One Way Road

Chapters

A Chance Meeting
A Little Relief
A New Perspective
Scorch Marks
Fallout
A Planned Meeting
A New Development
Shady Alley, pt. 1
Examination of Conscience
Training Session
Would You Like Milk With That?

A Chance Meeting

Heavy hoofsteps and the clanging of metal armor echoed through the empty corridor in one of the many passageways in Canterlot Castle. A pair of guardsponies on their rounds were silently arguing over something. The taller white stallion by the name of Winter Snow, a sergeant in the ranks of Celestia’s Guard, didn’t exactly agree with his long time friend’s idea of having a good time.

“I’m telling ya, it’s not as bad as it sounds,” repeated Rising Star, looking up and down the corridor to make sure no one could hear them. “Some of the other guys did it too and they were as happy with it as I was. Hell, if it weren’t for my damn schedule, I’d ask him out again!."

Winter crinkled his nose. “Hey, just because you enjoy it doesn’t mean I have to. Besides, I’m straight,” he huffed, turning away from his friend and locking his eyes on a point ahead. “I’ll be fine. It’s not like it is a particularly long dry spell for me.”

Star sighed in exasperation and jumped in front of his superior, stopping him with a hoof to the armoured torso. “Listen, I’m as straight as a crossbow bolt myself,” he sneered, half-grinning, “and I can assure you that most of the other guys are as well. But really, just hear me out,” he growled, stifling the other stallion’s protests. “He’s not a burly workhorse type like the rest of us. If anything, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say he’s a pretty damn cute mare,” smiled the soldier. He seemed lost in thought for a second before snapping back to reality and continuing. “Just try it, okay? One blind date. If you don’t like it, that’s fine. We’ve all been in your horseshoes and know exactly what you’re thinking. All I ask is that you trust a friend, okay?”

Winter rolled his eyes and looked to the side, through the slightly tinted tall window. The city below was bathed in bright light, ponies strolling around like tiny ants. What was he to say? He already tried explaining to the private that he wasn’t interested in relieving his tension with another stallion. Especially since it’s quite obvious this one fancied military types and some of his colleagues already bedded him.

“If it were a mare, you’d be more than happy I set you up, wouldn’t you?” huffed Star, recognising the stubborn look of apprehension on Winter’s face. He hung his head in defeat, stepping back to the side of his superior. “Okay. Fine. Have it your way. I can’t force you to have fun, sir”

* * *

By the end of his uneventful shift, Winter was approached by a few other guards and invited for a drink. Having nothing else to do, the stallion agreed and soon the merry group plus Snow was off to one of the less fancy, but still decent bars.

The inside was loud and cheerful as always. The patrons were mostly military, both day and night guard, so despite a few friendly nudges to the ribs here and there the place was orderly and clean. Behind the bar there was a mare that Winter saw a few times before - she was a nice girl, somewhat flirty but already engaged, much to the dismay of many a guardspony.

The white stallion sat behind the bar and was immediately served a cold cider in a wooden mug, which he chugged down in one go, topping it off with a satisfied sigh. The chilly beverage was a welcomed relief after several hours trapped inside corridors with hot, stale air heating the gold plate of his armour.

The maid winked at Snow and started pouring another one, all the while chatting up the other patrons, leaving the guard to lay comfortably on the smooth bar top.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

Winter tilted his head noticing a batpony pointing to the stool next to him. He didn’t recognise the colt, but that wasn’t something out of the ordinary - the day and night guard hardly interacted with one another and there were a lot of unknown faces in the bar.

“Sure," replied the sergeant, scooching slightly to the side to make room for the slender equine. The newcomer had an ashy, short fur with his spiky mane going from dark grey to a lighter shade on the tips. His tail bore a similar pattern, looking almost like a black thunderbolt ran all the way to his flanks. He had his bat wings tucked securely to his sides, right above a yellow present wrapped in red ribbon cutie mark.

The batpony smiled sincerely at the stallion and ordered grape juice, something Snow didn’t know the bar even carried.

“Hey there Wing," cooed the barmaid, sliding a glass with purple liquid across to the newcomer. “Waiting for a date hun?”

“Oh no, not today Silver," chuckled the stallion, sipping his drink. ’’Just came by for the excellent drinks and jolly company.” He turned to the side, towards the slouched Winter staring into his foamy drink. The batpony cocked his head from side to side, silently observing the stallion and sipping his own beverage.

From the corner of his eye Snow noticed this and was growing steadily irate. The ash colt wasn’t even pretending to be discreet about his ogling - he ran his blue, slitted eyes up and down the guard’s body, stopping only to take a gulp from his glass. After what seemed like an eternity, the sergeant got tired of feeling watched. “Is there something I can help you with, guardsman?” he groaned out, tilting his head slightly to get a better view.

The batpony jumped slightly, quickly putting on an apologetic smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just that I haven’t seen you around here before, and I like to think I know most of the patrons here.” He tilted his head to the other side again. “I’m Wing Dancer, and sorry again, but I’m not actually a guard. I work at an arcade nearby,” he said, pointing a hoof somewhere towards the bar.

Winter raised an eyebrow and sighed internally. It was rare for anypony to just come up and strike a conversation with him, save for a select few friends. The stallion didn’t have any hobbies in particular and was mostly focused on his career as a guard, a path that many perceived as futile due to low wages and simply boring work description. He got so used to being left alone that this sudden change of state actually annoyed him.

“I’m Winter Snow,” he finally replied, turning back to his mug, “and excuse me, but I got a mug to down.”

The other pony’s ears drooped slightly for a second before perching back up. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb. I was just trying to be friendly,” he said, rolling his glass between his hooves. He was going to continue the thought when a passer by nudged him, causing the drink to spin out of control and splash all over Winter’s back.

“Oh sweet sun, I am so, so sorry!” gasped the batpony, beckoning the maid over. “Are you alright?”

Winter was frozen in place, trying to maintain composure as the wetness on his back spread further down It reached his flanks before he felt a towel being thrown over him. He was really tired and annoyed, the frantic rubbing against his skin adding to the fire. It was time to cut losses and call it a night.

The guardspony shoved a hoof into the saddle by his side and threw a bunch of coins on the top before wordlessly standing up, saddling his belongings and making for the exit. Before he could take even a few steps though, his way was blocked by Wing Dancer putting a hoof to his chest.

“I am terribly sorry, Mr. Snow, sir,” he said, his ears flat against the back of his head. “Please, let me make this up to you. How about a free go at the arcades? Please, that is the least I can do for leaving that awful stain on your pristine coat.”

Winter slowly turned his head, looking with a deadpan expression at the massive dark stain on his back. It would probably take a lot of soap scrubbing to bring it back to a respectable state. It’s not like the stallion planned to have a good night’s sleep before his morning shift anyway.

“No, thank you,” he hissed through grit teeth, forcing past the batpony’s feeble attempts at blocking his path. “Now, if you’ll kindly excuse me, I have to hurry home.”

Outside, a gust of fresh, cold air helped Snow regain at least part of his composure. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of ozone. There was probably a small downpour scheduled soon.

“Sir, I’m really, terribly sorry," stammered out a voice behind the guardspony, shattering what little peace of mind remained in him. “I didn’t mean to do that. Please, let me apologise and take you for a free spin at the arcades.”

Snow slowly turned around to face a rather determined looking Wing Dancer. In the faint light of the moon the batpony’s pupils were dilated to the point of looking like those of a puppy, which in heavy contrast to his serious face and stiff posture made the sergeant chuckle involuntarily.

Noticing the crack in the (mostly) white stallion’s attitude, the nocturnal equine loosened up a little and smiled slightly. “I’ll keep asking until you accept my apology, sir. Fair warning.”

Winter lightly shook his head and gave up, smirking. Between the tiring day, his drowsiness and the well known persistence of the batpony race, he decided to entertain the idea of visiting the arcades, if only to get rid of the pesky bat. “Fine," he finally groaned, looking Wing in the eye, “as long as you promise to leave me alone afterwards.”

* * *

On their way to the establishment, Wing Dancer kept hammering away at Snow’s patience, asking questions about his job, rank, ambitions and hobbies. Despite the mostly one line answers, the batpony seemed pretty satisfied, commenting on the military with authentic enthusiasm and passion. Never before has Winter seen anyone so interested in what a guard does - most just assume it’s standing in one place and complaining about how boring or hot it is.

“I tried applying for a night guard once," chirped the nocturnal pony, happily backwards strutting in front of Snow. “Unfortunately, there was something wrong with one of my hind knees. Luckily they didn’t find any arrows,” he snorted, looking expectantly at the large white stallion. “You know - arrow? Knee? No? Okay," sighed the batpony, turning away from Snow’s puzzled expression. “Anyway, we’re here! The ultimate den of games, the finest time sink in Canterlot!”

Winter looked up at the giant flashing sign portraying a yellow, round creature opening and closing it’s mouth, probably in pursuit of three bluish ghost figures, the word “PACOPOLIS” between the entities. He glanced back at the ash stallion who was grinning widely, beckoning for him to enter with an exaggerated bow.

Slowly, the white stallion entered the dimly lit establishment. Never before has he actually visited an arcade, and the mechanical noises, beeping and squeaking startled him at first. He stopped at the doors, looking around hesitantly, glaring at all the ponies running around or standing on their hind legs, propped against machines with colourful and flashing screens. Before he managed to make up his mind about the place, he felt something bump and push his hind quarters.

“C’mon, get inside, I’ll show you around!” shouted Wing, barely audible over the racket of the place. He grabbed Snow’s front hoof and started dragging him between the various machines, heading straight for one of a larger build. “That one is my favourite, and I hold top score on it too! It’s called ‘Midnight Assassin’ and it’s a crossbow simulator!”

Winter looked at the machine, noticing the rather odd crossbow secured to a claw-like appendage sticking from the front panel. While the frame of the weapon was mostly accurate, if a bit small, there was a strange lever sticking out from the side and a cable running from below the contraption to the main machine. The screen had the sign “MIDNIGHT ASSASSIN” floating around, some characters visible in the background moving about.

“In this game, you have to eliminate as many enemies of the Lunar Empire as possible while not being shot yourself,” explained the batpony, grabbing the crossbow device in his front hooves. Winter was pleasantly surprised by the stance the ash stallion assumed - sitting steadily on his hind legs he had his back arched slightly backwards, the weapon lying on his right forehoof and based against his shoulder while the other leg upheld the front of it.

“Straighten your back and relax your shoulders,” barked out Snow without thinking. He received a surprised look from Wing. “Oh, sorry, force of habit," explained the sergeant, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Dancer cocked his head slightly before looking back to the screen. He wobbled a little bit, straightening himself and adjusted the crossbow on his hooves, lowering it. “Like this?” he asked with a small smile, glancing at the military pony from the corner of his eye.

“Umm," began the guard, hesitantly approaching the batcolt. He sat down and softly pushed the other stallion’s back a bit, quickly grabbing him with the other one to stabilise the wobbling. “You need to have a strong back for this and sure footing. Your hind legs must create a stable platform for you to shoot from,” he instructed, using his legs to gingerly adjust the batpony’s stance. He felt awkward touching him - the colt was just a civilian and he wasn’t sure if he should be sharing military techniques like this.

“Okay, what about the forelegs? My shoulders are already tired holding it like this," said the batpony, turning his head to face Winter who recoiled slightly.

They were too close to one another for the sergeant’s comfort. He could feel the faint scent of lavender, and from this up close the batpony’s eyes looked huge, with the blue irises almost electric around the dilated black pupils. Snapping out of it, with a bit more decisiveness the stallion put his hooves around Wing Dancer. “You don’t keep it like this at all times. You assume this stance only when you’re about to shoot. Of course it’s tiring if you hold it up like this for too long.” He shoved the other colt’s hooves down, causing him to tip over.

The two lost balance and despite Snow’s attempts of pulling back he fell on top of Wing, nearly crushing the slender pony. The guard felt him desperately squirm below, his leathery wings twitching frantically under the weight. He rolled away as fast as he could, quickly picking himself up. Dancer was still lying on the ground, stifling moans as he feebly tried to pick himself up.

“Hey, Wing, you alright?” asked a passer-by, stopping over the ash stallion. “Need some help?”

“No, no, I’m fine, just a bit out of breath," coughed Wing Dancer, finally getting up on all fours. “Was just learning how to properly do the crossbow thing. Seems it’s much more complicated than it looks!”

The two shared a quick laugh before the patron decided to leave the two alone. Snow didn’t know where to put his eyes, murmuring something under his breath and dabbing the red carpet with a hoof.

“I’m sorry," he finally muttered out. “You sure you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Boy, you sure must be good at wrestling,” smiled Wing Dancer, picking up the toy weapon again. “If you don’t mind, I’d still like to know more about handling the crossbow!”

* * *

At first, it seemed kind of boring to watch the ash stallion lean against the wide frame of the machine, ducking out and pulling the trigger ever so often to make a character on the screen fall over with a bolt in his body. It was irritating to him that distance and wind played no role in aiming and that the reloading mechanism was limited to pulling a lever. He also couldn’t grasp the importance of points for the hits made - as far as he knew, how an enemy died was irrelevant.

With time the game became more intense however, with Wing Dancer having to duck, reload, spring into stance and shoot more frequently. Snow started barking out orders to the stallion on instinct, spotting enemies and getting into the game to the point where even he ducked into cover, peeking out and advising the batpony on the best course of action. Together, the duo managed to gather the attention of a sizeable crowd who gasped and cheered them on as they started approaching the previous high score.

“Okay, now is the tricky part,” whispered Wing Dancer, lowering his muzzle to Winter. “That guy managed to take Princess Luna hostage and is using her like a living shield. There’s a small window of opportunity to shoot him when he dives into the ferry, but...I-I never could hit him,” he said, frowning and weighing the weapon in his hand.

“Nonsense, you can do it. You’ve been doing great all this time," Snow whispered back. He took a quick peek out of cover, registering a small hooded figure on the screen, barely visible from behind the majestic alicorn shape who was calling out for help. “You can do it. Trust me.”

“No, sir," replied Wing, dramatically looking away and sobbing. “It’s too dangerous. My hooves are trembling even now. Look. This is too much for me. You have to do it, sir. You are the one destined to save her.”

Snow was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, as was the silent crowd around the two. Nearly the whole population of the arcade was gathered around them, gasping and whispering feverishly between one another.

Slowly, the batpony hoofed the weapon to Snow. It was a lot lighter than it looked, but the familiar shape made his heart race. He felt a sudden rush as he looked back at the serious face of his pretend subordinate.

“I know you can do it, sir. I believe in you. The fate of the kingdom is in your hooves. Let the bolt fly true, my Sergeant.” The batpony saluted the guard, as did the crowd around, silent words of encouragement bolstering Winter’s excitement.

As carefully as the sergeant could, he peeked out from cover, eyeing the black shape heading for a ferry. It was a really far shot. There was no wind, so he shouldn’t have to take corrections. Just breathe, slowly, till the right moment presents itself. Slow down his hammering heart and focus. Block out all the whispers, all the images and lights. Only him, the weapon and the target.

The black figure on the screen lept. Time slowed down as it soared through the air, it’s head and upper body exposed from behind the lunar alicorn. In one fluid motion Winter Snow whipped himself around, facing the screen in a rigid stance, the crossbow at his eye level, his strained muscles keeping it in place with the force of a vice.

The sergeant slowly let his breath out, pulling the trigger.

* * *

It was well past 10 PM when the dazed Winter Snow and bouncing Wing Dancer left the arcade. The celebrations went on for a very long time, everyone talking about the amazing shot the guardspony gave, beating the previous record by a perfect headshot. The sergeant was being carried around, offered soda drinks and even asked to sign posters of the game, being the first person in the arcade to achieve such an amazing score.

“You should come more often! There are a ton of games that you’d probably like still!” chirped Wing Dancer, noticing the large grin on Winter’s face and smiling back.

“Maybe. Who knows," he replied. The stallion felt really good about himself - not only did ponies applaud his skills which he honed for a very long time but he also managed to set a new record, achieve something that will be appreciated by others.

“I hope this made up for the earlier mishap," continued the batpony, coming in close to inspect the stain on Winter’s coat. “It’s not so bad after all.”

“I guess it did," shrugged the guard, having totally forgotten himself in the fun he was having. Slowly but surely he was coming back to reality - a reality in which it was late and he had to get up in the morning. “I guess it wasn’t as bad. I even enjoyed myself. Thanks.” The batpony smiled and nodded as the guard continued. “It is late though, so I have to get going. Maybe we’ll get to meet up in the bar sometime later and-“

“Oh wait!” interrupted Wing, jumping in front of the startled sergeant. “There’s one more thing I’d like to show you! Maybe it could help a bit with that stain. I’m sure it will! C’mon, just this one more thing, okay? After that I promise to let you go straight back home!”

Winter pursed his lips together, weighing the options he had. The batpony was standing in front of him, wagging his tail like a foal, to the point his whole behind was shaking. Something in his playful stance and sparkling eyes made the guard finally cave in to the request.

“Yay!” squealed the nocturnal equine, jumping and fluttering his wings slightly “C’mon, it’s not that far away!”

The batpony started bouncing away towards the center of Canterlot, followed by a head-shaking, smirking Winter.

* * *

“So, what’s so special here? It’s just the fountain," commented Winter.

The center of Canterlot plaza was indeed the biggest water fountain, with water usually running in jets from several holes in the ground. There were platforms of various sizes and shapes all around that would break the water up or shoot jets of their own. All this was turned off during the night since hardly anyone strolled under the light of Luna’s moon.

“Just gimme a second!” sing-sang Wing Dancer, fiddling with something near a control booth. It was a small shack, out of sight, where the maintenance ponies would control the fountain. Somehow, the batpony managed to gain entry and vanish behind the door. Before Snow could say anything, the water started running, splashing all around.

The white stallion backed away, looking at the ash colt who stuck his head out from the booth briefly before diving in again.

“Hey, you-” he started, but was again interrupted, this time by something he did not expect. Suddenly, the water became illuminated by a soft light, making the clear liquid turn blue, almost like on an exotic beach. The patterns and shapes that the jets of water produced lit up one by one, undisturbed by the light breeze, making the guardspony’s eyes go wide.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” asked Wing Dancer, appearing out of nowhere by Winter’s side. “Hardly anypony remembers this. It used to be a popular thing when Princess Luna came back to us, but as with all things, everypony quickly grew tired of it. As in, it bore them,” he sighed with a frown. “There wasn’t enough money to keep it going, and there weren’t enough interested to fund, so they now just turn the fountain off during nighttime. Such a pity, no?”

Snow had to sit down to take the view in. He didn’t consider himself to be a touchy-feely stallion, but the sight of this peculiar beauty simply stunned him. The longer he looked, the more details he could appreciate. The way the water splashed into tiny rainbows, how the jets interlocked with one another, making it seem that the water was climbing illuminated stairs…

A hoof grabbing his own snapped him back to reality. Wing Dancer was giving him a toothy grin and pulling him towards the fountain, warm droplets of water gently raining down on them.

“C’mon, it’s really fun! We can have a water fight!” he shouted, jumping nimbly over a jet of water, splashing Winter thoroughly. The white stallion squinted at him, throwing his saddle back near the benches. “I bet you can’t catch me, my Sergeant," he laughed, springing one of his wings and whipping it at another geyser.

Snow stood there patiently, getting hit time and time again by splashes of water from the giggling batpony. As soon as the nocturnal equine decided to jump to another position, Winter lept in that direction, whipping his tail around expertly, smacking a body of water towards the gliding colt.

Taken by surprise, Wing was cast into another jet, soaking him thoroughly as he nearly crash landed into a platform. He got a pretty good gulp of water and could hardly see through the mane in his face, but between coughing and hacking Snow could tell he was laughing. His lean body was glistening in the pale blue light, thin bat wings trying to sweep aside the long, wet mane in his face.

“I’ll give you that one," coughed the stallion, managing to uncover one eye to look at Snow below him. “But you should know that each action warrants a reaction!” he shouted, spreading his wings over two particularly strong jets of water and angling them towards the soldier. “Suck on Hydro Pump, assassin!”

Under the unrelenting barrage of water, Snow scrambled on the slippery floor, hiding behind a pillar connected to one of the platforms. Blowing his wet, short mane away, he grinned widely. “You’re in for it now, kid,” muttered the sergeant.

* * *

“Oy, you there! What’s this commotion!” barked out a batpony guard, clad in traditional purple-tinted armour. He was called to an instance of night disturbance, and was frankly taken aback by what he saw.

One of his kinsmen, an ash colored batpony, was staring at him from the highest fountain platform, thoroughly soaked. Dangling from another platform was a white earth pony stallion, probably in the process of climbing to the other one. For reasons unknown to him the fountain pumps were working, and there were even lights which he didn’t knew existed.

“Uh, sorry, guardsman," quickly replied Winter, jumping down and assuming a wide stance. He saluted, keeping his eyes locked on a point above the other guard’s head. “We were just, uh...maintenance,” he stammered out. “This batpony here was running maintenance and I was assigned. As escort.”

The night guard raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look like one of ours. Are you even a guard at all?” he asked suspiciously, lowering his head slightly and squinting.

“Yessir, I am sergeant Winter Snow of the Day Guard. I know this was unexpected, but it was a last minute assignment. I can fetch my papers if you’d allow me to get to my saddle.”

There was a pregnant pause in which Wing Dancer silently tried to stay invisible, huddling down on the platform and observing the situation with a worried expression.

“I’ll get it for you. Over there, yes?” he asked, indicating a bench with a damp bag on it. Without further ado, the batpony walked over and started rummaging through the saddle. It didn’t take him long to find the official badge and number, confirming the earth pony’s identity.

“Alright, sir, sorry for the confusion. We weren't informed,” said the batpony guard, turning to salute a superior officer. “Please, just try to keep it a bit quieter, if you could, sir.”

Winter visibly relaxed and nodded. “We’re pretty much done here anyway. Right?” he asked, putting emphasis on the last word. Seeing Wing Dancer’s vigorous nodding, he turned back to the soldier. “Sorry for making you come all this way, soldier. I hope this will be the last incident on your shift today," he said, winking. “As you were," he finished, making his way slowly towards his saddlebags and strapping them on.

As soon as the night guard took off, Wing glided down to Winter. Before he could open his mouth to thank the sergeant, he was discreetly hushed by the stallion.

“He’s still watching from a higher vantage point. Turn off the machines and let’s get out of here.”

Gulping, the ash pony nodded and darted for the maintenance shack. Within a few seconds, the fountain was dark and silent once again.

* * *

“So, we’re here," said Wing Dancer, turning towards Winter. They arrived to the batpony’s doorstep after much bickering over who should walk who home. Despite the colt’s protests, the guard did have a point. Strolling in the middle of the night alone was a lot safer when you had years of military service experience to fend for you.

“Place looks nice. Safe neighbourhood, I guess,” summed up Winter, looking around. Most likely everyone was asleep, and it must’ve been way past midnight.

Wing looked away for a second, letting his ears drop flat to the back of his head before taking a deep breath. “So, uh...it’s late, right? You sure you wouldn’t want to...you know. Stay...over?”

It took Snow a few seconds to process what the blushing batpony had proposed. He looked at him, then at the door, then to his sides, not sure what he was really looking for.

Stammering, the batpony continued, taking a small step towards the stallion. “I mean, it’s a chilly night, a-and you’re all wet. Wouldn’t want you to c-catch a cold, right?” He took another step, his muzzle inches away from Winter’s shocked expression.

“I, uh, I mean,” stuttered the guard, looking into the batpony’s eyes. Why was it always that the lighting was dim enough for them to look...amazing? At this point he could feel the scent of his damp mane, something reminiscent of lavender. “I-I don’t think it’s a good idea, I-”

Before he was allowed to finish, the batpony took the last step forward. He twisted his head to the side, closing his eyes and pushing his lips into Winter’s open mouth. The pony yelped startled and pulled back bit, breaking the involuntary kiss. Before he fully understood what had happened his muzzle was again pressed against the batpony’s. As the feeling of the kiss sank in, he realized that it was his muzzle that was diving into the ash colt’s, not the other way around.

He was confused. Conflicted. He knew he should back out, spit and run away, probably not sparing the batpony harsh words about his sudden move. At the same time, he did nothing to stop what was happening, going so far as to even move his hoof slightly forward. The smell of lavender hit him in unison of the sensation of touching lips, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He felt powerless, but not in a terrifying way, like in a fight. It was a good feeling.

Still in shock, the stallion remained still as the furiously blushing batpony pulled back, sighing. “H-How about now?” he asked in a shaky voice, his half-lidded eyes looking hopefully into the sergeant’s face. He shyly moved his muzzle to the guardspony’s ear, whispering: “You’ll really get a cold here...and it’s nice and warm inside.”

Author's Note

First chapter of my very first serious romantic love story, yay! I'd appreciate any feedback and help with editing,

Hope you enjoyed it!

A Little Relief

Winter was sitting stiff as a board on a small sofa in front of a fireplace. He wasn’t cold in the slightest, yet he was shaking and his mind was a mess. He let himself be delicately dragged into Wing’s home, where the batpony planted another, more decisive kiss straight on his lips. He felt their softness and could not help but feel blood pouring into his cheeks as something nimble and wet grazed his mouth. He barely managed to suppress a groan as the ash colt broke away and sat him on a sofa.

“I’ll be right back with some towels," whispered Dancer in a slightly breaking voice, leaving the room silent save for the crackling of fire.

Winter was torn between the excitement of the new sensations that threatened to overwhelm him and the absurdity of the situation he was in. He was kissed by a stallion and invited inside. Seduced by a laughing, energetic, slender, feminine, big eyed batpony who turns out to be a great kisser. A male, who didn’t look like it, was smaller and good looking with the most amazing gaze he had ever seen. A cute and shy equine who offered to let him stay the night so that he doesn’t have to go all the way across the city.

There wouldn’t have been a problem if he was a she. He would be all for it if it were a mare. Hell, he would be the one to make a move. But to be with a colt felt very intimidating - all the bits he didn’t want to deal with, the awkwardness of touching one another. It was just wrong. At the same time, the feeling of those lips on his mouth still sent spikes of excitement jumping along his spine.

The creaking of the sofa snapped Winter out of his musing. He whipped his head around to see a startled Wing Dancer holding two towels in his hooves.

“I-I brought these," he offered, blushing again as he hoofed the fabric to the other stallion. He accepted it hesitantly, placing it on his lap and observing the batpony drying himself. He was thin, his chest perhaps half of Winter’s size, with barely visible muscles and silky fur. As his head popped out from under the towel, he took a closer look at his soft features. His muzzle wasn’t too long, smoothly connecting his narrow jaw to the slender neck.

“Can I help you with that?”

Winter shook his head and blinked several times, finally noticing the other stallion looking at him. The towel lay on his flared out wings, wrapping down the frame, exposing the still damp fur on his chest, which went up and down in steady breaths.

“U-Um, I guess," squeaked out Snow, surprised at his high pitched tone. He cleared his throat and tried again in his normal voice: “I-I mean, yes, if you want to...”

As gingerly as he could, Wing Dancer picked up the towel from the sergeant’s nethers, making sure to keep eye contact with the other stallion. He put a hoof to Snow’s wide chest which hardened instantly, the muscles under his skin tensing up.

“S-Sorry, didn’t mean to-” he started, but was interrupted by the guardspony shaking his head.

“No, it’s fine. I just...well, you know...it’s weird," he stammered out, feeling his cheeks redden. “I’ve never...uh!”

“I understand," softly replied Wing. “I don't mean to startle you, so please tell me if you’ll feel any discomfort at all, okay? I promise to stop.”

Winter nodded and moved his gaze towards the fire. This time prepared, he forced himself to relax as the towelled hoof touched his chest again, rubbing it gently. The circular motion felt nice, and the texture of the fabric didn’t scratch his skin like others would - it must have been high quality material.

Steadily, the batpony worked his way around the muscled body, drying the sergeant’s neck, back, shoulders and hooves. The motions became more confident and deep, almost like a massage, which the guardspony grew to like and relax into. The ash equine was very gentle and precise, his hooves loosening one muscle at a time.

“C-can I do your head, now? Is that okay?” he asked, cautiously trying to face the earth pony who was lost in the moment.

A small nod of approval and sigh was all Wing needed. The batpony sat on his hind legs and propped his body up, placing the towel on the guard’s massive shoulders. From there, using both hooves, he massaged upwards, drawing occasional murs of approval from below.

“Umm...next would be the...uh, flanks. I’ll understand if you won’t want me to touch that though," Wing Dancer whispered straight into Winter’s ear. The tenderly velvet tone of his voice made the stallion shudder involuntarily. He felt good all over his body and was relaxed enough to simply nod and allow himself to be lost in the moment. It didn’t matter that another stallion would be touching him - in fact, the point was that it was okay for this colt to touch him.

As softly as he could, Wing Dancer pushed Winter into a lying position, his head away from the batpony. With the sergeant’s muscular flanks in view, the batcolt could not help but stare and gulp silently, a sensation building up inside of him and travelling down his body. The ash pony put the towel on Snow’s back and started moving it downwards, quickly arriving at his cutie marks and drying them in an outward spiralling motion. The feeling of his muscles tensing and relaxing underneath the skin made the nocturnal equine blush furiously, his mouth dry and agape at the wondrous sensation.

The stallion’s tail was a breeze to dry as it was short and neatly kept, ending up in a puffy mess nonetheless. The satisfied sergeant arched his back, stretching lazily after the pleasant massage session, not realizing the blushing batpony and the towel now pressed against his lap.

“That felt great. Thank you," sighed Winter, lying on his side and looking down at Wing Dancer. He had never seen anypony blush so much and look as cute while doing it. The colt was staring down at his hooves with a small smile, stealing peaks at Snow every now and again.

“U-Uh," started the batpony, pressing the towel harder against his lap, “I-I don’t think we’re done yet. There is still a-a place...that’s wet.” He looked up hesitantly towards Snow. “I-I would be glad to help with that. B-But only if you feel okay with it.”

Winter was in too much of a bliss to understand what the other pony meant. As far as he could tell, he was warm, relaxed and dry all over. “What do you mean?” he finally asked, turning to lay on his back and propping his head against the sofa’s cushions.

Wing locked his eyes onto Snow’s. He took a cautious step forward, over the muscular body. “There is a place," he started, licking his lips slightly, another hoof placed just beneath Winter’s shoulder. He had begun climbing over the stallion who just lay there with eyes widening. “A place that needs attention as well," he continued, looming over the white pony, his mouth slightly agape and a small, nimble tongue poking out of it shyly. He stopped mere inches over Winter, looking at him with half-lidded eyes, mouthing “I can help."

Slowly and not sure of what he was doing, Winter raised his forehooves to the muzzle above and pulled it down onto his mouth. The sensation was amazing and much richer, as Wing Dancer’s tongue slowly poked around the circumference of their connected lips. With each passing moment the kiss grew in intensity, the pair moaning into one another’s mouths.

The batpony lightly lay down on the stallion’s wide chest and stomach, pressing deeper into the eager mouth, slipping his tongue to poke around and explore, occasionally wrapping around and encouraging Winter’s. The sergeant soon took the initiative, holding the smaller colt’s head down and forcing his own wet organ into the other’s mouth.

The nocturnal equine gladly accepted the guest, guiding him around and carefully sliding the sides of the elongated bat fangs. Winter’s tongue grew rowdy and more passionate at this, much to the delight of the host. Wing playfully wrapped his own slender muscle around Snow’s, rubbing it vigorously and suckling, unable to stop the deep moans that followed every caressing motion.

The sergeant was lost in the moment, hungrily embracing the other’s mouth and tongue. His hooves ran wildly up and down the spiky batpony mane, the skin underneath smooth and warm. This sensation that was absent from his daily life for far too long spread all across his body, welling up in his nethers. Pretty soon he felt his sheath give way to the rising pressure of a building erection.

With a bit of surprise the batpony felt something poking at his backside - it took less than a second to realise what it was and he moaned in delight, giving one last slurpy push into the kiss before breaking away, glancing down at the panting stallion who looked both confused and extremely aroused. It took all his willpower to suppress his own rising excitement - despite the haze of emotions he felt, he knew that the touch of a foreign stallionhood would startle the straight guard beneath him. All he really wanted at this point was to please him anyway.

