Chapter 1 - An Honorable Bloodline
It had been five years now since Octavia Melody had first played her cello for Princess Luna at the first – frankly disastrous - Grand Galloping Gala following the lunar alicorn’s return from the moon. In that time, the two mares had been on many dates together since going to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Canterlot Theatre. After so much time spent together, Luna and Octavia had gradually become more and more sexually active. Their most recent date, which had consisted of a cloud five thousand feet above the Royal Palace, an enchanted gramophone, a charmed wine bottle designed to refill itself and a personalised night sky just for her special earth pony, the Princess had brought them back to Octavia's suite in the Palace’s east wing.
On Octavia’s bed, in a fit of deep passion, Luna and her mare were moaning each other’s names as both of their wet marehoods were giving each other wet, sloppy kisses down below. Their rear legs were grinding and pressing together, their forehooves pushed against the ends of the bed, and their tongues hung out of their mouths.
"Is your sister going to walk in on us again?” Octavia asked slyly as Luna began to get more and more dominating in her grinds and presses.
"She might…” Luna commented just as slyly in return as Octavia submitted to the Princesses advances. "You know she needs all the pointers she can get…”
“Hey! Lulu that’s not funny!” Octavia pouted, with all her willpower momentarily stopping what they were doing with a strong hoof pressed to her marefriend’s chest.
Blinking her turquoise eyes, Luna realised she’d overstepped the mark just ever so slightly. “Tavi…baby…I promise Celly won’t walk in. I’m sorry for my bit of fun.”
Try as she might, the grey earth pony mare couldn’t stay mad at her beautiful lover. Not in the situation they were in, at any rate. With the alicorn’s apology accepted it only took a few more hard grinds to get her back on the edge of her climax. “Oh…Oh goddess, L-Luna! Keep going, I'm gonna, I'm gonna!" She screamed at the height of her pleasure.
"Keep going!" Luna all but commanded as she was reaching her orgasm. "I want you to cum with me!"
Octavia didn't complain, the cellist loved it when her Luna got all dominating; it was a sort of turn on. Tilting their heads back in pleasure, both mares let out an orgasmic scream as they both felt shocks of pleasure shoot through them. Their orgasms spent, Luna and Octavia fell back onto the soft bed. Within a couple minutes, the two lovers were embracing each other in a gentle cuddle, their bodies still soaked in sweat and passion.
"That was amazing." Octavia cooed against her lover's body. "I love you so much, Lulu."
"I love you too, Tavi." Luna cooed back, nuzzling against her love's body. It wasn’t many ponies that she allowed to be so familiar with her. Three, in fact, and she was snuggling with one of them right now. The other was in her private quarters at the other end of the hall and the third, her most trusted hoofmaiden, was having the night off. But, her tone was a little more mono-toned than usual.
"Are you okay?" Octavia asked. "What's on your mind?"
"Well, we've been together for nearly a year now." Luna started. "But I...I...well..."
"You still want to find out who that missing pony is?" Octavia finished Luna's thought. "I know how much finding Sky Dive’s descendent means to you. If you want, I could help."
"I...I can't..." Luna said, a small bit of sorrow in her voice. "I failed her, and it's up to me to find him. I'm close, I just...I just don't know what to say."
"I know you'll think of something." Octavia smiled, supporting her love. "Also, there is something I wanted to talk about." Luna didn't answer but the expression she showed told Octavia she wanted her to continue. "What do you think about us having foals?"
The question was not a sudden one for Octavia Melody. The earth pony mare had seen how well Luna interacted with the foals in Ponyville during the last Nightmare Night festival. Indeed, it had been her idea, with some ‘encouragement’ from Celestia and Echo, her hoofmaiden, that had gotten Luna to attend. Seeing how well her lover had been received by the populace of the town, and how well Luna had done, only served to make Octavia a little broody.
In her early thirties, she was acutely aware that while Luna was ageless, she herself was not.
Following Octavia’s request, the subsequent couple weeks had been an extra bit of stress for Luna. The ongoing search for Sky Dive's descendant, in addition to now thinking about foals and how they would possibly go about doing it, made the Princess of the Night a little too distracted and worried to even focus on her own Night Court, let alone do anything else.
Thankfully, Princess Celestia was supportive, she made every effort in helping Luna organize the paperwork and the court, she even went so far as to take care of the moon on her sister’s behalf. As for her search on the lost heir, Luna was close. She knew it was one of her guards now. It had to be! But which one? But tonight, such concerns had to wait. Tonight, Luna and Octavia were going to discuss the idea of foals.
