Shadow Me

Pushing his chair back into its place, Iron Crest groaned and arched his back, hissing as a loud set of pops went down his spine. His desk was finally clear of paperwork from the last few days and it was something he planned on celebrating in full. Across from him, his co-worker Fissure Quill was making a tower of cards with the only deck he could get his hooves on. The younger stallion had finished his chunk of the paperwork and had asked Iron if he wanted help, but with everything that had gone on recently in his life, he'd politely declined.

The monotonous work had eased his mind into an organized pile of thoughts and emotions by the time he finished. From this stack of thoughts, he'd mentally pulled out the most important pieces of his personal conundrum.

Number one in his list was his son Crisp Words. The little colt had been far happier and lively ever since Sireen had shown up. While the doctor had said it would be good to give Crisp a mother figure in his life, Iron felt like the colt was so desperate for one that he'd just latched on to Sireen, and Iron wasn't sure if Sireen herself was ready for such a change.

Sure, she showed great promise as a mother, as her instincts had kicked in rather quickly. In terms of experience though, it showed that she'd not spent much time around foals. Her unwillingness to let him retrieve his son from her side that morning had been a quick but accurate judgment of how she handled her maternal reactions. Simply put, she barely had a cap on them.

On the flip-side, She was a kind and considerate mare who held a rather strong job, and was capable of protecting Crisp should anything happen. Iron liked her, and Crisp did as well, so as far as appeal went she was a winner in his book.

The second piece of his issues though, was himself.

Am i ready for another mare? I haven't been able to keep any around for longer then a couple weeks.

He rubbed his temples with his feather tips, letting out a sigh as the pressure eased a little. In the past, the few mares he'd been with said he was still attached to his deceased wife, that he spoke of her in his sleep, and that they felt like a side project in his heart. Iron knew this hadn't been true, but it hurt nevertheless. Each mare he'd approached because he had an actual interest in them, even the mare he'd met at the bar had seemed like she could be a good option! If anything a fun one...

He'd been wrong on all of them in one manner or another, but neither was he willing to give up on the idea of love. There was no such thing as a perfect pony. He kept having to tell himself that. Even his first wife had some temper issues. She'd get really frustrated over simple tasks that didn't work out.

This train of thought brought him to his final problem. Sireen herself. While the mare was nocturnal, had her own job, and could take care of herself, Iron wasn't sure how to proceed. He'd already told her he'd give it a chance, but the stallion felt like he'd stepped into the deep end with no life raft, and if he wasn't careful, he'd drown again and lose sight of what was important.

His family ties.

As Iron sat there staring at the wood grains in his desk, he came to understand that yes, he did in fact like Sireen, and he did want to know more about her, but he couldn't let himself or Crisp get too attached just yet. If down the road Sireen lost interest in him, then that was okay, but Iron couldn't stand to see his son crying at dawn again when his 'mother" didn't come home.

"Yo! Luna to Iron Crest, do you copy?"

Iron was brought out of his thoughts by a hoof tapping his desk firmly. Looking up he found Fissure Quill standing at his desk with a slightly humored but worried expression. The stallion smiled lightly.

"You okay there, Iron? I asked if you wanted to head home for the night and you just kept glaring at your desk like it had insulted you or something."

iron put up a quick smile and folded his wings to his sides. "It's alright, Fissure, I was just lost in thought is all. I have... a lot on my plate right now."

Fissure hummed, one of his eyebrows rose up a little and he sat in one of the chairs across from the older stallion's desk.

"Is that so? It have anything to do with this mare you're seeing?"

Iron clenched his teeth and groaned. "If I told you no, would you drop it?" when Fissure shook his head, Iron sighed. "It's that obvious?"

Fissure chuckled softly and waved his hoof around the room, "Dude, the only time I see you like this is when you have a new possible mare-pony, or you want to punch one of the aristocrats here at the castle in unsavory places." Fissure leaned across the desk with a smug smile, "So yeah, considering we haven't had to deal with the higher ups in a while, knock on wood--" both stallions wrapped their hooves on the table simultaneously-- "Then my only other option was to guess you have a mare problem."

Iron smirked and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and craning his chin up so it looked like he was glaring at the ceiling. "Ugh, fine Sherlock Pones, you've got me! I am having trouble in paradise...again."

"So, whats the deal?" Fissure flopped back into the chair, choosing to sit sideways with his fore legs around the back of his head and his hind legs flopped over the arm rest. "Is it that thestral mare that came in the other day? Cause she's nice."

Iron whined and slouched even further down into his chair as a response. His ears and mane were the only thing Fissure could see above the edge of the desk. "Y-yes."

Fissure smirked, pointing a hood at Iron's ears. "Thought so, I haven't seen you get that flustered since I tried to hit on you."

A growl sounded from the other side of the desk. "I thought we said we would never speak of that again."

"We aren't, we are talking about your crush on this pretty little songbird you've got your eye on. So what is the problem, come on, talk to me."

After a couple seconds of moping under his desk, Iron sat up properly and pinned his ears back, his eyes wandering across the empty desk. "Fiiine, I like Sireen, yes that's her name, and she likes me."

Fissure nodded, listening.

Iron stood and pushed his chair back, content to pace back and froth in front of his desk, eyes to the floor. "But that's a good thing! The bad thing is that I don't want to screw it up like the last few times, on top of this, Crisp has basically cemented it in his head that Sireen is already his mother, and...well, I'm not sure Sireen likes that. It makes me look like a desperate dad who will take in any mare as long as she holds that title for my son, ya know?"