“I hope you’re enjoying this as much as I am," whispered Dancer in a heavily sultry voice.

At this point, passion took over Winter’s mind entirely. He didn’t care that he was making out with stallion - that was the best damn kiss in his life, and he had stiff proof of it down below. His imagination ran wild, pictures of that eager mouth and tongue wrapping around his meat driving him insane.

As if reading his mind, Wing Dancer lowered his head and breathed slowly into the guard’s ear, lust dripping from every syllable he spoke: “If you’d let me, I could take care of that long, hot, throbbing problem down below. Can I? Please?” he whispered, driving his point home by tracing the outline of Winter’s ear with just the tip of his tongue.

Winter gulped loudly, feeling his fully stiff rod twitch painfully, propped comfortably against the batpony’s flanks. With his tongue sticking out, he gasped a “yes” and nodded eagerly, feeling the flat tip of his cock squeeze out a sizeable drop of pre-cum. He felt the wet tongue lift from his ear and the smiling muzzle of Wing Dancer floated back in front of him. It lowered itself onto his forehead and planted a small kiss, followed by another between his eyes, forcing him to close them. The batpony worked his way around Snow’s face, gently pecking and licking every spot visited. In the meantime, down below, the nocturnal colt begun shifting his flanks around, stimulating the erection even further with gentle brushes of his coat.

The ash lover finally moved around to the neck, drawing out the kisses and slurping on the soft skin, licking it thoroughly with swirling motions. He could barely contain his excitement and had to lift his butt in order to not poke Winter with his stiffening meat. The lower he went, the harder he pressed his bottom against the sergeant's stiff rod, grinding it in between his cheeks, feeling sticky fluids travel down it’s length. He wished he could dive for that cock right away, but he wanted to make sure the stallion was comfortable enough and would not be startled by the sudden stimulation.

As the small colt got to Winter’s wide torso, the pressure grinding against his needy penis subsided, leaving his member to slap violently against his stomach. The sensation was both thrilling and painful. He looked down at Wing, panting heavily. The equine was kissing and licking his chest in long strokes, the sheer length of the tongue causing involuntary spasms of his nether muscle. He wanted to hurry him up, shove his face down towards his throbbing need, but each wet, sloppy kiss landed on his stomach robbed him of the strength to move. Instead he opted to put a hoof on the colt’s head and pet it, slowly caressing it from the top of the head to the base of the neck.

The appreciative gesture didn’t go without notice. Wing Dancer purred into the stallion’s gut, inching ever so closer to the dangling prize he so longed for. He observed it twitching from the corner of his eye, tracing every heavy drop of pre on it’s way to the tiny pool at the base of the magnificent member. His mouth was salivating at the mere thought of lapping it all up and it took him much restraint to continue with his plan of preparing Winter for the blow of his life.

Much to Snow’s dismay, his member still stood unattended, hot and throbbing over his stomach while the cunning batpony took a detour. He licked the inner sides of his muscular hind legs in long, slow strokes, stopping mere hair-lengths away from the needy sex organ. As he finished one side, he slid his face over the stallionhood, taking a long whiff of the musky scent before shifting focus to the other side. The white stallion let out a pathetic whiny as yet another painful throb squeezed out a drop of precum which effortlessly travelled down to join the others.

“Hmm? Did you say something? Did you need something?” whispered the ash lover, stroking the inner loins of the larger stallion. He was as hungry for the main course as the stallion was needing it, but Dancer always enjoyed delaying. It would make diving in an even more exhilarating experience.

Winter’s mind was in shambles. All his feelings were focused around the nothingness surrounding his penis, the need consuming him. Each twitch he felt seemed to make him stiffer than before. He gasped for breath, trying to put a coherent sentence together. He looked at the batpony with pleading eyes, his tongue sticking out in lust.

Maintaining eye contact, the colt finally caved into their mutual desires. Wing loomed over the tip of the twitching member, it’s head slightly flared from the strain of being up for so long without the slightest bit of stimulation. He took his time to look it over, now unable to decide where he should start. If he could, he would gulp down the whole thing, balls included, and milk it dry. Finally deciding on the best course of action, he moved his muzzle lower, opting to start at the source.

As if under a spell, Winter observed the ash muzzle travel down his length, stopping over his heavy sack. The slender lover’s tongue snaked out and connected to the scrotum, sending an unbelievable spark up his spine. His member squeezed out another droplet of juice in anticipation. The batpony smirked and planted a kiss on the testicle, his wet muscle wrapping around it in swirling motions, moving it around in its pouch. The sensation was incredible and the stallion lost himself in it, lolling his tongue out and looking at the ceiling absent-mindedly.

Wing nuzzled the sack lovingly, kissing and slobbering over the orbs. They were quite big, which was exactly how he liked them. He puckered his lips to a single testicle and begun sucking, slowly but surely drawing the ball inside his mouth, each inch of the scrotum tendered to by his swift tongue. As soon as the treat popped entirely into his mouth, Dancer heard a shallow sigh and moan, a very rewarding sign that his actions were more than welcome.

Snow felt the pressure around his testicle as it danced on top of the slender tongue caressing it and was gasping for air. He felt he could cum just from the batpony toying like that with his family jewels. The pressure in his loins grew even stronger as the hungry nocturnal lover did the same to the other testicle, carefully but with passion and skill swirling the ball in it’s pouch. The tip of his horsemeat flared suddenly when the entirety of his scrotum got sucked into the velvet mouth. He felt his balls squeeze against one another, secured in place behind what he assumed were the pony’s fangs. He didn’t give much thought to it, as the sensation of tugging, sucking and swirling threatened to overwhelm him.

Dancer had the tip of his nose driven against the base of Winter’s cock, the heavy, musky scent of dick flesh and pre-cum causing his own member to squeeze out a drop or few. He made extra sure none of his fangs grazed the tasty balls inside his mouth which he swirled lazily, suckling and squeezing them together. He let his eyes roll up in their sockets, enjoying the fullness of his mouth and the peculiar taste of Winter’s balls. He hummed and moaned into them, feeling the cock under his nose twitch with every sound he made. His eyes managed to focus on the small pre-cum pool, right beneath his chin, lazily making it’s way down. It was time to finish the appetiser and dig into the main course.

The sergeant gave out a long groan as he felt his balls released from the comfortable maw. He managed to prop his head up just in time to see Dancer lay down comfortably between his loins, lust sparkling in his eyes. His tongue slipped out from his muzzle, this time going straight for the throbbing penis, laying flat at the base. The sergeant bit his lip and closed his eyes shut as the sensation intensified - little by little the wetness climbed, brushing blissfully against his flesh, causing his heavy cockhead to flare up again. When the nocturnal pony reached the tip, he unexpectedly gave it a quick swirl, eliciting a short moan of pleasure. He felt Wing’s hooves press against the base of his meat, bending it away from his stomach.

The batpony smacked his lips, savouring the thick, juicy cream he just got a taste off. As he pulled the dick back to himself he heard the sergeant pant quietly. Now, fully perpendicular to the rest of its owner's body, the erection looked truly magnificent, glistering with the fresh trail of saliva the batpony left behind. He nuzzled the thick medial ring, brushing against it with a groan of pleasure. With half-lidded eyes, he addressed the moaning sergeant: “Permission to milk you dry, sirrr," he purred, scratching the sensitive surface of the member with his short coat.

Right now, Winter was ready to just jump the stallion and facefuck him himself. All the teasing and stimulating drove him crazy with need, his heavy meat bulging with pressure, aching for release. In a single breath, he groaned out: ”Granted," making an effort to keep his head up and observe the other pony’s ministrations.

“Very well," cooed the batpony, again lowering his muzzle to the base of the proudly protruding cock. He swept his tongue around the base, hungrily lapping down the pre-cum pool he so longed for. It was salty but without the weird after-taste cum usually had for him, which was a promising bonus. Having finished, he decided to not torture the needing stallion anymore and got down to work. He ran the flat of his tongue up the length, carefully working around the swelling medial ring, nibbling at the half-flared cockhead with just his lips before plunging back down in a long and swift stroke. His efforts were rewarded with sighs and moans and some inaudible words the sergeant was muttering in ecstasy.

Finally getting what he wanted, the white stallion was lost in the stimulation his sensitive cock received. Wave after wave of pleasure spiked through his body, the blows irregular and unexpected each time. The batpony alternated between slow and firm strokes and fast, suckling motions along the whole length. His nimble tongue felt divine, and the stallion was already feeling a build-up in his member, the tension causing his horsemeat to drool a constant trail of pre-cum which the ash lover happily kissed away from the tip to the very bottom each time.

Dancer was in heaven himself - his tongue glided softly over every puffed vein, tracing it's outline, relishing in the pulsating sensation. The whole thing’s scent was heavy and intense, driving the pony to work even harder for the prize which seemed to come closer with each lick. Hearing a change in Winter’s shallow breathing, he finally climbed his mouth to the very top of the rod and very carefully encased it with his lips. Gingerly, he pushed the flaring tip between his fangs, his tongue constantly lapping at the source of tasty pre-cum. The fat cock was indeed huge and even after the bulky head was in, the rest of the length still grazed his fangs.

On his side, Winter felt the pressure in the stallion’s mouth, a most peculiar feeling. It gave a tightening sensation as the ash lover began bobbing his head up and down the cock, going only as far as half the length. The rest of his veiny flesh was encased in a hoof and gently stroked in unison to the muzzle slurping down on his member. Along his whole length, the building pleasure was nearing its peak - every inch of his caressed cock sent ripples of pleasure up his spine, causing him to buck slightly into the welcoming mouth, eager to finally get off.

Wing smiled to himself, working against the guard’s motions, allowing the stallion’s cock to graze the back of his throat. He was breathing steadily through his nose, the overpowering smell of sex causing him to murr in delight. He felt the throbbing erection inside his mouth dangerously tense up, the sergeant nearing his breaking point. Dancer took one last haul of air and, whilst carefully observing the lust-ridden stallion, hilted on his meat.

The sudden lunge the batpony took at his cock tipped the guardspony over. The tension was hovering near breaking point for some time now, but that one swift gulp finally triggered a quickly rising orgasm. The sergeant could feel himself deeply lodged in Dancer’s throat, the flesh snugly clamping around the spasming penis. He felt his cockhead swell painfully, the final barrier before unleashing what felt like a torrent of seed slowly giving way. He put both hooves onto the ash head and pressed it even harder down, grinding heavily against the nimble tongue that twisted around the lower half of his straining love muscle.

Wing Dancer’s eyes rolled back as he felt the flared tip deep in his throat spasm powerfully, a jet of fluid splashing straight into his stomach. He eagerly rubbed the underside of the rod, feeling the torrents of cum pass by through the urethral canal, regretting he could not savour the taste. Each spurt was followed by a deep groan and feverish panting from the orgasming stallion.

Winter was so caught up in the moment he initially didn’t notice the batpony delicately trying to pull away. As the orgasm’s intensity let up, he finally took the time to look at his lover. The ash pony had his eyes closed shut, tears forming at the corners, gently yet firmly trying to push himself up on his front hooves against Snow’s iron grip. The sergeant let go, suddenly scared he might have hurt the smaller colt.

The batpony gasped for air, stifling coughs and burps with a hoof. He took deep breaths, resting his muzzle beside the deflating penis that was all the way in him just moments ago, almost choking him. He opened one eye looking at the worried soldier who had his hooves at his sides, nervously panting, trying to talk through shallow breaths. “Are you okay?” he finally managed, bending over the batpony with effort.

The nocturnal equine smiled and nodded, putting a hoof to his face. “I’m fine," he panted in a hoarse voice. He pulled himself up a bit, nuzzling the worried stallion’s snout. “Did you enjoy it, sir?” he asked, laying his head against the wide chest.

Winter Snow hummed with relief and hugged the smaller one closer, relaxing in the glorious afterglow of his orgasm. It didn’t matter anymore that the pony who just blew his mind out the window had a penis instead of a vagina. From his point of view all he saw was a cute equine snuggling up against him, lying across his wide chest with a small smile.

A New Perspective

Winter ducked, a bolt darting overhead as he took a turn into an alleyway. He was panting heavily, the exhilarating thrill of being hunted making his heart pound against his chest. He had already taken out at least seven assailants, leaving maybe half a dozen more still looking for him. He propped himself against the crossbow, working the handle at the back to pull the string into firing position. With trained, fluid motion he scooped a bolt from the quiver on his side and placed it securely in the thin cavity running along the length of the weapon. He shook the contraption lightly, making sure the projectile wouldn’t fall off. Satisfied, he risked a peek around the corner.

A lone hooded figure advanced down the street, no weapon in sight. It’s wings, faintly visible in the moonlight, were bouncing along with the peculiarly strutting equine. The sergeant didn’t know what the enemy was thinking, or if he was even aware of the situation at all, but a target was a target. Carefully, the stallion raised the crossbow to eye-level, excitement rising as he drew a bead on the enemy.

The hooded equine stopped dead in it’s tracks, suddenly looking around feverishly, as if it lost something. Due to it’s fidgeting the sergeant was delaying the shot - he was going for a perfect headshot and could not afford to miss. Without much warning the figure’s head snapped to look at Winter. In a blink of an eye the enemy was face to face with the confused and mortified sergeant. The stallion tried pulling the trigger then and there, but his weapon was gone!

The hooded figure put a hoof to its hood and slowly, almost dramatically started pulling it away. Winter’s heart sank. All he could hear was a constant booming of rushing blood. His breathing was shallow and strained as he watched a muzzle emerge from the shadows of the cloth. Mere inches away from his own snout, the enemy’s face popped into view.

“Hello! How are you?” chirped Wing Dancer, cocking his head to the side.

* * *

Winter Snow woke up with a startled yelp. He flailed his hooves around, shocked and unaware of his surroundings. He heard a thud from below the sofa he was apparently sleeping on.

“Owwieee," moaned a voice.

The sergeant’s mind was slowly starting to catch up on current events and the state of his body. The stallion was lying on his back comfortably. He felt rested and his heart slowly begun settling down, along with his breathing. He felt particularly well in the lower parts of his body. Looking down, he was shocked to see his member at full attention, the flared cockhead wet and sticky. The feeling of a recent orgasm kicked in, sending a pleasant shudder down the stallion’s back. His mind kept connecting the dots dutifully, though, soon realising that his rod doesn’t usually look like that in the morning. He looked to the side where a shape begun emerging from beneath the sofa.

Wing Dancer rose to meet Snow’s surprised muzzle. The batpony’s jaw was a bit winded from the powerful buck he received, and he felt a small bruise build up under his cheek. With his tongue he checked all his teeth, happy he didn’t chip any of them. He giggled nervously at the confused guardspony. “Hehe, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to wake you up," he hissed through the dull pain, opening and closing his jaw several times before continuing: “Totally worth it though."

The sergeant felt blood rush away from his nethers, nestling at his cheeks instead. He looked at the batpony picking himself up hazily, some cum still left on the tip of his nose. The colt gave him a morning blowjob and got a kick to the head in return. If there ever was an awkward sexual situation in his life, this one definitely took the cake, all 3 medals and employee of the month award.

“I-I’m sorry," he stuttered out, delicately reaching his hooves to the batpony’s face. “I didn’t mean to do that. I-I’ve never…you know. And from a...oh sweet sun, it’ll leave a bruise won’t it?” he whispered, gently nudging Wing’s smiling face to the side to see a sizeable darker spot.

“I’ll be fine," smiled the batpony in return, grabbing the hoof and brushing his other cheek against it. “It was my fault for doing this without asking, hehe," he chuckled, swiping his tongue at his nose, the lone strand of cum disappearing in his mouth. “I didn’t know when you had to wake up, and...well, I just wanted to surprise you. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

The guard snorted in disbelief. How was this petite pony for real? “Of course I’m not! I actually feel pretty good," he muttered. He felt like kissing the beaming muzzle in front of him, but the thought of tasting his own cum, even the slightest chance of it, repulsed him. He could barely process the urge he had to kiss a stallion. Thinking back at the things that happened yesterday, now that the lust and urge for release was gone, he felt kind of uneasy.

“Something wrong?” asked the batpony, noticing the hoof he was snuggling against pull away slowly. He really liked the guard - he was rough, much more than the ones he met before, but he seemed to just have developed a hard shell, beneath which resided a fun and passionate pony. The batcolt knew he’d like to spend more time with the stallion from the moment their lips first touched.

“No, it’s, uh...” stammered the guard, rubbing his neck slowly. “I’m just...still kind of...confused, I guess?” he gave a small apologetic smile to the somewhat deflated Wing Dancer. “I really like you, and I honestly...enjoyed our time yesterday," he blushed, breaking eye contact and lying back to stare at the ceiling. “It’s just...uh, I don’t...I’m not certain I swing that way. Don’t get me wrong - it didn’t even cross my mind I’d be doing all those...those crazy things we did yesterday," he continued, frantically gesturing with his hooves. He hesitantly glanced back at the batpony, registering his slouched form and eyes stuck to the floor. The sergeant sighed and crumpled his nose. “That came out wrong," he said, rolling off the sofa to face the ash colt. He put a hoof to his chin, pushing it upwards slightly, gazing into the sad blue eyes.

“Listen. You’re really a great guy. Tender, caring, cheerful. And an amazing...lover," stammered out the sergeant, gulping. “I don’t really know how to feel about all this. I wish I knew. I’d love to be one way or the other. I...I just need time to figure this out, okay? I don’t want to see you sad, I really don’t. I promise I’ll think really hard about it today, okay?” he asked, gazing into the big blue orbs of his listener. He recognised a glimpse of hope, a smile growing on the batpony’s face. “That’s what I like to see," sighed the guard, with a bit of hesitation settling for pressing his forehead against the colt’s. He really liked those sparkling, ocean-like eyes.

* * *

“Whoa, what have you been up to yesterday?” chuckled Rising Star, catching up to his friend and ogling him over.

Winter’s heart skipped a beat. Was it that obvious? How did he guess? Was there something left on his coat? What would his friend think about him now?

The rising panic was cut short when Star poked at Snow’s side, indicating a giant black mark. “Is that a bruise or something else? What have you been doing, sir”

“You should have seen the other guy," nervously replied Winter, shooing away the other pony’s hoof. “I totally facefucked him.”

A short pause and quizzical look from his subordinate made the white stallion realise what he had just said. Waving his hoof around frantically he blurted out: “Fucked up his face. Gah. Too much cider yesterday. Whatever.” He picked up the pace, forcing his friend to trot just to keep up with his larger frame.

“Oh, okay. Hehe. Nice one," replied the brown coated guard, suspiciously eyeing the sergeant. “Would it perchance be the guy who you had a ‘last minute maintenance assignment’ with?." Star grinned widely as he saw his words strike home, Snow’s already white muzzle becoming even paler. Rising continued in a sing-sang voice: “Don’t worry, they didn’t write you up. The bat that actually noticed you didn’t file a report. I just heard it over at the barracks first thing in the morning. Rumors do spread incredibly fast over there, you know.”

The private could barely stop himself from grinning, observing his superior stop dead in his tracks and tense up. He continued with a snickering tone: “You know, funny thing actually. That nightie got a pretty good look at ‘the other guy’, and I swear, if I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you went out with the colt I was talking about yesterday. You know? The one you could have a good time with? The one you refused to even meet in the first place?”

Winter had nothing. Each word Rising spoke sank in like a dagger into his mind and back. He felt chills all over as a simultaneous explosion of realisations erupted under his skull.

He was set up. All this was an elaborate game, planned out to actually prove him wrong. They arranged it all and hooked him up with a goddamn male escort. Every part of yesterday, starting from the spill and ending on the sofa - it was an act and there was nothing sincere or genuine about it. He was played. He felt like he was being patronised, like a child that didn’t know any better.

Rising Star noticed his friend gritting his teeth and immediately shut up, bashing himself for pushing the joke too far. In silence, the two moved on with their patrol.

* * *

It was a busy day at the arcades. A warm summer afternoon like this was bound to bring tons of customers to the cool, dimly lit interior. Wing Dancer was scrambling behind the soda bar counter, handing out drinks and cans of icy cold pops, all the while grinning and chatting up patrons.

Having worked there for almost four years, he was well known and liked, a mascot of sorts for the arcade. The batpony had mentions in high scores on nearly every machine, holding a spot in the top three on at least half a dozen. Whenever he wasn’t serving drinks or sweeping the place up he was playing, surrounded by groups of awe-struck fillies and colts.

The older teens resented the stallion, though - those from the richer families naturally looked down on the clerk whose entire life seemed to consist of his job and video games. The colt himself didn’t mind it much, being open about his lack of aspirations or the skills to move onwards, satisfied with entertaining the arcade’s patrons and regulars. That’s how he understood his present cutie mark - to bring joy and make ponies’ days brighter.

“So, what’s up Wingie?” asked a regular, sipping his icy juice at the bar. “You seem kinda distracted. New game coming in or what?”

The batcolt chuckled, wiping off a recent sticky soda stain. “No, not really. It has nothing to do with games. Let’s just say I had a pleasant evening yesterday,” he said, a wide grin bubbling up onto his muzzle. “And I am very hopeful for the near future.”

The regular whistled, raising his eyebrows. “Well, that’s a first. Hope everything turns out well for ya!” he said, putting away an empty glass. “Can you change this for me?”

“Sure!” replied the batpony, swiping the 10 bit coin thrown at him and replacing it with a dozen smaller silvers that fit the arcade’s coin slots. “Six for five as per usual, sir. Good luck!”

The regular shot the ash colt a smile and trotted off into the crowd, leaving the sighing batpony to his own thoughts. He usually enjoyed his time inside, often roaming between the machines and advising patrons on best gaming tactics, but today was special. He wanted to get off work as soon as possible and wait for Winter Snow to knock on his door. The colt blushed heavily, imagining all the possible scenarios - would the stallion ask him out for dinner? Would he barge in with a forceful kiss, taking the submissive batpony as his own? Or maybe he’d arrive on his doorstep all red on the face, trying to confess his feelings in that unbelievably cute stammering voice of his?

“Hey, nerd! I want a PowerJuice, now!”

Dancer snapped out of his wishful thinking, the screaming youth swatting at him from behind the counter. The batpony recognised him as one of the troublemakers - all talk and no game. Nonetheless, with as wide a grin as possible, the nocturnal pony dove to the fridge and placed the iced can in front of the impatient teen. “That’ll be 3 bits, please,“ he asked.

The patron glanced back to his friends and smirked, reaching out for the beverage. “I think I should get this for free. I already spent a load of cash in this hell hole. It’s unfair of you to charge me for a cold drink on such a hot day!”

Having dealt with this kind of situation before, the batpony nudged the can to the side, placing his hoof on the surprised kid’s leg. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. I can go and ask the owner if you could get a discount, but I am positive he would not appreciate me handing out his stock for free. Should I-”

“Don’t touch me, nerd!” screamed the teenager, pulling away. “You know who I am?! I’ll get your sorry ass fired! I demand my drink for free! And for my friends too! It’s so hot in here, you probably turned off the ventilators yourself to make poor blokes buy your crappy soda anyway! Do I look like a sodding loser to you?!”

“I’m sorry, sir. Due to your disrespectful behavior and unreasonable demands, I am refusing you service. You are being disturbing to the other guests and I watched you and your friends roam around the arcade without playing a single game, even going so far as to manhandling some of the more delicate pieces of equipment around here. Please, leave. Now.”

The young pegasus fumed, his wings flaring out in rage. He stuttered for a longer time, thrashing his front hooves against the top of the bar in a fit. “I demand to see your manager! I’ll get your noob ass fired! My father is an important pony in the Castle! He’ll send the guards to arrest you and throw your sorry flank in jail till you rot and die!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Very well. Please wait,” chirped the batpony, dashing to the back to fetch the arcade’s owner, a burly earth pony who hated spoiled brats with a passion.

* * *

Winter has been shooting dirty looks at anyone who even as much as smirked in his vicinity. He was angry and frustrated, barely controlling himself and blowing up in other ponies’ faces at the tip of a hat. He still couldn’t get over how well he was played - him, a sergeant and proud stallion. A straight guy who was tricked into making love to another colt. He felt sick to the stomach.

All day long he only wanted to finish his shift, storm over to the arcade or that damned batpony’s house and scream out his frustration, his betrayed feelings. For Celestia’s sake, that dirty rat made him feel guilty over the whole ordeal. He was actually considering making an effort, looking past the physical differences and embracing this new situation.

“Well, not anymore,” angrily muttered the stallion, stomping down the corridor. He seemed to have lost Star somewhere, but he didn’t care. “It was probably his idea anyway. He’ll be lucky if I don’t bump into him ever again. I mean, his neck could accidentally make a few unexpected turns.”

He desperately tried to keep his flames of rage nice and warm. He had to keep himself that way till he confronted the betrayer. He didn’t want to show he was hurt or disappointed. He didn’t want to admit he felt a bond with the batpony, that he actually started convincing himself that maybe he was looking towards the wrong gender. No - he just wanted to scream it all out, maybe even punch the escort between his glittering eyes and run away.

That sounded like a great plan and Snow smiled under his breath. It was a really nasty grin.

* * *

Wing tapped his hoof impatiently, waiting for the maintenance pony to arrive with a trolley. He felt really unlucky - his boss asked him to stay and wait for a guy to replace the machine that the angry teen from earlier smashed before getting thrown out. The whole drama ended up with the militia getting involved, testimonials being written down and, well, Dancer having to wait for the maintenance worker.

It was getting dark outside and the colt hoped that Winter hadn’t tried to visit him yet - he really wanted to spend more time with the guard and, more importantly, convince him to at least give the batpony a shot. He had a few tricks ready and was practicing a variety of touching lines before the accident. He was ready and eager to put them to good use.

His ears twitched as the creaky doors to the arcade swung open. The batpony sighed with relief, trotting over. “About time you showed up. This way, the machine is in the ba-”

He stopped dead in his tracks. An involuntary smile burst onto his muzzle when, of all the ponies, it was Winter Snow who stood in the door frame.

“Winter! Sir! Hi! I-I didn’t expect you here! Wow, it’s so great you came!” rattled out the breathless colt, his heart pounding with excitement and anticipation.

“Yeah,” coldly replied Snow, letting go of the door with a shove. “I’m glad I caught you too. Let’s talk.”

Author's Note

Oh my >.>

Scorch Marks

Wing Dancer’s excitement was quickly thawed by the serious look on Winter’s face. The stallion looked very tense and was eyeing him with a cold stare. The batpony felt something was terribly wrong.

“I-Is everything alright, Winter? You look kind of-” he started but was immediately hushed by the large guard’s sudden advancement.

“I must admit,” he started, the tone of his voice sending an eerie chill down the ash colt’s spine. “You are one hell of an actor. I almost believed you, you know?” He paused for a second, slowly starting to circle the confused batpony. “You played your part masterfully. Tell me, is it a standard routine for you? Or did the boys have to pay extra for this?”

Wing started feeling light-headed. He hadn’t the slightest clue what the stallion meant. With his ears flat against the back of his head, he tried to open his mouth, only to be interrupted again by Winter bolting straight to his face.

“Did you even enjoy yourself? Or were the moans just part of the job description, hmm?” Winter stared down into the blue eyes, his anger rising steadily to a boiling point. The colt acted all stupid and surprised, looking away and stuttering for an answer. “You make me sick,” continued the stallion, poking a steel hoof at the timid chest. “You think you can just mess with ponies’ heads like that? Just, you know, strut down into a bar, select a treat like in a goddamn candy shop and take it home to chow down? Is that how it is?”

Tears started forming at the corners of Dancer’s eyes. He didn’t understand why the stallion was so mad, the screaming scaring him. He wanted to talk back, ask him to settle down and explain, but...he just felt too intimidated. All he could do was take the smiting words with a terrified expression, crumbling into a shaking ball under the steel gaze of Winter.

“Don’t wanna talk? Fine. That’s even better. All I really wanted was to make one thing clear. You toyed with the wrong earth pony. I will not be your friend, much less your next plaything. You’re a despicable being and you should be ashamed of yourself! I’m glad you didn’t get admitted to the night guard,” he screamed, pushing the now sobbing batpony back against a wall. “Trash like you would only ruin it! All you do is play these goddamn games and fuck, right?! Is there anything more to your sad little life other than giving tail to anyone who flashes a badge at ya?! Huh?! ANSWER ME!”

* * *

The maintenance pony was grumpily trotting down the road, tugging his cart with some difficulty. The wheel came off just a few minutes before, but being a unicorn, he could re-attach it with moderate ease, even if the fix wasn’t perfect. The wagon groaned and creaked but moved along nonetheless.

He was just about to enter the arcade when the doors suddenly burst open, a figure tumbling out. Before he was given a chance to open his mouth, the pony rushed past, tripping over the uneven, barely lit pavement. He could hear sobbing fade away in the distance.

Shortly after the sounds died off, the doors swung open again, a burly white earth pony slowly walking outside and taking a deep breath.

“Uhh,” started the maintenance unicorn, raising an eyebrow, “everythin okay, buddy? I saw that other guy run out and-”

“It’s fine,” flatly stated Winter, beginning to walking away.

“H-Hey! Wait up, I came here-”

“Go home buddy. The arcade is closed.”

* * *

Wing ran. He ran as fast as he could, away from the ringing in his head and the terrible echo of Winter’s words. He tripped and fell a few times, barely seeing anything through the tears in his eyes.

He didn’t understand. He couldn’t grasp why the stallion was so furious at him. Why did he say all those terrible things? Why did he shove him so forcefully? He could have just said that he didn’t like the idea of being with him. There was no need to hurt him to the bare bone, going so far as to calling him trash and...and a cheap whore.

That wasn’t even the most hurtful part. He was used to being called names and poked fun at, but never by anypony like Winter. He seemed so kind and sweet at first. But now? In his mind, Wing Dancer could only think of him as a monster - a terrifying, lumbering beast who could hurt him. He was certain he would, had the batpony not fled in time.

He fumbled at the doors for a while, unable to stop his hooves from shaking. It took him a few moments to get inside, running past the dreaded sofa and into the bedroom. His instincts made him lunge under it, rolling into a shivering ball.

He felt cold inside. He had nausea, his stomach somersaulting in dread and fear. He wouldn’t have suspected for the life of him that one of the most promising romantic adventures he ever had would end in such a disaster. He didn’t know nor understand what he did wrong. Maybe he advanced too fast? Maybe the stallion perceived his little session as rape? Maybe it was this morning’s little accident that made him furious after all?

Whatever the case, it was over. His face soaked in tears, the pony gradually slipped into an uneasy slumber, shuddering despite the warm, summer night.

* * *

Snow was enjoying a cold shower, the tension of the day finally flowing down the drain. He suppressed any form of regret he had for making the tender batcolt run out in tears like that - in his mind, the rat deserved it. Someone needed to tell him the naked truth, even if he was a bit overzealous in bashing him.

It was probably unfair to shove him around like that, almost tossing him against the wall, but the stallion wanted to make sure he got the message the first time around. He wanted to cut in deep, hurt him just as much as he himself felt.

“No,” he muttered, splashing water around with his muzzle. “He got what was coming to him. He should have known better to have left me alone. The guys knew I was not okay with any of that. You don’t force a pony’s hoof. Every action warrants a reaction,” he snorted, whipping his tail.

The stain on his back was persistent, but it faded away with each soapy bucket of water the stallion poured over his back, followed by frantic scratching. He wanted to get rid of this tramp stamp of his as soon as possible, even at the expense of his own skin. He never again wanted to see the escort pony. Or think about him. Ever.

After what felt like a couple of hours, feeling refreshed and clean, the stallion dragged his weary limbs to the small, simple bed in his living room. It never felt so good in his entire life and the guard quickly fell into an unbothered, dreamless sleep.

* * *

“Hey man,” started Rising Star, catching his superior in the barracks as he was gearing up for the morning shift. “Listen. I’m sorry I teased you so much yesterday, okay? I didn’t mean to cross the line. I was just having some fun, okay? Didn’t know you’d get so offended.”

