Project C.A.F.R

It was so close now, her dream, her perfect slice of rapture. Bliss had a name, and it was Hajaa, walking slab of striped muscle and brawn. Although the scandalous temptation to cling to him in her husband’s eyes burned in her mind just before leaving the throne room, she didn’t want to make it too obvious to him. Not yet at least. She wanted him to stew in doubt, battle with paranoia, before having all of his reservations crash right down before him. For eyes which didn’t belong to her husband? It would be obvious.

Their entire walk was accompanied by swoons and squeezes, caress and clinginess from her part. She had her arms wrapped around Hajaa's waist, pressing her ample breasts against his side whilst she chattered to him - his ears unlistening. She made sure to connect eyes with the doubters as she passed them, the staff and guests, the visiting nobles. She wanted them to know, deep down, how much of a slut she was becoming. To her delight, the zebras seemed to join in, in their own way. She caught them sneaking looks with the burly guards as they passed by them, or the noble stallions or butlers. No doubt imparting with them a wordless declaration of their superiority - no matter their rank or station, they couldn’t compare! However, she was much too enamored with the stallion in her arms to pay any more attention than that.

She must have done a full dance around Hajaa by the time the group arrived at the grand doors of the meeting room. The princess-turned-harlot reluctantly released the large stallion, rushing towards the doors and throwing them open; herding the Zebras inside. As soon as the last one entered, she closed them shut, her horn shimmering with pale cornflower light as the room became enshrouded with a noise-cancellation spell. She had practiced for this day many times in advance, and not once in her imagination, could she picture herself not screaming out in repeated choruses of bliss. And, as much as she would enjoy allowing the palace to know how low their princess had sunk - drunk on zebra musk and cum - such a public display would have to be saved for the future - a future that was rapidly incoming. So, for the time being, a quick gangbang would have to do! Just release all of her pent up lust and desire. And, if her stories were to be believed, every zebra in the room would be positively aching down there. If was just as much for them as it was for her...

She turned around, smile carnal and eager… only for it to fall from her face seconds after. Instead of already baring themselves to her, a wall of naked, rock hard studs, just about ready to throw her to the ground and take turns smashing their hips into every hole; breeding her into mindless putty... they had simply taken their seats, each planting an expectant eye upon her. If anything she wanted her nostrils to become congested with the raw smell of their emissions and musk, but instead, her sense of smell was graced with the pleasant aroma of lavender and soap.

"Princess Cadance, please, sit down. Let's talk business," To'Achuu proposed, gesturing towards her heaving form with an open palm. “We have much to discuss.”

"Wh-what?" Cadance asked, voice meek, face downtrodden. "But I thought… with the studs and the… thing..."

To'Achuu answered her mumbling and barely coherent speaking with a warm, cordial smile. "Trust me Princess, we know what it is you desire from us. All of us,” he began, a knowing glint in his eye. “Your desires were perfectly clear in your letters," he elaborated, glancing to Hajaa, who placed a rolled piece of parchment of the table before the gathering of striped stallions. “We were also flattered by the… attachments.”

Again, Hajaa reached down someplace below the table, pulling out a large binding of photographs which is passively tossed atop the parchment. A few scattered out. Pictures of herself, her bared breasts and spread thighs. In some, her legs were scrawled with self-degrading remarks. Words and arrows pointing to her soaked cunt, informing onlookers it belonged to - and only to - zebras. A few others she marked her cheeks with black and white lines, however the most poignant, and placed at the top, was a rather tame picture of her naked breasts. Below it, written in her own words were: ‘these are yours if you cum to me.'

"We know you want our... superior bodies, right? We will make that happen, if you give us something in return…" To'Achuu said quietly.

"Oh.." Cadance said sitting down, "What is it? I swear, I will give you anything you want!"

“Feel free to refuse-”

“Just tell me what it is!” she interrupted, already desperate. They were supposed to be ruining her holes already!

To'Achuu glanced at Hajaa with a surprised face, looking back to Cadance right after with a wary grin. "You made it quite clear in your letters. You were prepared to surrender all you were for us. So I want only one thing from you... your throne…?”

