The Day Shift

If there was a height at which pegasi would become nauseous, the carriage had endeavored to find it, though it may have had more to do with the current state that I found myself in and less to do with the fact that we were flying. It was… Comfortable, but there was just something unsettling about having your forelegs, hindlegs, and wings clamped together in runic steel cuffs.

I was staring daggers at Tempest Shadow, who stood up near the front and had not yet noticed either my silent treatment or my blistering stare. I wasn’t particularly in the mood to talk anyway. I needed to sort out my thoughts on the matter.
Most stallions would call me crazy, being this upset about the whole ordeal, and I had to admit that there was already a certain appeal to the concept. Every stallion thought about it. I imagine a lot of mares did, too. Princess Celestia was hot. There was even a fairly large, low-key grey market for unsavory materials involving her. Not that I would know anything about that.

Still, that was hardly the whole issue. The real problem I found myself bumping against was the sheer abruptness of the whole thing. Weren’t you supposed to like, vet these sorts of positions, compare options, interview the potential applicants, and decide which one you liked best? That notion was a little bit disconcerting. I didn’t have any illusions about winning a competition on stallionhood, and as a result the whole thing felt a bit like a scam.
Well, seething at her wasn’t helping. I guessed I might as well try talking. “Hey, uh, Tempest Shadow?”

“Captain. Captain Tempest Shadow.” She said without looking away from the front of the carriage. There was something behind the edge in her tone, but it was a bit harder to decipher.

“Captain Tempest Shadow,” I said with a conciliatory nod, nearly falling over as the metal bonds unbalanced me. “How did I end up getting chosen for this… illustrious position?”

“Magic.”

I paused. That seemed like the sort of thing you would elaborate on, but she seemed content to leave it there. “Like, a wizard or uh-”

She glared back at me with a dagger’s edge, but her expression softened when she saw the state I was in, and her horn fizzled again. With a click, the steel bonds came apart and fell to the ground. As they fell apart, I slumped into a more comfortable position and began to rub at the patches where my fur was matted down, massaging them back to full fluff.

“I just… mostly don’t know,” she said, sounding more defeated than anything else. “I used to lead armies, command respect, destroy kingdoms…”

“What was that last o-”

“And now I got given an order to abduct some colt and drag him to Princess Celestia to be a sex slave!”

“I, um, w-what?”

“Oh piss off. It's not like you’re not jazzed about the whole deal, since if this isn’t a big run-around you get to stick your dick in your beloved princess of the sun.”

“I’m… Kind of scared.”

That left her quiet, leaving for a moment only the whistle of wind as we flew at breakneck speeds towards Canterlot. The looming city of the mountain slowly fille our view as we got ever closer to the castle, the princess, and whatever lay in wait.

“What? Why would you be scared?” She asked, sitting back against the railing. “All you’re being asked to do is sex.”

“I, um…” I rubbed at the back of my head and tried to look away at anything, looking over the side at the ground passing below like some kind of teen novel protagonist. “I’m not exactly prime stallion material.”

“I’ve noticed.” She said flatly, eyes flicking up and down my body briefly.

I winced at that. “I’m, like, super short.”

She raised an eyebrow at this. “I think most stallions are shorter than her.”

“But like, I’m not even average height! You’d think she’d want someone at least closer to her. I’m tiny in comparison! I’ll need a stepladder to give her a kiss on the cheek!”

“Whatever the particular magic she used to select you was, “ Tempest said with a coy smoothness, “I’m sure it handled mundane concerns such as height.” Something seemed to be making her feel better… maybe it was the capacity to display calm superiority in the face of an obviously panicking colt. Er, stallion. “Hang on now, we’re about to begin our final descent.”

I nodded, wings flaring out as I prepared myself to begin to fall, an instinctive response that had something to do with my ability to sense change in altitude. I don’t know how a non-pegasus could handle flying in one of these chariots: I was freaking out a little bit even knowing that I could probably handle an overturn without dying. Yet, Tempest seemed as calm as ever, unflappable while the golden magical craft began to swoop down towards the castle on the edge of the mountain, ready to dock and deliver the cargo. Which, I suppose, was me.

