Flurry Heart’s Dating Adventures

Chapters

Chapter 1 - First Date
Chapter 2 - Exploring Feelings
Chapter 3 - Understanding Feelings
Chapter 4 - Second Date
Chapter 5 - Hard Decisions

Chapter 1 - First Date

One month had passed since Flurry Heart’s last play date with her father, where she also managed to pass her final military exam, staged as the illusion of a full-scale griffon invasion.

Quickly settling into her new role, she took over roughly half of her father’s military duties, giving him some much needed time off while still allowing her to work with him and allowing him to teach her more about leading an entire army. The bond they shared was strong and continued to grow stronger with the more time they spent together.

They did continue to hang out casually and try to do something ‘normal’ together at least once a week, separate from working together to continue to drill the Crystal Army into the best fighting force in the world, but it no longer had a ‘play date’ atmosphere to it, and as it turned out… normal hanging out was kinda boring for Flurry. She did enjoy more rounds of Ogres and Oubliettes with her father’s regular questing party, but it’s not like they played a new quest every week.

The one thing that was missing from her life was the promised ‘real date’ or ‘practice date’ that she had been looking forward to having with her father. Her mother had managed to make it weird for them by suggesting that Shining finish turning Flurry ‘into a mare’ since she didn’t listen to her mother, and Flurry had made the mistake of trying to push the joke with a little extra teasing. Her father had teased her back about it which left her slightly flustered and honestly not knowing what to do about it because she had given her father permission to plan the date entirely on his own and to take his time with it because he wanted to teach her a variety of important lessons and she wanted to enjoy it.

As she returned to her room to unwind from a long day of political lessons with her mother, her eyes were drawn to a small calling card left on the golden tray just inside her room. It would have been left there by a courier or a guard… or magically teleported into place by someone who knew exactly where to teleport it to. She picked it up in her magic and read it.

‘Princess Flurry Heart,

If it were to please you, I would respectfully request a lunch date with you tomorrow at noon at a local café. Please respond with an acceptance or refusal by 8:00 pm tonight.

Yours sincerely,

Prince Shining Armor’

Her heart skipped a beat. Her father was really going to give her that practice date he had promised and from the looks of it, he was going super formal in exactly the manner that royal protocol would demand. This was exactly the type of experience her mother had hoped she would gain. She immediately pulled out a calling card to reply.

‘Prince Shining Armor,

I am pleased to accept your generous invitation to lunch tomorrow at noon. I shall wait for you.

Yours,

Princess Flurry Heart’

With magic, she teleported the card to the exact place it needed to be in her father’s room. Happy with how the evening was going, she decided to take a bath and brush her mane before heading down for dinner.

* * *

With Flurry finally starting to act more mature, Cadance had no problems with Flurry spending even more time with her father now that they weren’t launching themselves in catapults and doing other borderline insane things. However, 13 years’ worth of crazy play dates with possible lethal consequences had driven Cadance so far into the left field of crazy that it would be hard not to worry about her.

Cadance wasn’t a ‘dangerous’ crazy or a ‘needed to be removed from power’ crazy… she just sought to make the status quo feel more normal by suggesting batshit crazy ideas. Her focus now seemed to be to force Flurry to grow up as fast as possible so ‘normal’ adult things would become routine, and she was willing to suggest or do literally anything to make that happen.

But for the time being… Cadance had a headache.

Teaching Flurry Heart about politics was about as fun as watching paint dry and almost as pointless.

Flurry asked zero questions about anything except regarding if certain political ploys had a military use. Pacing back and forth and trying to find a way to get Flurry interested in anything other than warfare, her eyes focused on the calling card on the golden tray.

Picking it up, she read the card and smiled. “Shining! Flurry accepted your date offer! Isn’t this exciting?”

Shining came out of the bathroom, having finished bathing off the sweat of a hard day of military drills. “You say that like you’re surprised. Of course she accepted… she’s been waiting for this.”

Cadance simply hugged him. “You don’t understand! This is a big step for her. If she can take her mind off military matters and start to round out, maybe it’ll be easier for me to teach her the political things that you can’t. You have everything worked out for the date, yes?”

Shining nodded. “Of course. I’ve been planning this for a month, and it should be perfect. It does have a little military information mixed in to keep her interested in what we are doing but it’s at least 90% a real date. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results.”

Cadance smirked and coyly teased him. “Just don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do…”

Shining snorted. “We’ve been married for over 17 years. There’s nothing that you wouldn’t do.”

Cadance kissed him deeply and then smirked again. “Exactly. Whatever you want to do with her is fair game…”

He was taken aback by the suggestion. “Come on, Cady. You’re still pushing that ‘make her a mare’ joke from a month ago? It’s getting old.”

Cadance placed a hoof on his chest, suddenly serious. “And so are you. Are you telling me that you don’t want grandfoals while you’re young enough to enjoy them? Are you telling me that your parents wouldn’t love great-grandfoals before they pass away?”

Shining rubbed the back of his head. “Well… I do… and they probably would, circumstances notwithstanding, but I don’t want to be the father and grandfather of the foal at the same time. No matter how close you think we are, Flurry isn’t going to lift her tail for me, and I don’t plan on asking her to or even remotely plan on suggesting such a thing. She can be an adult without having sex. If you want her to grow up a little faster, maybe offer her some wine at dinner…”

Cadance sighed in a manner that suggested that she was really upset that Shining didn’t want to indulge her latest scheme to get Flurry to grow up faster.

“At least you have morals. That’s more than some ponies can claim.”

Shining shook his head in exasperation. “You say that as if you wouldn’t be mortified by me getting our daughter pregnant. You’ve been in a funk for a while now and I’d hate to snap you out it with news like that. ‘Good news dear, Flurry is pregnant and it’s MINE!’ Princess of Love or not, Flurry is too young for matchmaker services and even if she wasn’t, it shouldn’t be me.”

Cadance cocked her head to one side. “Why not? You love her and she loves you. I can feel it! The two of you are almost as inseparable as we are. Besides which… you don’t have to get her pregnant to have sex with her and if such a happy miracle was to occur… there has been no evidence of alicorn incest birth defects, ever, and at least you appear to be capable of fathering an alicorn naturally. It can’t be all me, genetically speaking. It would force Flurry to mature faster and Twilight would probably love to study the outcome. Come on, Shiny. Do it for science.”

Shining sat his flanks on the floor and sat there in thought.

Of all the batshit crazy ideas, this one has to take the cake. But does it have merit?

He cleared his throat gently. “The idea of an immortal Alicorn granddaughter is appealing on some level, and I’ve never been able to say no to my sister, but we both know that this extremely hypothetical conversation will never actually become something that happens in real life. I just think that Flurry loves me as a daughter should. I still don’t think she’ll lift her tail and I’m worried about damaging what we have by asking.”

Cadance shrugged. “Your fears have merit, however, I’m simply placing no limits on you or her. What you choose to do or not do, is on you, with my blessings, either way.”

With that, she kissed him again and they went to the dining hall for dinner, leaving Shining in a deeply troubled frame of mind as he walked beside her.

* * *

Cadance and Shining were already at the table when Flurry joined them. She was clean with a freshly brushed mane, looking very beautiful and more mature than Shining would have cared to admit, and she was smiling from ear-to-ear, staring straight at him.

She leaned into the conversation that she had planned out in her head. “So… umm, any hints about tomorrow?”

Shining shook his head. “Nope. Clothing is optional but if you do choose to wear a dress, it should be causal. This first date is going to be very simple and that’s all I’m saying about it until tomorrow.”

Flurry frowned slightly but nodded. “I guess that’s fair… I did let you plan the whole thing and I’ve waited a month… it wouldn’t do to spoil the surprise now.”

Cadance smiled at both of them. “Your father is well versed on the rules of dating a princess so I’m sure he can teach you everything you need to know… although we didn’t follow all those stuffy old etiquette rules ourselves on our first date so you shouldn’t entirely limit yourself to the strict rules either. Listen to your father and take his lessons to heart but follow your heart too. I will support whatever decision that you both choose to make.”

Flurry blinked in surprise. “Wow mom… that almost sounds like normal advice. Wait… you two didn’t… you know…”

Shining turned beet red. “No sweetheart… your mother and I didn’t go all the way on the first date, but I can see how that conclusion could be assumed. I believe I already said that I wouldn’t make you a mare on the first date.”

He managed to smirk and wink, using the month-old joke to his advantage for a change, which helped him overcome his personal embarrassment over the whole continued joke thing. Cadance giggled, seemingly approving of the use of the lewd joke.

Flurry exhaled stiffy, relaxing a little. “Okay… it’s not like this date is an exact recreation of your first date with mom… is it?”

Shining smiled. “I said no hints but you’re clearly not going to stop asking questions, so I’ll just do my best not to spoil everything. Recreating my first date with your mother to take you out would have been cool to do, but no. In a way, this date is going to be better than the first date I gave your mother. While that might not sound fair on the surface of things, I have the wisdom of experience and the means of a Prince at my disposal now that I didn’t have as a young high school student trying to get into the Royal Guards. I wanted this to be the most special thing ever, but I also wanted to give you realistic dating expectations as a princess. It might not be everything you were hoping for, but I swear that I’ll do my best for you, sweetheart.”

Flurry got up from the table and walked around to the other side to give her father a kiss on the cheek and a hug. Cadance smiled at the feeling of love radiating from Flurry.

She whispered into his ear. “You’ve always been so good to me. I’m sure that whatever we do will be great.”

As Flurry returned to her seat, her tail twitched in an odd way, giving Shining a momentary glance at Flurry’s marehood. Cadance didn’t seem to notice, and Shining would never ask.

He gulped. Did she do that on purpose or was it an accident? Is Cadance right about Flurry’s feelings for me? Does she ‘love’ me? What am I supposed to do?

* * *

Still facing away from her father and mother while walking back to her seat, Flurry winced to herself internally.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!! Did you just flash your marehood to your father! Mom’s jokes about making me a mare are bad enough… you don’t want to send the wrong message! What am I supposed to do?

Flurry sat down; her back legs pressed against each other uncomfortably in the chair and she cleared her throat. “My… I could use a drink.”

Cadance eyed her. “Water or Wine?”

Flurry flushed with the embarrassment that she held over her mistake. “I haven’t tried wine before, but I believe I’ve hit the Empire’s drinking age, right?”

Cadance nodded. “Yes… in the Empire, ponies are adults at 16. So, you may drink… and have sex. Hopefully not at the same time… you need to keep a clear head for important decisions.”

Flurry blushed and Shining groaned as he rang the bell urgently.

The waiter came over immediately. “The table will have a bottle of White Wine and three glasses of water with our meals. Please hurry…”

The waiter scurried away and returned to the table with the wine, the water, and the food in short order. Flurry drank her glass of wine like water, recoiling when the burning caught up with her.

The family decided to eat there evening meal with almost no conversation as everything had dried up… except for Flurry’s dripping marehood.

* * *

The next day, Shining Armor found himself at Flurry Heart’s bedroom door 15 minutes early, as was military protocol. He knocked lightly, almost having cold hooves himself. He could do this… he just had to stick to script and not let anything that Cadance had said affect him.

Flurry opened the door, already dressed in a lovely green ‘summer dress’ that went nearly to her hooves but was light and casual.

She smiled at her father. “Early is on time and on time is late. Just as I expected. Shall we go?”

Shining cleared his throat and bowed. “It would be my honor, your highness.”

Flurry walked beside him, and he led her into the city. He took her to a quaint little Prench café named ‘Le Café de Cristal’ or ‘The Crystal Café’ in Ponish.

Using his magic to pull out a chair, he helped Flurry get seated like a gentlestallion would. He then sat across from her in a classic date seating arrangement style and cleared his throat.

“Okay. First rule of dating. Wait and see if your date will pull your chair out for you. If he does… it means that he cares about giving you personal attention, like I just did.”

Flurry nodded. “I did appreciate it. It wasn’t necessary but it was a little romantic.”

Shining grinned. “That’s the point. A date is supposed to be romantic… unless its intentionally meant to be fun. I have found that dates can’t be both fun and romantic at the same time. If you have thoughts on how to make it so, please let me know.”

The waiter walked over and gave them two menus and Flurry looked over it while Shining seemed to know what he wanted already, as if he had already been at this restaurant at least once. He probably had been here at least once, to try it out and see if it was good enough for the date.

Flurry’s eyebrows raised at the prices. “This place is expensive for such a small café. I don’t mind Prench food but what’s the lesson you’re trying to teach me from bringing me here?”