"Yes!" Cadance cried slamming her hands on the table, overtaken by her libido and lust. "Take it! Take it all! My throne, my palace, my country - even my marital bed! It all means nothing to me without your superior cocks! It’s all I’ve wanted. Just to be yours, to belong to you! Please, make me your zebra cum-slave! Forever!"

At her outburst, there were a few faces that struggled to remain stoic in the face of such… devotion? Hajaa raised an eyebrow and turned to To'Achuu, who only wore a smile and nothing else. Cadance followed the larger zebra specimen as he leant down towards the chief, whispering something into his ear. The chieftain laughed in response to elusive words the stud had to say. Cadance couldn’t imagine it to involve anything else but her. Her outburst had heightened her breathing to the brink of hyperventilation. She could only imagine what degrading words he had whispered about her. Maybe he had called dibs on her pussy first? Or maybe he wanted to fuck such a dirty mare in the most filthy way imaginable. She was wet before, now she was soaking.

"Oh ho, we will make you a slave alright. Such a filthy example of a creature as you deserve nothing less. But… it won't be quite as easy as simply... handing everything over to us, you realize? You have to help us take it." To'Achuu spoke with restrained eagerness. "We need a plan to if we are to take over. We need everypony to accept our rule, to willingly go along with out-”

“Why do they need to be willing?” Cadance interrupted, still drunk on her own fantasies. “Dominate them. Show them your superior cocks. Make mares flock to you on their hands and knees, just for a taste of your meat. Once the stallions have seen how easy it was to control the mares they’ll have no choice but to submit to your superiority.” she reasoned, sultry and horny, talking with fluttered eyes. “You see, our stallions are weak and useless really, and they deserve nothing more than to have their so-called ‘stallionhoods’ locked up. Not that they could use them effectively anyway. If I had known any better, I would never have my husband touch me with that… thing of his,” she then sighed. “It’s a shame Flurry will always remind me of my mistake-”

“Cafer,” Hajaa remarked at her suddenly, his muzzle wrinkled and eyes narrowed.

“Hajaa!” To’Achuu exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widened at the larger stallion.

“C...Cafer? What’s that?” she inquired.

“It’s the, uh… an acronym,” he answered smoothly, his face relaxing. “I was just surprised that he would reveal our secret plan so freely. He must really trust you to do that,” he continued, giving a pointed stare at Hajaa.

“How is it spelt?” she asked, her brows furrowing a little.

“The letters don’t exist in your alphabet, but an approximation would be… C.A.F.R,” he answered, smiling suavely at her.

“Oh,” she gave a nod of understanding, even if she entirely didn’t. She was taken by his grin, and the fact she didn’t really need to know anything at all. “How can I help you with that plan of yours? If can cement your rule quicker, the better.”

To’achuu’s next breath was an exhale, recomposing himself in the chair. "First, I want a list of every important male you have in the castle. They may try to… resist our attempts to prove our superiority,” he spoke after giving himself a moment to pause, giving her a large toothy grin. “I know then who we need to be… intimate with, I need to capture and enslave…" he said, flexing two fingers on each hand. Curiously, he earned a few snickers from that. "Then, after they have been sieved, I shall scatter the rest of my tribe through the castle to get a few more conversions. We need more than just you oriented to our point of view"

Cadance wondered why they would seek the stallions over the mares, but then again, who was she to doubt such superior specimens? "There is my… ugh, ‘husband’ Shining Armor,” she spoke her former beloved’s name with contempt; To’Achuu’s eyes steeled at his mention “He’s in charge of all of the guards in the city. If you made him realize the error of his beliefs, it would demoralize the soldiers. Then, there is Sunburst. He’s the court wizard and crystaller of my daughter. He’s not much of a… threat, but he might be foolish enough to get a message out to my auntie. She would be the only mare capable of resisting you, at least at first,” she added demurely, “but she could do so long enough to stop you. Then there is Thorax. A changeling who lives in the palace with us. Not a threat, but he could do something far more horrific than the rest by becoming a pale imitation of your shape. He could look like any of you in all but name. No mare deserves a false imitation of a real stallion. And I suppose there’s Spike. He’s a dragon, but not a particularly big one. If you keep him locked in a small cage and out of range of paper, he won’t be any trouble," she explained, finishing with a smarmy, self-satisfied grin. She had just sold out every one of her former friends, and she couldn’t care less.

