Selective Service, Volume II

Chapters

Issue 1
Issue 1.5
Issue 2
Issue 2.5
Issue 3
Epilogue

Issue 1

Huff…Huff…Huff

Save for the sound of Torque’s panting breaths and soft, contented moans beside him, the room was still and silent. The gentle breeze from the overhead fan washed over his sweat-streaked form, helping to calm his racing heart and cool him off both physically and mentally. As the ecstasy of his climax gradually subsided, replaced by a euphoric afterglow, he shifted when something warm and delectably soft snuggled up against him.

“Mmmmm ~” a lilting voice purred, “was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Yeah…” he murmured, giving a small nod.

Looking down his glistening body and to his left, his eyes settled on his voluptuous guest. Employing Měilì, or Měi as she preferred to be called, was both a blessing and a curse. On one hoof, he’d been able to make his deepest, darkest fantasies a reality - on the other, he’d been calling upon her and her services with increasing frequency. Absentmindedly extending a foreleg, he drew his hoof over her cheek.

She smiled up at him and revealed her fangs, wholly unbothered by the seed leaking from her battered marehood. “You don’t mind if I relax like this ~ do you?”

“No, it’s fine,” he sighed.

As far as he was concerned, with her job done, having earned his essence and his bits, she was free to do as she pleased - still, he glanced over to his nightstand and the picture resting upon it. He knew it was wrong to hire a whore who could seamlessly disguise herself as his sister, Vise Grip, but it was too late for him to stop. He’d tasted the forbidden fruit, succumbing to his depraved machinations, and the mere thought of going another round with his sibling sent blood flowing to his semi-rigid stallionhood.

Turning her head, Měi followed his gaze to the photo. “Still hurts ~ huh?”

“Hurts?” he repeated, perplexed by her question.

“Your ex,” she clarified, nodding at the bedside picture.

He went to reply but quickly pursed his lips. For as accommodating and pleasant as she was, she still didn’t know whom she’d been transforming herself into. Her assumption was that Vise was an old lover, possibly even an estranged spouse, and he’d yet to set the record straight on that account. As he warred with the notion of telling her the truth, grappling with the fact that a hero such as himself shouldn’t lie to anypony, she rolled onto her back and ignited her horn.

Levitating her pipe and small stash-box over to herself, she peeked up at him. “May I?”

Again he nodded, too caught up with his inner turmoil to care if she helped herself to a smoke. Watching her pack the bowl and lit it with her magic, he bit back a grimace. She was pleasant to be around, always knew what to say, and was absolutely phenomenal in bed - then again, those were all traits any good mare of the night would have. He, much like any number of stallions before him, was nothing but a job to her - he felt certain of it.

Having taken a draw of her pipe, she reclined and exhaled a thick plume of sweet-smelling smoke. “She really must have done a number on you. For what it’s worth, I’m sure you’re better off without her…”

“I…” he only barely stopped himself, mere moments from correcting her on her egregiously incorrect assumption. “It’s complicated…”

“Want to talk about it?” she softly pressed, looking to him as she drew a forehoof over his chest.

While it would have been easy to maintain the lie, to let her think that Vise was a former paramour, keeping up the act would wear away at him. He was supposed to be a paragon of virtue, somepony that everypony could look up to and draw inspiration from, yet here he was being deceitful to a prostitute he’d just plowed. Looking away from her, unable to meet her gaze, he took a long, metered breath and steeled himself.

“You’re good at keeping secrets ~ right?” he whispered.

“But of course,” she cooed. “As I’ve mentioned before, what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom - besides, I can guarantee you that anything you want to get off your chest isn’t as bad as you think.”

“I…I don’t know about that,” he noted with a mirthless chuckle.

A pink haze filled the air as she puffed on her pipe. “Try me. In my line of work, I’ve heard -”

“She’s my sister,” he quietly blurted. “The mare in the picture, the one you’ve been turning into, she’s my sister…”

“Aaaaaaaaah -” she breathed, “so it’s forbidden love that I sensed.”

His blood which had run hot not minutes prior turned to ice in his veins. She may not have realized he was Hope Hurricane, defender of justice, but the information he’d just revealed could be extraordinarily damning all the same. Should word get out about his proclivities, his friends would look upon him with disgust, he could lose his business, and almost assuredly excommunicate him. Instantly regretting his decision to ease the burden of his guilt, he started when she patted his shoulder.

“For what it’s worth, you’re far from the only customer I’ve had who has a special interest in family,” she coolly remarked.

Looking over and into her mauve eyes, he piqued a brow. “R…really?”

“Fathers lusting after daughters, sons yearning for the sensual embrace of their mothers, cousins wishing to share an intimate moment, and the taboo romance between siblings are far more common than you’d think,” she giggled.

“I…huh…” he grunted, taken aback by her admission and casual nonchalance. “I had no idea…”

Craning her neck, she pecked his jaw. “As you shouldn’t have. Some secrets are best left hidden, though I do appreciate your honesty on the matter.”

He stared down at her and blinked, unsure of what to say. Was it really that easy? Were there really that many ponies out there that lived out their scandalous dreams with escorts? Did she truly not care that she’d unwittingly allowed him to do something so sinful? Dozens of questions traipsed through his mind, though one stood out from amongst the rest.

“Does that bother you?” he candidly asked. “If y…you don’t mind me asking?”

“Sweetie, for as long as I’ve been doing this, you’d have to try to bother me,” she mused, shooting him a wink. “Do you mean me selling my body or…?”

“That,” he nearly spat, unwilling to say the actual word.

Turning away from him, she slipped her legs off the mattress and got to her hooves. “You have to understand that there are fundamental differences between changelings and ponies. Though you come from what you refer to as nuclear families, we do not. Since only Queens are fertile, barring the use of certain spellcraft or alchemy, it’s not uncommon for drones to, shall we say, experiment with one another on an all too regular basis.”

“So you…” he trailed off, sensing blood rush to his face.

“In my youth, yes,” she answered, “though there’s no need for that nowadays - not when there are handsome, virile studs like you seeking my company.”

