A Clean Break

by Circumlocution

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Soarin, Romance, Shining Armor, Sex
Length: 6211

Cadence wasn't Shining's first love. Far from it. But it didn't matter. He'd moved on. Right?

Cadence was far from the first pony Shining loved. There had been several others, some more special than most. But that was all behind him. He was engaged to the most wonderful mare he'd ever met, and his past was just that.

But some things are more difficult to let go of than others.

Pre-read by gool ol' Auramane.

Published 2015-01-23 21:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-23 21:20:02 UTC

Stuff happens, they bang, et cetera

The silence in the practice room was abruptly shattered as the door slammed open with enough force to crack the tiling on the wall. Seething, Shining Armour stepped into the room and threw the door closed as hard as he could, rattling the frame. He stared rigidly at the door for a long moment, then sagged, breathing heavily.

Stupid Soarin. It was bad enough that he’d also been invited to the formal function Shining had just stormed out of. It was bad enough having to breathe the same air as that… that…

Shining gritted his teeth and punched the wall, ignoring the shock it sent up his foreleg. Soarin could have kept a respectable distance. He could have noticed Shining from the other side of the room, standing there with his damned fiancée beside him, and been smart enough to go the other way. But no, he’d had to walk on over, because as he’d said the last time they’d seen each other, there were “no hard feelings” between them. He’d had to go and introduce himself to Cadence, and offer Shining his hollow congratulations.

And Cadence had sensed it. Despite everything, something obviously still smouldered, and she’d seen it instantly. She’d turned to him, mouth falling open in shock, glancing between the two stallions. “You…” was all she’d been able to get out.

That’s when Shining had fled. He couldn’t bear seeing the hidden disappointment in Soarin’s eyes, and the silent accusation in Cadence’s.

Grimacing, he tore off the too-tight formal uniform Cadence had insisted he wear that night and moved toward the armoury. If he was going to stay in the practice room and fume for a little while, he might as well get some exercise doing it.

With a flash of his horn, he disabled the security spell on the sword cabinet and considered the rack of practice sabres. After a moment, he took the one with the least scratches in the bell and a very slight hook to the blade.

The sword felt good in his hoof. That was one of the things he liked about sabres. The balance was ideal for slashing, the grip conformed nicely to his hoof… everything about it just felt good.

His expression soured. Soarin had agreed with him wholeheartedly on that point. Out of my head, you bastard, Shining thought, rising into a fencing stance and advancing on one of the practice dummies at the far side of the room.

He stopped a couple strides away from the dummy, sizing it up. Then he exploded into motion, lunging forward and whipping the blade toward its head in a vertical slash. At the last moment, he redirected the slash around and to the side, hitting the dummy low on the side.

Shining recovered into the basic en garde stance, shifting his weight on his back legs. Then he lunged again, beating aside an imaginary blade and landing a hit on the dummy’s head. The blade rang in a satisfying way, and Shining repeated the action.

The world narrowed until all that remained was Shining, his sword, the dummy, and the pounding of his heart. He lost count of the amount of times he lunged at the dummy, hacking at it as if it was a lifelong foe.

And maybe it was. With each lunge, the dummy’s worn “head” looked less and less like the lump of padded wood it really was. Shining recovered from a triple disengage to the dummy’s right shoulder, blinking the sweat out of his eyes, and stopped. The dummy had Soarin’s head, staring back at him with that slightly cocky grin that always lit a fire in his—

“Stop it!” Shining roared, charging forward and swinging as hard as he could, a wild backhand swipe that would have left his former coach shaking his head in disappointment.

The thin blade slammed into the dummy’s wooden neck, flexed, and broke, sending two thirds of its length flying across the room. The sound cleared the red mist from Shining’s eyes. The dummy’s head became a shapeless lump of wood and cloth again.

Shining dropped the sword and fell to all fours again, shaking in exhaustion and rage. “Dammit, Soarin,” he whispered.

His head snapped up as the door opened. For one heart-stopping moment, he thought it was Cadence, finally tracking him down. Then he grimaced. It was even worse. “Soarin,” he said.

The Wonderbolt cautiously walked through the door, eyeing the broken sabre at Shining’s feet. “Hey, Shining,” he said, voice cracking with nervousness. “You all right?”