Down below the illustrious spires were more secure cargo docks carved straight into the mountain, and I could see a steady stream of trade goods funneling in and out of the cavern, the pulse of Canterlot. But we weren’t angling for there: a separate dock hung at the base of the castle, designed specifically to handle important traffic for the castle.

These were some impressive flyers. I noted that they didn’t look like most royal guards you heard or saw in promotions or pamphlets. One of them was a mare with a green coat and a grey mane, while the other was a stallion with a white coat and a sweeping yellow mane, both of them clad in light armor and moving gracefully as we swooped in, a well-executed controlled dive. It could be hell to maintain speed and direction, and it barely felt like we were going down, much less the near-total freefall our angle implied.

And with an artful grace and practiced coordination, the pair angled us down onto the platform without so much as an errant jolt, landing us smooth as silk. We came to a stop next to a crowd of ponies ready to move in. Within seconds they swarmed the carriage, collecting a few items off the back and inspecting the vehicle, while a pink unicorn stepped up to converse with Tempest. More than one glance was shot over in my direction, and I mostly sat there as the buzz was around me, but not interacting with me.

I must have been looking particularly like a fish out of water, because eventually a hoof tapped on my shoulder. I looked over to see a stallion of remarkable size. He had to be my size and half again, with a broad, even musculature and a calm, easy grace. In short, he was the ideal of stallionhood and I found myself feeling a obviously lacking in comparison. And yet, even with his grey coat, black mane, and practically glowing yellow eyes, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit calmer around him, just looking at him.

“Hello there!” He said in a rich, deep voice. “I suppose you’d be First Prize, eh? Lucky stallion.” He gave me a gentle nudge with his elbow, and I felt like I was supposed to say something in response, but the best I could manage was a weak smile that was breaking at the edges. He stared at me for a few seconds more, then sighed and patted me on the shoulder again.
“Look, I know you’ve got a lot of bullshit heading your way, so let me get ahead on this. I’ve been assigned to be your bodyguard and liaison. My name is Rock Solid, and I am. To you? I don’t have a rank. I’m on your side alone.”

Slowly, the tension eased out of me, a mixture of his genuine statement and his calming atmosphere. Frankly, a huge chunk of it was just that I needed someone like him, and I could project onto him whatever part he felt short of his goal. “Hah…” I said, a gasp of air flowing out of me along with the word. “...thanks, Rock. Nice to meet you, I’m First Prize. This is… this is a lot.”

“Really? I was expecting total excitement,” he said, gesturing towards the literal red carpet. I had to stop and consider it for a second. With the, uh, aggressive treatment that the Captain had given me, I wasn’t quite expecting that.
Slowly, it dawned on me that I wasn’t likely going to be kept in the dungeon most of the time. Sure, a gilded cage was still a cage but… Prince Consort did mean Prince. The enormity of it all started to hit me at once, and I was shaky on my way out of the carriage, leaving Rock Solid to grab me before I face planted onto the carpet dramatically.

“Woah, hey there,” he said. “I always figured pegasi handled heights better than the rest of us.” He gently set me down on my hooves and I flared my wings out, flapping a couple of times to help me get my bearings again.

“Normally I can,” I say. “Physical heights. Not social heights.”

He boomed out a laugh, a rolling and boisterous sound that nearly knocked me over again as he laughed at my stupid joke. “It wasn’t that funny,” I protested, but he was having a hard time calming himself down with the aftershocks. If he weren’t so naturally genuine, I’d have a hard time believing he meant it.

“Come on, Sir Laughs-a-Lot,” he said, starting down the carpet. “You’re late, and we have a doctor’s appointment to get you to. Celestia’s expecting you in an hour, and we need you ready.”

“Huh?” I asked, plodding along after him, ears still ringing. “I’m not hurt… I don’t think I’m hurt. Maybe just my pride.” I idly checked over myself while he shook his head.

“Nah, more of a check-up and a physical. Need to make sure you’re ship-shape in Trottingham fashion.” He explained as he started off, pausing to make sure I was following.

“And… if I’m not?”

