The summer night was beautiful. A faint breeze carried the scents and sounds of the countryside wafting into the city. The stars twinkled overhead, with barely a cloud in sight. High overhead, the waxing moon was bright, nearly full.
Despite all this beauty, Sunburst walked with his head down and his wings drooping. The amber-colored pegasus was not enjoying the warm summer night.
The blue pegasus stallion beside him was trotting jauntily along, his wings up and his tail swishing. He looked over at his companion and said, "Hey dude, you're going to get laid, not to a funeral. Buck up! This'll be great, you'll see."
"If you say so, Cerulean," said Sunburst tiredly.
The pair arrived before a door with a red-glowing lantern beside it. Cerulean nodded at the door. "Here we are."
Sunburst blinked at the plain wooden portal. "This doesn't look right. I thought we were going to Rosie's?"
"This is the place. How would you know what Rosie's looks like anyway? Been holdin' out on us? Maybe you don't need my help to make a stallion of you after all!"
Sunburst flushed and looked away, mumbling something.
His friend laughed and opened the door. "Come on."
Inside was not quite what Sunburst had expected. He wasn't sure exactly what that was—something with mares draped seductively all over, probably—but the restrained elegance of the reception room with only a single stallion at a desk was not it.
"May I help you, young sirs?"
"Yeah. My buddy Sunburst is here to become a stallion at last," said Cerulean with a broad grin.
"I see." The purple unicorn looked between them, then nodded. "It will be fifty bits."
"Nice. This should cover it. Keep the change." Cerulean handed over a pouch.
The stallion took it without counting the contents. His horn glowed, and the door leading further inside opened. "You may enter."
"Go get 'em, big boy," said Cerulean with a further grin.
Sunburst slunk through the door with his tail between his legs.
Inside, there was still no sign of the seductive mares draped all over. Instead, a single figure reclined on a couch near the center of the dimly lit room. The low light meant it took a few seconds for Sunburst to make sense of what he was seeing. When he did, his eyes widened in shock.
"Welcome," said the changeling, her voice a low, throaty purr. Or perhaps it was more of a buzz, it was nothing like a pony voice. "I am Ember."
"I... uh... I'm Sunburst." Sunburst swallowed.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"Uhm. O-of course not. I just wasn't expecting a, uh, expecting you."
"Given that this is your first visit here, I am not surprised." She smiled warmly at him. It was odd how friendly that expression was, given the sharp fangs it revealed.
"Yeah. Uh..."
"So, do you have a fantasy you wish to tell me? I can be whatever you want me to be. Or whoever."
Oh. Sunburst suddenly managed to put two and two together. Of course. "I..." he started to say "I don't know," then an image flashed through his mind. A pony, always glimpsed from a distance, beautiful beyond measure. He'd known she was out of his league, but he'd had a crush on her all the same. He fantasized sometimes that she would notice him, speak to him, perhaps even be willing to go out with him. He'd known it was foolish. She was older than he, and a sophisticated, intelligent and very famous unicorn. He was a pegasus of no particular distinction. Still, perhaps if he saw the face of his crush, he might somehow find a way to feel a flicker of desire? "Do... do you know, uhm, R-Rarity? The Manehattan fashion designer?"
"I do." Ember smiled. A flash of green fire washed over her. When it faded, instead of the tall, charcoal-dark form of the changeling, there was an elegant, slender unicorn mare lying on the couch. Every detail of her form was just how Sunburst remembered it. "How is this, darling?" she said. The voice was perfect too, a rich alto with just a hint of a Canterlot accent.
"Wow," said Sunburst.
"You still seem rather tense though. Perhaps we could begin with a massage, to help you relax?"
"That would be... okay."
"Follow me then, my dear." Ember got to her feet and walked across the room, her tail swishing seductively as she went. Sundrop followed, his own tail still held low. He got the feeling that even with her looking like Rarity, he still wasn't going to enjoy the night much. Still, he had to go through with it, whatever it took.
The room she led him to was something like a miniature spa. The whole place was tiled in white, accented with turquoise here and there. A tub big enough for three or four ponies stood against one wall, and an open door showed a small sauna. Shelves held soaps and oils and bottles of shampoo. A massage table stood near the tub, and that was where Ember led him.
He settled himself on the table, stretching his body out and trying to relax. Ember stood beside him and began to work on his back. Her hooves were gentle at first, simply running over his fur lightly. He'd expected her to straddle him, and to be acting more flirty and sexual, but he might as well have been at an actual spa.
Though her voice held a hint of heat when she spoke, even if the words were not exactly seductive. "Tell me about yourself. You know me, of course, everypony who's anypony does. But I am ashamed to admit that I do not know you at all."
