Shining and Cadance walked to the door, the princess putting on a woolen cap and slinging a pearl-colored Pradaveaux purse over her shoulder. The stallion tied on his shoes quickly and without looking up. As he rose, Cadance waved goodbye to the two mares on the bed. "Have fun, you two!" Cadance called out with not the least bit of irony in her voice, a slightly wicked smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Oh we will, Princess," Poppy Lilac affirmed with a grin.

Madam Eventide Velour slapped her fellow mare on the haunch and laughed, "I'll make sure of it. And you take good care of my..." Velour play counted on her fingers like a child reckoning simple arithmetic. "I expect you'll take good care of a liked customer of mine in return."

Shining blushed. Cadance shook her head, squeezing her fingers into a fist in her pocket for just a second. She casually answered, "Yeah yeah, sure, see you in like an hour or so. C'mon, Shining..." She opened the door and led them out, closing the door behind them on the moodily lit room.

The two mares were left alone in the dusky glow of a shaded, incandescent lamp that flickered ever so slightly in mimicry of candlelight. Poppy was reminded of the bonfires that would illuminate her apartment complex's courtyard on important occasions. She felt the melancholic pull of days and lands distant, preserved somewhere and in memory. The term tugged at her mind. At moments like this, she was grateful for this Pone term that did not exist in Zebrok -- nostalgia. And in that term was more than just longing, there was a certain wistfulness and vulnerability.

Back to the present, she was laying in bed wearing nothing with a robe, next to a professional mare of pleasure. She felt some pressure, Her kind princess had given them something like an hour to have at it, but what to do? Clock was ticking; hurry up, Ngolatane!

But this mare, she was so gorgeous, and it had been so long... Was this really okay?

Poppy inhaled. She looked Velour in the eye and then back down. "Sssooooooo... Are we gonna like, or uh..."

"What's the matter, Staff Sergeant? Where's that military bearing gone?" There was a chuckle from the zebra. Velour let go of some inner tension; her client was laughing just a bit. She put her hand on that muscled flank. She caressed it down to the knee So far so good. A client willing to laugh was a client willing to love.

"If you want. Anything I should know before we get down to it?"

"Uhhh... no kissing, please. My culture doesn't do it -- we think it's gross to put spit on each others faces."

Velour agreed, "No problem. Just on the lips, or...?" Swooping in like a sparrow, the escort kissed Poppy on her breast just above the nipple.

"That's good. Next time don't miss." She proffered her tit and spread apart the sides of her robe. Eventide Velour grasped it with one hand while working at the tie's knot with the other. She was well practiced at this sort of thing. Indeed the zebra was soon writhing gently in response to her ministrations. Her nipples were large with big, dark areolas. Nothing unusual for a zebra; they tended to have larger yet less sensitive teats than ponies. She worked away at it with her lips and tongue, not applying suction just yet. She wanted to make sure her playmate was properly warmed up first to properly appreciate what was being done instead of charging in to deliver all the pleasure right then and there. At best that would be a waste, at worst it could freak out a mare whose body wasn't properly up to absorb that sort of sudden charge. There was an ebb and flow to sex that made it less of a science and more of an art. There was no such thing as a mathematically ideal fuck.

The first purrs finally came to Poppy's lips. Velvet smiled, relieved. The most difficult part of her job was over. She honestly did not get too much experience working on girls, but she had been in bed with them more than enough times to know how to reliably give a good enough time, even though not one of her regulars was female, though girls were not really her thing anyway. As far as attraction went, she'd fuck damn near anything with a pulse for the right price. That thought gave her a pang deep down. Anything... Velour knew that included Velvet's... her son. She really ought to have a talk with Velvet about reprogramming her to be at least a little bit more picky and scrutinizing when selecting clients. And speaking of Velvet, it was refreshing to have the mare be finally in such a funk as to just leave her in peace while she worked again. But from what she had gathered while suiting up for this out, the great storm with Velvet was yet to come.

Not that she cared; living for the moment was her thing, and she emptied her mind as she took another suck on the Zebra's breast. Other concerns were Velvet's problem, and she didn't care to take them on for herself. Yay for being a gestalt.

Poppy put her hand on Velour's, which was on her hip, and pushed her fingers towards her rump, dragging the hem of the robe along with it. The fingertips blushed her toned ass, then dug in with a smack. Poppy grinned. Oh, Velour was going to be a treat; she was having quite the effect.

"You like that?"

"Oh, yes. Squeeze it, Velour." The other mare dug her fingers in and kneaded a bit. Poppy grinned. "So, what were you thinking of doing to me?"

Velour hid a small smirk; she disliked this kind of question -- 'what are you going to do to me?' and 'what do you want?' were well enough intentioned usually, but they came with loadings. They were loaded with the idea that there was a mutuality and familiarity already there. Clients who had clear ideas were always easier to work with. She put her mouth by the zebra's ear and whispered, "I was thinking of roaming all over you, then eating you out until you forgot how to spell your name."

"Sounds good, but I got one better." Velour knew it. Nothing to complain about; encounter was getting fun and her client's initial hesitancy had been overcome. "Would it be okay if I rode your face?"

"Hell yeah, climb on top." Velour licked out with her tongue teasingly.

The escort saw the guard's blush and then shake her head a bit shyly. "Would it be okay if I made you feel good first, I mean, I don't want to be selfish, Velour."

"Be my guest." Velour stripped naked and reclined alongside her zebra. Poppy copied and their naked bodies were together. First the striped hand touched Velouron her chest right over the heart. Then both played with the escort's breasts. Everyone liked breasts -- stallions, mares, griffons... Poppy's hand wandered down lower, tickling her tummy. Then it went over her publis delicately.

The fingers brushed over something. Poppy met her eyes and asked, 'What's this?" Velour knew she meant her cesarean scar.

She laughed, "Oh, it's nothing, just a bit of surgery from once upon a time. Don't hurt me a lick."

"So, was this from... uhhhh... Shining?"

"Not quite him; considered it first time around, but there was no real reason. His sister, however, was a tricky little filly, still is, so she got a special extraction and mommy got a thirteen hunnert bit scar."

"Thuddeen hunnat? What?"

Velour laughed, "Mustangian accent. Can't understand it?"

"A bit of trouble, but my first duty station was The Mild West, down in little dusty Shattertooth Bowl. So, ummm..." The zebra's expression told it.

"Ohhh... I see. So, what's it like, having a family of your own flesh?"

"Ask my core; I wasn't even around yet."

Poppy pursed her lips. "I see. About him, Shining Armor, he's an okay guy, isn't he?"

"More or less. I don't regret fucking him; he's intelligent, kindhearted, genuine, not bad in the sack, and definitely going places, and some mare is going to happily lucky as fuck one day to be his; if being anything but an escort were in my programming, I'd be wishing I were a decade or two younger, but..."

"But what?"

"But I would not be surprised if Cadance ended up locking him down for herself."

"You really think her majesty would do that?" Poppy asked. Velour nodded. "I know her better than you. I doubt she would. A princess lives, a princess loves, but a princess does not wed. It's not uncommon for her to take up ponies' love problems as pet projects no different from Celestia taking an interest in a city or province. It will hold her interest for a while, but princesses are all generalists. Besides, like she could afford to love him publicly, especially with what he and you have done." She smirked.