Winter sighed and rolled his eyes. He had no intention of picking the subject up ever again. “Just drop it, okay? What’s done is done. You and the guys had your fun and proved that your superior can put his junk into a male whore’s mouth. There. Can we move on with our lives?”

The private stood there with his brows raised and mouth agape. “Guh?” he spattered out, shaking his head violently and trotting over to the sergeant. “Wait, what? You lost me there for a second. What was that about your junk and a whore? Did you actually get laid and I didn’t notice?”

“Private Rising Star, just drop the act,” groaned Winter. “Why do you have to spoil my good mood the moment you open your mouth?”

The brown stallion gave a frustrated groan and stopped, pulling at his superior’s tail decisively. Before the other could reply, he interjected: “What act? What are you going on about? Just rewind here for a second and explain to me exactly what in Celestia’s name happened yesterday!”

“Well,” started Snow, furrowing his brow in mild annoyance, “you should know best. You and the guys hired that male escort and paid him off to give me ‘a good time’. I gave him a piece of my mind yesterday. Do you need one too? I got plenty to go around,” he sneered, feeling his anger ignite once again.

“What the hell? Dude, I had nothing to do with anything! I told you, it was your damn business you didn’t want a buddy to help you get your dick wet,” exclaimed Star, startling Winter into taking a step back. “And you did what? To who? Have you been on some acid or something? Sir?”

Winter Snow was blinking absent-mindedly at his subordinate. His anger immediately crawled back to it’s hidey-hole, prodding confusion awake and tripping over dread. “No,” he whispered to himself.

“R-Rising Star,” begun Winter, his voice shaking slightly, “can you positively, with a hoof on your heart tell me that you had nothing to do with me meeting that batpony, Wing Dancer? Can you swear on your mother’s life it wasn’t you or any of the other guys?”

Seeing his sergeant’s distress, the private put on a serious face. “Sir, I can swear on the life of my unborn children and their grandchildren that neither me nor any of the other guards would do such a thing. I was very wrong to suggest this option to you in the first place, and-”

Before he was given a chance to finish, Winter was already gone. The private shook his head slightly, looking over the scratch marks the fleeing stallion left behind in his frantic gallop. Someone would have a lot of marble flooring to fix, and Star would sure as hell not get blamed for it. As swiftly as he could, he hurried along his way, reaching the next checkpoint on his route alone.

“What the hell, sergeant,” he muttered, looking around nervously. “What the hell?”

* * *

Wing Dancer called in sick today. While his body was fine, save for the lack of hunger and surging shivers from time to time, he felt really bad all over. The remorse and sadness from yesterday lingered - everything he did he either fumbled or left half-done, not capable of focusing on even the simple task of pouring himself some water.

He appreciated the warm words the arcade owner gave him. At least somepony still liked him and didn’t see him as a failure, appreciating the talents he had. If playing games and serving drinks could even be considered a talent. Winter was sort of right - the batpony wasn’t much use to anyone and could easily be seen as expendable. Anyone could do his job just as well - taking away that left him with nothing. Just a sad, lonely game geek who couldn’t get into the night guards due to a bad knee.

“Wingie, you’re not even good at moping, you know?” he whispered to himself, still hidden under the bed. “You shouldn’t be this upset over a stranger, you know? So what, you had sex. He said some mean words and didn’t want to see you ever again. That’s fine. Plenty of ponies cuss at you and wish you death. It’s part of life to be hated by some.” He stopped for a moment, trying to choke back the tears. “But why did he have to hate me?”

Before he could break into a full out bawl, he heard knocking from the other room. Somepony really wanted him to answer, as the bashing went on harder and harder, some inaudible shouts drifting under the bed.

Gingerly, the batpony crawled from his hidey-hole and drifted into the living room. The pony on the other side was hammering away mercilessly.

“Wing Dancer! Open up! Please! I know you’re in there, please, just hear me out!”

The batpony froze. He instantly recognised the voice, his ears snapping to the back of his neck. As silently as he could, he started tip-toing back to the bedroom.

“I’m sorry! Please! I know you’re here, please, just hear me out! I tried at the arcade, but your boss said you called in sick! I…I really don’t know how to apologize for this! I’m an idiot who got the wrong idea, okay?!”

The room went silent, Wing Dancer stopping at the entrance to his hallway. He wanted to jump under the bed, but his legs wouldn’t move. The voice on the other side of the heavy wooden door sounded sincere.

“Wing? Even if you can’t hear me, I’m still going to apologize, okay? I was an ass. I have no clue what I was thinking back there. I was really...really,” the voice stuttered, struggling and breaking. For a longer time Snow seemed to struggle for the right words. He finally took a deep breath and continued: “The truth is, I was really confused. The truth is, I really...started...liking you.” At this point, the batpony had to strain to hear. He took a few hesitant steps back, softly pressing an ear to the door.

“I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to believe it was a set up. I wanted to be angry, I wanted for it to be a trick. I’m not a homosexual!” whispered the guard into the door, pressing his forehead against the mute door. “B-But at the same time...the fun time we had...it was scary to me, you know? All my life I’ve had my eye on mares. I never even thought about...that part of...sexuality.”

The batpony slumped against the door, leaving a wet trail where his teary cheeks connected to the cool wooden surface. He felt torn. Just yesterday, this pony was screaming bloody murder and hating him for the very fact he existed. Now he was apologising in a breaking voice. What was the point of it? To confuse him? He realised he went overboard and was now seeking forgiveness for his own peace of mind?

“I’ve said really harsh words,” continued Winter, straining to hear if there was anything happening on the other side. “I didn’t mean them. I was a horrible, terrible person. I wanted to...I was out of line. There is no excuse, I confess. You might not even be hearing this, or even want to. I don’t need you to forgive me. I know I wouldn’t want to. I don’t know...”

Dancer lay on the floor of his apartment. His mind and heart were having a fierce battle over whether or not he should at least talk to the stallion. On one hoof, he really did sound sincere, and he kind of understood where his confusion was coming from. On the other hoof though, Snow did say all those terrible things. He bashed him for no reason at all, despite the batpony doing whatever he could to just make him happy. Even if his silly heart felt a pang of hope, it would have to be snuffed out in the end. “Go away,” whispered out Wing, a stream of tears flowing down his muzzle.

On his side, Snow heard a voice say something. His heart skipped a beat as he lay his whole body across the door, straining to hear. “Hello! Wing! Are you there?! Hello?!”

“Go away!” shouted back Dancer in a high pitched voice. He picked himself up and ran under the bed again, choking on his tears. “Just go away,” he mouthed, shutting his eyes tight. “Just leave and don’t come back.”

Fallout

Snow sat down, biting hard on his lip. He never heard anypony that upset before. The pain he felt in the batpony’s tone stabbed at his heart. He felt like the biggest douchebag in Equestria. In the end, he had a nice evening with a pony he barely knew, had a blowjob and then nuked any chances of a relationship because of his eagerness to prove himself not being gay.

The stallion gingerly put a hoof against the silent doors. “I’m sorry,” he muttered out, hanging his head down. “I promise I’ll do my best to make it up to you. Not for me. For you.”

* * *

“What the hell were you even thinking! Have you any idea how much I risked to keep your stupid flank covered?!” Rising Star hissed in a harshly, pacing around in the barrack’s showers. He was upset with his superior, who was gone for the better part of the day. “If anypony found out you deserted your post, they would have you written up, if only that! And now me, the stupid moron I was, decided to lie to two superior officers and five fellow guardsponies! You have any idea what they’d do to me if they found out?!”

Snow was just sitting there under the cold shower. Yesterday the water felt divine. Today, it was still warmer than the cold he had inside. “I’m sorry,” he muttered out. The word started losing meaning to the stallion, being repeated in his head over and over again.

“That’s it? You’re sorry?” sputtered out Rising, shoving his muzzle into Snow’s. “I’m risking my career here. Hell, I’m risking jailtime, and unlike you, I have a family to take care of! What in the whole wide world could be so important it couldn’t wait until after your shift? Huh?!”

Winter remained silent, staring blankly at Star. The earth pony’s temper was slowly fading - while his superior had worse days, his recent erratic behavior and mood swings were a first. He was still very angry with him, but something told him that the sergeant needed a keen ear rather than a flappy mouth right now.

“Okay. Look. Sir. I see something is gnawing at ya from the inside.” He put a strong hoof around the other stallion, shaking him lightly. “How about we talk it over with a strong cider in hoof, hmm? My treat.”

Snow gave his friend the faintest smile. Together the two walked out of the showers, heading outside into the cool breeze of a setting day.

“Oh, and if anyone asks? You got a nasty gallbladder infection. On top of some fierce diarrhea. Got that?”

* * *

The two stallions were sipping their drinks in silence. It took Snow only a few minutes to outline the situation he found himself in, his misunderstanding and consecutive explosion as well as his failed attempt at an apology. Rising Star didn’t know how to reply, mulling the issue over in his head.

He didn’t know the batpony much. He had an adventure with him once, when his marriage was going through a crisis. He was partying hard and his dead-drunk mind mistook the enticing slender shape of Wing Dancer as inviting and mareish. The ash colt didn’t have anything against a quick suck-off in the toilets, even going so far as offering to give tail until the private noticed the stallion bits that shouldn’t have been there. While he was mad at the batpony for his misleading looks, he had a good time enough to simply keep it to himself and not think of the implications. Even after his situation got better and he made up with his wife, he still fondly remembered the night he spend with the colt.

“I don’t know what to say to that, sir,” he finally replied, looking at the slouched shape next to him. “Stuff like that just happens. I mean, not exactly like this, but you know what I mean. Ponies get into fights and that’s how things happen. All you can do is either write it off as a loss, or keep tryin to make it better.” He looked into his mug, swirling the golden liquid around gently. “I know you, at least a tiny bit. You won’t give up, won’t ya? You’ll apologise to that guy even if it kills both of ya, huh?”

Winter shoved his mug to the side, his eyes closed.

“Well...I know it ain’t my place to give out advice like this,” mused Rising, catching the barmaid’s attention and tapping his empty mug, “but if I were you? I’d give it a day or few to settle down. He’s probably really upset as well, but he’s made of softer clay. Let him gather his thoughts, as you should yours. It worked with my wife - we just needed some time to realise that we acted way too emotionally.”

Snow snorted, lying his head on the counter. Give it time? Would that even change anything?

* * *

Having spent the entirety of his sick day under the bed, the batpony felt stiff and sore the following morning. He was still pretty depressed, but he didn’t feel like bailing on the arcade again. The prospect of Winter Snow visiting him there scared him, but he had a job to do and, frankly, he needed money. He wanted to change something in his life. He needed to push himself forward, so that ponies like the sergeant won’t be able to hurt him as much, calling him trash or useless.

The batpony was very skittish and jumped at shadows on his way to the establishment. Every turn he took he expected to see the white coat and dark-orange hair of the stallion. Every sound around him was startling. He felt like his mind was in shambles.

At the arcade, he was greeted with warm smiles. Some of the regulars asked if he was alright, to which he put up a fake grin and claimed it was just a small cold. It was a good idea to come here - the energy of the place, it’s loud noises and colorful flashes distracted him away from the painful thoughts. He still glanced fearfully from time to time at the doors, expecting them to fling open with the silhouette of Snow in the frame.

“You sure you okay, Wing?” asked a regular, swiping his silvers into a saddlebag. “You seem kind of different today. You sure you should be working today?”

“I’m fine, sir, promise. Thank you for asking,” replied the batpony, smiling. He didn’t want others to notice his condition, but it still felt nice that they cared. Winter wasn’t entirely right. He achieved something in his life. He was important in this place. And at least some of the patrons cared about him.

“Well, okay. You know...” the customer fiddled around in his bag, finally fishing out a 5 bit coin. “Get yourself a soda. On me. You look like you need something sweet to brighten your day,” he said, putting the money on the counter.

“Oh, sir, thank you so much! But I don’t know if I could-”

“Too late, already walking away! Take care Wingie, see ya later!” laughed the regular, trotting away gleefully.

The batpony looked down at the golden coin, feeling himself tear up a little. It wasn’t much - just a single gesture of kindness. Sometimes patrons would leave him tips like that. But on this particular day, somepony wanting to make his day a bit brighter felt like a spear of light piercing the pitch-blackness inside of him. As gingerly as he could he picked the coin up and deposited it in the bag under the counter. It meant more to him than the patron ever knew.

* * *

Little by little Winter Snow was settling down, thawing like magma. Each day he woke up, strolled across town, entered the barracks, donned his armor and begun his daily patrol. He ignored the snickering and giggling behind his back - the story about his “problems” gained traction and the stallion had to constantly deal with both them and his worried superiors giving him discrete advice on how to deal with “those kinds of problems”. All the stallion did was nod and smile, his mind still orbiting around the burning issue of his apology to the batpony.

He didn’t know why it was so important to him. Maybe it was because what he did was wrong, and as a guard it stood against all he vowed to uphold? Maybe his honor could not stand the stain left behind by him abusing somepony weaker than himself?

It was an agonizing experience. Each day he just wanted to go there and sort things out, say his apology and make up to Wing Dancer somehow. If it weren’t for Rising Star and his advice, he would have done it. His friend kept stalling him with the most basic questions: What would he do? What would he say? How would he make it up? Winter couldn’t answer a single one.

“Okay, Winter, sir. Here’s the deal. I can see you’re gettin more anxious each day. It’s been like what, four days? Maybe we could try arranging some kind of apology together, huh?”

Snow gave his friend a quizzical look. They were out in the open, on the castle’s fortifications. The view from here was splendid and the dry, summer wind gently brushed the worried stallion’s mane. “W-What do you mean? We? B-But this is-”

“I know, I shouldn’t butt in,” cut in Rising, pushing his superior to continue on their rounds. “But trust me, the way you look? Your gloomy mug could make a manticore uneasy! You need some help arranging this. And besides, what if he won’t want to talk to you directly? What if he’ll just run away when you confront him?”

Snow hung his head.

“Oy, don’t give me that look. Don’t you worry bout a thing, okay? I’ll talk to Wing Dancer for you, convince him to meet you somewhere where you can apologise proper. Then we’ll write you up all the fancy words you’ll need to put your mind at rest and this whole mess behind you. Okay? Deal?”

Winter nodded slowly. A small smile crept onto his muzzle. He was happy he had such a good friend to back him up.

* * *

Wing Dancer was back to his regular, chirpy self, much to the delight of the owner. The past few days were horrible, with the patrons asking him whether there was something wrong with his best (and only) employee. When confronted, the batpony squirmed around and said it was something personal and that he’d get over it eventually. Today was probably the first day in about a week when the colt came in with high spirits, chatting up patrons and roaming the game stands like he always did.

The batpony was indeed feeling a lot better. Just yesterday he took the first step on his road to change - he bought a newspaper, looked through the ads and rang up a few companies that were looking for secretaries or the likes. He got invited to a few interviews, one of which would be later today. He was really excited at these new opportunities - who would have thought it would be so easy to start moving forward!

“What can I get for you, sir?” he asked, hearing a customer approach the bar. He had his back to the counter, moving around some cans to make room for a restock.

“Hello there. Would you have a minute to talk? It’s important.”

The voice sounded familiar. Wing turned around, noticing a brown stallion. It took him a few seconds to remember who he was - he was a guard, somepony from the bar near the castle walls.

“U-Ummm,” started the batpony, suddenly uneasy. “I-If you want sir, we can talk here. W-Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thanks,” Rising Star replied, putting his hooves on the top. “I just want you to listen for a little while. You see, I’m Winter’s friend and- no, wait!”

Upon hearing the name, Dancer instantly backed away from the counter, his ears flat against his head in distress.

“Hey! Hey, just take it easy, okay? I’m just here to talk, okay? Nothing more. Can we do that? Can you listen?”

Wing was considering getting the owner and asking him to deal with the customer, but…

“Okay. Good. So. My name is Rising Star, and as I said, I’m the giant moron’s friend,” he said, shooting a small apologetic grin. “Listen. Winter is feeling really bad about this whole mess, okay? I mean, I guess it’s also partially my fault, although I don’t know how a sane pony could even reach such a conclusion in the first place.” The stallion shook his head, continuing: “He’s really worried about you. He wanted to apologise so badly, I had to talk him out of it every single day since you had that fight. He doesn’t want you to feel hurt and all he cares about is that you know he didn’t mean anything of what he said that day.”

Wing let himself relax a bit. He listened attentively to Rising, the emotions he thought gone resurfacing again. “I told him to leave me alone,” he muttered in a breaking voice, fighting back unexpected tears.

“I know, I understand. But look. He’s a cretin, a real jackass for what he did. I know how it is when someone you like and trust goes all ape-shit on ya,” he sighed, crumpling his nose. “It hurts a lot, right? It tears you apart, makes you nauseous and light-headed, doesn’t it?”

Dancer gave a small nod, wiping his face with a hoof.

“Bottling it up won’t make it go away,” stated Star. “Everything deserves closure. He had a go at you, it’s only fair you give him a piece of your mind. Tell him how he made you feel. I promise he’ll just listen and sincerely apologize. Then you can just go, and neither I nor him will bother you ever again. Okay?”

A Planned Meeting

Scrubbing off cum from your mane and coat - around 15 minutes.

Devouring a tasty dish of scrambled eggs with a side of tomatoes and pickles - more or less half an hour.

Lying in bed, thinking about the events from the shower and how good they felt - most likely 15.

The cuckoo clock reminding you of your cinema date with the stallion you’re trying to convince to keep seeing you - less than 5 seconds.

Scrambling for your keys, wallet and a splash of cologne to mask your heavy sweating - felt like an eternity.

Fumbling to close the doors properly, almost breaking one of the keys in the process - way too long!

Running at breakneck speed, bumping into ponies and knocking over a cabbage cart on your way to a cinema almost across the city - well…

* * *

“Please still be here, please still be here,” panted Snow, sliding to a halt in the middle of the cinema complex. He strained to see the gray coat or bat wings of his date, but was unable to locate him in the thick crowd that was moseying about. “Shit, shit, shitshitshitshit,” he hissed, barging his way through the mass like an icebreaker. Many tried to give him nasty looks or bark something at him, but he paid them no mind - all he wanted now was to find the colt and profusely apologize for being late.

He looked everywhere - in the cafeterias, the bookstore, the small gaming arcade and even the toilets. Wing Dancer was nowhere to be found, and the huge clock above the waiting area just ticked onto quarter to nine.

“Sun and moon damnit,” moaned the stallion, sitting on his rump. “How could I mess up so bad? Is this some kind of curse? Is something preventing me from getting along with that colt? How am I going to apologize for this...”

“Oh, so you did come! I was worried something happened to you.”

Winter’s heart skipped a beat before going into overdrive. The soft voice that stood out in the background noise of the complex, it was directed at him. He was relieved to hear it.

“Wing!” yelped the sergeant, whipping around to see where the voice came from.

Right behind him stood the batpony, a small smile on his face. He didn’t have much time to say anything else as he was pounced on by Snow, locked in a spine-crushing hug.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be late! I-I h-had stuff...stuff to do,” Winter spluttered out, cuddling the colt close to himself.

“That’s fine,” wheezed out the batpony, tapping the sergeant meagerly on the back. He was happy to see the stallion showed up after all. “I’d like to breathe now, if you don’t mind,” he whispered.

“Oh, yes, of course, sorry!” stammered out Winter, letting go of the dazed ash pony, letting him take a few deep breaths before continuing. “Damnit, because of me we won’t get to see the movie,” he said, scratching the side of his neck in embarrassment. “M-Maybe there is something else you’d like to watch? O-Or should I just take you for some ice-cream? Did you eat yet? I know a nice little place nearby that serves some great pizza. I’m not particularly hungry, but you know...or I could just take you back ho-”

Dancer giggled and put a hoof to Winter’s muzzle, effectively silencing him. He looked into those troubled eyes with relief - each minute past eight he fought with himself, trying to find a reason why the stallion couldn’t show up on time. He wanted so badly to start over, he probably would have waited another hour before letting go. Luckily, his faith was rewarded and the joy he felt now was well worth missing some crappy low budget comedy.

“Ice cream sounds good,” he said with a grin. He took a step forward, involuntarily dropping eye contact for a split second. He stretched his neck, looking softly into the brown eyes of the sergeant. The stallion blushed, looking away for a longer while before reaching out with his own snout and softly rubbing his nose against the batpony’s. From this up close, Winter smelled like cheap cologne. And it was the best smell Wing felt all day long.

* * *

The two ordered their treats in a nearby cafe. Snow had a scoop of chocolate while Wing was nearly forced to get a cup of three flavors of his choosing - mint, cream and strawberry.

“It’s really fine, you don’t have to make up for being late. It happens,” repeated the batpony, happily lapping at his sweets with just his tongue. He was given a spoon, but he always preferred to eat this way. Apparently it had the added benefit of drawing Snow’s attention when he thought Dancer wasn’t looking. The batcolt made it a point to take long, elaborate laps, gliding along the surface of the frosty orbs.

“Y-You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” finally huffed Snow, looking away from Wing diving his muzzle into the cup and slurping on a green scoop with half-lidded eyes. “Ponies are staring. Cut it out.”

Dancer giggled, licking his lips and nose thoroughly, smacking with delight. “Let them watch. It’s not like I care or anything,” he said, giving the sergeant a smirk. “Besides, teasing you is funny, and maybe next time you’ll actually listen and get me just one scoop. Unless you want me to get fat,” he concluded, outlining his slim silhouette with a hoof.

Red-faced, Winter gulped loudly. Part of him was relieved that the colt wasn’t skittish anymore, being the cheerful self he remembered from a week ago. A lower portion of him even appreciated all the licking and lapping going on in Wing’s now half-empty cup. But what now? Was all this some kind of invitation? How should he react? The mares he knew weren’t as openly sensual in public like that, even in heat. The batpony was extremely different from the shy and indecisive one of yesterday. Did he already forgive him the harsh words?

“It’s melting,” cooed Dancer, pointing at the sergeant’s hoof.

Snow shook himself back to reality, the sensation of sticky, cold sludge lingering on his forehoof. He quickly began lapping at the melting treat, much to the amusement of his companion.

“That’ll leave a stain on your white,” giggled the batpony, putting away the empty cup with the unused spoon. His sweet tooth was more than satisfied and he was in high spirits. So far the stallion reacted positively to his teasing, which meant that he finally loosened up a bit. Dancer himself was happy that he didn’t feel awkward or threatened by his date - his greatest fear was that Snow would be aloof or indifferent, maybe even stingy about his playful behavior.

“I knooow. And I just...just cleaned it,” muttered out Winter, trying to suppress his blushing.

“Speaking of,” interrupted Dancer, squinting at the guard’s mane. “Do you use gel? There still seems to be some left in your hair...”

“Uh, n-” Snow froze. There was something in his hair. Something that looked like gel. He put a shaky hoof to his head and, surely enough, there was a clump in there. “Y-Yeah, thanks, I’ll just-” he stammered out, frantically rubbing the spot, hoping it would break apart.

“Wow, who would have thought. I guess even short manes have it hard, eh?” sighed the oblivious batpony, batting at his own mane. “This thing is a mess in the morning. And don’t even get me started on the tail!” he laughed, swishing his tail for emphasis. “What kind of shampoo do you use, though? Your hair looks really nice and soft.”

“Uhh, I don’t know. Some brand,” replied Winter, drilling a hole in his skull. ”Y-Your coat looks a lot better than mine, though. It’s all shiny, and...” he paused, realising he was stretching his other hoof to touch the colt’s chest.

Dancer puffed it out after a bit of hesitation, smiling. “Oh, it is? Are you sure?”

Snow gently pressed forward, feeling the soft, short fur on Wing. One would think that such a length would be spiky, yet it was still flexible, feeling like a warm rug. He absent mindedly glided it up, beneath the silent colt’s chin, staring into the slitted blue eyes before him. He felt the batpony slowly settle his head against the appendage, relaxing into the touch. Winter was at a loss for words at how much it meant to him. His mouth slowly begun to levitate towards Dancer’s, when a clank to his side startled him.

“Oh, sorry, don’t mind me,” said the maid hurriedly scooping the cup onto a tray with her magic and trotting off.

“Aww,” moaned Wing, feeling Winter’s hoof retreat from his chin. The other stallion lay his ears flat against his head, smiling apologetically. “Oh well. Guess it’s getting late, huh?”

“Sorry,” muttered out Snow, angry at himself and the waitress. He got a bit lost in the moment and...actually, he regretted not going through. “Yeah, true. C-Can I walk you home?”

* * *

“And so, I think I might actually go to that interview tomorrow!” concluded Wing Dancer, a slight bounce in his step. “I mean, it’s not a super high pay job, but it’s a step forward, right?”

“Of course it is!” smiled Snow. “I myself am really considering applying for Staff Sergeant, since one of my superiors had a stroke of luck and will be advancing soon. It’ll be a lot of hassle though, with all the sucking up and extra hours I’ll have to do...”

“But it will be worth it, right?” asked Wing, backwards strutting in front of the stallion. “It is what you wanted to do? To be the best guard possible, right?”

“I guess. You could say that, yeah,” nodded Winter, observing his date smile gleefully. The batpony’s energy was rubbing off on him and he could hardly stop himself from grinning like a moron at the beaming muzzle.

The night was silent for a while, save for the clip-cloping of their hooves on the rocky pavement. Wing Dancer returned to Winter’s broad side, admiring the strong earth pony’s build. His imagination stirred to life, slipping images of that strong chest under his hooves, those muscular legs around his back and that well-defined jaw buried deep in his mane…

Snow felt something lean against his side. From the corner of his eye he saw the dreamy eyed colt shyly press into him. He let the batpony nuzzle his shoulder, enjoying both how cute he looked and how good it felt to simply be touched. It has been way too long since he had anyone he could share such moments with, and in the stallion’s mind it mattered less and less that the one he chose isn’t of the opposite sex.

“You smell nice,” murmured out Wing Dancer, taking whiffs of the horrible cologne.

“You always smell like lavender,” replied Snow, bending his head to look into the sea-like eyes of his companion.

“You like it?”

“How could I not...if it’s you?”

The sergeant smiled as he saw a blush bloom on under the ash fur.

* * *

“This reminds me of our first meeting a week ago,” chuckled Dancer as the two reached his apartment.

“Except we were soaking wet and cold, and I had a giant stain on my back,” smirked Snow, dabbing a hoof at the pavement.

“Well, you do have a chocolate stain on your hoof, if that counts,” remarked Wing. “While I can’t make it rain at the moment, I still can-”

Before the colt was given a chance to finish, he was taken aback by the sergeant suddenly closing the distance between them and diving for a firm kiss. Dancer immediately melted into the sensation, twisting his head slightly and lowering his body, granting the stallion better access. The submissive pose under the towering stallion excited him as he welcomed Snow’s strong tongue into his mouth. It didn’t ravage him in a lust driven frenzy, instead caressing his own muscle with tender attention.

Winter more felt than heard the vibrating, deep moan of the batpony. The sensation was intoxicating - he never wanted to let go of those lips. The slender tongue of his partner danced in tandem with his, swirling in circles between them. The sergeant delicately ran a hoof along the back of Wing’s head, receiving a drawn out moan in response. He was by far the best kisser the stallion ever had.

It felt like an eternity before the two finally parted their lips, a strand of saliva breaking between them. Both were blushing, their muzzles numb and slightly agape from the heated moment.

“W-Well,” begun Dancer in a whisper, “t-that was n-new. I-I think I like new.”

“Better get used to it.” Snow let a smile bubble up on his face as he lowered his nose for a smaller kiss, followed by another. He couldn’t get enough of the slightly minty taste the batpony had.

Dancer didn’t feel like going home anymore. He could sit there all night, kissed repeatedly by the stallion. Each time their lips touched, pleasure sparked through his brain, causing his wings to twitch in arousal. He was shivering inside, trying hard not to get too excited - this time he wanted to take it at the guard’s pace, which so far proved to be very rewarding. But still...

“I-I...you wouldn’t perhaps want to...come inside for...some tea?” he finally gasped out.

Snow considered it for a moment, feeling the batpony’s elevated breathing on his neck. “Maybe...maybe a cup would be nice.”

A New Development

Waking up was more pleasant than usual. Sure, the throbbing in Winter’s nethers told him quite clearly he wouldn’t be doing anything crazy for the next, well, forever, but it was worth it. Not only because of the crazy, wet, sloppy orgams, but…

The stallion looked down between his hooves. His muzzle was mere inches from a gray-coated head of the colt that suddenly happened upon his life, fast asleep with a small smile on his face. Wing Dancer fit quite snugly against the larger frame of the sergeant, almost like a body-sized teddy bear. His hooves were tucked tight against his body, as were his wings, twitching slightly in Winter’s grasp. He hugged the batpony closer to himself, feeling the fuzzy warmth melt away the remnants of sleep.

As much as he wanted to stay that way a bit longer, he had to get back to his place to freshen up before work. How could he untangle himself without rousing his sleepy… partner?

A small shudder went down Snow’s spine as, once again, he realised the predicament he was in. Why does it bother you so much, Winter? he asked himself, slowly but surely scooting away from Wing Dancer. You’re a grown stallion. You decide for yourself what feels right and what doesn’t. Mare, stallion, who cares? As long as you’re… happy? This is what happy feels like, right? To test his theory, he leaned in towards the stallion’s muzzle, deeply inhaling the subtle lavender scent. He felt his face go flush as the smell carried with it the undercurrent of yesterday’s exertions, the sweat, musk and… other, more pungent odors.

Whoa there cowboy, he chastised himself, his groin giving a warning throb that roughly translated to “I’m not doing any more overtime, ever”. He sure is cute like this, Winter sighed, hesitating over the prone form of his lover. His lips lowered little by little until they planted themselves on the side of Wing’s muzzle in a gentle kiss. Still feels really weird.

The sleeping batpony stirred, his hooves grasping and searching. Despite his best effort to remain stealthy, Snow’s hoof got discovered and immediately seized. The white stallion couldn’t help but coo as the colt brushed his cheek against the appendage and resumed his peaceful sleep.

“I’m sorry Wingie, but I gooottaa goooooo,” gingerly hissed out Winter, this time more decisively brushing his lips against Wing’s tufted ear, causing it to flick slightly.

“Mghhe?” mumbled out Dancer, nuzzling the only part of Snow he could get his hooves on. “You up already?” he yawned widely, tightening his grip on the leg that was starting to shake him away more and more. “Five more min’ts, pleassss...”

“Wing, I have guard duty to perform. Sorry I have to go like this,” apologized Winter, dragging his leg, batpony and all, away from the sofa they were resting on.

“Alreadyyy? But what about breakfaaast,” whined Dancer, holding on for dear life as the stronger stallion literally dragged him off the sofa and across the room with little to no effort. “I’ll make something quick, just give me like 5 minutes!”

Winter smiled and sealed Wing’s lips with his own, eliciting a deep purr and cutting any further attempts at stalling. The batpony’s grip faltered slightly, but not enough for Winter to recover his appendage.

“Sorry, I really, really can’t. But how about dinner? We can go somewhere casual, without waiters or nosy servers,” giggled Snow, his forehead pressed against Wing’s

“That sounds… Oh, wait!” perked up the batpony. “Actually, would you mind if I took you someplace? I know this cozy little thing downtown. It’s one of my favorites!”

“Uh, sure. As long as I can get my leg back,” chuckled Snow, lightly shaking the appendage for emphasis. “Pick you up after work?”

“Yuss!” chirped Wing, his tail swishing happily. With a cheeky grin, he added, “and can’t I keep the leg? It’s so warm and cozy...”

* * *

“And that concludes today’s briefing. Please approach one by one for your new assignments and begin your rounds. Dismissed!” said Captain Armor, sharply stomping his leg against the parade ground’s lush grass. The rest of the day guard stomped in return, causing a small earthquake, before an orderly line was formed and ponies were being handed out new orders.

“Well, would you look at that,” mused Rising Star, looking back at Winter with a mixture of amusement and distaste. “Who would have thought that our Captain and a Princess marrying would become such a big affair?”

