The Rhythm of Love

Chapters

1: A Lyre String
2: The Metronome
3: Vinyl Records
4: Heartstrings
5: A Low Note
6: A Guitar
7: Conducting
8: Slow Dancing
9: Tempo
10: Melancolico
11: March
12: Playing the Blues
13: Dissonance
14: Modulation
15: Dance of the Guard
16: Afflitto
17: Da capo
18: Amore
19: Song of the Lunar Siren
20: Caesura
21: Nightmare
22: Moon Beam
23: Danke Schoën
24: Long Live the Queen
25: Midnight, the Stars and You
26: Larghetto
27: Let it Snow

1: A Lyre String

The sun shined through the blinds of the bedroom, making me squeeze my eyelids tighter together but to no avail as I realized I was now awake. I slowly opened my eyes and squinted at the blinds, my mind still hazy from sleep. I glanced over at the alarm clock and saw it was still five minutes before the dreaded bells on it would sing their annoying song. With a fore hoof, I reached over and turned off the alarm to prevent it from going off. I sighed as I rolled over and out of the bed, my joints popping as I landed on the floor. I turned my head to the side until there was an alarmingly loud cracking noise. With a sigh of relief, I slowly made my way over to the bathroom to clean up for the day ahead. I turned on the shower and stood outside of it with a hoof under the water stream to make sure it was just right before stepping in. Once it was to my satisfaction, I climbed in and grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste that sat on a small ledge in the shower. With the toothbrush held in my fetlock, I stuck it under the stream of water to wet it before I put the toothpaste on. After many years of trying to sleep in as much as possible, I'd found numerous creative, albeit odd, ways of saving time. Mostly it consisted of strange ways of multitasking like brushing my teeth in the shower or feeding the cats while making myself breakfast. Although, that last one has resulted in some peanut butter and cat food sandwiches as the first thing I bit into in the morning. Probably not the best idea of mine but hindsight is 20/20.

Once done with the shower, I stepped out and slowly sauntered over to the fogged up mirror. With a swipe of my hoof across the glass, my reflection appeared and I gave myself a weak smile as I grabbed a comb with my hoof. My mane, while by no means being extremely long, lay down in front of my eyes and partially obstructed my view with the thick, black hair. And while this look had been acceptable while I was in school, I had to make myself presentable now that I was the owner of the family music store. You see, when I was a young colt, not even a year old, my parents divorced and went their separate ways. And when I say that, I mean it literally. They left me with my mom's parents and moved to opposite sides of Equestria from one another. But because I was too young to remember them, I grew up basically considering my grandparents to be my mom and dad. As a colt in primary school, my grandpa had taught me to play every instrument we had in the store. And when it comes to playing things like piano and saxophone, it's certainly a feat for an earth pony. Now that both he and grandma had passed on, it was up to me to keep the store running. The nice thing about inheriting a family business though meant that I didn't have to go to college for some fancy degree to get a job somewhere. My job was just down a flight of stairs and always guaranteed to pay the bills; even if I did sometimes have to survive off of instant noodles at times to make sure I still had running water. With one final sweep of my comb, I grinned to my reflection again at the once shaggy mane that was now swept straight back. Just like grandpa always did it.

I left the bathroom and made my way to the kitchen that was on the second floor of the building. After making my breakfast of a peanut butter and banana sandwich, I stood up on my hind hooves and grabbed the bag of cat food off the top of the refrigerator. The sound caused a fat, yellow cat to gallop into the room where he stopped in front of his food bowl. He turned to look at me and gave out a loud meow that made me chuckle a bit to myself. I poured food into his bowl and into the bowl next to his. As I set the bag of cat food back on top of the fridge, a black, fluffy, old cat waddled his way into the kitchen. His eyes were still a gold color though he was almost blind in one from cataracts. His jaw had been broken many years before after an attack by a dog, leaving him with a permanent under bite. His old age had also brought the loss of his teeth and only one tooth now remained, it sticking out at the front of his face. He looked up at me and then walked over to his food bowl. He began eating the food in his bowl, though it was more just him gumming it until it was soft enough for him. I'd have to scrounge up some money for soft cat food. I grabbed the sandwich off the counter and trotted down the stairs to the back room of the shop. The dark grey walls of the room made it somewhat eerie if it wasn't midday. I grabbed the broom by the door to the shop as I finished off my sandwich. Pushing open the door, I was greeted by the white walls of the shop where various instruments hung on display racks with a price sign next to them. From saxophones, my foalhood favorite, to electric guitars; it was here. A display piano sat in the middle of the shop as well as a player piano along a wall where it was in view of anypony glancing in through the display windows.

With a sigh of contentment, I trotted out onto the small sidewalk in front of the shop. I began to brush away the dirt and any other things that lay in front of the door. As I swept the walk, I began to whistle a tune I had stuck in my head and the town clock tower chimed seven times. I stopped sweeping and gave a satisfied nod at the job. Trotting back inside, I turned the window sign to open and placed the broom back where I'd got it. Despite the sweeping and the shop now being open for business, it was still almost an hour until I saw ponies starting to make their way up and down the sidewalks on the street. I always found it odd how our street was the only one in town with a sidewalk but with all the delivery carts that came and went from the shops, it made some sense to have them. Run over shoppers tend to not spend their bits in your store after all. The worst part about the store was that with Ponyville being mostly earth ponies, most of the instruments didn't sell. Things like a piano or saxophone or lyre were things usually played by unicorns. While an earth pony could find ways to play them, most didn't find it worth the hassle and simply chose not to try. It was in this light that I was glad grandpa had made me learn how to play everything in the shop. Whether it be for my own entertainment or to demonstrate the instrument for customers, it was well worth the struggle as a colt to learn them all. And if I ever wanted to, I could even give lessons to others at the shop after closing or on weekends. With the store not busy at the moment, I took the opportunity to get some reading done and reached under the counter for the shelf that held a book. My hoof bumped against the paperback book and I smiled a bit to myself. I grabbed it and pulled it out for me to see. It was small compared to some of the others in my personal little library but that one was probably my favorite. The light blue cover was faded and one of the corners had been torn off. The pages were yellowing from the amount of times I'd read it and I could almost recite it from memory; but every time I read it, I could feel the same emotions I had felt the first time I'd read the book. And while it may have been a cheap, two bit romance novel, I couldn't love it more.

The bell above the door jingled and I set a strip of paper on the page I was at. I set the book aside and looked over to see a mint green unicorn mare enter the shop. With a smile, I trotted around the counter to greet her. She locked eyes with me and smiled back. "Hey, Rhythm." She said as we gave each other a quick hug.

"Hello, Lyra. You break a string again?" I asked her as we broke the hug and she gave me a guilty grin as she rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on. I got some in the back." I lead her to the back room and grabbed the small step ladder with my mouth as I headed for the shelf where I kept the strings. I looked at the shelves until I found the one with the S label on it. Now that I knew which shelf it was, I opened up the step ladder and carefully climbed up. "You should be more careful, Lyra. This is the second time this month you've gotten a new string." I told her as I grabbed the right box of strings with my hoof. As I pulled it forward, I felt myself loose my balance and desperately tried to grab onto something but I was too far gone. I fell to the floor, the box of lyre strings falling with me, and landed with an awful thud and a painful grinding, pop in my right shoulder. Lyra hurried over and helped me sit up.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright, Rhythm?" Lyra asked, the concern being very clear in her voice. I nodded as I sat up, only to look down and see my right foreleg hanging limp.

"Oh, horseapples." I said to myself as I looked at my leg. I slowly got up, careful not to put weight on the bad leg, and made my way over to the wall. "You may want to cover your ears and look away at this part." I told her. She cocked her head as I leaned back and then slammed myself into the wall. The grinding feeling in my shoulder returned and a loud pop could be heard as my leg popped back into the joint. As soon as it was back in, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I sighed before trotting over to the spilled box of strings. Picking one up in my teeth, I gave it to Lyra who was looking at me in amazement.

"Rhythm?" She asked to which I gave a small hum of acknowledgement as she followed me back into the shop again. "How did you do that?" Lyra questioned as I sat back down behind the counter. I raised an eyebrow at her as if to ask what she was talking about. "You just popped you shoulder back in without flinching." She said as leaned forward as if to try and help her elaborate her point.

"Clearly you didn't play with many other kids as a filly, did you?" I asked her and she shook her head. "I did that so much as a colt from playing hoofball that I'm just used to it by now. Doesn't really effect me unless something's broken." I told her with a small shrug. "The string is on the house by the way." I said as I offered up a smile to her. She looked to the lyre string in her magic and I realized that she had forgotten about the string.

"Oh, um, thank you." She said as she started to trot towards the front door. "Oh, I meant to ask, are you going to be at the dance hall tonight?" I nodded that I was indeed going to be there and she smiled. "Great! Me and Bon Bon will see you there then." She waved to me as she left and I waved back. Just as I was about to grab the book to pick up where I'd left off, the bell above the door jingled again. I sighed internally but was glad that I'd now had two visitors before ten.

"Hello, welcome to Ponyville Music. Can I-" I stopped as I looked over to see the most attractive stallion I'd seen in my life. While some may have found ponies like Big Macintosh or Soarin to be their type, I'd always been one to go for the ones who were total dorks. Not that that's a bad thing. The quiet, smart ones are always more fun after dark. "help you?" I finished the question which caused the dark grey unicorn to look over to me. He reached a hoof up and brushed his purple mane out from his face only for me to be greeted by his blue eyes looking at me through his glasses. Holy, sweet Celestia was he the cutest stallion I'd ever seen. He smiled politely to me before speaking.

"Yes, actually. Do you have any metronomes?"

2: The Metronome

"A metronome?" I asked and he nodded his head. Putting a hoof to my chin, I thought for a second. "I might have one or two left in the back if you don't mind them being a bit dusty." I told him as I stood up and led him to the back. He followed me into the grey room and his mane again fell in front of his face. The stallion swept the hair aside with a hoof as I searched for the shelf with an M label on it. "So are you fellow musician?" I asked him, hoping that small talk would manage to calm my heart down before it killed me.

"I'm not, actually." He replied as I found the shelf and stood up on my hind legs to get a better look. "I'm needing one for a science experiment of mine." He explained as I grabbed one of the last two from the shelf and held it in my hoof. Blowing the dust off of it, I checked it over real quick before letting him take hold of it with his magic. He again moved his mane out of the way as he looked at the item, his blue eyes making my heart begin pounding in my chest again. I swallowed hard, my throat feeling extremely dry, and started to trot my way towards the door. "Is that all for you or will you be needing something else today?" I asked him, trying to put the feelings far from my mind by checking him out. And not the fun kind of checking out either. I figured up his total and wrote up the receipt as he waited patiently.

"Your total is seventeen bits." I stated and he began counting as he pulled pits out of his saddlebag. "Do you want a bag for this?" I asked him and he nodded as he continued counting. Reaching under the counter, I grabbed some bubble wrap and a paper bag. I grabbed the metronome and began wrapping it up so that it wouldn't get broken. Placing it in the bag, I gave it to him and he gave me another polite smile. "Have a nice day." I said as he trotted towards the door. He turned his head and smiled again as he opened the door.

"You too." He replied as he left the shop. I watched him through the display window as he trotted down the sidewalk. As soon as he was out of sight, I groaned and slammed my face into the desk. My heart sank as I thought about how I didn't even get his name or address. Somepony who seemed to be my perfect stallion had been in my own shop and I'd let him slip through my hooves. How much more stupid could I have been? With a sigh, I lifted my head and looked out the window again. Hoping more ponies would come in, I looked over to the clock and saw that it was still only quarter after ten. With another groan, I let my head fall onto the desk again.

My evening routine isn't much unlike my morning routine but in reverse. After the clock tower chimed for seven in the evening, I stood up and trotted over to the sign in the window. I turned it to closed with a relieved smile and began shutting off the lights in the shop. As much as I liked running my own business, it was always nice to be able to close up at the end of the day and do something I enjoyed. Most of the time it would be reading a book or practicing on an instrument I hadn't played in awhile. But that night was special. You see, that particular night was on a Friday. With Friday came payday at most work places and that meant that there were ponies wandering around with bits burning holes in their saddlebags. And this of course opened up the chance for me to make some more bits doing various things. Of course, jobs for musicians like myself were not always in demand or the best paying but that didn't mean they weren't enjoyable. Trotting upstairs, I made sure to give the cats more food again before heading for the bathroom to freshen up.

Turning on the shower, I reached a hoof under the water and quickly pulled it back as the water was freezing cold. I reached my hoof back in after a few seconds of waiting and found the water to be approaching a comfortable level. Now that the shower was comfortable and I wasn't going to freeze my flank off, I climbed in and hurried as I looked at the wall clock. I was already five minutes behind schedule and just thinking about it made my eye twitch. If there was one thing I could not stand, it was my routine and schedule being messed up. After hurrying though, I was able to get cleaned up and even get a couple minutes ahead of my usual schedule. I wiped off the mirror and reached for my comb. And it wasn't there. I looked around frantically and could not find the comb. As I looked and looked, I suddenly stopped and turned my head to look at the toilet that was directly next to the sink. A pit formed in my stomach and I swallowed hard, afraid to look. Slowly, I trotted over and saw what I'd been dreading. There, in the bowl of the toilet, floated a blue, fine-toothed comb. I felt my eye twitch at the sight. Do you have any idea how unsanitary a toilet is? That comb was now useless to me. No amount of disinfectant would ever make that comb usable again. Well, that just set me back at least ten minutes. Using my hoof, I began attempting to style my mane with some mane gel. Oh Celestia, this was not going to be a good night.

I galloped through the streets of Ponyville, the instrument case on my back not effecting me as I was more focused on getting to the dance hall. Glancing upwards at the clock tower as I ran past, I saw it was five minutes until eight. I was late. That was not good. Definitely not good at all. The dance hall came into sight and I smiled to myself at the thought that I might just make it. Once I was at the hall, I swung open the side door for performers and started putting my trombone together as I hurried through the hallway for the stage. Once I had the trombone assembled, I discarded the case in the hallway and turned to enter the stage. As I found my spot among all the musicians, a shadow over my music stand made me look up. There, towering above me, was the conductor. His brown eyes stared daggers into me as I adjusted my tie with a nervous chuckle.

"You're damn lucky your the best trombone player around." He said as he went back over and picked up the saxophone he had placed against one of the steps on the stage. As I breathed a small sigh of relief, I felt a hoof tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a brown unicorn stallion with a black mane smiling at me.

"I thought he was going to kill you for sure." He said with his smile still in place and a small laugh. His deep, scratchy voice was nice to listen to as he laughed.

"Me too, Satch. Me too." I told him as I looked down at my empty music stand. Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I didn't have sheet music. Well, it's quite simple. I can't read it. It's funny really. I can play dozens of instruments but I can't read one note of sheet music. Everything I play is by ear, which at times can be difficult with a whole orchestra around you. But it can actually be very helpful too. You see, while I can't read music, I can 'see' it. The way I can see it is not that different from how you picture a scene in your head while reading a book. Only instead of pictures, I see it as colors. A tuba creates dark shades of blue, while a trumpet creates yellows. My trombone would make shades of green and a clarinet would make bright reds. Together they were like paint on a canvas but instead of an image they created music. As I heard them announce the introduction for the orchestra, a red curtain in front of us raised up and I felt myself relax as I felt my trombone in my hooves. While I may have gotten nervous doing things like oral reports back in school, performing with a band had never bothered me. Maybe it was because when we were all up there it meant I was drawing the sole attention of the audience. The audience in the dance hall applauded as we all looked over to the conductor, a smile replacing his usual scowl.

"In the Mood." He said and I raised the trombone to my lips as everyone else readied themselves. He gave a wave of his hoof and we all began to play.

We worked together like a well oiled machine, the sound coming out like silk. It didn't take but a few seconds for several couples to be out on the dance floor and foxtrotting along with the song. In a way, I was glad that the conductor had picked that particular song to be first. It had always been a favorite of mine since foalhood when grandma would play a vinyl record of it. Now that I was playing it, it was so relaxing for me. I shut my eyes, not needing to see anything other than the colors dancing in my head. Greens, yellows, reds, blues, oranges, purples; they all danced and mixed and swirled in my head. The rhythm dictated what they did, whether they swirled or popped depended entirely on what the song did. As we began to play quieter and quieter, the colors began to rumble and then tremble more than anything else. And then when we all stood up at the finale as the song flared up again, the colors were like fireworks exploding in a sea of darkness. Every color of the rainbow was there and as bright as could be. When the song ended, so did the colors and I smiled as we all gave a quick bow. The applause wasn't the best part of the job but it was a perk. It wasn't often that I was able to play with an orchestra like this one; but when I did, it was always amazing to be able to play with so many other talented ponies. Two mares in the sea of dancers caught my eye and I made sure to smile directly to Lyra and Bon Bon. But then as my eyes continued to scan the crowd, I felt my stomach tie itself in knots as saw a familiar stallion at the bar. His grey coat and purple mane made me feel like I could be sick. He'd been here the whole time. He'd heard me play. Oh sweet Celestia, I was almost certainly going to be sick. I'm not a self conscious pony about my musical skills until I play in front of somepony I like. And there sat the stallion that I had been crushing on all day. Without drawing much attention to myself from the crowd, I waved over the conductor. Explaining that I didn't feel well, I managed to slip away without anypony noticing. Or so I thought.

"You alright, Rhythm?" A mare's voice asked as I sat facing the wall of the dressing area off stage. I turned to see Lyra trotting up to me with Bon Bon not far behind. "Is something wrong?" She asked as she sat down next to me.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm peachy as pie." I told her but it was obvious to her that it was a lie.

"Don't lie to me now, Rhythm. What's wrong?" Lyra asked again as I set my trombone aside. I sighed as I reached up and rubbed my temples with my fore hooves.

"It's just, there's this stallion that came in the shop earlier after you left. He's really cute and I want to get to know him. Only problem is that he's here." I told her. She gasped lightly and clapped her hooves together as though she had an idea.

"How about I-"

"Lyra, no." Bon Bon said, cutting Lyra off. "You're not playing matchmaker again. Need I remind you of all the times that it has just made a big mess for everypony?" She asked as she gave a deadpan stare at the mint unicorn.

"I've always had a twenty percent success rate most of the time. And my plan worked with Troy and Canvas didn't it?" She asked.

"Barely. If Rainbow Dash hadn't gotten involved too, then it'd probably just be another one in the list." Bon Bon replied with a huff. "I'm just saying that you should let him try and get the stallion on his own."

"Fine." Lyra sighed. "I won't intervene unless Rhythm wants me to." She said as she raised up her right hoof and placed her left over her heart. Bon Bon rolled her eyes at her wife's actions but said nothing as Lyra turned back to me. "Come on, join us for a few drinks and we'll see if the liquid courage won't help you talk to him." I followed them back to their table at the back of the dance hall. The band was now playing another familiar tune that I began humming along to. As we sat down, a waiter came over to take our drink orders. Lyra and Bon Bon both ordered Sea Breezes while I ordered straight whiskey. I heard an amused snort come from next to me and I turned to see Lyra grinning to herself.

"What's so funny?" I asked her.

"Your drink is the only straight thing at this table." She said with a snicker and the comment earned a smack on the leg from Bon Bon. I thought it somewhat funny however and grinned at the statement. The waiter returned with our drinks and I downed mine quickly. After a couple more drinks, I was beginning to get a good buzz and looked over to the bar to see that the adorable stallion was still there. I trotted over, with more than a couple missteps along the way, and hopped up onto the bar stool next to him. He looked over and smiled, clearly remembering me from the shop. I smiled back to him. I stuck a hoof out to him and he shook it with his hoof.

"Swing Rhythm. Pleasure seeing you again." I told him. He smiled again and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

"I'm Test Tube, it's a pleasure seeing you too."

Author's Note

Not as long as I'd like but at least I'm getting an update out pretty quick. References to Brushed Away by TheVClaw. He's basically one of the kings of gay ponies on FIMFiction so if that's your thing, go follow him ASAP.

3: Vinyl Records

"So, Test Tube, not to sound rude; but what is a stallion like yourself doing in a place like this?" I asked him as the bartender brought me another whiskey. I took a sip of the drink as I looked over at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I just like listening to the bands. Helps me relax. It's always better to see the band when you're hearing them rather than listening to a phonograph or Walkman." He replied before taking a drink of his soda. "I take it you're a music fan? Just going off your store, name, and cutie mark." He asked and I felt my face heat up at the thought that he had possibly been looking at my flank.

"Y-yeah. It's kind of a family thing." I replied before downing the rest of the whiskey in one go. Setting the glass back on the bar, I saw the bartender raise an eyebrow at me as he levitated my glass over to him. He refilled it and then floated it back to me. It set down on the bar with a small thump and I nodded to the bartender in thanks. "My grandparents were both musicians when they were young, my mom played in her high school band, and dad had his own rock band. It just seems to be our thing."

"So did you open the store on your own?" He asked as he swiveled on his stool to fully face me.

"No, I didn't. After my parents dumped me off on my grandparents, they started to get me ready to run it. After they both passed, I took over and I've been running it for over a year now." I replied. Taking another drink of my whiskey, I looked over at him and saw his blue eyes watching me. Mother of Celestia were his eyes beautiful. They were as blue as a cloudless sky but sparkled like the midnight. The butterflies returned to my stomach and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. "This might be a bit sudden, but would you like to go back to my place?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded his head.

"Sure! I haven't been to a sleepover since primary school." He replied as he finished off his soda and tossed a few bits on the counter. His statement though made my heart drop like a ton of bricks. Did he really not understand what I meant when I asked him that? Was he saying it as a joke? If he was, my drunken, fuzzy mind didn't find it that funny. Actually, I found it concerning. What if he wasn't joking? Nah, a stallion as good looking as him had to have known what I meant. Right?

I stumbled out of the dance hall, everything around me spinning from the alcohol. Test Tube had followed me out and walked along side me. After almost falling over a couple of times, I started leaning on him for some support. As we continued on down the street, we passed a few couples on their way to the dance hall, home, or dinner. I'd made sure to wish Mr. and Mrs. Cake a happy anniversary as they passed us, them thanking me before continuing on towards one of the town's restaurants. We passed another couple, a griffin and an earth pony stallion. I'd seen them around but never really talked to them. The stallion gave me a worried look while the griffin gave me a knowing grin before they disappeared down the road to Sweet Apple Acres. After another few blocks, we finally made it back to my place and I led him up the stairs to the door of the apartment. Opening the door, I flipped on the light and looked around at the living room. "Here we are!" I announced as I stumbled into the room. Test followed me in and shut the door behind him.

"So, do you have any records or games we could play?" He asked. A few came to mind but those were part of a game of Hide the Weenie. I flopped down on the couch and looked over at him.

"What kind of games did you have in mind?" I asked him and he put a hoof to his chin in thought as he sat down next to me.

"I always enjoy chess or a nice strategy game." He replied. This stallion really was clueless, wasn't he? Well there went most of my ideas. But the idea of spending a night playing board games and getting to know the stallion sounded nice too. The more I thought about it, the more the idea sounded more enjoyable.

"I've got some board games in the hall closet and some records in my bedroom. You find a game, I'll get the records."

"Damnit!" I shouted. "There's no damn way you won again! You've had to have cheated!" I said as I flipped the chess board and folded my forelegs. I looked away from him and he smirked as I clearly had a pouty face.

"I did no such thing. You're just drunk and can't play very well." He stated with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Oh, so you're taking advantage of a drunken stallion?" I asked him with a small smirk to myself. Surely there was no way he was oblivious enough to miss that one.

"Yes, basically. So do you want to play again or should we just go to sleep?" He asked. Dear Luna, he really was that oblivious. I looked up to the clock and saw it was going on two in the morning.

"One more record, and then bedtime." I replied as I stood up and stumbled my way over to the record player. I lifted the vinyl disk off the turntable and set it aside. Sifting through my record collection, I finally found the record I was looking for. But just as I was about to set it on the player, my grip on it faltered and the record fell to the floor. The vinyl shattered into dozens of pieces and I looked down at the broken record on the floor. That had been my favorite one. The one that grandma and grandpa danced to on their wedding night. The one that I'd loved since foalhood. Now it lay in pieces on the wood floor of the apartment. The look on my face must have been truly depressing as I felt Test put a hoof on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Rhythm. You can always get a new one." He suggested in an attempt to cheer me up. I slowly walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, my eyes stinging from oncoming tears as I thought about how one of my most prized possessions was now just trash. The song played in my head though, and I quietly began humming the opening of it. Besides the ticking of the clock, my humming was the only noise in the apartment. As I finished with the intro, the words flowed through my head and I began to quietly sing them from my spot on the couch. My voice, though not much louder than a whisper, caught Test's attention as I continued with the song.

The tiny record in my head scratched to a stop and I glanced over at Test. "Sorry if I'm bumming you out. I figured I'd be nice and give my guest my bed. I'll stay here on the couch tonight." I told him as I rolled over onto my side to face him.

"You're not bumming me out. You actually have a nice voice. You should consider singing too if you ever need to make more money." He replied. His comment made my face flush red, which I'm sure looked interesting against my white coat. "Are you going to be alright?" Test asked me. I nodded my head but he looked apprehensive to leave me in the state I was in.

"I'm fine, I swear." I told him. Probably not the best of ideas to lie to the face of the stallion you're trying to woo but a little white lie like "I'm fine" wouldn't hurt. He reluctantly stood up and made his way to my room, his horn glowing as the light switch for the living room flipped downwards to turn the lights off. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

My eyes slowly opened and my head felt like a drum set as my heartbeat echoed in my scull. Sweet Celesita, I should not have had that many drinks the night before. But like I said before, hindsight is always 20/20. The smell of pancakes emerged from the kitchen though and it clicked as I recalled the night prior. Glancing at the clock, I was glad that I wasn't open on Saturdays. I'd managed to sleep until almost ten thirty. Slowly getting up, I half walked, half dragged myself to the kitchen. I turned the corner and saw Test and he finished sliding some fresh pancakes onto a plate. He smiled at me and I gave him a small smile back. Is this what waking up married is like? If it was then I was certainly looking forward to it someday. After sitting down at the table, I stuffed a pancake into my mouth and began chewing on it. At that moment, it was the best thing I'd eaten in years. As Test cleaned up the kitchen, he began attempting to make small talk with me. "I didn't know you studied anatomy as well." He said and I gave a small hum of questioning. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you study anatomy, anyway. Last night I got kind of curious so I opened up the drawer on your nightstand-" That was all the further he got as I immediately began choking on the pancake I'd been eating. If there was any justice in the world, death would take me there and save me the embarrassment. I grabbed the glass of milk on the table in front of me and managed to wash the piece of pancake down without further incident.

"Can we maybe discuss something else please?" I asked as he sat down at the table with his own plate of pancakes. He nodded as he took a bite of his food. "So you said that you need the metronome for an experiment? If I may ask, what's the experiment?" His ears perked up and his eyes sparkled at the idea of discussing science with somepony. He hurriedly swallowed his mouthful of food and took a drink of his orange juice before he began speaking.

"I needed it for the basic design of it. See, I modified it with a longer pendulum, a paddle like attachment, and using my magic I was able to place it underwater. I'm doing experiments on different kinds wavelengths but first I needed a physical model for demonstrating a wavelength. I actually think you would enjoy it. The tests can be applied to just about everything that occurs in waves, including sound. It's almost like you can visualize music once you've seen the experiment." He said. I silently took a sip of my milk, not wanting to say anything about visualizing music already. "I'm actually supposed to demonstrate it on Monday for Miss Cheerilee's science lesson at the school. It's a bit too big for me to move on my own. I was wondering if maybe you would be able to help me?" He seemed to feel guilty about asking me but I smiled at him as I nodded my head.

"I'd love to help you." I replied and he perked up again at my statement. "You said on Monday?" I asked and he nodded yes. "What time will you be needing my help?"

"I'd say around seven. Just so that it'll be all set up by the time school starts." He replied as he cut off another piece of his pancakes.

"I can do seven. Just give me your address and I'll be over on Monday."

I stood in front of a modest looking two story home. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't run down; it was just a plain old house. I slowly raised a hoof to knock on the door but it quickly opened up, causing me to jump back slightly. I was met by Test Tube in a grey and black striped hoodie and his hair was its usual disheveled mess. He smiled at me and waved me in. "Sorry about scaring you, but my whole family is still asleep. Try and stay quiet, I don't need any of them getting mad at me." He said as he lead me into the house. I made sure to be extra quiet while following him up the stairs and I could hear snoring from two different doors that we passed. He lead me into what I quickly realized was his bedroom. I looked around at the black walls and the many things that were strewn about the room. It was a disaster zone compared to the rest of the house that I'd seen between the door and there. The bed wasn't made, there were papers strewn about the floor, a pile of books half my height sat next to the bed, and there were cork boards on the wall with equations and diagrams tacked up. I looked over at the desk where he was standing. On the desk sat an empty water tank and the modified metronome. "You get the metronome, I'll get the tank." Test told me. I trotted over and carefully picked up the metronome before sliding it into my saddlebags. He levitated the tank up off the desk and smiled at me. "Shall we get going?"

"Of course." I replied with a smile of my own. He led the way back down the stairs and to the front door. I opened the door for him and he thanked me as he trotted outside. Being behind him meant a chance to get a good view of his flank. While Test Tube wasn't the most fit stallion, something I assumed came from sitting around all day doing experiments, that's not to say he was fat. He had just the right amount of chubbiness to him that made it noticeable on his belly and his flanks jiggle a little when he walked. My face felt like it was on fire and I eventually decided to look away before anything had a chance to pop up. One thing I will admit, I enjoy getting a nice view but sometimes it can be a bit too distracting. While I had been watching Test's rump, I hadn't noticed that we had almost reached the school. Following him into the school yard, I saw the mare who had been my teacher many years before.

"Rhythm, what a wonderful surprise!" Miss Cheerilee said as she descended the steps of the steps of the school. "I haven't seen you in ages." She told me as she wrapped her forelegs around me in a hug. I raised a foreleg to hug her back and we broke the hug after a few moments. "Are you here to help Test Tube with his demonstration?" Cheerilee asked me as we started to walk up to the door of the schoolhouse.

"Well somepony had to be the sexy assistant." I replied. Cheerilee simply grinned and rolled her eyes as we went up the steps into the school.

Author's Note

Fun fact: the man playing the bass in the video included in this chapter is actor Jackie Gleason who played Buford T. Justice in Smoky and the Bandit.

4: Heartstrings

"That's good!" Test Tube's voice called out from inside the schoolhouse. I turned the hose off and watched it get levitated out the window of the school. I was happy that with all the work done, I could just sit back and enjoy watching a cute, nerdy stallion do neat, sciencey things. I entered the door of the schoolhouse as Test's magic lowered the metronome into place in the tank. Thanks to a protection spell he'd cast on it, the metronome would be able to take a licking and keep on ticking. Compared to what it could withstand now thanks to magic, water was nothing. Like throwing a pebble at a castle really. I sat down on the bench for an upright piano, the place I felt most comfortable, and watched as Test finished checking that everything was ready. While he was doing that, some of the students started arriving. Most of them gave me a warm smile which I was happy to return. Some though, really just a pink filly and her silver friend, snubbed me and held their head up when trotting past me. It was ponies like them that made me glad I was out of school. Ponies like them that thought their shit didn't stink and that everypony owed them something. Dear Celestia, I can't stand ponies like that.

"Alright my little ponies, it's time to start class." Cheerilee announced and the kids all settled down and looked to her. Even I caught myself paying attention, my mind reverting back to primary school for a moment before realizing I'd been out of it for over six years. There was just something about Cheerilee though that made you listen to her and made taking notes not so bad. " Today we're having a demonstration for your science lesson." This made most of the kids smile. I said she made taking note not so bad, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't suck. "This young gentlecolt is Test Tube." She told them as she walked over to Test who gave an awkward wave to the kids. Heavens, he was cute when he was nervous. "And the gentlecolt by the piano is my former student, Swing Rhythm." I was startled a bit at hearing her say that but put my shock aside long enough to smile and give a small wave to the kids. "Now, Mister Tube, if you'd like to begin." He nodded and began rambling, I zoned out after a few moments as I watched his lips. I wondered what they were like. Were they soft, rough, or somewhere in between? I wondered what they tasted like. I thought I'd seen cherry chapstick in his room earlier. That'd be nice. Soft, warm lips that tasted of strawberries that I could kiss for hours on end. Shaking my head slightly, I snapped myself out of my thoughts just in time to hear the kids start clapping their hooves. I clapped with them as Cheerilee trotted back over to him. "Thank you for that demonstration Test. Now, maybe if you all ask very nicely, Mister Rhythm will stay around for today's music lesson." She said and all the kids, except for the pink filly and her friend again, turned to me with pleading eyes that made sure I couldn't deny the offer.

"Sure, I'll stay." I said and the kids smiled at my statement. At least it looked like Test would be staying too. As much as I wanted to date him, spending time with him would have to do for the time being.

Test and I trotted down the road that connected the school to Ponyville itself. As we walked, I heard him clear his throat which caused me to look over at him. He was looking at me from the corner of his eye but didn't actually turn to face me. "So, pardon me if it seems rude, but you've seemed to have a thousand yard stare going on the last couple days. Are you alright? My cousin is a doctor just in case." He said. It was nice that he had my well being in mind but I knew that he most likely meant it as a friend.

"Just had some things on my mind." I replied. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." There it was again. The white lie that had turned into one of the biggest lies of my life. I'm fine. I figured that maybe it was like all other lies. If it's repeated enough, it becomes generally accepted. I don't know who I was wanting to convince more with the lie. Others, or myself.

"Are you sure? I don't want you getting sick on me." He said as we stopped on the dirt road into town. I looked over to him and saw his blue eyes appeared concerned, the most emotion I'd ever seen in them.

"It's just...have you ever been in love?" I asked him and he put a hoof to his chin in thought. After a moment, he lowered his hoof and shook his head.

"I mean, I care about my family but I don't think I've ever really felt love before. How would you describe love?" He asked as I sat down in the road.

"For most ponies, it's a feeling like butterflies in your stomach. A feeling of joy at being around a certain pony. Feeling like you're walking on a cloud every time you're near them. Looking at them and all you can think about is how much you enjoy them and want to kiss them." I replied, my voice sounding more depressed as I continued on. "And every time you see them you feel your heart leap into your throat and you just want nothing more than to wake up one day and feel them in bed next to you." Looking up at him from the dirt under my hooves, I saw him watching me. His ever gorgeous eyes made my heart hurt even worse. There was no way that this stallion would ever love me back. How could he if he didn't even understand love? I looked back down at the dirt and sighed.

"Do you love somepony?" He asked and I looked back up at him in surprise that he would ask me given his seeming disinterest in the subject. I turned my attention back to the dirt and smirked a bit.

"No. Not at all." I said before standing up. "Come on, let's get back to town."

While the rest of our walk back to town had been relatively quiet, it was nice to just enjoy the silence with somepony who I felt so much for. We had decided to eat at one of the cafes near the center of Ponyville and it was nice to be able to sit out in the sunshine for a bit. With running the shop and then sleeping away the days on the weekends, I rarely had a chance to enjoy the sun. Although if I was being honest, I favored the nighttime. There was just something about the stars and the quiet of the night that made it more enjoyable. But for the time being, I managed to enjoy the warmth of the sun against my coat and the smell of flowers that floated with the breeze. "Have you decided what you're getting?" Test asked me, snapping me out of my daze.

"I think I'm just going to have a water." I replied as I looked at the menu. There just didn't seem to be anything on there that got my attention. Resting my chin on the table, I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Alright, what's wrong? You've been acting mopey all day." He asked as he closed his menu. Test's question made me open my eyes and look at him, my heart hurting even worse and any appetite I had was gone. "I'm no expert on emotions or body language but I do know sad when I see it." Test said as the waiter started to approach our table. Test however managed to shoo the waiter off so as not to interrupt us.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." I told him and I saw his brows furrow a bit at that statement.

"What wouldn't I understand, Rhythm?" Test asked me with a bit of hurt in his voice. "What are you going through that I wouldn't understand?" He sounded somewhat bitter now as I closed my eyes again. They began to sting as tears built up behind my eyelids. "Rhythm, you're my only friend. If something is wrong then tell me." His voice sounded more worried there and I dared not open my eyes for fear that the tears would begin falling. "Rhythm..."

"I need to go home." I said, cutting him off from continuing. Standing up, I opened my eyes just enough to not run into any tables and hurried out into the street. I turned the corner and once I was out of sight of the cafe, I began running. Tears streamed down my face, I didn't really notice any of the ponies I happened to bump into. I had just managed to get to the steps of my apartment and was going up towards the back door when I felt something grab a hold of me. I fought against it but to no avail as somepony's magic lifted me off the steps. "Leave me alone!" I shouted as the magic turned me around to face whoever was coming up the steps. My eyelids squeezed shut as tears continued to stream down my face, matting the fur on my cheeks before falling down to splatter on the wooden steps. "Just leave me alone, please." I asked of whoever was in front of me, my voice coming out a whimper more than anything.

"I'm afraid that is something I can not do." An all too familiar voice said. Opening my eyes, I saw Test's eyes level with mine. "Rhythm, tell me what is wrong." He set me down, and that's when I took my chance. I darted up the last of the steps and into the apartment, locking the deadbolt behind me. Sighing in relief, I let my head drop as I began walking towards my bedroom. But again my escape was interrupted as I heard a pop of magic behind me. I spun around to see Test standing in the living room, his eyes watching me.

"Please go. I'd just like to be alone." I told him as I turned back around and continued to shuffle my hooves across the floor on my way to my room. Closing my bedroom door behind me, I locked it before collapsing onto my bed and starting to cry again.

It had been three days since I'd seen anypony at all. Test, Lyra, and Bon Bon had all been by trying to check on me but I stayed laying in bed as they knocked and tried to talk to me through the apartment door. The only times I had left my bed in those days was to use the bathroom or to feed the cats. I grabbed the bag of cat food off of the refrigerator and poured some into their bowls, my own stomach growling for food. I'd stopped feeling hunger pains after the first two days. Once I was done feeding the cats, I started to head back for my bed when I heard another knock at my door. I stopped in the hallway and slowly and carefully made my way over to the doorway for the living room. "Rhythm? Rhythm, can I talk to you?" It was Lyra again. "Rhythm, please let me in." I quietly walked over by the door and sat down.

"I'm sorry, Lyra. I just can't do that." I told her through the door.

"Rhythm, I don't know what's going on but please, just let me come in."

"I'm perfectly fine, Lyra. Just a bit of a cold. I wouldn't want to get you sick. You know? I'd hate to get you sick. I don't want to get you-" I slapped a hoof over my mouth. That usually never reared its ugly head around other ponies. Keep relaxed and it wouldn't happen but at that time, I wasn't the most relaxed. And I'd told that lie again. I wan't fine. I was never fine. But my problems were just that. Mine. I didn't need to bother other ponies with it. If I was being totally honest, I hadn't been fine for years. As a colt it was because neither of my parents wanted me. As a teenager it had been from denying and trying to hide my attraction to stallions. And now, it was the heartbreak of knowing the stallion I loved would never love me back. "Just...just go away now. Alright? I'm fine, Lyra. I'll see you around sometime. Maybe help you try some of Bon Bon's new candies."

"Yes, yes please!" She somewhat shouted through the door. "I'd like that. She's got me trying all these weird flavors lately. It'd be nice to have somepony to help me through that." Lyra chuckled a bit at that. "Rhythm? Rhythm, are you still there?" I stood up and quietly made my way back to my bedroom, ignoring her pleas and knocks at the door. It's not like it mattered though. To be honest, we were all going to end up in a box in the ground anyways. Why did anything really matter in that light? I shut the door to my bedroom and listened to the muffled knocks at the front door.

Author's Note

Looking for someone who is willing to do free cover art for this. If anyone knows someone who would do that, please comment below.

5: A Low Note

I sat on my bed and watched the horizon out my window. It was almost time for the sunrise. I had always loved seeing the sunrise. It had been two days since I had talked to Lyra. They had all came and went again, the three of them trying to persuade me to let them in. Saturdays were usually the days that I slept in but this one was different. I'd been unable to sleep at all that night, so I figured I might as well stay up and watch the sun come up. The sky began to get lighter on the horizon and the birds started singing in the trees. On the nightstand sat my record player, an old vinyl record still turning with a small pop every second or so from the needle hitting the end of the record. I reached over and lifted the needle off the record. No sense in wearing out the needle if I didn't need to. The first rays of the morning sun appeared over the horizon and shined down on Ponyville. I watched it with a sad smile and a heavy heart. Not a bad sunrise for a Friday morning. As I sat and thought about what I'd planned for that day, I thought about all the things that had to go along with it. Find somepony to feed the cats for me, I had to run by city hall and pay the water bill, have Derpy hold my mail at the post office, make sure all the money from the cash register was in the safe. Damn, there was more to do than I thought. A knocking on the front door made me turn and look towards the hallway. Getting up, I trotted out and heard somepony shuffle a bit on their hooves on the other side of the door. I stole a quick glance through the peephole and saw Lyra standing there.

"Lyra!" I shouted as I flung open the door. She jumped back, clearly not expecting that kind of reception, and I quickly pulled her into a hug. "It's good to see you. Hey, um, can I ask you a favor?" She looked at me and then nodded her head, confused about my sudden mood change. "Awesome. Can you maybe take care of my cats for a few days? They're no trouble really. Just put some food out in the morning and the evening and check their water. Maybe scoop the litter box every other day but other than that they're really low maintenance."

"Where are you going?" She asked as she followed me inside the apartment.

"Oh, there's a, uh, expo in Manehattan for earth pony friendly instruments. I figured I'd go there and see what they have. Maybe some of those in the shop would bring more ponies in. Not very many earth ponies looking to buy a grand piano after all." I told her. Wow, I was amazed how fast I could think up a lie. If my plan failed then maybe I could go into politics.

"Yeah, I know I haven't seen many earth ponies or pegasi that play the lyre. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to learn the piano." She replied as I fed the cats for the morning.

"Alright. Well they're good for this morning so you shouldn't have to worry about them until this evening. I still have a few errands to run before I leave if you'd like to join me." I offered as the cats entered the kitchen and began eating.

"Nah, I really should get back to the shop. Bon Bon needs help wrapping some new candies she made last night." Lyra said and we headed over to the door for me to show her out. I opened the door and she was about to leave when I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you." I told her as I squeezed her in my forelegs.

"Rhythm, it's just going to be a few days. It's not like you're dying." She said with a small laugh at my action.

"Yeah but, Manehattan isn't known for ponies not getting mugged. You never know who might pull a knife on ya there." I said as we broke the hug. We both nodded at that and I smiled at her as she started down the stairs and then wandered down the street towards the candy shop. Once she was out of sight, I went down to the shop and opened the cash register. I pulled out all the money and put it in a paper bag. Now that it was in the bag, I carried it back upstairs to the safe in grandpa's old office where I locked it inside. Now that that was done I could head for the post office and then city hall. I checked my saddlebags before I left the house and made sure that I had everything I needed for the day. Bits for the water bill, string, bait; it was all there. Perfect. With a sigh, I walked outside and shut the door.

I opened the door of the post office and smiled to the grey mare behind the counter. "Good morning, Derpy." I said as I sat in front of the counter. She smiled back as she swallowed a bite of her late breakfast.

"Good morning, Rhythm. I think I already dropped off your mail for the day." She said as she put the lid on the plastic container of muffins that sat in front of her.

"Actually, I'm here cause I'm gonna need you to hold all my mail until further notice." I told her as I slipped the saddlebags off my back. Derpy looked at me a bit funny as I sat up my bags to keep them from spilling.

"Are you going on a trip?" She asked me as she set the container of muffins on a shelf under the counter.

"Of sorts. Manehattan for an instrument expo." I explained. Her mouth formed an O as she nodded in understanding.

"That makes sense." She said before picking up a pencil with her teeth and writing a note to hold my mail there. A gentle tap sound came from her side of the counter as she set the pencil down and smiled at me. "Is that all you needed?" She asked, her smile making me almost feel bad for what I had planned.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied as I slipped my saddlebags back on. She stopped whatever she was doing and looked at me across the counter. I noticed her stare and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" Derpy asked me as she came around to stand in front of me. I fidgeted slightly but not enough for her to notice.