Velour raised up a finger. "We shall see. My future talks with him may prove very interesting indeed, especially if she does not lock him down; I have no problem with being his short-time lady love as long as he'll pay me. But, anyway, I would've appreciated this not happening to begin with. Oh well, it's really my core's problem. So long as I don't end up deleted, I don't really care all that much; it's not really in my programming to fuss over this sort of stuff."

"You don't say, Velour. I'll try to keep that in mind. Back home the both of you would have been run out of town and your husband would have no choice but to remarry." Poppy turned her contemplative look into a lusty grin. "So, where were we?"

Velour snapped back into sex mode. "You were just about to toy with me before riding my face."

"Oh yeah. Well, without delay..." Poppy Lilac's hand crept the last few inches down Eventide Velour's front and came between the crook of her thighs. The escort immediately let out a warm sigh, encouraging the mare to continue. This act wasn't going to demand the same kind of lubrication as intercourse, but still she had lubed up discreetly while the zebra still slept. "Wet already? I thought I was the eager one." Digits brushed over Velour's clit and a few sparks of pleasure came of it. She ground onto the zebra's touch and clasped at her shoulder. Their faces were close, but she refrained from kissing as per request. She could see the reactions on Poppy's face; she was working her magic.

Poppy worked her touch in light, oval motions. She avoided the clit directly, stimulating the labia and brushing around the hood. The motions were somewhat awkward as she was unpracticed and needed to keep adjusting, but she thought she was doing well. She hoped her personal masturbation technique would suffice. Velour was soon moaning and squirming under her touch, heat touching her silver cheeks.

"Feeling good, Velour?"

"Yeeeah, that's nice. You've got me wet, so what's next?"

Poppy did nothing but adjusted her hand again, angling it downward and pushing into Velour's pussy. The escort accepted it and let her inside with a gasp. She used her middle and index fingers inside while her thumb found its way to the slit, hitting both spots at once. Velour had to admit it was pretty good. She rocked her hips in a rhythm with the other mare's motion, letting some pleasure build. The tensed her grasp on the zebra's breast, kneading at the nipple with her palm, giving some real feedback. Poppy's smile was crooked-toothed with some gaps, but genuine. She felt her partner's breathing began to quicken. The striped face was darkening in an aroused flush. Then it came down to kiss the older mare on the teat, suckling a bit at the nipple. Velour inhaled sharply to encourage Poppy further. This encounter was starting to become quite good.

Velour felt a tension in her hips. She could smell her own arousal, and the musky scent of her client. It was time for the next phase of the liaison with the younger mare.

"So, Poppy, wanna hop on my face?"

Poppy laughed, "I thought you'd never ask." She withdrew her hand from Velour's pussy to stabilize herself as she sat with her knees on either side of the escort's head, her slit over the mouth to allow for breathing. She shook her hips to invite on the other mare's tongue and lips. As she did this, her hand went down south again and she resumed her fingering.

Velour began with a lick along her slit from top to bottom, coating the labia majora but just teasing barely the inner pair. Then she concluded with a kiss that made Poppy shudder. Poppy retaliated by adding a third finger into her slit and adding an upwards motion that brushed a sensitive spot on her front wall. She was going to give as good as she got.

Velour did her best to push through the mounting pleasure. Her focus was on the client. As Poppy intensified her ministrations, stretching her insides and putting ever more stimulation on her clit, she kept pace by deepening her licks, putting on more pressure, brushing the clit more, and even nibbling at it with her mouth. She felt the zebra's nethers become even more heated and wet. Soon juices were staining her face, a slick testament to her skill. She was so going to need a major shower after all this. The mare's clit was soon fully exposed and erect, and so now Eventide could really do what she had been holding in reserve the whole time. She put her lips on it and gave it a kiss, a proper kiss, with tongue and suction.

Poppy quivered above her, letting out a shaken moan. "Whooaoawoa! Whatever you just did, don't stop!"

Velour said nothing, continuing to kiss and lick relentlessly. The sounds coming from on high cheered her on. Her client was having a great time, just as hoped for. She was feeling pretty nice, too. Each rub over her own clitoris by the zebra mare sent some more sparks of pleasure up her spine. Her fingers were hitting such depth, it was almost being fucked by a lesser but not luckless stallion; this one for sure wouldn't leave her sore in case Shining wanted another round later.

The mares had at each other, the pleasure building in both of them. The speed of their actions and the volume of their cries gradually crept greater and greater.

Poppy noticed Velour shaking like she was.

Velour noticed Poppy getting exceptionally wet.

They didn't say anything, each recognizing what that meant. Poppy ground her hips onto the escort's face, drinking up everything the talented mouth had to offer. Her toes curled and she quivered with what she felt like a white spark of delight shooting through her belly. Unable to brace herself any more, she fell forward and took Velour into almost a sixty-nine, lapping at the clit while fingering inside.

Poppy felt the pressure inside begin to boil. Almost there! She faced a second of fear. Should she warn the escort? What if it was too much? What was even the etiquette for head between girls? Velour gave a gasp and a little jump. Poppy opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out were moans. Before she could gather herself, the pleasure hit her like a train, overwhelming her nearly by surprise. White hot bliss coursed throughout her body and she cried out wordlessly. She kissed at Velour's clit and felt the other body surge too with hers. Every lick and touch between her legs was pure fire and she clung her legs around Velour's face, desperately trying to stay on. She rocked and moaned and shook, feeling tension she didn't even knew she had wash away like a tide. She kept playing back with her partner, adoring the encouraging, passionate moans in response.

Poppy Lilac fell forwards, sweaty, finally relieving Velour's face, letting the flushed and panting mare breathe. She did not move for many long moment, just recollecting everything. When she did, she sat up, turned around, and knelt astride her partner's hips facing her. She met Velour's eyes, they were sparkling back like hers. She reached down and grasped Eventide's breasts, squeezing and kneading gently, lost in thought. The blush remained on her face as she studied Velour's body, drawing a finger along it from chin to tummy to cleft, then placing her hand between her legs. She lifted it up and saw the stickiness of their shared juices. It stretched apart into a web when she spread her fingers with droplets running down onto her hand. The zebra pressed it to her hard belly and wiped it off before holding both her hands there together, obviously contemplative.

Velour reached up, one hand on her thigh, the other going to Poppy's hands. She was no stranger to clients who got quiet after the festivities. What was important for the escort was to seem engaged and caring but not overly concerned; show the client they were still the most important thing in the room, but let them run through whatever emotional intellectual processes instead of trying to force anything.

Finally, after a long while, Poppy finally moved her lips. Velour liked their shape and color, and with a pang reminded herself they weren't for kissing. The zebra couldn't help but ask, "Good time, Velour?"

Velour replied playfully, "The best kind of time if I'm not mistaken."

"No mistake indeed." Poppy grinned, grabbing Velour's chest in turn and squeezing gently at the breasts. Then Poppy's wide smile faltered a bit. She said softly, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Velour grabbed her chest back.

"No, really, thank you. I haven't had sex in a long time, least of all not with a mare."

"Glad to be of service."

"I hope I wasn't bad, Velour."

Velour shook her head and patting the much larger zebra on the hip. "Bad? No, you were fantastic. You really think you're out of practice?"

"Yyyyeah. First time I've been laid this year."

Velour laughed, "I'm glad I got the honor of giving you the first fuck of the year."

"Thanks for being patient with me."

"No problem at all."

Silence returned. "Velour?"

"Yes, Poppy?"

"Am I normal?"

Velour brushed her mane out of her eye. Her initial impulse was to laugh, but she choked it down. She instead gave her best understated, calming smile and answered slowly, "What do you mean?"