Shining nodded at her perception. “No place is too expensive for royals, but this place is about the ‘cheapest’ restaurant that a Princess should be seen dining at unless it’s some kind of grand opening or official meet and greet at lower class establishment on purpose. I remember that Princess Celestia did some kind of function at Sugar Cube Corner the first year Twilight was in Ponyville. It was successful but still had a few odd occurrences happen during her visit. I would like to point out that you know that this place is ‘expensive’ because you know how much the guards earn, and guards may try to ask you out. Before you ask, you have my permission to say yes if you want to… but don’t let them try to go cheap. It’s not a good look.”

Flurry nodded in understanding. It did make sense, mostly.

She cocked her head to ask a question. “Where did you take mom on your first date?

Shining smiled but also look embarrassed. “I took her to a Hayburger in Canterlot. It was so low class that we were the only ponies eating there at the time. It was cheap and greasy and everything that a Princess shouldn’t be seen eating on a date, but I think in her case, she found my innocence and single-minded focus endearing. I did get an earful about it from my parents and even a few of my teachers about it later though. I didn’t do it again and the second date was better in a few ways, but I was learning and I grateful that your mother wasn’t offended by my breach of protocol.”

Flurry smiled. “You’ve taken me to the Hayburger here is the Crystal City all the time as filly. What’s the difference?”

Shining shrugged. “A father can take his filly anywhere they want to go but dates with a special somepony are supposed to be special.”

Flurry nodded in understanding and Shining continued.

“Now, moving on to the Second rule of dating. Order something light. A Princess is supposed to be dainty, especially in public. Celestia breaks that rule with her cake flanks but she’s earned it in retirement. At least on the first date, don’t overindulge. You will want more time to talk to your date instead of eating. This is meant to be a chance to get to know each other better in a casual setting and talk about things that normally wouldn’t come up in a normal formal conversation.”

The waiter returned to the table. “May I take your orders?”

Shining nodded. “I’ll have a daisy salad and a glass of water, with a bottle of crisp white wine and two glasses.”

Flurry nodded. “I’ll have the same, thank you.”

As the waiter left, Flurry fumed at her father. “You hate daisy salads. I have never seen you eat one before. Why order one?”

Shining shrugged. “Protocol. I have to eat lightly too. This isn’t a castle ballroom buffet table. We are in public, and I can assure you that we are being watched. To everypony else, this is a father daughter outing. Only we know that it’s a date but that’s not stopping me from showing you what the royal dating protocol looks like and feels like in practice.”

Flurry looked around the restaurant and noticed that Ponies were watching them. “Okay… I don’t like this much. Can we do something about it?”

Shining nodded. “We can reserve the entire restaurant for the meal, in advance, but we’d have to compensate the restaurant for lost revenue from all the empty seats. It is safer, but less fun and less realistic without a potential audience. I did bar all reporters and all cameras but that won’t stop gossip if we do anything overly crazy. Half of our play dates were ruined by reporters getting the information back to your mother.”

The waiter returned to the table with two salads, two glasses of water, two wine glasses and a bottle of white wine. He tabled the food and poured the wine. Bowing low, he left.

Shining took a sip of wine. “Perfect. You want a ‘crisp’ white wine for salads, fish or pasta and a ‘sweet’ white wine for desserts. Red wine should be for foreign dignitaries that are eating red meat. You should know before you order which you would prefer. Most ponies don’t get two different types of wine in the same setting.”

Flurry took a sip of wine. “I’m really impressed. You did your homework.”

Shining nodded. “I did. And you should too. I am a Prince, not just the Lord General of the Army. You are a Princess, and you will rule the Crystal Empire someday. Your husband will probably lead the Crystal Army the same way that I still do for your mother. I know I set a high standard to reach but you will need to choose a husband eventually. It’s not like it can be me.”

Flurry’s cheeks reddened and Shining cleared his throat. “I… umm… don’t think that came out the way I wanted it to.”

Flurry giggled to hide her embarrassment. The giggle was soft and light… it deeply reminded Shining of his wife at that age. Was Cadance only 16 when they started dating? He wasn’t sure anymore. Old age could get to you at the worst moments.

Flurry flashed her father a smile. “I know what you meant. We should start to eat.”

Shining took a bite of salad and a drink of water. He cleared his throat and continued. “Now, at this point of the date, you would normally start to discuss things that the other pony needs to know about you that wouldn’t normally come up in normal conversation. Since we know practically everything about each other already, I’ll take this opportunity to advance the lesson. Any questions so far?”

Flurry furrowed her brows in thought. “Does a date like this have a military application?”

Shining nodded with a grin. “Actually, yes. We are more likely to have summits with enemies or nations that are hostile and need reassurances more than we do with allies. Having dinner with a rival general would let you understand them better, and by understanding them better, you might can guess their battlefield tactics and counter them.”

Flurry’s smile couldn’t be beaten. She loved this as she took mental notes.

Shining continued again. “Third Rule of Dating. As a Princess, you are going to want a plains clothes security detail near you in case something goes wrong. If it’s not possible to have a security detail… carry a small concealable weapon. I’d rather that you offend your date than not come home.”

Flurry frowned and shifted in her chair a little uncomfortably. The sound of two pieces of leather rubbing against each other caught Shining’s ears.

His ears folded back. “Did you hear that?”

Flurry froze for a moment. “No?”

Flurry shifted in her seat more and the sound happened again. Shining was looking around them for a threat. “I swear I heard something. Are you sure you didn’t hear it?”

Flurry smirked. “Maybe? It sounds like it’s coming from under the table. Should you check?”

Shining ducked his head under the table to see if anything was hidden under there. After a moment or two, he didn’t see anything out of place until Flurry seemed to casually lift her dress, exposing the lower half of her hindlegs. There it was. She had a dagger strapped to each hindleg, the daggers and their sheaths hidden by the dress.

Clever girl.

Shining raised his head back to a normal sitting position. “I am confident that there is no danger now… and I approve of your accessories. However… you could have just told me they were there instead of showing me. Me having my head under the table with you lifting your dress like that could be seen as very lewd…”

Flurry’s cheeks blushed again as she had failed to consider what other ponies might think. Somehow, she kept forgetting that they weren’t alone in the castle like normal. Not that she would ever do anything lewd at the castle either… other than accidentally flashing her father yesterday…

Flurry bit her lip. “Sorry dad… I guess I wasn’t thinking about it. It’s just… I know that you would never hurt me and it’s not like you haven’t seen my marehood before.”

Shining froze. Does she know that I saw her marehood yesterday when her tail twitched? Oh. How am I going to get out of this one?

He frowned and hummed to himself. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”

Flurry’s blush went three shades pinker. Oh, crap… think. THINK! You can’t admit that you accidentally flashed your marehood at him yesterday, especially if he didn’t see you do it!

Flurry giggled and took a long sip of wine. “Well… I remember all of our play dates with fondness. There were several times that we would play in the mud. The armor kept me clean for the most part but there were days that I needed help bathing afterwards and mom wouldn’t help because she was against the type of colt-style roughhousing that we both liked to do. So… you have seen it… just maybe not in the last 6 or so years…”

Shining smiled weakly. “Bathing a filly is part of being a father. I never saw it as sexual.”

Flurry gave a weak smile back. “I never said that you did… or should. I’m just saying that you have seen it, and you shouldn’t be embarrassed by seeing it again, accidentally or otherwise. I am your daughter, no matter what.”

Flurry started to eat with borderline uncouth speed to avoid having to expand upon that train of thought. She really didn’t want to justify it being okay for her father to look at her in a more sexual light, but she was also still embarrassed that she flashed him in the first place. If she remembered health class at all, that type of subconscious twitch was a hardwire mating tool from a bygone age before ponies evolved into something more sapient. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had at least some attraction to her father.

And that was bad. Very, very bad. But it could feel so good… no, BAD!

Shining cleared his throat again and picked up where he had left off. “Look around the restaurant carefully and tell me what you see.”

Flurry swallowed the food crammed into her mouth and used drinking from her glass of water to case the restaurant.

Her eyes widened and she stage whispered. “Dad! Incognito Guard and Crossbow Sniper are here, and they are dating! Isn’t that exciting?”

Shining smirked. “Oh? Yes, sweetheart, it’s very exciting.”

Flurry’s face fell and she mumbled something just barely audible. “They are our plain clothes security detail, aren’t they?”

Shining chuckled. “Bingo. But… its also a date. Your mother insists that plain clothes security details to restaurants, operas and plays be a stallion and mare pair that volunteer to go on assignment together… that way they can have an expensive date paid for by the crown and still do their jobs. Note that they ordered food that was a lot more expensive than ours and the only thing that’s missing is wine. They can’t drink on duty.”

Flurry smiled warmly and nodded. “That’s really cool. I’m glad we do that for them.”

Shining shrugged. “Your mother isn’t the Princess of Love for nothing. Not that she’s right 100% of the time. Let’s finish the meal…”

They both ate with a zeal that left no leftovers but decided not to have a dessert. Arriving back at the castle, Shining had walked Flurry back to her room.

He cleared his throat. “Fourth Rule of Dating. At the conclusion of the first date, you have three options. You can kiss the stallion on the cheek and thank him for a good time and invite him to ask you out again. Or you can kiss the stallion on the cheek and thank him for a good time but advise him to wait until you are ready for a second date, if you aren’t too sure about him. Or, finally, you can thank the stallion for his time and apologize for not wanting to have a second date. It is entirely your responsibility and choice at this point.”

Flurry bit her lip. “And what if I didn’t want to follow royal protocol?”

Shining looked stern. “Oh? Please tell…”

Flurry gulped. “Maybe I don’t want to follow royal protocol, but I don’t want to get my date executed. What is the limit that you and mother have for me?”

Shining chuckled, giddy about her concern. “Your mother claims to want to put no limit on you but at the end of my first date with your mother, she gave me a Prench kiss. I would say that if the Princess of Love won’t do more than a Prench kiss on the first date then neither should you.”

Flurry nodded and took a step forward. She drew her father into a deep Prench kiss, not sparing the tongue. She held him tightly and breathless, until lack of oxygen forced them apart.

Flurry panted. “I’m looking forward to our next date. I hope that it’s soon.”

With that, she walked into her room and slammed the door, as if she was embarrassed by her own actions. Shining walked away dumbfounded.

He returned to his room and found Cadance there, preening.

He cleared his throat. “Would like help with that?”

Cadance was startled. “OH! I wasn’t aware that the date was already over. I was hoping it would last longer…”

Shining snorted. “It couldn’t have lasted longer without me rutting our daughter in her room. Are you really so surprised? First dates are always short.”

Cadance smirked at him. “I wouldn’t mind you rutting our daughter in her room, I believe I already said that I wasn’t placing limits on either of you… and you have my blessing. What’s the problem?”

Shining confessed everything. The tail twitch that let him see Flurry’s marehood. All the aspects of the date itself. The lessons he gave her. And the Prench kiss at the end.

Cadance hummed. “So, she does ‘love’ you… I’m grateful my instincts aren’t wrong.”

Shining was practically crying into his hoofs. “What am I supposed to do about it?”

Cadance looked indifferent. “Rut her?”

Shining scowled. “I’m trying to be serious…”

Cadance frowned back. “So am I… look… there is an attraction between you regardless of if you want to admit it or not. What else can you do?”

Shining considered his options. “I guess I give her a second date and teach her more while trying to guide her away from me.”

Cadance nodded. “I will support whatever you want to do… but don’t choose not to rut her just because society doesn’t approve of it. Do what your heart tells you to do.”

Shining blinked. “How can you say that?”

Cadance shrugged. “Because I love you both and I approve of what must be done. Trust me, Shining. Love her as you love me, and you will find never-ending love.”

Shining grunted as he decided to lay down for a nap.

* * *

Author's Note

Ideas for date two are welcome. Also. Should the teasing stop, continue, or move forward to something deeper. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Chapter 2 - Exploring Feelings

A week had passed since Flurry’s first date with her father, and she was still coming to terms with how it went. She couldn’t have hoped for a better first date but the fact that it went so well was part of what was troubling. Her father had always been a goofy nerd who liked playing soldier, tabletop games like Orges and Oubliettes and had no trouble getting into as much trouble as she did. That first date was more than what she had expected, and it showed a level of love and consideration that she honestly didn’t know her father was even capable of.

Shining Armor had clearly gone to great lengths to plan out a very causal but informative first date geared at showing her the ropes of dating while also following royal protocol, exactly as he had promised. Crossbow Sniper and Incognito Guard had also given Cadance a detailed report about the date and Cadance herself had been very impressed by what Shining had accomplished.

If Flurry thought about it hard enough, she could still taste the crisp white wine mixing with the crisp daisy salad. She could still feel the breeze of the open-air patio. She could still smell her father’s cologne. And she could still hear the groan of satisfaction her father made during the Prench kiss she gave him at the end of the date. The memory gave her mixed feelings, some good and some uncertain… but none were bad as far as she could tell, which was also a little troubling given that she didn’t think that she should have liked it that much. It was supposed to practice… not lead to more complicated feelings.

