Love And Dramas In The Government

Once things managed to calm down somewhat the group was allowed a moment of privacy in a waiting room inside the castle. The mayor was able to speak frankly with Twilight and her friends, much to the displeasure of Cobraline who wanted to spend more time with her brother.

Apologizing and promising that he will have time with her once the air is clear the lamia reluctantly agrees and leaves them alone.

The moment the human closed the door behind him he sighed and kept his hand on the handle for a moment before turning around to address the group who were all sitting on two fancy-looking sofas.

"Ok now that we have a moment for ourselves, I think some explanations are in order"

"I say that is a huge understatement, 'Your Highness'" Twilight replied putting emphasis on the title and crossing her arms "What do you say if we start there?"

The title makes Mark flinch and gather his hands in a clap as he closes his eyes "Yeah, that seems fair" The Mayor sighs and closes his eyes as he rubs his forehead "I suppose you won't believe me if I tell you that, just yesterday was I aware of my..." He pretends to cough and look away opening his eyes "... title as royal"

Looking at the girls they were all staring with unamused stares and a raised eyebrow, minus Pinkie who instead was looking at him with interest

"Yeah, can't blame you. And I really wish I could give you the explanation you wanted to hear or are suspecting, but anything else I say would just be a lie" The mayor tells him in sorrow "You have to believe me, I didn't realize how close I became with the queen until recently"

"Darling, with all due respect, how exactly does anyone miss the concept of becoming a prince? This is not exactly like finding out that you have an extra penny in your pocket" Rarity says crossing her arms as the rest nods.

With a sigh, Mark approached the couch "Yeah I know it's huge, and even if this doesn't excuse it, I suppose I just assumed that what they did was just out of the kindness of their heart" He sat on the far left side of a couch next to Twilight "I mean I thought this was no much different than when you gave me some old clothes when I first arrive on Equestria. That doesn't mean that I own half of Carrousel Boutique, right?"

"Nah that would just be silly!" Pinkie's answer for Rarity

"Exactly, and I thought something similar happened that day"

"Maybe if you explain us a little better we could understand, more easily" Fluttershy suggests and Mark nods in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly, and to bore you and have plenty more to discuss, including questions of my own here is the quick summary. A long time ago, I and Cobraline escaped from a very bad guy, during the escape, I was bathed in acid, the type that peels off your skin"

At the mention of that, all the mares wince in pain

"Cobraline blessed her heart, brought me here, and saved my life, but because of the damage, I needed a skin transfusion right away. Honestly, nobody knew what would happen with me being the sole Human in Equestria, yet regardless the queen was more than willing to share her skin, lucky for me she had shed her previous one not too far away and since you saw how big Queen Vipral is, you can image there was more than enough."

He smiled as he looked at his arm "Miraculously it not only worked it also allowed me to tap into the rune's magic, and return my naturally tan skin color" He lowered his arm and looked at them "I was more than happy for what they did to me, and ever since then, I became close to the queen"

"No wonder she views you as her son, Marky! You LITERALLY have her flesh and blood!" Pinkie exclaimed in surprise as Mark was startled

"OK A, there was some blood needed too yeah but it wasn't hers, and B even if that were the case, the idea of adopting me is kind of extreme, just put yourself in her place, if you were to give me some of your blood to save my life would that make me, your brother?"

"Yes"
"No"

Everyone minus Pinkie denies the statement, which promptly makes the rest of the group look at the party mare in surprise

"What? It would make us closer" She defended her point by shrugging

"Well that as that may be, at the moment I thought they were just been friendly, we got closer, I won their trust and when it came time to depart, they just sent me on my way, the subject of becoming part of the family was simply never brought up, honestly I'm kind of surprise the queen was so eager to adopt me if you ask me"

The mares looked at one another before sighing and nodding a couple of times "Ok Mark, we believe you, that more or less seems reasonable" Twilight answered for the rest as they agreed making Mark let go of a breath he didn't know was holding.

"But you do realize how this complicates things right? I don't know how Subquestria works, but in Equestria figures of power can't take more roles of power in other nations, that is something established by Global decree, if you are a prince, you can no longer be a mayor in Canterlot" She explain starting to get worry.

"Except that Subquestria is not part of the list of alliances, heck until now, no nation even knew it existed. They have an established group but they are not recognized as an established kingdom, so for now it is a gray area, we are good here" The mayor mentions trying to decrease the tension yet Twilight still seems unsure.

