Center Stage

Chapters

Act 1: Show Time
Act 2: The Special Request
Act 3: One on One
Act 4: The Full Moon
Act 5: Gemini’s Royal Flush
Act 6: Wild Dreams
Act 7: Chance Meetings
Act 9: Into The Fire
Finale: The Final Act
Epilogue: The First Night
Act 8: More Than Friends

Act 1: Show Time

Author's Note

This is a new type of story for me. Enjoy the show! :twilightsmile:

Act 1: Show Time

***A Patriot Pony Production***

The sun was setting on Canterlot as the moon rose higher into the darkening sky, eventually taking its place. That didn’t stop the ponies from going about their business, though. In fact, this was the time when the entertainment district of Canterlot was the most crowded.

Restaurants, art galleries, and theaters saw a spike in income at the dawn of the night, but these paled in comparison to the attention received by the Colt’s Club. It was the hottest exclusive in Canterlot, available only to ponies with a connection on the inside. It was secretive, only making it more attractive to those who wished they could get in.

At least, that’s what the regular patrons liked to think.

Everypony knew it was a strip club, but it did take a considerable amount of bits to get any enjoyment out of it. Ponies had to pay to get in and pay even more to get any special attention from the dancers, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Away from the club floor and stages were secluded rooms for only the wealthiest of guests. Not much is known about those rooms.

What happened in there was between the paying guest and the dancer of their liking, and no other dancers were as sought after as Gemini, the gem of the Colt’s Club.

“Gentlecolts, and any adventurous mares in the audience…”

A husky stallion’s voice boomed from speakers overhead, and everypony inside roared with excitement.

“Quiet down a little, because it’s time for the first act to begin.”

A hush fell over the tables and bars throughout the club floor as the thundering music softened and the lights dimmed.

“She’s a shy filly, you know. Gemini gets a little nervous in front of large crowds, so why don’t we all nicely ask her to come out for us?”

Several stallions from the floor cheered and whistled, only to be quickly silenced by their friends who were eager to see the dancer. Overhead, several spotlights glowing a dark, purple hue aimed towards the centermost stage. The center stage rose higher from the floor than the others around it, forming a tall, circular platform. A single, golden pole connected the center of the stage to the black ceiling.

The crowd began to murmur with excitement as fog began to form along the top of the stage, rolling over the edges and hitting the floor. Her head appeared first, as though it was rising out of the carpet of fog. The purple light from the fixtures above reflected dazzlingly off of her shimmering, golden hair, nearly blinding some of the ponies looking on. Her silver eyes glanced around the stage, meeting the gaze of each stallion and mare beneath her.

She sat on the stage now, fidgeting quietly with a lock of her own golden hair.

“Guests of tonight’s show, please put your hands together for… Gemini!”

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the mare on stage rose to her feet, extending her rose-colored wings to their full extent. As she stood tall, the ponies on the club floor could see just how tightly her attire hugged her body. It was a thin top and a bottom piece, almost like a bikini any mare would wear to the beach, but the one on Gemini was a little more revealing, enticing the young stallions to sit forward in their seats.

It was an emerald color, and a transparent cape fell from straps of the top, falling over her cleavage and coming down to her belly button, which stood out in full view.

Then, the music began.

Gemini retracted her wings, tucking them in as she kicked her leg out behind her. Her leg wrapped around the pole that protruded from the floor of the stage, and she pulled herself in. As she neared the poll, her hands grabbed on tight, and she catapulted herself into the air, high above the stage.

The dancer’s wings shot out, and she hovered above her cheering audience, arms stretched out wide as a sly grin came over her. The music began to slow a little, and Gemini descended to the stage. Her bare feet touched the top of the stage, and her hips swayed from side to side to the soft beats of the music playing overhead.

Using her legs and her wings, Gemini moved gracefully across the stage, circling around the center poll. At last, to the audience’s delight, her wings exploded outward, ripping away the thin top that lightly covered her breasts. The top was sent flying across the club floor, landing somewhere out of sight.

With her chest bare for all to see, Gemini twirled on the tips of her toes as she continued to circle the poll. Other dancers on the sidelines watched on with admiration and jealousy of her skill and beauty on the center stage.

The music was deafening now.

Lights flashed in every direction, but they always seemed to come back to Gemini as she did a little flashing of her own. Her wings would occasionally fold across her breasts as she danced across the stage. It was harmless tease that drove the ponies watching her wild.

She didn’t conceal her breasts for long, though. Once Gemini had her fun, allowing the stallions up front to peak at her nude form, she pulled her wings back, setting her breasts free once again. Ponies around the stage were caught in a trance, in between the music, flashing lights, the buzz in their drinks, and most importantly, the sway of Gemini’s hips and the bouncing of her hefty breasts.

“We love you, Gemini!”

The dancer turned her head in the direction of the speaker. It was a pair of mares among the stallions at the base of the stage. They were holding hands and jumping up and down with excitement as they noticed her looking back at them. Gemini stopped her spinning and beamed at them before raising her right hand to her lips, blowing them a kiss.

The mares beneath the stage squealed with pure, unfiltered joy, almost drowning out the music blaring overhead. Now, the performance was reaching its climax, and everypony in the audience knew it. Gemini started walking backwards, away from the mares as she juggled her breasts in her hands.

The audience roared with cheers before quickly being hushed as the dancer reached the edge. Then, she took a running start and leaped off of the stage, head first into the audience that surrounded her. Just before she hit the club floor, her wings sprouted, taking her high into the air, all the way up towards the lights that all shined on her.

The music stopped, and the lights turned dark.

The once silent audience erupted into applause, some whistling and stomping their feet. The speaker from before returned, talking over the crowd.

“How was she? Did you all enjoy the show? Why don’t we all give Gemini another round of applause for her performance!”

The audience hardly took a breath as they cheered and cried, some even begging for the dancer to come back down. After several moments, the cheering eventually began to die down, and Gemini slowly descended from the dark ceiling. Her feet touched the stage, and she was immediately greeted by a tall, thin stallion in a dark suit.

“Well done, Gem. Another fine show, that was. You looked a little sloppy out there, though. You got off balance more than once.” He looked towards the club floor and pointed with a long finger. “What if you fell and hurt yourself, Gem? Nopony else brings in bits like you.”

The dancer took deep breaths as her heart rate returned to normal. The adrenaline that had fueled her routine was gone, leaving her with the feeling of exhaustion.

“Wow, Onyx… I was almost touched by what you said. You’re all heart, ya’ know?” She stretched her arms out and smiled, knowing she was making him uncomfortable by showing off her naked breasts. “Maybe you should get on a stage, see how much money you make in a night doing what I do.”

The manager frowned as his eyes fell to the floor to look away. “I’ve tried. I don’t have the legs.”

Gemini laughed aloud and crossed her arms across her chest. “I know. I was there. You were trying to demonstrate a new routine, and you sprained your ankle after three minutes at the pole. Dancing doesn’t suit you.”

Onyx put on a stern look, quickly silencing her. “No, but it suits you. Look…” He let out a long sigh and held a hand to his face. “You did good, Gem, you always do, but I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks, and that stunt you pulled, the one with the mares in the audience, that was unnecessary.”

Gemini frowned and narrowed her eyes. “I blew them a kiss. What, I can’t appreciate my fans?”

Onyx didn’t answer, he was already walking away. He slid off of the stage, hitting the floor with a soft ‘thud’. “Stick to your routine, Gem. You’re hard to replace, but not impossible.”

His last words left a sharp sting, and Gemini felt them hurt. She stood alone now, on the center stage. The lights were dark, and gentle music played overhead as everypony below eagerly awaited the next performance. No eyes were on her like they had been minutes earlier.

She hopped down from the stage and quietly retreated towards the back, passing several dancers that would be making up the second performance. They said nothing as she passed them by, but Gemini knew exactly what they were thinking. She wasn’t well liked by the other dancers, especially the ones that had worked for Onyx before she came along.

Gemini was the new recruit, the rookie, and had managed to surpass them all after a few months, earning a wild and popular reputation. The only other employee at the Colt’s Club she knew that tolerated her was the bouncer, a mountain of a stallion. Rumors circulated among the dancers that he used to be a Royal Guard, though he always denied it with silence or grunts.

He was waiting for her at the door to her dressing room, holding the skimpy top that she threw away during her dance.

“Hey, big guy, is that for me?”

He grunted, nodding his head. She couldn’t see his eyes through the black sunglasses covering them. If there was anypony meant to be a bouncer, it was him.

Gemini raised her arms, shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno… I think I like this look. What do you think?”

His expression didn’t change.

Gemini rolled her eyes and grabbed the top from him. “Fine… Give me a minute to change.”

The bouncer opened his mouth at last. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be waiting by the side exit to walk you home.”

Gemini stopped at the door, smiling before she finally went inside. Once in the privacy of her dressing room, she closed her eyes. A fire sparked beneath her feet, but it wasn’t hot, and it didn’t burn anything it touched. The fire was green, and it quickly rose, consuming Gemini from the legs up.

Moments later, the beautiful dancer was gone. In her place stood a thin mare with pale skin, almost transparent. Her rose-colored wings were replaced by insect-like ones, torn and tattered, and a jagged horn sprouted from her forehead. She finally looked towards her mirror, a tall pane that rested against the wall opposite to her dresser.

More of her ribs were showing than the last time she had looked at her true self. The changeling opened her mouth to speak, but her throat felt cracked and burned, like she had tried to swallow molten lava.

She was starving.

Cicada could afford food. Onyx payed her well, but love? That was harder to come by. If she didn’t do something soon, the changeling feared for her abilities to survive. Suddenly, she remembered that the bouncer was waiting for her.

She quickly grabbed her clothes from the top of the dresser. The green flame returned, and within moments, Gemini stood tall once again. A short while later, she was dressed in denim shorts, a black tee, and flip flops. She opened the door and ran out onto the club floor, towards the side exit, and she didn’t look back once.

***Up Next: The Special Request***

Act 2: The Special Request

Author's Note

Well, you guys and gals liked it, so the story gets to continue!

Act 2: The Special Request

The Colt’s Club was alive, and the beating of the music could be heard by ponies passing on the street outside. It was the middle of the day, one o’clock, and business was slow. A few patrons came around every now and then, but they would hit the bar or find a dancer to retreat into one of the private rooms with.

No performers stood on their stages, and the light fixtures above were dark. Several dancers joined guests by the bar to drink, flirt, and make a little money while others sat at empty tables, waiting for guests to entertain. The main doors opened, letting the natural light from outside flood into the dark club, and Gemini rushed inside.

She fumbled with her duffle bag as she looked inside for her lingerie. “Hey, guys! I’m sorry I’m late…”

The mares at the bar shot her narrow looks, and a few rolled their eyes. None of them responded to her and kept their voices quiet as they muttered amongst themselves.

The manager, Onyx, approached her swiftly. “Gem…” He sounded agitated, but not angry. “This is the second time this week that you’ve been late for your shift. What’s your excuse this time?”

Gemini let out a long sigh.

She didn’t have one. “I overslept, I’m sorry…”

The stern look on his face softened a little, and he even managed a weak smile. “Well, at least you’re honest.” He looked over his shoulder at the mares by the bar. “I can’t say the same about some of my other employees.”

His words carried, and the dancers who had quietly scorned Gemini heard them and were swiftly silenced. Onyx put a firm hand on her shoulder and patted her back. “Go get changed, Gem. I want you on stage six in fifteen minutes.”

A wave of relief washed over the dancer. The last time she had been late, Onyx blew up on her. She expected him to really let her have it this time, probably even dock her pay.

The other dancers by the bar must have been thinking the same thing, because one of them spoke up. “What? That’s it, Onyx? You’re just going to… let her get away with being late? How come she’s so special, huh?”

Gemini kept quiet.

She knew the mare was right, about her receiving special treatment. She got better pay, the center stage was always reserved for her, and she even got her very own private dressing room. Gemini couldn’t blame the other mares for feeling the way they did about her, but she had one gift they didn’t, and that was the ability to make herself as beautiful and sexually attractive as she wanted.

An ability like that could get a mare far in a business where sex, pleasure, and eye candy could be bought and sold.

Onyx gave Gemini a sly ‘wink’ before turning to face the outspoken mare. “If a day comes with you can bring in as much business as Gemini, you can afford to be late, Roseluck, but until that day comes, you’ll find it wise to let me run my building the way I wish to run it, and that goes for all of you.”

The dancers were utterly speechless, and Roseluck backed down, folding her arms across her breasts as she leaned against the bar. The guest she had been talking to before suddenly lost interest. He paid his tab and walked quickly towards the exit.

Gemini watched it all unfold before Onyx quietly ushered her towards her dressing room. “Go on, Gem, get going. I want you dancing in fifteen minutes. I don’t have a routine for you, so just dance however you feel will arouse those guests.”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, I got it. Stage six.”

The whole time she walked past the bar, she felt extremely uncomfortable. Gemini could feel the other dancer’s stares piercing into her as she passed them. She kept her wings tight against her back out of the fear that somepony might grab them and try to rip one off.

Only by reaching a safe distance from the bar did she manage to relax. She reached her dressing room and walked inside. Gemini dropped her duffle bag on the table and began pulling out her costume. Like the skimpy outfit she wore the night before, it was an emerald color, shimmering and sparkling with sequins, but the one in her hands was a one piece body suit, complete with fishnet leggings.

The outfit revealed less than the last one, leaving only her arms, hands, and feet completely exposed. Her legs could be adored and admired, but only through the net. She wouldn’t be showing off her breasts this time.

Gemini pursed her lips as she held the outfit up, looking it over, up and down. She reserved it for the lesser stages on the few occasions she wasn’t center stage, but it wasn’t her favorite getup. She had a whole wardrobe full of them, and the ones she like to wear the most were the most revealing of her busty features.

Those outfits exposed generous amounts of her belly, breasts, and ass, leaving her legs and arms completely bare. She would never completely remove the clothes until she was ready, but it was fun to watch the faces in the audience ogling at the jello-like flesh on her chest.

The dancer slipped into the one piece body suit and the fishnet leggings. She gave herself a quick look in the mirror, turning around so she could see the effect the net had on her round ass cheeks. Satisfied with the way she looked, she felt certain that she could turn heads in anything she wore. Gemini opened the door and headed out onto the club floor.

Passing through the tables at surrounded the stages, a few seated guests looked her way. Their eyes followed her all the way to stage six. Knowing she was being watched by the guests behind her, Gemini bent forward, sticking her rear out as she climbed onto the stage. Through the leggings, her ass cheeks spread, and a cold draft grazed against her thinly covered vulva.

Once she was on her feet, she took a moment to listen to the music above and find the beat to dance to.

It didn’t take her long to find her rhythm, and the dancer’s hips began to sway. She raised her arms, placing her hands behind her head. There were four or five guests seated at the tables in front of her, and she had their undivided attention.

Gemini put on a sweet smile as she moved her body in a circle around the pole, making sure to make eye contact with each and every one of her ‘admirers’. Her moves were calm and fluid, like flowing water. The whole time she danced for the stallions watching her, she could tell that they wanted a little more than just flirtatious movements. She considered giving them what they wanted.

