A Royal Pain's Perspective

By all intents and purposes, it could’ve been claimed that Fillydelphia had one of its most beautiful starting weekends as the summer months arrived in Equestria. Due to the efforts from Cloudsdale just weeks before, the bustling cityscape still had immaculately pristine weather which made it perfect to spend the day outside. However, even with all the citizens out and about to take advantage of the cloudless skies, there were just as many eager ponies who were standing in wait outside the Fillydelphia Convention Center. And right above the main doors of the massive building, a large banner was hanging to display the weekend’s venue in a bold black font:

The 10th Annual Fillydelphia Equestrian Fetish FunCon - ADULTS ONLY

Even though that age restriction seemed like a bit much with the larger lettering, it would’ve been hard to realize what kind of venue this was from the ponies lined up outside. There were Equestrians of all shapes and sizes standing in wait, who ranged from slender mares to buff and burly stallions. Many of them were also carrying large luggage bags, which most likely held items that were meant to be worn or used away from the outside public. Unless anypony were to wander in too close to eavesdrop on their hushed conversations, it could’ve easily been assumed that this convention was for some totally safe-for-work event.

Near the front of that long line, one particular pony tried his hardest to keep himself casually discrete while wearing a black hoodie. Even though the hood was pulled down to keep himself from looking suspicious, he made sure to conceal his appearance as best as he could by tying his luscious blonde mane in a tight ‘Man-Bun’ behind his head. He was also wearing a thick pair of aviator shades, which he constantly had to readjust on his snout with the aid of his horn. Fortunately for the pony struggling to remain incognito, there were five other guys who were standing fairly close to him from all sides; all of them were wearing bulky hoodies as well, but that was mostly to hide their utility packs and Royal Guard badges from the public.

“Nnnnghhh…” The larger stallion fidgeted a bit while standing out in the open, and had to struggle not to look up at that banner he was stuck underneath. He didn’t want to feel too paranoid, but his bitten lip was noticeable enough to catch the attention of the five ponies stationed around him. But before any of them could try to escort him away from the line, or even ask him if he was okay, the unicorn leaned his head in towards one of them to ask, “Mud-Slinger, are you sure this is a good idea? If even one paparazzi photographer notices me here and takes a picture--”

“Hey, you gotta relax, Blueblood~” The pony lifted up a brown hoof to press against the stallion’s muzzle, which helped to silence him for that interruption. Unlike Blueblood, who was trying his hardest to keep himself unnoticed, the brown Earth Pony seemed fairly comfortable having his face out in the open. And as he shot his Prince a warm and reassuring smile, he made sure to lean in a little closer to add snidely, “Besides, can you really say this would be the most controversial thing associated with you?~”

Just a few months ago, such a comment from his Guard would’ve resulted in a physical response worthy of a Court Marshall by Princess Twilight herself; but due to more recent events, the only thing Blueblood could think to do was reel away from Mud-Slinger with a heavy blush across his cheeks. He may have still been worried, but it was hard for him to speak up in opposition due to his past history. Meanwhile, Mud-Slinger and the other Guards all looked at one another with amused smirks and brief snickering.

It had only been two months since Discord gave an impromptu “reformation” to Prince Blueblood, despite being on strict probation for his involvement with the Legion of Doom which nearly decimated Equestria. Even though what he did to the Prince wasn’t nearly his most egregious act, Discord still had to stand trial before Princess Twilight when she heard about Celestia’s nephew being literally fucked-over by his personal Guards. Fortunately for the soldiers, none of them had to face any reprimand after Twilight learned of their months of abuse under Blueblood, and Discord’s reasonings for hypnotizing the Prince to act as their apologetic cocksock. In fact, even with the knowledge of Blueblood’s personality and behavior being drastically altered by Discord, Twilight didn’t even try to ask for him to undo the hypnosis either.

Sure, Blueblood was still technically “hypnotized” to ingratiate with his Guards, but the newly-coronated ruler couldn’t exactly ask for Discord to undo it when he was making so much progress. Along with making a public apology, and even paying reprimands from his personal accounts to make up for his years of abuse towards castle staff, Blueblood even went out of his way to pay off the debts to Rarity’s boutique in Canterlot to apologize for the infamous “Cake Incident.” Not to mention, Discord made sure to get a petition signed by every single Guard and staff member of Canterlot Castle, who all threatened to quit on the spot if Blueblood was reverted back to his old ways. So despite how ethically grey the matter may have seemed from Twilight’s perspective, she’d rather deal with the current Blueblood as opposed to the asshole he used to be.