He snorted. “Are you always this much of a downer?” We trudged through the castle, and as we started inside, it became apparent that the castle was big. Like, really big. Big enough that it had multiple streams of traffic weaving into and out of each other, pegasi flying through the air, even the occasional (very clean) cart being towed through the gleaming marble hallways and artful columns. It was, after all, more than just the abode of the Princesses: it was the head of government for most of Equestria.

We took a few of the larger hallways first, and I found myself a little staggered by the sheer quantity of ponies who were milling about. Rock gathered more attention than I did, me being a relative unknown at this point and him being a head above most other stallions. More than a few of the glances were mares who’s eyes lingered on his flanks just a moment too long for it to be truly chaste.

Eventually, we ducked into a much quieter part of the castle, two more typical Royal Guards standing at attention. They let us past with a scrutinizing glance, the classic ‘I’ve got my eye on you’ gaze, but there was a definite respect for Rock that kept them from doing anything more than scowling. Here, the hallways seemed smaller and more sparsely populated, there was only the odd maid or servant bustling around, and everything had a much more cozy feel to it. Carpet and wood, warmer tones, calming pictures as opposed to the grandiose portraits over most of the castle.

“The Princess’ personal apartments,” Rock said by way of explanation. “She needs someplace that’s more homely than the ‘life writ large’ that’s most of the castle, I suppose. You’ve got your appointments set up here.”

He lead me into a room that was distinctly out of step with the rest of the apartments. At first glance you would swear it was a storage room of some sort, but a few details stuck out. Large arcanotech devices had been hauled in here, probably by a few stallions like Rock. Beyond that, a rough medical cot had been placed. A couple of mares were waiting around, one of them with thick, square glasses and a lab coat while the other was wearing a nurses’ cap.

The doctor, I presumed, locked eyes with me as I entered the room. She was slightly taller than average and thin, with a blue coat and a curly grey mane. She seemed to be slightly older and a little bit tired, but there was a keenness behind the eyes that shone through. The nurse seemed about as nervous as I did, slightly shorter than the average mare (though that still left her with an inch on me), and her deep red coat was matched with a grey-blue mane.

“First Prize?” The doctor asked, looking over at Rock Solid, who gave her a casual grin and stepped aside to reveal me, which had to be something of a letdown, and indeed her expression fell a little bit going from him to me. “Ah. Well, we need to complete your medical examination before we can send you to get scrubbed.”

“Scrubbed?” I said, shakily stepping forward and glancing over at Rock, who gave me a reassuring wink as I stepped over to the makeshift medical set-up. “Like, fur shaved and given a cone?”

“Nothing quite so drastic,” the doctor assured me, checking over a couple of notes while the Nurse prepared a couple of devices.

“Step here, please,” the nurse said, guiding me onto a flat, square surface with a tower-like ruler, while the doctor stepped up, her horn glowing as she moved around a few levers and dials.

“Hmmm. Light and short,” she said, scribbling down a few notes. “Maybe consider a diet to help him bulk up-”

“It won’t help,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve tried everything. Diet, exercise, potion supplements… Nothing.”

“Hm…” The doctor said, looking me over and producing a long, white stick, with which she jabbed at my ass, getting a squawk out of me as I moved back in surprise. “Silver mane, dandelion coat…”

“Yellow coat!” I protested.

“Dandelion,” she said insistently. “Hm.. Nurse, induce arousal.”

“I’m sorry, wh-” I asked, before being cut off by the sudden presence of the nurse, her lips pressing into mine, soft and firm, a strange and surprising sensation that left a thrill of heat pulsing through my body. My wings abruptly flared out and I felt a similar reaction happening between my legs. I could feel my shaft begin to slide out of its sheath while the nurse pressed on even further, her tongue sliding past my lips. I was vaguely aware that I was a dead-fish, but I was still in a bit of shock. Prior to today, the most I’d had was holding hooves with an ex-marefriend, so the idea that a mare would be willing to jump on me like this…

My eyes focused and I could see her going full force, eyes squeezed shut and one of her hooves coming up to rest on my haunches, wandering down and up my wings, sending shocks of sensation down the stiff limbs as she let her hooftip wander among the feathers.