Only a zipper that ran down her back stood between her and achieving full nudity. Going ‘naked’ on stage wasn’t something Gemini did for fun, but she would make exceptions for the right guests. There was a line she drew and rarely crossed unless circumstances demanded that she. As the music continued, her hand slowly reached for her back, just under her wings.

Her fingers pinched the zipper and slowly began to pull it down. The stallions were sitting forward now, obviously interested in this part of her performance. The zipper was almost completely down, now, and the body suit was slipping from her shoulders. A little more, and her breasts would fall out.

Further past that, and the outfit would fall off of her completely, leaving the private area between her legs public for the guests to see. A hand tapped the edge of the stage, and Gemini looked down, thinking it was one of the stallions cheering her on, but it was Onyx. The manager beckoned her over, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the guests for interrupting Gemini’s strip tease.

The dancer walked over towards the edge of the stage and knelt so she was at eye level with him. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Onyx waved his hands dismissively and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that, Gem. You’re doing great, up there, but I actually need you somewhere else, right now. Aria will take cover for you on the stage.”

Gemini looked behind him and noticed the other dancer who smiled and waved at her. She wasn’t sure of what to think. Onyx had never pulled her from a stage before, not that abruptly, at least. A sigh escaped her lips, and she pulled the zipper back up as she adjusted her breasts.

The other dancer, Aria, walked past them, climbed onto the stage and immediately got to work, swinging her body back and forth to entertain the stallions that were now watching her. Gemini didn’t like it, but she followed Onyx away from the stages and towards the back of the club floor. At first, she was unsure, but the darker the lights got, she realized they were heading towards the private rooms. Once she figured out where they were going, Gemini came to a stop.

“Onyx, you know I don’t like those rooms. Don’t you remember what happened last time?”

The stallion nodded his head. “I do, and I promised that I would never let a guest do that to you again, but this one is different. Just… hear me out.”

Gemini folded her arms, but she kept quiet.

“The young stallion in there is a friend. He’s the son of a guy I went to college with. It’s his birthday, and some of his buddies scraped up the bits to get him one on one attention with a dancer.”

She shook her head and out her hands on her hips. “Why me, though? Why can’t Roseluck or Amber have him? They don’t mind getting close to the guests.”

Onyx took her hand and pulled her away from the door out of the fear of being overheard by the stallion inside. “One, Roseluck and Amber are busy… Two, his friends paid for your services, Gem.”

He looked towards the club floor and waved his hand.

Gemini couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She crossed her arms and mustered the angriest glare she could manage. “Onyx, that’s not f-“

“Gem!”

His sudden outburst silenced her.

Onyx sighed and rubbed his eyes between his fingers. “The transaction’s already been completed. He’s paid for an hour of your attention.” Then, the bouncer, who Onyx had waved over earlier, arrived and took his place by the manager’s side. “If it will make you feel better, Bulk here will be right outside the door.”

That was the final word on the matter. Onyx had turned and was walking back towards the club floor. Inside, Gemini felt furious. She was a dancer, an entertainer. She wasn’t some stud’s sex toy, somepony to be played with and humiliated.

The bouncer’s expression was unchanging as ever, but he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be right here, miss.”

Was that supposed to comfort her? Gemini didn’t know, but she always felt safer with the hulking stallion nearby. That had to count for something, at least. When his hand was gone, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

There was no putting it off any longer. As Onyx had said, somepony inside paid a lot of money for an hour of her attention.

“That Onyx… I'll get him for this.”

Unable to wait any longer, Gemini pushed the door open and stormed into the private room, making sure to slam it behind her. Different scenarios flashed through her mind. She didn’t know what kind of creep to expect, but it couldn’t be any worse than the last one. Then, she got a look at the paying customer, sitting on a blood red, velvet sofa in the center of the room.

Gemini came to a full stop.

He was a ‘young stallion’, alright, probably in his late teens. There wasn’t a hair on his chin, and the horn sprouting from his forehead didn’t look fully developed. His eyes were bright blue, shining through his messy, grey hair.

He looked up at her, managing a sheepish grin. “Um… He-Hello…”

Every angry word she was prepared to say escaped her.

“I’m Emerald.”

***Up Next: One on One***

Act 3: One on One

Gemini was taken completely by surprise. “Uh… Hi…”

She approached the sofa cautiously, taking each step slower than the last. His initial greeting was nothing like what she had expected. Any guest of hers would stand upon her arrival, outwardly friendly and eager to begin the ‘activities’ they had paid for, but not the stallion before her.

Emerald, as he called himself, looked uncertain, maybe even nervous. His whole body looked tense, and his legs were pressed together with his hands squarely in his lap, fidgeting with his fingers. Below his blue eyes, the stallion’s cheeks were turning as red as the sofa he was sitting on with embarrassment, something Gemini found to be quite cute and refreshing. Once she had overcome her initial shock, the entertainer shook her head and resumed her scowl.

Cute or not, he was still an ass that paid for her to have sex with him, and that was something Gemini didn’t want anything to do with. “Alright, Emerald, let's get something straight right now…” Standing in front of him, looking down her nose, she pressed her hands against her hips. He seemed to visibly sink into the couch cushions at the sound of her voice. “You might know Onyx, but I have his favor too, and he won’t risk losing me, so if you think I’m going to march in here just to have sex with you because you paid for it, then you’re in for a rude awakening, stud…”

Emerald’s expression changed drastically. His shoulders fell, his eyes lit up, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips. “That’s a relief…”

For the second time in the span of three minutes, Gemini had been stopped in her tracks. She had an entire rant prepared to unload onto the perverted stud, but in an instant, her speech had been ripped away from her and torn in two.

When he saw her baffled look, quickly tried to find the words to correct what he had said. “I mean… I didn’t mean any offense to… What I’m trying to say is…” Every time, he tripped over his own mouth. He took in a deep breath and tried again. “I’m sure you’re great at what you do, but I don’t want to have sex with you.”

She had the desire to be angry, but she lacked the ammunition. Gemini felt powerless. Her arms fell by her side, and she clumsily sat down in a chair opposite to the sofa. “Then… Why are you even here? Why did you pay for my services?”

Emerald shook his head. “I didn’t… My friends did.” He raised his hands to his face, resting his chin in his palms. “They know I hate places like this, strip clubs, so they did this as a joke. They’re probably waiting outside for me with cameras.”

Gemini frowned, sitting forward in her chair. “That’s no way for friends to treat somepony on their birthday.”

The stallion looked up, meeting her gaze. “How’d you know that?”

She turned her head and gestured towards the door. “Onyx told me.” When she turned back to face him, her gaze softened. “I wasn’t aware this was a prank… I’m sorry for the way I acted when I came in.”

Emerald managed a weak grin as he brushed his grey hair out of his eyes. “It’s cool, really. I’m sure you meet a lot of jerks in your line of work.”

That was a gross understatement. The dancer let out a sly whistle as she fell back in her chair. She was beginning to relax a little herself. “Yeah, no kidding. To them, I’m just an object, a commodity. I can be bought and sold like anything else.”

Emerald’s gaze fell to the floor. “I… I’m sorry to hear that, miss-“

The dancer leaned forward, extending her hand towards him. “Gemini… My name is Gemini. Onyx likes to call me Gem, but I like Gemini…”

He looked unsure at first, but he raised his hand to meet hers. “I guess I’ll call you Gemini, then… If you don’t like it, why do you work like this?”

Their hands retreated back to their respective owners. Gemini pursed her lips as she thought of how to respond. For her, a changeling, there wasn’t a lot of other options for work. She was also good at what she did. Some days were worse than others, and there were always the bad shifts with the bad patrons, but Gemini always felt at home when she was on the stage.

It was her realm, and she was the queen.

She didn’t expect somepony she had just met to understand, and he certainly didn’t need to know who she really was. “That’s my own business, Emerald.”

Her cold response turned him off, and he retreated back into silence. After a while of sitting without talking, Gemini looked at him, then at the door, then at the clock, then back at him. Hardly any time at all had passed since she walked in. It would be painful for them both to sit there for an hour.

Gemini’s mind got to work, and she quickly came up with a solution. She stood up and walked over towards the sofa, holding out her hand. “Come on, Emerald.”

He looked at her outstretched hand, then up at her eyes. “Wh-What?”

Gemini rolled her eyes and reached forward, grabbing his hand. “I’m not sitting on my ass for an hour. You paid for my attention, so you’re going to get it.”

He was being half lead, half dragged towards the door now. “B-B-But I thought you said you didn’t want to-“

“We’re going to the bar, stud. Do you drink?” Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door and pulled him into the corridor. The bouncer stood just a little ways down, exactly where Gemini had left him.

He looked at them as they came down the hall, Gemini holding tight onto Emerald’s hand as she pulled him along. “Is everything alright, miss?”

She grinned, showing her teeth as she passed him. “I’m just fine, big guy. We’re going to get some drinks.”

Puzzled, he scratched his head, but he said nothing else and followed them to the club floor. Across the floor, Aria was still going on stage six. She was entirely nude, showing off her naked body in all of its natural beauty. Her breasts bounced wildly as she spun in circles around the poll, occasionally lifting one of her legs to allow the onlookers a brief glimpse of her bare slit. Other dancers watched alongside the guests, making it easy for Gemini and Emerald to slip over to the bar unnoticed.

The bartender greeted them with a smile. “Well, hello there, Gemini! I don’t see ya’ over here all that often. That was a wild show you put on last night. What a routine!”

Her cheeks turned red, and she glanced towards Emerald out of the corner of her eye. “Yeah… Thanks, Andesite… Anyway, I want something with a buzz, anything. Surprise me.” She nodded towards the stallion by her side. “Get him whatever he wants, and put it under my name.”

Emerald tapped her shoulder to get her attention as the bartender waited for his request. “Actually, Gemini, I was trying to tell you on the way over here that I don’t really drink.”

She shot him a frown and turned to face the bartender. “Get him some water then, Andy, and make mine a double.”

He nodded his head and turned around to prepare their order. Then, Gemini turned on Emerald, sitting on the stool next to his. They stared each other down for several seconds before the entertainer broke the ice, pointing towards Aria on the stage. “You don’t want to watch naked mares dance for you, and you don’t drink. Is there anything you do like?”

Emerald shrugged, keeping his eyes on the counter. “No, not really. I’m a full time student at the palace, so I spend a lot of my time hitting the books so I can keep my scholarships.”

The bartender returned, placing two glances in front of Gemini and one next to Emerald. The stallion thanked him before taking a sip of water. When he set the glass back down, he cleared his throat. “I like to watch airshows when the Wonderbolts visit. My dad would take me to see them all the time when I was little.”

Gemini couldn’t help smiling at such a happy thought. It must have been nice, having a close relationship with someone. She never got that in the hive she came from. Even as a larva, she was jealous of the connections ponies had with each other. Gemini took a long sip from her own drink, one of them, anyway.

She cringed as the burning liquid traveled down her throat and landed in her stomach. “The Wonderbolts?” A small burp escaped her chest before she took another sip. “They’re regular visitors around here. I’ve even seen Spitfire herself on several occasions.”

Emerald nearly choked on his water, spewing a mouthful across the counter. “Spitfire comes here? You’re joking.”

Gemini turned his gaze across the club floor, towards a pair of tall, strapping stallions watching Aria dance alongside everypony else. “She’s a big fan of our male performers.” Usually, Gemini didn’t talk about the guests she knew showed up at least once a week, but the alcohol was affecting her, even after just a few sips. “She likes that one the most… He’s the biggest, if you catch my meaning… I’ve seen him pull a trick where he takes his-“

“Gem?” They both turned around to find the manager storming towards them. “Gem, what do you think you’re doing? Bulk told me you just left the private room.” He sounded more frustrated than anything, like a parent trying to discipline a rebellious daughter. “You had a job to do, and here you are, drinking.”

“Hey! I am- *Hic*” Gemini set her drink down to speak. “I am doing my- *Hic* job!” She threw an arm around Emerald, pulling the stallion in close and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Emerald looked beyond uncomfortable, but he kept his mouth closed. “This stud… is awesome. I- *Hic* like him, Onyx. He even knows Spitfire!”

The manager raised an eyebrow towards Emerald, who promptly shook his head.

“I don’t, sir, but she is keeping me company. This is what we agreed on.”

Gemini was kissing him repeatedly, planting her lips against his cheek again and again. Onyx didn’t like his dancers getting drunk on the job, especially in front of guests, but Emerald was a paying customer.

“Alright, but I’m cutting you off, Gem.” He gave the bartender a nod that was silently understood. “You need to be able to perform tonight, and I don’t want you stumbling off of the stage.”

Gemini nodded her head before kissing Emerald one last time, pressing her lips against neck. Onyx was gone now, walking back across the club floor towards stage three to get the next dancer ready.

Emerald let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, Gemini. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with your boss.”

The tipsy mare shook her head as she retracted her arm. “No… No, it was my idea, cutie. I reeeally- *Hic* like you.”

He put on a smile and chuckled. “Thanks, but I think that’s the alcohol talking.” Her hands felt around the top of the counter in search of her drinks, but Andesite had taken them both. Disappointed, she looked back at Emerald and took his hand in hers, wrapping her fingers around his.

“Well, we still have some time to spend together. You bought me for an hour, right? I could show you my stage, the big one over there, and we could- *Hic* dance a little.”

Emerald shook his head and freed his hand from her grasp. “Thanks again, but I think I need to go.” That wasn’t the response she had wanted, but she knew she couldn’t stop him.

Emerald was already walking towards the door. “It was… nice meeting you, Gemini.”

The dancer sat at the bar for several seconds before taking a sobering sip of the stallion’s water that he’d left behind.

She still felt buzzed, but the hiccups had stopped at least. Gemini rose to her feet and following after him. “Wait!” She caught him by the door, grabbing onto his arm. “You’ll come back, won’t you? I mean… I could introduce you to Spitfire. I’m certain she’d like to meet one of her fans…”

Emerald’s eyes widened. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Gemini nodded her head. “Yeah, but you gotta do something for me.” Before he could ask what it was, Gemini opened the door and peeked outside. Two stallions stood on the sidewalk a little ways down the street, talking and laughing. “Are they your friends? The ones who tried to prank you?”

Emerald looked out at them and nodded. “Yeah, but-“

Before he could say a word, Gemini wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him outside. Below the great, big lights flashing ‘Colt’s Club’, she pulled him into a hot kiss, making sure Emerald’s friends could see. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and they shared saliva, swapping spit as it tracked back and forth between their mouths.

Moments later, she pulled away with a thick strand of saliva connecting their lips. “Thanks, cutie… Come back and see me again.” Then, she strolled back inside and shut the door as Emerald collected his jaw off of the ground.

***Up Next: The Full Moon***

Act 4: The Full Moon

Cicada stared herself down. In the privacy of her dressing room, she was able to look her body up and down. She held her breasts up, paying close attention to her stomach, which had expanded considerably. “How? How is this even… even possible?”