To'Achuu blinked, his face totally unchanged, betraying neither shock or awe at her in-depth description. She countered herself fortunate that his total lack of visible care only fanned her flames hotter.

“H-how small is he? S-spike?” a zebra leaned forwards to ask her. She met his sparkly, hopeful gaze with the faintest hint of remembrance - it was the androgynous stallion who greeted her first.

“Not the time, Dansar,” To’Achuu raised a palm, quieting the overeager stallion, who then sulked back into his chair. He then reaffixed his gaze on Cadance, his cheek tugging back into a smile. “Thank you. That information is invaluable to us.”

Apathy, praise, it didn’t matter which - Cadance’s heart fluttered like the wings of a fly. “G-glad to be of service to you… master,” she beamed at him.

To'Achuu shifted in his seat, the smile he wore threatening to waver for some reason. "Errr.. Thanks...?"

“Is there anything else?” she asked, expectant, almost hopeful for more.

“Erm, no,” he replied, pushing the chair back before standing - the rest of his retinue following. “Are our rooms and accommodation ready?”

She stood also after they had, nodding, smiling at the mention thought of a bedroom with a zebra in it. “Yes! I spent a great deal of bits to provide luxury for you all!” she was happy to admit, although when the words left her mouth, a niggling thought entered her head. “Although, and I’m sorry if I’m speaking out of turn, or if I offend you saying this, but...”

The zebras began to exchange looks when she trailed off. Worried looks. Hajaa focused his gaze on To’Achuu, the lithe chieftain adorning a relaxed simper, which he directed at Cadance. “What is it?”

“Your tribe… they number around a thousand, right?” she queried warily.

He nodded.

“So... why do you need only six hundred beds?”

Silence reigned thereafter, a quiet of the awkward sort. Cadance scanned each of the clueless faces, blushes coming onto the faces of the more androgynous examples, but even a few of the relative giants appeared anxious at her question. She recentered her gaze on To’Achuu, whose Adam's apple moved up and down in time with a gulp. His eyes shifted to Hajaa, who rolled his own in turn.

“Fine,” Hajaa sighed, crossing his arms, his expression becoming hard. “I’ll do it.”

A chorus of relieved sighs came from the rest of the eleven or so zebras before they started to scamper from the meeting room. Cadance watched them all leave, wondering where her delicious striped studs were disappearing to. Hajaa remained rooted in place, his firm amber gaze keeping her similarly still. To’Achuu was the slowest to leave, and she turned to watch him do so. He pivoted on his hoof outside the room, the last smile she saw him give was a sultry one, and he winked, slamming shut the doors.

Do what? Cadance, thought. When she turned back around, her muzzle bumped into a wall, or something as hard as one at least. She recoiled backwards, her vision naught but stripes and muscle. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat as she met his eyes. They were those of a conqueror. When he huffed out of his nostrils, like a bull in rut, she gasped, her legs beginning to tremble, threatening to give out in the presence of such raw masculinity…

She barely had time to act swoon or drool when the stud grabbed her by the neck. His thick, strong fingers raised her from the ground, asphyxiating her and leaving her hooves kicking. Even as tears began to come down her cheeks, her teeth were bared into a large, euphoric beam. She squealed when he began to take lumbering steps forward, pushing her back against the wall where his other hand hoisted up her dress. She began to chew on her lip, sniffling down air as his thick fingers glided up her thigh. Her next exhale tremored as his fingers grazed her quim through her panties, so close yet so far.

He snorted, ignoring the soft, think barrier as pushed a long thick digit against her garment. She wanted to release a pleasured cry, but she expelled far too much air to do that. Instead, she let out an unflattering grunt as a long, thick finger pushed against her knickers, the sound of snapping followed and right after that same finger was stuffed into her quivering twat. She would have thrown her head back to scream, feeling her walls spread apart by another stallion brought her more pleasure than any toy could. This was it! Everything she ever wanted! His rigid digit swirled her insides, staining his fur with her clear musky nectar. She let out a strangled scream when a second finger joined the first, clawing and pushing against her velveteen walls, tickling her most intimate nerves. Despite his brutish size, she would dare say he dancing inside of her, his delving thick digits.

