Paradigm Shift

No sooner did Snowy’s eyes flutter open than a smile graced her muzzle. The warm rays of sunshine creeping through the window were pleasant, the bed was comfortable, and the sound of songbirds in the castle’s courtyard were the perfect things to wake up to, yet those weren’t what warmed the depths of her heart. She shifted ever so slightly and peeked over her shoulder, feeling the deep, heavy breaths of the stallion softly snoozing against her.

Both she and Aegis had agreed that they’d only share a bed on the nights before they both had a day off work, although that shrewd plan hadn’t lasted more than a hoofful of days. As she gazed at his tranquil features, simply savoring how wondrous he was even while sleeping, she contentedly sighed. There were still times when the peculiar nature of herself and their relationship came to the fore, but they no longer bothered her - in fact, she and Aegis had taken to making light of them.

While her thoughts drifted back to that magical night, the tumultuous evening that had liberated her very soul, she shook her head and bit back a chuckle. Aegis was a peach, treating her like a veritable Princess both in and out of the bedroom, and she wouldn’t trade him for the world - even if he endearingly picked on her from time to time. Try as she might to act cross with him, particularly when she’d be the but of his jokes or when he’d check her out to ensure her manhood hadn’t miraculously returned, she simply couldn’t be angry with him.

She started and looked down his body, feeling something warm twitching against her tush. She’d learned a lot about stallions since she’d started dating him, including that they were just as prone to morning wood as humans were, and the subtle reminder of his virility sent an excited thrill to her loins. Glancing over to the clock and seeing she had about twenty minutes until the alarm went off, she slowly wriggled her way under the sheets.

Surreptitiously moving beneath the blanket, she was besieged by his scent. Even if they had changed the covers after having sex the night before, there was no way his bed wouldn’t reek of him - not like that was a bad thing by any means. She moved by feel alone, unable to see anything in the pitch darkness, until she felt her shoulder bump against this knee.

If there was a better way for a stallion to wake up than with a blowjob, she couldn’t fathom it. Twisting around to face him and being mindful of her horn, she sniffed the air and brought her muzzle to his groin. There was something deliciously naughty about sucking him off, specifically since neither he nor herself had showered before hitting the sack, and she wasn’t about to bother him and ask for permission - after all, he was her coltfriend.

She delicately kissed her way over his ripe, fuzzy balls and up his steadily hardening length. Attempting to articulate why it was so hot to service him would have been a fool’s errand, but she supposed it was something to do with her biology. He was significantly more powerful than her, larger and with a phenomenal physique, and she took joy from getting him off. Twisting slightly and drawing a forehoof past her teats and to her loins, she rubbed her winking marehood while she mutely made out with the tip of his length.

Closing her eyes and relishing the taste and aroma of his unwashed flesh, her imagination ran wild. She hadn’t intended for the castle’s staff to figure out she and Aegis were an item - for buck’s sake, she’d hoped to keep their little relationship a secret, but that plan had blown up in the most spectacular fashion. Ponies, like humans, had an affinity to gossip, so it should have come as no surprise that word spread like wildfire that one of the guards was dating the only kirin living in the keep.

Groaning around him, she fixated on her clit and lightly bucked her hips. Heaven help her, she really was a lost cause. She’d tried - oh how she’d tried to keep up appearances, acting no different than usual while on the clock, but Aegis was too irresistible. He was a fiend, going out of his way to give her a peck on the cheek or coincidentally bumping into her while she was tending to her duties, and she’d been unable to stop him.

Though they’d only been together for just over a week, public displays of affection were becoming increasingly frequent. They’d bring each other lunch if their schedules were out of sync, it wasn’t uncommon for them to trot alongside each other on their way to start their shifts, and the flirting - mother of mercy, the flirting between them was nearly comical! Like a pair of love-struck foals in grade school, neither of them could help themselves around one another!

She filled her lungs and drove her head downward, forcing his cock-head into her gullet. Throating him still wasn’t easy, and she suspected it would take months or possibly even years of practice to become more skillful with it, but he was worth the effort. Stifling a gag and kneading her cunt, she mopped the underside of his shaft with her tongue.

Her eyes watered and her esophagus spasmed, but she didn’t relent. The only way she’d be able to handle him rutting her face, something they both wanted to try out at some point, was by getting outside her comfort zone. Only slowing once her lips graced his medial ring, the thick band of flesh that marked the trunk-like, annoyingly girthy root of his cock, she withdrew and bobbed her head.

