, processing in a wide, slow circuit around Canterlot Mountain. It was the first time he'd seen the northern side of it. It looked about the same, sans the castle and city. But other than that it was simply quite boring. Fancy walked back up the stairs to the wheelhouse.

"Captain, can I offer you a drink?" Fancy said, offering the glass. Shining looked at the wheel in his hooves.

"Um, are you sure that's wise?"

"Ah, responsible as ever." Fancy smiled. "I appreciate that. But actually this contains none of the creature. This cider is non-fermented."

"Oh. Thanks." Shining sipped the apple juice.

"I must say, I'm quite in your debt for this." Fancy continued "I was afraid that I would be up here neglecting my guests. Or that they'd have to be up here. And there simply isn't enough room, or view, like the deck. There simply must be some way I can repay you for this kindness."

"Actually, now that you mention it, there is." Shining said. "I meant to ask you earlier. But do think that there'd be any way that you could get your hooves on a signed copy of the new Daring Do book? I need it for my sister's birthday tomorrow."

"You don't say? I actually have one myself."

"Wow! Really? Signed?"

"Indeed. I'm actually quite the avid fan. Give me a moment to dig it out." Fancy took the stairs below deck to the living quarters. Shining waited with anticipation. "Ah here it is!" Fancy made his way back up, passing the book to him. Shining opened the cover. Scrawled cross the inside was A.K's signature. He carefully placed it in his bag. Twilight would be ecstatic. Hopefully things would be back to normal between them now. "Why don't I take over for a bit. We'll be pulling into Canterlot port shortly and I'd rather be the one doing it. Flying one of these is easy. Docking them is... significantly less so." Shining made his way down to the deck. He caught Rarity's eye and she made her way over to him.

"Ah, Captain, I understand we have you to thank for this delightful flight?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, yes. That is correct." He affirmed.

"Well thank you for that. It has been a wonderful experience."

"You're welcome."

"Does your father let you drive his ships often?" She asked.

"My fath- what?"

"Your father, Fancy. Was he the one to teach you to sail?"

"Fancy!? No, he's not my father!"

"He's not? Oh my goodness I am so sorry! I shouldn't have so foolishly assumed. Please forgive me." Rarity apologized.

"It's okay. I just was surprised, is all." He said.

"You must be tired of hearing that all the time I'm sure."

"Why?"

"Well, isn't- isn't it obvious?" She asked, still a bit nervous. "The comparison is quite striking." Shining looked up at the stallion in the wheelhouse, and then at his own reflection. White fur, two-toned blue mane. Blue eyes. It really was like looking at an older version of himself. Just, with a mustache.

"Huh."

"I'm surprised that nopony else had mentioned it before." She said. Shining just stood there and pondered the implication. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying such things out of place like that."

"It's okay. Really. I'm sure you're not the first to make the mistake. I've just honestly never thought of it before." He said. The craft lurched slightly as it came to a stop against the dock. The ponies on solid ground scurried about with the mooring lines as another brought over the gang-plank ramp. Fancy exited the wheelhouse and made his way down to the deck with everypony else.

"Well Shining, it was very lovely meeting you. Perhaps our paths will cross again sometime." Rarity said.

"Perhaps." Shining replied. Rarity walked over to Fancy, whispering something in his ear and slipping him a bit of paper. She gave him a coy smile and turned to leave down the ramp, brushing him with her tail as she left. Perhaps it was unintentional. But it certainly didn't look very likely from the blush on Fancy's face as he looked down at the scrap of paper she'd given him. He walked up beside Shining. The two stallions watched the ivory unicorn strut away.

"Well my boy, it looks like we've got a busy evening ahead of us." Fancy said with a sigh.

"What do you mean 'We'?" Shining asked.

"Come with me. I'll explain on the way."

A few hours later

Shining Armor fidgeted in the dressing room chair as the stylist worked on his mane. Fancy walked in from his recording session to check on Shining's progress and to review the plan.

