Center Stage

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***