He remained where he lay, observing her and looking for any signs of deceit. Over his life, he’d dealt with all sorts of questionable creatures, from simple con artists to those who’d say just about anything to keep themselves out of jail, but she was different. Her tranquil demeanor, grace, and the confidence with which she carried herself were blades that could be used for good or ill, and he was genuinely uncertain of what sort of changeling she really was.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” he stated, drawing her eye while she stowed her stash box in her purse. “Is there a reason you - how do I put this…”

“A reason I chose my profession?” she calmly asserted.

Shaking his head, he wriggled over and got off the bed. “Not that - well, that too. I was wondering about why you’re not more colorful.”

She studied him for a moment and drew from her pipe before answering. “Why do you ask?”

He shrugged and turned his eyes to the floor. “Just curious. Not to be rude, but there are a lot of ponies that think unreformed changelings are a threat.”

Only lifting his head after she gave no reply, he shied back when he lifted his gaze. Her body was tensed, her jaw set, and the usual smile on her muzzle was replaced by the trace of a frown. She may have been comfortable talking about things that would ordinarily put most ponies off, but he’d clearly touched a nerve. Stepping closer and forcing a smile, he offered her a forehoof.

“I really, really didn’t mean anything by that,” he muttered. “It’s just that there aren’t that many of you around - plus I’ve never really had the chance to ask.”

As she glanced from his forehoof to his face, her expression softened. “How about this ~ I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”

“I - uh - sure, I guess I can live with that,” he sheepishly responded, pulling his leg back to awkwardly rub his collar. “Shoot.”

“Pray tell, what is it about your sister that has you so enamored?” she hummed, her lips twisting into an impish smirk.

He knew for a fact why he felt the way he did about Vise. For starters, his sister was beautiful, being conventionally attractive while also having a pair of tits that could and often would turn heads when they weren’t bound - secondly and just as prudently, her happy-go-lucky energy was infectious and rarely failed to lift his spirits. She was, in his opinion, as close to a perfect mare as possible, though there’d been a defining moment in their youth that sowed the seed of his carnal interest in her.

Slowly drifting over to him, practically weaving through the air, Měi breathed hotly on his ear. “Did she seduce you…?”

“No!” he croaked, leaping away. “Sweet Celestia - no. It w…wasn’t anything like that!”

“Let me guess ~ you two played doctor when you were little?” she tittered.

Her guess, while incorrect, sparked his imagination. He had thought about trying to play doctor with Vise, though he’d never been brave enough to suggest it when they’d been living together. Seeing the amorous drone pursuing him, drawing closer with every hoofstep she took, he held up his wings in surrender.

“It wasn’t like I’d planned on becoming attracted to her,” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his snout. “Listen, if you want to hear this, you have to swear you’ll never breathe a word of it to anypony ~ got it?”

Seating herself on the floor, she solemnly held a forehoof to her chest. “I swear on my hive and all my kin, you have my word that I’ll never speak of it to anypony.”

“Good,” he huffed, easing himself down while attempting to summon his courage. “This is going to sound really stupid, but this is what happened…”

And so it was with a shame-filled, heavy heart that he regaled her with the tale. Many years ago, back when he and Vise had been foals, they shared a room and a bed. For most of his childhood, he never gave a thought to sleeping beside his sister - unfortunately for him, as they grew older, things eventually took a turn. Their bond was always unshakable, forged through a lifetime of supporting one another, yet their developing bodies and the hormones that began raging through his system proved a disastrous mix.

It was an unseasonably cold autumn night when it happened. There was a chill in the house, the furnace had yet to be lit, and both he and Vise cuddled with one another to stave off the cold. The heat of her body against him, her plush behind nestled against his groin, and her back pressed to his chest had triggered something - a part of him that until that moment hadn’t awakened.

He thought he was just uncomfortable at first, unable to find just the perfect spot to fall asleep in, but that hadn’t explained why a certain part of him was anything but tired. Feeling his stallionhood slip from its sheath and gradually harden, he trembled when Vise rolled her hips and sandwiched his length between her pillowy buns. Her scent filled his sinuses, the heat of her body against him was like a soothing balm, and her hushed breaths a symphony to his ears, causing him to act on instinct.

An inadvertent thrust had been his undoing, sending a wave of pleasure through him as his shaft glided through the cleft of her ass. He knew what sex was, having learned about it in school, but his impulses refused to yield his better judgment. Draping his head over her shoulder, he held her close, closed his eyes, and surrendered himself to his primitive urges.

It wasn’t until he was beset by ecstasy, biting his lip and shaking like a leaf, that the reality of the situation fell upon him. Throwing back the cover, he stared aghast at the thick, cooling spunk painting Vise’s back, tush, and his chest. He’d never been one to panic, even as a colt, but be darned if seeing what he’d done didn’t terrify him.

Though he did the best he could to cover his tracks, going so far as to fetch and spill a glass of juice on the bed, the shame of what he’d done wasn’t so easily dealt with. It wasn’t long after that that Vise was given her own room, taking one which had been their father’s office across the hall from him, yet some part of him continued to pine for her - sure, they still went to school together, played together, and enjoyed their time together, but it wasn’t the same after that. In an all but literal way, ever since the incident, his view of her became tainted with disgraceful desire.

So far as he could tell, his sister never did learn what he’d done with her - to her that evening. He knew how lucky he was that she believed him about the accident, buying his lie hook, line, and sinker, but the weight of what he’d done had remained with him through adulthood and to the present day. While he’d had every intention of taking that secret with him to the grave, suppressing it even from himself, Vise’s kidnapping and his fears for her well-being had opened old wounds and led him to where he was at that very moment.

“So - um - yeah…” he concluded, feeling more vulnerable than he ever had.

Měi steadily stood, closed her eyes, and gave a deep bow. “Thank you. I can’t pretend to understand how hard that must have been to share, but you have my deepest sympathies and respect for your honesty.”

He wasn’t sure how she’d react, terrified that she’d be revolted by his confession, in spite of her claiming she’d heard similar things in the past, yet her humility rocked him to his core. “You’re…you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Why would I not be?” she countered, smoothly rising to her full height. “You revealed a part of yourself that few, if any, had ever seen - for that, I am in your debt.”