"You realize this is insane right?" Shining asked. "IN. SANE."

"Come on now, where's your sense of adventure?" Fancy asked.

"I've had a lifetimes worth with the last mare you set me up with!"

"I wouldn't worry. She's probably not as much of a kink as her." Fancy said, careful to play the pronoun game. What with the hairdresser present. "Besides, if everything goes as planned, you'll be in complete control of the situation the whole time."

"She's 'probably' not!? 'IF' it goes according to plan!?" Shining asked incredulously. "You're not exactly filling me with confidence here."

"Now, now. That doesn't sound like something I'd say." Fancy said, taking a spare monocle from his pocket, knocking the lens out and placing it on Shining's cheek. "You need to be playing the part!" He said. Shining looked at Fancy, and then at himself in the mirror. The two sights were indistinguishable from one another. The stylist had taken a bit of his blue mane and crafted it into a mustache the likes of which he'd never been able to grow for himself. Combined with the monocle, a new mane style, and a suit that covered his cutie mark, he was a dead ringer for Fancy Pants. "Top shelf, my dear!" Fancy complimented her, giving her a generous tip.
..........

Fancy passed the device to Shining as the rode in the carriage.

"She'll be at my friend's dinner party for at least 30 more minutes. That will give us plenty of time." Fancy said. "Lets go over the plan one last time."

"Okay, I'm going to sit in the chair in her suite, and wait for her to return." Shining recited. "Then when she gets there, I'll use this to speak." He held up the device that Fancy had recorded onto earlier. "And then..." Shining rolled his hooves in front of him in an implying motion.

"And then the sexual intercourse!" Fancy said unabashedly.

"Yes. That was what I was implying." Shining dead-panned, embarrassed for both of them.

"And then, vamoosh!"

"Right. I leave as soon as she's asleep as so to not risk revealing my true identity." Shining said as the carriage came to a halt.

"All right. You're ready. Go get her!" Fancy said, opening the door. Shining stepped out and closed the door behind him. He turned around quickly.

"Fancy!" He called out. The window rolled down. Fancy leaned out the window.

"Yes?"

"You're not, like, a pimp for stallions are you?" Shining asked. Fancy chuckled.

"Oh, Shining! I'm not going to lie to you..." He trailed off as the carriage pulled away.

"That wasn't very reassuring." Shining grumbled to himself. He walked up the stairs to Rarity's castle suite. Sure enough, she'd left the door unlocked. He let himself in and prepared the room.

Celestia's sun was just kissing the horizon as Rarity returned to her suite. He ascent up the stairs was mixed with excitement and trepidation. She turned the handle and pushed to door open. She squinted into the dark room. She tried the light switch, but the bulb had been removed from the light fixture.

"In here." Came a voice from the darkness. She recognized it as belonging to Fancy Pants. On the far side of the room, the curtain parted slightly, revealing his silhouette, sitting in the chair in front of the full length window. She could see the outline of his suit and the glint of the monocle. "Have some champagne." He motioned to the bucket of ice on the table. In it, an opened bottle rested. Beside it, two filled glasses. Rarity took one in her magic, a sipped it. "Step into the light." He instructed her from the chair. Rarity quickly finished the rest of the glass, as well as the second one on the table, garnering the courage to proceed. She stepped forward into the beam of light coming in through the parted drapes.

"I didn't know if you would come." Rarity said, sheepishly, then blushing in the light at her phrasing. "Show up, I mean." Shining Armor, with his face hidden from her, tried to keep his hyperventilation from being to obvious as he hit the pause button on the device again.

"Let me do the talking. You are very pretty. You may start by unzipping your dress." Normally disrobed anyway, Rarity obliged, hastily pulling at the fasteners on her dress with her magic. "No, no! Turn around." Rarity stopped what she was doing and looked up at him again. "Do it- do it slow. Do it- very slowly." Rarity turned slowly in place. Her horn lit again to undo the button at the top of the back of her dress. It sprung free, revealing her sculpted shoulder line. "Good." Rarity's magic pulled at the zipper. "Slowly." The sound of the individual teeth of the zipper parting could be heard in the still of the darkness.