She could still picture him ducking his head under the table looking for a threat only for her to reveal that the sounds he was hearing was coming from her. His words about her lifting her dress to show him the weapons strapped to her legs being seen as lewd to an outside observer had shocked her and her own weak defense to why it didn’t matter made her blush a little harder.

Part of her had to wonder what might have happened if she had lifted her dress all the way up to reveal her marehood fully to him while she had been sitting down as opposed to still not knowing if he had seen her marehood when her tail had twitched the day before the date. It would have certainly changed something about the date, but what might have changed remained a mystery to her.

Her father’s joke about her having to choose a husband someday because she couldn’t marry him had made her blush, not because she had ever considered marrying her father, but because it showed her that her father saw her as a mare. A mare ‘mature’ enough to consider marriage.

It would have been a painful admission from a father that didn’t want to see his little filly grow up, but he was taking these big bold steps not just for her sake, but for the entire family, and it made her love him more.

But now, it was that love itself that was confusing her. Did she love him as a filly loves her father? Did she love him as a young mare would love her father? Or did she love him like a mare loves a stallion?

She didn’t know, and it bothered her that she didn’t know.

She had taken his advice to heart and redoubled her efforts in paying attention to her mother and learning the boring parts of how to rule. The dreaded ‘PTT’ of ruling an Empire.

Paperwork, Trade and Taxes. Ugh.

Even worse, paying attention to her mother finally had shown her how far behind she was in these important studies. Auntie Twilight had been ready to take the throne a mere two years after becoming an alicorn and at the rate Flurry was going, her father would be dead before her mother could retire.

Today was supposed to be another important lesson on how to rule but Flurry had a question to ask her mother first. And knowing her mother… she knew that this question would derail the entire lesson plan for today, not that doing so was entirely a bad thing… she really needed a day off from the political lessons. Six straight days was too many.

Flurry walked to where she knew her mother would be at this time of the day and knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

Cadance was surprised when the door opened to reveal Flurry. She looked at her wall clock. “You’re three hours early for your lesson. Either you’re really getting into learning this stuff finally or there’s a problem.”

Flurry sighed. “I wouldn’t call it… a problem, but I do have a question.”

Cadance looked back towards her paperwork. Paperwork that had been stacking up from her spending more time trying to get Flurry caught up on politics now that her first date had been an ice breaker to her taking on more responsibilities and learning more about her role.

“I assume that it can’t wait until the lesson starts? Normally, I’d be requiring you to help me get all this paperwork caught up since I’m falling behind on it from spending extra time teaching you. However, luck is still on your side given that you haven’t yet learned how to properly process royal requests. So… what’s your question?”

Flurry sat down in a chair in front of her mother’s desk and sighed again. “Mom? How do you know when you’re in love?”

In a snap, Cadance threw her foreleg out and knocked all her paperwork off her desk. She hopped up onto her desk, giddy as a filly, and leaned in low, putting her face right into Flurry’s face in classic ‘Pinkie Pie’ style.

“I knew it! I knew something had to have happened on that date to snap you out of all those play date filly antics. So, who’s the lucky stallion?”

Flurry tried to lean back to create some distance, but her mother’s long reach prevented it. “Err… nopony in particular… I just want to know how you’re supposed to know when you’re in love?”

Cadance jumped off her desk and gave Flurry a hug and then teleported in a tea service. Pouring both of them a cup of tea, Cadance was humming happily. She finally finished the basic prep work for a long conversation and started.

“Well, love feels different for everypony but there are a lot of similar traits that you might could look for in your own situation.”

Flurry sipped her tea while nodding. “Like what?”

Cadance smiled. “Like… does your heart flutter sometimes when he smiles at you?”

Flurry nodded. “Sometimes… not every time.”

Cadance thought about. “Have you ever made up an excuse to spend more time with him?”

Flurry smiled. “Yeah, lots of times.”

Cadance smirked. “Have you ever spent hours at his side looking at a dusty old map?”

Flurry giggled. “Sure…” Flurry’s eyes widened. “Mom! I’m not talking about Dad!”

Cadance rolled her eyes. “Sweetheart… it’s okay if you are.”

Flurry frowned… “What?”

Cadance draped a wing over Flurry’s back. “I told your father a week ago that he had my permission to do whatever he wanted with you doing your dates, with my full blessing and support. He also confessed at having seen under your tail at the dinner the day before your date and the Prench kiss that you gave him at the end of it. His self-control is a little shocking… as pretty as you are.”

The confirmation that her father had seen under her tail wasn’t nearly as shocking as what her mother had actually said.

Flurry nearly dropped her teacup. “Are you saying you gave Dad permission to rut me?”

Cadance nodded, but with a serious expression. “Yes. Whatever the two of you want. With my full consent and blessing.”

Flurry frowned at the information. “Why?”

Cadance shrugged. “You love him, and he loves you. You’ve grown into a beautiful mare, and he would be lucky to have you. The two of you are almost inseparable and there’s no shame in loving your father. Lifting your tail for him might not be something your ever intentionally considered doing but you already accidentally did it once… so maybe it’s in the back of your mind.”

Flurry blushed fiercely as she didn’t want to admit that it had been on her mind recently.

“But… it’s illegal, right?”

Cadance huffed. “What happens behind closed doors is nopony else’s business… besides… we are the rulers of the Crystal Empire. A one-page decree and I could make it legal in the Empire. It would be easy to justify ‘to strengthen the Crystal Heart.’ Maybe there would be some push back and maybe some ponies wouldn’t do it even though it’s legal. That’s their choice. But there are exceptions to every rule and Alicorns make the rules. You want to have sex with your father, you already have my blessing. You want it legal? Fine. I’ll give you a one-page decree that will act as written permission slip that makes it legal for you specifically to have sex with your father.”

Flurry bit her lip. “Is that the answer to my question? The answer to my problem?”

Cadance sighed. “Maybe… maybe not. Too early to say. I would normally never endorse sex after a first date, but if you want to get technical, you’ve been dating your father for 13 years. The only difference is that it started super innocent, got super dangerous, and now it can be… romantic. I think the cute part about this is that your father is as nervous about it as you are.”

Flurry gasped, shocked to hear it. “Really? How do you know?”

Cadance giggled. “Well, when I proposed the idea and gave him my blessing… he never said that he wouldn’t do it. He never said ‘no.’ What he did say was, and I quote, ‘I still don’t think she’ll lift her tail and I’m worried about damaging what we have by asking.’ So… he would rut you if he thought he could do it without hurting your relationship with each other. It’s actually very sweet that he cares that much. If it’s handled correctly, it would almost be the same as him taking a second wife and us having a herd.”

Flurry swallowed her unease. “I find it hard to believe that you would share Dad with any mare, even if it was me.”

Cadance shrugged. “Your father is as happy with you as he is with me. Maybe you can find a way to complete each other. He helped make you… maybe your pussy is like a keyhole that only his cock can fill.”

Flurry’s jaw hung open… she couldn’t recall ever hearing her mother say anything like that.

“MOM!!!”

Cadance laughed at the open shock that was on Flurry’s face. Cadance was holding her stomach by the time she got herself under control. Taking a sip of tea to finish resettling herself, she smiled.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll cancel the lesson today so you can spend some quality time with your father. I know that he doesn’t have a second date planned yet and he planned to take the day to catch up on some reading in the castle library today. Maybe you should go test yourself. Go read with him. If you can sit in the library and just enjoy his company without having to speak much… then you love him at a level deeper than a normal parent/child bond… and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you find yourself bored… or wanting to leave after a while… then maybe I’m wrong and you don’t love him.”

Flurry finished her cup of tea and stood up. “It sounds like a test I can’t afford to fail.”

Cadance smirked. “Yes… but which way is passing the test? Proving that you do love him or proving that you don’t?”

As Flurry turned to leave her mother’s office, her thoughts and feelings started shifting to dread.

I don’t know…

* * *

Flurry Heart walked in the library and started to look for a book to read. She really wanted to read ‘Commander Hurricane’s Guide to Aerial Warfare’ but she couldn’t find it. Turning a corner, she found that her father was seating on the large couch and was reading the exact book she wanted.

“Hi Dad. Having fun?”

He looked up from his book and smiled at her in a way that made her heart flutter. “Sure am, wanna join me?”

Flurry nodded and sat down beside him. She wrapped a wing around him and started to read the book, starting with whatever page he was already on.

He furrowed his brows. “Did you want this book? I can go get another one…”

Flurry shook her head. “We can share… besides, I like this.”

Flurry leaned her head on his shoulder and read with him. She was a faster reader, so she never had to worry about missing part of whatever page they were on.

After a few hours of simply sitting and reading in complete silence, she smiled.

I’m enjoying this… even without talking… just being by his side makes me so happy… maybe mom was right. But how can I be sure?

With her lesson cancelled, Flurry had nowhere to be. Shining had literally planned his whole day to be reading until dinner time, so he had a few hours left. Flurry stretched out and then decided to lay down. Choosing to test herself to the max, she placed her face into her father’s lap.

Yawning, she told him. “I’m going to use your lap as a pillow and nap until dinner. You can use my head for a bookrest if you want.”

Her face was warm being so near her father’s stallionhood, but he managed to stay unroused. Closing her eyes, she managed to relax enough to fall asleep.

* * *

Shining Armor was stroking his daughter’s mane absently, his book long since abandoned.

His lips were curled into a smile remembering all the fun times they had on their play dates where she had been so worn out that they’d take a nap somewhere. Those sweet, innocent times, where her head being his lap didn’t require the self-control of a priest not to get an erection.

He looked down at her and his smile faltered. Her muzzle was pressed up against his empty sheath and it seemed obvious to him that she was deeply inhaling his musk in her sleep. Her face almost seemed warmer than normal, as if she was blushing… or running a fever.

He shook his head at his own irrational concern.

Alicorns never get sick. She is either blushing or she’s starting to go into heat… Going into heat would explain most, if not all, of her odd recent behavior. But it also means that I need to be more careful. I don’t want her to think she loves me just because her instincts are going crazy. Flurry is still at such an awkward age… not really a child anymore and not quite an adult.

Flurry’s heat pheromones subconsciously started to affect Shining as his smile returned and he recalled a lot of his early dates with Cadance. There were many times that he wouldn’t have the bits to take her out on a proper date and he hated letting her spend her money on him. Their compromise was usually cuddling together and reading a book side by side. Flurry had taken it a step further by reading the same book as him. It was cute… romantic… and almost date-like.

Shining’s hoof strayed from Flurry’s mane to her horn, and he traced the spirals from the base to the tip in a hypnotic motion. His other foreleg held her close to him so he could feel her warmth. He repeated the pattern lovingly, planting the occasional kiss on the tip of her horn.

He lost track of time and of how many times he traced her horn, but Flurry’s throaty moan forced him to focus. She spasmed in her sleep and her eyes shot wide open as her horn erupted with sparks, her marehood also seeming to gush at the other end.

The blood drained from Shining’s face as he realized that he had accidentally just given Flurry her first horngasm.

Unicorn horns were sensitive to sexual arousal and Cadance had never told him for sure if Alicorn horns were more sensitive or less sensitive than a normal unicorn horn. Given how light the hoof contact had been, it was now clear that Alicorn horns were more sensitive to arousal than the average unicorn horn while the Alicorn in question was in heat. Good to know for next time but damn if he wasn’t screwed right now.

Shit… that wasn’t supposed to happen… it wasn’t supposed to be me… ‘Come on Shiny… do it for science’ my flank. I’m not going to live this down no matter how I try to explain it.

Flurry shook from head to tail, eyes drooped and panting heavily. “Dad? What just happened?”

Shining swallowed hard. He knew he couldn’t afford to lie to her because once the truth came out, and it always did, it would be much worse.

“I was playing with your mane like I used to when you were younger, and I got lost in thought thinking about your mother and our early teenage dates… and then I lost track of what I was doing and I… started tracing your horn with my hoof. I’m so sorry sweetheart… I wasn’t trying to do… this.”

Flurry took several deep breaths and calmed herself down. She knew what a horngasm was… it was part of her sexual education. What she didn’t know was how good they felt. And worse still… she wanted to do it again, not caring if it was with her father or not.

She looked at the opposite end of the couch in shame. Her voice was demure and soft. “I made a mess on the couch…”

Shining winced and held her close, trying to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. I should have realized what I was doing and stopped long before it got to this point. You may not have realized it, but it appears that you are going into heat and from all appearances, your horn is a lot more sensitive while you’re in heat than when you aren’t in heat. Your mother doesn’t do a lot of horn play, so I really didn’t know how sensitive you were. I take full responsibility.”

