For months on end Twilight trained under the tutelage of High Queen Anga Inayong'aa on how to be a proper Zebrican noble. The lessons were varied, ranging from how proper courtly procedure was carried out, something that Twilight was already skilled in, being the personal protege of Princess Celestia, she was already versed on how Equestrian courtly proceedings went, so slipping into learning how Zebrican courtly proceedings went was easy enough. Learning traditional Zebrican martial arts was also easy enough, having trained extensively in Equestrian martial arts under Princess Celestia, she learned that regardless if they were pony, horse or zebra, their bodies moved that same and it took roughly the same amount of force disable a zebra as a pony. The only real differences between Zebrican and Equestrian martial arts, was that in Equestria when training in a school they'd always special robes that helped to conceal movement cinched at the waist with either a simple cloth belt or a brightly colored sash tied in an elaborate knot, meanwhile zebras trained in either just a loincloth or nothing at all. It was a way of showing you had no weapons and nothing between you and your opponent.

When Twilight wasn't tutoring under the High Queen, she was learning from a variety of teachers and masters that were hand picked by the High Queen herself. The whole time her closest companion was Tumba, who had stuck close to her side, honoring the life's debt oath.

Twilight was lounging around the bathhouse with Tumba. She had insisted on the zebra mare joining her for a soak and now the two were buffing each other's hooves, as they chitchatted and snacked on olives.

"I was about ten at the time. Cadance had come over to watch me that evening because Shining Armor had an O-N-O game with his friends at school, and mom and dad went out to see a show.", Twilight started her story. "Cadance had put me to bed as it was a school night and I had a long day not only at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but also I was doing a tag-along with Princess Celestia at parliament that coming afternoon, to learn how government works outside of day court. Long story short, I start hearing some bumping from Shiny's room, then I hear the bed squeak. We had this family of raccoons break in the house before, so being a curious filly, I go to take a peak and see if I can catch these raccoons in action. What do I see? Cadance with her shirt off and Shiny on top of her, full-on kissing."

"No! What did you do?"

"Well being the innocent filly that I was, I thought that Shiny had turned back because he saw the raccoons, and caught Cadance messing around in his room and now they were wrestling. So I bust into the room and shout, 'I'll help you, Shiny!', and grabbed onto Cadance's cannon in an attempt to put her in a leg lock. Shining Armor shouts in surprise, Cadance screams. Mom and dad, their show had gotten cancelled, had come home early and stormed upstairs to see what the noise is all about and burst into the room."

"No!", Tumba exclaims, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Oh yes. Mom screams at Shining and Cadance. Cadance jumps out of the window, leaving her shirt and bra behind, flying away as hard as her wings can carry her, most likely giving passers by and the Royal Guard an eyeful. Mom chases Shining around the house and at some point grabs a paint stirrer, swatting it at his flanks. Dad's on the floor practically turning purple because he can't breathe from laughing. I'm sitting on the floor trying to make sense of what's going on. In an attempt to get away from mom, Shining jumps off of the second floor landing and takes a header into this big ugly vase mom was always so proud of, getting stuck. He's kicking his legs back and forth, trying to get free." Twilight holds up two fingers on her hand, wiggling them back and forth, pantomiming the kicking of legs. "Mom tramples down the stairs and starts smacking Shining on his flanks as hard as she can with the paint stirrer, leaving little red rectangles on his cutie marks until the flimsy wood breaks."

Tumba busts out in guffaws. After several minutes she finally is able to get her breath back and wipe away the tears that have formed from her laughing so hard. She let out a sigh. "Al-Gallib is that age where she is starting to notice the colts. It's going to be an utter nightmare when she starts dating. It'll be another year or two before Zeta starts to notice the colts. I'm dreading the day when they bring a colt home." She let out another sigh. "There are many a young filly who gets pregnant because a colt falsely professes their love just so they can get her into his bedchamber." The mare clenched her fist. "If a colt does that to one of my fillies, I'll break every bone in his damned body."

Twilight remained silent, not really knowing what to say and just nods. Fortunately providence had sought to step in for her.

The young zebra mare, Shadout, that High Queen Anga Inayong'aa had appointed as Twilight's handmaiden stepped into the room where Twilight and Tumba were soaking in the large communal bath together. She cleared her throat and gave a deep bow. "Many apologies for interrupting your relaxation, but it is time to begin training for your wedding ceremony."

"But I thought my wedding wasn't for another six months.", Twilight replied.

Shadout dipped her head. "Apologies for not informing you properly. I assumed that weddings between Equestrian nobles were the same as here in Zebrica. Your state wedding where your marriage to Crown Prince Mwana Nguvu will be in six months for all of Zebrica to see where you will also be coronated crown princess. The real wedding will be a private affair where only Zebrican and Equestrian nobles will be invited is in two weeks."

