The Equestrian

***Introduction***

The humans asked Princess Celestia for land. Celestia, being the gentle ruler she was, gave in to their request. Because the human population in Equestria numbered to only a few hundred, it was a small price to satisfy them with a thousand acres of land, right inside the Equestrian border where they entered. In exchangefor the land, the humans showed the ponies the ways of advanced iron working and even the making of steel. As part of the deal, the humans agreed to avoid Equestrian settlements and to only cross paths with the ponies in the decided Neutral Zone when trading.

***Part 1: Days Gone By***

Ten years. That is how much time had passed. Fives has been the property of the Sparkles for ten years. The scrawny boy Starlight and Velvet had received decade earlier from Shining Armor had grown into a tall, strong, and capable young man. Starlight often joked to his wife about how her cooking made their little human into a giant.

"Fives!" Twilight calls.

"I'm coming, Twilight!" The human yells back as he rushes to her aid.

Fives dives into the room of his mistress, making sure to duck to avoid hitting his head on the door frame.

"Did you find my book on ancient Equestrian plants?" She demands.

"No..." Fives groans, shaking his head. "I've looked everywhere. Master Starlight says he will help me look as soon as he is done with the paperwork for your living transfer to the palace."

Twilight nods. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. Today was the day she would move out of the Sparkle estate and into the Canterlot Palace. You guys know the story. After Twilight proved her magic capabilities during an exam, thanks to the sonic rainboom, she was invited by Princess Celestia herself to live in the palace and learn from her. Now, she was old enough to leave her parents' custody and move into the palace.

"That's alright. We'll be leaving soon. Where is Spike?"

Fives shrugs.

"I would tell you, if I knew. I haven't seen him since he volunteered to find and pack your desk sets."

"The poor thing probably got lost in my quill closet..." Twilight sighs in frustration as she trots out of the door. "I'll go find him. You, find that book."

Fives gives her a quick salute.

"As you wish."

***Part 2: Flying High***

The carriage ride to the palace was a pleasant one. It was Fives' first time in the air. He couldn't help looking over the edge and laughing as he watched the city below him. After a less-than-smooth landing, Fives was very disorientated. So was Spike. The little dragon almost passed out.

"Thank you, sirs." Twilight says cheerfully.

"Any time, miss." One of the pegasus guards replies. "Do you need any further help with your bags, or does your slave have them in hand?"

Twilight frowns. She hated it when Fives had to hear such harsh words.

"I have them, sir." Fives says with his well practiced 'trained slave' tone.

The pegasus guard nods before returning to the carriage. Fives and Spike quickly unload the bags and in moments, the carriage is off. Twilight, Fives, and Spike leave the landing patio and journey up the steps to the palace doors. Waiting for the trio, was a guard. Unlike the others, this guard had a larger plume radiating from his helmet, signifying his rank. He was an Officer. The guard smiles when he sees Twilight approaching.

"Ah! You must be Miss Sparkle. I am Warrant Officer Silvershield. I will be your head of personal security." He says with a polite bow.

Twilight blushes slightly.

"Oh... T-Thank you, sir. Uh, may we go to my room? Fives and Spike are really tired from the flight and they really need to settle in and rest."

Silvershield frowns as he overlooks Fives. Fives stairs back at him. He recognized the guard. Silvershield was studying Fives as well.

"I am sorry, Miss Sparkle, but your human property is not permitted to enter the palace. It will have to wait in a holding chamber until you retrieve it."

"Holding chamber?" Twilight asks in disbelief.

She looks back at Fives. He had a look on his face that resembled pure terror. Twilight turns back to the officer and shakes her head defiantly.

"No. Fives is coming with me." Twilight objects.

Silvershield shakes his head.

"It is against the law for any humans to be on the premises or inside the palace. This slave standing on the steps of the Royal Palace is already a violation of the Dan Moors Act."

"Well, I think he is coming with me, anyway." Twilight snaps. "According to the Personal Property Act, my human goes where I command him to, and I always have him with me, at all times."

The officer's eyes narrow. Just as he was about to say something, another voice booms from behind him.

"Is there a problem here, Silvershield?"

The officer spins around.

"N-No, Captain... No problem at all..."

"Miss Twilight's human property has been granted special permission to stay in the palace and live with his mistress by Princess Celestia herself."

The officer's eyes hit the ground in defeat.

"I'll take it from here, Silvershield. You are dismissed." The Captain orders.

Silversheild bows quickly before sulking into the palace. When he is finally gone, the Captain turns to Twilight and smiles brightly.

"Twilight!" He greets happily.

"Shining!"

The purple mare rushes forward to hug her brother, and Shining welcomes her with open hooves.

"Hey, Fives," Shining says to the Human. "How are you doing, bud?"

"I couldn't be any better, sir." Fives says with relief in his breath.

Shining lets out a hearty laugh.