If it had been anyone else, Shining would have told them. But to Soarin, he said nothing. “Why are you here?” he snapped.

Soarin flinched. “Cadence couldn’t leave. She asked me to go find you, make sure you were…” He glanced down at the broken sword again and swallowed.

“Well, I’m here,” Shining replied.

A troubled expression appeared on Soarin’s face. “What happened to you? I thought there were no hard feelings.”

“And there aren’t,” Shining said. “But I’ve moved on. Permanently. I don’t need you dredging anything up.”

“Shining, I’m not trying to.”

“Doesn’t matter. There was a reason I never told Cadence about you. About… us.” Shining shrugged. “But now she knows.”

Soarin frowned. “That’s what you’re mad about? Look, Shining, it’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be.”

“It’s not?” Shining snapped. “Then explain the look she gave me. And while we’re at it, why don’t you explain why she sensed something in the first place?”

“You’re not making sense.”

“Cadence is the Princess of love, you idiot. She can feel it. I’d managed to keep a lid on what we had, but as soon as you got close, she knew.” He waved a hoof before Soarin could say anything. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. Maybe you never got over me, maybe it’s something else. Either way, the mare I love knows I slept with a stallion while I was dating her, and is going to spend whatever time we have together waiting for me to turn my back on her!”

Shining’s voice had risen to a shout by the end. Soarin remained silent for a moment, his face carved from stone. “Are you done?” he hissed.

Shining opened his mouth, but then closed it again. “Good,” Soarin said, venom dripping from his words. “Because now it’s my turn. You say she can feel love, right? So she knows you love her. She knows you’re terrified of losing her, and she knows you’d never turn away.”

Shining looked away, but Soarin continued. “And even if she did know all the details, she wouldn’t care! It’s in the past. You’ve moved on, as you said.”

“You don’t know her,” Shining whispered.

“Maybe not,” Soarin said. “But I know you. And I know what Cadence told me before she sent me to find you.”

Almost unaware of what he was doing, Shining reached down and picked up the broken sword. Soarin continued, his voice thick with anger. “She didn’t feel a thing from me! That flash of love that tipped her off? That was all you.”

Shining advanced on Soarin, holding the broken sabre tight enough that the grip creaked. “You say you’ve moved on,” Soarin said, “but you’re the one who can’t let go. And you’re so terrified of it that you’d rather run than face up to it!”

Shining let out a roar of rage and charged, swinging the stump of a blade wildly. Soarin blanched and dodged out of the way, a hair too late. The jagged edge of the broken blade scored a red line just below his right eye and along his cheek.

At the sight of the cut, Shining froze, his eyes darting between the sword and Soarin's face. That pause was all the time Soarin needed to plant his hooves and punch Shining square in the solar plexus. Shining folded around the blow, his limbs turning to jelly. An instant later, Soarin had him pinned. Those piercing green eyes met his. “You done?” the Wonderbolt asked hoarsely.

Shining blinked. Then blinked again. I just attacked Soarin. I just attacked one of my best friends. It made him feel sick. “I’m done,” he whispered, looking away.

Soarin lifted his weight off Shining’s limbs, allowing him to stand back up. “I’m sorry,” Shining said. “I’m so sorry. I just…” He closed his eyes. “I don’t want to lose her.”

Soarin snorted. “You’re not going to lose her. So you still feel something for me. It happens. Nothing to go berserk over.” Still, his voice wavered, reminding Shining how close he’d come.

Shining looked away. His legs shook. He wanted to run, to get as far away from Soarin as he possibly could. As if sensing what he was thinking, Soarin spoke. “Shining, you can’t run. Not any more.”

With a heavy sigh, Shining forced his legs to still. “I know,” he whispered. He shook his head. “I’m sick of running anyway.”

He stiffened when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. “Come on,” Soarin said. “Do you need to hug it out?”

The suggestion was so absurd that Shining barked a laugh. Unbidden, Soarin wrapped his forelegs around Shining’s neck. “Never underestimate the healing power of a good hug,” the Wonderbolt said gently.

Shining made a sound that was half laugh and half sob. Awkwardly, he reached out and returned the hug. “I really am sorry,” he said.