It wasn’t clear how much of Discord’s chaotic magic was still in effect (or even if Blueblood was consciously aware of his hypnosis himself), but he had grown self-aware enough to carry a lot of guilt for his actions. Luckily for the Prince, it was fairly easy for him to be redeemed among his Guards after offering up his body for their personal use that fateful day. And in the weeks that passed, Blueblood made sure to keep up his atonement as best as he could after inducting the five as his personal Guards with hefty pay raises, as well as some “private” benefits the group couldn’t refuse. The Prince hadn’t found the courage to come out of the stable publically just yet (despite Pinkie Pie offering to throw him a massive coming out party free of charge), but he was hopeful that his new friends could help him to better emerge from his former shell.

“Hey, come on now,” said one of the other Guards who nudged Blueblood from the side with a reassuring smile. “You really shouldn’t act so stressed. Everypony in line is here to have fun, just like all of us. And I can promise you, everything is going to be okay.”

Unlike the other Guards, who were all shorter than the surprisingly bulky Prince, Blueblood had to look upward to give a thankful smile to the zebra who nudged him. Zeno was technically one of the few non-ponies who could be seen in line, but his black hoodie helped to keep himself incognito alongside the others. Even though he was arguably treated the worst among his fellow Guards back when Blueblood was still an abusive narcissist (both for his orientation and species), Zeno was also the first to forgive the Prince following his reformation. He was also the one who helped to coax Blueblood into taking this impromptu trip in the first place, much to the others’ well-appreciated approval.

“Th… Thanks, Zeno,” said Blueblood with a gracious nod towards the zebra, which caused the Guard to smile more thankfully. Considering how long the Prince had spent calling his Guards every slur and derogatory term under the sun, it was refreshing for the group to hear him address them by their actual names. When Blueblood glanced back at the others, he was happy to see all of them nodding their heads in agreement with Zeno’s assurance. One of the Guards, a muscular white unicorn who was the only one with his hood pulled-up, smiled at the Prince as he gave him a comforting nudge from the side.

“Zeno’s not the only one willing to help you out,” said the unicorn while shrugging his head playfully to one side. “I mean, given how you used to be, it should really say a lot that we’re all friends now, right?”

Zapper may have brought up a valid point, but Blueblood could only nod reluctantly while struggling not to bite his lip in shame. Even though he made up with his Guards in one of the boldest means imaginable, he was fully aware that the five could’ve easily ditched him the moment they were all finished. But despite a couple awkward conversations between himself and the Guards throughout the following weeks, Blueblood couldn’t have been happier that they were all so keen on helping him to better himself. So even with his looming apprehensions -- especially when the line started to grow more antsy closer to the main doors -- Blueblood was able to sigh contentedly enough before saying, “Well, I… I suppose that’s a fair point. And it really does mean a lot that you’ve all trusted me enough to stay by my side.”

The five Guards all let out touched-sounding “Dawwws” before circling around the Prince to give him a group hug. The close contact was more than enough to make Blueblood blush profusely, but his trembling lips were able to form a thankful smile before he hugged them back. One of the pegasus stallions in the group, whose blue fur and darker blue mane went really well with his black hoodie, made sure to say after letting go of Blueblood, “Hey, that’s what friends are for, dude! And since we’ve been able to trust you, I think it’s only fair you trust us with this~”

Blueblood couldn’t refute Rush’s point if he tried, so he decided to just breathe out with a flustered huff while nodding back at him. The other pegasus of the group, who was a red stallion with a frosty white mane, made sure to add from Blueblood’s other side, “Besides, do you really think we’re gonna screw you over in a public place? I mean, even back then we wouldn’t have tried anything that stupid! And that’s not just because it would’ve costed us our jobs either.”

Of all the things Blueblood could’ve heard to make himself feel better, it was Glider’s truthful dose of logic that got to him the best. The Prince may have been paranoid for fairly justified reasons, but he also knew that all five of the Royal Guards took their jobs very seriously. Heck, considering how harshly he used to treat them before his reformation, Blueblood could honestly admit that their diligence and straight-laced demeanors carried a level of respect equal to Prince Shining Armor. And because of that, the Prince was able to sigh in contentment by the time he heard a round of cheers starting from the front of the line.

