Twilight Sparkle washed down the last of her sandwich with another sip of water and eyed her brother from across the table. “No.”

“No?” Shining Armor stared at her in shock. “What do you mean ‘no?’?”

“I mean that I don’t want to stay in this village a minute longer than I have to. You said the teacher already told you Sweetie Belle is dead. What purpose would there be in digging up her grave?”

“They’ve lied about everything else so far, Twily.” Shining Armor glared at the wall. In the next room, they could hear the revelers singing their drunken ballads much as they had the night before. “Maybe they’re lying about the filly being dead as well. I just want to be sure.”

“I understand that, but we have to think logically here.” Twilight took another sip of water. “Tomorrow is the Summer Sun Celebration. There’s no way in Equestria that they’re going to allow you to desecrate their burial ground on a holy day.”

“That burial ground is anything but holy.” Shining Armor grimaced as he thought back to his sunset stroll through the old churchyard after sending his message to his sister. “There’s a tombstone in there that reads ‘Here Lieth Bulk Biceps, Protected by the Ejaculate of Serpents.’”

Twilight felt her stomach turn at the idea. “And you found her headstone?”

“No. The stallion tending the grass said that it hadn’t arrived yet. But he confirmed that the newest grave belonged to a filly named Sweetie Belle. I asked him if he knew how she died, but he said he didn’t.” Shining Armor sighed and stared at his uneaten sandwich. “I just need to exhume the body, Twilight. If I can exhume the body and confirm the cause of death wasn’t natural, I can come back with a full platoon and launch a proper investigation.”

“Nothing about this village is natural.” Twilight muttered.

“How’d the conversion of Applejack go?”

Twilight’s face fell further. “Badly. She’s a zealot. They all are. I fear there’s no chance for peaceful conversion here.” She sighed. “It might be another Saddle Arabia.”

“That’s… disappointing to hear.”

Twilight looked up at her older brother. “Shining Armor?”

“Yes?”

“You served a tour in Saddle Arabia last year, didn’t you?”

A rush of memories flooded Shining Armor’s mind. “Yes.”

“We… we’re doing the right thing, aren’t we? We’re saving those ponies.”

“Of course we are.” Shining Armor forced himself to take a bite of his sandwich. It tasted like sand and blood on his tongue. “If the unconverted won’t save themselves, then we must do it for them.”

Twilight looked at the row of photographs. “These ponies… they don’t seem evil. They seem happy in their ignorance. Would it be so bad if we just… let them be?”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “They’ll be happier basking in the warmth of Her Loving Light.”

“But I don’t want to have to share Her with them!” Twilight snapped. “If they want to wallow in the darkness of their old gods, then I say let them! Let them be left behind when the thousand years are ended and Nightmare Moon returns! What would be gained from forcibly converting the ponies of Ponyville? Why do we need drunks, sex maniacs, liars, and madmares?” Twilight thought of little Apple Bloom. “By the Sun itself, even the children of this town are impure to their core!”

“Twilight…” Shining Armor pushed away from the table.

“How many of your fellow soldiers have died trying to bring Saddle Arabia in line? How many of my fellow students have died? How many have died screaming? And for what?” Tears began to run from Twilight’s eyes. “You weren’t there, Shining Armor. You didn’t see the cool sureness in that mare’s eyes. S-she wasn’t some ranting lunatic. She wasn’t an idiot. She was educated and well versed, not just in her own religion but ours as well! She put questions in my mind and I… I…”

Shining Armor pulled Twilight close and hugged her. She returned the embrace and sobbed into his coat. “Twily, it’s alright…”

“She made me doubt, Shining Armor!” Twilight wailed. “She put doubt into my heart and Princess Celestia knows everything and She’ll see that doubt and She’ll say that my faith isn’t strong anymore!”

Shining Armor stroked his sister’s mane and shushed her, just as he’d done when they were younger.