With a sigh Twilight rose out of the tub where she was soaking.

Shadout averted her eyes, but couldn't help sneaking a few glances at Twilight's nude form.

Twilight quickly toweled off, she then wrapped a pair of towels around her mane and tail. She slipped on a terrycloth robe and winced in discomfort as the wing holes pinched her wings slightly. Zebrican seamstresses and seamsters weren't used to making garments for winged ponies yet.

Tumba rose from the tub, toweled off and put on a terrycloth robe. Walking over to the far side of the room, she fetched her oval shield made of a heavy dark wood, short-handled spear, crescent axe and pouch of toxic herbs.

The trio made their way out of the bathhouse.

***

Twilight sat in a chair in the beauty salon as a stallion wearing a garishly colored outfit, his mane dyed in wild and vibrant colors and swept partly over the front of his face in a swoosh, and stripes of red, blue, green, yellow and orange dye on the white stripes of hid body, looked over Twilight's mane. "Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmmmm, darling! I must say I've never had the opportunity to style a pony's mane before.", he said in a slightly effeminate lisp.

Twilight pressed her lips tight together, not wanting to voice how all stallion hairdressers were the same regardless where you went.

The zebra hairdresser ran his fingers along Twilight's mane. "I must say, pony manes are so much softer than what I would have imagined! What sort of product do you use to wash it with?"

"I just head, shoulders and flank shampoo."

The hairdresser placed the back of his hand to his forehead and quailed. He faux-fainted onto a velvet fainting couch that wasn't there a moment before.

This very much reminded Twilight very much of Rarity.

The hairdresser sprung up from the fainting couch and a pair of assistants quickly drug it away. "That simply won't do! That may have been passable for whatever little dirt clod town you lived in before, but you're now Zebrican royalty!" He quickly spun the chair around, making Twilight yelp in surprise. "Before I style your mane, it must be washed in a manner appropriate for royalty!" He quickly clapped his hands twice and a pair of assistants hurried out. "Wash!", he half-shouted, gesturing to the lavender alicorn.

The back of the chair Twilight was sitting in was tipped back until the back of her neck rested on the rim of a mane-washing sink. One assistant twisted a pair of nobs on the spigot and lifted a shower head-like device that had a hose attached to the back of it leading to the spigot. Pressing the small lever on the side, warm water sprayed out of the shower head-like device and began wetting Twilight's hair. The other assistant picked up a bottle of shampoo and twisted the top off. A scent that was a mixture of flowers and spices filled the room. The assistant poured a small amount of the fragrant shampoo onto his hand and began to vigorously scrub Twilight's hair.

"Aah!" Twilight allowed a sigh to escape her lips. Between the warm water cascading down on her head and the vigorous, yet gentle scrubbing of her scalp, she practically melt.

Once the pair of assistants finished washing and rinsing Twilight's hair, they returned the back of her chair back to its fully upright and locked position. They then used towels to dry off her mane and picked up a bottle of fragrant leave-in conditioner, massaging it into her scalp with one hand while they ran combs through her mane with the other.

Twilight could see by Rarity loved going to beauty parlors as she practically melted again.

Once Twilight's hair was fully conditioned and dry, they hairdresser stepped up and shooed away the assistants. He ran his fingers through her mane and along the outline of her skull. "Hmm... What to do? What to do? We need to give you a do that's bold, stunning, that embraces your femininity, that accentuates your pony-ness while also displaying you as Zebrican royalty. What to do? What to do?"

The hairdresser twisted Twilight's head around from side-to-side, tipped it up and down, tilted it at odd angles. "Hmm...maybe. Yes. Yes. Yes. No! Possibly. No-no-no-no! But what about...? YES!" He interlaced his fingers and cracked his knuckles. Snapping the fingers on both hands, the pair of assistants ran up each carrying various tools for hairdressing.

The garish stallion slipped on a white smocked covered in dozens of pockets and loops, and began slipping various hairdressing tools into them like a soldier gearing up before going out on a combat patrol.

For the next twenty minutes Twilight could only stare in dumbfounded silence at the reflection as the stallion was a garish blur. Bits and pieces of hair flew away from her mane as he feverishly worked. Each hairdressing implement sailed through the air in a arc as he was finished with it, causing his assistants to scramble for it, before it could hit the floor. Once he had finished his feverish work, the garish zebra stallion snapped his fingers twice and an assistant placed an electric clipper into his palm and plugged it into a nearby outlet. His thumb flicked over the switch, causing the clippers to let out a loud buzz and he quickly did fine detail work.