Ponies were normally naked. There was no taboo associated with it. Clothes were merely accessory. But there was something about clothes- some clothes. The way that certain clothes seemed to showcase various parts of a pony. There was a certain sensuality in what they covered. Or didn't. He had never put much stock into it before. At least no consciously. He never understood any fetishism associated with it. But now...

It wasn't that she was dressed- or that she would soon become undress. It was the transition. It was watching her undress. The way she did it. What she chose to remove first. What she chose to keep covered last. It thrilled him in a whole new way. And his position on the chair did little to hide his visible appreciation. Rarity finished unzipping the dress, slowly peeling it down, and stepping her front two legs out of it, turning to face him. She reared up, putting one hoof on the bed frame to steady herself, the other hoof holding the dress in place around her midsection. She smirked at his obvious erection, letting the rest of her dress fall to the floor around her ankles. He could see her flawless white fur of her flank, and her beautiful cutie mark. Gems- diamonds. A rarity, just like her. But more than that, he could see that she was wearing a dark colored thong that did little but to cover only her most intimate parts.

"Good." Shining Armor paused the recording of Fancy's voice again. He knew the scripted lines ahead of time. But he was amazed at how Fancy seemed to know exactly how she would behave in this situation. The words from the recording synced up perfectly. "Now slide of your stockings, one by one." Rarity gave him a puzzled look as she dropped back down to all fours.

"I'm not wearing any darling." She said.

"That's good." Shining winced at the incongruity. Almost perfectly, he thought, regretfully. Watching her remove some silken stockings was something he was sure he would have relished. "Now turn for me, in the light. Let your body flow like water." Rarity turned around slowly, stepping out of her dress and kicking it lightly aside. She blushed as she turned her ivory rump to him. She knew perfectly well that the black fabric was a stark contrast to her white fur. It would draw his eye. And suddenly she felt very self-conscious, being scrutinized by this pony she admired so much. She completed her rotation, whipping her hair with a bit of flare. She could see the silhouette of his shaft twitch at the spectacle. She was inwardly pleased that she was having such an effect on the stallion.

"Now... dance for me." She was a little nervous for a moment. She'd never considered herself much of a dancer beyond the plain slow dance. She'd dabbled in a bit of ballroom dancing classes, but either required a partner. And the stallion showed no sign of rising from his seat. She improvised a bit of a set she'd seen Sapphire Shores do. Her legs and hooves moved and shuffled to the rhythm of the pop song in her head.

"No, no. Dance slowly. Dance... sexy." She stopped the song in her mind and fell still for a moment. Dance sexy? She tried to think of what that would even look like. Her memory landed on an evening out with her friend, Rainbow Dash.
.....

"Come on Rarity! Let me show you a REAL night out!" Rainbow Dash took her out to 'the best kept secret of Ponyville'. Rarity was greeted with a variety of mares dancing up on stages around the dimly lit bar. She and Dash, aside from the dancers, were the only mares in the club. This singular fact seemed to gain them extra attention. Both from the dancers themselves and the... other patrons.

"Hey girl! What are you up to tonight?" A random stallion would slur, humping the air suggestively.

"Yeah, I came to a strip joint for the stallions. Right." Dash said dismissively.

"Fuck'n dyke!" He said storming off.

Rarity meanwhile was entranced by the dancer on the stage. She'd never see a dancing style of this sort before. The way her body moved with the slow, baritone melody of the song. Her hips wiggled and gyrated, flagging her tail, and flaring her wings in just a way to keep parts hidden, and then revealed at just the right moments, teasing and titillating the other stallions seated at the stage. Rainbow Dash sat down in one of the empty seats, pushing a few bits forward onto the stage. The dancer gave her a bit of a personal show for a couple moments before moving on to collect the next 'tip'. Rarity sat beside Rainbow, trying her best to not stand out. The black light was not making it easy with her white fur practically glowing. Before the end of the night, she saw a few of her own outfits being worn by the dancers. For a while at least.
.....