Flurry’s cheeks were blushing to the point of being red. She was practically on fire. She wanted to ask him to do it again, but she knew she shouldn’t… her mother’s encouragement and permission notwithstanding. She was stumbling over her words, saying both too much and not enough. She couldn’t seem to articulate her feelings or make it sound okay. The truth was she really liked it, and she also knew that while her mom had given her dad permission, he didn’t know that her mom had also given her permission. A ‘happy accident’ was almost certainly the only way that anything like this was ever going to happen… her father had too much honor.

“Umm. It’s okay, dad… I, umm, liked it. I’m glad I woke up for the end… it felt really good for my first time. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner, even if by accident. I guess we’ll always have this moment, whether we want it or not. Should we tell mom?”

Shining closed his eyes. “Yeah… she’s going to want to know.”

Flurry bit her lip and looked poked at her own flank. “Eww. It’s sticky. Umm, marecum, I guess? Dad… umm, can you help me clean up before dinner?”

Shining smiled weakly. “I guess I owe you that much. Come on, let’s go.”

* * *

Shining and Flurry went to the Royal Bathhouse together and Shining set to work cleaning up his mistake.

Just like when she was a filly, he washed her mane, lathered her coat, and then washed her tail. The one main difference was that to fully clean up his mistake… Flurry had to flag her tail for him so he could see what he was doing and get her completely clean.

Never in his entire life had he seen her marehood completely exposed like this, not even when he had to wash mud off her as a filly. Sure, like all ponies, he had caught the occasional glance. He had seen her marehood, just like Flurry had said during their first date, but it’s not like he had ever been staring, hoping for a glance. That one-second glance eight days ago was nothing compared to how long he had looked at her today. He was blushing as much as she was and her cute little moans while he was scrubbing her clean was not helping his mood.

Flurry had insisted on washing him as well, claiming that it was valuable practice for having a coltfriend eventually. She washed his mane, lathered his coat, and washed his tail, exactly as he had done for her. She took extra time to clean his undercarriage. She was secretly hoping for a peak at his stallionhood but the mortification of getting his daughter off seemed to outweigh any arousal from staring at her marehood while cleaning her up. He certainly could maintain a soldier’s stoic demeanor, much to Flurry’s current displeasure.

She could guilt-trip him into showing her his stallionhood since he had seen her marehood… but that type of manipulation was wrong… and it wouldn’t be a firm foundation for love or trust at a sexual level.

Flurry blushed harder at the thought of even trying to establish a foundation for love and trust with her father at a sexual level. Her mother’s words were playing Tartarus with her thoughts and self-control but it was clear that her mother had told both her and her father the same thing and whether by age, experience, self-control or lack of sexual attraction, he seemed to be doing a much better job of not advancing this in a sexual way, which was a lot more frustrating for her now that he had gotten her off once. She admonished herself.

It. Was. An. Accident. You know your father loves you, but you shouldn’t expect him to want to rut you, having his wife’s permission notwithstanding. Part of what you’ve always respected about him is his loyalty. Loyalty doesn’t change just because new permissions are added. Just because the rules of engagement change don’t mean you shift the entire battle plan. Focus…

* * *

They managed to finish cleaning up and arrived at dinner on time. Cadance eyed both of them with puzzlement. The meal was served, wine was poured, and not a single word was said.

About halfway into the meal, Cadance cleared her throat. “There has been a major shift in the sexual tension between the two of you. My permission to do whatever you wanted with each other was supposed to make this easier… not harder. What happened today?”

Shining and Flurry both looked at each other, blushed, and looked away.

Shining muttered softly. “I always wondered how sensitive your ‘love sense’ alicorn gift was… I guess there is no hiding anything from you… not that we were going to…”

Flurry cleared her throat and continued where her father had left off. “I went to the library and read with dad for a few hours. Then… I got tired and took a nap on his lap, like old times. While I was asleep, dad started to play with my mane, like old times, lost track of what he was doing, started messing with my horn… and accidentally gave me a horngasm. The couch in the library still needs to be cleaned.”

Cadance looked at Shining and he sighed. “It’s true… after the accident, we took a bath together and we washed each other up… unfortunately, it didn’t have the joy of old times. This was more sexual than it used to be and not as romantic as a date should have been… the worst of both possibilities. I’m ashamed that my carelessness robbed her of a special moment with what should have been her first coltfriend. The only saving grace is that she did wake up before she came… so she did get to experience it… as opposed to it happening completely while she was asleep.”

Cadance turned back to Flurry and Flurry continued to speak. “I wasn’t able to articulate my feelings very well in the aftermath of the accident, so I think I made the whole thing worse. We both have mixed feelings about what happened, and I don’t think either of us know how to fix it. We were going to tell you it happened, but when we got here, I don’t think either of us was ready to confess given how badly this was executed… even though it felt amazing…”

Shining hung his head in shame and Cadance cleared her throat. “Well… that’s… progress.”

Shining looked up sharply. “Progress? Progress towards what?”

Cadance smirked. “Towards making her a mare. A horngasm is cute but it doesn’t count. It’s almost as innocent as masturbation.”

Flurry’s cheeks went pink with a blush and Shining’s groan filled the dining room; his frustration could be weighed on a scale.

Cadance continued. “All jokes aside, this sounds like a problem I can fix. Flurry… now that you’ve come down from the post-coitus high of your horngasm, you should be able to say what you really meant to say instead of whatever you originally said. And Shining… now that you’ve had a while to process what happened, regardless of if it was an ‘accident’ or not, you should be able to respond to Flurry in kind. Can you do this?”

They both nodded and Cadance gestured for Flurry to start.

Flurry was nervous but she owed her father the truth. “I came to the library to test myself. I wanted to know if the love I had for you was a normal father/daughter love or if it went… deeper. I felt like I passed my test by reading with you for all those hours, simply enjoying your company. I don’t consider reading to be fun so being happy just by being at your side was very telling for me. Falling asleep in your lap might have been a mistake on my part… but mom told me that we had her permission to do whatever we wanted to do, and I told you at the restaurant that I knew that you would never hurt me. I felt safe. I believe you when you say that it was an accident but… I liked the horngasm and if I’m being honest, I want to do it again. I didn’t have to flag my tail like that in the bath, but I really wanted to tempt you… I don’t regret that any of this happened. I only regret that it happened as an accident that makes you feel ashamed of your actions. You have mom’s permission… and now I’m giving my permission. You can do whatever you want to me during our dates if you feel like it’s going to teach me something and help us bond deeper. My feelings are confusing me… and I trust you to help me figure them out. Please, dad. I don’t want you to hate yourself for what happened today. It may have been an accident, but I wouldn’t undo it for anything.”

Shining sat there, processing everything he had been told. He took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled slowly. Patented Sparkle family calming technique.

He sighed. “I have been weighing your mother’s permission since before the first date happened. I wanted to show you a few… less than innocent things, but I never intended to even go as far as a horngasm, let alone do more than that. Your permission and forgiveness means a lot to me but this isn’t the father’s role. I told you I’d show you the ropes of dating… not sex. I’m not trying to be your lover. I hope I don’t break your heart but I’m not sure how much more of this I can do. I’ve already gone way out of bounds, and I need more time to think about what happened. Please, excuse me…”

Shining got up and abruptly left the table, leaving Flurry shocked. The doors to the dining room seemed to slam shut, the hollow echoing in the otherwise silent dining room shattering Flurry’s heart as tears began to stream down her face.

Flurry wiped tears off her face as she turned to her mother. “Did I say too much? Did I go too far? Why does this feel so wrong now?”

Cadance came over and gave Flurry a hug, shushing her. “This is just how stallions are. When they need space… they really need space. Your permission helps him in a very loose way. You see… your father has to forgive himself first and deal with his own feelings before he can help you figure out yours. Honor and loyalty doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room. It is simply what it is. I think he’ll come around… but I wouldn’t count on getting that second date anytime soon and please do yourself a favor by giving him the space he needs. When he’s ready to talk… he’ll find you.”

Flurry nodded, snot running down her nose from her weeping. “Are you sure?”

Cadance hugged Flurry tighter. “Yes, sweetheart, I’m sure. And I’m sorry. I’m afraid that all my teasing and overblown unlimited permission made this worse. I should have gone for clearly defined permissions and goals… unfortunately, it’s too late to take it back. Your father will have to come to terms with what he’s done along with coming to terms with the fact that he promised to teach you more about dating. He has never broken a promise before, and this will be hard for him to swallow, but I don’t think he’ll break this one either.”

Flurry sniffed. “Then… I guess all I can do is wait.”

* * *

Chapter 3 - Understanding Feelings

Dinner had ended on a low note and Flurry found herself unable to finish her meal. She wandered around the castle with no particular destination in mind when she found herself back in the library.

She stared at the couch where it had all gone wrong. The maids had already cleaned the mess she had made earlier, and her face burned hot with the memory.

How could something so wrong feel so good?

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a stallion’s voice.

“I knew I would find you here…”

Flurry turned to face her father, blushing for reasons that she didn’t understand. “Oh, umm. Hi.”

Shining Armor smiled at her, which increased her embarrassment.

His voice was gentle. “We need to talk, sweetheart.”

Flurry nodded but covered her face with her mane. “I didn’t think that you would have had enough time to sort through your feelings… it’s only been a few hours.”

He shrugged. “One of the benefits of a lifetime of military service is the ability to sort through important things quickly. Issuing orders that you know is going to get somepony killed is hard to do. Getting over having a pretty mare cumming beside me because I rubbed her horn too much is a little easier to tackle… since it was my fault.”

Flurry winced. “I would like to avoid assigning blame and focus on the feelings that our actions have caused. Whether you want to believe this or not, neither of us is in trouble, but we both have feelings to work out and I’m going to need to help to understand mine.”

Shining nodded. “That is very mature of you to say. Why do you believe this happened?”

Flurry’s brows furrowed in thought. “It was mom’s idea for me to spend time with you and while the library is huge, this one section is kind of closed off, private and cozy, with limited air flow. If mom knew I was going into heat… our prolonged time together in a small space was bound to lead to something like this happening, even without her hints and endorsements. I feel like she tricked me into tempting you but I don’t understand why.”

Shining cocked his head to one side, analyzing her response. “It’s not fair to your mother to entirely blame her for my actions, though I can see the logic of your conclusion. How do you propose that we fix it?”

Flurry bit her lip. “Umm. We could spend some time apart until I’m no longer in heat to avoid anything weird happening… but I really don’t want to do that. I still want that second date. The only other thing I can think of is to stop listening to mom again. We have a great bond, and we both enjoy doing goofy nerd stuff… this didn’t get weird until I started to listen to mom’s advice. It feels like this is all her fault.”

Shining winced. “Your mom would be hurt to hear you say that, but she is the Princess of Love… not the Princess of Romance… and while a pony can claim that love has romance mixed in… the sad truth is that your mom’s powers typically allow two ponies that were fighting to seeing eye to eye in a way that eventually leads to sex. You don’t have to be in love to have sex but having a bond of any kind makes it more special. Do you have any questions I might can answer to help sort out your feelings?”

Flurry hesitated. “I want to know how this spiraled out of control so quickly. I mean, I remember that I kissed you at the end of the first date and that was entirely on me… but mom’s open suggestion for us to rut is the elephant in the room. Her permission alone doesn’t really explain you losing focus and rubbing my horn until I had a horngasm. If you aren’t attracted to me… I don’t see how you lost control, even with me in heat.”

Shining’s sigh echoed in the small room. “I’ve been thinking about that too and I only have one explanation and it doesn’t completely answer the question. And it’s kind of a long story so maybe we should go for a walk in the gardens… I doubt that either of us want to be in here long enough for your pheromones to start to affect me again…”

Flurry was more than happy to take a walk with her father and was even more relieved that he was already talking to her again. The way he had stormed out of dinner… she was afraid that it would be weeks before he spoke to her again.

The sun had already set and walking in the gardens in the pale moonlight was very romantic. Shining took her through the well traversed hedge maze to a particular spot that Flurry had always adored but didn’t know the history of it.

There was a bench in place to sit and rest and a plaque that said: ‘On this spot, a New Empire was forged. May love reign for the next 1,000 years.’

He patted the bench and sat down. “Sit beside me.”

She did as she was told and immediately cuddled up next to her dad. Even in summer, the night air was chilly in the Crystal Empire with the snow never melting in some places. Her heat made this a little awkward for her, but she refused to do anything differently than what she had done for the last 13 years. Shining adored the trust that she still held despite the recent mistakes made.

Once she was comfortable and settled, Shining started to speak. “As you probably learned in health class… most family members can resist the pheromones of other family members. Fathers and Mothers are generally immune to their daughters and sons… and brothers are generally immune to their sisters. It gets iffy with cousins and grandparents… the more distant the family member the less you instinctively resist biological mating urges.”