Lilac clutched at Eventide's mounds a touch harder and asked, "I'm not weird, am I, having sex with another girl? Where I’m from, it’s just not done to fall into bed with a strange -- I'm not a slut, am I?"

Velour did let out the smallest, clearest chuckle she could. "Hahuha, sweetie, liking other mares is completely normal. Not all mares are into it, but there're lots who are."

"I mean... I only like sex with other mares. I've tried it with stallions -- pony and zebra, and griffons, but none of them make me feel, well, alive; I've felt nothing like eight out of ten times with a male, and none has ever made me cum." Poppy reared back to crick her neck.

"Are you repulsed?"

She shook her head. "I mean I'm not exactly repulsed; I can see beauty in a chiseled male form, but I don't feel the tingles and urges looking at them. I can feel nice with them, but I never find myself really all that excited at the time. The female body is so much better. And I've never had a sex dream of doing it with a guy. That must be unusual, yes?"

Velour gave a sympathetic nod, sitting up to wrap her arms delicately around the mare's waist. "You just like mostly girls is all."

"But aren't girls supposed to like guys? Back home, every woman marries a man, even if some spend more time with each other than their husbands. I feel like I may be a lesbian, but can I be if I fuck men, too?"

"You wouldn't be the first, last, or only, Poppy -- plenty of girls don't care for penis even if they ride it. It doesn't make you any less of what you feel. You don't automatically win a bisexual card just by having had both, and you can't have your orientation taken away just for spending a night outside your preference."

"Okay, thanks, Velour. Now my other question..."

Velour supplied, "You're worried you're a slut...?"

"Yeeayash..." The mare twisted her body uncomfortably atop Velour, her head drooping down.

"Wanna know what I think?"

"What?"

"It's ridiculous -- you're asking a whore if you're a slut. Let me tell you, Staff Sergeant, I have more sex with more partners some days than you have all year."

The zebra cocked her head. "So am I?"

"No, no, no, and most of all, no. If you're having sex just with those you want to in ways you want to and they're on board with, that's healthy. Is that what you're doing?"

'Well, I'd like to have more sex than I currently do."

Velour licked her lips and met Poppy's eyes. "Well, that can be arranged."

"Right now?"

"Right now. Say, you're not a one and done girl, are you, Poppy?"

"Oh heavens no." Poppy's voice lilted in arousal as Velour clapped a hand to her ass while giving her hair a gentle tug.

The escort whispered into her ear, "Good. If you'd be so kind, lie back, spread your legs, and hang on for dear life." The zebra did with a broad beaming smile as Velour moved her face down between her thighs.

Shining and Cadance walked to the door, the princess putting on a woolen cap and slinging a pearl-colored Polomare purse over her shoulder. The stallion tied on his shoes quickly and without looking up. As he rose, Cadance waved goodbye to the two mares on the bed. "Have fun, you two!" Cadance called out with not the least bit of irony in her voice, a slightly wicked smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Oh we will, Princess," Poppy Lilac affirmed with a grin.

Madam Eventide Velour slapped her fellow mare on the haunch and laughed, "I'll make sure of it. And you take good care of my..." Velour play counted on her fingers like a child reckoning simple arithmetic. "I expect you'll take good care of a liked customer of mine in return."

Shining blushed. Cadance shook her head, squeezing her fingers into a fist in her pocket for just a second. She casually answered, "Yeah yeah, sure, see you in like an hour or so. C'mon, Shining..." She opened the door and led them out, closing the door behind them on the moodily lit room.

The two young adults exited out into the corridor and walked down it. Shining got a good view of Cadance from behind. Beautiful, tall, elegant. She walked with a tight sway to her hips that looked regal enough, but in her simple skirt, he thought that there perhaps ought to have been a bit more swing. He certainly couldn't recall Velour ever walking like that. Regardless, he enjoyed the look of her body swaying in motion. Hers was an unusual, almost ethereal beauty that didn't quite seem fit for a creature of pure flesh and blood. Yet he could not quite shake the feeling that the princess seemed brittle for lack of a better word. Her shoes made sharp, staccato noises on the carpeted floor. Her poise was perfect with a disciplined grace.

Shining Armor thought back to how she had been during their encounters at the water park and while running. The same beautify was there, but not this tension. It hadn't been there even just the night before. He wanted to ask her about it, but could not reckon how. The stallion kept quiet; he was going to have words with her while Velour and Poppy had their role between the sheets together.

A short walk and an elevator ride later the two of them arrived at the hotel lobby bar. It was a reasonably trendy bar, featuring a grey granite countertop framed with red cedar wood, a bar stocked with a plethora of products from the adequate to the exceptional, and backlit by lighting behind a pastel blue glass panel running the length of the whole thing. The barmaid wore a bright orange polo and a yellow hat not unlike a Griffiyan pilotka garrison cap.

They sat down at the bar. It was late morning, so nobody else was there, and they parked their butts on the end distant from the rest of the lobby for maximum privacy.

The barmaid approached them. "Hey, how'ya doing?"

"Pretty good. You?" Shining and Cadance replied in unison.

"Just fine, thank you. So, can I get you two anything to drink?"

"Cosmopolitan," Cadance called.

"Triple vodka," Shining said.

The barmaid asked, "ID's, please?"

The two withdrew theirs. Shining showed it first. The barmaid scowled. "I'm sorry, Mister Armor, but you're not of age to purchase alcohol. I can, however, furnish you with soft drinks."

Shining scowled. "My bad, forgot I'm too young. Alright, iced tea, please."

"Now that I can do," the pegasus barmaid chirped. "And you, young lady?" Cadance gave her ID. Upon reading it, the barmaid's wings flapped. Her eyes grew and she stumbled out starstruck, "Y-Your majesty!"

Cadance whispered over her way, "There's a huge tip in it for you to keep it quiet. I'm here giving a field trial to an acolyte agent."

The barmaid nodded after a second assented. "Of course, princess, and never mind about the age thing; my bar is open to you free of charge."

"You don't need to, really, it's fine..." Cadance smiled awkwardly in a way that did not reach her cheeks.

"But, Princess, I insist." The barmaid was starting to get a bit loud.

Cadance frowned, reaching into her purse and retrieving some bits. "Fine, and here's some bits, just let us have peace, please. Call me Cad. Do that there'll be plenty more to come.

"Of course, Cad, sorry," the barmaid apologized as she retreated, leaving both the customers looking a bit flustered.

"So much for complete discretion," Cadance grumbled.

"Hey, it was bound to happen sooner or later, right? Besides, the real tragedy's that the one time I get drinks one on one with you, I accidentally used my real ID and not my fake."

"Good agents don't drink on the job, Mister Armor," Cadance teased. Shining crossed his arms in a pantomime of a huff. "Anyway, we got business to attend to."

"Real talk?"

"Real talk," Cadance echoed.

Shining Armor sighed, "So be it, we were going to have to plan for this sooner or later, and with Velour going home today., it's not like we have a lot of time."

"You're telling me. Just a few hours until we have to send her home."

Shining looked down and sighed, "Home... Yeeeaaaah, that's gonna suck... Having to face Twiley, my dad, and mom again is not something I'm looking forward to. I don't know if I could look dad in the eye now."

"You may have to."

"Great..."

Their drinks arrived. Both of them took deep draughts. Cadance gripped her martini glass by its slender stem and patted down her top. "Well, it's not as bad as you might be dreading."

