Author's Note

When it comes to background ponies, the unicorns of Bridlewood haven't really gotten much in the way of set fandom names - at least at this time of writing.

So aside from Alphabittle, I've taken the liberty of coming up with some names based on the cutie marks found in concept art. Which may very likely not be the eventual names that get revealed or agreed upon for the stallions in this story.

For reference:
Smoked Glass (Smokey) is based on this choker-wearing stallion from the movie
Crochet, often shortened to Croche (Crow-sh), appearing in chapters 2 & 3, is based on the purple unicorn pictured right in this piece of fan-art

Chapter 1 - Small Blind

The usual sounds of the Crystal Tea Room was all but a dull distraction for the unicorn. For the moment, his ears paid no mind to Gloomy Sonnet’s beatnik poetry, or the distant tap of bongo drums and clinking teacups. The attention of Smoked Glass was focused solely on the only other real source of entertainment in Bridlewood - a game against Alphabittle Blossomforth; owner, proprietor, and to some, the local grifter.

A soft tap of plastic against cardboard marked his move - their game of checkers was near its end. And the young stallion was in quite the losing position.

Alphabittle did not have a reputation for losing. Smokey ran a hoof along the shaved half of his mane, chewing his lip as he glanced up at the larger pony across the bar. His hoof moved and-

“And I believe that’s got you entirely cleaned out. Nice playing with ya, Smokes.”

A deflating sigh left his lungs. The sting of defeat when the bigger unicorn’s smug grin came out was becoming a familiar frustration. The humiliation at losing what was - to his mind - a relatively close game had him heated.

“Aw, come on, I was so close!” The unicorn gestured to the board. Alphabittle had won by a margin of four pieces. “One last game? All in!”

The larger grey unicorn quirked a brow. His head cocked back slightly in a bemused smile. Smoked Glass had an uncommon spark unlike most ponies who challenged him. Most would slink away with their heads down as soon as they lost.

“While I like your spirit, the nature of a wager requires something to bet on. Which you no longer have.” He gestured to the small collection of various baubles he’d recently won fair and square. “Unless…you’ve got something else I might be interested in…?”

Fiery defiance gave way to something else in Smokey under Alphabittle’s piercing gaze. He was being scrutinised like a piece of meat. His bold challenge implied something that clearly intrigued the other stallion. It made him feel like he was almost talking about…something else.

“R-right. Well, I, uh…I don’t have anything else I can give up…but maybe you can-”

‘-bend me over the bar and rail me so hard I pass out.’ …was what Smokey had almost said.

“I-I mean, I could work for you for a few days! Sure you couldn’t use some extra help cleaning up?” Minor stumble aside, his nervous smile and wagered labour was enough to convince Alphabittle he was suitably genuine…or suitably desperate.

“...five days.” A cocky smirk returned Alphabittle’s face, gesturing to the shelf of various items behind him. “But instead, I’ll wager everything you’ve just lost today, plus one thing of your choice from my collection. Deal?”

Alphabittle held out his hoof.

Smoked Glass tapped his in return.

“Deal! Let’s play.”

Naturally, he lost.

“How’s the work treating ya, Smokey?”

“Terribly.” Smoked Glass grumbled, ears flat as he set the broom down for the last time. He supposed he should be thankful that Alphabittle gave him some time before getting what was essentially free labour. Not that Bridlewood was full of opportunity for his own business anyway - the unicorns never really needed new glasses often.

“Could get used to having you around. I haven’t gotten a closing done this early in a long time.” Alphabittle’s gruff voice was a great deal louder after the usual gloomy air in the Crystal Tea Room had cleared out, chairs stacked and tables cleaned. No more sombre poetry, or soft music. It struck him as uncanny - he always seemed to be one of the only ponies around that had any life in them - even if it showed through his abrasive personality.

“Whatever possessed you to keep betting more time on your tab? This ‘one week’ of work is just gonna stretch out to over a month at this rate. Not that I can complain much…” The grey unicorn sat back at a corner of the bar, idly wiping down a few teapots. He’d left Smoked Glass to do most of the hard work. A chessboard lay half-cleared beside him. “But most ponies would learn to cut their losses after the…fifth time. Not you though, so I gotta wonder…is it just the thrill of the game? Or something more?”