“Whoooo!!~”
“Yeah!”
“Alright, let’s have some fun!~”

As soon as the doors of the venue officially opened to bring everypony inside, those cheers spread around to get the entire line excited. Blueblood felt flustered enough to make his fur stand up underneath his hoodie, bue the enthusiastic cheers his friends made helped to keep his smile remaining natural. “Alright, buddy,” said Rush, who used one of his strong blue wings to wrap over Blueblood’s back to put him at ease. “It looks like you’re gonna be able to take off that pesky hoodie soon enough~”

That remark caused Rush and the others to all snicker with more devious-looking grins on Prince Blueblood. And despite how determined he may have been to go through with such a boldly impromptu event, the Prince couldn’t help wincing worriedly as the line began to move forward.

Due to how tinted the outside windows of the Fillydelphia Convention Center were (most likely to keep the interior space nice and cool), most of the attendees for the event were excited to see what perverted things waited them inside. Even though this was Prince Blueblood’s first time at a Fetish-themed convention, he was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t just a straight-up orgy in the middle of a giant room. Instead, the convention center’s massive space was being used to host dozens of booths and stands for ponies to peruse. Whether it be product sales, tattoo and piercing booths, food stands, or open demonstrations of various kinky things, all of the individual spaces were being hosted by respectable vendors who carried the best in professionalism and customer service. Even though it was hard to look around without seeing a dildo or gimp-mask being paraded around by one of the many attendees, Blueblood was happy to see that the Fetish convention was pretty much the same as any other weekend event.

After the group got themselves registered with ease, Blueblood tried to feel more comfortable with himself as he walked around the venue. His five Guards were all walking in a specific formation around the Prince, but made sure to keep themselves looking casual while protecting the Royal family member. Blueblood’s sunglasses and man-bun remained on his head, but none of his friends tried to coax him out of that. Instead, the kinky Guards were more keen on escorting Blueblood around the venue as a lucky-first timer, and getting him into something more appropriate for the event’s clientele.

“Hmmm…” Zeno, whose Zebrican heritage gave him a surprisingly good knowledge of body art, couldn’t help glancing over at a piercing station one of the booths was hosting. But alas, despite how tempting it would’ve been, Zeno eventually sighed with a scoff and said, “Man, imagine if we could get Bluey to pierce his nipples~”

Blueblood’s muzzle pursed tightly shut as he struggled not to cringe from such an idea. Meanwhile, Glider had to cover his mouth with a hoof while snickering under his breath. “Oh, jeeze! Even nowadays, I can’t see him doing something like that!”

While he and the others laughed at such a hypothetical, Blueblood merely rolled his eyes while carrying a flatter expression. “Just in case it isn’t common knowledge among civilians,” noted the Prince, who had to stop himself for a split-second to keep from saying ‘peasants’ instead of civilians, “it’s actually forbidden by the order of the crown for any Royal family members with governing status to get body art.”

That point prompted Zeno’s ears to slump down in disappointment, most likely because of how perfect Blueblood’s fur would’ve been for a tattoo artist to play with. Meanwhile, the other Guards all looked back at the Prince with varying looks of surprise. “Wait, seriously?” asked Glider with a raise of his brow. “How long was that a rule? I could’ve sworn I never learned about that in training.”

Blueblood merely shrugged before answering with, “Well, I don’t know all the details myself, since the measure has been in effect for several centuries. But from what I’ve been able to learn, apparently Celestia got in a bit of an international scandal when she was gifted a Zebrican tattoo on her foreleg, which happened to look remarkably similar to the insignia of a Moldovian terrorist group. It was completely coincidental, but it still prompted Celestia to undergo laser-treatments and issue a ban to appease all the furious nobles.”

Blueblood wasn’t really thinking much about that story as he explained the details, mostly since he always saw it as a silly little story his Aunt would share at private events after a few glasses of wine. However, the moment he glanced back at the Guards, he froze upon seeing the five pairs of bulging eyes staring at him in absolute shock. The Prince had to reel back from their stunned stares as his eyes darted back and forth. “... Ummmm… D-Did I say something wrong?”