The doctor cleared her throat. “Nurse. NURSE.” She rolled her eyes and her horn glowed, forcibly scooting the nurse back a few inches and releasing the kiss with an audible pop. The nurse’s face flushed and she looked away.

“Um, sorry Doctor.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the doctor said drily as she held up a tape measure. “He’s plenty erect, at least.” The tape measure quickly went to my hind-quarters, more magic quickly restraining me as I began to squirm, and I felt the cool, flexible tape up against my dick.

“Hm…” The doctor said, examining the tape measure. “About half a standard deviation below average. Without accounting for height and weight.” She added the last part to cut off my protest, so I was forced to simply fume while she reduced my entire being into a few discrete data points. “Well, I don’t see anything to delay the process. Assuming we’re absolutely sure the spell got the right stallion, we can send him along to for the final cleaning and prep.”

“Ma’am?” The nurse said, smiling at me nervously, an obvious twitch to one side of her mouth. “Maybe we should test, for, uh, volume?” She looked down between my legs pointedly, until I shifted my sitting position so she couldn’t stare at me any longer. This was not a reaction I was used to.

The doctor seemed to have been expecting it. “I think we should let our Princess, Employer, and Sovereign Leader of our Country have the first go, no matter how good he’s supposed to be,” she said.

Oh… Huh. I guess I hadn’t considered the motivation. I guess Prince Consort does come with a pretty hefty dose of caché. That was immediately washed out as I realized that meant that Princess Celestia was mostly likely going to be expecting a god in the bed… And I had never even tried before.

The latter was most likely obvious, because I quickly felt the reassuring hoof of Rock Solid resting on my haunch. “Alright bud,” he said. “Once last stop before you get to meet, uh, her.” I nodded, taking a deep, calming breath to try and keep myself calm. I staggered to my hooves and followed Rock Solid, who took me through a couple of doors and into a bathroom. It was about the size of my previous apartment, with an alicorn-sized tub and a shower to match, plus an open air window with the slightest hint of magical interference leaving the image a little bit fuzzy. Other than that, there was a large bathroom counter, and a smaller one perpendicular to it. In the middle of the room, a massage table had been set up, with a small stand full of oils and salves sitting next to it.

Sorting through the concoctions was a tall mare with a seafoam green coat and turquoise mane, poking through the various substances she had brought along She was head and shoulders above me, with a sturdy musculature that was padded out slightly by a comfortable layer of fat that seemed to shake generously with every movement. She looked up at me and had an expression enthusiastic enough to sour my mood again.

She didn’t give me a chance to consider running away though. In a few great strides the earth pony had grabbed me in a single hoof, pulling me into her chest and the fluffy fur that clung there. “Oh, I’m so glad to meet you!” She said with a glowing tone. “You’re the new consort? First Prize? Oh, I’m going to be delighted to work on you.”

It seemed like everyone knew me already… I wriggled to try and get free, but she was strong as a yak, and big enough that I was hanging without a chance at leverage, wings pressed up against my back. “Hello,” I wheezed out, having a bit of trouble breathing. “First Prize. Can’t breathe.”

She looked horrified for a moment, and quickly deposited me onto the table next to her, where I flopped for a second. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m just your new personal stylist, Seaweed Wrap! Well, I advise Princess Celestia, not that she normally needs it. But I’m here to take care of all of your needs… Style-wise, anyway.” She tossed a hoof. “Right now, I’m supposed to give you the works, getting you ready to meet Celly for the first time?” With another look at her, I did notice the white neck-band and hair-tie that marked her as a trained spa pony. Apparently a pretty good one, if Princess Celestia kept her on as a consultant, but a more bitter part of me wondered if her size had more to do with it than skill.

Harmony decided to punish me for my bitter thoughts, and she displayed ample ability as she produced oils and flipped me onto my front. Her glistening, oiled hooved sliding down my wings and into the small of the back where they connected, a gentle pressure that set my wings rigid again and the rest of my body into what I can only describe as ‘forceful relaxation’. I’m fairly sure I made a sound somewhere in the neighborhood of ‘guuuuuhhhhh’.

