The Incantation

Dark Storm had left Appleloosa promptly after Steelwing went back to Ponyville. Storm was going to Canterlot to reprimand Orion if he hadn't yet captured the girl, who so far remained nameless. He expected Orion to fill him in on the details.

Once Storm hopped off the train in Canterlot, he went immediately to the hotel that Orion was staying at during the course of the mission. It was one of the nicest, most expensive and luxurious in Canterlot. Each of Storm's recruits were given a certain amount of bits to spend on anything to help them complete the mission. Sometimes there was enough for luxuries, such as the hotel, or harlots, which helped ease the stress away in difficult missions. Storm turned the blind eye on these expenditures unless they began interfering with the mission.

At the hotel, Orion was in his room, carving up some new arrows for his bow. Storm didn't even bother knocking - he simply barged in.

Orion stopped and looked up, startled by the sudden intrusion by his boss.

"The girl," Storm snapped, slamming the door behind him. "Who is she and where is she?"

Orion stood up from his chair in front of the desk. "Emerald's marefriend, I've concluded," he replied nervously, sensing his boss's anger. "Steel should know all about her. He's the one that informed me of her first."

"Don't try to pass this off onto him," Storm advised him, taking a threatening step closer to him. "You were supposed to get the girl, from my understanding. Now - are you going to answer me, or will we have problems?"

Orion stood speechless for a moment before replying, "I attempted to subdue the girl, but her unidentified mate performed the most idiotic act of bravery and chivalry I've ever seen, and intercepted my arrow. I had to leave, as the Royal Guard soon swarmed the scene."

"How did this 'unidentified mate' know to deflect your arrow from striking the girl?" Storm asked hotly, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I suppose he may have seen me - "

The movement was sudden: Storm was on him, pinning him on the floor with both hooves on his shoulders. "Tell me they don't know your identity!" Storm growled. "Tell me you haven't compromised the mission!"

Orion lay slack-jawed for a few seconds, unable to reply due to the shock of being tackled so fast. Finally, he pulled himself together. "I'm good. Nopony knows of me or the mission," he muttered.

Storm curled a lip at him and let him up. "I will not allow any more mistakes from this point forward from you or Steel," he declared authoritively. "You two are trained professionals, so act like it. Another mistake will mean your termination - got it?"

Orion was just getting up. "Yes, boss."

"Good. Now tell me about the 'unidentified mate' you mentioned earlier," Storm demanded.

"Well," Orion began, "it seems the girl is not content with one mate. If she is with Emerald, as we assume, than she is being unfaithful."

Storm snorted. "This is all useless information. I'm not interested in knowing if so-and-so is the real father of little Joey - give me the details on the girl. Her information, whereabouts, name, anything to help with the mission."

Orion sighed and nodded. "It has everything to do with the mission, boss. She is seeing multiple mates at once. We could use this to our advantage if we - "

"Not good enough!" Storm slammed a hoof down on the dresser, sending a few arrows onto the floor. "You will be the one in charge of getting the girl." Something clicked in his mind. "Wait - what did this 'mate' she was with at the gala look like?"

Orion was lost. "He was white with a dark green mane."

Storm's excitement grew. "And his cutie mark?"

Orion thought for a moment and nearly blanched. "It was...three..."

"Green raindrops?" Storm finished for him.

Orion nodded but said nothing.

Storm walked to the window. "It seems the mission I just put Steel on was a waste - we already know that Emerald Rain has disguised himself. Subtly, but not subtle enough."

"So what do we do?" Orion asked.

"What you will do is stake out in Ponyville now. I want eyes on the girl and Emerald," Storm said, still looking out the window. "The time to apprehend Emerald is close. But first, I want more information on those two as a couple. who knows how many friends they have? It would be most unwise to simply pick him and the girl up. So you, along with Steel, will go on spy duty until I'm there. I must go speak with Solar Flare about the coming along of the mission."

Orion cringed. "Spy duty? The lowest of the low? The least entertaining?"

Storm glared at him. "Yes. Problem?"

"Uh, no. Not really, no."

"Good. Now, I must be going, as should you, before it gets too late," Storm supplied, making his way to the door.

Orion began picking up his arrows off the floor. "I will leave shortly, then."

Standing in the open doorway, Storm watched him. "I expect you to be gone soon. If not, I will take care of you when I get back." Then he turned and left.

Orion waited until he was sure Storm was gone before muttering, "Ponies. Can't live with them, can't live without them."

Fluttershy and I were now watching a movie in the living room, both of us cuddled up on the couch eating out of a ginormous bowl of buttered popcorn.