Smokey had just put the cleaning supplies back behind the bar when the question reminded him of how long he’d been staring at the stallion now that half of him wasn’t hidden behind the counter. Alphabittle’s form was…hard for Smoked Glass to ignore.

If most unicorns in town had enough dough for a cake, Alphabittle was an entire bakery, And he had been watching it move all day.

“I…I just like the challenge.” He muttered, glancing away just as Alphabittle looked up.

“Well let’s just say I’m still a little unconvinced.” Alphabittle couldn’t help but grin - he’d caught the pony looking his way more than once the last few days. Smokey was especially enthralled after watching him win one game of Twister. “One last thing before you go home - do me a favour, would ya?”

The ears of the unicorn perked up a little too quickly to be considered ‘subtle’.

“Pass me the tea under there - it's a good blend for relaxing after a long day.”

He pointed to the shelf under the bar, and leaned back. He reached for a filled kettle and set it to boil, rear hooves up on the bar. By then Smokey had come over, tin of tea in hoof, with his ears back and looking a little too far down his body to meet his eyes.

“...spot something interesting?” Alphabittle smirked, looking up at the other unicorn.

Even when leaning back, the two stallions were already near eye-level, thanks to Alphabittle’s sheer size. Which made Smoked Glass fluster all the more when the grey stallion put one leg down - and the mauve unicorn found his eyes moving to match.

He’d barely felt his cheeks flush and ears run hot as his gaze trailed lower down Alphabittle’s chest. One second felt like minutes as he took in every detail of his-

“Feel free to look all you want. Or more. It's always nice to be appreciated.”

“H-huh!? N-no, I swear I wasn’t-”

“You’re not a very subtle pony, you know?” Alphabittle took the can from Smokey‘s hooves and set it aside. He got to his hooves, letting his full height all but loom over the shorter unicorn as he took a small step forward. “You’ve been spending a lot of time looking my way the last few days. And not in the area where my face is either. Well, now’s your chance to get as close as you like.”

“Alphabittle, uh, you’re just so, um, hard not to look at! I mean - you make me hard when I look at you. W-wait no, I-”

The unicorn fell silent when a large grey hoof rested on his shoulder. The hoof began to trail up his neck, and Smokey’s breath hitched in his chest. Alphabittle brought his hoof to rest under his chin, tilting his head up to meet his sight. Their eye contact spoke equal parts of desire - a question, and an answer.

“So tell me - what do you really want?”

His blood was running hot, and the stallion could feel his own pulse in his ears. He felt like he was on the edge of a long drop, and he almost had to force himself to take the next step…

“I think I…could help you relax a little..?”

“Then show me what you’ve got in mind…” Alphabittle only smiled. The stallion sat back down and leant back, more than willing to let Smokey get to work.

As for the pony himself, Smoked Glass was thoroughly transfixed on the sight before him. Between Alphabittle's spread thighs, a hefty looking set of equipment fit for a stallion of his stature. He barely felt himself sit down. Smokey reached out to cradle his sack - the soft taut skin, their weight shifting in his hoof. The dark grey cock was already beginning to poke out of its sheath, baiting him to tease out the rest of it.

“It’s…big.” The unicorn muttered, drawing in like a moth to a flame.

He planted a soft kiss at its base, getting a nose full of Alphabittle’s particular scent brought out after a hard day’s work - it faintly reminded him of old tea under it all. With increasing vigour, he ran his tongue over the stallion’s balls, kissing, nuzzling, and sucking his way up the shaft. There was nothing special about the taste of bare skin, but the act of…submission. Smoked Glass closed his eyes and moaned softly - throwing himself fully into the depraved act. The stallion swirled his tongue around Alphabittle’s meat, feeling it grow thicker and longer with every pulse and throb until it became too large to fit entirely into his mouth, coming free with a wet pop.

Alphabittle found himself enjoying the attention quite a lot, already relaxing lower into his seat. He reached over with a hoof to rub at Smokey‘s head. The look of the unicorn’s cock-hungry expression partially covered by his long mane was pushing more than a few of Alphabittle’s buttons. He’d remember the stallion slobbering over his dick for some time yet.

“Keep going. There’s a good little pony…” he whispered.