“It is big by definition,” replied Snow, rolling his eyes and moving along. “Royal wedding? All the princesses in attendance? Not impressive enough?”

“Dammit, you know what I mean. Sir,“ snarked Star, bumping his hind leg against Winter’s chest. “I mean, organising a terrorist attack on someone’s wedding? Scratch that - organising a terrorist attack and warning ponies a week in advance about it?”

“Some like the attention,” retorted Snow, looking around the the steadily moving queue. More and more ponies were clumping together into groups of threes and fives, the sounds of hushed conversations following in their wake.
“Huh. Who do you think it could be, then? The aristocrats? They think our Captain ain’t good ‘nuff for a Princess?” asked Rising Star, biting down on the single sheet of his new orders handed out by a lieutenant.

“They wouldn’t dare. Not as openly as that,” replied Winter, getting his own orders and hurrying to the side to let others get their assignments.

“Yeah, but what else is there? What kind of terrorist group thinks they can take the entirety of the Guard, the Princesses and Elements of Harmony all at once?” Rising Star quickly skimmed over the sheet, whinnying in annoyance. “So now we have more ground to cover, and a reserve pony to babysit. For at least the nearest week!”

“Shame you weren’t sent to bolster the nighters,” snorted Winter, tucking his sheet into the saddles of his armor. “They are fortunate you can’t whine their ears off just because you have to actually do your job for once.”

“What gives?! I’m always doing my job, top notch! You’re the one having… things going on,” lamely finished Star, looking around a bit worriedly. “Speaking of… how did it go yesterday?”

The sudden change of topic caught Snow unprepared, a blush blooming on his cheeks as he also looked around. “I guess… it was good. I… w-we...”

“It’s alright, I get it,” smiled Rising, winking at his superior with a knowing grin. “Happy to see you in a good mood, for once.” His face slipped into a deadpan as he added, “but Celestia forbid I’m ever getting involved again in your love life. I’d rather be assigned to the nighters without goggles than give you guidance on… stuff,” he said, thickly accenting the last word, making Winter cringe with a sheepish grin.

“Excuse me?” asked a melodic voice, startling the stallions. “Private Cuddlebug of the Reserves, sirs. Sergeant White Snow?”

The mare that seemed to appear out of thin air was a teal-colored unicorn, with long bangs of orange hair escaping her helmet and a tail resembling a river dragging behind her. Her yellow eyes looked uneasily at the pair, her too large helmet threatening to slip and rob her of vision with every head movement.

“Yes, indeed,” replied Winter Snow, his stance stiffening and critical eyes sweeping over the mare. She could have been cute if his professional pride didn’t feel appalled at the mismatched reserve armor she was wearing. All the straps were too loose or too tight, making her look pretty unpresentable. “A pleasure to meet you, private. I gather you read your assignment?”

“Yes, sir!” barked Cuddlebug, trying for a salute and falling short due to her armor’s joint restricting her movement. She gave an apologetic grin, her magic tugging at her straps here and there. “Sincere apologies for my… state. We were called not a few hours ago and, well, I didn’t have time to get this fitted. I mean, sir, I-”

Winter threw a hoof up to stop the stammering mare, giving her an easy smile and nod. “It is understandable. We can work on that during our route. Speaking of which, we should get going. We’ll fall behind if we tarry any more.”

“Yes, sir!” replied the private with a smile.

“Smooth,” snickered Rising Star under his breath, falling into step with Winter.

* * *

Even with the elevated threat of a (relatively) imminent attack, the corridors weren’t any busier, nor the afternoon sun any less scorching on the trio’s backs. Apart from a short stop to adjust the reservist’s armor and the group watching a giant pink shield envelop all of Canterlot, the day was as uneventful as any other.

“So, what got you put into the reserves, Cuddles?” asked Rising, looking down from the fortifications at the Canterlot streets. The pinkish tint of the light coming through the shield made everything look a bit sillier than usual, as if the entire city was webbed in a thin layer of bubblegum.

“Oh, it was mostly just something I did on impulse,” bashfully admitted Cuddlebug, pawing at the stone. “Thought to myself, it would be nice to help the guard, once in a while. You ponies work so hard to keep the country safe, so why couldn’t I spare a few hours a month to train?” She paused, blushed and looked away before mumbling, “and it sounded cool to be in the Guard.”

“Hah! There we go,” laughed Rising. “All them ‘Equestria needs you’ campaigns sure paid off, eh?” As he settled down, he looked more critically at the mare, sparing a glance at the impassive Winter as well. “So, what do you do when you’re not ‘helping the guard once in a while’?”

The mare bit her lip, looking even more redder in the face than before. “I… kind of… well… I work at a spa. As a masseuse,” she admitted.

Winter cocked an eyebrow and looked at Cuddle, who by now was ready to sink into the hard stone in embarrassment. Rising Star was having too much fun at the expense of the poor mare, so the sergeant decided to finally cut in. “If you ask me, no job degrades a pony. I was always a guard, and some ponies don’t hold that position in high regard. Joining with the intention of help is a noble thing to do, especially if you follow through when we really need you.”

The warm words seemed to have a positive effect on Cuddlebug, her tension giving way to a small smile and thankful nod.

“Well, aren’t we being poetic today, sir?” asked the surprised Star, hopping down from the battlements and continuing on their rounds. “Alright, I’ll give you that. Ponies who are all talk and no show are the plague. Especially the aristocrats. Knight this, Dutchess that, but when push comes to shove, they are all in court banging their hooves about someone having to do something.”

“They’ve grown complacent. I think,” remarked Cuddlebug, her ears flickering a bit with uncertainty. “I mean, we have the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses to protect us, right? And recent Equestrian history shows us that… well… what can a pony do against a God of Chaos, really?”

“Well, they can bloody try?” suggested Rising Star, rolling his eyes. “I mean, sure, we were all furniture and silverware for most of the day that time-”

“Don’t remind me,” sighed Winter, shuddering at the memory. Being a three-door wardrobe and keeping other scared house appliances in himself for protection was the weirdest experience ever. Well, maybe with the recent events, a solid number two.

“But at least we did what we could to keep folk from hurting each other,” finished Rising in a huff. “Some of those candleholders or knives were a real threat to themselves and others!”

Cuddlebug smiled widely and looked at the two guards, ears perked confidently. “To be honest, that’s a big part of why I joined the reserves. That Discorded day, I mean. There were so many confused ponies running around, so many scared fillies and colts. The guards did everything they could to protect us, even if they looked half-scared to death themselves. It… it inspires ponies, you know? To want to do better.”

Winter felt a pang of pride well up in him, making his stride a bit brisker and chest more puffed out. Even if most ponies thought the job was boring and symbolic, there were still ponies like Cuddlebug and Wing that believed in the guard. That was enough to keep going. For now.

* * *

“And basically, that’s it. You’ve survived a day in the life of a guardspony. Does your life feel complete now?” asked Rising with a cheeky grin.

Despite her initial bashfulness and timid nature, Cuddlebug eventually opened up to the two. Between Rising’s banter and Snow’s level attitude, the mare felt right at home by the end of it, nudging Rising on the side of the helmet with a giggle. “Yes, sir! I can now honestly tell my grandfoals I served with the guard during a crisis!”

“Grandfoals, eh? Does Mr. Cuddlebug know you’re plannin’ that far ahead?” quipped Star, unstrapping his crooked helmet and starting to work on the bindings of his chest piece.

“Oh, heh. I meant, eventually,” replied Cuddlebug, her magic swiftly unbuckling the plates and straps and arranging them in a neat stack next to her. She rubbed the end of her muzzle with a soft smile and added, “there isn’t a Mr. Cuddlebug yet. Or a Mrs. Still kinda, you know… waiting for it to happen, heh.”

“Aww, such a shame!” exclaimed Rising, shoving his armor pile into his locker, still careful not to bend it too much. “Such a nice mare like you out there for the taking? Why, if I weren’t married already, I’d-”

“Do well to not say anything that can be used in divorce court,” mumbled Snow with a smirk of his own, avoiding a lazy swipe at his head from his friend. He was the last to take off his armor, the neat stack fitting without any trouble in his locker.

“It’s not like you could tell her anything,” added Star, heading for the showers. With a swift kick he turned the dial and sunk his muzzle into a stream of steaming water. “I got so much dirt on ya I could probably make you sing ballads about my virtue,” he grinned with a wink. At the sound of Cuddlebug’s snickering, he turned to her and waved a hoof at her. “Don’t worry, a week is a lot of time to get some good stuff on you too, missy.”

Cuddlebug’s laugh fizzled out as she looked back at Winter, who shrugged. “He’s kinda right. Remember to give yourself plausible deniability around Star. Especially when cider is involved.”

“Speaking of which - you up for a mug?” Rising Star gave a toothy grin, wiggling his eyebrows, his wet mane plastered each side of his face.

“Uh, sure! Why not!” chirped Cuddlebug, enjoying a shower of her own.

“Sorry, got a… thing, going on. I’ll just take a shower and go,” apologised Snow, much to the displeasure of Rising Star.

“Aww, c’mon, sir! I mean, this is our first day as a new team! Integration and all that!” protested Rising, dragging both his guardsmates into sidelong hugs. “What can possibly be so important that you’d want to skip out on spending time with your best buds?”

Winter blushed slightly and looked away, tapping his hooves together. He gave Rising Star a meaningful look, raising his eyebrows.

“Oooohhh, okay. Okay, sure. I get it.” Rising Star sighed, reluctantly letting his sergeant go back to his jet of hot water. “So, I guess it’s just you and me, rookie! Gonna introduce ya to the boys, it’s gonna be great!”

“Yay?” said Cuddlebug with a bit of hesitation, finally being let go to tend to her long mane.

* * *

Not being late for once? Check!

Having a bunch of nice flowers for your date? Check!

Smelling like something more than cologne and not having your own cum in your hair? Double check!

In front of the arcade, Winter was debating whether to enter or not. On the one hoof, he was supposed to pick his date up after work, so would it be bad if he just showed up and hung around until the time came? From his limited dating experience, he never really got to the point where he’d go after a mare to her place of work. Most of the time, his odd hours meant he was the one being waited for. Not that it happened all that often.

Having smelled himself for the umpteenth time and having made sure the flowers weren’t dead yet, the stallion finally made a decision. With a deep breath, he strolled through the door, the cool and noisy air sweeping over him. The interior was dimly lit, most of the lighting coming from the machines playing chiptune sounds and flashing epileptic lights. How were these colts and fillies not blind after a whole day of this?

Winter carefully scanned the room, finally noticing his date at the bar, busy with a queue of clients. Due to the shield and no-fly zone over Canterlot, the day was mostly hot and dry, and the chilled soda cans swapped hooves at an express rate.

On reflex, Wing Dancer glanced at the entrance, registering a new customer at the door. As he was hoofing out change for another customer, he fumbled, making a double-take at the newcomer. The handsome, tall stallion stood out head and withers over most of the clientele, his white coat illuminated with distorted visuals from the machines. He carried a slightly wilted bouquet of delicious looking tulips in in his muzzle, a goofy grin and blush creeping on his face. Wing Dancer beamed back, nodding at him and returning to the queue, a bit more eager to serve the lot and trot over to his date.

Now that he thought about it, Winter wasn’t sure if showing up like that in the arcade was a good idea. The flowers he was carrying made it obvious they were for somepony... but how would these kids react to him and Wing?

Almost as if sensing his distress, a few foals from the nearby machines started gawking at the large stallion, whispering to one another and pointing him out. One by one colts and fillies stopped playing and gave the stallion more attention, causing him to fidget and dart his eyes around nervously.

Finally, one of the onlookers approached carefully, his muzzle scrunched up.

“Hey, mister?” asked the colt, a beige pegasus with thick glasses. “Are you GWS?”

Winter furrowed his brows in confusion, the flowers around his muzzle not helping in the slightest. He had no idea what the foal was talking about, so he simply shook his head, glancing towards the thinning queue at Wing’s bar. Maybe he should still try and wait outside, to not make it awkward for the batpony?

“I’m preeeetty sure I saw you around here when GWS was around… wait here!” the colt declared. Abruptly, the kid turned around and ran for the bar, with practiced ease squeezing past the other patrons and propping himself against the top. ”Hey, Wing! That guy, up there”, he pointed at Snow excitedly, “doesn’t he totally look like GWS?”

Wing gave a beaming smile, eyeing Winter once again. “Yup, sure does. Mostly because it is him,” he replied politely, looking back at the stallion apologetically and shaking his head. “Please, don’t smother him too much.” But the child was already gone.

Funny, how one declaration can change a stallion’s life forever. Or, at least, for the forseeable future that could, in certain ways, make a longer time of existence questionable.

“Hey guys, it is GWS!”

Like a swarm of locusts, the patrons dropped what they were doing and lay siege to Winter. The stallion stood frozen in the sea of hooves and muzzles, all trying to touch or tug at him, babbling about crossbows and assassins. A small spark lit in his mind, remembering that one time he played a game and… Yeah. GWS. Guard Winter Snow. Of course.

With the unexpected celebrity arriving on premise, the rest of the children abandoned their places in the queue, not wanting to be left out on trying to get noticed by the pony who achieved the highest score on “Midnight Assassin” in Canterlot. Wing Dancer’s grin couldn’t get wider as he observed Winter trying to back out of the crowd while not trampling any of the more eager children latching onto his limbs. The stallion was fighting a lost battle and was actually starting to sink like a majestic freighter into the swarm of multicolored coats.

Just as Winter was starting to lose patience, the mob parted in front of him, the ash coat of Wing Dancer blocking out his view. The smaller pony propped him up, helping him dislodge some passengers before they could tumble and hurt themselves.

“Okay guys, give GWS some space. You all know very well assassins don’t enjoy the spotlight,” he said in a tutoring voice, gently nudging some of the more persistent children away. Despite the grumbling and general disappointment, the excitement quickly died down and only a few die-hard fans kept staring and bouncing on their hooves.

“Thanks,” mumbled Winter around the bouquet. “Uh… I brought… I mean...” He wanted to give him the flowers, but would that be okay? Did these patrons even know they were…

“They’re lovely. Let me hold them for you,” said Dancer, taking the flowers and tucking them under his wing. “Thank you.”

“Sorry,” whispered out Snow, rubbing his neck. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like Winter was putting Wing on the spot. “Is this okay? I mean, do they know? A-Are you okay with- I mean, should I have staye-”

His rambling was cut short with a fast kiss on the lips from Wing Dancer. The batpony smiled cheekily at Winter’s stunned expression, mirrored by a few other onlookers. “I don’t mind. And if they do, they can take it up with me.”

Some of the children scrunched up their muzzles and made retching noises. A filly or two cooed. Still, the gesture was mostly ignored, as the children's’ attention was glued back to the various games.

* * *

Another hour passed quite pleasantly up until closing time. Winter only sporadically got bothered by some of his fans, having to give out an autograph or two. He got a grape juice out of it, and one filly even possessively grabbed his leg, staring Wing Dancer down and proclaiming Snow as her own. It lasted all of five minutes before she was hauled away by her parents who profusely apologized for their daughter’s behaviour.

“It’s all them vidya games,” drawled the stallion in a business suit, ushering his wife and squirming filly out. “Keeps the kids busy, but ya gotta keep a hoof on them so they don’t go weird.”

As soon as the family left, Wing snarked, leaning in to Winter and whispering, “She spends all day here, and it seems only other ‘vidya games’ kids are her company. Sometimes complains about home being empty and boring.”

Snow shrugged to that. He never thought about parenthood - it always seemed such a faraway thing that happened to others. He still sometimes forgot his best friend had a kid and family to take care of. That under that snarky, often assholish shell there was a loved husband and adored father, if his stories were anything to go by.

“And thanks again for the flowers. Tulips are my favorite,” purred out Dancer, discreetly nuzzling the stallion behind the ear. Even though he didn’t feel particularly threatened here, it wasn’t in good taste to be too open about his relationship habits around such young patrons.

“I’m glad,” replied Winter, a smile plastered to his face. It was hard for him not to smile, seeing Wing Dancer all happy like that. Even though he felt Dancer’s energy before, it seemed amplified in this place. It was his zone, and it showed - ponies were very polite with him, and a few looked to be very chummy. A pang of guilt surfaced in Winter’s mind, reminding him that he basically attacked Wing not a week ago in his own safe-zone. “Really glad,” he said in a softer voice, observing his probably-but-not-officially coltfriend.

He spent most of his time just staring over the place, his habits picking out and categorising the ponies into troublemakers and potential miscreants. Children were harder to peg, as most of them were “malicious little assholes anyway”, according to Star. Of course, the statement never applied to his own, and “he’d buck the face of anyone who’d say otherwise”.

Stealing glances of Wing Dancer here and there, he let himself appreciate the batpony more. It was always a bit hectic and emotional whenever they met - it was either sex, drama or both. He always looked so nicely groomed and full of energy. Right now, the stallion had a slightly slumped posture, a typical sign of an ending shift he often saw in the mirror, and Wing’s mane was slightly disheveled, brow moist with sweat. He looked… like a pony. Any pony, really. Still, there were these small details that Snow couldn’t help but notice. The way Wing’s smile reached all the way to his electric blue eyes. The deftness and practiced ease with which he swapped coins or retrieved beverages. The wings on his back, tucked in neatly. They looked so fragile compared to the downy ones he saw of his fellow guards. As he kept looking, he started wondering how those leathery, thin appendages would feel-

“Well, just gotta clean up now and we can go!” chirped Wing Dancer, shaking Snow out of his daydreaming. Luckily, the batpony didn’t notice the fierce blush on his partner’s face.

“Need help?” offered Snow, looking around at the empty room. It was still buzzing with sounds and beeps, but compared to the gaggle of ponies being there not ten minutes ago, one could consider it almost silent.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” smiled Wing, nuzzling Winter’s neck. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to do my job when I’m asking you out on a date.”

“It’s fine, I can help,” offered Snow, returning the gesture with a bit more reserve. Even though there was no one there, it still felt awkward in a public place. “What can I do?”

“Uh… Well, shoot. If you really want, you can go look between the machines and pick up the trash. But really, I can do it lickety split, don’t bother!”

Wing was speaking to Winter’s back as the stallion quickly trotted around the place, kicking the discarded cans and paper cups into a pile. He even found a few silver coins which he dutifully returned to Dancer.

“You can keep them. Anything you find after closing is yours,” explained Dancer. After a short pause, he trotted over to Winter, going past him slowly with exaggerated movement. As his tail brushed against the stallion’s chin, he purred out “And I do mean anything.”

Winter gulped. It was one thing to be a bit raunchy in an ice-cream place. Being so openly saucy in a public establishment just wasn’t right, and Snow couldn’t help but blush and stutter. His eyes glued to the pile of rubbish, he started vigorously crushing the cans as Wing brought a bag from the nearby utility closet.

“Something the matter?” worriedly asked Wing, his ears drawing back a bit. “T-Too much?”

“No! No, no,” yelped Snow, almost tripping as the can he was working on escaped his hoof. “It’s just that… Well, out here...”

“Oh. You’re… uh, a-ashamed?”

“No! It’s not… I mean… eh,” sighed Snow, plopping on his rump and shaking his head. With a deep breath, he straightened out and looked into his lover’s eyes. The two pools of blue around a sea of black looked as magical as ever to him. “I’m just, you know… adjusting. I don’t know when… what is okay. And where.”

“I think I… see? Question mark?” said Wing, cocking his head a bit. “Or maybe I don’t… I mean… if it’s so different to you...”

“Well, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve never been g… g...” Winter stopped. The word ‘gay’ didn’t want to come out. It was like an epiphany, the realisation that the term would have to apply to him now. Another quick breath and a shove of the thoughts for later, he resumed. “Sorry. I’m new to this. I’m just stupid. But you already know that. Big dumb idiot.”

“Shh, shh shh,” hushed Wing, trotting over to Snow and leaning into his side. “No you’re not. I know it’s… kinda hard. Different. I mean, I wasn’t always like this, either. I sorta understand what you’re going through, but… if I can be honest… I’m really sorry you’re feeling that way. Wish there was something I could do-”

“No, now you stop,” chastised Snow, putting his head over the smaller stallion’s. He was rewarded with a barely audible purr as he continued, “It’s not important, okay? I’m… like I said, I want to try this. To make this work. To have this… this chance,” he blushed and smacked his lips a bit, shakily reaching out a hoof to lift Wing’s head. “To have it w-with you. Because it’s you.” The stallion would have burned from shame for using such a cheesy line straight from a Neighponese cartoon, but the effect was an immediate and passionate kiss from Wing Dancer.

Their tongues wrestled and explored one another for what felt for far too short before they were politely interrupted by somepony clearing their throat. Snow broke the kiss with a startled yelp, his ears shooting to the back of his head with an audible snap and face going red.

“Wing, mind finishing out here?” asked a burly earth pony, slowly making his way towards the exit. “You can do whatever after work, but as long as there’s shit on the floor you’re still on the clock. And getting comfy with your friend there doesn’t count as overtime.”

“Yes, sir, sorry, sir!” chirped back Wing, a crimson blush on his muzzle to match Snow’s. As soon as the owner closed the door behind him, the batpony breathed with relief. Rubbing his hooves together and looking bashful for once, he said to Winter, “Well, if it’s any consolation, this isn’t the worst he’s seen.”

Winter didn’t know if he should have been curious, outraged or worried.

* * *

The tiny restaurant on the edge of the city was indeed very cozy. The interior was decorated in warm colors with multi-hued pillows stacked around big round tables, allowing patrons to lounge about with their drinks while looking out at the spectacular view outside. The establishment had large glass panes on its circumference instead of walls, and while the street view wasn’t all that interesting, the panorama of the Equestrian countryside on the south side was breathtaking.

Winter was absolutely terrified at the sight - the place was at the very edge of the city, and the only thing keeping him from bolting was his faith in the architect’s ability. He wouldn’t even dream of approaching the distressingly thin glass pane to look at what was down below. He liked the ground as much as the next earth pony, but from this high up, he had no desire to embrace it.

“C’mon, it’s safe Winter!” said Wing, propping himself against the glass and mushing his face against it to look down. “The view here is fantastic! Makes you really appreciate the clean, mountain air we have over here!”

“No, thanks,” weakly murmured out Winter, stubbornly avoiding looking down at the majestic landscape. “Of course you feel safe about it. Even if it cracked, you’d just spring those batty wings of yours and fly away.”

“Awww, c’mooon,” whined the batpony, shaking Winter enough to make his drink wobble dangerously in his hooves. “You’re really missing out.”

“Thanks. Maybe later.”

The batpony sighed in exasperation and looked back at the land below. “The pink bubble spoils it a bit anyway, I guess. Like your smoothie?” he asked, changing the subject and sipping down on his own minty water with ice.

“Yeah,” said Snow, a bit of surprise slipping into his tone as he gulped down another mouthful. “I’m not big on tomatoes, but this is actually the best I’ve ever had. This whole place is great, really. I can see why you like it so much.”

Wing stifled a happy gasp, lying alongside Winter. It was obvious by his slight squirming he’d rather be cuddled up to the bigger pony, but he decided to be a bit more considerate to Winter’s pace. It seemed that public displays of affection were a big deal to him, and it was important to Dancer that Snow grew to feel comfortable with that over time. With a small spark of envy he observed another couple cuddled up to one another, their tails intertwined, engaged in a hushed conversation over sweet nothings. He looked back at his probably-but-they-didn’t-talk-about-it-yet buckfriend and, after working his jaw for a bit, asked, “So… can you tell me what’s it about? The whole bubble thing and the rumors of a terrorist thing happening soon?”

“Not sure I can tell you much,” shrugged Winter, an apologetic smile on his lips. He looked back out on the street, almost absent-mindedly running a hoof through Wing’s mane, much to the latter’s pleasant surprise. “It’s all rumors for now, really. Nopony knows anything, really. For all we know, this might be some kind of elaborate prank.”

“Well, these sure are some heavy measures for a prank,” pointed out Dancer, trying to move his head as little as possible and savoring the attention. “I mean, even during the event with Nightmare Moon, Canterlot wasn’t so… tense.”

Snow sighed, looking down at his they-should-probably-talk-soon-about-it buckfriend. He realised what he’d been doing and hesitated for a second, looking around. It didn’t seem anypony was paying them any attention and, frankly, there was at least one other couple that got comfortable with one another. A small nudge from Wing’s head made the stallion’s mind up and he continued stroking the back of Dancer’s head. “Yeah… you’re right. All this feels… weird.” He paused again, blinking. “Canterlot, I mean. There is something in the air that spells trouble. We even had a new pony from the reserves join us. You know it’s bad when they gather civilians and put them into armor.”

“A new pony?” asked Wing with a purr, looking up at Winter. “Oh, do tell~”

Snow shrugged, looking back out at the bustle of the streets outside. “Her name’s Cuddlebug. Seems decent enough. Joined the guard because ‘it sounded cool’,” snorted Winter. “Rising seems to fancy her a lot, although it might just be his inner demons letting lose on a poor soul again.”

“Is she pretty?” asked the batpony, propping himself a bit more comfortably against Snow. He let his hooves loosely lie around the bigger frame of his partner; while not technically a hug, it was close enough to snuggle territory he’d be satisfied for now.

Winter shrugged again, adjusting his hold on Dancer himself, fighting a rising blush as they inevitably got closer. If he tried, he could probably put his cute muzzle under his chin and just cuddle the life out of him… if they were alone, that is. “I’m not a good pony to ask. Long hair, pretty but impractical. Her colors were okay, I guess. Dunno.”

“Well, that explains one mystery,” chuckled Dancer, lightly nuzzling the tantalizing chest in front of him. It was all he could do to not start rubbing himself all over the stupidly handsome stallion just inches away. Inside, he felt relief at not having to worry much about another potential bump in their already ‘exciting’ ride.

Winter shot the smaller stallion a dirty look, opening his mouth, closing it and looking away with a harrumph. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said dismissively. This close together, he was far too focused on trying not to think about others staring. Why was he so bothered all of a sudden? Was it the spacious interior of the restaurant that made him feel like everypony was looking at the obviously gay thing going on at their table? Why was it okay in the small ice-cream shop and not out here, in a place made for intimacy and coziness?

A quick glance around confirmed that, in fact, no one cared about their closeness. The couple at the far side, near the window, were still whispering to one another, as close together as they could be. A small family of three were enjoying dinner, the little colt squealing excitedly each time a spoonful of some mashed potatoes flew to his mouth. There was one other pony by the entrance, looking over some papers while sipping a coffee suspended in magic. And then there was them - Snow, trying as hard as he could to look composed, with Wing draped over him loosely, his head close-but-not-really-touching his chest.

“Wing?” shakily asked Snow, nuzzling the bridge of Dancer’s muzzle. “Can we, uh… talk?” he whispered out, chewing on his lip.

The playful smile on the batpony’s face dialed down a notch, his eyes betraying slight worry. “About what, Snow?”

“Well… you know. A-About… us. Where w-we...”

“Where we stand?” finished Dancer, looking down for a moment before his soft eyes locked onto the brown ones of Snow. “I… Where would you like us to be, Snowy?”

The question startled Winter, more than it should perhaps. On the one hoof, it was quite obvious they were going for a relationship. Was it? Snow searched his feelings and yes, there were definitely some hot embers burning in his heart for the batpony. Even just looking back down at the large, round eyes (why was it that they were always so huge and tantalizing in the dim light?) and soft, kissable muzzle, his heart couldn’t help but pound against his chest.

At the same time, the stallion kept falling back on the same insecurities that caused his near-fatal outburst a few days back. If only Wing was a mare, it would have been a clean-cut case. No penis, no trouble. Granted, he did try the penis and he didn’t hate it. Deep down, he even felt a bit of shameful excitement over the prospect of revisiting that experience again. But as it was now, he acted as if that part of Wing’s body made him a totally different pony than who he actually was. Why, in his mind, did it matter so much if the pronoun was a ‘he’ instead of a ‘she’?

“I w-would,” stammered out Winter, his mouth dry, “I’d l-like… to be able to… you know… buckfriend?” he said in an almost inaudible whisper. His eyes darted about madly, almost certain he’d catch somepony’s appalled expression or disapproving glare.

“I’d like that too, Snowy… but it doesn’t sound like… you’re okay with it,” mumbled out Wing, touching the scruffy chest coat of Snow. He traced a small, expanding circle on the stallion’s chest, continuing to himself, “It’s okay, Winter. I get it you need… time. I can see you’re really trying. And please, don’t feel bad about needing that time. I’ll wait. Promise. As long as… you know… you’ll still be-”

With much less hesitation, Winter kissed Wing on the lips. The batpony murred into the kiss, breaking away first and nuzzling Snow’s nose. “As long as you do that, I’ll be fine. You don’t have to force yourself to do it in public to prove a point, Snowy.”

Winter huffed in embarrassment, straining to keep his eyes on the big blue eyes instead of searching for onlookers. “But… eh, it just feels… Unfair,” he finally spat out, his hoof moving towards Wing’s cheek. “I don’t want to treat you different because you’re… you. I’m, I mean, we already… eh.” He felt his face steadily burning up as he kept trying to think up what to say in order to say it properly. We already had sex, so it should be fine now? We touched each other’s penises, so it shouldn’t be that hard to cuddle or kiss like this? Look, I’m just an idiot who probably has masculinity issues and doesn’t want others to see the big guard and think he takes it in the ass from a pony half his size?

“I have issues,” blurted out Snow, his face color putting his abandoned smoothie to shame. “I don’t know why, but I do. But I’ll work on it, I promise. Sorry I-I’m l-like this, but that’s how… how I d-deal with problems. Head on.”

Wing Dancer had to bite down on his lip to stifle the big smile and chuckle building up at the back of his throat. At Winter’s hurt expression, he nuzzled the guard’s ear and whispered out in a sultry voice, “Oh yes, ‘head on’ indeed. I like that too.”

Winter’s face went up in flames at that and the most adorable squeak concluded their cozy little date at the restaurant.

Author's Note

Special thanks to Shadeol for helping with the editing :ajsmug:

Like the story? Want more? Consider joining my Patreon!

Shady Alley, pt. 1

“Pweaaase?” begged Wing Dancer, weaponizing his wide-eyed stare against the flustered Winter Snow.

One would think that walking your date home was a simple matter. You dropped them off at their doorstep, made out a bit, apologised for not being able to stay over and head on home, dreading the early next day shift.

Now, with Wing Dancer, the matter was slipping out of hoof. Winter knew there’d be trouble the moment he mentioned the new assignments and changed patrol hours, which required him to be at the castle come break of dawn. Wing’s pout and complaints only intensified the closer they got to the cozy neighbourhood where the batpony lived.

At the doorstep, there was making out. Winter still felt a bit awkward and as if everyone was staring, but the heavenly soft lips and swift tongue of his lover quickly shoved those worries away. It required a great amount of restraint to not push into the kiss, and even more willpower to actually break it.

“Do you really have to go?” whined Dancer, quickly darting in to nuzzle at Winter’s jaw and bodily hug the stallion. “I promise it’s no trouble for you to stay over. Even if you have to leave early! C’mon!”

“Sorry, Wingie,” murmured Snow, leaning slightly into the hug and putting a hoof around his date. The scent of lavender made him sigh heavily. “It’s really early in the morning, and I must be in a… presentable shape,” he finished, cheeks turning crimson.

Wing whinnied and bumped Snow’s muzzle with a coy grin. “I can live without sex, silly.” Winter got a much more forceful shove for the skeptical look on his face. “Meanie. Let me prove it then! In fact, I’ll up ya! What about breakfast in bed in the morning. Please?”

“I… don’t know,” sighed Snow, petting the back of Wing’s head. “It just feels… I mean, I’ve been at your place so much and...”

“Is that a problem? I like having you over,” whispered Wing, nuzzling behind the taller stallion’s ear. “You’re a joy to have, trust me,” he added, licking his lips while staring the stallion down.

“‘I can live without sex’ my ass,” mumbled out Snow.

“Hey! Okay. Sure. No more teasing then,” pronounced Dancer, reluctantly untangling himself from Snow. “Well, I can’t make you stay if you don’t want to-”

“Trust me, I really want to!” protested Snow, taking a step forward to hug the batpony. Wing swiftly dodged the hoof going for his neck, jumping backwards into his apartment.