Her mind arrived at one singular conclusion, an answer as to why they didn’t run a train on her as soon as they arrived: she wasn’t ready yet. She had to prepare, be stretched out. He was making her pathetically small hole large enough for his godly dick to fit. He was working to make her ‘flower’ blossom into a whorish bloom.

"Ah! Ah! Yes! Yes!" she croaked and moaned, a bitch in heat. Right after a third finger forced its way inside of her, enhancing the wonderful sensation of fullness as was forced even further apart. She squeezed around his swishing fingers, her quivering mess of a cunt forcing them to push against a certain cluster of nerves within her needy quim. Yet despite everything, she remained on the bring, requiring just that final push. "Please, please! Rub my clit! I’m so close!” she pleaded.

“I don’t know where that is,” he grunted.

“Please!” she begged, unbelieving him. ”Just once! I won’t ask anything of you ever again!”

“Shut up!” he snapped, his fingers plunging into and out of her flushed pussy.

His vitriol made her pussy tense around him, provoking a leer from him. “You’re nothing but a whore,” he censured, his fingers tightening around her throat. “You disgust me, slut! I can’t wait to see you reduced to nothing...”

That pushed her over the edge. His words were like the plucks on a violin string that caused her to scream out in crescendo, the strangled shriek that of a common whore. Her pussy spewed clear sticky femcum all over his hand, the copious liquid the pent up lust of a mare depriving herself for months. She watched as Hajaa’s expression became a sneer - disgusted - and he recoiled his stained fingers from her twat, his firm fingers unwrapping from her throat; letting the princess fall into a quivering heap to the floor.

Despite the fresh orgasm, Cadance felt unsatiated. Her tired eyes looked up at her living fantasy, her hand rising. “Your dick… I need… dick,” she panted, reaching a fatigued limp towards his crotch. “So… long…”

Hajaa seemed more focused on his hand then the mare longing for him. His disinterest only made her more aroused. He tried flicking his hand, trying to remove the slick honey that coated it, the mare feeling speckles of her own juices splash on her cheeks. He grimaced. He finally looked at her again after what seemed like forever. He dropped his hand, letting it hang limply in front of her face. "Clean up your mess. Now."

Cadance looked up at him in awe. His command to her was that of a god in the striped flesh. He had completely dominated and degraded her, yet she felt as she was rewarded. Her tongue lolled from out of her mouth, and leaned forwards, dutifully wrapping her lips around his digits, sucking and licked them clean one by one. She tasted her own, unmitigated lust on all of them. She could taste her own liquid reverence, her pure carnality and libido. Her thighs squeezed together whilst she performed her task, her duty, in serving him. When the final digit left her mouth with a pop, she was panting, already approaching the brink of orgasm once again.

“Can I… can I…” she was unable to finish her sentence, vocalize her most primal need to his ears.

He wiped his hand down the side of his leg, drying it of royal saliva. He didn’t say anything, his expression stoic and directed. “You’ll get what you deserve once the throne is ours,” he pledged.

Right after, he left her a crumpled heap on the floor, her thighs a mess of feminine essence and her face half-locked into an expression of sluttish ecstasy and desperate need. Her cheek tugged at the corners of her lips.

She was going to get what she was owed.

"And then I lifted the scepter up into the air, and became the Dragon Lord!" Spike exclaimed, raising his stubby little arm triumphantly, mimicking the action from his story. No matter how many times he reiterated the story, the lithe changeling was eager to listen each and every time.

"Woah!" Thorax mouthed, his face warmed into a mixture of awe and disbelief. The two turned a corner, then the changeling cast an eye down to Spike, his brows meeting. "You could have become the lord of all dragons, but you gave it up. Why?"

"Because it wasn’t meant for me," Spike answered right away, a sincere smile on his face.

“How do you know?”

The pudgy little dragonling went silent, stroking his chin; going deep into thought. Thorax never tore sight his away from him, wondering what nugget of wisdom he was about to receive. A moment passed, then two, at the end of the third, Spike finally shrugged. “I dunno.”