Sunburst could almost believe that was actually Rarity. Ember mimicked her flawlessly. "Well, I'm a student. I'll be graduating this year in weather systems, with a specialty in high altitude work."
"Oh? I'm afraid I don't know a great deal about weather work." Her hooves continued to work at his back, digging in a little now, kneading at the stiff muscles there. Sunburst let his eyes slide half closed, actually relaxing a little at last.
"You could probably learn basic cloud-handling if you wanted. I mean, here in Canterlot, half the weather teams are unicorns."
She chuckled softly. "Indeed. Though weather is not my special talent, darling. Believe me. But come, tell me more of your studies." As she spoke she circled around him to work on the other side for a while. Her hooves were sure and warm against his back. It felt very good. He just managed to not moan as she pushed on a particularly stubborn knot.
"Well... this year I'm taking advanced magical theory. Beginning theory is a gen ed requirement, of course, and the intermediate is actually required for my major. Magic is a big part of how weather management works, after all. Native pegasus magic isn't quite the same as unicorn magic, we can't actually cast, but we do have some all the same."
"Yes. I remember learning about that."
Sunburst nodded. Then he gasped softly as Ember finally moved up to massage the muscles between his wings. They were one giant mass of knots, and her touch sent shocks of pain through him. But it was a good pain, and the more she worked, the more he relaxed.
"Why are you taking advanced theory though? Is that also required for your major?"
"No." He had to pause to gasp again as she worked right at the base of his wings. "I'm the only non-unicorn in the class. But I enjoy it and I needed an extra elective. It's all theory, so it doesn't matter if I can't cast."
"Are all your classes going well for you then?"
"Oh yeah. I like school. I'll miss it a bit when I graduate. Though I look forward to having a job in weather work."
"I see. I am rather puzzled, though. If it isn't school, and you do not yet have a job, what is it that has caused you so much stress? You are a mass of knots, darling."
Sunburst froze.
"And if you tense up again like that, you will undo all my hard work." Ember pouted at him. He flushed a bit and tried to relax. "Now come, tell me everything. I'll pry it out of you eventually, so you may as well confess now and save me the trouble."
"I... well..." Sunburst's ears went flat back against his head in misery. "I guess you could say it's my social life."
"Or lack thereof?"
"Or lack of mares and presence of stallions. My buddies are just... they just... They won't leave me alone. About the mares. They..." He broke off, flushing more brightly.
Ember arched one eyebrow at him. "Yes?"
"They found out a couple of months ago that I'm still a virgin, and they just wouldn't let it go. They kept at me and kept at me and kept at me, and then last week they all chipped in some bits, and cornered me, and made me agree to come here, so I could 'be a stallion'." There was more bitterness in Sunburst's voice than he had really intended.
"Coming here was not your idea, then?"
"Heh. No."
"You sound upset."
Sunburst heaved a sigh, his ears dropping, his wings hanging down from his sides. "I think something's wrong with me. I should be excited, right? Getting laid, and by my fantasy crush, no less, ought to have me jumping for joy. But when I dream about Rarity, I don't dream about getting her in bed. I dream about loving her. Her loving me. Us having a life together. I'd work my way up the Canterlot weather team until I was a captain, buy us a big, beautiful house on the high slopes, and we'd live there together. We'd take care of each other. We'd love each other. Maybe have a couple of foals..." He sighed again. "Hell, I know having that with Rarity is probably impossible, but maybe someday I'll meet a mare I can spend my life with. That's what I want. Wanting to just rut like an animal... that doesn't appeal to me at all." He blinked, remembering who he was talking to. "Uh, no offense."
"I take none whatsoever, darling." Ember smiled warmly down at him. "I do not particularly care for mere rutting either. A genuine emotional connection, however small, is something I strongly prefer before bedding a pony." She bent down and kissed the top of his head lightly. "The one thing I absolutely require, however, is my partner's enthusiastic consent. If you have no desire to lose it, then you are perfectly free to leave here with your virginity intact, my dear."
"But my friends..."
"They may mean well, but they are not being true friends to you, if they have forced you to come here against your will."
"I... they... they're right though. No real stallion would be here, with you, and not want you."
"Nonsense."
"But..."
"A 'real stallion' is one who is true to his own dreams. You've told me your dream, and it doesn't have rutting with a whore anywhere in it, does it?"
Sunburst looked up at her, frowning. Her words were working their way slowly into his mind, but he couldn't let one thing pass. "You're not a whore."
Ember chuckled, her expression showing only amusement. "I am. I take payment, in bits and in other currency, for sexual services. That's rather the definition of 'whore', darling. I'm not ashamed of it. It's the best way I've found to get what I need."