"Dance sexy. Let your hooves be your lovers hooves on your own fur as you move." She stopped the pop dance she had been attempting. The words echoed in Rarity's ear. She closed her eyes and imagined herself as one of those dancers, up there on the stage. She began to sway, just slightly at first, nervously. She sashayed about in the small dance space of the floor, moving and gyrating her hips like the dancer in her memory. It made her feel dirty and debased, to lower herself to something so completely beneath her station.

Her whole life she'd strove to be the very best she could be. Always behaving with the finest etiquette, manners and speech. And here, in this moment, with one of the most important ponies she knew looking on, she realized the awful truth about her life. She'd built a gilded cage of perfection around herself, restricting herself to her own finely tuned parameters of perfection. She'd spent all this time living her life in chains, never even knowing that she had the key. She understood at last what it was she felt in that dance club. It was not pity, no.

It was envy.

Her tail followed her hips as they rolled and gyrated, swinging from side to side with the slow beat in her mind. She turned about on her hoof affording him fleeting glimpses under her perfectly styled tail at the fine material barely covering her marehood. She turned her eyes back to him, giving his silhouette a devious stare as she brought the tip of her hoof to her lips, flicking her lower lip. She ran her hoof down her chin to her neck, flipping her wrist up to her mane.

Holding onto the bed post again, she ran her hoof down from the nape of her neck to her collar bone, slowly tracing the curves of her figure down her chest and belly. She slipped the tip of her hoof under the band of her panties on her hip, giving it a slight tug. Not enough to reveal anything too intimate, but enough to tease a glimpse at the neatly trimmed tuft of violet fur just above her mound.

Turning in place as she dropped her other hoof to the floor, she crouched down while raising her rump in the air, waving her tail back and forth at him while showing off her supple flank. Her hips bobbed up and down, lower as she spread her legs, ending in an impressive splits. From her position on the floor, she took a hold of the bed post once again, imagining it in her mind as a dancer's pole. With a great deal of dynamic tension in her powerful thigh muscles, she lifted herself from the floor, wrapping her hind leg around the pole as she would slink her way up in one smooth motion.

Her fore hoof reached for the sky as she stretched herself toward the ceiling against the pole. In a snap she dropped her hoof back down to her shoulder level, letting herself fall away from the pole before pulling herself back against it. The whole time her eyes were locked onto his with a look of unbridled passion. On her second time falling away from the pole, her hoof's grip failed her and she noisily tumbled to the floor, knocking over the end table.

Shining nearly rose to his hooves to help her but she recovered instantly, trying to pretend that it hadn't even happened as she resumed her dance. She squatted in front of the pole, bobbing her hips on the invisible stallion under her as she licked her lips at him. Shining's mouth hung open as she ran her tongue up the reachable length of the bed post. His hooves were rapidly growing sweaty watching the mare run her tongue over the knobby relief work crave into the post. The recorder slipped from his hoof, thudding against the carpet.

He panicked, thinking the jig was up for sure. But Rarity hadn't even noticed. She was in her own world up there, dancing for him. He quickly recovered it, hitting the play button as he did.

"Now lie on the bed, and close your eyes." He hit the pause button quickly. Shit! he mentally cursed, he was just getting into the show. He wasn't ready to move on just yet yet. And neither was she it seemed. The passionate look on her face fell. She'd only been dancing for a couple of minutes at most. She was just getting into it as well. She stopped though, sitting on the far side of the bed slowly, facing away from him.

"I thought you would have like to watch some more." She said. The was the slightest tremble to her voice. Shining knew that he'd already played the last of the recording. But she wasn't lying on the bed or closing her eyes. He was trapped. Part of him wanted to make a break for the door or even the window. But his military training hushed his fear and his quick think worked out a solution. He rewound the tape just a bit and pushed play.