"Aaaaaaaaannnnnnddddd....finished!", the garish stallion exclaimed, switching off the clippers and tossing it through the air in a broad arc for an assistant to catch. He held his hand out to the side and the assistants shoved a soft, long bristled brush made from zebra tail hair in one hand and a coiling rubber tube with a small metal nozzle at the end.

Compressed air rushed around Twilight's neck and shoulder as the long bristled brush swept ahead of it, sending loose hairs flying away from her form. Once he was finished , he tossed the compressed air hose and brush aside, wiped the sweat from his brow and slumped backwards into a chair that an assistant had pushed behind him a second prior. He held two fingers up on his right hand and held out his left hand with the fingers cupped. One assistant shoved a lit cigarette in a holder between his two extended fingers as the other placed a martini glass filled with a pink liquid in his left. He took a sip of the pink liquid then took a long drag of the cigarette. "So what do you think, honey?"

Twilight marveled at her new manestyle. It was a mohawk, similar to a zebra's mane, while also maintaining it's pony features. On the sides of her head, the mane was trimmed down so that its dark purpleish-blue faded into her lavender fur. She gently ran her hands along her mane. "Wow!"

After taking another drag of his cigarette and blowing the smoke out his nose, the stallion took another sip of the pink liquid and smiled. "Alright, now we do your tail and give you some stripes!"

Twilight's eyes went wide with surprise as the assistants took her by the wrists, pulled her out of the chair and over to a nearby screen. "Wait!"

The garish stallion took another sip of his drink and said, "Don't worry, honey. Zip and Charley, though not having the advantage of being gay, like myself, are very professional and very skilled."

"What does gay have to do with anything?!", Twilight exclaimed. "Nozebra told me I was getting striped."

"Don't worry, majesty.", Charlie sad. "We're not going to do you like the mares in those specesist stud-flicks that occasionally come in from Equestria. We're going to be very professional and give you striped that accentuate your form."

Tumba, having finished getting her nails and hooves polished, and having her coat freshlu washed and brushed, stepped into the room. "What's going on here?"

"Our princess-to-be is a little apprehensive about getting her tail done and getting some stripes.", the garish stallion said. "We're simply following orders handed down to us from the High-Queen through the handmaiden to make her look like a proper Zebrican noble."

"Ponies are a bit sensitive about getting striped as they've only encountered it in pornography.", Tumba said. "Do not do anything until I return with Shadout."

A few moments later Tumba returned with Shadout who was holding a scrap of paper in her hand. The handmaiden handed the paper over to the garish stallion. It read: My orders were not clearly understood. Twilight Velvet Sparkle the Fifth is only to have her mane and tail done in a traditional Zebrican fashion. Striping is only to optional upon her request.

The garish stallion let out a sigh. "Very well. Miss Sparkle the Fifth, would you like some stripes?"

"Would they be permanent?"

"We do have some permanent options. Other wise we can use dyes or makeup. And we can do them in any pattern and colors you want."

Twilight thought for a moment. "I don't want permanent stripes. If I get them dyed and I don't like them, can I have them removed."

"If you don't like them, I will personally shave your top coat.", the garish zebra said with a slightly put-out tone.

Twilight pressed a knuckle to her lips. "Okay, I'll get some stripes. I'll trust your judgement on the color and design, just don't cover my cutie marks." She followed the two zebra assistants behind the blind where they removed her terrycloth robe.

Thirty minutes later Twilight came out from behind the blind fully nude. Pencil-thin stripes a few shades darker than her fur adorned her body in delicate swirling patterns from her cheeks down to her fetlocks. The stripes on her horn and wings were of a different, less skilled pattern because zebras weren't familiar with those parts. She slowly turned around, showing off her body front and back. Her tail had been shorn, leaving a zebra-like tuft at the end. Ponies, like their zebra cousins, had long tails, they simply grew longer and thicker hair on it.

"You look like a high-born zebra, minus your horn, wings and coat color.", Tumba said.

Shadout said nothing, her cheeks simply flushed a crimson color. Even in Zebrica, alicorns were considered the epitome of beauty and were often many a colt's...and filly's...raunchy fantasies. Though the handmaiden had taken a vow of chastity, as per the traditions of her religious order, she still felt attraction towards mares.

Twilight pulled the terrycloth robe back on. "Uh...thanks. It was a little weird getting striped, but I think I'll keep them for now."

***Two Week Later***

Twilight stood nervously in the shallow bathing pool as zebra mares washed her body. Her stomach was twisted up in knots and she felt sick. The only reason why she didn't vomit was because she hadn't eaten or drank anything. Today was her official wedding ceremony.