In her natural, changeling form, she no longer looked like a walking skeleton. Her body had fleshed out, growing in size and strength. Cicada still looked like she hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks, but she looked much better than she had the day before.

A loud pounding on her door startled her. “Gem! Gem, are ya’ almost ready in there?”

Cicada panicked. The door knob was jiggling, announcing the imminent arrival of her boss. She tripped over the foot of her desk and stubbed her toe, letting out a shrill cry as she fell to the floor. Despite the pain, she managed to change at the last second before the door opened.

Gemini was collecting herself off of the floor when Onyx walked inside. He stopped at the door after realizing she had no clothes on. “Gem, what are you doing?” He sounded annoyed, keeping his eyes fixed on objects throughout the room, anywhere but the nude dancer.

After realizing she had the advantage, Gemini put on a smirk and placed her hands on her hips, making sure to put extra emphasis on her breasts. “I should be asking you the same thing, Onyx. You’re in my dressing room. You shouldn’t be surprised that I’m naked in my own dressing room…” She reached towards her dresser, picking up her outfit for her upcoming performance. “What ever happened to knocking?”

Onyx let out a sigh as he straightened out his coat. “This is my building, Gem. My building, my rules.”

The fun was lost, and the moment had moved on, so Gemini began dressing herself. This time, she wore a black dress. The skirt was almost transparent, and above her waist, the tight fabric hugged her body, loudly announcing every curve. The dress didn’t come with a bra, so her breasts were free to move and bounce around.

Worse of all, the fabric rubbed against her nipples in the worst possible way. That design wasn’t by accident, though. The uncomfortable fabric was meant to encourage the dancer to want to remove her clothes as quickly as possible. Gemini played with her breasts in an attempt to make them fit more comfortably inside the top that was squeezing her chest.

She loved her breasts, there was no mistaking that. They made her more money than her natural, changeling ones, but sometimes, they were a curse.

“I almost forgot why I came to talk to you in the first place…” Onyx rubbed his temples like he was trying to remember. “Oh, that’s it. Your client called, and he wanted me to personally thank you on his behalf. You made a big impact on him, apparently.”

Gemini’s eyes widened. “My ‘client’? Do you mean Emerald?”

Onyx nodded his head. “Yeah, that’s right. He was so happy with your service that he’s already asked to see you again. Now, I know how you feel about special requests in the private rooms, so I’m going to leave this on up to you if you want decline and-“

“No!” Gemini realized how quickly her outburst silenced the manager. Her cheeks turned as red as her wings as blood rushed to her face. “I… I mean… You don’t have to decline. If he pays well, I don’t want to cause the club to lose any money…”

Onyx eyed her with suspicion. “Gem, what’s gotten into you? You’ve never cared about my profits.”

Gemini shrugged. “Haven’t I? Your business is my business. I make money when you do.”

Luckily, the stallion looked like he bought it. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, then. I’ll accept his request. The transaction will be done by the time your show is over.”

Gemini tried to look disinterested, keeping her eyes fixed on her own breasts as she resumed fiddling with the itchy top. “Yeah, sure… Thanks, Onyx.”

Onyx was about walk out, but he stopped at the door, turning around to face her again. “Oh, one more thing, Gem.”

Gemini lost interest in her breasts. There was no fixing her top. She would have to wait until she got to her stage where she could tear it off. The dancer adjusted her skirt on last time before following Onyx to the door. “Yeah, Onyx? What is it?”

He bit his lower lip like he was excited. “Well, tonight, we have- I mean, you always knock ‘em out, Gem. You get the whole audience stomping their feet every night, but tonight, you need to really show your stuff.”

They walked out of the dressing room together, and the club floor opened up before them. Ponies were still pouring into the building, filling up all of the seats at the tables and in the balconies overlooking the stages. Onyx lightly tapped Gemini’s arm and pointed up at the VIP box. “What I’m trying to say is we have a special guest tonight, and I need you to be at your best.”

‘Special’ was an understatement. Sitting in the VIP box was a royal guest. Flanked by two stallions in shimmering armor, a princess sat with her legs crossed.

Onyx beamed at Gemini. “I don’t know what Princess Luna likes, but if it’s naked mares, you’re in luck.” The dancer stared in awe up at Luna, still unable to believe what she was seeing. “I know you like to dance for your fans, but pay extra special attention to the princess. If she likes you, it would do wonders for business.”

Gemini picked her jaw up off the ground and nodded her head. Onyx gave her a firm slap on the rear, jolting her back into reality. “You’ll do great, Gem. You know what the ponies like.”

Then, he was gone.

He vanished somewhere backstage, leaving her by herself. With nowhere else to go, Gemini began shuffling towards the club floor. The lights were falling as fog began to rise from hidden vents at the base of the stages.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Colt’s Club!”

The audience roared with cheers, whistles, and stomps.

“Tonight, to start our show, our star, our queen, our Gemini will take the stage and lead us into a wild night, because this time, she’s turning up the heat with a dirty performance…”

Under the cover of the fog, Gemini slipped onto the stage and crawled to the pole, sliding across the stage floor on her belly. In front of the poll, facing the majority of the audience, she rose to her feet, standing tall as the lights above descended on her. Through the hot pink lights, she could still make out the VIP box. It was hard to see through the thick fog and lights, but she could single out the princess, and her eyes were on the stage, on the dancer.

Gemini took several steps forward, exciting a series of quiet gasps and hushed sounds. She reached the edge of the stage, just one step away from walking off, and the dancer took a low bow, bending her head towards the princess. Then, the music began, and Gemini backed away from the edge and returned to the pole.

“Let’s get it up for Gemini!”

To show off her flexibility, she bent backwards until her hands and feet touched the stage. To finish the move, the performer lifted her legs and threw them over her body in a wide arch. As her legs fell over, they wrapped around the pole, and she pulled herself upright, clinging tightly onto the golden rod. With both legs wrapped around the pole like snakes and one hand grasping the shaft, she spun around and around, slowly extending and retracting her giant wings to keep herself spinning faster and faster.

The audience loved it, cheering and clapping their hands. To keep herself from getting dizzy, Gemini focused on one thing every time she went around the pole, a single light on the far wall. She turned her head to watch for the light with every pass. Once the crowd began to die down, she launched herself from the pole, landing back on the stage, flat on her bare feet. To the beat of the music thundering in her ears, Gemini rolled her belly as she raised her arms above and behind her head. The dancer thrusted her chest out, rocking her hips back and forth as she floated across the stage.

Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer.

The dress was becoming too much of a discomfort to her nipples, and Gemini figured that now was as good of a time as any to make her performance a little more exciting. Grabbing onto the bottom of the tight top, she pulled the fabric over her head, wearing a huge grin as she stripped for her fans. Her breasts were set free, and the bare flesh and her pink, rubbery nipples were set upon the audience. With the top still in her hand, Gemini laughed as she danced along the top of the stage, giving everypony watching her the show they had paid to see.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a brief glimpse of the princess, who was sitting up in her seat with her gaze fixed on the stage, on her. If Luna liked that, Gemini knew just how to get the princess drooling over her. All she had on left was the skirt, and she wore no panties underneath.

It wasn’t something she liked to do often, but this was a special occasion. Like Aria did earlier that afternoon, Gemini was going to fully undress, and with nothing but a thin, transparent skirt in her way, nothing was going to stop her. The audience must have been anticipating it. She could see the lust and sexual hunger in their eyes as she passed them by. Gemini’s hips rolled like ocean waves as her thumbs slipped under the the top of the skirt.

Pulling the bottom piece outward from her waist, she began to tease the audience, pulling it down just a little to expose a bit of her cheeks before pulling it back up. Her changeling senses were going wild. She could feel just how horny the crowd was, the stallions and the mares. To tell the truth, she was feeling a little aroused herself. Something about being center stage made her feel bold and powerful. Gemini could have her way with the audience. She could do anything she wanted, and they would love her for it.

Everything was becoming a blur as fluids began to trickle down her legs. At last, Gemini threw caution to the wind, and with it, her skirt. Now, she stood on stage in nothing but her own skin, completely naked as the lights from above fell upon her. Her golden hair flowed as if it were magical, and her wings sprung out, hard and stiff. Gemini pulled them in, not wanting the crowd to see how much she was enjoying herself. Her hands glided up and down her body, from her upper thighs to her neck.

The end of the song was quickly approaching. On the tips of her toes, Gemini stretched her wings one last time and launched herself high into the air. Up near the lights, she found herself at eye level with the princess. Gemini looked at her, and Luna looked back, her mouth hanging open. Then, the dancer gave the princess a sexy ‘wink’ and a sly grin before falling back towards the stage.

She landed gracefully on her feet just as the final note of the song faded into silence. A second later, the silent crowd went nuts. They chanted her name over and over again, stomping their feet and clapping their hands to the beat of the chant. Gemini stood up, her smile stretching from ear to ear as she faced her adoring fans and gave them a bow.

“Mares and gentlecolts, let’s hear it one more time for the shimmering gem of the Colt’s Club!”

Adrenaline still pumped through her veins. Her breasts rose and fell quickly as her rapid breathing came back under control. She only wished Emerald could have been there to see her.

***Up Next: Gemini’s Royal Flush***

Act 5: Gemini’s Royal Flush

Gemini was still breathing heavily when she leaned back against the pole behind her, relying on it for support. She had given her all during the performance, expelling most of the energy her body had to offer. Satisfied with what they had seen, the crowd had slowly begun to disperse to the bar and tables to await the next performance.

“Gem, you were a knockout!”

Her eyes glanced to her right as Onyx rushed towards the stage with his hands in the air. The look on his face was one of pure joy and excitement. Roseluck was behind him. She looked less impressed, but she still wore noticeable grin. As the adrenaline left her, Gemini became more and more aware of the chill in the air and the fact that she was still completely naked. Covering her nipples with one arm and her bare slit with the other, she met her boss at the edge of the stage and dropped to the floor.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d go so far as to take everything off, but you did, and the audience loved it.”

Roseluck stepped forward with her hands on her hips as her eyes looked Gemini up and down, from her head to her toes. “I gotta admit, you looked pretty good up there, tardy pants.” Then, her grin softened to something that resembled more of an actual smile. “You gotta teach me some of those moves you pulled up there. I’d like to learn how to…”

Roseluck attempted to recreate the part when Gemini flowed across the top of the stage as though she were being lead by her waist. The exhausted dancer was a little surprised by her coworker’s sudden change in attitude. “I know I don’t have the wings to do half the stuff you can do, but Onyx is right. There’s something about you that just makes the audience fall in love with you.” The red-haired mare’s eyes fell, and her smile vanished. “I haven’t been that nice to you since you started working here, and I want to make it up to you.”

Gemini glanced towards Onyx, who simply shrugged like he had nothing to do with it. She looked back towards Roseluck and met the mare’s gaze. “That’s alright… You don’t owe me anything, and as for the dancing, I’d be happy to show you a thing or two.”

Roseluck’s cheeks turned as red as her hair. It was only several seconds after she spoke that Gemini realized what she said could have a second meaning. Onyx didn’t seem to catch it, but Roseluck sure did, and she quickly nodded her head before walking away, heading in the direction of the bar.

Now that the dancers’ private conversation was over, Onyx stepped forward and took Gemini’s hand. Before she could ask what the sudden contact was for, he began to lead her away from the stage, towards the tables where much of the audience that had been watching her still lingered. “I’m glad that you and Roseluck are starting to get along, but your little lessons are going to have to wait.”

As they drifted through the crowd of chanting ponies, several turned to smile at her and compliment her show as she passed them by. She tried to thank them, but Onyx didn’t stop for a second. Where they were going, Gemini had no idea. Part of her just wanted a quiet place to rest and relax, preferably her dressing room.

“So… This is her?”

She realized they had stopped and that they were now standing face to face with Princess Luna herself. Onyx offered the princess a short bow and motioned for Gemini to do the same. The princess had been sitting at a table before standing to greet them.

As they bowed, she smiled and bowed in return. Onyx cleared his throat as he rose as he gestured towards the dancer by his side. “Yes, your majesty. This is Gemini, my most esteemed and talented performer.” The dancer’s heart was racing in her chest like she was on stage again.

She had never been in the presence of royalty before. Luna had hardly said anything, but Gemini could tell there was something extremely powerful about her. The princess’ wings were much larger than her own, falling behind her like a sort of cloak, and a long, pointed horn crowned the top of her head. On their own, they didn’t mean much, but together, they made a mare into a princess, a holder of the highest office in Equestria.

Then, there were the two Royal Guards that stood behind her, both tall and menacing. Luna must have seen the look on Gemini’s face when she spotted the armored stallions, because she laughed and waved a dismissive hand, a signal for the guards to give them a little room. “Ah, don’t mind Solace and Silvershield, they mean well.” Then, her attention turned to the manager, if only briefly. “Might we have some time alone, Mr. Onyx? There’s quite a bit I’d like to discuss with your performer.”

Onyx hadn’t been expecting the be excluded from the conversation, having been asked only to bring Gemini to the princess. Gemini had an equally confused look on her face as she still knew nothing about why she was where she was. The stallion quickly nodded his head anyway and gave Luna a short bow. “Of course, your majesty.” Then, he looked at Gemini and managed a weak smile. “I’ll be in my office.”

Just like that, he was gone. The stallion vanished into the crowd, leaving Gemini alone with the princess and her guards. Luna descended gracefully back into her chair and motioned towards another across the table. “Would you care to sit, Miss Gemini?”

Still naked, and a little cold now, Gemini nodded her head as she clumsily fell into the empty chair. The soft cushions enveloped her sensitive skin. It felt weird to touch, but she eventually sat back in the seat with her eyes fixed on Luna’s. The princess grinned, showing off her pale teeth. She had a smile the glowed like moonlight. “You put on… an incredible performance, Miss Gemini. I can say with honesty that I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

The complement felt nice, especially coming from her. “Th-Th-Thank you, your majesty… I-“

Luna waved her hand, cutting her off. “Enough of that, my dear. When a mare hears ‘your majesty’ so often, it loses its meaning. Please, just call me Luna.”

Gemini blushed and nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am… I’m sorry. It’s just… I’ve never met a princess before.”

The princess raised an eyebrow. “Truly? I find that hard to believe. From what I’ve seen you do on stage tonight, you should be dancing in the palace, which brings me to the topic of our conversation…” She reached out, towards a glass of water, and took a long sip.

Gemini was quick to catch what Luna had said, and she sat forward in her seat. “You… want me?”

Luna set the glass down, revealing a smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Yes, Miss Gemini. With your particular talents and… sexual appeal, you’d have a prosperous career at the palace.” A bell was ringing in the dancer’s ears. “Just think, my dear, you could be performing for Equestrian nobility and officials of the royal government. In between your performances, you’d be treated like royalty yourself. The palace would not only be your stage, but it would be your new home.”

Everything coming out of Luna’s mouth sounded too good to be true. Gemini wasn’t poor by any means, and she had an apartment in a seedy part of Canterlot’s entertainment district, but moving into the palace would certainly be a step forward. Luna looked like she was waiting for her response.