Completely dumbfounded, he numbly observed her lazily wheel around and trot to the bathroom. Her ample hips swayed with every step she took, her weighty bosoms gently swung from her abdomen, and her elegant movements were enough to catch any remotely straight stallion’s eye, yet it was her behavior that resonated with him. Though he was a fool for thinking it, understanding that her conduct could very likely be an act, he found himself, however briefly, charmed with her in the purest sense of the word.

Lingering just inside the restroom, she peeked back at him. “If you give me a moment, I’ll be happy to ask that question of yours.”

“I…s…sure,” he sputtered, having completely forgotten what he’d asked her to start with.

“Just let me freshen up, hun,” she added, closing the door behind herself.

Left to his thoughts, he shudderingly exhaled and closed his eyes. In a peculiar sense, it was cathartic to open up about how he really felt about Vise. Bottling up his feelings, especially after he’d begun employing Měi, had taken a toll on him. It was hard to concentrate at work, his anger at Blister clouded his judgment, and he felt increasingly awkward around his sister. If confiding in a hooker was a therapeutic way for him to make his life easier and ease his mind, it would be a small price to pay.

As he absentmindedly listened to movement within the bathroom, his mind wandered to Měi. Prostitution wasn’t illegal, nor was there anything illicit about changelings who chose not to partake in reformation, though interacting with his increasingly frequent guest was strange - not bad or wrong, but merely something he never thought he’d do. Regardless of whether they were in the throes of passion or not, there was something oddly comforting about her presence - so much so that he’d considered bedding her in her natural state.

Hearing the door creak open, he expectantly peered over and smiled. “What was I…”

“You ready for bed, big bro?” she asked, scampering out and snaring him in a hug.

Conflicting information accosted him, sending mixed signals and making his thoughts go haywire. Gone was the voluptuous, fanged, purple-eyed drone who’d gone to freshen up - instead, his sister had suddenly joined him. It was like a magic trick, the sort of thing you’d see at a show, and it left him frozen in place.

Releasing him and backing away, she smirked and tapped his nose with a wingtip. “Listen, I’d like to stay up too, but we’re gonna get in trouble if we don’t get to sleep - besides, we’ve got school in the morning!”

“School…” he repeated, reliving memories of many, many nights in his family home.

Idly turning as she leaped into the air and flung herself on the bed, he sat mute. Her tone was almost perfect, just the slightest bit nasally, and her coat, hide, eyes, and cutie mark were spot on, but those weren’t what he fixated on. Vise as she was today was tall, a bit chubby, and with a massive pair of breasts - this Vise, the one who was waving for him to join her, was younger, shorter, and slightly less developed.

He’d thought his depravity had reached bedrock, going as low as it could possibly get, but he’d been wrong - so very, very wrong. The sight of his sister as a teenager, questionably legal and innocent as she could be, breathed new life into the smoldering flames of his lust. Staring at her backside and catching glimpses of her plump marehood while she flicked her tail from side to side, he swallowed hard.

She cocked her head as she eased herself down and onto her side. “If you don’t hurry up, I’m gonna steal all the blankets!”

Reflexively shifting and taking a step, he involuntarily moved to the foot of the bed. He should have been furious, incensed that she’d use such a personal, private, and until a few minutes prior unspoken secret on him, though he couldn’t be angry. Like donning a careworn and cherished garment, he unwittingly slipped into his past and the moment that had tormented him for years.

“You think I can be the big spoon tonight?” she chirped, beaming up at him.

Shaking his head, he snickered and trotted up beside her. “Like we wouldn’t wake up with me holding you anyways.”

“Hey, that’s not my fault,” she pouted, scrunching her snout and batting his chest with a wing. “One day, when I’m bigger and stronger than you, I’ll be the one cuddling you.”

“Uh-huh,” he hummed.

She peeked over her shoulder at him as she folded her wings, turned onto her side, and faced away from him. Going to lower himself down to the mattress, he paused. Some vestige of his common sense told him this was a ruse, that he wasn’t looking at his sibling, but his subconscious, fueled by the happy, carefree times of his youth, overpowered his rationality. Easing himself down and slipped a foreleg around her side, smiling all the while, he hugged her from behind.

“You’re gonna have a lucky marefriend someday,” she whispered, wiggling her tush.

“Not if I make you my marefriend,” he replied, draping his muzzle over her shoulder.

His claim was wholly spontaneous and driven by his id, but it was something he’d dreamed of saying for ages. He loved Vise with all his heart, and he’d gone to great lengths to keep her nearby since they’d been foals. She was one of the reasons he’d opened his shop, he’d pulled a few strings to get her an apartment close to his, and he did his best to help her out with anything and everything that may stress her - nevertheless, his true desires were unattainable.

While it may have been acceptable for changelings to get frisky with their kin, that would never work with him and his sister. He’d always understood that a day would come when he’d lose her, when she’d find her special somepony to start a family with, and he’d dreaded that juncture with every fiber of his being. She contentedly sighed and made herself comfortable, sundering his melancholy in the blink of an eye.

“Wouldn’t that be weird though?” she snickered, rubbing her rump against his groin.

Running his forehoof down to her waist, he kissed her neck. “Maybe a little…”

“Well we could…” she fell silent, twisting and peering down at her flank.

Sensing himself getting hard, he went still. “Well we could…?”

With a mischievous grin splitting her muzzle, she carefully extended a wing down her body, grabbed her tush, and delicately prized her buns apart. “Even if I’m not your marefriend, we could have fun…”

Her scent being slightly off and her playfully lewd actions ran counter to what had actually happened so many years ago, but feeling the balmy heat of her loins and being given the opportunity spurred him onward. At the time, back when he’d ended up cumming on Vise, he hadn’t gone all the way, too scared to fully act on his urges - now things were different. Repositioning himself, he slid down the bed and dragged the tip of his shaft down the cleft of her ass.

The heat of her marehood was sweltering, making his pulse quicken and cock twitch with anticipation. She pushed back against him, mutely urging him to continue, while a battle raged in his mind. What he was doing was wrong, but it felt so right. Stricken with indecision, he flinched when she giggled lightly.

“Do it,” she breathed.

Every creature had a breaking point, a limit for what they could endure - for Torque, having the chance to alter the course of history, if only in a self-serving, hedonistic way, having his sister ask for him to rut her was the final nail in his coffin. Securing his grip on her, he bucked his hips and sank his stallionhood into her silken, welcoming depths.