Flurry nodded into her father’s chest. “So why? What makes us different?”

Shining started to play with her mane again. “I blame the fact that you’re an Alicorn. I should be immune to the chemical reaction of your pheromones, and I probably would be if you were a unicorn… but as an Alicorn… you smell just like your mother and it’s driving me crazy. Rutting you would be easier than it should be and the only thing preventing me from losing myself completely to mating urges is forcing myself to remember that you are my daughter and not my wife. I lost my focus earlier because I got caught up in an old memory of your mother. Playing with your mane became playing with your horn all too easy. It’s a mistake that shouldn’t have happened, but I blame myself, not you.”

Flurry sat in silence, thinking about what her father had said before she asked another question.

“What memory got you so caught up that you forgot you were with me?”

Shining pointed at the plaque. “The memory that the plaque represents. You see, Flurry, me and your mother had an almost typical high school romance despite her being an Alicorn. She helped secure me a place in the Royal Guards. She believed in me. We courted for an acceptable amount of time and got married as soon as it was possible while following tradition and protocol. We had barely gotten back from our honeymoon while the Crystal Empire reappeared. Cadance knew what her birth right was, and I followed, knowing the danger. We fought King Sombra and tried to protect the Crystal Ponies, holding on until Princess Celestia could send the Elements of Harmony to aid us. By the time they arrived, I was no longer able to use my shield spells because of dark crystals embedded in my horn. I nearly died fighting Sombra… he had me beat and we both knew he had won. I think that he wanted to kill me, but he decided to let me live so I could suffer more… your mother never found out how close she came to losing me because I’ve never told her. The Elements of Harmony prevailed as they always do, and then they returned to Equestria. On the first free night we had after they left, me and your mother made love right here on this very spot. She was in heat, and we knew what we were doing. 17 years ago today, you were conceived right here, where this bench now rests. When I realized that you had started your heat, I should have created some space for us, but I never thought that as your father, your pheromones would affect me so much. The more I got lost in the memory of making you, the more I forgot that I was with you, and you had your horngasm from my misplaced attention.”

Flurry’s face was burning hot with embarrassment at the otherwise touching story. “It’s no wonder that the staff don’t seem to know the significance of the plaque. So… if I smell like mom and rutting me would be easy… and we have mom’s permission… why resist?”

Shining smiled down at her. “Because once we do… there is no going back. It’s not a decision that should be made lightly and it shouldn’t be made at all while you are in heat. If we go down that path… I want to know it’s because we love each other… because we chose to do it ourselves… not because your heat dictates that it should happen.”

Flurry pursed her lips. “I’m not sure I understand the difference.”

Shining hummed, trying to think of an example. “Picture this. We make love tonight, right here on this bench, on the exact spot where I made you. How does that sound?”

Flurry gasped, getting into the example. “Sounds hot.”

Shining nodded and continued. “And let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you would for sure get pregnant from our rutting because you are in heat. How does that sound?”

Flurry gulped, suddenly unsure of what the answer should be. “Sounds like poor planning on my part… but I could probably live with it. Mom probably wouldn’t care, or she would have never suggested that we rut in the first place.”

Shining smiled. “And let’s take the example a step further and say that you have a daughter… who in turn 17 years from today, will end up in this exact same spot being rutted by me or some other stallion of your choice, destined to get pregnant in the same way as you and your mother before you. How does that sound?”

Flurry shuddered. “That… I’m not okay with that. Maybe 17 years from now, after thinking about it for the entire 17 years, I might be okay with it. But it’s not something you can spring on me and expect me to consent and say yes to tonight.”

Shining nodded. “But that is what your mother did to me. She told us 5 weeks ago, in jest, for me to make you a mare. 8 days ago, she made it more ‘real’ by giving definite consent. She seemed shocked that I didn’t have sex with you, especially after you kissed me. I’d bet anything that your mother knows exactly what your pheromones are doing to me and my lack of normal resistance to them. You weren’t in heat 8 days ago during our first date. If you were… I might have followed you into your room after that kiss. It was pure chance that your heat started late. If we make love… I want it to be our choice, not some mating instinct. I’m not sure if I can explain it any better than that.”

Flurry pulled back to look her father in the eyes. “I understand now. You are struggling to understand your feelings for me beyond me being your daughter just like I am struggling to see you as anything other than my father. Mom’s consent to rut makes things worse because having permission doesn’t mean either of us are ready, if we are ever ready. You want to do the right thing, not just for society, but for us.”

Shining leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Flurry leaned in and kissed him back, locked in a battle of wills that took old play date activities to a never-before-seen levels.

They broke the kiss when they had to breathe. Shining spoke again. “I think your mother is wrong to try to force us into doing this because her motivation for it sucks.”

Flurry caught her breath and narrowed her eyes. “What is mom’s motivation?”

Shining winced. “She wants you to grow up. She wants you to be ready to be a princess that is ready to rule the Crystal Empire, whether during an emergency or for forever. What having sex has to do with that is something I don’t know… it’s got to be a Princess of Love perspective. I know that having sex simply made me hornier… maybe it’s different for a princess?”

Flurry snorted. “I don’t have to have sex with my daddy to love my daddy. And I’m sure I could already rule the Empire if I really had to. I already lead the Army half of the time. I’m an adult but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still have childish fun.”

Shining’s muzzle went red at the blunt statement but then smiled. “Your right.”

Flurry grinned. “So… what do you want to do?”

Shining booped her on the nose with a hoof. “Tag, your it.”

With a flash of magic, he teleported to another part of the maze. Flurry’s eyes had widened in shock at the old playful ‘play date’ like gesture but then grinned as she flew in pursuit. Tag was one of her favorite old games and nothing said ‘a return to innocence’ like a good old-fashioned game of tag.

“I’m gonna get you, Dad!”

* * *

The vestige of Cadance was staring out her bedroom window down at the castle garden watching the magical game of tag play out before her. Bringing a wine glass to her lips, she smiled.

“Well… sometimes a step back leads to two steps forward. Their bond will grow stronger, and they will rut eventually… I’m sure of it.”

She walked to the mirror in her room and stared into it. While she looked smug, her reflection was beating on the glass from the inside, trying to get out.

“Chrysalis! You won’t get away with this!”

Chrysalis grinned while sipping on her wine. “I already have. My dear Cady… you don’t seem to understand that you’ve already lost.”

Cadance seethed from within the mirror. “They will get me out eventually!”

Chrysalis chortled. “I think not. They don’t even know that you are here. Picture this… once a long time ago I captured you and replaced you. Your husband-to-be was under my spell and everyone close to you was either replaced by changelings or just assumed it was wedding jitters that had changed your personality. Only Twilight Sparkle seemed to see through me. I lost… but I learned. This time… your dear Auntie Celestia is retired, and Twilight Sparkle is busy in Canterlot. I can mimic you passably in letters and royal decrees… nopony has questioned me yet, but I can’t risk controlling your husband this time, lest anyone notice a change in his behavior, but it doesn’t matter. You are such a workaholic that your husband can’t tell the difference between me and you… which is quite sad for 17 years of marriage, if you ask me. I replaced you 3 weeks ago and nopony is the wiser. Once Shining shows his full love to Flurry… I’ll be so powerful that I’ll control the Crystal Empire, be able to conquer Equestria… and then kill that pretender… King Thorax.”

Cadance huffed. “My Shining Armor will never cheat on me! You are wasting your time!”

Chrysalis shook her head. “You poor dear. Your loyal husband has already given Flurry at least two very passionate kisses already and they both have your permission to rut. They are already considering it. I’ve tried to make it seem like I want Flurry to grow up faster and neither of them have really questioned it… Once they fuck… the love they produce will make me the most powerful changeling that has ever existed.”

Cadance pouted. “I don’t see how the entirely of Equestria isn’t looking for you.”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Your suggestion that Shining make Flurry a mare 5 weeks ago produced a magic surge large enough to free me. I simply replaced myself with a plain concrete statue of myself that nopony has managed to spot the difference yet… so much for loving art. Capturing you was just as easy the second time as it was the first time.”

Cadance looked intense. “But how do you think your going to get them to go all the way?”

Chrysalis grinned. “They already had a first date that went great. Shining is planning a second date but doesn’t have it nailed down yet. Although it’ll pain me to do so… all I have to do is have a headache for a few weeks… withholding sex… and your devoted husband will fall into his daughter’s hooves… or should I say her pussy. He really is an idiot, you know.”

Cadance looked away. “I always loved him… I didn’t want more than one foal but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love him…”

Chrysalis winced. “I won’t berate you for having a poor taste in stallions. Somepony’s like the meathead type. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t fuck his own daughter with his loving wife’s permission. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed at this outcome.”

Cadance looked back at Chrysalis, defiant. “I have faith… what else can I have?”

Chrysalis shrugged as she finished her wine. “If it goes my way, you’ll have a grandfoal and I’ll rule the entire continent… but I guess we will see…”

* * *

Author's Note

The story is progressing in way that I didn't originally plan, but that's okay. If you want to see something specific, post a comment. All comments are welcome.

Chapter 4 - Second Date

The fun in the gardens lasted until well after midnight, when both Flurry Heart and Shining Armor were well and worn out.

The childish game of tag was oddly more exciting with her in heat… She could smell her father’s musk as well as he could smell her pheromones. It made running and hiding almost pointless but also more fun. Still, by the time they were done, she could barely walk, she was so exhausted.

Thanks to still being in fit military shape, her father had the stamina to carry her to her room and tuck her into bed. Kissing her forehead good night and retiring for the evening, he had left her with more questions than answers.

Flurry sighed to herself as she leaned onto her pillow. Her out loud musings sounded loud in the quiet room.

“Dad made some very good points tonight and wearing me out with a game worked in taking my mind off my heat. The real question is… in the hypothetical situation he proposed… would I not want him to fuck my daughter, or… his daughter… because it’s wrong to further the incest or is it because I want to keep him for myself? Will these desires fade once I’m no longer in heat or will they continue? Couples that are in love have sex all the time… not just to make foals… is that what is in store for us if we continue down this path?”

As she finally succumbed to sleep, all she knew was that she didn’t trust her mother to answer these questions. She would have to figure it out on her own… or with her father’s help.

* * *

Shining Armor returned to his bedchambers well after midnight. His wife was already in bed, and he cozied up next to her. His gentle kisses on her neck were met with a giggle and a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry, Shiny, but I have a headache. If you want little shiny to get some attention, you need to sleep in Flurry’s room. I’m sure she would indulge you after your little play date activity.”

Shining frowned. “We never skip love making on important dates, like anniversaries. Did you forget that this is the 17th anniversary of Flurry’s conception? Are you working that much?”

Chrysalis shuddered, not realizing the significance of today. Her plans were near ruins from the simple mistake of not reading all of Cadance’s diaries and checking her official calendar. Cadance clearly wouldn’t have scheduled sex on a calendar, but she would have noted an anniversary. Most stallions expect sex on important dates… that transcended species.

She gulped and pleaded in a sincere tone. “I didn’t forget… but I seriously can’t do it today… I’m sorry… I’ll make it up to you, but you know how backed up my workload has been in the last 3 weeks. Flurry wouldn’t deny you; you know. It might even be more special with you doing her for the first time on the same day we conceived her.”

Shining shuddered. “I told her the significance of the plaque for the first time today and told her of the significance of the anniversary. She won’t fuck me today no matter how much you might wish for it. I am disappointed, though.”

Chrysalis made a good show of being regretful. “I am sorry… maybe doing a second date with Flurry would make you feel better… and get your dick wet…”

Shining glowered, a little mad about the incest prompts being thrown into his face now of all times.

“Maybe it would…”

Shining made plans to finalize previous plans to be handled first thing in the morning.

As Shining huffed to himself, he took a deep breath through his nose and then frowned.

I don’t smell anything… Cadance isn’t in heat? How odd…

* * *

The next morning, Flurry woke up late and groggily brushed her mane. The days of her running around the castle like a wild filly was long over, though brushing all this hair was a pain.

She glanced over at the golden plate that held personal invitations and stopped mid-stroke when she noticed a calling card.

She squealed with joy as she ran over to it and looked at it.

‘Princess Flurry Heart,

If it were to please you, I would respectfully request that you attend the Opera with me tonight at 1800. You will need to wear a formal ball gown that is both fashionable and eccentric.

Yours sincerely,

Prince Shining Armor’

Flurry quickly jotted down a reply.

‘Prince Shining Armor,

I am pleased to accept your generous invitation to the Opera tonight at 1800 hours. I shall wait for you.