"Now lie on the bed, and close your eyes." It repeated. He was hoping that he'd gotten back to the request to see her dance some more. But Rarity nodded and obediently laid down on top of the covers. From where he was sitting he could see her eyes were indeed closed. He rose from his chair and let the curtain close behind him, shrouding the room in darkness. He was disguised, yes. But a good-enough look at him up close in the light would have revealed his true identity. He took the rose from the table beside his chair in his mouth.

Rarity felt the bed shift as he climbed onto the other side of the bed. Her breath quickened at his approach. Her body tensed in anticipation of his touch. She was tempted so to look, just to peek. But she kept her eyes shut, lest she displease him. She felt him kiss her nose. No, wait, it was something else. Lighter, more delicate than lips. The fragrance of the rose filled her senses. She reflexively inhale sharply, relishing in the scent.

Fancy Pants had given him the bouquet as a snack. And indeed, it proved delicious while Shining waited in the dark. But he saved a couple for a different, unintended purpose. He traced the outlines of her face with the delicate flower, grazing it along the spiral of her horn, and across the delicate lashes of her closed eyes. His body leaned against her warm, bare chest as he dragged it gently across her soft cheek to her lips, parted slightly in ragged breath. She grabbed it with her tongue and bit the flower off the stem, chewing it quickly.

Shining was not prepared for that, but luckily, he had a spare. He discarded the stem and plucked the last rose from across the room in his magic. He picked up where he'd left off, tracing his way down her chin. He slid down her body with the rose following his chin along her fur until his cheek rested against the strap of her thong on her hip. She gasped as she felt the warmth of his breath on her fur, and the moisture from his lips as he grasped her strap with his teeth. His nostrils were flooded with the musk of her arousal pouring from her marehood.

He tugged the strap down, ever so slightly, revealing her violet bush. With the rose, he teased her courser hairs. He could feel her muscles tremble under him as she stifled a giggle. The very top of her slit peeked out from the top of the panties. He let the rose graze against the bare flesh where she'd shaved, causing her to wink into the petals. Pulling at the strap sideways, he pulled the fabric aside, revealing the rest of her hot marehood. Her teeth chattered at the sudden exposure.

It was then that he noticed the goose bumps causing her fur to stand on end. The night had brought on a cool to the evening and there was no fire in the hearth. He was comfortable himself, but he was wearing one of Fancy's coats as part of his disguise. Here she was bare to the world in the cold room and shivering. He grabbed the folded blanked at the foot of the bed and threw it over her.

"Thank you." She whispered graciously, keeping her eyes closed still.

"Mhmm." He hummed in response. It was all he could do as he gave her the other rose to eat. He promptly lifted the bottom of the blanket and crawled under, up between her legs. She gasped as he pulled the fabric aside again, this time replacing the rose with his tongue. He started, just as with the rose, lightly, as he imagined a gentleman would. Teasing around the edges. He gave each tiny erogenous zone due attention, deliberately avoiding the one spot that would send her over the top. He could feel her squirming on the bed in front of him, moaning as she chewed her lip.

He kissed along her puffy lips, sucking a little bit as he went up one side and down the other. He poked his long tongue at the bottom, dipping into her honey hole before flattening it in a wide swath as he ran it up the length of her slit. She braced for the contact at the top but he pulled away just before. She put her hoof on the tip of his horn through the blanket with a subtle, downward pressure in a not-so-subtle hint of direction.

He pretended not to notice, ignoring her direction. He just stalled, enjoying the hot, moist air saturated by her sex under the blanket. It was intoxicating. She increased her pressure on his head, expressing her impatience. He pulled away slightly, freeing himself of her grasp, choosing instead to plant little kisses along the inside of her creamy white thighs. A second hoof grasped the mane on the back of his head. There was no more subtlety to her actions. She was acting on pure need. But still he resisted. He wanted to hear it. He wanted her, this upper class mare who'd gotten everything she wanted her whole life, to beg.