Zeno had to clench his muzzle shut with a hoof, just to keep from screaming the words “Celestia has a tattoo?!” at the top of his lungs in the middle of the convention center. Fortunately, since the venue was already becoming crowded from ponies who were getting donned in various forms of fetish gear, nopony seemed to be paying attention to Blueblood’s group. Because of that, Rush was able to speak in a more hushed tone after blinking a couple times. “Ummm… S-Since when did Celestia get tattooed?!”

“Hm?” Blueblood’s brows rose in surprise, not having realized that fact wasn’t known by his Guards. But after a meager shrug of his shoulders, he said, “Oh, that was literally centuries ago. She told me she only had a dozen or so in her lifetime, but most of them had faded away completely before my great-grandfather was born.”

The Prince then looked back around the venue, letting his statement linger in the air while the others processed that detail in silence. Most of them were still shocked by such a revelation, but Blueblood’s casual demeanor prompted the five to merely shrug in acceptance. Zeno seemed especially intrigued by that revelation, but decided to huff to himself without pressing that detail further. “Well... the piercing idea was more of a joke than anything else. But don’t worry, we won’t try anything that extreme.”

“Yeah! Besides…” Mud-Slinger, who was already removing his hoodie before any of the others, made sure to shoot Blueblood a pervy smirk as he said, “I’d rather stick the little Prince with something a bit bigger. And throbbing~”

Even though he knew Mud-Slinger was trying to get him all worked up, that retort was corny enough to make Blueblood openly scoff. “Oh, come on now!” he said with a hint of disdain in his regal voice. “I know we’re at one of the few places where that kind of talk is appropriate, but you could at least carry a little more tact, Private.”

Blueblood may have been turning a new leaf in his life alongside his friends, but that didn’t mean his authoritative voice wasn’t intimidating enough to make the other Guards worry for a moment. But for Mud-Slinger, who made sure to tuck his neatly-folded jacket into his saddlebag, all he could do was shrug while standing out in the open in his attire. “You really think I can be tactful while wearing this, Bluey?~”

Mud-Slinger was carrying a rather prideful smirk as he glanced back at Blueblood without any shame, and stood in his custom-made pleather harness that clung tightly across his chest. A large middle ring was nestled right between his muscular pecs, while the thick black straps held tightly to the ring and locked him in his gear. The black material also carried a thin yellow strip that went down the straps, which was meant to serve as a color-coded system for what he was into. And since Blueblood already knew what yellow meant in this context, his cheeks remained deeply blushed while looking away from him in silence.

“Heh~” The Earth Pony looked rather proud of himself when he saw Blueblood’s response, and he glanced back at the others to say, “Well, whad’ya know? I didn’t even have to say anything to shut him up~”

Blueblood may have been under Discord’s hypnosis, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t able to shoot Mud-Slinger a stern and warning glare. Fortunately, the soldier was quick to notice how his Superior was looking, and quickly dropped his smug grin to remain respectful. “Uhhh… S-Sorry, your Highness.”

Even though he appreciated the Private’s apology, Blueblood exhaled with another eyeroll in response. “Oh, you don’t have to be that formal,” he clarified with a more apologetic tone, before he sighed and said back at him, “but with that being said, thank you.”

Since those last two words had only recently become a common thing in Blueblood’s vocabulary, his apology was more than enough to get Mud-Slinger smiling again. Luckily for the group as a whole, any lingering awkwardness that could’ve stemmed from that exchange was quickly extinguished as they continued their trek around the convention floor. Blueblood was the only one who wasn’t undoing his hoodie just yet, mostly due his own feelings of hesitance regarding being seen out in the open. Meanwhile, the other four Guards all undid their own jackets to be seen in their matching pleather harnesses, each of them boasting a color different from Mud-Slinger’s yellow garm.