Yours,

Princess Flurry Heart’

Brushing her mane with a speed that borderline ripped out parts of it, she quickly went to the kitchen for a quick brunch and then spent the entire day trying to find the most eccentric ball gowns that she owned. She owned more gowns than she cared to admit but her mother had insisted on her having a gown for nearly every occasion, which was in turn tailored to her size every time she had grown.

There were gowns for castle balls, birthday parties, coming-out parties, and she had several specially for the Opera… as the type of production as well as the time of year dictated what she should wear…

With a gasp, she realized that she wasn’t told the type of production it was going to be… she was simply told to wear something eccentric…

She tried on a purple dress with pink puffed sleeves that looked absolutely ridiculous on her…

“Yup… it has got to be this one. It’s the most eccentric thing I own…”

* * *

Shining Armor arrived at Flurry Heart’s room at 1700 hours. Flurry Heart was dressed in her eccentric purple and pink dress, matching Shining’s Red and Blue military suit. The color’s clashed as much as they matched. Truly eccentric.

The walk to the Opera House was quiet but pleasant.

They sat in the Royal Box, guaranteed to have the best seat in the house. Some of the theater staff made sure to bring a bottle of wine, with two glasses already poured, and an assortment of hors d’oeuvres.

Flurry looked at the spread and frowned. “Wow. This is fancier than I had assumed it would be and that is a significant amount of food for two ponies. It’s like they expect us to be here all night…”

Shining snorted. “We are going to be here all night. Tonight’s Opera is a play and musical production all in one, set up in 4 Acts, with some of the acts having multiple scenes, with the final part being the longest. It’ll take about 6 to 8 hours for them to act it all out, complete with the singing and musical score.”

Flurry ate an hors d’oeuvres while considering what her father had said. “So… we’re here until anywhere between Midnight and 2 am?”

Shining nodded. “Yes. Continuing with your dating lessons… you need to understand that a date to a Theater or Opera is a good second date. The reasons for that are simple. Firstly, a play or musical production will last longer than lunch on the first date did, so you will spend more time with your date. Plus, there are intermissions in between each part of the play as props are switched out and the actors change costumes as needed, so there are prefect opportunities to eat and drink while speaking to your date during the lull in between scenes, which once again allows you to learn more about them and further test if they are a good candidate for a deeper relationship or marriage. Remember that Princesses aren’t supposed to sleep around so you are expected to create and maintain high dating standards. Any questions so far?”

Flurry had finished her snack and so she asked a question. “Are you going to be okay being couped up with me in the royal box for 6 to 8 hours? I don’t think my heat is any worse but it’s certainly no lighter than yesterday.”

Shining nodded. “The Royal Box is larger than any other box seat arrangement and there is good air flow in here, unlike the private reading section of our library. I will be fine. Any other questions before the play starts? It’s rude to talk during the play so you won’t be able to talk or ask anymore questions until the first scene break or intermission.”

Flurry shrugged. “What is the play about?”

Shining grinned in a way that might worry some ponies but to Flurry signaled that this was going to be epic in a way that her mother probably wouldn’t like.

“Do you remember about 5 years ago when your mother passed that law that allowed artists, singers and playwrights to include the royal family as characters within plays and productions or as the focus of a song?”

Flurry frowned. “I wasn’t paying attention to the politics much when I was 11, as we were still doing our regular play dates and I was trying to enjoy my youth. What does that old law have to do with this opera?”

In a nonchalant tone, Shining continued. “Well, this play is titled, ‘It Takes a Family to Raise a Flurry’ and was written and produced by the world-famous Unicorn Playwright and Author, Lord Shakespearicles. You’re about to see the production first hoof so I won’t ruin the highlights for you, but, in short, it’s an incest story written about our family where we pretty much all fuck each other. The main connections are Auntie Twilight and your mom, Cadance, having sex with Grandpa Night Light while I have sex with my mother, Twilight Velvet and by the end of the play, you. It’s supposed to be both a Father’s Day play and a coming-of-age story for your 18th birthday. I’ve read the book version before it was turned into a play… very ambitious.”

Flurry’s face turned as red as Shining’s military coat as she tried to hide under the railing of the royal box. She seemed to be panting in shock and panic.

“Why would you bring me to something like this while I’m in heat! I might lose control!”

Shining looked down and smiled at her. “I think your mother wants you to lose control. Me bringing you to something like this would have infuriated her 5 years ago… but now… she would probably kill to be able to sit in the background, eating popcorn, and watching you slowly lose control. Be careful sweetheart, hiding down there like that might give some ponies the impression that I’m getting a pre-opera blow job from you. Nice of you to act out part of the play in advance. I didn’t know you read my copy of ‘It takes a family to raise a Flurry.’”

She froze for a moment and then stiffly returned to her seat, drinking half her glass of wine once she sat down. Once she had settled herself, Shining answered her questions.

“To answer all your possible questions… This was the only play in the Empire long enough to count as a second date for a princess. Plus… culturally, you need to be aware that this type of art and theater exists, and seeing it for yourself was a good way to expose you to it. Also… before you ask, the reason why you’re 18 in the play is because the Age of Consent in Equestria is 18 whereas it’s 16 in the Crystal Empire. So, please remember that if you do travel abroad to visit your Auntie Twilight, you are still jailbait in Canterlot. It would be unfortunate to see some poor stallion arrested for responding to moves that you made first.”

Flurry didn’t respond as the curtain rose and the play started with a musical number and a frank conversation between the actor playing Shining Armor and the actress playing Cadance about Flurry coming of age and being in heat and what he should do about it.

She seemed glued to the dialogue.

It was a conversation that was starting to sound more and more familiar with how Cadance had been pushing incest recently. Shining had to wonder if she had seen the play without him. Or had at the very least read his copy of the book without telling him.

The next scene unfolded with actor Shining speaking to actor Night Light about his predicament, and Night Light hinting that if Flurry was anything like Twilight with getting what she wanted, it was better for Shining to be her partner willingly.

Flurry gasped at the insinuation and asked an urgent question during the brief scene break.

“Auntie Twilight would never use her magic to rape a stallion, would she?”

Shining snorted. “Of course not, sweetheart. This is just a play. Of course, as the Princess of Equestria, she doesn’t have to. Any stallion would be more than willing to be her partner. Now, that part of the play references Twilight before she became an alicorn, so I guess your question still stands. In short, non-consensual sex turns some ponies on so naturally the hint must be in a Lord Shakespearicles play.”

The next scene unfolded with actress Twilight and actress Flurry speaking in the kitchens. Flurry went red again watching a near replica of herself interacting with her Auntie with the topic of conversation being in love with and lusting about her own father. Taking a quick glance at him, she saw that he was smiling at the lewdness of the back-and-forth conversation and the implication that everything about it was okay. But then, he had read the book, so he knew what was coming.

The first act ended with Night Light about to detail how its okay for a daughter to be attracted to her own father when the scene ended. As the curtain came down to prepare for Act II, Flurry slumped in her seat.

Shining raised an eyebrow. “Not enjoying yourself? A real suitor would be crushed that you’re not enjoying yourself.”

Flurry buried her face in her hooves and Shining’s ear flicked as he noticed a dripping sound. Looking down at the floor, he saw an actual puddle of Flurry’s juices pooling under the chair.

He smirked. “Ah. Enjoying it a bit too much, I see… The real fun hasn’t even started yet!”

Flurry groaned as she nodded. “Okay, I’ll concede the point. I can see the appeal to the incest concept as art… but isn’t what makes this so… enjoyable as art, is the fact that the real act is illegal? The taboo is enticing… but… even as much as mom is encouraging this, and has even offered to change the law to make it legal… I just don’t see how we are supposed to really go through with this.”

Shining nodded and hummed. “Having second thoughts? That kiss after our first date had me worried. My own actions in the library worried me more. It’s normal for you to feel attracted to me because I’m supposed to be an example of a good stallion, the likes of which you would want to find for yourself as a husband and father of your foals. Colts are generally attracted to their mothers because their mothers are supposed to be an example of a good mare that can raise a family. What makes this hard and confusing is that you are a Princess. You won’t be raising your family… nannies will be. You can love your husband, but you will be ruling the Empire. You’ve seen what it’s doing to your mom. We didn’t even have sex for the anniversary last night.”

Flurry winced. She knew that after the play date in the gardens, her father would have been worked up because she knew she had been worked up. She could smell his musk from the build up of his lack of release. She was wavering and she wasn’t sure what she should do.

Flurry cleared her throat. “Isn’t it poor taste to actually like this though? Incest… as a concept or as an action. Even if we made it legal… would ponies ever accept it?”

Shining sighed. “Lord Shakespearicles has been known to say that ‘Incest art is a matter of taste… if you don’t like it… get some taste.’ As far as the law is concerned, drinking is legal, but not everypony drinks. Smoking is legal, but not everypony smokes, depending on where you are, age of consent is 16 or 18, but you aren’t required to lose your virginity until you’re ready. Half the reason I’m smiling at all this ridiculous sex is that unless Twilight became really good at keeping secrets, she may very well still be a virgin herself, and she’s 40. We can make incest legal but that doesn’t mean that everypony has to do it… but other than the existing laws on the books, it would be hard to criminalize the type of shunning some ponies might face for engaging in it. You can make it legal, but you can’t make society accept it.”

Flurry raised her brows. “So… how would you get some taste for incest art if you don’t already have some?”

Shining smirked at his daughter. “Shakespearicles would probably tell me to lick your pussy. I’m sure it has plenty of taste.”

Flurry’s blush hit lethal levels when her father kissed her on the cheek after making the lewd statement, but she dared not stop him. She had barely pulled herself together with wine and stuffing her face with more food when Act II started.

It was a single scene detailing motherly advice to actor Shining while he was effectively fucking his own mother. Lewd was putting it mildly, as nothing was covered or censored.

Flurry’s jaw dropped as she listened to the dialogue and watched the action. The illusion magic was so good that she couldn’t tell the difference between the actor playing her father and her father sitting next to her. Grandma Velvet was also well done, although the actress was clearly much younger despite the illusion magic.

As the curtain dropped to prepare for Act III, Flurry turned to her father again.

“How is this legal? Open sex at the opera?”

Shining shrugged. “This opera is age restricted. No ponies under 16, period. So, yeah, there is no law against public sex so long as minors aren’t watching.”

The night crawled on slowly with Act III detailing how the family incest started and how accepting everypony was with the parts in it that they played. The almost random incest pregnancies were hard to swallow, as they seemed to take the most extreme possibilities, but Flurry’s pussy continued to drip, and Shining continued to do his best to ignore it.

Act IV had Flurry ramped up to 11 as she watched the actress playing her fuck the actor playing her father in ways and positions that she had never even imagined. It was also the longest Act, so she was in for the show of her life.

Shining nudged her as she was staring wide eyed at the massive creampie that flowed out of her doppelganger.

“Don’t worry… all the Actresses are on birth control.”

Flurry sagged in her seat for the second time tonight, largely unable to control her emotions.

“Would you… would you fuck me if we used birth control with no risk of a pregnancy? Like they did in the play?”

Shining took on a look of deep thought as he considered it. He didn’t want to lie to her.

“It would make me feel better if there was no risk. I’m still on the fence about the whole thing but I’m open to ideas.”

Flurry leaped into her father’s hoofs as she gave him a big hug. “The play was lewd… but I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the play also seems to double as a playbook for how we would do this ourselves…”

Shining nodded. “Your mother approved of the play being shown in Crystal City to give the Empire a clearer picture of consensual incest. Unicorns, more than any other tribe, seem to disregard incest as not a factor in considering love. I think part of that is that unicorn magic seems to limit incest birth defects. The play notwithstanding, you would be my first incest relationship.”

Flurry wiped her brow with a handkerchief. “I am quite tired. Perhaps… escort me home?”

Shining was more than happy to walk his daughter back to the castle and they arrived back at her room, seemingly at a loss of how to wrap this up from the emotions of the evening.

Shining cleared his throat, remembering his research. “Now… at the end of a second date, you could invite the stallion into your room for a post-date cup of tea and to reflect upon the evening, but a guard is supposed to be present to observe that the stallion doesn’t overstep his boundaries. This is especially important while you are in heat. You do not want to be truly alone with any suitor. What do you wish to do, Princess?”

Flurry sighed. “We just spend 8 hours together drinking and eating and watching ponies have sex with each other that resembled our family. I think I just want to masturbate and go to bed.”

Shining chuckled at the super honest answer from his daughter. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered into her ear.

“Well, sweetheart, don’t let me stop you. I hope you sleep well tonight.”

Flurry blushed as she kissed her father back, also on the cheek, and went into her room. It was both the best and worst second date she could have hoped for, if only because she was even more confused about what she was supposed to do now.