Celestia and Luna, along with a handful of specially chosen Canterlotian nobles would be representing Equestria. Cadance and Shining Armor, along with a handful of chosen crystal pony nobles would be representing the Crystal Empire and the Frozen North. Only a hand picked number of Zebrican nobles would be in attendance as well. No other nobles from other nations would be in attendance as the official and private wedding was of no real concern for their politics. The only non-nobles allowed to attend were her mother and father.

Twilight knew her husband-to-be was in a neighboring chamber getting ready at this moment. She had purposely been kept from his as per Zebrican tradition that came from an old superstition about the gaze of an unwed mare on her future husband before the ceremony.

Once the servants had finshished bathing her, they helped Twilight out of the shallow pool. They dried her off with soft towels and touched up the dye on her stripes. They led her into a room where five eunuchs inspected her body. Eunuchs were held in high station in Zebrica as they voluntarily opted for castration, ensuring their urges could never tempt them, worked in the harems.

The only other country to maintain harems besides Zebrica was Saddle Arabia. Many authors and tellers of tall tales would spin erotic stories about harems, in large part because they weren't allowed in. Outsiders were forbidden from entering a harem as it was a place for the wife(sometimes multiple wives, depending on the noble) and their families. The only stallions, outside of the husband, who were allowed into a harem had to be approved by the wife and the guards. This didn't stop wild stories of harems being dens of debauchery, where wild orgies and gangbangs would take place daily. In reality harems were safe places where the wife(or plural in a handful of cases), their foals and immediate family could relax in relative comfort and privacy.

Once the eunuchs had finished their inspection, and nodded in approval, which was little more than a tradition saying she was ready for her wedding dress, they tied the loin cloth, which was a pair of simple, loosely hanging squares of white fabric covering her groin and plot, and draped several necklaces with dark wooden beads of differing sizes and shapes, whichhung down the front of her body, covering her breasts and the upper part of her belly. twilight remembered that in Zebrican weddings, the couple wore very little as it was an old tradition, one that grew out of a time when the zebras were much more nomadic.

Twilight admired herself in the mirror. She remembered looking at Tumba and Hassan's wedding photo, where they had worn very similar garb. Speaking of said zebra mare, Tumba stepped into the room once the eunuchs were done. The tall, muscular zebra mare was wearing the brilliantly colored robes and matching flowing headdress of her native home on the savannahs, draped over the top of the robes was the apron-like armor made of small square iron plates woven into strips of leather.

"Are you ready to tie the knot?", Tumba asked, pantomiming the tying of a noose and hanging herself, as a means to lighten the mood.

Twilight closed her eyes, took in a deep breath as she brought a hand up to her chest and blew out the breath as the extended her arm, just like Cadance had shown her. "Yes." She swallowed hard, trying in vain and failing to make the lump in her throat to move.

Tumba reaching behind her back and shoved a stoppered gourd of strong date-wine into Twilight's hands. "Take a swig. It'll help with the nerves."

Twilight pulled out the stopper, placed the top of the gourd to her lips, tipped it up slightly and took a swallow of the strong drink. "*kaff-cough* Oof! Strong stuff!" A glowing streak of heat went down her esophagus and hit her stomach, where it blossomed, spreading slowly through her body. "Thanks, I needed that.", she said, passing the gourd back.

Tumba waved it off. "Keep it. You might need it for your wedding night jitters."

With a bit of liquid courage burning the worst of the nerves, Twilight passed the gourd to a servant. "I'm ready to begin."

Twilight stepped with Tumba out of the room. Hassan stood there, wearing the traditional while wrapped robes of the desert zebras, draped across his form was mail made of interlinked loops of iron and a sword in a curved scabbard hung from his waist, on his cheeks were painted script of the desert clans. He wore a wrapped turban of brightly colored fabric atop his head. Their daughters, Al-Gallib and Zeta, wore garb that was a mixture of the savannah and desert clans.

In the room there were dozens of zebra stallions and mares. One half were the tall muscular forms of the savannah clans, all wearing the traditional brightly colored robes with armor, along with the short-handled spears, the crescent axes and oval shields made of dark wood. Apron-like armor made of small iron squares woven into strips of leather hung from their shoulders. They wore the flowing headdresses of their native lands. The other half were the shorter desert clans. They wore light colored, wrapped robes with brightly colored wrapped turbans atop their heads. Curved swords in scabbards hung at their waists and armor of interlinking rings draped about their forms.

These zebras made up Twilight's honor guard. She took up a spot near the main doors of the room. Elements of her honor guard took positions ahead of her. Rumba, Hassan, Al-Gallid and Zeta each took up a spot by her side. All in the room waited for their cue.

A combination of equestrian and Zebrican royal guards opened the doors to the room and took up their place at the head of the procession. Zebra and pony fillies, holding woven baskets filled to the brim with rose, lavender, primrose and daisy petals, tossed handfuls of the fragrant petals onto the floor ahead of the procession.