"Yeah, maybe from last we heard. You and I both know Velour isn't the best messenger. For all we know my family could be broken up already."

Cadance chuckled, "Not quite, smarty pants, but it could turn sour."

Shining said, "Well, I know you and Velour talked last night after I went to bed. Did she have any new insights?"

"Well, Velour, as you and I both know by now, doesn't have the clearest picture of what's going on due to being Velvet's gestalt, but here's the basic rundown of stuff. I don't know if you've gotten anything from them, but your dad is currently home on a quick leave from his business trip while things get sorted out with the other company. He'll be gone soon. He thinks you're in Ponyville with one of your friends, according to what Velour said your mom told him."

"Okay, that's gonna be one awkward conversation. What about Twiley?"

"She misses you and doesn't know what's going on."

"So Velour didn't have any extra info about that last night. That better be the case. Anyway, running a charade on our little bookhorse cannot be easy."

Cadance smiled. "You're telling me. I once tried to throw her a surprise party and she deduced it and asked me a week in advance about it. I imagine Velvet's been having a hell of a time keeping this drama under wraps around her."

"So business as usual. Okay, so she isn't suffering for our drama, good. I don't know how I feel about mom right now, but I know I can try to find it in my heart to forgive her for all this. Try. But if she was mistreating my LSBFF over stuff with her BBBFF, I wouldn't forgive her; I'd take Twilight and never look back."

Cadance rested her hand on her cheek. "How noble of you," she said with a smile.

Shining blushed and ruffled his mane. "Yeeah, uh, thanks, Cadance. I mean it's nothing big; just being a good big brother." He made himself become more serious again. "So things are calm right now, only everyone's being lied to?"

"Pretty much," Cadance answered with a click of her tongue as she killed her cocktail.

"Dad won't like being lied to; him learning the truth is going to be fun..."

"Do you think he should know the truth?"

"Meaning?"

Cadance elaborated, "Do you really think he can take finding out he's been getting cucked?"

"Mom said he already knows and sanctions it, just that it's with a gestalt.

"What do you think fucking you raw in his home as herself counts as?"

Shining armor sighed, "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit..."

"Exactly." Cadance finished her cosmo and put it down on the bar. Shiny was barely sipping through his iced tea. The pink mare lifted up a finger and caught the barmaid's eye. "Another, please." While the barmare was distracted with refilling the booze, Cadance asked, "Say, Shining, if you don't mind me asking, what's your take on your parents' marriage?"

Shining said, "I don't know... I could say maybe it could be better, I guess. I wouldn't call it exactly bad. I've seen them disagree a few times, but they've never screamed or gotten violent with each other."

Cadance nodded, bounced her crossed knee a bit. "How often are they together? How often do they act like they're in love?"

"Not very often. Dad is literally out of town most of the time. Sometimes he doesn't even make it home for Hearth’s Warming or Winter Wrap Up, or Summer Sun, or Winter Moon. I swear it can be a bit like not having a grown man of the house sometimes."

The princess sucked in air. "Yikessss..."

"Yeah," the teenager comisserated. "Holidays have a tendency to kinda suck when that happens."

"I bet." She gave him a sympathetic look. "But, anyway, when they are together, how do they act?"

"I don't know, I don't really see them too much. Okay I guess -- I told you already nobody's getting screamed at or beaten up, but that doesn't necessarily mean all is well, doesn't it?"

"Correct. Do they kiss, call each other pet names, get gifts, do stuff together...?" She beckoned at the barmaid, who was standing off to the side with a refilled cosmopolitan, this time up to the brim and with an orange slice on the rim.

Shining Armor said, "Not too much. Dad's tired when he's home. It's like living with a zombie sometimes. If Twiley or I ask him to go somewhere or do something, he will if we're persistent, but he's just as prone to dozing through the whole day and not even remembering we talked. Mom has to pretty much carry him anywhere to get him moving. I don't really see mom and dad together much, but come to think of it, I haven't seen them kiss without it being a special occasion in a long time. She doesn't make it a special occasion when he comes home, anymore, more like a curt admission of his return. The most they ever do is go out for a night on their anniversary and get a hotel room." Cadance grimaced. "That's not good, is it?"

"No."

"Crap, could I have that in plain Pone, please?" Shining wheedled, leaning forward tentatively.

"All's not well at home. I really really don't want to say this, Shiny, but what's going on with you and your mom is only part of this. Your parents' relationship may as well be on a ventilator."

"Fuck me," he swore, "so it's pretty much doomed, isn't it? My parents will divorce, the family falls apart, and everyone finds out my mom's a whore and my dad's a cuckold. Tell me, princess of love, how do I fix this?"

Cadance said, "I can't fix this for you -- your family, your relationship, but I'm not just going to let it all fall apart. I'll do what I can to guide you."

"Thanks, Cadance."

"You're welcome, Shining Armor,"

The stallion's frown held. "So what's the first thing I need to do to starting getting this unfucked?"

Cadance said, "The first thing to do is to go home and make sure your dad knows you're okay."

Shining put his face in his hands, both elbows on the bar countertop, and sighed heavily, "And that's going to mean lying to him... I feel like a dickbag already for this."

"I didn't say anything about lying. What I said was he needs some assurance that his missing son is okay. That will ease his fears over you, because he's a good dad and I know he's worried about you and can't be feeling the most inclined towards feeling warm fuzzies at his wife. Proving you're okay will take that load off his mind and give him some foundation of trust that she's as invested in the family as much as he is."

Shining nodded and took a long suck of his tea. "Okay, that sounds good. But I don't see how I can do this without lying to my father's face."

Cadance looked him in the eyes. She took a sip from her glass. "Guiding you through this and helping you guys out is my part of it. How you do it, whether or not you lie, dodge questions, or even decide to never return, that's all up to you. I can't make those decisions for you."

"I see... And how to deal with mom?"

"Well, what did we learn from Velour last night?"

Shining Armor answered, "Velour told us that Velvet really does love her family, as bullshit as that sounds sometimes, but she's not a perfect person. We know my mom did not intend for this to happen. There's one thing that was really important to take away, and that was how she uses sex as an escape from her problems. That's going to be a hard one to deal with, because as she's done to me, whenever things started getting dicey or out of control, she used sex to take over the situation. When I first found out she was Velour, she shut down that conversation by turning it into sex. And the next day, when I tried to talk to her about the previous night and smooth things over with her, she seduced me."

"If she's using sex on you, odds are she's doing it to your dad, too."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Shining said, "I know now she's very good at being seductive and knows just what buttons to press to get out of an argument and into bed. How do I combat that?"

"Don't have sex with her."

"Easier said than done, especially when I can't help but just want to make her happy, even if I know it's wrong or a mistake."

"I don't envy you one bit, Shining Armor, and I wish I could just decree and dispell this all away, but this is how your situation is."

"Fucked and fucked up."

"Yeah." Cadance got a twinkle in her eye. She beckoned again to the barmaid. "Hey, a martini, extra wet and dirty, please." Shining swore she just winked at him.

"Shaken or stirred?" the barmaid asked.

Cadance said, "Doesn't matter, just pretend my young agent in training here is merely guarding it." A crisp twenty bit note surreptitiously was levitated onto the table with just enough flair to be noticed for sure.

"Right away."

The drink arrived nearly a minute later. Cadance proffered it to Shining, who gulped it down. "I thought you could use this; this has got to suck for you."

"Thanks, Cadance, no kidding." They exchanged mutual smiles over the tops of their glasses.