* * *

As Shining entered his bedroom and cozied up to his wife, he could feel his heart sink.

She smells nothing like I remember of Cadance in Estrus… what is going on?

Chrysalis smiled at him. “You’re back late… get some rutting in?”

Shining sneered. “Nothing of the sort. I need you to come clean with me Cady… why aren’t you in heat? Are you already pregnant? If you are... I know it’s not mine…”

Chrysalis felt her breath hitch. She had never had an experience with a stallion that knew what his wife specifically smelled like in estrus. Usually, it was a generic smell that she could mimic. She didn’t know if she should be touched or disgusted that he could tell that she wasn’t in heat, despite her attempt to mimic it, but then, Changeling Queens were never in heat… as they could reproduce as much as they wished.

She whimpered. “I didn’t want to tell you…”

Shining cast a fierce look towards her. “Tell me what?”

Chrysalis was reaching for a lie that sounded right… “I’m infertile. I can’t have any more foals. That’s why I’ve been pushing you towards Flurry. I know it won’t be my foals… but I’d like some grandfoals and since I waited too long to have a second foal… I guess I was just hoping that Flurry’s foal was also your foal so I could also enjoy the feeling of having more of you. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner and I hope you can forgive me.”

Shining gasped as the words hit him hard… “Are you sure…”

Chrysalis turned to face him in bed, still wearing Cadance’s face with perfect accuracy. “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner but with my workload and with Flurry coming of age, I’ve been overwhelmed. I guess there was never a ‘good’ time to tell you, but I never expected you to confront me about it. I feel terrible that I couldn’t break it to you in a softer way…”

Shining hugged her tightly. “I would never go against your wishes… but I wanted to be absolutely sure that you weren’t just teasing me and that I wasn’t supposed to follow it down the rabbit hole.”

Chrysalis kissed him on the lips. “Follow it down whatever hole you find. I’ll only be mad if you use birth control. I want a foal… not just incest sex.”

As she settled down for sleep, it left Shining with more questions than answers.

Was this really the way?

* * *

Author's Note

The play, 'It takes a family to raise a Flurry' is based on the real story 'It takes a family to raise a Flurry' by Shakespearicles.

You can read the original story here. Posted with the author's permission.

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/537262/it-takes-a-family-to-raise-a-flurry

Chapter 5 - Hard Decisions

The morning light seeped through the tall windows, filling the chamber with a warm, golden glow. Shining Armor’s hooves echoed softly down the crystalline halls, each step heavy with thoughts of the conversation he’d had with Flurry the night before. Her questions still rattled around in his head, tinged with the confusion and conflict that lay beneath her words. When he reached the royal bedchamber, he took a deep breath before pushing the door open, finding Cadance - no, Chrysalis in disguise - standing by the window, looking out over the Crystal Empire.

She turned when she heard him enter, a gentle smile on her lips that made him think of the wife he had always known, even though his heart felt tight with unspoken doubts. “Morning, Shiny,” she said in a sweet tone, her voice gentle and welcoming. “You look troubled. What’s going on?”

Shining Armor rubbed a hoof over his forehead, his mane slightly tousled from a restless night. “It’s about Flurry. Last night, she asked me if I’d be okay with her going on birth control.”

“Cadance” arched an eyebrow, keeping her expression casual. “Oh? And why would that bother you? It’s perfectly normal for a young mare her age to think about those things, isn’t it?”

Shining’s eyes darkened, his expression sharpening with frustration. He stepped further into the room, his voice low but intense. “That’s not the part that bothers me, Cadance. She’s doing it because she thinks it’ll make... us easier. She thinks that if she takes that step, it’ll give her the space to decide if she really wants to be with me, without worrying about... other things. Like getting pregnant.”

The disguised Chrysalis, hidden beneath the familiar face of Cadance, listened closely, her smile barely faltering. But inside, she watched every word he spoke with a predator’s patience. “Well, if it helps her feel more in control, maybe that’s a good thing, Shining.”

He shook his head, his brows furrowing deeply. “That’s just it. She doesn’t know what she’s really being asked to give up. You’ve been... encouraging this, Cady, pushing us closer and closer together. But you haven’t told her everything. She doesn’t know that you can’t have more foals. She doesn’t understand why you’ve been so fixated on the idea of her... and me.”

The air seemed to cool between them, and for a moment, “Cadance’s” mask slipped just slightly, her smile tightening. But she quickly smoothed her expression, feigning a look of quiet hurt. “Shiny, I didn’t want to burden her with that. I thought... I thought it was better for her to decide what she wants, without feeling like she has to compensate for something I’ve lost.”

Shining’s voice wavered with emotion, but he held steady. “She needs to know, Cadance. She needs to know why birth control isn’t the answer you’re looking for. If she’s doing this just to start the process - so she feels like she’s in control - then what happens when she stops using it? When she’s comfortable enough, or when she realizes that she wants... something more?”

The disguised Cadance softened her tone, stepping closer to him. “Is that so wrong, Shiny? If she truly wants to be with you, to share that bond, and if she chooses to give you a foal someday... doesn’t that mean she’s decided for herself? I don’t want to see her hurt, but I want to see her... fulfilled, in a way that maybe I can’t be anymore.”

Shining stared at her, the weight of everything they had been through together - the hidden struggles, the quiet heartbreak - sitting between them like a barrier. He took her hoof in his, feeling the familiar warmth, but he couldn’t ignore the undercurrent of something that felt too calculated in her words.

“I know you want a grandfoal, Cadance. I know you’ve wanted another foal for years, ever since... since you found out that we couldn’t have one. But pushing this on Flurry - pushing her towards a decision she doesn’t fully understand... It’s not fair. Not to her. Not to us.”

Chrysalis, hiding her frustration behind Cadance’s worried expression, leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “Do you really think it’s fair to deny her the chance to be happy with you, Shiny? You think she’s too young, but she’s stronger than you know. And she loves you. She’s already thinking about these things. Would it be so wrong to let her find her own way to what she truly wants?”

Shining shook his head, his voice resolute. “It’s not about denying her anything. It’s about making sure she knows the whole truth. She’s looking to us for guidance. I can’t let her make a decision like this without knowing what’s driving it... without knowing that your push for her to ‘grow up’ comes from something deeper. She deserves that, Cadance.”

The changeling’s eyes narrowed slightly behind her mask, but she kept her smile gentle, a picture of wounded understanding. “You’re going to tell her then, aren’t you? Tell her all about how I can’t give her a sibling... and how she could give us both what we need instead?”

Shining nodded, though his face was etched with worry. “She needs to hear it from me. She needs to know why things have been the way they are. And if she still wants to be with me... if she understands everything and still chooses that path, then... we’ll face that together.”

“Cadance” gave him a small, bittersweet smile, brushing a hoof across his cheek. “You’ve always been so honorable, Shiny. I hope you know that whatever choice she makes... I’ll support you both. Just remember that she’s stronger than you think. And maybe... maybe she’ll surprise you.”

He managed a faint smile in return, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Turning, he left the room, feeling the weight of the truth that he was about to share with his daughter pressing down on his shoulders. The conversation he needed to have with Flurry would change everything - about their relationship, about her place in this tangled web of family, desire, and unspoken expectations.

As he walked away, “Cadance’s” expression hardened, her eyes flashing with hidden frustration and a faint, predatory glimmer. She watched him go, her mind already spinning with possibilities. Telling Flurry the truth might change things, but it wouldn’t stop the pull between father and daughter, not if Chrysalis had anything to say about it.

* * *

The morning was quiet in the private dining room, a small, secluded space tucked away from the grand halls of the Crystal Castle. The table was set simply, with just a pot of coffee, a plate of fresh fruit, and two servings of pancakes. Flurry Heart fidgeted with her fork, her mind swirling with thoughts as she waited for her father to join her. She had barely slept since their conversation the night before, still turning over the implications of what he’d told her, and the strange mix of feelings that had brought her to this point.

When Shining Armor stepped in, his expression was serious but soft. He closed the door gently behind him, sealing them away from the outside world. He offered her a small, tentative smile as he took his seat across from her.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he said, his voice quieter than usual, as if he too was aware of the gravity between them. “Thanks for meeting me here.”

Flurry offered a tight, nervous smile in return, trying to hide the way her stomach twisted with unease. “Morning, Dad. I figured… you probably had more you wanted to talk about.”

He nodded, his expression turning more somber as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I do. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you asked me last night - about going on birth control, about what you’re hoping it might mean for... us.”

Flurry’s cheeks flushed slightly at the memory, but she nodded. “Yeah, I guess I thought it might make things... simpler. Like, if I could make that decision without worrying about... consequences.”

Shining took a deep breath, folding his hooves together in front of him on the table. “I get that, Flurry. It makes sense to want to take that pressure off, especially when things have gotten... complicated between us. And if you want to go down that road, I won’t stop you. It’s your body, your choice.”

Flurry felt a small, fleeting wave of relief at his words, but it faded quickly as she saw the shadow in his eyes. She could sense there was more coming, and it made her hold her breath.

“But that’s not the only reason we’re having this conversation, is it?” Shining continued, his tone turning more serious. “Because I think you deserve to know the whole picture, Flurry. About why your mother - why Cadance - has been pushing us like this, encouraging this... closeness.”

Flurry’s brows furrowed as she took in his words, anxiety coiling tighter in her chest. “What do you mean, Dad? I thought... I thought she was just trying to get me to grow up faster.”

Shining nodded slowly. “She is, in a way. But there’s more to it than that. You see, Flurry, your mother has been struggling with something for a long time, something she hasn’t told you. She’s... she’s not able to have more foals. We tried, for years. But... it never happened.”

Flurry’s breath caught in her chest, her eyes widening. “What? But... she never said anything...”

“I know,” Shining said gently, reaching across the table to place a comforting hoof over hers. “She didn’t want you to know. She didn’t want you to feel like you had to... make up for it. But it’s been weighing on her, for a long time. And that’s why she’s been so... eager for us to be close, in a way that isn’t just about love or... or sex. She wants a grandfoal, Flurry. She wants a foal in the family.”

Flurry felt the world shift beneath her, her thoughts reeling with the weight of the revelation. She tried to process what it meant, what it meant for her mother, for her father, for herself. “But... but I thought she said she didn’t care if I took birth control? She told me she just wanted me to be happy.”

Shining let out a long, tired breath, his eyes dark with conflicting emotions. “She did say that. And maybe part of her means it. But she also told me... that she wants more than just for us to be together. She wants... she wants a foal, Flurry. Whether she admits it to you or not, that’s what she’s hoping for.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and unresolved. Flurry stared down at her untouched plate, her mind spinning with the implications. Her mother’s encouragement, the way she’d pushed them together, the talk of love without limits - it all made a terrible kind of sense now. But it also felt like a burden she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying, a weight that she hadn’t asked for.

“So... what do we do now?” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.

Shining’s expression softened, and he reached out to gently squeeze her hoof. “That’s the hard part, sweetheart. Because this decision... it’s yours to make. If you want to go on birth control, to take that risk off the table for now, I’ll support you. I know that it might make things simpler for you, and I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything.”

He paused, his gaze turning inward, haunted. “But if you do that... you should know what it means for your mother. For what she’s hoping for. You should know that there’s a part of her that will always be... disappointed, even if she pretends otherwise.”

Flurry’s chest tightened with conflicting emotions - anger, confusion, a fierce protectiveness for her father that mingled with the deep-rooted love she still felt for her mother. “It’s not fair,” she muttered, her voice cracking. “She shouldn’t expect that from me. Not when I don’t even know what I want yet.”

“I know, Flurry. It isn’t fair,” Shining agreed, his voice rough with feeling. “But it’s where we are. And I want you to have all the facts before you decide what’s right for you.”

Flurry looked up, meeting her father’s eyes with a new resolve. “I... I need time to think about this. About what I really want, and about what it means if I do this. But I don’t want to... I don’t want to hurt you. Or her. I just... don’t know how to make it all work.”

Shining’s expression softened with a sad, understanding smile, and he nodded. “Take all the time you need, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. And no matter what you decide, I’ll be here to help you through it.”

They sat together in the quiet room, the morning light washing over them as they shared an uncertain, unsteady peace. The decision that lay before them felt as vast and complex as the kingdom they ruled, and the bond between father and daughter had never felt more fragile, more tender, or more important to protect.

* * *

They ate their breakfast in silence, the clink of silverware against plates the only sound between them. Flurry’s mind buzzed with everything her father had told her, the heaviness of it sitting like a stone in her stomach. Shining Armor watched her quietly from across the table, his expression torn between concern and the lingering burden of what he had revealed.

When the plates were cleared and the last of the coffee poured, Shining finally broke the silence. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, and leaned forward, resting his forehooves on the edge of the table. “Flurry, I want you to know... you don’t have to make a decision all at once.”