He looked over at Fissure to see that the stallion had re-positioned his body into the proper sitting arrangement that chairs were meant for. To Iron it was a nice thing to see, because Fissure only did that when he was being serious. "Alright, you want things to go smoothly, and you don't want Crisp getting too attached in case this mare decides to turn tail and run like the rest?"

iron winced, "I...well, I wouldn't say they ran awaaaay, just...left quickly?" When Fissure leveled a "seriously?" look at him, Iron smacked his forehead into the desk and grumbled. "Okay fine, you know what I mean! I want to give Sireen the respect and space she needs to feel out this situation. Right now I feel like i'm sabotaging it before it can go anywhere solid."

Fissure flipped an ear sideways, "How so?"

Iron blinked and looked from Fissure to his desk. "I don't know, I just feel like I'm doing too much and not enough at the same time! I met her three days ago and it feels like we are already married, but the only mare I felt that with was Noble Crest."

Fissure smiled and reached across the desk with his hoof, and before Iron could really react, the younger stallion bopped him hard on the forehead. Iron recoiled and swatted Fissure's leg away. "Ow! What the hay was that for?!"

Fissure chuckled and sat back in the chair. "You're stuck running in a circle around the past, that was to put it behind you."

Iron grumbled and looked confused. "What? What do you mean?"

Fissure reared up and planted his front hooves on the desk, towering over Iron, who looked even more perplexed. "Look, Iron, you've been running from the past ever since you lost your wife. That same past has you stuck, and the only way to deal with the past is to face it!"

Iron rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, well I still don't see how hurting me has anything to do with the past."

Fissure sighed, "Because the past hurts, doesn't it? With how you feel and what you're dealing with now, it hurts inside, so the way I see it, you can either keep running from that pain, or--" Fissure swiped his hoof at Iron's head again, only to have the stallion duck away from his hoof. "Or, you can learn from it, and move on with your life."

Iron went to retort but blinked, and realized that Fissure had a good point. The past was holding him back because he didn't want to be hurt anymore, but the only way to get past that pain, was to keep trying and hoping that one day he'd find a mare that made the pain stop.

"Huh...I...I guess you're right, Fissure." iron said quietly.

Fissure hopped off the desk and walked to the door, "I would hope so, I might have to file for over time if it doesn't work, these after hour therapy sessions are cutting into my snuggle time with MY mate back home."

Iron looked up at the clock and was surprised to see that he could have left a few minutes ago. After locking up his desk and following Fissure out the door, he nudged the younger stallion with his wing. "Well maybe Princess Luna will give you a free coffee as compensation fro a couple minutes of therapy."

Fissure shrugged, "Hey, it'd probably be the best darn cup of Joe I've ever had if it came from on high. Any who, you go get your mare, and make sure Crisp gets a good mother, ya hear?"

Iron nodded and trotted down the main hall of the castle, until he was outside. The night sky greeted him with thousands of stars that twinkled and gleamed in the inky blackness of outer space, and right then, Iron felt like he could actually catch one if he tried.

But right now he needed to pick up his son from school, and have a chat with Sireen.

***

Sireen ran like tarterus itself was hot on here fetlocks, ducking and weaving around obstacles like her training had taught her without so much as making a sound. She was a silent shadow that couldn't be seen, heard, or stopped. Her injured wing made her wince every so often, but she grit her teeth and bore through the pain. It would heal in time, the medicine she'd been given was working wonders already.

As she came around a right angled corner her eyes caught sight of the school grounds, the large white marbled walls of the castle loomed in the distance. The school itself was not inside the walls of the castle, but a couple blocks down the street from the main draw bridge that gave ponies access to it's inner zones. Even as Sireen slowed to a trot, her nostrils flaring and drawing in large amounts of air, she became aware that the two night guard at the front gates to the school had heard her and were watching her approach.

When she came within twenty feet, she simply sat down and caught her breath. her fellow guard eyed her up and down before Moon beam spoke up. "Sireen Wind? I thought you were on medical leave. What are you doing here of all places?"

Sireen took a couple more breaths to steady herself, and then she took a similar guard stance as her brethren, albeit with no armor or current rank. She smiled at Moon Beam, "I'm merely here for when Crisp words gets out of school, I wanted to make sure he got home safe."

Starry Warp and Moon Beam both shared a glance, before Starry pointed at her. "You know Crisp Words? How'd that happen?"

Sireen smiled warmly at Starry, "Yup, the little scamp and his father, Iron Crest, met me at my previous post. I've kind of grown close to them since then." She blushed and subconsciously shuffled her wings, wincing as her injured one twinged in protest.

Moon beam smirked slyly "Ah, so that's who has you moonstruck eh?" When Sireen growled and pinned her ears back, Moon Beam merely shrugged her wings, "Hey, don't shoot the messenger but it went around the barracks that a certain mare in our platoon was dancing in the moonlight with a non-thestral."

Sireen frowned, as did Starry, who spoke up. "There isn't anything wrong with that, Moony, Iron Crest is a good stallion and a great father, let it go."

Moony lost her smile and looked affronted. "I wasn't trying to sound rude, Starry, I meant it as a joke! I know there isn't anything wrong with it. I just thought I'd warn Sireen that a little ribbing was going to probably take place is all, you understand right, Sireen?"

Sireen sighed and preened her good wing for a couple seconds before nodding. "I'm aware, Moon Beam, but it doesn't mean I like it. I really do like Iron Crest, he's the first stallion who actually has piqued my interests, and his son is adorable!"

Starry chuckled and pulled out a piece of paper, and beckoned her over to see it. "Oh, we know, Crisp gave us this picture tonight as a sign of his thanks for doing our jobs."

Sireen gently took the sheet of paper and examined the drawing, it was done rather well in her opinion, and it was in Crisps style too. Sireen smirked and handed it back. "That's very sweet of him, did he know you have a wing complex, Starry?"