After making the stew and eating, we'd decided to watch a movie from the small collection of reels she had in a closet.

The movie that we chose was called "Zompony", a movie unlike all Fluttershy's other movies because Rainbow Dash had given it to her as a birthday gift. Fluttershy was too scared to watch it alone, and since Rainbow'd already seen it, Fluttershy put it in her closet with the other movies, all of them about wildlife. When I saw it in the collection, there was no doubt in my mind: we were going to watch that movie.

So here we were, halfway through the movie, and Fluttershy was already scared out of her wits.

"Wha...what's that?!" A pony screamed, pointing a hoof at a zompony as it dragged a leg and groaned, creeping toward her.

The guy pony that accompanied her stuttered, "That's a...zompony! Run!"

The pair ran, but the guy pony tripped over a root and fell in the mud.

"Noooo! Blitz!" the girl cried in horror.

The zompony came upon the guy and leapt on him.

"SAVE - ack - YOURSELF...!" he yelled to her as the zompony tore his throat out.

This is where I giggled like a moron and Fluttershy buried her muzzle in my neck, whimpering and shaking like a wet dog.

I sighed, still smiling as the zompony gnawed chunks of flesh off the pony's face. "Fluttershy, you're missing it."

"Good," she said, her voice muffled. "Then my plan is working."

"Why would your plan be to miss out on the best parts of the movie?" I asked, watching the zompony now go after the girl.

Fluttershy sniffled. "My plan is to miss out on the scary parts, not the best ones."

I laughed. "Okay, if that's the case, than why don't we just go to bed?"

"Go to bed? Now?"

I slipped out of her grasp and turned off the projector. "Yeah. You look a little tired, anyway," I said, smiling at her.

She looked nervously out the window, rubbing her hooves together. "I'm really not tired."

I began wrapping the projector cord up. "Well, you look upset. Is something bothering you? Did the movie scare you that bad?"

"Not the movie..." Her voice trailed off.

"Not the movie? So what are you so worried about? Is it me? Did I do something wrong again?" I pushed the projector to the side and out of the way.

"No, it's not you," she reprimanded me. "It's just...tonight there's...it's supposed to thunderstorm."

"Ohhhh...I get it now," I said and was unable to hold back a grin. How can anypony be afraid of thunderstorms? "I remember you telling me about that. Are you going to be up all night now?"

She sighed. "Maybe...usually I sleep with my teddy bear. I can fall asleep better if I cuddle with him." She wrapped her arms around herself in a hug.

I sat down beside her, our bodies up against each other. Feeling her body touching mine sent chills up and down my body. "A teddy bear, huh? Nopony else to cuddle with you, who can actually hold you, tell you everything'll be alright, to tell you there's nothing to fear, or to hold you close and kiss your forehead?" I slipped my arm under her arms and above her wings, drawing her closer to me. She looked up at me with big, curious eyes.

She smiled meekly. "Oh, I...suppose you could be better than Teddy in a thunderstorm..."

"I will be, you mean," I corrected her, nuzzling her nose with my own.

She looked away shyly, but didn't say anything.

"Are you sure it's tonight?" I asked, taking a glance out the window. It was dark, mostly cloudy, and quiet as a calm winter night. It was possible that a thunderstorm would roll in, but I still wasn't certain.

Fluttershy tugged at my arm. "Are you okay?" You look troubled."

I looked down and gave a quick nod. "Of course I'm okay, Flutters. Why wouldn't I be?" I elbowed her very gently, smiling.

"About what happened the other night...I figured you might still be worried," she explained, looking worried herself.

I shook my head. "Not really. I trust the Princess to keep us safe and up to date on any leads. I also doubt anything will happen again, though that doesn't mean it won't." Then I added, "Sorry, I'm not trying to scare you, by the way."

She shook her head bravely. "I'm not scared, of that thing happening again. I'm just a little...worried. And I don't like thunderstorms."

"Well," I said, "tonight I'll keep you company so you don't have to rely on a teddy bear to comfort you.

How's that sound?"

She rested her head on my shoulder. "It sounds nice. Thank you."

Just hearing her sweet voice and feeling her so close to me made me realize just how much she meant to me. I knew I was getting in deep. I felt that nothing else mattered to me at that moment but her. I just wanted to sit there with her all night, listen to her breathe, feel her heart beating against my arm, and watch her chest rise and fall with each breath...

This must be what it felt like to be wanted. To want.

To love.