Sitting on one side of the room was Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor, along with a handful of Canterlot and Crystal Empire nobles. On the other side of the room sat High King Hatua ya Kukimbia, High Queen Anga Inayong'aa, Prime Minister and Royal Seneschal Maneo Laini and a handful of Zebrican nobles. The savannah zebras chanted in deep tones traditional march chants, while the desert clan zebras sang traditional trilling marching songs, meant to ward off evil spirits. Standing at the altar, accompanied by a priest in flowing robes, was Crown Prince Mwana Nguvu.

As Twilight, with her honor guard, approached the altar, Maneo Laini shot her a sideways glare. He reached up and scratched the back of his head, a signal to a hidden zebra. Said zebra was laying flat in the rafters, ropes tied about his waist and legs holding him in place, where he had lay for the past two days. Filthy sackcloth draped about his form and a bolt action rifle, wrapped in canvas, was tied to his left arm. Upon seeing the secret signal, he braced the butt of the rifle to his shoulder and took aim.

The assassin knew he was dead the moment he pulled the trigger. He maneuvered a small glass vial of poison from inside his cheek and braced it behind his back teeth. Over the past two days he had taken his time to line up his shot and adjust the windage and elevation of his shot. Flipping the sights up, he gave the one last adjustment to the sights, lined up the shot with the back of Twilight's head and slowly pushed the safety off.

As Twilight took up her spot in front of the altar, the assassin looped his finger through the trigger guard. Suddenly the hatch in the roof above him flung open, and a zebra-like stallion with a solid dark brown coat that transitioned to black and white stripes, a neck slightly longer than a zebra's and two small stub-like horns atop his head, a creature known as an okapi, wearing nothing but simple green wraps about his loins and brandishing a large knife, leapt through the hatch, sinking the long blade into the assassin's back.

*blam*

The assassin's shot went wide, the bullet making a whistling sound as it ricocheted off of a pillar and imbedded into the far wall.

As all in attendance turned to face where the shot had come from, minus Twilight and her honor guard, who had roughly shove the alicorn to the floor and piled their bodies atop her, the okapi withdrew his blade from the would-be assassin's back, brought it up to the would-be assassin's neck and decapitated would-be assassin. "The okapi come to your aid, reincarnation of Isis!", the okapi shouted.

Without any prompting from their princesses, pegasi guards immediately took to the air.

The okapi tossed the recently liberated head of the assassin to the floor, vaulted to a nearby column and slid down to the floor. Being a creature of the jungles, he used his speed and superior agility leap over, duck under or juke around the guards trying to tackle him as he made his way to the altar. He stopped short of Twilight's honor guard who were moving to stop the interloper, dropped to his knees and held up the long knife in both hands. "Forgive my rudeness, reincarnation of Isis. We would have introduced ourselves to you properly if we, the okapi, had not come across a vile scheme to harm you."

Dozens of guard piled atop the okapi.

Celestia, her form towering over the tallest ponies and zebras, strode forward and gestured for him to be raised to his hooves. She lit her horn and a thin beam of magic connected with the okapi's head. "You have been placed under a truth compulsion spell. Lie and you will experience discomfort." She leaned forward and locked eyes with him. "Who are you?"

"I am Otapaki of the lower basin okapi."

"Why are you here?"

"Months ago our greatest seers had visions of our founder and goddess, Isis of the Six-Star returning to us from the north. Shortly after that we heard stories of a pony bearing Isis' mark, the six-star, had come to Zebrica."

"So why not show yourself before now?"

"We had to be sure. Zebras and okapi aren't on the best of terms."

"How long have you been watching my protege?"

"For months."

"He speaks the truth.", Anga Inayong'aa said as she walked up. "There has been much distrust between the zebras and the okapi. In the past we waged a bloody war with them and drove the okapi from their ancestral herdlands of southern Zegypt. If it were not for Ma'at interfering, the Zegyptians would have burned the forests and jungle they call home."

Otapaki glared at the high queen. "We okapi know who you are. You are the one who calls herself the incarnation of Ma'at. Ma'at was a jungle zebra. Many a jungle zebra sold their lives in the War of Bleeding Leaves to save we okapi. You are no jungle zebra. You are a plateau zebra."

"Yes, you should also know that it was the plateau zebra who gave up twelve if their sons and daughters to Ma'at as she could have no foals of her own. I descend from one of the foals that were given to her and only priestesses of Ma'at can come from the plateau clans. Ma'at and Isis were close friends. She chose to live in self-imposed exile, offering herself up as a hostage to ensure no more okapi were slain." Anga Inayong'aa laid a hand on Celestia's arm. "He means us no harm. Though the okapi are known to be savage warriors who claims the heads of their enemies, they are honorable creatures who will hold an oath to their dying breath."