Twilight’s sobs eventually petered off into quiet sniffles, and she snuggled closer to Shining Armor’s warmth. It was comforting in her brother’s arms. As a filly, this was where she had always felt the safest. He had always been bigger than her, stronger than her. She only knew true peace when he had his hooves around her, when she could smell the soap and shampoo in his coat. It always felt so nice when she could hear his heartbeat…

“Word around town is that yer own brother is quite a sight to see. You can’t tell me the thought ain’t never crossed yer mind…”

Twilight gasped and pulled herself out of Shining Armor’s embrace. “Don’t…!”

Shining Armor stared at her in confusion. “Don’t what?”

Twilight quickly wiped her eyes and drained the last of her water. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning. We’ll report to Her Majesty and we will follow her instructions to the letter.”

Shining Armor tried to shake off his sister’s bizarre behavior and nodded. “Alright. You’re in charge, after all.”

“No.” Twilight stared at him intently. “She is in charge. She is always in charge. We can never forget that.”

“Who wants dessert?”

The siblings turned at the sound of the sing-song voice and watched as Pinkie Pie made her entrance into the room, two servings of her special crumb cake resting on a tray balanced on top of her head. “Twily, you really should try the cake before we leave. Miss Rarity wasn’t kidding.” Shining Armor licked his lips at the sight of the desserts… and certainly not at the plump pink mare carrying them.

Twilight rolled her eyes and reached for one of the plates. She sniffed it, gave a small nibble, and then dove in.

“Told you.” Shining Armor laughed as he set to work on his own.

Pinkie Pie giggled, her eyes flicking between the stallion and the mare. She watched them carefully as they polished off the pastry, down to the last crumb. She waited for the first sign, anxious as to which of the unicorn siblings had gotten the…

Twilight yawned. “I’m exhausted.”

Pinkie Pie’s grin got even bigger. Jackpot. The gods were indeed smiling on her this night.

“I’m not surprised. You had a big day.” Shining Armor shook his head. “I’m surprised I’m not passing out myself. Actually, I’m feeling kind of wired.”

Pinkie Pie started bouncing on her hooves in excitement.

Twilight began to slump, her eyelids drooping. “I think I’m gonna get to bed…”

Shining Armor stood. “I’ll walk you to the library.”

“No!” Pinkie exclaimed suddenly. “Uh, I mean, I’ll get her there. I’ll get her there lickety-split. Pinkie Promise.”

Twilight stared at the pink mare woozily as she got up from her chair. “What’s a Pinkie Promise?”

“I’ll tell you some other time.” Pinkie Pie winked at Shining Armor as his sister leaned against her side. “You can go on up to bed, Sergeant. I’ll take care of her.”

“Thank you, Pinkie.” Shining Armor kissed Twilight’s head. “Sweet dreams, little sis.”

Twilight smiled, already half asleep. “Love you, BBBFF.”

Pinkie Pie cocked her head in confusion. “What’s BBBFF mean?”

“I’ll tell…” Twilight yawned hugely. “…you some other time.”

Shining Armor watched the landlord’s daughter help his sister out of the room and stretched. No, he wasn’t tired at all. He considered going outside and running a few laps, but found that the idea of running was not terribly appealing at the moment. No, what he wanted to do right now more than anything was

(a mare)

Shining blinked rapidly. Where had that come from? He took a sip of water and glanced over at the door that led to the still rollicking party. Maybe he could go talk to some of the ponies there. Maybe they would be more open to talking now that he knew Sweetie Belle was dead and they were deep in their cups. Maybe those two mares he had seen last night would be

(kissing…kissing each other… kissing him… kissing parts of him…)

Shining Armor shook his head and wiped his brow. He was shocked by how sweaty he had suddenly become. Was the room getting warmer? He drained his water and put the cool glass against his forehead. It clinked off his horn and he shivered as the clink and vibration ran through him. What was going on? What

(did Pinkie’s sweat taste like)

Shining Armor snorted and unconsciously pawed at the hardwood floor. This feeling was different, yes, but it still felt strangely… good. It felt like electricity was rushing through every muscle of his body. He could feel his blood racing and rushing and

(hard… need a mare… need to rut)

Shining Armor shifted his weight and gasped in horrified shock when he felt something slap against his stomach. A quick glance down confirmed his worst fears and he bolted up the back stairs towards his room before anypony could see him or his shame. He made it to the modest guest room and slammed the door shut, locking it securely. He threw himself onto the bed, wincing at the pain and pleasure rushing through his erection. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. What was happening? He’d always maintained such perfect control of his baser urges. Even when Cadance

