Starlit Night paced impatiently outside the office, her blue wings twitching at her sides. The trip had been long and boring, and after a few brief moments of looking around Lum, she’d made her way to the castle. The guard she’d spoken to had let her in once he saw her letter of summons and had led her to a door where she’d been told to wait. Waiting was not her strong suit. She liked to move, to fly! She liked flitting between the trees, snatching mangoes down faster than any other bat in Fruity Fields!

She snorted, turning around, her ears flicking with every clop of her hooves. Well, that wasn’t wholly true, she’d applied for a job in the city after all. While she liked the energy it took to be a mango farmer, she couldn’t stand such a small time existence. She needed to do more, to see more, like her old friend Cobalt! He had told her dozens of times about his wish to become a guard for Queen Lunaris, and while she’d watched and teased him while he practiced against sacks of hay, she’d never really thought he would go for it.

But then one day he was gone. She’d swooped by to see if he would be up for a good run through the woods and his sisters had told him that he had received a letter that his application had been accepted and that he’d left for Lum to become a royal guard. She’d been completely stunned that he’d gotten in, and after a brief bout of feeling mildly abandoned, she was filled with furious resolve. If her timid little bat friend could go to the big city and become a big shot guard, why couldn’t she do something similar?

So she’d submitted applications to both the Shadowbolts, and the Stellaria Security Bureau. Given where she’d been led, she imagined she was at least being considered by the latter. It wasn’t her first choice, but hay, she wasn’t going to complain. Given how many ponies she’d in tight, revealing rubber, she only hoped they had a uniform half as sexy.

Starlit Night huffed and turned around again, pacing the opposite direction. She hoped this wasn’t a test. She didn’t like tests. She liked doing! She wanted to see, explore, maybe even track down Cobalt and give his ears a nibble for old times sake!

Her long bat ears stood up as she heard the sound of a pair of stallions talking, including what sounded like a very familiar blue bat. Her eyes flicked up and she grinned as she found the ceiling made up of many tall, shadow-casting rafters. She flapped up and landed on one, tucking her tail in as the pair of stallions trotted beneath her…

“I’m still not really sure I understand the difference. Can’t the nurses just wear the same uniforms during the daytime?” Cobalt asked as they walked through the castle halls.

Fireheart bumped rumps with him, giggling.

“Noh silly! They have to have uniforms that match Auntie Tiara! So any of the night shift nurses that work sometimes in the day get a whole separate, brighter uniform!” He giggled, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Besides, it’s all tight rubber, I didn’t hear you complaining when Lavi was teasing us.”

Cobalt blushed as his thoughts drifted to the orange clad bat pony. She’d been rather cryptic when she passed them by, but she had taken time to rub against both of them in her tight, shiny suit, rubbing her warm, squeaky body against theirs…

“No you did not,” he said with a shake of his head.

Fireheart giggled, and he bumped rumps again. As they passed by the SSB Director’s office, they passed beneath one of the castle’s many towering sets of rafters. Cobalt’s ears flicked, and he glanced up just in time to scream in alarm as a mare dropped on his back. He rolled, his training making her easy prey. The mystery mare hit the ground with a grunt, and then he was on top of her, snarling in her face, his wing blades out and pointed at her face.

“What do you think you’re doing, attacking a royal… Starry?”

He trailed off in confusion as the blue bat mare grinned up at him.

“Wow Cobutt, you really got good at this guard stuff!” She looked over at Fireheart, who stared at her with a slack jaw. “This is the first time he’s been able to pin me. Usually this mango fetcher ends up on his belly with my teeth on his ears.”

Cobalt flushed red, retracting his wingblades.

“I do not! I pinned you plenty of times!”

Starlight Night grinned smugly and shook her head.

“Nuh uh. I always had my secret weapon, and then those ears were mine.”

Cobalt leaned in closer, baring his teeth.

“That’s not true! I-”

He squeaked, then relaxed as she pressed her soft, warm lips against his. Starlit Night hummed happily as she softly made out with the blue stallion. He melted, slowly relaxing as he happily accepted the kiss. Then with a quick grin, she kicked out one of his hind legs. Cobalt fell with a yelp as she slipped out from beneath him, and in one smooth motion she pounced on his back, forcing him to the ground. She pressed her muzzle to his ear as he squirmed and tried to protest.

“Told ya silly bat. Now it’s nibble time.”

“D-Don’t-!” he squawked, then squeaked and blushed as her teeth nibbled at his sensitive ears.