“Y…you’re so big,” she whimpered as she trembled.

“Sssssssh,” he affectionately hissed. “Just a little more…”

Continuing to gradually plunge into her, he only stopped when the tip of his length bumped against her womb. Her snug confines quivered around him, seemingly trying to draw him deeper, while he fought to restrain himself. He wanted - no, needed her to relax, if they were both going to enjoy this.

He waited a few moments for her to adjust, listening intently for her breathing to slow, until he leaned in and pecked her cheek. “Ready?”

“Y…yeah,” she stammered.

Rocking his hips back, he freed a portion of his length then plunged into her. She softly mewled, titillating him with the sound of her angelic voice, and spurred him to withdraw and give her a second thrust. Her beautiful body and face, the softness of her fur, her warmth, the way she gripped his stallionhood - every part of her was amazing and more than enough to inspire him onward.

He fell into a slow steady rhythm, plowing her from behind while embracing her. Situated as he was, he couldn’t see much other than the side of her face and her foreleg, but that was hardly an issue. Gliding his forehoof around and off her waist, he gently groped her bosoms.

“Aaaahn,” she cried. “B…but they’re sensitive!”

He could only imagine how sensitive they were, given how fast they’d grown. Her breasts had gone from little mosquito bites to a pair of soft, wobbly melons seemingly overnight, stocking him as much as her! Blindly running his frog over the soft mound of flesh, he smirked when he felt the turgid bud of her nipple.

Tenderly pulling on her teat, he was rewarded by a throaty, blissful moan. He would have said he’d like a better view of her, but there was no need. Without being able to see her face, he could tell her eyelids were fluttering and that she was more than likely biting her lip in an attempt to stifle herself. If their parents found out what they were doing, they’d both be toast.

“H…harder,” she rasped, bucking back against him.

Two things kept him from giving her what she wanted: their positioning and that she’d taken a more active role. Having her ask him to plow her was incredible, but feeling her desperation as she milked his shaft was an entirely different level of bliss. Keeping their movements synchronized, he thrust into her with increasing force.

Their pace steadily hastened, a hushed Plap Plap Plap of their colliding bodies filled the air, and their passion soared. He’d craved this for as long as he could remember, to have taken the path he hadn’t as a colt, and to finally attain it drove him wild. His self-restraint buckled, beaten into submission by his maddening desires.

“On your belly,” he quietly but firmly demanded.

She’d said and done things she hadn’t before, yet the divergence didn’t stay his hoof - it anything, it compelled him. Clumsily unsheathing herself from him, she rolled onto her stomach and lifted her hips. He pushed himself up in pursuit, straddling her thighs and guiding his cock-head to her winking, drooling entrance.

As soon as he was in position, he started fucking her. Her wings fidgeted listlessly against his chest, she arched her back, and she groaned with every plunge of his stallionhood. She wanted this as much as he had, yet neither of them had acted on their feelings for one another - he was certain of it. Burying his nose in her mane, he set his jaw and lost himself to his rapture.

Like a taste of Tartarus and Heaven itself, she was everything he could have wished for in a mate. As he pounded her from above, relishing the sensation of her feebly trying to keep up with him, his stamina slowly faded. There was only so much pleasure a stallion could withstand, and his threshold was quickly approaching.

His zeal overtook hers in no more than a hoofful of seconds, although those seconds lasted for what felt like a small eternity. He was bigger than her, stronger than her, and older than her, so it came as no surprise that he could best her in a match of sexual might - even so, the fact that she continued giving him her all was electrifying. Hearing her pitch raise slightly, he pulled back and shifted his focus to her face.

“B…big bro,” she gasped, shaking like a leaf, “I…I’m g…gonna…”

Changing the angle of his thrusts, he ground his medial ring against her g-spot and cast her over the edge. Her wail of ecstasy and the deluge of nectar from her spasming depths was rewarding to a fault, gratifying him in a way that shouldn’t have been possible, but it came with a price. Having held himself back, if for no other reason than to deliver her to the gates of nirvana, he was undone when she came.

He shot forward and locked lips with her, clumsily kissing her as his climax struck. His seed mingled with her essence, a testament to their love for one another, while he filled her. The release was, in a word, perfect and it connected him to her on a level that transcended the physical - regrettably, it was a portent of cataclysm.

As his raw, bestial pleasure faded, his higher functions returned with a vengeance. All his doubts and apprehensions, the things that had prevented him from crossing the line with her, came surging back with a vengeance. He threw himself back, hauling his slickened endowment from her and painting her rear with the final shots of his load, and went wide-eyed.

Peeking back at him, she chuckled and invitingly wiggled her tush. “Looks like you made a mess, big bro…”

Try as he might, he couldn’t find his voice. A hellish combination of disgust and loathing welled up with, looming like a storm on the horizon, and it was all he could do not to look away from her. She rose and languidly wheeled around to face him, keeping her eyes on his drooping, cum-slathered length.

“Here,” she began, inching over to him, “let me clean you up, big b-”

“No,” he cut her off. “No. I…I think that’s enough for now…”

Her eyes shot to his face as she came to a halt. “Is…is everything ok?”

“I…yeah,” he lied through his teeth. “I’m fine. How about you go get cleaned up.”

She hesitated, staring up at him for several long, tense seconds before she stood and stepped off the bed. Following her with his eyes, struggling to control his breathing, he waited until she’d disappeared into the bathroom before sinking to his haunches and punching the mattress. He was no better than a junkie, letting his compulsions dictate his actions, although it hadn’t fully sunk in until now.

Doing anything even remotely raunchy with Vise, the real Vise, would ruin his relationship with her, yet he kept calling on Měi to sate his contemptible perversions. As he glared at the bathroom door, imagining the changeling washing his jizz off herself, his lip curled in revulsion. He wasn’t angry at her, she was just doing her job, he was angry and sickened by himself.

Given perilously little time to collect and recenter himself,

It wasn’t long before Měi reappeared, slowly trotting out in her natural, unaltered form. “Would you like me to leave?”