Sucking somepony off shortly after getting up, like so many other things in her life over the last few months, was yet another activity she never would have thought she’d find herself doing - be that as it may, she wouldn’t pretend she didn’t love getting him off. Maybe it was because she’d finally stopped keeping herself from enjoying her new life, or perhaps her marish biology held some sway over her amorous interests - whatever the case may be, giving him sexual relief was profoundly arousing.

She pulled back and brought his cock-head into her maw, nursing on it while she caught her breath, and froze when the darkness around her was broken. Shifting and peeking up to the head of her bed, she spotted Aegis holding the blanket up and smirking down at her. He had the face of an angel, wreathed from the light outside, and merely seeing his smile drove back any lingering doubts that she no longer wanted to turn back into who she once was.

“Having fun?” he softly inquired.

He yawned and brought a hoof to his muzzle as she freed her snout. “Maybe…” she hummed, sliding away from him and bringing her forehoof to his stallionhood. “Want me to keep going?”

Rubbing his eyes, he gave a little shrug. “Honestly, I’d rather get a few more minutes of cuddling in before we have to get up.”

“Won’t hear me complain about that,” she huffed, quickly crawling back up the bed and turning her back to him.

He wormed one foreleg under her chest while placing the other against her shoulder and pulled her to his chest. “Sleep good?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, rolling her hips and hotdogging his dick between her buns. “You?”

“With you in my bed, I don’t think I’d have a bad night’s rest if I tried,” he chuckled, kissing his way up her collar and to her cheek. “So when are we gonna ask Celestia for a couple’s suite?”

Giggling like a school filly, she turned her head away from him. “Stop! It’s bad enough that the whole castle knows what we’ve been doing.”

“Hey - I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job at keeping it down when we - you know…” he snickered, bucking his hips to illustrate his point.

She pouted her lips as she peeked back at him, doing her darnedest to act hurt. “We’d be quieter if somepony would move the bed and keep it from bashing against the wall.”

Leaning in and staring into her eyes, he playfully snorted. “Says the mare who’s loud enough to wake up the whole wing - heck, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you wanted to let everypony know when we’re having fun.”

Her blush deepend and she averted her gaze. “T…that’s not true.”

“So I guess half of my squad were just pulling my leg when they told me they could hear us the other night,” he mused. Reaching over and gently turning her head to face him, he winked. “You might not admit it, but you secretly like having ponies talk about us…”

“N…no!” she weakly asserted.

Keeping his grip on her, he readjusted and brought the tip of his length to her entrance. “Ready?”

Sensing her marehood needily wink and drool, dribbling a cocktail of her juices and his seed from the night before down her inner thigh and to the sheets, she couldn’t answer him. The fact that he could overpower her easily would have been enough to get her wound up on a regular basis, but having him see through her, having the ability to tell when she was trying to misdirect or deceive him, made him nothing short of irresistible. Rolling her hips back and kissing her marehood to his dick, she closed her eyes and pursed her lips.

Fortunately for her, he didn’t leave her hanging. He groaned as he kissed her, simultaneously sinking his tongue into her snout while his stallionhood plunged into her quivering depths. She wasn’t a religious mare, never had been and likely never would be, but she prayed to any higher powers that would listen that she’d never grow tired of the feeling of being filled.

Passionately albeit somewhat clumsily making out with him, she pushed back to meet his thrusts. In the relatively short period of time she’d been with him, they’d despoiled each other’s rooms thoroughly, screwing on, under, or against every piece of furniture they owned, but starting their day with some affectionate fuggles, their pet name for fornicating whilst cuddling, was a favorite for the both of them. As she splayed her hind legs and allowed him to plunge deeper, his horn glowed and bathed her face in soft light.

“Ah ah,” he tutted, clutching her forelegs in his aura. “You know the rules…”

“P…please,” she stammered, unable to move her upper limbs.

Lazily plowing her from behind, he peaked a brow expectantly. “Please what…?”

Darn it - darn him and his stupid, sexy rules to Tartarus. Not long after she’d come clean and their relationship had started in earnest, they’d set down a few standards for bedroom affairs. After boundaries and hazy areas were discussed, ensuring neither would step on the other’s hooves, some less standard etiquettes were set - chief amongst which being she was supposed to ask if she could touch herself while they were having sex.

On a purely superficial level, getting permission to masturbate would be sexist at best and borderline abusive at worst, but Aegis had never left her wanting - if anything, the subtle amount of control he exerted over her had her cumming her brains out harder and quicker than she would have otherwise! Moving in tune with him, rhythmically relaxing and constricting her depths around him, she moaned into his muzzle.