Thorax felt his shoulder sag, a bemused smile taking the place of anticipation. “Oh.”

“Eh, don’t sweat it,” Spike raised and waved his clawed hand assuredly. “Not everyone is suited to leadership. And those that are? Well, sometimes they don’t know it themselves.”

The changeling curled his lip, nodding appreciatively at the dragon’s sage advice. “You really are a dragon.”

Spike blinked, looking up at the changeling. “What did you say?”

Thorax grinned, this time it was his hand that waved, dismissing the dragon’s concern. “Nothing important.”

“Hey!” a voice, ill-fitted for loudness, stole their attentions from each other.

Before them stood a mare- no wait, a stallion. His wardrobe of only a loincloth provoked a flush of light blue to appear on the changeling’s cheeks, whilst Spike’s brow was raised higher than it ever had been. A zebra, a sight not foreign to Spike’s eyes but assuredly to Thorax, stood with a trembling pair of legs half a dozen feet in front of them. He was similar in shape to Thorax, more androgynous and easily mistaken for the fairer sex. His plump hips carried a large succulent derriere, that was just as visible from the front as it was the back. Whilst Thorax was taken by what was below the neck, Spike tilted his head at the above. The zebra’s lips trembled with some unknown emotion, although Spike had seen the look in his eye many a time through the years. Twilight with an exceptionally big book, Rainbow Dash just before a competition, and his own face in the shiny reflection of a colossal jewel: determination.

"Are y-you S-Spike?” the small zebra inquired, his hands clenched at his sides.

Spike smiled, proud. It would appear that his fame extended beyond the boundaries of Equestria. "You must be one of the zebras that arrived in the envoy," he surmised, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"Y-yeah…" the zebra confirmed, his lips pursing shut right after.

Spike and Thorax simply looked at him, awaiting more from the meek zebra. However, the longer the zebra remained quiet, the redder his cheeks became. Spike’s smile gradually faltered, wondering if the stallion was shy or had simply forgotten to breathe. “Want me to show you around?” Spike offered, hasty in both tone the re-adorning of his welcoming smile.

Rather than say anything, the zebra simply nodded, both meek and grateful; his head dipping a little lower as the stout dragon approached him.

"You know, if you represent zebras, and I represent dragons, I guess I’m something of an envoy myself…" Spike reasoned, his smile empathetic as he looked up at the frowny faced zebra. The striped stallion’s lips tightened, the flush on his face simply refusing to budge. "Maybe we could share stories as I show you the sights? Boy, do I have some doozies!”

The dragon’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Spike was inwardly elated to see the most subtle of tugs at the zebra’s cheek. There was a nod, which Spike grinned at. Twilight would be proud of him for extending his hand like that.

“Catch ya later, Thorax?” Spike looked over his shoulder, the changeling ironically bug-eyed, still taken aback by the zebra’s appearance.

“Whu- oh! Yeah, sure thing,” Thorax affirmed, awkwardly raising a thumb at the short dragon - a wordless blessing for him to leave. “See ya.”

The changeling’s thumb gradually deflated and fell like a balloon the further away Spike went until his arm and hand fell limply down his side. He sighed, when the dragonling marched around a corner, the words he was sharing the new zebra indiscernible. Now, what was he going to do with himself? Mentally shrugging, resolving to find something, he turned where he stood and took an immediate step forward…

Then he was on the floor.

How did he end up there?

The Changeling rubbed his head, wondering if he had accidentally slammed face first into a wall. He looked up, blinking away his disorientation. His assumption seemed to have been proven correct, the vague striped shape standing over him was as wide as he was tall. The more discernible the ‘wall’ became the stranger the rhythm became in his chest.

“Apologies,” the wall spoke, reaching down for the insect with a large open paw which Thorax was all too eager to accept.

“Don’t be…” Thorax protested, his voice barely louder than a mutter, even in his own ears. The zebra brought Thorax up to his hooves with remarkable ease, the changeling relying on the zebra for balance as he regained his bearing; the stallion ensuring the bug’s safety by wrapping an arm around his back. Thorax was continuously amazed by the stallion, displaying strength, toughness and care all within the span of a few seconds. He was even inspired to awe by the zebra’s height, having to crane his head back just to look up into the zebra’s orange irises…

And what eyes they were.