Celestia looked at the okapi for a few moments, then let out a snort. "Very well, I release you from the truth compulsion spell--"

Suddenly a zebra guard brandishing and automatic rifle burst into the main room of the temple interrupting the solar diarch. "My high King! My High Queen! Many apologies for the interruption! There is a procession of jungle zebras and okapi that have gathered out front!"

Maneo Laini's eyes went wide with shock. His eyes darted around the room. Things had taken a turn for the worse and now he needed an escape.

"How many and what do they want?", asked Hatua ya Kukimbia.

"Dozens! They're being led by their matriarchs and patriarchs. They're requesting to give the soon-to-be princess of Zebrica wedding presents."

Twilight, having gotten up after things were starting to calm down, approached Otapaki. "How do you know I'm the reincarnation of this Isis?"

Otapaki knelt before Twilight. "Our founder and goddess, Isis, bore as her symbol the Six-Star. A star with six points. Before she died, she said her soul would travel to the north and return to us when the time was right." He gestured to Twilight's flank. "You bear her symbol. And the stories we've heard of you speak of courage, intelligence and strength. All traits she championed."

***

For over an hour okapi and jungle zebras entered into the temple in an orderly fashion. They bore baskets of of rare spices, nuggets of gold harvested from streams and rivers, and uncut gemstones as gifts. They prostrated themselves one-by-one and two-by-two before Twilight to kiss her hooves, ask for boons of good fortune or presented their young wrapped in swaddling cloths for blessings.

Twilight mentally noted that many of the jungle zebras bore okapi-like features and many okapi bore jungle zebra-like features. She mentally noted to ask at a later time if the okapi and jungle zebras intermarried.

In the initial confusion Maneo Laini made his escape from the temple. The possessed zebra fled the city and hid in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the slums. He glared out of a broken window in the direction of the temple, the shards of glass still clinging to the frame reflected an alicorn-like pony with fur black as pitch, turquoise eyes with slitted pupils and a mouthful of dagger-like fangs. "Damn the okapi and jungle zebras!" He turned away from the window, but the reflections in the shards remained for several seconds. "This is just a minor setback. Revel in your marriage, whore of Celestia! Soon enough you will will feel the sting of the Nightmare!"

***

After a short while things at the temple had settled down. The jungle zebras and the okapi reluctantly left after Twilight explained that this wedding was a private, invitation-only affair, and that in six months when her public wedding was to be held, they would all be invited with open arms.

Twilight blew out a heavy sigh. No pony or zebra faulted her when she opted to take several swigs from the gourd of strong date-wine. None also faulted Mwana Nguvu when he did the same. Between the assassination attempt, and the okapi and the jungle zebra declaring her as Isis reincarnated, today had been a trying day.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Princess Twilight Velvet Sparkle the Fifth of Equestria..." For the sake of levity the priest opted to leave out all of her epithets and titles. "And Crown Prince Mwana Nguvu of Zebrica..." The priest also opted to leave out all of his epithets and title for the sake of levity. "In the sacred union of wedlock. This is more than a union of flesh and hearts, but also a union to ensure peace, friendship and prosperity between our two great nations."

The priest lifted a golden chalice and poured a wine, deep red in color, mixed together from the best vintages of Equestria and Zebrica. "Wine represents the bonding of two souls, as the two vintages mingle together in the same vessel, so to does the souls of the two to be wed." He then dropped in a few sprigs of sage into the wine. "Sage to bond the minds together in blessed union." He then held a heart-shaped fruit in his palm called Passion's Flame and squeezed it until a small trickle of juice fell into the wine. "And passion's Flame to bring the two hearts together as one."

The priest swirled the chalice containing the wine mixed with sage and Passion's Flame. "As the wine, sage and Passion's Flame mix together in this vessel, it symbolizes the intermingling of this mare's and this stallion's bodies, hearts and souls." He them passed the chalice to the two of them to drink from. "As the two partake of the drink, let it symbolize them partaking of the joys and struggles of wedding. As it become a part of their bodies. Let it symbolize their bodies, hearts and souls becoming part of one another."

Once Twilight and Mwana Nguvu had each drank a portion of the wine, the priest took the chalice back. He poured half of what remained onto the altar and lit it with a candle. "Allow the smoke to carry this symbol of the bond to the gods above." He poured the remaining portion onto the floor. "Allow the soil to carry this symbol of their bond to the gods below." He placed the chalice aside and picked up two collars made of five golden rigs each and held them over his head. "Oh gods above, if you disapprove of this union. Let your voices be heard!" After a few seconds, he extended the collars to the floor. "Oh gods below, if you disapprove of this union. Let your voices be heard!" After a few more seconds he held the collars in front of him. "To all gathered her, if you disapprove of this union. Let you voices be heard!" After several more seconds he extended the collars to the couple. "Very well. As none speak their disapproval, I present to you the physical sybols of your bonds. Wear them as equals. Both will be the master of the other and both will be the slave of the other."