“Quit it,” Soarin replied. “You sound like a Caneighdian.” He gave Shining a final pat on the back and pulled away.

Shining frowned and reached out. “You’re cheek’s still bleeding,” he said.

“It’s not bad,” Soarin replied, pushing Shining’s hoof away.

Shining rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stubborn now. If nothing else, you don’t want to bleed on your suit more than you already have.”

Soarin grinned wryly. “Feeling better, are you? I told you, didn’t I?”

“There’s a first aid kit in the cupboard,” Shining said, ignoring the quip and walking to the far side of the room. He returned a moment later with a swab and a couple bandages. “Hold still,” he muttered, scrubbing at the wound.

Soarin winced. “Ow! Easy. You incapable of being gentle, or something?”

“Stop whining,” Shining replied. “Doesn’t look too deep. Shouldn’t scar.”

Soarin stayed quiet. “What?” Shining asked.

“For a second there, I thought… I really thought you were about to…”

Shining dropped the swab. “Maybe,” he said. “But I didn’t.”

“If I hadn’t hit you,” Soarin said slowly, “... would you?”

A long pause. “No.” Shining taped the bandage in place with delicacy that surprised even him. “I don’t think so. I mean, if I hesitated that long…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Point is, we’re both still breathing.”

Soarin smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Still breathing. It’s like we never left training.”

Shining snorted. The two of them had thrown that phrase back and forth the entire span of their Guard training. Still breathing. Shining had even whispered it into Soarin’s ear as a joke as they lay together, panting heavily, the first night they’d—

He shook his head. Judging by the look of discomfort on Soarin’s face, he’d remembered the exact same thing. “I’m still surprised,” the Wonderbolt said quietly. “After all this time.”

“I wouldn’t call six months ‘all this time,’” Shining replied.

“It’s time enough,” Soarin replied. “Guess I shouldn’t really be surprised. You were always the sentimental one.”

“Says the one who kept that little stuffed tiger in his pocket wherever he went,” Shining retorted. “Drill sergeant had a field day with that thing.”

“It was a good luck charm. And I didn’t take it everywhere, as you bloody well know. I don’t remember having that thing when we—” He cut himself off. “I mean, when… you know.”

A minute ago, that would have riled him up. But now Shining just smiled. “We had some good times,” he said quietly. He sighed and looked back at the door. “We should head back. You’ll have been missed by now, and Cadence must be getting all kinds of ideas.” He shook his head. “I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do. I never told her about you.” He hesitated. “Too scared of what she’d think.”

“She’ll understand,” Soarin said. “Hell, I think she understood before she even sent me off. I saw the gears turning in her head from the moment you ran off.”

“Maybe you should come along,” Shining suggested. “So she doesn’t think I… left you tied up in a closet, or something.”

“Agreed,” Soarin replied. To Shining’s immense surprise, he put a foreleg around Shining’s shoulders in a quick hug. “And even if it wasn’t under the best of circumstances,” he said quietly, “it’s good to see you.”

He lingered a touch longer than was appropriate before withdrawing. “We really should go,” Shining said.

“We should,” Soarin replied, but he didn’t move for the door. Neither did Shining.

I’d forgotten what those eyes looked like, Shining thought. He moved closer. Had it really been six months? It felt longer than that, but at the same time it felt like it had only been yesterday.

Soarin still hadn’t moved. Shining reached out and put a hoof on his shoulder. Almost against his will, he moved closer. It was like there was some kind of magnetic attraction between them. Like Soarin had his own gravitational pull.

Their lips brushed against each other. Shining looked into Soarin’s eyes, asking an unspoken question. For a moment, they hung there, separated by less than a hair.

“Shining?”

Shining jerked back from Soarin as if stung. “I’m in here!” he called, his voice shaking.

The door opened, and Cadence stepped in. She took in the situation in an instant, noting the rumpled state of Soarin’s clothes and the bandage on his cheek. “Are you all right?” she asked, directing the question at both of them.

“Never better,” Shining said before Soarin could reply. “Me and Soarin had… a lot to catch up on.”

