Starlight's Weekend Off

Sunburst's cheeks flared red as he helped his marefriend with her luggage, after hearing that she was ready for that next step.

"A-A-Are you sure?" Sunburst asked as they stepped off the platform and made their way into town.

"Yes. That's why I took the train this morning. I needed time to think. But only if you're ready too, Sunburst. Don't push yourself to do something you don't think you're ready for just because I'm ready. I'm willing to wait for you to be comfortable with it."

They turned left at the next intersection and walked down the main street towards the castle.

"Well of course I've thought about it time and again this past month, I mean what stallion wouldn't?"

"So you're ready, too?"

"I don't think ponies can ever be 100% ready for something like this. No matter how long we wait, we're always going to have to fight through the nerves that come from getting that close to somepony else for the first time. So yeah, if you're ready to take that plunge with me, so am I. I've also got some other stuff planned. I know you were a bit concerned that last weekend in Ponyville felt too much like the first weekend, so no worries. This weekend will be a fresh experience."

Starlight smiled in response.

"And just to set your mind at ease," Sunburst continued. "I don't mind doing the same thing with you. Even if it's every other weekend. It's not always what we do, it's that we do it together."

The Crystal Castle was by far the tallest structure in the city. Four arches supported the mass of the structure which started 50 feet above. In the center of the arches was one of three receptacles for the Crystal Heart, the artifact responsible for maintaining the Empire's protection from the fatal weather of the Frozen North. Aside from the various crystalline formations and farms around the city, the Empire was surrounded by arctic tundra. The taiga and treeline didn't start to appear until one got 15 miles south of the city. It was the northernmost settlement in Equestria, and the second-most northern populated area on the continent; only Yakyakistan was farther up in the mountains of the Frozen North.

A pair of guards stood watch at the entrance to the castle built into the northern support between the northwest and northeast arches. They saluted when Sunburst came within ten feet of the doors.

"Welcome back, Crystaller Sunburst. Princess Cadance is with Flurry Heart in her quarters." The guard on the left informed him.

"Much appreciated, gentlecolts." Sunburst replied as the doors were opened for him and Starlight. Inside was a wide, spiral staircase up to the castle's first floor.

"Is Cadance expecting you for something?" Starlight asked.

"I just need to give her a general itinerary of where we'll be this weekend. We've figured out a system that gives me much more freedom around the city." Sunburst said, briefly bring a hoof to his teal brooch on the front of his mage's cloak.

"She enchanted my brooch to alert me if I'm needed. It works anywhere within city limits."

"Convenient." Starlight replied as they reached the top of the stairs.

"But I'll show you to my room so you can get settled in while I go see her. Then we can go get lunch."

"Sounds like a plan, show the way!"

Starlight had been here a few times before, but not often enough yet to know her way around. The castle was thirty stories tall in some sections, and there were living quarters all around the castle. The throne room and just about all of the common areas were on the first floor, the barracks for the castle's contingent of guards took up the entire second floor, and the royal residence was on the third. As one continued up, there were offices and living spaces for various dignitaries and caretakers of the castle.

Sunburst's room was on the third floor, right next to Flurry Heart's nursery. During their second weekend together, Sunburst had offered Starlight the closest guest room on the third floor, but retracted it after he noticed how she had hesitated in answering. That was where her concerns started, how Sunburst had backtracked after misreading her intentions of sleeping in the same bed together. She wanted to snuggle, and he naively thought that they were going to get to second or third bale that night. Thinking back, it was an honest mistake. Neither of them had any romantic experience to speak of. To the two of them, it could be nerve-racking at times.

To Princess Cadance, it was adorable.

Sunburst opened the door to his personal quarters, and showed her inside.

The first thing she noticed was the nightstands had been moved out from the bed a good two feet on each side.

"Planning ahead?" Starlight asked.

"Yeah, I know last time was a bit cramped, so I got it ready for you to cast Capitulum quintum like you did for yours. Make yourself at home, and I'll be right back." Sunburst told her, heading back out into the hallway.

Shining Armor's and Cadance's personal quarters was three doors down. While he didn't really need to give Cadance an itinerary for his and Starlight's activities this weekend, he still found it a believable excuse for getting a moment away to talk to Cadance. Sunburst knocked three times, announcing his presence, and was greeted with a "Come in!" from Cadance's voice coming through the door. He opened it, and saw the Crystal Princess finishing up a diaper change of Flurry, who babbled happily on the changing table.

"Hello there, Sunburst. Starlight get here alright?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about for a moment." Sunburst said, closing the door to the hallway.

"What can I do for you?" The Princess asked as Sunburst stepped closer, face getting redder.

"Well, as the Princess of Love, I was hoping that you might have something that could help me and Starlight... Um... Well..." Sunburst got tangled up in his words. By the stars, was she really going to wait for him to say it?

"You're perhaps looking for something that could help you take that next step, in case one of you is ready and the other isn't?" Cadance asked.

Sunburst's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened for just a moment, before his face went quickly from bewilderment to surprised anger.

"P-Princess!" He said at a raised whisper. "How could you even think that I would try something like-"

Princess Cadance raised a hoof, and Sunburst held his tongue.

"Just the reaction I was hoping for. Apologies, Sunburst. I meant no offense. It's just that when dealing with powers like mine, I have to be very, very careful when I give aid like that to another pony." Cadance explained.

Sunburst quickly got himself composed, and cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't absolutely sure of both of our intentions. Starlight told me she's ready, and I think I am too. I just don't want nerves to get the best of us. Neither of us has ever done anything like this before. It would be different if we saw each other every day, but since we don't, I want to make it special. I told her when we do reach this point, I want it to be as memorable as the dinner we had at her old village."

Cadance nodded in understanding.

"Let me see..." She began, her horn beginning to glow after she placed Flurry among her plushies and blocks. The notches in her horn glowed brighter, and there was a flash of light. Then, in the grasp of her magic, among sparkling motes of light, was a corked glass vial, with two crimson red pearls inside. She levitated this over to Sunburst, who took it in his horn's grasp.

"Listen carefully. If you two are absolutely ready, then drop those into your drinks beforehand; any liquid will do. Tasteless and odorless, so as to not ruin whatever you're having. They'll dissolve in under two seconds. These will lower your inhibitions... Considerably... As well as give you both enough stamina for, shall we say, more than one trip around the block. Now I trust I don't need to remind you two to be careful. I'm certain she has a contraception spell ready, unless you two were planning something different."

Sunburst blushed as he tucked the vial safely inside his cloak. Princess of Love or not, she was still his charge's mother, and he would never get used to conversations like this.

"I'm sure she does, and I'll be sure to ask in advance. Th-thank you, Your Highness." Sunburst said, bowing before turning and heading back out into the hallway.

His walk was very slow, hoping to give his face enough time to return to it's natural color before returning to Starlight.