"Ah ain't never played hooky… well, maybe when Ah was a filly…" The moment AJ mentioned his normal gender he expected Bright to say something, but the stallion was clearly distracted. "Why don't we go?"

"She is going to punish both of us. Probably has your armor enchanted so she knows when you get off, might have even watched it." Bright reached his wing out to AJ. "Look, you can go back to her if you want, but I count you as a guard, so you should do guard work, right?" It made sense to AJ, her contract had been to join the guard; Bright clearly spotted the resignation in AJ. "Right, so let's go be guards."

Applejack could neither fight the logic nor the enthusiasm, but he could make some protests. "Won't she want to punish us more?"

"Her? Body, she has the attention span of a deranged goldfish. She might not even remember you exist come nightfall." Bright led the way to the armory, picking up his own gear. "Brighten up, by this time tomorrow I promise you will be flying… as for this thing, however," Bright reached a wing tip up and flicked AJ's horn, "I have no idea how to work with that. Or even if it will work. Got some guard already that the armor did 'the whole package' on, most can't use their horns better'n a foal could."

"Wait!" One of the guard at the armory tossed an odd-looking strap over to them. The sight of it caused Bright to grin.

"Hold still, Body Guard." Bright pulled the device up and under AJ's shaft, pulling the strap up and over his armor and tying it off. "There, try that."

Applejack gave a snort and took a step, it rubbed him, a little, but no worse than regular walking did. "Ah think that'll help. Thanks."

It was good for both ponies to get out of the castle and walk the streets, the sun was bright in the sky and not a cloud was in sight. "Spread your left wing." Bright marched up on AJ's left side. Once Applejack had it out, he began to inspect the feathers. "This is good, at least you have all your primary feathers…"

The touch of a snout, of questing teeth, surprised Applejack but before he could respond Bright had adjusted the out-of-place feather. "Whoa, aren't I supposed to do that?"

"Leave that wing out, let's see the other, and no. Every new guard gets somepony assigned to show them how to look after their wings." Bright found four feathers on the right side that needed a nibble and a nuzzle to sort out. "Right, give them a flap for me… no!" Bright reached over with his own wing, adjusting Applejack's left wing before he even had a chance to bring it down.

"Ah swear, my friend don't go through all this." Applejack waited for the correction to be made.

"Well, how long has your friend been flying for?" Bright moved and tilted AJ's wing angle to match the other. "She a pegasus, right? Flying since before she could walk, probably knows flying better than running."

Thinking of Rainbow Dash brought a smile to Applejack's snout. Despite the ache in his shaft, he was intent on enjoying the day. "Yeah, she was. If you could get her to walk more than four steps, you were lucky."

"Okay, now think of her wings, did they ever 'just' flap up and down?" Bright brought a wing back, tucked his primaries and slammed it down on the other stallion's rump.

AJ flapped his wings, not realizing he was even in the air before turning around and glaring at Bright. "What'n tarnation did… did… am Ah flyin'?"

"Hovering, both easier and harder than flying for two reasons. Try to guess them before you hit the ground." Bright had a treat, he watched the huge stallion's big wings working, pumping hard.

Letting the wings take care of themselves for the moment, Applejack racked her brain. "Uh, well there is side-to-side…" Bright nodded. "And Ah guess it is easier because Ah don't have to worry about crashing into others?"

"Close. The advantage of hovering this low is it gives you a good work out and, if you get tired… stop flying." Bright grinned as his student did just that. AJ crashed to the ground, landing firmly on all fours. "See?"

"That…" Applejack's delight bubbled over and he rushed the smaller stallion, feeling the slight twinge in his shaft, but ignoring it. "The armor didn't activate while I was flapping." He squeezed Bright tightly, but got as good as he gave.

"So, you want to learn more?" Bright surprised AJ by kissing his nose. For a moment the guard lieutenant thought he had gone too far, the other stallion blushed, but then he got a tighter hug back and felt Applejack nuzzled in against his neck.

"You bet. I think I might survive this yet." Applejack realized his speech felt a little less strained, and realized what it was. He was relaxed, possibly for the first time since getting to Canterlot. "Okay, so how is flying different?"

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Mac felt a presence in the room, it was Night's senses that were straining, feeling something that was just, barely, hidden. She struggled not to breathe fast, whatever it was, it was a big presence that moved dead silently. Timing herself, she drew slightly more and more deep breaths until she got a good lung-full of air.

Kicking with her legs, Mac launched herself up. Or at least, that is how it was meant to go. The restraints on her fetlocks yanked hard and Mac realized she was immobilized. She opened her snout and screeched, her piercing scream waking Princess Luna immediately.

"Who is there?" Luna got to her hooves and flared her light. Standing beside the bed, a bridle floating, held in her magic, was an alabaster mare. "You."

"Of course me." The mare strutted, swinging the bridle around in the air, making sure the light of the princess caught some gems studded on it. "My Princess, my Mistress, sends word. She will arrive in four days, at night of course."