“I… I don’t know what to say, your maj- I mean, Luna…”

The princess reached across the table, wrapping her fingers around Gemini’s and taking her hand. “You only need to say ‘yes’, my dear.”

She looked down at Luna’s hand.

Her skin looked so perfect, so pure, and on her fingers, an arrangement of dazzling rings glittered under the flashing lights from above their heads. That could all be hers, that lifestyle. Luna, the princess of the moon and one of the two ruling figures of Equestria was personally inviting her into the palace, where all of that could be made possible.

Then, her thoughts drifted towards Onyx, her fans, and ever Roseluck, whom she had promised lessons and pointers. “Wh… What about the dancing I do here?”

Luna retracted her hand as she nodded her head. “I will handle all of that, Miss Gemini. If you accept my proposal, I can negotiate with Mr. Onyx about buying your contract. It would be no trouble at all.”

Gemini’s face felt hot, and her chest felt heavy. Leaving the Colt’s Club to move into the palace would be such a huge step for her, and it would mean leaving a lot behind. Then, there was Emerald. He would be coming back for her. Gemini shook her head, surprising the princess. “I… I’m sorry, Luna. This is a lot to think about. I have a lot on my mind, and I just can’t make a decision like that right now.”

She almost expected the princess to get angry, but no wrath came. Luna smiled sadly, like her answer was what she had been expecting, even though she hoped she would accept. “Do not apologize, Miss Gemini. I completely understand. Know this, though, my offer will stand should you ever decide you want to perform for me.” She stood up, and in an instant, her guards were by her side. “You only need to reach out to me, if you wish to accept my proposal. If you do not, I’ll understand that you’d rather stay here.” Luna extended her hand, and Gemini met the princess with hers. “You have a good evening, Miss Gemini.”

The dancer managed a smile as she shook her hand. “Y-Y-Yeah… You too, Luna…”

Then, the princess turned her back, and with her guards right behind her, she headed for the exit. Alone at the table, Gemini slumped back in her chair and let out a long sigh, but the isolation didn’t last. Within moments, several of her co-workers converged on her. All dressed in their skimpy outfits, Amber, Aria, Roseluck, and several others huddled around Gemini, all eagerly bombarding her with questions.

“What did she want, Gem?”

“What did the princess say to you?”

“Did she like your dancing?”

Still overwhelmed from the initial offer, Gemini could hardly think straight enough to formulate a response to any of them. Roseluck pushed some of the other dancers aside, giving Gemini a little more breathing room. “Come on, girls, give her some space.” Slowly and reluctantly, the dancers trickled away into the crowd until only Roseluck remained at the table. Roseluck then revealed a shirt and offered it to the naked mare with a chuckle. “Here, put this on, tardy pants. I can’t look at you without staring at your boobs.”

It was just a simple top, nothing special about it, but Gemini quietly thanked her as she slipped the shirt over her head. Still slightly cold, her hard nipples poked through the thin shirt, but she was already beginning to feel much warmer.

“So…” Roseluck reared her face in her hands, which were propped up by her elbows on the table. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking… What did Princess Luna want with you? Did… Did she want a ‘private’ performance?”

Gemini knew what Roseluck meant, and she shook her head. Not once through the entire conversation had she thought about having sex with the princess in one of the side rooms. “No… It wasn’t that…” Part of her wanted to lie. She couldn’t bring herself to tell anypony that Luna had offered her a job, and worse, that she had considered saying ‘yes’. The other half of her knew she had to tell somepony. Would Roseluck be able to keep a secret? Probably not. “She just wanted to personally tell me that she liked my performance.”

It wasn’t a lie, at least, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Roseluck looked a little disappointed. Maybe she had been expecting something a little more exciting. “Oh… Well, that’s still pretty cool. You should be proud.” Then, she stood up, patting Gemini on the back as she walked away. “See ya’ later, Gemini. I’ll be on stage four, if you wanna watch.”

Once again, she was alone, despite the dozens of ponies around her at the tables. Her chest felt heavier than ever as she thought about Luna’s offer.

***Up Next: Wild Dreams***

Act 6: Wild Dreams

Gemini stood on top of her stage, high above the club floor, but she wasn’t in her normal lingeri. She wore a simple shirt and shorts, and her feet were bare. Normally, there would be a great crowd cheering her on as she removed her clothes and danced for their pleasure, but there was no such crowd this time. Strangely, the club floor was completely empty.

Gemini looked to her right, towards the bar, but it was empty as well. Void of dancers and guests alike, the Colt’s Club felt very cold and deserted, despite the flashing lights and soft music playing overhead. Gemini wondered to herself how she got where she was. She had no memory of arriving at work and getting on her stage. Wanting somepony to talk to, anypony at all, she climbed down from her stage and made her way to the bar, passing by the dozens of empty tables and chairs.

Nopony stood behind the counter, and no light could be seen coming from the door leading into the scullery behind the bar. She decided to check Onyx’s office next. Surely, he had to be there. Gemini was about to leave the bar when she was approached by gentle footsteps from behind.

“Ah, good! You’re finally asleep.”

The dancer let out a shrill cry as she spun around, coming face to face with Princess Luna. The princess grinned and let out a chuckle at her shocked expression. “My intention was not to startle you, Miss Gemini. I was waiting for you in your dressing room, but you did not show.”

Her heart rate had begun to slow down, as did her breathing. “Is… this a dream? Am I really asleep?”

Luna nodded her head as she joined Gemini by the bar. “That’s right. You’re a pretty heavy sleeper, in fact. That’s a compliment, I promise.” She cleared her throat before turning to face her, looking the dancer in the eyes. “I have to admit, first off, that my being here is not without reason. When we spoke last night, there was a lot I could not tell you, but here…” She opened her arms and gestured to the empty club floor. “Here, we have all of the privacy we need. No pony will interrupt us.”

Gemini figured that meant they were totally alone, but she still had questions. “Why are we here, though? Why the Colt’s Club?”

Luna was suddenly holding a tall glass filled with a red liquid. That ability to control reality was one of the princess’ many powers in the dream realm. She took a sip of the beverage before setting the glass down. “I felt you’d be most at ease here. Ponies usually aren’t happy with me when I visit them in the privacy of their own homes.”

Gemini felt the princess was right. It would be a lot weirder having Luna in her little apartment.

Speaking with her at the club was something Gemini had actually done, at least. “Alright… So what is it you want to talk about?”

Gemini knew exactly what it was before she asked. The princess had come to ask her to work at the palace. The dancer hadn’t given her proposal much thought, and she needed more time before she could make such a big decision.

“I know what you’re thinking, Miss Gemini, and that’s not why I’m here. It would be wrong of me to pressure you into accepting my offer.” Gemini was stunned temporarily by Luna’s ability to read her. The princess shifted her gaze, looking towards the center stage. “I’m here for… something else…”

The vagueness of her words left Gemini a little frustrated. She wanted Luna to get to the point. “Last night, your performance excited me, and I haven’t been able to think about anything but you…” She met Gemini’s eyes again. This time, she moved a little closer. “I guess I should say what it is that’s really on my mind…”

They were within reaching distance, now. Luna pursed her lips as she pursued her dark blue mane out of her eyes. “I’d like to hire your services, Miss Gemini, just for me…” With every breath, she closed the distance between them. “…only me… right here… right now.”

Gemini was taken completely off guard by the sudden shift in Luna’s tone. She knew that tone. It was one she heard every day on stage. There was a lingering moan on the edge of Luna’s voice. To put it simply, she was horny.

“P-P-Princess Luna!” Gemini gasped as she fell back, stumbling over a barstool. She caught herself on the counter, but Luna was on her in moments. The princess had her pinned against the counter, their bodies pressing together.

“This has nothing to do with my proposal… This is just between us… alright?” Gemini stared back at her, looking right into the princess’ eyes, where a lustful fire burned. Luna was silently pleading. It was obvious to the dancer just how badly she needed it, not wanted, needed.

The two mares stood there, locked together, but nopony made a move. Then, Gemini realized Luna was waiting for her to give her consent. She could decline, if she chose to, and Luna would back down… but that idea was quickly thrown out the window. It was only a dream, right?

Besides, there might never again be an opportunity to have sex with a princess. Gemini couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, screw it…” Then, she took Luna’s face in her hands and pulled her into a hot kiss. The princess was surprised by the assertive action, but she let Gemini lead her as the kiss grew in intensity and passion. Their lips parted, making way for their tongues to pass and enter the opposite mare’s mouth. Heavy breathing and loud moans filled the Colt’s Club.

At the same time, the music seemed to change as well, becoming in tune with the heat of the moment. What a strange dream, indeed. Gemini learned quickly just how grabby Luna was. The kiss broke, if only for a second, as the princess lifted Gemini into the air and placed her on top of the counter. The dancer’s heavy breasts were now at eye level with her.

Luna was grinning like crazy and licking her lips as she her hands slipped under Gemini’s shirt, feeling up her stomach until the tips of her fingers brushed against the dancer’s breasts. The Gemini let out a sharp gasp as her hands closed around her breasts, squeezing the mounds of flesh.

Her rapid breaths were cut short by Luna’s lips, and the kiss quickly turned sloppy as the princes continued to grope her. “You… *kiss* can… *kiss* feel mine… *kiss* too, Gemini…” Luna badly managed to get the words out in between the kisses, but Gemini understood:

Sitting on the counter, she reached for the princess’ breasts and cupped then in her hands. They were generously sized, and they felt as heavy as they looked, though not as big as her own. After giving Luna’s breasts a few playful ‘squeezes’, Gemini wanted to feel a little more, and she began unfastening the buttons that held the royal gown together. Luna helped, retracting one of her hands to help the dancer remove her gown.

The silky top fell from her shoulders, and she tossed it behind her. Luna wore no panties underneath, and she stood completely nude in front of Gemini. Stunned by her disbelief in the situation she was in, Gemini could not gawk at the naked princess. “This can’t be real…”

Luna smiled sadly and nodded her head. “Sadly, it’s not. You’re only dreaming, Gemini…” She stepped forward, closing the distance between them so Luna’s chin fell comfortable in the dancer’s cleavage as she looked up at her. “… but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.”

Gemini realized that the princess was lifting her shirt, trying to undress her. Without uttering another word, she raised her arms and let Luna pull her shirt over her head. Now topless, Gemini’s breasts fell free. Luna eyed them hungrily and licked her lips. “Lie down, dear.”

Gemini complied, and she fell onto her back, laying across the top of the counter. Luna climbed onto the counter and placed herself over the seduced dancer. The princess’ hanging breasts pressed against Gemini’s, their nipples brushing against each other’s. “This… is my way of saying ‘thank you’ for your performance…”

Gemini let out a gentle laugh before her lips were sealed by Luna’s. Their moans became longer and sweeter, and they quickly fell into a nice rhythm. With their legs intertwined, Luna grinded her bare slit against Gemini’s through her shorts. Both mares were thinking the same thing. Her clothes needed to go.

Gemini let the princess strip her naked, whimpering slightly as she became as nude as Luna. The princess pulled her shorts down her legs slowly, enjoying every second as the dancer squirmed and twitched with excitement. At last, she pulled the shorts past Gemini’s ankles and tossed them somewhere behind the bar.

Then, she crawled forward, making her way towards her dripping slit. The thick aroma of sex filled the princess’ nose as she took a deep breath. Like a predator cornering her pray, she moved in for the kill, but just before her lips could touch the expanding folds of Gemini’s slit, she stopped and looked up to meet the dancer’s eyes. “May I, Miss Gemini?”

Gemini couldn’t believe she was asking that now, of all the times to do so. “Seriously, Luna?! I… I mean… Yes, I need this… I want this so badly…”

Luna grinned mischievously. “I know you do… I can smell it. I just wanted to hear you beg…” Gemini had no time to respond, and the princess lunges forward, sinking her lips into her slit. Sparks of electricity arched through the dancer’s entire body, and her legs twitched viciously. Luna must have known exactly what she was doing, because every kiss from her lips and flick of her tongue drove her crazy. The feelings of pleasure were like nothing she had ever felt before.

The princess’ tongue delved deeper and deeper inside, lapping up her juices like an animal. Gemini’s wings were stiff as boards, totally locked in their extended state, as her legs kicked wildly. Luna held one leg down, and with her other hand, she reached forward to play with the dancer’s breasts. As she continued her oral attack on Gemini’s slit, she pinched her nipples and groped the mounds of flesh, causing Gemini even more pleasure. “Oh… Lunaaaaaaaaa!”

Gemini could feel a pressure building up inside of her, and the princess knew it. “It’s alright, my love… You can release inside my mouth. I want to taste it.”

Then, she went right back in, doubling down on the dancer’s soaked slit. She ran the tip of her tongue up and down the length of the folds until she found it, a spot directly under her clit. The moment Luna’s tongue touched that spot, Gemini grabbed the princess’ head and forced it down before letting out a loud cry that echoed throughout the Colt’s Club. Luna focused on that spot, kissing, licking, and even gently biting her clit.

Each motion caused the feelings building up inside of Gemini to swell. She was so close, and they both knew it. “Luna! Luna! Oh, Lunaaaaaaaaa!”

Gemini’s eyes shut tight, and she clenched her teeth as she reached her peak. In the darkness, she saw bright lights and stars flashing in her eyes as her body expelled everything that had been building up. Then, she collapsed in a heap. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and when her eyes opened, her vision was blurry.

Luna appeared next to her, smiling down with the dancer’s cum dripping from her hair and face. Gemini smiled back up at her as she found herself nestled in the princess’ arms. “That was quite a reward for my efforts. You tasted wonderful, my love…” She leaned forward and kissed her, sharing some of the juices that lingered in her mouth. As the kiss broke, Gemini found herself wanting another, but the princess had her eyes set elsewhere. Her smile was gone, and she looked towards the door. “You’ll be waking up soon, Miss Gemini. It’s time for me to leave…”

She sat up and slid off of the counter. Still shaken and unable to move, Gemini could only turn her head and watch as Luna dressed herself. “When you do, you’ll find your payment on your nightstand. I hope it will be enough to meet your needs.” As she buttoned up her shirt, the princess leaned over her, and kissed her one last time. “Perhaps, we may meet again and make this dream… a reality…”

***

Gemini gasped as she bolted upright. The Colt’s Club was gone, and she was in her own bed. Her legs were trembling, and a large puddle had formed beneath her slit. She had achieved several orgasms in her sleep. Outside, the sun was beginning to rise, and the moon was falling from the sky to give way.

It was a new day, and Gemini realized she had a special client arriving later to meet her in private. “Emerald…”

She shot out of bed, expecting to wash her sheets later, but as she rushed towards the closet, she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. A hefty bag sat on top of her dresser, along with a note. Gemini approached the bag and picked up the piece of paper. It looked professional, even sporting the royal seal. After opening it up, her eyes began to read.

“My dearest Gemini, I have to thank you again for the time we shared. The sum of bits in the attached bag should cover your fee. I cannot wait to see you again, and my thoughts will be with you.”

“Until then, my clever little changeling, continue to impress me.”

Yours, Princess Luna

Gemini read the letter twice.

Then, her heart stopped.