“Yes,” he replied without thinking. He only understood what he’d said after he’d said it, throwing out and waving a forehoof at her. “No. No, you don’t have to go.”

Crossing to him, she reached over and rested a forehoof on his shoulder. “Forgive me for asking again, but are you alright?”

He nodded, even though he wasn’t. “Just a little tired, that’s all.”

Holding his gaze as he looked up at her, she withdrew her hoof. “If you insist,” she sighed, sitting down opposite of him. “As for your question from earlier, I do what I do for a number of reasons. The money is good, I get to meet all kinds of different creatures, and I never have to worry about going hungry.”

Surprised by how candid she was, he quirked a brow at her. “Isn’t it hard though? Seeing different creatures from day to day, not knowing when you’ll be called on, having to deal with all sorts of different - uh - requests - it can’t be that easy…”

“It’s not that dissimilar to most jobs,” she sighed, sitting down opposite of him. “There are good days and bad days, some customers are more difficult than others, and there are certain risks involved with my line of work. It takes a special type of creature to become a callmare, and there are a good number who only do it temporarily, but I’ve been told I have a gift for it.”

“Have you ever thought about quitting?” he inquired.

“I won’t be able to do this forever, so there will come a time when I eventually give it up,” she faintly answered, peering at the curtained window at the side of the room.

He opened his mouth, instantly closed it, then shook his head and lifted a hoof. “Sorry for being a chatterbox, but I do have one more question. If there was one thing that could make you consider changing careers, what would it be?”

“Ah ah,” she tutted, calling upon her magic to levitate her pipe over to herself. “You first. Tell me, what is it you want most in life?”

Thrown off by the profound question, he rubbed his chin and stared up at the ceiling. “This may sound vague, but I just want to be happy - you know, have a stable life, a special somepony to come home to, and as few things stressing me out as possible.”

Lighting and taking a draw from her pipe, having packed the bowl with the exotic weed, she held the smoke in her muzzle for a few moments then exhaled through her nose. “Frankly, if I was going to quit, it would be if I found somepony who cares for me - genuinely cares for me. A great many Johns talk a good game, wooing some of us mares over with honeyed words and gifts, but they just want us for our bodies. Some mares, particularly the younger, more naive ones in my profession are unable to see through deceit, which is one of the reasons why I chose to stay the way I am.”

“Oh?” he quipped.

“Intent, be it good, ill, or otherwise, has a flavor that’s easier to detect without having reformed,” she explained. “We are deceivers, we spent our lives feeding and misleading creatures of every sort before the old Queens were toppled, so we can sense subterfuge much more easily than most.”

Her assertion, while fascinating, left him with a chill. If she was as good at detecting falseness as she claimed, he’d have to be careful around her - very careful around her. Getting to his hooves as glanced over at his clock and stood, he trotted over to his dresser and the coin purse resting atop it. Chatting with her, while pleasant, wasn’t going to compensate her for her services.

“Darn it,” he cursed. “You couldn’t break a twenty-bit piece, could you?”

“No, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned if you’re a little short,” she chuckled, trotting up and pressing her body to his side. Levitating a small stack of coins from his forehoof, she guided her payment to and into her bag. “I’m only going to ask this one more time before I leave ~ are you certain you’re alright?”

“I…no. No I’m not,” he reluctantly admitted, “but I will be. Thank you for asking.”

She gave a faint smile and bowed before turning to the door. “And thank you for finally being forthright. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll see myself out.”

“Alright,” he murmured, willing himself to smile.

Wandering out of his room and into the hallway just outside, she paused and peeked back at him. “Torque.”

“Y…yeah?” he shot back.

“You may have left something out in your bathroom - something you shouldn’t have,” she purred, disappearing.

Holding his breath and listening to her retreating hooffalls, he waited until hearing her leave his apartment before charging into his bathroom. He was unsure of what she was referring to, yet his intuition told him it couldn’t be good. Frantically scanning the small chamber, he scoured the tub, shower, toilet, and sink, until his eyes settled on something that made a pit form in his stomach. Resting over the lip of his laundry hamper was the pliable, turquoise material of Hope Hurricane’s suit - his suit…

Issue 1.5

Hearing heavy, unmistakable hooffalls approaching from behind her, Vise smiled and slid to one side of the bench she sat upon. The sun was shining, the temperature was pleasantly warm, and nearly everypony she’d passed that morning had a smile on their face, yet those things, while each enjoyable in their own right, weren’t the root of why she was in such a good mood. As she turned her head and looked over to the titanic stallion easing himself down beside her, the corners of her lips turned up.

“Didn’t figure you for a mint chocolate chip type of mare,” Swift hummed, offering her a heaping cone of ice cream.

It was still sort of strange to see him out of his crimson suit, having grown used to being around him when he was playing the part of his evil alter ego, although his sheer size and the kindness in his sapphire eyes were a dead giveaway that he was none other than Blister Wing, nefarious ne’er-do-well and second in command to Burner Visor. Forcing herself to look away from his face, she took the frozen treat from his magical grasp. Being out with him in public warmed the depths of her heart for a number of reasons, not the least of which being he trusted her to keep his identity under wraps.

Licking at her ice cream, she nodded over to the cone he held in his forehoof. “Chocolate?”

“Coffee,” he noted with a smirk. Turning his eyes down to the sidewalk, he sighed. “Sorry we can’t do this more often.”

“It’s fine,” she murmured, snuggling up to his side. “I’m guessing things have been busy at the base?”

He nodded and glanced over at her as the faintest trace of a smile returned to his adonic features. “Something like that. You may not realize it, but your presence created quite the little stir. Aco-Lights, particularly Stinger, are always asking about you, and things just don’t feel the same - so much so that Burner has decided to call in some extra help to assist with productivity.”

“Like somepony to boost morale?” she quipped.

Shaking his head, he mirthlessly laughed. “Not quite. Her specialty lies with less friendly means of motivation. I hope I’m wrong, but she doesn’t appear to have changed much over the years, and I was hoping I’d seen the last of her when she’d sought employment elsewhere.”

Vise scrunched her snout and knit her brow in thought. “I could always come back and try to -”

“No,” he cut her off. “As much as I and a great many of my subordinates would appreciate more of your company, that would only complicate matters. So - uh - how have you been doing?”