"Don't you worry a bit, Fives. You'll be staying in Twilight's room. There will be a second bed for you."

"What about me?" Spike asks.

"Yes, you too." Shining says with a light chuckle. "Come on. Let's get you guys settled."

***Part 3: The Royal Treatment***

"Twilight Sparkle, I must apologize again for the behavior of Officer Silvershield." Princess Celestia says. "All local guards staffed within the palace walls were notified of the arrival of you and your... human."

Fives felt odd. The princess was looking directly at him. It made him a little uncomfortable.

"Silvershield wasn't present at the meeting, your highness." Shining confesses. "His excuse was a reported injury, and he showed the medical paperwork, so I couldn't charge him for disobedience."

Celestia nods uneasily.

"I see... Well, I will have to have a private chat with Silvershield. Captain Armor, please take Twilight and her companions to her room."

The princess looks directly at Fives again. He noticed something in her eyes... Sadness? Relief? He wasn't exactly sure of what it was.

"This really is a fine young man you have there, Twilight..." Celestia says, not breaking her eye contact with Fives. "I expect he will be as charming as you have told him to be."

The chill down Fives' back dissipates, and he even blushes. Celestia's voice soothed him. Something about her voice made Fives... happy. Twilight couldn't help blushing either.

"Yes, your highness." Shining says as he continues his march down the great corridors. "This way, Twilight."

The purple mare, her human, and the little dragon following behind made their way after Shining. Fives looks back at the princess one last time. Her expression was still unclear, but she was waving to him and muttering something he couldn't understand.

***Part 4: Hitting The Books***

That was the first time Fives had ever seen Princess Celestia, or so he thought. He found it hard to believe that she was the ruler of a nation built on the backs of his enslaved people. She was so nice, so polite, and her voice was soft to the point of extreme levels of comfort. She even complimented him.

"You're learning from her?" Fives asks his mistress as they enter their room.

Twilight nods.

"Yeah, isn't it great? I get to learn wondrous and legendary spells from the princess herself!" She squeals excitedly.

Fives wanted to know more about his mystical ruler, but he decided to keep quiet for now. Just as Fives and Spike finish unloading and unpacking all of Twilight's bags, there is a loud knock on the door.

"Miss Sparkle?" A voice calls through the door.

It was Silvershield.

Fives makes his way to the door to let the guard in, but it swings open before his hand reaches the nob, and Silvershield marches in.

"Yes, sir, come in..." Twilight says sarcastically as the guard invites himself in.

"Thank you, Miss Sparkle. I am sorry I am late, but I was discussing some... um... important matters with the princess. Anyway, as head of your personally security, I am here to make sure you and your... property," He says, glaring at Fives. "Are properly settled."

Twilight smiles.

"Thank you, sir, but Fives and Spike have already done just that. You may go, now."

Silvershield made no attempt to leave.

"How capable is your slave?" He asks rather rudely.

Fives rolls his eyes before resuming sliding the large suitcase under the bed. Twilight's nostrils flare angrily, but she keeps her head level.

"Fives is quite capable."

What she had wanted to say was 'more capable than you'.

"Fives?" The officer asks. "What is Fives?"

"Fives is my human. He has served me well for over ten years. He knows me better than any pony.

"You named it?"

"My brother, Shining, named him, actually. I assure you, Sargent, I don't need any further assistance."

Fives' chest flutters with excitement at her words. Silvershield looked as though something in his mind 'clicked'. He now stared at Fives with a whole new evil look.

"By your word, Miss Sparkle."

With that being said, the guard finally leaves.

"Not a nice guard," Fives mutters. "Not like master Shining..."

"Shining is really cool." Spike agrees. "I wish he would hang around, more ofte-aaahh!"

Fives picks the little dragon up in his arms and throws him onto the guest bed. Giving an angry roar, he jumps on Spike. The little dragon tries to breath his green fire in self defense, but Fives swats the sparks away before they can make a flame, but the dragon retaliates, grabbing the human by his shoulders and dragging him down.

"Alright, settle down." Twilight orders. "You two know the rule: No horseplay until one hour after unpacking. Do I need to remind you of the great collapse of the beach house coffee table?"

"No..." Fives and Spike say in unison.

"Good. Now, Fives, you and Spike finish shelving the books. I am going to get something for us to eat. Any preferences?"

"Something shiny?" Spike asks.

"Anything with cheese, please." Fives requests as he places the first of hundreds of books on the massive shelves.

Twilight gives them a short nod before exiting the room. Fives and Spike both sigh at the massive towers of books they would be shelving for the next few hours.

"Alright..." Fives mutters. "Let's hop to it."

***Part 5: New Experiences And Experiments***

It only took two hours, not three, to unpack and shelve Twilight's many books. Fives and Spike were rewarded for their efforts with snacks Twilight brought back from the kitchen. Spike scraped his teeth against a large ruby while Fives gulped down cheese crackers and sugarcubes.