The zebra Guard Zeno was wearing a black harness that boasted purple stripes, which Blueblood learned from their conversations was a color linked to getting piercings as a BDSM-esque kink. Meanwhile, the unicorn Zapper finally undid his hoodie to show off his vibrant orange mane, which matched the stripes on his harness to indicate he was up for basically anything. Rush was wearing a grey-striped harness that went surprisingly well with his blue coat, and was meant to serve as an advertisement for his affinity for bondage. And as for Glider, who was wearing a red-striped harness that nearly matched his coat, he carried a confident-looking smirk while looking around the venue with his attire boasting his personal kink: Hoofing~

Since all of the Guards were technically on “duty”, the group were all also wearing Guard-issued utility belts that hung around their waists, and carried multiple pouches for various defense and medical items. They also had their issued batons strapped to the sides, as well as their badges hanging from lanyards around their necks so convention staff were aware. Blueblood was worried that those additions would make them stand out rather blatantly among the kinky venue, but he was surprised to see how naturally those utilitarian items went along with their harnesses. And since there were countless other ponies walking around the convention in harnesses and other fetish gear (including several pup-hoods, which Blueblood had only recently learned about from his peers), nopony shot any second-glances towards the Guards who were staring back at their Prince in wait.

“Well, Bluey?” asked Rush, who made sure to perk his brows up a couple times to emphasize his flirtatious tone. “You ready to take your hoodie off?~”

Blueblood squirmed with his muzzle tightly clasped shut, and his eyes tried to avert away from Rush’s teasingly coy smirk. But much to the Prince’s dismay, any glances elsewhere caused him to be met with an equally insistent grin from one of the other Guards. The stallion’s ears wilted downward as he tried not to wince, but he knew that he couldn’t necessarily refuse their shared request either. After all, if his friends were willing to show off their kink-colored harnesses for everypony to see, then he shouldn’t have much reason to stand down himself.

“Ughhhh…” Blueblood may have looked rather dismayed in defeat, but he still lit up his horn so he could pull off his hoodie with relative ease. “Well, hopefully these shorts will cover my cutie mark well enough…”

The Prince closed his eyes while slipping the bulky black hoodie off his back, which was quickly taken by one of the Guards to place inside of his saddlebag. Meanwhile, Blueblood stood with a heavy blush while wearing nothing but a tight pair of black latex shorts over his backside, and a matching tanktop that clung to his muscular torso. Even though the garments weren’t as revealing or suggestive as the harnesses his Guards were wearing, they also helped to emphasize the stallion’s curves in all the right ways. Blueblood was also wearing a thick black collar that was latched around his neck, which happened to have a metal bracket on the front to hold a tag or leash. But for now, the Prince was standing as a fairly clean slate while his friends all grinned excitedly.

“Oooooh, look at you now!” piped Glider, who reached up to take off Blueblood’s sunglasses before he could protest. Even though his man-bun was still tied to the back of his head, Blueblood struggled to stand still as he looked around and squirmed worriedly. Fortunately, the red pegasus was quick to say sincerely, “And don’t worry, your Highness. Those shorts completely cover up your cutie mark, so if anything, ponies might just assume you’re a doppelganger or something.”

Due to his paranoia on the matter, Blueblood couldn’t exactly smile in response to Glider’s attempt to quell his worries. But as he looked around the convention center, his nervousness started to slowly subside when various ponies walked past him and the Guards without much of a second glance. Aside from a couple suggestive-looking stares from some of the attendees, it didn’t seem like many ponies were paying much attention to the guys’ faces as much as they were their bodies. And while that revelation was comforting for the closeted Prince, Blueblood still felt rather exposed while his latex-laden body was being shown in such a tactless display.

“Ummm… C-Could we try and find someplace to visit or something?” asked the Prince with a sheepishly meek expression beneath his blush. “I… I’d rather not be standing out in the open like this.”

“Ohhhhh, don’cha worry, Bluey~” Mud-Slinger made sure to usher the Prince alongside them as the group began their un-hoodied trek around the spacious event. With the burly stallion still circled around from all sides by his harnessed brethren, Blueblood tried his hardest not to shiver when Slinger went up close to his ear and whispered, “I have a feeling you’ll like the exposure soon enough~”

Blueblood had no way to discern what Mud-Slinger meant with such a statement, but it was certainly enough to make his cheeks grow hotter from his blush. But as he was escorted towards a large booth full of BDSM leather gear, it wasn’t too difficult for the Prince to become distracted by the array of items that were being displayed for sale. A large banner at the top advertised the stand as “Daddy’s Den,” while racks of leather gear and chained items were poised around the area.