Starry growled and flailed his front hooves between the two mares "I--you--She! Are you two serious?! I do not have a wing complex!" The two mares giggled together as the stallion was left floundering in his cracked pride. All three of them heard the sound of wing beats and their guard instincts kicked as Iron Crest came into view down the road.

Starry, grasping at his last chance for victory, struck a hoof out to the approaching stallion, "Iron Crest! Thank the heavens you're here, help a stallion out will ya, these mares think I have a wing complex!"

For the most part, Iron Crest kept a straight face, but Sireen noticed the little twitch in his lips as he tried not to laugh. Instead he just shook his head and landed a couple feet away from them. "Starry, if a mare says you've got a wing complex, then i'm sad to say you do. Sorry bud, but i...S-Sireen?"

The Stallion's eyes had traveled to the two mares as he'd come up to them and he was surprised to see her here. "Wha...What are you doing here?" He balked as her wings drooped a little and she blushed, "Err, not that that is a bad thing! I just wasn't expecting it!" He walked up and gently reached a hoof out to touch her shoulder. "Y-You should be resting that wing of yours."

The shiver that shot up Sireen's spine when Iron's hoof touched her was noticed by everyone, and Moon Beam smirked and rolled her eyes "Moonstruck indeed."

Sireen growled at Moon Beam and then looked at Iron. "I just wanted to make sure Crisp got home safe, I admit I didn't think of asking you when you took him to school tonight."

Iron nodded and she watched as his cheeks gained a light red tinge to them, "I see, well that is very kind of you to do so, I appreciate it. Sh-shall we collect him together?"

Sireen nodded and scooted closer to Iron, intent on walking with him to the school, but she was yet again surprised when his right wing draped across her back and gently hugged her close. She let out a little chirp of joy and her tail swished happily at the touch. Iron noticed and blushed harder as they walked through the gates, Moon Beam leaned back and whispered to Sireen,

"Totally Moonstruck, Windy!"

Sireen glared at her and hissed, making the other thestral mare titter and go back to her post. When they were out of ear shot, Iron looked down to find Sireen was smiling warmly and had leaned her cheek into his shoulder, nuzzling the fur lightly. He chuckled nervously, "S-sorry about that, you looked cold."

Sireen opened her eyes half way and stared at him with her bright golden irises, a deep purr escaping her throat, "hmm, ya know, I think I was cold, but you can keep me warm tonight right?" her voice was almost a whisper.

Iron felt like his heart had jumped out of his chest and was doing a tap dance on his skull. He felt his chest fluff out instinctively and his wings shot into the air reflexively. "I...I...." He was at a lost for words, and Sireen giggled at his expression. She'd never managed to make a stallion do that before, and as she nuzzled back under his lowering wing, she smiled deeply.

She liked it.

After his wings had relaxed and his head didn't feel like it was going to explode with blood pressure, Iron crest smoothed out his chest fluff and spoke as they reached the school steps. "I um, well! yes, thank you for, um, for coming to pick up Crisp, I usually do so after work, but it'll be nice for him to also be picked up by you as well, I think he'll get a kick out of that."

Sireen nodded and purred lightly when he opened the door for her, "After you m'lady." She bit her lip, her cheeks kept their rosy hue, and her heart started beating a little faster, as she walked inside. The halls of the school were currently quiet but given a few more minutes Sireen guessed it'd be a wall of noisy foals diving for the exit. One of those foals she'd be giving a lot of attention to pretty soon.

"Sireen, I wanted to say something before Crisp could interfere." Iron said beside her. She noted how his wing tightened on her side a little more. Was he afraid?

"Look, I thought about what you said at breakfast this morning, and...the thing is..."

Sireen felt a shiver go through her for an entirely different reason, was he about to tell her it wouldn't work out?

"I know Crisp and I both like you, Me more so then him in completely different ways, but I feel like we are going waaaay to fast, does that make sense?"

Sireen felt her heart stop it's incremental climb of fear and slowly ebb back down. She breathed a sigh of relief and noted how Iron tensed at that. "Actually, I did and I didn't, Iron. The few relationships I've been in were quick, and not exactly wholesome or worthwhile, so I failed to recognize if we were going to fast or too slow." She gently nosed his shoulder, with a submissive shrug. "Up until now I haven't had any real relationships, you're the first, so...so if you say we are going to fast, then lets slow down."

The release of air that Iron exhaled meant he'd been holding his breath and Sireen smiled humorously as he got his breathing back to normal. "I must say Sireen that is, well I am glad to hear that. I was worried all day that you might think I wasn't interested in you, which I am, very much so!...er interested, i mean, I'm interested, in y--"

Sireen leaned up and kissed his cheek, her fangs brushing into his cheek fur and sending shivers down his spine, effectively ceasing his words. She nestled close to his side and purred happily. "Well I'm glad to hear you are interested in me, cause i'm interested in you too."

Sireen sighed in content and then firmly burrowed her snout into his chest fluff as it expanded out. It was so soft and comforting, that she subconsciously nibbled a little bit. Her ears perked up as she heard him gasp at the nibbles and she pulled back. "S-Sorry, too much?"

Iron's face was about as red as it could get and it had an expression of clenched focus, like he was trying not to think specific things. "U-um, j-just don't do thaaaat." He quickly let a violent shiver go through him, which had the negative affect of making him look even fluffier and Sireen purred loudly in appeal.

Gods above he's like a giant fluffy pillow! She bit her lip as her female instincts said to snuggle into him right there in the hallway. I might not be ABLE to take things slowly!

Iron shook himself and clenched his eyes shut. "I...well, pegasi are extremely sensitive in the fluffy areas of our bodies, especially our chest fluff, s-so while the attention is not unwanted, you were very close to...ah, well to piquing my interest elsewhere on my body..." Iron emphasized this by sitting down and closing his wings around himself and effectively hiding his lower body from view.