The benefits that came from having him as a lover were too many to count, including the enormous boost of self-confidence she’d gotten since confessing who she was and her romantic interest in him, but one of the best and arguably safest was that she rarely had to worry about spontaneously combusting from sexual frustration. Throughout the remainder of her heat, he went to great, heavenly lengths to ensure she was never pent-up - even after her estrus was finished, should she find herself in the mood, all it took was a bit of teasing from her to get him worked up enough to plow her into a whimpering, squirting mess. There was only one small problem with their raging libidos, one that could and occasionally would cause them both problems - it was hard for them not to get turned on around each other.

It may have been ridiculous, but even the smallest thing could set off a lustful domino effect. Simply passing one another in a corridor of the castle and meeting eyes could and on one occasion had sent them scurrying into a broom closet for a quickie - sure, there was a chance they’d get caught one of these days, but that was part of the fun. Throwing her ass back and hilting him, she broke the kiss and bit his lip.

“Harder,” she purred.

He obliged her without question, unsheathing most of his not inconsiderable length to hammer into her. Falling still and relinquishing what little control she had, she relished the sensation of his hips beating against her tush while his cock-head rammed her cervix. Yeah, to heck with being a guy - as far as she was concerned, now that she’d seen the light, giving up her dick in exchange for the unfathomable bliss that came from having a pussy was well worth it.

Angling his plunges to send his medial ring scraping over her g-spot, he brought his snout to her ear. “We need the potion?”

She feverishly shook her head, sensing herself on the cusp of a climax. “N…no - keep g…going…”

The potion, as well as the linens and a fire extinguisher that was conveniently placed by the bed, were precautions in the event of a flare-up. While they hadn’t needed any of the items, having them on hoof certainly didn’t hurt anything. With her heart pounding and marehood trembling, pushed beyond the brink, she arched her back and squealed as her climax struck her.

Steaming nectar seeped from her stuffed confines, sullying him, herself, and the sheets, yet Aegis didn’t slow. Plowing her with reckless abandon, spurred on by her orgasm and seeking relief himself, he went all out. Now that she’d cum, it was his turn to have some fun.

She writhed and babbled incoherently, urging him to breed her and pump a foal into her as his stallionhood flared. Though she’d just endured a climax, she was pushed to the cusp of another within seconds. Begging him to fill her, promising him the moon and waxing poetic about how incredible he was, she wasn’t left waiting for long.

Burying his length, he dipped his head and bit the nape of her neck. It was no coincidence that she came the split second his seed bathed her interior, coating her womb and marking her as his mare. Sweet, merciful Celestia - being creampied was the best thing in the world, vastly better than cumming as a dude, and it was rewarding on an existential level. To be claimed, taken by a hunky stud who was desperately trying to knock you up, simply couldn’t be beat.

Heaving air into her chest and falling still, barring the occasional muscle twitch in her thighs or marehood, she weakly turned her head and pecked his brow. “B…breakfast after we shower?”

He looked past her and to the clock - well, where the clock had been resting on his night stand. “Probably don’t have - Cough - time. Lunch later?”

“Sure that - Nnnph,” she grunted as he withdrew, sobering immediately as the relatively cool air graced her gaped, leaking snatch. “Sure.”

While she would have loved nothing more than to laze about in bed with him all day, she knew they couldn’t neglect their duties. He’d pulled a few strings to get him on the day shift, throwing his rank around to make sure they had their afternoons together, so she really had no reason to complain. Telling herself that their time apart meant their time together would be all the sweeter, she unsteadily eased herself down from the bed and followed him into the bathroom.

Outside of the smallest bit of teasing, kissing and the incidental grope while they washed one another, their shower went without incident. She didn’t live with him in a technical sense, but she spent the night in his room often enough to keep toiletries, a small number of outfits, and her effects in his chamber. Once she’d dried off with the help of his magic, she brushed her mane and met him by the door.

“You gonna be ok?” he asked, opening the door and ushering her out.

Trotting out and waiting for him in the corridor, she watched him lock up behind himself. “I’ll probably grab a pastry and coffee at the cafeteria a little later ~ you?”

“Same,” he replied, turning to face her. “How do I look?”

Looking him up and down, she reached out and adjusted his pauldron. “Like my little stud muffin.”

“I bet you say that to all the guards,” he snickered, trotting past her and giving her rear a playful smack.

She returned the favor and slapped his ass as she cantered up to his side. “Nope, just my stud muffin.”

Fighting the urge to press herself to his side, she accompanied him to the barracks. The royal guards assembled at the beginning and ending of each shift to divvy out assignments, perform inspections, and discuss details regarding security concerns or stately matters. Honestly, she found their activities relatively boring and a bit too strict, but Aegis seemed to enjoy the routine and that’s all that she really cared about.

