Lyra hurried out of Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns into the streets of Canterlot. As was typical it was a sunny day. Lyra actually wished for a rainy day at least once to break the monotony. She didn't think weather teams ever scheduled Canterlot for rain and rarely for heavy cloud cover. She guessed there was no particular reason it needed to rain in Canterlot. It was built on the side of a mountain after all so there weren't any crops to grow and the constant sunshine was a steady reminder of who resided in Canterlot castle. Water came into the city via aqueducts from the surrounding countryside by some sort of magical means that some teacher likely explained to her at some point even if it didn't stick. It was fully functional as it was.

Still a little boring for Lyra's taste.

The great royal castle of Canterlot actually stretched and weaved it's way through the city like some great octopus or spider with the main body in the center with the legs looping here and there throughout the city. The legs as they were consisted of various bureaucratic wings of the castle as well as guard stations and posts. The city had not seen attack in over a generation. A changling assault on the city a few decades back was the last anyone had attempted to assault the city and she had a professor at some point who had been there for the attack. What the professor had to say about it was questionable as she was getting up there in years and there were questions of whether she was 'all there' all the time. Still guards stayed posted throughout the various battlements at all times as if there were some impending attack coming even with years of peace.

Her history professor stated that bad things usually all came suddenly in a short period of years like a cycle and they were coming up on a high probability period again based on some statistic someone had come up with. So guess you can't be too careful.

Cadence had moved into the main castle a few years before. Her sudden appearance in court one day when Celistia had announced she was adopting the young alicorn had caused a large stir everywhere in Equestria. There was a second alicorn suddenly and it completely upset some ponies mindsets of the world. There had been some sort of religious sect that was devoted to Celestia believing her a goddess that had a complete implosion due to there being a second alicorn. Most simply learned to accept the idea of there being a new alicorn others declared crazy things like Cadance was the legendary Nightmare Moon returned waiting to finish Celestia off and plunge Equestria into eternal night.

Lyra questioned the reasoning of anyone who thought the pink alicorn princess of love could be a mythical alicorn devoted to enternal night. She heard some ponies say Queen Crystalis come back again in disguise. At least she could see the reasoning in that one even if she knew the princess well enough to know that was a load of buck.

As Lyra reached the gates to the main cadtle she had to pause and wait for the guard to approve her and wave her on. She came here at least three times a week and she was pretty sure the same guards were on duty each time. Yeah it might be different guards since it was near impossible to tell the majority of them apart but you would think that being there three times a week for the past year or so would have gotten her recognized by just about every guard that had to take a shift at the front gate and she wouldn't have to go through showing her special papers allowing her access to the castle and select areas within.

After the guards once again finished inspecting her paperwork as if they had not done so at least one-hundred times before Lyra finally was granted access to the castle. Once inside it was a very quick walk to reach the love princess's quarters since she kept to the ground levels unlike her adopted aunt.

Walking up to the huge double doors that practically screamed 'important pony inside' she stopped after hearing voices from inside. Pressing her ear to the doors Lyra listened intently and heard the voice of the princess and a stallion. Lyra let out a groan as she definitely recognized the stallion's voice. Shinning Armor, Twilight's older brother, and more to the current point Cadence's latest stallion crush.

This was going to be one of 'those' study sessions. The princess did teach her during such sessions but they were extremely awkward. When it came to certain things the young alicorn had an extremely liberal view on what was considered perfectly decent. Typically these types of sessions ended with Lyra locking herself in the bathroom for the majority of the time or finding a nice corner to stare at while she tried to vsmainly plug her ears with her hooves. Princess Cadence never chidded her for doing so but she seemed to take great pleasure in her personal student's discomfort with what was going on. Lyra's enthusiasm for today's study session took a pronounced decline.

Nothing to do but get it over with. She knocked on the door to announce her arrival and waited to be allowed in. The voices paused for a moment and she heard Cadence call from within "You may enter."

Turning the door handle and opening one of the doors with her magic and Lyra hurried inside and shut the door firmly behind her. She knew what was inevitably coming and she definitely didn't want to have any ponies walking by and seeing her teacher in a compromising position. Cadence might not have any decency concerning her exploits in the bedroom and likely had little care if anypony happened upon her but Lyra could have some for her.

"Hello Lyra," Cadence said in a voice that had that content bliss that came after love making. Perhaps her teacher had already sated her appetite for such things already and this wouldn't end up being such an awkward study session after all. Lyra could only hope.

"Hello Princess," Lyra said giving Cadence a bow "Shinning armor," the second part of the greeting with a nod of her head towards the stallion. Cadence was on her bed and Shinning Armor was by the princesses nightstand getting dressed. Yep this was a good sign. The smell of sex hung in the air and the smell of sex in the air when she walked in was a great thing because it meant her teacher wasn't about to ask her to watch for educational purposes.

"Hello Lyra," Shinning Armor said with a bit of embarrassment showing in his color and tinting his voice. He at least wasn't as comfortable as Cadence with every pony knowing he was bucking the princess which earned him points in Lyra's book. He was the princess's latest stallionfriend and Lyra actually hadn't had to be present for any of the two of them going at it like the previous ones as of yet. Perhaps Cadence had not convinced him as of yet that having an audience was perfectly fine. Lyra held out hope that the stallion's resolve held firm on the issue if that was the case. If it did she hoped Cadence wouldn't get bored with him to quickly or he do anything to anger her so she wouldn't have to deal with those kinds of study sessions for a while.

"How is my little sis doing?" Shinning inquired trying to get attention away from what had clearly just transpired. Lyra smiled at this, yes princess please keep this one.

"Oh you know Twilight," Lyra replied. "Nose in a book and barely aware of the world outside of her books and the professor's lectures."