“Ooh, such a nice little group you got there~” said the slender mare seated behind the register, who was wearing a spiked collar that matched her pleather vest. She was also sporting a bleached-white mane that she dyed a bright neon green, and grey fur across her forelegs were covered from shoulder to hoof with intricate tattoos. She didn’t seem to recognize Prince Blueblood while his mane was tied up, but her cheerful smile and nod elicited an audible gulp from the stallion. Fortunately, the mare seemed smart enough to recognize the group as being together, and she kept her tone of voice from sounding too flirtatious. “You guys curious about adding some accessories to your gear?~”

“That’s the idea,” noted Rush, who was already marveling at the rack of black biker caps that were hung in a neat little row. Most of them looked fairly identical, aside from individual pins or colored strips that went around the cap itself above the brim. Rush picked up one of the hats, which happened to have a grey strip that matched his harness, and put it atop his head before glancing back at the others. “Eh? Whad’ya guys think of this?~”

The other Guards all made enamored “Ooohs” while perusing through the rack themselves, with each of them picking one of those matching biker caps that went with their harnesses perfectly. Blueblood could only watch as his Guards all got dressed in that Daddy gear, which caused his cheeks to turn a deeper shade of crimson. The clerk had to cover her muzzle with a hoof to stifle a giggle, mostly due to how cute the stallion looked in his awe-stricken state. Unfortunately for Blueblood, his face practically exploded with a blush the moment those five Guards all looked back at him with their biker caps on. “So, what’s the verdict?” asked Zeno, who was smiling confidently while wearing his cap with a matching purple strip across the brim. “You think these are worth getting?~”

Blueblood already knew what the zebra was suggesting, which prompted him to sigh and nod reluctantly. “Yeah, sure thing,” he admitted with a sheepish shrug, before he lit up his horn to get his wallet from his saddlebag. Since he was fully aware of his past discretions, as well as his own net-worth compared to the Guards’, Blueblood couldn’t exactly complain about footing the bill for their weekend fun. Not to mention, as he walked up to the register to make a payment, his eyes widened upon seeing the clear glass display of shiny metallic items. “Oh my!”

The Prince’s exclamation caused the others to look over at what he was seeing, and their faces lit up brighter than Blueblood’s. The display showed a wide array of metallic dog-tags, which came in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and titles. Some were fairly basic, like bone-shaped tags that read words like ‘BITCH’ or ‘SLUT’ in bold lettering; but there were also other tags for more niche interests, like a pink tag that had the word ‘CUCKOLD’ engraved for whomever wanted to wear it. But while Blueblood slowly read through the various tags, with each one causing his muzzle to tense up from intimidation, it was Zapper who reached in to point at a particular tag that caught his eye. “Ohmigosh, no way! Dude, you have to get that one!~”

Blueblood had to keep from grimacing at the use of the term ‘Dude,’ even though he was grateful the unicorn didn’t refer to him by his real name in front of others. But when he looked closer at what Zapper was pointing at, his eyes widened as he let out a shocked gasp. Meanwhile, the other four Guards all took notice of the tag, and immediately grinned with approving nods of their heads. Even Blueblood couldn’t deny how… oddly appropriate the tag itself was, which looked to be made with a golden pressing to flaunt the lettering. And across the smooth rectangular tag, the words ‘ROYAL PAIN’ were engraved across with bedazzled studs like it was some form of “bling” accessory.

“Yeah, that’s pretty spot-on for you,” said Glider with a nod, as well as a slightly apologetic smile back at Blueblood. “No offense.”

“N-None taken,” assured Blueblood with a wave of his hoof, while his eyes remained pinned to that surprisingly personal tag in the display. Even though the price was a bit much, Blueblood didn’t show much hesitation as he purchased that tag, as well as his Guards’ caps to match their harnesses. Even though the others went back to look through the stand’s other amenities, including a large shelf full of various sex toys, Blueblood completed his purchase with a single swipe of his black card. But before he could start to look around the booth himself, he was taken off-guard (no pun intended) when the mare asked him, “So, Mister ‘Royal Pain’~ Are you and your five buddies there close?~”

Even though he was blushing hard, Blueblood managed to keep a trembling smile as he nodded in response. “Ummm… Y-Yes we are! A-Although, I… I will admit that it took some time for me to actually accept them as such…”