***Up Next: Chance Meetings***

Act 7: Chance Meetings

Gemini was so distraught that she nearly forgot to change before leaving the privacy of her apartment. Such a mistake would quickly ruin her image as a model pony and popular dancer. Her mind was a jumbled mess as questions flooded her conscience, all demanding immediate answers.

How did Luna know who she was? When did she find out? Was she going to turn her in? If Luna knew she was a changeling, why wasn’t she bothered? All she had was the princess’ letter, and reading it over and over again did nothing to make her feel better.

Gemini felt sick.

Her stomach churned and broiled as she walked down the streets of Canterlot. A few friendly ponies that recognized her would smile and wave, but Gemini brushed them aside. Normally, she didn’t mind being approached by her fans, but today, she was in no mood to be social. The next time she saw Luna, if she ever saw the princess again, she’d be sure to find out precisely what she meant by ‘continuing to impress her’.

She came up on the Colt’s Club, and the bouncer was outside the front door. “Hey, big guy…” Gemini tried to force a smile as she greeted the towering stallion. “You’re looking as scary as always.”

The bouncer gave her a short bow as he opened the door. “Good morning, Miss Gemini. Onyx is waiting for you inside.”

Gemini nodded her head and thanked him as she stepped through the door and into the building. She was early today. No music played yet, and the floodlights were still on, giving the club floor a very different vibe than. The first few dancers were readying themselves to climb onto their stages for ‘quiet’ performances.

In a few minutes, the doors would be open to the public, and they would have to be prepared to entertain anypony that walked inside. As she walked past the tables, Gemini’s eyes glanced to her left, towards the bar, and her dream began to resurface. Remembering the way Luna had held and molested her, Gemini’s hand drifted slowly to her slit.

The dancer never took her for a lesbian, but Luna was a professional, knowing just how to touch her and where to kiss in order to make her scream. Gemini cursed silently as she came back to reality, shaking the thoughts of Luna out of her head. She retracted her hand a continued her way towards the back of the club floor. Just like the bouncer had said, Onyx was in his office, seated behind a large desk.

When the stallion looked up from his work and saw her, he smiled and motioned for her to enter. “Gem, good morning! Come in and sit down.”

The desk was littered with papers, forms, and other executive documents Gemini found boring. Such things were beyond her pay to give a modicum of care, but one paper stood out. It was the newspaper, sitting face up. To Gemini, the words were upside down, but she could still make out the headline, written in a big, bold font.

—- Canterlot Occurrences —-

Monsters Among Us! Changeling Discovered Masquerading As Pony Arrested!

Her eyes narrowed as she read the headline. How appropriate it was, sitting before her like that, but Gemini kept her mouth closed. She had her own problems, like keeping her own identity a secret. “Why am I here?”

Onyx didn’t seem to notice her negative tone, or if he did, he payed no attention to it. “I want to talk to you about your performance last night, the special treatment you showed Princess Luna.”

Once again, her mind drifted to the bar, where she got to know the princess a lot more than she ever thought possible.

“You. Were. Sensational.” Gemini looked up at last, finally meeting the stallion’s gaze. “Her majesty has already contacted me. Not only will she be visiting regularly in the future, she wants to make a private appointment. It seems she’s crazy about you, Gem.”

Crazy… That was one word Gemini might use. Lunatic was more like it. The dancer chuckled quietly at her own joke, earning a strange look from Onyx. The stallion cleared his throat, getting her attention. “You’re already booked for a private session with Emerald, the client you requested, but Princess Luna has asked for the same time slot.”

Gemini raised an eyebrow. “Today? You mean she wants me today?” She had almost forgotten about Emerald.

The dancer had been looking forward to seeing him again, but she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see Luna again. Maybe, she’d have her questions answered, and just maybe, she’d get to make her dream a reality. Then, a filthy thought entered her mind, and Gemini began to fantasize about having both clients at the same time.

The notion was quickly dropped, though. Something that lewd would be impossible to orchestrate. She’d need the consent of both Luna and Emerald, and Gemini found it unlikely that either member would be game for such an activity.

“I explained over the phone that you’d be busy on stage after your fulfilling your contract with Emerald, but she was rather insistent. I could refuse her request, but we don’t need to get on her bad side now that we’ve just entered her good graces.”

It was obvious to Gemini that Onyx was afraid of the princess, rather, he was afraid of her power and influence. Luna’s review of the Colt’s Club could either give the establishment bountiful success and a steady stream of business, or it could put many dancers out of jobs. Gemini rubbed her fingers against her head, wondering how she put herself in this position. It was as if the entire club depended on her and her ability to please everypony she came into contact with.

“If you drop Emerald’s contract, you’d be able to have Princess Luna. Do you understand, Gem?”

So, that’s what this little meeting was all about. Onyx wanted her to replace one client for another. He didn’t care who she had sex with in the private room, only the client’s status.

“Onyx, I can’t just… I can’t drop Emerald’s contract. You’ll have to tell Lun- I mean… her majesty to reschedule.”

Onyx’s eyes widened at her sudden willingness to turn Princess Luna down. “Gem, please reconsider. You’re not understanding the gravity of effect this may have on the Colt’s Club.”

Gemini didn’t want to listen to whatever else he had to say. Her mind was made up. “If the princess was happy with my first performance, she’ll be happy to wait until I can spend some time alone with her. Just tell her to reschedule for another time. She’ll understand, trust me on that.”

Onyx’s eyes narrowed as he reached for the phone to his right. It was then that Gemini noticed the blinking, red light on line one. Somepony was on the other end, and they had been listening to every word they exchanged.

Onyx picked up the phone and held it to his ear. “Are you still there, your majesty?” The connection was fuzzy, but Gemini could hear a mare’s voice mumbling on the other end of the line. “Yes… Yes, your majesty. I’ll be sure to tell her. Thank you again, your majesty.”

Then, he set the phone down on the receiver and let out a long sigh.

He looked exhausted. “Princess Luna has agreed to reschedule… She wants the time slot for next week. We’ll hash out the details later, but for now, I want you on stage until Emerald arrives.”

Gemini felt relieved too. She was happy to be right about Luna understanding her predicament. This way, she’d be able to get to know her new friend a little better and keep the princess happy.

She stood and grabbed her duffel bag, which carried the outfit she would put on to dance in. “You got it.” Then, she walked towards the door, opened it, and stepped out of the office. Just a little ways down the corridor, her dressing room was waiting for her.

After spending a few moments inside, Gemini was dressed and ready to dance. She emerged from her dressing room in a tight, tense-piece suit that left much of her skin exposed. The leggings came down only to her knees and were a dark purple color. The top cut off just below her breasts and failed to cover her shoulders, showing off her modestly flat belly.

To top it all off, Gemini wore a headpiece made of a large arrangement of tropical-looking feathers and glitter. She wasn’t a fan of the outfit, the dark purple clashed with her golden mane and rose wings, but she couldn’t wear the same thing every time. The audience might get bored.

Gemini stepped out onto the club floor. Several tables were already occupied as she strutted past the seated ponies. It was still quite early in the morning, but there were quite a few stallions and even a couple of mares. In front of her own stage, a pair of ponies sat down, patiently waiting for the show to begin.

She didn’t recognize one of them, but the other had an unmistakable mane that looked as though it was on fire. The dancer’s eyes widened as she rushed to meet them, her breasts bouncing as she sprinted across the floor barefoot.

“Spitfire!”

The Wonderbolt’s captain turned at the mention of her name, and her eyes widened. Then, her shocked expression turned into a smile. Gemini stopped in front of her and her friends, breathing heavily as she fixed her headpiece. Spitfire looked her up and down, taking in all of the dancer’s curves.

“Hey, you’re… Gemini, right?” The dancer nodded her head. “Nice. It’s cool to meet ya’, Gemini. You’re all anypony ever talks about in this place.” Spitfire gestured to her left and right. “This is Soarin. He likes you pretty girls, but personally, I come for the studs…”

Gemini saw where she was pointing, at a tall, strapping stallion that had just removed his button-down shirt before tossing it away. When her eyes returned to Spitfire she was saying something to Soarin. Gemini didn’t catch it, but it sounded like they were deciding where to eat afterwards.

Then, Spitfire cleared her throat as she looked back up at the dancer. “So, what can I do for you, Gemini?”

Gemini collected her thoughts as she tried to figure out how to say what she wanted. “Well, I have a friend who will be showing up soon, and he’s… Well, he’s a huge fan of the Wonderbolts. He said he’s watched all of your airshows when he was younger. I was wondering if you’d meet him…”

Spitfire looked over at Soarin, and the stallion shrugged. “Yeah... Sure, thing. I don’t see why not.”

That was the answer Gemini was hoping for. She could imagine Emerald going crazy when he arrived, and the thought made her smile.

“… but I want something from you in return.”

Just as quickly as it appeared, Gemini's smile vanished. “Anything… What is it?”

Spitfire pointed towards the center stage. “I want you to show me why you’re so damn famous around here.”

Gemini cocked her head. The request was simple enough. She was going to get on stage anyway, but there was one thing that was nagging on the back of her mind. “I thought you were into stallions…”

Spitfire grinned as she sat back in her seat. “Oh, I am, Gemini, but I would never turn down a piece of eye candy like you.”

The dancer didn’t know what to make of her last remark, but she decided to take it as a compliment. Besides, if dancing for Spitfire got her to introduce herself to Emerald, that would be enough for Gemini. Without another word, she retreated to her stage and climbed on top.

Overhead, the lights dimmed a little. There was no track to listen to, so Gemini had to dance in rhythm with the music that was already playing. She swayed her hips gently until she found the beat. On top of her stage, she felt a cold draft as she stepped from side to side, circumnavigating the pole with one hand gripped around the shaft.

The music was slow. Coupled with the steady beat, Gemini found it easy to pull of some of her more fluid stunts. With both hands on the poll now, she expertly lifted her legs into the air, high above her head so that her body was as straight as an arrow.

Then, with her legs pointed towards the ceiling, she spread them towards Spitfire and Soarin, exciting them both. Gemini was getting a little aroused herself. Still upside down, she caught the opening of the main entrance out of the corner of her eyes. Emerald stepped inside and looked right at her, and Gemini looked back at him.

His eyes were wide.

Then, seeing the shock on his face, she fell from the pole, landing on her head.

***Up Next: More Than Friends***

Act 9: Into The Fire

Gemini had little to no concept of time after what she had just endured. Never before had she been so drained of energy, even after some of the shows she had put on for crowds of horny ponies. Her heart still pounded in her chest as she laid fully nude on the sofa where it all began. Spitfire was to Gemini’s immediate left, sound asleep and clinging onto her with her head nestled under her chin.

Then, there was Emerald. He was to her right, in a similar position, but his head was more aligned with hers. She stared at him for a while, watching his chest rise and fall slowly with each breath he took. For a young and inexperienced stallion, he had really taken initiative when confronted by her and Spitfire. Gemini continued to stare at Emerald, wondering silently what he was thinking about, if he was dreaming, and more importantly, if those dreams were about her.

Princess Luna would be able to tell her, but that would be a gross violation of his privacy, but the thought still made her chuckle to herself. This caused Spitfire to stir, and the wonderbolt let out a soft groan as she sat upright, lifting her arms high above her head to stretch. Gemini finally looked away from Emerald, and her eyes fell on the mare beside her.

The show-pony yawned lazily and rubbed her eyes with a closed fist. “Is it time to go already?” Gemini pursed her lips and nodded, earning a disappointed look from her. Their time had actually ended several minutes ago, but no one wanted to move. Spitfire frowned and stood up from the sofa, stretching again and popping some of her stiff joins. “I’ll find my clothes and be on my way...”

That was always the hardest part, cleaning up after a lust-filled session, finding the right clothes and saying goodbye. The fiery-haired mare bent over slowly, giving Gemini a good look at her firm and toned ass, a part of the wonderbolt that she had gotten very familiar with during their short time together. She picked up her coat first and reached into one if the pockets.

Gemini watched as she revealed something, a small pouch. “This should be enough to cover our fees.” Spitfire set the pouch down on a table by the door before continueing to dress herself. First her underware, pulling them up from her ankles, then her bra. The rest of her clothes followed soon after, and Spitfire made her way towards the door, stopping just before her fingers reached the handle. “We should do this again, Miss Gemini. You impressed me today. I don’t want to get inbetween whatever you have going on with Emerald, but I could get used to letting you dominate me like that.”

Gemini remembered, but something about the way Spitfire had said ‘going on between her and Emerald’ left an uneasy feeling in her gut. What exactly did she have with Emerald? While her thoughts were occupied with that very question, Spitfire took her leave, opening the door and quietly slipping out. Meanwhile, Gemini’s mind was racing, her thoughts violently pulling her in different directions.

Did she really have feelings for Emerald? Part of her wanted to cry out ‘yes’ and leave it alone. Part of her was skeptical of the pony. Part of her was afraid to take the risk, afraid to admit that she was falling in love with a stranger. He was kind, caring, interesting, but still a stranger. What made the whole situation so sickening was that she was living in a constant lie.

He didn’t know her, not really, and he couldn’t know out of the fear that he might reject her for who she really was. Gemini needed space to cool down, so she untangled herself from the sleeping stallion’s embrace and stood up. Fully nude, she paced the room and looked for her outfit. During the heated sex between Spitfire and Emerald, it had been torn away and tossed in the corner as both parties involved tried to undress her.

The damage was bad, irreparable even, but that didn’t bother her too much. It wasn’t even her favorite outfit, and Spitfire had paid her well enough to cover the costs it would take to get another. There was now sense in putting it back on, so she left it to its final resting place.

Her eyes fell on Emerald again, still on the sofa and resting quietly. She did have feelings for him, that much was certain, but what to do about those feelings was still unknown. Should she reveal herself and hope for the best? If he accepted her, great, but what if he didn’t? She would lose everything, not just her job and her livelihood, but her friendship with the young stallion.

He meant more to her than sex, and for the first time, she wanted to hold onto that, to cling desperately to what made her full and whole. Parts of her body, her real body, that once showed strong evidence of starvation from a lack of real intimacy from others were now fuller and fleshed out. Like almost every other room in the Colt’s Club, the one she was in now came equipt with a standing mirror, likely for the entertainment of the guests and their hired company.

Gemini stood in front of the mirror and closed her eyes. Her feet felt warm as the green flames climbed up her body, burning away her disguise. When her eyes opened again, she took in the sight of her true self, and she liked what she saw. All modesty was thrown out the window as she admired her naked body.

Her curves were well-defined, her arms and legs slim and toned, and her breasts were full and round, sitting firmly on her chest. Keeping her eyes fixed on her reflection, she spun around to observe her back, and she wasn’t disappointed. When Cicada finally did turn around, she came face to face with Emerald, who was sitting upright on the sofa, wide-eyed, and staring straight at her.

Silence filled the room except for the gentle hum of the air coming from an overhead vent. Cicada’s mind raced to say something, anything at all, but her lips wouldn’t move. All she could do was twitch and keep her eyes locked on Emerald’s. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the boy on the sofa rose to his feet. Then, without saying a single word, he pulled his pants up, slipped his shirt over his walked past her and opened the door, walking out and leaving her alone in the room.