"So, Shining, mind if I ask you about Velour?" He looked up at her. She batted with her hand. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to grill you, I'm just curious about her is all."

He didn't meet her gaze direct but did still nod and answer, "Sure, okay, I guess..." He caught sight of something in how she was leaning forward. Suspicion struck. "Wait, what's this all about?"

"Humor a pretty pink pony princess, pleeeeaaaasseeeeee?" Cadance leaned forward to give puppy dog eyes at the white colt, her cleavage hanging to give him a terrific view.

"If you insist," Shining said with a roll of his eyes.

"Awesome! You would not believe how hard it can be to get guys to be honest about their short time mares."

Shining sagged his shoulder and huffed dryly, "Don't tell me Twilight knows what prostitution is and roped you into gathering data..."

Cadance laughed, "That's totally something she'd do, but no, this is just because I'm curious. And please don't be shy -- you've already told me the kind of secret most ponies would take to the grave, so it's not like you can embarass yourself." She wasn't looking anywhere except at him. He got the very distinct impression of having inadvertently trodden in a deceptively deep mud puddle.

"Okay, shoot."

Cadance dusted off the wrinkles in her top. She asked, "What made you hire Velour in the first place?"

"I was horny and wanted to try having sex for real. I graduated high school a virgin, Cadance, a kissless, dateless virgin."

"Okay. But why didn't you wait for somebody who'd do it with you? You aren't hideous or disabled." The mare smiled broadly, gazing at him and licking her lips. She lowered her voice to a dusky pitch. "Quite the opposite..."

"Th-thanks, Cadance."

"And how was she in bed?"

"Good, I guess. I don't have much to compare to, though."

"What made you want to keep seeing her, despite her being a much older mare?"

Shining searched inside himself. He had to endure a blush on his face. He had a pretty mare's full attention and he didn't know what to do. "I... I don't really know. It's something about her, like an x-factor -- I found myself liking her, being drawn to her."

"You don't know?" The beam turned into a pointed scowl. "Could you give a guess?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's because I like her. She was warm, welcoming, safe. And she's really attractive." Shining Armor caught the look on Cadance's face. "I mean, you're hot, Cadance, but the way she greeted me the first time was amazing. All made up, radiant mane and coat, wearing a thin nightdress, then stroking the hell out of my ego, among other things... Well, a guy has needs. Instincts, too. But on top of that, she just always was warm, fun, flirty, y'know, a break from playing surrogate man of the house most days, a break from being the colt who never could get a date to the dance, and a chance to know what it was like to be appreciated, above all else, as a man. I just felt validated by her, like I could just enjoy being with her -- sharing bodies, swapping stories, me appreciating her as a woman while she appreciated me as a man. No worries about what she'd tell her friends, no concern she'd laugh me out of bed, call me a creep, or whatever."

Cadance stroked her chin. "Interesting. There's a lot of fantasy with longing and escapism bundled up, isn't there?"

"Well yeah. Say, you don't fault a guy for just wanting a little validation, some fun, and some company, would you?

"Considering the kind of company, well, before I was the princess of love, I would have absolutely faulted a guy for it. I would think prostitution gross and imagine the only kind of guy who'd partake would be a total sleazeball who'd need to pay a mare because nopony in their right mind would ever fuck him willingly. Hearing from a lot of ponies has made me rethink my opinion of that. Sure, there are some slimeballs whom nopony should touch with a twenty foot pike. There are some real freaks, geeks, and creeps, but the majority, of the few I've either talked to, or know of, are pretty normal guys just looking for a lay."

"That's reassuring. I kinda figured I was a bit of a weirdo for doing this, errr, her."

She shook her head. "Nah; you're just brushing the toes on the pool of sexual behaviors. Are you going to see more of her after this?”

He looked down, the blush intensifying, “I don’t think so, the drama involved. I know Velour is a gestalt, so it’s not really mom, but…”

Cadance leaned forward. “So yes or no?”

He looked up at her then down at the floor, “Cadance, I’m torn, I don’t have a marefriend. And I’ve found I really like sex. So, I want to. But with everything going on. I would like to continue seeing her, just as Velour, so long as she'll have me.” He chuckled, "And so long as my bank account holds up."

Cadance's smile stopped reaching all the way up her cheeks. She said, "It's cool, it's cool, but the strangest thing I found about clients is that most of them are normal, just totally normal, like you'd never guess they buy puss if you just saw them on the street. So now I'm more like whatever floats your boat, dude, just so long you don't start thinking it's more than just a service."

"I know it's not actually real. Movies aren't real either -- doesn't mean they can't be a lot of fun."

"I totally agree, Shiny. Would you say the sex was the single most important thing?"

He actually shook his head. "If you'd asked me that before everything with mom blew up, I would have agreed, but now I'm not so sure. I didn't realize how important the heart of a man is when it comes to sojourns between the sheets."

Cadance nodded. She added, "Ladies, too."

"Right. I mean, mares enjoy a good fuck as much as guys, right?"

"Oh you have no idea," Cadance teased with a wink.

Shining Armor blushed again. "But it's more than just recreation isn't it? The emotional climate can make or break the whole thing. I mean, if you just want an orgasm and nothing else, why not masturbate?"

"Look at you talking all wise," Cadance laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just think it's kinda adorable an eighteen year old guy is giving me a pretty soliloquy on love."

He looked away from her. "Sorry for running my mouth."

"Don't worry about it; I like hearing you." He blushed deeply in response. There was a long silence. "Hey, Shining, what would you say your ideal mare is like?"

The young stallion paused, collecting his thoughts. "Physically?"

"More than that -- who is she... as a person, I mean?"

Cadance could practically hear the gears whirring in his head as he racked his brain to come up with an answer. She waited patiently. It was nearly a whole other minute before Shining Armor finally opened his mouth again. "I like mares who are fun, kind, have a sense of adventure, someone I could talk to about anything -- intelligent would be the word, compassionate, too. It'd be awesome if she were a bit of a nerd, too and didn't mind long evenings indoors watching movies and playing video games. Oh, and one last thing: must love pizza."

Cadance had nodded through his list. He asked, "What about you, Cadance? What do you like in a guy?"

She listed slowly, "Courage, a good heart, a sense of humor, able to tough out the bad times..."

Shining remarked, "Huh, sounds like someone I know..."

The mare asked in little more than a whisper, "Really?"

"Yeah, guy's dense as fuck though. And taken. And speaking of fucks, how're our two lovebirds doing?"

Cadance's face darkened and the charm went out of it. She glared at her watch and placed some notes on the counter. "It has been an hour. We should go."

They exited the bar posthaste, Shining jogging to keep up with his suddenly dour companion.

Cadance sat in the sauna totally nude. The temperature was sweltering just the way she liked it. Heat radiated from the scalding stones in the center, heated from below by a magical, smokeless fire. She was in a bit of a sulk, jaw tight and her chin was resting on her balled up fist. She sat tense with her legs crossed, her shoulders rounded and hunched over, and her butt parked in a corner on the upper bench. Her towel was positioned next to her, still folded neatly by the hotel spa staff ponies. She was whiling away the time until they could be rid of Velour. How many hours left? Two? Three? She didn't know for sure; all she knew was that not for the first time now over the last couple days, she was genuinely reconsidering whether or not to help two particular ponies.

That fucking whore, coming up here to make moves on the guy she wanted. Brazenly fucking him in front of her, too! And now she'd heard from the guy himself that Velour was everything he wanted in a mare and he wasn't going to change his bedroom habits anytime soon!