Shinning Armor laughed. "Yeah that's my sister. Princess Celestia tries hard to get her to be more social but the efforts fall flat. You'll keep trying to keep her social right? It bothers me and our parents too that she is so focused on just studying."

Lyra took on a evil grin. "Maybe I should tell her about her brother's exploits and dating life. I think that might get her to get her head out of her books for a bit."

Cadence and Lyra both giggled as Shinning Armor turned from white to a deep red. It was amazing how much a pony's fur was capable of changing color. "I think that won't be necessary." Shinning replied.

"Lyra I am proud of you!" Cadence said with some mirth still in her voice. "You were just showing some openness about talking about sex. You are normally such a prude."

Now it was Lyra's turn to turn a deep shade of red. "Just needling him princess. I don't think that I could actually go through describing what goes on here to anyone."

"Aww," Cadence lamented. "We will get through your prudish nature yet. There has to be something that works. Repeated exposure doesn't seem to do much to desensitize you so you can accept lovemaking as a natural beautiful thing." The princess set her head on her hooves in thought as she lay in her bed.

"I really need to get going," Shinning Armor said with some hurry. "Have to be on duty in about an hour and want to not get yelled at by the Captain for anything."

"Goodbye Cream Bottom," Cadence said as Lyra chortled at the nickname and Shinning Armor turned red yet again. Honestly with how often Cadence made him turn red he was going to need a new nickname at this rate. Velvet Cake perhaps? "Meet me at the theater at seven tonight promptly. After the play is done we can go meet your friends to engage in your game." Lyra really didn't want to know what game was being discussed. Some sport she hoped and nothing involving bedroom rollplay with an audience.

"Will do," Shinning said as he exited the room.

Turning her attention to her student Cadence spoke "We really do need to figure out something to make you more open to lovemaking. You are have a lot of potential in love magic and what goes on in the bedroom is just as much a part of love as the rest. Anyway first things first. Contraception spell please."

Lyra did the spell on her teacher as commanded. She really didn't mind this so much and it was fairly routine for her at this point to make sure the young princess didn't suddenly come down with foal. It wasn't love magic but it was a needed support spell for anyone who was going to be serious about learning thevends and outs of love magic. She was very well practiced at this spell at this point but proving that she had this much at least down was always something she was willing to show.

"Now that is out of the way we can turn back to the problem at hoof," Cadence said in a serious tone. "I think I am going to try pushing you a different way. I think you need to get laid."

"PRINCESS!" Lyra shouted with alarm. Making to break for the door.

"Not with me silly," Cadence laughed. "I don't really swing that way and only keep one partner at a time. Though......" the princess inspected her student with a look of deep thought. "Perhaps part of the problem has been stallions. Maybe you have been so disinterested in sex is because you would prefer two mares."

"I AM NOT A FILLYFOOLER!" Lyra said with some outrage. "The very idea of it is dirty. It is not the way things are supposed to be. Ponies are supposed to be a mare and a stallion who love each other very much and get married and have foals."

Lyra immediately regretted her words as Cadence's mood visibly darkened in a way that Lyra had never seen from the princess. Cadence spoke "Excuse me? Am I to understand that my own personal student. The first personal student I have taken. Is bigoted about the types of relationships many ponies have and should feel proud of having?" The tone had an undercurrent of contained rage.

Lyra gulped and considered her words carefully but not for too long because she did not want to leave the princess with no answer. No answer is an answer unto itself and not one that she thought her teacher would be accepting of. "It's just the way I was raised! My parents always stressed to me that ponies like that were abnormal and not properly contributing to pony society."

Cadence's mood did not seem to improve at all as she replied. "'Those types of ponies' as you put it do contribute a lot to pony society. They help adopt orphan foals giving them good homes they otherwise wouldn't have. Even when not having adopted they still lead the same lives as every other citizen of Equestria. They tend our shops, teach our foals, serve in the guard, tend our fields, and work in our universities and libraries. They are good ponies who deserve to be with who makes them feel happy and loved. Citizens who feel happy and loved are productive citizens. Do you know what happens to ponies who feel like they aren't allowed to be happy or loved? They become problems. They either get depressed or they act out or worse try to make others as miserable as they are. Letting ponies love who they want to love is not only important to them but it is important to Equestria as a whole because what comes of suppressing that love brings the entire society down. This is a fundamental to why love is so important and one that you will take note of Lyra Heartstrings!"

Lyra could only cower under the force of the angy monologue by the princess. She could not object. How can one try to contradict a princess. At this point she was desperately hoping for an out to stay in Cadence's good graces.

Cadence looked down on the cowering unicorn and decided to give her that opportunity. "We are going to address two issues at once next time we meet and I am telling you now what they are so you can mentally and emotionally get yourself prepared for them. First we are going to make you see that two ponies of the same sex having relation with one another is a perfectly natural and fine thing." Lyra nodded dumbly. "The second is you are going to actually follow through with watching consenting ponies make love with one another. I am going to find a mare couple who enjoy audience and you are going to watch every last minute of it. You will not turn your head, cover your eyes, shut your eyes, run away, or cover your ears. You will sit there and watch it and see that there is no problem with it. Otherwise you are done. Do I make myself clear!"

"Crystal," Lyra squeaked.

"Now out of this room so I can calm down. And think long and hard on what I have said. If you come to the conclusion you refuse to try to accept this then that is your choice to make. It won't be one I will allow you to continue your studies with though."

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay. Had to really consider how to deal with this chapter. Please note that these are versions of the characters years before the show. I am trying to establish who they were back then. The actual adventure part of the story should start next chapter where we meet our next primary character and a major turn in the story that will be unexpected.

Also note that no sex scenes will ever be described in any detail. Trying to keep the mature filter off it at all possible.