Aegis came to a halt by his destination and reluctantly looked over at her. “Don’t work too hard, sweetheart.”

“You neither,” she breathed, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Lunch at noon?”

“I’ll try to be there, but don’t starve yourself on my account,” he responded. “If I’m not there by twelve-fifteen, go ahead and get yourself something to eat.”

“Right,” she grunted, knitting her brow and trying her best to look serious. “So get both our lunches and hunt you down - got it.”

She gave him no time to reply, giving him a little salute before wheeling around and trotting in the direction they’d come from. Nopony, least of which being Aegis, would force her to get lunch for him, but there were few things as rewarding as bringing a smile to his handsome face. Rounding a corner and heading toward the throne room, she peeked back at him, waved, and kept on her way.

As she peered down the corridor and to the nearest stairwell, her thoughts turned to her day ahead. Like many shifts before and many shifts yet to come, it was almost impossible for her to know what she’d be stepping into once she came face to face with Celestia - then again, that was one reason she actually liked her job. Sometimes she’d end up delivering mail or running errands in Canterlot - others she’d help with paperwork or simply be another pair of ears to listen in on a meeting. While it wasn’t the most glamorous work in the castle, it was fun and kept her on her hooves - plus she was happy not to be stuck at a desk every day.

Trotting down a spiral staircase, she proceeded to the ground floor. She’d intentionally taken the scenic route to avoid passing the cafeteria, knowing that smelling, much less seeing fresh pastries and coffee would tempt her to stop for breakfast, but yet her sensitive little snout could still detect the aroma of what had to be blueberry scones from the opposite wing of the castle. She’d pick up something to nibble on later, but not before she showed her face and at least started tending to her duties.

She stopped dead in her tracks rounding a corner and went rigid. There weren’t many, if any things in the castle that could give her a moment for pause, not after everything she’d been through, although the sight before her made her blood run cold. In the middle of the vast hallway, keeping her head lowered and wings outstretched, stood none other than Twilight Sparkle - and she did not look happy.

Momentarily stricken with the compulsion to flee, Snowy pressed onward and fought to keep herself from scowling. “Princess Twilight…”

Twilight remained motionless, watching her trot nearer and nearer without saying a word. It had been weeks since her last encounter with the Princess of Friendship, and she’d frankly hoped that the young alicorn had lost interest in her - alas, that didn’t appear to be the case. Looking past the Element of Harmony, keeping her hooves crossed that she’d be able to avoid an unpleasant exchange, she balked when the mare teleported in front of her and cut her off.

“Snowy,” Twilight began, studying her, “you’re just the mare I was hoping to bump into.”

Snowy sidestepped the Princess and kept moving. “With all due respect, can we do this later? I’ve got to -”

“No, no we can’t do this later,” Twilight interrupted, teleporting a second time and appearing before her. “You’re probably wondering what’s important enough to have me show up like this.”

Pinching the bridge of her snout, Snowy mutely reminded herself not to act overtly belligerent. “That’s one way of putting it. If you don’t mind explaining to Celestia why I’m going to be late, by all means, indulge me about what’s so important.”

Twilight grinned, lifted a foreleg, and magically produced a small scroll from thin air. “Do you know what this is?”

“Uh - velum?” Snowy quipped, unable to keep the cynicism from her voice.

“Yes, but it’s what’s written on the velum that’s so fascinating,” Twilight remarked, unfurling and presenting the scroll. “I’ve spent the last month in the kirin’s village - you know, your home, and I’ve made a number of absolutely fascinating discoveries!”

The Princess’ tone set Snowy’s nerves on edge, yet it was what was written that caused a cold knot to form in her stomach. Names - she was looking at a tidy list of names and what appeared to be demographic information on a number of ponies - no, kirin. Looking past the scroll, she grimaced.

“I really couldn’t care less - you know, because you were at my home,” she huffed.

“Funny,” Twilight cheerlessly snickered, rolling and sorcerously sending the scroll back from whence it came. “Snowy, that is too interesting!”

“What is…?” Snowy growled. “If there’s a point to this, I’d appreciate it if you make it quick. I’m not in the mood to -”

“It’s funny because none of the kirin I spoke with have the slightest clue who you are -” Twilight chirped, steadily circling her and inspecting her, “furthermore, there are no records of you existing anywhere! Isn’t that strange?”