Cadence frowned in confusion, nostrils flaring slightly. It took a moment for Shining to realize she was sniffing the air, and evidently not finding the scent she was looking for.

Shining’s face flamed once he realized what she was thinking. Dear stars, he thought. She thinks me and Soarin spent all this time…

“Cady,” he said, trying and failing to steady his voice. “We didn’t.”

Cadence blushed in reply. “Oh,” she said. “Well, uh… you’ve worked everything out, then?”

Shining glanced at Soarin, whose face had turned completely impassive. Bastard had always had a better poker face. “We worked out enough,” he replied.

“I should be getting back to the reception,” Soarin said abruptly. “I’ll have been missed by now. It was good to see you, Shining.” He looked over at Cadence and gave her a small nod before pushing past Cadence and walking down the hall.

Cadence watched him go. “What exactly happened in here?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Shining said. “Can we… can we go, please? I need to get out of here.”

Cadence opened her mouth as if to protest, but quickly reconsidered and closed it. “Sure,” she said. “Whatever you need. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m still breathing,” Shining muttered, stepping out of the armoury.

They kept to the side hallways, avoiding the castle’s reception hall. Cadence slipped off down a different hallway to make her excuses. Shining kept moving toward the exit. Then he stopped. His jacket was still being held at the coat check. Did he even have his ticket still?

Doesn’t matter. Tickets get lost all the time. I’ll just talk my way through it.

Sighing in resignation, he rounded a corner and made his way across part of the reception hall. He saw Cadence talking with a couple older stallions and attracted her attention with a small wave. She flicked her eyes in his direction in response, then returned her full attention to the stallions, obviously saying her goodbyes.

Shining moved toward the coat check, but stopped when Soarin stepped in front of him. “You’re leaving too?” the Wonderbolt asked. “Can’t blame you. I’ve had enough excitement for one night. Here, I grabbed your coat for you.” He jammed it into Shining’s chest with mock roughness, using the moment of proximity to whisper into Shining’s ear.

Shining’s frown deepened when he heard what Soarin had to say. “Are you—” he started to ask, but Soarin turned and walked away.

Cadence stepped up beside him. “What was that about?” she asked quietly.

“He said to meet on neutral ground to talk things over,” Shining said. “Neutral ground. He can’t mean…”

“What?” Cadence asked.

Shining swallowed. “Let’s go outside.”

He waited until they were halfway across the castle courtyard, well out of earshot of anything except the night air. Still, Shining didn’t dare raise his voice above a whisper.

“You have to understand, I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t want to keep it from you.”

“How long?” Cadence asked quietly.

Shining hesitated. “A little over a year. It started about eight months before you and I started dating. We were just walking through the forest, along some of the trails. We found… a spot, and things… just escalated.” He turned to Cadence his voice ragged. “Cadence, I love you. I don’t want anyone else except you. I just… I guess I really never stopped loving him.”

Cadence nodded, stoic. “You’re going to meet him now?”

“I have to,” Shining said. “It’s not what you think,” he quickly added. “I need to see… where we stand. We broke it off once we… you and I started getting serious, but…” He stomped and made a sound of frustration in his throat. “Dammit, none of this makes any sense.”

Cadence stilled him with a hoof. “I’m coming,” she said.

Shining looked at her. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Judging by what happened in the armoury, it might get ugly between us.”

“Then I should definitely come,” Cadence replied. “Someone needs to stop you from killing each other.”

She’d meant it as a joke, but a chill shot through Shining at her words. For an instant, an image flashed through his head: Soarin pinned below him, a sword poised to punch through his jugular. Shining threw it aside.

“Come on, then,” he said, heading toward the small forest situated past the castle courtyard.
The two walked along the trail in silence, listening to the leaves rustle overhead. It was nearly too dark to see the trail, but Shining had walked it enough to be able to follow it from memory.

Minutes passed. Shining began to worry that he’d misunderstood Soarin’s whispered message. Then he saw a light blue feather lying on a clump of moss. The Wonderbolt was definitely there.

Shining stopped to consider a particularly gnarled oak tree, and stepped off the trail. This was where his memory failed him. He’d walked the trail often enough, but this route he’d only navigated once.

Should be just about… He pushed through a bush and there it was. The clearing in which he and Soarin had first made love.