Sireen gasped and then blushed rather fiercely herself and hid her expression with her good wing. "Oh...oh my, I'm sorry."

Iron Crest, for the most part squeaked out a "It's okay." He was shuffling around behind his wings and Sireen wasn't too sure she wanted to see what he was doing, but he seemed to be wincing every couple of seconds, which drove her curiosity.

"Okay, forgive me for intruding...but what are you doing, Iron?" She said peering at him. He winced once more and grinned sheepishly.

"Hurting myself."

Sireen grimaced in shock, "W-what why?!"

Iron looked at her with a deadpan expression, "Why do you think? In a couple minutes there will be foals surrounding us and I have no intentions of letting them see all of me."

Yet again Sireen blushed and looked away. She didn't think she'd made him react that fast. she lifted a hoof and looked around the hallway, trying to admire the school decor as her hoof ran down her mane. "You uh...you've not had much intimacy recently, have you, Iron?"

When he stood and sighed, she dared look back to him, making sure her eyes stayed front and center and most of all, above the chest. "Ya good now?" she asked. Iron nodded, and shuffled his wings back into a more comfortable place.

Just in time too, for not a second later the bell rang throughout the school halls, making Sireen pin her ears against her head as every door in the hall flung wide open and a wall of foals a foot high came surging into existence. She found herself laughing as they completely ignored her and Iron and ran all around and even under them. Sireen had to duck and weave a few times as the little rascals scurried right under her and out the space between her hind legs. Iron was having the same issue, and Sireen now realized why he was so desperate to hide his proof of gender away. All it would have taken was one foal to shoot under him and they'd have had a rather awkward situation on their hooves.

"Is it always like this, Iron?" Sireen spoke over the noisy swarm of foals.

Iron looked over to her and nodded. "Mostly, for the first five or so minutes, and then they trickle outside and wait for their parents to arrive."

Sireen nodded and noted how the diversity in the foals was just as varied in the daytime groups. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and even a thestral or two were mingling together in the crowd. Sireen even spotted one griffon hatchling working on the combination to her locker as the crowd surged around them.

As the foals gathered their supplies, Sireen found herself searching for Crisp, but with so many colors and movement taking up the forefront of her vision, she could barely tell where one foal ended and another began. She laughed more at that, it was like they were one giant conglomeration of life.

Scooting closer to Iron, Sireen watched as a couple teachers emerged from their classrooms and helped direct the foals to their designated lockers, and one opened the doors to allow them out to parents who Sireen could see were beginning to arrive.

Soon enough Sireen and Iron had room to move without trampling any of the little ones around them. Iron looked around with Sireen for Crisp, but to their mutual confusion, they couldn't find him. Iron tapped his hoof a few times and waited a little longer but when the hall emptied out and Crisp made no sign of showing up, he frowned.

"That's odd. He usually is right on time, I wonder what might have held him up." Without waiting for a reply from Sireen, he wandered down the hall to a nearby open doorway and peered in, Sireen did the same and found the classroom empty save for the teacher.

She was a thin but healthy unicorn mare of cherry coat and lime green mane and tail. she was wiping the chalk boards down, when her eyes fell on Iron Crest as the doorway and she smiled.

"Oh, hello there, Iron Crest, are you looking for little Crisp?" When Iron nodded, the mare set her eraser down on the desk and sighed, "Well you won't find him here, he got in trouble I'm afraid, the little colt got into an argument with an older student and they got into a bit of a tussle."

Iron looked taken aback, "Crisp got in a fight? He's never done that! What happened?" The teacher, apparently a Mrs. Cross Words, from her name tag, frowned and looked past Iron at Sireen.

"Well, he apparently got into an argument about his um, new mother." When Iron and Sireen shared a wince and a glance, Mrs. Cross quickly added, "B-but no foal was hurt too badly, just a couple bruises and a few nips, we settled it pretty quickly, but Crisp is in the detention hall with the other foal."

Iron thanked her and closed the door, his face marred with a frown.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of, Crisp thinks every mare I meet is instantly his mother and he gets really defensive when the other foals get confused over his real parents." Iron sighed and rubbed his brow with a primary wingtip. Sireen was silent, on one end the situation, she felt so proud that Crisp thought of her that way, but on the other hoof he had certainly latched on too quickly. It posed a weird issue for the both of them. If Crisp was to get better at handling this, then Sireen needed to stay with him so he'd have a solid mother figure, but if she did, then she'd all but be cementing her relationship with Iron.

But is that a bad thing?

Sireen bit her lip and followed Iron to the detention hall, which happened to be the lunch room as well. The tables and chairs had been put up save for one table and three chairs. A well muscled pegasus stallion with a whistle around his neck and a sports hat atop his head sat at the table with two foals on either side of him, and he appeared to be talking with them, although neither one seemed to be listening. Both foals had their backs turned away from each other in an obvious action of contempt for one another.

Sireen and Iron crept up to the group, stopping just close enough to hear what was being said. The pegasus teacher was speaking. His gruff voice holding a hint of irritation as the two foals ignored him.

"Look kids, you guys are here because you got in a scuffle over something trivial. I'm sure your parents are wondering why you aren't outside as well, what are ya gonna tell them when they come in here?"

The other foal, a earth pony filly with a silver curly mane and tail, a pale pink coat, and a couple dimples on the top of her snout, glowered back at Crisp, her left eye black and bruised. "My parents would say I'm right! Crisp's mom isn't real, she's imaginary, Just like all the other ones!"

Crisp's nape fur stood on end and he snapped his head around to glare visual daggers at the filly. "You're on to talk, when does your daddy come home, oh yeah, NEVER! At least mine is real and stays around for me!"

The filly growled and stood up, slamming her small hooves onto the top of the table. "You take that back, horn head!"