Realizing the clumsy transition and his awkward grin meant he was trying to change the subject, she let the matter lie. “I’ve been doing alright - you know, staying busy in the shop and whatnot.”

“And your brother?” he pressed.

“He’s…” she went quiet and chose her words carefully before continuing to speak. “He’s doing ok. Honestly, he’s been acting weird lately.”

Peaking a brow, he cocked his head. “I suppose that’s understandable, seeing as how you were essentially kidnapped and were missing for some time. I’m assuming he’s been extra clingy?”

“Actually it’s the opposite,” she muttered. “He’s been less talkative and more distant than ever. At first I thought he was feeling guilty about what happened to me, but it’s almost like he’s been trying to avoid me.”

She didn’t mind talking about her sibling with him, but he wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. The irony was palpable - her brother was an upcoming hero, while her newfound coltfriend was on the most wanted list of criminals for the entire eastern seaboard. While she didn’t enjoy concealing anything from anypony, especially if it involved outright lying, it was for everypony’s good that she kept certain details in confidence between the two.

“Hmmm,” Swift hummed, absentmindedly lifting his cone of ice cream up to his face. “You don’t think he’s doing anything nefarious ~ do you?”

She turned and glowered up at him only to be greeted by his impish expression. “Come on,” she laughed, “there isn’t a bad bone in his body!”

“Coming from the mare who knows all about having bad bones in them, I’m sure you’d - Yeowch!” he squawked as she elbowed his ribs.

“Swift!” she bleated, feeling blood rush to her face.

She wanted to be mad at his scandalous remark, though it took an extreme exertion of will not to start giggling like a school filly. Under his gruff exterior, past the scars and imposing veneer, beat the heart of a good pony, a truly good pony, and she felt like the bond between them grew every time they were together. Seeing a streak of ice cream on his face, she motioned him closer.

Leaning over to her while theatrically clutching his side, he winced. “Please don’t give - Nnnph - me a black eye. I may not be the most handsome stallion, but I’d like to -”

Licking a dab of sweetened cream from his cheek, she silenced him. Despite his intimidating physique and all the incredible power he wielded, he froze. His reaction to such a small show of affection was adorable and amusing in equal measure, but it bore an unintended consequence. Peering into his big, beautiful eyes, she shifted and gave him a fleeting kiss on the lips.

He blinked as she withdrew and went back to savoring her treat like nothing had happened. “And that was for…?”

“Two things.” she began. “One was to remind you that you’re not as big and bad as you think you are.”

Waiting a fruitless moment for her to continue, he pursed his lips. “And the second?”

“The second is because this mint chocolate chip isn’t as sweet as you are,” she whispered, winking over at him.

As he shook his head, his snicker grew into a laugh - a laugh that she swiftly mirrored. She really would have liked to spend more time with him, if only because he was the first pony to make her feel so special. He liked her for more than her looks, unlike a great many stallions she’d met in the past, and the only crime he’d committed against her was stealing her heart.

Blushing more heavily than he may have realized, he rubbed the back of his neck. “W…well I hope things do work out with your brother. I’m sure that whatever’s going on with him will pass.”

Pressing herself against him, she closed her eyes. It would have been impossible for her to say if she could ever convince him to turn over a new leaf, to forsake his life of wrongdoing, though that concern was overshadowed by the thought of Torque. She really couldn’t say what was going on with her brother, but she hoped that Swift was right about him returning to his normal, upbeat self…

Issue 2

Trotting out of the grocery store and into the noonday sun, Měi paused to slip the sunglasses from her brow down over her eyes. She preferred to go out at night, having had a nocturnal schedule from most of her life, though making the occasional exception to visit the bank, pay bills, or to get provisions was a necessary, albeit typically exhausting ordeal. While having her sleep cycle disrupted was a bit of a headache, there was another, far less pleasant reason she avoided going out in the light of day.

As she strolled down the sidewalk and came to a stop at an intersection, a sudden motion to her right caught her attention. Standing beside her, only a few paces away, was a young colt near what she presumed was his mother. Smiling and lifting a forehoof, knowing he may not have seen many, if any unreformed changelings before, she waved.

A timid smile graced his lips, as he peered over at her. “Hi…”

“Hello,” she tranquilly replied, dipping her head.

She shifted her gaze when the mare placed a forehoof on his shoulder and pulled him close. Even if the pony hadn’t been scowling, the stick of open contempt hung heavily in the air. Undeterred, ignoring the disdain which she’d grown numb to since becoming an adult, she opened her purse, reached inside, and pulled out a hard candy.

“Do you like apple,” she began, levitating a second sweet from her bag, “or peach?”

In a flash, before the colt could say a word, the mare pulled the young pony close. “Could you not speak to my son?”

“Would you like a piece yourself?” she countered, knowing full well that she was tempting fate.

Retaining her well-trained, pleasant demeanor, she offered one of the candies to the ill-tempered and overprotective mother. She’d lost track of how many ponies she’d met who were beholden to their prejudices, those too ignorant or closed-minded to give her and her unreformed kin a chance, but that wasn’t enough to sully her mood. It may have been inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but swaying the public about kind was a challenge she tackled whenever she was able.

“No,” the mare flatly declared, leering over at her. “Come on, honey, leave the bug alone.”

Watching the pair trot away, crossing the street and continuing onward, she nodded at the colt as he peeked back at her. “Take care, little one.”

She let the mare’s disgruntled grunt drift in one ear and out the other. There were unfortunately a great many ponies like the nag, ones who could taint the younger generations with their dogmatic beliefs, though that could change in time. There was no guarantee that fillies and colts, like the little stallion she’d just met paths with, would fall prey to their parent’s biases, so doing her part to ensure they grew into tolerant adults was the least she could do. Looking to her left and right, checking the road, she trotted through the intersection and returned the candies into her purse.

Aside from the mildly disheartening interaction she’d just had, she was actually in decent spirits. She wasn’t on call for the next three nights, giving her the entire weekend to herself, and she was looking forward to the time off. Since her profession kept her on her hooves and gave her plenty of excitement, never knowing exactly what her customers’ interests were, she liked to relax by tending to her herb garden, reading, and occasionally submitting articles to Playmare.