(Cadance)

His eyes widened as his mind flooded with images of his pretty pink princess. “No…” he whispered desperately as thoughts of her consumed him. Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her hair

(her flanks… her lips… her legs…)

Shining Armor whinnied in frustration as his hips flexed. The thoughts of his fiancée started becoming more lustful in nature. He fought against them, fought with every scrap of will he had

(Cadance’s mouth wrapped around him… her eyes staring up at him… her legs holding him tight against her as he took her… pleasured moans and whispered vulgarities in his ear…)

Even as he fought, his hooves drifted down his sweaty coat and touched the mottled pink and black flesh that jutted from him like a sword. His teeth clenched at the feeling

(Cadance’s face on the mattress, her flanks in the air… beneath him… crying out as he took her… rutted her… bred her…)

“Sergeant?”

(The pink mare turns and looks back at him… her wings are gone… she’s plumper… she smiles at him… She winks…)

“Shining Armor?”

Pinkie Pie.

Shining Armor tore his hooves away from his stallionhood and flung himself at the door. He pushed against it with his hooves, his full weight holding it closed. “What…” His voice cracked and he quickly cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Pinkie?”

He heard her sit down on the other side of the door. “Now that you mention it, there’s several things you could do for me. Or to me.”

Shining Armor became aware of a strange scent filling his nostrils. It was more potent than his own sweat, something alien and unfamiliar to him.

“Shining Armor?”

The scent was clouding his mind. His brain began feeling sluggish. He shook his head quickly and put his forehead against the door. “I-I’m afraid I’m in no shape to help anypony out right now, Pinkie.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” She giggled. He heard her take a deep breath and exhale with a dreamy sigh. “I can smell you. So strong, so virile… so ready.”

Her tone was now low and thick, like syrup. He began to realize that her voice sounded like his own thoughts did. “P-please forgive me, Pinkie. I don’t know what’s c-come over me.”

“I do.” He heard her shift on the ground. The scent was stronger now, and his ears detected a strange, squishy sound. “In our culture, we consider it good fortune when a mare goes into heat in the midst of the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Alarm bells started going off in Shining Armor’s sluggish mind. The scent…

“I’ve heard in Canterlot that mares cast spells to disguise the smell of their estrus for appearance’s sake.” She moaned as she shifted once again. “I can’t imagine the torture. To have nopony aware of your driving need while you’re surrounded by stallions who all must smell so good…”

“Pinkie.” Shining Armor wiped the sweat from his face. “It might be best that you leave. I can’t… I can’t control…”

“You aren’t supposed to control it, silly.” She laughed again, like tinkling bells. “That’s biology. Your body wants what it wants, just like my body wants what it wants. And tonight my body wants you.”

Shining Armor panted, trying desperately not to breathe through his nose.

“Don’t you want me, Shining Armor?”

“Pinkie Pie…”

“Don’t you want to feel me under you? Don’t you want to be inside me?”

Shining Armor groaned and smacked his head against the door.

“I want you, Shining Armor. That princess of yours never needs to know. I want you so bad I can taste it.” He heard her stand and put her front hooves on the door. “I want you on top of me. I want to feel you drive that stallionhood as deep into me as you can. I want you to rut me until I can’t see straight.” He heard her growl as she pushed against the door. “I want you to take me as hard as you can. I want to be your mare, if only for tonight. Nopony needs to know. Nopony needs to know how good and hard and deep you give it to me tonight…”

Her vulgarity and brazenness made Shining Armor moan again. His hips flexed without thought, sending his ramrod hard erection knocking against the door.

“Oh? What’s that?” Pinkie’s voice was breathy but still playful. He had to put his ear against the door to hear her. “Is somepony knocking?”

And then, to his amazement, she began to sing;

“Heigh ho! Who is there?

No one but me, my dear.

Please come say, 'How do?'

The things I'll give to you.

A stroke as gentle as a feather

I'll catch a rainbow from the sky

And tie the ends together.”