Why was she not good enough?

Cadance cursed Madam Eventide Velour. She cursed that Twilight Velvet had ever generated her. She cursed that Shining Armor had ever patronized her. She cursed that the truth about her identity had ever been revealed. She cursed that she had been the one to take Shining Armor's virginity. She cursed that she had paid two and a half thousand bits to the mare to come up for two days -- money, contrary to her assertions, from her personal account and not from the treasury! She cursed that the whore had bedded Shining Armor both nights she had been with them. She even cursed that despite her wishes to find something fundamentally wrong with her, she'd found Velour to be a fairly likeable and even enlightening character.

Cadance shut her eyes and sighed. She summoned up a bit more magic and instantly she felt a coolness dousing her. With her alicorn powers, she could stay in this sauna forever.

The door opened. Cadance looked up and opened her eyes. Before her stood Madam Eventide Velour in her full glory and coming her way with a wet towel in her hand. She wrung it out over the hot stones to get a cloud of steam. Then she sat down next to Cadance as if they were friends.

The princess immediately felt a sense of something like shame. Here was the mare, the body, the cunt that Shining liked most. Unlike two nights ago, where the room was not well lit, among other factors, here, she could not hide from the exposed harlot not even a meter away. The other mare's breasts were bigger, her mane had more flair, she had a much more pronounced hourglass curve, and she walked with an enticing sashay to her hips. Cadance knew she was pretty much divine herself, that she was taller, more finely formed, and younger, but just the fact that Shiny would seek out and pay this mare for her company while she could barely get a half decent talk out of him herself made her feel a lot of things a compassionate and regal princess shouldn't, especially over just some dick. Princesses didn't get to have needs, they had duties and subjects. Princesse didn't get to vent their hearts, they had expectations to meet and a bearing to uphold.

They said nothing for a very long time.

Velour was the first one to speak. "You're still conscious after an hour in here, princess?"

Cadance's reply was curt. "Yes."

"Poppy wants to know how long you're fixin to be in here."

"I don't know; as long as I feel like." She hoped this would give Eventide the message.

"That's not very helpful for coordinating transportation."

"Well, you getting yourself home isn't my problem, Velour."

"Perhaps not, Princess, but since my booking expires at my train's boarding time, some consideration of that little fact would be appreciated, especially if you want my continued help with this whole motherfucking clusterfuck."

Cadance sighed, "Fine, I'll help you get to the station to see you off."

"Thank you." Silence again.

Things stayed quiet.

Then a youthful voice broke the silence. "How many have you been with, Velour?"

Velour replied measuredly, "I don't know, probably at least two hundred."

"That many?"

"Few by the standards of my profession. I tend to do most of my business with regulars; I cultivate them, actually."

"What are they like, Velour?"

"Can't say. All different kinds. Old ones, young ones, happy ones, sad ones, nice ones, cranky ones. I fuck everyone from Griffiyan mercs with half shaved heads and fragment scars to elderly botanists."

"Why do they do it?"

"Because sex is nice?" Velour did not quite know what to say, but she took a deep breath to steady herself. "All my clients have a different reason that ends with them between my thighs. Some because they need someone. Some because they're bored. Some because maybe they want to try something they can't get elsewhere." Velour paused. "Because they think they aren't good enough..."

"Why won't he have me, Velour?"

The older mare looked at the younger mare and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Who?"

"Shining Armor," Cadance growled. "I've been trying to get him for a while but he just won't have me."

"Won't he now?" Velour laughed.

"Yes, really, he's refused me -- refuses to even look at me as a mare!"

Velour's ears flattened. "Cadance, calm down, don't fly off the handle at me."

Every word was practically hissed through clenched teeth. "But I'm taking your advice but he's still choosing to fuck you and ignore me. Why!?" The mare spat acid.

Velour inhaled and stretched. "Ah. Well, tell me what you've been doing."

Cadance explained, "Since we last talked about this, I took him down to the hotel bar. We talked a good long time, a bit of business, a bit of strategy for what to do when he gets home, praising him for initiative and showing sympathy for his problems. Then I ordered him a drink and steered the conversation towards mares and what he likes."

Velour nodded and encouraged, "That's good. So what did he tell you?"

"I found out he thinks you're great and plans to keep fucking you as long as you'll keep seeing him."

Velour gave her a patronizing smile. "You can't be happy about that."

"No, I'm not happy about that. Nothing against you or your profession, Velour, but even though he said why he hires you, I don't get why he'd pay you for the privilege when he could get it with me for free whenever he wanted. He said he wants a sweet girl with a bit of a brain, a love for adventure, and an appetite for pizza."

Velour laughed, "Sounds about right. So what did you do next?"

"I told him what I wanted in a stallion. I pretty much described him, making sure to smile and make eye contact. Scratch that; I was pretty much eye fucking him the whole time."

Velour's mouth popped open in realization. "Oooooh. I get it."

"What? What is it, Velour?"

"You didn't happen to actually make a move on him now did you, Cadance?"

"I made a move on him -- I made a point of hitting on him like crazy and giving him the perfect chance to have me if he would have just said the word. I got him alone with me, I flirted with him, paid attention to his cares, puffed up his pride, and even described my perfect match as being a guy like him. I even made sure to get a few drinks in him so he'd have liquid courage on his side."

Eventide Velour took a deep breath. "So you hit on him, but you didn't actually make a move."

Anger flared up in Cadance's voice. "Excuse me?"

"I mean you didn't actually make a definite move on him. You didn't give him a proposition. You didn't invite him to go somewhere, you didn't touch him, you didn't ask him if he was fixing to fuck, didn't tell him what your real intentions are. Let me explain with a question: why aren't we having sex right now?"

Cadance rolled her eyes, answering, "Because we aren't."

"Yes, but all the hints are there. We're naked and alone, talking sexual subjects, I'm an escort you're currently paying, we're naked, and I'm sitting right by you with my thighs apart. Clearly I'm offering you sex if only you'd take it -- why haven't you figured out that you should be ears deep in me by now?"

Cadance sighed, "So I didn't jump cunt first on his dick. So what am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Shiny, you may not think of me this way, but I would totally love it if you started going out with me and I want to fuck you until you collapse between my thighs as an incoherent mass of pleasured jelly with your seed leaking out of me and my legs still quivering and wrapped around your back?'"

"Not quite that!" Velour chuckled. "Close but not quite. You need to tell him you want to know him as more than friends, princesses, or whatever the hell your relationship is."

"What if he shoots me down?"

"Honey, that's an inherent risk in playing the game of love. No such thing as a sure thing."

Cadance remarked, "He was telling me about fear of rejection and how that factors into why he sees you."

"So you know all about how he never had a marefriend in school?"

"Yup."

"And how he got shot down pretty harsh more than once?"

"No, he didn't tell me about that, actually."

"I don't blame him for that, Cadance, being yelled at by your crush that they'd rather die than go out with you in the middle of the hallway when you're fourteen has got to leave a mark. To be frank about him, I don't think he can even imagine himself as being attractive to peers since that, with everything else, especially mountains of other rejections compounding on it -- maybe it's a reason why he chooses an older mare?"

Cadance looked guilty. "Shit, it really can be rough for a guy... I never knew..."

"Mares usually don't. As an escort I sometimes consider myself lucky guys consider me a safe lady to talk to. They can tell me anything. Seriously, the things men carry in their hearts make me wonder how anyone ever manages to be well-adjusted."