When Thorax met them he didn’t fight himself over the fact he was unable to look away. The changeling didn’t know what he saw in those amber hues. Curiosity. Intrigue. Desire. The stallion’s apologetic simper deepened into something more at the changeling’s unexpected response.

"You'll do," he remarked cryptically, chuckling to himself before releasing the changeling and striding right past.

Thorax remained still, even when the zebra was long gone, completely mystified…

That night, Shining Armor ate alone in the dining hall. He dined on something spartan, vegetable soup and biscuits. It wasn’t very palatable but he didn’t feel deserving of something tastier. Occasionally his cerulean eyes drifted over to an empty chair, one just adjacent to him. It was the place where Cadance used to sit, emphasis on ’used to’. The memories of how she was once upon a time left him forlorn, unsurprisingly. His free hand tapped and fidgeted on the table. The empty spaces between his fingers longed to be filled by hers again. They used to reach out to one another, even as they ate, just to feel the trust, love and security that was afforded by such a simple gesture…

What happened?

The unicorn was torn from his mind at the sound of creaking doors. He glanced over, not expecting anyone of note, and he was passed the point of holding onto hope that it would be Cadance. Instead, the figure who did enter was enough to provoke a curious cock of his brow.

The slim, flamboyantly dressed zebra chief sauntered in, his pearly whites bared into a grand exuberant beam. Unfortunately, Shining didn’t find his mood brightening despite how much warmth the chieftain exuded, even as he got closer, heading down his side of the table.

"What are you doing-” Shining began, stopping himself when he realized the harshness of his voice. Clearing his throat he started to stand, “Greetings Chief, how are you?”

“Excellent, now that I’m in better company,” the zebra answered suavely, raising a hand right after, “and please, remain seated. No one should stand on my account, especially Shining Armour.”

Shining was almost taken aback by the zebra’s reply, although from his tone of voice he didn’t quite believe the stallion’s humility entirely - still, he was flattered. “Alright then,” he complied, plopping his firm ass back in the chair.

Shining’s eyes remained glued to him, To’Achuu approaching with a seamless grace in his movements. The striped stallion reached the seat beside him, his fingers loosely gripping the top, looking to Shining for confirmation.

“Uh, sure,” Shining allowed, "don't see why not."

"Thank you," To'Achuu gave a deep nod before pulling out the chair, turning it sideways, sitting towards the unicorn. Shining couldn’t help but notice the chaste way in which he sat, with his legs tightly closed, his fists rested atop his clothed thighs. “

“You made quite an entrance,” Shining remarked, trying his best to sound cordial, even if he felt somewhat compelled to inject some venom into his words. The last time he saw Cadance today, she had disappeared with this very stallion, so it was difficult to remain withdrawn. “You’re not a very… prude sort, are you?”

“It’s a tradition for the Chieftain of a tribe to be surrounded by only his champions and their… well, there is certainly a lot on display, I must admit,” he giggled, raising his hand to hide his mouth behind it before continuing. “I imagine you were quite taken aback.”

Shining noticed the sudden change in the zebra’s destination. ‘Their’ what? However, the question was too tempting to ask, so the unicorn suppressed his urge to ask it; glancing sideways. “It was. Although, I am curious about one thing.”

“Yes?” the zebra leaned towards him, an expectant simper on his muzzle.

“Your clothes. Not just yours, but the others, or their lack thereof. What’s with that?” he asked, bordering the line between diplomatic and casual, trying to get a read on the stallion adjacent to him.

He gave a one-sided shrug, wearing a grin as he leaned back in his chair. “Their purpose is not all that dissimilar to your kind and... uniforms. The more a stallion wears, the stronger is his position in the tribe.”

“Is hierarchy decided on wealth?” he queried, placing his fork down, turning to face the zebra.

The zebra shook his head. “No, although I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that. Their position on the ‘ladder’, so to speak, can influence how much they can have.”

Shining leaned back in his chair, brow cocking. “And what decides their position? It isn’t wealth. It isn’t strength, I can tell that much by your entourage,” he remarked, distinctly recalling relative giants with loincloths and below average pygmies with luxurious lilac colored shirts. “So what is it?”