"Fine. Peachy as pie!" I told her. Wow, if I had a bit for every time I'd lied and told somepony that I was fine, I'd never have to work again. She seemed to think it over a she watched me, looking for the slightest hint of lying.

"If you say so." She said before returning to her seat behind the counter. I started to leave but paused as I opened the door. Turning back to face her, I saw Derpy look up from whatever she was looking at on the desk.

"Derpy, what made you ask if I was alright?" I asked her. I know the few ponies that I talk to ask that, but Derpy and I had never really talked this much.

"Your eyes." She replied as she made eye contact with me.

"My eyes?" I asked with a bit of skepticism and curiosity in my voice.

"They look sad. Even when you smile." Derpy said with a small frown on her face. "If you ever need somepony to talk to, just let me know." I nodded and left the post office, my brain working overtime to figure out how my eyes could look sad. They said the eyes are the windows to the soul but that was just ridiculous. There was no way you could tell somepony's emotions by their eyes. Was there? And her offer of talking to her, there was no way I could accept it. My problems stayed with me. I didn't need to be bringing somepony else down by telling them my problems. What if they didn't even understand? What if they laughed at me? What if they spread it through town that I was weak? No. There was no way I could ask somepony for help. It was all in that natural selection thing they taught us in school. Those who can care and fend for themselves survived. Asking for help was weakness. Or so I thought anyways. With all the thoughts running through my head, I didn't notice that I had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest until the loud cawing of a raven snapped me from my whirlpool of thoughts. And now that I was there, it was time to get down to business. I opened up my saddle bags and pulled out the string and the jar of revolting smelling bait that sat next to it. After a few minutes, I had a couple pieces of the bait tied to my saddlebags and a small necklace of the vile things around my neck. But if my plan worked then I would only have to deal with the smell for a few minutes after wandering in.

Any pony who lives in Ponyville knows not to venture into the Everfree Forest. It's something they teach you from foalhood. All sorts of creatures lurked in there like manticores, hydras, and timber wolves. The kinds of creatures that could tear a pony to shreds in an instant. And that was exactly the plan. The bait that I had brought was a special type used to attract those kinds of creatures. And with my necklace of it, once something moved in then it would be extremely quick. With a deep breath and a quick glance back at Ponyville, I began my trek into the forest. It wasn't so bad at the edge of it where sunlight could still get through the treetops but the further in I wandered, the darker and scarier the forest became. Glowing eyes watched me from the shadows and insects as big as my hoof flew around, only to be caught in the web of a spider that looked almost as big as my head. I continued to make my way further into the forest and I could hear rustling sounds from the bushes around me. I knew what these sounds were. It was something stalking its prey. A predator had found its next meal and now began the hunt that would lead to it. That, was the sound of my death. I stopped in my tracks and stood, waiting for the creature in the bushes to appear. But when I stopped, it stopped. I started walking again and the rustling in the bushes resumed. I knew what this thing wanted. It didn't just want a hunt, it wanted a chase. With that, I began galloping as fast as I could and from behind me came a loud thundering sound as the creature chased me. I turned my head to see what it was and was met by two timber wolves running after me as fast as they could. While I was looking back, I'd failed to notice the tree root sticking up from the ground before my hoof snagged it and made me fall forwards. Now they had me. I heard a loud snarling as one jumped and landed with its forelegs on either side of me. It wasted no time in biting down on my back left leg, its teeth virtually shredding it. I screamed out in pain as dark red blood sprayed all over and began to pool under my leg, several arteries and veins being severed by the creature's teeth. That was not how this was supposed to go.

The other had by now joined its comrade and had one of its paws resting on my side. I was breathing heavily by now, the pain being replaced by numbness as my body went into shock. From the corner of my eye, I watched its claws sink into my side then be dragged down as it sliced me open. When it pulled its claws out, I heard the a wet flopping sound of what I could only expect to be my guts spilling out onto the ground. Just as I began to slip from consciousness, I heard one yelp as if in pain and the other quickly began running away, a bolt of purple magic chasing after it. My eyes closed and I let out a sigh of contentment as a distant voice called after me.

There was a distant beeping sound as I felt myself coming to. As the beeping got more and more clear, I became more aware of other things as well. Things like an oxygen tube in my nose and the disgusting smell of a hospital. I may not have liked germs but the sterile smell of hospital just about made me want to puke. Not to mention that the last time I had smelled a hospital, it was when grandpa's health went down just before he died. After the oxygen tube and the smell, I noticed the sound of music. The subtle crackling of a vinyl record on a turntable was one of the sweetest sounds in the world to me. Almost as sweet as the music really. After the sound of the spinning vinyl, I noticed what song it was that was playing. It was my favorite song. The one that had been my grandma and grandpa's song and the one that had shattered when Test Tube stayed the night. It was the old version of At Last. The silky smooth voice of a mare singing made the corner of my mouth twitch almost to a grin as I listened. My eyelids felt far too heavy to open but I kept trying and I finally managed to peek them open just enough to see that I was in fact in the hospital. Looking from the corner of my eye, I saw a record player sitting by the window where sunlight poured in through the open blinds. And then as my eyes looked the other way, I saw something I didn't expect to. There, sound asleep and looking like he hadn't left his chair for days, was Test Tube.

6: A Guitar

As I watched him, Test Tube began to stir from his slumber. He stretched his legs out and let out a loud yawn before opening his eyes. He immediately looked over to me and his eyes widened when he saw me looking back at him. "How long?" I asked him, my voice scratchy and my throat feeling as dry as a desert. He quickly got up, grabbed something with his magic, and second later a straw was poking at my lips as it tried to enter. I opened them just enough to let the straw in before clamping down on it and sucking on the straw, water rushing into my mouth a moment later. Sweet Celestia, that was the best feeling in the world right then. Once I let go of the straw, he levitated it back over to the small table at my bedside. "How long have I been in here?" I asked, whatever they had me on, it probably had me out for days.

"You've been here for almost a week." He replied, his voice sounding overjoyed that I was awake but upset that I was in there. "You scared the Tartarus out of us." His voice seemed to falter a bit, almost like he was going to cry. "They...they didn't think you were going to make it for the first couple of days. Everypony has been so worried. I'm just afraid of what would have happened..." He paused and sniffled but still no tears fell "what would have happened if I hadn't found you in time."

"You were the one that found me?" I asked him as I attempted to get myself situated in the bed but I let out a loud hiss in pain as I did so. As I sat there, my mind raced back to the day of my attempt. "My leg. Did I lose the leg?" I asked in a cold tone, my brain knowing the answer already but I didn't really want to believe it yet. Test nodded his head and I carefully reached a forehoof over to the blanket to pull it aside. When I did so, I looked down at my leg and saw what was left of it. From about halfway up my thigh and down was gone. Bandaging was around where the leg ended and I then looked further up my body at the bandaging around my midsection. "Why?" I asked him. Test looked at me again with a raised eyebrow as my heart suddenly felt like ice. "Why did you save me? Why not be merciful and let me bleed there in the forest?"

"Why? You ask me why I wouldn't let you bleed to death? You ask why I didn't just accept that you would die?!" He was clearly about to cry now but I still didn't care. "Maybe it's because you're the best friend I've ever had! Maybe it's because you're probably the one pony who actually understands me!" He stopped and looked me in the eyes, taking a deep breath before what he had to say next. "Maybe it's because I don't want to go to another funeral because of a suicide." Those words managed to jam a pick through the ice around my heart and I immediately reached a hoof out to him despite the extreme pain it caused in my side.

"Come here." I told him. He slowly inched over to me until I could grab him with my hoof and pull him into a hug. He seemed surprised to say the least but quickly accepted it as he carefully hugged me back. As we hugged I noticed the warmth that he gave off, probably from him wearing that dark grey hoodie all the time, as well as the scent of oranges. I had always loved oranges. Especially those little orange slice candies. But there was one other thing in that moment that made me forget the oranges. It was the gentle thumping of his heart. The combination of his warmth and his heartbeat reminded me just how much I cared for this stallion. How much I loved him. Even if he didn't really understand love or the fact that if he did he would never go for a stallion like me, he was still going to be there for me as my best friend. Somepony knocking on the door before it opened made us break the hug and look over at the doctor who had entered. His eyes widened and he looked up at the clock above the door.

"What time did he wake up?" He asked Test as he looked back to his clipboard.

"Ten minutes ago at the most." Test replied as he looked over at the small bag that was by the chair he had been in.

"Damn. I had ten this morning in the betting pool." He said as he wrote down the estimated time. I stole a glance at the clock and saw it read 11:45. I believed it with how bright it was outside. The doctor looked over the chart at the end of my bed and jotted down a few more notes on his clipboard and then left to presumably take to the nurses. I looked over to Test as he plopped back down into his chair.

"So, how long have you been here?" I asked as I pressed my forehooves together.

"Ever since I brought you here." He replied as he pulled out a book from the bag by the chair. His magic levitated it over to me and he gently set it down on my chest. I looked at the book as he continued to talk. "So, about a week. I've only left to take a shower and grab some things from home." The book he'd given me actually looked pretty good. Actually, it looked very familiar too.

"Where did you get this book?" I questioned as I lifted it up.

"Oh, that one I grabbed from your place on my way back here from my house. I thought that when you woke up you might want something to read so I grabbed a few of the books from your office for you." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone as he fished out a science journal from his bag for him to read. I looked at the book cover again and saw the silhouette of a royal guard on the front against the white cover.

“This was my grandpa’s book.” I said as I opened up the cover and looked at the note written inside. The writing had faded too much to read many years before but I knew the story behind it well. “He served under Shining Armor’s grandfather in the Royal Guard.” Test looked up at me and set his magazine down.

“I didn’t know your grandfather was in the Guard.”

“Yeah, he didn’t ever really talk much about it. He was over in Zebrika during their civil war as part of a team to get Equestria’s ambassador over there out. Grandma said that for years after he came back from there he would wake up at night screaming.” I told him as I set the book next to me on the bed. “He would talk about all the places in Equestria they sent him and the close calls with the Gryphon Kingdom. But he would never discuss Zebrika with anyone but my grandmother. One night after he’d gone to bed and I was old enough to understand, she told me what he’d seen over there. The tribes over there can get brutal when they want to and the civil war was brutality like nopony has seen since. Grandma said that when his airship was fifty miles from Zebrika, the stallions in his unit could smell burning flesh. After they had landed, they were met by impaled soldiers from both sides as a warning from each side to the other. They saw dead zebra foals lying in the streets after they had been caught in the cross fire trying to escape.” Just the thought of it made me nauseous but I continued on. “When they got to the embassy, they had to turn back and return to Equestria. The natives had dug a trench around it in the night and camouflaged it. When the ponies inside tried to escape, they fell into the trench and were impaled on bamboo spikes. Apparently when they arrived, some of them were still alive despite their impalement. One even being there for over twelve hours without dying. They couldn’t even recover the bodies without setting off other bobby traps that had been set.”

“That’s awful. I can’t say I blame him for never wanting to talk about it. How in Celestia’s name did a musician end up in that situation?” Test asked as he leaned forward on his seat, clearly wanting to know how.

“It was back when they still had mandatory service. He didn’t have much of a say in the matter of serving. His armor, uniform, and all his medals are in the chifforobe in his old office. I haven’t looked at them since his passing.” I looked over at Test and smiled too him. “You have any family in the Guard?”

“My older brother was. He was the only pegasus among us kids but it was so great growing up so much younger than him. He was eleven years older than me and since I was so much smaller, he would let me ride on his back for a flight around Ponyville. It was so great. Being a unicorn but being able to touch the clouds. Seeing the world from a view most unicorns or earth ponies can only imagine.” His eyes looked over at something and I turned my head to see what was behind me that he could be looking at. There in the corner where I hadn’t noticed it before was a small table that was overflowing with flowers and balloons. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you would want those in here or not.”

“No, it’s alright. I like flowers. Are there any in a pot?” I asked him as I couldn’t see very many past the front ones in the vases.

“A couple.” He said as he leaned back in his chair.

“Any daffodils?”

“Yeah. Why?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“I like daffodils. They’re always so beautiful when they bloom. They’re not around very long here in Ponyville. But when they are, it’s always so beautiful. It’s times like then that I wish I was a unicorn like you.” I said with a small laugh as I looked out the window. “I’d just sit and paint the flowers all day. I bet you could make good money off that too. What kind of flowers do you like?”

“Well, I always liked roses.”

“So how’re you feeling?” Lyra asked as she and Bon Bon sat by my bed.

“Alright. Been better. Being worse is how I got here.” I told her with a small laugh at myself. She frowned a bit at the joke but said nothing as Bon Bon opened her mouth to speak.

“Is the food in here as bad as they say?”

“No clue. The green stuff, I have no idea what it is. Usually I just give Test Tube some bits and have him get me something from the vending machines.” I said as I looked out the window at the sky. The sun was starting to sink towards the horizon and the sky began to take on a pink hue. “How’s your shop doing Bon?”

“Good. Although I have to make about five batches of lemon drops if Troy and his brothers show up.” She said with a small smile about it.

“Yeah, what’s up with gryphons and lemon drops?” I asked her to which she shrugged her shoulders as she placed a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder.

“Well, should we go and give Rhythm a chance to rest?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow buddy.” Lyra said as they stood up. “Is there anything we can get for you before we come back tomorrow?”

“Yeah, actually. Can you bring a couple of my records and” I grabbed a nearby piece of paper and a pen. I wrote down which records I wanted and something for my next request. “take some of the roses from my rose bush to this address.”

I smiled as I watched Test’s magic picked at the strings on the guitar on his lap. He wasn’t playing any particular tune; rather he was just winging it and see where that led him. He stopped playing and looked up at me. “You got any requests?” Test asked to which I thought for a second before smiling a little.

“Do you know The Way You Look Tonight?” I asked and this time he had to think.

“Does it go like this?” He asked me as he began playing the guitar again. I smiled as it was indeed the song I wanted.

I sang the first couple of lines until a sharp pain went through my mid-section and made me hiss in pain. The guitar fell to the floor as he jumped up and hurried over.

"Are you alright? Do I need to get the doctor? What's wrong? Do you need help?" His barrage of questions seemed to come at a hundred miles per hour and I held a hoof up to silence him.

"I'm fine. I just shouldn't have done that while I'm still wrapped up like a mummy." I replied as I smiled to reassure him that I was fine. He seemed hesitant to believe it at first but nodded as he returned to his seat. "I never knew you could play an instrument." I said as he sat down and started picking at the guitar strings again.

"Another gift from my older brother. He was so good at it for a pegasus. I guess feathers served as pretty good guitar picks for him cause he would always hold the guitar with his hooves but strum with his feathers." Test said, his voice having a depressed tone to it.

"If I may, why do you always talk about him in the past tense?" I asked him and he immediately stopped playing as he looked up at me.

"He killed himself when I was ten. My sister found him hanging in his closet." He replied in a monotone voice before he began picking at the guitar strings again. Well shit. That made me feel like an ass for asking.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I told him to which he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's alright, Rhythm. I spend all day doing science experiments. I can understand somepony having a curious streak in them." Test said as he continued to play random strings to make up some song. "He also told me something his commander in the Guard told him once that I think would fit well for you recovery."

"What's that?" I asked him.

"His commander told him that he didn't judge a stallion's success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom. You hit bottom Rhythm. Now let's see how high you can bounce."

7: Conducting

I smiled as I opened the door to my home. Lyra and Test Tube both carried a couple boxes with all the flowers in them. I would have carried them myself but both them and the doctor had advised against me doing any sort of lifting until I was used to my new prosthetic. As the thought about it went through my mind, I looked back at the metal 'leg' that I now had. It was weird seeing it attached to my body, like it was my leg but it wasn't my leg. My real leg was in a pile of timberwolf shit somewhere in the Everfree Forest. But, that was my own fault and now the prosthetic was a permanent reminder of my stupidity. "I guess just set them on the kitchen table." I told them as I sat down on the couch. While I may have just been released from the hospital, I was still hopped up on all sorts of drugs and I was just ready for a nap.

"Anything else we can do for you, Rhythm?" Lyra asked from the kitchen as they put the flowers on the table.

"Not that I can think of." I replied as I laid my head back and closed my eyes. The sound of hooves on the wood floor made me open my eyes back up and look over at them as they came back into the living room. They both stopped in front of me and I looked at them in confusion as they continued to look at me.

"Rhythm, we thought it would be best for somepony to stay with you for awhile." Lyra said as she sat down. "Just to make sure you're alright, help you out with the shop, and do anything around here you can't do for yourself right now." She explained as Test Tube sat down beside her. "Test Tube has volunteered to stay with you until you're back to your old self." That made a pit form in my stomach and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

"Test Tube, will be staying with me?" I asked her for confirmation and she nodded that she was serious. Oh boy, that was going to be interesting. "Alright, um, I guess I can get the guest room ready if you want to go get some stuff from your house." I said as I turned my head to look at Test. He nodded and said a quick goodbye to us before leaving to go to his house. I sighed and flopped my head back down onto the back of the couch. "Oh dear." I muttered as I looked at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Lyra asked as she stood up and came over to sit next to me on the couch.

"Nothing." I said.

"I don't believe you. Come on, I won't tell a soul. Is it that the stallion you're crushing on is staying with you?" She asked me as she placed a hoof on my shoulder in comfort. I hesitated but then nodded that it was indeed that Test Tube was staying with me.

"It's just...he doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about him." I told her with a sigh and I placed my face in my hooves. "I don't think I can handle him staying here without doing something stupid that would jeopardize our friendship." I told her. "I mean, the one night was nice where we just played games but to have him staying with me for at least a couple weeks?" With a sigh, I stood up to head for the guest bedroom. "I guess we'll just have to see how it goes after the first few days."

The shrill ringing of my alarm clock made me slowly open my eyes as I reached a hoof over to shut it off. I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to wake up as I slowly sat up in the bed. A yawn escaped my mouth and I looked over at my window as the sun rose over the horizon. The smell of hay bacon, eggs, and coffee hit my nostrils and my stomach growled in response. As I thought about the night prior and Test Tube moving in, I remembered that I had skipped dinner to help him settle in. Well there was no sense in denying my stomach what it wanted. Rolling over to the side of my bed, I grabbed the metal prosthetic that was leaned against my nightstand. I put it on and carefully slid out of bed to stand on the floor. With each step carefully planned out, I made my way to the kitchen where instead of his usual hoodie, I saw Test Tube standing at the stove in a purple dress shirt as he used his magic to pull hay bacon out of a pan. He levitated the plate of hay bacon over to the table next to a plate of eggs and two cups of coffee. When he turned to face the table, he finally noticed me in the doorway and gave me a warm smile.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." He said with a small laugh and I felt my cheeks heat up. "You're mane is all over." Test said, seeming to catch on to my slight embarrassment and to try and defuse the situation. I reached up and smoothed it out a bit with my hoof before sitting down at the table. I reached over and grabbed an egg and a couple strips of hay bacon to put on my plate. "I wasn't sure about how I should dress, or if I should, but I threw on a dress shirt just in case." He told me as he filled up his plate.

"Typically I just go as I am. Comb my mane and that's about it." I replied as I took a bite of my egg. "I only ever put on a shirt if I have something special going on like playing at the dance hall or something." Taking a drink of my coffee, I scrunched up my nose at the taste. "Needs cream and sugar." I said to myself as I stood up to go to the fridge. But as I did so, a sharp pain shot up what was left of my back leg and I felt my legs start to give out. I reached for the table and grabbed a hold of it but my weight proved too much and it tipped, sending me and our breakfasts falling to the floor. I landed with an 'umph' and I felt eggs, hay bacon, and hot coffee hit my back as well a couple plates that just bounced off me. Test Tube was quickly out of his seat and pulling me up with his magic.

"Are you alright?" He asked me with concern as he looked me over to make sure I was fine.

"Yeah. Leg just gave out is all." I told him as he looked at my back.

"The coffee burned your back. Let's get you to the shower and try and keep it from blistering." He said as I wrapped a foreleg around his shoulder for support as we made our way to the bathroom.

"I feel like a damned fool. I'm a grown stallion damn it! I shouldn't need to be cared for like a child." I growled at myself but it was clearly loud enough for Test Tube to hear me.

"Now, now; we all need somepony to make sure we're alright. For you right now, that would be me." We entered the bathroom and he used his magic to place me in the shower. I removed my prosthetic and set it just outside of the shower as he shut the door and turned the water on with his magic. A jet of cold water hit me and made me jump and shout out in surprise. "Sorry for the temperature but the cold will help keep that burn from getting worse." He grabbed the shower head and began to douse my back with the bone chilling water. "Besides, it must get lonely being in this boring old apartment alone. Isn't it nice to have somepony here with you as company?"

"The cats usually do a good enough job doing that." I told him as I thought back to the kitchen. "Speaking of them,"

"I already fed them if that's what you're about to ask me." He said, seeming to read my mind.

"Thank you. I feel so useless. I mean, I'm either a zombie from the painkillers or in too much pain to do anything." He nodded in understanding as he began scrubbing me with a bar of soap. "It was nice having what little breakfast we could eat together though. We should do that more. Even after you move out."

"Well I'm not much of a morning kind of stallion. How about we meet and everyday we'll have lunch and dinner together?" He said with a small laugh at the start but his voice turned soft and caring towards the end.

"You promise?" I asked him. I'd been let down by ponies before. The only way it seemed to get them to actually keep their word was to make them promise.

"I promise. Everyday at noon we'll go to that little cafe from a few weeks ago. Then in the evenings we'll go to that nice little restaurant on the edge of town and get one of the corner booths where we can watch all the ponies dance to the music and we can have martinis and discuss our how our days went. It'll be nice." He said as he finished washing me. I liked the idea of lunch and dinner with him.

"Can we start today? I just want something besides what I've got here or vending machine candy." I told him which made both of us chuckle at that.

"Of course. Now, close your eyes. I don't want to get shampoo in them."

I smiled to myself as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I carefully tied the silver colored tie and tightened it up a bit before turning the collar back down on my aqua shirt. Now that my collar was down, I tightened my tie up until the knot was snug against the top button of my shirt. A small knock at my bedroom door made me look over at it. "Out in a moment." I said to Test Tube who no doubt was now sitting down waiting for me. I looked back in the mirror and replaced a hair in my mane that had decided to stick up. With my black made slicked back, I looked pretty good all dressed up. I opened my door and trotted out into the living room where Test Tube sat in his purple dress shirt with a light grey tie. His mane was combed into a ducktail style and I felt my heart start pounding in my chest at how much more handsome he was. He looked down at the floor and pushed his glasses up.

"I hope I don't look too bad. I know I probably look weird like this." He said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"No, no; you look...nice." I told him, trying to make sure it sounded like a compliment rather than an attempt at flirting. I thought I saw a hint of a blush on his face but brushed it aside as my mind returned to my empty stomach. "Well, shall we go?" He nodded and I led the way out the apartment for us to go to the restaurant. We made most of the walk in silence, only talking to comment how nice of an evening it was or to discuss what we might order to eat. When we finally reached the restaurant, there was just a sliver of pink left on the horizon as darkness set in. I felt cold air hit me as we entered the restaurant and I was glad that my shirt had long sleeves. Test Tube went over and talked to the maitre d' who we then followed to one of the corner booths. When Test made a promise, he certainly kept it. We slid into the booth and the maitre d' gave us both menus to look over until our waiter came over. I smiled to myself as I looked over to the dance floor where several ponies were dancing to the small band on the stage. The band was playing some jazz music that made me want to tap my hoof as I looked back to the menu and scanned it to see what I would enjoy. I finally decided on the Alfredo and a martini just before the waiter arrived to take our orders.

"Do you dance?' A voice asked and I looked over at Test who was looking back at me.

"Not for a long time." I replied as the waiter returned with our martinis. He set them down and smiled to us before trotting off. "The last time I danced was... I think with my grandma before she got sick." I said as I took a sip of my martini. "I used to be good too. Guess I should've kept up on the practice but, with the shop and all, I don't really have time. I also don't have a partner to practice with."

"Well what if you danced with me?" Test asked me and I looked over at him in surprise.

"You can dance?" I asked with an eyebrow raised at him.

"Not one bit." He admitted which made both of us laugh. "But I want to learn and it'll be good practice for you. So it's a win-win situation." He said as he took a sip of his martini. "I can slow dance alright, but usually everypony can. It's when they start playing something like a foxtrot or a waltz that I become useless on the dance floor." He admitted but kept his kind smile. "And I'd much rather learn to do something like that with my best friend. Especially if he needs the practice." Test said as the waiter returned with our food. We both thanked him and looked across the table at each other. My eyes met Test Tube's gorgeous blue ones and it was at that moment I decided that one way or another, I was going to marry that stallion.

8: Slow Dancing

Author's Note

Link to the lyrics of the song in this chapter.

http://www.lyricsmania.com/moonglow_lyrics_artie_shaw_and_his_orchestra.html

8: Slow Dancing

The sound of jazz music was now background noise as Test Tube and I laughed while exchanging jokes. The waiter brought over another round of drinks for us and we thanked him for them before going back to telling jokes. We sat there for what was easily a couple hours until the restaurant staff came over to ask us to leave. With sighs of reluctance, we stood up and stumbled our way out of the restaurant and onto the dark streets of Ponyville where the only illumination there on the edge of town was the moon and stars above. As we leaned on one another for support, I began to sing a song I’d loved since I was a colt.

A voice begin to sing next to me and it took my drunk mind a moment to process that the voice as beautiful as an angel’s was in fact Test Tube’s.

“Dude, I didn’t know you could sing!” I said, my slightly slurred voice sounding excited about the new discovery. Really though, alcohol makes everything exciting if you drink enough. Even slug races. That one I learned from personal experience. Test looked over at me and stumbled a bit but we continued on as he replied.

"I've been singing since-hic-I was a colt. I just didn't-hic-do it in front of other ponies." His hiccups made me giggle at him. There was just something about him right then that made him hiccuping really cute. It was probably the booze but regardless, he was a very cute stallion. "Why're you looking-hic-at me like-hic-that?" He asked me and I suddenly realized that I had been staring directly at him. My face went as red as Big Macintosh and I quickly looked away from him.

"I can't tell you." I replied as I looked in the opposite direction as him and instead looked around at Ponyville as we neared my apartment.

"Ooooooo, do you have a crush on me?" He asked and my head whipped around for me to look at him as we finally reached the stairs to the apartment. We both had stopped in our tracks and I continued to stare at him until, whether it be a mixture of bravery and stupidity from the alcohol or just my feelings for him taking hold, I quickly leaned over and placed my lips on his. He tensed up but relaxed after a few seconds. A moment later, I felt something prodding at my lips and I parted them when I realized that it was Test's tongue. I began wrestling his tongue with mine but quickly relented control to him. But all good things must end and we soon broke apart for air. We looked at each other before hurrying up the stairs for the apartment. I unlocked the door and had barely got it shut behind me when I felt Test's tail run under my chin. For a stallion, he had a rather long tail that matched his long mane and from behind he could even be mistaken for a mare. The feeling of his tail running under my chin sent shivers down my spine and I looked over at him only to see him looking over his shoulder at me. He began to walk away towards the guest room where he was staying. It was at this point that the head on my shoulders ceased operation and I began thinking with my other one.

I followed Test Tube into the guest bedroom where we immediately began kissing again as we slowly made our way to his bed. We ungracefully flopped onto the bed together and I broke away from his mouth to begin planting kisses down his neck and then to his chest. I continued to kiss my way down his soft belly, something I just loved even more in that situation, but stopped just short of the grand prize. I looked up at him as a worried look flashed across my face. "I, um, I've never done this before." I told him and he gave me a small, drunken smile.

"Me either. But at least neither of us have something to go on to know how bad we are."

The sun shined through the window as my head pounded from the massive hangover I had. Though I hated the sun for its brightness, I did enjoy the extra warmth it provided me besides the blanket. I finally opened my eyes just a crack and saw that I was not in my room. I was in the guest room. Shifting a little in the bed, I felt a leg wrapped around me and the memories of last night all came flooding back. The drinks, the kissing, the sex; oh boy the sex. I looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw it said quarter to eight. Carefully, I peeled back the blanket away from myself and gently removed Test's grey foreleg from around my midsection. As I scooted out of bed, the warmth from his stomach on my back disappeared and I almost climbed back into bed with him. But I knew that was a bad idea. With that happening so early on in his stay, I was more focused on how the prior night could affect our friendship than the cold air that now hit my back. The first thing I decided I need to do was take a shower. There was no way I could get away with not taking one, and I certainly would need it to get myself cleaned up after some of the things we'd done in bed.

While my shower had taken longer than expected, I was able to get dried off and into the kitchen by eight-thirty. I had fed the cats and already had a pot of coffee going when I heard hoofsteps in the hallway from the bedrooms to the kitchen. I turned just in time to see Test standing in the doorway with a tired, pained look on his face. "How much did I have to drink last night?" He asked me as he sat down at the table and held his head in his forehooves.

"A lot. A few more than me if I remember correctly." I replied as the light on the coffee maker lit up to say that the coffee was ready. I poured a couple cups and carried them to the table where I slid one to Test.

"I don't remember anything after us telling jokes." He said and I felt a small pit in my stomach.

"You don't?" I asked, trying to hide my sadness at his statement from showing in my voice.

"Not a bloody thing. Also, I'm sorry but I need to wash the sheets for my bed. I think I had one of those kinds of dreams last night." He told me and that was the moment my heart seemed to shatter in my chest. While he'd been too drunk to remember it, I thought back to the night before and felt myself want to cry as I took my coffee downstairs. He still thought of us as only friends when only eight hours before we'd been making love. Sweet Celestia, I really wanted to cry thinking about it. I set my coffee on the shop counter and began my routine to get the shop ready to open for the day. With in fifteen minutes the shop was open and I was behind the counter with my cup of coffee and my thoughts. I figured that I had at least fifteen minutes to a half hour until Test Tube was downstairs to help me which gave me that time to compose myself. As I took a sip of my coffee, the bell above the door jingled and I looked up to see one of my neighbors from across the street. Most of the shop owners on the street lived above their stores and many of them were older ponies who were around the age of my grandparents. The mare who'd entered was a short mare with a fading pink coat and a grey mane. She smiled to me and came over to the counter.

"Good morning, Rhythm. Or at least I'm assuming it's good for you." She said with a slight Istallion accent, a cheeky smile crossing her wrinkled face.

"Good morning to you Mrs. Ink Well. And why do you say that?" I asked her with an eyebrow raised. I'd known Mrs. Ink Well since I was a colt and she'd always been the mischievous type.

"Why you and your coltfriend of course! You two had to have woken half the street last night with all the racket you two were making." She told me and my face quickly went red from embarrassment. Then as I thought back to the bedroom, I made the horrifying realization that the window had been open all night.

"Oh dear." I said as I realized that there was now almost no way of avoiding the topic with Test Tube. I was certainly going to be approached about the noise by many other neighbors.

"What's wrong dear?" Mrs. Ink Well asked me as I laid my chin on the counter.

"Well for starters, we're not coltfriends. Second is that we were both drunk so he doesn't remember anything. And lastly, is that he think's were still just friends since he doesn't remember last night." I told her with a sigh.

"How can he not remember that? From how loud you were moanin' I'd swear he should remember." She said, somehow making my face and ears turn a darker shade of red than they already were. "Oh, sorry to embarrass you dear. But don't you worry. They say that a pony's true feelings come out when they're drunk. He clearly wouldn't have done anything if he didn't want to." Mrs. Ink Well told me as she patted my head with her hoof in an attempt to comfort me. "Let me tell you a story. Picture it, Canterlot fifty years ago. There I was at the Grand Galloping Gala in my best dress and my hair in the done in the best way I could afford. I was dateless of course because back then, others weren't always so welcoming of ponies like you and me." She explained before continuing her story. "So there I was all dolled up but by myself when this handsome stallion in a tux approached me. We're talking cuff links, wingtip collar, white tie, and a tail coat so he certainly came from money. He asked me to dance with him and I said yes to be polite. After we were done, we went back to his table where he introduced me to his younger sister who was my age. By the end of the night, me and her were going at it like a couple of rabbits in a broom closet at the Royal Palace." She said and the last part made me raise an eyebrow at her. "We got married the next year and we've been happily married ever since."

"That's you though." I told her as I heard Test moving around upstairs. "You and Mrs. Parchment got your happily ever after. If you hadn't noticed, I don't have the best luck of ponies I love being around long." I said as I stood up to straighten a guitar that was hanging lopsided on the wall.

"Now, now; don't say you'll never get your happy ending, sweetie." She replied as I adjusted the guitar. "You're a very handsome stallion. You get that from your father you know."

"I got nothing from that deadbeat bastard except a foalhood of wondering where in Tartarus my father was." My voice dripped venom and the bitterness in it would've put a lemon tree to shame. "As for my mother, she was more focused on getting rutted in a dark alley like a common whore instead of taking care of her child." Returning to my seat behind the counter, I looked at Mrs. Ink Well as I thought about my foalhood. Now that I was thinking about it, I truly realized how fucked up it was. A child who was unwanted and unloved by either parent; who's mother was basically a prostitute and a father who was too busy snorting stuff up his nose to care about feeding his family. My grandparents were there more for me than my parents even when they lived in Ponyville. It wasn't the most ideal foalhood but I'm sure others had it worse. I couldn't really complain when I thought about it in that light. Just as Mrs. Ink Well was about to say something, the sound off hoofsteps coming from the stairs made us look over at the door to the back room.

"I think I'm going to head back to my shop now. You try and have a good day." Mrs. Ink Well said with a small smile before leaving the shop. Test Tube opened the door and stepped in wearing his typical grey striped hoodie. He smiled at me but I could tell that his hangover was still making his head pound like a drum. I smiled back at him and he took a seat next to me behind the counter. As I thought about how to avoid the subject of last night to keep from letting something slip, I realized that it was going to be a long day ahead of me.

Test and I sat in our corner booth as night descended on Ponyville. I'd decided to keep the number of drinks I had to a minimum to avoid any more incidents like the night we'd had a week before and I slowly sipped my martini as I watched Test Tube across the table. He was busy watching the dancers so he didn't notice me staring at him. "A bit for your thoughts." I said and he looked over at me with a sigh.

"Just wishing I could dance." He stated as he took a sip of his martini.

"You know, just a basic four step isn't that hard. Just think of it like slow dancing but sped up." I told him and he raised an eyebrow at my comment.

"I'm sure I could do that. Would you dance with me though? Just so I don't look like a fool." His request made me feel all warm inside and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

"Of course." I replied without thinking. We scooted out of the booth and we had just made it over to the dance floor when the band began playing the next song which was far slower than expected. "Oh. Well, we can sit down until the next one if you'd like." I said to which Test shook his head.

"We're here." He replied as he leaned in to place the side of his neck against mine. "We may as well dance." We began to slow dance across the dance floor, getting a couple looks from other dancers. But that was probably more for being more dressed up than half the other patrons rather than two stallions dancing together. As we danced, I began to quietly sing along to the song that I realized had been the song that I'd sang on the way home that night.

“It had to be moonglooww, way up in the bluuee
It had to be moonglooww that lead me straight to yoouu
I still hear you saying, dear one hold me fast”

“And I kept on praying, ‘please let this moment last’” Test's voice sang softly into my ear. My heart seemed to stop as he continued to whisper into my ear. "Rhythm, I remember the other night." If there was a time that I was ever going to drop dead from a heart attack, right then was it.

"Y-you said you didn't remember." I told him, my voice shaky as I thought about what this meant.

"I lied." He said as he leaned his head back to make eye contact with me.

"A-and?" I asked him as I felt on the verge of tears. His voice was so unemotional and that was the part that seemed to scare me the most. He didn't respond with words but rather leaned forward and placed his lips on mine. My eyes widened in surprise and I tensed up as we kissed. When it finally clicked in my mind that Test Tube was kissing me, I relaxed. Just as I was about to get into it, I felt him pull away and I looked at him as he finally said the magic words I'd been praying for.

"Rhythm, I love you."

9: Tempo

I looked at Test in shock. He...he loved me? Not more than a few weeks ago he was asking me what love even felt like. No. This had to be a trick. He couldn't love me even if he'd been trying to. I stepped back and away from him, making him raise an eyebrow at me. "Rhythm, what's wrong?" He asked as I shook my head, tears starting to sting my eyes. "Rhythm?" Test began to step closer to me but with every step he took towards me, I took two away from him.

"N-no." I said quietly, my voice shaking as I felt tears spill over and start running down my cheeks. "No, this is all a trick." I said as I glanced over to my left to see if the exit of the restaurant was clear for an escape. The only pony even close to it was the maitre d' who stood at his podium looking over the reservations for the evening. As fast as I could, I bolted for the exit and out into the summer night. I tried to continue to run but I felt the familiar aura of Test Tube's magic grabbing me and lifting me off the ground. My legs stopped moving as I accepted that I was not going to get away from the grey unicorn and his magic turned me around in the air to face him.

"Rhythm, I don't get it. First you kiss me, and then you run when I kiss you." Test said with a hurt tone in his voice. "Why would you run?"

"Because there's no way you can love me. You didn't even know what love felt like a few weeks ago. How could you possibly know now?" I asked him as he set me back down but kept me in place by wrapping his forelegs around me in a hug. His warmth felt nice as a cool summer breeze danced through the night air and made my face cold from the tears.

"I know because when I'm with you I feel happier than I ever have in my life. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I see you. If I'm not with you then I'm thinking about you. When I dream I see you. When you were in the hospital, I felt so helpless. I felt like my life was ending. And when Lyra and Bon Bon said that somepony needed to stay with you, I saw my chance to be close to you. I thought you might have had feelings for me but I wasn't sure so I never said anything." His words seemed to echo in my head as he continued to hug me. He truly was in love. He was there telling me how much he loved me. And there I was crying after trying to run away from him. Sweet baby Luna, I was an idiot. I nuzzled my head onto his neck and sniffled as his words really sank in. "Rhythm?" He asked, his neck vibrating as he talked.

"Yes?" I replied, my voice quiet and sad.

"You know that I love you, right?" Test asked me as he leaned his head back to look at me. I looked up at him and past his glasses at his beautiful blue eyes. "You know that I love you...don't you?" I gave a couple small, quick nods of confirmation before looking down at the ground. His hoof reached under my chin and gently pulled my head up to let him look me in the eyes. "I love you, Rhythm. And don't you ever forget it. I love you and all your little quirks that make you, you." He said with a small chuckle. "Like how you will relock the door eight times or how you have to have three ice cubes in your drink and if there're more then you'll fish them out. I love how you look in the morning with your mane all sticking up and wild because you haven't showered yet. I love how you can sing and dance along to a record like there's nopony there. I love how you play the piano in the shop when nopony comes in and you never mess up a single note. I love all the little and big things you do that make you so perfect to me. But most importantly, I love you." He leaned forwards to kiss me and I knew he meant it as a way to seal his speech on how much he loved me, but I turned my head to the side. This of course was not unnoticed by Test who stopped when he'd gotten half way to me. "Rhythm?"

"I'm sorry, Test. I'm just having a hard time believing all this right now. Give it some time to sink into my brain. Besides, I'm sure you'll eventually get tired of me wanting to hug and kiss you all the time." I told him, earning a small chuckle from him in response.

"How could I get tired of you? I love you. If I was going to grow tired of you then I wouldn't want to date you." He told me but it did little to convince me.

"Look, everypony gets tired of me eventually. Everypony leaves me after awhile. If you're going to leave me, do it sooner than later so as to save me the pain, OK? That's all I ask of you." I told him and he looked at me before pulling me into another hug.

"Rhythm, you have my word as a nerd and a gentlecolt that I wouldn't leave you." He replied while squeezing me harder than he had during the first hug.

"If you say so. You've seen my better days though." I said as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What're your bad days like?" Test asked me as we continued to sit together and hug.

"Heh, it can be interesting. Some days I can be crazier than an outhouse rat; others I just get so fed up with myself that I'll throw things." Test's hold on me seemed to tighten a bit after I'd said that.

"Well good days or bad, I'll be there for you. Bad days aren't going to make me leave you. Everypony has bad days. I have bad days. It's just making sure that those bad days don't take control." We broke the hug and he slowly stood up. "What do you say we head back to your place? It's getting pretty late." I nodded in agreement and tried to stand up to follow him. There was just one problem.

"Um, Test?" He turned around and looked at me. "Can you help me up?" I saw him smile and nod as he trotted over and offered a hoof to me which I grabbed a hold of with my own. He pulled me up and we walked back to my apartment in silence. Though, while I was reluctant to believe him, I did find myself walking closer to Test Tube than normal on the way home. When we finally got to the apartment, we both headed inside to get ready for bed. As I stood in front of my bedroom mirror and removed my shirt and tie; I could hear Test just across the hall getting himself undressed. Hanging up my shirt and placing my tie on a small rack on my wall, I decided to put Test to the test and see if he really did want me. "Hey, Test?" I asked and I heard him stop what he was doing in his room.

"Yes?" He answered as I heard him trot over to his doorway.

"I was wondering if...perhaps you would want to sleep in my bed tonight." There was a few moments of silence until I heard hoofsteps coming across the hall and towards my room. He slowly entered my room and looked over at me as if to see whether I was serious or not.

"I'd love to but only if you're offering because you want to and not because you're just being nice." He replied as he looked around my room. That seemed to put my mind at ease as I slowly walked over to him. Looking into his eyes, I saw that they were nothing but genuine in his affection for me. Maybe he really did love me. Of course, knowing my luck it was all just a dream. But if it was, then it was a dream I was happy to live with.

"No, I really want to. It gets kind of cold in that big bed all by myself. I need somepony to keep me warm." I told him as an idea popped into my head. "And if you do a really good job for a few nights," I walked towards the bed and ran my short tail under his chin as I passed him. "I'll even give you a reward." I climbed into the bed and Test was quickly hurrying over with his face seeming to glow red.

"I'm gonna keep you so warm you'll think you're in Appleoosa."

While I was still somewhat reluctant to believe him, it was nice to feel Test's foreleg wrapped around me. While I had not yet opened my eyes, I knew it was still before dawn due to the lack of sunlight coming through the window and onto the bed. I carefully rolled over to face Test and smiled to myself when I saw that I hadn't managed to wake him up. He was so cute while he was asleep. Carefully, I reached a hoof up to his chest which rose and fell gently with each breath he took. I placed my hoof on his chest and could feel his heart beating away. It was like a small drum beat. It was then that an idea struck me. I turned my head around just enough to see the alarm clock on my nightstand. When the second hand was pointed straight up, I began counting Test's heartbeats. I'm sure it would've looked weird to anypony else but it didn't cross my mind at the time. After one minute I carefully rolled out of bed without waking Test. I slipped on my prosthetic and quietly made my way downstairs to the shop and over to the display grand piano. While I couldn't read sheet music, I knew what each note sounded like. So with a pencil, paper, and Test's heartbeat; I set to work writing down the letters for each corresponding note as I began to compose a song and it wasn't until the sound of an alarm clock upstairs made me realize how long I'd been working on it. Looking out the front windows, I saw the sun was coming up and I quickly put away the paper as I heard Test's hooves hit the floor as he climbed out of bed.

"Rhythm? Are you down there?" Test's voice called down the stairs. I trotted over to the base of the stairs and saw the grey unicorn up at the top. His purple mane was a tangled mess that made me smile and my heart melt. I climbed the stairs and smiled at him before leaning over and planting a small kiss on his cheek. His face and ears began to turn red and I chuckled as I went past him to head for the shower.

"Can you start some coffee? I'll get breakfast going when I'm out of the shower."

"Now you take your left forehoof and place it where my right one just was." I said as I attempted to teach Test how to dance. He had been struggling to get it at first but the more we went over the steps, the more he seemed to get it. "There we go, now you're getting into the groove of things." I told him as I began to speed up my steps and he was able to keep up with them. "After this, I'm going to teach you a dance my grandpa picked up in Germaney." I said as we danced around the living room without bumping into furniture or anything else in the room.

"What dance would that be?" He asked as we made our way around the couch.

"The polka." I replied with a smile.

"Ah buck me!" He replied with a groan but he laughed as well at the thought. "Please tell me we're not going to wear those stupid lederhosen." Test said with a serious tone.

"Aww, you're no fun!"

After Test had fallen asleep, I managed to slip out of bed and back down to the shop. I trotted over to the counter and opened one of the drawers to pull out the paper I'd been writing on the night before. I carried it over to the piano and sat down on the bench when I heard a voice behind me. "What ya working on?" Test asked from the doorway to the shop and I turned around to face him.

