The alarm was a loud and annoying one, Lightning grumbled as he fumbled trying to find the snooze botton. " you won't find it; I moved the clock. You sleep too much Lightning " came the unmistakable accented voice. " oh come on, five more minutes Emerald, just five " Lightning complained putting his pillow over his head, trying to block out the sound of the clock. " oh come on you idiot, you know that Wolf will kill you if your late again " came a mare's voice. The pillow was then pulled off Lightning's head, once his eyes agusted to the light, he could see a green unicorn stallion standing off to the side of the room chuccleing, standing over him was a dark red velvet-colored pegasus mare " now get up Lightning. "
" ...Velvet, why are you in here? " Lightning asked with a slight blush, " because you wouldn't get your lazy ass outta bed " Velvet responded, shoving him off his bed onto the floor. " Alright, alright, I'm up; I'm up " he said getting to his hooves, shaking himself off glaring at Emerald, the unicorn was laughing his head off at the sight of Lightning getting thrown out of his own bed. " Hey, she'll do that to you too if you're not careful. "
a matter of minutes later the three ponies were outside, in line to receive their assignments for the week. " So Light, what do you think you'll get this week? " Emerald asked as the line took a step forward. " I don't really care, as long as it's not cleaning detail " Lightning shuddered at the thought of having to spend the week cleaning the eniter encampment.
" oh come on, Wolf's not that cruel, he knows that your birthday's in three days. He wouldn't do that to you " Velvet assured him.
" OH COME ON! " came a shout form the front of the line " well, guess we know who has cleaning detail now " laughed Emerald.
******
later that night as Lightning and Emerald patrolled the south side of the encampment Emerald asked, " hey, you got a crush on Velvet don't you? "
" WHAT?! WHY?! WHAT THE HECK GAVE YOU THAT IDEA?! " Lightning responded, his face turning a crimson red. " perhaps the fact that you blush every time she wakes you up, or maybe that reaction " Emerald laughed. " .......it's that obvious huh? " Lightning gave in, his ears laying flat against his head. Emerald grinned, " no, but thanks for giving it away " Lightning's face turned even darker red, " you son of a bitch, IF YOU TELL ANYPONY I'LL KILL YOU! "
"Don't worry, your secrets safe with me dude" Emerald responded with a smirk. "Can't say I blame you though, she does have a nice flank." At this Lightning punched Emerald in the side. "Don't talk about her like that! Jeez, if that's all your looking for in a mare you'll end up with some pretty messed up ponies you know that right?" Lightning said. "yeah but some hot mares" Emerald laughed, rubbing his side. Lightning just rolled his eye's.
"so you going to dance with her at the party? or are you to much of a chicken?" Emerald poked, knowing full well how his friend would react. "YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME A CHICKEN!! Yes I'll ask her to dance, and no I won't chicken out, I'm not Speedy The Chicken" Lightning repsonded. they both broke out laughing at the thought of Speedy.
Mean while across the camp, Velvet was helping Autumn Mist, the resident nurse, put away medical suplise. "So, Velvet, your 15 right?" asked Autumn. "yeah, you were at the party a week ago wheren't you?" Velvet said as she put some asprin in a cabnet. "right, it's hard to keep track of what party's for who, they all end up being an excuess for the adults to get wasted" Autumn shook her head "but now I remeber. so, got your eye on any imparticular stallions?" Velvet blushed slightly, "um, no, not really.........well maybe.......ok yes there is, but it's just one of those crushes that won't go anywhere" she said, her wings figiting a bit. "I see" said the older Autumn, "and it won't go anywhere because you don't want it to, or because your afriad of ruining your friendship with him?"
"I never said it was Lightning!" Velvet said almost too fast to be understood, blushing noticable (which is saying a lot concidering her dark red coat). Autumn laughed out loud, "I'm sorry sweetie, but I wasn't implying that it was. and right there you might as well have said it was Lightning." Velvet's blush got deeper as her ears flattened back on her head, "Please don't tell anypony, your the only one who knows" Autumn just smiled, "your secrets safe with me......but..." she took a step closer to Velvet, " have you found your self thinking about him more than usuale lately?"
"well.....maybe a bit, why?"