Crisp shot his nose high into the air and folded his arms, "No! besides, if my parents were here, they'd say that I was right!" The little scamp paused and cracked an eye open at the filly, "Plus you'd see my awesome mom ISN'T fake! If anyone should be taking words back it should be you!"

"Alright that is enough outta you two!" The teacher stood and growled, tossing his hat onto the table between them. Crisp wilted and looked genuinely apologetic, but the filly just harrumphed and turned away again.

The teacher sighed and picked his hat back up, taking the crumpled accessory and squishing it back against his mane. "Honestly you two are like oil and water, so from now on I'm assigning you two to separate recesses. Ivy Burn, you're getting recess early in the morning, so you two don't meet up again. Crisp, you'll be getting the later hour recess--"

Crisp balked at that, and his ears lowered "But--"

"And no buts! You swung first in that fight, and while I understand that words hurt, hooves will always hurt more, you need to practice self restraint."

"Yeah, show some self--eep!" The filly was silenced as the teacher locked his glare on her, effectively shutting her down and making her curl inwards.

"And you, I don't know where you get it from but the attitude and bullying has gotta stop, now. I know your father isn't home but your mother will be hearing about this."

Ivy whimpered and for a moment Sireen wondered if maybe something more was going on with the filly's family situation. It was here that Iron interrupted with a cough into his hoof. "Um, Mr. High Jump?"

The teacher flinched and looked behind him at the two. "What? Oh! Mr. Crest, I didn't hear you enter," He gave Sireen a polite smile, "Or your friend here, although given what I've heard about you from Crisp here, ma'am, that's not surprising."

Crisp jumped off his seat at their appearance, and began trotting towards them, but High Jump opened his wing out and blocked the foal with a hoof raised. "Ah, ah, ah, you sit right back down, buster. You're in detention, remember?"

Crisp lowered his head and shuffled back to his seat at the table. Iron frowned and looked to the teacher, watching as he stood, closed his wings and approached the two. Tipping his hat to Sireen he smiled apologetically. "Sorry for the situation, but I gotta keep these two here for another ten minutes. My name is High Jump, the school P.E teacher and track coach."

Sireen outstretched her hoof and he shook it lightly. "Sireen Wind, local night guard and mare friend of Iron Crest." She glanced past the teacher at Crisp, who had his head rested against the table and was scuffling a horse shoe across it's surface gently. "Do you mind informing us what happened?"

When High jump looked to Iron crest, he found the stallion nodding and sitting down. "Well, alright, the basics are this; Crisp and Ivy over there were playing out on the playground out back and I was supervising. Ivy approached Crisp and started bullying him about his...er, lack of a mother, no offense meant there Iron."

Iron shrugged, a frown marring his muzzle as he looked at Crisp. "Up until a few days ago it would have been true sadly, I understand."

High Jump nodded and rubbed his neck with a hoof sheepishly. "Riiight, so Crisp tells her he has a new mom, and Ivy retorts that it's all in his head. I didn't hear all of it but from their combined stories, I got it that Ivy taunted him by saying he was imagining fake parents. Crisp punched her in the eye and she jumped on him. I think she managed to bite his ear so one of you might want to check that, but I couldn't be sure, the moment they made full contact, I dove in and separated them."

He looked back between the two foals, and then sighed. "Honestly I can see why the fight broke out though. Ivy's dad is off on a long patrol to the griffon border for the next three months. Every time he comes back, he spares as much time with Ivy and his wife as he can, but it's just not enough time, a week at most. Crisp has no mother, er, didn't, and now that he does he feels he should defend his own family."

Sireen and Iron both sighed at the same time. Sireen looked to Ivy and a thought popped into her head. "Mr. High Jump, may I know the name of the father?" When High Jump quirked a brow at her she put a hoof to her chest. "I'm a fellow guard, I might be able to send a letter to him, see if his CO will give him extended leave."

High Jump shrugged, "I suppose, his name is Flame Current. If you do manage to get a letter to him, tell him about this kay? Even when he's around, I don't think he knows how his daughter's school life is going. Don't get me wrong, the stallion isn't abusive or anything, quite the opposite in fact, but I feel like he's not giving Ivy the attention she needs."

Sireen hummed and glanced at the filly, who was currently glancing at her and Iron every time it looked like they weren't paying attention. "What about the--"

"IVY BURN!"

"Mother..." Sireen grimaced, pinning her ears back against her head as the lunch hall door slammed open harshly. A tall earth pony mare with a russet mane and tail, and a grey coat burst into the room. Her tan business suit was very disheveled and the tie was flopping around aimlessly as the mare darted into the room and came to the right side of Iron Crest, completely ignoring him and Sireen.

"Where is she, High Jump, Where is my baby?" The mare asked, poking a hoof into the chest of the teacher. He grimaced at the touch, and tilted his head back. "Ivy is behind me--" He immediately shot a wing out and blocked the mare from advancing. "In detention, so no, you cannot take her home, Mrs. Call."

Mrs. Call, glaring at his wing as if it had struck her across the muzzle, puffed out her chest and stamped her hoof. "Oh the nerve of you! My daughter is clearly in distress and needs me! You can't just block me from my own blood! Get out of my way!"

When she tried to advance, Jump merely sidestepped into her path. "Yes, I can, and yes, I am. Every time your daughter causes a problem, and she does that a lot, you jump in and coddle her. You say she isn't the problem, and try to blame the teachers or another parent's foal. Well this time you can't do that because she was the problem. She harassed another foal until they got into a fight and I watched the whole situation." Here, High Jump's wing bent and he poked her back in the chest with two primary feathers. "You can't talk your way out of this one, ma'am."