"Just a song. It's nothing, really. Just a little pet project." I told him as I attempted to hide the paper behind me back.

"A pony doesn't work on a 'pet project' at half past eleven." He said as he came over and sat next to me. "So what kind of song are you composing?"

"I guess it's kind of a love song. I'm not sure. He's what I've got so far." I replied as I handed over the paper with the lyrics. He looked them over and smiled at me. "You know, my sister works in with some performers in Canterlot. Would it be alright if I show this to her?"

I thought it over for a few moments before nodding my head. Besides, it wasn't like anypony big was going to actually perform it.

A week had passed from that night and I tugged gently at the collar on my shirt. It always seemed like tuxedo shirts were too tight on me around the collar and wanted to choke me. "I'm surprised your sister managed to get us free tickets to Jazz Rhythm's show." I said to Test Tube who trotted along happily next to me.

"I'm still trying to believe you when you say that you two aren't related. You both have the a special talent in similar types of music, the same last name, and you're both earth ponies." He replied as we trotted up to a night club near the heart of downtown Canterlot. Test hoofed over our tickets and a stallion in a tailcoat showed us to a table right in front of the stage. I looked around the club in amazement as another stallion set two plates on our table for the night's meal. From the ceiling hung a gold covered chandelier and paintings of the history of Canterlot adorned the individual sections of the ceiling. I turned my attention from the ceiling down to the plate and the glass of champagne in front of me. I began to dig into the hay steak as the lights dimmed and a brown mare in a red dress came out on stage. That was going to be a good night.

Everypony had long since finished their meals and applauded as the mare on stage bowed after finishing a song. "Thank you! Thank you everypony." She said as she looked around at all the ponies in the room. "For my last song, I'd like to do something special. One of my dear friends showed me this song." While I watched and listened to her, it didn't click in my mind but I also hadn't seen Test smiling while watching me. "This song was written by a pony who's actually in this audience tonight. Alright fellas, hit it." The band started up and I raised an eyebrow as I thought that it sounded familiar.

And then when she began to sing, I gasped while putting my forehooves up to my mouth. The mare who was my favorite singer was singing the song I had written. She was singing my song. I looked over to Test who just smiled at me as he reached a hoof over to hold mine.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Test said as he continued to smile. He'd found out my birthday? He then let go of my hoof to reach into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a shipping envelope and slid it across the table to me. "I got you this. I know how upset you were about it getting broken. I carefully opened it up and pulled out the same exact record that had gotten broke when Test first spent a night with me. While I might have written a song based around the beats of Test's heart, I decided at that moment that that record was now the song for us. It was our song.

Author's Note

New longest chapter, whoo!

10: Melancolico

“I can’t believe it! She sang my song!” I said excitedly as I hopped down the streets of Canterlot. Test trotted along next to me with a smile on his muzzle but didn’t say anything as he listened to me. Suddenly, I stopped hopping and just stood in the street. “Wait, if she likes it and records it, I’ll get a portion of the sales because I wrote it.” A smile grew on my face and got so big it seemed to threaten to split my face in two. “Do you know what that means?” Test shook his head as I looked over to him. “It means we’re not living off instant noodles and dandelion sandwiches anymore. We’re going to be rolling in money.” He smiled again as I began hopping around him listing off all the things we wouldn’t have to worry about anymore. “We won’t have to worry about the electric bill, water bill, rent; anything!” I stopped in front of him and my expression softened to one of loving. “And if it wasn’t for you showing that song to your sister, it wouldn’t have happened.” Leaning in, I placed a quick peck on his lips before leaning back and turning around. “And as thanks, we’re going out to a club for drinks here in Canterlot tonight.”

“Drinks? We just left a nightclub and it’s already going on midnight. Where in Canterlot would we go-“ He stopped as he seemed to realize something. “You’re not thinking about going where I think you are, are you?”

“And where would that be, sweetie?”

A green neon sign lit up the entire block of the street we trotted along and I smiled gleefully as I read the sign. “The world famous Tropicana!” I announced as I wrapped a foreleg around Test’s shoulders. “This is the biggest nightclub outside of Manehattan and Applewood and the third biggest in Equestria.” I told him as we made our way through the front door. Inside, well over four hundred ponies were either drinking, eating, dancing, or a combination of any of the three. “You want drinks?” I asked him and he seemed to look around nervously before nodding. We made our way over towards the bar and took our seats on a couple of stools.

“What can I get ya?” A mare in a white dress shirt asked us from behind the bar. I looked at all the shelves and spied something that caught my attention.

“Give me an Old Crow and cola, please.” I leaned over to Test to get his order which he whispered into my ear. “And a Sea Breezy for my coltfriend.” She smiled and set about getting our drinks and returned with them a minute later.

“So you two are a couple new faces around here.” The mare said as she set our drinks in front of us. “You live here or just passing through?”

“His sister got us a couple tickets for the Jazz Rhythm show tonight I guess as a birthday gift for me.” I explained before taking a sip of my drink. I scrunched up my muzzle as I swallowed the liquid and looked up at her. “Can I see that bottle for a sec?” I asked her as I pointed a hoof at the whiskey bottle on the shelf. She used her magic to levitate the bottle with a crow on it over to me and I quickly poured at least two shots worth of it into my glass. Taking another sip, I sighed in contentment as I set the bottle aside.

“You like it pretty strong don’t you?” She asked, my glass clunking against the top of the bar as I set it down.

“And rough.” I told her with a grin as I gently poked Test in the side with my elbow. He let out a small squeak and looked down at the bar top as his cheeks and ears turned red from embarrassment while he seemed to try hiding behind his bangs.

“Aww, what’s the matter cutie?” The bartender asked as she leaned against the bar and patted Test’s head. “Don’t worry. If he keeps embarrassin’ you then you just tell me and I’ll cut ‘em off.” He nodded and took a sip of his drink as she turned back to me. “By the way, my name is Whiskey River.” She said as she stuck her hoof out towards me. I shook it before wrapping a foreleg around Test.

“I’m Swing Rhythm and this adorable hunk of stallion here is my coltfriend Test Tube.” She smiled as I introduced us before looking back to me.

“I forgot, did you say that today is your birthday?” I nodded and she seemed to smile even bigger. “Well your drinks are on the house tonight. And if you stick around, I’ve got something I think you’re coltfriend will really enjoy.” Test’s face flushed red again and he quickly took a swig of his drink. Whiskey trotted off to take other patrons orders, leaving Test and I to our drinks.

“She seemed…nice.” Test said before taking another sip of his drink. I nodded and took a swig of my drink. We sat there for a bit in silence, our hooves slowly moving below the bar for us to hold the other’s hoof.

“Well, well, well; what’ve we got here? A couple queers it looks like.” A stallion’s voice said and I rolled my eyes. I quickly downed the rest of my drink and spun on my stool with the empty glass. I saw a red unicorn stallion standing directly in front of me with a smug look on his face.

“You the one that said that?” I asked calmly as I looked around him to see if he had any backup. He didn’t.

“Yeah, I did. You got a problem with it?” He asked. I looked calmly down at my glass before looking up at him and raising my hoof in the air. I brought the glass down against the side of his head and he immediately dropped to the floor with a thud. Everypony at and near the bar stopped and looked at the stallion on the floor and then up at me.

“Anypony else got something to say?” I asked and most quickly went back to their drinks or their food. I turned around and waved over Whiskey who quickly brought me another drink.

"Why did you hit him?" Test asked me with nervousness in his voice.

"He was disrespectful." I replied as I raised my glass up to my lips.

"Is that what you do to everypony who's disrespectful to you?" He questioned and I paused with the lip of my glass resting against my bottom lip. I lowered the glass and set it on the bar with a sigh.

"Test, do you know what my grandparents' generation thought of ponies like us?" I asked him as I slowly looked over at him. He shook his head, making me quickly down my entire drink and set in to tell him a story. "When they were young, my grandparents were taught many things about ponies like you and I. That we were sick. That our sexuality was a mental illness. That we're nothing more than a bunch of coltcuddlers. That's where the term came from. Back then, they thought that ponies like us could be cured of our homosexuality." Whiskey was by then back with another drink for me and stood there listening to me as well as the two ponies who flanked me and Test. "When I was a colt, I would hear them talk about the mares who own the shop across the street. Grandma was always friendly to their faces but she said such horrible things behind their backs. Grandpa, he was always very clear about it. He would tell me he'd rather have a dead grandson than a daffodil for a grandson. Daffodil was of course a derogatory term from their time for a gay stallion." I explained and Whiskey's lips formed an O as she understood why he’d said that.

“So what did you do?” Whiskey asked me.

“I stayed in the closet, that’s what I did.” I told her before looking down at the bar top with a small sigh. “Although I think the mares across the street may have known it.” I said looking back up. “Cause let’s face facts, when a colt wants to play piano and wear frilly shirts and lots of rings; he’s probably smoking more sausage than a gryphon hotdog factory.” That made Whiskey choke slightly on the drink she’d poured herself and I saw a small smirk cross Test’s face for a second. “I only came out to the other kids at school and the mares across the street. Nopony else knew until after their passing.” Taking a sip of my drink, I looked over at Test and then set my glass down. “That’s why I don’t put up with ponies who say that kind of shit to me. I grew up thinking there was something wrong with me because of how my grandparents talked about ponies like me. I refuse to deal with ponies who’re like that today.” I told him as I heard a groaning behind me. Turning to look, I saw the red stallion trying to sit up while holding his head.

“You’ll pay for that you fucking coltcuddlers.” He groaned out through clenched teeth as he stumbled towards the exit. I shook my head and took another sip of my drink as Test looked over at me in worry.

“Do you think we should stay awhile? Just because that stallion seemed pretty serious about getting back at us.” He seemed to glance at the door with concern before I gently placed a hoof on his cheek and turned his head for him to look at me.

“Test, I swear on my life that nothing will happen to you. You’re my reason for waking up in the morning. You’re my little nerdy angel. You’re my everything. When I think about getting old, it’s you whose teeth I want next to mine on the nightstand.” I said as I gently leaned in and pressed my forehead against his, careful not to stab myself on his horn. His face felt warm as it flushed from my statement and I let out an internal sigh of contentment. The sound of somepony tapping on a microphone made us both look over at the stage. There on stage was Whiskey who smiled out at the crowd.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, tonight we have a pony in the building who is celebrating their birthday. Will Swing Rhythm please come up on stage?” I felt my face and ears go red in embarrassment as I slowly got off my stool and walked up to the stage. Everypony in the building was now looking at me as I climbed the steps up to the stage. “Since it’s Swing’s birthday today, I’d like everypony to join me in singing Happy Birthday to him.” My face went an even darker shade of red as Whiskey and everypony else began singing Happy Birthday to me. When the finished, there was some applause as Whiskey continued to speak. “And since your drinks are on the house, we ask that here on stage you do at least one thing for everypony as entertainment.” I looked around at all the musical instruments on stage. Near the center of the band was a grand piano. Trotting over, I sat down on the bench, making sure not to sit on the tails of my tux jacket, and waved over three of the violin players. After making sure that everything was as it should be, I nodded to the violin players who raised their bows to their instruments.

I began playing and the violins quickly joined in as they realized what song it was. As I got further into the song, I felt myself relax and I looked out at the crowd with a smile as I began to get more showy with how I played. Back by the bar, I could see Test Tube smiling as I pounded away on the keys of the piano. When the song ended, I continued to smile as the crowd applauded. I stood up and took a bow before quickly leaving the stage and returning to the bar to be with Test.

“I knew you could play but I never knew you could be such a show off.” Test told me with a smile as I sat down on my stool.

“Only when I know I can be.” I replied with a grin as he finished off his Sea Breezy. Whiskey appeared behind the bar again. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and then looked back to us.

“I hope you weren’t planning on going back home. The trains stopped running twenty minutes ago.” She told us and I suddenly realized that we now had nowhere to stay. She seemed to read my mind as she spoke up again. “If you’d like, I get off work in a half hour. You two can crash at my place.” Test and I looked at each other before nodding our heads.

“That sounds nice. Thank you so much.” I said as I turned back to Whiskey with a smile. It was at that moment that Test accidentally let a yawn slip before he blushed slightly. “Guess somepony’s tired.”

“If you’d like, I can give you my key. My place it just a couple blocks south of here. House number seven fifty-four.” She said as she placed a key on the bar. I accepted it and looked over to Test who took the key and put it in his pocket.

“We’ll leave it unlocked for you.” I told her as we climbed down off our stools and made our way to the exit of the club. We pushed open the door and made our way onto the dark streets of Canterlot, trotting in the direction of Whiskey’s house. As we passed an alleyway, I felt somepony’s magic grab my shirt collar and I could see from the corner of my eye that they had Test too. Whoever it was pulled us into the alley where a piece of rope was quickly tied around my forehooves and around my back legs, rendering me unable to move. A rag was shoved into my mouth and I could barely see that Test was in no better condition than me. He was tied up, gagged, and an inhibiter ring was placed on his horn.

“Told you that you were going to pay, coltcuddler.” A familiar voice said and I felt my blood run cold. Several stallions emerged from the shadows of the alley and began approaching us. “You and your little faggot coltfriend.” He walked up to me and removed the rag from my mouth. “Anything you’d like to say?”

“Yes. Whatever you’re going to do to us, do to me. He didn’t hit you. He’s just a bystander. Let him go and whatever you were going to do to both of us, I’ll take double it if it just means that he’s fine.” I told him. Though if their attempts to tie him up, Test had fought back and ended up with a blackened eye and a bloody snout. The stallion seemed to think about it for a moment. An evil smile spread on his face and he quickly untied Test Tube.

“Well worth it if we get to torture you twice as bad.” He said as Test quickly scrambled out of the alley and back in the direction of the club. The red stallion used his magic to produce a large switchblade knife that had a blade easily five inches long. “We’re gonna have us some fun tonight boys.”

11: March

My whole body had a dull ache but I’d stopped feeling all the worst pain a day before. Or at least I’d assumed it’d been a day. From what I could gather, I’d been down in a basement for at least two days now. I knew that the situation I was in was not a good one but I felt better knowing that at least Test Tube was safe. There was the sound of hoofsteps on the wooden steps to the basement to which I didn’t even raise my head. “You can beat me and you can starve me and you can torture me; just don’t bore me.” I said to whoever it was that was coming down the stairs.

“We’ve found him!” A stallion’s voice called out and I looked up to see a white stallion in gold armor. Several more stallions came down the stairs behind him and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

“It’s ‘bout time you slowpokes got here.” I told them with a small grin. “Thought I was gonna have to bust myself out of here.” They quickly untied me, many of them seeming to be surprised by how I was cracking jokes. I wasn’t in that bad of shape unless you counted my good back leg being broken, my snout being broke, several broken ribs, and half my right ear being cut off; among many other smaller injuries. One of the guards used his magic to levitate me into the air and carry me up the stairs. There in the room at the top of the steps was a tall white mare in gold armor.

“Your highness, here he is.” The guard carrying me said as the mare in front of me turned her head, her multicolored mane flowing despite the lack of wind. If I’d had the ability to give a damn at that moment, I’d have bowed my head to the goddess of the sun. “He seems to be in good spirits with all things considered.”

“How do you feel?” Celestia asked me. I’d never thought I’d be addressed by Celestia, let alone so casually.

“Fit as a fiddle and ready for love.” I replied with a smirk to which I thought I saw the corner of her mouth almost turn up into a smile. “If you’ll humor a stallion like me, what are you doing out with your guards?” I asked her, the pain in my broken leg shooting through it and making me wince.

“Are you in pain?” She asked me to which I barely nodded my head.

“Yes but pain is weakness leaving the body.” I said while looking her in the eyes. She seemed to smirk at my statement as we made our way outside.

“You know, with your attitude, you’d make a very good Royal Guard.” She told me as the guard carrying me placed me in an ambulance that was hooked up to two more guards.

“If I thought you’d take me, I’d just about consider it.” I told her just before the doors on the ambulance slammed shut. The medic who was inside illuminated his horn and I immediately felt all the aches and pains in my body disappear. “Hey doc? If you’re gonna do some shit, knock me out first, alright?” He nodded and his horn lit up again. I felt drowsy and yawned in response. Within moments, I was asleep.

I woke up in a hospital bed and looked over at the window that was on the wall. Outside, the moon and stars shined bright in the night sky. As I looked out the window, I heard what sounded like whimpering to my left. I looked over and in the moonlight, I could see a familiar grey unicorn stallion with a purple mane who was crying into his hooves. “Why you crying, cutie?” His head immediately shot up and his eyes took a moment to adjust. As soon as they did, he jumped up and galloped over to me. He wrapped his forelegs around my neck in a hug to which I wrapped a foreleg around him. He sniffled again and I felt his tears wetting my cheek. “Hey now, cut the waterworks. I’m fine. It’s not like I lost another leg.” I told him with a chuckle. He leaned back and looked at me, his blue eyes piercing the darkness.

“I was so afraid.” He said as he gently ran a hoof over my cheek. I cocked my head in confusion.

“Afraid of what?” I asked him.

“I was afraid I’d lost you. After they took you, I went back to the club. Whiskey called the police, the guard; anyone who she thought could help. I was so worried that I wouldn’t see you again. I love you so much but…when they took you and I couldn’t do anything, I realized just how big a part of my life you are. I realized that if I’m not with you then I’m thinking about being with you or when I sleep I dream about being with you.” He said.

“Is that why the sheets were all sticky the other night?” I asked him with a devilish grin. His face went red enough to see it in the dark which made me smile more. “Although, if I’m being honest, I might have lent a helping hoof.” Just when I thought his face couldn’t get redder, he proved me wrong. I wrapped a hoof around him and pulled him onto the bed as I scooted over. The pain in my ribs was enough to make me bite my tongue to keep from shouting but I made sure not to make a sound. Had to look tough for my handsome stallion after all. He laid his head next to mine on the pillow and I let out a sigh of contentment. “Hey Test?”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking, with how you said how much I mean to you; I was wondering if you’d ever thought about marr-“ I was cut off as the door opened and two Royal Guards entered the room. A moment later, a midnight blue alicorn walked in. Test started to move so as to get off the bed and bow but I only wrapped my foreleg around him tighter, keeping him in bed. “Your highness, it is a pleasure to meet you.” I told her as I bowed my head as much as I could. Test did the same but remained on the bed.

“Our sister has informed us of your treatment at the hooves of another one of our subjects. For what reason were you attacked?” Princess Luna asked as she sat down where Test had been a few minutes before.

“Because I’m in a relationship with another stallion.” I told her which caused her to nod her head slightly.

“Guards, please give us a moment with these stallions.” The two bat pony stallions bowed and left the room, shutting the door behind them. Luna watched the door for a second more before turning back towards us. “Mister Rhythm, we know what thou are going through.” She said, making me raise a brow in extreme confusion. “When we were but a filly, we were in love with another filly. But the love we had was taboo. We were ridiculed and treated very harshly by those who did not understand our love. But, much like you, we refused to deal with those who criticized us. We loved that mare with all our heart. But as is the curse of alicorns, I out lived her. We still recall her on many days.” She paused and let out a near inaudible sigh. “Mister Rhythm, we would like you to come work with us.” I felt my breath catch in my throat when she said that.

“Wh-what?” My brain finally seemed to reboot enough for me to think. “Work with you?” She nodded before she began to explain herself.

“Swing, my sister has placed us in charge of forming an orchestra for the Royal Guard. We have heard many wonderful things from talking with your coltfriend and your friends. We would like you to help form and lead the Royal Guard Orchestra.” My mouth felt dry and the heart monitor by my bed began beeping faster.

“I-I don’t know what to say.” I looked down at the bed and then over to Luna. “What would the job require?”

“We would like you to live in Canterlot. You will be a commissioned officer in the Royal Guard. You will not be required to pass a physical examination due to your disability but we do ask that you maintain a healthy weight.” I nodded at that and then looked over to Test who was looking at me.

“What do you think, sweetie?” Test bit his lower lip as he thought and I realized that he was definitely going to need time to think about it. “Can we have a couple days to think it over?” Luna nodded her head and stood to leave.

“Once you’ve made a decision, ask your doctor to contact us.” I nodded again as she departed and waited until she had been gone for a few seconds before turning to Test. “What do you think about it?”

“I’m not sure.” He replied as he nuzzled into my neck, all the while still biting his lip in thought. “Let’s sleep on it and discuss it more in the morning.”

“You doctor has informed us that you have made your decision.” Princess Luna said as the door to my hospital room clicked shut from the guards leaving.

“Not entirely. We have some questions before we make any kind of real decision. First off, concerning pay, how much are we talking annually?” I asked her as I wrapped a hoof around Test’s waist as he sat next to me.

“If our sister told us correctly, you would receive starting payment of seventy thousand per year.” That was far from what I’d expected for a simple job like bandleader.

“Seventy thousand?” I asked her and she nodded her head. “And you said something about housing?” She nodded again.

“We would provide you and your coltfriend with a home in Canterlot. Fully furnished and ready to move into.” I looked over to Test to see his reaction. He was looking back at me while biting his lip again.

“What do you think? I have no problems with it but I want your input. If you don’t want to leave Ponyville then we won’t. We’ll stay there and live out our lives in my apartment.” He seemed to think it over some more as I continued. “But with the kind of money that I’ll be making as bandleader, we can afford to pay the couple hundred bits a month to keep the apartment for when I decide to stop.” This really seemed to get him to thinking. He thought for a few more minutes, Luna and I waiting patiently as he did so, until he began to nod his head.

“We shall begin the paperwork then.” Luna said as she stood and left. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before Test looked back at me with and began to blush.

“What’s got you hot and bothered?” I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“I was just thinking about how hot you’re gonna look in a uniform.”

“I, Swing Rhythm, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to their Majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, their heirs and successors, according to law.” I said as I held my right hoof in the air. The dress uniform I’d been given wasn’t the best in my opinion as the collar on it felt like a boa constrictor around my neck. I lowered my right hoof as a small group of ponies applauded. I looked over to see Test sitting and clapping his hooves. His usually shaggy mane was slicked back and he looked extremely handsome in his purple dress shirt. That was one thing I did like about my uniform. With the officers’ uniforms being purple, it matched Test’s mane almost exactly. I stepped down off the small stage to hug Test before hugging the others I knew who came to see me be sworn in. While we were in Canterlot, I’d managed to talk Mrs. Ink Well into making sure our shop was safe and secure. The nice thing about being in the hospital for another week was that during my time in there, the movers Luna and Celestia had hired managed to get all our stuff moved into the house they provided us.

“I’m so proud of you, my handsome stallion.” Test said as he once again came up to hug me but this time he planted a kiss on my lips. We held the kiss for a few moments but broke it before things began to get heated. “Well since your duties don’t officially start until tomorrow, shall we go celebrate at our new home?” He asked me before leaning in and putting his mouth up to my ear. “And maybe break in the new bedroom?” He whispered, his voice filled with lust. I felt my tail almost start wagging as I thought about it.

“I’ll see y’all tomorrow!”

I smiled as I sat down at the table as Test set down a couple of plates of waffles. “So, my big, strong guard, how’re you feeling about your first day?” He asked as he poured us a couple glasses of orange juice.

“Pretty good. Celestia has rounded up several musicians who serve in the guard for me to see how they do.” I replied before taking a bite of my waffles. “I’ve looked over some of their records and they seem to all be skilled enough for what I’m looking for.”

“And what exactly are you looking for?” He asked me.

“Well, you’ll see eventually.”

“Trumpet Solo?” I said as I went down the list of ponies that would be under my command. A white unicorn stallion stepped forward and saluted. I saluted him back and returned to the list. “And finally, Drum Cadence?” A dark grey bat pony mare stepped forward and saluted me, I saluting back at her in turn. “Alright, I want four columns of five!” I called out and they all quickly got into the columns with their instruments. “Alright, I want you to play me whatever is on page thirteen of your songbooks.” I told them and they all began playing an old marching tune.

I quickly stopped them and they looked at me with raised eyebrows. “What in Tartarus kind of music was that? We can do better than that!”

“But sir,” Drum Cadence started as she stepped to her left to be able to see me “the Royal Guard has been marching to music like that for the last two hundred years.”

“Then we’ll play it, but expect to learn some other songs.” I opened up the left breast pocket on my uniform and pulled out some folded up pieces of sheet music. “I want you all to learn these songs.” I passed out the sheet music for each instrument and everypony quickly began looking them over. “And when we play during the review at the end of the week, I expect you to know some of these, understood?” They all snapped to attention and saluted me.

“Yes, sir!”

12: Playing the Blues

“We’re gonna run through it again and again until we get it right! Am I clear?” I shouted as I paced in front of the band. We were in the palace gardens, an area that was much easier to focus in than the parade grounds. The moon was high in the sky and the castle clock tower chimed to tell all of Canterlot that midnight was upon them.

“Yes sir.” They all groaned out.

“Once more!” They all began playing again a few moments later, my right forehoof waving through the air as I conducted. As the band played, a smile crossed my face. It took them awhile, but they’d finally gotten it.

I sighed tiredly as I hung my helmet on the rack by the door. While I’d tried to be quiet when I shut the door, I apparently wasn’t quiet enough as I could hear hoofsteps in the hallway. “Rhythm? Is that you?” Test asked as he rubbed his eyes with a hoof, sleep still in his voice.

“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s me.” I told him as I removed the rest of my armor. Why a bandleader would need armor was beyond me but it was regulation and I’d need to get used to conducting in it.

“What kept you so late? It’s twelve thirty.” He turned on the living room light as we sat down on the couch together.

“The band.” I told him as I took the bottle of cider that his magic had levitated from the fridge. I opened up the bottle and took a swig of it, the drink a nice way to end the day.

“Honey, I know that you want it to be perfect but don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard with it? You were there from seven in the morning until midnight.” He said as I swallowed the cider in my mouth.

“Well it’s my job and if I’m going to do a job, I’m going to do it perfectly.” I told him, my voice taking on an aggravated tone. “I know with science that accidents and mishaps can lead to new things but one little mistake during a performance can make or break a band. If I don’t get it perfect then we could lose everything we’ve got now!” I shouted as I stood up and chucked the bottle at the wall. The bottle shattered against the brick and cider showered down onto the carpet. Usually my temper was well in check but with the stress that the new job had me under, it’d fractured the shell that kept it from bubbling over. And now it was on full display for Test to see. “If I buck this up then it’s back to Ponyville with our tail between our legs like a whipped pup! It’s back to instant noodles and dandelion sandwiches! I know that you don’t get it but I don’t want to go back to that!” I shouted as I turned around, only to feel my heart sink as Test sat on the couch wrapping himself up in his robe and tears streaming down his face.

“Oh Celestia. Test, I-“ I stepped forward and reached a hoof out towards him but he flinched and tried to scoot away from me. “I’m sorry, Test. I’ll just- I’ll just go. I’m sorry.” I headed over towards the door and I was about to grab the handle when I heard a faint voice behind me.

“Wait.” The voice said just loud enough for me to hear. I turned my head to see Test standing behind me. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know how much pressure you were under.” At hearing his words, I quickly spun around and pulled him into a hug.

“No. You don’t apologize. You have no reason to apologize. I was the one who flipped out.” I told him as I gently ran a hoof through his mane. A couple tears made their way down my cheeks as my guilt really set in. “I’m so sorry, Test. I’m sorry I lost my temper. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for not being home sooner. I’m sorry for-“ A pair of lips on mine shut me up and I quickly melted into the kiss. There was always something about Test’s kisses that made me go weak in the knees like a newborn foal. He broke the kiss and wiped away the tears on my cheeks.

“Now quit your crying and come to bed. It’s cold without you.”

“So, you don’t hate me?” I asked him which made him chuckle at me.

“Of course not. I’ve told you that we all have bad days. I guess I was just caught off guard. Now come on, let’s get to bed. You need all the rest you can get.” He told me as he booped me on the snout with his hoof.

“Lieutenant, we’ve had some anonymous complaints about how hard you’re being on the band.” Major Broadsword said from behind his desk. Rather than the usual guard armor, I stood at attention in a white uniform jacket with purple trim. “Reports said you had the band practicing from seven yesterday morning until midnight.”

“Yes, sir; that’s true.” I replied in a monotone voice as he stood up and walked around his desk. The white stallion stopped in front of me and looked me in the eyes.

“Do you care to explain your behavior?” The Major asked me.

“Sir, I expect nothing but perfection from those under my command. From Manehattan to Applewood, they are the only band in all of the Royal Guard. They are representing the Guard and all that it is, sir. Anything but perfection is not tolerated by myself and it should not be tolerated by those who are above me either.” I told him without breaking eye contact. He continued to stare at me for a few seconds before a small grin appeared on his face.

“By Celestia, you might just make a good Guard commander yet.” The Major said as he returned to the cushion behind his desk. “Well, I have to order you not to do it again. I have no issues with what you’re doing but the order is coming from the higher ups. Just, don’t do it again.” I nodded and turned to leave but stopped when the Major spoke up. "And son," I turned my head to look at the stallion behind the desk. "try to keep your shouting to a minimum. You'll loose your voice that way." I nodded again before I stepped out into the corridor that served as the main offices for the Royal Guard. Several ponies walked past, large stacks of paper or folders held in their magic, and I looked around to find the door to leave the way I'd come in. Before I could leave however, all action in the corridor ceased and everypony snapped to attention. I followed suit but didn't know why we were at attention until I stole a quick glance to my left. There, walking casually down the corridor was a pink alicorn mare and a white stallion in a red Royal Guard uniform. Even somepony who was a bit of a hermit like me knew of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. They'd defeated the changelings at their wedding and sent them from Equestria, hopefully never to return. As they made their way in my direction, they would stop and exchange a few words with each guard before moving on to the next one. Finally, they'd reached the guard who stood to my left. I heard them say a quick goodbye and a moment later, they stood before me. I quickly bowed before them, earning a small chuckle from Shining Armor.

"You must be new here." He said, making me look up at him as he waved his hoof for me to rise. "No one here bows to Cadence or I. They're all old friends in a way." As I looked on, I quickly felt the tips of my ears start heating up as I watched him. Though, being in the presence of the Princess of Love, I quickly quashed any thoughts I had about her husband. "So, Lieutenant, what's your name?"

"Swing Rhythm, sir." I replied, sticking to the standard short answer that was expected of me.

"And what is your job?" Cadence asked me, the first time she'd spoke while they were in front of me.

"I'm the current leader of the Royal Guard Orchestra." I told them. Shining raised an eyebrow at that and then began questioning me further.

"When did the Guard get an orchestra?" Shining asked as they slowly began walking away, causing me to walk with them to explain.

"It was organized about a week ago." I said as they shook the hoof of the next guard.

"Is it any good?" Shining questioned as we moved onto the next guard.

"I would like to say 'yes', sir. But I fear that may look somewhat cocky on my part as the bandleader." I replied, making Shining chuckle a bit at that.

"Well, I must admire your neutrality on your command, Lieutenant. There're quite a few who would be quick to brag about those under their command." He told me as we reached the end of the guards in the corridor. "You posses a trait many could stand to learn."

"Well sir, I've just learned not to set expectations you may not be able to keep." I said while I continued to follow them.

"What kind of music can they play?" Cadence asked, me as we passed through a pair of double doors and out into the palace garden.

"Well mostly marches but we've been working on other kinds. They seem to have a few ballads and foxtrots down. If they have sheet music, they can play everything from classical to swing." I told her which made her clap her forehoves with glee.

"Could you possibly play a couple songs at a small dinner event we're hosting after the review on Friday?" She asked me which then made me look at her.

"I don't see why not." I replied with a smile.

The midday sun beat down on us as myself and the other unit commanders stood on either side of the reviewing platform. On the platform stood Prince Shining Armor and Princesses Cadence, Celestia, and Luna who all watched the platoons marching by. I felt like I was roasting in my armor but with it being a review, there was no way I could get away with even just removing my helmet. Sweat dripped down my face and stung my eyes when it would drip into them. On the opposite side of the platoons from us stood the band, playing a traditional march. As they played, I glanced up at the royals standing on the platform. All of them, even Shining Armor, looked bored with it. And then an idea hit me. It was idiotic for somepony who'd only been in the Guard a couple weeks but it seemed necessary at the time. I waited until there was a gap between platoons and then I galloped through the reviewing column. I stopped in front of the band and raised a hoof to get their attention on me. "Come on, we can to do better than this for the Princesses." I told them and I began waving my hoof, making the drummer begin giving a beat that the band recognized as one of the songs they'd learned but now it was just in the form of a march. They smiled as I later learned that it was their favorite song to play.

I stole a quick glance behind me and saw Major Broadsword look over worriedly at the royals standing on the platform before looking back to me with steam practically coming out his ears. I turned back to the band with a roll of my eyes. I knew I'd catch major flak over it (no pun intended) but another quick glance back relieved that the Guards, who normally had the resting scowls on their faces, instead had hints of grins.

"Unbelievable! An officer, deliberately running through a reviewing column! I should have you court marshaled for this, Lieutenant!" Major Broadsword said as he sat behind his desk. His normally white face was taking on a red color as he stood up and placed a hoof on his desk. "And another thing!" There was a quick knock at the door before it opened. The Major looked up to begin a verbal assault on whoever had interrupted him but quickly snapped to attention and saluted. Shining Armor saluted him back before turning to me.

"Well Lieutenant, I should applaud you." He said, earning a raised eyebrow from Major Broadsword. "Giving the Guards music they like. Good moral boost." Shining Armor told me as he extended a hoof for me to shake. I shook his hoof and I could see the Major looking like he was ready to blow his top yet again. "I trust the you will be at the dinner party Cadence and I are hosting tonight?" He asked me as I glanced over at the stewing Major yet again. I looked back to Shining Armor with a grin.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I can't believe that we're attending a dinner party at the Royal Palace!" Test exclaimed with joy as we walked along the streets of Canterlot. He was in a black tuxedo with a purple bow tie while I wore my purple dress uniform. On the collar, rather than the traditional Guard insignia, was a golden lyre which shined in the light of the setting sun.

"It's just a dinner party. I honestly wouldn't have accepted the offer if it wasn't royalty who invited us." I told him as we entered the palace grounds. We walked through the main entry doors and stopped at the back of a line leading up the steps. At the top stood Shining Armor and Princess Cadence who were thanking the ponies ahead of us for coming to their party. Finally, it was our turn to step up to the royal couple. Rather than bowing like everpony else before us, I shook Shining's hoof before taking Cadence's and giving it a quick kiss. "Pleasure to see both of you again." I said with a smile as Test bowed his head to them.

"Likewise." Cadence said before turning her attention to Test. "And who might this be?"

"This is my coltfriend, Test Tube." I replied as I turned to him.

"It's a p-pleasure to meet you." He stuttered out, clearly nervous about being face to face with royalty.

"Don't be so nervous, sweetie." I told him as I put a hoof on his shoulder. "He's a bit nervous around new ponies." I told them with a small smile.

"Well we'll let you get inside then. Enjoy yourselves." Cadence said with a smile at us which we returned before entering the palace ballroom. The ballroom was the same one that was used for the Grand Galloping Gala but it was far less crowded than it would've been during the gala. That's not to say that it was a small crowd in there. No, there were easily three hundred ponies in the room and there were more who had yet to arrive.

"Tell you what, you go find us a table and I'll get us some drinks, alright?" Test nodded at my idea and broke away from me to find a table. I made my over to the bar at the back of the ballroom where I saw a very familiar looking light brown unicorn mare. "Hey babe, you fool around on the first date?" I asked as I stepped up to the bar. The mare turned with a small scowl which turned into a smile that threatened to split her face in two.

"Rhythm, it's so good to see you!" She said as she made her way around the bar to give me a hug. "Where in tartarus have you been? Don't you know how to drop by or write?" She asked as she broke the hug to look at me. "Whatever you want, it's on the house."

"Just give me a couple martinis. Shaken, not stirred." I told her as I leaned against the bar. She set about getting the drinks made as she continued with the conversation.

"So how's the Guard treating you? You look good in your uniform." She said as she shook up the drinks.

"It's pretty nice. Fairly easy job and no physical exam every year like everypony else." I replied as she poured the drinks into a couple glasses.

"Well it sounds nice. About as easy as my job." She told me while sliding the drinks to me. "How's Test doing?"

"He's doing alright. He had an interview at the University of Canterlot's science department so hopefully he'll get the job. I feel bad for leaving him alone in the house all day." I told her as I took a sip of my martini.

"Get him a puppy. Isn't that what you're supposed to do in situations like that?" She asked as she set about wiping some glasses.

"I'm not sure but it's definitely worth considering. I'll probably see you later, Whiskey." I said while grabbing the drinks. Trotting into the crowd, I looked around and saw Test sitting at a table in the corner where a grey stallion sat next to him. I raised an eyebrow as I saw Test was blushing as the other stallion talked to him. "What's going on here?" I asked, setting the glasses down in the process.

"Well hello, cutie. What's your name?" The grey stallion asked as he lowered his purple tinted glasses to look over them at me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I told him while looking over at Test. "Is he bothering you, sweetie?" Test shook his head as a hoof was placed on my shoulder. I turned to see a white stallion with a blue mane and mustache looking at me apologetically.

"I do apologize for my friend's behavior. He has a thing for Guards." The stallion said as he removed his hoof from my shoulder. "By the way, the name is Fancy Pants."

"Swing Rhythm." I replied as I then turned my attention back to the grey stallion who was now eyeing me like a tiger might before it pounces on its prey.

"I have a pretty good idea of what you're after bud and if you're looking for a pitcher, I'm the wrong stallion." I told him with a deadpan look. He seemed to slump a little at that but looked over at Test.

"Figures that it's always the quiet, shy ones who dish it out." He looked back over at me and eyed me over one more time. "And apparently pretty rough too." This brought about another round of blushing on Test's part. Fancy Pants quickly made his way over to the other stallion.

"Alright, Hoity; let's go to the bar. I think I saw some Guards there you can hit on." Fancy said as he almost dragged the grey stallion away. I shook my head and sat down across from Test who was now sipping his drink.

"I leave you alone for two minutes and you've got stallions falling all over you." I told him with a playful grin. He blushed again while I took a sip from my drink. "I should envy you. I never had such luck when I was single." Just as I was about to take another sip, the sound of trumpets blaring the call to attention made me stand up from my seat and stand stock still.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, their Majesties, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" A voice called out, causing everypony to turn towards the ballroom entrance and bow. After a few moments, a voice that sounded like Celestia's called for everypony to rise. I returned to my drink as the Princesses made their way around the room to talk to everypony. After quite a few minutes of conversation with Test as well as a refill of our drinks, I saw his face go serious as a hoof was placed on my shoulder for the second time that night. Turning my head to look, I saw a midnight blue hoof in a metal slipper. Following the leg up to its owner, I saw Princess Luna standing over me and I cracked a small grin. "Evening, Princess. Wanna get drunk?"

13: Dissonance

"Mond Brücke fällt unten , unten fallen ; Mond Brücke fällt unten , meine Schöne freifrau!" Luna and I's drunken singing echoed through the ballroom. And as much as I was loving having a drinking buddy in Princess Luna, it was time to go home as evidenced by the tugging on my tunic sleeve. I looked over and saw Test looking at me before he pointed out the window at the clock tower. I looked out and saw that it was only a few minutes from midnight. Recently, I said my goodbyes to Princess Luna and stumbled my way out of the palace next to Test. We had made it about halfway home when I began leaning on him; both for stabilization and because I knew it would make him blush. "Test, I love you." I said as I put a hoof on his chest to stop him. He turned to look at me and I quickly wrapped my forelegs around the most handsome stallion in the world.

I slowly opened my eyes and immediately regretted it as the sunlight from the bedroom window hit my eyes. My head pounded like a drum set and I found that the bedding was completely askew. Well, the room didn't smell of sex and my ass wasn't sore so I hadn't gotten lucky. Damn. Carefully, I rolled out of bed and walked over to the door where the smell of coffee and pancakes emanated from the kitchen. I made my way down the hallway where Test Tube stood in a plaid robe as a pot of coffee sat brewing and a plate of fresh pancakes was set on the table. "Morning." I said as I sat down at the table. "I can't remember a lick of what happened after me and the Princess started drinking. Can you fill me in?" He set a cup of coffee down for me as he sat down across the table.

"Well, let's see. There was Luna daring you to dance without your prosthetic, which you did surprisingly well. Then there was you two singing Lunar Bridge in Germane, you having to lean on me to walk home, you asking me to marry you just before you puked on my back, you trying to get fresh after we got home, and-"

"Hold up, let's back up a bit. I did what?" I asked him as I set my coffee cup down.

"You sang Lunar Bridge with Princess Luna. It was actually pretty funny." He replied as he sipped his own coffee.

"No, after that. The 'proposing' thing." I told him to which he nodded.

"Yeah, you hugged me last night and while you did you asked me to marry you. Then you threw up on my back, passed out, I had to carry you home, and when I put you into bed you tried getting frisky." Test said casually as if it were an everyday occurrence.

“And?” I asked with a raised eyebrow as he sipped his coffee. “You’re just going to let that go? Like nothing?”

“You were drunk off your ass. What else do you expect me to do?” He asked me as he set his coffee down. “Besides, we’ve only been together for a little over two months. It’s a bit early to be thinking about that. Ask me again after we hit six or seven months.” I began to take a drink of my coffee when he spoke up again. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my sister is dropping off her kids today for us watch them.” Needless to say, I spit out my coffee.

I sat in my chair and looked over at the three young ponies who sat on our couch staring back at me. There were two colts, identical in every respect except for their cutie marks which, even then, were still very similar. Then there was the filly. She sat silently while hugging her teddy bear to her chest. She seemed to be trying to make herself look smaller while the two boys had their chests stuck out trying to look bigger. “How long are you here?” I asked them in a monotone voice, Test had said I couldn’t scare them after all.

“Two weeks.” The colt on the right answered. Oh sweet Celestia, it was going to be a long two weeks.

“And what’re your names?” If I was going to be stuck with the little snot covered brats, I might as well know their names.

“I’m Golden Shield.” The one colt replied.

“I’m Bronze Shield.” His brother replied. Clearly they were going to be Guards one day.

“I’m Lilac.” The filly said, her voice barely audible as she hid behind her teddy bear.

“Well, I hope you three don’t mind sharing a room because we’ve only got the one guest room.” I told them to which Golden Shield nodded his head.

“Uncle Test already told us that.” He replied. It seemed as though that kid was having a staring contest with me as we continued to look at each other. “So you’re a Royal Guard?”

“Yep.” I told him while still having the undeclared stare off.

“What do you do in the Guard?" Golden Shield asked me.

"I'm a bandleader." I told him, still using a monotone voice.

"Do you know the Princesses?" Bronze Shield asked me, leaning forward with curiosity.

“I do as a matter of fact.” I told them which got a “wow” from the colts and made Lilac somewhat come out from behind her teddy bear. “In fact, I would consider Princess Luna to be a friend of mine.”

“Can we meet her?”

“Hey, Luna, you home?” I called out as I cracked open the door to Luna’s chambers. Despite it being my day off, I figured that if I could bring the kids here then maybe they would be well behaved for me. I glanced up and raised an eyebrow as I saw Luna hanging from the rafters by her tail. She opened her eyes and looked down at me with a smile.

“Ah, Lieutenant, what a lovely surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” She inquired as she continued looking down at me from the ceiling.

“I have a few guests who’d like to meet you. Also, if I may ask, why in Tartarus are you hanging from the ceiling?”

“This is our usual form of meditation. It helps us to unwind from the stresses of the night court.” She replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “Now, who is it that you wish us to meet?” I pushed open the door to step inside and reveal the three kids standing behind me. Luna gasped as she spread her wings and glided over to the door. She scooped all three of them up into her forelegs to pull them into a hug. “They’re so cute!” Luna squeed as she squeezed the kids.

Golden Shield smiled as he nuzzled his head into Luna’s chest fluff. “So soft.” He said with a smile as he practically rubbed his head against the mixture of fur and down. Luna looked down at the colt and then back up at me.

“It appears this one rather likes us.” She said with a smile which got Golden to stop and begin blushing as he pulled his head away. Luna set the kids down and they quickly bowed to her. “Please, don’t bow to us. We are in our private chambers so we are just another pony like you or Mister Rhythm.” The kids quickly got up after hearing this and we followed Luna over to a couple couches that sat in front of a window. “Please, have a seat.” We sat down on the couches and looked out at the spectacular view of Canterlot. “So have you and Test decided to adopt?” Luna asked which made me almost burst out laughing.