Due to his unrelenting shame, the Prince had to scratch the back of his head awkwardly with a hoof while stammering out that answer. The mare behind the counter tilted her head with a slightly worrisome skew of her muzzle, but Zeno was quick to intervene as he leaned his head in between them. “Don’t worry, it’s all water under the bridge now. For example…”

The zebra then took Blueblood by surprise as he grasped the back of his head without warning, and pulled him in to lock their muzzles for a tight kiss. Blueblood jolted from the sudden embrace, but was able to remain in place while feeling Zeno’s lips against his own. After a couple seconds, the stallion’s eyes slowly rolled back before closing shut, and he let out a muffled moan as he pushed in and kissed the zebra back. Their muzzles could be seen opening up as their kiss intensified, and their impromptu makeout session elicited a few cheerful “Woos” from ponies who walked past and saw the interspecies affection.

“Hey, don’t be hogging him, big guy~” The moment Zeno and Blueblood’s lips parted with a wet pop, Rush slid in between them to give the same treatment to the Prince. His hoof gripped the back of Blueblood’s man-bun, and his kiss was much less gentle as he immediately shoved his tongue in between the Prince’s lips. Even though his eyes shot wide-open for a second, Blueblood could only shudder in place before giving in with another moan. He could hear several more attendees cheering him on as he openly kissed the pegasus with tongue, and could feel his heart fluttering from the public praise he was receiving.

While Blueblood and Rush made out with strings of saliva connecting their lips, Zapper used his magic to latch the ‘Royal Pain’ tag to the front of the stallion’s collar. Mud-Slinger and Glider stopped their shopping to watch their Prince’s eager kissing, which only grew more heated when Rush backed away and allowed Zapper to join in. Blueblood didn’t even hesitate with his third Guard, and went in to kiss the unicorn first; fortunately, the Guard still grabbed hold of him strongly as he asserted dominance from how powerfully he kissed him. And all the while, the mare behind the counter just watched with an amused smirk, not seeming put-off at all by their affectionate display.

“Hmmmm…” The clerk tapped her chin with a hoof, and she hummed in contemplation while narrowing her eyes on Blueblood. While the Prince had his eyes closed, he wasn’t able to notice her curious smirk before she cleared her throat. “A’hem! Ummm…”

“O-Oh!” Blueblood and Zapper immediately stopped kissing, but their fun still received them a few enthusiastic shouts and claps from ponies in the distance. But even with that confidence boost, the two stallions kept their focus on the mare with embarrassed looks on their faces. “Ummm… M-My apologies, madam,” said Blueblood with an apologetic nod, making sure to remain cordial in such an ironically unconventional setting.

“Oh, it’s perfectly fine,” assured the mare with a warm smile and a wave of her hoof. “Trust me, I’ve seen much kinkier stuff from other customers before you guys~”

Her insistent tone was more than enough to make the two smile more naturally, but they still chuckled nervously while blushing. The other Guards were able to take notice of the mare’s narrowing eyes, and looked at one another to discern what she may have been thinking. Meanwhile, the clerk made sure to reach underneath her counter to pull out a flier as she spoke. “Although… I’m not going to lie, seeing you six feels like a heck of a coincidence for an event one of the stands was planning to do…”

Blueblood picked up the flier with his magic, and floated it towards him while his Guards leaned in from all around. The six guys read through the paper at the same time, and gasped in unison when they read what the details of the event were. Even though the flier was advertising a rather extreme activity, the fact that it required six volunteers certainly made the mare’s remark sound valid. Not to mention, the fact that the paper had the words ‘Five-On-One’ at the top caught the Guards’ interests very quickly.

“Wh… What the…” Blueblood had to read through the flier several times as he processed the details, which caused his eyes to widen and his blush to turn an obscenely bright shade of red. While he was aware that conventions like this occasionally had demonstrations for various kinks, the fact that they would approve of something like this seemed absolutely absurd. But even with his shrunken pupils and stunned expression, Blueblood didn’t see any insincerity when he looked back at the clerk’s waiting smile. “Y… You’re not serious, are you?” he asked with a shocked look on his face, not that it changed the mare’s expression in the slightest.

“Well, it would certainly be convenient for the staff over there if you all agreed to it~” Her muzzle grew a more devious grin, which was starting to match a couple of the smiles the guards were carrying while reading that flier. But while the Privates all looked at each other with varying looks of mischief on their faces, the clerk kept her focus on Blueblood to clarify, “Okay, from what I heard, that venue was supposed to be a display of exhibitionism as a healthy release, without breaking any indecency laws or making anypony uncomfortable. It’s meant to be done as an extreme display of the fetish, but… from what I heard, the six ponies they had planned aren’t able to reach this convention due to an airship malfunction.”