Twilight and Mwana Nguvu each took their respective collars.

Mwana Nguvu closed the collar around Twilight's neck. "I, Mwana Nguvu of Zebrica, bind you with this collar to me. You will serve me with all you heart and soul."

Twilight closed the collar around Mwana Nguvu's neck. "I, Twilight Velvet Sparkle the Fifth of Equestria, bind you with this collar to me. You will serve me with all your heart and soul."

The priest lifted a gilded pair of pliers in his hand and cinched the backs of the collars shut. He then tied the two's collars, wrists and ankles together with silken cords, using an easy to untie knot. "By the powers vested in me by the gods above, the gods below and Zebrica, I declare you bound by the sacred bond of matrimony. You may seal your bond with a kiss."

Twilight and Mwana Nguvu pressed their lips together in a simple kiss. The priest quickly untied the knots holding their collars, wrists and ankles together, and raised their hands. "I present to you, rightful heirs to the throne of Zebrica, Mwana Nguvu and Twilight Velvet Sparkle the First!" The crowd applauded.

***

The royal wedding party made their way back to the Zebrican palace and gathered around the bed Twilight and Mwana Nguvu were currently laying in.

"As per Equestrian royal tradition, we gathered nobles will now witness the royal couple on their first breeding.", High King Hatua ya Kukimbia proclaimed.

This caused some grumbling from the gathered Zebrican nobles.

"Silence now!", High Queen Anga Inayong'aa admonished the grumblers. "I know this is not our tradition. The princesses of Equestria have requested this. Seeing as one of their own has wed herself to the heir, it is only proper that we allow them this. When one of our nobles moves to Equestria to wed, they will honor us by following our wedding night tradition."

Twilight got to her hands and knees in the traditional mounting position. As uncomfortable as it was to watch Shining Armor and Cadance on their first breeding in their marital bed, this was leagues more uncomfortable. At lest she could hide her face and pretend no pony or zebra could see her.

Mwana Nguvu got behind Twilight and lifted the back of her loincloth. She lifted her tail and flipped it to the side. The crown prince was finding it hard to maintain an erection with all of the eyes on him, which was fine as his new bride was having trouble getting aroused for the same reason. He managed to coax himself from his sheath and get to half hardness with some rigorous masturbation. After several minutes of trying to mentally picture anything sexy to get his mind off of the eyes around him and failing to get past half-hardness, so he decided to just simply make it quick.

Twilight let out some small grunts as her new husband prodded at her entrance with his half-chub, she wanted to reach back and give him a hand in getting harder, and guide him in, but tradition forbade her from doing so. Success! Mwana Nguvu managed to get his head just inside her entrance, but because he wasn't at peak hardness, all he culd get after several thrusts were a couple of extra inches.

Despite the harrowing ordeal of having to perform for a crowd, the two fell into a rhythm. Twilight was dry as a bone laid out in the sun during a drought, but she still tried to make things a little easier for her husband by rolling her hips backwards as he thrust forward and moaning. Mwana Nguvu hurried up his pace, trying to finish quickly while he was able to maintain any level of hardness. His pace quickened as he got close, but he popped out, causing his head to jam into the crease between her thigh and hip.

Mwana Nguvu let out a groan as he let out a thin and watery ejaculation. Twilight grunted in dissatisfaction as she felt his semen splash against the crease between her hip and thigh. Both flopped over onto their sides, neither feeling satisfied.

"Huzzah!", Luna exclaimed. "We hast witnessed the couple's first union! May it bear fruit!"

The witnesses left the couple's bed chambers. Shining Armor, Night Light and Twilight Velvet Sparkle the Fourth, all agreed to go find somewhere thy could get blind drunk, in the hopes the booze would bleach the image of their sister and daughter from their brains.

Once the two were left alone in their bedroom, Twilight sat up. "I'm going to clean myself up." After wiping herself down with a moist washcloth she returned the room to find Mwana Nguvu sitting on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands.

Twilight sat next to her husband and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Please don't think less of me.", Mwana Nguvu said, clearly distraught. "If you don;t want to lay with me anymore, I'll understand."

Twilight pulled her distraught husband in tight and laid her head on his shoulder. "It was n picnic for me either. But now that the worst part is over, we can take our time to get to know each other."

"I don;t know if I can perform for a crowd again."

