Anxiously checking his watch, Torque hugged his sister on the doorstep of their apartment. “Don’t have too much fun.”

“Torque,” Vise laughed, shoving him away while snickering to herself, “I only just met him!”

“Uh-huh…” he hummed, utterly unconvinced. “What did you say his name was again?”

She backed away and blushed. “Swift Step,” she replied before squinting over at him. “You’re not going to go snooping on him ~ are you?”

Giving a noncommittal shrug, he glanced down the sidewalk. “Can you blame me for being protective? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he found and untied you after you Burner set you free, but you can’t blame me for doing a simple background check on him!”

Spotting a lumbering behemoth around the corner at the end of the block, he bit back a frown. He really was happy that Burner, for whatever reason, had let his sister go, and he could understand why she’d be so smitten with the stallion who’d discovered her after she’d been dumped off while hogtied and blindfolded, but he wasn’t thrilled that she’d started dating the gargantuan stud. Giving a small nod over to the approaching colossus, he turned his attention back to his sibling.

“Just be careful ~ alright?” he sighed.

“We’re just going out for coffee, donuts, and a movie,” she halfheartedly groaned. Punching his shoulder for good measure, she skipped down the steps and off to meet her date. “I’ll see you later tonight!”

“Have fun!” he called out to her as his eyes lingered on the behemoth of a unicorn.

Outside of what little Vise had said about the stallion, he knew perilously little about the titan - that said, given the size of the city and the number of ponies who lived there, that wasn’t anything extraordinary. Seeing the unicorn give her a small hug and turn away, pressing himself against her, he knit his brow. After everything she’d gone through, he couldn’t help but be overprotective of her.

His thoughts wandered as he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. As unbelievable as it was, Vise had returned unscathed and in surprisingly good spirits - then again, given her perpetually sunny disposition, he shouldn’t have been too surprised about the latter point. According to her, Burner had merely had her repairing various pieces of equipment in his base - unfortunately, the villainous pony had gone to great lengths to ensure she didn’t know where his base was. While it was unfortunate that she wouldn’t be able to help him discover where the evildoers were hiding, he was still thankful that she’d survived the ordeal safely.

With a heavy sigh, he peeked up at a clock on his living room wall. He may never know everything she’d gone through, but her absence had taken a heavy toll on him in ways he would never - could never have fathomed. Over the time she’d been gone, his anguish and anger had gradually taken an insidious, wholly unbecoming turn; maybe it was his subconscious’ way of coping with the stress, or perhaps he hadn’t realized how he thought about her - regardless, he felt a small measure of guilt in her presence.

Knock knock knock

“One second,” he shouted, gathering himself. Calling upon his courage, more nervous than when he’d found himself facing villains, he threw the door open. “Yes?”

Lurking just outside, drawing on a long-stemmed pipe, a changeling mare inspected him with her rich, mauve eyes. “Torque Wrench?”

He stepped back and hurriedly waved for her to enter. “Měilì?”

“The one and only,” she coolly replied, giving a small bow.

“Come in, please,” he urged.

She exhaled a thick plume of pink, sweet-smelling smoke before entering. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a changeling before, nor would it be the last, but she was by far one of the bustiest he’d ever laid eyes upon. Short and heavily built, with a pair of udder-like breasts that nearly reached the ground, she coolly surveyed the interior.

“Nice place,” she tranquilly remarked, flashing her teeth as her gaze settled back on him.

“I - um - t…thanks,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Trotting forward and lifting her pipe to her lips, ignorant or uncaring of his anxiety, she softly chuckled. “I’m guessing this is your first time?”

He nodded and shied away, refusing to look her in her hauntingly bright eyes. “Is…is it that obvious?”

“It is, but that’s hardly a bad thing,” she purred, continuing her languid pursuit of him. “I’m guessing there was a reason why you wanted - how’d you put it ~ ‘the best changeling we have to offer’?”

Feeling blood rush to his face and loins, he momentarily glanced back to her pendulous bosoms. “Y…yeah…”

“Don’t be so tense,” she cooed, reaching back to fondle herself with a forehoof. “I’m all yours for the evening, stud. How about you have a seat, relax, and let me -”

“Wait,” he blurted, skirting past her and to a desk by the front door. Snatching up a framed photo, he pointed to a mare in the picture. “Can you turn into her?”

Taking a long, slow draw of her pipe, Měilì peaked a brow. “Got a preference for buxom mares ~ eh?”

Setting the photo down as quickly as he’d grabbed it, feeling his cheeks darken, he gave an almost imperceptible nod. “S…something like that. You’re not offended ~ are…”

With a flash of amethyst flame, the shapeshifter transformed. “Offended, no, not in the slightest - after all, this is what we do. Might I ask, is she your ex?”

Sensing his stallionhood slipping from its sheath, nearly picking his jaw up from the floor, he marveled at her metamorphosis. The violet mane, the rich purple coat, the wings, the jade green eyes - the likeness was flawless, even if her voice remained the same. As he realized she’d asked a question, watching her smirk broaden, he inched closer to her.

“Something like that…” he breathed.

He swallowed hard but remained where he stood, both painfully aroused and ashamed of what he’d done - what he was about to do. While he may have been embarrassed, his temporary companion was anything but. Crossing to him and setting her pipe down, she gently wrapped a wing around his neck and pulled him close.

“Ready to have some fun?” she murmured, affixing him with her heavily-lidded gaze.

Peering into the suddenly familiar face, he snickered. “Yeah…”

Author's Note

Will things work out for Vise?
Can Swift overcome his perverse urges?
Stay tuned for the next thrilling issue of Selective Service to find out!!!