With a sigh, Mark approached her and held her hand "Twilight I know this is one huge subject that we need to unpack step by step, believe me. I'm still wrapping my head around the idea of being a prince alone but for now. You know as much as I do. Now it's my turn to ask" He mentioned with a soft voice as he kept looking at Twilight in worry, rubbing his thumb over her hand. The princess in turn squeezes his hand for comfort as she tries to relax

"Not to be rude or anything darling but before you ask us anything, can I ask Fluttershy why she said that you two were an item?" Rarity raises her voice and hand before turning to the caretaker in question

"Yeah Fluttershy, why didn't you tell us?" Pinkie added mostly confused by the subject and tilting her head "And what did the queen mean when she said 'you were marked', oh! Did you and Marky do it!? When? how? Did you have 3 secret dates before?" Pinkie starts to question in interest making Fluttershy get self-aware and blush as she steps back, until Mark gets in between her and Pinkie.

"Ok Pinkie that is enough, let the poor mare breathe first" He requested lightly pushing the mare back before the mayor turned to Fluttershy "Fluttershy, I know you asked me not to say anything but, my mom exposed a lot, I say our friends deserve to at least now part of the story" He plead with her as the pegasus keep blushing.

She raised her head cautiously to look at Mark who was looking back at him with caution before nodding once.

Getting the message the mayor nods and looks to the others "For the sake of being courteous, I will answer for Fluttershy. It's a long story but yes Rarity, Shy, and I had an intimate encounter before, you see she..."

Getting startled Fluttershy rushed forward and grabbed hold of his arm hugging him tightly as she closed her eyes and spoke up loudly "...we are friends with benefits!"

"What?!" All the mares ask at the same time, startled by the revelation, even Mark was surprised by her sudden choice of words.

"Darling when did you two...? What? How? Why didn't you tell us?" Rarity asks in quick succession.

"It just sort of happens" Fluttershy continued now more relaxed and tightening her hug on Mark's arm, as if she was silently asking him not to say anything "One day, Mark needed my help with something, we talked, I wanted to help, then one thing leads to another and then we...we kind of...we sort of...d-d-that thing!" She blurts the last part in an almost whisper and her body completely red.

The rest of the mares can only blink before they slowly turn to Mark, Pinkie intrigued and excited, Rarity startled and confused by the revelation, and Twilight the less amused by that statement as she seems to be angry and demanding an explanation by her body language as she crosses her arms and look directly at Mark with an expressionless glare.

"Darling... Mark, how exactly did this even happen?" Rarity broke the silence exclaiming her question in a mix of wonder and shock.

"Yes Mark, how, when and how long has this been happening, and when were you planning on telling me?" Twilight demands maintaining a stoic tune and expression as she starts to tap her arm in expectation.

Feeling corner as he looks at all the mares the major closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, thinking his next word carefully and entering into his more professional state of mind trying to do some control damage.

"It not my place to discuss much of the story behind" Mark replies in a calm and neutral tone as he opens his eyes and looks at them matching Twilight's stoic face. Slowly he taps Fluttershy's shoulder and gently separates his arm from hers, before smiling and nodding putting a hand over her shoulder while addressing the rest. "Yes everyone, Fluttershy and I share a...intimate encounter ONCE! And not too far ago" He replied with finality as he took a step forward getting assertive before any of them could make any follow-up questions.

"And yes, just as Fluttershy said, she offered to help me when I was at a low point in my life and was wrapped full of questions and insecurities on what to do moving forward with a subject, how to address my feelings, what to do, what feelings were I having and such" He stated as he advance until he was face to face with Twilight who remain stoic as he softens his gaze while he look up to stare at her eyes.

"I will forever be thankful for what she did that day" Smiling he extended his hand and cupped Twilight's cheek which startled her as her eyes wide and she looked at both Rarity and Pinkie who were gasping in surprise, while Fluttershy was smiling at her. "I might have never had the bravery to face my fears and give romance and love a chance otherwise, so yeah. She was a friend that day, a very special friend even but the story is way more complex than that" His gaze hardened as he looked back at the others.

"So I ask you, please don't pressure Fluttershy anymore, what happens between us only happens once..."

"...Thirteen times in a row" Fluttershy corrected him in a whisper maintaining her small smile and blushing face.