"Love, you mean?"
"Among other things. If it were only love..." Her expression turned distant. Then she shook herself. "Suffice it to say that I enjoy what I do. The way you enjoy weather, perhaps. Doing this is being true to my nature in many ways."
Sunburst let his head fall to the massage table, feeling something that had been ground down by month's of his friends' constant ribbing slowly spring back up in him. Ember was right. "Having sex with you wouldn't be being true to mine."
"No."
He went to get up. "I should go then."
"Tch." She snorted. "Please, just because you don't need all my services doesn't mean you shouldn't get your money's worth. The tub is there for soaking. I can wash your back, if you like. Your wings look like they haven't been preened properly in weeks. You are still tense, I should at least finish your massage before you go. You'll leave here looking like a million bits." She smiled.
"Heh. Cerulean will think I did get laid."
"Let him, then. I don't think he's much of a friend." Ember tossed her head, the gesture perfectly Rarity in nature.
Sunburst gave a little shrug. "He is a friend, he just doesn't understand."
"I suppose you know him better than I, darling." She turned and trotted away. "Now relax there while I fill the tub. And do let me know if you have any preferred scents. I personally enjoy lavender, it's quite calming, but some stallions find it a bit too feminine."
"Uh. I guess lavender is all right."
"Wonderful." Her horn was glowing green—one way in which she did not perfectly imitate Rarity, he noted—as she turned knobs and then floated over an assortment of jars. "Perhaps I'll try sandalwood instead. That is also quite decadent, and rather masculine, don't you think?"
Sunburst laughed and said, "Whatever you think is best, I don't know anything about any of this." It was remarkable, he thought as he watched her prepare the bath, how much better he suddenly felt.
Climbing into the tub was pure bliss, and when Ember climbed in next to him he didn't tense up at all, he just let her wash his back and put shampoo in his mane.
That was followed by the rest of the massage, and then by a thorough, sensual, and yet wonderfully relaxing preening. Sunburst's wings had never felt better.
When it was all done, he really did feel like a million bits. He admired himself in the floor length mirror on one wall. His wings were sleek and perfect. His coat gleamed. His dark orange mane practically sparkled. He turned to Ember and smiled at her. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it." He saw Rarity's easy generosity in the smile she gave back to him, and wondered suddenly how much the form she took influenced the changeling. Would she have acted differently in some other shape? Would she have said something different? Or was the changeling herself also generous?
"I didn't give you any love though."
"Love isn't the only emotion I can draw energy from, darling. Gratitude can supply what I need as well. It's one of my favorite flavors, in fact."
"Oh. Well... thank you all the same."
"You're very welcome. Now come, let's see if your friend is still waiting. Though I shall be changing forms to go to the door. I don't want to damage another pony's reputation by having her seen here by somepony who may not understand what's going on."
"Of course." Sunburst watched with interest as green fire flickered over Rarity's form. When it passed there was an earth pony there, her mane and coat both blue. The smile she gave him was much the same as the one she'd worn as Rarity.
She led the way out of the spa, back through the sitting room, and to the reception room door. It swung open at the touch of her magic. Sunburst stepped through, seeing that Cerulean was indeed still sitting in the reception room.
"Thank you for coming," said Ember, her voice dropping to a throaty purr as she added, "You can feel free to come again any time." Then she grinned and gave him a broad wink.
He could help himself, he laughed. "I might," he said.
"Woah," said Cerulean, sounding impressed. "Turns out you're a real lady's man once you get unwound, huh?"
Sunburst headed for the door, chuckling. "Not exactly."
Cerulean trailed after him. "Huh? But the way she was all flirting like that..."
"We got along rather well, yes. But I didn't 'get unwound'."
Cerulean's hoofsteps behind him halted for a moment, then trotted to catch up with him as he went out the door and into the street. "What? You mean you didn't get laid?"
"Nope." Sunburst would never have thought that he could say that and feel so good about it.
"Hey! You chickened out and wasted our bits? After all our effort to help you?"
"They weren't wasted."
"Yes they were. Now we gotta do this again, so you can actually be a real stallion."
"I am a real stallion." Sunburst smiled. "Ask Ember if you don't believe me."
"But... you just said you didn't get laid."
"Yep."
"What the hell?"
"Let's just say that being a 'real stallion' hasn't got anything to do with getting laid. Maybe someday you'll understand."
"Dude. Maybe someday you'll actually get some and you'll see what you've been missing."
Sunburst smiled cheerfully, thinking of his dreams. "When the right time comes, I won't have missed anything."
Author's Note
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