Cicada was stunned.

She had expected him to saw something, anything about her being a changeling, but he didn’t. After changing back, she stormed out of the room and raced to catch up with him. Still without clothes, she moved across the show floor, brushing past guests and dancers alike. This earned her strange looks from those around her, but she didn’t care. There was only one thing on her mind, and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.

She eventually caught Emerald by the door as he was about to leave, grabbing onto his wrist and holding him back. He protested, resisting her attempts to stop him by reaching for the door anyway, but Gemini had a firm grip on him.

“Emerald, wait...” He spun around to face her, and the expression on his face broke her heart. It was indescribable, but she could spit tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “Emerald, please listen to me... I was going to tell you, I really was, but-“

“What?” His voice broke as though he were on the verge of tears. “Did you not trust me? Did you think I wouldn’t like you if I knew who you really were, what you really were? I thought you were different, Gem, if that is your real name...”

She shook her head, rubbing his hand between her finders, not wanting to let him go out of the fear that he might leave forever. “It’s not... My name is Cicada, but you have to understand the situation I’m in, what ponies think of my kind... This is the only way I can make a living, and...” Her voice choked up.

There were so many things she needed to say, but they were all spilling out of her at once in a way that caused her to babble incoherently. “I... Emerald, please...” She took a deep breath. “Don’t go... You can’t leave me... Not like this...” Then, she closed her eyes, blinking out the tears that had been waiting to be released. They streamed down her red cheeks until they fell from her chin. “You’re the first stallion I’ve ever truly cared about, and I have a feeling that you care about me. There’s something between us that I’ve never felt before, something that I’ve never known before, and I don’t want to lose it, to lose you...”

She was squeezing his hands now, hard, desprelty holding on. Emerald’s gaze fell to the floor. His mouth slowly opened as though he were about to say something, but he was interrupted.

Onyx approached them from behind. “Gem, I’ve been looking all over for you. Miss Spitfire paid for your services, and... What’s going on here? Is there some kind of problem?”

Emerald looked at her, then at Onyx, then back at her. “No, sir... There’s no problem.” Then, in one swift motion, he freed his hands from Gemini’s and slipped out the door.

He was gone.

Her heart ached in her chest, and she wanted to scream, but a lump formed in her throat and she suddenly felt sick. After staring out the door for several moments, she heard Onyx behind her clear his throat. “Um, Gem... We need to talk about your next performance.”

She didn’t care about that. None of it seemed to matter anymore, not without Emerald, but Onyx didn’t know that. Gemini turned to face him, folding her arms across her naked breasts as she quickly dried her tears. “The floor is supposed to be packed tonight, so I want you to give it your all. Roseluck and Amber will be on stages four and seven, and I want you in the center.”

She nodded her head softly. Gemini was all too familiar with her stage, the center stage, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be less right now. “Go get some clothes on, get something to eat, and get some rest. I want you to really shine tonight, got it?”

Again, she nodded her head, not making eye-contact with him. “Sure... Whatever you say...”

Then, she began the long walk back to her changing room. Gemini kept her eyes glue to the floor, refusing to stair back at those giving her strange looks. Normally, she would have stopped at the bar for a few drinks before returning to her private room, but not this time. The sickening feeling festering deep inside of her wasn’t about to go away any time soon, and anything she ingested would just be thrown back up.

The bouncer was at her door, and he turned the handle for her. “Is everything alright, Miss Gemini?”

Sniffling as she shuffled past him, she shook her head. “No, but thanks for asking...”

Inside the room, she plopped down in her chair and held her face in her hands. The bouncer was about to close the door behind her, but Gemini felt compelled to reach out to him. “Hey, big guy... Have you ever been in love before?”

All she could see was his arm, but he paused before answering. “Yes. My wife and I met fifteen years ago when she came to Canterlot for a business conference.”

Gemini found his response intriguing, and she pursed her lips. “How did you know that you loved her, or that she loved you?”

There was another pause.

“It was a gut feeling, I guess. When I first met her, there was something about the way she spoke and moved that made it impossible to think about anything else but her. The way she carried herself was impossible to ignore, and she made herself stand out in ways that made me realize that I couldn’t live without her. Why do you ask?”

She shook her head and spun around in her chair, turning her back to the door. “Just wondering... Thank you...” Then, the door closed, and Gemini was alone again. She had a few hours before night fell and her show began, and Onyx wanted her to shine.

“Alright... You want a show, Onyx? I’ll give you a show that will bring the entire house down...”

***Up Next: The Final Act***

Finale: The Final Act

Gemini felt a considerably better than she had a few hours ago. The bouncer had brought her food, and Roseluck even came by to talk a little. The conversations mostly consisted of their dance routines and how much fun they had teasing the audience while stripping. You know, girl stuff. All things considered, she still felt horrible after what happened between her and Emerald, but she aimed to make that right.

Tonight was going to be different from her past performances, and the whole club floor was going to see it firsthand. Chances were high that this show would be her last, and Gemini knew it. She had already made peace with that uncomfortable truth, but the end result would be totally worth it, no matter the outcome.

Dressed in her outfit, a golden, skintight body suit that just barely covered her most private areas, she peeked through her dressing room door. She didn’t need to see to know that the club floor was already brimming with eager guests and paying patrons. Onyx hadn’t been exaggerating when he let it slip that the expected turnout was higher than usual.

Her stage was dark, but there was still entertainment to be seen. Amber was just getting started on stage four, and Roseluck was in full swing, already topless on stage seven.

Gemini chuckled to herself quietly. She had encouraged Roseluck to do that, to be a little bolder with her generous body proportion ons on stage. She had learned early on in her dancing career that ponies were simple creatures with simple interests. When they saw large, attractive breasts, they were willing to offer higher tips. It was simple math, really, and Roseluck had some of the hottest breasts she’d ever seen.

Her gaze shifted to the clock above her desk, which signaled that it was just about time for her own show to begin. Putting it off any longer wasn’t an option.

She let out a sigh and fiddled with her breasts so that they’d fit more comfortably in her skimpy outfit. She’d been so fixated on Roseluck’s boobs that she’d forgotten to take care of her own. Then, she opened the door fully and stepped outside.

It was showtime.

Gemini melted into the shadows towards the back of the club floor as she navigated through the dark and empty stages. It was important that she remained unseen until the spotlight was on her. Luckily for her, most eyes were on the two dancers currently performing or the bar.

Gliding on the tips of her toes, she slipped past stage six and collided into a stallion. In the darkness, the two of them stumbled until they were both on the hard floor.

Gemini groaned, and the stallion did the same. Only by hearing his voice did she immediatly recognize who he was.

“Emerald?!”

He looked equally stunned, however briefly. The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced by a worried expression. Gemini stood up and helped him to his feet.

“I don’t understand... What are you doing here?”

He shook his head hurriedly.

“I needed to see you.”

Something about the tone of his voice excited Gemini, like he was in a rush to profess his love for her. Her heart pounded in her chest at the mere sight of him. In the shadows, they held hands, which only added to the feelings of pure joy exploding in her chest.

“You came back to me...”

Emerald nodded his head.

“I had to. I needed to tell you not to go on stage.”

Then, just like that, all of the happy feelings were gone. Gemini cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes at him as though she hadn’t heard him correctly. Emerald must have been able to sense that there was a dramatic shift in her mood, because his grip on her hands loosened significantly.

“I’m sorry... It sounded like you said you didn’t want me to dance tonight.”

After swallowing his fear, he nodded his head.

“Yeah, I don’t. I know what you’re up to, Cicada, and I don’t want you to do it. This obviously means a lot to you. Like you said, this is your way of life. You need to keep your secret, so you can keep doing what you love. If you go on that stage and reveal yourself, you’ll lose it all.”

Gemini paused. That wasn’t the explanation she had been expecting at all. Was she really so predictable? She shook her head and tightened her grip on his retreating hands, not wanting to let him get away so easily.

“You’re wrong, Emerald. You’re the one I love, and I’m going to go up there and let everypony in on the secret.”

Emerald opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but a booming voice came over the loudspeakers.

“Goooooooood evening, mares and gentlecolts, ponies of all shapes and sizes, to the Colt’s Club! How about another round of applause for our two wonderfully talented dancers. Let’s give it up for Amber and Roseluck! Take a bow, ladies.”

They were out of time.

Gemini and Emerald locked eyes. His were silently pleading with her, telling her not to go, but she had to. Her mind had already been set.

“For our final performance tonight, we have a real treat for you. She’s a mare you’re all familiar with, she’s got moves like no other, and just the mere sight of her will knock you back into your seat!”

She brushed the stallion out of her way and made a mad dash for the center stage.

“You better sit down for this one. Let’s all give a welcoming cheer for our favorite mare here at the Colt’s Club, Gemini!”

Using her momentum from the sprint up to the stage, Gemini used her last few strides to kick herself high into the air. She flipped over the edge of the platform and grabbed onto the center pole with her outstretched hand. Spreading her bright red wings out, she sped around the pole, around and around and around again until she landed firmly on the surface of the stage.

The audience before her, which had promptly held its breath, erupted into cheers and cries of excitement. The spotlights obscured much of her vision beyond the edge of the platform, but she could make out a sea of ponies with all eyes on her. A smile forced its way onto her lips, and Gemini greeted her constituents with a bow, exsposing a generous amount of her deep cleavage, which only excited them more.

Then, the music began.

A slow beat came from the speakers overhead, and the subwoofers vibrated the entire stage. Gemini began with a hip sway, rolling her flat stomach to the beat of the song and popping her shoulders back. There wasn’t a single part of her body that wasn’t constantly on the move. She even made use of her golden hair, flipping it back in the most spectacular way.

It helped her, knowing that Emerald was somewhere in the crowd, watching her. She was doing this for him, not the hundreds of cheering fans, him. She pictured him watching her every move, ogling her features, and she was happy to show him everything.

Her feet slid gracefully across the stage, bringing her towards the back, past the pole. Then, she took a running start and flipped onto her hands, spreading her wings out as far as they could possibly reach in order to retain some sense of balance. Finally, still supporting herself with just her hands, she lowered her legs on either side, spreading them wide open.

The crowd loved that move, and they let her know it through their cheers and whistles.

Pushing off with her hands, Gemini used her wings to give herself extra thrust and climb higher above the stage, floating slightly as she glided in circles around the pole. She then quickly brought her wings in and proceeded to dive. The audience held its breath as she fell, but Gemini had pulled this move off many times before. Just before she hit the stage, she pulled back up and a neck-breaking speed, fully extending her wings and tearing free from her entire outfit in one swift action.

Her breasts came free from the tight confines of top, and a cool breeze brushed her smooth crotch. There was nothing inbetween her and the eyes that took in everything they could possibly see, and she gave them a moment to see it all.

Then, she started to spin, almost like a ballerina. It began slowly but quickly picked up in pace. On the tips of her toes, she spun faster and faster, eventually sticking her arms out wide before bringing them in across her chest and holding them tight across her body. Her wings came in too, covering her like a shield.

That’s when the fire started. It sparked beneath her spinning feet and grew quickly. The green flames enveloped the entire stage in seconds, and the green glow illuminated the entire club floor.

When the dancer finally came to a stop and the flames faded into nothingness, the entire club was quiet. There was no music, no applauds, no cheers, no whistles. Nothing.

The beautiful dancer Gemini was no more. In her place, Cicada stood proud, chest out and breathing heavily. She brushed her black hair out of her eyes and shifted back and forth on her feet as she stared at the stunned audience.

Then, from the back of the crowd, a pair of hands began to clap slowly. The ponies parted ways as Princess Luna approached the stage with her two Royal Guards flanking her. She wore a huge grin on her face as she clapped for the changeling.

“Very interesting...”

Onyx came running next, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. Cicada could see that he was fuming with a combination of shock and anger. This must not have been what he was expecting for his grand finale. With his finger, he pointed right at her.

“Gem, what’s the meaning of this?! What kind of sick joke are you playing?!”

Cicada shrugged absentmindedly. At this point, she knew her dancing career was over, and she couldn’t care less. She approached the edge of the stage with her arms folded across her chest and looked down her nose at him.

“I’m not playing any joke, Onyx. This is the real me, and if you don’t like it, I’ll just have to quit.”

Her response seemed to stun him. His lower lip quivered but made no sound, and his face turned bright red.

“Yo-You can’t quit! You’re fired! Nopony in Canterlot will ever hire a changeling! You’ll never work in this city again!”

A dark blue hand tapped his shoulder, and Onyx turned to come face to face with Princess Luna. He immediately realized how he must have appeared to her and the rest of the audience and went on the back foot in an attempt to control the situation.

“Oh! Good evening, your majesty... I’m so sorry about what’s happened tonight. I do apologize, but I’m going to make everything right. You have my word.”

Cicada watched from the stage as a sly smrik formed in the corners of the princess’ mouth.

“You already have.”

Then, Luna turned towards the stage and looked up at her, folding her arms across her chest.

“It seems to me, my little changeling, that you have a sudden opening in your schedule.”

Cicada nodded her head softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the princess.

“Yeah... I’ve just been fired...”

That didn’t bother the princess in the slightest. Luna let out a soft chuckle and extended an arm towards her, outstretching her hand for the changeling to take.

“Well, if you’ll recall, I made you an offer some time ago that still stands, if you’ll only accept.”

Cicada’s eyes widened. She had forgotten, but here the princess was, literally offering her a hand in friendship and a job. Without hesitation, she reached out and took Luna’s hand, and the princess helped her down from the stage.

Onyx looked back and forth between them.

“Wha-What offer? Gem, what is she talking about?”

Cicada felt something warm fall over her bare shoulders. It was her coat, and it was the bouncer who’d put it there. She didn’t have the chance to thank him, however, because she was caught inbetween Onyx and Princess Luna, who had folded her arms again as she towered over the quivering stallion.

“I believe this lovely lady has just been terminated, Mr. Onyx, and is now free from any contracts binding her to your establishment. I previously offered her a position to work for me and dance at the palace, and she’s just accepted that position. I believe we are done here. Come, Cicada.”

Onyx had no words, but this didn’t matter as Luna was finished talking with him anyway. The princes turned to face her and the bouncer, and when she saw the hulking stallion behind her, she smiled.

“Lancer, it’s always a pleasure to see you. Do take care of the whole I’m gone, yeah?”

The bouncer offered her a smile in return, along with a short bow.

“Always, your majesty...”

Before Cicada knew it, Luna was taking her away, the guards following close behind. After all the time she’d been working at the Colt’s Club, she never bothered to learn the bouncer’s name. Then again, he’d never bothered to share it.

“Hey, princess...”

The royal mare let out a soft chuckle.

“Please, just call me Luna. We’re friends now, after all.”

Cicada let the feeling soak in, and she nodded her head. Having powerful friends like the princess could prove useful in more ways than one, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Right... Luna, I was just wondering how you knew the bouncer.”

The princess raised an eyebrow at her as they walked towards the door.