"Please?" She whimpered. It was all he needed to hear. He released the tension in his neck and let her pull his face into her wanton pussy. He struck with the force of a whirling hurricane as his tongue attacked with gusto. Her hips bucked and jolted in uncontrollable spasms at the sudden onslaught. The gradual buildup of the excruciatingly slow foreplay rushed to a rapid crescendo under his redoubled efforts. "Oh, OH, OH FANCYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" She cried out as her orgasm rocked trough her body, rebounding from the tips of her hooves to her horn and back again as she writhed and bucked against the stallion lapping her marehood.

Shining had wrapped his hooves around her thighs, just barely managing to hold on. Her pubic bone mashed him in the nose in one of her more violent jerks, but he was happy that he didn't accidentally bite his tongue during this, what amounted to, riding a bucking bull with his face. The force of her hooves on the back of his head didn't cease until her hooves flopped to her side in exhaustion.

Still under the blanket, he crawled up along her now steaming body. His face was still wet with her juices, which were now rubbing against his shaft as it slid up against the slit. There in the dark, his face met hers. She put her hoof to his cheek, guiding her blindness. Her lips met his as he kissed her back. The bristles of his faux mustache tickled against her smooth lips. She could taste herself on him. But she would be lying if she'd claim that she did not enjoy tasting herself... or that she had not done it before.

Shining ground his hips against her, getting his member slick with her wetness. Her mind began to clear from the ecstasy of her orgasm as the reality of what was about to happen finally struck her. Shining brought his tip to her entrance and began to apply a bit of pressure to push inside her tight pussy.

"Please." She begged again. He took it as encouragement, pressing a bit more. She put her hoof to his chest. He froze, knowing instantly what she meant. She squirmed her legs a bit, twisting slightly to the side, causing him to become unaligned and slipping away. "Can we... do we... have to? That?" She asked meekly, afraid to displease him.

"Uhuhh." Shining disagreed with a hum, slumping away non-threateningly. Rarity rolled away, ashamed that she'd backed out at the last minute. She wanted her first time going all the way, losing her virginity, to be special. And she thought that Fancy would be the one. And tonight, with the dancing in the moonlight, and the rose, it was magical! But something in her gut at the last second caused her to think twice. Maybe it was because she'd just met him. Maybe it was a feeling of inadequacy. He could have any mare he wanted. He probably did. She was just one of a series. She admired him, sure. He was a very important pony after all. But she needed The One to love her back. Really love her. She felt hopeless, like a scared little filly.

"Could you just... could you hold me?" She whispered. Shining laid beside her, wrapping his hoof around her, pulling her close. Regrettably, his shaft pressed against her back, between them. He felt her shudder just a bit, crying as the knot in her chest finally let go in his strong embrace. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Shhh." Shining cut her off, bringing his hoof up to her cheek, pulling her face toward his, kissing her again. There was no passion in it this time. it was not that kind of a kiss. This time, there was only the gentle intimacy. It was all she needed to know that it was okay. It would be okay. They didn't need to have sex. She understood that now. He didn't expect it of her like a common whore. She didn't need to apologize to him. There was nothing to forgive. He wiped her tears away with his hoof.

"You really are a gentlecolt, aren't you?" She asked. He answered her only with another kiss. He held her until she drifted off to sleep.

He quietly slipped from the bed and gathered his things, making good his escape. He slipped out the door, closing it behind him.

Making good his escape.

Just as planned.
.....

Shining's walk home from Canterlot Castle carried with it both a quiet disappointment and an air of déjà vu. The cool of the night had brought on a fog, or rather, low clouds to the mountainside city. The route took him along the familiar path from his place of work to his home. It reminded him of his dream that he'd had weeks earlier, about his walk home from the bar that night. He kept his eyes on the sky, on the lookout for any of the pegasi night watch. But none came.

Indeed, he felt silly for entertaining the notion of his dream predicting actual future events. But in this world of magic, such things were not explicitly impossible. He was left instead, only with a feeling of guilt. That mare, Rarity, seemed genuinely lovely. As his home came into sight, he felt a pang in his chest at the deceit. It was much too late tonight. But he resolved to make things right as soon as possible. He slipped inside the front door with practiced, silent motion, and made his way to bed.