Soarin stood at the far side of the clearing, smiling weakly. He’d gotten rid of his rumpled suit at some point. Where was anyone’s guess. Shining blinked. Then again, Soarin was a damn Wonderbolt. He’d probably had plenty of time to fly off to wherever he was staying, drop the suit off, maybe even read a book or two.

“I was beginning to worry you weren’t coming,” Soarin said. The smile fled from his face when Cadence stepped through the bushes behind him.

“Some neutral ground, huh?” Shining asked.

Soarin looked back at Shining and swallowed. “I thought… you know. No, uh… advantages.”

“Relax,” Cadence said. “I’ll let you talk. I’m just here to keep things from getting ugly.”

Soarin forced a chuckle, looking anywhere but at Shining. “Talk. Right.” He swallowed. “I’m not gonna lie, Cadence being here makes this a lot harder.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather I left?”

“Yes!” Soarin snapped. “I mean, no. I just… ah, who am I kidding?”

He raced forward and slammed into Shining, dragging him to the ground. Cadence reflexively lit her horn, but stopped when Soarin pressed his lips to her fianceé’s.

Shining’s protest died in his throat. Soarin’s kiss was filled with need… no. Hunger. He gave into it, kissing the Wonderbolt back with all the passion he’d kept bottled up for the past six months.

The kiss lasted for only seconds, or maybe hours. It was impossible to tell. In any case. Soarin pulled away too soon, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He glanced at Cadence, who was standing there with an expression of undisguised shock. “I just… I had to be sure.”

He extended a hoof and helped Shining to his hooves. He gave him a small, sad smile. “So what now?”

Shining looked between him and Cadence. “I… I don’t know.”

Soarin sighed and sat down, studying the grass. “What a mess.”

Shining opened his mouth, and closed it just as quickly. What was there to say? He looked over at Cadence, who still hadn’t said a word.

Suddenly, Soarin got up. “I should go,” he said. “A clean break. That’s why this is happening. Because we said no hard feelings. What was I thinking? That we could just stay friends?” He shook his head. “No. No more. I’m sorry, Shining. I never wanted this. Goodbye.”

“Wait,” Cadence said. Soarin stopped dead.

Shining eyed her nervously. “Cadence?” he asked.

Cadence took a breath. “One night,” she said. “I won’t give either of you any illusions; Shining, you have made your choice, and Soarin wants to move on.” Her eyes narrowed. “But there is clearly too much emotional baggage here to simply walk away.”

She turned away. “Do what you need to,” she said. “But whatever you do, make sure you leave with good memories.” She spread her wings and lifted off.

“Cadence?” Shining asked again. She didn’t even flick an ear. Just like that, they were alone.

Soarin swallowed. “Did she just…”

“I think she did,” Shining replied.

“Well then,” Soarin replied, nervously poking the ground with a hoof. “Here we are. In our secret spot.” He swallowed again. “Alone.”

Shining didn’t respond. Instead, he walked over to the Wonderbolt and sat behind him, looking up at the sky. “You ever wonder what it would be like to go up there?” he asked. “Up with the stars, I mean.”

Soarin frowned. “Uh… since when did you start spouting corny lines?”

Shining winced. “Cadence’s fault. She took me to see one too many plays, I guess.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I thought it’d help with the mood.”

“Up there with the stars,” Soarin snorted, lying back and folding his hooves behind his head. “What kind of stupid line is that? There’s no air up there. How are you supposed to fly that high?”

Shining laid down beside him, mimicking his pose. “You’re the pegasus,” he replied. “You tell me.”

“I wouldn’t even bother,” Soarin replied. “The stars look pretty enough from down here.” He paused. “Unless… nah. Forget it.”

“What?” Shining asked, rolling onto his side.

“I just…” Soarin closed his eyes. “If you fly up high, and I mean really high, like to where the air starts to thin out, and find a good cloud to lie on, then… well, it looks like the stars are all around you. As long as you don’t look down, you feel like you’re out there with them.” He shrugged. “That’s about as close as you can get, I guess.”

He looked over at Shining when he didn’t hear a response. “What?”