“Oh, Lancer? He previously worked for me as a Royal Guard, but he resigned when his wife became pregnant with their first son last year. He’s such a gentle giant, but firm when he needs to be.”

Cicada knew that all too well. He was always so nice to her, but he didn’t think twice about picking up some rowdy pony by the neck of his or her shirt and tossing them out the door. In fact, there was one time when he was just about ready to throw Emerald out, because he figured he might have been bothering her.

“Emerald!”

In the excitement of the moment, Cicada had almost forgotten about him. She hadn’t seen the stallion since she bounded onto the stage for her show, but she didn’t have to look far to find him again. He stood at the edge of the crowd, staring directly at her.

Emerald took a couple steps towards her, but the guards blocked his path, threatening to draw their weapons if he got any closer. Luna was quick to defuse the situation, and she motioned for the guards to let him approach Cicada. The two lovers took each other’s hands and stood close, never breaking eye contact.

“So... This is the real you, huh?”

Cicada blew her black hair out of her eyes and flipped it to the side, offering him a meek smile.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, remember?”

She knew he did, but she wanted to see him turn red anyway, which he did. He looked cute when he was embarrassed. Cuter than normal, anyway.

Luna cleared her throat softly to get their attention.

“Cicada, it’s time to pack up your things and prepare to move into the palace. The night might be young, but I’m not. If your coltfriend is coming with you, I suggest you both hurry. My carriage is double parked.”

Emerald looked impressed with his new title.

“Coltfriend?”

Cicada took his hand in hers and looked him in the eyes. Of course, she wanted him to come with her, but she’d never considered the possibility until now. There was just the small matter of him agreeing.

“Well, coltfriend? Are we living in the palace, or what?”

Emerald laughed out loud, earning smiles from both her and Luna.

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I am. My dad’s been hounding me to move out and find my own place anyway.”

The princess clasped her hands together and let out an excited ‘squee’.

“Very well. It’s settled. Come, Cicada and Emerald, there is much to do!”

Holding tightly onto Emerald, Cicada followed Luna out of the Colt’s Club and out into the night. The cold air hit her pale face, and she took in a deep breath. For what seemed like the first time, she had a bright future, and the possibilities were limitless. Together, they all made their way across the road to the royal carriage, and Cicada didn’t look back once.

***The End***

Epilogue: The First Night

Author's Note

Character Ages:

Cicada: 25
Emerald: 19
Princess Luna: 1000+

Epilogue: The First Night

Cicada tossed and turned in her new bed. It was queen-sized, incredibly soft, layered with the silkiest sheets and quilts in the known world, and it was the most uncomfortable bed she’d ever slept in. The fact that it was too comfortable made it unbearable for her.

Emerald clearly didn’t have the same problem. He slept soundly beside her, sprawled out underneath the comforter that covered them. He was the only reason she tolerated the bed. If it weren’t for him being in the bed with her, Cicada would have tried to find someplace to sleep a little more like what she was used to. The more she thought about it, the more she considered asking Luna if she could have her old bed brought to the palace, the one from her apartment in the city.

She turned over on her side for the thousandth time. Her rolling in bed did little to disturb Emerald, but he did mumble something sleepily. Cicada turned to look over her shoulder at him, having sworn that he’d said her name. “What was that, babe?”

Emerald didn’t respond right away. He was knocked out, but she was certain she had heard something.

“Hmmm... Cicada...”

She let out a quiet gasp. He did say her name. A wide smile crossed her lips and she rolled onto her back, looking to her right at him. Whatever he was dreaming about must have been staring her, and it must have been good. That only pushed her even harder to get some rest, some real sleep.

A quick look at a nearby clock on the bedside nightstand told her it was almost midnight. There was still time if she closed her eyes and really tried to get comfortable, so she did just that. She was practically sinking into the mattress and sheets now, but there was one thing she could focus on, and that was Emerald. His gentle breathing seemed to soothe her, and it gave her something to concentrate on as her eyes slowly began to grow heavier and heavier.

Cicada’s own breathing slowed until it matched the pace of Emerald’s. Then, everything went quiet.

***

Cicada didn’t know how much time had passed when her eyes opened again. Her eyes darted towards the clock, which now read 2:36 AM, and a frustrated sigh escaped her lips. Beside her, Emerald was still snoring softly, and she almost resented the young stallion for it. She figured he could probably sleep all day if given the chance.

It was as though palace life was too quiet and comfortable for her. While half of her wanted to run back to her old apartment, the more rational part of Cicada reminded herself that it was only the first night, and an entirely new lifestyle would take some getting used to. Not only was she in a new environment, one with luxuries and servants, but she wasn’t in hiding either. She was free to be her natural self, mich to the joy of Emerald, whom she’d agreed to have sex with the previous evening on the night they formally moved in together.

Her thoughts shifted to the day before, to the time they had shared dinner with Princess Luna and a few other royal dignitaries. The princess told her in private that these were the types of ponies she’d be performing for, government officials and other high society types. The thought worried Cicada a little at first, but Luna had assured her that she was to report only to her, so if there were any problems, the princess would be more than happy to take care of them.

After they’d had dinner, a team of servants appeared as if from out of nowhere to clean up the plates, and she’d offered to help them, being used to washing her own dishes, but they just laughed the notion away and went about their business. Luna insisted that they were only doing their jobs and that she shouldn’t worry about it.

Cicada and Emerald then retreated to the very room they were in now, and to the very bed they were in now. That was the part of their evening that she liked the most. It wasn’t at all like the time she shared Emerald with Spirtfire at the Colt’s Club. This time, her coltfriend was hers to please sexually, and hers alone.

It all started with a dance. Cicada pushed Emerald onto the bed so he could watch at a distance as she stripped for him, free of charge, of course. Then, quick exchanges of saliva turned into deep and loving kisses. Clothes were removed and tossed around the room, and moans of pleasure echoed throughout the palace.

Cicada’s hand drifted to her crotch as she reminisced in the afterglow that came over her after that session with the love of her life. He wa young and inexperienced, but that didn’t stop him from doing his very best to make her earn every orgasm, and there were many. Her fingers rubbed her slit harder now, through her pajama shorts, tracing up and down the line before pressing ever so slightly on her clit.

She felt like she was in a trance. Hell, she was awake now, and she needed something to pass the time. Cicada’s eyes closed as she focused on her slit, rubbing even harder now as she engaged in self exploration, but then, it got even better.

Cicada let out a soft moan as she felt a hand caress her cheek, moving slowly from her face to her neck, then down to her breasts. “Mmmmm... Emerald, you ready for more?”

The hand responded in the affirmative and ever so gently groped her left breast before moving to the right one. Then, there was a second hand, and they began to work in tandem as they squeezed and played with her boobs through her loose tank top. She didn’t wear a bra to bed for obvious reasons, so Emerald’s hands had unrestricted access to her fleshy breasts and hard nipples.

The stimulation was driving her wild, now, so Cicada slipped her hand down her night shorts and into her panties. Bare skin touched bare skin, and shocks of electricity and ecstasy arched up her spine. She didn’t want it to stop, ever, but Emerald must have decided to move on, and his hands drifted down from her breasts, moving across her lower body and stopping at her waist.

Cicada figured she could anticipate what he wanted, and she wanted the same thing, but instead of going for her slit, his hands grabbed onto her shirt and began pulling up. She made no attempt to protest and even shifted her body’s weight on the bed so he could successfully undress her top.

She lifted her arms over her head, and as she shirt came off, her eyes opened, and she almost screamed.

It wasn’t Emerald who’d been groping her, and it wasn’t Emerald who’d she had helped pull her top off. Princess Luna leaned over her, in the bed on her hands and knees. Her majestic hair fell over Cicada like a waterfall, and her lips curled into a kind smile. “Shhhhh, my little changeling...”

Then, she leaned forward, pressing her lips into Cicada’s. They were soft, slightly wet even, and she couldn’t help letting out an excited cry as the princess grabbed her now naked breasts again and teased her nipples. It felt eerily familiar, kissing Luna, but this time, it wasn’t a dream. That much was certain.

As the kiss broke, a thick strand of saliva connected their bottom lips. Cicada’s berating grew rapid and shallow. No longer was she touching herself, but it was princess, who had her hand inside her panties.

“P-P-Princess Luna...” She let out a sharp gasp as the alicorn’s fingers slipped inside her. “Wha... What are you d-d-doing?”

Luna’s smile widened, and she bit her lower lip. “Isn’t it obvious? I like you, Cicada... If you’ll recall, I paid you your services while you dreamt, but now, I wish to have you for myself, fully awake and aware, if at least just this once.” Her words spilled out of her mouth like warm honey.

Cicada knew exactly what Luna was doing, tempting her while applying pleasure. It was a classic tactic used by the other dancers at the Colt’s Club to soften up patrons, and part of her was completely okay with it. The rest of her, however, thought of Emerald.

“Luna...” She put a hand over her mouth rock stop herself from moaning out loud. “Luna, please... Emerald is right there... He’ll wake up. He’ll see us. He’ll- Mmph!” She was cut off by the princess’ lips pressing into her own. The kiss was returned passionately.

It lasted for several moments before Luna pulled away again. Both of them were breathing heavily. “That’s the idea... You catch on quick.” Then, she offered Cicada a sly smirk before sitting upright on the dancer’s waist, grabbing onto her own shirt and pulling it up and over her head.

Cicada shook her head. She couldn’t believe what was happening, and it was happening right before her very eyes. “Luna, you can’t seriously be suggesting that Emerald would...”

As the princess’ naked breasts fell into view, Cicada’s jaw dropped. She’d seen them in her dream, but that experience paled in comparison to seeing them in person. Luna grinned wildly and held her arms above her head before giving her breasts a little shake. “Did you miss them?”

Cicada nodded her head slowly. She did for a fact. They were pale, soft, and big, far bigger than her own. From her position on her back, she reached upward and placed her hands on Luna’s boobs, giving both of them a gentle squeeze that caused the princess to moan.

“Oh, Cicada... Do that again...” She did as she was told and squeezed the mounds of flesh harder, alternating back and forth like a cat kneading a couch cushion. Each time her fingers closed in around her breasts, Luna reared her head back and moaned a little louder. “Oh... Oh, Cicada... Mmmmm! Don’t stop...”

Luna fell forward, placing her own hands on the dancer’s boobs, and together, they played with each other, teasing their nipples and growing more and more horny by the second. Cicada was growing impatient, now. She had come close to an orgasm several times without the satisfaction of actually finishing one. The princess could sense her anticipation and slowly nodded her head.

There was a word-less agreement between the two mares, and they let go of each other’s breasts. On her hands and knees, Luna traveled down Cicada’s body, planting quick kisses on her stomach along the way until she came to a stop just above her crotch. Luna looked back up at her one last time, and Cicada nodded her head, giving her permission to proceed.

Luna looped her fingers into and around Cicada’s shorts and panties before pulling both down simultaneously. The changeling did nothing to stop her, and she let out a soft whimper as a good breeze brushed against her slit. The rest of her clothes came off, and Luna tossed them off of the bed. With nothing left in her way, she closed her eyes and dove right in, mashing her lips into the soaked folds of Cicada’s bare slit.

She reared her head back and clutches the sheets in her tight-fisted hands. The princess hadn’t been eating her out for more than a minute before an orgasm struck her. Cicada tried her hardest to keep her mouth closed, but the overwhelming feelings of pleasure shook her to her very core. “Luna... Oh, Luuuuuunaaaaa!”

Cicada shot up, eyes wide, and covered her mouth with both hands as she realized what she had just done. Luna froze too, her eyes darting back and forth between Cicada and Emerald, who had begun to stir in his sleep. His eyes opened and began to scan the room, eventually landing on Luna. “Um... Cicada?”

The two mares sat upright and exchanged looks. Luna brushed her hair to the side, wiped the dancer’s fluids from her chin, and offered the boy a friendly wave. “Hello, Emerald...”

Cicada’s mind was racing frantically to come up with a good explanation, but every idea fell short. She needed to say something, anything at all to negate the terrible silence that had fallen on the bedroom. “I... uh... Well, I just wanted to surprise you with...” She looked down at Luna. “Um... Tell him, Princess.”

Emerald looked dazed and confused. “Is this a dream?” Cicada could see the gears in Luna’s mind turning as she tried to come up with something to say. “Why is Princess Luna in my dream?”

He sounded convinced, but Cicada couldn’t lie to him. If this was going to happen, she needed him to be on board. She leaned over him, cupping his cheeks in her hands and caressing him. “This isn’t a dream, babe...” Then, she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. “If you want, we can do this right now, and Luna can join...”

She could see his mind getting to work. His eyes shifted back and forth between her and the princess, who waved again. “Hello...”

Cicada pursed her lips and placed her hand on his throbbing cock, which was already hard with anticipation. “Do you remember that move we pulled with Spitfire?” He nodded, earning a smile from her. With her help, he sat upright and pulled his shirt over his head while she worked on his briefs, pulling them down and past his ankles, allowing his shaft to spring upward.

He was now just as naked as the two mares that were now closing in on him. The possibilities were limitless. Cicada didn’t even know where to begin, but Luna did.

The princess crawled along his body, swaying her hips from side to side until she reached his eye level. She licked her lips before leaning forward, planting them firmly on Emerald’s. The kiss deepened almost immediatly, and their lips parted to allow tongues to enter foreign mouths and swap saliva. “Cicada...” Luna gasped inbetween kisses before her mouth became cut off again by Emerald’s. “I hope... you are... okay with this... I really... need this...”

Cicada nodded her head and cracked a smile. “Just this once... Just don’t forget who he belongs too.” Then, she jumped in on the fun, grabbing Emerald’s shaft with one hand and the princess’ ass with the other. She gave Luna’s rear a firm ‘smack’, which earned a muffled cry from her as she made out with Emerald.

Cicada adored Emerald’s tool. She fell in love with it the first time she saw it that fateful day at the Colt’s Club, and she realized that one of her favorite things to do, easily, was to stroke him off. She had the stamina to do it, and his moans were music to her ears, but now wasn’t the time for such simple foreplay. Whether she liked it or not, this was now a competition between her and Luna, so she needed to step her game up in order to please her coltfriend.

She tightened her grip on the shaft and brought the head towards her mouth. Then, she opened wide and swallowed Emerald’s cock whole. In one fell swoop, she took in the tip and entire shaft, touching her nose to his stomach. Her head began to bob up and down, and she took him in her mouth again and again, moving on instinct. Under her oral attack, his body shook, and his toes curled, only encouraging her to suck harder.

Cicada didn’t notice when Luna stopped kissing him, but the princess eventually appeared across from her. She recognized the look in her eyes, so she lifted her head and let Emerald’s cock fall from her mouth. Gasping for air, Cicada encouraged her to give it a try. “Go ahead...”

Luna was grinning from ear to ear as she took the slippery cock, wet from the changeling’s saliva, in her hand. “He’s quite big for a stallion of his age, but I’ll give it my all...”

Unlike Cicada, she took it slowly, step by step. The princess brough the member to her lips and planted an affectionate kiss on the tip before taking it into her mouth. Loud moans echoed throughout the room, from both her and Emerald as she found a rhythm to follow.