Her hooves began to tap against the door in a strong, steady beat. Her voice was melodious, hypnotizing, as she continued;

“Heigh ho! I am here

Am I not young and fair?

Please come say, 'How do?'

The things I'll show to you.

Would you have a wondrous sight

The midday sun at midnight?”

He imagined what she was doing on the other side of the door. He imagined her swaying her hips to the song, her tail swishing in the air and fanning out her scent. Without realizing it, he began to breathe through his nose again as she continued singing;

“Fair maid, white and red,

Comb you smooth and stroke your head.”

Shining Armor’s last rational reserves began to give way. His base primal instincts and desires began to claw into the forefront of his mind. Still Pinkie sang, like a siren drawing him into her drowning pool;

“How a maid can milk a bull!

And every stroke…”

He put his ear against the door to hear her final whispered words;

“…a bucketful.”

He could take no more.

With a growl, Shining Armor’s magic tore the door from its hinges and hurled it across the room.

Pinkie Pie fell onto four hooves, her coat just as sweaty as his. Her eyes shined with the same primal desire that filled the stallion. She panted, her own arousal dripping down her back legs. She smirked at him. “Hi.”

His magic seized her and hurled her onto his bed.

She let out a little squeal as her stomach hit the mattress and she writhed on the comforter, grinding herself into the fabric. She looked back at him, breathing heavily. “Don’t keep a girl waiting, Sergeant.”

He practically threw himself across her back, his weight driving the air from her lungs. Judging by the way her tail lifted out of the way, she didn’t mind. Shining Armor buried his nose in her mane and breathed deep, her smell driving him wild with want. Following instincts as old as his species, he mounted the pink mare, his forelegs wrapped tightly around her barrel.

She nickered softly as she felt his length rubbing along her stomach. It seemed that even the most talkative pony is town was out of words at the moment.

Not wasting a single moment more, Shining Armor drew back and buried himself to the hilt in the mare. He snorted pleasurably at the sound of fulfilled joy she let out and the sudden hot tightness that surrounded him. He gripped her tightly as he began to rut her, pounding into her with wild abandon. He was lost in her softness, her wetness, her smell… There was no True Faith. There was no Cadance. There was only the mare beneath him and his biological need to claim her.

Pinkie Pie’s tongue lolled out as the stallion above her really got to work. No virgin had ever taken her like this before. His hardness reached a spot deep inside her that nearly made her scream with pleasure. She bit down on the comforter to keep from biting her tongue. She braced herself as best as she could and began pushing back against his thrusts, trying to take him even deeper. The burning heat in her loins demanded satisfaction from something only he could provide. She needed what he had and she needed it now.

Shining Armor’s hips were a blur of motion as he drove himself into Pinkie Pie again and again and again. He craned his neck and bit down on the pink mare’s poufy mane as he railed into her.

Pinkie Pie screamed in ecstasy when he pulled on her mane. She came harder than she had in months, but the fiery heat remained. “Sh-Shining Ah-Armor!” She stammered, her voice inter-broken by the force of his thrusts and her own sounds of pleasure. “Pl-please… f-fill m-e. I n-eed i-i-t!”

Shining Armor could barely process her words, but her tone leaked into his brain, her moans and cries driving him to the inevitable conclusion.

“G-give it to m-me!” She begged as she came again. “B-b-breed me!”

Shining Armor released her mane and came with a roar. He buried himself inside her warm wetness one more time as his seed poured into her.

Pinkie Pie sighed with pleased relief as he painted her insides. The burning at last began to subside and she felt herself finally starting to relax. Her tenseness faded and she slumped, held aloft only by the stallion’s forelegs.

Shining Armor’s orgasm finally subsided and he collapsed on top of the panting mare. Without his support, they crashed to the bed and lay there, breathing rapidly. They both shuddered a bit when Shining Armor’s softening length left Pinkie with an audible pop.

The room smelled of sex and the air was filled by the sounds of their pants and satisfied murmurs.

Pinkie Pie turned her head just enough that she was able to lick Shining Armor’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Shining Armor began to come out of his heat-induced haze.

“For my foal.”