"Anything for my boys." Twilight says with a sweet smile. "The afternoon is free for you two, but tomorrow, we get to work. The princess is going to start with practicing new spells right away, and I will need help testing them."

"We're going to be test subjects?" Fives groans.

Twilight rolls her eyes.

"Oh, it's not like you haven't been a test subject before. You've been helping me since we were eight years old."

"It took a year for my skin to change back to this color." Fives reminds her. "No more blue stuff. I felt like a loony..."

Twilight lets out a cute giggle that sets off flutters in Fives' stomach.

"No blue stuff..." She agrees as she hugs her human.

She looks into his bright, blue eyes. Fives felt as though her eyes were burning through his. Finally, she releases him and steps back awkwardly. She looks back at him, and then back at the floor.

"Twilight?" He asks quietly.

She doesn't respond. She had a peculiar look in her face. Her nose was scrunched up and her eyes were narrow. She only had that look when she was very deep in thought. Fives thought it looked... cute. He always enjoyed serving her when she was deep in thought.

"Spike..." She says at last. "Can you get something for me?"

Despite her previous bulletin of 'having the afternoon off', the dragon hops to attention.

"Yeah, Twilight?"

"I need you to run to into town and get me some tail conditioner. I think I forgot my only bottle at home. Here is twenty bits." She says to him, giving him the money.

Without another word, Spike is out the door. Fives cocks his head. Something was up. Twilight never forgot anything. As soon as the door closes, she turns back to him.

"That should keep him busy for a while..." The purple Unicorn mutters.

"Twilight?" Fives asks. "What is this about?"

She sighs deeply.

"Fives, I need you to tell me something."

The human was confused, but he nods his head.

"Of course, anything."

"What... do you think of me?" Twilight asks as she sits in front of him.

Fives sits down on his bed.

"What do I think of you?" He repeats.

Twilight nods.

"Well... I think you're everything a human wants in his mistress. I mean, you're kind, you respect me, and you take care of me. I think you're a great friend. Your parents took me in to be your friend, after all."

Twilight smiles slightly, but the look on her face wasn't satisfaction. She needed more. She needed to hear something specific.

"Anything else?" She asks, her eyes pleading.

Fives was getting more and more uncomfortable as she inches closer and closer.

"I... I think..." Fives stutters.

Twilight face was only a breath away from his.

"I think- mmmph!"

Fives felt his limbs grow cold. Every nerve in his body tingled as chills rolled up and down his shaking spine. Something was happening, and his mind had no way of comprehending it. From what he could figure, Twilight's face was touching his. No, not just her face. Her lips were mashed against his. Twilight's eyes, wide open, were trained on his as she pressed her lips to his. They stayed like this for several moments. Finally, when Twilight pulls away, she caresses his cheek with her hoof.

"I think... I love you, Fives..." She whispers.

Fives couldn't move. He didn't know what to do.

"L-Love?" He asks. "Me?"

Twilight nods.

"Yes, you... You're not just a friend, Fives. You have been far more than 'just a friend'. You have been by my side for so many years. How can I not love you?"

She pressed her lips to his again. That weird feeling returned, and Fives melted.

"What was that for?" He asks when she pulls away.

Twilight smiles lustfully.

"That was a kiss. I read about it in a book a few years ago, and I've seen mom and dad do it. It's what ponies do when they love eachother. I... I love you, so I wanted to kiss you..." She says as she inches closer, pushing him into his back. "I want to kiss you again..."

Fives braces himself as Twilight aggressively mashes her lips into his.

"Fives..." She moans into his mouth. "I want you to kiss me back..."

"I don't know how, Twilight." He struggles to say.

"You don't need to know how... You just have to do it..."

Fives pays close attention to the motions of his mistress' lips and tries to match them.

"That's it, Fives..."

Twilight had him pinned down, so he had a lot of time to learn how to kiss.

"Kiss me again."

As he was a human and she was his mistress, he could only obey. He leans is head back till his lips meet hers. Twilight breaks into a huge grin. She quickly releases him.

"Thank you, Fives..." She whispers. "No one can know of that. No pony or human."

Fives knew very well what the consequences would be if anyone knew Twilight and him were romantically involved. By law, a slave owner can do whatever he, or she, wishes with his, or her, property. Because of this, many slaves have been raped and sexually abused by their pony masters and mistresses, but a romantic relationship is different. First, Fives would be confiscated for 'seducing' his mistress. Then, he would be publicly executed two, maybe three days later. Fives had seen it before. He quickly shakes the thoughts out of his head. He wanted to focus on Twilight, and only Twilight. She looked beautiful as she straitened up the bed sheets where she had made her confessions.

"Twilight?" Fives asks.

She turns quickly.

"Yes, Fives?"

"I... I love you, too."

She grins from ear to ear.

***TO BE CONTINUED***