Sitting in the private chambers of her suite, Luna awaited Octavia's arrival. Octavia had previously made it clear – all week in fact, over breakfast, dinner and supper and every other opportunity she had - that she wanted to discuss everything tonight. Luna couldn't refuse her lover, even with all her stresses and worries, Luna didn't want to miss anytime with her marefriend. But, after a few short moments, her wait came to an end. A knock at the door woke her from her thoughts.
"You may enter." Luna called to the door. She knew whom it was by the cadence of the knock. The biggest surprise was that she bothered to knock at all.
The ornately carved midnight blue marble door opened, revealing Octavia, looking oddly more ravaging and slightly more flushed than usual. But, she was not alone; besides her was one of Luna's personal elite Lunar guards. Moonshine was the stallion’s name. He was a bat pony with a coat the same dark blue as the Princess he protected. His neatly shaved mane was a light grey, his cutie mark was a crescent moon with a pair of white wings; but what really drew Luna's attention was his sparkling bright blue eyes.
"Moonshine?" Luna commented, her head cocked to one side, "Octavia's escort wasn't necessary, but I thank you."
"My pleasure Princess." Moonshine bowed his head. "I was ordered by Princess Celestia to escort Lady Octavia to your chambers and to guard the door to ensure nopony is to bother or interrupt you two."
Before Luna could ask, Moonshine saluted smartly, lest he be reported to Captain Moonscar for dereliction of duty and he left the room. Looking Octavia over, Luna saw more and more that Octavia was strangely more aroused and trembling than normal. "Uh Octavia?" Luna asked, suddenly detecting a scent that was unmistakable. "Are you by any chance in…"
Octavia suddenly leaped at Luna, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence, her earth pony strength pressing her to the bed; but not before her mouth pressed against Luna's. "Heat? Yes!" Octavia continued her oral assault on Luna's mouth, soon moving it to her neck. Luna wanted to struggle a little, but deep down, she was enjoying this; her body shivered in the excitement and pleasure Octavia's mouth was giving her.
"Y-You shouldn't be here." Luna reluctantly commented. "If you're in heat, then…"
"I don't care!" Octavia said, interrupting Luna's comment with yet more wet kisses, and her hoof moving down to Luna's nether regions. After a couple seconds of rubbing, Octavia giggled in Luna's mouth. "It seems somepony is getting wet."
"I-It's not like that." Luna blushed, finally getting Octavia off. "Octavia. I love you, but a foal. I mean how could we do that? We're both mares."
"We can find a donor." Octavia suggested, thinking remarkably clearly in spite of her heat. “I think I even found the perfect candidate.”
"Candidate?" Luna's turquoise eyes widened and her ears drooped at the thought of some other pony mating with her marefriend. "Who could possibly be a suitable donor?"
"You can come back in." Octavia called to the door. The door opened, revealing Moonshine stood at perfect attention.
"Moonshine‽" Luna asked. "But why?"
"Princess Luna..." cautiously, taking a hesitant few steps forwards, Moonshine began his explanation. "I just wanted to tell you something. When I was a little colt, back when you were sealed in the prison of the moon, I was told by my mother that if I were to ever meet you, I was to tell you this; It was the night before the Celestial Day Celebration. She was enjoying your night and you were busting clouds when you two met."
"W-w-what did you say?" Luna asked, the world seems to halt around her. No living pony, with the exception of her sister and Octavia, knew the circumstances of how she had met Sky Dive. "H-How do you know this?"
"Because you were good friends with my ancestor...more than good friends…" Moonshine answered, bowing his head in deep respect. "I was always told that you and Sky Dive were the closest of friends."
"You..." Luna dropped to her knees, the tears wouldn't stop flowing. "After all this time...you were right there...and I never knew...I'm a horrible Princess and a worst friend...I couldn't even..."
"It's okay Lulu," Octavia hugged the still crying Luna close. "From what you told me, Sky forgave you, she always loved you, just as I love you now."
"Princess." Moonshine presented himself, showing off his more toned body. "I was ordered by Princess Celestia to help with Lady Octavia's consummation. But only if you wish it to be so."
"You mean..." Luna looked at Octavia, then back to her guard, then to Octavia again. "You want him to be the father?"
"I want you to be the parent." Octavia said, hugging Luna tighter. "Who better to impregnate me than your old lover’s descendent?"
"But, but…such an idea. I mean, how I could ever…" Luna's words were interrupted by Octavia's kissing mouth.
"I know this is a lot to take in all at once." Octavia said. "I'm sorry I'm rushing your choice. We don't have to do this tonight if you don't want to."