Flurry looked up at him, her eyes searching his face, trying to find clarity in the tangled web they had been thrown into. “What do you mean?”

He offered a small, encouraging smile, though there was a sadness behind it that he couldn’t hide. “I mean, you could still start taking the birth control, if that’s what you want. It could give you some space, make it easier to figure out how you really feel about... about everything, without worrying about the risk of having a foal. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, Flurry. You could take it for a while, see how it feels. And if you change your mind later... if you decide you’re ready for something more, you can stop.”

Flurry absorbed his words, her mind turning them over like a puzzle. The option sounded less final, a way to buy time. But as she considered it, she couldn’t ignore the other weight that lingered behind his suggestion—the thing he hadn’t fully said yet, but that she felt looming between them.

“And Mom?” she asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

Shining’s expression tightened, and he let out a slow breath. “Your mother... Cadance has been waiting for this, for a long time, Flurry. Fifteen years. Ever since we found out that we couldn’t have another foal, it’s been... hard for her. She tried to hide it, tried to focus on you and all the other parts of our lives, but that longing never really went away.”

He paused, his gaze dropping to the surface of the table, as if the words themselves were too heavy to keep looking her in the eye. “This is the first year it’s been... possible, legally, for you to conceive. And that’s why things have gotten so intense lately, why she’s been pushing us closer and closer. I think, deep down, she sees this as a chance to have what she’s been missing, through you. Even if she tells you she’d support whatever choice you make... I know she’s hoping for more.”

Flurry swallowed hard, her throat tight, her emotions a storm she could barely control. “So... if I go on birth control, if I put that off... she’ll have to wait even longer.”

Shining reached out, taking her hoof in his, his touch gentle but steady. “Yeah. She will. But it’s still your choice, sweetheart. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything because of her, or because of me. I just... I want you to understand all the pieces, so that whatever you decide, you know what it means for everyone.”

Flurry bit her lip, her eyes misting as she looked at him, feeling the weight of his words settle into place inside her chest. There was a part of her that felt trapped, pulled in different directions by what her mother wanted, what her father was trying to offer, and what she herself had yet to fully understand. But beneath it all, she knew that this choice - this impossible, tangled choice - was hers to make.

She squeezed his hoof, nodding slowly, trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “Thank you, Dad. For telling me the truth. I... I think I need some time to figure this out. But I appreciate that you... that you trust me enough to make my own decision.”

Shining’s smile was sad but warm, and he nodded in return. “Of course, Flurry. No matter what you decide, I’m here for you.”

They sat there for a moment longer, the air between them heavy but no longer unspoken, a tentative peace settling over the uncertainty. Flurry knew that the path ahead wouldn’t be easy, that no matter what she chose, there would be consequences, and feelings that couldn’t be smoothed over. But at least now, she had the chance to chart her own course, with the full truth laid bare before her.

* * *

Flurry's eyes never left her father's face, watching every flicker of emotion that crossed it - the worry, the confusion, the desire he kept trying to bury beneath his sense of duty. She felt the heavy tension that had grown between them, the unspoken heat that clung to their conversations and lingered in every touch, every look. It wasn’t something she could ignore anymore. She needed to know just how deep those feelings went, to strip away every barrier between them and see the truth.

With slow, deliberate movements, she slipped off her chair, stepping around the table until she was right in front of him. Shining Armor’s confusion deepened, his brow furrowing as he tried to understand what she was doing. But he didn’t move to stop her as she climbed up onto the table, lying down flat on her stomach, right in front of his seat. She stretched out, lifting her hips, her rear legs spreading apart, and then she raised her tail high, offering him everything.

Her marehood, already flushed and slick, glistened under the light. She could feel the cool air brushing against her exposed folds, a shiver running up her spine as she held herself open to him. The heat between them seemed to thicken, the tension crackling like a live wire.

“Tell me what you think when you look at me,” she said, her voice low and steady, though she could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest. “The truth, Dad. No holding back.”

Shining’s breath caught in his throat, his entire body tensing as he took in the sight before him. She was right there - right in front of him - leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. His eyes drank in the curve of her haunches, the way her marehood glistened, the sight of her tail flagged high, showing him everything she had to offer. He could smell her too, that sweet, intoxicating scent that made his head spin and his own body stir with a need he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

He tried to look away, his mind screaming at him to stop, to regain control, but he couldn’t. His eyes kept drifting back to her, to the way she laid herself out for him, like she was daring him to break the last line of restraint he had left. He swallowed hard, trying to find his voice through the haze of desire and confusion that tangled up inside him.

“Flurry, what are you... what are you doing?” he rasped, his voice rough, strained with the effort it took not to reach out, not to touch her. His legs felt unsteady, his body caught in the pull between instinct and the last remnants of his better judgment.

She shifted her hips slightly, pressing herself back toward him, making sure he could see everything she was offering. Her voice dropped even lower, a husky edge slipping into her words. “I’m serious, Dad. I need to know. When you look at me like this, what do you really see?”

He drew in a shuddering breath, feeling the heat building in his chest, in his gut, spreading through him like wildfire. He forced himself to meet her eyes, but the sight of her, bare and spread before him, was seared into his mind. Her scent filled his lungs, and he could feel the ache of wanting her, the raw, forbidden hunger that coiled tight in his core.

“I see... I see you, Flurry,” he managed, his voice barely more than a hoarse whisper. “My daughter, the one I’ve watched grow up, who I’ve... always wanted to protect. But I also... I see a beautiful, desirable mare, a mare who... who knows exactly what she’s doing right now. A mare who... makes it so damn hard to keep pretending that I don’t... want this.”

His voice cracked, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, as if he could banish the sight of her from his mind, but he couldn’t block out the warmth of her scent, the way her body called to him like a siren’s song. He forced the words out, raw and desperate. “You deserve more than this, more than... a father who can’t stop looking at his own daughter and wanting something he knows he shouldn’t.”

Flurry’s breath hitched, heat pooling deep in her belly at his admission, at the way he looked at her, the hunger in his eyes that he couldn’t quite hide. She could see the struggle in him, the way his whole body trembled with restraint, even as he stood so close to her, drinking in the sight of her.

She stayed there, letting the tension throb between them, her pulse quickening as she took in every word, every shuddering breath he took. She had laid herself bare in every possible way, feeling the heady mix of fear and thrill that came with his eyes on her, knowing he could see exactly how much she wanted him to cross that line.

“Thank you, Dad,” she whispered, her voice shaky but carrying a raw honesty. “For telling me the truth.”

She held the pose for a moment longer, savoring the way his breath hitched, the way his eyes lingered on her. Then, with a shiver, she slowly lowered her tail, slipping off the table and back onto her hooves, her legs unsteady. The air between them was thick with everything unspoken, the heat that wouldn’t fade even as the moment ended.

Flurry knew that what she’d done would change everything between them, that they couldn’t take it back. But in the aftermath, she felt a strange clarity, an understanding of the depths of their tangled feelings, and a sense of where they might go next - even if it terrified her.

Flurry swallowed down the knot of nerves in her throat, forcing herself to hold her father’s gaze, even as her heart pounded hard enough to make her chest ache. Her legs felt unsteady, her body still tingling with the thrill and fear of having laid herself bare before him. But there was more she needed to know, more she needed him to say - honestly, without holding back.

“Am I... am I prettier than Mom?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper, but it carried through the tense, charged air between them. “Do you even... want more foals?”

Shining’s breath hitched at her words, and for a moment, he couldn’t find his voice. His mind was still reeling, his thoughts tangled with the image of her, the scent of her, the sheer boldness of what she’d just done. He struggled to steady himself, but his heart twisted painfully at the raw vulnerability in her question.

He took a step closer, his eyes dark with emotion as he looked down at her, at the way she held herself with that blend of defiance and uncertainty. “Flurry, you’re... you’re beautiful. More beautiful than you know,” he admitted, his voice rough, struggling against the feelings rising in his chest. “You have this... this fire, this strength that’s all your own, and it makes it hard not to... see you like this.”

He hesitated, the next words catching in his throat as he tried to sort through the confusion, the buried longings he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. “But... your mother, she’s... she’s the mare I’ve built a life with. She’s been by my side through everything, and I still love her. It’s not fair to compare the two of you.”

Flurry’s expression softened slightly, but she pressed on, the question that had been gnawing at her for weeks slipping out before she could stop herself. “And the foals? You told me how much Mom wants another, but... do you? Is that why she’s been pushing this, or is it what you want too?”

Shining’s face tightened, and he ran a hoof through his mane, exhaling a shaky breath. He felt the weight of her question settle into his chest, heavy and unyielding. “I... I don’t know, Flurry,” he admitted, his voice breaking with honesty. “I thought I’d made peace with the fact that we couldn’t have more. That it would just be the three of us. But when your mother started talking about it again... and when you... when you started looking at me the way you have, all those old thoughts came back.”

He met her eyes, the conflict in his gaze raw and unguarded. “I never wanted to hurt you with any of this. But when I think about the possibility... about you, and about what it might mean to have another foal in this family... I won’t lie and say it doesn’t stir something in me. I think I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind. But it’s not the only thing I want. I want you to be sure of what you want before anything else.”

Flurry felt a shiver run through her, his words sinking in like a weight that she couldn’t quite hold. She knew they were standing on the edge of something they might not be able to come back from, that the answers she’d sought might not make the path ahead any clearer. But she couldn’t stop herself from asking, couldn’t turn away from the truth she’d forced to the surface.

Her chest tightened, her pulse quickening as she realized that whatever came next, it would be on her shoulders as much as his. And that thought, terrifying as it was, felt like a step closer to understanding what she truly wanted - even if it meant facing the consequences of that desire.

Flurry’s lips curved into a slow, teasing smile as she took a step closer, her voice dropping to a sultry purr that filled the space between them. “And if I told you to throw me on this table and put a foal in me right now... would you?”

Her words lingered, hot and electric, filling the air with a tension that wrapped around them both. Shining’s breath caught, and he felt his pulse quicken, his whole body reacting to the challenge in her voice. His gaze swept over her, the heat in her eyes, the way she held herself with that blend of defiance and desire.

He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself, to keep his mind focused through the haze that clouded his thoughts. His mouth was dry, the knot of conflicting emotions tightening in his chest as he forced himself to meet her gaze, struggling to find the right words.

“I... I would ask you to sleep on it,” he managed, his voice hoarse, roughened by the effort it took to keep his own desires at bay. “You’re in heat, Flurry. It’s never wise to make a life-changing decision in the moment.”

Her eyes glinted with something dangerous, a spark that seemed to burn brighter with his hesitation. But Shining held his ground, even as he felt the fire between them pulling him closer, tempting him to let go, to give in to the wild, forbidden heat that had come to define every interaction they shared.

He drew in a shaky breath, trying to hold onto that last thread of control, even as her presence, her scent, everything about her pressed against his senses. He could see the hunger in her gaze, the way she waited for his response with bated breath. And beneath it all, he could feel the weight of the choice they were both teetering on the edge of - dangerous, thrilling, and impossibly real.

Flurry’s bravado crumbled as she closed the distance between them, pressing herself gently against his chest. Her breath hitched, and she buried her face into the warmth of his neck, her tears slipping free as she nuzzled into him, seeking the comfort she’d been holding herself back from.

“Thank you, Dad,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she clung to him, the raw emotion spilling out in her words. “You’ve proven that you love me... that you really care about me, that you have my best interests at heart. Even if... even if Mom doesn’t.”

Shining’s heart twisted painfully at the sound of her tears, his forelegs wrapping around her instinctively, holding her close. He rested his chin against her mane, feeling her shudder against him as the weight of everything between them settled into the quiet moment. He wanted to say something to reassure her, to make it all easier, but no words seemed right in the face of the tangled emotions they shared.

Flurry drew in a shaky breath, pulling back just enough to look up at him with red-rimmed eyes, a fragile smile forming on her lips. “I think... I think I’m going to go back to my room now. Maybe read... and take a nap.”

She brushed at her eyes, trying to steady herself as she pulled away, the warmth of his embrace lingering even as she stepped back. There was a weight in her chest, a heaviness she couldn’t quite shake, but there was also a strange sense of relief - like she’d taken the first step toward something she could understand, even if it scared her.

Shining nodded, his own expression softened with concern as he watched her, wanting to say something more but knowing she needed the space. “Alright, sweetheart. Rest well. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

She managed a small, grateful smile before turning away, her steps quieter now, more thoughtful as she made her way out of the room. And as she left, the silence between them felt both heavier and lighter at once - filled with everything they hadn’t said, but also with the hope that somehow, they might find a way through it all.

* * *

Author's Note

I write Commissions!

DM me for details.