“No, no; these are Test’s niece and nephews.” I told her with a smile. “This is Golden Shield, Bronze Shield, and Lilac.” I said while pointing a hoof to each kid as I listed off their names. “They’re staying with us for a couple weeks while their mom is in Applewood on business.”

“What does your mother do?” Luna asked while turning her attention back to the kids.

“She works with singers.” Lilac said with a smile.

“Really? We rather like this new music. Far different than when we were banished.” The Princess said with a smile. “What kind of music do you like?”

“I like ballet music!” The little filly replied excitedly before Luna turned her attention to Golden.

“I like rock.” He told her with a huge smile. Man, that kid really liked Luna didn’t he? It was then that Luna turned her attention to Bronze who was shifting uncomfortably.

“I like love songs.” Bronze said in a quiet and squeaky voice that sounded as if he was about to cry of embarrassment. Luna let out an ‘aww’ and scooped up Bronze into a hug which took him by surprise. He sniffled a little as Luna squeezed him.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed little one. It’s alright for you to like love songs. In fact, we ourselves are fond of them.” This seemed to get his attention as he looked up at her.

“Really? It’s alright for me to like them?” Bronze asked her, his eyes watching her for even the slightest hint of a lie.

“Of course. In today’s society, a pony can enjoy whatever they like as long as it doesn’t do harm to somepony.” He nodded in understanding as Luna turned her attention to all three of them rather than just him. “Now, let’s have some fun!”

The kids all jumped and talked excitedly as we walked through the front door of the house. We’d spent most of the day at the palace, much to the enjoyment of the kids, but it clearly took a strain on Test based on how he looked when we walked in. “Where have you four been? I’ve been worried sick!” We all stopped and lowered our heads like scolded dogs as he trotted over in front of us. “Not even a note saying where you’d gone.”

“Sorry, Uncle Test. We were at the palace with Princess Luna.” Bronze replied which made Test stop and raise his eyebrows in surprise.

“Oh. Well…leave a note or something next time.” He said before turning around for the kitchen. “We’re having fettuccine for dinner. Is that alright?”

“Yeah.” The kids and I all replied in unison as we went into the open hallway between the kitchen and the living room. After spending a day with them, the kids weren’t all bad. Before they’d arrived, I’d expected them to still be at the age where they’re shitting all over themselves. But, they were actually pretty good. The boys were at the age where they were starting to lose their baby teeth which proved great for Luna and I. We’d managed to show them how to stick a straw in the gaps and get spot on spitball accuracy. Although that would likely come back to bite me in the ass as most of our targets had been my fellow Guards. We’d also had some fun at the expense of Celestia which thankfully Luna claimed responsibility for. “Alright kids, go get washed up for dinner. I need to talk to your uncle.” I told them and they obeyed without protest. Slowly, I made my way into the kitchen where Test was standing by the stove, still in his suit for work. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“So you know how I got that job at the university?” He asked, turning his head to look at me. I nodded that I did and he sighed before continuing. “Well I was in the science lab and some things happened. It’s nothing really, I’m sure it was just an accident.”

“What happened?” I asked, my voice becoming cold at the many ideas running through my head.

“You know how I’ve mentioned the other lab assistant and how he hasn’t exactly been friendly towards me because I’m gay?”

“I knew he was a prick but I didn’t know it was because you’re gay.” I said as he levitated over some pasta noodles and put them into a pot of boiling water.

“Yeah. Anyways, we were in the lab today, and I’m sure it was just an accident, but he spilled some acid and it got on me.” He replied while using his magic to lift up his shirt and jacket on his left side to reveal a bandage that covered up a hairless and burned spot. My blood ran cold at the sight. This act could not go unpunished.

I topped off my glass of brandy as the sound of a fire crackled behind me, the view of the midnight sky out the window a relaxing sight. Then, mixed in with the popping of flames, was the groan of a pony waking up. “I do hope you’ve had a good rest, Mister Beaker.” I said with a wicked smile as I turned around to see a blue stallion tied to a chair with a rag stuffed in his mouth. Honestly, how did he expect ponies to not get in his house with such an appallingly simple security system? His brown eyes watched me closely as I set my glass down on the coffee table. “I understand you have an issue with homosexuals?” I questioned to which he nodded his head. “I’m also assuming that the acid that you ‘accidentally’ spilled on my coltfriend wasn’t actually an accident?” He remained motionless and stared at me, his eyes appearing cold and emotionless. “Just as I thought. Well I’m here to tell you that your action can’t go unpunished; and I’m here to deliver that punishment myself.” On the coffee table set a record player with a 78 record on it. “I hope you don’t mind if I play some music. I find it really helps me focus.” I set the needle on the record and the soundtrack straight from a nightmare filled the room.

“Now, you burned my coltfirend,” Trotting over to the fireplace, I used a long pair of grabbers to pull out a roofing nail that glowed cherry red “so I’m going to burn you.” It was then that his eyes widened and he began struggling to escape his restraints. An evil smile returned to my face as I held the grippers with one hoof and grabbed a nearby hammer with the other. The nail was placed up near the frog of his left forehoof and I raised the hammer up. Bringing it down, I drove the nail forward and straight into his hoof, earning a muffled scream of agony from the stallion. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he watched me back up and set the hammer aside. I went back to the fireplace only to pull out another nail that glowed red. “You burn others, and life will burn you back. Have you ever heard of karma, Mister Beaker?” I turned around so that he could see the red hot nail. “I rather like the idea. Though, I like to take it just one step farther.” My left hoof held the grippers as my right hoof picked up the hammer again. This nail was for his right forehoof now. He seemed to realize this and attempted to pull his hoof out of its restraint but it was all in vain. Another muffled scream of anguish came from him as I drove the nail home.

I sat in my chair reading the afternoon paper when the front door opened up. I leaned to the right in my seat to see Test removing his suit jacket and setting it on the rack by the door. The kids, who were playing on the floor, smiled and said high to Test. “You’ll never guess what happened. I guess Beaker called in his resignation today. No explanation or anything. He just said that he’s resigning and then hung up.” Test said as he stood by the couch.

“That is rather odd. Wonder what could’ve driven him to do that?” I said aloud, calm on the outside but smirking inwardly.

“Who knows but that means I’m now the only lab assistant so I got a pay raise.” He told me with a smile as he removed his tie and dress shirt. “So in honor of this, we’re going out for dinner.” This got a cheer from the kids and a smirk from me.

“Sounds like a lovely idea”

14: Modulation

“Mister Swing, may we have a word with you?” I lowered my baton, causing the band to stop playing, and turned around to see Princess Luna standing there. I quickly bowed to her, though her tone indicated that she was not at all pleased. She indicated for me to rise and to follow her. As I followed her through the halls of the palace, not a word was spoken by either of us. Finally, we arrived at her chambers where she led me inside. “Lieutenant, we’d like to have a word about your actions the other night.” This got a raised eyebrow from me as her magic locked the doors to her chambers. “You know, such brutality has not been seen since the days of your grandfather and the Zebrica Conflict. Not even the zebras drove hot nails into the hooves of their enemies.” I suddenly felt my stomach twist as she seemed to tower in front of me. “Would you care to explain your actions? Or if you like, we can skip the formalities and we can just have you thrown in the palace dungeon immediately.” I swallowed hard. I’d seen the dungeons and they made Alcoltraz Prison look like a resort.

“Your highness, I should like a chance to explain my actions.” She sat down and waved a hoof for me to begin. “Your highness, I acted out in retaliation for actions committed against my coltfriend, Test Tube. Mister Beaker had intentionally spilled acid onto Test Tube, causing injury and potential disfigurement to his skin. Mister Beaker did so simply because of my coltfriend being homosexual. Test had not made any threatening action towards Mister Beaker so the attack was unwarranted and completely out of malice towards his sexual preferences.” Luna’s expression remained that of anger but her eyes seemed to show that her anger was starting to somewhat dissipate as I explained my actions. “Your highness, you should also realize that as a Guard, we have sworn to protect not just yourself and your sister, but the citizens of Equestria as well. I have also sworn to myself that I will not let anypony, regardless of who they are. And while I should have turned the case into the proper authorities, I instead made the foolish move of playing judge, jury, and executioner. I am willing to accept whatever punishment you have deemed fit for me but I do hope that you will take my motive into consideration.” I told her as I kneeled before her.

Luna stood silent for almost a full minute before she began to speak. “Mister Rhythm, while we are appalled at your actions, we do understand the motive. You will be stripped of your rank and demoted to private. You should consider yourself lucky that we consider you a friend of ours. We’ll be sure to keep this all under wraps and create a cover story for your demotion. Dismissed.” I thanked her before leaving her chambers. Once I was out into the corridor, I breathed a sigh of relief. They say it pays to have friends in high places; and certainly if that friend co-holds the highest position in the nation. And considering I could’ve been imprisoned for life and even tortured for my actions, a demotion was but a slap on the hoof. You see, one of the few things I keep hidden from the world is that, as a colt, I was declared a sociopath. Now, don’t get that confused with a psychopath because they’re actually two different things. A psychopath will kill you and feel nothing while a sociopath will know what they’re doing is wrong and not care. You can pass one of us on the street or talk with us at a party and you would never know. We can be introverted or extremely charismatic and outgoing. We don’t usually care for other ponies, but when we do, we will go so far as to kill anypony who hurts them. I knew that was no excuse for my actions, but in my mind what I’d done was fair retaliation. Though, I honestly don’t believe I’m a sociopath if you want the truth. I think it was a misdiagnosis.

“Swing!” I turned and looked to see Drum Cadence, one of the band members, galloping towards me. “What did the Princess want?” She asked me as she skidded to a stop on my left side.

“Oh. Well, she demoted me to private. Other than that, not much.” I replied and began trotting again as if it was nothing of significance.

“Wait, you got knocked down to private?!” She shouted as she jumped in front of me.

“Yes. Do you mind? I kind of want to go home now.” Stepping around her, I removed my uniform tunic and dropped it to the floor before making my way out of the palace. The walk home was silent, most ponies in Canterlot still being at work that time of afternoon. When I got home, I sat down in my chair and watched the clock on the mantle of the fireplace. With my attention focused on the clock and its rhythmic ticking, I didn’t even notice the kids arrive after school or even when Test arrived home from work. My attention was only broken away from the clock when I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Test standing by my chair with a worried look on his face.

“Are you alright?” He asked me. I thought for a moment before nodding my head and standing up.

“Just tired. I’m going to bed.” I told him with a weak smile.

“Bed? It’s only six.” Now he seemed really worried.

“Just a long day at work. Lot of stuff on my mind.” I replied as I made my way to the bedroom, Test following me close behind.

“Like what?” Test questioned as he shut the bedroom door behind us, both of us sitting down on the bed.

“Before I say anything, do you swear that you won’t get mad?” He nodded yes but before I continued, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Does it have anything to do with why Beaker resigned?” I nodded, my guilt taking full hold. “What did you do?”

“I sorta tied him up and drove hot nails into his forehooves.” My confession didn’t go without a reaction and Test scrunched up his face a little.

“I suppose it’s not the worst thing you could’ve done. I mean, it’s not like you killed him and baked his flesh into cupcakes or something.” I was surprised he was so calm. “But that’s still not the proper response. My pain will pass and the scar will be covered; but he may well not be able to walk normal again.” Tears stung my eyes as I thought about what I’d done. “Now look, while it’s not what you should’ve done, you feel sorry for it don’t you?” I nodded that I did, though somewhere in the back of my mind, a tiny part of me still tried to say he’d deserved it. “Good. There’s nothing you can do about it now though is there?” Shaking my head, I looked up at him as he pulled me into a hug. “Now, I’m not saying that what you did was the right thing. No, I’m not saying that at all but by Celestia; you did what I was half tempted to do myself. Now, is there anything else that needs discussion?” He asked me.

“I’m going to resign my post tomorrow.” I stated as I leaned back and out of his embrace. “I’ve been knocked down to private. Princess Luna found out about my actions. She nearly threw me in the palace dungeons, which quite honestly, I don’t deserve any less.” Hopping down from the bed, I began pacing as I typically do during times of stress. “I’ve been disgraced. My honor has been stained and it has been at my own hoof. Perhaps I should volunteer for the infantry branch of the Guard. Might get some of my honor back.”

“Swing.” I stopped where I was as it was rare for Test to use my first name. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I mean, yes you were demoted and you may be somewhat disgraced but are you certain that this is the right course of action?”

“Resigning?” Luna asked as I stood at attention in front of the desk in her small palace office. I nodded that it was correct, the letter in front of her being physical evidence of it. “Well, we must say that we am slightly surprised, Mister Rhythm. And you want infantry? That assignment can land you anywhere in Equestria. Not to mention it’d require quite a bit of moving around from base to base. If you’d rather, we can get you on our staff here at the palace. Far nicer job and wouldn’t mean moving around.”

“You would put me on your staff to keep me from moving?” I asked her as she got up and walked around to lean back on the front of the desk.

“Tartarus no! We’re doing this for Test!” She told me with a smile which got me to grin a little. “Honestly, you seem to be one of the few ponies besides our sister that just treats us as another pony and not a princess. It is a welcomed change.”

“Well, the way I see it, we’re all going to die at some point and then we’re all equal so why should it be any different when we’re all living? As for the job on your staff, I will be pleased to join. However, I should like to choose the officer who will be taking over my post as bandleader.”

“Here are the reports from the Las Pegasus Lunar Guard that you requested.” I said as I set a black folder on Luna’s desk. It’d been three weeks since I’d started on her staff, which thankfully came with a promotion from private to corporal.

“Thank you, corporal. We’ll look those over.” I bowed my head and was about to leave when Luna stopped me. “Also, Corporal Drum Cadence has been asking for you. She didn’t say why though.”

“Thank you, your highness. I’ll track her down.” I walked out of her office, shutting the door behind me, and went back over to my desk which was right in front of Luna’s office. Nice thing about the job of clerk, you can come and go as you please and just say it’s ‘official business’. I stuck a post-it note to my desk saying I would be back later and began wandering the corridors of the palace looking for Drum Cadence. Finally, I found her in the mess hall for the Lunar Guards. “Cadence.” She looked up and smiled at me. With a wave of her hoof, she invited me to sit across from her at the lunch table. “So, you were looking for me?”

“Yeah, I was.” Her dark grey fur began to take on a red tint as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ve heard rumors about her highness and I was hoping that you, being her friend and all, would be able to answer them for me?”

“I’ll try to but keep in mind that I need to respect the Princess’s privacy as well.” I told her as I loosened my black tie and undid the top button on my midnight blue shirt.

“Alright well, um…I’ve heard that her highness has been in relationships with mares.” Her ears folded back against her head and her leathery wings fluttered a bit as she shifted in her spot. “And, if that’s true…could you maybe see about my chances about a date with her?” I was surprised to say the least. The mare, who when she was under my command, had never showed any signs of being interested in other mares.

“I didn’t know you swing that way, Cady.” I replied.

“Homosexuality is still highly frowned upon in bat pony culture. I know my parents are proud that I’m in the Lunar Guard and that I’m serving the Princess of the Night. But if they found out I’m into mares; I’d not only be disowned but very likely be attacked for it.” Her face took on a depressed expression as she explained it to me.

“Well look, your secret is safe with me. As for the Princess, I can’t say anything on the matter but I’ll be in touch with you.” Standing up, I nodded to her before trotting back up to Luna’s office. The door to the office was ajar which prompted me to go over and knock on the doorframe. “Your highness, may I speak with you?”

“Of course, Swing. Our door is always open for you.” Luna’s voice said as I stepped inside her office. “What would you like to speak we us about?”

“Heh, well, it’s rather awkward. I found Drum Cadence.” I told her while I took a seat in front of her desk.

“Ah, yes. Did you find out what she wished to discuss?”

“Yes actually. She wished to discuss you.” I replied while shifting on the cushion. “She wished to discuss the possibility of her getting a date with you.” This made Luna freeze, the quill in her magic coming to a stop and a bit of ink beginning to pool where the quill met the paper. Slowly, her eyes began to look up at me over her reading glasses. Her magic released the quill and took hold of her glasses. She set her glasses aside on the desk and fully turned her attention to me.

“A date? Corporal Drum Cadence wishes to have a date with us?” I nodded that she was correct which then got a reaction from Luna I’d never expected to see. She blushed. “Swing, could you perhaps page Corporal Cadence and get her up here?” I nodded that I would, a sly smirk crossing my face as I walked out to my desk. I pressed the button for the magic PA system.

"Will Corporal Drum Cadence please report to Her Majesty Princess Luna's office?" Removing my hoof from the button, I stuck my head into Luna's office. "You want me to make some dinner reservations for you two?"

"Not yet. we'd like to speak with her first." Luna replied as she removed her crown, making her look less royal and more dorky with just her glasses. I nodded and returned to my desk to fill out some paperwork until I heard the door to the small reception area open. Looking up, I saw Drum Cadence standing there nervously as she looked at the door to Luna's office. "Go right in. She's expecting you." She began to advance but I stopped her just short of the door. "Also, don't bow. It'll just make her feel awkward." She nodded to me and stepped into Luna's office, shutting the door behind her. When I heard the door lock, I immediately hurried over and placed my ear to the door. As I stood there listening to the conversation on the other side, I didn't notice somepony enter the reception room until Celestia's face was directly in front of mine. She gave a quick 'shh' as she pressed her ear to the door as well. We both listened in on Luna and Drum Cadence's conversation; a corporal and a princess standing there like kids listening to see where their parents hid the Hearths Warming gifts. It wasn't long before we heard the lock click and we both quickly hurried away from the door while trying to act natural.

"Were you two listening in on our conversation?" Luna asked as her and Drum stepped out of the office. Celestia and I shook our heads innocently but Luna clearly didn't believe us as she walked Drum out into the corridor. A minute later she returned and Celestia looked at her with a huge smile.

"So where're you taking her for dinner?" Celestia asked her.

"We knew you were listening to our conversation with Drum Cadence!" Luna said as she pointed a hoof at her sister but then her mind was drawn back to the question at hoof. "We're not sure actually."

"And what're you going to wear?" I questioned which then made Celestia and I look at each other. "Not to mention that if she goes out looking like herself she'll cause a riot. So we need clothes, a disguise, and dinner reservations." I then began looking at the schedule for the day. "Luna, you come up with a disguise, I'll make the reservations, and then Celestia and I will help you find something to wear. The schedule is clear until twelve thirty." Luna went into her office to create a disguise while I had Celestia teleport a dinner reservation to a nice Prench restaurant. As we sat there, a flash of light came from Luna's office and a minute later a midnight blue unicorn mare with a silver mane walked out.

"So how do we look?" Luna asked us as she did a slow spin for us to see everything.

"Um, your cutie mark." I said while pointing a hoof at her flanks. Her horn lit up and her real cutie mark was quickly hidden by a fake one of just a crescent moon without the black coloring around it like her real one. "Do you have an alias?"

"No, we haven't thought that far yet." She admitted sheepishly.

"Well, we'll just figure it out while we're picking out a dress for you tonight." Celestia said with a smile as we headed out and towards Luna's chambers. We walked in silence, all of us thinking of different names. While trotting, as was habit for me, I began humming the song Moonglow, which was the song Test and I always danced to.

"I've got it!" I shouted, causing Luna and Celestia to stop next to me. "Moonglow. Your alias can be Moonglow. That way, you keep the moon in your name and it's got a nice ring to it." Luna thought about it for a moment before nodding her head.

"What a nice name. How'd you come up with it?" Celestia asked as we started walking again.

"Oh, it just danced into my head."

15: Dance of the Guard

"Your highness, must we really do this now?" I questioned as Luna stood next to a tailor who held a measuring tape in her magic.

"Of course we must. If you are to be our escort to the Fall Formal Ball then we must have you looking your absolute best." She replied with a wave of her hoof and a smile. It had been three weeks since she had gone on her first date with Drum Cadence, who was to be her other escort for the ball after being transferred to Luna's personal detail, and their date had nearly resulted in my court marshal. While Luna had been in a dressing room trying on dresses, Celestia had ordered me to discreetly follow them and keep them out of trouble. Of course, they managed to slip away at one point which later almost ended in a warrant for Luna's arrest but that's a story for another day. "This ball will require full ceremonial dress." Luna told me as she slid my four medals onto a rack which would be pinned onto my uniform.

"Piss on that." I muttered as the tailor set about measuring me for my new uniform. "So how long is this going to take?"

"Could be anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half." The mare taking my measurements replied.

"Buck me sideways with a telegraph pole." I growled under my breath at the answer the tailor had given me. "So, Princess, do you plan to dance at the ball?" I asked her, trying to get my mind off the fact that I'd have to stand there for over a half hour.

"We suppose we will have to." She said with a sigh as she sat down at her vanity which was littered with brushes, mane clips, and a stack of comic books in the corner. "Our sister wants us to entertain a few of the dignitaries who shall be in attendance. One can only assume that they shall want to dance." Luna grabbed a comic book with her magic and flipped it open as she continued. "We do hope that they at least know some other dances besides a waltz or foxtrot. Perhaps we shall get lucky and meet one who can do the Windy Hop."

"I'm sure you will. I hear quite a few gryphons are fans of jazz and big band music. Certainly one of them will be able to keep up with you." I replied as the tailor carefully wrapped the tape measure around my neck to get the collar measurements.

"We do hope so anyways. We rather like the newer dances that came about during our banishment. Far more fun than the stuffy waltzes we had to dance a thousand years ago." Luna told me as she turned the page in her comic book.

"Well, if nothing else, you can always dance with your Guards, your highness."

"What?!" I shouted at Drum Cadence who cowered slightly at my outburst.

"There's going to be a changeling delegation here sir. After the whole incident with the changeling in the Crystal Empire, one of the other hives wanted to open relations with us so they sent a delegation here tonight." She replied as she straightened up. I plopped down onto the cushion behind my desk, and rubbed my temples with my forehooves.

"Have they tightened security at least? Last thing we need is a repeat of the royal wedding." I grabbed my coffee mug and took a sip while she answered me.

"They have. I know after our last run in with them that everypony is a bit on edge." She sat down and put her chin on my desk, looking like a sad puppy. "Do you think Luna is worried about it?"

"Knowing her, she's just now going over the list of who all is going to be there." I said with a grin as I looked over the guest list one more time before we headed downstairs for the ball. The door to Luna's office opened and out stepped Luna in her recently polished crown and slippers.

"We are ready to leave." She announced as she walked over to us. "But first, to get it out of our system." Luna leaned down and planted a kiss on Drum's cheek, leaving the bat pony a blushing mess. The Princess giggled at the reaction she got from her marefriend before looking over at me. "We are assuming that you have seen who shall be in attendance tonight?"

"I have. I don't like it but if they are peaceful then I shall be as well." I answered as I stood up. "Now, it is five til eight. We should probably be heading downstairs to greet the delegations." Luna nodded, making Drum and I walk out into the corridor and down the stairs, Luna walking in between us the whole time. We made our way to the top of the palace grand staircase where Celestia and two Solar Guards stood waiting for us.

"It's about time you got here, Luna. The Guards and I were about to go looking for you." Celestia chided with a small smile as Luna rolled her eyes. "And good evening to you two." She added as she smiled to Drum Cadence and I. "I thank you for being Luna's escorts for the night. I'm sure there would be somewhere else you would've rather been." We shook our heads that there wasn't but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have rathered been at home on the couch with Test. I can't speak for Drum on the matter though as she was lucky enough to be spending the evening with her marefriend. Even if they couldn't display their affection for each other. "Now, I'm assuming that you all have read about the new delegation that will be here tonight?"

"Yes, your highness. We promise to play nice with them too." Drum replied, earning a grin from the sun goddess. Drum and I, along with the Solar Guards, took up positions near our respective princess but out of the way of the guests. After the first couple of guests arrived, an influx of them came in and kept us on our hooves as we saw the changeling delegation enter the main doors. Our eyes remained focused on them as they remained in line and slowly made their way up the steps. In the center of the delegation stood a male changeling who was roughly the same height as Celestia and next to him stood four changeling guards dressed in what I could only assume was their form of a uniform. Though, they needn't wear armor like us ponies thanks to their already tough exoskeleton or whatever it was that protected them. Finally, they reached the top of the stairs and I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as their king reached out and grabbed Celestia and then Luna's hoof to kiss them. As he did this, the four Guards broke off from him and trotted over to both us and the Solar Guards.

"We are honored to be the guests of such noble guards." They said as they bowed to Drum and I. We exchanged a confused glance before looking back to the changelings who stood up and opened the right breast pocket of their uniform tunics. "Please accept these gifts as a token of good will between our hive and your kingdom." Their purple eyes bothered me beyond belief but I reluctantly held out my hoof for their gifts. They each dropped a small bag tied with twine in our hooves, the contents making a small clinking sound. I carefully untied my bag in case it was a trap but my jaw dropped when I looked at what was inside. There in the bag were rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds all cut into different shapes and sizes.

"Where in Equestria did you get so many gems?" I questioned as I looked up at the smiling changelings, my mind temporarily putting their species aside.

"Our hive is full of them." The Guard standing in front of me replied. "It was built in an area that allowed the gems to be produced in large numbers over millions of years. We researched Equestrian culture before our trip and found the gems were highly valued here."

"Wow. This is...just...wow. A bag of gems this size is at least two years wage for me." I told them as I smiled to them. "Thank you so much."

"We can feel your gratitude. I'm sure they'll look amazing in a ring for your coltfirend." The one replied before they quickly turned around and followed their king into the ballroom. The changeling's words echoed in my ears in my ears and it wasn't until Drum poked me in the shoulder.

"You alright?" She asked as I looked over at her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I replied as I tucked the bag of gems away in my armor. "Just, something that changeling said."

"What? About the ring?" Drum inquired to which I nodded my head. "Why would you care about a ring unless-" She stopped mid-sentence as she gasped. "No way! Oh, I hope he says yes."

"Well look, I still have a month to wait before he said he'd even consider it so don't get ahead of yourself just yet." I told her as I looked over the small number of guests who had yet to enter the ballroom. "Besides, if we get married then the topic of foals would come up eventually and I'm not sure I'd exactly be good dad material."

"Well why not?" She asked. "You seemed to do just fine with Test's niece and nephews."

"That's different though." My voice coming out somewhat as a defeated sigh. "They're older kids; not a foal who's still all wobbly legged and needing help in the world. Besides, their mother and father helped mold them into decent ponies. Heavens knows what spawn of Tartarus a child of mine would be." I commented as we stepped forward to trot alongside Princess Luna into the ballroom now that the guests had all arrived. "We'll discuss this later. Right now, let's just focus on work."

"Hey, Rhythm. Are you coming to the party tomorrow? I know a lot of the foreign guards will be there." Drum stated as she bumped her flank against mine while we trotted towards the palace exit to go home for the night.

"I might, I might not. Do you think they'd mind if I brought Test with me?" I asked the grey mare looking over at her real quick. "I hate to leave him home alone two nights in a row."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Heck, the changelings would probably sit near you all night just so they can snack off you two." She told me with a small laugh.

"I'll try to make it but no promises. It just depends on how Test feels about it. I already feel bad that my schedule doesn't always work well with his, I don't need to be away from him if I don't need to be." I told her as my head drooped a little in guilt. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow." We both said goodnight and turned separate ways in front of the palace. I trotted home in relative silence, the only noise being the sound of my hooves on the cobblestones and the wind that rustled the first dead leaves of autumn. As I trotted along, I began to hear the sound of crickets chirping in the meadows just outside the city. Up above, I could barely see any stars due to the streetlights of the city. That was one thing I'd hated after our move to Canterlot. No longer could I sit at my window and stargaze. If I wanted to do that in Canterlot, I'd have to go where the crickets were before I'd see anything good. Maybe I'd suggest that to Test for something to do on the weekends. He liked stargazing just as much as I did. Plus, it'd be a good way to have a nice, quiet evening with the stallion I loved. Thankfully with all the thoughts rushing though my head, my walk home didn't seem too long. I unlocked the front door and quietly shut it behind me. My eyes looked over to the clock on the wall by the door, 12:37. Sighing in a mixture of exhaustion and sadness, I quietly removed my armor and walked down the hallway for our bedroom. When I got into the bedroom, I saw Test laying there, a pillow clutched to his chest. He'd gotten into the habit of holding me while we slept and I felt my heart break at the sight of him squeezing the pillow as though it were me there with him. I carefully climbed into bed so as not to wake him and removed my prosthetic which I then set against my nightstand. Slowly laying down and rolling over to face the sleeping stallion next to me, I saw his face scrunched up as though he were having a bad dream. Gently, I slipped the pillow out from his grasp, making him reach around in his sleep looking for something to hold onto. Finally, his hoof found me and I scooted closer where he then wrapped his forelegs around me. I could feel his heartbeat in his chest and I looked up to see a small smile on his now peaceful face. Reaching a hoof up, I gently ran it though his mane and smiled at the grey stallion who now held me. No relationship is ever perfect, but it's the little things like that that get it really close.

"Don't worry, it's not like you're going to have to speak in front of everyone there. It's just a party for the guards and their friends or family." I said to Test as we trotted through the palace grounds, him anxiously biting his lower lip. "Just be yourself and it'll all be fine." We turned the corner into the Royal Gardens where a couple dozen gryphons, around a dozen changelings, and a few zebras who were all part of the guard force for their own delegations. And that wasn't counting the couple hundred Royal Guards there as well. I trotted into the crowd and smiled to those who smiled at me. Test walked along side me, his side pressed against mine as he looked around nervously. The lively sound of foreign dance music filled the air over the sound of everyone talking with one another and I smiled as I saw a table with mares handing out mugs of hard cider and gryphon beer. I trotted over and thanked them as they hoofed over a mug of beer for me and a mug of cider for Test. I found us a table near the edge of the party where we sat and watched some of the gryphon guards with their instruments. The gryphons wore their usual green-brown uniforms with overseas caps on the enlisted guards and peaked caps on the officers. In contrast, the changelings wore forest green uniforms with black trim on them and a universal peaked cap for officers and enlisted guards.

"Alright, everyone gather around for the dance of the soldiers!" A voice called out and a large circle was formed in the middle of the party. Test and I stood up and trotted over to the circle where most of the gryphon guards stood around as though they were waiting for something until the gryphons with the instruments behind us began to play.

As we watched, two of the soldiers started off dancing, looking like something that should be in a ballet. The tempo quickly picked up and a gryphon officer in the circle shouted out, "I'd like to see you ponies top that!". Three Guards stepped up and began dancing, with another three joining in a moment later. The gryphons spread out as more Guards stepped up and formed a group behind our dancers, myself included after a small push from Test. The music changed again and a brown gryphon began hopping on one paw while holding the other up like a musket. We all grinned at him while someone began deciding who would go next for the dancing. The gryphon then stood up and began dancing in front of us almost tauntingly. As the discussion continued about who would go next, I heard my name thrown in and I felt my grin vanish. The problem with being Luna's escort and agreeing to dance with her was that it meant the other Guards saw that I could dance fairly well. And so myself and two other Royal Guards were pushed forwards by our comrades as the next in the competition between us and the gryphons. We all began dancing the only dance we all knew we could do but we knew that wouldn't be enough.

"Hey fellas, you two just stand back. I know something that'll knock their hats off." I said with a smirk which prompted them to step aside as I stood up on my hind legs and crouched down. Thankfully my prosthetic was able to bend and I began kicking my legs out in front of me while I crossed my forelegs. Around me, ponies, changelings, and gryphons looked on with smiles and looks of amazement. I opened up my forelegs and smiled as I suddenly stood up to end my dance. We then stood back and a gryphon began doing some weird spinning dance, going around the circle like a top. As I watched this though, I felt something tap my shoulder and I turned to see a gryphon with a brown body, black feathers on his head, and beautiful brown eyes. Immediately I felt the blood run from my face and my knees start shaking. "W-William? What're you doing here?"

"Test didn't tell you I'm in the King's Guard back home?" He questioned, his deep, beautiful voice sounding as smooth as silk. I shook my head and he clicked his tongue in response. "Oh well. You want a drink?"

"I think I need it." I replied as I followed him out of the circle to the table where the mugs of beer sat. We both grabbed a mug and made our way over to the table that Test and I had been sitting at. "So, you're in the King's Guard?"

"Yep. Been in for about fifteen years now." William said with a smile as he sipped his beer.

"So how old are you? I never exactly got your age." I told him with a small blush.

"I'll be thirty four next month." This made me choke a bit on my beer but I managed to keep it under control as I cleared my throat.

"Thirty four? You realize that's a fourteen year age difference between us, right?" He nodded that he did as I set my mug down. "To be honest, I never thought I'd do...that, with someone even five years older than me; let alone fourteen." I felt his talons on my shoulder and I looked up to see him smiling at me.

"Don't worry. If it makes you feel any better, I won't say anything about it to anyone. Not even about the pink stockings and the collar." He said with a grin as I covered my face with my hooves.

"That was Test's idea." I admitted as my face turned ever more red.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go check on some of my men. I'll probably come chat with you some more later." He told me as he stood up and walked away, his tail swishing behind him. I picked up my beer again and began drinking like my life depended on it. It was going to be a long party.

16: Afflitto

"It's beautiful!" I exclaimed as I looked at the ring held in my hoof. It was a beautiful silver ring with sapphires going all around the outside of the ring with the heart shaped ruby I'd got from the changelings set on in the middle. "Between the heart ruby and the sapphires to match his eyes, it's absolutely perfect!"

"We are happy that you like it." Luna said with a smile before holding her hooves up to her mouth in excitement. "Oh, we do so hope he says yes!" Next to Luna stood Drum Cadence, who wore only a pearl necklace instead of her usual uniform.

"I'm so happy for you, Swing." Drum said as she stepped forward to give me a hug. I returned the gesture as Luna's magic took hold of the ring and slipped it into a black ring box. "So when are you going to pop the question?"

"Tomorrow night." I replied with a smile as I took the ring box from Luna. “It's our seven month anniversary. Now, here’s to hoping he says yes.”

The train to Ponyville slowed to a stop and I looked up from my book to see my hometown outside the window. With a smile, I slipped on my coat and trotted down the aisle towards the door. I put the book into my pocket and made sure that the ring box was still inside. The door opened and the steam from the train was still somewhat lingering around the platform, making it look as though Ponyville was shrouded in fog. I stepped down off the train and onto the wooden platform where the chilly autumn air made me turn my coat collar up to cover my neck. Trotting out of the station and onto the streets of Ponyville, I set off for Test's old home. It was a bit of a walk from the train station but the cool breeze made it rather enjoyable.

After about twenty minutes of slowly walking along the familiar streets of Ponyville, I found Test’s old home and made my way across the front yard. I stopped in front of the wooden door and reached a hoof up, the knocking seeming to echo in the eerie silence around me. A few moments later and the door opened to reveal a grey earth pony stallion with a forest green mane. “Can I help you?” His deep, baritone voice and Germane accent making me want to back away slightly.

“Y-yes. Are Test Tube’s parents here?” I asked, my voice suddenly seeming very quiet.

“I am his father, Redstone.” The stallion replied. I swallowed hard and I noticed that suddenly my mouth felt very dry. “But vhere are my manners? Please, come in.” He stepped aside and I slowly trotted in. The house looked a lot different in the middle of the day. As I looked around, I noticed things I hadn’t the last time I was there. On the wall hung a cuckoo clock and several black and white photos of Redstone. “All things from my home nation. Germaney is a lovely country this time of year. I do vish the younger children had gotten to see it.” He smiled with nostalgia before looking at a specific picture; one with him, three other young stallions, a stallion who looked to be in his fifties, and an older couple. “Those are my brothers Atlas, Titan, und Saturn as well as my father Mercury and my mother Gemini with my uncle Apollo.”

“Such a nice looking family.” I said with a smile as I looked at the picture.

“They are. I’m the first and only one to leave Germaney. All the rest are back there working on rocketry. But enough about that. You were here about my son? He’s not in trouble is he?” Redstone looked over my Guard uniform with slight concern.

“No, sir.” I replied with a chuckle as I removed my coat. “Quite the contrary actually. I have something I need to discuss with you involving your son.” He nodded and slowly walked over to sit in a chair as I took a seat on the couch across from him. “Sir, I’m not sure if you are aware, but your son and I have been dating for almost seven months now.” He hesitated before his eyes widened.

“So you’re that guard my boy has been courting!” He smiled wide as he turned to face the kitchen of the house. “Aurora! Komm her!” An older mare with a midnight blue coat and a greying mane resembling Celestia’s in color trotted out of the kitchen and looked at me. While I might not have spoken Germane, it wasn’t hard to figure out a moment later that they were talking about me.

“Wer ist er?” she asked as she eyed me up and down, all the while slowly walking over to stand by her husband’s chair.

“Er ist der Wächter, der unseren Sohn umworben hat.” he replied and her face immediately lit up with a smile.

“It ist so gut to finally meet you!” she exclaimed as she walked over to hug me, a move I hadn’t been expecting. “I am Aurora. And vhat ist your name?”

“I’m Swing Rhythm, ma’am.” I replied as she stepped back to get another look at me. “I take it he told you I’m dating Test?” She nodded as she sat down by her husband. “That’s actually why I’m here today. I would like your blessing to ask your son to marry me.”
They looked at each other, their eyes wide at my request.

“Was sagen wir?” Aurora asked as she looked at her husband with short glances at me.

“Ich weiß nicht. Er scheint ein guter Hengst zu sein. Vielleicht sollten wir ja sagen,” he replied before looking over at me. “Do you swear that you will treat our son with the utmost respect and give him your unconditional love?”

“I do.” I said as I looked Redstone in the eye. “I swear to love your son until the end of time.” He looked at Aurora and nodded his head. With a smile, he looked back to me.

“Then we give you our blessing to marry our son.”

I sat at my desk in front of Princess Luna's office, my eyelids drooping and my head slowly dropping as I began to nod off. "Swing?" Luna's voice said from her office, snapping me from my near sleep and up onto my hooves.

"Yes, Princess?" I asked as I stuck my head into her office.

"It's almost six o'clock. You should be heading home to your coltfriend, shouldn't you?" She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow as she removed her reading glasses. "Go on now. Shoo. You’re work is done for the day." Luna told me with a knowing smirk on her face. I nodded and turned to leave but she stopped me before I was completely turned. "Oh, and Swing?" I looked back at her as she smiled at me. "We wish you the best of luck tonight."

"Thank you, Luna." I replied with a smile of my own. Trotting out into the corridor, I patted the small ring box in the pocket of my jacket. "I think I might need it."

I opened the door of our home and welcomed the heat that was inside. While it wasn't quite to freezing temperatures yet, autumn was definitely in full swing as a icy wind kicked up leaves in the yard. The sound of music in the kitchen made my good ear perk up as I hung my jacket on the coat rack by the door. A band playing something akin to swing music blared from the speakers of the phonograph on the dining room table as I rounded the corner. At the stove, Test stood swaying his rump along to the music as he watched whatever he had cooking. I snuck up behind him and grabbed him, dipping him like a dancer would and planting a kiss on his lips. Pulling back from the kiss, I chuckled at the red faced stallion I held in my forelegs. "I see somepony is enjoying my record collection." I said as I carefully let Test return to a normal standing position.

"Yeah, I just figured I'd listen to something besides my Walkman and your records were right there," he replied as he looked over at the phonograph. "Although, you have some records with the same songs as some of my cassettes," Test said with a glance over at the spinning record.

"I hadn't expected you to be cooking." I told him as I looked over at the pan full of cooking vegetables. "I actually planned to surprise you because I made us reservations at Jardin des Etoiles for tonight." His eyes widened in shock at that as he stared at me.

"I thought reservations had to be made months in advance?" He asked as he turned off the stove.

"Oh they do. But when a reservation request arrives with Luna's royal seal on it, they tend to find room." I said with a grin. "Before you ask, Luna approved it. As long as I have them send some food to the palace for her."

"I'm not surprised that was her only request." Test replied with a smile as he put the vegetables onto a plate and then put them into the refrigerator. "You know, I've heard that it has the best view of the night sky of any place inside the city limits."

"Well I figured that after dinner, maybe we could go for a walk outside of the city and maybe go stargazing. How does that sound?" I asked him as we trotted over to the front door to put on our coats.

"Sounds good." He replied with a smile as he slipped on his coat. I grabbed my jacket from the rack and failed to notice the quiet sound of fabric ripping as the pocket's inside snagged on the base of the coat rack.

"Ready?" I asked while I slipped on my jacket. He nodded that he was and I smiled at him in response. "Alright then, shall we go?"

We looked up at the night sky as I pushed my plate away from me. I felt fit to burst from the amount of food I'd eaten and yet somehow Test had managed to eat even more than I had. Sure, he was a bit pudgy around the middle but I didn't think that he could eat that much. I mean, I could understand a couple slices of carrot cake for dessert, but a whole cake? Where had he even put it all? His legs had to be hollow for how much he'd consumed. Test clearing his throat made me look away from the sky and to the handsome stallion in front of me. "So, what's the occasion?" he asked, making me raise an eyebrow at him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love tonight. But usually we don't do something like this unless it's a special occasion. So...what is it?"

“Oh, well, it’s our seven month anniversary today and I figured we could celebrate. You know; nice dinner, stargazing, and just sitting together under the stars,” I replied with a smile, hoping it was a believable lie. He raised an eyebrow at me but shrugged as I picked up the bill. Looking it over, I reached into my coat and grabbed the right amount of bits plus three more for a tip. I set them on the table and slipped on my coat. “Shall we get going then?” He nodded and I didn’t notice his magic grab a small black box off the ground by where my coat was sitting. With a raised eyebrow, he looked at the box then up to me as I walked ahead of him. With a shrug, he slipped the box into the pocket of his coat and followed me.

“And that one there is the Ursa Major.” I said with a smile as Test looked through the small telescope I had set up in the field earlier in the day. A cool breeze floated by and made Test’s long mane flow with it. He leaned back from the telescope and looked at me, his mane still waving in the wind. My face felt warm and he smiled at my reaction, trotting over to sit with me. Test leaned against me as we both sat there looking up at the stars. “Hey Test, do you remember our discussion about marriage awhile back?”

“I do,” he said as he leaned against me even more.

“Well, I want you to recall the length of time you’d said before you’d consider it.” He sat for a few moments and then looked up at me, his eyes not showing much besides confusion.

“Okay. I said seven months. What about it?” He asked as he continued to look up at me.

“I swear, sometimes you’re so dense that light bends around you,” I replied with a small laugh and a smile. “I brought you all the way out here so I could ask you something really important.” Reaching into my pocket, I felt around for the ring box but my heart dropped into my stomach when my hoof felt the hole in my pocket. Standing up, I quickly turned around and looked on the ground where I’d been sitting. Not seeing it there, I looked around where we’d been standing and walking. The ring box wasn’t there either. My panic continued to rise as I failed to find what I was looking for.

“What’re you looking for?” Test asked me as he trotted up alongside me, my head lowered and eyes scanning the ground.

“A little black box.” I answered without looking up.

“Like this one?” Test asked and I quickly looked up at him as his magic held the box I’d been so desperately looking for.

“Where did you find this?!” I asked him as I snatched it away from him.

“It was on the ground next to you at the restaurant. I wasn’t sure if you’d dropped it or not so I just put it in my pocket in case you did.” He replied innocently.

"Have you...looked in it?" I asked him, my heart sinking again.

"No, I just figured it was cufflinks or something of the sort. I've heard Luna can be pretty generous with her staff." Test said with a shrug of his shoulders. His answer made me feel slightly better as I held the box in my hoof. "Now, what was it you said earlier about something important to ask me?" If he knew what was about to happen, he certainly didn't let on. Maybe he was more oblivious than I'd previously thought? I smiled as I sat down in front of him, still holding the ring box in my hoof.

"Test, I love you with all my heart. You mean more to me than the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky. You're the most amazing stallion that I've ever met and I will love you until the end of time itself. Test Tube..." I opened up the box to reveal the sapphire and ruby ring inside. "Will you marry me?" He frowned and I felt my heart sink at his face. “Test, what’s wrong?”

“Swing, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But I’ve sorta met somepony else.”

17: Da capo

“Somepony else?” I asked as I slowly and shakily stood up and slipped the ring box back into my pocket. “How long?” Tears stung my eyes and I had to force myself to keep them from spilling over and running down my cheeks.