Cicada watched with interest. The princess was unable to take his full cock inside her mouth before she began to gag. She tried this twice more before giving up and coming up for air. “Ah... He feels even bigger than he looks...”

The changeling laughed and rolled her eyes at her. “You have no idea...” Then, as though she were mounting a bike, she threw a leg over Emerald’s waist and straddled him, grinding her bare slit against the length of his shaft. The two lovers locked eyes, and let out shaky breaths. “Are you ready, baby?

He responded with a grin and a nod, stroking his cock with his free hand as she stayed suspended over it. “Yeah... Are you?”

Cicada didn’t waste time with words, choosing instead to lower herself onto his shaft. The head penetrated her first, and the rest of the cock quickly followed, filling her up and stretching the inner walls of her vagina. The changeling let loose a throaty moan leaned back, only to be caught by Luna.

The princess gropped her from behind, eagerly kissing her neck as she rose and fell on Emerald’s member. Cicada wasn’t doing all of the work, however. Emerald was meeting her in the middle, thrusting his hips upward to meet hers as they came down. A steady pattern of loud ‘smacks’ filled the room as skin hit skin routinely.

Not wanting to be entirely left out, Luna crawled to the other end of the bed and positioned herself similarly to Cicada. Instead of sitting over Emerald’s cock, however, she moved herself over his face. “May I? Please?”

Emerald nodded his head and guided the princess’ dripping slit onto his mouth. “Only because you asked nicely...”

Luna didn’t have time to laugh at his pleasant response before his lips came into contact with her crotch. Cicada watched it all from her position as she bounced up and down on his cock. The princess looked as though she might black out from the feelings of intense pleasure being inflicted on her. Emerald had done it to her a few times before, and she knew just how great he was with his tongue. “Ah! Oh, Emerald, you animal... Such a naughty boy...”

Emerald tongued her folds relentlessly, gropping her ass cheeks as he did so. After several minutes of this, he must have gone a little too deep, because Luna let out a shriek and fell forward, embracing Cicada and throwing her arms around the changeling like she was holding on for dear life.

Cicada laughed as she held the princess’ face against her chest. “Did you have an orgasm so soon? He’s a very talented stud...”

Luna was panting heavily. “Indeed...”

It didn’t end there, however, and the princess’ cries quickly returned as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. Cicada was nearing another orgasm herself. Emerald had been thrusting into her relentlessly for several minutes now, and her legs had gone numb. “Oh, baby... I love you so much... I love you... I love you...”

From underneath Luna’s rear, she heard him try to speak. “Um, Cicada... I... I’m...”

Cicada’s eyes widened. She recognized that tone. He too was close to cumming. There was no time to lose. Pushing off of his stomach, she launched herself off of his cock and onto her side. At the same time, Luna leaned forward and put her mouth over his cock, which was now soaking wet and smelled strongly of sex.

Emerald let out a loud moan, signaling his impending orgasm, and he then proceeded to release it all inside the princess’ mouth. Cicada watched his cock flex several times, each time shooting a load of cum into Luna’s mouth and down her throat.

When it was over and Emerald became still, Luna sat upright and fell off of his face, landing next to Cicada on the bed. The two mares smiled at one another and shared a long kiss. Their breasts rose and fell quickly with every breath. “You... didn’t want him... to release inside you?”

Cicada shook her head slowly. “No... Not yet, at least... Having a baby wouldn’t help my dancing career, but... maybe some day...” The thought of really settleing down with Emerald, starting a family, put a smile on her face. “Some day...”

Luna offered her a nod of understanding. “I understand... If there is ever a ‘next time’, I should like to give it a try...”

The changeling looked her over and saw that she was completely serious. Since she had just had a few orgasm, her mind was clear. “You mean it? You want to do this again?”

Luna nodded her head again. “Oh, yes... He’s wonderful, and you...” The princess reached out and stroked Cicada’s chin. “... You just drive me wild.” Then, she pulled the changeling into another kiss.

Cicada’s heart fluttered in her chest as their lips touched and parted to make way for their tongues. When the kiss ended, she sat up in the bed and looked over at Emerald. “Well, I’m sold. What do you think, babe? Want to do this again?” He responded with a gentle snore, and the changeling rolled her eyes. “Such a heavy sleeper. We must have knocked him out, Luna... Luna?”

The princess too was fast asleep, snoring softly next to Emerald. Cicada groaned and, as softly as she could manage, pushed her away from him. “Not so fast, you...” Then, she placed herself between them, with Emerald on her right and the princess on her left. Her eyes began to close, and before she knew it, she was out like a light.

***

Act 8: More Than Friends

There was only about thirteen or fourteen guests at the Colt’s Club when Gemini fell from the pole, but they all let out a collective ‘gasp’ as her head hit the stage. Within seconds, the stage was surrounded by concerned ponies, and other dancers were rushing to her aid. Dazed and confused, Gemini sat up as she rubbed the back of her head, wincing at the touch of the spot where she made contact with the hard surface.

Aria appeared by her side first, cradling the fallen dancer in her arms. “Gemini! Are you alright?!”

The pain wasn’t tremendous. She was just shocked from the fall. “Yeah… I think so…”

Gemini had never before slipped on stage, and the surprise that overcame her made her feel uneasy. She was always focused and graceful, so she had to wonder what had happened to her. Then, her eyes landed on Emerald.

His eyes were wide with concern as he approached her, trying to fight his way through the small crowd that had gathered around her.

“Come on, Gem... I’ll help you to your room.” With Aria’s support, the semi-nude dancer limped towards the edge of the stage and climbed down, all while holding a hand against the growing bump on her head. The bouncer played crowd control and singlehandedly held back the guests trying to see Gemini.

It wasn’t until she was back inside the safety of her dressing room that Gem felt she could breathe again. Aria helped her into her chair before backing towards the door and placing a hand on the knob. “I’ll go find Onyx.”

Then, she opened the door and quietly slipped outside, all without a single protest from Gem. After what had just happened, she didn’t mind a little quiet time in exchange for a scolding from her boss. Onyx was a hard stallion to please, but she knew he wouldn’t be too upset with her.

Gemini heard a knock at the door. She figured it to be Onyx, she fixed her top to conceal most of her breasts.

“Come in...” The door knob creaked softly as it turned, and the barrier opened, but it wasn’t Onyx who had knocked. Gemini gasped as she crossed her arms across her bare skin. “Emerald!”

The boy turned his gaze and shielded his eyes. “I’m sorry, Gemini... I just came to see if you were alright...”

Anger boiled inside of her. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he was the reason she fell. “I’m fine, no thanks to you!”

This time, Emerald looked her directly in her eyes, no longer afraid of her nudity. “What’s that supposed to mean? I just showed up for our... you know... and when I walked in, I saw you fall!

Gem was beyond angry, now. She was furious. “You made me lose my focus! If it hadn’t been for you, I would have landed that move. I have half a mind to cancel...”

“Gem!”

Both her and Emerald froze as a new voice thundered in her dressing room. Onyx had appeared at the door with the bouncer behind him, and she hadn’t even noticed. “You’re not going to cancel anything today, Gem. You already blew off Princess Luna today, so you’re going to fulfill this contract or so help me I will cut your pay for this month in half!”

The whole room was completely silent as Onyx stormed away, leaving only Gem, Emerald, and the bouncer by the door. Emerald scratched his head curiously. “What was that he said about the princess?”

Gem couldn’t believe the kind of day she was having. Everything began so well and had shown so much promise, but now, all she wanted to do was return to her apartment and crawl into bed. Without even looking at Emerald, she motioned for the bouncer. “Hey, big guy... Can you get him out of here?”

Gemini watched from her chair as the hulking stallion took Emerald by the arm and began pulling him towards the door. “Wait... Hold on... Gem, I just want to talk to you... Hey, let go!”

He was no match for the bouncer’s raw strength. “You heard the lady. Get lost.” Then, he closed the door behind them, leaving Gem alone in her room once again.

Silence filled the void and her gaze shifted so her eyes met her own through the mirror on the table in front of her. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. When they opened again, Gemini had vanished.

Sitting in the very chair the beautiful dancer once occupied was the pale figure of a changeling. Cicada groaned as she stretched her arms above her head and pulled her top off. She could stand the thing squeezing her breasts any longer. With her airflow restored, her breaths became deeper and fuller, allowing her racing heart to slow down and for her to collect her thoughts.

She was still angry, but not at Emerald. The anger she felt was directed at herself. Emerald had nothing to do with her fall, and she knew it. Now, Cicada had pushed him away, and the thought of losing him really made her sick.

Observing her naked top, she could see that her skeletal appearance had extended even more, making her look fuller. No longer could she count all of her ribs, and that, unlike her fall from grace, was thanks to her growing friendship with Emerald. Cicada shot up from her chair and dashed for the door, quickly managing to change forms before she bolted onto the club floor.

Looking left and right, her eyes scanned the immediate area for Emerald. She spotted him sitting at a table by stage four alone and ran to meet him. “Emerald!”

A few guests stopped and stared as her naked breasts bounced freely with every stride, but none stood in her way. At hearing the call of his name, Emerald looked up and shielded his eyes as Gemini came bounding towards him. The mare leaped forward, throwing her hands onto the table and flipping over the top. Then, she came back down on the other side, landing squarely on Emerald’s lap.

Her breasts rose and fell with every deep breath she took, and she boasted a wild grin on her face. Emerald, on the other hand, was shocked as she pressed her body into his. “Emerald... I’m sorry for the way I acted...” Gemini brushed her golden hair out of her eyes while keeping them trained on the stallion’s. “Let’s find a room... We have some business to conclude, and I’ve got just the thing for you...”

Emerald’s eyes darted back and forth between Gemini’s and the bare flesh she forced into his face. “It isn’t any more than this, is it?”

Gem laughed aloud and cupped his face in her hands, bringing him closer. “Oh, it’s sooooo much more... I’ve been thinking about you, and I just can’t stop.” The confessions fell out of her mouth without any kind of resistance. It was as though her mind had taken the back seat while her heart pushed her forward.

Then, she dropped her hands and climbed off of him. Taking his hand in hers, she lead Emerald away from the tables and stages and towards the back rooms. This would be one contract she’d be more than happy to fulfill. Pulling Emerald behind her, Gemini pushed her way into the first room they encountered and closed the door.

Emerald had only seconds to get his bearings before the dancer pounced on him, pushing him onto the love seat against the back wall. With his body spread out against the cushions, she climbed on top of him, showering his face with attacks from her lips as she straddled his crotch. “Gemini, this is all happening so fast... Shouldn’t we slow down a little and-“

She pressed her lips into his, effectively cutting him off. Her heart exploded inside her chest, and her stomach felt like it was filled with fireworks. This kiss felt nothing like their first one, when she was tipsy from drinking after their first encounter. To her, it felt special, like the kiss belonged to her and it was hers to claim.

Gemini felt his body shift beneath her. As they kissed, his hands rose up her lower back to her shoulders and back down again. She couldn’t believe it. He was really holding her! The hot kissing, the genuin show of affection... Both felt too good, and it was all too much for her.

She pulled back, breaking the kiss and inhaling a deep breath. Emerald too was gasping for air. “Whoa...”

Gemini reared her head back, pushing her breasts forward. “Oh, baby... That was only the beginning. I’m just getting started with you...”

Emerald looked at her chest as one of her hard nipples poked against his cheek. Then, he looked back up at her and frowned. Clearly, something was wrong, but before Gemini could ask, he grabbed onto her and flipped the two of them over, swapping their positions on the sofa.

Gemini was stunned as Emerald beared down on her. “Maybe I’m just getting started with you...” He moved in to kiss her, but he was stopped by the sound of an opening door.

Both lovers turned in horror as their privacy was evicorated. In her rushed desire to pin Emerald, Gem had neglected to lock the door. The door opened wide, and Spitfire poked her head inside, eyes wide at the sight she saw before her.

The look of surprise on her face didn’t prevail, however, as it was quickly replaced by a sly grin. “Hmm... Not quite what I expected... May I come in?”

Without waiting for an answer, the Wonderbolt entered anyway, closing and locking the door behind her. From underneath Emerald, Gemini frowned. “We’re a little busy... This was supposed to be private.“

Spitfire smirked and folded her arms across her chest. “We had a deal, Miss Gemini. Your performance exceeded my expectations, despite the slip at the end. Am I wrong in assuming this is the fan you wanted me to meet?”

Emerald looked back and forth between Gem and Spitfire like he was caught in the middle of two scrapping bobcats. “Deal? What deal? Gem, what is she talking about?”

Gemini said nothing, but she grinded her teeth together. Spitfire was already beginning to pull her shirt over her head. “I’ll pay for both of our fees if I have to... I really need this...” As her top came off completely, her fiery orange hair fell over shoulders. She wore a dark red bra underneath with the words ‘Wonderbolt Bad Ass’ printed across the cups.

Emerald was looking frantic. “Gemini, what is happening?”

She turned and looked him in the eyes before pulling his face down into a brief, but passionate kiss. When their lips parted, she could see out of the corner of her eye that Spitfire had stripped completely. “This is just getting a little more interesting is all... Didn’t I tell you I’d get you to meet the captain of the Wonderbolts?”

Emerald tensed up as he felt Spitfire wrap her arms around him from behind. “Y-Y-Yes, but I never thought...”

A finger pressed against his lips, Spitfire’s finger. “Shhhhhhh... You’re really cute, but you gotta relax and enjoy yourself.” Then, she pulled him into a tender kiss, extracting a muffled cry from the surprised stallion.

Gemini got to work on his shirt, undoing the buttons one by one until the divide split. Her heart rate elivated at seeing his bare torso, but she needed to see a little more.Luckily, Spitfire had already gotten to his pants, and her nimble fingers pulled the button lose and the zipper down.

With the two mares working together to undress him, Emerald was helpless against them. Eventually, he began to return Spitfire’s affectionate kisses and reciprocate the action. Jealousy wasn’t one of Gemini’s chief characteristics, but she didn’t like what she was seeing.

The dancer gave Spitfire a firm push, startling her and breaking the kiss. “Don’t get too cozy with my client, Spitfire...”

Gem brushed Emerald off of her and stood up from the sofa, coming face to face with the disgruntled Wonderbolt. “If you want to kiss so badly, why don’t you pick on somepony your own size?”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow, but a smile quickly came over her. “Alright, Miss Gemini...” Then, she gently draped her arms over the dancer and pulled her close. “I’ll just have to kiss you instead.”

Unexpected... That was the word Gemini could use to describe Spitfire’s sexual advance. Unexpected, but not unwelcome.

The kiss that came next extracted a low moan from her mouth that traveled into Spitfire’s. Standing in the middle of the room, the two mares exchanged tongues and saliva, each using her hands to explore the other’s body. “Mmmm... How... Mmmm, Oh Gemini... How long did... did Emerald pay for... pay for you...”

Gem turned her head, breaking the kiss long enough to take a breath. “He paid for the hour time slot... Why?”

Spitfire beamed at them both. “Let’s make it two hours... My treat.”

***Up Next: Into The Fire***