"mhm, and when you think about him, have you noticed that your wings start to feel sensitive?"
"K...kinda, is that a bad thing?"
"no, and have you noticed a feeling of being hot, even on cool nights like this?"
"I am kinda warm right now........what are you getting at?"
" I belive your in Heat" Autumn said with a small smile. Velvet blinked, "what? I thought I would start smelling diffrent or something?" Autumn chuccled, " by tomarrow you will, but you won't notice it, the stallions around you on the other hoof will, so you should be careful, especialy around Lightning"
"ok, thanks for the advise Autumn" Velvet smiled as she finished with her chors.
*******
Early the next morning, Lightning was half asleep, when he noticed a sweet smell. His eyes blinked open, and he saw Velvet standing over him, like how she normally woke him up, only this time she was just looking down at him, as if lost in thought, " Ahem, can I help you?" he said. "HUH? oh, um, you....you woke up on your own?" she stammered, as the last of her previous thought faded from her memory. "yeah.....think you could let me up now?" Lightning said, catching another nose full of that strange, sweet smell, he'd never smelled anything like it, and he wanted to find the sorce. "Right, sorry" Velvet said, backing away from him, hopeing he hadn't seen her stareing at his wings, which were rather large, she thought back to something she'd heard one of the mare's in camp say, 'the bigger the wings, the bigger his package', Velvet shook the thought from her head, "Wolf wants you out on patrols asap Lightning," she told him as she left the room.
Lightning yawned, still putting his vest on as he met up with Emerald, "hey Emerald, tell me again why we have the early shift, everypony know's I'm more of a night pony." the green stallion just laughed, " cause Wolf like seeing you being tormented." Lightning wasn't paying attention, he'd caught another wiff of that strange smell from earlyer, "hey, you smell that?" he asked. Emerald sniffed the air, "Yeah, and I like it, you know what it is?"
"nope, but I smelled it earlyer. what ever it is, I want to find out where it's comeing from." Lightning said, then he glared at Emerald, "ok, give it back, you know I'm possive of that knife" Emerald laughed and gave him the knife in question, "damn it, I can never slip one past you, even when your destracted"
"you know that I will hurt you if you keep takeing my favorite knife" Lightning chuccled. The two of them started on their pattrols.
Wolf watched as the two disappeared, "why do you hang out with those jokesters little sis?" he snorted. "because I like them as friends, you know you might too if you got to know them as more than you subordants" Velvet responded as she walk up to him. Wolf took a sniff of the air, "sis, is there something you need to tell me? like the fact your in heat perhaps?" Wolf asked rasing an eye brow. Velvet rolled her eyes, "well your nose just gave you the answer, and no I'm not going to let you lock me in an office until it passes. I'm not a little filly, I can handle my self bro."
"And what if one of the stallions catches you by suprise hm? then w..." Wolf was cut off as a knife grazed the fur on his nose and hit the dead center of a target that was just to the left of him, Velvet had an unamused look, her wing still out streached from throwing the knife "ok point taken, but if you get knocked up, don't come crying to me" Wolf said as he went to leave. Velvet retrived her knife, Speedy, a very fast, and nervous earth pony walked in, "w...what was th...that about?" he asked, "Nothing concerning you Speedy" Velvet responded. she noticed Speedy had a goofy smile on his face, "wow, you smell great! what kinda perfum is that? you sho...." She cut him off with a glare, "After that stunt you pull two weeks ago you'd better watch the way you look at me bub!" this sent Speedy raceing out of the room saying, "YOU'RE EVEN MORE SCARY THAN BEFORE!"
******
later that afternoon, Lightning and Velvet were clearing the clouds above camp when Lightning asked, "Hey Ve, is it just me or is Wolf glareing at me more than normal?" Velvet laughed, "I don't think that's possible Lightning, but who knows" as she kicked a cloud. Lightning flinched, smelling that same sweet smell, he was starting to notice that Velvet was almost always near by when he smelled it, "Are you wearing prefum or something today? cause I keep getting these wiff's of some strange, but sweet smelling smell, and your almost always around when I smell it." he asked barraling through two clouds.