Mrs. Call growled and harrumphed, pointing her nose in the air. "Well, I think the principle will hear about this! Your rudeness towards me will not go unnoticed, Mr. High Jump." Then SIreen watched as her frown turned into a cruel smile, and the mare leaned into High Jump, making him grimace and lean back. "Hmm, now that I think about it, haven't you had this job for only a couple months? Yes, I do recall you having a hard time moving up into the higher end school districts." Mrs. Call only grinned more when High Jump pinned his ears back and flashed his clenched teeth at her. She continued, "Why, with your status being so new...you wouldn't want to lose your job would you? In fact, how good is your job security?"

"How good is yours, ma'am?" Sireen asked curtly, her fangs flashing sharply. The mare jumped, implying that she wasn't aware of her and Iron's presence. Sireen noted the shiver that went down her back as she whirled around to face them. Standing tall, Sireen glared eye to eye with the mare. "Because I assure you, as a night guard of Princess Luna, I am obligated to report any forms of black mail or under hoofed dealings, and you just met the requirements of the first."

Mrs. Call looked Sireen up and down slowly, pausing on her injured wing, and then scoffed, turning around and flicking her tail. "Oh please, you couldn't touch me if you had both of your wings intact, soldier. I work in the courts, a higher level of understanding and work ethic that some paltry infantry mare couldn't even hope to comprehend. You probably don't even know what paperwork you need to fill out to do such a thing!"

Sireen's growl increased tenfold and she went to step forward, only to be stopped by Iron's voice, it was cold and rather terse.

"Well thank the gods above that i'm here then, because I know all about how to write you up." Iron said with a rather predatory smile. He stepped up to stand beside Sireen who almost ceased her growl just to purr as his wing fell across her back. Almost.

Mrs. Call blinked and then she furrowed her brow in recognition of the stallion before her. "Iron Crest, of course you're here, how wonderful. Alas, even if you knew what to do, I have a higher station than you in the courts, so you might want to watch what you say."

Iron grinned even more. "So should you, Mrs. Call, I have direct connections to Princess Luna, can you say the same?"

When she faltered, a hoof raised defensively, Iron smirked, widening and rolling his eyes to the side in an exaggerated way. "Oh, that's riiiiight, you lost your main court privileges a week ago, didn't you? Something about false claims? Fake documentation, I think?"

Sireen took internal pleasure in seeing the mare bristle at his reply. Mrs. Call stamped her hoof, glaring down her snout at Iron, only to have Sireen's golden eyes blocking her view. "T-that was never verified!" she squeaked.

Iron gently pushed Sireen back with a hoof and shuffled his wing around on her back to calm her down. Then he glared right back at Mrs. Call. "That may be true, but when I see that paperwork daily and its my job to check things like that, I do my job, and I do it exceptionally well. The court council might not want to verify it as false, but when I see counterfeit paperwork on my desk, I report it straight to the heads of state, in person. That means Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, sometimes even Princess Cadance or Twilight see it first and foremost."

Before Mrs. Call could retort, the bell in the lunch hall rang loudly, forcing Sireen to pin her ears back as High Jump looked back at the foals. "Alright, foals, you can go." He tilted his hat to Crest and Sireen as a goodbye and then exited out the door.

The moment he was gone, Ivy Burn shot shot over to her mother's side and immediately regretted it as her mother whimpered and started fussing over her child. She shot a glare at both of them before exiting the hall and out of sight. Sireen almost felt bad for the filly, until Crisp appeared in her vision. He looked defeated. His head was lowered, his tail was tucked between his legs and his mane was hanging loosely down the side of his neck. He came to stand right in front of Iron, who now stood tall and imposing, the parental glare on his face.

"Lets go home Crisp, we have much we need to talk about."

Crisp nodded, murmuring a "Yes, dad," as Iron picked him up by his nape and deposited the foal on his back. Crisp immediately curled up and hid his face in the space between his dad's shoulders. Sireen had to force herself to remain stoic as the urge to coo and nuzzle the little fluff ball shot to the forefront of her mind. Together they exited out the school and onto the main road. Sireen thought once they'd left the grounds behind, Iron would start talking, but when the silence remained, she wondered what was up. A glance at Iron gave her an idea. Iron was putting up the fatherly front, trying to act disappointed even though deep down he was proud of his son.

Not for hitting Ivy, or for starting a fight, but for standing up for his family. Both bat ponies and pegasi shared that trait in spades. They didn't consider it a negative trait to get rough when words didn't work, and both species took it personally when their families were targeted. If anything, Iron was having a hard time not saying anything positive until they got home. Every few feet he'd lift a hoof and smooth out his chest fluff, which kept trying to pop out into view around his tie.

Sireen quietly chuckled, Crisp would still get a talking to about what he did, but Iron had the foal's best intentions in mind. Sireen felt she would need to emulate his actions, or vice versa, when they got closer together as parents.

She blinked as the thought crossed her mind. She was now considered Crisp Word's mother. The feelings that bubbled up within her were conflicted at first. She wasn't actually his mother, her instincts told her.

He's not your blood, not a thestral.

He isn't related, he isn't yours.

Sireen shook her head firmly, tossing her mane wildly, and listened instead to the other side of her mind, the motherly side.

He is a foal with no mother, he needs one.

I'm his mother now, so I will be there to protect him.

She looked at Iron Crest, who had seen her movement and was looking at her with a little curiosity and confusion. She smiled.

They both need me, so I will be there for them.

***

Setting a plate down on the table, and sliding one of the forks over to its correct placement, Sireen backed up and looked over her work. She'd set the table for dinner, so when Iron came down from upstairs, he wouldn't have to. Her ears flicked back in the direction of the stairs, hoping to hear what was being said, but Iron had closed the door so any sound was blocked.

She sat down and opened her good wing, preening it for a couple minutes and enjoying the sensations of her fangs dragging across her velvet fur. After making sure her wing fur felt right and not out of place she looked to her other wing.