“Almost two months,” he admitted as he hung his head. “Swing, I’m so sor— “

“Oh, no! No, you don’t get to say you’re sorry!” I shouted, cutting him off and making him flinch. “You don’t get to say sorry after you spent the last two months living with me and cheating on me with some two bit tramp! Who is it?” He shook his head and I felt my blood boil. “Do I know them?!” Test nodded and I felt the urge to drive my hoof directly into his muzzle. “Test, I let you live with me! I gave you my love, my devotion…I gave my virginity to you! And you went and did this.” I sat down on my haunches and looked at the ground. A hoof was put on my shoulder and I immediately smacked it away with mine. “Don’t you fucking touch me you no good, cheating, low-life, cock sucking, son of a bitch!” I stood up once more and looked at the cowering grey pony in front of me. “I hurt a pony for you Test! I did unspeakable things after he spilled that acid on you! And how do you repay me? By going and cheating on me with some other stallion! Have a nice life with him, whoever it is. If I never see you again, it’ll be too soon.”

Trotting away and back towards Canterlot, I ignored the cries and pleas of the stallion behind me. I finally allowed my tears to fall and soon I was walking blindly, my eyes stinging and my vision blurry. Stopping, I realized I was on a bridge, the Canterlot River flowing calmly under the stone structure. Reaching my hoof into my pocket, I removed the ring box and rolled it around watching the moonlight shine off the black leather. With a choked up shout, I launched the ring box into the air and out over the river, the valuable stones not being worth anything to me anymore. My eyes followed the box on its short flight and watched it splash down into the river where it would go over the waterfall a couple miles away. Leaning on the side of the bridge, I watched the water drift by as my tears began to fall into it like rain drops.

“Are you alright sir?” A stallion’s soft voice asked from behind me and I turned to see a Lunar Guard bat pony standing there. His coat was a lavender color and his mane a royal blue. I looked him over some more before answering.

“What’s it to ya if I’m alright?” I questioned as I looked back down at the water. The sound of hoofsteps next to me made me sigh “What is a Guard like you even doing all the way out here? I know for a fact that this is outside the Guard’s usual patrols.”

“It is.” The stallion replied. I looked over at him and I saw his amber colored eyes filled with concern. “They have a Guard stand out here because, believe it or not, a lot of ponies jump off and into the river, knowing full well that the waterfall is down-river. Going by when I saw you, I’m guessing your fillyfriend said no to your proposal?” I huffed and then chuckled a little at his question.

“Not exactly, no. He’s…he was my coltfriend. I popped the question and he told me he’d been cheating on me with another stallion. All in all, not the best night of my life.” I felt a hoof on my shoulder and looked over at him. He had a look of sympathy and I noticed the moonlight glinting off his fangs as he gave me a small smile.

“Don’t fret. Ponies come and go from your life. Some for the worse, some for the better. If you ask me, it was probably for the better. Because clearly he didn’t love you like you loved him,” the handsome stallion said, making my eyes water more. He quickly realized I was about to start crying again and extended a wing, wrapping it around me in a comforting embrace. “Hey now, no need to cry. It’s alright. It’s all alright. You’ll meet somepony else. Sometimes it takes multiple tries to meet the right pony. Life is funny in a way. Think of happiness like a rainbow. Before you can see the rainbows, you have to deal with the thunderstorms that create the opportunity for them. This is one of those thunderstorms. And soon, you can expect to see a beautiful rainbow.” His soft voice mixed with the cold air and caused me to yawn quietly, though it didn’t go unnoticed. “It’s rather late. Perhaps you should head home and go to bed.”

“I can’t. He’ll be there. And I know he’ll try and convince me that it was only a one-time thing. A one-time thing doesn’t happen for two months!” I snarled but quickly cowered and looked away from the handsome bat pony. “Sorry for my outburst. I just really don’t want to see him. I do really need to get my work clothes from home though. I know I can crash at a friend’s place tonight. That’ll save me from dealing with some of the drama. I’m really not looking forward to the next time I see him.”

“Hey now. No need to apologize for the outburst. It’s totally understandable. Would you like me to escort you home? Just in case he’s there?” I shook my head as he retracted his wing.

“No, it’s alright. I think I’ll be fine. I only need to get my uniform and then I can head to my friend’s place for the night.” I replied as I stood up and looked out over the river, remembering the ring box. “Now I wish I hadn’t launched that ring into the river. That thing was almost a year’s wage worth of jewels. I could’ve pawned it at least.”

I gently knocked on the door to Luna’s office. “Come in!” Was the muffled reply from the other side of the door and I cautiously opened it. Luna looked up from the papers over her reading glasses. She immediately took them off and smiled at me as I stood in the doorway. “Oh, Swing. We hadn’t expected to see you here. Soooo, how soon should we expect the wedding?” Luna smiled as she stood up from her desk but her smile quickly dropped as she saw my red eyes. “What happened?”

“He told me he’d been having an affair.” I replied with a sniffle as I attempted not to cry again.

“He what?!” I flinched at Luna’s tone and she quickly composed herself. “We are sorry for that outburst. It will not happen again. Now, sit down and tell us all about it.”

“I’d honestly rather not. Right now, I just want to sleep. Is it okay if I just crash on the couch out here?” I asked her as I nodded towards the couch in the small waiting room.

“Absolutely not! You are our best friend. It would be disgraceful to let you sleep on a couch. Come, we’ll set you up in our guest room. We’re certain that you will like it.” I followed her with my uniform draped over my back as we made our way to the guest room.

I sniffled as I stapled a stack of paperwork together. Setting it aside on my desk, I grabbed a tissue and wiped my nose before tossing the soiled tissue into the waste bin. Luna’s door opened and I looked over to see her looking at me with a small frown. “We’re expecting a new Guard for our detail to arrive sometime this afternoon. Please send him in if we are not busy.” I nodded and she shut the door. Going back to my paperwork, I looked up when the door opened, only to see Shining Armor trot in. We nodded to each other as he entered Luna’s office and I went back to my paperwork without a second thought. After a little bit, I heard a door open and I looked up expecting to see Shining Armor leaving but instead saw the bat pony stallion from the night before.

“Oh. Hello. I thought you looked familiar last night.” He chuckled as he removed his sunglasses, revealing his beautiful amber colored eyes. “I’ve actually got something for you.” He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a black ring box which he then set on my desk. I grabbed it and opened it up to see the engagement ring inside. “I remembered that you said it was worth a good bit of money. I didn’t want it getting lost. Now you can do with it as you please.” I smiled politely at him as I put the box into my top right desk drawer.

“Thanks.” Resuming my previous task, I stopped a few seconds later as I realized that he was still in front of my desk. My eyes moved upwards to see the stallion watching me with a goofy grin on his face. “Not to be rude, but can I help you with something?”

“Yes, actually. I was told to report here for reassignment.” My shoulders drooped at his statement and he was quick to notice. “Is something wrong?”

“No, just still thinking about last night and what not. Sorry.” I replied as I attempted to resume my paperwork. He sat down in front of my desk and I again stopped as I looked up at him.

“So, I never did get your name last night,” he said, making me look over to the small sign on my desk with my name on it. His eyes followed mine and he chuckled in embarrassment. “Oh, sorry. Sometimes I can be as blind as a bat.” I snorted and grinned at the bat pony’s comment. “I’m White Fang but most ponies just call me Fang. It’s nice meeting you Swing.” I grunted a reply and tried once again to get to work but the chatty stallion wouldn’t let me. “So, how long have you been the Princess’s assistant?”

“A few months,” I said as I stapled another stack of papers together.

“Not to pry, but what did you do before this?” Fang asked as he watched me, his gaze making my face twitch a bit in annoyance.

“I ran a music store.” My statement made him gasp.

“You’re a musician? I love musicians!” I paused and felt my cheeks and the tips of my ears slowly turn red. Looking up from my desk, I saw he had caught what he’d said too as his cheeks were flushed. “S-sorry about that.”

“No, it’s alright.” Going back to my work, I felt a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

“So what can you play?” Fang asked as he gently dragged a hoof over the carpet.

“Just about everything really. Haven’t played anything besides a piano in months though. I was best at the trombone before I joined the Guard.”

“Do you ever sing?” He questioned as he looked up from the carpet, his demeanor now being shyer from his earlier embarrassment.

“Not anymore. I only sang for one pony and he’s dead to me now.” The small smile on my face quickly vanished and his ears drooped in response. “Sorry to disappoint you.” We both looked over as the door to Luna’s office opened and Shining Armor stepped out. While Fang was quick to salute him, I simply waved to him. He gave me a polite smile before heading out into the corridor. Fang looked at me in surprise as he dropped his salute.

“You just waved at Prince Shining Armor. The Captain of the Royal Guard. Do…do you know him?” Fang questioned as he looked between me and the door.

“Sorta. We’ve talked and what not in the past. He’s a nice guy. Once you get past all the fancy titles, he’s just another stallion like you and I. Although he really surprised me with something. When he and Cadence don’t want ponies to know what they’re saying, they talk to each other in other languages.” He raised an eyebrow and I nodded that it was true. “They talk in Prench, Istallion, and Germane so ponies don’t know what they’re saying. Joke’s on them though. I took four years of Prench in secondary school and my grandmother was Istallion.” I took a sip from my coffee mug as he looked at me, stunned that I would listen in on conversations. “You’d be amazed how dirty they can get once they get going.”

“You listen in on their conversations as well?” Luna’s voice made me tense up but she chuckled at me. “Nous aimons les écouter. Si scandaleux!” I smiled as I turned back to face her.

“Avez-vous entendu Cadence lui dire comment elle va utiliser la sangle sur lui?” I asked with a laugh.

“Oui. Ou comment il va l'attacher. Ils sont si méchants.” Luna giggled at her comment before directing her attention to the confused stallion in front of my desk. He shook his head and quickly bowed to her, making her grin. “Please, we are all friends here.” Fang slowly stood up, confusion written across his face. “Step into our office for a moment and let’s discuss your qualifications.”

It had been four weeks since the incident with Test, and things had gone back to somewhat normal. Well, if you count crying myself to sleep at night as normal. With Test gone from the house and back in Ponyville, I’d been spending a lot more time at the office, doing whatever I could just to stay away from the house. Despite Luna’s constant attempts to get me to spend less time at the palace, especially with Hearth’s Warming only a few days away, I continued to find menial tasks just to stay away from the house. It’s not that I didn’t like the house. No; I was rather fond of the house. It was certainly a few steps up from my old apartment. It was the memories that it held that kept me away. All of them with Test. Every time we’d kissed, danced, made love, or laughed was trapped in that cursed house. And I couldn’t bear it. “Swing?” I looked up to see Fang standing before me. “You alright?”

“Yeah. Just, lost in thought,” I replied as I resumed my work. Fang watched me for a moment before resuming his duties; which at the moment were sitting in the waiting room and reading a magazine. “So, do you have any plans for Hearth’s Warming?” I asked awkwardly as I realized that I had finished all my paperwork, leaving nothing to do.

“I do, actually. I planned on going to The Hollow Shades to see my family. They haven’t seen me in almost a year, so it’ll be good to be home again. Even if it is only for three days.” He smiled as he set the magazine aside. A small smile tugged at my mouth as I watched him.

“What’s it like?” I questioned as he seemed to be daydreaming.

“Oh, it’s lovely. All my siblings and I gathered around the table; mom and dad both making dinner. Dad cooks the best salmon and the mango pie that mom makes is absolutely to die for.” His ears perked up and I couldn’t help but blush as I thought about how soft they must be, the little tufts of fur on top sticking out wildly in all directions. “Hey, you should come with me! It’d be great to have a friend to travel and spend the holiday with.” Fang smiled, showing exactly how he’d earned the name White Fang. My blush only deepened as I thought about how wonderfully painful those fangs would feel in my shoulder as he ru— “So what do you say?” He asked and I immediately returned to reality.

“I’d love to join you. That is if I can get leave for those days though,” I said as I looked at my small desk calendar.

“Go! You need to get out of the office!” Came muffled shouting from the other side of Luna’s office door. I huffed in slight embarrassment as Fang chuckled behind me.

“Well now that that’s been taken care of, we’ll be leaving on Friday.”

“So where are we headed again?” I asked sleepily as I followed Fang through the train car to our seats.

“We’re headed to The Hollow Shades. It’s just a few hours outside of Manehattan.” He replied with a smile as we sat down, the morning sun having not even risen yet. “I already sent a message to my family letting them know to set an extra place at the table. They also are making a vegetarian meal just for you since I know you don’t eat fish.”

“Oh. Thank you,” I replied with a yawn as I leaned back and closed my eyes. “So how long of a ride did you say this is?”

“Only nine hours. Not too bad,” Fang said happily, his happy-go-lucky attitude too much for me at such an early hour. I groaned as I heard a group of ponies enter the car and take their seats, all of them chatting with each other.

“Well I’m going to try and get some sleep. If I’m not awake by lunch, go ahead and wake me up.” I laid my head back and I was soon asleep.

I slowly opened my eyes and flinched at the sunlight that filled the train car. As I began to wake up further, I realized that I was no longer leaned back but rather that I had leaned to my right and was using Fang’s shoulder like a pillow. Immediately I sat up and looked over at Fang, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses while reading a book he’d packed. “You alright?” He asked as he looked over at me. I nodded that I was as he closed the book. “The dining car is about to serve lunch. You want to head back there and get some food with me?” I nodded and followed as he got up and walked back towards the dining car. When we entered the dining car, the scent of pasta hit my nose and I began drooling as we sat down at a small table. A waiter in a white jacket with black lapels trotted over and took our orders. As we sat waiting for our food, Fang began to strike up conversation.

“So you said you’re from Ponyville?” I nodded that I was as the waiter returned with two glasses of wine. Eyeing the glass of red liquid, I took an experimental sip and cringed at the taste. “Not a wine fan?” I shook my head as I grabbed the water glass that had been sitting on the table before we sat down. “So, tell me about Ponyville. What’s it like?”

“It’s alright, I suppose. Pretty quiet and a lot smaller than Canterlot. The ponies are friendly enough. Certainly more so than in Canterlot,” I replied as the waiter returned with our food.

“You don’t really seem to be a big fan of Canterlot. What’s wrong with it?” Fang asked before shoveling a forkful of alfredo into his mouth.

“I just don’t like crowded cities. Nopony takes time to just stop and enjoy things. But enough about that. Tell me about The Hollow Shades. What’s it like?” I twirled my fork and stuffed the pasta on it into my mouth.

“Oh, it’s amazing. The trees block out most of the sky so it’s perfect for ponies like me. And they have the best fruit I’ve ever eaten there because it doesn’t have all the air pollution that places like Canterlot do from the trains. And the night sky, it’s breathtaking. You can see stars you didn’t even know existed. It’s absolutely stunning. I can’t wait to see your reaction when you see it. You’re going to absolutely love it.” He smiled at me and I felt a twist in my gut that I hadn’t felt in weeks. As much as I hated to admit it, Fang was rather handsome. With that lavender coat of his which felt like silk and his midnight blue mane which I’d noticed smelled like green apples earlier when I’d woken up. His beautiful, amber eyes which were easily the most beautiful I’d ever seen. And even his fangs which stuck out over his bottom lip, shining in the sunlight coming through the window, were adorable. Celestia damn it. Here we go again…

Author's Note

This chapter is brought to you by many hours of sleep given up and one near car accident from exhaustion. But it's out before New Years and that's what matters. So what do y'all think of Fang?

18: Amore

I stepped down onto the platform for the station near The Hollow Shades. White Fang inhaled deeply and sighed. I took a small sniff of the air and didn’t smell anything besides the usual smells of a train station. “What in Equestria could you possibly smell?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow.

“Fruit. You probably can’t smell it like I can. I’ll explain it on the way.” He began to trot away and I quickly followed after him. As we left the train station, I noticed the lack of a town.

“So, how far of a walk is it?” I asked as we headed down a trail towards some nearby woods. Growing up around the Everfree, I was slightly hesitant to enter any large, dense concentration of trees. But if Fang thought that it was safe, then it must have been. He did grow up there after all.

“Only about a half hour.” He replied with another smile. We continued down the path and into the dense forest; the smallest sounds making me jerk my head in just about every direction. “Moon above, you’re jumpy aren’t you?” I blushed and nodded as he removed his sunglasses, the treetops becoming so dense that the lighting was comparable to that of dusk. “No wonder you’re not a regular Guard.” Fang joked with a small poke to my side. My cheeks and ears slowly turned red but thankfully the low light kept my blush hidden from him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something and I don’t want to seem rude about it.”

“No. Please, ask away,” I told him with a smile.

“Okay. I was wondering why you look more fluffy lately,” He stated and I blushed at his inquiry.

“Earth ponies typically get a winter coat. With us being on the ground and working outdoors more than unicorns and pegasi, we had to adapt to the cold. So we usually get fluffier during winter.” I looked down at the ground as snow began to slowly float down through the treetops. “I personally hate it. It makes me look like a freaking marshmallow.” Fang laughed at my comment and placed a reassuring wing on my back.

“Don’t worry. If it makes you feel better, I love marshmallows. They’re so sweet and amazing on s’mores. And the best part is that they get all hot and sticky and then they drip on your chin.” My face was beet red now and any snow that landed on it instantly melted away. He had to be saying that on purpose. Right? I mean, there was no way he wasn’t. I snuck a quick glance over at him and I saw him watching me as we walked. “You’re not cold are you?” Fang asked as we followed a curve in the path, the snow beginning to come down a bit harder now.

“Nah. Winter coat, remember?” I chuckled as I pointed at myself. “I’m a marshmallow after all.”

“Oh, right.” He blushed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. “I forgot. Oh, I also sorta forgot to mention something.” I raised an eyebrow as he continued. “Because of all my siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins being there for the holiday; we need to share my old bedroom.” I resisted the urge to stop where I stood as my cheeks turned beet red again.

“S-share a room?” I looked down at the path as it slowly began to turn white with snow.

“Share a bed actually.” Fang admitted and I looked over to see a blush on his cheeks. “I…I hope that’s alright. I kinda waited on telling you because I didn’t want you backing out. I know how much you needed to get away from Canterlot and all the stuff that happened there. And I knew that if I told you we were going to have to share a bed, you would’ve shot it down in a heartbeat. You’re not mad are you?” He lowered his head and pinned his ears back to his head; showing regret about keeping it from me.

“No, I’m not mad. A bit surprised though. Just…don’t be surprised if I start snuggling in my sleep. First time I’ve shared a bed with a pony since, well, you know.” I leaned on him and gave him a cheeky smile. As I did so, he looked at me and a grin to rival any of Pinkie Pie’s split his face.

“Sweet Luna! You are fluffy!”

We finally reached the small village of The Hollow Shades after about a half hour of walking, just as Fang had said. I looked around at all the little homes which were dimly lit on the inside. The few ponies who were outside looked at me with curious glances but didn’t seem to have an issue with me as I was walking with a bat pony like them. Fang led me to a two story home on the southern side of the village, where the smell of food was especially strong. “Now, I have to warn you, my family can be really overbearing at times. You might want to be prepared for some very personal questions. Oh, and are you familiar with how most bat ponies are about—“

“Homosexuality?” I asked and he nodded his head. “I am. I won’t mention anything about it. Honestly hadn’t planned to anyways. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t tried to like mares. Believe me, I’ve tried my damnedest to try and like them and it just didn’t happen.” He gave a small nod of his head and mumbled something under his breath but it was too quiet for me to hear. We trotted up the small path across the front yard and Fang knocked on the door. Standing there for a moment, the door finally opened and a large, grey bat pony stallion with a midnight blue mane opened the door.

“White! About time you got here!” He turned and I peeked past him and into the house. “Kids! Your brother is here!” I felt myself pale a bit at the sight that greeted me as he moved out of the way. I saw ten colts and fillies all jump up and gallop at the doorway. I stepped aside just in time as they all launched themselves out the door and tackled Fang to the ground. Amongst the sounds of laughter, I could hear greetings being exchanged between Fang and his younger siblings. They slowly began to quiet down and I could hear Fang speak up.

“Guys, this is my friend Swing.” Their little amber eyes all turned on me and I felt myself take an instinctive step back. Before I would’ve even had the chance to turn tail and run, I found myself pinned down by all of Fang’s siblings who I suddenly noticed were all feeling my fur.

“He’s so fluffy!” One of them shouted as she wrapped herself around my leg and nuzzled into it. I couldn’t help but stay motionless, frozen by the fear of being tackled by so many kids. Maybe it was like with certain animals. If I didn’t move, they’d go away. I breathed a sigh of relief as Fang came into my vision with a smile.

“Alright, everybat off of him. Don’t want to scare him off now.” Fang began shooing his siblings off of me. They all climbed off me and lined up in what I presumed to be the oldest to the youngest. One thing I quickly noticed was the similarities between many of them. “Swing, these are my siblings. First are the quintuplets New Moon, Half Moon, Crescent Moon, and Full Moon.” Four early-teenage colts gave me a polite wave and smiles. I noticed that, much as expected, they were identical except for their cutie marks. Even down to their shaggy purple manes, they were pretty much identical. “Next are the twins Phobos and Phoebe.” I smiled at the two fillies who, much like their older brothers, were identical except for their cutie marks. “Then we have the other twins Charon and Demios.” A colt and filly smiled at me as Fang then pointed down to the last and youngest looking of the kids. “And last but not least is my youngest brother, Little Dipper.” The young colt, who looked to be about seven or so, waved to me with a large smile on his face.

“All of you get in here before you catch a cold!” A mare’s voice called from inside and all the siblings quickly complied, Fang included. I followed them inside and gently closed the front door behind me.

“No, mister. You gotta do it like this,” Charon said as she walked over and slammed the door closed. “Otherwise it won’t latch and it’ll blow open.” Sheepishly, I followed the filly further into the house and into the dining room where even more ponies sat around the table.

“Swing, this is my family.” Fang said as he popped up beside me. “Let me introduce you to everybat. First we have my uncle Moonlight Eclipse and my aunt Nightshade.” A couple towards the far end of the table smiled and waved at me as he then directed my attention to two teenage colts. “And these are their sons and my cousins Callisto and Oberon.” The two looked up at me with little interest before going back to their Walkmans and the music that could be heard blasting through their headphones. “Next is my aunts Europa and Moon Pearl. Then my cousins White Comet, Proteus, and Triton.” I noticed something interesting about one of them this time. The one, who I could safely assume to be White Comet, was white with pink wings and eyes. It was very rare to see an albino bat pony as they were typically shunned by their kind and even exiled in some cases. So to be standing only a couple meters away from one, it was incredible. “Now, you’re our guest so you get the end seat.” I looked over and saw a cushion at the end of the table. Taking a seat on it, I found it to be far more comfortable than the regular cushions one would buy in a store.

“So, this is our guest?” A mare asked as Fang sat down beside me on the seat by the corner. “You certainly didn’t lie, White. He is fluffy.” I blushed, earning a snicker from a couple ponies at the table.

“Yep. Mom, this is Swing. Swing, this is my mom Silver Fang.” I turned around to see a lavender mare with a light grey mane. She smiled at me and revealed the mare had exactly what her name implied. One of her fangs had been replaced by a false, silver one that shined in the dim light of the house.

“It’s nice to meet you Swing. It’s been years since we’ve had an outsider visit our little village. So White said you work with Her Majesty Luna?” Everypony at the table froze and turned to look at me, making me tense up under the watchful eyes of the entire table.

“Th-that’s correct.” I said quietly. “She’s a rather nice mare, if I do say so.”

“Do tell us, what is Her Majesty like?” Europa asked as she leaned forward.

“Oh. Um, well she’s a very generous pony. She also doesn’t like it when ponies on her staff treat her as royalty. Sometimes she will use it to her advantage, but typically she simply wants to be seen as a normal pony just like you and I.” This got some surprised looks from those around the table. “She also really loves snack cakes. I have to keep them hidden so she doesn’t sneak any when I’m not looking.” I told them with a small giggle as I remembered a few different times that I had caught Luna stuffing a MoonPie into her mouth. “She’ll kill me if she finds out I said this too; but she’s also about to be engaged to be wed.” This got gasps from several ponies at the table and surprised looks from all besides White Fang.

“Really? To whom?” Nightshade asked. I bit my lip before looking over at Fang who gave me a nod, telling me it was alright to mention.

“It’s a Guard on her detail. Corporal Drum Cadence. She’s a very nice mare.” This made everypony freeze as they looked at me. Then, as I looked around the table, I saw a smile spread across Moon Pearl’s face.

“You owe me twenty bits Europa!”

“Sorry if my family was a bit overbearing at any point tonight.” Fang said as we slowly trotted up the stairs towards his room. We were both a bit wobbly as we ascended the steps, the alcohol served at dinner taking a major toll as it hit our blood stream.

“It’s fine, they seem nice. Like, super-duper ultra-nice.” I said as we stumbled down the hallway. Fang pushed open a door to reveal a dimly lit bedroom. Stumbling inside, we both kicked the door closed behind us and I looked around. What I saw made me laugh quietly.

“What?” Fang asked as he looked at me.

“The posters in here.” I said as I looked at the posters of attractive stallion musicians on the walls. “They’re pretty gay. And that’s coming from me.” I snickered as he smacked me in the shoulder.

“Dude, shut up!” He exclaimed with a smirk.

“In all seriousness though, I’m surprised that your family is so chill about gays. I thought bat ponies were supposed to be, like, super against that.” I said as I sat down on the wood floor.

“Most are. My family actually doesn’t care. I mean, we have an albino and my aunt is married to another mare so clearly we’re pretty accepting.” Fang replied making my eyes go wide.

“Wait, so Europa and Moon Pearl are married?” He nodded his head that they were indeed married. “I just figured they were sisters or something.” It was then that another thought ran through my drunken, spinning mind. “Wait, your family doesn’t think we’re dating, do they?”

“Nah. At least I don’t think they do. I don’t know.” He looked at the floor and muttered something.

“What was that?” I asked as I leaned over. “This side is my bad one.” I joked as I flicked the little stump of an ear I had left.

“I said it would make sense if they did.” He said a little louder this time so that I could hear him.

“And why is that?” Now he had my attention. There was no way he was saying what I thought he was…was he?

“Just…it’s nothing. Do you like music?” He asked as he looked at me before facehoofing. “Of course you do. You’re a musician.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was cute.” I replied with a giggle as I playfully pushed at his shoulder with my hoof. “And yes, I do like music.” That seemed to reassure him but in the moonlight, I thought I saw something on his cheeks. He was blushing. Most definitely blushing. Fang was adorable when he blushed. The way the red mixed with the lavender of his coat, it made my heart skip a beat. As much as I hated to say it, I had started to notice how cute the stallion was. The way he held his spear; the way he sipped tea, the way he combed his mane; it was all so cute to me. He stood up and trotted over to a record player and looked through the short stack of records. He hardly had any. Maybe twenty at the most.

“I forgot I had this record.” He said as he looked it over, the black vinyl shining in the moonlight. “It’s a slow song. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, go ahead. Please do.” I told him with a smile. Fang slowly set the record on the turntable and lowered the needle onto the edge. With the twist of a knob, the record began to spin. As music filled the room, I realized what song it was, making my eyes begin to water.

“Swing, what’s wrong?” Fang asked as he turned the music off. He’d clearly seen me about to cry.

“It’s just…that was our song. His and mine.” His eyes widened and he quickly came over to wrap his forelegs and wings around me to try and provide some comfort.

“Oh, Swing. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—“

“You didn’t know, Fang,” I said, cutting him off. “It’s alright.” As he embraced me, I could feel my heart flutter in my chest. The feeling of his legs and wings wrapping me up, holding me close to him; it made me feel safe. But it also made me feel something I’d dreaded feeling for anypony. I felt love. Looking up at him, I saw his eyes looking down, watching me for any change. “Fang, do you ever get scared? And not of things like timberwolves, but things like whether or not somepony will love you back?”

“All the time.” He whispered as he gave me a small, comforting squeeze. “Is there somepony you like?” I nodded as I buried my face into his shoulder. “Can you tell me who it is?” I shook my head, knowing that I couldn’t tell him. “That’s alright if you can’t or don’t want to tell me. Just know that I’m here for you. And know that I go through the same fears. It can be hard sometimes. Especially if that pony is around you all day. But even if they might not love you back, you still need to try and be their friend. Which, it can be hard, just staying a friend. Especially when you love everything that they do. The way they smile and share dirty jokes. How they hardly ever let life get them down. When they swear in Istallion despite you not knowing one word of the language but they make it sound so cute.” My breath caught in my throat and I slowly raised my head up from his shoulder. I saw his amber eyes looking at me, staring deep into my own eyes. He was so handsome. In the haze of the moment, I hardly noticed my head moving forward until my lips were pressed against his. My mind went crazy as I could feel his fangs gently scraping my bottom lip and the warmth of his breath against my snout. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few wonderful seconds, Fang gently pulled away. Then, as I watched him, he lunged back forward and slammed his lips against mine, pulling me as close as he could with his legs and wing. As we kissed, neither of us noticed as we lost our balance and fell over onto the floor. It was certainly a wonderful beginning to a wonderful night.

Author's Note

Proofread and edited by my amazing boyfriend Glacier Wind. Go give him a watch.

19: Song of the Lunar Siren

I woke up with a pounding headache as the rays from the late afternoon sun shone in through the bedroom window. Rolling over, I groaned and snuggled into Fang’s chest as I took notice of his foreleg draped over me. “Fang, make the sun go away,” I whined as I hugged him. He groaned as he woke up and I could feel him resting his chin on top of my head.

“What?” Fang questioned as he hugged me and pulled me close to him.

“Make the sun go away,” I replied as I nuzzled into his chest fluff. He giggled as he stroked my mane with his hoof and draped a wing over me.

“I can’t my little honeysuckle, but if I do this—” Fang grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over our heads, plunging us into near darkness “—it’s close enough. Is that better?” I nodded my head as I hugged and squeezed him.

“Your chest is so fluffy,” I told him as I pressed my face against his chest again.

“Nah, that’s you my little marshmallow,” he said with a grin as he scratched behind my ear with his hoof. “You’re my little fluff ball. I love it. But not as much as I love you.”

“So do you and Fang have any plans for Hearts and Hooves Day?” Luna asked as she attempted to stealthily open my desk drawer where I kept the snack cakes. I reached a hoof over and shut the drawer without looking up from the papers on my desk.

“Not that I know of. I mean, unless he’s planning on surprising me with something,” I replied as she stuck out her upper lip in a pouting look. “Lu, you and I both know that you need to fit into that one dress for the ball on Saturday. You won’t be able to do that if you keep eating snack cakes,” I said as I set a stack of paperwork aside. A glance up at the clock showed that it was almost five in the morning. With a yawn, I stood up from my desk. Thankfully, Luna had taken the many months I was on her staff to slowly adjust me to a reverse sleep schedule where I was up all night and asleep all day.

“But they’re sooooo good. Can’t we have just one?” I sighed and shook my head as I rolled my eyes. Opening up the drawer, I grabbed a Moonpie and tossed it over to her. She smiled with glee and tore the package open, quickly shoving the entire snack into her mouth.

“Be careful not to eat too many or you’ll get fat. And I don’t exactly feel like making you exercise. Mostly cause I don’t want to exercise too.” I locked the snack drawer and slipped the key into my shirt pocket. Fang appeared in the doorway with a tired smile as I stood up to leave.

“I finished delivering those papers for you, hun,” he said as I trotted over. Giving him a small peck on the cheek, I smiled as I looked into his amber eyes.

“Thank you, buttercup. You ready to go home?” He yawned and I giggled as he did so. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll see you tonight Luna.” Fang and I slowly trotted into the hallway and over towards the main staircase. I waited patiently by the doors as he went into the locker room for the night guards where he put his armor away. One thing Fang always made sure to do was to leave his armor at work and not bring it home. Once he was finished, we slowly trotted out into the dim light from the predawn sky. While the sun had yet to rise, I could see a faint hint of light in the eastern horizon that provided some illumination. I leaned my head on his shoulder as our hooves clopped on the cobblestones but quickly straightened up as I saw a police sergeant ahead of us.

“Swing, maybe you should go ahead of me,” Fang whispered just loud enough for me to hear, a slight hint of worry in his voice. Just as I was about to ask why, I heard the police stallion speak up.

“Can I see your ID, boy?” the gruff sounding cop asked as he looked over at Fang. I felt my stomach tie itself in knots as Fang nervously reached into his jacket pocket to get his ID. He cautiously gave it to the stallion who looked it over while glancing up at him. “Your kind ain’t welcome in this part of town. Take the back roads and don’t let me catch you around here again.” The cop gave Fang his ID back and Fang was quick to turn around and start to head off.

“Now hold on just one cotton-pickin’ second,” I said and both stallions stopped and looked at me. “Just why in Tartarus isn’t he welcomed in this part of Canterlot?”

“Cause he’s a bat pony and everypony knows that they ain’t nothing but trouble,” the police stallion replied. I could feel myself getting hot behind the ears and Fang gently tugged at my jacket.

“Swing, just leave it. It’s not worth the trouble,” he whispered which only made my anger boil over.

“Yes it is! This is a load of bullshit! Just because you’re a bat pony doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to go into certain neighborhoods! This is nothing but plain and simple racism!” I trotted over and looked the stallion in the eyes as he started to reach a hoof back for his nightstick. “And may Faust have mercy on you when my boss hears about this.” The cop’s hoof began to rise up and I saw he was holding his nightstick, ready to bring it down against my head. Raising a hoof, I blocked his and smiled. “I’ve faced a lot tougher and meaner things than you so you’d better have something better than that little twig of yours.”

“Swing, stop!” Fang shouted as he desperately pulled at my jacket.

“Listen to your friend there before I place you under arrest for assaulting a police stallion.” I laughed as I looked at the brown earth pony before me.

“This isn’t assaulting a cop. This is assaulting a cop.” I drew my one free forehoof back and punched him in the snout, making him take a couple steps back. He recovered quickly and tackled me to the ground. I felt him putting hoof cuffs on me and I smirked. “Oh goody, I always wanted to go to jail. Cuff me harder officer, I like it rough!”

“Swing, you monumental jackass!” a voice roared down the hall of the Canterlot City Jail and I immediately recognized who it was.

“Lulu! How ya doing moonbutt?” I jested as she trotted up to the cell I was in. Fang was right beside her and was looking at me worriedly.

“I wouldn’t do that. I had to wake her up to bring her down here. She’s pretty grumpy, to say the least.” I nodded and pursed my lips as I glanced at the seething alicorn. “Thankfully, she was able to scare the living crap out of the chief and your charges have been dropped.” The door opened with a clunk and I cautiously stepped out. Immediately my one ear was seized in Luna’s magic and I began to express my discomfort of it.

“Oh shut up. You’re in serious trouble, mister.” Luna stated as she dragged me out of the police station, Fang following closely behind us. “We are going to give you a good, stern talking to about this kind of behavior.”

“Yes mom.” I groaned as I rolled my eyes.

“So Raven, here’s some papers I need back with Sunbutt’s signature,” I said as I set the paper’s on the white unicorn mare’s desk. She sighed and brushed aside her bangs with a hoof as she looked at me.

“Her majesty’s name is Celestia. Not ‘Sunbutt’,” Raven replied with annoyance as she adjusted her glasses.

“Right, sorry. Say, has anypony told you how cute you are with those new glasses of yours.” This made her pause and I saw her start twirling her hoof a little. Now, I know what some of you are thinking already. I’m a loyal stallion but I needed papers signed and Raven was known for being a tough cookie about passing papers on to Celestia. They didn’t call her ‘Celestia’s Guard Dog’ for no reason. One can have the key to the gate but sometimes you still need to kiss the gatekeeper’s ass to get by them. And flirting was always a near surefire way to get on somepony’s good side.

“C-cute?” She asked as her cheeks and ears began to take on a pinkish tint. I nodded and gave her a small smile as she looked over at the papers. “I…I guess I can pass them onto the princess for you.”

“Thanks Raven.” I turned and trotted out of the room and into the corridor on Celestia’s side of the palace. I looked rather out of place in my Lunar Guard uniform but it was important business after all. Luna was due to be on a state visit to Vanhoover to christen a new ocean liner, her first big event of the year and her first visit to the city in over a millennia. Of course, the city had originally wanted Celestia because, as we all know, while they co-rule Equestria, Celestia holds more power. It certainly wasn’t a secret to anypony except maybe Luna, who we all made sure to convince that she was equal to her sister. We all knew how that went the last time she thought on the contrary.

As I walked through the corridor, I saw several of the daytime workers beginning to leave for the night. If there was one thing I loved about working at night, it was that the palace was always so quiet. Although that night, for all I knew, could’ve been very different. It was Luna’s last Night Court before her trip to Vanhoover. Thankfully it went by quickly with only about two dozen ponies bringing forth something they wished to draw Luna’s attention to. After Night Court, I followed Luna back towards our offices.

“Okay, so tomorrow we’ll be leaving for Vanhoover on your personal train at exactly midnight. It’ll be about a day’s journey so we should arrive at around one in the morning accounting for stops along the way,” I told Luna as I looked over the agenda I held in front of me. We turned into the offices and I stopped by my desk.

“You probably ought to go home and relax then since we’ll be stuck on our train all night and day,” Luna said as I set the agenda down. I raised an eyebrow at her as she stepped into her office and slowly followed her in. She turned to see me looking at her skeptically and smirked. “Before you ask, yes, we are certain that it is alright. You may go. In fact, when you see Fang, tell him he is relieved.” I nodded to her and said a quick goodnight before trotting out of the office, quickly finding Fang in the corridor.

“Luna said we’re both done for the night so let’s head home.” He smiled and we did the usual routine of him leaving his armor there and then walking home together. One thing I’d enjoyed about Fang moving in with me was that now I could forget the old memories of the house. The memories of him. We’d even got rid of the large bed that had been provided with the house; instead opting to use Fang’s more modest bed. Trotting home under the moonlight, Fang hummed a song quietly and I smiled as I listened to him. “That’s a nice song you’re humming. What is it?”

“Just one from a movie soundtrack I heard on the way to work earlier,” he replied with a small smile before continuing to hum the song.

“Oh, from that record store you go past?” Fang nodded as we turned onto our street and I could hear him chuckle a little. “What?”

“Nothing. I just think you’re going to like what I got for you on my lunch break earlier.” We trotted up the front walk to the door of the house and stepped inside. “Do you still have that tailcoat of yours?” He asked as he shut the door.

“Yeah, why?” I questioned as I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Thanks in part because Luna is such a nice mare and told me in advance that we were getting off early tonight, I was able to talk her into getting us a couple of tickets for the symphony tonight. I know how much you’ve wanted to go see it.” I felt my breath catch in my throat and I lunged forward to wrap my forelegs around Fang. “Oh my. Hun, I’m glad you like it. Now come on, let’s go get dressed or else we’ll be late.” I trotted to the bedroom and quickly put on my shirt with arrow collars, studs, cufflinks, tailcoat; but when I got to the bow tie, I had an issue.

“Um, Fang?” He looked over at me from where he was tying his own white bow tie with a raised eyebrow. “Could you maybe tie this for me?”

“I thought you knew how to tie a tie?” he asked as he trotted over to me.

“I do. Just…not a bow tie. Usually I have to wear the ones that hook together,” I admitted with a blush as he began tying my tie. I looked up at him where I saw him smirking. “What’s so funny?”

“You. You’re too damn cute, you know that?” I immediately felt my chest fur ruffle up a bit under my shirt as my face burned red in embarrassment.

“I most certainly am not! I am darkness. I am the night! Ponies fear me and will cower at the very mention of my name!” I replied which only made him smile more as he finished with my tie. He wrapped his legs around me in a hug as he chuckled slightly.

“Sure you are hun,” Fang said with an obvious smile. “Now let’s get going. We don’t want to be late do we?”

I slowly walked alongside Fang as we looked for our seats. The nice thing about Luna helping get the tickets meant that the tickets were for the royal theatre box. “My grandmother brought me here as a colt. It all still seems so big.” I said as I looked through a set of open doors to a theatre box at the large hall below us.

“I didn’t know your grandmother was into this sort of thing. You hardly ever talk about them it seems.” Fang replied and I noticed his fluffy ears seemed to droop a little.

“Sorry. Yeah, grandma was originally from Canterlot. Her family was high society and, as such, it meant that she still had to keep up occasional appearances here.” We turned into the royal theatre box and gently shut the doors behind us. “I haven’t been here in years. Not since I was about twelve. I hated it at the time but now, I honestly kind of wish I’d gone more.” I leaned over and adjusted Fang’s bow tie without thinking much of it but the action caused Fang to smile. Ignoring his grin, I leaned forward and looked out over the crowd. In the crowd I could make out several prominent ponies in Canterlot, as well as a few non ponies. Taking their seats in a box close to the stage was the ambassador to Zebrica and one of his many mistresses; none of which his wife knew of. Yet.

Another was Fancy Pants with Fleur Dis Lee, though, most in high society knew that Fancy was a ‘confirmed bachelor’. In fact, in the few times that Test and I had been to clubs for ponies like us, I’d seen him almost every time. Though, it was almost common knowledge to everypony that Fleur often acted as a beard for gay stallions who had a reputation to maintain. And it certainly wouldn’t help Fancy’s reputation if ponies knew what he was into in the bedroom; but let’s just say, there’s a reason that Fancy only adopts male dogs. But enough about him. Moving on to the next one in the crowd, I watched as the director for Equestria’s Bureau of Investigation sat down in his theatre box with his deputy director. Most would look at it and consider it just a nice gesture of him being the boss and rewarding his deputy for his hard work with a night at the symphony. But oh no. This was far more than that. It was a date. And another thing about Silent Informer was his supposedly ‘secret’ hobby of crossdressing. But what dirt that I had on ponies very easily kept them around my hoof and more importantly under Luna’s. As far as Fang knew though, I was just a sweet, ugly, scared stallion who worked as a secretary. Nothing more and nothing less. The lights in the symphony hall dimmed and the talking throughout ceased in a moment. As we all watched, the red, velvet curtain opened, revealing the orchestra. The conductor raised his baton and began leading the orchestra through their first song.

Fang and I slowly trotted down the streets of Canterlot, the night air smelling like rain as pegasi pushed clouds together ahead of a scheduled storm. I nuzzled into Fang’s neck as we walked along, letting him lead me along as I closed my eyes in bliss. Soon we arrived at the house and stepped inside. I looked up at Fang and saw him smiling. “What’re you grinning for?” I asked as I gently poked his chest with a hoof.

“It’s a gift that I got you. But it’s a surprise so I want you to close your eyes and stay right here until I come back.” I nodded and closed my eyes as I sat down in the front foyer of the house, patiently awaiting Fang’s return. As I sat, I could hear hoofsteps coming back towards me and a moment later a tongue was lapping at my face.

“Fang, really? What if the neighbors see us again?” I asked as the tongue continued to lick me, making me giggle a bit. I slowly opened my eyes and I noticed brown eyes in front of mine, making me pause for a moment in confusion until I noticed that the eyes belonged to a King Shepard puppy. I looked around the puppy at Fang who was holding the pup up with a huge smile on his face. “Is…is this my gift?” I asked. To which Fang nodded happily. Sitting there for a moment in shock, I quickly snatched the puppy away and began hugging it. “Oh my gosh! I’m gonna hug you and squeeze you and never let you go, and name you Orion!” Orion began licking my face which made me giggle more as I held him. “Oh Fang this is the best gift ever! Kinda makes my gift for you seem pathetic,” I said with a sigh at the end.

“Well what is it?” Fang asked as I looked down at the floor in slight shame.

“It’s in the refrigerator.” I told him and he trotted over to the fridge. He opened the door and gasped a moment later before returning with a huge smile and a pie tin.

“I love mango pie! It’s my favorite!” Fang took a bite of it and immediately made a sound of satisfaction. “It tastes just like the pies my mom makes!” I smiled as he continued to compliment my gift.

“That’s because I wrote to your mom asking for her recipe. I know how much you like it and I thought that it would make a good gift. It’s not much, I know…but I’m glad you like it.” I was suddenly being squeezed in a hug as Fang wrapped his forelegs around me, making Orion happily lick at our faces.

“I love it, Swing. It’s so amazingly sweet. I love you.” Fang planted a kiss on my cheek and gently nipped at my ear, making me giggle. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” We both trotted towards the bedroom, Orion happily following us. When we entered the bedroom though, we were greeted by the sight of a small box on the bed and a note. I stepped forward carefully and grabbed the note, reading it aloud for Fang to hear.