“-but I won’t let you think that sex defines who I am. Or who you are to me,” finished Wing, giving a small smile. “Like I said, it’s no trouble for me to wake up earlier. I’ll even cook you up some breakfast, and you can use the shower all you want. If you want to be ‘fresh’,” snickered Dancer, drawing quotation marks with his hooves, “I won’t put a single hoof on you either.”

Snow looked away, embarrassment drawing his ears back to his head. What was he thinking? Did he really perceive Wing as a sex-addled fiend? Well, they had a lot of fun together, and the feelings in his nethers were certainly there whenever Wing was around. Most of their encounters ended up on the couch. But was Wing only that? A nice body and skillful mouth?

“Sorry,” whispered Winter, feeling even more ashamed than before. “I-I didn’t mean to say that… you’re n-not just… okay,” he sighed, pecking at the ground with a hoof, looking this way and that. “I-I’ll stay over. Sorry for being an ass. Again.”

A gentle hoof brought his muzzle up, Wing’s smiling one inches away from him. “It’s alright. I admit, you’re quite a hunk of a stallion. It’ll be hard to keep my hooves to myself, but I really care about you more than your body. Which is fantastic, just for the record,” he said, grinning widely. Snow couldn’t help but mirror the smile, leaning in slightly and parting his lips. To his surprise, Wing pulled back just as much, tsking. “Hey, remember? Soldier boy must keep his stamina!” he chirped.

“What? Not even kissing?” complained Winter, surprised at the slight tone of whine carried in his voice.

“Better safe than sorry, love,” purred out Dancer, turning around and strutting inside. He totally missed the wide-eyed expression on Winter’s face.

“Love...” mouthed Snow, the simple word drawing out hundreds of new thoughts he meticulously shoved back for later.

* * *

The tension was palpable in the small home of Wing Dancer. The two stallions were enjoying each other’s company over a cup of tea and cucumber sandwiches. Distracting themselves with idle conversation, they did their best to keep their bodies in check, fighting a magnetism that drew them together from across the sofa.

“So that interview went well, I think, but they didn’t get back to me yet,” sighed Dancer, nibbling on his sandwich. It was a conscious effort for him to keep his eyes on Winter’s face and not let them roam around his muscular torso, well-toned barrel, mighty flanks… Wing shook himself slightly, settling into an easy grin. “And it’s not like I stopped looking. Actually, I applied to the company that made ‘Midnight Assassin’. They were looking for a couple QA ponies for their new game, ‘Midnight Assassin: The 12th Tone’. It’s supposed to be a sequel, but they want to tell the story of the Assassin’s Assistant, a pony who uses daggers. I don’t know how they want the controllers to work for melee combat, but if they pull it off, it’d be super awesome!”

Winter grunted and nodded. “That does sound nice. But uh… what’s a queay pony?” he asked with a slight blush, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I’m not good with games...”

“Oh, that’s alright,” chuckled Wing, waving a hoof. “Didn’t expect you to be. QA is short for Quality Assurance. They make sure the game works properly, there are no bugs and the experience is enjoyable. Can you imagine that it’s an actual job you get bits for?” he grinned, shuffling himself a bit closer to Winter. Their hind hooves were inches apart.

“Huh. Yeah, that does sound like a dream job, doesn’t it? Play all day long and get paid,” sighed Winter, rolling his shoulders. He peeked at Wing over his sandwich. The urge to hug the pony against himself steadily rose over the last hour.

“What about you?” asked Dancer, watching his lover squirm at his end of the sofa. It was all he could do to not pounce and fit himself under the well-defined chin of the larger pony. “I think you mentioned you wanted to advance in the ranks?”

“Yeah. Maybe,” lamely replied Snow, putting away his empty cup. “I mean, I don’t really mind where I’m at now. Advancing means more responsibilities and desk work. I actually enjoy walking around the palace. It’s calm most of the time, and a pony has time to think about… stuff.”

“What kiiiind of stuff?” crooned Wing, leaning slightly towards Winter, his tail swishing.

“Oh. Well… stuff,” blurted out Snow, the eager expression on Dancer making him regret the words. “You know. What I’m doing with my life. Where it’ll go. U-Ummmm… Well…” he clapped his hooves together, squirming, “M-Maybe kinda sorta thinking… a-about you. Us.”

“Awww,” cooed Wing, scooching closer to the stallion. “And where do those thoughts lead, hmm?”

His face crimson, Snow gave an involuntary smile. “W-Well...” He bit his lip, darting his eyes around and squirming even more. Blowjob training? Kissing? How utterly adorable you look with those giant blue eyes? How crazy it drives me to see those half-lidded orbs above a mouth full of cock? he thought to himself, his tail swishing once.

“Teeell meee,” sing-sang Wing, advancing even more. They were inches apart now, muzzle to muzzle. Wing drank in the sight of his lover, the adorable blush on his face reaching all the way to the stallion’s ears. This timid side of Winter was to die for. If he could only tease Snow a bit more physically, he’d have a melting, blubbering stallion in his thrall in no time.

Snow’s heart was racing. Wing was so close they were almost touching snouts, and he really wanted to make the leap and kiss those soft lips, pet that silky mane and back, rub himself in the lavender scent… all it’d take was a hoof and…

“Wiiinteeer, you said no fun timeeees,” whined Wing, eyeing the hoof moving steadily towards him. As much as he wanted to rub his muzzle all over it and worship it, his pride kept him still.

Snow rolled his eyes, deadpan. With great strain, he drew his hoof back, the two staring at each other with dare in their eyes. Who would break first?

“You’re overdoing it,” grumbled Winter, his tail flailing in a mixture of frustration and annoyance.

“I’m just trying to be considerate,” replied Wing with an innocent smile. “I can control myself, no problem~,” he cooed, spreading his wings and hopping into a hover. He kissed the air over Winter’s nose, giggling to himself.

“You’re being a tease,” complained Winter, falling back into the sofa. He watched the nimble body above hover effortlessly. It was amazing how such thin-skinned appendages could keep the batpony aloft. They looked so smooth, almost see-through. So delicate, so lean…

“Oh my, somepony’s having naughty thoughts,” crooned Dancer, covering his mouth in mock shock.

“You’ll end up giving me blue balls,” grumbled Snow, closing his legs tight.

“But I haven’t done anything,” evenly countered Wing, sticking his tongue out. “I mean, I totally would if I could… But alas-”

“Tartarus damn- come here!”

With a yelp, Dancer was plucked out of the air and hugged fiercely against Snow. He half-heartedly tried pushing himself away, quickly melting into a snuggling, purring heap. His body sparked all over at the sensation of Winter’s scruffy coat. He relished in the strong hooves that wrapped around him with surprising care, the rippling muscles underneath shifting in tantalizing patterns.

“But you said we can’t,” Dancer mumbled into the strong chest, pecking it lightly between words.

“Oh shut up,” sighed Winter, patting the bat on the head. It felt like hugging a warm, silky pillow. Wing squirmed for a bit as he settled, wrapping his own hooves along Winter’s back. It felt good. It felt right. At that moment, nothing else mattered. At first, Snow worried that he’d go further and turn yet another night at Wing’s into a sexual encounter but…

They held each other like that for several minutes more, enjoying the company in silence. The tension was slowly ebbing away, the two settling into a small doze. Wing was being gently lulled to sleep by the rising and falling chest of Winter, who in turn succumbed to the monotone purr sent to his chest by the happy batpony.

Winter jolted himself awake unexpectedly, the pleasant warmth on his chest squeaking.

“Oh gosh,” yawned Wing, nuzzling under Winter’s jaw. “Think I went off for a second there. You okay?”

“Yeah,” murmured Snow, rubbing his eye and looking at a wall mounted clock. “It’s late. Should probably get some sleep.”

“Okay,” nodded Wing, propping himself against the stallion and stretching his back. He lowered his parted mouth to Snow’s. “Can I?”

Snow reached out the rest of the way and planted a soft kiss on the lips he loved so much. He even went as far to flick his tongue against the protruding fangs, much to the shivering delight of the batpony.

“You got an alarm clock or something I can use?” asked Snow, rubbing the side of his lover’s muzzle.

“Yeah. By the bed.”

“Mind bringing it? I’ll have to set it to around six.”

“Bring it?” Wing raised a brow and then smiled. “Oh no, you’re not sleeping on the couch. Come on,” he chirped, wrapping a hoof around Snow’s, trying to drag him along deeper into the house.

“Don’t tell me you want me to sleep in your bed. I won’t let you sleep on the couch in your own house!”

“Why would I?” asked Wing with a perplexed expression. “I was hoping… you know… we could both sleep in the bed? Cuddled up… Too much?”

“Oh. Oh! Y-Yeah, I mean, yes, s-sure, sounds good!” stammered Winter, his ears pinning back. “S-Sorry, I just didn’t think... You know. Eh. I mean, I’d love that, but-”

“Promise no sexy touchy!” assured Wing, tugging Winter’s leg. It soon followed, if a bit reluctantly, along with the stallion’s body.

The bedroom wasn’t exactly big, but the bed itself looked pretty inviting. It had enough pillows on it to build a fort, and there were at least three types of covers thrown over it.

“Sorry about the mess,” said Wing, jumping over the bed and attempting a last-second clean-up job. Pillows went flying, being roughly shoved to one side, while the bedsheets were uncrumpled and patted down.

Wing’s frantic cleaning was interrupted as a weight settled on the bed. Winter’s front hooves tested the bed, pushing against it. Not a peep was heard, the mattress giving way under the considerable strength of the stallion. “Fancy bed,” he commented, gingerly climbing on and blushing yet again.

“Y-Yeah,” muttered Wing, nuzzling his mate behind the ear. “Hope it’ll be comfortable for you.”

Snow looked at the batpony, chewing on a response, his cheeks reddening even more as he said, “I-I’m kinda used to harder. B-But I don’t mind. Even the sofa is good if...” He briefly nuzzled Dancer back, finishing “...if you’re there too.”

The two kissed, lying down and settling into the sheets. Hooves wrapped around backs and tails mingled as Winter and Wing hugged into one another, sinking slightly into the fluffy pillows.

“I love you, Snow,” whispered out Wing, nuzzling Winter’s ear.

Snow stiffened, the declaration stunning him into silence. Before his mind could catch up, the heart took the reins, and he responded, “I love you too, Wingie.”

The batpony gave an odd, happy chirp, and began kissing and roaming his hooves all over Winter’s body with renewed vigor. The ministrations thawed Snow out of his stupor, slowly but surely building up passion in the movement of his legs and lips. The two spent some time exploring one another’s body.

Winter’s massive frame was all flexing muscle, hard, almost unyielding, with a coat that tended to grate against the skin. Yet as Wing swept his muzzle along the ripped torso, it gave way easily under his tongue and lips. Each kiss or lick caused small spasms on the stallion’s belly, as if they were unexpected pricks, but Snow did nothing to stop the eager batpony, up until he got too low under the sheets in his fervor. A gentle hoof tapped him on the nose, followed by a hard glare, a facade betrayed by Winter’s lustful panting. Wing smiled back and dove for the muzzle, kissing deeply and letting loose his slick tongue, dancing it around Winter’s slower and bigger one.

In Winter’s hooves, Wing seemed so small and fragile. He was soft, to the point of his coat and skin feeling slick. As he roamed along his lover’s body, he discovered toned muscles underneath, ones that gave way with groans of pleasure at his touch. As delicately as he could, he traced around the batpony’s wing muscles, prodding and exploring the foreign appendages with just the tips of his hooves. The taut muscles sprang into action, lifting the webbed wings above the two of them. They trembled lightly as Snow kept climbing his hoof along them, folding in to let him reach all the way to the top. As soon as he started touching the thin canvas of the wing, he felt it closing around his leg, the warm, hairless skin a peculiar sensation.

“Such a shame it’s no sexy touchy time,” murred Dancer, licking along Winter’s jaw with a cheeky grin. “These wings aren’t only great for flying.”

“Wsshh,” hissed Snow, frustration coloring his cheeks a deeper shade of red. “Y-You’re skirting the e-edge as it is. You’re evil,” he concluded, diving in for another kiss.

Both felt throbbing pressure against their sheaths at that point, but neither let the other take matters too far. The petting transformed into simple touch and hugs after a while, the couple letting their arousal fade into tenderness. The comfortable pillows and sheets engulfed them in a crispy nest made for two. Pretty soon, their breathing slowed and sleep took them.

* * *

Winter Snow woke up like he hadn’t in a long while - rested and comfortable. It was dark in the room, not even a hint of sunlight under the drawn curtains. The stallion’s senses drifted back to him in delicate waves of the most delicious sensations.

First came touch - the pillows and blankets kept him warm, but it was the weight of his buckfriend cuddled tightly into him that made his muzzle break in half with a smile. He could barely make out the vulnerable pony’s outline, but his hooves and chest told him exactly where he was. Where he should be, always. The silky coat and mane were a wonder to behold, and he softly stroked the batpony, earning himself some muted purring. The sound reverberated against his chest, the air tickling him.

Smell came in second, the scent of lavender. Winter took in steady whiffs of it - on any other pony, it would have felt overwhelming, but on Wing, it was pleasantly sweet and sort of… bodily. He couldn’t help but breathe in more and more, nuzzling his face into the thick mane below.

The small purring was music to his ears. It was inconceivable for a pony to sound like a cat, but apparently batponies had that going for them. The rumbling on his chest almost tickled and he had to stifle a chuckle, imagining the batpony kneading him like a real cat or arching his back. Or maybe batponies did that?

Winter lay still in the bed, save for his hoof idly petting the back of Wing’s neck. Now that he had a bit of time, the thoughts he threw away the other day came rushing back in. First and foremost was the biggest one, trampling all the others and sitting on his brain - ‘Why does it feel so good with Wing? Was I always gay, or is it a recent thing?’

To be honest, the latter kind of scared him. It was that kind of irrational fear that didn’t have much to do with reality, but tended to bother you to no end with the possibilities. If he was secretly gay, or bisexual even, that’d be okay - it was part of him all along, and it took the right pony for the tendency to surface. Case closed, no more questions. But what if he ‘caught’ the gay from Wing? No, thinking about it that way had a negative feel to it…

The batpony below stirred, and the thoughts fell off their perch. His muzzle sniffed a couple of times and Wing yawned, his hooves adjusting their grip on the back of Winter’s neck and barrel. He pressed his head against Winter’s chest and chin, the wings on his back fidgeting slightly. Then, the batpony sighed and lay still again, his gentle breath flowing over the back of Winter’s mane and neck.

What was Snow thinking about again? Ah, yes, being gay. Frankly, it shouldn’t really matter. All he cared about was this time with Wing, just like this - wrapped in a hug, stroking his mane… caring for him. Not just for anypony, for the pony right here and now specifically. Yeah, he felt masculine and all that jazz when holding mares before, but the creature wrapped around him right now felt especially fragile. There was something about fliers that made them feel leaner, more compact. And those wings of his? He should probably stop thinking about them, lest there be an incident first thing in the morning…

A sudden buzzing to his side startled Winter, his hoof lashing out towards the noise. The alarm died with a loud bang against the nearby wall.

“Wha- who- ?!” yelped Wing, lurching into consciousness. “Intruder!” he yelled out, struggling in the covers and against Snow’s body.

“Oh, shit, sorry! Calm down, it’s- YEOW!” screamed Snow. He cradled his bitten leg, scooching away from the bewildered batpony who only now was starting to look a bit more lucid. “What’s gotten into you?!”

Wing blinked several times, rubbing his eyes with a hoof, the sudden burst of adrenaline leaving him crashing back to the bed. “What? Snow? What’s wrong baby?”

“Baby?” mouthed Winter, not sure what to think about that kind of term coming from a stallion’s mouth towards him. “You bit me, that’s what!”

“Huh? Oh, I’m so sorry,” fretted Wing, sitting mostly upright and reaching out to Winter. “Lemme look. I’m so sorry, t-the alarm startled me,” he mumbled, inspecting Snow’s leg as gingerly as he could.

“It’s okay. Eh, my fault for… Well, sorry about the alarm clock too, I guess. Maybe I should get some more light in here?”

“No, it’s fine, I can see perfectly well in this light… And, thankfully, it’s not so bad,” he said with a sheepish grin, kissing the leg. “Sorry, I didn’t think I’d be bitey in the morning.”

“Well… heh, better the leg than something else,” tried Snow, a cocky grin growing on his muzzle.

“Wh- psh!” spluttered Wing, turning a light shade of red. He kissed the leg again, followed by a brief peck to Snow’s smug muzzle. “Well, I’ll have you know it happened only once. And the guy only needed like three stitches.”

“Bwuh-WHA?!” yelped Snow, yanking his leg away and hugging himself. “You’re joking right?”

Grin.

“Tell me you’re joking!”

“Okay. I’m joking,” easily said Dancer.

Winter wasn’t sure what to think of it, watching the batpony hop off the bed and look back at him as he stretched.

“But the guy sure wasn’t laughing,” finished the cheeky batpony, snickering at the paling Winter. “Care for some breakfast? Scrambled eggs sound good?”

* * *

While the coffee was a bland slurry of ‘Time To Wake Up’ instant, the eggs utterly surprised Snow.

“I take it you like scrambled eggs, then,” said Wing, a wide smile on his muzzle as he got rid of the rest of his ‘coffee’.

“Not really,” said Winter, his tongue polishing up the dish to a near mirror-sheen. “But damn, those were the best I’ve had in my entire life!”

“Why, thank you!” beamed Dancer, blushing only a little. He took the plate away before Snow could get down to a 3rd round of spit n’ polish and dumped it in the sink, along with a pan and some forks. “Glad you liked ‘em. Me, I prefer them over toast. But whatever it might be, it’s always better with spices.”

“Yeah, what were those? Where did you get them?” asked Snow, his gaze homing in on the batpony’s swaying rump.

“Oh, it’s from my parents. They run a small herbal shop up at Hollow Shades. Place is only a bit tamer than the Everfree, but has great climate for all sorts of exotic stuff to grow on. They send me a sample or few every once in awhile.” He paused, looking back and catching Winter’s stare. “See anything you like~?”

Snow stiffened and looked away, gulping. “Uh… I mean, your cutie marks!” and the sweet rump underneath, he thought helplessly.

“Oh, these old things? Curious how I got my mark?” asked Wing, swaying his hind on the tip of his hooves. He chuckled at the burning color blooming on Snow’s face. “It’s not much of a story. One day I was at a friend’s birthday. Place as small as Hollows, every kid in the neighborhood came over. Mom and dad wanted me to give him a toy soldier, but I knew he’d always wanted a rag doll to share with his twin sister.” He chuckled, turning back to the running water and dishes. “Long story short, he got the doll, I got chastised for being a brat and ruining a party, but managed to not get grounded for getting my CM out of it.” He turned to look at the red-ribboned yellow present cutie mark on his flank, grinning at it. “I think it means I know what other ponies want the most, and like giving it to them.” Slowly, he turned his gaze upwards, biting his lip and flicking his tail.

Winter felt hot all of a sudden. He decided to stare straight ahead, ignoring the batpony’s laugh.

“What about you, Snowy? What’s the story behind that cloud and snowflakes?”

Winter shrugged and slumped in his chair a bit, peeking at the clock. “Even less exciting. I saw snow and liked it, bam, got a mark for it.”

“Sounds like you’re glossing over a lot of detail,” tsked Wing, shaking his hooves off and wiping them into a towel. “But I get it. Some stories can be very personal. I won’t pry.”

“It’s not that-” started Snow, earning himself a kiss to the nose. The batpony cuddled up to him and looked deep into his eyes in rapt attention. “I mean, it’s a lame story. Boring.”

“Not to me,“ assured Wing, drawing a small circle on Snow’s puffed out chest. “Still got a bit of time, right? I’d really love to know, if you’d like to tell. I can even promise to not laugh too loud.”

Winter deadpanned, sighing and kissing the side of his cheeky buckfriend’s snout. “Alright, alright. Eh, I guess I’ll just...”

“You see, I wasn’t born in Equestria. Parents worked in the Equestrian embassy in Gryphonia. Back there, the climate is either hot or too hot - the catbirds there don’t enjoy wet feathers. My parents were mostly busy with embassy stuff, so they had my grandparents take care of me when they were gone. It was nice, but they often complained how Equestria was better, how lusher the grass was, how friendlier the folk were. It was a constant grinding point between them, and I hated it,” shrugged Winter, idly stroking Wing’s mane. “One of the things my grandpappy always brought up was that the climate in Gryphonia was unnatural. No rain, no breeze, no snow during Hearth’s Warming. I didn’t get it, being a kid practically raised in a desert.”

“When I has 5 or 6, my grandparents finally decided they had had enough of Gryphonia, headed out home. There were a few months that the family was split apart, angry at one another, but I really loved all of them and didn’t want them to argue. For once I was a smart kid and convinced my parents that Hearth’s Warming Eve is a great holiday to spend together, and that I always wanted to visit Equestria. It took some tears and shouting to finally get the grown-ups to start acting like ones.”

Winter smiled to himself. “Now, when we arrived, it really wasn’t as beautiful as my grandparents said. Trees were dead, almost no grass. Also the coldest I’ve ever experienced. It was a total bummer after being so hyped up. I was really grumpy then. Parents said I nearly sparked another family feud… up until the first snow fell. It was overnight, so when I woke up to the white landscape, I thought the Gryphonian desert just kinda swam over and bleached out. Parents made me wear a heap of clothes and escorted me outside, and then it started to snow again. I looked up and… well, it’ll sound stupid. It is stupid,” he chuckled, nuzzling into his lover’s side. “I just couldn’t stop staring. Thousands of these tiny little leaves of frozen water fell down from the sky, and I was mesmerized. Each one had a different shape, they all flew in patterns on the wind. Like a dance. Then, down below, they clumped up into this crunchy heap that could swallow a colt whole. Parents said my eyes were literally popping out of their sockets and I was stock still for at least fifteen minutes, just staring at the snow.”

“The adults showed me all kinds of things I never experienced - building a snow-pony, riding a one-pony sleigh, snowball fighting. Only after I came home did we notice my cutie mark - it must’ve appeared somewhere along the way, but all the thick clothes probably covered it’s appearance. Best damn Hearth’s Warming ever.”

“Wow,” sighed Wing, pecking Winter on the chin. “That is a really nice story. I don’t know why you think it’s lame.”

“Well, what’s a talent for appreciating winter worth?” asked Snow, standing up and stretching out his legs. “Can’t make weather, being an earth pony and all. Only good that came out of it was a nice name.”

“What did they name you before?”

Snow rolled his eyes and trotted out of the kitchen. “Maybe another time. I have to take that shower and go.”

Dancer’s eyes lit up at that, and he bolted in front of the stallion, tail wagging. “Can I help?” He giggled at the sceptical stare he got in turn, patting Winter on the head and adding, “Don’t worry, scrub and clean only.”

* * *

“Getting kinda crowded,” grumbled Rising Star, trying his best to strap on his armor while not clanging into another pony in the suddenly small locker room. “Can’t believe they’re bringing reinforcements from all over.”

“Yeah,” sighed Winter, his good mood from the morning deflating with each passing minute. He threw a bunch of papers into his locker and closed it, rolling his eyes. “Plus, they want us to stay in the barracks up until ‘the event’.”

“Whaat?” anguished Star, quickly skimming his own orders and clenching his jaw. “Why?! I mean, we don’t even know what’s going on, and they’re acting like it’s the second coming of Discord or something. What is Command thinking?”

“Don’t know,” glumly said Snow, looking around at the crowd. Most were familiar faces, with a few ponies from the reserve and individuals wearing silver or bronze armor from other places. “Says here that we should just be ready at all times. Of course there will be compensation, food, someplace to sleep-”

“Yeah, but those things aren’t my wife and kid!” protested Star. The stallion next to him nodded as well with a sour face. “I mean, c’mon, they even got on Cuddle’s case!”

“What? What do you mean? Where is she?” asked Winter, maneuvering past his fellow guardsponies and out of the lockers. The duo started trotting towards the requisition office to pick up their standard issue spears.

“Well, an officer saw her in the lockers and asked her aside. They had a conversation, and Cuddles came back to me saying that her mane and tail were not up to code, and that she’d have to shave them immediately. Poor thing looked like she was going to break down then and there.” Star shook his head, shooting the lockers a dirty look. “C’mon, who makes a mare cry first thing in the morning? It wasn’t such a big deal yesterday.”

“Something’s not right,” concluded Winter, joining the queue of ponies buried in hushed conversations.

“Well, at least she won’t be outright quitting,” whispered Star, brightening up a little. “Had a lot of fun yesterday. She’s a great drunk, I’ll tell ya that! You should feel real sorry you weren’t around.”

“Star, please,” sighed Snow, looking away. “You know I was away with… you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, but still. When the cider kicked in, she became real chatty. I mean, like, you couldn’t shut her up. Most interesting part, she kept asking about you a lot,” Star grinned a shit-eating grin that (in Winter’s mind) only the most morally deprived of ponies could ever manage. “It was like the inquisition, for real. She wanted to know about you, your cutie mark, why’d you go into the military, have you got somepony... You impressed the shit out of her, sir.”

“Did… did you tell her?” hissed Snow, his face suddenly a mask of seriousness.

“No, no, of course not!” Star backed up a bit, smiling sheepishly. “That’s your bag of oats, you deal with it. All I’m sayin is, you might have somepony of the right sex attracted to you, for once.” His grin faltered and died as it met Snow’s cold glare. “Right, whatever, shutting up,” he grumbled, looking away.

“I… I really like Wing,” admitted Snow, moving along in the seemingly endless line of ponies. “And he likes me back. Doesn’t matter which sex he is.”

“More power to ya,” shrugged Rising, pointing down the corridor. “But if there’s anything of a straight stallion left in ya, there’s a damsel down there that looks utterly distressed and needs our support right now,” he finished hurriedly, trotting out of line and towards the newcomer.

Snow followed without hesitation, his disgruntled frown melting into one of worry as he took in the pony in front of him.

Cuddlebug looked like she’d been crying all the way to the barracks, and then some. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, rivulets of damp fur rolling down her cheeks. Her once flowing mane and bushy tail were reduced to but a fraction of their glory, bearing the hallmarks of an express job. Winter wasn’t sure if the cut was done with a razor or a cleaver, but it looked like she’d be better off with tearing the hair out rather than letting whatever butcher work on it ever again.

“T-They s-said it-it won’t show under t-the a-a-armor,” choked out Cuddlebug, her legs wobbling as she took small steps toward the rushing guards.

The duo held her up and shielded from prying eyes when the dam broke. She tried her best to keep from sobbing, gurgling and pushing her face against the plate of Winter’s armor. The stallion sat up and wrapped his firm hooves around her, letting her hide behind him.

“It’s gonna be okay, Cuddles,” whispered Rising, rubbing her back soothingly. “You’re real brave for doing what you did, you know?”

“B-Brave?” choked out the mare, looking at the brown stallion with one puffy eye.

“Of course,” echoed Winter, rocking her lightly in his grasp. “Takes a lot of character to sacrifice the things you love. We’re really proud of you.” He gently pushed her muzzle to face his, settling into an easy smile and taking her in. “And I’m sure we can get you a decent cut on town at a proper saloon. You’ll look good, trust me.”

Cuddlebug gave the sergeant a snotty, timid little smile, leaning her head against his chest. “Thank you. Both of y-you.”

* * *

Despite the explicit orders and jam-packed timetable, Snow and Rising took Cuddlebug to the lockers, ran a hot shower for her and helped her clean up. She was in such a state she couldn’t keep her magic up to clean whatever was left of her fabulous mane, so the duo did it for her, not sparing on good words and encouragement.

Cleaned up and wearing full armor, Cuddlebug looked as good as she ever would after such loss. She kept looking back at her drooping, short tail, even when Star and Snow did their best to distract her by telling stories.

“And then, she’s all like ‘okay, okay, sorry, please don’t call the guard’. And me, swollen eye and missing tooth and all, go like, ‘honey, I AM a guard. Marry me or it’s jail time for you!’ It’s been what, almost 7 years now. Got a beautiful baby filly out of it. Packs as much of a wallop as her momma, tho.”

Cuddlebug giggled, the smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes. “Yeah, you’re right, that is a weird story.”

“Hah, wait till ya hear about the time we had a crisis and the guard were actually involved!”

“Afternoon, privates, sergeant,” said somepony, startling the trio out of their conversation.

The professional soldiers immediately turned around and stiffened in a salute, followed by the slightly tardy Cuddlebug, who did her best to look the part, her tail self-consciously hiding behind her back.

The newcomer bore the insignia of a lieutenant, and the face of a pony who was either constipated or bored with life. Considering his stiff posture, it could have been either.

“Sergeant Winter Snow, correct?” asked the pony, eyeing all three with equal disdain.

“Yes, sir!” crisply replied Snow. He tried keeping a neutral expression, but a slight frown escaped onto his muzzle when the lieutenant started critically looking over Cuddlebug.

“Yes. See, private, I told you it’d be alright,” drawled the pony, his face mimicking a smile of a person who only read about facial expression. “No matter. Sergeant, I’ll need private Rising Star for a quick assignment. He should be back within the hour.”

At this point, Winter was fighting his own body for control - if he could, he would have hit the officer for making Cuddlebug’s lip quiver as it did. “What is this about, sir?” he said in an even voice, clenching his teeth to keep from saying any more.

“None of your concern, sergeant. Come along, private. There is no time to waste.”

“Um,” started Star, looking at Winter in confusion and a bit of distress.

“Sir, with all due respect, we have explicit orders to not split up and a very specific timetable we should hurry to abide by,” said Winter, putting a hoof to Rising’s chest to hold him back. “I think you need-”

“Yes, yes, a requisition order, it’s already been filled!” spat the lieutenant, digging out a rolled scroll with his wing and flicking it towards Winter. “Now, there is no more time to waste. As you were, sergeant, private.”

Rising Star shrugged and hurried along, shooting a worried look at Winter and Cuddlebug.

“What?” mumbled Winter, quickly skimming the document. “This is hogwash. It’s… it’s just so generic!”

“W-What do you mean, sir?” asked Cuddlebug, deflating visibly. “Something w-wrong?”

“Yeah,” grumbled Winter, shoving the paper into his saddle and hurrying along their route, Cuddlebug in pursuit of the upset stallion. “All those orders mean is ‘give Rising Star to Blue Moon for however long he needs’. Really, this just keeps getting better and better!”

“S-Sorry,” mumbled out Cuddlebug, falling into step with Winter.

“For what? Did you write the orders?” sighed the Stallion, sparing a small smile and a shake of the head. “Eh, I get it that it’s getting tense. I guess the Captain is going a bit crazy with the wedding and the terrorist attack.”

“Wouldn’t want to be in his horseshoes,” remarked Cuddlebug, touching the side of her head with a hoof. “It must be a lot of pressure. So much power, the expectations… and now a fiancee. Like, I know I’d be freaking out if I’d be the bride.”

Winter chuckled at that. “You think the bride has it tough? Try consoling a drunk groom, day before he gets married, sobbing into your rented tux that the missus will beat the everliving Tartarus out of him for funsies.”

Cuddlebug looked at Winter skeptically, albeit with a toothy smile that raised his spirits.

“Honest truth! And I know he’ll deny it, but the idiot actually tried to slip a line into his wife’s vows, something along the lines of ‘and I shall not beat my husband, for whatever reason, as long as he lives’. Had to let him lay low at my place for a week,” he said, grinning as Cuddlebug started laughing. “The missus was so pissed, she looked like a volcano ready to explode,” he finished with a wink, the tense atmosphere from moments ago evaporating into the afternoon breeze.

“So,” started Cuddle, her laughter dying down as she took deep breaths, “I get you two are close? Know each other long? If it’s no trouble to ask, sir,” she added, looking a bit bashful.

“Don’t worry about it,” shrugged Winter, looking up at the pink-tinted sky. “Yeah, we met at boot camp. Hard to believe it’s been ten years. Hard to believe the lazy git didn’t want to advance, or move to a better place.”