Wrap could only giggle at my response and her other hoof got into the action, slathering oils into my fur and quickly starting to rub them in, a tingling sensation spreading everywhere her hooves did. “I don’t mean to brag,” she bragged, “but I’m perhaps the single most skilled masseuse in the kingdom. That’s more than just the oils, I’m pushing just a little bit of magic through my hooves with every touch.”

“You seem to be enjoying it,” she teased, and let a single hoof dreft down to touch me between the legs. I hadn’t even noticed how hard I was, but as soon as she touched me there, it shot through my body like a fire. “Ah… Any other day and I’d be sure to take care of that,” she said, sounding disappointed. “But we’re running late on time and I’d better leave that for Celly.”

That said, she continued to rub me down… With one hoof. The other, almost absent-mindedly, trailed up and down my shaft with the point of her hoof, humming happily while she did so. Still, I was getting the massage and rub-down I apparently needed, but the need in me was quickly building into a fire, and I wriggled underneath her touch, only kept from flopping off the bed entirely by the strength of her hoof and some instinctive fear for the grip she had on my private parts.

Eventually, I was totally oiled up, and I figured we were done, only for her to squeeze me against herself and walk, this time over to the bathtub. With a great, heaving step she pulled both of us over to the warm, rose-scented water where we sank down. I nearly didn’t catch my breath in time, but she had that eventuality covered as well, quickly spinning so that she was beneath me and holding me so my head was above water while both of her hooves now crawled all over my body, sliding up my legs, massaging my wings, pushing up against my chest. It was only through an almighty force of will I didn’t blow my load, since I was relaxed and elevated and practically in another state of existence, gurgling and whimpering as the strong, confident touch of the mare worked me over and over.

I’m not sure how long that took. It could have been a minute, it could have been an hour, clutched tight to the bosom of the large, beautiful mare while she hummed and worked me over, finally pulling me out of the bath and setting upon me with a towel, rubbing me up and down until my coat poofed and my wings finally returned to a more flexible posture.

Finally came a comb, which she used in her mouth to flatten out my coat and leave it at a silky sheen I don’t think it’d ever been at before. I felt soft and calm, like I was glowing all over, and I couldn’t keep a grin off of my face. Eventually she was done, and the calming sensation of a strong, gentle mare working over me floated away, leaving me wanting for more while I lay there, blissfully dreaming. Blearily, I considered that I had absolutely been wrong about her, and I had never been happier to be so wrong.

She smiled down at me, patting my mane and lifting me up, gently setting me down on my hooves and keeping me secure while my wits gradually returned. “Don’t worry, we can try that again with a little bit more fun next time.” She gave me a wink and pushed me off in the direction of one more door. I started off towards it, then shot a look back at Rock Solid, wondering if he was going to follow.

He held up a hoof. “Oh, I’d better not,” he said, then gave me a reassuring wink. “I’ll be waiting out here, don’t worry.” I felt myself filled with sudden realization, and in spite of total body relaxation, there was a creeping sense of dread as I pushed through the large, wooden door. The hinges were well-oiled, and the door drifted open easily.

The room was large, and most of the north-facing well was filled with a giant window that looked down upon the bustling city of Canterlot, light streaming through and illuminating the whole room. It was filled with reds and golds, with the occasional highlight of sky blue. There was a sitting-room area, a raised dais with a wall filled with books, tables that had various crafts and items on it, a small kitchenette just to the side of the bathroom exit, and something I would looked like a board-room, right out of a corporate office. Next to the window, with a series of shades pulled down was a truly massive bed. It had to be fifteen by fifteen feet, with rich red blankets and a large canopy. With a nervous gulp, I headed over towards the last.

She wasn’t here… not yet. That meant I should probably be in position to meet her… I flapped my wings and fluttered onto the bed, and sat on my belly, facing the door. I considered trying a more alluring position, but the thought of her coming in and me contorting myself in an attempt to look sexy was more than my overburdened mind could handle right now. I was waiting for maybe a minute, my mind running through dozens of awful scenarios, things that would certainly make it go wrong. And then, with a click, the door began to open.