“Dearest Swing Rhythm and White Fang, it hath been over a millennia since our banishment, a time that brought much sadness into our heart. But we are most grateful to you, for you both have helped to bring joy and laughter back into our life. Before our banishment, there was a group of ponies that were my children of the night. They have long since been forgotten by much of Equestria but they are still fresh in our memories. The last of them was lost hundreds of years ago, patiently awaiting our return. It is with great affection and caring that we call you both our children of the night. Signed, Lulu.” I looked over at Fang who was standing there, stunned. His mouth was agape but he quickly closed it and stepped forward to open the box. There, inside, sat two silver pins made to look like a shining star. In the center of each star was an engraving of our cutie marks that gleamed as it caught the light. “Fang, you must know more about it than I do. Who are the children of the night?”

“After they defeated Discord, Canterlot was still pretty slow to recover from it. Despair was all around. Specifically for poor ponies with families. Luna believed that expanding Equestria and starting a new colony elsewhere would solve the problem. A colony for the poor, needy, unwanted, unloved, and any other fillies and colts that were looked at as a burden by their families or society. She called to them in the night, almost like a siren of sorts, and they came to her. She took them away to a place where they would live their lives in peace and happiness; without having to worry about money or anything like that. She gave them the love they so needed. She became their mother. And by her doing this…” He trailed off as a small smile appeared on his face and his eyes began to water. “Luna is declaring us her children. She is letting us into her family, one that hasn’t existed for hundreds of years. And we are now the sole children of the night.”

20: Caesura

Fang and I sat side by side across from Princess Luna and Drum Cadence, the dim light of the carriage providing just enough light to see each other. “So what is the agenda again?” Luna asked which made me sigh while rolling my eyes.

“We’ll be on the train for approximately twenty four hours and then we’ll be going to the Mitchell Hotel. They’ve already had the hotel swept for any potential threats so it is secure. Now, when we get to the station, we’ll be meeting up with the Vanhoover Police Department and the Vanhoover division of the Lunar Guard. They’ve said that they’ll have an armored carriage waiting for us.” Luna looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

“We do hope they don’t plan on us riding in that carriage during the parade. Our subjects will hardly be able to see us if we are in that beast.” Fang and I exchanged worried glances before looking back to Luna.

“Forgive me, Your Highness—” Luna snorted in slight annoyance of my way of addressing her “—but the security risks are too high. The parade route is almost five kilometers. There’s no possible way we can secure the whole route from potential threats.” Luna looked at me again with a look of annoyance.

“Swing, we will not ride in that carriage. Please, we are asking as a friend, find us an open carriage. It is not fair to our subjects and it is not fair to us.” I looked at Luna for several seconds before letting out a sigh.

“Fine, I will see what I can arrange but I will make no promises about anything. And let it be recorded that I obeyed under protest as I consider it a huge safety hazard.” Luna nodded that she acknowledged it and I set about making a note of it on my papers. The carriage suddenly lurched to a stop and we looked out the windows to see Luna’s personal train outside and ready to go. The door opened and we saw several Lunar Guards lining the path to the open door on the train car. We all stepped out (with Luna going first of course), and trotted down the small path to the waiting train. Slowly climbing the steps, mostly because it was awkward with my prosthetic, I boarded the train and took a seat on a rather large couch with Fang climbing up next to me.

“Only the best since this train is for long trips. If we are to travel, let us do it in comfort,” Luna said as she sat down on a large, red velvet covered easy chair. Luna began to hum a small tune that made Drum Cadence giggle.

“What’s so funny about that song?” Fang questioned as Luna continued to hum. The tune sounded very familiar to me and I suddenly realized what song it was, making me laugh and begin singing along to the tune.

Fang seemed slightly mortified but quickly began to chuckle and smile at the silly song. Though the song soon ended and Luna smiled at us, none of us noticed that the train was now traveling towards the edge of Canterlot. “Does anypony else know some songs? Now that we think about it, there is a piano in the viewing car. Let’s go back there and have some fun.” Luna jumped up out of her chair and led us all to the last car of the train which had large skylights and windows letting one get a beautiful view of the moonlit countryside just outside of Canterlot. Dim lights helped illuminate the car with plush cushions along the floor by the windows with small reading lights built into the spaces between the windows. In the middle of the car though sat a baby grand piano and I trotted over, taking a seat on the small bench in front of it. Pressing one key, I listened to it play the note in the otherwise quiet car.

“Thank you and goodnight,” I said with a smile which earned a small chuckle from Fang and Luna. “But in all seriousness, here’s a beautiful song that I once heard in one of Ponyville’s many nighttime watering holes.”

The song made Luna, Fang, and Drum roar with laughter as I ended it and took a small bow. “Thank you and remember to tip your waitresses.” I told them before sticking my tongue out. I slipped off the piano bench and back onto the plush carpeting of the train car. “Lu, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet this train car is.”

“That’s because we put a noise reduction spell on it. Typically it’d have a noise cancellation spell to silence all outside noise but we find the click-clack of the rails to be rather soothing. We would just use a lullaby but that doesn’t work on the pony who is singing it,” Luna explained as she took a seat on one of the cushions.

“A lullaby?” I questioned as I took a seat on a cushion across from her.

“Indeed. You see, some of the alicorns from long ago, like us, were given the gift of song. With night alicorns, we are able to sing lullabies that can put ponies to sleep. It can be both a blessing and a curse as us simply singing quietly while in bed with Drum Cadence has caused her to fall asleep on us.” Drum immediately began blushing and gently swatted Luna on the foreleg. Luna smiled at Drum’s embarrassment and looked out the windows at the night sky, her face suddenly taking a slightly depressed appearance. “Tell us, why do ponies not like our night?” Fang and I looked at each other with worry before looking back to Luna.

“Lu, ponies do love it. They write songs about it, they find it the most romantic time; ponies adore your night. It might not seem like it but ponies truly do love your night. It is beautiful. Here, come with me.” I stood and gestured for Luna to follow me. I trotted out onto the small observation stand that was on the back of the train. Taking a seat, I watched as Luna sat down next to me. “Luna, tell me what you see when you look up at the sky.”

“I see the stars and the moon and the darkness,” she replied with a sigh as though they were insignificant things.

“Wrong. Look at the sky. It's not a black void and without character. The black is actually deep blue. And over there—” I pointed to a part of the sky “—lighter blue. And blowing through the blues and blackness, the winds swirling through the air and then shining, burning, bursting through: the stars! And you see how they roar their light. Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes. The night is beautiful, Luna. Don’t you ever forget that or think ponies don’t appreciate it.” I looked over at her and noticed a tear running down her cheek. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, we’re quite alright. We’ve never heard a non-bat pony speak so kindly of our night,” Luna replied as she wiped the tear away. “Thank you, Swing. Though I do believe you stole that from a Doctor Whooves radio program.” A small chuckle escaped her and made me smile.

“Hey, you referred to yourself differently.” I said as I suddenly noticed that she hadn’t referred to herself in the usual way.

“Indeed. My sister had a discussion with me before we left. She told me that it would probably be a good idea to start referring to myself like most ponies do with themselves; that it might improve my popularity among the masses.” I nodded slightly as I looked out over the tracks that were behind the train. “Now, I’ve got a twenty year old bottle of Collines red wine in the refrigeration car. How about we crack it open?”

A young, tan pegasus mare with a turquoise mane slowly walked into the public section of the palace, her hoofsteps echoing off the walls of the grand hall. Her brown eyes glanced around until she found a night guard standing at his post. “Pardon me, but I was hoping I could speak with somepony.”

“Of course ma’am. Who would you like to speak with?” The guard replied in the usual stern voice that they used.

“I was hoping that I could speak to Swing Rhythm,” she replied as she glanced around again. “I was told that he is here.”

“I’m terribly sorry ma’am, but Corporal Rhythm is currently on a trip to Vanhoover with Her Majesty Princess Luna. If you would like, I can take a message and leave it on his desk for when he returns” The guard said so with a smile. “Or, I could just get your number and we go from there.” He wiggled his eyebrows and leaned towards her. A loud clang echoed in the hall as she quickly spun around and bucked his helmet, the impact knocking him out cold.

“Not on your life Private Snafu,” she muttered as she stepped over him to leave the palace and head for the train station.

Luna squinted her one open eye as she focused on the object just ahead of her. With her magic, she brought the pool cue forward and into the cue ball, sending it crashing into the eight ball which then dashed across the billiards table and into the left corner pocket. Luna stood up and looked over at Drum with a smug grin. “I win,” she gloated as she put her cue onto a rack that hung on the wall of the train car. “And you know what that means.” Drum rolled her eyes as she looked at Luna.

“Fine, I’ll do that thing you like tonight.” This made Fang and I look up from our board game at them.

“Do we want to know?” Fang questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s just say it involves lots of leather and you boys might want to sleep with earplugs tonight.” Drum replied which made Fang and I shudder.

“I already regret that he asked,” I said with a glance over at Fang. Outside of the train car, the eastern horizon began to take on a dark blue hue, indicating that morning was nearly upon us. With that, Fang and I retired to the sleeping car for the day to get some much needed shut eye. The room that we’d been given was rather luxurious for something that you’d find on a train but that can be something you’d expect on a train made for one of the royal sisters. And while I’d never seen it, I’d heard from day guards that Celestia’s personal train made Luna’s look extremely modest in comparison. While the kitchen on Luna’s train used stainless steel utensils for each meal, Celestia’s used golden ones. While Luna had a car just for books and relaxing, Celestia had one filled with the most expensive art from around Equestria. It was rather odd that in my months working at the palace, I’d only met Celestia once despite working with her sister every day.

Fang and I climbed into the queen sized bed and covered up with the blanket, quickly snuggling up to one another to keep warm. “So what’s planned after this trip?” Fang questioned as he wiggled a bit to snuggle closer to me.

“Well, we’re supposed to visit a tribe of the Buffalo Nation near Las Pegasus and meet with Chief Wakita about setting aside more land for the tribe,” I explained before thinking again. “And then after that it’ll be a couple weeks but then we’re headed to Ponyville for a meeting with Princess Twilight so you’ll get to see my old apartment where I grew up.”

“I’d love that!” Fang giggled as he kissed my nose. “Alright, let’s get some sleep my little cherry blossom.”

The tan pegasus mare sighed as she looked out the window of the train. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon and she began to feel sleep tugging her eyelids down. “Coffee ma’am?” a voice asked which made her jump slightly and turn to see an older stallion in a steward’s uniform smiling softly at her while next to a cart filled with coffee cups and small breakfast items.

“Oh. Um, yes please. Four creams and two sugars.” The stallion went about pouring her cup of coffee and adding the cream and sugar before giving her the small porcelain cup which rested on a saucer.

“Anything else from the trolley, ma’am?” he asked with another smile at her.

“No, thank you,” she replied with a smile in return. He slowly began to push the cart along the aisle to other ponies who were just then waking up for the morning. The mare began to sip her coffee while watching the prairie that seemed to glow orange in the morning light.

“Beg your pardon, but is this seat taken?” A stallion’s voice asked, causing her to turn and look at who was attempting to join her. Next to her seat stood a handsome unicorn stallion with a white coat and a slicked back blonde mane. He wore a midnight blue vest with a golden watch chain dangling from one pocket.

“No, please, have a seat,” she replied with a smile as he began to sit down.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been awake all night like I have,” he said as he levitated his own coffee cup to his lips.

“I have been. What’s kept you up?” she asked as she looked over to him.

“Been busy finishing up a business presentation I’m giving in downtown Vanhoover to some new investors in our company. You?” He took another sip of his coffee as he looked over at her again.

“It’s a long story. I wouldn’t want to bore you with it,” she replied as she looked down at the floor.

“Hey now, you’d be surprised. I’m a very easily entertained stallion,” he said with a chuckle. “But I would like to get your name if we’re to be traveling together even for a little bit. I’m Bar Graph.”

“I’m Gypsy Jazz,” she stated as she smiled at him.

“Now, Gypsy, what’s got you going to Vanhoover?” Bar asked as he set aside his now empty coffee cup. She let out a small sigh as she grabbed her saddle bag that sat by the seat and rummaged through it until she pulled out a black and white picture. On the left of the picture stood a stallion with a shaggy mane.

“That’s my father. He just recently passed away. All his years of partying and drinking caught up to him. When he passed I found out that he had relatives all across Equestria, one of whom I just found out is in Vanhoover this weekend for business. I’d really like to meet him if I can.” Gypsy stated as she put the picture back in her bag.

“Swing, wake up. It’s time for breakfast,” Fang’s voice said gently as I felt a hoof nudging at my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes and felt the rays of the setting sun streaming in onto the bed. “There’s pancakes and toast in the dining car.”

“Is there coffee?” I asked as I slowly sat up in bed. He nodded that there was and I rolled out of bed to follow him to the dining car. He giggled as he looked up to my mane which stuck out wildly in all directions. I reached a hoof up and immediately toppled over as I’d forgotten to put on my prosthetic. Fang rushed over and helped me up, the whole time making sure I wasn’t hurt. “I’m alright, hun. Just need to get my leg. I’m not much good when I’m hobbling along without it.” Fang helped me up onto the bed and gave me my prosthetic which I then slipped on like I always did. It was to the point that I’d almost forgotten what it was like without it. It’d become a regular part of my life really.

With my prosthetic now on, I climbed back off the bed and followed Fang to the dining car where Luna and Drum were waiting for us. “It’s about time you two arrived. We’ve been waiting for you,” Luna said as a waiter brought out plates of food for us. He used his magic to remove the silver lids and I looked down at my plate to see pancakes, hay bacon, and toast on the plate. He bowed to all of us before trotting out and back into the kitchen which was sealed off from the rest of the car. We all began to eat, idle chit chat filling the time between bites. “So Fang, I have been wondering something?” Fang looked up from his plate at Luna as he swallowed a piece of hay bacon.

“Yes?” Fang asked.

“Are you by any chance an acrotomophile?” Luna questioned which made Fang, as well as Drum and I, raise an eyebrow as none of us knew what that was. Luna seemed to catch on though as she cleared her throat. “My apologies, it means to have a sexual attraction to amputees.” Her words made Drum and I spit out our drinks and made Fang slightly choke on a piece of a pancake.

“Luly, you can’t just ask ponies questions like that!” Drum said as she turned and looked at Luna who sat confused at our reactions.

“Why not?” Luna asked as she looked at Drum.

“Because even if he was, that’s his business.” Drum said before looking over at Fang. “Though now I am curious about that,” she stated with a smirk. Fang’s face was beet red and he glanced around at all of us. I grinned as he looked at me.

“It’s okay if you do find that attractive hun,” I reassured him.

“I’m attracted to Swing yes, and he just so happens to be an amputee. But no…no I’m not.” Fang replied calmly to which Luna simply nodded.

“Very well. Was just curious,” Luna said with a small smile as she lifted her tea up to her lip and whispered to herself. “Though your dreams would sometimes say otherwise. But that’s none of my business.”

Gypsy Jazz sighed as she looked out the window of the train car. Bar Graph looked up from his seat across from her, looking over his horn-rimmed reading glasses at the mare. “What’s on your mind?” he asked as she looked out at the sun setting over the mountains, the purple and orange sky reflecting off the snow covered peaks.

“Just thinking about meeting my relative. What if he doesn’t want to meet me? What if he wants nothing to do with me?” Gypsy wondered aloud as she looked over to Bar who removed his glasses and slipped them into a pocket on his vest.

“Now tell me, why are you worried so much about if he’ll want to meet you?” Bar questioned as he set his papers aside on the seat.

“Well, let’s just say that our blood relation is pretty close. I grew up with a pretty small family; it was just my parents and I so any more family is great. I always wanted to have more relatives and now is my chance to have that. To have the family I always dreamed of.” Gypsy sighed as she shook her head. “I know it must sound stupid but-“

“No, actually it doesn’t. I grew up with only my older brother and my mother who raised us all by herself. I always wished I could have a real family like all the other kids at school. Two parents, lots of siblings, a big family; but I came to realize that family isn’t just blood. It’s friends too. And it’s because of that that we all have a big family of sorts. Heck, I’d even consider you to be family at this point.” Bar said which made Gypsy smile a bit. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’ll want to meet you. Now, it’s getting late. May I treat you to dinner in the dining car?”

The midnight blue personal train began to slow and I quickly smoothed out my uniform again as we approached the Vanhoover station. “Now remember, Mayor Power Play is going to be meeting us at the station. And he’s also going to be running for a seat in parliament this next election cycle so we need to support him. He’ll be vital to getting any of our major bills passed through without issue.” Luna nodded in understanding as the train rolled to a stop. The doors opened and I immediately noticed a red carpet laid out for us. At the end of the carpet was a white stallion with a greying-brown mane in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and a light blue tie. He bowed as Luna stepped down onto the carpet and we followed her up towards the stallion and the small crowd that was behind him. Among them were several reporters with cameras, their flashbulbs popping with each flash, and a surprising number of bat ponies. The crowd began to grow quiet and bowed as Luna drew closer until we were directly in front of Mayor Play.

“Please rise.” Luna said with a tone of authority. The crowd stood back up and immediately the flashbulbs resumed flashing and the mayor stepped forward. As he stepped forward though a commotion in the crowd got the attention of Drum, Fang, and I. We noticed that the protestors were getting more rowdy and beginning to almost get violent in their behavior. Out of instinct, we all three formed a protective formation around Luna. There were several loud pops and at first I thought they were firecrackers. A stinging in my side made me believe that perhaps one of the protesters had launched a rock at me as it wasn’t uncommon for protestors to do such things. At least I thought so until I had a metallic taste in my mouth. Looking over, I noticed that Vanhoover police officers had tackled a stallion to the ground and the mayor laid on the ground in shock as a pool of blood began to form under him.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as blood began to trickle from the corner of my mouth and my legs felt weak. “Here we go again.”

Gypsy and Bar stood side by side on the train platform for the South Vanhoover Station and smiled to each other. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.” Gypsy said as she leaned in and kissed Bar Graph on the cheek. Bar reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Here’s my number, just in case you’re ever in the Fillydelphia area and looking for a date.” He said as he gave her the paper. She was about to speak when they both heard ponies go quiet and a small crowd began forming near a window in the train station. Slowly, they trotted over and stood with the small crowd as a stallion who worked at the station turned up the radio.

“Here is a bulletin from VBS News: at Vanhoover Grand Station, six shots were fired at Princess Luna’s entourage; severely wounding Mayor Power Play as well as two royal guards and a city police officer who have yet to be identified at this time. We will keep…hold on folks, more details just arrived. These details about the same as previously: four hit by shooter at Vanhoover Grand Station although we now have names and conditions of all those shot. The victims are Mayor Power Play who is in critical condition; Sergeant Blue Heart of the Vanhoover Police Department who has been pronounced dead; Corporal Drum Cadence who is in good condition after being grazed; and Corporal Swing Rhythm, Her Majesty’s personal assistant, is in serious condition with a collapsed lung from a bullet wound. We’ll bring you more information as the story develops.”

Gypsy’s legs began to shake as the crowd dispersed quietly and went their own way, Bar taking several seconds to notice her. He put a hoof on her shoulder as she sat down where she was at, her whole body beginning to tremble. “Gypsy, what’s wrong? Do you know one of them?”

“That guard, Swing,” Gypsy looked up at Bar as tears began to roll down her cheeks and her voice began to crack, “he’s the one I’m here to meet. He’s my half-brother.”

Author's Note

Edited by my wonderful boyfriend Glacier Wind. Terribly sorry for the long delay in this chapter. I'll try and have the next one out a lot faster

21: Nightmare

The oxygen mask on my snout felt like a gryphon was holding a cold, clammy paw over my face. “Get this sum-bitchin’ thing off my face,” I growled at a nurse as they pushed the gurney into the Vanhoover University Hospital. Behind myself and the group of doctors and nurses that surrounded me, I could hear Fang being held back by staff as he called after me. The staff wheeled me into an operating room and began to cut off my uniform.

“Now, Mister Rhythm, can you understand me?” a doctor asked as he stepped around into my vision.

“Nah, doc. I don’t speak any Equestrian,” I replied with a smirk. He chuckled as he looked at me.

“We’re going to begin administering the anesthetic in a few moments. Do you have any concerns or allergies to anything that we should be aware of?” the doctor questioned.

“I have just one question. Do you accept Blue Cross?” This made the doctor laugh again before looking around at the other staff and nodding to the nurse by my head.

“Mister Rhythm, please breathe deeply and count backwards from ten.”

~~~~~

I opened my eyes and looked around the white room. The thing I always hate about hospitals is the smell. It smells too clean. But it also reeks of death. You can’t really smell it through all the sanitizer, but it’s there. And after you smell it once, you’ll always notice it. The door to the room creaked and I looked over to see Fang slowly poke his head in. “Get in here you sexy bastard,” I said with a grin, making the grey bat pony gallop into the room and slide to a stop by the bed.

“Swing, I tried to follow you. I tried to make sure you were okay. I… They wouldn’t let me see you.” Fang’s eyes watered, making me lift a hoof and gently raise his face up by his chin.

“Fang; my sweet, darling Fang. It’s alright. You’re here now and that is all that matters.” I attempted to sit up in bed but stopped when I felt a pain in my side. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

~~~~~

A group of protesters shouted amongst the cheering crowds as Luna’s train slowed to a stop. Mixed in with the protesters was one that the police force, nor the other protesters, had expected for in his hoodie pocket was a six shooter revolver. He slowly worked his way towards the front of the crowd, his heart pounding as he slowly got closer to where he wanted to be. As he felt the weight of the gun in his pocket, he briefly considered stopping and just going home. But no, he had backed out on his last attempt in Canterlot and he vowed to himself that he would get the job done this time. He finally reached the front of the crowd as Luna and her procession trotted down the red carpet. Those not protesting grew silent and bowed to the Princess of the Night before she commanded them to rise. As the mayor extended his hoof, the yellow stallion reached into his pocket and drew the pistol, pointing it in the direction of Luna and firing blindly until the gun clicked, all six rounds spent. Chaos began to unfold as royal guards tackled Luna to the ground, the mayor lay bleeding, a police stallion lay dead on the platform with blood slowly oozing from his temple, and myself laying there blacked out and bleeding. Ponies in the crowd quickly tackled the stallion to the floor and held him down as police and royal guards began taking full control of the situation.

~~~~~

“So they arrested him?” I asked, making Fang nod his head in response. “Good. And hun, I’d like to say I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Fang asked as he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Forgetting to duck.” I replied which got me a gentle smack to the shoulder as Fang rolled his eyes. “Alright. Now, where’s moonbutt? I still need to get some work done.”

“Work? You’re in a hospital bed and all you can think about is work?” Fang questioned, sounding very annoyed with me.

“Hun, I’m basically what keeps Luna’s day on track. If it wasn’t for me keeping her in line and arranging her schedule, I know for a fact that she’d be passed out drunk from a party or in one of the many underground opium dens in Canterlot. We’re talking about the mare the press dubbed the ‘Party Princess’, remember?” I raised an eyebrow to which Fang shrugged slightly.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Either that or her and Drum would be doing Celestia knows what with Celestia knows what. I don’t even want to think about what all was happening when they woke us up the other day.” Fang shuddered slightly at the memory, making me smirk.

“Probably nothing we haven’t done before,” I chuckled out, making Fang blush a bit. “Hey, how about when I’m out of here, we go out dancing. Just you and me and a night on the town.”

“But they said your recovery might still take at least three months. You’re lucky it was just a punctured lung and not a collapsed lung. I think we’d better hold off on the dancing until you’re well again.” Fang replied as he patted my hoof with his. “It does sound like a nice night though.” He sat back with a small smile but I felt my face twist into a slight frown and my brows furrow in worry.

“Fang, can I ask you something?” Fang nodded his head as he looked at me, slightly worried. “Are you absolutely certain that you want to be with me?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because it seems like I’m just bad luck. And it seems like almost everypony I get close to I eventually push away. I hardly spoke to my grandparents the year before my grandma passed away. I spoke to her the most in that time during her last two days. And even then she was so sick that she could barely respond. I hardly spoke to my grandpa after that too. We seemed to push each other away even more after she passed. I didn’t speak to him for three months until the day he died. We sat and talked for hours and it felt almost like when I was a colt again where he’d just sit for hours on end telling me stories. Then he told me he was tired and was going to take a nap. And then he just never woke up. Seems like he was finally at peace. I became so wrapped up in my job that I pushed Test away and into the arms of another stallion. I hardly talk to any of my friends in Ponyville. I’m just a bad pony to be around, Fang. If you want to leave me, I understand.” I sniffled as my eyes started to water. A hoof landed gently on mine and I looked over at Fang who was on the verge of crying.

“I’m never leaving you, Swing. Not in a million years.” There was a scuffle outside the door that made us both look over just before the door was suddenly ripped from its hinges. Where the door once stood now stood a blue alicorn who immediately looked over at me.

“Swing!” Luna smiled as she galloped over and slid to a stop next to the bed. “We were so worried about you!”

“Yeah, you gave us quite the scare, dickhead,” Drum said with a smile as she sauntered into the room, a bandage around her leg.

“Good to see you’re doing well, jerkoff,” I replied with a grin as Drum sat down next to Luna. “Thanks for coming to see me though.” Looking out the window at the daylight, I yawned. “It’s weird, I’m not used to being up during the day now.”

“Us either.” Luna said as her and Drum yawned simultaneously. “We just came to check on you. We’d heard you were awake and thought we’d come check on my favorite children of the night.” Her and Drum stood up and waved goodbye to us as they left for the afternoon.

“Why didn’t you make me a child of the night?” Drum asked as they headed out of the room.

“Because a mother can’t have intercourse with her daughter,” Luna stated plainly.

“Who in Equestria said that?” Drum replied as she smacked Luna’s flank with her tail as Luna’s magic shut the door. Fang and I continued to talk for another half hour, telling jokes and trying to keep our spirits high. Though we both began to feel drowsy and soon after both drifted off into sleep.

~~~~~

I slowly walked through the silent halls of the royal palace, my hoofsteps echoing eerily off the stone walls. The palace was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight that shone through the large stained glass windows, casting dim colors onto the floor. Though there was something that seemed off about it all. The palace was never this quiet, even at night. Typically there’s always some noise somewhere. A janitor cleaning the floors; a guard snoring while on duty; the nightlife of Canterlot just outside the walls. But the palace was silent, the only noise being my hoofsteps. And the windows, they were not the same. They all seemed to have faded, like the color was slowly being sucked out of them. Then as I continued to walk, the eerie sound of a piano echoed off the walls at a near deafening level.

The notes all sounded strange and the tune was a familiar one, a song my grandmother would sing to me as a colt at night before I went to bed. As I continued to trot through the halls, my body not seeming to be able to do anything else, the song continued to get louder until I turned into a room that was pitch black except for a moonbeam through a window that illuminated a shadowy figure sitting at the piano I’d been hearing. I suddenly stopped walking as they ceased playing mid-song, the figure lifting their head up.

“Hello Swing. I’ve been expecting you,” the figure said in a very familiar voice, that of a stallion.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice coming out almost croaky, like my throat was dry as the desert.

“I believe we know each other quite well actually. One might even say I know your innermost thoughts. Every want, every desire, everything you’ve regretted, every stupid decision—I know them all.”

The figure spun around and it was then that I realized who it was. It was myself. But he looked different. He was exactly as I was before the timberwolves incident. I tried desperately to turn and run away but every muscle in my body seemed frozen, as though I’d been turned to stone. “Tell me, what does it feel like to be a pathetic, helpless little stallion? That’s all you are and you know it.” He cocked his head to the side and smirked. “That’s why you love having influence with Luna, isn’t it? It finally gives you some power. Power that you can use to your advantage. And what of your little demons in the closet? I’m certain that your little boy toy isn’t aware of you driving red hot nails into another stallion’s hooves. Or just how much ‘fun’ you and your old stallion used to get into. Or how about how shitty your foalhood really was? How pawpaw made us practice for fourteen hours straight until we got it right. Remember that? Or how about that time he and memaw caught you putting on makeup? Remember how that lash felt on our flanks? How much it stung when it would cut our hide? How we could feel the blood running down our leg?” He got off the piano bench and trotted over to me, placing his hoof under my chin and looking into my eyes. “Remember that Swing? Remember all those nasty names they called us? Remember the hatred they had in their eyes for us? Remember what they said ponies like us deserve? Remember all those times we would sneak out just to go make out with some colt from class in the park? Remember that dress we used to have to hide under the floorboard in our room so they wouldn’t find it? Remember how nice it felt to be able to put on a dress and not have to meet pawpaw’s expectations of what a stallion should be? You remember that, Swing? Because I certainly do.”

“And of course, we can’t forget about me,” another voice said as another version of myself stepped out of the shadows, his back left leg a mangled, shredded mess and his intestines hanging out of holes in his side. “Remember this, Swing? Remember the timberwolves? Remember how their teeth felt in our flesh? How we could feel them shredding our leg? Remember how wonderfully painful that was Swing? Remember how warm and happy we felt when we were almost dead? Of course you remember. It was such a wonderful feeling, wasn’t it? And of course we can’t forget about all the stuff that Test stallion did to us. Remember the riding crop? We begged for that one. Remember that time we came home late and he was drunk?”

“Of course we do!” The other version of me shouted with a demented smile. “Remember how he forced himself on us? Remember how he made sure we didn’t have a choice? Remember how scared we were? How we cried ourselves to sleep that night? How terrified we were of him but even more terrified of being without him? But look at you now. The same, pathetic stallion that he fell out of love with. The stallion that not even our own family could love. Doesn’t it just make you feel all warm and bubbly inside?” he asked as tears streamed down my face.

“Swing! Swing, wake up!” Fang’s voice called out as the dream began to fade away around me.

“You can’t get rid of us forever, Swing. We’re as much a part of you as you are us,” the two other versions of me said in sync before the dream faded away completely.

~~~~~

My eyes opened and I saw Fang standing over me. “Are you okay?” he asked as he looked at me with concern.

“Of course. Why do you ask?” I questioned as I looked up at the handsome bat stallion. He reached a hoof over and pulled my hoof up to my face, placing it on my cheek. I could feel that my cheeks were wet and quickly pulled my hoof away.

“You were sobbing in your sleep, Swing. Are you sure you’re alright?”

I nodded in response. “I’m positive sweetheart. It was just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about.” I admit, that was a lie but it was one I felt I had to tell. I didn’t ever want Fang to find out about that kind of stuff. They were secrets for a reason. The only problem is that secrets never stay secrets forever.

~~~~~

“Are you feeling alright? Are you comfortable? Do you need another cushion?” Fang asked me as I sat down on the train. I shook my head as I pulled out a bottle of painkillers from my vest pocket.

“I’m alright. Just need a glass of water or something. I would ask for some scotch on the rocks but I know I can’t have that with these painkillers.” I chuckled as I popped the lid of the bottle off and shook it until a little pill fell into my other hoof. Fang trotted over to the small table in the corner and returned with a small glass of water for me. I thanked him before popping the pill into my mouth and washing it down with a quick sip of the water. “Thank you, sweetie.” I set the glass aside as the train began to slowly move forward. It had been a rough few months with me recovering, though Fang certainly made it more bearable. “Now, when we get to Ponyville, we have some official business to attend to before we head to my old apartment. Maybe I’ll open up the shop for a few days too just to pull in some extra money.”

“Is everything alright in here?” Luna asked as the summer sun set over the horizon, her moon rising just on the other side of the sky.

“It is. Though we need to go over our agenda.” I pulled out a small agenda book I’d been given when we boarded the train. “First is the business from after our Ponyville visit. So we’re going to have to travel to Manehattan for a visit to Lady Rarity’s boutique to generate some sort of publicity. Then after that is the Knighthood Ball for all the knightings this year. That’s going to require full dress so make sure you have all your sashes and what not ready to go. Then after that is the diplomatic trip to the Gryphon Kingdom because they’re starting shit again. Fucking featherheads. And finally is-“ I was about to continue before Luna’s voice stopped me.

“Let’s just take this one day at a time, alright?” Luna looked over at me with a questioning look. “Though, have you looked over the list?”

“Not yet. I was doing that as I went. The last thing is for in two weeks and it’s for…” I trailed off and I looked over the writing. “Fang and I are being promoted to the rank of Brigadier General?” Fang quickly snatched the book out of my hooves and looked at it for himself before it slowly slipped from his hooves and landed on the floor with a small thud.

“It’s common for ponies in your position to be promoted in such a way. Since I technically adopted you two, you’re now considered my heirs and as such are entitled to promotions and the titles of duke. My sister and I have been discussing it in private. I originally wanted to make it Major General but Tia wanted only Colonel so we agreed to meet halfway at Brigadier. And whenever Drum and I get married then she’ll be granted the rank of Field Marshal.” Luna slipped on her glasses as she sat down and began flipping through paperwork. This got Drum’s attention as she looked over at Luna.

“You…you plan on us getting married?” Drum asked as her eyes started to water.

“Of course I do. You’ve brought us so much joy since I returned from my banishment. I couldn’t imagine spending a day without you.” Luna suddenly seemed to realize what she was saying and removed her glasses. “Drum Cadence, I know that this isn’t exactly how either of us probably imagined it in our heads, but would you make me the happiest mare in all of Equestria and be my bride?” Drum quickly nodded and jumped at Luna, hugging her and causing Luna’s paperwork to fly around the train car. Fang and I clapped our hooves as Drum showered Luna with a barrage of kisses and shouts of “yes!”. My clapping slowed though as the thought creeped into my mind about how much work the wedding planning would be and only one phrase could sum up my feelings perfectly.