With her anxiety spiking, Snowy forced herself to trot past the Princess. “Probably just a clerical error. If you want specifics, go talk to -”

“Rain Shine?” Twilight interrupted, hopping back and barring her path. “Oh I spoke with her extensively! I find it odd that she’s the only one who claims to know the slightest thing about you - sure, a number of the kirin said they saw you in Ponyville, but that just doesn’t make sense. Maybe you can help me understand what’s going on here, Snowy, because I’m very, very confused. How does a kirin that nopony’s ever met work for the Canterlot castle, be all buddy-buddy with Rain Shine, and somehow get all friendly with Princess Celestia?”

Snowy held her breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. This was potentially catastrophic - possibly worse than catastrophic. Twilight hadn’t forgotten about her, she’d gone snooping and unraveled the carefully laid scheme that was her life. Taking a small step back, she awkwardly cleared her throat.

“I g…guess I’m just lucky,” she grumbled.

“Luck - huh,” Twilight grunted, looking up to the ceiling while stroking her chin. “Well I guess I’m the lucky one now. You’re coming with me…”

“The hay do you…” Snowy fell silent as power surged into the Princess’ horn. “What are you even doing?!”

“What I have to,” Twilight snorted. “You think it’s just a coincidence that you show up shortly after Anon disappears? I don’t know who or what you are, but I am going to find out what you did with the human and what your intentions are for this kingdom…”

Holy bucking heck - this wasn’t bad, this was apocalyptically bad. Twilight, the socially awkward Princess of Friendship was pissed, not inconvenienced, not slightly annoyed, but legitimately angry. As she backed away, teetering on the verge of panic, the alicorn steadily pursued her.

Glancing back, she turned her attention back to Twilight. “If you’re that worried about me, why don’t you t…talk to Celestia? I’m sure she’d be more than happy to address any of your c…concerns.”

“Oh I talked to her already. Do you know what she did?” Twilight pressed, prompting Snowy to shake her head. “She laughed at me - laughed! You’d think that after dealing with a changeling invasion, Discord’s chaotic return, Tirek, and nearly having Equestria toppled by a trio of ne’er-do-wells, she’d take something like a disappearing human and suspicious kirin a little more seriously, but I’m not worried about it.”

Not in the slightest bit convinced, Snowy gulped. “You’re n…not?”

“Not a bit!” Twilight giggled. “If Celestia, Luna, and even Rain Shine aren’t going to figure out what you are and where your intentions lie, I will…”

Snowy turned tail and bolted as soon as she saw the first arks of magic crackle around Twilight’s horn. Though she doubted she was in any mortal peril, she’d really rather not find out what the incensed alicorn was going to do with or to her. Breaking into a full gallop, she took the first turn she came across and ran away.

Reaching Celestia was the only way she was going to get out of this mess, but that was easier said than done. With Twilight between her and the throne room, and with the castle’s staff unlikely to intervene with a rampaging Princess, she was going to have to rely on her wits and - well, frankly, her wits were all she had to rely on. Cutting through a vestibule that lead to one of the many sitting areas on the floor, she barreled into and over somepony.

“Heckin’ dang it,” she cursed, scrambling over the figure. As she got to her hooves, intent on continuing her escape, she noticed exactly whom she’d run into. “Silver?”

“Snowy?” Silver coughed, pushing herself up and brushing herself off. “Did you miss breakfast or - what’s wrong?”

Snowy flung herself behind a chair and peeked out into the hallway. “Twilight’s trying to find me…”

Cocking her head and following the kirin’s gaze, Snowy pursed her lips. “Like ~ find you in a fun way or find you in a -”

“No, bird brain, find me and capture me or something!” Snowy hissed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her, but she thinks I had something to do with Anon disappearing.”

“I mean, you kinda did,” Silver chuckled. Her amusement faded as soon as she saw the look of concern on her friend’s face. “Oh buck, you’re serious. Did you try explaining what happened - what really happened to Anon?”

Whipping her head toward the pegasus, Snowy scowled. “Of course I didn’t! It’s not her business!”

“You might want to consider - heck,” Silver breathed. “She’s outside.”

Snowy’s hair stood on end and her mouth went dry. “Go distract her…”

“Are you crazy?” Silver seethed. “She’s a Princess and a hero of Equestria?”

“And?” Snowy quietly raged. “I’m not saying to go knock her out or anything, just -”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Silver loudly announced trotting away and to the entrance. “It is such an honor to see you again! Could I interest you in some refreshments or -”

“Where is she?” Twilight cut the pegasus off.

There was a long pause before Silver replied. “Where’s who? If you’re asking about Sprinkles, she went off to -”

“The kirin, the one you’ve been cozying up with,” the Princess flatly stated.