• KNOCK KNOCK -

Shining's eyes fluttered open in the morning sunlight. His time in bed was restless, and not the revitalizing sleep that he sorely needed. His ear twitched at whatever had awoken him.

• KNOCK KNOCK -

There it was again. A knock at the door. Not his bedroom's, but downstairs, at the front door. Shining's heart raced and his forehead became damp with panicked sweat. He leaped from his bed with unnatural energy and ran to the banister at the top of the stairs, just in time to see his mother, Twilight Velvet, answer the door.

Please don't let it be Fancy, or Rarity, or Lilly or Vinyl. He prayed. He suddenly became acutely aware of just how much he had been doing lately that he was gaining anxiety from.

"Hi mom!" Twilight Sparkle said as Velvet opened the door.

"Hi sweetie! Happy Birthday!" Velvet said, embracing her daughter. His dad, Night Light, joined the trio at the door as she walked inside.

"Happy Birthday, Twilight!" He said.

"Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad." Twilight said, putting her bag down.

"So what are you doing here?" Her mom asked. "I thought you were going to be in Ponyville this year."

"I was. But my friend was visiting Canterlot and now apparently her cat is too sick to travel back to Ponyville. So the rest of us agreed to move the party to Canterlot."

"The rest of us?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, my new Ponyville friends will be here later today. I took the early train so I could stop in and visit you guys." She smiled. It wavered as she asked, "Is... Shining home?" Velvet frowned.

"No dear, I'm afraid he didn't come home last ni-"

"Twilie!" Shining called down from the top of the stairs, beginning his descent.

"Oh, I guess he is." Velvet corrected herself.

"Happy Birthday sis!" He said, forcing an awkward hug. She hugged him back, for appearances. She knew there were still unresolved issues between them. And he did too. But in that gesture, they'd made an unspoken agreement to keep up things for the sake of their parents.

"I guess I'll have to make a brunch!" Velvet said, turning on her hoof, back to the kitchen.

Shining tried to make it not too obvious that he was running back upstairs to wrap her present. Then he ran upstairs, obviously to wrap her present.
.....

He sat there on the floor, struggling to make it not look like a foal with palsy tried to wrap a present in the dark with their hind hooves.

One would be hard pressed to convince otherwise.

• knock knock -

Shining looked up from the disaster in his hooves. Twilight was standing in the doorway, tapping the frame with her hoof.

"Hey." She said. He looked down at the gift for her. It was covered at least. And that was good enough, he decided. On the plus side, it looked nothing like a book, or even remotely book shaped. It would be a surprise indeed. He regarded the filly standing in his bedroom doorway.

"Hey." Was all he could respond with. He lifted the atrocity in his hoof, offering it to her, smiling weakly. "Happy Birthday." Her smile returned was equally halfhearted, looking her brother up and down.

"I never get what I want." She sighed. Shining winced. He knew what she meant, but tried his best to skirt around the elephant in the room.

"Nopony does." He said, extending his hoof bearing the consolation prize a bit more. She took the mass in her magical grip.

"What is it? A melon?" She asked, trying to find a place to start.

"You'll see." He said. In spite of all that had happened lately, there was still an unadulterated joy in the giving of a gift to somepony you cared about. For a few brief moments, the other concerns melted away as her anticipation grew with each layer of wrap removed. She got down far enough to make out the proper shape of the item, revealing a corner.

"Oh, it's a book." She said at last, in both surprise and lack thereof.

"Not just any book." Shining teased. She peeled the rest of the paper away.

"Daring Do." She looked it over. "I actually have this one though. Sorry."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked knowingly. "Look inside." She opened the book.

"You got it SIGNED!?" Her eyes went as wide as saucers. "How!?"