“Fuck me sideways with a telegraph pole…”

~~~~~

The sound of a knocking on the bedroom door made me stir from my slumber yet Fang slept through it, snoring next to me as I carefully sat up. A butler opened the door and poked his head in. “Your graces, it is time to get up. We’re nearing Ponyville.” He quietly retreated from the doorway and slid the door shut behind him. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I looked over to Fang and gently nudged him with my hoof.

“Rise and shine my little bat.” His snoring stopped and he groaned as his eyes opened. His eyes always fascinated me when I would look into them. They were a the most beautiful amber color I’d ever seen, with small flecks of brown around his slitted pupil. “We’re almost to Ponyville. Are you ready for our big day in a couple weeks?” He bolted straight up and looked at me in worry.

“I haven’t even wrote to my family! They don’t know I’m becoming a duke. What am I going to say? What are we going to wear?” I put a hoof up to his mouth to silence him, making the stallion scrunch up his snout in response.

“Oh come on now, you didn’t scrunch your face up like that last night when you were licking them,” I said with a smirk before sticking my tongue out at him. Fang’s face turned a bright pink as he glanced away from me. “I’m sure I could do something that’d get you to relax,” I told him with a devious smile as I pushed him back onto the bed and rolled over to straddle his belly. Fang’s leathery wings immediately sprung out at his sides as he looked up at me, one of his fangs sticking cutely out in front of his bottom lip. I leaned down to kiss him, shoving my tongue into his mouth, making him give out a small, content moan. I began to rub my hoof in a circle on his chest as we continued to sloppily make out. My hoof began to trail down his chest and towards his belly button, making him squirm under me. Just as I was about to grab my ultimate prize, there was another knock at the door. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I grumbled under my breath.

“Swing? Fang? Are you two awake in there?” Luna’s voice said as she cracked the door open just enough to amplify her voice in the room. “We’re about to pull into Ponyville. I know you hate it but I need you in full dress uniform before we depart.” The door clicked shut and I grumbled under my breath again.

“Looks like we’ll have to continue that later.” I rolled off of Fang and off the bed, reaching back to grab my prosthetic and slip it on. “Does this leg make my ass look big?” I asked Fang as I looked back to him with a smirk.

“Oh it does… But I love me a nice, fat ass for a midday snack.” He practically purred as he climbed off the bed to stand next to me. “But for now, let’s get ready. After all, we have to make sure that everything goes perfectly at the ball tomorrow. And to do that, we need to make a good impression on Ponyville.” Fang went over to the closet and removed our dress uniforms. “And, I even have a cousin we can visit while we’re here too.”

“Who is it? I might know them,” I asked as he gave me my uniform to get into.

“Ditzy Hooves. Her dad was my uncle.”

“Oh yeah, I know her. She’s the local mailmare.” I replied as I buttoned up the front of my uniform jacket and hooked together the standing collar. “Nice mare. We should invite her over for tea or something.”

“We should. Now, are you ready?” Fang asked as he turned to face me.

“Absolutely,” I replied before we both headed out of our room, ready to meet up with Luna. Though me being ready to face Ponyville was another story.

22: Moon Beam

“And this,” I said with a small smile as I flung open the door to a dusty, abandoned looking store, “is A Gentle Rhythm, my music store.” I slowly trotted inside, holding the door open for Fang to follow me in. He looked around at the dusty instruments and cobweb filled corners, remaining silent the whole time. “I know it ain’t much and it’s not in the best shape right now, but once it’s cleaned up, it’ll look like a whole different store. Now the upstairs, that’s all been kept up. I’ve had Missus Ink Well across the street come over and clean once a week and in return I send her a few bits.” We climbed up the stairs from the shop to the apartment and stepped into the hallway. “Up here is where we’ll be staying this week. Not a whole lot here since I had most of my stuff shipped to Canterlot but we still have some stuff to keep us entertained,” I explained as I looked around the now pretty bare apartment. Fang slowly walked through the living room, looking around at the room. He stopped by a small end table and pulled the drawer open, quietly nosing around in it. He pulled out several sheets of paper and looked at them curiously.

“You never told me you write music,” he said with a look over at me.

“I did. Haven’t done it in several months. Don’t really know if I ever even played any of these songs either,” I replied as I trotted over and looked over the papers he held in his hooves. “I remember writing this one. It was a slow day so I wrote this after taking a walk around town.” Grabbing the sheet music from the pile, I began to trot over to the stairs and waved for Fang to follow me. Trotting down to the shop, I lifted the lid on the keys of the grand piano and sat down on the bench, looking over the ivory keys. A gently breeze flowed through the shop, reminding me that we’d forgotten to shut the door after we’d entered. Fang sat down next to the bench and watched me look over the keys with hesitation. “Now that I’m looking at it, I’m not sure I’m even still any good.” I poked one of the keys with my hoof, the sound of the chord being struck echoing through the empty shop. “You know what, let’s get something to eat,” I said as I suddenly stood up. “I know a great little sweet shop near the center of town we can go to. I know the owner. She lets me try her taffy for free all the time.”

“Is that code for something?” Fang asked with a smirk. “Cause if it is, that’s my fetish.” He said as he stuck his thin, pointed tongue out at me. “But in all seriousness, let’s go. I love me some candy.” We trotted out the shop, making sure to actually shut the door this time, and headed for the town square. We looked rather out of place in our dark blue, purple, and grey colored uniforms compared to the bare ponies that wandered the streets. We finally stopped outside a sweets shop on the town center and stepped inside.

“Bon Bon? You here?” I called out into the seemingly empty shop and quickly looked behind me to the shop window to make sure the sign had in fact been turned to read open. A crash in the back room made Fang and I jump but the sound of galloping hooves made me relax as I realized it was simply who I’d come to see.

“Swing?!” Bon Bon and Lyra’s voices said in unison as they appeared behind the counter, their manes and coats covered with pink taffy. They quickly came around the counter and scooped me up into a hug. “We haven’t seen you in forever. We tried to get ahold of you after we heard what happened in Vanhoover but they wouldn’t let us through,” Bon Bon said as they released me.

“Don’t worry, nothing more than a scratch,” I assured them with a small laugh. “And I don’t believe either of you have met my coltfriend, White Fang,” I said as I stepped back slightly so that Fang was slightly ahead of me.

“What happened with Test Tube?” Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

“We do not speak of that low-life, son of a bitch,” Fang growled, slightly baring his fangs in the process.

“Hun, relax,” I said as I placed a hoof on Fang’s shoulder. “He admitted to me that he’d had an affair so I dumped his ass like a ton of bricks,” I told them as I looked over to Lyra and Bon Bon. “But thankfully I’ve found this handsome stud of a stallion and we’ve been happy as clams,” I stated with a chuckle.

“Speaking of that, are we going to see you at the ball at Princess Twilight’s castle tonight?” Bon Bon asked.

“Well of course. We’re on Luna’s personal staff. Of course we’ll be there.”

“I have to admit, you look very handsome and sexy in evening dress,” I commented as I adjusted Fang’s white bowtie. The gold and white sash around him stood out against the black tailcoat and the medals on his chest gleamed in the light of the room. I was dressed very similarly to Fang, though I had an additional sash that was made of a silver silk and a few more medals that’d been awarded to me from other nations and the royal guard from my longer time on Luna’s staff. “Now, let’s get downstairs. I’m sure everypony is waiting on the soon-to-be new members of the royal family.”

“Yeah, now let’s just hope we don’t embarrass ourselves,” Fang mumbled. “Has there ever even been a bat pony in the royal family?”

“Not to my knowledge. You’re the first that I know of but if there were others, Luna would be the one to ask,” I replied as we left the library of Twilight’s castle and made our way downstairs towards the ballroom. “This place is a lot bigger on the inside than I imagined,” I remarked as I recalled how small it appeared from the outside.

“That it is. It’s a wonder she ever even finds her way around,” Fang said as we neared the ballroom doors. “Now just one really quick question.” I raised an eyebrow as two guards opened the doors for us: “do you know how to waltz?”

“This ball is boring as whale shit,” I grumbled as I sat and watched the ballroom. Reaching a hoof into the inside pocket of my tailcoat I grabbed a small breadstick cracker that I’d snagged from the bar. Putting it in my mouth, I sucked on the end of it, letting the bread get soft before chewing it up and sucking on the next little bit.

“Is that a cigar?!” Fang asked, alarmed as he finally took notice of the breadstick.

“Nah, you remember those little breadsticks they had at the bar?” Fang nodded that he did indeed remember them. “Yeah, I stuffed about twenty of them in the inside pocket of my jacket.” Fang stared at me before shaking his head.

“What in Tartarus is wrong with you?” Fang asked as he looked at me.

“Well, would you like the short list or the long one?” I asked as I stuck my tongue out at him. As we sat there at our table we noticed two ponies approaching us; a grey stallion and a light yellow mare.

“Hello gentlecolts,” the stallion said in a posh, high class voice as he bowed slightly “I am Jet Set and this is my wife, Upper Crust.” The mare bowed a bit as well and I immediately found myself not liking these two. While I normally try and have faith in ponies, I know with power and money come “friends” and “long lost family”. And these ponies certainly didn’t seem like the kind to interact with a stallion like myself unless they saw some way to profit from it.

“Jet Set, let me stop you right there,” a white stallion said as he trotted up to them. I recognized him as Fancy Pants, the stallion from the ball before in Canterlot.

“But Fancy, can’t I just be friendly with Luna’s new heirs?” Jet Set asked, his voice carrying a slight annoyance in tone.

“My dear Jet, take no offence, but you would steal the straw from your own mother’s kennel.” Fancy said as he wiped off his monocle in his magic. “For you, there is no ‘just being friendly’.”

“You can’t talk to Jet like that!” Upper Crust exclaimed at Fancy as he set the monocle back on his face.

“Upper Crust, you finally speak. I was beginning to think you weren’t yourself today. I must say it would’ve been a rather lovely improvement.” She gasped and harrumphed before both her and Jet Set stormed off. “Don’t mind them,” Fancy told us as he sat down with us. “Jet Set is such a cheat he could be a politician and there’s a word for Upper Crust that we don’t use in high society. At least not outside of a kennel.” He took a sip of his champagne before looking back over at us. “A bit of advice for you: in Canterlot, trust nopony. In that town, everypony is out for something to boost them up whether in social status or wealth. They mistake money for power. Money is that mansion that sits on the hill and starts crumbling after a decade.” Fancy motioned his hoof around us at the castle walls. “But power, it’s what stands for centuries.” I raised an eyebrow at Fancy but made sure to not look very judgmental. His knowledge of how Canterlot works would make him a powerful ally, particularly now that Fang and I were about to be royalty.

“So how do we handle ponies like them?” Fang asked. I knew he didn’t want to be ‘rude’ like Fancy Pants was to Jet Set and Upper Crust.

“Fang, darling, I’ll handle them. Okay?” I said with a small nuzzle to his shoulder. He nodded and nuzzled me back. “Now, why don’t you go and find Moon Butt. I’d like to talk to Fancy Pants for a moment.” Fang nodded and happily trotted off to find Luna. “So Fancy,” I turned to face the older stallion, “what is it you want? I already know ponies of your status don’t offer help unless they want something in return. I’m guessing something with power?”

“Access to the palace, make me nothing more than an advisor. It’s something to get my hoof in the door and close to the princesses. It’d help me both with power and money. Because everypony wants to do business with somepony close to royalty, right?” Fancy gulped down the last of his champagne and set the glass back on the table. “And in return, I’ll teach you two everything I know about high society. Deal?”

“Deal.” I replied and shook his hoof before Fang’s voice grabbed my attention.

“Swing! I found her!” Fang shouted and I looked at him with Luna and Drum following close behind. Several ponies around them bowed respectfully before Fang grabbed my hoof and began pulling me away from the table. “Can we go outside and look at the stars now?” Fang asked with puppy dog eyes.

“Of course we can, mo chuisle,” I replied as I gave him a small peck on the cheek. We slowly made our way outside, the cool air proving a nice change from the stuffiness of the ballroom. Few ponies seemed to realize that behind Princess Twilight’s castle, was a small garden that she kept as another source of relaxation aside from books. Okay, so it was mainly Spike who went out there to actually garden but Twilight did go out there to relax in the sun. But also to read. Damn that mare reads a lot. Forget I said she did that besides books. As we strolled around the small garden which included several types of flowers, trees, and even some small crops just like a regular garden; Fang and I had small discussion. Like whether the word “y’all’d’ve” is a real word. Which it is. Or whether Soarin’s coat color was light blue or a grey. Which it’s blue and nopony is going to convince me otherwise! But other than our lighthearted debates, it was a rather peaceful walk. Several times we stopped to look up at the sky and gaze at the stars, Fang pointing out different constellations and telling the stories of them that were passed down in bat pony culture. Like Orionem, a warrior stallion who died in battle and ascended to the heavens in the form of stars to protect all those under the night sky. Or Callidus Unus, a mare who was a prankster and one day angered the creators after she played a prank on them and so she was sentenced to an eternity imprisoned in the sky.

“So bat ponies have a large range of things when it comes to mythology?” I asked as we started walking around the garden again.

“Yep. Basically just as much as every other culture. Ours is just a lot more focused on the night.” Fang replied with a smile. The sounds of the band inside the castle floated out the open ballroom windows and made me smile in contentment as we continued to walk. Then, a new song began. I smiled as I stopped and turned to Fang, holding my hoof out to him.

“Shall we dance, my little moonbeam?” He nodded his head as a small blush appeared on his cheeks. We stood up on our hind legs and began to slowly waltz around the garden to the song, all the while blissfully unaware of Luna and Drum watching from a nearby balcony.

“They’re so cute together, aren’t they?” Drum said with a happy little smile.

“They are,” Luna replied. “But you’re wrong and I still agree with Swing that Soarin’ is blue.”

23: Danke Schoën

Several months had passed, Fang and I had been crowned dukes and Luna’s heirs; Fancy had become our guidance in the high class world of Canterlot; and Luna and Drum had officially announced their engagement to the world. Now while the life of being royalty was no less busy than it was as an aide to Luna, it was certainly a lot more boring.

“Do we have to do this shit today?” I asked as I sipped my morning coffee, my sleep schedule still adjusting back to being fairly normal.

“Yes,” Fancy Pants replied as he sipped a cup of tea. “Now, at noon you two have lunch with the Germane chancellor who wishes to talk about the possibility of you two taking a goodwill trip there. Then at three you have a meeting with the mayor about supporting his re-election bid. And finally at six you have an art gallery to attend in downtown. But until noon, you have nothing much, so feel free to enjoy it however you want,” Fancy told us as he slid over a sheet with our schedule that day on it. Now I’ll be laying out your outfits for the gallery tonight so don’t worry about that. As for the other two, just wear a suit and you’ll be fine. Swing;” I looked over at him, my eyes still half closed with sleep, “wear your dark blue suit with the light blue tie. That’s a good power suit.” Fancy Pants stood up and smiled a little. “I know I can seem like a bit of an ass but I promise I’m not actually like this. I’m serious when I need to be. If you’d seen me in my college days you’d never know I was the same stallion.” He slowly trotted out of the room and I looked over at Fang.

“Well, fuck this shit. I’m going out today until that art gallery. You wanna join me?” I said with a smirk as I walked towards the door back to our small section of the palace. One of the nice perks of being a duke and heir to the throne was the accommodations it gave you in the palace. Sure, you had the nosey maids and whatnot to deal with, but they seemed to be less nosey with us after one discovered Fang and I’s collection of ‘toys’.

“But what about the meeting with the Germane chancellor? I don’t speak any Germane! You at least know some!” Fang said worriedly.

“Hun, I’m so damn tired of that old prude already. She’s so focused on boosting her own agenda and bowing down to everypony that it’s honestly just pathetic,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. We’d had to deal with her at our coronation and at a couple other political events. She seemed a total pushover but somehow, she seemed to have a hidden agenda. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but I’m certain she did.

“But we can’t just skip it. It could cause an international incident,” Fang replied. I sighed as I realized he was right.

“Fine, but until we need to get ready, I’m going back to bed. Now come on my handsome bat, I wanna snuggle.”

“Und zat ist vhy ve vould like for you to travel to Germaney,” Chancellor Iron Cross concluded, the older mare setting her cup of tea down. The brown mare looked at me across the table and I could tell the gears in her head were turning.

“So a science exhibition is the whole reason for this trip?” I questioned as I arched an eyebrow at her. A warm breeze drifted through the gardens as we sat there, Fang silent next to me. He’d hardly spoke once during the meeting, choosing to not speak unless it was necessary. “I understand that you’ve extended the offer because of Equestria’s newest fascination with rockets, but ma’am, if I’m being blunt here, I know there’s a catch.”

“A catch?” She questioned, it now being her turn to arch a brow. The Germanes were never good with Equestrian phrases.

“Yeah, a catch. Like I attend this exhibition and you’ll expect something from me in return,” I explained to her. She smirked as she lifted her tea cup to take a sip.

“Ve simply ask dat in return you vill attend a gala for der Parlament,” she answered. I frowned slightly but nodded.

“Fine.” I said it with a frown. Iron Cross smiled as we stood up and shook hooves. “We’ll be seeing you in a few weeks then Chancellor.” She nodded and trotted away, making me breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia! I can’t stand that mare,” I muttered as I tossed my napkin on the table.

“Come now, Swing. It’s just part of being royalty,” Fang said in an attempt to comfort me.

“I never wanted this,” I replied as I turned to look at him. “I never wanted the burden of being royalty—I didn’t ask for it. I was perfectly content with my life in Ponyville.”

“Is that contentment why you tried to kill yourself?” Fang snapped back calmly. I glared at him before walking away, my blood boiling. As I stormed ahead in my rage, I barely noticed a smiling gryphoness walking towards me in a military uniform before bowing to me.

“Good morning, Your Highness. I’m Captain Elizabeth Williams of the Royal Guard Exchange Progra—“ She paused as I stormed past her and continued on. Fang was behind me though and stopped next to her after I’d rounded a corner and was out of sight.

“Don’t worry, Captain. He’s usually not this much of an ass. Come with me, I’ll show you to your room.”

The carriage rattled as we rode along the cobblestone streets of Canterlot. “I fail to see why we need to attend an art gallery,” I grumbled as I looked out the window at the snow falling down over Canterlot.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Fang snapped at me, making the new guard, who had been given the position of being our aide, widen her eyes at the normally level headed stallion. “All day long you’ve been nothing but a prick!”

“Because, honestly Fang, I’m tired of it already! I never wanted to be royalty! I was just fine with being friends with Luna and working as her assistant. But this... this is too much. It’s only been a few months and I’m not sure how much more I can take of this,” I replied, looking over at him and then back out the window. “I’m living everypony’s fairy tale dream but it feels like a nightmare to me.” The carriage lurched to a stop and I could see the gallery hall outside the window. “I honestly just want to get this over so that I can go back to the palace and sleep.”

“Then just go. I can handle this,” Fang said, making me look over at him. “I know how your sinuses get during winter time. It’s hardly a secret either, I’ll just say the cold has you a bit under the weather. It’ll be no problem, hun.” Fang leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “I love you. Now keep away from the windows so they buy it.” He told me before the carriage door opened up. He rose and started to get out but stopped as he looked to Captain Williams. “Would you mind accompanying him back? One of the carriage guards can stay here to keep things in check.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” she replied with a small nod. Fang smiled and stepped down out of the carriage, the door getting shut behind him. We began moving again, this time back towards the palace. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but may I ask you something?” I looked up to see the grey gryphoness’ blue eyes looking at me intently.

“Of course. And please, drop the formalities. I can’t stand it,” I replied as I picked up a glass from a small wall tray and filled it with whiskey. I offered the glass to the captain, who politely refused.

“Well, I was hoping you could explain why you don’t like being a member of the royal family?” She asked.

“Oh boy. Well, to begin with, the paperwork is awful. I’d rather put my testicles in a bear trap than deal with it.” I told her with a smirk, which earned a snicker in return, as I took a sip of my whiskey. “And then there’s the bullshit that of course comes along with it. Ribbon cuttings, art galleries, speeches, dedications; I’m nothing more than a glorified lap dog, doing whatever they command me to do for the day.” I took another sip and looked up at her. “Do you see how that could grow old very fast?” Elizabeth nodded that she did. “Then of course there’s the other members of the family. Blueblood isn’t a fan of Fang and myself at the moment. He was born into nobility and he’s not too keen on commoners coming in and joining the family. Not that I fault him. The same houses have ruled Equestria for almost the last millennia since the banishment of Nightmare Moon. I wouldn’t like if somepony like me barged in like that either.”

“I can understand where you’re coming from with those,” Elizabeth said with a small nod of understanding. “But surely there’s something else bothering you besides those things?”

“Of course. Besides the horrible ride of this three hundred old carriage,” I said with a chuckle as I took a sip from my glass, “I wanted a simple life. One of work but one of ease. Not this. I wanted to get my hooves dirty, run my own business, and earn my way up. I never wanted anything just given to me on a silver platter. Not to mention, I’m not respected by many of the nobles and even by the members of parliament. They see me almost as an intruder to the royalty. An outsider. I’d rather live a quiet life in Ponyville than be the heir to the night.” I downed the rest of the glass quickly and set the glass aside. “I know it’ll never happen with how long alicorns live, but what troubles me is what’d happen were Luna were to pass.”

“What would happen?” Elizabeth asked as she leaned forward in curiosity. Outside the windows, the palace gates passed as we entered the grounds.

“Well, due to the Monarchy Succession Act of 1477, I would technically become King of Equestria while Fang would have to hold the title of King’s Consort.” I told her with a sigh. “Back when the princesses assumed the throne, there were no laws stating who was the rightful heir as there were in other nations. So, they decided to co-rule Equestria so as to keep balance. But after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, Celestia maintained the balance herself. This was also a time of great predacious against bat ponies as they had helped Nightmare Moon in her attempt to bring about eternal night. At that time, parliament had barely been around for a century. So the still fairly new parliament put a clause in the act that because of the treasonous acts of a few, bat ponies would never be able to rule over Equestria. They would be permitted to hold a title in the royal family, but they could never be King or Queen.” The carriage slowed to a stop outside the palace door and I sighed as I looked outside. “Hard to believe it’s only the day after Nightmare Night and it’s already snowing,” I said quietly to myself. The carriage door opened and I climbed out, anxious to be done sitting in that Celestia-awful carriage. Elizabeth followed close behind and struck up the conversation again.

“So you don’t want to be royalty just on the off chance that you’d become king and Fang couldn’t rule with you?” She questioned as we ascended the stairs towards Fang and I’s private quarters.

“Precisely. And if I am to become king, I’ll deliver parliament an ultimatum. Either they allow Fang to rule alongside me as my equal, or I’ll abdicate the throne. I refuse to allow my future husband to not be my equal on the throne,” I told her with a huff as we entered Fang and I’s area of the palace.

“When do you two plan to be married?” She asked as she sat down in a chair as I removed my jacket and bowtie.

“No idea. I haven’t even proposed yet. Nor has he for that matter. I think we’re both sorta waiting on the other,” I told her with a smirk. “And another thing, who’d want a king that’s a damn cripple?” I asked with a small wave of my hoof at my back end.

“In my country you’d been seen as exceptionally fit. Not many could face a timberwolf and live.” Elizabeth replied. “In fact, many are looking forward to your upcoming state visit in a couple months,” She told me as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You don’t mind if I smoke in here, do you Your Highness?”

“No, go right ahead,” I said as I trotted over and sat down in the chair to her right. She lit up a cigarette and blew a smoke ring in the air before looking back at me.

“So, when do you plan on proposing to him?”

I looked out the window of the zeppelin as we descended towards the capitol of Germaney. The Germanes took a rather different approach to airships than we did in Equestria. While ours looked like legitimate ships, theirs looked like giant floating cigars. “What’s the capitol called again?” Fang asked as he tied his necktie, coming over to join me at the window.

“Himmel,” I replied. “It translates to ‘Heaven’ in Equestrian. They nickname it ‘Stadt der Engel’, or ‘City of Angels’.” With a huff I saw a platform waiting for us below. I looked back at Fang. “It’s more the City of Snakes if you ask me.”

Fang and I slowly walked alongside Iron Cross as we toured the science exhibition, Elizabeth close behind us of course. We stopped at several different displays, admiring the inventions and taking a moment to talk to the creators. One particular contraption that caught our attention was an odd looking device sitting on a metal stand. “What is this contraption here?” I asked as I stepped over to look over the item.

“It ist a new type of engine. Mit firevorks, der primary form of propulsion ist gunpowder. But vith larger rockets, ve vill need larger engines vith a new type of fuel,” the orange stallion said as he waved a hoof at the object. “Zis ist a liquid fuel engine. It vill burn ezer liquid oxygen at lower altitudes und liquid nitrogen at higher altitudes in later stages,” he explained as he pointed to a diagram he had set up. “Und vith zese ve vill be able to put objects into space und possibly even into orbit.” The stallion seemed very happy to explain it all to us, his face lighting up in a smile.

“This is very impressive. I think the scientists in Equestria would be very interested in this. You should visit Canterlot University sometime. They’d love to see what you’ve got here.” He smiled at me and nodded as we continued on. There were a few other things that caught my eye but nothing much that wasn’t something Equestria didn’t have too. With the conclusion of the expo, we finally were able to get out of that place, but more importantly, away from that Celestia-awful bitch of a chancellor. “So, what do you want to do?” I asked Fang as we climbed into our carriage.

“No idea. I’d heard there was a good nightclub for stallions like us here. Der Pferde Hahn, I think is what it’s called,” Fang replied. I was slightly taken aback as he said the name, knowing full well what it meant.

“Well would you like to go there?” I asked to which he nodded his head. Leaning forward, I tapped on the window to the front of the carriage and got the attention of the driver. “Take us to Der Pferdehahn, please.” The driver nodded and the stallions pulling the carriage began trotting in the direction of the club.

“You know, this is the first time besides the Crystal Empire that I’ve been outside of Equestria?” I said casually as we rode through downtown Himmel.

“Really? I thought you studied Prench?” Fang replied, confused.

“I did, grandma wanted me too. Yet in all that time not once did we ever go to Prance. I found it a waste of time, really,” I told him. “I wanted to study Germane as a colt. That was the language of all the greats like Beethoofen. But she insisted I take Prench and Istallion instead. Said it was more upper class than Germane.” I chuckled as I recalled a particular comment of hers. “She once said Germanes were the ‘drunken, low class trash’ of foreigners. Celestia, was my grandma a bitch. Still loved her though.” The carriage slowed down outside the club and Fang looked out the window at the flashing lights inside and cringed at the music we could hear from outside. “Wanna just go back to the hotel and listen to some records while we cuddle?” I asked him with a soft smile.

“I’d love that.”

“Ja, nur ein paar Platten und ein Plattenspieler bitte. Danke schoën,” I said as I hung up the small bedside telephone in the hotel room. “Well the good news is they’ll have some records and a turntable up here in a few minutes, ” I told Fang as I trotted over to the window to stand next to him. The lights of Himmel made the night glow golden as a clock tower in the distance chimed ten in the evening. We stood there, basking in the beauty of the ancient city, Fang silently draping a wing across my back. A knocking at the door made us turn our heads and look. “Es ist offen!” I called out and a moment later a bellhop opened the door, pulling a small cart in behind him.

“Here are the records and phonograph you requested, Your Highness,” the bellhop replied, his Equestrian being flawless and his accent hardly even audible. With a respectful bow, he backed out of the room but only after I reached in my bag and tossed a bit to him.

“Now, let’s see what we’ve got,” I said to Fang as we headed over to the cart. While he set up the phonograph, I flipped through the records to find one. “Hey! Here’s a good one!” I called out as I held it up. Pulling the little 45rpm record from the paper sleeve, I carefully gave it to Fang who placed it on the turntable. “It’s the number one song in Germaney right now.”

He wound up the phonograph and placed the needle on the spinning record. “Now come on, let’s dance.” Fang smiled and sauntered over and began dancing with me, everything else melting away except White Fang and the heavenly glow of the lights behind him that seemed to make up a halo. And as we danced to what would become Fang and I’s song, I thought about what Elizabeth had asked about Fang and I getting married. The Lunar Solstice Gala was only a couple months away. It would be romantic, classy, and, most of all, I could do it in front of all our friends. My mind was made up, I would propose to Fang at the Lunar Solstice Gala.

24: Long Live the Queen

I smiled as Fang and I put ornaments on the tree in the living room of our apartment. It was only about three weeks before Hearth’s Warming and only three days before that was the Lunar Solstice Gala where I planned on proposing to Fang. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a silver gryphoness as Elizabeth entered the room smoking a cigarette. We had set her up in the guest room of our apartment and told her to make herself at home. Due to this, she only really only wore her uniform when she actually needed to. That morning she was in a sky blue sweater she’d found in a shop a few days before. “You boys ready for the trip to the Gryphon Kingdom next week?” she asked as she plopped down on the couch.

“Absolutely! It’ll be nice to get out of this stuffy old place,” I replied as I put another ornament on the tree.

“Well for me, it’ll be nice to visit home,” she replied as she put her cigarette out in the ashtray that was on the end-table. The door to the room opened and a butler stuck his head in.

“Captain Hamilton, your brother Albert is on the phone for you,” he said to her before stepping back out and shutting the door. She quickly grabbed the phone and answered it.

“Bertie?!” she chirped as she held the phone up to her ear. “It’s so good to hear your voice again! How are you?” Fang and I stopped and watched her, smirking at the happy gryphoness. “Oh I’m fine. Just relaxing in the palace.” She looked up at us and smiled as she continued her conversation. “I have met them, yes. They’re actually letting me stay in their guest room. Yes, really.” Elizabeth giggled as she looked back over at us. “Let me ask them.” She held the phone away and covered it with her talons. “Would you two mind if I put my brother on the speaker? He wants to say hi.”

“Absolutely, go right ahead!” Fang told her with a smile. She pushed a button and held it as she set the receiver down.

“Alright Bertie, you’re on the speaker! Go ahead and say hello!” she announced and a moment later the voice of a young male gryphon came through the speaker.

“H-h-hello!” he called out happily to Fang and I.

“Hi!” Fang and I called back to him with smiles on our face. “How’re you?” Fang asked as he trotted around the couch to sit down next to Elizabeth.

“I-I-I’m very well, s-s-sir!” Albert replied, his smile obvious in his tone.

“No need for formalities, Bertie. Just call them Fang and Swing,” Elizabeth told him with a smile.

“O-okay, Lizzy,” he answered before going back to us. “S-so are you t-two husbands?”

“Not yet,” Fang chuckled as he answered the young gryphon.

“Awww,” Albert said with disappointment as shouting was heard in the background. “Uh oh, Papa’s looking for me. T-talk to you l-later Lizzy! Love you! Bye Fang! B-bye Swing!” The speaker on the phone clicked as the line went dead.

“Well that was nice,” she said as she stood up, smiling.

“I never knew you had siblings,” I commented as I watched her. “Now that I’m thinking about it, you haven’t really told us very much about yourself.”

“Yeah, about that. It’s a bit hard to explain,” she replied as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Liz, we’re a couple of commoners who are now next in line for Luna’s throne. We know all about how hard it is to explain things,” I told her with a smirk. “Now come on and sit. Tell us about yourself.” She looked at the couch for a moment, and reluctantly came over and sat down between Fang and I.

“Well, I grew up in the countryside near Griffinstone. My parents weren’t around very much. They were always too busy with their jobs so I grew up mostly knowing my nannies. When I was around seven, my parents had my brother Edward who’s a stuck up little brat. Then a year later my sister Mary was born. Then when I was ten, they had my brother Albert. As I got older I became almost like a surrogate mother for my siblings, especially Bertie. He got picked on a lot as a chick, mostly by Edward. And he’s got a bit of a stutter which only gave Edward ammo.” She seemed to be getting rather angry just thinking about her brother Edward. “And then of course there are my parents, George and Margaret. Papa is always too caught up in his work to care about his children and mother is constantly at his side helping him so I hardly really know either of them. I simply know that when Papa dies, I’m next in line for the business.”

“Wow. So you’re basically like a mother already for your siblings and you’re only twenty one?” I asked her, Elizabeth only nodding in response.

“But enough about me, let’s focus on next week. We’ve got to get you two caught up on gryphon customs and etiquette.” She stood up and looked down at us. “Now, what do you two know about the Gryphon Kingdom?” Fang and I exchanged glances that seemed to tell Elizabeth all she needed to know. “Ugh. Okay, let’s start with some basic things. First off, all doors you come across will be closed. This is commonly just seen as a privacy thing, as it’s customary to visit at a pre-arranged time. Gryphons are very territorial and we don’t like when you enter what we view as our area without invitation,” she told us, with us simply nodding in understanding. “Also, all hats are to be off indoors. Only royal guards may be permitted to wear their uniform helmets inside. Next, introductions. The handshake is the common form of greeting someone and you want to make it nice and firm. Strength is highly regarded amongst gryphons and a weak handshake will be seen as a sign of weakness. Though for you two it should be more appropriately addressed as a hoofshake.”

“Is there any sort of phrase we should use when greeting them?” Fang asked as Elizabeth paced back and forth.

“You always want to use ‘how do you do?’ when greeting them. If they say this to you, simply say it back. And avoid prolonged eye contact when you meet gryphons. It’s basically the same reason they tell you not to make eye contact with wolves. It’s seen as a challenge.” At this point I began to think maybe Fang and I should’ve been taking notes. There just seemed to be so much. “Now, because this is a state visit, you will be meeting the king and queen. There are some strict dos and don’ts of meeting the monarch. You must bow to them individually when greeting them, and then you will be permitted to shake their hand but only if they offer it. Touching the king and queen are number one on the don’ts list. When meeting the king for the first time in any situation, address him as ‘Your Majesty’ and then you’ll be able to use ‘sir’ afterwards. With the queen, address her as ‘Your Royal Highness’. Always introduce yourselves to the reigning monarch first.” We nodded again as she stopped and looked at us as if to see that we were understanding. “Now, the royal family, particularly the monarch’s children, should be addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’ if they are the heir to the throne and simply ‘Your Highness’ if they’re not next in the line of assentation. And be sure to follow the king’s lead. Don’t speak unless spoken to, don’t sit until he sits, and don’t eat until he begins eating. When the king is finished eating, you must stop as well. Even if you’re not done eating.”

“So basically, we’re fucked because we’re not going to remember all of this,” I deadpanned as I looked at her.

“Far from it! I’ll be there to help steer you in the right direction. You forget, I come from the Gryphon Kingdom Royal Guard, I’ve got personal experience in this,” the gryphoness told us with a smile. “Don’t you sweat any of it! Now, we’ll start on the history of the Gryphon Kingdom!”

I slowly trotted down the corridor of the airship, my hooves sinking into the plush, red carpet. The medals on my uniform clinked together as I walked along, it being the only noise besides the low hum of the engines. My uniform was a midnight blue with a black stand-up collar and epaulets. All along the uniform was silver trim with wide silver buttons running down my chest. A black leather belt with a silver buckle constricted my barrel and it felt like a boa constrictor was slowly trying to squeeze me to death, though it was more of a slight annoyance than painful. Two sashes, a silver one and a gold one with a white stripe down the middle were draped around me, giving me more a royal appearance than just a chest ribbon would. The sound of someone coming up the hallway behind me made me stop and turn to look. Elizabeth was approaching me in her full ceremonial dress uniform with a slightly nervous look on her face. “What’s up, Liz? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I remarked as we began walking together down the hallway.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. Just, I remembered that you guys might have a surprise waiting for you when we land in a few minutes,” she replied, making me look over at her with slight concern.

“What kind of surprise?” I asked, afraid of what might happen.

“Well, I neglected to mention--“

“Attention!” The speakers on the ship burst to life as the captain began an announcement, interrupting Elizabeth. “We will be landing in five minutes! Everypony report to your stations!”

“Well, I guess we probably ought to get over to our spot, shouldn’t we?” I asked, with the gryphoness nodding in agreement. We began heading in the direction of the way we came, heading for the deck where we would depart the airship. Once up on deck, we found the crew who weren’t essential for landing to be lining the railings in their white ceremonial uniforms. I stepped up to where the gate in the railing was, with Fang taking his spot to my right and Elizabeth to my left. Below us, the city of Griffinstone was abuzz as the airship descended. I could barely believe this was the same place Lady Rainbow Dash described. From how she had told the stories, it was a small town hardly larger than Ponyville and in a dilapidated shape. But now it seemed it was a bustling and vibrant city that was about half the size of Canterlot. As we got lower I could make out the smaller details of the city like the train tracks that now led to a grand station near the city center. From across the city, bell towers began ringing to announce our arrival as the ship finally settled gently onto the landing pad. The gate was opened and a ramp pushed up to the side for us to descend.

“When we start descending, they’ll announce you and your full title to the public,” Elizabeth whispered as we stood there for one final second. I took my first step forward and onto the ramp, with Fang and Elizabeth waiting to be slightly behind me.

“Presenting their Royal Highnesses, Swing Rhythm and White Fang, Crown Princes of the Night! And Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Elizabeth of the Gryphon Kingdom!” The announcer called out for the public, the crowd cheering for us, particularly Elizabeth. The second part of what he’d said hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. Elizabeth, a princess? There was no way. She showed far from princess like behavior around us and the others in the palace in Canterlot. After all, she was the current champion of the palace belching competition. And now here she was, in full uniform returning to the land she’d rule. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Elizabeth glancing over at me and just over the roaring cheers of the crowd; I could hear her say something.

“I’m sorry,” she told me as we reached the bottom of the ramp. A large brown gryphon in a black naval admiral’s uniform stood waiting for us and to his left stood a silver gryphoness around Elizabeth’s height. She was in a light blue dress with a blue sunhat. We all three bowed to the king before rising to greet him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Your Majesty.” I told him, getting a nod from the older gryphon.

“It is a pleasure to welcome you to my kingdom,” he replied, his deep voice sounding gravelly and almost sickly. I stepped aside so that Fang could make his introduction to the king as I greeted the queen.

“Your Royal Highness,” I said as I bowed to her, the gryphoness staring back at me with cold eyes as she gave a forced smile. I could understand why Elizabeth didn’t seem so thrilled about her parents. King George seemed to be a very traditional king, keeping things in order. Everything in the area of the arrival site appeared as though it had been planned months in advance. Then there was Queen Margaret. Just from her forced smile for the cameras I could tell she didn’t like our presence there. And I could take a good guess as to why she didn’t like us. I knew Elizabeth wrote to her brother Albert and it was likely her mother had read these letters as well. I also knew she described her very un-princess like behavior around us which her mother would see as unfit behavior for the next monarch. Elizabeth was far more relaxed than her parents who we were now following along the red carpet towards a waiting carriage. The ornate, gilded carriage looked to be at least a century old and it was obvious it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride.

“When we enter the carriage, you two and I will sit on the right side while they sit on the left,” Elizabeth whispered to us as she walked alongside us. “The carriage itself is two hundred and twelve years old and was commissioned by King Grover the Sixth.”

“He was the first king after the fall of King Guto, right?” I asked, making sure I actually remembered something from her history lessons. She nodded that I was right as we finally reached the carriage. The king and queen entered first, followed by Elizabeth, myself, and then Fang. A gryphon guard shut the door and the carriage began its slow trek through the streets of Griffinstone. If this really was the place that the elements had gone to, it had certainly thrived since their arrival. We all waved at the gryphons lining the streets as we traveled towards the castle.

“I do hope your trip here went well,” Queen Margaret said as she looked over to Elizabeth.

“Wonderful actually. I only regretted leaving behind a place where I didn’t have everyone bowing to me and kissing my paws,” She replied with a cold tone, making the queen glare at her.

“Please, will you two be civil with one another?” King George calmly quipped at them, making them silently go back to waving at the crowds. I could tell the smiles on everyone’s faces were forced. After another hour of traveling the streets of Griffinstone, we finally were headed for the palace just outside the city. The carriage ride was about as comfortable as the old one I’d had to endure many times in Canterlot. You’d think for a carriage platted in gold, they’d make them more comfortable. When we finally reached the palace, we were ushered inside and shown to our rooms. The royal family had provided us with an apartment in the palace for the duration of our stay with two bedrooms, a living room, and a large bathroom. Fang and I made ourselves at home as we unloaded our luggage. A knock at the door got our attention and we saw Elizabeth pop her head in with a smile before fully entering the room.

“I hope you don’t mind the apartment they gave you. My mother wanted to give you two a much smaller one,” she seemed to be slightly nervous as this was the first time we’d been alone with her since discovering her actual identity.

“Liz, why didn’t you tell us who you are before now?” I asked her as I removed my uniform jacket and hung it up in the closet.

“Because, I didn’t want you two to treat me like I’m something special. I’m just a regular gryphon who happened to be born to a royal family. I never asked to be royalty. It was nice, just being able to be treated like a regular gryphon for once and not have someone bowing to me every five seconds,” she replied as she plopped down on the floor. “Somedays I really just wish I hadn’t been born at all. It’d save me the trouble of all this.” Fang slowly walked over and put a sympathetic hoof on her shoulder.

“Trust me, we have days where we just want to be normal again too. I think all royals deal with it at some point,” he told her with a small smile. “But remember, as long as we’re here, this apartment is a royal free zone. Only regular ponies and gryphons allowed so your title stays at the door. Same with the palace in Canterlot. You’re always welcome to visit us.”

“And we’ll get the best bat pony and gryphon chefs to cook you up a few steaks too,” I told her with a smile though my stomach internally wretched at the idea of the cooking meat. “Now, what’s next on the agenda?” I asked as I sat down next to her.

“Well,” She sat up and looked between the two of us with a small smile, “I actually came here so you could meet someone.” The gryphoness stood up and gently opened the door and beckoned to someone standing just out of sight against the wall by the door. A young gryphon with a grey coat and light gold feathers entered the room behind Elizabeth with a nervous yet excited smile on his beak. “This is Bertie. Bertie, meet Swing and Fang.”

“It’s a p-p-pleasure to…meet y-you,” the young gryphon told us with a smile. He started to bow to us but was stopped by Elizabeth.

“They’ve asked us not to bow to them when in their quarters, Bertie. Here they wish to be just regular ponies,” he perked up and smiled again as I sat down on the couch in the sitting room.

“I hope you don’t mind, Liz; but my prosthetic is absolutely killing me.” I removed the fake leg and set it against the couch, looking down at the white cloth I’d placed on the stump for a bit of padding which would blend in with my coat. On the cloth was a red spot from a blister that’d formed a couple days before and had finally burst that morning. “Fang, hun, can you bring me a bowl of hot water and the first aid kit in my bag?” He nodded as Elizabeth headed for the bathroom.

“I’ll bring you the water, Swing,” she called out as she disappeared into the bathroom. From the common-room, Bertie came into the sitting room and sat down next to me as I removed the cloth, hissing as I did so.

“So Bertie,” I gently placed the cloth back on my leg until Liz could return with the water “I hear you’re a rather big fan of Fang and I.” I looked over at him to see that he was looking at my leg.

“Y-yes, sir,” he replied which made me raise a hoof to stop him.

“Please, none of that ’sir’ stuff. Just call me Swing,” I told him with a smile as Elizabeth entered with a bowl of hot, soapy water. She set it down on the coffee table with a rag for me. I dipped the rag in the water and peeled back the bloody rag, tossing it in the water to soak. Rubbing the area to clean it up, I looked over to Albert. “So, Bertie, if I may ask, what got you interested in Fang and I?”

“Well I-I have a bit of a s-s-stammer a-and the fact that…y-you’re next in line to be k-king of the night and y-you’re an amputee. I-if you can be…king while m-missing a leg, then I-I can handle b-being a p-p-prince with a s-stammer,” Albert explained, making me smile to myself.

“Albert, I must say that you’re wise beyond your years. Most eleven year olds aren’t smart enough to think of things like that.” I told him as I dried where the blister had been and placed a bandage over it. “One thing I’ve learned in the last year and a half, never let anything stop you from doing what you love and doing what you need to. Your stutter doesn’t define you just like my leg doesn’t define me. One would typically consider things like that a weakness but for us, it’s a strength. It’s something for us to overcome. And if we can do that, then by Celestia we can do anything.” I slipped the now clean rag back over my stump and slid the prosthetic on. “So, what’s next for tonight?”

We all sat around the large dinner table in the private dining room of the palace. It was a semi-informal affair, though I still wore a suit with a pin showing my status as a child of the night. To my right sat Fang in a suit with his own pin like mine while to my left sat Elizabeth who wore her sky blue sweater. At the head of the table sat King George who I noticed seemed to be looking rather worn out, though I just assumed it was from overworking himself. To his right and Elizabeth’s left sat Queen Margaret who was sharing half bitter glances with Liz. Across from us sat the other royal children. At the start of dinner we were finally introduced to Edward and Mary, Edward seeming the brat Elizabeth had described while Mary seemed to be a pleasant and polite child like Albert. “So, Elizabeth, how have you enjoyed your time in Equestria?” King George asked as he took a bit of his steak. Thankfully the kitchen had given Fang and I vegetarian dinners instead of the steaks that the royal family were eating.

“It’s been lovely. In fact, I must say that the royal gardens in Canterlot make ours look like a wilted flower bed. And the royal library is over twice the size of ours. I spent a good fourteen hours there one day just reading in there. If it wasn’t for Fang coming and finding me, I likely would’ve been there all night,” she said as she cut off a piece of meat. Her father nodded with a smile.

“You always were a reader. You get that from your mother, you know,” he said with a small laugh; the queen taking a bite of her food. The look on her face seemed to show that she didn’t care for the comparison to her daughter. “Oh, lighten up Margaret! Just because you two don’t get along-“ He stopped as he began coughing violently, a guard rushed over and Margaret standing up quickly as they stood him up. They ushered the king out of the room, much to the confusion of us and Liz.

“What’s wrong with papa?” She asked as she looked over to her siblings.

“If you were actually here you might know!” Edward snapped at her as he took another bite of his dinner. “If you must know, the doctor said it’s likely a mixture of tuberculosis and tumors in the lungs.” The young gryphon told her coldly. She quickly stood up and Fang and I followed after her as she stormed out of the room.

“Liz. Liz!” I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me. “You need to calm down. Look, getting upset about it will only make a bad situation worse so before you continue with anything, I need you to take some deep breaths.” She did as she was told and looked at me again with tears in her eyes. Fang and I quickly embraced her in a hug, the young gryphoness immediately breaking down. While she sobbed into our shoulders, Fang and I looked at each other in worry. Elizabeth was still fairly young. There was no way she could be monarch by herself without help. Thankfully, we would be there for her, even at a distance. “It’s gonna be okay, Lizzy. We’re here for you.” I whispered as I rubbed her back with a hoof. “Whatever happens, we’ll always be here for you.”

We sat silently in the apartment that they’d given us as the grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked away, the time already reading half past eleven. We’d gone to see the king a couple hours before and he was far from in a good state. He’d become unconscious not long after he’d been put in bed and the doctors that came and went through the hallways seemed to be more and more un-optimistic about his recovery. I’d stood and spoke with one for a few moments while Fang comforted Elizabeth. He stated that the king had refused surgery to remove the cancerous lung months before as it’d slow his work progress and in doing so, sealed his own fate. The cancer had spread to the other lung and with his health deteriorating; he’d contracted tuberculosis which only made a bad situation worse. I thanked him for his update and returned inside to find Liz and Fang sitting together on the couch, watching the small black and white television in the corner. While the screen was small, the T.V. itself was massive. As I looked at it, an image of the Gryphon Kingdom flag with a portrait of King George in the middle appeared with the anthem, signaling the end of the broadcasting day. As the sound of Long Live the King filled the quiet room, I looked at Elizabeth who’d seemed to have slowly pulled herself together.

“What did the doctor in the hall say?” she asked as she turned to look at me.

“I fear it is not my place to speak on their behalf to you, Liz. They did say though that they believe his cancer is from his smoking habits,” I explained as I stood next to the couch. She nodded silently before standing up and pulling her pack of cigarettes from her sweater pocket. We watched as she opened the doors to the balcony, the cold December air hitting us and chilling us to the bone, and chucked her cigarettes as far as she could. The gryphoness stood and watched them sail out of sight before reentering the room and shutting the doors. “I swear, with you two as my witnesses, that I will never smoke another cigarette till the day I die.” A light knock at the door made us all look over to see the queen, a doctor, as well as a few gryphons in suits standing there. They all silently entered and gathered around, Fang and I standing up as we realized that it clearly must be important. In the distance, bells could be heard starting to ring throughout the city of Griffinstone.

“I’m afraid the king has passed away. You are now the queen, your majesty,” one of the gryphons stated bluntly. “We need a regal name to announce to the public in the morning papers and all the foreign offices.”

“Well, let’s not make things complicated. I’m Princess Elizabeth. It’s simplest to keep my name as it is,” she stated as she looked around at all of us.

“Very well. Long live Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth!” He declared.

“Long live the queen!” We all chanted as we bowed to her. Looking up from my position, I could see Elizabeth looking down at Fang and I. And I’d never seen her look so scared before.

25: Midnight, the Stars and You

Fang and I sat in the living room of our apartment as snow fell outside; we’d returned to Canterlot the day before after our stay in the Gryphon Kingdom, the trip extended a few extra days to attend the funeral of King George. On the one wall, the large marble fireplace was lit and filled the room with warmth. Nonetheless, Fang still sat on the couch in a purple sweater that blended in with his lavender coat. In his hooves was a book that he’d been reading all morning, his eyes barely moving away from the pages. As he continued to read, a hoof came up and brushed his blue mane out of his eyes before moving back to balancing the book. “So I’ve been thinking,” I said as I looked over at him from my lounge chair, the bat pony looking up from his book and over his reading glasses, “with the Lunar Solstice Calibration taking place in Ponyville this year, maybe I’d reopen my shop for a few days.”

“That’d be nice. Let everypony see you again and let them know your business isn’t dead.” Fang chuckled as he smiled at me. Orion, the King Shepherd that Fang had gotten for Hearts and Hooves Day walked into the room and flopped down in front of the fireplace. I felt bad for the poor dog. We’d barely been around since we’d gotten him and he always seemed sad to see us leave after the times we were home. I stood up and trotted over, patting him on the head gently before heading for the door.

“I’m gonna stretch my legs. I’ll be back in a little bit,” I told him as I kissed his cheek while trotting past. Heading into the large corridor, I began slowly walking towards Luna’s wing of the palace where the windows were covered with large, black curtains blocking out all outside light. The halls were lit only by candle light and in the shadows I could see bat pony guards watching me as I passed. Knocking on Luna’s bedroom door, I heard movement inside. Luna opened the door just enough to poke her head out and look at me.

“Hey, Swing. How can we help you?” she asked, seemingly nervous about something.

“I just came by to make sure you guys had picked up the ring for me,” I said with a small smile to her. Luna immediately began smiling from ear to ear as she flung the door open.

“Of course! Come on in!” She trotted off towards her vanity and I slowly entered the room only to see Drum Cadence bound to the bed. She was in a leather chest harness with a leather muzzle on her snout.

“Hey there, Hannibal,” I said with a smirk as I kicked the door closed behind me. Drum glared at me as I laughed to myself while following Luna over to her vanity. The blue alicorn pulled a ring box from one of the drawers and opened it for me to see. Inside was a ring I’d had commissioned from one of the local jewelry stores in the wake of Luna’s announcement of her engagement and the wedding that was to be coming up in a few months. But now that the hype had settled from the announcement, I had to be careful about the ring and not let news slip out. So, with all the planning of a military campaign, we decided on a plan to keep it under wraps. Luna had sent a plain clothed guard to pick up the ring from the store and then return to the palace. From there, she would hold on to the ring until the night of the proposal. But there was one issue. The Lunar Guard were known for being a bit of a chatter box bunch and secrets regularly leaked out about palace workers and royal family members. Due to this, Luna had ordered the guard to keep silent on what he’d picked up or face demotion all the way from First Sergeant to Buck Private. Thankfully, the threat of losing his higher salary was enough to keep him quiet. The ring itself was like a work of art. In the center, a large amber stone had been cut into a heart shape, the stone matching the amber color of Fang’s eyes. Around the amber were smaller amethyst stones that matched his coat, all of them set in a silver band.

“It’s beautiful,” I said as I picked up the ring out of the box and held it in my hooves, turning it to see the low amount of light in the room glint off the stones. “Fang will love it,” I told her setting it back in the box. She smiled at me before seeming to remember the position her soon-to-be wife was still in. She blushed as she quickly showed me to the door. I had to laugh to myself as the door quickly shut behind me and I could faintly hear Drum shouting through the leather muzzle. Trotting back towards the apartment, I was blinded when the guards opened the doors leading out of Luna’s wing.

~~~~~

I walked slowly through the palace grounds, the snow falling gently around me. My hoofsteps were silenced by the powdery snow under me and only added to the calmness that I felt around me. In my head, I rehearsed what I wanted to say to Fang. And no matter how much I thought about it, it never seemed to come out exactly how I wanted it. I silently cursed and kicked some snow, frowning at my failure. “A bit for your thoughts,” a feminine voice said, making me look over to see Princess Celestia sitting there, her coat blending in with the snow. Quickly bowing to her, I looked up when I heard her chuckling. “No need to bow to me, Swing. Especially now that my sister has declared you her heir. Now, my dear nephew, what’s the issue?” I slowly stood up and walked over to sit down next to her.

“Well, Your Highness—”

“Just call me Tia.” She told me with a smile.

“Alright. Well, Tia, I’ve been struggling to find the right words to say to Fang when I propose to him. No matter how many times I rehearse it in my head I just can’t get it right. Even in my head, I can’t seem to express just how much I love him.” I frowned again. She looked down at me again with a look only somepony with hundreds of years of wisdom could have.

“Well, Swing, I can say I’ve been in your situation before, more times than I care to admit, and I know exactly what your problem is.” Celestia smiled again at my cluelessness and chuckled. “You may be in love, but you’ve still got much to learn of love. You’re trying to tell him with your mind when you should be telling him with your heart. The mind makes your decisions; the heart makes your words. Speak from your heart and the words you’ve been searching for will come naturally.”

“Thank you, Tia,” I replied with a smile. “You know, I think this is the most we’ve spoken since Twilight’s student switched yours and Luna’s cutie marks.” We both chuckled at that memory, Celestia suddenly in charge of the entire night guard and with me as her secretary.

“May I confess something to you? I’m actually quite jealous of you and my sister’s friendship.” Looking up at her in shock, she simply nodded in response. “I ruled Equestria for a thousand years while Luna was locked away on the moon. A thousand years of being seen as a god, as untouchable, when really I just want the same things as everypony else. I have my vices. I have emotions. I have hobbies. I’m just like everypony else. But nopony sees that.”

“Believe me, I know that feeling all too well. Though I must say, you sound a lot like Queen Elizabeth of the Gryphon Kingdom. Seems like everyone hates being royal.” We both laughed quietly at that before she stood up.