Luna sat there for a moment, her mind was going crazy from the thoughts and revelations. Here was her marefriend, offering to get pregnant with the child of the descendent of her past love's bloodline. The very idea was almost a mixture of too good to be true yet too bad at the same time. How could Luna allow this? But looking at Octavia, how she cared for Luna, how she was willing to put her own needs behind Luna's. Wiping the last of her tears away, Luna nodded her head, kissing Octavia back.
"You may proceed." Luna spoke gently to Moonshine, though she quickly recovered her composure, she did not want this to be an order. This was not the times of the harems, after all. "Moonshine, if you are willing, only, if you are willing, I would very much like you to consummate with Octavia. You would please us greatly if you were to impregnate her this night.”
"Yes Princess." Moonshine nodded. "I shall fulfil my role as donor and once my task is done, the foal will be yours and Lady Octavia's, though if it pleases you, highness, I should like to be present and involved with the foal’s life." Luna didn't say anything else, she merely nodded her approval – the very last thing she wanted was a faceless nameless donor - as she slid around the large sumptuous bed to nestle in alongside her marefriend’s head, getting ready to give her kisses and encouragement as was needed.
Octavia remained on the bed, leaning back to give Moonshine some room on the bed. As strange as it was knowing what was to come, Luna felt an odd sense of arousal from this situation. She has read that some couples would do something like this, sharing with another pony to spice things up. Her niece, Cadance had taken great lengths telling her all about it. She just didn't know how to approach Octavia about it. But here she was, about to watch Octavia be rutted by another pony; even more kinky, to get impregnated by another pony.
"How would you like me to proceed, my lady?" Moonshine asked softly, staring as Octavia raised herself to show off her already glistening wet marehood. It was obvious that despite the focused look on his face, Moonshine himself was aroused; his stallionhood was already out of its sheath and was quite large for a stallion of his age.
"Just put it in." Octavia stated, her heat making her more blunt due to her desperation than anything else. She wiggling her rear provocatively towards the guard. As aroused as she was, Octavia was never too into stallions. Heat though, could do strange things to a pony. "What are you waiting for…ahh!"
Smiling, Moonshine saw that Octavia was wet, but not wet enough to take in his full girth. So instead of trying to hurt her – he was painfully aware his Princess was right there – Moonshine leaned in and starting licking at Octavia's slit; lubing her up for his eventual intercourse. Despite her affections towards Luna, Octavia was feeling very good from the guard's practiced tongue. The way he was stroking her labia and just inside her entrance, as well as lapping up her juices, it only made her wetter.
For a moment, Octavia looked at Luna. The moment Octavia and Luna's eyes met, the feeling that her love was watching her body being played with by somepony else sent a new shiver through her body. This shiver made her needy marehood squirt out an early orgasm.
Seeing her beloved mare have her first climax of the evening, and the connection they held with each other's lingering gaze, Luna bent her neck and gave Octavia a deep passionate kiss, wasting no time at all in sliding her tongue into her mouth.
"Are you alright, Lady Octavia?" Moonshine asked, hoping he hadn't been too rough on her.
"I-I'm…I’m fine." Octavia gasped around Luna’s kiss, she tried to compose herself, but she was just too horny to really relax. "Just shove that…dirty…big…sexy… oh, just rut me, please!"
"Yes my lady." Moonshine said, placing his forehooves on Octavia's rear, before thrusting his large cock into Octavia's tight puffy marehood. Though she was by no means a virgin, having been subjected to Luna’s fun collection of toys over the past year, an actual cock on a real enthusiastic stallion was an altogether different proposition to a dildo, however skillfully it was used.
Seeing her marefriend struggle to take the bat pony’s length – and girth – Luna decided once again to delve her tongue straight into Octavia’s mouth, while, after a devious thought the lunar alicorn lit her horn and with a subtle little spell she sent rippling vibrations through the grey earth pony mare’s breasts and nipples.
With the heat-addled mare now dripping wet and whimpering due to the Princesses timely intervention, Moonshine went back to his duty, pulling out half way; only to thrust back inside Octavia's slit to the hilt, burying himself inside her.
Moonshine continued his bucking; going teasingly slow at first and making sure to slowly widen Octavia's marehood so he wouldn't hurt her. While this was going on, Luna continued to kiss her marefriend’s lips as well as magically caressing her breasts. It was still too much to take in at once. To think that the descendant she was looking for was right there all this time.