“Why?”

“Dunno. Always said he liked it in Canterlot, and when he saw me join the officers, said he could never do it. I think he has an allergy to responsibility,” huffed Winter, scratching his nose with the tip of his spear. “How he manages to keep a family and filly, I’ll never know.”

“What about you, sir? I mean, surely, you could have been a lieutenant, or even commander by now.”

“Eh. Maybe. But any higher, and all the paperwork would start, and the walking would end,” he said, scanning the parade grounds with a wary eye.

“Oh. I see,” replied Cuddle, following suit and squinting suspiciously at the bushes nearby. “So you like to walk, sir?”

“You could say that,” chuckled Snow, moving on across the grounds. “Keeps you fit. Way better than pushing papers at a desk all day long. Honestly, I have no idea how ponies do it.”

“It’s just a job,” sighed Cuddlebug, flicking away a stray pebble with her magic. “Someponies find working in a spa to be the lowliest of lows. I mean, you serve for the vanity of others. That’s just a step above being a servant at a rich aristocrat's home, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, sure. The same way being a guard is a step above bouncing for clubs,” retorted Winter, shooting Cuddlebug a smug grin. “Like I said before, no work shames. Well, maybe except for dishonest, shady deals, like dealing drugs to foals or thieving.”

Cuddlebug chuckled, moving in closer to Snow and looking up to him. “You’re a good, honest pony, sir Winter Snow, sir.”

Snow blushed at the compliment, looking down at the mare’s happy eyes. “If you say so. Thanks.” He paused, flicking his ears and angling them around for a moment before continuing. “You’ve got a great character yourself, Cuddlebug. Rising told me you had fun yesterday at the bar.”

Instantly, the mare turned beet red, shying away. “U-Uhh, yeah. The others were… nice.” She started patting along her neck, looking for something, before resigning herself to just staring at the floor as she followed Snow up the battlements of Canterlot Castle.

“You better watch it with cider around him,” he said back. “He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d get some dirt on you. I think he’s got something on anypony who ever set foot in our little bar. He says it’s his little ‘insurance policy’, to make sure the missus doesn’t learn something she shouldn’t have.”

Her grin back in place, Cuddlebug hurried up the stairs, looking out after Winter across Canterlot. “It wasn’t as bad, sir. We had a few mugs… talked some. I-I might have done some d-dancing,” she admitted, tail swishing steadily behind her. “I-It’s a shame you couldn’t come, sir.”

“Sorry. Had an appointment scheduled beforehoof. Couldn’t miss it,” crisply replied Snow, leaning over the chiseled stone to look at something down below.

“W-Well,” she said, hopping onto a spot beside Snow, “w-would you, perhaps, maybe… I mean, sir… would you like to catch a-a mug… tonight?”

The proposal, stammery as it was, caused Snow to whip his head to face a red-faced Cuddlebug, her eyes resolutely plastered to a far-off point. She glanced back at him for a second, meeping and looking away, her ears burning with embarrassment.

“I m-mean, i-if you’re busy packing and such, I guess, well, maybe not today, but you know, maybe someday, I mean, Winter, sir, if that’s no trouble and, oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

The avalanche of words was halted by a hoof to her shoulder and a friendly smile that sparked an ember of hope in her eyes.

“That sounds nice. I’ll just have to get back home to pack a few things and… well, get ready.” He said, looking back out at the pink-covered sky. “Does eight sound good? I guess it’d be as good a time as any to celebrate your first night-to-be in the barracks.” He grinned, lowering his muzzle and poking her chest with a hoof. “You’re going to love sleeping in one room with Rising Star. Absolutely, love, it.” The sergeant articulated every word with a light poke to her chest, making her face go from ecstatic to slightly worried. “You know what we called him back at boot camp?”

Head shake.

“Rising Volume.”

* * *

Rising ‘Volume’ Star was gone for at least two hours, worrying Winter and Cuddlebug. He caught up with the two in one of the palace corridors, uncharacteristically grumpy and reserved. He refused to say what the lieutenant wanted with him, gritting his teeth and shutting down any avenue of approaching the subject.

Mood soured, the guardspony group finished their rounds in an eerie silence, interrupted only sporadically with meaningless comments on the weather or the bustle in the city below. It was with a measure of relief that Snow finally returned his spear and hit the showers, the emotions of the day sinking down the drain along with the grime and sweat.

Bidding his friends farewell, the guardspony took up a brisk pace, jogging towards the arcades. In his head, he was trying to figure out the best way to break the sad news to Wing Dancer. He’d be gone for at least four days, with no option to leave without a permit. If it was even half as painful for him as it were for the batpony, he’d have to work extra hard to make up for it after the wedding.

“Maybe… yeah, that’s… maybe doable?” mused Winter, stopping at the entrance to Pacopolis. “Sweet Princesses, I’m going to owe Rising a whole truckload of cider for this.” His spirits slightly uplifted, the stallion pushed his way into the cool, dark interior of the arcade, the familiar bustle and noise not as startling as before.

Taught by previous experiences, Winter skirted along the edge of the room, avoiding eye contact with any of the patrons, making a bee-line for the short queue at the bar. Wing Dancer didn’t seem to notice him, busy working at top-speed to get through his line of patrons. He wore a small, happy grin on his muzzle, the expression fitting the energetic batpony like a glove. Winter couldn’t help but smile himself, doing his best to hide behind the lanky colt in front of him. He bit his lip, blushing lightly as a cheeky plan formed in his mind. Even though he felt it’d aggravate his sense of being judged by others, he did promise his lover he’d work on himself.

“Thank you, bye, have a great time!” chirped Dancer, hoofing a Sparkle Cola to the lanky regular. He smiled to the next pony in line, already repeating his mantra. “Hello sir, how can I help you toda-” he paused, his eyes registering the tall, definitely un-coltish appearance of Winter Snow, grinning down at him with a goofy smile and red cheeks.

Winter quickly glanced side to side, leaned in and whispered, “U-Uh… O-One kiss for a buckf-friend, please?”

The glee on Dancer’s face was worth all the embarrassment and complexes in the world. And the kiss was good too, if brief, with only a little bit of tongue. It tasted a bit like carrots and fizz.

“Snowy! I’m so glad you’re here! Want a Sparkle or something?” chirped Wing, reaching beneath the counter and fishing out a dark bottle.

“No, thanks, Wing,” smiled Snow, pushing the sweet drink away. “Um, I actually came by to say that… well… for the next few days, we might not be seeing each other.”

It was painful to see the batpony instantly deflate, his winning smile dialing down to only a slight rise in the corners of his mouth. “Huh? Why? Is something the matter, Winter?”

Snow combed a hoof through his mane, looking away with a slight frown. “Yeah. All the guards are supposed to stay on the premises. We’ll have to sleep in the barracks until this whole thing concludes, one way or the other.”

Wing’s features settled into worry, the batpony stroking Snow’s chin. “Will you be alright? Is it really that dangerous?”

Snow shrugged, catching the hoof in his own and kissing it lightly, ignoring the blaze in his cheeks and pressure under his skull that’d have him look around. “I don’t think so. I mean, who would be stupid enough to try and take on the Royal Guard and then some?” He chuckled and nuzzled his buckfriend. “We’ll be fine, promise. I’ll be fine, and safe. And once all this blows over, I’ll make it up to you~”

Wing’s features immediately brightened at that, his mouth locked into a surprised little ‘o’. “Oh? A surprise? Do tell?” he asked, leaning in and wiggling his eyebrows.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise then if I told you,” retorted Winter, unable to hide the smile on his muzzle and a swish of his tail. He pushed the cheeky batpony back behind the counter, but not before sneaking in one more nuzzle. “So uh, I also have this thing with the… the, uh, boys, at eight. Today.”

“Oh. OH! At eight? B-But,” stammered Wing, looking up at the clock and gasping. “Aww man… And I wanted to… eh. Shame,” he sighed.

Winter couldn’t feel more like a jackass if he tried. Not only did he kinda-sorta indirectly lie to his buckfriend about his meeting, he also didn’t think the batpony would want to spend time with him before he had to go. Actually, now that he did think about it, it was kind of obvious he should be spending his time before departure with Wing as much as he could. He’d miss him, for Princess’ sake! Why did he agree to go meet up with Cuddlebug in the first place? Was it out of pity, or to help her feel better after losing her gorgeous mane?

“Yeah, s-sorry. It was kind of a… on the spot decision. Kinda regret that now,” he admitted, his ears pinning back and head lowered.

“It’s okay, Snowie,” assured Wing, putting his forehead to his buckfriend’s. “It’s not like it has to be a date every day of every week.” He smiled and kissed the forehead of his lover, pressing a hoof to his side. “Sorry, but there are customers in line that need things. I’ll get back to you real, quick, okay?”

“That’s gay,” commented a pulp colt, propping himself against the top and eyeing Wing.

Before Snow managed to react, Wing smiled down at the patron and put his hooves to to his sides, saying, “You’re just jelly, Licorice, coz I got a buckfriend, and you can’t even get past level one of that dating sim.”

The child immediately went beet red, flailing his hooves and sputtering. “Hey, not cool, man! Was s’posed to be a secret!”

“It is,” smiled the batpony, leaning in with twinkles in his eyes. “I didn’t say what kind of dating sim it was.”

* * *

Having dealt with the queue, Dancer dashed into the back room without as much as a peep, leaving the stunned Winter alone at the top. The stallion didn’t even get a chance to start loathing himself for letting Wing down when the batpony dashed out again, saddlebags and all, followed by the burly owner of Pacopolis.

“Thanks a million, sir!” chirped Dancer, hopping the top with the help of his wings and seizing Winter’s forehoof. “See you later!”

“Bye, Wing,” grumbled the stallion, staring down the first filly in line. “What’ll it be?”

Before Snow could even cough up a question, he found himself dragged away from the arcades, the batpony’s energy kicking into overdrive as he tugged and dragged Winter along, helping himself with wing-powered dashes to keep the sergeant moving.

“Wait, Wing! What’s happening?!” finally managed Snow, trying and failing to dig in his hooves.

“It’s a coltnapping! You’re being coltnapped!” proclaimed Wing, giggling to himself as he powered on towards his apartment. “You kinda forced my hoof here, Snowy, sir.”

“B-But, wait, what about your work? You j-just left?” fretted Winter, resigning himself to willingly follow the tugging instead of tripping every other step of the way.

“Oh, don’t you worry none. I have contingencies for all sorts of situations!” giggled Wing, looking back at his lover. “And this is a code one.”

“Code one? Huh?”

Wing suddenly stopped, catching Snow who almost flew by in a hug. He brought his muzzle up to Winter’s, purring out, “Buckfriend unexpectedly leaving for an extended period of time and needs to remember what to come back to~”

Snow’s ears became warm all of a sudden, and the stallion tried saying something before his lips were sealed in a hard, wet kiss. It was unlike the previous tender ministrations - rough, almost hungry, with the batpony’s mouth grinding against his, Wing’s tongue slathering over Winter’s in wild excitement.

Dazed, Snow followed Dancer the rest of the way, very conscious of the pressure in his loins threatening to spill his privates from their sheath. Luckily, it was only a five minute canter until the two finally barged into the apartment, hooves and mouths already at work on one another.

Wing allowed a bit more kissing and groping before shoving Snow onto the couch and doing his best to keep him there. The rowdy stallion whined and reached out to the smiling batpony, eventually settling down on the sofa, panting hard.

“So, uh, what now?” he asked, confusion battling arousal.

“You wait here. I’ll be back in a second,” panted out Dancer, dashing for the bedroom.

Winter felt hot, and not only on his face. He squirmed on the sofa, watching his flaccid member try and make up it’s mind if it should be stiff as a board or just cut the losses and go back home. The decision was made for it, however, as Dancer trotted back into the room, swaying his hips and eyeing Snow through half-lidded eyes.

Wing Dancer sauntered over to the sofa, leaned over Snow, a hoof to his chest keeping him from squirming, and whispered, “Well, it’s a right shame you have to go away for so long. On such a short notice, too,” he tsked.

“I kno-” started Winter, a hoof to his mouth stopping him from finishing the sentence. It lightly prodded at his lips, drawing them down. Down and down went the leg, stopping on his stomach, right above the steadily rising need in his loins.

“But that’s alright, darling. I can work with tight schedules~” purred out Dancer, joining his other forehoof in kneading Winter’s hard abdomen. “I had a whole three course meal planned out for you, when you’d be ready… but it won’t hurt to give you a taste of desserts to raise the appetite for later.”

Winter gulped hard, unable to look away from Wing’s giant, dilated pupils. The touch on his stomach was tantalizing, slipping down towards his stallionhood, stopping a hair’s length away from the burning need. Winter whimpered.

“Now now, don’t worry. Wingie will take care of everything~ Come on, soldier boy. Let’s move to a more… comfortable spot,” said Wing, articulating the last words in a sultry voice. He then hopped off the stallion and started making his way towards the bedroom. Winter got a spectacular view of his tight flanks, the tail flagging slightly to the side, caressing his chin. He followed the motion, the soft tufts of hair teasing at his jaw, leading him like on a leash deeper into the house.

As soon as they entered the room, the lighting became dimmer. The bed itself was neatly made, pillows arranged at the head and the sheets without blemish. The batpony climbed onto the bed and, in one smooth motion, turned around and lay on his back. Muzzle to muzzle, the batpony reached out and kissed Winter tenderly. He let his tongue slip out and snake around Snow’s mouth, enjoying the taste and sensation of the stallion’s muzzle working in tandem with his. The two murred into the kiss, Dancer steadily drawing his head down, forcing Winter to follow a step or two forward.

Wing finally broke the kiss, panting, looking up at his equally red-faced lover. They smiled in unison and Wing licked his lips slowly, tracing along his fangs. “Alright, darling. Prop yourself on the bed… Let your buckfriend take care of that throbbing need of yours.”

Snow swallowed hard, again, putting a shaky leg on the bed. He darted down for one last kiss, finally climbing the bed and inching himself forward a bit. From his vantage point, he had an unrestricted view of the batpony’s slick body. Wing’s tail was lazily swishing side to side, his legs splayed freely, displaying himself without shame. His neat package was hovering above his stomach, the length pulsating with a steady heartbeat of it’s own.

“Come a bit closer, love,” purred Wing down below, booping Winter’s stomach. “You’re well endowed, but still a bit out of reach.”

Winter’s face went up in flames and his legs threatened to buckle. He felt his length slap against his body in anticipation, taking a few tiptoes forward. The bobbing of his rod down below made him feel a bit self-conscious, imagining what the view must’ve been for the batpony.

“B-Better?” mumbled out Snow, his eyes inexplicably drawn back to Dancer’s dick and smooth, black balls beneath. Perhaps if he came a bit closer he could…

Wing reached out his hooves and locked them behind Winter’s flanks, startling the stallion and making him hop forward a bit.

“Now it’s better,” purred Wing, nuzzling the jet black warmth between his eyes. He tugged his forehooves a bit more, licking his lips as he felt the giant stallionhood climb up along his nose with every step he forced Snow to take. “Don’t worry about me, honey. Just relax and enjoy yourself. Your buckfriend is gonna make sure you go back… prepared~”

Winter couldn’t help but sigh as he felt the entirety of Wing’s muzzle move from side to side, caressing his stallionhood with that silky fur of his. He felt himself squeeze out a hot droplet of juice, the fluid wiped out almost immediately by his lover’s coat. He squeaked lightly at a gust of hot air engulfing his balls, followed by the wetness of a delicate tongue slithering up his orbs. He had no idea how long the batpony’s tongue was, but it seemed to go on forever as it travelled across his scrotum, rolling his family jewels in their pouch, constantly assaulted by the panting Wing’s hot breaths.

Dancer relished in the musky flavor of his stallion, exploring every inch of the tasty orbs presented to him. He puckered his lips and kissed the sack, drawing it in a bit and letting go in tiny, suckling kisses. Judging by the hissing and moaning from above, his ministrations were well welcome, and the batpony continued worshipping Winter’s testes with vigor. Over time, he drew in more and more of the skin, pulling it taut with just his lips, letting go and letting the orbs settle. With a satisfied groan he watched them rise and fall, working of their owner’s own volition. The throbbing length propped against his jaw and throat pulsed every so often and the batpony felt hot droplets run down his skin in a growing rivulet.

“Ahh!“ yelped Snow, involuntarily bucking his hips lightly as one of his testicles was engulfed in it’s entirety. Wing’s warm mouth vibrated with a purring sound, sending shocks of arousal and pleasure up his spine. He didn’t dare move, feeling the tug between the batpony’s fangs, yet still too aroused to pay them any more mind. The lucky orb was slathered in a circular motion by Wing’s swift tongue, the additional tugging of the batpony’s lips causing him to bite his lip. With a pop from below, his testicle was released to the slightly chilly air. As a shiver ran down his spine, he couldn’t help but moan again as his other jewel was tended to.

If Wing Dancer could, he’d spend all day just suckling on Winter’s massive balls. He smiled lightly to himself, eyes closed, savoring the slightly yielding skin and hard filling inside. He explored every inch of the oval, suckling it back to his mouth as it tried to escape his mouth to deposit a dollop of juice on his coat down below. With a bit of reluctance, he finally let go, giving his favorite pair of prizes a parting nuzzle.

“Could you back up a little bit now, love? I have to clean up the mess I’ve just made,” cooed Dancer, drawing small licks on the stallionhood above.

Winter shuddered. He was sure his penis was a rod of searing iron by now, that’s how tight and hot it felt. The touch of Wing’s cool tongue sent bolts of ecstasy along his entire length, each point of contact lingering in a cooling sensation that made him pump out even more pre-cum to slicken his lover’s throat.

“O-Okay,” panted out Snow, quickly backing out, groaning as he bent his knees a bit to draw his hot need along the batpony’s face. Surprisingly, he was able to gauge how much he needed to go back by simply missing the soft sensation on the length of his shaft. A sharp pull to his rump signalled him to stop nonetheless, the purr down below intensifying. “Good boy. Now, Snowy, we need to put down some ground rules for this~”

“Buh?” sputtered the aroused stallion, lightly moving back and forth on his hooves for a little bit of stimulation to his already engorged cockhead.

“You see, I’m going to let you… go at your pace,” explained Wing, moving one hoof up to grab the one Winter had propped on the bed. “While I’d like you to go slow, I wouldn’t mind you rutting my throat till you feed me your delicious stallion juice,” he cooed, caressing the forehoof. “Still, as fun as it is, I might need you to stop or back out at some point. You know, to take a breath,” giggled the batpony, kissing the underside of Winter’s twitching length. “So, darling, if you would be so kind and do that whenever I squeeze your leg like this?” he finished, squeezing his fetlock around Winter’s hoof.

“Uh… I mb… O-Okay,” said Winter, swallowing hard, trying to focus.

“Thank you, baby. Just remember. Squeeze means freeze,” giggled Dancer, pecking and teasing Snow’s tip with his tongue. “Since that’s settled, you can go whenever you like. Just please, take it slow at first. Let me get used to it.”

Doing his best to not ram his hips down Wing’s gullet then and there, the stallion pushed his hips forward, a long groan accompanying the motion. Each inch that entered the warm cavity of Dancer’s mouth was immediately welcomed by an eager tongue, wrapping around and dancing along the flesh like a wet eel. As soon as the whole head fit between the batpony’s fangs, adding a bit of delicate pressure to the sides of his throbbing length, the muzzle and lips began sucking, inviting Winter even deeper.

On his end, Wing was in heaven, despite the slight worry he initially had. He was braced for a violent thrust of the already teased stallion, but was pleasantly surprised by the tender way he just slid in, keeping himself steady. He did his best to slather the hot stallionhood in his mouth, panting lustfully as he felt the shaking of the body above. The monumental length was slowly but surely creeping down to the back of his throat.

Winter’s eyes were closed and breathing elevated, as his whole world was reduced to the hotness around his dick and cool, wet sensation left on his balls. Like fire and ice, the sensations fought for supremacy, shooting bolts and pricks of pleasure along his body, causing random muscles on his back to spasm. Then, he felt a pressure on his forehoof. He ignored it for all of two seconds before his mind kicked him upside the head and reminded him of what that meant. In a fit of panic, he pulled back with a hiss, the batpony’s fangs irritating his engorged cockhead.

“Oh- hah- I-I’m so, huh, sorry! I-I didn’t, hah-” started Snow, looking down at the confused muzzle of Wing.

“Oh, nonono! Snowy, it’s okay,” assured Dancer, caressing his fretting lover’s muzzle, smiling. “ I just needed to take a breath before you went down, is all. You weren’t hurting me.”

“A-Are you sure?” asked Snow, the adrenaline causing all kinds of weird crampy sensations in his aroused body.

“Yes, I’m sure, darling,” said Dancer, lying back down and opening his mouth. “Just pull back enough so that I can breathe when I ask for it. And when I start coughing and sputtering,” he chuckled, putting a hoof back to Winter’s, “well, then you can start worrying. But trust me, it’ll be fine. Just relax.” He paused for a second, looking to the side a bit. “I mean, if you liked it, that is.”

“I-I… yes. Really, really liked it,” huffed out Winter, fighting his body for control. He leaned down and planted a rough, tongue-full kiss on Wing’s lips. The batpony smiled through the affection, returning it in kind, letting both their tongues wrestle for a moment before pushing him back.

“Then don’t keep me waiting, love. I want some more of that tasty treat you have hanging for me there,” he purred, opening his jaws and letting his tongue flop out lewdly.

Winter didn’t need telling twice. A bit more vigorously than before, he put himself back into the warm cave of Wing’s, inching himself down with a groan, his throbbing flare now sending spikes of pain-turned-pleasure through his arousal. Snow felt Wing grasp his hoof lighty and retreated a tiny bit. He watched as the batpony took a few breaths, his torso rising and falling down, before rising and staying that way. The hoof let go, and the tongue resumed it’s teasing, drawing Snow in even deeper along with the suckling of lips.

Winter was a big stallion. Dancer could tell that much after the first time he took his lover. Now, being at the mercy of his love and his lusts, it felt even bigger, the hot slab digging deeper into his throat at a snail’s pace. The batpony purred deeply, the sentiment thawed by the monster buried in his windpipe. He was so focused on the pressure he felt in his gullet he nearly forgot about his tongue work, only sporadically caressing the passing flesh, unable to savor the taste as before.

Snow grunted and groaned, feeling the tight insides of Wing’s throat squeeze him like no pussy had before. All the mares he had could not compare, especially since they never even tried blowing him like this. The sensation was heightened by the vibration of the batpony’s purring and the occasional undulating swallow, tugging along his length lodged in Wing’s throat. All too soon, the stallion’s hips bumped into Dancer’s nose, the ravenous lips suckling his drawn back sheath. To his surprise, the batpony’s tongue snaked out past the turgid member and dove straight for the rising testicles, slathering them in some much needed attention.

Wing was starting to feel a bit starved of oxygen, but the sensation of taking the entirety of what Winter had to offer felt overpowering. He was at his mercy, a tiny niggling fear of the stallion not wanting to pull back causing his own stallionhood to flop about unattended. His own precum pooled at his nethers, a small damp patch of cold that stimulated his length in it’s own way. Dancer swallowed yet again, relishing in the sympathetic throb his partner's stallionhood gave, and squeezed Winter’s hoof. It took a second for the stallion to respond, but the intruding hot length receded, the sudden emptiness in Wing’s throat causing him to pout slightly. As soon as the fat head popped into his mouth, Wing let out a fast breath, followed by a few fast pants. He felt the stallion above shiver lightly and gave his leg an affectionate rub, still holding tight onto it as he drew in more air. He relaxed his grip, stroking Winter’s hind with his other leg and purring as loudly as he could.

With a relieved sigh Winter sank back into Wing’s inviting tunnel, much easier than before. He worried for a while that the batpony would be sore, but those thought got blown right out the window as soon as he felt the warm wetness wrapped around his entire length again, the stroking of his balls by the nimble tongue a welcome bonus. The stallion started moving back and forth, first in slow, long motions, gradually picking up the pace as his need outweighed the reservations. He let his tongue droop out of his mouth, the slack jaw barely letting him keep his saliva in for long enough to swallow. His mind swam in endorphins and the fantastic feeling along his dick, pricks of pleasure forming a web of excitement that prodded him to keep going faster.

Winter was doing his best to keep the pace even, retreating whenever his partner asked for it. He moaned and groaned, trying to form coherent thoughts but ending up with variations of “So good” and “I love you”, the latter making his own heart beat faster as the words rang true. In a haze, his gaze locked onto Wing’s bobbing stallionhood, the length twitching and pumping out fat drops of fluid that formed a clear puddle around his base. The liquid clung to his fur, forming a web against Wing’s cock and balls that splattered every time Winter thrust himself down into the inviting dept’s of the batpony. Winter licked his lips and carefully inched his muzzle down.

Just as Wing was going to signal for another breath, an unexpected sensation caused his eyes to pop wide, followed by a deep groan. A warmness wrapped around his flaring tip, a hard tongue scraping along the edge of his penis in fast circles. The stallion above was sucking hard, bobbing his head with growing vigor. Dancer almost forgot about the need to breathe as the dick pistoning his throat and his own need being tended to by the lovely, muscular stallion made him roll his eyes in their sockets.

With the new dynamic set, the couple moaned and groaned with renewed strength, their movements growing in passion and intensity. Wing did his best to bob his head back and forth, letting the rough stallion above almost hammer his hips against his nose. Winter gave as good as he received, slathering the smaller penis of his lover with his tongue and sucking every single drop with reckless hunger.

Soon, Winter felt the familiar pressure building up in his loins, his testicles already hugging the base of his sheath in spiking pleasure. He popped his lover’s length out of his mouth, panting in needy whines.

“I-I’m gonna cum,” he whined, pistoning his hips back and forth as the pressure mounted at the base of his cock.

Wing squeezed his mate’s leg, the latter giving a long, disappointed groan as he retreated. The batpony took a few fast breaths and let go of the leg, closing his eyes and sucking as hard as he could. The violent thrust of Winter’s sizeable dick hurt a little, but the stallion didn’t move after that. He pressed his head against Wing’s stomach and gurgled.

Despite being so close himself, Wing couldn’t help but relish in the peculiar sensation of Winter cumming deep inside him - with his tongue pressed to the underside of his mate’s penis, he traced every heavy load as far as it could, toying with the engorged canal feelable through the throbbing stallionhood. At that moment, several veins popped out on the stallion’s length, each one meticulously prodded and slathered as the batpony helped Winter along his orgasm.

Up above, Winter’s every muscle was locked in ecstasy, his entire length a lightning rod to bolts of the pure, unrestricted pleasure he felt. Cumming never felt so good for him; he could feel each shot travel down his cock, the batpony’s tongue often pressing the bulging canal against the surface of his engorged member, up till the flared head. Each burst was accompanied by Wing’s gulp, his flare squeezed by the contracting muscles, causing the pony to yelp in pleasure bordering on overstimulation. Before he was even done, he felt a squeeze on his leg. It took him a try or two to time himself between spurts that robbed him of strength, but he managed to pull out just enough for the batpony to breathe.

Luckily, by the time Wing Dancer needed to breathe, Winter’s spurts were mere fractions of what he felt shot down his throat. The small rivers of salty cum didn’t splutter against the back of his throat as he feared, but landed neatly on his tongue for him to scoop up and suck down. Dancer’s throat was raw, his nuts aching for release, but the batpony was happy nonetheless for delivering his mate to such a powerful orgasm. Even as the stallion above settled, his body limping by the second, Dancer still kept his jet-black prize in his mouth, giving a suck or two every time he felt a throb.

Winter was spent. If he could, he would have crumpled into a heap of happy pony; he had half a mind to do it, looking down at the slightly curved lips of Wing, who obviously tried to coax out more cum out of his deflating member.

“W-Wow,” panted Snow, nuzzling into Wing’s stomach, resting best he could. “That was fantastic.”

Dancer smiled wider, letting the floppy length go and watching it rapidly shrink back to join Winter’s sagging nuts. “I’m glad y-you liked it,” he panted out, flexing his own abandoned penis with a pang of regret. “Y-You were p-pretty good yourself. S-Shame you… didn’t… hah...”

Winter’s mind drew a blank at that, and it took a few more seconds to realise what Wing meant. He heaved himself up, looking at the still-throbbing member in front of him, and smiled lazily. With a sigh, he lay his torso on Wing’s, letting his hind hooves rest a bit. He felt his lover’s muzzle poke at his stomach, immediately assaulted by kisses and licks.

“What are you up to, lovercolt?” purred out Wing, licking in small circles around what scratchy coat he could reach. The pressure on his gut was shifting, as if the big stallion above was using him as a pillow. Without much warning, the wet, sucking sensation returned, wrapping around his member. “Ah! Snowy, oh, yes!”

Spurred on by his buckfriend’s moans, Winter went down on the mouthful of cock he treated himself to. Not having to worry about spearing his date or working with a rhythm, he focused on doing what was done onto him before by the batpony. His tongue explored the pinkish flesh, caressing it from every side. The salty tang of the stallionhood didn’t deter him much, and he tried his damndest to think about it as making love to his love, not sucking stallion dick.

Wing was moaning his gratitude into Winter’s stomach. The stallion grew bolder than last time, bobbing his head with much more vigor and passion compared to the mechanical movements of two days ago. The thought of his buckfriend accepting him this way spurred on his arousal, making him buck lightly into Winter’s mouth. The stallion didn’t seem to care though, even going so far as embracing the movement and adjusting himself. Every time Wing thrust, Snow dove deeper, up to his medial ring. For every draw back, the white stallion moved to the throbbing cockhead, kissing and slurping on it like a lollipop.

Passion was a far better mechanism to work with than thinking about it. As soon as Winter stopped fretting over the act itself, it all became clearer on what to do. He read his mate’s movement and did his best to work with him, listening to the heavenly voice below gurgling and spluttering in ‘ah’s’ and drawn out ‘ooh’s’. Wing’s panting was picking up speed, the member in his mouth growing more rigid and flared.

Unexpectedly, the ecstatic wet warmth around Wing’s cock disappeared. Before the batpony could whine though, he heard Winter’s raspy voice say “C’mon now, s-sweet bat. C-Cum for me.”

Immediately, Winter dove back to work on Wing, ignoring the hellfire rolling through his face and ears. He felt like he’d burn alive from shame for saying something as silly as that in the middle of sex. His worry was put to rest as the batpony below whined and squirmed, squeaking out, “Yes, yes, I’m cumming, oh Snowy, I’m cummiiing!”

The first wave felt like it would never come. It kept building up, stronger and stronger at the base of Wing’s member. The constant slathering of his stallionhood just spurred it on, like a spring being loaded to the breaking point. He felt his flare lock against Winter’s closed mouth, the muzzle moving up and down at great speed to tip him over the edge. The base of his cock was fit to burst with tension, so much so the batpony’s back bent outwards.

With a vulgar growl, Wing let go, the orgasm robbing him of breath. Snow got the short end of the stick, however, as a mighty splash of pressurized seed hit the back of his throat. He sputtered, just as the second rope followed the first, nearly drowning the stallion. He locked his jaw and clenched his lips, feeling the cum in his nose. His eyes watered as jets of white flew out of his nostrils, greedy gulps of air drowned out by shot after shot of cum. Snow coughed into his mouthful of dick, keeping his jaws wide apart as he could to not accidentally bite Wing, who’s bliss was slowly tapering out into small bursts that landed on his tongue. He couldn’t help but smell the musky scent of seed, the aroma strangely arousing.

Dancer breathed heavily, only now noticing something wrong happening downstairs. He tried to ask a question between pants, but the twitching between his legs and loss of feeling in said limbs took away his speech as well. With monumental effort, he finally managed, “Oh, Snowy, a-aah! are you, hah, okay, darling, love?”

Snow unglued himself from the sticky cock, taking stock of the disaster in front of him. The sheets below the stallion’s tail (as well as the entirety of it) were sputtered in white. Wing’s cock was glistening with off-white and thick globs still clung to it, sliding down to the mess by his testicles. The stallion felt cum running down his nose, breaking off at his chin to drip drip drip on Wing’s belly.