I never thought there'd be a day where'd I'd be able to use the "L" word in a positive connotation, but here I was, happy, and very much in love.

She interrupted my thoughts by uttering my name softly.

I snapped out of my reverie and looked down at her. She was nervously pointing out the window. I looked and saw distant flashes of lightning and smiled. "Alright. Let's go to bed, Shy."

She immediately looked relieved, hopping off the couch and stretching. "Okay."

I followed her up the stairs, flipping out the lights.

"I can't see," I heard her whisper in the dark.

I grinned and said, "It's okay - the lightning should be bright enough to light the way."

"That's not funny."

I tried not to laugh, remaining silent.

I'd never been in her bedroom until now. And I was not impressed with how neat it was because I expected it. Fluttershy was always clean and organized. Her bed was butterfly-themed and not very big, and the frame had little hearts carved at the tops of the bed posts. A nice rug sat next to a fireplace, and there were more birdhouses than I could count. There were three windows - two round and one tall rectangle. One of the round windows, the one left of the fireplace, was open. I could see big, heavy raindrops come sailing in.

Fluttershy rushed over and shut the window hastily.

I watched with a half-smile on my face. When she turned around and noticed, she said "What?"

"You're adorable, you know that?"

She shied off out the doorway. "I'll be right back." She went off, and a few seconds later I heard a door shut. The bathroom, I presumed.

I looked around for a few minutes before hopping on her bed.

It was surprisingly bouncy. And soft.

By the time Fluttershy returned, I was halfway under the covers. I watched her come in and smiled at her. "Hey..."

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you getting tired?" She was still standing in the doorway.

I shook my head. "Nah."

A bit of thunder rumbled outside, and within seconds the lights were out and Fluttershy was under the covers, clinging to me like a leech.

"This is really not healthy, girl," I said after the thunder stopped rolling. Through the darkness I tried to see her face, but my eyes were still adjusting.

"I-I've al-ways b-been afraid of th-thunder and l-lightning," she stuttered, her voice muffled from being under the covers halfway and buried on my chest. She was shaking as well.

I felt bad for her, wrapping her up in a tight embrace as lightning flickered outside. "It's okay, hon. It's okay..." I tried to use my most soothing, consoling voice.

Thunder roared overhead and I felt Fluttershy shudder. I started feeling wetness on my chest.

Boy, she really doesn't like thunderstorms, I told myself as I placed my hoof under her chin and gently lifted her head, so that we were face-to-face.  She was indeed crying, and seeing it broke my heart.

"Shhh...it's okay, sweetie. You're safe. I won't let anything hurt you. I promise," I told her. She continued shivering, but in her eyes I sensed that she believed me. I saw the fear drain away from her eyes as I held her closer. "It'll be okay..."

Thunder crashed outside, but she paid it no mind. She instead stared into my eyes, a smile forming at the corners of her lips.

"Are you okay now?" I asked in a whisper.

She gave a barely perceivable nod. "Yeah...I-I think so..."

I gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Good," I said, looking at her passionately. "Need anything else?"

"No, just you."

The rain outside picked up from a steady shower to a heavy downpour. Lightning flickered like flashbulbs and thunder rumbled menacingly. The windows were coated with running water, distorting the view outside even when lightning lit it up.

But now my attention was solely on Fluttershy. Her breathing had slowed from her earlier panting to something more steady, and I felt almost no shaking. At this point, however, my breathing and heartrate had picked up. I felt feelings of care and attraction I hadn't even known existed, and every thought I had was of this beautiful mare. In fact, she was all I could think about.

But right now, I knew what I was wanting. What I needed.

I needed more of her.

I finally lifted her chin again to see her face. She was the most beautiful mare I'd ever met or seen. Her pink mane was tousled on the pillow, framing her face. Her eyes were dilated, deep and soft, glowing with what I felt was hidden desire, and seemed full, as if they were greenish-blue pools ready to spill over. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed slowly and deliberately.

I can't explain how I was feeling right that moment. But I knew one thing for sure: I was in love. Fiery, passionate love.

"Fluttershy...I..." I searched for the right words, as to not scare her off or come on too fast. "I..."

Then she did something I didn't expect: she drew my face down to hers and kissed me. I felt like a jolt of static spread through my body, starting with my lips. The kiss was deep and full of want.

I broke off the kiss and decided that it was now or never.

I climbed on top of her, and, as I had expected, she was startled.

"Are...we...you...I mean..." she stammered, her eyes searching mine, eyebrows knitted together, her lips quivering.

