As Shadow Rift opened his eyes the next morning, he could still see the sleeping form of the beautiful blond mare, her chest rising and falling and her hooves folded up against it, her pink socks covering each of her soft, pristine hooves. Brushing her mane out of her eye, Shadow Rift stared down at her, placing a tender kiss on her forehead as pulling her closer into his body with a smile.

"I love you..." He whispered, placing another kiss on her forehead as he continued, "I swear I'll keep you safe, and I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered, taking her hoof up in his own and removing her sock, revealing her pearl white hoof as he placed it on his lips and began to kiss it, a smile growing on Arynnae's sleeping lips as he did so. She must be having a great dream... Shadow thought to himself as he continued to kiss her hoof as passionately as possible.

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"Oh... My... Celestia..." Arynnae said through teary eyes as she watched the young colt, running with a slightly older stallion and attempting to take flight along side the stallion. "Yes Miss Arynnae, he is quite the handsome little stallion..." Said the pink princess next to her, smiling as she watched as well. "He's... He's so handsome..."

"And he looks so much like his father... The eyes, his coat, his mane... But deep down, his is very much like his mother..." Said the regal mare as she placed a hoof on Arynnae's shoulder, smiling as she watched Arynnae smile through her tears of joy. "I... I can't believe it... I can't believe that he..."

"He is, Miss Arynnae. But it all depends on you and Mister Rift. Only you both hold the power to have the life you so desire, Miss Arynnae..." She said, smiling as she watched the stallion taking flight with his son on his back. "Thank you Princess Cadence... Thank you so much." Arynnae said, covering her mouth as she spoke and continued to watch Shadow fly with his son in his arms, smiling wider than she had ever seen him smiling before.

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Eventually, Arynnae's eyes came to life as she looked at Shadow, smiling as caught sight of Shadow kissing her hoof. "Good morning..." She said weakly after letting out a small yawn, making Shadow take her hoof away from his mouth slowly and look down, smiling as she saw her. "Morning Arynnae... How'd you sleep?"

"Incredibly..." She said as she nuzzled her way under him, feeling his heart pump beneath her. "Good..." He said, dragging his hoof down her head and over her back, "How are you?"

"A tad bit sore..." She said, rubbing her hip with her left hoof as she stared down at her plot, "You were a little rough on the sex last night..."

"Sorry..." Shadow said as he rubbed the back of his head with his hoof before placing it around Arynnae's exposed white foreleg. "I had a few weeks worth of stress I needed to unload..."

Giggling, Arynnae half lidded her eyes and came up towards Shadow, a sexual smile on face as she kissed him on his lips. "I never said it was a bad soreness, just a noticeable one..."

"You bad little mare..." Shadow said as he gave his signature devilish smile, pulling her into a deep embrace and causing the mare to giggle and nuzzle his chest.

"So Shadow... What do you-" Arynnae was cut off as the sound of a knocking door echoed through the apartment, making Arynnae grip tightly onto Shadow Rift and making him chuckle.

"It's okay... It's probably just the mail." Shadow said, attempting to comfort the mare pressing up against him. "Would it make you feel better if I left you here?" She shook her head as she held tight onto Shadow's chest. "How about if you came with me?" It took her a while, but eventually she nodded her head, making Shadow roll his eyes as he placed a hoof under her rump and another around her back.

Levitating off the bed with the mare in his arms, Shadow slowly began to fly towards the door, Arynnae still gripping tightly onto him as he flew. Thankfully, she wasn't very heavy as far as mares went, and it was yet another aspect he loved about Arynnae.

Making it to the door with Arynnae in his arms, he opened the door to see the grey pegasus with a blonde mane, smiling with closed eyes. "Delivery for Mister-" She was stopped as she opened her eyes and noticed Arynnae clinging onto Shadow, making both mares blush slightly. "Uh... Well thank you." Shadow said, taking the mail in her hooves and closing the door with his wing before laying himself and Arynnae on the couch.

"There, see, nothing. Who could've possible come here anyways?" Shadow said, Arynnae laying on her side on top of Shadow before readjusting herself onto her back. "Your right Shadow. Please forgive me, I just thought it may have been Osiris."

"You mean that one asshole who beat the hell outta me?"

"Shadow..." She began as she moved to her chest and looked directly into Shadow's eyes, "That 'asshole' just so happened to be my brother..."

"Huh... That's weird..."

"My brother is the same Stallion who beat you to a pulp?"

"No not that... This letter..." He said, raising it to show Arynnae. As she turned to look at it, she noticed an envelope colored gold with Shadow Rift's name imprinted on it. The return address being from Canterlot. Tearing it open, he saw two golden tickets fly out of it and read the letter.

"Dear Mister Shadow Rift..." He began as Arynnae inspected the tickets, "It is with great honor that we as the Canterlot Royal Party Organizers that we present you tickets to Canterlot's very own Grand Galloping Gala as our guest of honor! The event is scheduled for the week following the one that this letter is expected to reach you. We look forward to having you and whomever you bring with you."

"My Celestia Shadow! You were invited to the Grand Galloping Gala as a guest of honor?!"

Shadow, groaning as he finished reading the letter, crumpled up the letter in his hooves and threw it into a nearby trash bin. "It's nothing really great. Just a whole bunch of up tight ponies trying to get with you for no other reason than for their social image. Besides, I really don't have any fun there whatsoever." He said, taking Arynnae's bare hoof in his own and giving it a firm squeeze. "But Shadow, it's a once in a life time opportunity for you. And besides..." She said, playfully pulling back her hoof and half kidding her eyes, "I've never been to it before."

"Ahhhhh I get it..." He said, smiling as he waved his hoof in acknowledgement, "This has nothing to do with me. You just want me to go so I can take you!" He said, a playful smile still plastered on his face as he placed his other hoof around her back. "W-what! No! I would never-" Arynnae was stopped as Shadow Rift let out a laugh as he nuzzled her head, leaving a small kiss on her head. "Heh heh heh, calm down Arynnae, I get it. I guess I could stick it out just one night for you if you really wanted..." He said, smiling down at her as he placed a small kiss on her lips.

"Thank you Shadow... It's truly an honor to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. Especially with you, my super special some pony." She said, placing a kiss of her own on Shadow's lips and sighing as she closed her eyes. "Only problem is I'm still missing a suit. I guess I can just pick one up later on." He said, taking Arynnae's pearl hoof and gently placing tender kisses on it, making the mare giggle as he did so. "I love you Shadow..." She said dreamily as she grabbed Shadow's chest with her other hoof, still covered by her pink sock. "I love you too Arynnae..."

The two laid on the couch for some time, enjoying each other's company as time progressed. Shadow knew he loved her, and nothing made him happier than to simply lay here with her in his arms and her hoof on his lips. But looking down her body, Shadow was quickly reminded of their need of a bath as he spotted his dry seed still on her coat.

Oh well, maybe next time.

"Arynnae..." He said, gently nudging her to get her to wake up. "Yes..." She said groggily as she looked up at Shadow with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. "We're gonna need a bath..." He said, pointing at his seed on her stomach, to which she groggily looked down before looking up at him again. "Five more minutes Shadow... I'm exhausted..."

How can you be tired, you barely woke up! Shadow thought to himself as he rolled his eyes and wrapped both of his arms around Arynnae before burying his face in her mane and slowly going to sleep.

Author's Note

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