Moonshine was not only one of her guards, but was also the one who was almost always stationed to guard her chambers and even escort her around the castle. The pony she spent so long searching for was right there. After feeling that her muscular tunnel was wet enough to take more, the bat pony stallion started to roughly pound against the mare, maintaining a firm pressure on her hips while Octavia quietly moaned with delight. The sound of his groin slapping against her echoed throughout the room, followed by his growing grunting and the Octavia's moans of ecstasy.
Eventually, after who knows how many minutes, Moonshine began to feel himself coming to a climax, his movements were getting faster and faster as he built up to his release. Below him, Octavia had already lost herself to the pleasure of the stallion's broad shaft, her eyes were rolled upwards and her tongue was soon drooling out of her mouth while her face rubbed against the soft bed.
With a final thrust, Moonshine's hips lurched forward as he painted Octavia's insides with his thick spunk, relishing in the feeling of his ejaculate filling her up to the brim and plugging her entrance; as well as this act being finally over. Slowly, Night released himself from Octavia's tight body, finishing off by covering her curved back and rump with the rest of his seed.
"I hope I fulfilled my role." Moonshine commented moments later, when he was able to speak, though he was still a little short on breath from his orgasm, seeing how much he came inside Octavia; a small bit of pride filled him when he saw a little of his cum was trickling out of her.
"You did excellently," Luna commented as she finally broke her long-held kiss she had shared with the grey mare before her voice filled with uncertainty. "Ah, you...I…please, join us on the bed a while longer, my most faithful guard." The next hour or so was spent in this manner, all three ponies snuggling and cuddling together on the Princess’s huge bed.
"Moonshine…" Luna said ever so gently, putting her speech lessons with Fluttershy to good use now, causing her guard to lift his head from Octavia’s inflated belly, "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I...I'm sorry for what happened to her."
"Thank you Princess," Moonshine commented, he didn’t need to ask to whom she was referring. He knew. "I know she would have loved to see you again." He at least had the good grace to look away from his Princess, lest he witness her tears.
"One more thing," Luna said, addressing the stallion while looking deep in her lover's eyes. "When the foal grows old enough to ask questions about their origin. We'll tell them of you. We would like you to be involved, should you wish to be.” The stallion had got up from the bed, his duty now performed, though he staggered a step as he continued towards the door unable to think of a reply.
"Thank you for making my wife happy," Luna added as she watched Octavia's eyes grow wide. The stallion left the room with a smile on his face and quietly closed the door. Luna looked Octavia over until her focus stopped on her slightly inflated belly. "Do you think it worked?"
"Wife?" was all the earth pony mare could manage. Of all the things they had spoken about over the past few years, marriage had never once come up. Now though, now Luna had said it, she wanted it so badly she could taste it.
The Princess snapped her attention from her lover’s belly up to Octavia's face. "Yes, I think a foal should have two sets of parents." Luna leaned in for a very deep kiss.
When they separated Octavia smiled and looked down. "Yes, they should." She ran a hoof over her belly. "I believe it did," She said to answer the earlier question then looked back up into her lover's eyes, "What should we name it?"
"If it's a colt...Dusk Melody." Luna considered, feeling Octavia's warm sweaty body close to her.
"And if it's a filly?" Octavia asked, cuddling back to her love. "How about Moon Dive?"
"I'd like that." Luna kissed Octavia's forehead. "I love you, Tavi."
"I love you too, Lulu." Octavia kissed her lover back.
Chapter 2 - Family is Everything
~ Eighteen years later ~
Beep!
The light streaming through the windows of the royal suite in the Royal Palace’s east wing had done precious little to wake the sleeping stallion nestled in the Princess sized bed for the past few hours. What did finally cause him to stir was a noise that came straight from Tartarus itself.
Beep! Beep!
The midnight blue pegasus hadn’t cared until right at that moment that it was quickly approaching two in the afternoon. He didn’t much care he’d slept almost the whole day away and that his mane looked like he had flown through the Everfree Forest backwards. Hitting the foliage of every tree in the process.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Buck off!” Dusk Midnight Melody groused, his voice muffled a fair bit by the plush sumptuous duvet he was nestled under. He was warm, comfortable, and he did not want to move, even to shut off his alarm clock. ‘Who in Tartarus even set his alarm clock anyway, it was a Saturday for Celestia’s sake! It was the weekend! Nopony set their alarm on the weekend!
Try as he might to get back to sleep, and he did try, because he had been dreaming of going to the spa where he was being massaged by several large, hunky, muscular oiled up earth pony stallions all at once, the infernal alarm clock would not allow him to doze any longer.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Vague memories of the night before came swimming back. Memories of a Friday night with his friends in his suite. Himself, his best friend Wildfire and very good friends Darkstar, Brightstar and Cyclone along with his two other friends Air Raid and Slingshot had been playing poker and drinking. Drinking rang a bell in his head. They had done much, much drinking. They had gotten through almost two barrels of his mother’s moonshine.