"Time to take my medicine I suppose." She mumbled as she started up the stairs. She paused half way though when she realized that it might look bad if she was directly across the hallway while Iron was talking with Crisp.

They might think I was eavesdropping, er, I better wait till Iron comes down. Trotting back down the stairs and into the living room, Sireen hopped up onto the couch and lay down on her belly. She looked around the room and got a feel for it once more. Crisp's toys were all neatly tucked away in his toy chest, and his art supplies were in their tote container. The surfaces had all been cleaned and dusted, and the carpet had been vacuumed. Sireen frowned when she realized that her cleaning earlier that morning had been very thorough.

Too thorough...I don't have anything to do but sit and wait. Sireen snorted and sat up. She was a night guard of Princess Luna, she needed to stop slouching and lazing about! Hopping down, Sireen started stretching out her legs, she started with her front limbs, arching her back and raising her rump high into the air, she groaned in pleasure as a couple vertebrae in her spine popped and readjusted. After counting to ten, Sireen leaned forward and stretched out her back legs, lifting one sideways at mid height to her hip, she remembered how her drill sergeants back in basic training had called this stretch the territorial dog pose. She smirked, counted to ten, and then did the same with the other leg.

Once this was done, Sireen used the couch to stretch her midsection, and neck. Rearing up so her fore hooves were
based on the couch cushion, She pushed her hips forward into a slow thrust and craned her head back, stretching her stomach muscles, spine, and neck. The pleasure of her muscles releasing tension forced a low moan out of her mouth, and her tail reflexively arched up as her body's endorphins flowed through her body and sent tingles up and down her spine.

"Ooooh yes...." She whispered.

POMF!

Sireen heard the sound of feathered wings snapping open suddenly. Jarring her out of her stretches, she quickly closed her wing, covered her rump with her tail, and hopped off the couch. composing her self, she looked behind her at the stairs, where Iron was midway between two steps down the stairs, a foreleg half raised. His bulging eyes locked on Sireen as his wings twitched and flexed at full extension on his back. The stallion's face was slowly turning a bright shade of red as he mumbled something under his breath that Sireen barely caught with her hearing.

"H-holy damn..."

She cupped her hooves over her mouth and tried to stop her laugh from escaping but it was to no avail. She laughed, and leaned against the couch as Iron came out of his dazed state and gasped. Recognizing he'd been caught staring, Iron covered his eyes with a hoof.

"Oh my gosh! Sireen! S-sorry I was just...err...I didn't think you'd be...um..."

Sireen could only laugh harder as he reached back and tried to close his wings, but the stiff appendages refused to drop without a fight. While he fought with his wings, Sireen slunk over to the stairs and slowly climbed them, closing her eyes halfway and swaying her hips. Iron, seeing this through his peripherals, blushed harder and groaned as his wings stiffened even more. "Errg, get down you stupid feathers!" By the time she reached him, Iron had managed to close only one wing, albeit using a hoof to hold it in against his side. As he turned around to face her, their noses brushed together and he gulped, his vision swallowed up by the golden irises of Sireen.

She purrred, sending vibrations through his chin and down his neck, he gulped. Sireen fully booped noses with him and growled playfully. "I like a stallion that shows off, Iron..." She whispered seductively." Then without so much as a blink, she turned her head sideways and locked muzzles with him in a deep and firm kiss.

Iron's wing exploded out from under his faltering hoof and stood at attention. Iron moaned loudly into her muzzle, lost in the kiss, he closed his eyes, reached his hoof out and wrapped it around her neck, pulling her closer with a grunt of approval. They held the kiss for almost ten seconds before breaking apart. Iron was panting, his chest fur had expanded out to it's fluffiest and his wings were stiff as steel. Sireen caught his scent and with out even looking down, she could tell she'd piqued his entire interest.

Stepping forward, she nestled her head under his chin, and purring loudly in appreciation when his wings enclosed around her sides protectively. The stallion leaned his head to the side and nibbled at her neck, sending shivers down her spine and making her chirp and hum in agreement. A nip to her ear send excitement rocketing down to the base of her tail, her fore hooves trembled as she wrapped them around his neck and reciprocated the touches. "Mmm Iron, I don't think going slow is an option..." She whispered.

"Nnngh...S-Sireen...I want you..." He groaned. Sireen was about to speak when he pulled back against her hold. She growled lightly and tried to pull him back, but he stayed firm and grasped her hooves in his. When their eyes met, She could tell he was very conflicted. "Sireen, I want you, I really want you, and I want to love you, I want to hold you, and I want us to be together...but," He paused and looked back at Crisp's closed bedroom door for a moment, before he turned back to her. "But for his, sake, we need to take it slow, I feel like if we don't, we won't be the only ones hurt if it goes south, is, is that okay?"

Sireen almost whimpered as he let go of her, but she could see the logic behind what he was saying. "I, I think I understand Iron. I agree, I don't like it--" Here she leaned in and nipped his shoulder, making him hiss but it was with a smile on his lips as she did so. "--But I understand, and you're right. We do need to do this properly. I don't think we've even gone on a date yet. Gosh, now that I think about it we only met maybe two weeks ago, didn't we?"

Iron slowly let out a breath of air, and touched noses with her, "I think so, but in all seriousness, I do want to date you Sireen, I want to court you, properly...if you'll have me?"

Sireen giggled and lightly kissed him, a chaste kiss. "I find this agreeable, but under one condition." When he flipped an ear to the side and tilted his head in the same direction in curiosity she giggled louder. "You have to cook dinner while I meet with Crisp."