Twilight understood where her new husband was coming from. "And you won't have to again. It's Canterlot tradition for nobles on their wedding night to have their first time being witnessed by an audience. It comes from an old tradition that comes from when our numbers were low to ensure that a royal marriage bore a foal. There has been an outcry from the new noble families to discard the old tradition, but the Canterlotian old blood families are sticklers for tradition. Plus it was the only way Princess Celestia could get the Canterlot nobles to recognize our wedding as legitimate."

"So I won't have to perform for an audience again?"

"Not unless the Canterlot noble houses demand we have a traditional Canterlotian wedding."

Mwana Nguvu gave Twilight the side-eye.

"I'm kidding!", twilight said. "There's no way I'd agree to that again." She gently stroked the inside of her husband's thigh and she gently kissed his neck. "Why don't we take our time and do this right?" She allowed her hand to creep higher until her fingertips were teasing at her husband's testicles and sheath.

Mwana Nguvu turned his head and planted a kiss on her lips. his hand crept under his wife's loincloth, teasing at the outer lips of her marehood.

Soon their tongues wrestled with one another as their hands groped one another's bodies. Twilight grasped her husband's turgid length, stroking it. Mwana Nguvu inserted a pair of fingers into his wife's marehood, pumping them in and out of the velvety channel that grew increasingly wet.

Twilight shed the wood beaded necklaces that covered her upper body upper body and untied the knots on her loincloth, tossing the fabric aside. Her fully nude form on display, laid back, gave her husband a come hither gesture and lifted her legs to form a mating cradle.

Mwana Nguvu rested his weight on the back of his wife's legs, slowly drug his throbbing, turgid length along her marehood until his head rested at her entrance. With a forward thrust, he entered her.

Twilight let out a cry of passion as Mwana Nguvu's length spread her inner walls. He stopped just short of his medial ring on the first plunge, pulled back until a few inches remained inside and roughly thrust forward again, this burying his medial ring just past her lower lips. Twilight dug her nails into his back as he buried himself up to the root inside her. She yelped and brayed each time his head kissed her cervix.

Twilight felt like her body was on fire as she felt herself get close. Stars danced before her vision and her inner walls clenched around her husband's virile flesh. A feral scream escaped her throat as an orgasm rocked her.

Mwana Nguvu continued pumping, desperate to make it as pleasurable for his wife as it was for him. He forced himself to slow his pace, not wanting to finish too soon.

Twilight's mind filled with fog as she came down from her orgasm. She clung to consciousness, not wanting to be a dead fish for her husband. She stared up into the eyes of her husband and felt her heart move for him. She was falling in love with him. If she was in the right state of mind, she would be sure that Cadance could feel it. Her alicorn physiology began to kick into gear, using her magic to coax a mature egg cell to move into place.

After several more minutes, Mwana Nguvu couldn't hold on any longer. Hormones and other chemicals boiled and roiled, pushing forward some very primal actions.

The alicorn and the zebra cried out together as an orgasm hit them both.

Being in the mating cradle position meant that it was easier Twilight's cervix to open, allowing more of Mwana Nguvu's seed to enter her womb. Her body shook and her eyes rolled up in her head as she felt her husband's hot jets pool deep inside of her womb.

Twilight's body went limp as her orgasm died off and consciousness fled her. It was an ancient reaction many mares had after laying with their lovers. Mwana Nguvu's body went rigid as he released his seed deep into his wife. With his orgasm spent, he collapsed onto his side. Twilight instinctively cuddled up to her husband who was losing with battle with sleep. The pair of sweat-slick bodies intertwined one another.

Deep inside the alicorn an ovum moved into place to meet the oncoming tide of gametes and continued the dance of new life from time immemorial.

***

Maneo Laini hid several small vials of poisoned powder that he had recently acquired. The nightmare possessing the stallion devised a plan to poison its most hated enemy. It wouldn't kill the lavender alicorn, but it would kill any life she had growing inside of her and weaken her, just long enough for the nightmare to land the killing blow.

Author's Note

For this chapter I decided to keep the clop brief. The part where Twilight and her husband's first time together was inspired by the old french nobility's practice of observing a newly married couple's first night together. I thought about the performance anxiety I'd experience if I was in a situation like that.

Clop isn't the main focus of this story, but will be featured throughout, all in the context of a married couple.

My inspiration for for adding the okapi(it's a real animal in Africa) came from that there's non-ponies who live in equestria. So I asked myself, "Self, what if there were non-zebras living in Zebrica?" and I answered myself, "Make it so." I decided to have the okapi live in forests and jungles, and have a similar relationship as the bison do with the ponies.

The jungle zebras live in close proximity with the okapi, sharing a similar culture and religion. They view Twilight, whether it's true or not, as the reincarnation of their founder-turned-ascended goddess.