“Wait, seriously?” asked Rush, who was the first of the Guards to look back at the mare with a quizzical glance. “So, they couldn’t get six ponies to replace them already for this?”

“Well, it’s also meant to be a sign of trust among larger groups,” pointed out the clerk, who could only shrug her shoulders in response to Rush’s question. “They were really adamant about getting a pre-established group of five or more. But as of now, they were considering trying something else if they don’t get any volunteers…”

Even though the mare didn’t try to imply anything outright, her subtle smirk made it obvious that she was seeing the group before her as a viable substitute. Blueblood’s brows slowly rose in realization, just as the smiles from his friends all began to widen immensely. Zeno was the first to snatch the flier from Blueblood’s magic, and hummed curiously before asking, “So… You’re thinking that our group can fit the bill for this?~”

“Well, that depends,” said the mare while eyeing the zebra with an intrigued smile of her own. “Is your ‘Royal Pain’ over there worthy of having something intense for today’s events?~”

Blueblood wasn’t sure how to feel about being referred to by his newly-purchased tag, but he wasn’t able to say much while Zeno and others eyed him intently. “Well, big guy?~” asked Glider, who made sure to perk his brows a couple times towards the Prince. “You gotta admit, it wouldn’t be a bad way to have some fun here~”

Since the other Guards were all nodding in agreement, Blueblood couldn’t necessarily say ‘No’ right off the bat. Not to mention, as he looked at the five studly Guards staring him down, who were still donning their full Leather-Daddy getups like a gang of hungry Doms, Blueblood could feel his latex shorts growing immensely tighter with every throb of his hefty bulge. He tried to bite his lip in an attempt to settle himself down, but that was nearly impossible when Rush leaned his head in a little closer towards him. “C’mon, Bluey~” he purred with a sensual smirk that caused Blueblood’s fur to stand rigidly across his back. “You can’t tell us you’re not interested~”

Even though the idea of claiming otherwise was in his head, Blueblood couldn’t say much as he glanced back at the flier in Zeno’s hoof. He re-read through the details of the event, which looked to be competently thought-out in terms of what would actually occur. Despite the fact that the event was still extremely taboo to try -- both in private and as a public display -- it wasn’t like the Prince could claim he hadn’t done anything similar before. If anything, the only difference now would be that other ponies could see them all together at this kinky venue.

Blueblood looked back at his Guards, who were all smiling in wait for his approval. He glanced back at the mare one last time, who kept herself silent as to keep from influencing the Prince any further. The stallion was fully aware of how badly things could go if things went poorly in the demonstration, or if the experience ended up outing him in one of the raunchiest ways possible. But at the same time, Blueblood couldn’t deny how strangely tempting it would be to involve himself in something he never would’ve even fathomed of doing just a couple months prior.

“Hmmm…” The Prince looked back at the flier with a skew of his muzzle, and came to a decision after letting out a brief huff. Even though he was meant to be incognito, Blueblood stood in a more regal pose as he turned towards his Guards and shouted, “Attennnntion!”

The five Guards all immediately got in a singular line with upright poses, which caused the mare behind the counter to do a double-take. She wasn’t sure what kind of relationship the six guys may have had, but she wasn’t expecting for Blueblood to take the reins while addressing his Guards formally. “If any of you see any reason as for us not participating, raise your hoof now!”

The five Guards remained stoically in place without moving a muscle, and their expressions were as unwavering as their forelegs. After several seconds, not a single hoof rose up in opposition to Blueblood’s statement. Because of that, the Prince exhaled through his nostrils before giving a firm nod. “Then it’s settled.”

He turned back towards the clerk, and handed the flier back to her and said, “Madam, we would like to volunteer ourselves for this activity, if it’s still available.”

Since his back was turned, Blueblood didn’t really take notice of the five guys behind him smiling giddily and giving each other enthusiastic hoof-bumps. Instead, his confident smile was pointed towards the mare behind the register, who merely nodded with a grin of her own. “Consider it done, ‘Royal Pain~’”