Mac realized something suddenly, Luna was not ready to fight. She was an inch from relaxing when that bridle swung closer to her, the gems in it twinkling. It was more than obvious they were enchantment gems.

"Release her." Luna clopped her hoof. "Enough of your games, Chrysalis. Your Mistress and I are allies in this, as you know."

"Still, can't blame me for wanting to add to Mistress' herd. She does prefer alabaster mares, but I think a dark little bat would be sporty." Green magic flared from Chrysalis' white horn, unfastening the restraints from Mac's hooves; the moment they were off she pushed back across the bed, eyes locked on the intruder.

"You have no right to claim in my realm, in my quarters." Princess Luna reached a wing out and over Mac's withers. "I trust you have not poached the guards outside? You know the laws, you would be mine, if you did."

"They are unconscious… well, with a little extra something, it will wear off. What are you staring at?" The last was directed to Mac, who tried to put back up the most neutral look she could. "Come on, out with it."

"Y-Y-You are a changeling!" Mac's voice was an accusation.

"Was, Mistress found a better use for me. She prefers white toys, you understand." Chrysalis looked to shudder. "Mistress is more powerful than you realize, Princess Luna. She feeds her empire, and it feeds her."

"Is that a threat?" Luna stepped forward, her magic pouring out and around the room, the walls, floor, ceiling, all fading into a sea of stars and darkness. "I do not take threats."

Mac witnessed the white, former changeling, fall back. Looking at her more closely, McIntosh could see little things, her horn was still jagged, there were still holes in her legs, and all over her was a bridle and strap-harness, pure white.

"Four days, Princess." Chrysalis bowed deeply, mockingly, and ignited a circle of green flame. A moment later she was gone.

"Did she put anything else on you?" Luna was suddenly at Mac's side again, examining the mare. "Tell me she didn't touch that bridle to you?"

Luna's voice invoked worry in Mac. "What was that bridle? What… what would it have done to me?" A chill ran down her spine. It would have ended me, it would have become your master, you would have had no choice.

"You don't want to know, but if she ever tries that again, fly, Mac." Luna ran a hoof gently over Mac's head, ruffling her ears. "We should check on the guard."

Without her armor, Mac felt almost naked… metaphorically speaking. I am still here, we are bound close. "Ah know that." Mac smiled. When Luna opened the door with her magic, the smile faded from the bat pony. "Jade?" She rushed forward, looking down into the stallion's face. Both he and a bat pony mare were laying unconscious. "Luna, what is wrong?"

"A light poison, it will wear off… soon. They are unfit to stand guard now." Luna pressed her power outwards, lifting the two ponies up with it and carrying them into her bedroom. "Mac, how much do you really like Jade?" Luna set the stallion on the bed.

"I… we only just met. Why?" Mac wanted to shrink back, but something, some odd curiosity, inspired her to stand tall and watch the stallion. "What did she do to him?"

"He was poisoned with something that will… he will be insatiable when he wakes." Luna looked down on the stallion. "Two choices are to leave him with a mare, or lock him in a room on his own."

Mac trembled and shook her head. "I… I can't." It is the right choice, Mac. McIntosh's ears stood up straight. "You… thank you, Night."

Luna beamed at Mac. "But you do care for him?" She raised an eyebrow.

I do. Mac nodded, the stallion had stepped in and saved her, when she had felt so very out of her element.

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Applejack flapped his wings, flying around the little plaza. He felt free, free from the worries of what Princess Molestia would do, free from the confusion of being a stallion. "Rainbow was right…"

"You can come down now." Molestia's voice, from far below, resonated in AJ's ears and, despite his new-found freedom, the stallion started to circle lower and lower, just as Bright had taught her.

Dropping down the ground with a hard thump, Applejack stared at the princess. "Your Highness." He didn't give a bow at all.

"Please, Princess Molestia," Bright was staring straight ahead, trying not to make eye contact, "the rookie here and I were out on patrol and I thought it prudent he learns how to fly." It was a line of horse-apples, and everypony knew it.

"That as may be, I have some new changes to make to my Bodyguard's new armor." Molly grinned wide, showing off her perfect teeth. Lowering her head, she aimed her horn at AJ and let go a blast. "This will help you with your flying lessons… well, so long as you don't get too distracted."

An odd tingling flowed up AJ's wings and he ruffled them without thinking. Nothing seemed to happen so he spread them, and flapped. An ache of pressure grew, but it wasn't pure pleasure like walking, it was… a sense of fullness, of part of himself now filled right past capacity.

"As for you, Lieutenant, your punishment for all this is a simple one. My Bodyguard's shaft is now tuned to you, and me. Only within our bodies can the poor Applejack get relief. Mouths don't count."

Shooting a glance at the smaller Stallion, Applejack gave a little whine. Ah don't want to hurt him.

"Come on now, Bodyguard. There is work for you to do."Molly turned and spread her wings, leaping into the air and leaving the two bewildered.

Author's Note

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ They will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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