Alphabittle’s utterance pulled Smoked Glass out of his trance. The sudden reminder of his utterly slutty behaviour sent the blood rushing to his cheeks. He also noticed his own boner had since become a rock hard feature brushing up his belly. A bare squeak was his sole response.

"Now that's just adorable." The larger stallion chuckled. “Don’t stop now.”

The compliments made Smokey blush just the same - but he kept going on just as prompted. Alphabittle let himself relax a little more, legs spreading a little wider to let his newfound cock masseuse get better access. The pony was clearly beginning to struggle with his girth. He reached over and poured the kettle into an empty teapot, letting steep the tea that the other unicorn had so kindly fetched earlier.

“Try using your hooves. Both of them.”

The mauve unicorn was quick to comply, bringing up both his forelegs up to stroke and rub at the largest cock he’d ever seen on a stallion. Having since reached it’s full length, Smoked Glass guessed it reached near the end of Alphabittle’s thigh, and could easily be half as thick. He bobbed his muzzle against the tip, but all too soon hit resistance at the back of his throat. So he settled for paying his oral attention to the tip of the throbbing, leaking mass while his hooves worked to stroke and caress and cradle what his lips could not reach.

“There we go…” Alphabittle felt his latest comment elicit a hungry moan from the smaller stallion, sending a pulse of pleasure down his shaft that edged him just a little closer to orgasm. He could clearly see that with both his forehooves occupied, Smokey‘s own cock was as hard and leaking as he was, all from the very gay pleasure of worshipping that majestic stallionhood.

He was getting close to the finish now. But Alphabittle had one more test to see how far the little slut would go.

“I’m getting close.” The grey pony warned, sitting up just as the smaller unicorn was about to speed himself up. “Keep your hoof moving and open up.”

Alphabittle punctuated his command with a hoof on the pony’s cheek. The stallion complied, opening his mouth with his tongue pressed up against the underside of Alphabittle’s tip. It throbbed and pulsed with the anticipation of ograsm. He could taste a fresh spurt of precum, mixing with the saliva on his tongue. His free hoof kept stroking, as instructed.

A pleased groan escaped his throat as Alphabittle gave a few pumps with his own hoof, finally pushing himself over the edge as spurs of thick white cum erupted from his cock. Some of it landed in Smokey‘s waiting maw, the rest painting his face and mane. He didn’t let go until he made sure his balls were emptied over the slutty stallion.

“Now there’s a good look for you.” He mused, taking a moment to appreciate his work.

Smokey was about to wipe the cum off his face before being interrupted.

“Hey don’t waste that - I worked hard on it.” Alphabittle loomed over him once again. Domineering. Commanding. “Swallow. And clean me off too while you’re at it.”

The unicorn did as he was told, pulling his tongue back and gulping down the thick seed. The bitter tang remained on his palette as he licked over Alphabittle’s softened shaft, wiping it down for the most personal cleaning.

“Good work, colt. Well done.” Alphabittle moved to stand, but not before giving the other unicorn a soft pat on the head. “I’ve got a present for you, I think. Stay put. And…don’t touch yourself or you’ll be cleaning that mess up too.”

Smokey blinked as the stallion left for the backrooms, head swimming with musk and thoughts of what he’d just done. He dabbed a glob of stallion cum from the side of his head, and stared at it. Guilt, shame…and an unending arousal.

He licked it off. And he liked it.

The mauve pony had to practically fight his own hoof to stop himself from stroking himself off - the prior action had all but brought him to the edge, as little touch as he received from himself. But he had an order.

Smokey was just about calmed down when the heavy hoofsteps signalled Alphabittle’s return, mop bucket in tow.

“Well that was fun. And I see you’d done exactly as I asked. Good.” He passed a fresh towel over. Along with…something else.

Folded in the towel was a simple black band, with a shiny metal buckle. It wouldn’t have been out of place on the neck of any unicorn in Bridlewood, but given all that just happened - the implications were there.

“For being such a good pony.” Alphabittle smirked, kneeling down before him. “I’d like to make this your official uniform while you’re working here. If you catch my meaning.”

“Alphabittle…” The unicorn felt a perverse thrill run through his mind. He looked up through his ruined mane. “Can I make another bet?”

“Oh?” The grey pony snorted, surprised.

“...bet you can’t snap this choker by the end of my tab.”