Shining Armor blinked and tried to clear his head faster. “Your foal? But what…?” He thought back to before the haze had settled on his mind. He thought back to dinner. To Twilight.

To the crumb cake.

Things started becoming more clear and he stared at the mare in horror. “Did you drug me?”

“Kinda yes, kinda no.” Pinkie Pie giggled. She rolled onto her back and stretched. “We have all sorts of potions and remedies thanks to plants that grow in the Everfree Forest. My favorite is an herb you can chew to prevent pregnancy during heat season. All the fun without worrying if you’re ready for a foal or not. In your case, I used a leaf that really gets a stallion’s engine revving. Just a little, though.” She smirked at him. “You were so pent up that all you needed was a little push, and then my heat did the rest.”

Shining Armor nearly fell off the bed as he backed away.

“Aw, was it bad?” Pinkie Pie pouted. "I try to make everypony's first time special..."

“Yes. I mean, no. I mean…” Shining Armor suddenly felt trapped. The air was suffocating.

“Wow. You really filled me up.” Pinkie Pie was lazily drawing circles on her belly with a hoof. “I wonder if that means I’m gonna have twins.”

Shining Armor stared at her. “But you said you have an herb…”

“I said we have an herb.” Pinkie Pie winked at him. “I never said I’d eaten any lately.”

The walls were closing in on Shining Armor. He’d lost control of himself. He’d bedded a mare before marriage. He’d betrayed Cadance. He’d impregnated her. He’d sired a bastard…

He was no longer pure.

Shining Armor turned and ran from the room, from Sugarcube Corner entirely. He raced through the quiet village, not knowing or caring where he was running to. All he knew was that he had to get away…

It suddenly occurred to him that he must be having a nightmare. Yes, that was it. That was the only thing that made sense. His time in the village had given him a nightmare in which he had lost control of himself and betrayed every facet of his life in a single stroke.

His running had brought him to Town Square. He spied the fountain, sprinted to the edge, and dunked his heated head into the blessedly cool waters. Surely that would shock him awake! He pulled back, taking a deep gasp of air, prepared to find himself back in his bed at the bakery, or (Celestia willing) in his own bed back home. But, no; he was still in Ponyville. He had still shamed himself and...

Somepony behind him coughed.

He spun to find a trio of mares standing across the way. He recognized two of them as the seamstress, Rarity, and the schoolteacher, Cheerilee. The mare standing between them was an orange earth pony with a hat of tanned leather on her head. “Who…?”

“Good evenin’ to you, Sergeant Shining Armor.” The mare tipped her hat to him. “Don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. The name’s Applejack.” She smirked at him. “Out for an evenin’ stroll, are we?”

Applejack. The village’s spiritual head. Their true leader. He saw more ponies approaching from between the dark buildings. He spied stallions and mares by the dozen. They were all staring at him. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I’ll tell you what it ain’t, Sergeant. It sure as shootin’ ain’t personal.” Applejack took the hat from her head and tossed it behind her where a large red stallion caught it and hung it from a nearby lamp-post. “It’s just how things have got to be sometimes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Maybe that’s for the best, Sergeant.” Cheerilee chuckled. “Ignorance is bliss, after all.”

“It is midnight. The Summer Sun Celebration has begun.” Applejack recited carefully, measuring each word. “Has the seed been planted?”

“That's putting it lightly.”

Shining Armor tried to turn to face the laughing voice behind him, but it was too late. Pinkie Pie landed on his back and her forehooves wrapped tightly about his neck. His knees buckled from the sudden tackle, but before he could react his head was alive with pain. He screamed as something hard within a cavern of warmth and wetness closed around his ear and pulled. He registered an awful tearing sound and then Pinkie Pie was gone. He put a hoof to his ear to check the damage and found only wetness and torn strips of flesh.

He stared in horror as Pinkie Pie landed nearby, his ear dangling from her lips. Before he could say anything, it vanished into her mouth. She chewed for a moment and then swallowed. She stuck her tongue out at him, either in jest or to show that she'd indeed just consumed a piece of him.