“Just your face there,” Shining said, the corner of his mouth curling upwards. “You looked happy for the first time tonight.”
Soarin gave his shoulder a light shove. “Piss off. Don’t try to lure me into one of Cadence’s plays.”

“Who’s the one spouting corny lines now?” Shining pressed, shoving Soarin back.

“I’ll show you corny,” Soarin said, launching himself onto Shining. The unicorn was ready for him, though, and used the Wonderbolt’s momentum to flip himself on top. Before Soarin could react, Shining had him pinned.

Soarin struggled for a bit, but went limp when he realized it was futile. Shining lowered his head until their faces were an inch apart. Both of them were panting, and it wasn’t from exertion.

“Remember what the drill sergeant said?” he whispered. “A surprise attack is only a surprise once.”

Soarin squirmed underneath him. “Rub it in,” he muttered.

“I’d rather rub it out,” Shining replied, his voice husky.

“Epona help me, he’s moved on to puns!” Soarin cried. His voice quavered, though, and he visibly shuddered when Shining ran a gentle hoof along his jaw. “Shining, are… are you really sure you want to do this?”

Shining sobered. “I almost don’t want to,” he said. “It’ll only make it harder.”

Soarin sighed. “I agree.” He met Shining’s eyes. “But I want this. Even if it’s the last time.”

“Me too,” Shining said, kissing the Wonderbolt gently.

At first, they simply held their lips together. Then Soarin grew bold and flicked his tongue against Shining’s lips. Shining held back a grin. He wouldn’t be outdone here. He reached around and tangled his hoof in Soarin’s mane, kissing him back with all the fervor he could muster. Their tongues battled for supremacy, and finally called it a draw.

They broke away, panting. Shining could feel the heat from Soarin’s member beneath him, and his own was responding in kind. He kissed Soarin again and thrust forward, grinding his hardening cock against the Wonderbolt’s. Soarin moaned into Shining’s mouth, hips twitching involuntarily.

Shining lit his horn and, working by feel, wrapped magic around his and Soarin’s erections. Then he started massaging, sending rhythmic contractions up their lengths and pressing them together even harder. Soarin jumped at the unexpected stimulation, breaking away from Shining’s mouth. Shining took the opportunity to gently tongue the junction between Soarin’s neck and shoulder.

Abruptly, with a sudden burst of strength, Soarin flipped him over, breaking his concentration. “My turn,” the Wonderbolt said, grinning. Shining’s cock jumped in anticipation.

“What,” Shining said, as Soarin laid a row of kisses down his chest. “you didn’t like that trick?”

“You know full well how much I like it,” Soarin whispered. “But magic feels… wrong. Impersonal.” He kissed Shining’s belly, just above the tip of his aching cock. “I want to do this with you.” He planted a feather-light kiss on Shining’s tip. “Not with a spell.”

“Soarin, that was beau— aah!” Shining’s words were lost in a guttural sound of pleasure as Soarin’s hot mouth engulfed his member. “Oh, jeez,” he breathed. “You’ve gotten better.”

Soarin grinned around Shining’s length and pulled off. “I’ve had some practice,” he panted, stroking Shining with a hoof.

Shining raised an eyebrow. “Oh? With who?”

Soarin gave his cock a squeeze. “Ladies don’t kiss and tell, and neither do I.” He gave Shining’s tip a lick, snatching up the drop of pre that had appeared in the meantime. “Now shut up and let me blow you.”

Gladly, Shining stilled his tongue and let Soarin go to work. And go to work he did, enthusiastically bobbing his head on Shining’s cock, pushing it as far as it would go. The heat of his mouth was already starting to work its magic; Shining found himself gently thrusting back against Soarin.

It hardly seemed fair, though. Soarin was doing all the work. Shining angled his head to the side and caught sight of Soarin’s neglected erection, uselessly drooling pre into the grass. He stirred, jarring his cock from Soarin’s mouth. “What are you—” Soarin asked, and stopped when Shining slid himself under Soarin and reached up to fondle his balls.