The hard stuff, too.
Dusk himself had put away three quarters of a barrel on his own. Alas, he was too hung over to consider if he had a drinking problem or not. ‘No…’ he thought, ‘I can’t have a problem, I can get it whenever I like!’ As more and more of the previous night returned to him, the more he was horrified. He had lost four thousand bits in the poker game, mostly to Darkstar and Slingshot.
Almost his whole month’s allowance!
Beep! Beep! Be…
“Buck off!” Dusk had at last had enough of the damned alarm clock. He lifted his hoof up from the remarkably comfortable cocoon of his duvet. Blindly he felt around on his nightstand to silence the merciless beeping. First thing to get knocked off to the floor was his glass of water. Thankfully it was empty and the glass didn’t break on the carpeted floor of his suite. Second thing to go was book h had been reading. Sadly, the wretched alarm clock was the third thing to hit the floor.
Thoroughly unable now to even think about venturing back into the Dreamscape and the spa with the oiled up stallions, Dusk Melody swore under his breath and cursed the manufacturers of all alarm clocks in Equestria as he hauled his hungover carcass out of his bed.
Sadly, as he was swirled up in his duvet, this was not an easy manouvre and, with a muffled crash, the young Prince was the fourth thing to hit the bedroom floor. Fortunately, this placed him within reach of his clock, which he now silenced with extreme prejudice.
Rubbing his pink eyes with the tips of his wings, Dusk trudged over to his vanity in his room. If he was up, he could at least look like he belonged in the Palace and not the Badlands. The reflection that stared back from the mirror was not very kind. While the Prince was a rather effeminate stallion – he’d been mistaken for a mare many times – his charcoal grey mane stuck out at every angle known to mathematics. ‘Better fix that…’ he thought. The billowy magic mane look didn’t suit him.
Smiling, Dusk took up his favourite manebrush and, a few well-placed strokes later, it was back under some semblance of control. Nice, long strokes down the back and rounded out up front. He giggled, because now his mane looked uncannily like his mother’s, Octavia’s. He liked it though, the slightly girly look suited him. He knew while he was doing this that he’d be taking a bath in a moment, and that he’d have to brush his mane and fur again. That didn’t stop him. He didn’t get bored of styling his mane. Something he had in common with Cyclone.
They’d spent many hours brushing each other’s manes, much to the amusement of the rest of their friends. Not that they were malicious, far from it.
Four hours later, with the wall clock just starting to chime six in the evening, Dusk Melody emerged from his bedroom in his suite following an extensive and luxurious bubblebath. He did love his bubblebaths, mostly thanks to the shampoos and things imported directly from Saddle Arabia. He emerged, much like a butterfly from a chrysalis – dear Celestia he was such a mare! – refreshed, brushed, combed and preened. He couldn’t shake the feeling though during the bathing that he was missing something.
He was definitely missing something. What though, he couldn’t put his hoof on.
A cursory glance around his suite revealed nothing out of place, although, he noted, the Palace cleaning staff had been in while he had been out cold and cleaned up his place. He knew they’d done this not because the beer bottles and empty cans were gone, and it didn’t smell like a salt lick factory – looking at you, Slingshot – but because his coffee table was different.
He was sure yesterday it had been round, walnut and with a drawer under it. Now it was rectangular, and made of black oak. Then it dawned on him. After the tenth moonshine, Slingshot, Brightstar and himself had engaged in a sheath measuring contest on the table. As it turned out, the earth pony’s package was biggest, his was smallest. They had then carved in the results with a knife. To record said results.
No wonder the table had been changed.
Still, he was sure he was missing something, something he wasn’t getting. And it wasn’t the table. Whatever it was, he was sure a cup of steaming hot earl grey tea would provide the answer. Tea, he found, was the solution to many of life’s problems.
As he walked over his thick carpeted floor through his open plan, fancy, expensive suite filled with the trappings of his station, Dusk Melody found his kitchen. Making the earl grey, the thought nagged at the back of his mind. “Definitely. Missing. Something.” He said to himself. Try as he might, he couldn’t put his hoof on it. But, what exactly?
Thankfully, helpfully, when Dusk went over to his fridge to get out the milk for his tea, his pink eyes drifted over the calendar held in place with an ‘Equestria’s Bestest Friend’ madnet that Wildfire had made at high school years ago. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out why a certain date had a big red X on it. Today’s date. “Why does today have an X on it?” he spoke out loud to the empty suite, wondering what today was. It was only when he had made his earl grey and put the milk back that he saw a picture of the Royal Canterlot Theatre.