Winter coughed twice, for good measure, and snnrked. “Just peachy, Wingie,” he said, coughing again. He lifted himself up to look down at his worried buckfriend.

“Princesses above, I’m so sorry!” whined Dancer, taking in the red-eyed, snot-and-cum laced muzzle. The smile it bore quickly infected Wing as well, and the batpony moved a weak hoof to Snow’s face. “Didn’t mean to do that, honestly. Hhhuuuu, it just felt so good… Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” said Winter, lightly kissing the batpony. “Geez, you sure made a mess.”

“What can I say?” chuckled Dancer, looking down and cringing. “It’s your fault for teasing me so much the day before.”

“My fault?” guffawed Winter, the violent motion causing droplets of cum to rain on Wing. “You’re the one who was a tease!”

Dancer laughed heartily, shielding his face from his dripping buckfriend. “Okay, okay! Joint responsibility, then! Hah. That was really good, though. Thank you, Snowy. I love you.”

Winter’s grumpy muzzle instantly brightened at that. “I love you too, Wingie.” The stallion flopped with a grunt next to his love. It took a bit of maneuvering to position himself face to face with the exhausted batpony, but soon they were cuddled against one another.

“We should probably get a shower,” remarked Wing, lazily stroking Winter’s hoof draped over him.

“We should. Later,” agreed Winter, nuzzling the back of Wing’s head. Half of it was affection, half an attempt to wipe off the cum and stop smelling it.

“Won’t you be late for your evening with the guys, though?”

“Who cares?” snorted Snow, tightening his hold on the lithe batpony. “Cuddle time with Wing Dancer is more important than getting drunk off of cheap cider.”

The warm words elicited a deep purr from Wing Dancer, a happy smile crawling onto his face.

Author's Note

Special thanks to the editors for this chapter, Shadeol and Dazzling Flash

Like the story? Want more? Consider joining my Patreon!

Examination of Conscience

“...So, you’ll be meeting him at The Blue Moon at eight. Of course you’re paying for it, and I made the reservation on your name,” summed up Rising Star. “What would you do without me, sir?”

Winter smiled a little. “I’d be lost and stupid,” he snorted out, lightly bumping his grinning subordinate’s shoulder. “I’m still not certain this is such a good idea. I’d rather just talk it out in private, you know-”

Rising Star interrupted with a hoof to Snow’s muzzle, tsking in a motherly fashion. “Of course you would. But like I already explained to you, you’re intimidating to that batpony. If you saw the face he made when I mentioned I was your friend, you’d burn of shame man. It took me long enough to even convince him to lend your apologies an ear. Which brings us to the subject of what you’re actually gonna say.”

The sergeant remained silent, looking away for a second. “I just want to say I’m really sorry. That I acted upon false pretenses and should have not reacted as harshly as I did. I want him to know it won’t happen again and that-”

“Nah, that sounds too dry,” retorted Rising, waving down his superior. “You have to say it in a way he will understand. You have to think really hard about how he felt while you shouted at him, shoved him around, made him cry. You have to make him stop fearing you. Frankly, I’m not even sure if that’s possible anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wouldn’t show up at all.”

Winter bit his lip. “You think he wouldn’t? But he said he’d come-”

“He said he’d try and be there. You have to understand - he’s afraid. Ugh,” sighed the brown stallion, pacing around his superior. “It’s hard to explain to someone who never experienced it. It’s that kind of fear that makes your bowels churn when you even think about that person. It’s a trauma that can stay with a pony for his whole life. Hey, I’m not saying that’s the case here, just that it’s a possibility,” rectified Rising, seeing Snow’s expression grow gloomier by the minute.

“This is all pointless, ain’t it?” asked Winter, resignation in his voice. “He’s not going to show up. I’m going to live out my life knowing I can be a monster at the tip of a hat. Perfect.”

“Sir! That is not true! We all have our moments of weakness. Yours was just...well, fueled by confusion.”

“But it was such an insignificant matter! What normal equine being flips out so hard over sex? It’s a normal thing ponies do! And I made a big enough deal out of it to traumatise an innocent guy who was nothing but nice and accepting, and, and good to me!”

Silence fell between the two. They were following the outline of the now empty training fields, a light and refreshing drizzle gracing their bodies.

“Winter. Sir. Each pony is different. We all have things we freak out over, regardless of how stupid or irrational it may seem to another. Like, me for example. If anything happened to my filly, I’d scream bloody murder and flip the world upside down. She’s my precious baby and- ”

“She’s your child! That’s different,” muttered Snow, kicking at the wet dirt. “But I see what you’re trying to say. It’s just that...I never thought it would be such a big deal for me. I’m surprised at myself. And angry. I'm not homophobic or anything! I guess I need time to figure out exactly why I acted that way.”

“Well, take your time sergeant. We got plenty o’ walkin to do before our shift ends,” snorted Star, poking his superior with a friendly hoof. Winter finally started smiling a bit more.

* * *

It was around seven thirty when Snow walked through the door of the Blue Moon, one of the more expensive restaurants in Canterlot. He was immediately hit by the serene and soothing atmosphere. In the corner of the brightly lit salon was a quartet playing a hushed tune, simple notes that worked wonders on the stallion’s nerves. Only a few tables were left empty, most of the others occupied by fancy looking ponies wearing expensive clothes.

“Um, hello. I’m here for a reservation? U-Uh, Snow Winter? I mean, Winter Snow!” nervously said the stallion, dabbing at his black bow-tie. He felt stupid for not having any other clothes that would fit the fancy restaurant Rising chose for him.

The waiter looked the sergeant up and down, silently judging him for a minute before looking at the book in front of him. “Hmmm, yes. There is indeed a reservation, but it is due in thirty minutes. Sincere apologies, but your table is not ready yet.” He said, giving a slight bow.

“U-Um,” started the stallion, nervously looking around. “B-But there are other tables over there. And there,” he said, pointing to the empty spaces.

“I’m sorry sir, but those are reserved for our other guests. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, but we are trying to run everything as smoothly as possible. Your table should be ready within a few minutes. Excuse me for a second,” finished the waiter, trotting away and disappearing behind a double door.

Winter stood there, not sure if it was okay to sit or not. This was the first time he ever came to such an establishment. On a date. With a batpony he had to sincerely apologise to and hope against hope he would actually show up. He felt really nervous and sick to the stomach. He felt hungry, opting to rehearse his lines rather than eat anything before departing. “This was a bad idea,” he muttered out, gulping loudly.

The waiter came back after a few minutes and finally led the stallion to a table that had been empty ever since he came to the Blue Moon. Winter decided he wouldn’t make a ruckus over it, since it would be counter-productive if Wing found him arguing with the server about having to wait a little because he came in early.

“Would you like some drinks while you wait for your partner, sir?” asked the waiter, hoofing a small menu to Winter.

“He’s not my partner,” grunted out Snow, biting his tongue shortly afterwards. “I mean, thank you, I-I’ll just have some water, please. Thank you!” added the stallion, smiling sheepishly at the waiter. “And now we wait, huh? I bet he won’t come anyway. If what Rising Star said was true, I’ll just end up paying for my water and leaving. How much is water here anyway,” he mused, flipping the menu open. “Wow. Really? For a glass of water? Geez.”

* * *

Time passed and Winter was sparingly sipping on his water. The clock indicated it was half past eight, and the waiter kept coming back more frequently to ask if the stallion wanted to order anything or have another drink. He was both sad and annoyed, but he understood - the batpony couldn’t bear to see him, much less listen to him talk. It was over and that’s the most closure Snow would get out of this.

The stallion was ready to call the waiter when he noticed a new pony enter the Blue Moon. Many came and went during his time here, but this one made Winter’s heart skip two beats - one from relief, the other from stress.

Dancer was standing there, talking to the server who looked at Snow and pointed towards him. The batpony glanced sideways, his ears instantly hugging the back of his head.

Not a good sign, thought Winter to himself. He watched the tense ash colt slowly make his way down towards him, avoiding even looking in his general direction. Okay Winter, you can do this. What Rising Star said - wait for him to open up, to start the conversation. Don’t raise your voice, don’t interrupt him, no sudden movements.

It was painful to see the the once so cheerful colt so gingerly sit across from him. He looked like he was ready to bolt for the door if Winter as much as said “hello” to him. As per Rising’s instructions, he stuck his gaze to the glass in front of him, observing the batpony from the corner of his eye.

* * *

The waiter came by and took Wing’s order - a glass of water. The colt was utterly shaking inside and was making a conscious effort to not show it. He wasn’t really sure why he came here in the first place - all these fancy ponies were dressed so nicely. Even Snow had something on his neck, although he couldn’t tell what it was. He tried to not catch any eye contact with the stallion - he felt that the sensation would overwhelm him and cause him to flee.

Truth be told, Snow’s friend made the batpony realise he still cared about the stallion, at least a tiny bit. Hearing about how much he was sorry and how he regretted the words he said, Wing felt it would be only right to give Winter a shot. He would listen to him, thank him for the invitation and be done with it. Maybe then he could move on, closing a chapter of his life marked with laziness and lack of achievements.

The silence between them became unbearable. The batpony cleared his throat and, with all the courage he could muster, he started: “S-Soo...uh, hi. Snow.”

“Hi, Wing,” replied the stallion in a small voice. It was calm and soft, nothing like the thundering fury Dancer witnessed just a few days ago. “You doing alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess,” replied the batpony, lowering his head, staring at his glass. “H-How about you?”

There was a slight pause before the stallion replied. “I feel bad,” he started. After another brief pause, he continued: “I’ve treated you horribly. But, I-I guess you already know that. The thing is, I’m really sorry. I have never been so sorry for what I’ve done in my entire life. All the sorry’s in the world couldn’t tell you how sorry I am.”

Wing’s face twitched in a short smile, his gaze running around the table, precisely avoiding looking at Winter’s hooves on the other side. The words he said were nice, and the batpony felt how true they rang. Snow was really sorry and Dancer’s heart began hoping again. As much as he wanted to not feel for the pony, he just couldn’t shake off the faint bond that lingered between them.

“I know that words aren’t worth much. And that this dinner here won’t compensate for what you had to go through with me,” continued Snow in his soft voice. “Remember when I said I didn’t want to see that face sad? I still don’t want to. I’ll do anything to make you happy again. I mean it.”

Wing noticed white hooves creeping up on him across the table. He felt panic rise steadily, but he didn’t move his own legs away. He kept them clamped on the glass, the tension sending spikes of numbness up his arms. He expected to feel a cold, steel grip, or a yank that would send him sprawling across the table.

He winced as Winter’s hooves reached his. They were warm and gentle, touching him for only a second before retreating a little, hovering in an uncertain state. “C-Can I? I promise I won’t hurt you or anything...I j-just...”

Wing sighed shortly, glancing at Snow’s muzzle. He looked really troubled. His eyes were kind of sad. The batpony slowly nodded, relaxing his numbing hooves and laying them on either side of the glass. He watched them be enveloped in white again, delicately, as if they were made of glass themselves. The sensation was nice and comforting.

“I-I’ll understand if you won’t want anything from me. I’m really happy you came anyway. I-It was...really nice to see you again,” whispered out the stallion.

“I...Thank you,” replied Wing. He had a burning desire to look at Winter again, but at the same time he was too afraid to maintain eye contact with him. Yet. “I-It’s nice...t-to,” he stuttered, gulping nervously. Steadily, his gaze started crawling up the white legs, stopping at the shoulders and broad chest. He remembered the feeling of that skin against his face as he lay on it after…

With a bit of hesitation, the batpony retreated his hooves to his sides. Winter’s didn’t follow. “S-Sorry. I...C-Can I tell you something?” he asked risking another glance at the sergeant’s face. Winter nodded silently.

* * *

Snow slowly pulled his hooves back to his side of the table. The feeling of the batpony’s shaking legs in his own made him even more uneasy. They were so warm and fragile - he had no idea anypony could be that tender. He felt a growing need to embrace the colt, help him settle down. It was heart breaking to see him stutter so much, his gaze wandering around, avoiding looking at him at all.

“I-I thought about what you said,” gulped the batpony. “You were k-kind of right...I didn’t have much to go around, heh.”

Shame made Snow’s ears droop, forcing his look away from the slender form. He wanted to stop him right there and then, explain that he didn’t really mean it. It was his insecurities talking, not the Winter Snow that sat in front of him now. When he talks, you listen, repeated the stallion in his mind, just let him finish and get his burden on the table.

“B-But I’m changing. I think I’ll get...get a new job soon. As a secretary, a-at some larger company,” he paused for a while, rolling his half-empty glass in his hooves. “I...I’m really sorry, you know?” he blurted out. “It was inconsiderate of me to b-be so p-pushy on you. I was f-forcing you to make...make changes. And we barely even knew each other...”

Winter was fidgeting on his cushion. He wanted to speak up so badly, assure the batpony it wasn’t like that! It was just him having issues with his sexuality, his own fault! Instead, he just watched the colt’s body tense up.

Wing Dancer pursed his lips together. He expected the stallion to start shouting at him any minute now. It felt really uncomfortable to be saying all these things, but he just couldn’t stop now. The words forced themselves out of his mouth of their own volition: “But I still liked it. I l-liked you. I-I’m terribly sorry to have...imposed my feelings on you. I won’t...since you...obviously don’t want it,” he finished in a slightly trembling voice, clamping down on the glass. The water’s surface quaked slightly.

“Are you ready to order, sirs?”

The unexpected voice startled Dancer. He flung his forehooves into the air, a high pitched yelp escaping him. Time slowed down as he caught sight of his water glass majestically fly through the air, finally free of the batpony’s tight grasp. The fluids inside formed a shapeless blob, no longer constrained by the limitations of it’s container.

Snow, having snapped his attention to the waiter, ready to shoo him away in the most important moment of the night, saw movement from the corner of his eye. His overloaded brain was sluggish, and only now did it register the distressed scream and subsequent projectile launched straight at his face. His years of training could easily make up for his confused state - his body was taught to avoid danger even when it’s owner wasn’t fully aware of the situation. This time, however, through a combination of guilt and what could be called a will to be punished, it decided to freeze and brace for impact. The white stallion closed his eyes and crumpled his nose.

* * *

Wing Dancer silently sat on his pillow, staring down at his stiff hooves. He was exhausted, having apologised over and over again for throwing his glass at Snow. Not only did the sergeant get his face wet, but the edge of the glass produced a small cut on his nose. The thin red line was neatly covered by a napkin now. For some reason, the guard had a mild smile on his face.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence between the two, Winter finally decided to speak up. “Wing Dancer,” he started in the softest tone he could muster. He tried reaching a hoof across the table again, but the colt didn’t respond. “I really deserved that, even if you didn’t intend it. And it’s no big deal, really. I’ve had worse.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “Listen. Words really can’t say how painful it is to see you so...tense. So unhappy. Because of me. I want...I would like to start over. Treat you right this time. Give it a chance. I promise I won’t screw up this time - I won’t let my stupid insecurities get the better of me and hurt you again. If you’d only let me...”

Wing Dancer’s ears twitched slightly. The stallion wanted to start over? Did that mean he wanted to actually keep seeing him? His heart pounded hard against his chest now, reminding the batpony of its existence. His cheeks were flushed red despite the thick fog of confusion bogging down his mind. Should he accept? Should he decline? What if the stallion hurts him again? What if this is all just Winter’s guilt talking, and he’ll bail as soon as the feeling passes?

Just as his reason was starting to tip the battle in its favor, the disrespectful heart pushed his body to action. Slowly, it guided his hoof to Snow’s, lightly pressing against it. The other pony’s hoof gently glided over his, caressing it like a lover would. Dancer’s doubts faded away as his eyes locked onto Winter’s, the brown eyes of the stallion expressing both relief and joy.

Snow’s mind was as hollow as the batpony’s, his own heart threatening to smash his ribs to pieces. The colt’s blue eyes were sparkling again, hope shyly glinting in the electric sea of azure. He didn’t know what he said exactly, but he felt it was right. All he could hear was dull pounding in his ears. The warm hoof under his was soft and delicate, like a most precious gift he wanted to hold forever. He was afraid. Each second that passed in silence threatened to end this magical moment - the eyes would look away, the hoof would-

“I...” started Wing Dancer in the smallest of voices. “I...would like...to-”

“Would you like to order now, sirs?”

* * *

It was around ten in the afternoon. The moon started its journey across the sky, its delicate, silver light flooding the near empty streets of Canterlot. Most ponies were in their homes, enjoying their company or wrapped in deep slumber. Some were just returning, having worked an entire day, looking forward to the loving embraces of their families. Two ponies in particular were strolling down a barely lit side-alley.

One of them was a batpony, an ash colt with a faint smile on his muzzle. He would peek at his companion from time to time, a rather bulky white earth pony stallion, making sure he wasn’t ahead of the limping equine.

Wing Dancer stifled another giggle. After all the stress he went through today, he couldn’t help but laugh, replaying the dramatic scene at the Blue Moon over and over again in his head.

He was just about to say something when the waiter picked that exact moment to appear again. The interruption made him jump slightly, causing Winter’s hoof to slide down. He didn’t have even a split second to react as he saw his companion’s features change into a terrifying mask. A sudden rush of fear was instantly replaced by confusion and shock when he heard a loud smack and saw the poor server tumble backwards.

“Can’t you just fuck off?!” bellowed Snow, huffing loudly. The whole room went silent, the discrete band in the corner giving off a few false sounds before halting to a stunned stop themselves. “I-I’m s-sorry. You were saying?” asked the white stallion, his ears plastered against the back of his head and a most silly grin stuck on his face. That was the first time Dancer laughed today.

Of course, the subsequent militia and night guard interventions weren’t as hilarious. Winter was charged with assault, to which he opted to pay a fine and profusely apologise to the shaken waiter. Him and Dancer left in a hurry, the batpony trying to remain calm despite his sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably.

“Y-You really didn’t h-have to punch him that hard, W-Winter,” mumbled out the ash colt, suppressing another round of giggling.

“Sorry,” groaned Snow in response. He really shouldn’t have punched him that hard. The sudden maneuver strained his already tense muscles, causing needles of pain to march up and down his left front leg as he walked. “He had really bad timing though...I-I really...wanted to know...”

Wing stopped dead in his tracks. He looked intently at the confused stallion, watching his ears slowly go down. It was strange to see the guardspony like this. One minute he could be a savage brute, the other a delicate and insecure pony. He had both great passion and strength in him. He was dangerous, but at the same time very rewarding. The batpony’s reasoning decided to stay out of it - it was a lost cause at this point anyway. It would just wait for the inevitable “I told you so” moment. But for now?

Snow watched the ash colt gingerly tip toe to his side, shyly pressing a muzzle against his broad barrel. The touch sent pleasurable ripples across the tired guard’s body. The batcolt kept moving forward, connecting his neck and shoulders to Winter’s until his snout reached the guard’s neck. The nocturnal equine nuzzled his ear, whispering the sweetest words he had ever heard: “I’d really like to start over too, sir.”

Very carefully and slowly, Winter craned his head around, pressing his cheek against the smaller colt’s. He still smelled like lavender.

Training Session

“Well well well, look who’s all fresh and happy first thing in the morning,” snickered Rising Star, muffling a yawn.

Winter felt like a million bits. He had a good night’s sleep, something he couldn’t achieve for nearly a week now, and he still felt a faint tingling on his nose where the batpony planted a small kiss last night. The stallion gave his friend a giant grin. “It went better than expected.” He came in close and locked the private in a bone-crushing hug. “Thanks, really. If it weren’t for you...”

“You’re welcome, sir. Can you show your gratitude by not squeezing my intestines out like a tube of toothpaste?” wheezed out Star, producing a smile of his own. “Happy I could help, Winter, sir. It was awful seeing you all depressed like that. So, uh, if you don’t mind me prying,” whispered out the stallion, gasping for breath, “how well did it go?”

Snow sighed and shook his head. “He’s no longer afraid of me, but I didn’t want to push my luck. It’s better for the both of us that we take it slow anyway. But we’ll be going out on a, uh, date today. That’s kinda good, heh.”

“Kinda?” mocked the smaller stallion, walking alongside his superior. “What, you still having doubts?”

“Maybe. But it’s different this time,” rectified Snow, looking up and down the corridor they were patrolling. It would be another long, hot shift in the nearly empty palace. “I mean, I think I started thinking ahead a bit. You know, first date, then eventually we’ll start sleeping over at each other’s et cetera…a-and then, you know...”

“Sexy stallion fun times?” whispered out Star, bumping the sergeant’s shoulder.

“Stop it, this is serious,” groaned Winter, pushing the cheeky stallion away with considerable force. He hummed while his subordinate scrambled, trying to catch his balance in his heavy armor suit. “I mean, I guess he already did...things with me. And I’d be okay with...kissing and stuff. B-But still...I would have to eventually...you know...return the favor,” mumbled out Snow, his cheeks burning up.

Now that he finally stood stable on all fours, Rising Star was torn between seriously treating his superior’s fears and poking fun at the predicament. The question that would decide choosing one option over the other was: how hard would he have to run if he made a joke?

“Well,” carefully started the private, seeing Winter tense up. “If you ask me, you can work it out by yourself. Right?”

“What do you mean?” asked the surprised sergeant. He was already shifting his weight, preparing to smack Rising the moment he’d try to crack a joke. Having to remain on only 3 hooves was uncomfortable. “How?”

“Well…depends on what your problem really is.” The sergeant seemed both confused and embarrassed, which turned out to be much more amusing than any funny comment he could think up. “Is it his stallion bits? Too big? Too small? Some nasty shape?”

Winter stumbled back, unwittingly sitting back on his armored rump. “I-I, I...I,” he stuttered, feeling his face burn under his coat. The sheer mention, the thought of Wing Dancer’s...privates made him uncomfortable. Not that he ever even caught a glimpse of them anyway. All he could do was nod slowly, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

“So there’s something wrong with that,” mused Star, crumpling his nose. He didn’t really think his strategy through - even he wasn’t too fond of talking about another pony’s junk. Especially since it would be directly connected to Winter. He was about to say something when the stallion leaned in suddenly.

“I don’t think I’d be comfortable touching him like that. Hell, I don’t touch myself much. Not sexually anyway,” he blurted out. “I always had mares and stuff, and I definitely don’t want to taste...taste his…” He swallowed hard, shaking his head violently and pulling back. That was as much as he could take. The hot air around him felt a lot chillier now that he was waiting for his friend to reply.

Rising was in deep. He trotted into foreign territory of which he knew only a little himself. As far as his own junk was concerned, he experimented as much as the next stallion. He had a taste or two of his flare, decided he didn’t like the salty tinge semen had and that was it. He never came back to thinking about it.

“Do you think I should...I should do it myself? Practice, I mean?”

* * *

With a bit of relief Winter left the barracks. He kept asking Rising questions from time to time, having found out that the private had some experience. He pushed himself so far out of his comfort zone, it didn’t really matter that the questioned stallion was nervous and awkward, trying to avoid answering any of his inquiries. It all ended when they were accidentally found out by another pair of guards, caught red-hoofed in the middle of a conversation about how to improve the taste of cum.

He still had a few hours left before his date with Wing Dancer. He was nervous, mostly because he didn’t know how to act. They were off to see a movie, some kind of cheap comedy. Normally he would try to put a hoof around his date and delicately pull her to his side, gauging the chances of getting laid after the subsequent dinner. This time, he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to cuddle.

“I mean, what if it does end up in bed?” he mused, fumbling around his bag for the key to his apartment. “I can’t make him do me again...I mean, it would be nice…h-he’s pretty good at it.” He finally dug out the key and opened the door with a sigh. Having dropped his saddles on a coffee table, he decided to hit the shower.

“But I have to show that I’m considerate too. Last time I was pretty selfish, right?”

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, half-expecting a reply, like it sometimes happened in movies. He scratched the spot where he got nicked yesterday, remembering all the tension and nerves he went through. It felt so unreal now, almost like a bad dream.

“Face the facts man,” he continued, turning the water on and adjusting the temperature. “You’re going for a relationship with a stallion. It sounds weird, you might not be exactly too sure about it, but you don’t feel it’s terribly wrong either.” With a bit of unease he looked down, craning his head to stare at his sheath. It was black and crumpled, as always, his heavy balls dripping with mild water. He never noticed his stuff much, nor did he pay special attention to others’. “Why does it feel so weird though?”

With a huff he sat down. He looked up into the shower head, closing his eyes and letting the water wash down his body. Down and down it went, pooling around his flanks, dowsing his tail. Gently caressing his sack. Now that he acknowledged it’s existence, he couldn’t stop focusing on his sex. The more he thought about it, the weirder it felt. A small pressure was starting to build up there.

The stallion peaked down again. His sheath started bulging slightly, the stirring in his loins encouraged by the rippling sensation of water spraying onto his nethers. Still a bit uneasy, Winter hesitantly put his front hooves behind himself, exposing his belly and inner thighs to the warm torrent.

As soon as his stallionhood popped from it’s protective sheath, the sensation intensified, causing Snow to let out an involuntary shallow sigh. The unrelenting jets of water whipped at his cock, a peculiar sensation dancing between pain and pleasure. The further his meat stretched, the more stimulated he became, some areas of his rod more sensitive than others. He squirmed around, exposing himself more fully to the rough caressing. He moaned a little as a particularly strong stream pressed against his testicles, causing his cock to twitch and send a splash of liquid against his face.

Snow lied down in the shower, enjoying the rough stimulation of his sex. His member was at full attention now, reaching a few inches past his belly button, which is his case was a feat on it’s own. Now that he looked at it, he gained a lot of respect for the slender pony who fit that bulging monster all the way in his mouth and throat. Even the thought of something being lodged in his windpipe made the guard shudder. He would have to work on that if he ever wanted to make Wing happy.

Slowly, the stallion put a hoof to the flat tip of his stallionhood. He pressed down a bit and began moving it in a circular motion, feeling a strain at the base. The rough texture of his appendage didn’t feel too good - it was scratching the delicate skin of his meat. He instead tried to put a fetlock around the girth, again surprising himself with how big he was. This time the stimulation of his pistoning movements did something for him, but in the end the water did a better job, lashing at his balls and penis at just the right spots.

“Too bad this isn’t about jacking off,” sighed Winter, propping himself up against a wall. His dissapointed member gave a needy twitch as it was removed from the showerhead’s radius. It was wet and glistening, ants travelling up and down the length from the recent experience. He let the feeling pass, replaced by the rhythmic twitching and bulging of the fat veins around his rod. One spasm in particular was stronger, pushing out a murky drop of liquid that stayed on the flat plateau of his cockhead. Snow gulped nervously, thinking about how wrong it would be to just lick it up.

“On the other hoof...W-Wing took...the whole...” he mumbled, lowering his muzzle to inspect the still droplet. It had a most enticing smell, musky and very arousing. Very carefully, the stallion let his tongue slip out of his muzzle, the muscle heading straight for the pre-cum. There was a slight hesitation before Winter finally prodded the droplet. Despite his expectations, there was no taste. He tried again, being very careful not to touch his own cockhead. He guided the round droplet into his mouth and held it there for a little while. It carried a tint of salt, but nothing more.

The stallion almost choked as he attempted to spit the thing out mid-swallow. It was like his organism didn’t see anything wrong in swallowing something else that was produced down below, in a spot that was used mostly for pissing. Then again, Wing Dancer didn’t have any problems with that. “One step at a time,” said Snow, letting loose a nervous giggle. “The things you do for a gay-potentially-colt-friend, heh.”

Much more decisively this time, the stallion lowered his muzzle to the head, which was slowly deflating. He didn’t feel excited enough to keep himself hard, but he had to keep going. He shuffled his muscular flanks a bit lower, letting the fierce shower’s water stimulate him. His penis appreciated it with a pleasurable, vigorous twitch. Keeping half of his stallionhood constantly under the downpour, Snow lowered his nose even further, almost booping the rising tip. His tongue darted out, colliding with the cockhead unexpectedly. The sensation was weird, as he both felt his tongue touch him, as well as the pressure itself on his member.

Slowly, in shy circles, Snow begun exploring his tip. He tried very hard to not think about what he was doing, opting to focus on how it felt. It was nowhere near as pleasurable as he remembered it - the batpony did it a lot better, apparently knowing all the secrets to sucking a stallion off. This was kind of off putting to Winter, as he felt like he wouldn’t be able to please Wing when - and if - things would get hot. He eventually started circling his tongue around the circumference, the teasing going pretty much unnoticed by his member.

In an attempt to draw at least the slightest bit of pleasure from the experience, the sergeant bent even more, sucking the head into his mouth. The pressure right behind the tip was more to his liking, his tongue now more vigorously swirling around the intruder. He felt like he was getting the hang of it and, despite the uncomfortable feeling in his back and gut, forced himself to gobble more of his length. As he slowly made his way down, he felt his cockhead flare slightly. The vaccum tugging at his sex felt really nice, his lips tighly securing it inside the moist cavern.

While most of his member was relentlessly lashed at by water, a certain midsection felt empty and hungering for touch. He closed his eyes trying hard to get there, but to no avail. His back was already strained and his stomach felt like it almost pressed against his spine.

With an audible pop, the sergeant let go of his treat, noting how it indeed flared up a bit. He stared at it for a while, panting. There had to be a better way…

Groaning, he begun shifting around. He tried reaching the rod by lying on his side and bending over, but again the gut got in the way. He could only muster a quarter of his member, slurping on it and trying to focus on how it felt. His tongue caressing the underside of the growing flare was pleasant, and the tightness of his lips bobbing up and down behind it let him lose himself for a moment in a melting sensation.

Winter straightened himself out again with a moan, looking down at his saliva-spattered horsecock, tiny shivers of delight running around his body. Now that he thought about it, his member didn’t have any taste. If anything, only the precum in his mouth was salty, the flavor not wanting to go away, lingering at the back of his throat.

“It’s not as bad as I imagined, I guess,” mused the stallion, flexing his sex muscle, squeezing out a thick glob of liquid. “Maybe I won’t turn out to be such a terrible...coltfriend,” he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Who would have thought I’d be doing this?” he asked his penis. It remained silent, throbbing slightly, wordlessly urging the sergeant to stimulate it more.

The guard looked around the spartan bathroom, as if an answer on how to suck better could be found in the plain mirror, door or the shower itself. In a last ditch effort, he lied on his back again and heaved his hind legs upwards. He propped them comfortably against a nearby wall, now crossing his eyes to look at the dangling member above him. His testicles hung low, the giant horsecock now a bit more daunting than before. There was something arousing in that jet black, throbbing tower of a member just sitting above his face. He took a sniff of it, the smell of arousal and pre-cum making him blush like a filly. Almost on instinct, he let his mouth open softly as his hips begun moving downwards.

The misaligned penis booped his nose and begun siding down its bridge, right between his eyes. The short coat hairs sent ripples of pleasure along the sergeant’s body, commanding him to keep pressing down despite the absurdity of his pose. He finally could bend no more, trying to focus on the monster that was right between his eyes. From here he could see the pulsing veins, beating out a steady rhythm in tandem with his heart. He traced the longer vessels hungrily, one in particular going over the girthy medial ring, exposed and as if begging to be suckled on.

“How did Wing Dancer take all this...” he mumbled, his moving snout prodding the erection lightly. “W-Well...bottom’s up, r-right?” he asked his penis, retreating it back up. This time he let his tongue do the guiding, firmly pressing it into the vacuuming cavity of his mouth. It went in smoothly, now tended to by his wet and eager muscle. The sergeant slowly tipdoed his hind hooves down the wall, pushing more and more of his throbbing hotness past his tightly sealed lips. He stopped for a second to take a strained breath, his insides coiling up from the unnatural pose.

With a decisive thrust he pushed his cock as far as it would go without him breaking his spine. He got a good grip of it with his lips, an inch or two behind the medial ring. It was uncomfortably close to the back of his throat, yet he still regretted he couldn’t take the whole thing in. There was so little to go…

His tongue did it’s own thing, exploring every spot on the hot member. With just the tip he managed to trace the outlines of the veins, moaning in the process. The additional vibration sent wild sparks and waves of pleasure around his body, easily overpowering the strain his back took. He lightly bobbed his head up and down, his eyes shut and all attention focused on the bliss he was feeling. It was getting pretty damn close to what he felt with the batpony.