There’d been very few moments in Snowy’s life when she felt like she might void her bowels, but darned if this wasn’t one of them. Twilight had been a savant with arcane forces before ascending to alicorn status - now she could fly and enough sorcerous might to move celestial bodies or level mountains with ease. Outrunning the Princess was an utterly absurd notion, but it was downright sane compared to any sort of direct confrontation.

She remained motionless while the two went back and forth, listening to Silver denying that she’d seen her, until a singular sound made her heart nearly stop. Magic, regardless of how it was applied, was always accompanied by a unique noise, and what she’d heard marked the end of the one-sided discussion happening only a stone’s throw away. Summoning the courage to look out from behind the chair, she noticed her friend suspended in the air in a large, transparent bubble.

“There you are,” Twilight mused, leveling her horn at the stricken kirin. “Hold still…”

Snowy jooked to one side, narrowly avoiding a blast of energy, and charged at Twilight. She wasn’t about to get into a scrap, but the only exit was past the alicorn - that or defenestrating herself through a stained glass window. Knocking the Princess over, she barged through the door and back into the hallway.

Silver hadn’t appeared injured, clumsily sprawled and pushing at the magical sphere that had contained her, but that didn’t assuage her fears in the slightest. From the stories she’d heard, mostly from old-timers around the castle, Twilight was prone to manic bouts of borderline delirium - in short, though she was arguably a genius and a savant, her mental state wasn’t entirely stable. Dwelling on what fate would befall her if she was captured and possibly dragged to a laboratory of some sort, she whipped around a corner and made a break for the throne room.

With a flash of light and pop of displaced air, Twilight winked into existence a few dozen feet ahead of her. “Where are you going?”

Snowy skidded across the marble floor, her hooves failing to gain purchase, and reversed course. It may not have been the brightest idea to go try and outrun a Princess, but that didn’t stop her from trying. Serpentining through the corridor as blasts of sorcery rained in her direction, she made a hard left, nearly fell, and sprinted for the one place that may give her the edge she needed.

Regardless of the relatively harmless spellwork Twilight was hurling around all willy-nilly, she doubted the Princess would recklessly start blasting in a heavily occupied area. Cutting through service areas and little-used passageways, thankful that she’d memorized the layout of the floor ages ago, she briefly paused at an intersection and spotted the cafeteria. Eating was the last thing on her mind, but surrounding herself with staff members and civilians alike should buy her a bit of time - should being the key word.

She burst through the double-doors into the cafeteria, hastily scanned the area, and raced to an exit at the far end of the cavernous chamber. Her chances of actually losing Twilight were incredibly slim, but that wasn’t what kept her moving. So long as she could create some space between them, and possibly a little bit of chaos, she might be able to get to the relative safety of the throne room.

Throwing her weight down and sliding beneath a vacant table, she narrowly avoided a bolt of energy that flew above where she’d just stood. Ponies yelled and jumped from their seats, trays and food fell to the floor, and all Tartarus broke loose. She’d never been the biggest fan of Discord, but she’d like to think that the mischievous draconequus would have been proud of the bedlam that ensued.

She grunted as she squeezed herself from under a chair and continued her retreat. While she did feel a bit bad for the poor ponies who got caught in the crossfire, floating to the ceiling in their arcane bubbles, they were a problem she could deal with later - after she got Celestia to talk some sense into her rampaging protege. Glancing back at the pandemonium, seeing ponies drifting about lazily in their glowing, magical spheres while her ears rang with the commotion, she darted out a second exit.

“You can’t hide from me, Snowy -” Twilight raged, “if that is your real name!!!”

Her thoughts raced as her hooves carried her away. Given how unhinged Twilight was acting, apparently having lost herself to paranoia, she highly doubted she’d be able to reason into the unhinged Princess, but there was somepony who could. She slid around a corner and spotted the unique, towering doors that led to what she dearly hoped would be her salvation.

“Official business!” she blared, hurrying past two very confused praetorians flanking the throne room.

She spun as soon as she entered the room, promptly fell on her ass, and quickly got back to her hooves. Ordinarily speaking, it would have taken two ponies and a good amount of force to close either of the monolithic doors of the chamber - luckily for her, fueled by raw adrenaline, she was able to slam the first shut with startling ease. Only stopping once the exit was barred, she turned to face the Princess - the one who wasn’t currently running riot through the castle.