It was only when he was sat in his recliner, sipping his tea, that he finally figured it out. Mostly because he saw his violin in its case resting on the side dresser. “Saturday’s marked…the RCT…violin…what is it…” Then, with eyes wide, it hit him. "Oh my goodness, the theatre!"
How could he be so stupid? A question Dusk asked himself along with the addition of a stiff facehoof. “Tonight! My performance! It’s tonight!” In a literal flap, expertly preened wings outstretched in panic, he was on his hooves doing a fretful dance. “It’s tonight! I should’ve practiced!” Realisation that hours of practice time had been taken up with a luxurious bubblebath.
“Oh Celestia! Oh momma! Momma!” Dusk Melody pranced in place for a precious few moments as he panicked as to what to do. His eyes settled once more on his violin, a priceless Stradimareius that had been a Hearths Warming gift from his mothers when he had been six, after getting his cutie mark. He knew what he needed to do. He had practiced. The seventeen year old was ready. It was just a performance, after all.
A performance. A solo performance. At the Canterlot Royal Theatre. His mothers would be there. His aunt would be there. His friends would be there. So would half the press and the upper crust judgemental elite of Canterlot, but he didn’t care about them. He however, would not be there if he didn’t get a wriggle on. It was a quarter past six, and he was due on stage at half past seven.
“Time to go!" he thought, snatching up – carefully – his violin in its case and wrapped the instrument’s harness around and over his shoulders. With that, he galloped out of his suite and through the palace, all he could think of was getting out and to the theatre in the Upper Noble District.
~ ~ ~
The sun was just starting to set over the capital city of Canterlot, bringing with it an orange and red glow over the land. The dry summer heat was slowly replaced with a cooler air, signaling the coming of the night. At any other time, Dusk Melody may have stopped to admire the view, the beauty of the sunset lowering over the peak of Canterlot Mountain.
Not today however. Frantically, the midnight blue pegasus tried to gallop through the cobbled streets to get to the Royal Canterlot Theatre. Unfortunately, it seemed everypony else in the city wanted to get there too. There were crowds, but all were slow moving and contained sophisticated dressed ponies. It was rare to see anypony run in the luxurious town.
The rich and elite were never in a rush, favoring fashion over punctuality. With their chins held high, Canterlot ponies walked with care, treading gracefully with their social status in check. Many ponies were heading home, others were off to whatever it was they were doing, be it charity ball or a quiet wine tasting party at home. Or, in this case, heading to the theatre.
Along the main streets of Canterlot, the panicked stallion ran as fast as he could, weaving through the slow moving crowds. Unlike the well-dressed ponies around him, the pegasus dashed as fast as he could through the traffic. His eyes locked on the grand theatre he could see hove into view in the Upper Noble District.
He wanted so desperately to fly, to spread his powerful midnight blue wings and soar above these slow moving aristocratic idiots that surrounded him. Alas, unlike much larger, metropolitan cities like Manehatten, Baltimare and Vanhoover, there was no formal flight traffic system. Canterlot, because it was smaller, was much like Ponyville and Whinnyapolis in that regard. As such, with the possibility of being hit by a careless flyer and seeing as he was carrying a priceless violin, he didn’t dare take off.
“Okay, keep on your hooves, Dusk, you'll get there in no time," he told himself, trying to quell his rising panic while at the same time trying to not to get in anypony's way. Unfortunately, there were a few other ponies that weren’t being as careful as he was. One such pony happened to be a tall well-built unicorn stallion who looked to be at least as wide as he was tall. And he was a head taller than Dusk. Going full tilt into the unmoving slab of muscle dressed in a tuxedo, Dusk went sprawling. "Pardon me, sir," Dusk immediately apologised, almost instinctively, as he got up to his hooves and checked his precious violin case for any scratches or bumps.
None. Good.
The stallion in front of him walked past him without bothering to spare the Prince so much as a nod or a look. He did however mutter a most disrespectful, “Out of my way, you coltcuddling freak!” He knew perfectly well who Dusk was, but the fact he was into stallions made him less than dirt in most Canterlot ponies eyes.
It was no secret that Dusk preferred the company of stallions. The effeminate stallion had ‘come out’, as it were, a couple of years ago. This had surprised nopony amongst his circle of friends or his family but, sadly, while the law prohibiting same sex relationships in Equestria had been repealed five hundred years ago, attitudes among the ruling classes in Canterlot were slow to change.