“Much better,” Shining breathed before taking Soarin’s length into his mouth for what felt like the first time in years. The Wonderbolt gave a grunt of approval and dove back down onto Shining’s cock, taking half of its length in one quick gulp. Shining himself made a valiant effort to return the favour, but the angle was too awkward. Giving up, he contented himself with running his tongue over Soarin’s tip. The Wonderbolt growled in encouragement, the vibration sending a spasm of pleasure through Shining’s groin, and began to thrust into Shining’s muzzle as far as the awkward position would allow.

Soon, too soon, Shining felt his climax approaching. His eyes flew open and he made a frantic “Mmph” sound around Soarin’s member. Mistaking the sound for a moan of pleasure, Soarin kept going.

Dammit, Shining thought. Not yet. He pulled away from Soarin’s cock, ignoring the groan of annoyance the Wonderbolt made in response. “Stop,” he panted. “Too much. Too soon.”

That got Soarin’s attention. He pulled off, despite obviously not wanting to, and just in time. Shining’s cock jumped a few times, but he didn’t quite go over the cliff.

Soarin moved out from over Shining and looked down at him with a frown. “What’s the issue?” he said. “You used to be able to go two or three times without even blinking! Don’t tell me Cadence turned you into a one-and-done stallion.”

“No, that’s not it,” Shining replied, fidgeting uncomfortably as Soarin moved back to between his legs. “I just… didn’t want to go too fast.”

“You’ve got nothing to prove,” Soarin replied, lowering his head and swiping his tongue across Shining’s tip, grinning at how the other stallion stiffened in response. “Besides, I want this load now.”

Shining grunted as Soarin dove back onto his cock, sucking him off him with even more enthusiasm than before. Soarin made three passes before Shining’s peak hit. He came with a long, drawn-out moan, spurting his load down Soarin’s throat. He could feel Soarin’s tongue flexing on the underside of his cock as the Wonderbolt swallowed, milking his stallionhood for all it was worth.

“All right,” Shining panted once he was spent. “You win that round.”

Soarin lifted off Shining’s cock with a pop. “And yet you’re the one that got off. Speaking of which…”

Shining beat him to the punch, diving underneath the Wonderbolt and sucking as much of his cock into his mouth as he could. Soarin grunted in appreciation and rested his forelegs on Shining’s back before thrusting into his mouth. Shining reached around and grabbed Soarin’s flanks, rubbing the taut muscles there in circles while the Wonderbolt fucked his mouth.

It wasn’t long before Soarin’s thrusts became erratic, and his rhythmic grunts gained an animalistic edge. Sensing his impending climax, Shining took his hooves of Soarin’s flanks and reached further back. One hoof gently played with Soarin’s balls, the other reached up further to prod Soarin’s tight ring.

Soarin stiffened as he felt Shining’s hoof rubbing against his ass. “Oh, stars,” he moaned, thrusting twice more before exploding. The first spurt shot against the back of Shining’s throat, nearly making him gag. He frantically began swallowing, but Soarin seemed more pent-up than he’d let on. His mouth quickly overflowed, and a dribble of cum escaped to drip down his chin.

Shining released Soarin’s stallionhood and laid back, gasping for air. Then he stiffened as he felt a hot tongue on his cheek, mopping up the bit of cum that had leaked out of his mouth. “Come on, now,” Soarin whispered, smiling seductively. “You can’t be done yet.” He stepped back, turned around and gave a provocative flick of his tail. “We haven’t even gotten to the main course yet.”

While he’d been sucking Soarin, Shining’s erection had returned with a vengeance. Soarin looked over his throbbing length approvingly. “That’s what I thought,” he said.

Shining stood and mounted him from behind, quickly applying a friction-reducing spell to his stallionhood. “Don’t get too cocky,” he said, grinding himself against Soarin’s rear.

Soarin pushed back against him. “I’m not the one getting cocky.”

Shining groaned and leaned forward. “Soarin? That was awful.”

Soarin frowned. “Well excuse me for not being a — ah!” He lost his train of thought as Shining moved his cock in line and thrust the tip in. Shining moved back and forth slowly, never letting more than the first inch penetrate the other stallion. It wasn’t long before Soarin started pushing back against him again. “C’mon, Shining, quite teasing me-EEE!”

Shining grinned, his cock now embedded in the Wonderbolt to the medial ring. “I was just waiting for that,” he said.