She wandered to one side of the sidewalk and nodded to a pair of royal guards out on patrol as she continued onward. Contrary to what many would think, the life of a callmare wasn’t all that interesting - sure, things were different when she was on the clock, but she wasn’t much different from anypony else. As her mind drifted to what she’d make for dinner, torn between the options of pan noodles and stir-fry, her ears swiveled back.

“Hey,” somepony huffed behind her.

Slowing and glancing over her shoulder, she slowed to a halt. The guards she’d just passed, a pair of stallions out on patrol, had turned and were trotting after her. It was only from years of practice that she was able to keep herself from frowning. She may not have known what they wanted or why they were trying to stop her, but her instincts told her it wasn’t for anything good.

She languidly faced them and nodded to them each in turn, realizing that ignoring them would do her no good. “Afternoon, officers.”

Clad in their armor and looking none too friendly, the pair approached her. Like many of the larger cities in Equestria, Maretropolis had a large contingent of officers to keep the peace. Since masked heroes couldn’t be everywhere at once, and often had their hooves full dealing with larger problems or villains, guards were left to handle lesser crimes or issues.

“Got your ID?” one of the centurions asked, looking her up and down.

“Of course,” she paused, squinting at his badge, “officer Crisp.”

Opening her purse, she reached for her wallet. This wasn’t the first time she’d been stopped for no reason at all, and she’d bet her bottom bit that it wouldn’t be the last. As sad as it was to say, changelings, at least the ones like her, were easily mistaken for one another by most species.

She made no quick moves as she lifted and presented her identification. “Here you are, sir.”

While Crip took the proffered card from her hoof, she took a moment to study the duo. Neither officer seemed to be in the best of moods, leading her to believe they were searching for somepony - then again, given some of her past experiences with guards, they may have just been bored. Biding her time and maintaining her cheerful facade, she looked to the second officer.

“Jazz,” she remarked, inspecting his uniform. “Is that from the apple or the type of music?”

Outright ignoring her, he took her ID from his coworker, turned it over in his hoof, and grimaced. “This doesn’t seem legit.”

A knot formed in her gut, though she made a concerted effort to show no sign of it. “How so? I assure you, it’s from the -”

“What’s in the bag?” Crisp cut her off.

She peaked a brow and regarded her groceries. “Rice, carrots, an onion, some bouillon, and -”

“Your purse,” Jazz interrupted. “He meant your purse.”

“Have a look for yourself,” she politely insisted, lifting the shoulder strap over her head and offering her handbag to them. “Before you ask about it, there’s a tin of spiced herbs in there.”

Slowly exhaling, she shifted her weight and seated herself on the ground. Whatever they wanted, regardless of what they were hunting for, she didn’t have anything to worry about - at least she told herself she didn’t have anything to worry about. She hoped - prayed she was wrong, but she was beginning to think that the two stallions didn’t have her or the common ponies’ interests at heart.

Crisp practically tore the purse from her grasp and began rifling through it with no regard for her things. While he may not have said anything incriminating to her, his actions belied his true intentions. His tone, demeanor, and total lack of respect all told her what he was too cowardly to put to words - he was trying to find a problem with her.

Waiting until his expression hardened, she softly cleared her throat. “Is there a problem?”

Crisp thrust the bag at her as though it were anathema. “Where’s your real ID, bug?”

And there it was. Most ponies weren’t callous enough to use the slur openly, if at all, yet he’d done so to her face. The front of geniality she worked so hard to preserve throughout the encounter faltered. She really didn’t mind most guards - heck, she’d entertained a fair number throughout the years, but she’d rather deal with a legitimate criminal than a bully wearing a badge.

“Like I said, that is my ID,” she asserted, nodding to the card in Jazz’ hoof. “If you feel like there may be some problem with it, you can always check with the town hall.”

Glowering, Jazz reached back, placed his forehoof on the handle of his baton, and dropped her ID to the ground. “Don’t get smart with us.”

She wanted - sweet Chrysalis, she wanted to tell him that she was apparently the only smart creature amongst the three of them, but she bit her tongue. “Of course not, officers. All I’m saying is that I am who I say I am.”

“Right,” Crisp murmured as his eyes drifted down to her teats. “If that’s true, you won’t mind coming down to the substation with us to be sure.”

“Listen, my apartment is two blocks down the road,” she sighed, pointing in the direction she had been headed. “If you let me go drop my groceries off, I’d be happy to -”

“To sneak off and give us the slip?” Jazz quipped. “Nah, you ain’t getting away that easy.”

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she hung her head. “Fine, since you insist.”

It wasn’t like she had much choice in the matter. If she resisted or gave them too much flak, she’d make herself look suspicious - that being said, the flagrant harassment was testing her patience. She wouldn’t have minded if they’d been polite and explained themselves, telling her that she fit the description of somepony who’d done something wrong, but that wasn’t the case.

Jazz smirked and nodded over to his partner before motioning to the side. “Get your stuff and follow us. Don’t worry, we’re not going far.”

She remained quiet as she took her purse, stored her effects, and adjusted her saddle bag. The small diversion, while unpleasant and completely unnecessary, wasn’t the worst thing in the world - nevertheless, she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t frustrating. With her purse slung around her neck, she noticed the pair had flanked her.

“This way,” Crisp grunted, trotting forward.

Keeping her mouth shut, trotted along with them. “I’m guessing you two have had a busy day?”

She doubted idle chatter would do her any good, but it may buy her a bit of time to figure out what they were up to. Even if she hadn’t been able to sense that something was wrong, she could tell that something was wrong with the stallions. They may have been in good physical health, but the malign air about them and the way they were conducting themselves was far from that of the many upstanding officers she’d met in the past.

Neither stallion said a word, staying silent and moving at a steady pace. The small slight was yet another mark against them, but it wasn’t until they strayed from the sidewalk and meandered into an alley that she was given a moment for pause. Being intimately familiar with the city, and particularly this part of town, she knew that there was no guard station in the direction they’d taken.

She stopped just outside the backstreet and steeled herself. There was only one reason they’d bring her somewhere secluded, and it didn’t involve anything even remotely virtuous. Waiting until she drew their attention, she scrunched her snout and took a step toward them.