I shushed her gently, my own body succumbing to these new feelings of inexpressible yearning. "If you don't want to...you know...you don't have to..."

She watched me with those eyes. Those curious, amazing eyes. But she said nothing.

So I started by running my lips along her chin on to the fleecy coat on her throat. I could smell her - not the soap she used to wash, not the perfume she wore, but her. Celestia, she drove me crazy.

As I slowly moved my lips down the soft contours of her shoulder and arm, I caressed her chest and abdomen, starting from just below her neck to her navel. I felt her trembling lightly.

Outside, I'd noticed, had quieted down to a low patter, and the thunder came in low growls rather than roars. With the noise outside almost gone, I could now hear Fluttershy's slow, heavy breaths.

I looked up at her face, to check on her. Her eyes were closed, her mouth still partially open.

I smiled and continued.

Oh, please let me do this right, I told myself, moving my lips down to her abdomen. I felt the warm, silkiness of her coat on my lips. I ran my lips across her belly, feeling a flush of heat in my loins as I heard a soft whimper from her.

I moved my lips further down, closer to the area of my desire.

Fluttershy was now breathing harder, in mewing gasps. She'd also tensed up, her back slightly arched. I decided to continue.

I moved my body, positioning myself so that I hovered over her lower body.

I'm actually going to do this...

"Emerald? I'm nervous..." I heard her whisper between breaths. She was looking down at me.

I moved up and nuzzled her nose with mine. "So am I, sweetheart."

She laughed faintly, and I joined her before I pressed my lips on hers again. I sought entrance into her mouth with my tongue, which she hesitantly granted. I tagged her tongue with mine, and she tagged back, then I felt another flush of heat again and broke off the kiss.

I seen her eyes closed, mouth agape, breathing steady, so I continued where I'd left off below.

I kissed her belly, felt it rising and falling with each of her breaths, and moved down again, just above her marehood. I forced myself to move slowly, to not rush.

Do this right, I said to myself.

I spread her legs apart and looked to see if there was any reaction.

Her cheeks were red, but other than that, only her breathing picked up.

I looked back down and seen what I'd honestly never seen before. My heart skipped a beat as I felt my loins tighten and my length extending. Oh, Celestia I wanted her bad.

I swallowed and lowered my face down, not sure what to do.

Just try and make her feel good, idiot. That's all there is to it.

I took a deep breath, and I smelled her want. I seen her want. She was wet already, and I grew confident at this.

I tasted her, running my tongue from the bottom to the top of her warm wetness.

She gasped and arched her back, panting rapidly.

I kept going, going over every inch and fold with my tongue as gently as possible. I went over her bud, but did so with added pressure.

She cried out and writhed, clenching and unclenching the sheets. At that point, I felt my need of her overpowering, and for a moment I thought I'd lose control, but I managed to hold back just a little longer.

I slipped my tongue inside her, tasting the saltiness. I pressed my tongue to the top of her tunnel and tasted a new wetness when I went in further. She was already close.

She was trying hard not to yell, but wasn't very successful. Her cries echoed out into the hallway. She called out my name in a ragged, lustrous voice: "Emerald...I...I...I want...need...something..."

Through clenched teeth, I replied, "I'm trying to go slow..."

She stared down at me with a half-lidded gaze, her mane all messed up, her mouth wide open, gasping and whimpering. I finally gave in and climbed back up to her, our faces even, and we locked eyes as I guided myself into her. She was definitely pure and undefiled, as I found it difficult to push my length fully inside her narrowness.

Her breath hitched and I stopped, fearing I'd hurt her.

"Are you...okay?" I asked tentatively.

She nodded up at me silently.

I swallowed and pushed myself in deeper, breaking through her innocence with carefulness.

"Ouch..." she breathed.

"Sorry..."

The rain outside had ceased, and now it was dead silent, save for our heavy breathing.

For a what seemed like hours, neither of us moved or said a word. We just looked at each other, feeling the warmth of our bodies and the tingle of our first time. Then I broke the trance.

All night we indulged in our secret desires and fantasies and explored each others' bodies. It was a night of euphoria I'd never expected to feel. And as the night wore on, the unsure quality of our actions faded away as our curiosity won us over. She even became a little playful, much to my surprise.

By the time dawn rolled around, we'd exhausted both our bodies and imaginations.

She lay on top of me, her arms wrapped around me in a fashion that said she'd never let me go, with her head resting on my chest. She fell asleep like this.

And as I held her and dozed off myself, my last thought was the way I truly felt for the first time in my life.

I'll never let you go.