His orgasm built up slowly but surely. The sergeant alternated between suckling, licking and simply bobbing his head, experimenting with different patterns and intensities. He especially liked teasing the slit of his urethra, sometimes tasting the salty pre-cum that leaked from his shifting balls. They felt hot and neglected, bouncing slightly as the stallion moved around. The sergeant felt more and more tired, his back letting him know with numbing spikes that it wasn’t supposed to bend that way. It felt like a race against his own body - on one side was the approaching orgasm, the sweet release that already made his cockhead swell in anticipation. On the other, there was the risk of hurting himself during all this nonsense.

He needily hummed into his dick, the vibrations causing his mind to melt with pleasure. Release was approaching, the sucking and facehumping becoming more urgent as the sergeant felt his member stiffen even more, heavy with hot blood. The pressure just kept building and building, as if an invisible dam kept him away from cumming. His sex was so stiff he feared it might pop any moment.

Sweet goddesses, he thought as he finally passed the point of no return, his balls rising, this feels so good, this feels so good, sogoodsogood…

The first spasm came down through his body, his member flaring and bulging heavily. He felt his seed splatter onto the back of his throat, making him cough. In a panicked state, he begun pulling out, involuntarily choking on another thick load. His flared penis scraped against his teeth as it sloppily exited, a sensation both painful and exhilarating during his cumming. The third spurt landed directly on his nose. He closed his eyes shut, grunting as the fourth spasm quaked his nethers, hosing down his face. His hips were shivering, body led by instinct and need. The fifth twitch caused him to grind his rod on the bridge of his nose, the cum leaking down on his hair.

He lay there for a little while, still shivering and panting, catching his breath after the violent eruption. He felt tired, relishing in the afterglow, small spams still milking out residual amounts of his virulent seed. That was the most draining and satisfying experience he ever had, and the aching in his back only added a tinge of excitement to it. Slowly, he uncoiled his body, drawing sharp breaths as his spine was finally allowed some rest. His flanks rested on the warm, wet surface of the showering area, the feeling divine on his sweaty skin.

The stallion lay there, his mouth slightly agape, panting and gathering his wits. The orgasm he just achieved was the most bizarre mixture of pain, discomfort and ecstasy he ever had the pleasure of having. It was even weirder than sucking your own member to learn how to service your future-probably-maybe-coltfriend.

“I wonder what Wing would say,” he sighed, finally wiping his face with a hoof. The thick seed was everywhere and it stuck to his fur like tar. “Am I a freak now, even by gay stallion standards?”

With another deep sigh he crawled under the showerhead, the cool rays of water massaging his body. “Worth it,” he chuckled, lazily applying shampoo to his mane.

In the other room, the wall-mounted cuckoo clock’s bird chirped seven times before retreating to its hiding spot...

Would You Like Milk With That?

Winter entered Wing’s apartment, this time paying more attention to his surroundings. The fireplace before the sofa was out, flanked by several pieces of firewood. Right next to the entrance there was a small table on which Dancer deposited his keys. A small rug led into a corridor that split into several other rooms. It kind of reminded him of his own apartment, but for some reason it felt cosier. Maybe it was the wallpaper with small pink and yellow flowers? Perhaps the softly glowing chalice shaped lamp overhead?

“This way,” said Wing, leading the stallion to a small kitchen. Snow noted how the batpony swayed his hips gently, his tail swishing from side to side in small movements. Winter gulped slightly, plying his gaze away, focusing it on the array of cupboards instead. The room was small but not overly cluttered - something you’d expect of a single pony who made ends meet most of the time.

“D-Do you like any special blends?” asked the host, procuring a small box with multiple teabags of different colors. The different aromas assaulted the sergeant’s nose - he didn’t have anything as fancy for a long time now.

“I dunno,” mused Snow, taking whiffs of each colored section. “These strawberry ones smell nice… but I think I’ll go with raspberry. If that’s okay, I mean,” he said, smiling.

“Of course! I’m a big fan of mint myself, hehe,” giggled Wing, pouring water into a pot and setting it on a burner. “I find it helps calm nerves and lets you unwind after an eventful day.”

Winter raised his brow at that, looking at the colt sitting opposite him. “Eventful day? Do tell.”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to bore you with that,” replied Wing, waving a hoof. “It’s just boring arcade stuff anyway. We had a few troublesome customers, is all.”

“What about them?” pressed Snow.

“Are you sure you wanna hear about my day? I’d rather hear about some of the stuff you do.”

“Humm. M-My day,” chuckled Snow, a faint blush gracing his cheeks. “Tell you what. You tell me about yours, and I’ll tell you about mine later, okay?”

Wing’s eyes widened instantly and he nodded eagerly.

* * *

A bit shy at first, Dancer progressively loosened up, describing the events that led up to them meeting at the cinema. Apparently a father of one of the patrons barged in and started causing a ruckus, claiming that he was an important pony in Canterlot castle and that his son was mistreated. The owner of the arcade had a long, solid talk with the stallion, which ended in the parent skitting out of the establishment with his tail between his legs.

The conversation and tea was moved to the day room, where Winter described the mundane patrol route they took, very scrupulously avoiding the bits in which he nearly molested his subordinate about blowjobs. During his tale he noted that the batpony was listening very intently, nearly forgetting his drink and leaning in with wide eyes. Snow talked about traversing the tall Canterlot corridors, the fortifications and training grounds and Wing seemed to drink down every word that came out of his mouth.

“Did you get to meet the Princess?” asked the colt, putting away his now cold tea on top of the fireplace.

“Heh, not personally. She was present at our pledging, though,” smiled Winter, putting away his empty cup. The tea wasn’t half-bad, considering it was just an flavored instant blend.

“Lucky you,” sighed the batpony, slumping on his seat. “You have an important job on your hooves. Even if you don’t get to see the Princess, at least she’s somewhere in the castle. That’s cool.”

Seeing him pipe down so suddenly put a frown on Winter’s face. “You really wanted to be a guard that badly?”

The batpony sighed and smirked sadly. “I know, I know. I don’t look the part. I’m not strong, fast or all that brave. It would be cool, though. I don’t know why I think I’d find myself in such a job. You know, patrolling, looking out for danger...”

“It’s not like that,” chuckled Winter. “Trust me, it’s just a routine nowadays. Being a guard is a boring job. Unless you’re somewhere on the borders, you don’t get to do anything exciting other than just strolling around and praying for the sun to set, hehe.”

“But still!” protested the batpony, poking the guard’s large chest. “Armor looks so cool! And I’d do anything to hold a real crossbow or spear!”

“Oh, would you?” teased Snow, a smug smile on his face. He enjoyed how Dancer’s features brightened, his electric eyes now two giant black holes of puppy dog eyes.

“Yes! Anything, anything! W-would, c-could,” Wing stammered, leaning into the guard. His hooves kneaded at the muscled barrel, his muzzle inches away from Snow’s.

Winter couldn’t help but smile, nuzzling the cute nose in front of him. “Maybe I’d consider it...hmmmm,” mused the stallion, looking away from the whining batpony.

The smaller pony was climbing his body, his cheek brushing against the stallion’s torso in small strokes. Again with the sensation of touch. The light weight of the slender form crawling onto him felt nice. If it were a mare, he’d instantly have her in his hooves, kissing deeply.

“Please?” whispered Dancer sultrily into his ear, making it twitch slightly. “I can be very thankfull, you know.”

Shivers burst down Snow’s body when he felt a wet tongue tip touch the circumference of his ear. His heart pumped faster now, the batpony on top of him slowly locking his forehooves around Winter’s neck.

“I-I, uh, I mean,” tried the guard, stifling a groan as the batpony gently caught the tip of his ear and pulled it down with just his lips, releasing it to spring to full attention a second later.

“Uhum,” murmured Wing, his chin sliding against the side of Snow’s head, his slender tongue prodding the twitching ear. “Go on...”

With just that little bit of teasing the guard was reduced to a stuttering mess. He tried to think up some excuse or smug one-liner that would let him be on top of things again. The sensations around his ear ceased, replaced by a long kiss to the side of his muzzle.

As soon as Dancer lifted his snout to kiss a bit farther, his head was grabbed eagerly by Snow’s hooves, holding it in place as the stallion dove for his mouth. His tongue immediately parted Wing’s lips. The batpony enjoyed the decisiveness with which it prodded around his cheeks, wrestling with his own muscle and forcing it into submission.

With a devilish grin, Wing pushed hard into the kiss and then drew back, leaving Winter panting hard, his gaze unfocused.

“I mean, if you can’t, that’s fine...” said Dancer in a mock-hurt voice, slinking down the white coat. He drew his hooves all the way through the sergeant’s barrel, scraping the surface lightly before detaching himself from the stallion entirely. “Such a shame, though.” Wing sighed and turned around, lying down on the couch. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t stop his tail from swishing once or twice in anxiety.

Snow’s body was battling his mind. One voted for immediately pouncing the batpony and, well, rubbing himself against the slender figure until something happened. The more logical part tried to keep it civil and at least attempt being romantic about it.

With a shaky hoof the sergeant reached to the batpony’s withers, feeling the colt tense up only for a second before melting into the touch. Another leg followed and pretty soon the guard was leaning into Wing, his body covering the warm pony beneath. He already felt excitement push at his sheath, the smell of lavender and a dash of mint wafting from Dancer’s face.

The batpony tried to keep still, shivers jumping around his body as the sergeant pressed down upon him. The weight would probably crush him should Snow not be as gentle as he was, and the thought thrilled him. There he was, lying beneath a handsome, muscular, shy stallion who could overpower him easily should he so desire.

“Hmm?” purred the batpony, twisting his head slightly to look at the blushing Winter. “Wanna tell me something?”

Snow took long whiffs of Wing’s mane, unable to get enough of the lavender scent. A throb from below was demanding he made a move, but he wasn’t sure what he could do now. Wouldn’t doing something like this so soon after their little incident be okay? Would Dancer be fine with this? Why did he even bring up the guard thing. It was a low blow to dangle someone’s dream in front of their muzzle in exchange for…

Dancer noticed a slight frown grace Winter’s face. He felt the mood dissipate as the worried sergeant stiffened and began retreating. Having just enough wiggle room, the batpony turned around, stopping the sergeant with a gentle hoof.

“Hey, if you really can’t, that’s fine,” he said soothingly, wrapping his fetlocks around the muscular neck and tugging down. “I was just joking, you silly. Can’t a big stallion like you take a little bit of teasing, hmm?”

“It’s not that,” mumbled out Snow, letting Wing plant a wet kiss on the tip of his snout. The electric wave that coursed through his nose made his body shiver. “I just… are you sure this is okay? I mean...”

Wing moved his hooves lower, onto the sergeant’s back, pressing him down eagerly. He purred into Snow’s ear, caressing his broad back and barrel, drinking in the feeling. Winter’s muscles were tense, their bumps and ridges firm and strong against his hooves. The batpony marveled at the toned body, feeling his own erection starting to poke out of its sheath.

Snow got startled slightly by the pressure he felt down below. It was warm, slinking in between their bodies, settling right next to his own throbbing member. The sudden realisation almost made Winter recoil and jump away.

That’s right. His penis is touching yours, he thought, his body frozen. Wing Dancer is a male and has a penis, just like you. There’s nothing weird in having one. It’s natural. Still, penises touching each other isn’t.

As if reading his thoughts, Wing shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” he murmured out. “C-Can we just pretend it’s not there? Y-You can just raise-”

Winter silenced the stammering batpony with a small kiss to the side of his head. He nuzzled the spot slowly, earning himself another small purr before heaving himself up.

Wing’s tail immediately shot up to his crotch and his hind legs curled up, doing their best to cover up Dancer’s nethers. The batpony smiled meekly, his eyes shifting around.

“No,” calmly said Snow. Seeing Wing like that didn’t feel right. What kind of a stallion would he be if he didn’t accept the whole package, so to speak? Wing was a cute batpony, but also a male. As a fellow stallion, Winter knew exactly how the pony below felt and how badly can unattended excitement end. Maybe it was the pang of guilt he felt over his first sexual encounter with Wing, or maybe curiosity finally got an edge in the battle for sexual identity, but the sergeant made up his mind. He would at least try.

As gently as he could he placed both hooves on the squirming hind legs of the batpony.

“I wanna see,” said the guard with a soft smile.

Dancer froze, staring at the sergeant in disbelief. The hooves on his knees didn’t push nor pull, but they were there nonetheless. Did Snow really want to see him… there? The batpony was okay with waiting as long as it took and planned on actually introducing the stallion to his own needs over the course of more than a dozen dates.

“A-Are you sure? It can wait, really,” tried Wing, attempting to tug his legs even tighter shut. To his surprise, Winter prevented him from doing that, keeping them in place.

“Yes. I’m sure. Show me.”

Crimson assaulted Dancer’s cheeks, closely followed by a burning on his face and around his loins. The voice was gentle yet firm. It was tinted with a commanding tone, something the sergeant most likely made use of every day in his line of duty. The prospect of that voice commanding him to expose himself sent a throb through his covered member.

“O-Okay,” he finally gulped, loosening up his hind legs and letting his tail unfurl itself.

The way Snow stared excited Dancer. Pretty soon his member was in full view, exposed, throbbing with arousal. The batpony couldn’t tell what the sergeant was thinking, simply running his eyes up and down the pinkish length.

On his side, Snow was equal parts relieved and weirded out. The penis in front of him was somewhat smaller than he imagined it would be. If anything, it was pleasant to look at, a mottled tan and gray rod that twitched ever so often. It was a lot less veiny than his own, with the medial ring being a light bump a quarter above its base. The balls beneath the package were smooth and black, pretty much like his own, only smaller.

The entirety of Wing’s sex was as slick as its owner. Still, the thought of doing anything with it was unsettling to the sergeant. It was one thing to touch your own junk, even drink down the fluids, and an entirely different world to do that to another. Then again, Wing did it to him without even batting an eye...

“Y-You alright?” meeped out Dancer, trying to squirm his legs shut. The excitement of being ogled quickly turned into anxiety and fear of being rejected. Granted, he wasn’t the biggest, but his junk still screamed ‘male’, a call that would put off any respectable heterosexual.

“Yeah,” snorted Snow, looking up at the blushing batpony. “It’s fine. I… well… Umm.”

“You don’t have to force yourself. Let me take care of you instead, okay?” offered Wing, lifting himself up to meet the stallion.

“B-But-”

“Shhhh,” murred Dancer, slipping in to kiss the sergeant. His lips parted easily and accepted the batpony’s slender tongue.

The two fell back, Wing on top now. With a bit of hesitation the batpony let his whole body rest on Snow’s, the warm white coat brushing comfortably against his member. Dancer felt an urgent throb from Winter’s penis. With a grin, he redoubled his efforts, kissing down deeply with a pleased humm.

Winter panted and moaned into Dancer’s mouth, focused on his lower half. The silky coat of the colt rubbed against his shaft. Jolts of pleasure ravaged his body, urging him to pump his hips lightly, scraping as much pleasure from the touch as possible. At the same time he felt the other heat mingle in his fur, the solid object on occasion brushing against his own horsecock. It was exciting in a way, and the stallion wiggled a little bit to the side, pressing his rod against Dancer’s, the friction supplemented by their medial rings colliding on occasion drawing gasps from them both.

Wing couldn’t be happier. The guard not only didn’t recoil from the touch, he even sought it out and was now rubbing his big, hot shaft against his. The batpony did his part in the thrusting as well, matching the pace of the sergeant only in the opposite direction. He had no trouble simply lying on him and humping slowly, the bulging muscles below keeping him afloat on the short, scruffy coat.

The rubbing became more intense as their members begun to pump out pre-cum, the sticky substance coating their cocks. Wing made a small effort to scoot even further to the side, bearing his penis down on Snow’s larger rod, lovingly rubbing against it. The batpony pressed his rump more firmly against the guard’s nethers, their balls getting acquainted and mingling.

Winter feared he would blow his load too soon if they kept up their pace. He felt stimulated like never before - the weight of the batpony on his gut was satisfying. It made him feel strong that he could support the nimble pony. The tightness down below was amazing - sandwiched between them, his hot cock throbbed with each thrust of his hips. Wing constantly moaned into his mouth, his tongue spazzing out with every high pitched squeak he gave.

Driven by lust, the sergeant decided to push his boundaries a bit further. He held the batpony’s face still and pressed deeply into the kiss before breaking it. Without a moment wasted, he rolled around, pinning the slender stallion beneath himself. The colt’s face was flushed, his tongue slightly lolling out and eyes wandering. His mouth levitated towards the sergeant’s, an eager whinny escaping his lips, but the guard had other plans altogether. He settled for a quick peck before ungluing himself from the batpony.

To his mild amusement their cocks parted with a small, wet sound, the fluids between them stretching in sticky strands. It all looked very messy and would probably gross Snow out should he be any less hot for the batpony. He gulped nervously, lowering his muzzle to the mottled penis of his mate.

“Y-You don’t-ah!-have tooo-” gurgled Wing, his sentence trailing off as the broad tongue of Winter connected with the base of his cock.

Snow flinched visibly, the taste being a mixture of sweat, musk and a tinge of salt. It wasn’t bad per se, but it didn’t count amongst the things he’d enjoy eating under any other circumstances. Pushing past his reservations, he drew his tongue up, inching towards the flaring crown. He gave the tip a sloppy flick, earning himself a deep groan and thankful throb.

It was painfully obvious to Wing Dancer that the sergeant never did this before. What really got him excited and going was the fact that the sergeant was down there and wanted to please him. He risked a look, smiling at the concentrated muzzle below. He observed breathlessly as the stallion lowered his head again and drew another hard lick. Dancer never thought he could be so hard, yet the touch of Snow’s tongue sent him to new heights, the hotness of his rod cooled by the slick muscle travelling up his shaft.

Winter did his best to not think and simply feel. Should he let his mind start thinking about what he was doing, he was sure it would reach the conclusion that he was licking a sperm coated penis of another stallion. It would scream at him that it wasn’t right and he should immediately find a mare to rectify the amount of homosexuality he subjected himself to. Luckily for the stallion, it only took a swift look up to realise what he was really doing. Dancer’s lolled out tongue, elevated breathing, heaving chest… he was pleasing the cutest batpony who let out the most adorable moans and squeaks. All it took was a steady pace and meticulous tongue.

One thing he couldn’t help but notice was that licking a colt was different to servicing a mare. While it was arousing to dive into the pink folds of a female lover, ‘worshipping’ the male member with his tongue felt a lot more meaningful. Instead of the enigmatic cave in which his tongue could get lost and miss all the important parts, he was presented with a more solid, to-the-point object which gave him much more obvious feedback. For example, snaking his tongue from side to side caused hard throbs, nipping with his lips at the medial ring elicited short gasps and, to his surprise, even breathing over the balls squeezed out small globs of clear fluid from the tip of the cock. All the while the hotness under his tongue made his own heavy member slap gently against his stomach, pushing Snow to pick up the pace of his ministrations.

Wing Dancer was long lost in the sensation, slowly getting used to Snow’s adept technique. It was erratic and the batpony could hardly predict what the sergeant would do, the anticipation for each pass of the strong muscle that much more anticipated. He felt immensely happy that Winter wasn’t grossed out, that he didn’t back out, instead experimenting and hopefully enjoying himself as much as the batpony was. Slowly but surely Dancer felt pressure build at the base of his cock, spreading in heat waves over his entire member, pushing his cockhead to a full-out flare.

“A-Ahh, Winter… mmmm, it feels so good,” panted Wing, grasping at Snow’s mane with his forehooves. “If youuuuu-mmmm, keep going, ah! like that,” he huffed, stopping for a second to swallow and gather his thoughts, the orgasm inexorably dawning upon him. “Y-You should, ooohhhh, stop now, ha, ha! I-I’m going to c-c-cuuuuuu, oh, ooohh, cum!”

Each word Dancer spoke was heavy with lust that egged Snow on even more. It was satisfying to hear that cute voice gain a higher pitch and break into a symphony of moans laced with such a deep need it made Winter’s throbbing member even more painfully beg for attention.

For a second, the guard stopped, wrapping his lips around Dancer’s member, looking him in the eyes. He teased the tiny slit of his urethra, watching the batpony pant and moan. The crown in his mouth was fully flared, a broad surface that he could lick in long strokes. He discovered that lapping directly under it caused throbs and more globs of precum to flow out, amongst all the panting and whining.

“I-I’m mmm, ah, serious! P-Please, hah! I-I-I’m, I’m, hah, I’m!” managed the batpony, but it was too late. With a last swirl under the head of his member he felt pushed over the edge, his balls lifting to deliver what felt like the biggest load ever.

Dancer was slightly panicked. Under the blinding blanket of ecstasy and anticipation of the incoming surge that would course through his member and spill all over his body, he was painfully aware that Snow was still sucking him off. If he didn’t back off soon, he would have a taste of his semen. Granted, the guard didn’t seem to mind the copious amounts of pre-cum, but that was different. Even he had to ease himself into swallowing without feeling sick to the stomach afterwards, and the last thing he wanted was to make his first blowjob uncomfortable for Snow. Still, right now he couldn’t do anything about it, the first spurt he was delaying catching him by surprise in a mighty, vice-like throb.

Snow thought he was ready for it. He felt bold and aroused to the point he wanted it. He admired Dancer’s face, set jaw and tightly shut eyes. His own mouth was raised as the slender pony arched his back a little. The rod inside his mouth was stone-hard and engorged, its hotness amazing against the cool of his tongue. Just as he thought he needed a little bit more caressing came the first throb, a ripple that pushed the flare stuffing his mouth to become even thicker. The rope of seed sloshed into his mouth, hitting the back of his throat with surprising force. The guard nearly choked as the second, equally strong spurt landed a bit lower, starting to dribble down.

Wing Dancer’s cock was on fire at that point. Each powerful surge of his nethers exploded around his body, robbing him of strength and breath as he bucked with abandon in the cool cavern of Snow’s mouth. He felt a cold, slimy surface swirl around his cockhead, begging for more cum which he gladly delivered. His orgasm-addled mind couldn’t put together a coherent sentence, settling for loud, slurred moans and deep groans. The head underneath his hooves bobbed and jerked slightly and he dug into the mane, trying to push it down. His pleasure was tethering on pain as his balls emptied, his hot dick heaving blanks.

Winter was focused on gulping down liquid, the salty taste stinging on his tongue. He took shallow breaths between spurts and gulps, still frantically caressing the dick that relentlessly shot sticky strands into his mouth. His face melted into a grin as he observed the batpony above squirm and gasp, his eyes rolled back in his head as he rode out the powerful orgasm. It felt good, he had to admit. He managed to grant pleasure to his partner and seeing him in the throes of pleasure filled him with a sense of pride.

“Ah, ah, enough, stop,” gasped Wing as his tender member suffered overstimulation from the eager sergeant. He let out a deep groan as the tongue lashing out at his sensitive head retreated instantly, the afterglow kicking in immediately in a numbing wave. Dancer managed to focus his vision below on Snow, noticing that the stallion was smiling around his softening tool. With a small pop it escaped his mouth, the guard smacking his lips with a cramped up snout.

“I, ha, hope it wasn’t, fuuhh, too bad for you, ah, haa,” managed Wing, struggling for breath.

In response, Snow simply nuzzled Wing’s sack and gingerly crawled up to lie next to him. His face brightened into a grin again as the batpony curled up against him and drove his muzzle into his white coat, taking deep whiffs and leveling out his breathing. He almost forgot about his own need in the whole affair, only now feeling it brush against the batpony’s stomach and whine for attention.

“Did you like it?” bashfully asked Winter, looking away. His face burned bright red now that his mind got a hold of the situation in the thawing flames of passion.

Dancer hugged Snow closer, mumbling into his coat: “You rocked my world, Winter Snow.” He felt a hard object poking at his stomach and grasped it between his hind hooves, moving them up and down slowly. “Allow me to return the favor, hmm?”

Snow groaned at the touch, the sensation supplemented by small, wet pecks on his barrel. He was surprised just how agile and soft the batpony’s hind legs were. They managed to knead his dick’s base around and work themselves up, massaging the twitching length. The sweet friction lifted for a few seconds, soon replaced by the batpony’s forehooves.

“Snow?” asked Wing, looking up from nuzzling the black rod. “Thank youuuuu,” he whispered, giving the side of the shaft a firm kiss. He pressed his muzzle further, suckling the head into his mouth much to Winter’s appreciation.

Snow wanted to reply something but only managed a yelp of pleasure as the eager batpony hilted on his meat. He swore that Wing went even deeper than before, his chin driven hard against the base of the member. The batpony’s wet tongue slipped out and began squirming around his balls. The pressure swiftly lifted as Dancer let Winter’s member go, twitching freely in the air.

“I’m gonna make you cum lots, soldier boy,” he whispered in a sultry voice, his beautifully slender tongue wrapping around Winter’s dick and caressing it slowly. “After all, I’d be a bad host if I had more fun than my guest, right?”

Not waiting for an answer, he speared himself on Winter’s member, letting it into his throat. The head was already starting to flare up a bit, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. All he desired now was to show his lover his specialty, a neat little trick he learned over the years to make stallions come back for more. Only this time, he did it because he… he really liked Winter. It was important to make him happy. And sex would only be the first step on that road.

Snow’s mind was a mess again. The batpony had a brisk pace, moving his whole head up and down without missing a beat. Each time Wing bore down on him, Winter could feel his penis enter the tightness of his throat, his fat head spreading the walls that clamped around him. On his way up, Dancer swirled his tongue around in a dance that flared all the right nerve ending, sending bolts of pleasure along his spine. He was nearly out of breath with all the moaning and whinnying he did. It felt so good to be inside his mouth. No mare could even compare to the energy the batpony presented, his eagerness and silk-like tongue.

It didn’t take much work to bring the sergeant to his limit. His head was already quite a thick bulb to swallow, slowing down Wing only slightly. The batpony listened with bliss as Snow moaned and his breathing quickened. Whenever Winter tried to talk, Dancer flicked at a particularly thick vein or swirled just below the cockhead to turn the sentence into a slurr, crashing it with a long moan as he grated his fangs back and forth against the engorged member.

The shallow breaths that started just a few bobs later made Wing smile and loosen his throat up, drawing out the strokes and instead gyrating the member inside his mouth. The stiff rod resisted, but its owner moaned and whimpered in ecstasy. Dancer carefully backed his head up, leaving only the flared tip stuck between his fangs. He observed the scrunched up expression Snow had and listened, delicately prodding the horsecock to keep him on the edge.

Winter was close to finishing. He wanted to cum badly, but no matter what he did, he still couldn’t tip himself over. He tried bucking his hips, but the batpony moved in unison with him. He gave his lover pleading looks and whimpers that would have his soldiers lose any semblance of respect to him, receiving only a smile full of jet black dick. The cunning batpony sucked and grinded his member expertly all over, just enough to flare up his senses and be just one step away from orgasm. His balls begun to ache, lurching in their sack with the need to spill their load.

Wing relished in the small torture he gave his partner. He was by no means being ungrateful. He himself wanted to taste his lover’s cum and feel the mighty member twitch deep inside his throat. Still, in order for his little trick to work, he needed to keep the poor sergeant on the edge just a little bit longer. He would appreciate it later anyway. For now he had to satisfy his tastes with the pre-cum that liberally dribbled in a constant stream from the cock.

“Mmmm, pleassseee,” managed the panting Snow. The stinging in his nethers was equal parts painful and exhilarating, almost as if his dick was already oversensitive about the edging. “Make me cummm, ha, ah!”

Dancer gave the member a drawn out suck and popped it free from his mouth with some difficulty, stroking it with a hoof in small movements at the base.

“You want it?” he murred.

“Yes! Yes, mmm, pleeeeease-”

“Such a big, strong soldier, mmmm,” purred the batpony, carefully slurping along the twitchy length, gathering all the pre-cum thickly coating the member. “I bet you can last a bit longer, hmm?”

The whine Snow gave was heart-shattering and nearly made Wing want to finish him off. Almost.

“Shh, shhh, there there. Just a little bit longer, okay? I promise it will feel really good soon, love,” Dancer purred into the dick, scraping his fangs along its surface. It was dangerous when he couldn’t feel it twitch and judge just how much he needed to keep teasing, but even if Winter came, he could still salvage the situation.

Everything about Winter’s dick was aching for release. His balls were swollen and throbbing as hard as his length. Every vein on the surface of his member was puffed out and pumping frantically. The batpony’s hoof and small kisses only made it worse, keeping him inches away from breaching the barrier between pain and bliss. It felt like a wall was building up at that point and if push came to shove he wouldn’t be able to cum anyway.

“Okay, are you ready, Winter? I’m going to give you your biggest orgasm yet, I promise,” smiled Wing, positioning his mouth above the flared cock. He carefully fitted it around his fangs and suckled a little, looking up to the sweaty and moaning stallion above.

Snow felt Dancer hilt himself on the dick and clench his throat. It happened. The barrier was blown away to pieces and his orgasm was primed. It built up like a giant tidal wave, gathering at the very base of his member for a few seconds before pausing. Winter thought that something broke as his hard member heaved to cum but nothing came out.

Only after another quick bob did it happen. His balls almost escaped into his body as they surged, his dick so stiff and cramped he was sure he’d sprain all the muscles there. The sperm splashed down in a torrent, closely followed by another gush. He barely had any time between contractions, his testicles pumping out absurd amounts of seed into the mouth that latched onto his length securely. It felt like liquid lava traveled down his dick, making his whole body quake and quiver with the force of pleasure. He was nearly drowning in it, yelling out the release. The batpony was right - no pussy had ever milked him so hard, to the point he didn’t know whether he’d die in the process or not. He was losing feeling in his legs, but it didn’t matter. His throat was sore from the groaning and yelling, but that wasn’t important. His full attention was focused on his member, the whole length a flared, radiating source of unbridled sexual pleasure.

Dancer had to hold his breath for a longer while, relishing in the sloshing liquids gathering in his stomach. The soldier indeed came like a fire hose, his dick stuck between the fangs and filling his mouth almost entirely. His throat was really stretched and would probably be sore later, but it didn’t matter. The vulgar cacophony of sounds Snow made was worth it. His limbs flailed in a fit, his hips pumping hard, forcing Wing’s head to follow suite. It was by far the most violent orgasm he ever saw in a stallion and he was happy about it. The thoughts of that rowdy guard doing the same to his other fun hole made his own dick take a peek outside to see what was going on.

Out of breath, the batpony pressed his hooves hard away from the bucking nethers, giving himself a small window of opportunity to breathe. He only got a small gulp into his lungs before a rogue buck speared him back onto the horsecock. The seed stopped flowing five or six throbs ago, thankfully, so the batpony could allow himself to relax for a little while longer. The sergeant’s bucks were becoming smaller and less frequent, a good sign it was time to perform his little trick to keep the fun going.

Just as Snow was about to settle into the afterglow of his amazing orgasm, he felt Wing suck hard on his dick while moving his head up. It felt weird and was tethering on the threshold of pain. His balls were being kneaded in soft hooves and despite the aching that settled in them, it didn’t hurt. The batpony continued this through the afterglow of the orgasm, somehow managing to not overstimulate the sergeant. Just as Winter expected weariness to settle in, he couldn’t help but notice his member was still hard and there was a small ember of pleasure still floating around in its hot length.

With a final, powerful suck, Dancer dislodged himself from the rod with a wet pop. It was still hard, just as he planned it. He managed to prevent the blood from flowing out. If he played it right, he could squeeze out an orgasm or two more yet.

“I hope you didn’t think I’d let you off with just one measly orgasm, did you Winter?” smiled Wing, running a careful hoof along the length of the black penis. Snow didn’t flinch or back away, which meant he could safely continue. “The night is still young. Think I can make you cum into unconsciousness, hmm?”

Snow gulped loudly. He nearly lost it with just that much pleasuring. How would he survive another one? How would his dick survive?

“Only one way to find ouuuuuuut,” moaned Dancer, hilting Snow’s meat with a smile.