"A one-night event, and nothing more, if it happens again, or not I don't know but that is her story to tell and not mine to betray her trust when she asks me not to say anything, so if you gonna a be mad at someone, be mad at me, and leave Fluttershy out of it"

"Ok," Pinkie immediately answered with a big grin before pointing at Twilight and Rarity "Now I'm more interested in knowing what is going on with you, are you and Twilight also special friends? Oh, Rarity wants to be one too? Do you want to ask me Marky? Sorry I can't I'm flatter but Cheesy is my sandwich and I wasn't much for those types of friends"

She apologized ending by putting her palms together, winking, and taking out her tongue in apology.

Everyone remained quiet and now it was the turn of Rarity and Twilight to turn red as Mark only had a small blush and looked away "Well thanks for the heads up, but don't worry, I wasn't planning to ask you. I would never break a family, no matter what. And no! I'm not implying anything!" Mark quickly adds when the two mares look at him in surprise forcing him to close his eyes and raise a hand.

Once calmed down he opened his eyes again and lowered his hand while sighing and looking back at Twilight "We might as well tell them Twily, they are our friends and we are sharing secrets here, haven't I already proved that I can take a secret? I'm willing to trust them in return but this is our secret to share" He offers to grab Twilight's hand "As such it is not a decision I can make for both of us"

"Twilight? What is happening?" Rarity asked more than a little shocked at their interactions as Fluttershy just smiled calmly while Pinkie was growing a giant grin on her face clapping her hands a couple of times.

Looking at them unsure and then at Mark smiling at her in approval Twilight sighed and ultimately relented before addressing the rest of the group "Listen girls what we are about to tell you is a complicated subject so I must ask you to please keep this between us"

"Ah, I kind of already knew?" Fluttershy confesses with a little smile and a blush "It was part of what Mark needed help with"

"Oh really?" Pinkie looks at her with a grin before looking at Mark, similar to Twilight whose eyes twitch in anger as she looks at him as well

"Really?"

"As I say, she asked me not to say anything, and it kind of was more complex than that, but she didn't exactly know about us, we weren't us at the moment!" He defends himself

"Curious how you seem to always have a reason behind everything"

"Twily" Mark pleaded looking at her in the eyes "Let's not do this now, I just wanted to be a friend you can trust with your secret and be honest with"

"Can we please go back to the subject!" Rarity exclaims in exasperation "Please?!"

With a sigh and closed eyes Twilight glares at Mark "We will discuss this later" She promises before holding his hand and looking at the rest "Girls the thing is, that Mark and I are sort of a secret item. We just started dating in a way and we agreed to keep our relationship a secret from the public"

Rarity and Pinkie gasp in surprise for different reasons while Fluttershy just smiles in pride and nods "I'm so happy for you two. You make one cute couple"

"Twily dear, don't you think it a bit fast, I mean you and Flash Sentry broke up not too far ago?" Rarity asks Twilight in concern.

"Who cares? You go Twilight! Good for you, so glad to see you go back on the saddle" Pinkie cheers as she brings the two into a group hug before gasping and breaking the hug before she looks at them in concern as well "But why do you keep it a secret? You two make a cute couple! Oh, do you want to wait to see if Rarity accepts joining before making it official?!" She asks in excitement and starts jumping up and down in place until Mark stops her.

"Pinkie please, your poor hooves and the baby, take it easy" The mayor pleads to her with concerned eyes and guides her to sit on the couch again

"Aw thank you, Marky, my hooves were getting a tinsy bit tired, So! Was I right?" She exclaims with a big grin making Mark chuckle

"Sorry Pinkie is not that dramatic" He replies and shakes his head before standing up and going to Twilight as he holds her hand "Twily and I are figures of power, the biggest juiciest of stories for the tabloid would love to get their hands on, if the general public knew about us, it will tarnish our reputation and in Twilight case could potentially harm all her hard work permanently"

"What?" Both mares exclaim not believing what they were hearing.

"I know it sounds like an excuse but, our relationship is not exactly conventional, we even skip the courting part" Twilight confesses with a blush "It was something spontaneous, and passionate, a moment of weakness for both of us, that we just agree to explore more. No more agenda, no more steps or lists, just us going with the flow of passion at our own pace, seeing where things would take us and if we work as an item or not. If the press finds out, they will label me as a slut" She ends with a sigh as she looks down.