"It's ironic I agree a lot more with that viewpoint now that I'm looking at actually having to face rejection myself and I'm finally princessing instead of just doing administration and ceremony like I used to. That still doesn't solve the issue of approach, though."

Velour said, "Do you want to know the simple way to get what you want?"

Cadance leaned forwards, her funk faded. "What is it?"

"Look at my breasts," said Velour, crawling towards Cadance.

"W-what!?" the princess stuttered. Before she could do anything else, Velour took her by the hand, placed it to one of her tits, and pressed it in hard.

"What do you feel?"

"Softness? They're lovely, Velour." Cadance gave both breasts several strong squeezes, ignoring Velour's wince of discomfort from being manhandled so coarsely.

"Easy now," Eventide said, "they're boobs, not bricks -- no need to clamp on them."

"S-sorry," apologized the blushing pink alicorn. "God must've felt really charitable when making you."

Eventide laughed, "Don't worry about it. And of course they aren't natural, my dear princess! I had to go out and get these on purpose."

Cadance smirked. "I think I understand. You mean to tell me that if I want anything in life, I have to go achieve it rather than just wait and hope it falls into my lap by providence."

"Pretty much. From what Velvet has told me, the husband wasn't by accident -- she spent plenty of time wooing a shy colt and making him hers. The breasts weren't an accident -- she didn't like the size they were naturally so she got them enhanced. The children weren't an accident -- she wanted them so she set about making some. Twilight Sparkle being in Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns isn't an accident -- Velvet cultivated her daughter's talent, convinced Night Light to back sending her off to the special school, and arranged a spot at the entrance exam. None of that was an accident, nor was it just handed to them on a silver platter. And I'm not an accident either -- she wanted to have fun, she wanted to make money, she wanted to live out a fantasy of being a wanted lady of pleasure, so she made it happen by creating me. And my success as an escort hasn't been accidental, either -- I take good photos with professional photographers, I maintain a website, I place adds, answer communiques, fuck my clients silly, learn sex tips, practice the arts of conversation and people reading, put in huge hours, travel, and more. All of that is deliberate and by design. All effort, not providence."

"You're gorgeous, though, that helps."

Velour said, "Actually, that doesn’t matter as much as you may think.”

Cadance blinked. “What?”

“Physical beauty is only part of the equation. And it’s a far smaller part than you would ever believe. With your natural beauty, you can attract stallions to you without trying hard. But you’ll find the ones after you are not much more than hard dicks.” She licked her lips. “What really attracts the good ones. The ones that will fuck you silly, but also sit there and talk to you when the dick isn’t hard. The ones that want to get to know what’s between your ears as much as what’s between your legs, is sexiness. It’s an attitude coupled with a skillset; being desirable is a developed skill. You can have an average or even somewhat heavyset mare, average boobs, okay ass, more than a little bit of mileage... and stallions will be clamoring for her attention. When she knows sexiness, when she knows what she has, and uses it to her advantage. I have these on my chest because it makes it easier, but when it comes to the stallions. I have to know how sexy I am, I have to exude that. It's all targeted -- the right glances, selective touches, teases, noticing what someone likes and strumming delicately on it. It's clothing, it's being in shape, it's having charm. You’ve noticed it, you’ve seen it in me. That sexiness will not only get mares wet and stallions hard, but keep them coming back for more.” She stopped for a moment, her eyes roving along Cadance’s body. “You are lucky, Princess, you exude that without even trying. But you don’t even realize that you are doing so. I'm just an average housewife with an average husband and a body that's due to start drooping any day now. You're nearly a physical goddess, and trust me, Candy, Shining is way more attracted to you than he is to me. He likes me more, though, at least for the moment."

"Thanks, Velour."

"You've very welcome. So, tell me, Princess Cadance, if you do pursue Shining Armor and you do get him, what then?"

Cadance said slowly, "We'll be a couple?"

"Well of course you'll be an item, but what about Velvet? What about me?"

"I don't know." Cadance started tapping her foot.

Velour said, "You know Shiny wants to see me; I have no plan to stop himm. And once Velvet's fixed, what if they resume bonking?"

Cadance said, "Oh that's easy. My official stance as princess of love is to promote the greatest net love, so the more the better."

"Princess or Cadance's thoughts?"

"Does it matter?"

"Up to you. Anyway, if you want him, you're going to have to make him think you're the right mare to be around. Remember that time at the water park he tried to ask you out?"

"Yes."

"He got so riled up seeing you in that bikini, thought you were too hot to even consider him. I had to give him some courage by telling him I'd suck his dick behind the waterfall if he did and got shot down."

A peculiar look crossed the alicorn's face. "So that means..."

"Yup, by the time you were back in the water, I had his shorts down and his cock up. Went and fucked him for round two afterwards. But here's the thing, Candy, being beautiful is an advantage, but it won't count for jack fucking shit if you don't leverage it by actually doing things." As if to illustrate her point, Velour reached out and touched one of the princess's breasts. A flush spread across Cadance's cheeks and she inhaled sharply. "I can think about fucking you all day, Princess, but I have to make it happen."

"How's that?"

"Start with some flirtation -- give you a good look at the goods." She stood up in front of Cadance and stretched, showcasing her bountiful breasts, curvacious hips, and hourglass figure." She put both hands on Cadance's thighs. "And then you make contact." Their eyes met. "Express interest. Let them know what you intend. Give the brain time to spin up its fantasies of the good time to come..."

Velour's hands slid from the tops to insides of Cadance's upper thighs. Then she slid them closer to the mare's hips. "And then what?"

"You make them appreciate what you can do for them. I have a talented mouth and practiced fingers; I can read your body like a book.." Velour's lips closed around Cadance's collarbone.

Cadance whispered, "Wow, shit..."

"Yeah... You make sure they know what a good thing they're getting into..." Velour, as if to punctuate, suddenly took Cadance's hand and pulled it between her legs.

"And then what?" Cadance was panting slightly, eyes wide, smiling at Velour. She placed a hand on the older mare's hip. "Oh wow, you're good. What comes next?"

"And then you make them want to chase you as much as you want to chase them. Let them know you have every intention of returning those heated favors..." She brought her face right down to Cadance's level. Her breath tickled the princess's nose. Cadance froze, her lips puckered slightly outwards.

Velour put her face right by Cadance's. It would be such an easy thing to plant a kiss on this inexperienced mare and take her to heaven; actually trivial. Velour got a wicked smile. She slid around Cadance's cheek to whisper in her ear, "Make them want nothing else besides more of what you've given them. Shiny thinks you are hot as fuck. Make him want you. Offer more than I can give him -- be not just a lover, but someone to love."

Velour walked away without another word, leaving Cadance gasping for air.

The black limo was on its way to the train station. Poppy Lilac was driving, no longer in casual clothes but instead back in the navy blue pinstripe suit Shining had first met her in. Velour was dressed almost to the nines. For her the sendoff was the last chance to make a good impression and earn future business. Even though she knew odds were Cadance would never ever hire her again, it was doubtful Poppy would have a chance, and Shining was pretty much guaranteed, she still wanted to go out well. She was a professional -- her clients didn't pay her to show up in sweats with her hair all over the place. Besides, she was uncertain as to how much business she was going to get in the near future -- if things with the family went as she was calculating, she may very well end up needing to do fewer bookings or even yank her advertising entirely if her core taking care of business demanded it.