“Well, shall we continue this discussion as we walk?”

~~~~~

“So, I’ve been thinking, how about we invite your family here for Hearth’s Warming?” I asked Fang as we sat in the reading car of Luna’s personal train. The gentle rocking of the car relaxed us as we headed for Ponyville.

“Like to the palace or Ponyville?” Fang asked as he looked up from his book.

“The palace. I’m sure Luna would enjoy it just as much as your family. All she really has is us, Drum, and Celestia. And with us as her heirs, your family would now be her extended family. She doesn’t show it but she can be a very lonely mare,” I replied as he went back to his book.

“Did you know almost a third of stallions in Zebrica are gelded?” he asked as he turned the page, making me raise an eyebrow in questioning.

“What’s that got to do with the topic at hoof?” I asked him as he lowered his book again.

“It’s something I just read here. I figure if we’re going to be traveling to other countries then I may as well know about them. Apparently it’s common in most tribes to do it after the first or second born colt.” He explained as he turned the book around for me to see it.

“Fang, can we get back on topic?” I was getting slightly irritated at his dodging of the subject.

“I’d really rather not, hun.” Fang stated as he returned to his book. Now I was officially annoyed.

“Why not?” Fang didn’t answer me, only making me more upset. “Fang, why not?”

“Because I’ve already caused them enough trouble just by being me!” He blurted out as he launched the book at the opposite wall, the hardback slamming against the window. “Because after everybat in The Hollow Shades found out I was gay, they began harassing my family. They were fine with the albino, but they draw the line at the queer son! My siblings were being bullied at school so bad that mom and dad finally pulled them out to homeschool them. Just about every evening the house gets bombarded with eggs and fruit and everything else you could think of.” He paused as tears began streaming down his face. “Sometimes I think it would’ve been for the best if I hadn’t been born.” I immediately leaped up and embraced him, holding the sobbing bat pony in my arms.

“Don’t you ever think that, Fang. Please. You’re the most special stallion in the world and I don’t know what I’d do without you. If I’d even be here without you. You’re my everything, Fang. Please don’t beat yourself up over who you are.” He continued to cry until I had an idea that I hoped would fix the situation. “What if I convinced Luna to let them move to the palace?” He looked up at me as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“What?”

“You heard me.” I said as I leaned back to get a better look at him. “I’ll convince Luna to let them move to the palace. And if not the palace than one of the other properties the crown owns. Believe me, I had to file the paperwork for them, they’ve got plenty of places they could go.” I leaned in and gently kissed his forehead. “Now, let’s dry those eyes and get to bed. We have a big few days ahead of us.”

~~~~~

I trotted down the hall of the palace, the plush red carpet feeling like a cloud under my hooves. From down the hall, I could hear music coming out of the ballroom. Entering the ballroom, I saw a couple hundred ponies all dressed in tailcoats and old flapper style dresses. “Good evening, Mister Rhythm,” the stallion at the podium said as I trotted past. I nodded politely to him and continued on, looking around at all the ponies, finding it odd that there would be a ball like this at this time of year. Finally, I came up to the bar that was there and sat down on one of the stools.

“Good evening,” a voice said and I looked up to see myself standing behind the bar. The other me was wearing a red mess jacket with a white shirt and black bowtie. “What’ll it be?”

“Bourbon on the rocks,” I replied and he smiled at me as he nodded.

“Coming right up.” He began making my drink as I leaned forward to look at him closer.

“So what’s up? Last time you weren’t this kind to me,” I told him as he set my drink on the bar in front of me.

“Let’s just say, even your nightmares and demons feel you deserve a break from what’s going to happen within the next couple of days.” He stated while polishing a glass. “Don’t bother asking what it is either. Even I have no idea. All I know is that it’s not going to be pleasant.”

“Not pleasant at all,” another version of me stated as he sat down next to me, his leg shredded and intestines hanging out of a gash in his side. “And that’s coming from me—and just look at me!” We all sat there in silence as the music from up on the stage drifted through the room.

“You know, I’ve always heard to make peace with your demons. And here I am having a drink with mine,” I mused as I looked at the bourbon in my glass before taking a sip of it. “Damn good stuff. We always did have good taste.” I laughed as I looked at the other two versions of me, the other two smirking in response. “Now, about this thing that you feel the need to warn me of. You know absolutely nothing of it?” They both shook their heads with slight frowns. “Well nuts.” Setting the glass down, I smiled slightly at them as I stood up. “This was good. See you around, fellas.”

“Don’t run off so quick,” the version of me behind the bar said as he pointed towards the other end of the bar. “There’s a mare who I believe would like to talk to you.” I looked to where he pointed and there at the end of the bar sat Princess Luna in a silver flapper style dress. She waved me over and I sat down next to her, her eyes glancing over to the other versions of me who still were still chatting at their end of the bar.

“I must say that this is a rarity to see in my trips to the dreams of others. Particularly having a drink with a mutilated version of oneself.” She commented as she sipped a Manehattan ice tea. “Would you like to discuss what that’s all about?” I looked up at the princess of the night and shook my head as the me behind the bar set another bourbon on the rocks in front of me before returning to the other end. “I’m afraid that wasn’t a request, Swing.”

“I’d feel more comfortable if we discussed this on the dance floor. I hope your waltz skills are still good,” I told her as I dragged the alicorn to the dance floor and began waltzing with her, the both of us passing through the other dancers as though they were ghosts. “Now, we can discuss this here. Unless you wanna have some real fun and go chop through the bathroom door of my apartment with a fire ax?” I asked as I nodded towards the doorway to the ballroom with a smirk. She looked at me blankly and I quickly cleared my throat to fill the silence between us.

“Swing, I’m asking not as your friend, but as your mother, what’s going on?” The mare looked down at me with a slight frown, making me look down in slight shame.

“It’s just a nightmare I get every now again. The ghosts of my past coming back to haunt me,” I replied as I continued to look down at the floor.

“How often do you get these nightmares, Swing?” Luna asked, her voice coming out with all the concern that one would expect of a mother.

“At least every other night. Sometimes more,” I confessed in a voice barely audible to her. “But it’s alright, I’m used to it. It reminds me of my mistakes, and keeps me from repeating them.” She frowned even more as I looked up at her, my eyes watering but the tears refusing to fall. “I saw what happens when mistakes go unchecked with my last relationship. That’s why he left me for another stallion. Because of my mistakes. Because my own stupidity, I made myself everything but a perfect stallion. Why would he want a cripple like me when he could have a perfectly normal stallion?” The tears finally began to fall as I pressed my face against her chest, my tears soaking her blue fur. “Why can’t I just be a normal stallion again? Why do I have to be like this?” Luna gently embraced me as I collapsed to the floor in a sobbing heap, the tall mare laying down to hold me. “Why…why did I have to make myself like this?” Her hoof stroked my mane as she sat with me in silence, the music continuing but the ponies around us fading away into nothingness until it was just her and I accompanied by the haunting sounds of the music echoing off the marble walls of the ballroom. “If I could just be normal again…maybe ponies would love me.”

“Swing Rhythm, look at me!” Luna commanded me with all the sternness of an angry parent. I looked up at her, my eyes bloodshot and cheeks matted with tears. “Ponies do love you. White Fang loves you, Drum Cadence loves you, and I love you. You’re my child, Swing. And while you may not have known a mother’s love as a colt, you will now and I can promise you that you are loved. It may not always feel like it, but you are.” She hugged me back to her chest and continued to stroke my mane. “I fear we’ll have to continue this conversation later though. It’s time for you to awake.”

~~~~~

I woke up with a jolt, sitting straight up in bed. Next to me, Fang stirred from his sleep and looked at me groggily. “You alright, hun?” He half groaned as he stretched. I nodded as I noticed the moon beginning to peek over the horizon. Through the window I could tell we were close to Ponyville by the familiar landmarks like the snow covered apple orchard. Rolling out of bed, I put on my prosthetic and prepared to get the night started, Luna’s words still echoing in my mind.

~~~~

On a steam train headed for Ponyville, a tan pegasus sat with her head leaned against the window. The moon was well into the sky but it was still fairly early in the evening for her, only nine o’clock. Her turquoise mane hung down and cushioned her head from the vibration of the train through the window. Over her ears was a large set of headphones that were connected to a Walkman, the sound of Maretallica coming through them quietly. Gypsy Jazz sighed as she thought about her attempts to finally contact her half-brother. Would he even accept her as his half-sister now that he was Luna’s heir? Surely he’d already had ponies show up claiming to be long lost family. He probably wouldn’t even hear her out if she did meet him. Up until now it had been a constant game of trying to catch him wherever he went but he always seemed to be one step ahead of her and just slightly out of her reach. This trip to Ponyville would be her last attempt. She’d used up all her bits just trying to catch him, her last few bits going towards the train ticket she had for the trip to Ponyville. So as she sat there on the train, the music blaring in her ears, she attempted to get a nap in because starting the next morning, her final search for her brother would begin.

~~~~~

Fang and I waved farewell to Luna and Drum as we left Twilight’s palace. We’d again decided to spend our time in Ponyville at my old apartment which I’d had re-furnished to serve as a little retreat of sorts for Fang and I to escape to if needed. The walk there was slow and quiet, save for the chirping of birds as the sun began to rise on the horizon. We’d taken so long getting Luna and Drum settled in that we had wasted the whole night at the palace. Now that dawn was upon us, we were exhausted but still managed smiles at the ponies out and about already. There were a few that were out for their morning exercise and down on Market Street was Big Macintosh setting up the stand for Sweet Apple Acres. We stopped and had a short chat with the burly stallion, catching up and discussing the new things in our respective lives. A thing about Big Mac that not many ponies know is that he’s incredibly musically talented. He’s about the only stallion in town that could give any musician a run for their bits on a piano or any sort of guitar. Though that was something that the large earth pony was extremely modest about. And his singing voice was absolutely stunning. I could recall the incident that got him recruited to the Ponytones. He was at the bar with Applejack, had a bit too much to drink, and ended up singing karaoke on one of the tables, much to the amazement and amusement to the other patrons. Rarity and Fluttershy were having drinks together that night and after Rarity heard his voice, decided she needed him in their group. And I’d be damned if he wasn’t a perfect fit. After our chatting with Mac, we continued to the apartment which was furnished mostly like it was when I’d lived there before, with a few changes from Fang of course.

“Sweet Luna, I need some sleep,” Fang said as he headed for the bedroom with me not far behind him. We had had the guards take our luggage to the apartment ahead of us so we didn’t have to worry about storing them until we needed to unpack in the morning. Crawling into the bed together, we gave each other a kiss on the lips and I rolled over to let Fang spoon me as we fell asleep.

Author's Note

Long time, no see everyone. Sorry for the delay. Between my trip to see my amazing fiancé in Canada and now a promotion to full time at work, I haven't had much time to really sit down and post anything. Hopefully the next chapters won't take as long.

26: Larghetto

Music drifted through the store as I dusted everything off; Fang upstairs cooking us lunch. We’d managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up around eleven thirty. At about noon, I unlocked the shop and turned the sign to open. Just as I sat down at the counter, Fang trotted downstairs with a couple bowls of soup and some tomato sandwiches. We sat and ate our lunch as ponies trotted by with a few coming in to say hi and look around. Among them were a few ponies I’d gone to school with. Now that it was about three, it’d slowed down at the shop, leaving Fang and I to sit and listen to the radio. As we relaxed, I felt myself begin to nod off and soon let myself get taken away by sleep.

I listened carefully as I put an ear up to the crack between the door and the doorframe. Just across the hall I could hear my grandparents snoring quietly, making me smile to myself. Opening the door a little bit more so I could squeeze out into the hallway, I quietly shut my bedroom door and headed for the back door to the apartment, making sure to mind the floorboards that I knew would creak and give me away. As I passed the couch I thanked Celestia that the cats were both asleep and quietly snuck out the back door. Making sure to make as little noise as I could on the metal stairs, I finally made it onto the street and headed for the park. While I knew it wouldn’t make much difference with my white coat, I still tried to keep in the shadows in case there was somepony who might be up and about, though I highly doubted it. Finally making it to the park after twenty minutes of playing ninja through the alleyways, I looked around for the colt I’d come to see. Suddenly there were two hooves over my eyes and I smiled as a voice spoke up behind me. “Guess who?”

“Either my coltfriend or my great-aunt Wide Load. I can’t tell,” I replied with a smirk. The red colt snorted as he removed his hooves from my eyes and trotted around to face me.

“Really? Yer aunt Wide Load?” he asked with a smirk as he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Well hey, I’ll give it to you that you smell better than her,” I told him with a smirk. “Especially after work.” Leaning in, I gave him a kiss on the cheek as we began to head for a tree by the pond. Big Macintosh was a year ahead of me in school and while he wasn’t as muscular as he would be by graduation, the tall earth pony still had enough muscle to be part of the Ponyville High hoofball team. Sitting down together against the tree, we watched the moonlight reflect off the water, the cool night air making me lean against him for warmth. Or at least that’s what I’d tell him. Truth was that I loved how he smelled after he’d finished his farm work for the day. The mix of sweat and earthy smells was so heavenly and relaxing for me that I felt I’d found heaven on Equus. But don’t all teenage colts? Unfortunately, like most teenage love, it wasn’t meant to last. But in that moment that I was there with him under the stars, I had never felt happier up to then. “Hey Mac?” I finally spoke up as I looked up at the taller stallion. He looked down at me and I couldn’t help but melt into him as I looked into his beautiful green eyes. “I, uh, I was…uh”

“Little tongue tied there, Sugar Cube?” he asked me as he looked back at me, smirking and only making my heart pound harder in my chest. “Ah know what’ll solve that.” My cheeks and ears burned red as he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. My first real kiss. And to me, it was the most amazing moment in the world to be under the stars and getting my first kiss from the handsome farm pony. We melted into each other’s embrace and I suddenly found myself under Mac, the bigger stallion having pinned me down and sloppily making out with me. But our make out session was suddenly interrupted as we heard somepony walking through the park, making us quickly take cover behind a bush. As we watched another couple walk by slowly, we breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t anypony out looking for us. Once they were out of sight, Mac and I made our way back over to the tree where we sat snuggling and watching the moonlight reflect off the little ripples in the surface of the pond. “Oh, before ah forget...” Mac reached in his saddlebag and pulled out a satin blue piece of silk. “Ah got that for ya. Ah know how much ya like blue,” he said as he gave it to me, with me immediately rubbing the fabric on my cheek. One thing Mac and I had found out about one another, we loved the feeling of soft fabrics like silk or velvet against our fur. And I’ll admit that this was what got us both into wearing dresses when nopony was around, though Big Mac was lucky enough later on that he was able to wear one of his dresses in public for the Sisterhooves Social.

“I love it, Big Mac,” I said with a smile as I continued to rub the fabric against my cheek. He only smiled and kissed my other cheek as we resumed our snuggle session. But alas, before too long, it was time for us to both return home. “I’ll see you later, mio amore,” I told him with a kiss on the lips, his lips surprisingly soft and smooth compared to mine.

“And ah’ll see you later, my little Sugar Cube,” he replied as he kissed me again, though everything began to fade as I started to wake up from the dream.

“Hello, Equus to Swing...” Fang said as he gently shook me awake. I looked over at him groggily and smiled. “You have a nice nap, sleepy head?” Fang asked as I looked around the shop, trying to get my bearings.

“Yeah,” I replied with a smile as I leaned over and kissed his cheek. Looking up at the clock I saw that I’d only been asleep for a half hour. With a groan as I stretched, I stood up and walked around the shop slowly, looking for what I wanted to fiddle with. Finally I found what I wanted. Grabbing the Telecaster off the wall, I plugged it into a nearby amplifier and leaned back against the wall as I began to play the rhythm to various songs that popped into my head. I smiled over to Fang as I played and saw him watching me with a smile on his face. “Any requests?” I asked with a smirk as I began playing some of the rock songs I’d listened to in high school. Grandma and grandpa always hated hearing my albums from some of the bands I liked. But that was typical teenager stuff, right? At least I knew Luna and everypony else around me liked my rock albums. Fang shook his head that he didn’t have any requests as he rested his chin on the counter, just seeming content to sit and listen to whatever I played. Finally, I grew bored of messing with the Telecaster and put everything back, instead grabbing a D-35 acoustic guitar off the wall and sitting down with it, strumming little tunes from my childhood. “Wanna see something neat?” I asked as I looked up at Fang who sat up and nodded with a smile. “Okay, bring me a five bit note from the cash register.” He looked at me odd but did as he was told, sitting down with me as he gave me the bill. “Now, you heard how the guitar sounds regularly, but if I take this bill...” I carefully weaved the bill between the six strings of the guitar and smiled at him again “and put it between the strings, we get this.” I began playing another tune, the bill making the guitar sound like a snare drum rather than an acoustic guitar.

“That’s awesome!” he said as he looked at the guitar, trying to figure out how the paper bill was able to do that. I smiled as I continued to play.

“It’s an old trick I’ve seen plenty of ponies around here use. In fact, it was actually Big Macintosh’s dad, Bright Mac, who taught me that trick. He worked wonders on a guitar. Probably the only pony around here besides maybe Big Mac or Applejack who could hold your attention for hours just by playing a guitar,” I told him as I slowly played random notes to make my own music. Pulling the bill out of the strings, I stood up and smiled down at him. “How about we close up early and grab a bite at a nice little café on the square? It’s a good day for it. And I know the perfect one.” Placing the guitar back in its place on the wall, I helped Fang up and trotted over to put the bill back in the cash register. Just as I was about to tell Fang to turn the sign to closed, a tan pegasus mare with a turquoise mane and tail walked in. She looked away from the instruments on the wall over to the counter where I was.

“Hi. I was hoping I could speak with Swing Rhythm?” the mare asked as she slowly walked towards me. Her voice sounded like a mixture of sad and tired. Like she’d lived a lifetime already and she looked to be even younger than me.

“You with the department of revenue?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head that she wasn’t which made me smile slightly at her. “Then in that case, I’m Swing Rhythm. How can I help you? Looking for anything in particular?”

“Actually, you’re what I’ve been looking for. Would it be possible for us to talk in private?” She questioned as she stole a quick glance at Fang.

“Sure. Fang, go ahead and turn the sign around.” The lavender bat pony nodded and headed over to turn the sign to ‘closed’. “Fang’s my coltfriend so whatever you need to tell me it’s alright to say it in front of him.” I told her with a small smile to reassure her of whatever concerns she might have. We showed her upstairs to the apartment where we all gathered in the living room, myself going into the kitchen for a soda. “Would you like anything? We have water, sode, beer.” I called out to her.

“N-no thank you. I’m alright,” the mare replied. “I never did introduce myself. I’m Gypsy Jazz,” She told us as I returned the living room with my drink. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for months but you’re moving around so much that you’re always a step ahead of me.” Gypsy sighed and then chuckled as she looked up at us. “Sweet Celestia, I had this all planned out in my head but now that I’m here I don’t know what to say. I guess…I guess I’ll just be blunt. Your father was Flying Vee, correct?”

“I didn’t know him, but yes, he was my father. Why?” I felt a bit of dread and like a pit had opened up in my stomach. Rather than give me an answer, she opened up her saddle bag and pulled out some pictures and an obituary clipped from a newspaper. I looked up at her before leaning forward and looking at them. Under the picture of a middle aged stallion in the obituary was his name, Flying Vee. Looking over at the pictures, I saw him with Gypsy Jazz and another mare that I could easily assume was her mother, my stepmother.

“He…he was my father too.” In the pictures I could see him smiling and playing with Gypsy when she was a filly. My chest began to ache and my throat stung as I felt a rush of emotions; anger, sadness, jealousy. Here was a mare who’d gotten to have everything I’d been denied. And I couldn’t stand it. Standing up, I silently left the room and went into the bedroom. I locked the door behind me and began quickly pacing the floor as tears began to run down my cheeks. As the rage built up in me, I grabbed a lamp and hurled it at the wall, shouting in anger as I did so. As the lamp shattered against the wall, my scream died off as I began sobbing. Outside of the room I could hear Fang trying to get in but to no avail. A moment later I heard the window open and I saw Fang entering through the window. He quickly wrapped a leathery wing around me as he embraced me, letting me sob into his shoulder. After a few minutes I’d finally calmed down enough to talk through my sobs.

“He…he was there for her. He was an actual father. He…he loved her.” I buried my face even more into Fang’s shoulder as he rubbed my back. “W-why didn’t he love me?”

“S-Swing?” Gypsy’s voice called out from the other side of the door as she knocked. “I-I’m sorry for springing this on you. I’ll just see myself out.” At hearing this, I quickly stood up and hurried over to the door. Opening it, I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, both of us breaking down and crying into each other’s shoulders as we held each other. “I-I know this can’t be easy for you. But I want to be a part of your life. I-if you’ll let me.” She cried as she leaned back to look at me. I looked up at her and saw she was genuine about her desire to be in my life as my sister. I sat for a moment as my mind raced, trying desperately to process what the last fifteen minutes.

“Tell me about him,” I said quietly as I looked into her eyes. “Tell me about dad. What was he like?” Gypsy hugged me with Fang joining in a moment later.

“Well, he absolutely loved to play his guitar in the backyard. He’d just lay there for hours in the hammock playing and watching the clouds. He never raised his voice unless he was singing; said he’d done enough screaming when he was young. He said he wanted to try to help other ponies, because he’d made so many mistakes before he met mom.” She gently rubbed my back as I listened, using her shoulder to rest my chin on. “He mentioned you to mom when he got sick. Told her that he wanted to reach out to you, but he knew that you’d hate him for leaving you like he did. When he saw you in the newspaper, those last few months he had, he was so proud of you. I didn’t know you were my brother but it certainly felt like you were with how much he talked about you. He’d read every little thing that mentioned you, even if it was just your name in a list. After he passed, I found a box with all the newspaper clippings in his closet. And at the bottom of it was a letter. He addressed it to you. Would you like to have it?” I nodded and she quickly pulled an envelope from her bag. Breaking the hug, I took the letter from her and carefully opened up the envelope, my eyes looking over the letter that he’d written.

Dear Swing, if you’re reading this, then Gypsy probably snooped through my stuff now that I’m dead. That part got a small smirk from me before I continued. I just want to start off by apologizing for running off on you like I did when you were a foal. It wasn’t fair of me to deprive you of a parent and for that I can never truly forgive myself. I was young, scared, and stupid, so like any dumb twenty year old, I ran. I wished I could’ve reached out to you when I was still here among the living but I knew that you would only hate me for what I did. But now that I’m gone, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. To see you build yourself up in the world despite what happened speaks volumes about how strong you’ve grown up to be. A wet spot hit the paper and I quickly realized that it was a tear that had fallen from my cheek. Setting the letter aside for the time being, I wiped my cheek and looked up at Gypsy who looked ready to give me another hug.

“Yes,” I told her, making her raise an eyebrow in confusion. “Yes, of course you can be my sister.” She smiled and grabbed me in a hug, practically lifting me off the floor as she smiled. I wrapped my forelegs around her and smiled as it finally struck me. I have a sister. And while I was still feeling conflicted about dad, I did know that none of what happened was Gypsy’s fault. Besides, the big brother is supposed to love his sister regardless, right?

We all sat around the living room eating our dinners as the radio in the corner played whatever music Fang had tuned it to. To my right on the couch was Fang and to my left was Gypsy, who’d gladly accepted my invitation to stay with us as long as she liked. Though she did seem a bit nervous when Drum and Luna showed up for dinner too. Luna insisted to her that she didn’t need to be formal with her after we’d explained the events that’d gone down earlier in the day. “So, Gypsy, where’re you from?” Drum asked as she looked up from her slice of pizza at the tan mare next to me.

“Applewood.” She replied with a smile as she took a bite of her pizza. “Dad and mom moved there before I was born because he dreamed of being a famous rock star.” Gypsy quickly swallowed her bite of pizza and looked back to Drum. “Of course, that didn’t happen but he made enough money to help pay the bills by playing with bands in clubs. Of course, mom had to work too but most of her work she could bring home with her.” We were waiting on her to continue when a knocking came from the back door. We looked at each other in confusion as to who it could be with me finally getting up to answer the door. Cracking it open, I saw a familiar dark grey unicorn standing on the steps outside the door. My stomach sank as I laid eyes on Test Tube for the first time in months, the stallion’s blue eyes looking up at me from where he stood.

“Hey, Swing,” he said with a smile. I quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind me as I glared down at the stallion. “It’s been awhile.”

“Not long enough,” I growled as he took a step up closer to me. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Can’t I just come by and see how my old friend is doing?” He asked, putting on an innocent looking smile. I knew he had to be up to something and I didn’t like it one bit.

“No, you can’t. Now get out of here before I call the cops.” He frowned and took another step closer, forcing me to backup, my hind end bumping into the railing behind me.

“Swing, I thought you were better than this. Come on now, can’t I be friendly? I even thought maybe we could get back together.” He reached up and ran his hoof across my cheek, making me flinch in response to his touch. While he was nice most of the time during our relationship, he still had his moments where he would get rough. Mostly things like slapping, which at the time I believed were my fault. How couldn’t they be? But then, a saving grace came into my life in the form of a lavender bat pony. And my love with him showed all the flaws in Test’s love with me.

“There’s no way in Tartarus that we’re ever getting back together, Test,” I told him, making him growl in response as his horn began glowing.

“Why do you always have to be so stubborn, Swing?” He asked as I felt a pressure snaking its way around my neck. It suddenly occurred to me that it was his magic and it was beginning to slowly squeeze my throat. “We were so good together. And you let one mistake ruin it.” The door suddenly opened and his magic instantly vanished from around my neck as Fang popped his head out.

“Everything alright out here?” he asked with a bit of concern in his voice as he looked at us.

“Of course! Just catching up with my old friend, Swing,” Test replied with a smile as he put a hoof on my shoulder. “Though it is late, I suppose I should be going. See you around, Swing.” Test descended the stairs and I watched him as he turned the corner and disappeared down the street.

“Who was that?” Fang asked as I stepped back inside with him, everypony turning to look at me.

“Just a stallion I knew from awhile back.” I told him with a forced smile. “So, what’d I miss?” I asked with fake enthusiasm as I retook my spot on the couch.

I sat in the shadowy corner of the shop, the moonlight reflecting off the snow outside and making the shop have an eerie glow to it. In my hoof was a bottle of scotch I kept stashed under a false floorboard in the corner. From the stairs I could hear creaking as somepony came downstairs. “Swing?” Gypsy’s voice whispered loudly, her eyes trying to adjust to the lighting in the shop.

“Yes, Gypsy?” I replied before taking another swig from the bottle. She slowly made her way over to me, careful not to bump into anything that might disturb Fang upstairs.

“What’re you doing down here? Are you drunk?” she asked as she looked at me with concern.

“No, I am not. And you know why? Because I don’t need to hang onto the floor yet to keep from falling off it.” I told her as I took another swig of scotch.

“Alright, I might not have known you for very long, but I have a feeling this has something to do with that stallion that came by earlier?” The tan mare looked to me for confirmation, with me slowly nodding that she was correct. “So, who is he?”

“An ex. I guess you could say he was my first big, serious fling. I’d had a couple coltfriends before him but he was something else. From the moment I saw him, he took my breath away. I was so happy. It seemed like I’d found my prince charming but he’s more Jekyll and Hyde. And while he was mostly a Jekyll, he had his moments,” I explained before taking another drink. “There was one night in particular that I remember. I was late coming home from work. By the time I got home he was already passed out in bed drunk. And when I got into bed, he woke up and wanted to get frisky. When I told him I wasn’t in the mood, he forced himself on me. It lasted almost until daybreak. When he was finally done, he passed out and all I could do was cry myself to sleep. All day that day I had to pretend that the previous night hadn’t happened. And I’ve been pretending it didn’t ever since.” I knew I had tears running down my face but in the low light of the shop, I knew Gypsy couldn’t see them. From beside me I heard her sniffle and I knew she was crying too. “There were a few other times he just did other things like slap me or even choke me. He said it would help to make me more of a suitable coltfriend.” Just as I was about to lift the bottle up and take another drink, I felt two forelegs wrap themselves around me in a hug. Gypsy sniffled as she hugged me, her tears hitting my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Swing.” I gently wrapped a leg around her and held her as she spoke. “Just remember, we’re all here for you. To support you, love you, and protect you. I’ve only known you barely a day, but I know I’d do anything for you. I love you, Swing.”

“I love you too, sis,” I replied as I squeezed her in my embrace. Outside, the horizon began to take on a lighter shade of blue and the birds began singing as they sensed the approaching day. “Let’s get some sleep. We have a busy couple of days ahead of us.”

27: Let it Snow

Gypsy and I walked slowly through the market, eyeing all the things the local vendors had for sale that day. Most of it was items for last minute Hearth's Warming gifts or special items for the Lunar Solstice Celebration but there were a couple things that caught our attention. Gypsy found an old mandolin in good shape that only cost her twelve bits while I’d managed to find a nice piece of purple silk, which was a rarity to find with Rarity buying all the silk she could get her hooves on. As we slowly made our way through the market, I felt as though I was being watched. “Gypsy, this might sound crazy, but—“

“Does it feel like somepony is watching us?” she finished as she casually looked at a book in the booth we were by. “Usually if it does, there is. Don’t look around and try to find them. They’ll know you’re onto them.” The tan pegasus looked at me with a small smile. “Just act natural. Trust me, I learned really quick to have eyes in the back of my head in high school. It might be tame here but Applewood is bucking nuts.” We moved on to the next stand and were looking at the items there when I felt a hoof on my shoulder.

“Hey there. Fancy running into you here.” Test Tube’s voice said behind me, making me tense up and glance over at Gypsy who I was looking back at me. I continued to ignore him, instead trying to continue on with my browsing. “It’s rude of you to ignore ponies trying to talk to you, ya know?” he sneered as he grabbed my shoulder again to turn me to look at him but suddenly his hoof was knocked away from me as Gypsy stepped in between us.

“Back off. Now.” She growled as she glared at Test, the shorter stallion having to look up at her. When he refused to back away, she instead closed the distance between them as she lowered her head to be eye level with him, her nose only an inch away from his. “Listen here you little pint sized cocksucker. I know who you are and what you’ve done to Swing in the past and so help me, if you ever come near him again, let alone lay a hoof on him, I will skin you alive and make you into a new leather jacket. Am I clear?” Test looked genuinely afraid for a split second before scowling again as he backed away silently. While I figured he was only stopping for now, the fact that he was gone relaxed me a little bit. “Goddesses, I hate that prick.” Gypsy grumbled as we moved on to the next booth.

“You didn’t have to do that, Gypsy,” I told her with a slight frown as we continued browsing.

“Well forgive me for saying so, but it sure didn’t look like you were going to do anything about him,” she replied calmly as she began to move on. “Now come on, I saw some Lily of the Valley at the edge of town and I want to pick some.”

I sat on the couch with my forelegs crossed as I pouted. From the kitchen, Fang laughed as he looked into the living room. “Don’t pout hun, you look cute!” He snickered again as Gypsy continued making a crown on my head from the flowers she’d picked earlier in the day. I figured that Gypsy was a hippie just by her name but the more I was around her, especially when she was picking the flowers, I saw she was a total damn flowerchild. Who the fuck asks permission from a plant beforehoof if they can pick its flowers? At least she was better than that one friend of Fluttershy’s that was wondering around town for a few days. She just reeked of body odor and pot. “So, what do we want for dinner?” Fang asked us from the kitchen and we were just about to answer when the phone in the kitchen rang. We sat and listened as Fang answered it and hung up a minute later. “Apparently they want you at the castle, hun. Something about the music for the ball. They want your input.” I groaned but got up off the couch, with Gypsy taking the flower crown off me.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit. Hopefully it shouldn’t take too long,” I said with a sigh as I headed out into the cold to go to Twilight’s castle.

Fang and Gypsy sat together in the living room, having finished dinner. They were watching the big black and white TV that we’d bought a few weeks before to have installed in the apartment. “So how was your trip to the market? I bet it was nice having some time with just your brother,” he said with a smile as he looked over at her.

“It was pretty good,” she nodded with a smile but frowned a bit a moment later. “Except for one rude stallion we ran into.” Though she seemed to realize that maybe she shouldn’t have said that as Fang’s ears perked up and his pupils narrowed a bit.

“Oh? Who was it?” He asked as he continued to half stare her down, making her shift uncomfortably in her seat.

“I really don’t feel I should be telling you this, Fang,” Gypsy replied as she lowered her head, half cowering under his glare.

“Gypsy, I’m only trying to protect my coltfriend and your brother.” Fang told her as his gaze softened slightly, showing his genuine concern. “Who was it?”

“It was…” she took a deep breath to calm herself; “it was one of his exes. Test Tube.” Fang’s pupils shrank to narrow slits as his glare hardened again.

“What?” He practically growled at the terrified mare.

“I’m not telling you anything more until you calm down, Fang.” Gypsy said as she took another deep breath to calm down. “I already threatened Test and told him to leave Swing alone.”

“Well so help me, if he lays a hoof on Swing, he better hope you get ahold of him first because I’ll make whatever torment you put him through look like foal’s play.” He mumbled as he attempted to return his attention to the TV.

I trotted slowly through the streets of Ponyville, the darkened roads were deserted and behind me a chill ran up my neck. Up ahead I could see a bar, though I found it odd that the bar was there as it had burned down and the remains demolished when I was a colt. Opening the door, I saw it was empty, even the shelves behind the bar were empty of any bottles. Slowly I made my way over to the bar and sighed as I sat down, putting my hooves up to my face and sighing. As I let them drop, I smiled. “Hi Swing.” Looking to my left I looked at the empty tables and booths before looking back ahead of me. “A little slow tonight, isn't it?” I said with a laugh as another one of me looked back with a blank expression. He was in a red mess jacket and black bowtie like before.

“Yes, it is,” he replied as he smiled slightly at me. “What’ll it be?”

“Hair of the dog that bit me,” I replied with a smile as I lightly smacked the bar with my hoof.

“Bourbon on the rocks,” the other me replied as he began making my drink, the shelves behind him suddenly filled with bottles.

“So, what’s going on now that I’ve found you again?” I asked him as I leaned against the bar, clearly curious as to why the other me was back in my dream again.

“I have a warning for you,” he replied as he slid the glass in front of me and took a step back. “You are in danger. Test is going to try and get you back and if he can’t have you, then he will make sure that nopony will.” He told me, his face blank as that of a statue. “Drink up, Swing. It’s on the house,” the stallion said as he motioned to the glass in front of me. I eyed him for a moment before downing the drink in one swift motion. Setting the glass down, I stood up and looked around the empty bar once more before slowly making my way to the door. As I walked to the exit I began to quietly sing and sway to the song that I’d heard in my past dream in the palace ballroom.

I awoke and felt a chill overtake me despite my fur having grown thicker weeks before. The room was barely illuminated and I looked up to look out the window. Outside was just white and a dull glow from the rising sun. I had thankfully gotten home before the snow started and now it looked like it was going to be a calm day inside for us. Reaching over to turn on the lamp on my nightstand, I found the bulb refused to turn on no matter how many times I twisted the switch. “Fuck...” I muttered, my motion in bed having stirred Fang from his slumber.

“What’s wrong?” he asked groggily as he slowly lifted his sleeping mask to look at me with one eye.

“Power’s out. This blizzard must’ve gotten too out of hoof for the weather team because they never said anything about chance of power outages,” I replied as I flopped back down in bed, shivering slightly as I covered back up. Fang lowered his mask again and wrapped his forelegs and wing around me. Thankfully Fang’s winter coat made him like a blast furnace and his wing only served to trap that warmth in, making me feel like I was in heaven in his embrace. Rolling over so that I was nose to nose with him, I gently kissed his nose before nuzzling into his chest. One thing that I found out very quickly after we’d started dating was that some bat pony stallions get very musky smelling if they sweat even a little bit. And as I nuzzled into him I could smell his musk from sweating while he slept. And while it normally would’ve been a major turn on for me, at that moment it served more as a comfort thing, with me just feeling safe and secure in his embrace after the dream I’d had. There was no way I could tell Fang about it. I already had my suspicions that Gypsy had mentioned something to him based on his attitude after I’d gotten back home. Across the hallway I could hear Gypsy leaving her room to try and start her day but a minute later I could hear her cursing in the kitchen. After a few moments she popped her head into the room.

“Power is out,” she told us to which I simply looked up over Fang and nodded at her.

“I’m sure Luna will be over soon. She can use her magic to cook us something,” I mumbled before disappearing back under the covers and nuzzling Fang’s chest again. Though that time his scent did manage to get me feeling a little frisky. Leaning up to kiss his nose, I began to kiss down his neck and chest, getting a happy groan from the sleepy bat pony. And just as I was about to get to my prize, I heard a pop like a teleportation spell.

“Rise and shine!” Luna’s voice called out making me groan as I flung the blanket up, Fang quickly grabbing it to cover up himself up as he’d gotten rather ‘excited’ while I was kissing all over him.

“Good morning to you too, Princess Cockblock…”

I rummaged through my closet as I looked for something to wear that would be warm enough for a walk to the castle. While the blizzard had calmed down a bit, the snow and wind were still brutal even with my winter coat. Then I spotted it, my old Royal Guard greatcoat. The thick wool coat was a midnight blue with a silver trim along the collar and down the front. The silver buttons, though really they were nickel, shined in the light from the window as I pulled it out from the closet. Slipping it on, I felt like I’d gained twenty pounds from the coat but the wool was thick and kept me warm which is all that mattered. Putting on my fur lined forge cap, I waddled to the living room in my huge coat and looked at the other three ponies in the room. Fang was in his greatcoat like mine while Gypsy was in a thick denim coat. Luna was dressed simply in a silver scarf with a blue and black stocking cap. “Well, let’s get going,” I said before we all headed out into the cold. As we shuffled through the snow, I felt as though there was somepony following us but shrugged it off after we’d gotten to the Friendship Castle. Removing my heavy coat I gladly embraced the warmth that the castle had in it, no doubt coming from the countless fireplaces scattered throughout it. And while it was nice being in someplace warmer than the apartment, I grumbled under my breath that it had to be for something as boring as planning the Lunar Solstice Ball.

Fang and I snuggled up together on the couch that sat in one of the many guest rooms of the castle. With the power still out in a few homes across town, Princess Twilight had generously welcomed those without heat into her home for the night. This of course included a large meal for all of us of which Fang and I slightly overindulged. “Ugh, I feel so fat right now,” Fang muttered as I rested my head on his stomach, the fire crackling in the background.

“That’s okay, I love me a little pudge,” I replied with a smirk as I looked up at him. My comment made him blush as he giggled.

“I swear, you’re just a chubby chaser, aren’t you?” the lavender stallion replied as he stuck his tongue out at me, making me reach up and poke his tongue with my hoof. He quickly recoiled slightly in surprise, his tongue still sticking out of his mouth as he looked down at me.

“Don’t act like you don’t love it,” I replied with a smirk just before a knocking at the door got our attention. A moment later the head of a familiar gryphoness poked into the room as she opened up the door.

“Oh dear,” Elizabeth said with a small laugh “I do hope I’m not interrupting something.” We quickly got up and began to gallop over to give her a hug.

“It’s so good to see you!” I said as we wrapped our hooves around her. Movement behind her made me look up to see a younger, grey gryphon standing behind her. “And you brought along Bertie!” The young gryphon smiled at me happily as I acknowledged him. “And how are you?”

“I-I’m fine…sir,” he replied, still smiling despite his stutter.

“Good, good. Now, both of you come on in. No sense in standing here with the door wide open.” I told them with a small laugh as I shut the door behind them. “Make yourselves at home. So, what brings you to Ponyville?”

“Oh, we’re in town for the Lunar Solstice Ball,” Elizabeth replied as she set her bags down. “We were supposed to be here this morning but the blizzard diverted the airship to Canterlot and then we had to wait for them to clear the tracks so we could take the train here. It’s been an adventure I tell you.” The silver gryphoness explained with a laugh. “So how’ve you two been? Anything new?”

“Swing’s ex is back,” Fang deadpanned with an annoyed face as I turned to face him.

“How’d you know about that?” I questioned nervously.

“I pressured it out of your sister,” he answered calmly as he looked over at me.

“Wait, you have a sister?!” the gryphoness asked as she looked at me in shock.

“Long story, tell you later,” I said as I glanced over at her before looking back to Fang. “And like I told Gypsy, I can handle it on my own.”

“Well from what I’ve heard, you can’t, Swing. I’m sorry, but you can’t.” He half shouted as he fully turned to face me. My breath was coming out ragged now as my face turned bright red.

“Don’t you dare-“ I started to shout before my breath seemed to catch in my throat and I could barely wheeze in response. Reaching up towards my throat I felt as though I suddenly had an elephant sitting on my chest, making me sit down as I tried to catch my breath.

“Get a doctor!” Fang told Elizabeth as he rushed over to me. “Swing, listen to me, We’re going to get a doctor here right away, okay? Just try to relax,” he said as calmly as he could. Which was easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one who felt like he was about to pass out because he couldn’t breathe.

“Any history of this in the past?” the stallion asked as I laid in the bed of the guest room, my chest still feeling a bit tight.

“It happened a few times as a colt. Not very often but it did happen. I usually had to spend a few days in bed afterwards.” He nodded as he wrote on his clipboard.

“Well I can tell you with certainty that it’s asthma. I’m going to recommend you some brands that are good for relaxing the airways. You can smoke Clydesfield, Lucky Lights, Cool, and Pinto Morris,” the tan colored stallion said as he placed his clipboard back in his bag.

“Wait, you want him to smoke cigarettes for his asthma?” Elizabeth asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yes, Your Majesty. At least four a day. If this happens again you may want to try more, Your Royal Highness,” he stated as he turned his attention back to me. I nodded as he picked up his bag and left the room.

“Well, who wants to go buy me some?” I asked as I looked around at them.

“You’re not going to start smoking those. If you smoke, you’re going to smoke herbal ones,” Fang said as he looked at me. “At least those have red clover leaves in them. That’s what we used to use in my village to treat asthma,” he told me as he looked down at me. “Now, let’s all get some sleep. I think we’ve all had a long enough day.”

“So Bertie, what’ve you been up to?” I asked the silver gryphon as we strolled through the streets of Ponyville.

“Mother has been…s-sending me to different s-speech ther…therapists for my stutter,” he replied, obviously getting aggravated with himself over his stammering.

“Well, I don’t know how much I can help you but I can try while you’re here,” I said with a reassuring smile. Bertie smiled up at me as we walked past the market which wasn’t even a quarter of its normal size. “I know for one of my friends back in school who stuttered he had to use a few different methods.”

“Like what?” he questioned as we continued on past Sugar Cube Corner.

“Let’s just say that a few of them will have to be done privately. I think some might frown on a prince doing them.”

“Now, do you swear?” I asked as we sat in the library of the Friendship Castle, the silver gryphon looking at me in surprise.

“N-no. I’m only t-twelve,” Albert replied as he looked at me.

“Try it. Just say what swears you know,” I told him calmly as I lit up one of the herbal cigarettes Fang had given me.

“Bugger,” he said quickly without even the slightest hint of a stammer.

“Oh come on now, a school choir colt could do better than that,” I told him with a smirk.

“Shit,” he said with a smirk at me. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“See, no hesitation when you swear,” I stated with a smile at him as he stood up.

“Shit, shit, shit, balls!” the young gryphon shouted in the empty library.

“Do you know the F word, Bertie?” I questioned as I stood up with a smile.

“F-fornication?” he asked as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Bertie…” He quickly glanced around to ensure we were alone before looking back to me.

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck!” we both smiled at one another before the library door suddenly opened.

“Is everything alright in here?” a pinkish colored unicorn asked as she poked her head into the library. “I heard shouting.”

“Yep, we’re doing fantastic, Starlight,” I replied with a smile. She sighed and muttered something before shutting the door. Still smiling, I placed a hoof on Albert’s shoulder. “Now, if you’re starting to stammer, just try cursing silently to yourself and see if that helps.” He nodded and suddenly wrapped his arms around me in a hug as I heard him sniffle a little bit. “You alright there bud?”

“Y-yeah,” the grey gryphon answered as he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “Y-you’re just the…first one besides Lizzy to try and h-help me without—fuck, fuck, fuck—treating me like a p-prince.” He told me, my lesson already coming in handy a little bit as he was able to transition easily from the swears to regular talking. “Thank you.” His choked up thanks made me smile again as I hugged him.

“You’re very welcome, Bertie. If you ever need help with something, your sister, Fang, and I are always here to help you cause Fang and I are just a phone call away.” We broke the hug and I smiled as I put the cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. “Now, you want to help me plan a surprise for Fang?”