"Oh, I have my ways..." Shining smirked.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" She cried, hugging him with genuine embrace. He hugged her back, though with still a bit of reservation. This did not go unnoticed. She backed off and looked at him. He tried to look elsewhere, rubbing his neck with his hoof. "Shining, I-"

"No, it's okay. It's just... you know." He said.

"Look, I know what happened was weird, but I wasn't in my right mind. Can we just forget that it even happened?" She asked. He gave her an dubious look.

"I don't think that's really going to be possible." He said.

"Can we at least move past it?"

"I'm trying to, really. It's just going to take time."

"That's fair I suppose." She looked down at the book.

"KIDS! Time for cake!" Velvet called from downstairs. Twilight glanced back at him again.

"Thank's for the present." She said.

"You're welcome. Come on, let's go." He said as the headed down to the kitchen.

"I made your favorite, Twilight." Velvet said, cutting the cake after the song was sung and the candles were blown out. "Yellow cake!" Twilight took a bite of her slice.

"Mmm! It's delicious! What's your secret, mom?"

"U-238." She said.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Never mind." She said.
.....

After a delightful brunch of birthday cake and gifts from her parents, Twilight had to depart to greet her friends arriving at the Canterlot train station. Shining went back upstairs to prepare for his meeting. Then he headed out to go see Rarity. He was again, greeted with disappointment however, when he arrived. The bellhop informed him that Miss Rarity was out for the evening at the Canterlot Garden Party and would not be back until the next morning.

Shining was in no state to go to a formal outing. Especially without proper formal wear. Or an invitation. An invitation to a party to which Fancy Pants would surely be attending, nay, hosting. And especially not to confess to Rarity that he was masquerading as the very host of said party, at said host's request. It would only end in disaster. He could wait another day. Rarity was sure to comment to Fancy about the evening prior. But just as with everything else, Shining was sure that Fancy already had a plan for just such a contingency.

Shining decided to go home and prepare for tomorrow. He'd return, dressed to the nines, and explain everything that happened. And Rarity could either accept his explanation and apology, or reject it. But either way, his conscience would be clear.

The day after Twilight's birthday, Shining walked up the stairs to Rarity's suite, wearing Fancy's suit that he'd borrowed and had yet to return. In his pocket, the monocle and fake mustache. As he neared the top of the stairs, he noticed the door was open. He paused, just outside, when he heard her voice within.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I wanted to tell you about the important lesson I learned during my visit." He listened to Rarity recite out loud as she wrote a letter to the Princess.

"Now that, I would like to hear." He heard Princess Celestia's voice.

"I learned that no matter where you go in life, you should never forget that you are the product of your home and your friends. And that is something always to be proud of. No matter what!" Rarity said.

"A very valuable lesson to have learned." Celestia said.

"It certainly is." The bellhop added, strain in his voice. "But might I add that we hurry things up a bit?" There came a crash as what looked to be a mountain of luggage came tumbling down on top of him. A round hat box rolled on its side out of the door. Rarity helped the bellhop out from under the pile and re-stacked the luggage. Celestia stepped outside to retrieve the errant hat box.

She picked up the hat box in her yellow magic aura. She glanced to the side, seeing Shining standing there. He was frozen in place, unable to react. Her expression was unchanged, devoid of surprise. She casually retrieved the box and returned inside, adding it to one of the stacks Rarity had made.

"Well it seems you have everything under control here." Celestia said. "It was very nice having you as my guest. But unfortunately, I'm afraid I have other pressing matters to attend to."

"Farewell Princess." Rarity said.

"Farewell." Celestia said, stepping outside and closing the door behind her. She walked across the patio to the far wall, looking off into the distance. Shining remained motionless to her right, a few steps down and away. She sighed and nodded to herself, seemingly finished whatever deep thought she was contemplating. She turned to Shining, looking him in the eyes. The sun shone brightly through her ethereal mane. His legs refused to work. His mouth hung open. He was enthralled in sheer awe of her presence. She stepped past him, commanding him to follow.

"Come. There is much we need to discuss."