Love Bites

The winds whistled and howled as they tossed and tumbled in the hollow depths of the Crevice. The cold air nipped at Collin's coat, but he ignored it. The stallion was looking down, teetering dangerously close to the cliff's edge, the slightest nudge would be enough to send him over into the neverending darkness. His ears slicked back to listen as nervous hooves clicked across the stony surface behind him. Limelight's eyes stung with tears, and she threw her body onto the ground as she wailed. “P-please, Sir! Please don't harm my brother any further for something he didn't do... I'm the one who put those thoughts in his head. If there's anyone you should punish, it's me, Sir.”

The Alpha’s head turned to look at the Beta, realizing that she was in the Omega position. Sighing, he moved away from the edge, rising and stepping just in front of her bowed head. “Stand up, Beta. You have no need to degrade yourself to the ways of an Omega. It wasn't your fault.”

The unicorn's head lifted, looking up at him with tear stained eyes. The rest of her body followed, and she stood, trembling slightly. “T-thank you, Sir.”

“Now go home. Your sister must be worried sick.”

“Yes, Sir.” Her horn began to spark before igniting completely, causing her to disappear in a small flash of light. Collin sighed again, sitting back down. His body tensed as something warm suddenly pressed itself against his back, his wings unfurling out of instinct. Once his nose caught hint of a familiar smell, however, he relaxed.

“Ember… what are you doing here?”

The earth pony simply hummed in response, his tail flickering as he rested his head on the other's shoulder.

“Hey, Mister No Personal Space, I'm talking to you.”

“I wanted to see if you were dead or not,” Ember finally mumbled.

“You're just the most straightforward Alpha I've ever met.”

“Figured as much. How else did you become so nonchalant about everything?”

Collin scoffed. His eyes stared at the red hooves that were wrapped around his waist. “Seriously though. Why are you here?” He heard a soft sigh come from the other stallion.

“Because I didn't want to see my best friend do something that could cost him his life.”

They both went quiet for a moment, the cold wind whispering in their ears. The pegasus then decided to speak.

“I wasn't going to do it, you know. I'm not stupid. But...I appreciate you coming after me. It's not everyone who would do that.”

Ember hummed again, holding the other a little tighter. “I know, but I'm not everyone, and neither is my pack. I do ask that you give my son an apology the next time you see him.”

“Of course. I'd feel awful if I didn't. Speaking of which, aren't you going to send someone to bring them back? I don't think Pixel would be ready to see me at the moment.”

The earth pony shrugged. “I think they just need some time to themselves right now. Emotional support, or whatever you call it.”

Collin agreed, his eyes closing as the male released his hold on his abdomen, the hooves strengthened from years of running surprisingly gentle as they rested on his shoulder blades, rubbing small circles into the tense muscles. He began to purr as they slowly traveled down his back, his ears perking every time a bone in his vertebrae popped. His body then jerked as he felt a pair of lips lightly kiss at the spot just in between his wings, then the warmth of Ember's muzzle as he nuzzled him.

“E-Ember, what are you doing?”

“Relax. I just making sure your reflexes were in check. You've been through a lot these past few weeks. Through the past few hours, to be more specific.”

The pegasus's shoulders lowered as he slowly got over the sudden jolt of energy surging through his nerves, only for them to raise again as the Alpha grabbed his tail and pulled him closer, causing him to fall flat on his face.

“Ow...If you wanted me to lay down you could've just asked…”

“Sorry, force of habit. You haven't had your wings preened in a while now have you?” A shake of the head was his answer. “Well we can't have that. C’mon, spread those big boys.”

Collin's eyes rolled, but he obliged, extending his wings to their full length. Ember repositioned himself so he was standing above the pegasus, lowering his head to reach his feathers. His tongue expertly glided across them, nudging them all into neat rows. He paused at the sight of Collin's silver feathers before pushing them into place with his nose. “I remember when you got these. I don't think I had ever seen you so excited before,” he murmured.

The other smiled. “I had thought it was just a legend, nothing more. Turns out I was wrong.”

“That you were. Now roll over.”

He obeyed, turning so he was now resting on his back. Yelping in surprise as the red stallion quickly straddled his hips, he stared up at him with a confused expression. The Alpha paid him no mind, instead placing his hooves on the other's chest, dipping his head to do the same thing that he did with the back of his wings. His eyes started to slide shut again when he heard the one on top of him growl. He noticed that the Lead was breathing a bit heavy, and not because of the constant leaning down and pulling himself back up. His eyes trailed down to locate the source of the problem. His heart pounded as he watched as the tip of Ember's shaft slowly slip out of its sheath, a few drops pooling around the head. “Awe, Alpha. You seem to be in a bit of a predicament there,” he purred playfully.

Ember hissed, getting off the younger male. “I couldn't help it. Your yelp sounded like a mare’s in Heat, and that kicked my senses into overdrive.”

“Speckle hasn't gone into Heat yet? Well that explains your behavior. Is...is there anything I can do to help?”

The earth pony's eyes had now turned blue, and he nodded once. “Just, come here.”

Collin did so, not expecting to have his teeth suddenly jabbed into his neck. He cried out at first, but then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His legs buckled, and he grunted as his wings sprang up from his sides. Finally his eyes fell back into place, his irises a glowing blue. His mind was hazy when Ember let go. “W-what did you just…”

“Mental reset,” was the reply.

“Why?”

“To reassume dominance. Better this than what else I had planned.”

“O-Oh, um, ok. Do you mind helping me? I don't think I can fully walk just yet.”

Without a word, the taller stallion was scooped up and placed onto Ember's back like he was as light as a colt. “But of course. Anything to help a friend.” The pair left the Crevice behind them, not once turning back.