"um....y..yeah, one of the girls ambushed me this morning and sprayed me with the stuff" ,she lied, hopeing he would drop the subject. "well it smells pretty good" Lightning said landing on a near by cloud. she didn't hear him, she just hovered there her mind filled with the urge to just throw her self at him, she shook her head clearing it,"what'd you say Li-Li?" she asked. Lightning blushed a bit, "Li-Li? since when did you call me that?"
Velvet blushed, "W...Well your always calling me 'Ve' so I thought maybe I should start calling you by a nickname, but maybe that'd be wierd so I guess I won't" Velvet said at a mile a minute. Lightning smiled a bit still blushing," I..it's ok, I uh I don't mind"
*******
the next night the whole camp was haveing one great big party. the mercinarys always love to get wasted at partys, so anytime it was sompony's birthday they'd throw a giant party. Lightning was standing with Emerald and a few other young stallions of the same age, when Emerald jabed Lightning in the side, " hey, I'd say it's time for you to ask a certiant mare to dance with you buddy, or should I start calling you 'Lightning The Chicken?" all the other's simultaniusly "ooooooh"ed, Lightning just smirked, "Like hell I'd let that happen, especaly on my own birthday" As he walked away, he swollowed nervously, he had made it seem like he had this in the bag, while in reality, he was scared a hell to ask Velvet to dance with him, for one he wasn't the greatest dancer, and then there was the fact that he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her how he felt about her.
"So Autumn, how are things with Blitz?" Velvet asked, she felt a bit warm standing next to the dance floor. "good, he's been out hunting demons as usuall, but he'll be home tomarrow." Autumn smiled, "I think this one's for you Velvet." Velvet raised an eyebrow, as she turned, she saw a rather nervous looking Lightning walking towards her. 'whats he look so nervous about?' she thought. "H..hey Velvet....I...um...I was wondering if you'd like to dance......with me....." Lightning stumbled over his own words, trying hard not to just turn tail and run, this was the most nervous he'd ever felt in his life.
Velvet just stood there for a second, "oh....um...s..sure" she replied, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as they walked on to the dance floor, she glanced over her shoulder, and saw Autumn standing there, smileing. a slow song started playing as Lightning and Velvet started to dance, Velvet's mind started to wander, she started thinking about kissing him, but decided against it, she'd wait till there weren't so many spectators, she could see Emerald accepting payment from the other's, he'd clearly just won a bet of somekind.
"The other mares ambushed you again didn't they?" Lightnings voice brought her back to the moment. "oh...uh..yeah, they insisted that I wear it to the party" she fibed, she wasn't sure if she should tell him it was really because she was in heat, or that being near him seemed to make it worse. "I see.......it's safe to assume Emerald just made some money off of this," Lightning said, gently swaying with the music. "of course he did. He's always coning those idiots out of their money" Velvet said with a giggle, gently pushing her self against Lightning. The song ended, and before they knew it Lightning and Velvet had made their way to the edge of the base, and were chatting away, a little ways away from the rest of the party.
Velvet shuddered slightly when a cool breeze started to blow. Lightning gently lay one of his wings around her shoulders blushing. " Th..thanks" she said blushing, "Lightning......I.....I need to uh....I need to tell you something......but first you have to promise not to hate me!"
"I...I could never hate you" Lightning said, gently nuzzleing her, thinking, 'What the hell am I doing! First the wing now your nuzzleing her!' Velvet sat down, figiting with her hooves a bit, "well.......the thing is........I, um,I....." before she could finish her sentince, Lightning lead in and kissed her on the lips, then pulled back blushing a deep red, "s...sorry.....I....that was.....I shouldn't have done that......but........I...I love you Ve-Ve" he could feel his heart raceing as if it was trying to break free of his chest and fly away.
Her heart was pounding, the moment he had kissed her, her wings had flared open, then hearing him say that he loved her, it was too much for her to take, she tackled him to the ground kissing him passonatly, "I love you too Li-Li" she pushed her self against him, wanting nothing more than him to take her, right then and there.
Lighting just lay there, kissing Velvet back. "I....I want you to.....to..." she didn't finish her sentince, she was blushing hard and Lightning thought he knew what she was going to say, "are you sure?" he asked, wraping his hooves around her. "oh shut up and fuck me" Velvet sighed, kissing him again.