Starlit Night purred triumphantly as she nibbled all of his most sensitive areas, making him squirm and moan in protest. They’d been doing the little song and dance for years, and she knew just how to push his buttons to really make him squirm. So she did, making him squeal like a little filly as she looked over at his orange and black suited friend.

“So,” she said between nibbles. “Who are you? You look kinda familiar.”

The orange stallion simply stared back at her, a fierce crimson blush on his freckled cheeks. Starlit Night kept nibbling for a moment, waiting for his answer for a long moment. When he continued to just blush and stare, a sly grin spread on her muzzle.

“Ahhh, I gotcha. ‘nother little bottom bat I’m thinkin?”

Fireheart squeaked, his tail lashing back and forth. Starlit Night looked lower, and giggled.

“Nice bulge, bet that keeps you nice and subtle until it’s playtime.” She nipped Cobalt’s ear, making him squeal. “Don’t worry though, we don’t even need to touch that. Blue butt here has been beggin for a peggin for years, we just never had the chance!”

She gave Cobalt’s ear a lick, whispering hotly and making him flush deeper.

“I stopped by this nifty shop on the way in, grabbed a nice, big strap-on. Even if I don’t get this job, I will stay the night with you, and we will be trying it out. Sound good, my cute little bat?”

Cobalt squeaked, hiding his face in his hooves, but her grin only broadened as he gave the slightest of nods. She nipped his ear again, making him squeak, and she giggled.

“That’s my bat. Now,” she looked up at Fireheart with a predatory grin. “Would you like to join us, oh mystery bat? I bet that rubber butt of yours is made for pegging.”

Fireheart squeaked again, his cheeks as flush as Cobalt’s. Before he could answer, however, the door behind them opened, and a tall, auburn colored, pegasus mare in a black suit with a bright red tie, strode out, a careful frown on her muzzle. Her long teal mane was tied back in a neat ponytail, and it didn’t sway at all as her steely gray eyes looked over the scene. Her eyes settled first on Fireheart, who she gave a gentle smile.

“Good day my prince, how is your walk today?”

Fireheart gulped, rubbing his foreleg with a gentle squeak of rubber.

“G-good, Ms. Aurora.”

She smiled.

“That’s a good boy.” The motion instantly dropped as her eyes fixed on Starlit Night and Cobalt. “Now, Cobalt Flash. It does not do for a guard to be pinned by a civilian, even one being considered as a prospective agent for the Stellaria Security Bureau.”

Cobalt flushed red, and he tried to squirm free, a shamed look on his muzzle. Starlit Night frowned and gave his ear a lick, looking up at Aurora.

“Don’t be too hard on him. He always lets me win, ever since we were foals! If he ever actually tried, I’d get hurt for sure.” She gave the bat beneath her a pat. “Farm boy like him? He’s built for hard work! He’d snap a townspony like me like a twig!”

Aurora Eclipse narrowed her eyes, staring deep into her eyes for a moment before looking down to the hopeful looking Cobalt. The bat pony put on a pleading face, his lip curled in a pout. Aurora’s hard gaze softened and she reached down, giving his mane a gentle pat.

“Cute little bat, I’m surprised you haven’t been claimed for the harem yet,” she mumbled. Straightening, she met Starlit Night’s eyes again, frowning. “Your lying is adequate, but it will still need some work if you are to truly be a member of the SSB. Let’s continue your interview in private, yes?”

The dark red pegasus extended her wing, leaving no room for argument as she motioned to the doorway of her office. Starlit Night climbed off Cobalt, and the blue bat quickly popped to his hooves. Giving him a grin and a wink, Starlit Night leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek that instantly turned him into a blushing, squeaking mess. She giggled and glanced back at Fireheart.

“The prince, huh? Guess that means I’ll be seeing you around sometime.” She winked at him, and he too squeaked, his muzzle flushing a bright red. Starlit Night happily trotted into the office, her tail swishing back and forth.

“See you later, Cobalt! We’re still trying that thing I mentioned!”

Aurora snorted and shook her head, then looked at the pair of blushing bats. She bowed her head.

“Gentlecolts, have a good afternoon. I’ll make sure Ms. Night has time to pay you a brief visit before her indoctrination begins, Guardspony.”

Cobalt squeaked in blushy acknowledgement, and then Aurora was gone as well, closing the door behind her. The pair of stallions continued to stare for a long moment after the door closed, with Fireheart eventually saying;

“Your friend is hot.”

Cobalt flushed redder and nudged the prince along, trying not to think of the mare’s promise, his suit growing just a touch tighter around his crotch.

“Yes, yes she is.”

*****

“Have a seat Ms. Night.” Aurora said as she followed the bat pony into the room.