“We thank thee, Sire, for planting the seed in the waiting soil. We thank you also for your gift of the fertilizer that will help the seed to grow.” Applejack spoke again. She turned to Pinkie Pie. “Fair Maiden, will you share in this gift of soil the Sire has generously given?”

Pinkie Pie licked her lips and nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! Uh, I mean…” She straightened up and tried to look dignified. “My Lady, it would be an honor both to me and the chap who will soon grow within me if you would share in the Sire’s gift.” She smiled at Shining Armor. “’Tis a bountiful feast.”

“May the gods look upon thee with love, Fair Maiden. May their blessings be upon you and upon us all.”

Shining Armor looked around frantically for some kind of escape route, but they were all around him now. Dozens and dozens of ponies were tightening the circle. It looked like every adult pony in town had come out for the occasion. He looked up and saw the rainbow maned pegasus who’d first greeted him hovering just above, her eyes locked upon him.

She looked like she was drooling.

Shining Armor whimpered as the blood ran down his face from the hole where his ear used to be. He began hyperventilating, his complete terror stifling his attempts at casting a proper shield charm. “Stay away from me!” He cried.

“Feed the seed. Feed the seed.” Applejack began chanting as the circle started to close. The ponies of the village mimicked her, beating their hooves into the ground in time with the chant as they drew closer and closer. “FEED THE SEED! FEED THE SEED!”

The chanting and the drum-beat of approaching hooves drove Shining Armor back against the rim of the fountain…

The fountain!

He realized he still had time to drown himself before they reached him. Surely that would be a preferable fate than the one they were preparing to bestow upon him.

But no, he couldn’t give up. He could fight his way out! He was a trained and dutiful member of the Royal Guard. He had training these ponies could never even imagine. All he had to do was locate the point where their line was thinnest and…

The chanting had stopped. The drum-like beating of hooves against the ground had stopped.

The night was still and quiet.

The villagers were all around him, barely five feet away. They stared at him in icy silence. He could smell them, the excitement running through them.

Pinkie Pie winked at him.

He looked at her. “Wait…”

They rushed him.

The stallion fought off the first few, but soon the first bites and hard smacks with hooves eroded his resistance. He screamed as they began on him. He screamed until they tore away his ability to scream anymore. He didn’t die for quite a while, not until after he could feel them tearing into his core.

For the next few hours, the square was a flurry of bloody red activity. Ponies tore off pieces of the offering and ran off to devour them in private corners of the area. Others settled beside twitching body to nourish themselves directly from the source. The unicorn seamstress and the earth pony schoolteacher played tug-of-war with a leg, growling like playful wolf pups. A cheer went up when the earth pony farmer held aloft the warrior’s heart and bit into it with as much relish as she would a freshly picked apple. The pink earth pony, the evening’s Fair Maiden, blushed when her adopted father and the mayor brought her the tool the warrior had used to plant his seed. Joyful tears filled her eyes as she began to eat the offering.

As the moon made its way across the sky, the sheer joy and jubilation of the occasion began to work through the ponies in other ways. Soon the night was filled with pleasured moans and screams as an impromptu orgy broke out. With coats stained red and bellies full of the sacred feast, they licked and sucked and rutted in the dark of the night. The orange earth pony looked on approvingly as her brother rutted the schoolteacher whose muzzle was buried between the legs of the seamstress. The bakery’s owner approached her and offered himself with a careful kiss. She returned the kiss with gusto and turned dutifully when they parted. She moaned when she felt his weight on her back and grinned widely when he sank into her.

The Fair Maiden, the only mare expressly forbidden from participating in the carnal celebration lest she risk dilution of the offered seed, looked on proudly from her seat of honor on the rim of the fountain. Her hoof traced small circles on her red-stained belly. The hollow skull of her stallion sat beside her, watching the proceedings with empty sockets.

And so it went for hours until everypony gathered was spent. The picked-clean bones of the offering were gathered and carried away with great reverence while other ponies began washing away the remaining blood with water from the fountain. By the time the sun was rising, the ponies were all in bed, and it was though the square had not been touched all night.

Through all of this, Twilight Sparkle slept a dreamless sleep in the village library’s small sleeping nook. She smiled as she dreamed of her brother.

Author's Note