Iron chuckled and rolled his eyes, "If that is the only caveat to us dating, I think I'll survive--"

"Oh, and you'll need to sheath your sword before Crisp sees it." Sireen said as she passed him by, her tail flicking under neath him to lightly brush his growing arousal. She laughed as he gasped, snapped his wings down to hide his underbelly, stuttered incomprehensible gibberish, an apology or two, and rushed down stairs and out of view. She sighed, her heart bubbly and full of happiness.

Walking to Crisp's door, she gently knocked and waited. When no reply came, she leaned an ear against the door. She could hear shuffling of paper and the scratching of a pencil. "Crisp? It's Sireen, may I come in?" She asked gently.

The sound of a chair scooting back met her ears, and then the door opened to show Crisp. He didn't say anything, his down turned expression said all it needed to as he walked back to his chair and hopped up into it. Sireen cautiously entered and closed the door behind her with a back hoof. "You okay there, scamp?" She asked, walking up and looking at what he was drawing.

"Do I look okay?" Crisp griped sourly. Despite his tone, Sireen saw his remorseful face as he doodled. She frowned and looked at what he was drawing, only to furrow her brow. "Crisp, what are you drawing?" She asked.

Crisp leaned back and let her see with a slouch to his posture. He took a big gulp of air, and then spoke. "I'm venting my frustration via the action of portraying it through the medium of graphite values and harsh black and white tones that only paper and pencil can illustrate, thus implying I have a deep seated anger and fury directed at the filly, Ivy Burn. That is why I drew a picture of her falling off of the Canterlot cliffs while tied up and screaming for help all while inside a pickle jar!"

When he looked back up at Sireen and saw her widened eyes and partially open mouth, he grumbled, grabbed the paper, crumpled it into his hooves and tossed it into the waste bin. "I know, it's a lot to take in. The gist of it is that I don't like what she said today and Dad says I should find alternative ways to release my anger, instead of just punching her."

Crisp paused and hopped down from his chair to stare at the floor. "The problem with that is that I liked punching her, that filly is a big mean bully and she got what she had coming to--" His words were silence by Sireen stepping up and pushing his head into her chest fur with a hoof. Crisp froze, literally, unsure of what to do. At first, he merely sucked in his breath and waited, but when Sireen merely pet his neck and purred, he slowly began to crack. His frustrated nature at the situation dropped away and he sniffled, nosing into her fur and whimpering. Sireen leaned down and scooped him up in a hug, before gently climbing into his bed and laying down.

Her mother instincts had kicked in and she was not going to stop them this time. She nosed and nibbled Crisp, watching as he snuggled close to her and buried his face into the under side of her good wing, his crying increasing as he did so.

"S-She's a bully, she treats every o-one around her like dirt! I d-don't wanna be like her, she's mean and likes to upset the other kids, b-but the only way to get her to stop is t-t-to be mean back!" Crisp cried, his cheeks puffed out and already tears ran down them. "I don't like her, m-mom, I don't!" He hiccupped and Sireen purred louder, she leaned in and nosed his cheek, licking gently at his tears and removing them, even as more appeared. Crisp practically shoved his head under her chin, being mindful of his little horn and hugged her around her neck.

"Y-you're not not fake, you're real, i-i-if I can hug you, then you have to be!" he whimpered and hid his face into the muscles of her chest. Sireen purred loudly and firmly, hoping the vibrations would help.

"Ssssh, there there, I know, bullies are hard to deal with, huh?" She whispered, wrapping her good wing around the little guy. He nodded, and she nosed his ear. "I had to deal with them too in school, you know?"

Crisp shook his head, rubbing his nose into her fluff in an adorable attempt to hide from the world. Sireen smiled and slowly preened his mane and neck, her body naturally curling around him.

"Y-you did?" Crisp whispered, his words muffled by her fur. She nodded and kissed his forehead.

"Mhmm, I was always harassed for not being strong enough, something about myself that the other fillies in my group knew I hated. They would always rile me up into a fight but I'd lose because I was too weak."

Crisp looked up at her and hugged her tighter, "B-but you're not weak! You're very strong!"

She chuckled and nuzzled his mane, "I am now, but when I was your age I was frail. I had a hard time flying, and I couldn't lift the average weight that most fillies and colts could. So you know what I did to combat this?"

Crisp perked his ears up and he leaned back. "What?"

She booped noses with him and smiled when he giggled. "As hard as it was to do so, I accepted it. However, I worked hard to change it. When those bullies came around and told me I was weak, I agreed and told them I was, but that soon I wouldn't be."

Crisp quirked his brow and cocked his head to the side cutely. "B-but how did that stop them?"

Sireen shook her head and hugged him, setting her head atop his. "It's not about stopping them, it's about moving past them, Crisp. We can't force ponies to act how we want them to, the only thing we can do is believe in ourselves, and not be like they are. I kept myself strong by not giving up, and thus I became stronger then those bullies." She kissed the top of his head once more. "No matter what Ivy does or says, believe in yourself, and you'll get through it. I'm not saying it will be pleasant or easy, but you'll survive, and that which doesn't defeat you, makes you stronger, scamp."

Crisp squealed as she suddenly flipped him over and blew a loud raspberry into his stomach fur. The foal gasped and tried to escape. Sireen grinned. "Now, the real question remains, are you going to let me defeat you, Crisp?" she growled playfully as he flailed and tried to get out of her grasp.

"Noooo! Dad! Dad! help, mom is gonna get me--ack!" Sireen nipped his tail, held him there a second and then let him go, following as he managed to squirm out of her grasp and hopped off the bed. As he giggled and flung the bedroom door open, with her hot on his heels, Sireen felt her heart flutter once more. While she knew they both needed her, she realized that talking with Iron, and consoling Crisp, it had filled a little bit of the emptiness in her heart.

As Sireen watched Crisp disappear down the stairs, shouting for dad, she smiled and touched a hoof to her heart.

I need them too.