Starlit Night felt a sudden trace of nervousness kill the giddiness she’d felt teasing the adorable pair of bats. Standing beside a sturdy looking oaken desk was a mare with a purple and red mane. Tall red and black rubber boots climbed her legs, accenting the dark blue suit covering her toned body. Red eyes stared her down, making her feel suddenly a whole lot less confident.

Her tail lashed back and forth as she took the sole chair before the desk, while Aurora walked around the other side, easing herself into her tall leather seat. She leaned forward, setting her rubber-shod hooves on the desk.

“Before we begin the interview, a personal question; how long do you intend to stay in Lum Castle?”

Starlit Night’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head.

“Stay? I mean, however much the job requires I suppose.” She shuffled in her seat as the mystery mare in red and black stalked around her and stood between her and the door. “I kind of thought this was a field type job. You know, going out, taking down bad guys, that kind of thing.”

She did a little karate chop with her hoof, then giggled nervously when she didn’t get so much as a smile from either mare. Aurora tapped her hooves on the desk, staring at her intently for a moment before speaking again.

“I ask this not because of the job for which you are applying, but because of your little… flirtations with the prince. Such things are not taken lightly around here, and I want to gauge how open you would be to such affections being returned.”

Starlit Night blinked at her, then looked to the mare behind her. The gray mare raised an eyebrow at her, remaining silent. The blue bat pony looked forward again, again tilting her head.

“I’m… not entirely sure what you mean. I was way more racy with ol’ Coby. It was just a little wink to Prince Fireheart. That’s barely anything!”

“A mare as pretty as you? That’s enough for the Prince to take a very keen interest.” She leaned forward, gesturing to her cheeks. “Do you see these freckles? They are not natural, they are magical. They are the mark of our Queen’s ownership, of her love. These freckles are the mark of her harem, and of the Prince’s harem. Any you see marked with freckles have been Moontouched, and we love our prince and queen very dearly.” Aurora nodded to the gray unicorn behind Starlit Night. “Agent Cipher is a member of the royal harem. I imagine in time your old friend Cobalt will be as well, once he has proven he can be competent.”

Starlit Night glanced back at Cipher, looking at the red freckles speckling her cheek, then she felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up. She turned back to Aurora with narrowed eyes, baring her teeth.

“What did you just say about Cobalt?”

Aurora’s eyes widened just slightly and she raised a hoof.

“I meant no disrespect to your friend, but he has proven more inclined to be Prince Fireheart’s friend than his bodyguard. We have been tasked to keep an eye on him by Commander Glamour, to ensure that he is as silly and benign as he seems.” Starlit Night’s fur began to settle as the dark red pegasus continued. “He shows some interest in learning to fight, but very little in the way of true desire to put it into action. Queen Lunaris hired him herself, and there are those who question if he should be a guard at all.”

She smiled, leaning back in her chair.

“But worry not, he will always have a place here. Fireheart loves him dearly already. The only reason he hasn’t been taken is due to his questionable status as a guard.”

“Give him more time,” Starlit Night said. “He’s a good stallion, he can just be a little directionless at times. He’s been dreaming of being here for as long as I can remember though. If he lost his job…” she shook her head. “He’d be crushed. He’d go home and never leave again.”

Aurora’s smile diminished.

“He’s made friends here. Surely he wouldn’t just leave?”

Starlit Night shrugged.

“He left his family to come here and be a guard. He would spend hours and hours after working all night to train with the hay bales.” She smiled, remembering the bat bouncing around, swinging his wooden sword this way and that at imaginary enemies while she watched. “Almost every time we would play he’d talk about how he was going to be a guardspony.” She shook her head. “If he lost that, I think he’d leave. It would hurt his heart to be around all of this and not be helping.” She met Aurora’s gaze. “Cobalt was big on helping. He hated seeing ponies in trouble.”

Aurora tapped softly on the desk as she mulled Starlit Night’s words. With a soft hum, she nodded.

“I’ll make sure to note that in his file, but he isn’t under serious scrutiny yet. He shows up on time and is very capable standing watch at any station he’s been assigned. While not the most alert, he is perfectly functional as a guard. I shall just hope that he stays such.”

She straightened.

“Still, to my earlier question, will you be willing to stay here? Would you willingly entertain Prince Fireheart’s interest in you? W-”

“Do you actually want to have sex with Prince Fireheart?” Cipher butted in. Aurora shot her a glare, and she shrugged as Starlit Night blushed. “What? If you keep dancing around the issue we’ll be here all day not doing the interview. She’s here for an agent position, not Fireheart’s dick.”