Thankfully, he didn’t have much time to dwell on the rude stallion. It was par for the course and by now he was used to it. More to the point, he had somewhere to be and a performance to put on! Dusting himself off, his trot rapidly became a gallop as the pressure began to settle in. “Time's ticking, Dusk, get those hooves moving!” he chivvied himself along, though the ponies walking by him were making it rough to run through.
Thud!
The second time Dusk found himself on his ass, it wasn’t his fault. A sky blue pegasus mare, not looking where she was going as she flew low along the road, had done exactly what he feared. Her attention focused on her phone, she had flown straight into him, their bodies forming a T where they intersected each other.
Of course, the mare didn’t stop to apologise. She threw an insult at the gay Prince and flew off, her body soon lost to the crowds. That didn’t concern Dusk though. What did concern him was the fact that the force of the impact had sent his violin case flying the air, landing a few feet away from him. As he picked himself up off the cobbled street he looked about for his precious instrument.
He found it, about to meet the wheels of an oncoming taxi. “Oh sweet Luna!” he cried and, in a mad dash, just managed to save it from certain annihilation. As he hovered over to the other side of the street, landing on the sidewalk, the case swung open, and he made an emergency inspection...
Everything seemed normal until… "No!” what had at first seemed fine was suddenly not fine at all when Dusk realised two of the strings had been snapped in the violin’s short flight and hard impact with the ground. ‘Oh buck! What am I going to do‽’ he thought, biting his lower lip as his mind raced around for five seconds. Without much other thought, he closed the case, got it back on his shoulders and, making like a rocket, took off for the theatre.
He was sure he could think of something when he got there...
~ ~ ~
Dusk Melody did not think of something when he got there.
Seated in the green room of the Royal Canterlot Theatre, in front of his mirror with the many lights all around it, make up perfectly applied and his mane styled just so, the theatre staff had even provided an earl grey for him, as requested. He made sure to keep the door shut behind him, as he tried to think over what to do about the two broken strings.
"Okay, okay, you can fix this," he told myself, though his reflection in the mirror didn’t seem very convinced. He glanced at the clock, which told him it was 7:05. Twenty five minutes ‘till showtime. He didn’t so much have butterflies as he had a colony of parasprites in his belly.
"Okay, one idea." Clutching at straws, he went to work with his hooves and mouth. Admittedly, as he tied the strings together, it was a bit of a long shot. But he was short on time and long on panic. Tie by tie he worked, getting it just right so there wasn't any bulge to interrupt the strokes when he was playing. It took a few agonizing minutes of try and retry, but, the work paid off...maybe. The strings were in one piece, anyway. Hesitantly, he sat down on the stool, the violin in hoof, and he began to try out his chords.
‘So far so good...’ Dusk thought as he played, though he thought too soon. With a loud ‘snap!’ the strings broke and whacked his muzzle. “Ow!” he yelped, rubbing his snout where the strings had whipped into him. His mind started to comprehend what had happened. Pain receded in the knowledge that his quick fix had not worked. He had wasted time he didn’t have, and now there was just fifteen minutes to go.
As he was starting to panic properly now, a soft knock came at the door. Dusk was about to tell whomever it was to kindly get lost when the door opened and his mother walked in. Octavia Melody looked resplendent in a long flowing dark blue evening dress the same colour as his and Luna’s coats. Especially with the dark blue collar around her neck and her mane done up in a ponytail like that.
It was her habit to come to see her colt before a performance when he played with others in a group. She knew how a well-placed word of encouragement could banish the terrible parasprites and, judging by the look of terror on Dusk’s face, she was right this time too. Mums are right like that. It’s a fact, they just are. "Hello, sweetie.” The grey earth pony mare walked up and nuzzled her son’s cheek. “I'm so proud that you're handling the solo performance tonight."
"Yeah, thanks. Me too." Dusk replied way too quickly, instantly he aroused the ‘mum-radar’ that all mums have. It’s a trouble-o-meter that never failed.
Right now, Octavia’s trouble-o-meter was off the charts. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeahsureillbefine." Crap, too fast. And his mother’s questionable look told him so, too.
"Is everything alright?"
"Okay, I may be a little bit nervous about it..." Dusk thought that was a good save. Looking down, he saw his mum’s hoof rest comfortingly on his own.
"What happened to your violin?" Octavia asked, her sharp eyes drawn to the damaged instrument and its two snapped strings. As Dusk babbled something incoherent about a rude stallion and an inattentive mare, Octavia smiled. "Here honey, I think I can help with that.” At his questioning look, she reached into a hidden pocket cunningly disguised in her gown and pulled out several new, intact, strings.