At that, To’Achuu for the first time since sitting looked uncomfortable. Shining was close to rescinding his question. Perhaps the topic was particularly delicate, or controversial. “I wouldn’t really expect a pony to quite understand our ways.”

“Try me,” he offered, crossing his arms.

The zebra took a breath before speaking. “In our culture, rank is determined by things… quite outside your control,” he began, the cryptic manner in which he spoke making the ivory unicorn furrow his brows low in confusion. “Their position is decided upon adulthood.”

“A caste system?” Shining asked, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

The zebra gave a pained smile, scratching his lithe neck. “Those were the old ways, although some, even the young amongst us, cling to them. It’s for that reason I’m in charge,” he professed, his delicate palm pressing against his flat chest.

Shining arched a brow at him, his lip curling slightly. “You dodging the question, aren’t you?”

“You could tell?” To’Achuu smirked, visible anxiety in his golden irises. “I can tell you, but you have to promise not to think of me any differently.”

Shining rolled his eyes, releasing a sigh. “That’d be hard to do,” he said, half jesting but also painfully blunt. “But fine, I promise.”

The zebra seemed relieved at this, nodding. "Okay, so how do I explain this..." To'Achuu began, stroking his soft rounded chin. "It’s rather simple. The status of a zebra is decided by… his size."

Shining’s brows met, giving the Chief a quick scan. The zebra wasn’t exactly the largest example of a stallion he had seen, and he didn’t make up for his lack of height in brawn either, the zebra’s body akin to a teen colt rather than a grown man; toned and thin. “Size? Like… height?”

The zebra chuckled nervously, his cheeks beginning to glow a soft pink. "Not that kind of size. What I refer to is the size belonging to a more… intimate nature," he revealed, his head lowered slightly.

"Intimate?” Shining echoed, leaning forwards. “Something personal then?”

“Very,” he stressed, giving the unicorn a pointed stare.

Shining’s features tightened. Exactly ‘what’ was beginning to formulate in his mind but he didn’t want to believe it. A smile, both disbelieving and humored, began to form at the end of his muzzle. “You don’t mean... surely you don’t mean...“

A third color appeared on the zebra’s face: pink. He nodded, grinning. “Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is.”

“Asses?” Shining chortled, suddenly taken with immaturity. “When I saw you walking with Cadance, I couldn’t help but notice you gave my wife a run for her money.”

“Well, I’m flattered,” To’Achuu giggled demurely, the back of his palm going to his mouth, “but no. Other side.”

“Other side? Then…” the unicorn trailed off, the goofy grin plastered to his face quickly lessened into something awkward, and meek. He placed his hands on his lap, trying to counteract his own rising feelings of inadequacy by trying to appear nonplussed about the realization. “Ah. I see… y-you must be popular with the ladies then," Shining tried to shatter the uncomfortable air with a compliment, fighting off the urge to glance downwards.

“So must you,” the zebra riposted, his smile more warm than smarmy as Shining expected. “It’s only a shame you’re already taken. And, from just looking at you, I suspect that our cultures share… similarities, in certain regards.”

Shining blinked, too taken aback to feel jealousy. “Um… thank you,” he accepted the compliment, also appreciating the zebra’s intended - or untended - easement of his worries. Although a new one arose in his head. Did he just get flirted with?

“You’re likely the first pony outside of our homelands to know of this custom,” To’Achuu informed him, a sincere smile following right after. “I hope we can know each other long enough for you to learn more.”

“Uh, me too?” Shining said, attempting to mimic the sentiment, straightening his posture. With his recent suspicion in mind, the unicorn realized something about the zebra’s company. Although a few of them were androgynous, the brazen baring of their chests meant that their sex was blatant. “Actually, there was another thing I wanted to ask about.”

“Ask away,” To’Achuu gestured, smiling eagerly. “Happy to answer.”

Shining folded his arms, his jaw tightening with uncertainty. “I didn’t see any mares in your… troupe, so...”

“Yes, there are no mares in our tribe,” he disclosed directly, no hesitation in his deliverance.