“Don’t be crass,” Aurora tutted. She looked to Starlit Night. “But she is right. Fireheart will very much try to romance you. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

Starlit Night’s blush deepened and she shrugged.

“N-not right now, maybe if I get to know him better…” Her wings shuffled, and her ears flicked as she heard a gentle chuckle behind her.

“Say the rest,” Cipher encouraged. “I can practically taste the second half of that sentence on my tongue.”

Starlit Night flushed harder, and she hid her face in her hooves.

“I want my first time to be with Cobalt, okay? He’s my best friend… and I did buy that strap-on I teased him with,” she whispered.

Aurora chuckled.

“That will be more than acceptable Miss Night. It will take at least a couple weeks for Fireheart to work up the courage to ask you on a date anyway, you are quite new to Lum after all.”

She drew some papers from her desk and scribbled down a quick note on a blank sheet, passing it to Starlit Night.

“These are directions to Cobalt’s quarters and when he has off time. I would recommend meeting him sometime this week while his partner is on a patrol of the border. You’ll have the room to yourselves.”

Starlit Night smiled, her cheeks dark as she tucked the note beneath her wings. Aurora pulled out a folder and laid it on the desk.

“Now, to the interview. We’ve already reviewed your aptitude scores and I must say I’m quite impressed. We just have a few questions before we can discuss indoctrination.”

She opened the folder and pulled out a thin packet.

“Now, it says here that you also applied to be a Shadowbolt. Is there any particular reason you decided to apply for the SSB as well? The Shadowbolts are a much more prestigious institution, and you’d receive far more lucrative and less dangerous opportunities with them.”

Starlit Night shrugged.

“I’d love to join the ‘bolts, but I know that’s kind of a limited number kind of deal, so I figured applying for something a little more dangerous wasn’t a bad idea.” Her fangs flashed as she smiled. “I think Cobalt rubbed off on me, protecting ponies does sound kind of fun.”

“And would you be willing to do both?” Aurora asked. “You would of course need to complete training and indoctrination for both, and doing both would severely limit your free time until you stopped being a rookie, but we already have an active agent that does both.”

“Oh? What’s her name?” Starlit Night asked.

“Classified until you’re inducted. The SSB is not exactly public knowledge. Most ponies outside the castle simply think we’re an arm of the guard.” Aurora didn’t move, her eyes boring into Starlit Night’s.

The dark blue mare pondered the question, tilting her head this way and that for a second before shrugging and grinning.

“I don’t see why I can’t do both. Everypony back home will lose their minds when they hear the Blues are big shots in Lum.”

“The ‘Blues’?” Cipher echoed.

Starlit Night looked back at the mare.

“That’s what ponies used to call Cobalt and I. We were the only blue bats in town, and since we hung out all the time… the Blues!”

Aurora’s muzzle curled in a flicker of a smile.

“Quite.” She shuffled the papers in her hooves, then glanced over Starlit Night’s shoulder. “Agent Cipher? What are your thoughts on our prospect?”

The gray unicorn sighed, looking Starlit Night up and down.

“I can’t believe she gets to be on a special team before me, but I have no complaints.” She winked at the blue bat pony. “Heck, if she’s as much of a bottom as Guardspony Cobalt, she should be indoctrinated in time for the airship dock inspections Friday.”

Though a blush formed on her cheeks, she still jabbed a hoof at the mare.

“Hey, the only bottom is that sweet bat stud tush I’m gonna plow! You’ll find there is nopony, stallion or mare who tops me!”

“Is that right?”

Starlit Night squeaked as a rubbery hoof traced the curve of her jaw. Aurora smiled at her, having sneakily moved around her desk. The mare held Starlit Night’s chin for a moment, her grin smug as she stared into her blushing muzzle. Aurora let out a hum and gave her a pat on the head.

“We’ll see. Agent Cipher, please walk Prospect Starlit Night through her paperwork. I’ll see if the nurses can fit her indoctrination in for tomorrow morning.” She winked and grinned as she walked toward the door. “After Guardspony Cobalt goes on shift of course.”

Starlit Night matched her grin, fantasizing about what a wonderful night she would share with her old bat friend. Aurora giggled and left the office, while Cipher took her seat, drawing out a thick packet and setting it before her. The thud shook her from her fantasies, and her eyes widened. Her tail started to waggle, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft eeeee of delight. She was going to be a shadowbolt and a SSB agent!

As she started to go through the paperwork, she vaguely wondered how she would look in her uniforms...

Author's Note

A soft little intro to the mysterious SSB, as well as a note about Stellaria's premier flight team!

Featuring my new oc;

Starlit Night

Cipher Shadow

And Aurora Eclipse!