“Mum…where…why?”
“Oh sweetie,” Octavia giggled as she got to work replacing the strings with their correct counterparts and tuning it with her musician’s ear, “I’m a stringed instrument player. I never, ever leave home without spare strings.” Once she was finished, she booped his nose. “One never knows, darling. Now, tell your mum what’s bothering you, hmm?”
Dusk glanced at the clock and stiffened. It was twenty five minutes past seven! He was going to be tardy! “B-But mum, the time! I’ll be late!”
“Dusk, sweetheart, so what?” Octavia chuckled, “You aren’t just the star of the show, you are the show! Everypony’s here to see you perform. Me, your mom, your aunt, your friends. We won’t care if you’re a few minutes late.”
“But…everypony else! The nobles, the press!”
Octavia leant in and whispered in her colt’s ear. “Buck them. They don’t matter.”
Dusk however, insisted on panicking, now he was on a roll. “But, mum, what if I mess up? It’s just me! What if I have an utter disaster? The hacks will have a field day!”
"So what if you do? Suppose this is the worst performance you’ve ever done. Say you drop every single note and make our ears bleed. What will happen? Do you think I will love you any less?” She paused while Dusk shook his head. “Do you think I’ll be any less proud of you? Or Lulu? Or your aunt, or your friends?”
Again, Dusk shook his head. “Don't be so worried, honey. I've gone through this same thing when I was young, and need I remind you of the night your mother and I met?”
Now, Dusk Melody burst out laughing. He had heard the story of the Grand Galloping Gala many times. He never tired of hearing it. He only hoped he never did something embarrassing that he’d be reminded about for years afterwards. "I know, and no, you don’t need to tell me again, mum. I’m fine, really, I just want tonight to be perfect, it’s your wedding anniversary…”
“Dusk Midnight Melody.” Octavia silenced her son as if she had struck him dumb. “Keep worrying, and I shall put you across my knee. Now, here, I have something for you.” She reached into yet another skillfully disguised pocket on her gown and pulled out a pink bowtie. Once it was secured around his neck she stepped back with a smile. “It matches your eyes. Now, I’m going to go to your mother. Doesn’t do to keep the Mistress waiting. You. Get yourself together, take your time, and go have fun.” With a kiss to his forehead, Octavia took her leave.
~ ~ ~
Dusk Melody fidgeted behind the curtain of the Royal Canterlot Theatre. The tuxedo he wore was tight and itchy, and for a scandalous moment he considered what it was like to wear a dress like his mum. That would be so much more comfortable! Soon though, in spite of his worries and his nerves, it was time to begin. As he took a sip of his water from the table next to his stool, he heard the MC introduce him.
As the red curtain was lifted, so too was his nerves. Quite like magic. Dusk took up his violin, his hooves balanced the violin against his neck, his bow in his right hoof. The curtains moved away, revealing the young violinist to the crowd in front of him. So many ponies, all high class, were there to watch his performance, but he only had eyes for ten of them.
He found them. His mom, mum and aunt as well as Moonshine, his bat pony father, were in the Royal Box, his mom holding his mum’s leash in her magic. He smiled, for Moonshine looked like the proudest stallion in Equestria at that moment. Dusk was sure he saw the senior Lunar guard shed a tear. In the front row were the other six; Wildfire, Brightstar, Darkstar, Cyclone, Air Raid and Slingshot. His friends. When the spotlight shined right on him, Dusk was in his zone. His eyes met his parents’, whom looked to him with gentle, reassuring smiles.
It helped. With violin in hoof, eyes closed to focus, Dusk began to play his first piece. In deference to his mothers’ wedding anniversary, he played ‘A Thousand Years’, the very first piece his mum ever played for his mom all those years ago on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala.
Applause greeted the completion of the first song. Those four in the Royal Box seemed to be competing with the six in the front row. Moonshine and Air Raid were stomping their hooves, but not to be out done, Wildfire was whooping and cheering like she was at a pep rally not the grandest theatre in the country. Not that she cared.
His spirits buoyed by his friend’s support as well as that of his family, Dusk began his second piece, entitled ‘Elements’ which he followed up with a third, ‘Crystallize’. The performance went on for another hour and a half, with Dusk taking a couple of water breaks here and there. Smiling, he prepared to play his final piece, a piece of his own composing.
Lifting his Stradimareius one last time, Dusk drew his bow across the strings and performed his piece, ‘The Dawn of Dusk’.