“Oh… right…”

“I can see that you’re perplexed,” To’Achuu observed, chuckling. “Don’t be. We segregate ourselves from the females, just as they segregate themselves away from us.”

“Are all tribes like that? I imagine it makes… difficult,” Shining commented cryptically, unsure himself if it was in reference to sustainability or… something else.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “It has been this way for thousands of years. The tradition predates even your sun princess and her ascension.”

Shining leaned sideways, resting his head on his elbow, utterly intrigued. “But if you don’t live together, how are there even any zebras left at all?”

“Well, once a year, our tribes intermix for the spring…”

“And what, do you find dates or something?” he asked, innocently.

“Oh no, nothing so inefficient,” To’Achuu guffawed, crossing his arms over his chest. “We have an orgy of course.”

If Shining had a mouthful of water, he would have spat it out. “R-really?”

“Yes. The entirety of both tribes partakes in aphrodisiacs. A stallion can’t get attached to the mother or their foal if they can’t be certain they’re the father.”

That stung Shining harsher than any bee. As a father, his connection to Flurry was his greatest bonds. His jaw ironed. “What happens to the foals after they’re born?”

“The daughters remain with their mothers, in their tribe. The sons are sent to the males to be communally raised and eventually… measured.”

“That’s… that’s...” Shining stammered, getting worked up.

“Barbaric? Unfair and unjust?” he offered to finish for him, frowning slightly in sympathy.

“And everyone just agrees to this?” Shining frowned, his body sagging somewhat, knowing it was pointless to gather rage.

The zebra nodded solemnly. “Most do. They’ve lived too long under it to accept anything else, and others are simply too content to feel any differently.”

“And what if someone does feel differently?” Shining queried.

“Exile,” he said promptly.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that,” he affirmed, gesturing. “Every zebra outside the homeland is an exile.”

“None leave willingly?” Shining was incredulous to that. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I see why you would be skeptical, but you know little of the homeland. You see, our lands are described by few outsiders that visit as a paradise. They rarely want to leave. We have no need for currency; everything grows in excess and we are neither too hot or too cold. All are taught to be polite, and selfishness is a fictional concept to us… it’s a utopia, not to brag,” he ended with a confident grin, his golden eyes yearning for the words that left his mouth.

“Who would want to leave paradise?”

The Chieftain became visibly sombre at the question, a far cry from his prior mood, even averting his eyes - the difference was night and day. “To some, the reasons are numerous. Mothers may flee with their sons, young mares who don’t want to be the subject of dozens of stallions will be forced to way for the border. During Spring, prior to the ceremony, love may bloom. Stallions who wish not to partake for… their preferences, may also get banished. I have known a few who disliked the status afforded by their… endowment, and sought a better future in Equestria.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I agree. I have for as long as I have been able,” he agreed, glum.

Shining didn’t like that expression. He nodded in concurrence. Still, something didn’t sit quite right with him. “No zebras leave willingly… so why are you here?”

To’Achuu’s melancholic countenance softened, showing some teeth as a small, knowing grin was directed at the unicorn. He reached out an open hand. “Thank you... for the company.”

It wasn’t a deft dodge, but he didn’t want to delve further, not if he didn’t want to. Shining reached for the hand, gripping it firmly. The zebra’s hold was delicate, an oddly inviting softness in his palms, a pleasant warmth. “Likewise. It was nice talking to you, illuminating. You weren’t what I imagine-”

The unicorn found himself silenced by a pair of lips pressing softly against his cheek, and his hand enveloped by a second, his grip fading entirely as he was cuddled by the chieftain’s soft feelers. His vision was obscured by the zebra’s stripy cheek. The moment was but the instant of a second but to Shining it was prolonged by a combination of confusion… and pleasantness.

Shining, stunned, remained still as the Chieftain slid languidly from his hold. He rose up on his lithe legs, striding away from the prince. If Shining didn’t know any better, he would have thought the swinging sway the zebra had in steps was deliberate. His eyes didn’t linger long on the zebra’s fat ass, and soon he shot them upwards, catching the golden iris of the Chieftain looking back. The zebra held his gaze until he left the dining hall, leaving him alone once again. He thought himself asking the same question as before, the warmth still lingering on his cheek from the zebra’s kiss…

What happened?