"And me as a leech or a power-hungry monkey or something that at best just wants to climb the social latter, and at worse just a pervert with no respect for authority figures or paragons of Equestria and other nations and will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. That is why we want to keep things a secret girls, a lot is at stake here"

The 3 mares only blink in confusion before looking at one another "Darling, with all due respect, you two are talking nonsense, of course, the people will love you. Just as they accept you as Mayor and Princess, not to mention the example of Cadence and Shining Armor, why wouldn't they accept you as a couple?"

"Well, for starters, we are technically a non-conventional herd and there is a little bit extra that may give that impression" Twilight confesses with some blush.

"Oh my," Fluttershy gasped in realization as she covered her mouth "Mark, the others too...?"

She asks and Mark nods with a blush confirming her suspicions.

"What? What is it?" Rarity and Pinkie turn to Fluttershy in surprise

"The sisters" Mark admitted flinching when he heard a gasp in front of him and closed his eyes

"No! You mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and Twilight all of you...?" Rarity asked pointing at them as both mayor and princess could only nod.

"Wow, and Princess Cadence...?" Pinkie started but Mark was quick to shut her down.

"NO! She is not part of this and will never be. I'm NOT a house breaker" Mark says with finality pointing at Pinkie who only nods and remains quiet until he relaxes and sighs

"Sorry is just that, it is a sensitive subject for me"

Blinking a couple of times the mares weren't sure of what to do and Rarity seemed troubled and hurt, yet she wasn't sure of the reason for the last emotion.

"So I suppose all of that of asking us for a date, was just an act, so you and Twilight could have a moment of privacy, right?" She asked dejected until her eyes wide same as Twilight by the mayor's reply.

"No"

All mares immediately look at him as he raises his head "I might have said that for Cadence, and to cover our tracks, but I knew better. The only way I could convince Applejack, and ensure neither she nor Cadence would suspect anything was to be honest with my words. I arrive there fully convinced that my sudden proposal will scare you all. Who would go on a date with a distant friend who after years apart suddenly drop that bomb out of the blue?"

He chuckles nervously before getting more serious "Plus when dealing with other nations, and traditions I don't like to lie. It makes me feel like I disrespecting them. The rule was only my mates were allowed to come with me and I intended to follow that instruction to the letter, thinking all of you minus Twilight would say no"

He let go of Twilight who was still startled as Mark approached Rarity and smiled "I know you only did that because you are a team and were more than clear how you wouldn't want to leave Twilight alone, despite that you also took in consideration my emotions and decided to accept regardless.
You are the most generous mare in the world Rarity, I'm practically a stranger and you still gave me a chance. Do not think for a second that I ever intended on using you, this might have been a plan for me and Twilight to be open but yet you still say yes to a date and I intend to keep that. Even if only as friends" He says lifting her chip with her thumb and index finger so she could see him in the eyes, still in shock.

He sighs and turns to Twilight "I'm sorry Twily, I know I'm officially in the dog house, but I will not play with my friend's emotions, I ask all of you out on a date and she says yes. As a gentleman, as a man, and as a mayor with principles. I'll give this mare the date she deserves"

He proclaims with authority as the mares still look at him in surprise refusing to say anything. With a dejected sigh, the mayor lowered his head "I understand, you are beyond furious right now, I...I will give you a moment to sort things up. I will be at the entrance when you are ready to leave Pinkie"

He mentions approaching the door and grabbing the handle before looking at Twilight "I'm sorry Twily, I didn't want to hurt you. I just can't stand the idea of hurting Rarity either, even less after hearing that something happened with Spike"

Rarity gasped and she had a bit of a blush as she kept looking forward "Getting that as his signal the mayor left leaving the mares alone, Fluttershy looked at the door in concern before looking at Twilight.

"Twilight, please don't be mad at him, he...he is at least been open about his intentions with you. And is not like he is planning or did something. It just..."

"I know Fluttershy" Twilight finally spoke, "I-I'm not even sure if angry is the word I'm looking for, doing so would make me a hypocrite. What he is doing right here? And why he is doing it...it why and how I feel for him"

She confesses looking down

Pinkie grins and tilts her head in excitement

"Weeeeeell, if I may give you a little bit of a suggestion" She raises her fingers to get everyone's attention

"You DID mention been a non-conventional herd, plus he is a prince..." She grins in anticipation as she explains her idea.