“Oh thank buck,” she wheezed, cantering over to the throne. “Celestia, you’ve got to -”

“Snowy, what fortuitous timing,” Celestia demurely exclaimed. “Rain Shine is -”

Barely paying the tall, rangy kirin any mind, not having noticed her in her haste to seek sanctuary, she waved a forehoof. “No time! Twilight is -”

“Twilight is what?” a voice coolly rang out, sending a cold chill up her spine. Trotting out from behind the throne, past Celestia and Rain Shine, Twilight smiled triumphantly. “Got you…”

Snowy looked between the trio of royals before her eyes ultimately settled on Celestia. “Would you please tell her how crazy she’s acting! She’s convinced that -”

“That you’re influencing Celestia, did something with Anon, and have swayed the royal guard by - Ugh - fraternizing with a ranking officer? I knew something was up as soon as I heard Anon mysteriously returned home,” Twilight snarled. Turning and looking up to Celestia, she waved a hand at the kirin. “Don’t you understand how large of a threat she is?! I showed you all the evidence, you heard from your own staff that she claimed to be a spy, and there’s clearly something wrong with her!”

Smiling as though nothing at all were wrong, Celestia looked the quarreling duo over. “It is rather suspicious.”

“Come to think of it, I have heard of some rather questionable behavior on your part -” Rain chimed in, “specifically regarding your lack of self-control.”

“Oh come on!” Snowy shouted. “You know good and well this is a load of horse apples!”

Rain lifted a hoof and stepped forward. “Perhaps I can -”

“No, I believe we should leave it to fair Snowy to explain everything,” Celestia interjected, reaching over to stop the kirin ruler.”

Askance, Snowy shied back. “Bucking seriously?!”

Celestia turned her attention to her former student as her expression hardened. “Twilight.”

“Y…yes, Celestia?” stuttered, all animosity bleeding out of her simply by hearing her name.

“If Snowy would be so kind as to thoroughly address your concerns, do I have your solemn vow that you’ll keep the details in the utmost confidence?” Celestia peacefully inquired.

Instantly bowing, Twilight straightened up and held a forehoof to her chest. “O…of course, but I don’t -”

“Swear it,” Celesita breathed.

“I…I swear,” Twilight muttered.

With the corners of her lips turning up, Celestia waved to Snowy. “If you’d be so kind as to clear up this confusion…”

Letting the cat out of the bag to yet another pony hadn’t been something Snowy had expected to do anytime soon - despite that, she clamped her eyes shut and slowed her breathing. It would have only been a matter of time until somepony started putting the pieces together and snooping around, but she hadn’t been looking forward to it. Seating herself on the cool floor, she softly groaned.

“Alright,” she began, “so here’s what’s been going on…”

Similarly to how she’d done with Silver and Aegis, she started from the start of her wild adventure as a kirin. Celestia and Rain sat and quietly listened in amusement, either having heard the tale or been there for parts of it, but it was Twilight’s reaction that was truly entertaining. Appearing both stunned and shocked at times, especially around the more scandalous parts, the Princess of Friendship was either too polite or too stunned to speak.

“There ~” she spat, “happy now, Princess?”

Twilight’s jaw flapped as she struggled to find her voice. “I…I don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Snowy urged. “Bet you feel like a real jackass now that -”

Boom

Everypony in the room, including herself, looked over as the towering double-doors were thrown inward. A squadron - no, an entire platoon of heavily armed and armored guards charged into the chamber with a spear-wielding unicorn at their head. It took her a moment to realize who she was looking at, but she got up as soon as she recognized his face.

“Fan out!” Aegis ordered, sorcerously wielding a pair of halberds beside either shoulder. “Secure the Princesses and -”

“That will hardly be necessary, Lance Corporal, Aegis Edge,” Celestia announced, unseating herself and serenely approaching the mass of troops.

“Ma’am,” Aegis started, snapping to attention and slamming the butts of his polearms to the floor. “There was a disturbance reported in the cafeteria, reports of Twilight running amok, and -”

Patting his shoulder and silencing him, Celestia snickered. “It was a misunderstanding, though I salute you for your diligence. If you’d be so kind as to have the guards clean up the mess, I’d be most appreciative.”

Aegis didn’t budge, though his eyes shot over to Snowy. “With all due respect, are you sure, Ma’am?”

“Think of this as a training exercise,” Celestia hummed. Lifting her gaze to the troops, she waved a wing. “I think we can all thank Twilight for her wondrous - oh,” she hesitated, looking back as Twilight teleported away. “Well feel free to thank Twilight later for her assistance with this drill.”

The soldiers milled about briefly, undoubtedly perplexed by what had just happened, but all of them turned and began filing out - all of them save for one. Aegis remained and stared over at Snowy. Lowering his weapons and lifting a forehoof, he removed his helm and took a step toward the flabbergasted kirin.