It was just her and Shining Armor in the back seat. Cadance was up front with Poppy and discussing some sort of business, leaving her and her young client alone in the back with a black plate of glass separating them. She knew he took note of her outfit. A quick brush of her hand over his pants revealed his erection. A wicked grin crossed her lips. She asked, "Hey, Shiny, wanna use this?"

Shining Armor blushed. He answered, "Seriously? Velour, Cadance and Poppy are right there. We're practically in public!"

The mare pointed at the windows. "Tinted. Besides, last chance to have me for who knows how long."

"Good point."

"So, wanna do it?"

"Sorry, but no."

"No?" She was baffled.

He said, "I'd love to have sex, but there are other things on my mind. Fucking you is fun, but this may be the last chance I get to talk with you one on one."

Velour took her hand off his pants and instead draped the arm around his shoulder. Shiny leaned into the soft embrace, resting his head on her breast. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Mom."

Velvet stroked his hair soothingly. "What about her?"

"How are we going to handle her? And dad?"

Velvet stumbled for a bit before answering. "I don't know really. I just know she loves you and he loves her."

"Any strategies? What do you think Velvet's thinking?"

Velour replied, "Now I do actually have an answer for that. As things are right now, once she takes back over, she's going to be praying she dodged having to talk to your dad; she's hoping he goes back to Griffiya before she gets home. That way she has time to get you back home and cover her tracks and make up some sort of justification that won't instantly fold under scrutiny."

"So he's pissed at her?"

"More than pissed. There is a lot of resentment. Cadance filled me on how things are for your parents at home and asked if I had anything else to give. I told her that Twilight Velvet practically leapt at the chance to be anywhere but home with Night Light."

Shining swore, "Fuck, that's not good -- worse than I thought." He ran his fingers languidly through Velour's mane as if seeking solace in its softness.

"Don't worry about it, Shiny, this can still be turned around."

Shining Armor clenched his fist. He growled, "I'll tell you not to worry about your fam-" Shining caught himself. "I shouldn't lose my cool at you; I'm angry at other you."

"I know," said Velour. "You're really going to let her have it, aren't you?"

"Not like Sugar Swirl..."

"Who?"

"An escort I saw while hiding out here. I got too into a sorta rough session, she reminded me of mom somehow, and I kinda started screaming at her partway through..."

Velour looked seriously at him. "Did you get violent with her?" Velour asked with ice in her voice.

"No."

"You make it up to her?"

He shook his head. "No, and I need to."

"Good man. That's assuming she'll even see you again -- I wouldn't if you'd done that to me. Had you hurt her, I'd never see you again after this. I like you, you're a good client, everyone gets mad sometimes and needs to vent, but I won't stand for abuse."

His eyes were cast down. "I'm sorry, I swear I won't do it to you, ever."

"I know you won't, but I want you to understand that."

"I do."

"Good," Velour chirped, ruffling his mane, her sudden iciness melted. "Now, about Velvet, how about I give you some advice while there's still time?" Shining nodded his head. She continued, "I can't look directly into her head, but before anything else, you need to make her understand that you love her and you are willing to forgive her."

He said, "I can do that."

"Second thing is you have to hold her accountable. I've been her gestalt for years and she'll blame the moon and stars before she blames herself."

"So what do you want me to do if I can't make her take the blame without a metaphorical gun to her head?"

"Make it about her actions. She'll admit to them if confronted. Don't try to assign blame, just make sure she says that she did them, then talk to her about the consequences. Let her know that it did hurt you. Also, if you make it about blame or guilt she'll clam up and deflect it all away. I can only hope that she will take full responsibility in her own time."

"Okay, sounds good."

Shining said, "Cadance and I thought she may try to seduce me again, based off her past behavior, in order to get out of an awkward conversation. Should I be worried about that?"

Velour adjusted her posture to bring him onto her lap. She looked down and met his eyes. "Yep for sure. That's how she handles problems."

"What should I do?"

"If you're handling her away from home, ignore her attempts at seduction. If at home, tell her you'll have sex only once you've finished the conversation. She has to know in no uncertain terms you know exactly what she's trying to pull."

Shining reached up and brushed Velour's face. "Okay, got it. Thanks, Velour."

"You're very welcome, Shining."

The car stopped. Staff Sergeant Poppy Lilac called back, "Ms. Velour, Mr. Armor, we have arrived!" The two sat up. They exited the car. Velour took last minute inventory. It was with a small pang of annoyance she acquiesced that she was definitely not getting laid one final time on this trip. Her bits were in order, she had all her clothing, her cosmetics, and her bag of condoms and lube. Poppy approached Velour. "Madam Eventide, thank you for your company and I hope to see you again," she said formally.

Velour hugged the zebra and chuckled back, "Hopefully with as little clothing as possible." The zebra brushed fit to combust.

Cadance told Velour, "We'll be in touch -- I expect you'll do your part in what comes next."

"Absolutely, Princess."

"Good," Cadance said. She proffered a handshake, which the older mare took.

Two out of three goodbyes done. She had saved the best for last. Velour walked up to Shining. He tried to hug her. She took the hug and lunged forwards. Their bodies touched and she brought her lips to his for a deep kiss right in full view of Cadance, Poppy, and the whole station. She pressed at him with tongue. He reciprocated and dug his fingers into her hip, cradling her with a soft intensity. She bent backwards with an armed snaked round the back of his neck, pulling him atop her into a dip. He kissed her eagerly. When she broke it, she asked with a flirty grin, "Come home soon?"

"Yeah, gonna have to. Next couple days if not tomorrow."

"Well it's not like anyone can keep living this state of affairs forever."

"Yep," Shining admitted.

"You going to apologize to Sugar Swirl?"

"Totally."

"I know you will." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.He kissed her neck then let her go. She said, "See you later, handsome." With that, she turned and left with a jaunty step.

"See you later, sexy," the young stallion called out behind her. She waved absentmindedly to acknowledge that she heard him.

Velour boarded her train without incident. She got herself a nice, isolated first class compartment and sat down. Then, taking a few seconds to summon her magic, she flooded the compartment with light while her mane, cutie mark, and eyes changed back to how they were. The haughty harlot's posture was gone, replaced by a mousy-looking mare who was slouched forwards, hugging her bag tightly to herself like a blanket clutched by a young foal scared of the dark.

Twilight Velvet prayed and hoped against all odds that her husband would not be home to greet her and that her son would get there soon.

Author's Note

End of act two; still things to see and ponies to do, stay tuned.

And it's finally here! Thank you so much for waiting. This chapter represents the end of act 2. Starting next time will be act 3, where the characters will at least start to return home, intent on rescuing what they can of what once was. Will Shining forgive his mom? What does Night Light know? Will Velvet be spared a confrontation with him so soon? How will father and son meet again? WIll Cadance's feelings be returned? What will happen to Velour? Keep reading to find out!

Thanks for editing go to Sparky Brony and Samey90, two awesome guys who are not only excellent editors, but find friends and wicked writers. Go hit them up for more stories. And again, if you aren't reading Herding Instincts by Sparky, which I am editing, go do that right now for more plot with porn shenanagins!

And as always, I love hearing your thoughts in comments.

I plan to be at Bronycon this year in Baltimore. However, money is tight, so if you have even just a couple bucks to spare, please send something my way and I will be grateful. If you like the story, perhaps consider supporting me on Patreon? Thank you very much. And I look forward to seeing ya'll there.

Peace!

Kalash93