“Ass,” Soarin mumbled. He let out a ragged moan as Shining pushed himself further, shivering as he felt the other stallion’s balls brushing against his own.

For once, Shining was out of quips. He just grunted and thrust again, hilting himself with an audible slap. Soarin quivered, his cock flexing underneath him as Shining increased the tempo of his thrusts.

Without warning, Shining pulled out. “Roll over,” he said.

Getting the idea, Soarin rolled onto his back, spreading his hindlegs in as enticing a pose as he could manage. Shining moved to stand over top of him and bent down to kiss him again, lifting his hips with magic.

Soarin raised an eyebrow when he felt the warm-tingly feeling of magic on his flanks. “Really, Shining? Can you unicorns do anything without magic?”

Shining grunted and buried himself in Soarin, but it was too late. The Wonderbolt had finished his sentence. “You win this round,” he muttered, wrapping his forelegs around Soarin’s hips and dousing his horn.

“Gotta get at least o — ah! Dammit.”

Shining grinned. “But you only win that one.”

He lowered his head a bit, shifted his hips and gave another hard thrust that made Soarin’s cock jump. “And now playtime’s over.”

Then he really started to move. Soarin’s quips were reduced to a series of rhythmic grunts as Shining bottomed out again and again. With each thrust, a drop of pre-cum oozed out of Soarin’s cock to pool on his stomach. With Shining’s eyes locked on his, it was almost too much.

“Sh-Shining,” Soarin panted. “I’m g-getting close.”

Shining paused. “Already?”

Soarin frowned. “Why don’t you try getting fucked by a cock like yours and see how long you last?”

Shining grinned evilly. “Well, then go ahead. You’ve got nothing to prove here.”

Soarin didn’t even get a chance to reply before Shining started driving his cock into him again, this time with more fervor than before. Below him, Soarin’s mouth hung open, his gaze becoming unfocused. Almost there, Shining thought, watching the Wonderbolt’s green eyes roll up in his head. Just a couple more…

Soarin’s cock flexed once, twice, and then a rope of cum burst from it, shooting past his head. The Wonderbolt gave a long, drawn-out moan as five more spurts followed, landing on his nose, chin and chest. Shining, his hips never slowing, bent down to lick Soarin’s seed off his face.

“Oh, stars, Shining,” Soarin panted, his cock rapidly stiffening again. “I love you.”

Shining bent down and kissed him again. “I love you too,” he whispered as his climax hit. He groaned past gritted teeth, thrusting with each pulse, filling Soarin’s rear passage with his seed.

Soarin gave a long, shuddering sigh as Shining’s orgasm ran its course. Finally, he pulled out and laid down beside him. Soarin’s cock was still hard and demanding attention, but for the moment he was content to lie there with Shining by his side.

Shining reached over and started stroking Soarin’s wing. “I’m glad we could do this,” he said quietly.

Soarin sighed, looking up at the stars again. “So am I,” he replied. The unspoken question hung in the air: Are you sure Cadence is going to be okay with this?

“Don’t worry,” Shining said. “She said to leave with good memories. I don’t know about you, but this is a good memory.”

“I agree,” Soarin said. “Sheesh. I am exhausted.”

Shining gave a heavy sigh. “Me too. It’s been one hell of a day, hasn’t it?”

“I suppose there isn’t any harm in sleeping under the stars tonight, is there?” Soarin asked.

In response, Shining draped a foreleg over Soarin’s chest and pulled him close. “None at all,” he said into the Wonderbolt’s mane.

The stars continued to shine overhead, watching over the two stallions in their secret glade.

Cadence looked up from her mug of tea as the door opened. “Morning,” she said as Shining stepped in, yawning.

“Morning,” he replied, picking a blade of grass out of his hair

Cadence stepped over and nuzzled him, pressing her face against his chest. “How are you?” she asked.

Shining took a deep breath. “Much better,” he said.

“And Soarin?”

“Gone when I woke up. A clean break.”

Cadence looked up brushed an errant strand of his mane back over his ear. “It’s good to have you back,” she said.

Shining nuzzled the side of her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered.

Cadence closed her eyes. She could feel it, shining like a light just out of sight. She opened her eyes and smiled at her fiancée. “I know.”