“Go on,” Celestia whispered in his ear.

The small blessing was all he needed to rush over to Snowy and take her forehoof. “Are you ok?”

Looking up and into his eyes, Snowy felt her legs threaten to buckle. “Yeah…”

He was upon her in a blink, throwing his forelegs around her neck and snaring her in the pony equivalent of a bear hug. “Don’t do that again,” he halfheartedly groused, “or at least warn me about some bonkers drill like this next time…”

The warmth of his body was eclipsed by the concern in his voice, robbing her of the ability to move. Her heart swelled, her throat constricted, and she could feel her eyes starting to water. He cared - he truly cared for her, possibly more than anypony on the planet, and simply knowing that dealt her a ruinous blow. Like a dam bursting, her emotions spilled forth as she embraced him.

“S…sorry,” she sniffed, running her cheek against his neck.

Pulling back and slipping a forehoof under her chin, he lifted her face. “It’s ok. Just don’t scare me like that again ~ alright?”

Wiping away a tear, she smiled and nodded. “O…ok…”

“For what it’s worth, I offer my most sincere apologies,” Celestia noted, dipping her head to the couple. “For the troubles, please feel free to take the rest of the week off.”

“Thank you, Ma’am, that’s very gracious of you,” Aegis replied, clumsily bowing over to the Princess. Smiling down at Snowy, he motioned to the door. “Want to go get that breakfast?”

Though Snowy wasn’t hungry, she nodded all the same. “I guess…”

She wasn’t really hungry, but spending time in Aegis’ company to unpack everything she’d just gone through would be leagues better than moping around by herself in shell shock. Brushing her frazzled mane away from her face, she trotted around him and to her side. She would have liked to say her morning was terrible, and it was for all intents and purposes, though the payoff had been worth it.

Pressing herself to his side, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you…”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” he chuckled, pecking her crown before turning his attention back to Celestia. “I’ll ensure everything in spick and span by noon, Ma’am.”

“I’m sure you will,” Celestia responded. “Before you two go, there is one last thing I wanted to discuss.”

Snowy looked back as a golden aura surrounded and closed the doors, sealing the chamber while Rain approached. She had a great many things she wanted to say to the kirin, but she didn’t have the energy to do any of it - not now in any case. Holding her ground, she watched as the source of her torment and rapture produced a small vial from thin air.

“I believe this should remedy your situation,” Rain intoned, hovering the bottle over to her.

Knowing what she was looking at, that she was being presented with an elixir that would return her to her original state, Snowy didn’t hesitate when she held up a forehoof. “Keep it.”

Rain quirked a brow and narrowed her eyes. “Are you -”

“Yeah I’m sure,” Snowy softly but firmly stated. “If I ever change my mind, I’ll send word and wait another few months for you to get back with me…”

“In that case, I have an offer for you,” Rain noted. “Given that kirin representation is sorely lacking in Canterlot, and that Celestia has expressed an interest in having you here, perhaps you could act as a dignitary of sorts ~ would that be of interest to you?”

Snowy blinked, unsure if she’d heard correctly. “Does that mean I’d have less work to do?”

“Sadly, no,” Celestia laughed. “It would be more of an honorary title, but I would be more than happy to allow you and your coltfriend to visit the Grove from time to time - of course, you’d have to be escorted by somepony, preferably a capable soldier who bears your best interests in mind…”

“I’d be honored, Ma’am,” Aegis chirped.

“I can handle myself,” Snowy pouted.

“Right,” he snickered, “because a defenseless mare who can’t use her magic is totally fine going out on her own.”

Snowy would have been offended, had his chivalry not made her heart flutter like mad. Pushing herself away from him, she punched his shoulder and trotted for the exit. “Guess that means you’ve gotta keep teaching me how to use it.”

“Thank you again, Ma’am,” Aegis said, giving a final salute to the Princess, “and thank you, Rain Shine.”

“Don’t thank them,” Snowy grouched, smirking over her shoulder at the regal duo, “they’ve gotten enough fun out of this as it is.”

Both Celestia and Rain beamed and waved goodbye as she trotted out with Aegis rushing up to her side. The last few months had been wilder than she could have ever imagined; she’d become a mare, she’d been the target of a sleuthing Princess determined to prove she was some evildoer, and most of the castle’s staff still had no idea what became of Anon, although she’d come away with something she didn’t even know she was looking for - love. Rocking her hips to one side and bumping her butt against Aegis, she giggled to herself.

Looking over at her, Aegis mirrored her amusement. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” she murmured, “just happy to have such an amazing coltfriend…”