“You could have done me the courtesy of telling me this was a shakedown,” she muttered.

“Did I ask for your opinion?” Jazz seethed.

“No, but opening with a complement or some flattery would have been a more pleasant way to get what you wanted,” she groaned.

Snorting and spitting to the ground, Crisp glared at her. “Since when do bug hookers care about sweet talk?”

She closed the gap between them and flashed her teeth. “We all do, sweetheart. Had you - hey!”

Quicker than she could react, Jazz reached out and unclipped her saddle bag. The food she’d just bought fell to the cold, dirty concrete beneath her hooves, darkening her already dour mood. It was one thing to be taken advantage of, but it was another to be treated like you were less than a pony.

“Spread ‘em,” Jazz intoned, circling her.

“Pretty sure she knows the deal,” Crisp laughed as he sidled directly in front of her. “I wouldn’t worry about the groceries, slut. After the meal I give you, you won’t -”

She blinked, unsure of what had just happened. One second the stallion was grinning down at her - the next he was gone. Turning her head, completely bewildered, she spotted the officer slumped against the wall. A flash of blue and gust of blue and gust of wind caused her to reflexively shield her eyes when something zipped past her at unimaginable speed.

A colorful blur whizzed by the second guard, slid beneath a wild swing of the centurion's baton, and reversed course and accelerated away. The stallion was as shaken as she was, putting his back to the wall while looking around in a panic, but all the adrenaline in the world wouldn’t have been enough to save him. Like his corrupt companion, he was sent flying and slammed through a stack of wooden pallets by the mysterious force.

As she looked between the incapacitated guards, her ears were greeted by an eerie, preternatural silence. Her dismay and anger at the two immoral guards was gone in an instant and replaced by dismay. A part of her was relieved that she wouldn’t have to live with the indignity of what had nearly transpired, though any comfort she would have felt was overshadowed by fear that she may be soon joining the incapacitated stallions.

The sound of something moving at the end of the alley sent a cold chill up her spine. Whoever or whatever had just taken out the officers may not have done so to save her - in fact, it may have had its eyes on her all along. She’d managed to avoid the city’s overpowered evildoers over the years, barring one instance when she saw one at a distance, but that could change at any moment.

Lifting her gaze, she spotted a figure backlit by the street some two-dozen yards away. Clad in a cyan bodysuit, a stallion peered over at her with emerald eyes. She had no doubt that she was looking at a hero, taking into account everything that had just transpired, yet something gnawed at her - something she couldn’t put her hoof on. As she stared over at him and met his eyes, her jaw went slack.

He gave her no time to speak, disappearing instantaneously and leaving her to her lonesome. Ordinarily speaking, tracking down a hero would be like finding a needle in a haystack, not for the least of which reasons being they kept their identities a well-guarded secret, but this instance was extraordinary in a number of ways. Not only did she recall the crusader’s name, recalling he went by Hope Hurricane, but she knew who he really was.

Levitating and clasping her saddle bag around her chest, she hurriedly gathered her groceries, wheeled around, and strutted out of the backstreet with a smile on her face. Any other mare would have fruitlessly rushed after their savior, but she saw no point in doing that. Hope was leagues faster than she could ever be, regardless of what she transformed herself into, and she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself.

It only took her a few minutes to get home, put away the food she’d purchased, and freshen herself up. It wasn’t like she’d planned on making another outing so quickly, but the unique circumstances practically demanded making a second excursion. After checking the time while she trotted out and locked up behind herself, she set off to confront her rescuer.

Her trip went swiftly and without incident, going unbothered by anypony and without the weight of groceries on her back, bringing her to her destination when the sun had only just started to dip toward the horizon. It was a bit of a gamble to spontaneously go to see him, since she wasn’t sure if he was in, but it was worth the small risk. She stopped at his door and knocked without hesitation.

“Torque?” she called.

Though it was faint, she could hear movement from inside. Somepony was home, she was certain of that, and her hunch told her exactly who it was. She gave a second, louder series of knocks, keeping her hooves crossed that he’d answer the door - sadly, she was given no reply. While she abstained from using her abilities for unscrupulous purposes, he gave her no choice.

Violet fire consumed her as she put her powers to work. She was used to altering her figure to suit her clients’ tastes, slimming herself down or padding out various parts of her person before a date, yet the transformation she enacted was far from the norm. Her perspective shifted as soon as had completed, leaving the world around her to appear utterly gargantuan in size.

She extended her wings, took to the air, and flitted beneath the door. There was nothing particularly glamorous about changing into a housefly, but it allowed her to be a literal fly on the wall if the need arose. Soaring through the apartment and seeing no sign of Torque, she flew into his bedroom.

As she’d suspected, he was home, though it was immediately apparent that something was amiss. Seated on the edge of his bed, still wearing his suit, he hung his head and stared blankly down at the floor. Landing on his dresser, she went motionless. A miasma of woe and contempt radiated from him, striking her like a gong.

Though she wouldn’t normally intrude on a customer, Torque was a special case. The stallion was kind, treated her well, and was quite handsome - on top of that, he was an actual hero. She tried not to grow attached to clients, but she wouldn’t deny that there was something about him that resonated with her.

Looking over to his window, she was graced with an idea. While he may not have been willing to go to the door, obviously not wanting to be bothered, he’d be hard-pressed to ignore a changeling knocking at his window. Sailing out the way she came, she seamlessly shifted into a hawk after leaving his flat. No matter what was wrong with him, some tea and a snack should help lift his spirits.

As luck would have it, there was a cafe just down the street that she’d been to multiple times in the past - of course it helped that she’d serviced the owner several times before, shortly after he’d gone through a particularly rough divorce, though that worked in her favor. With a wink, smile, and just a few honeyed words, she got her small order on the house and was back on her way to Torque’s place.

She stopped just outside of his building, turned her gaze upward, and started counting the windows. Third floor, east side, second from the corner - that’s where he’d be. Opening her elytra and extending her wings, she flew up and to his window. Now that she’d seen the state he was in, her determination to speak with him was set.

As she hovered outside his window, her eyes scanned the gloomy, dimly lit room and settled upon him. He hadn’t budged over the few minutes she’d been gone, compounding her concern by an order of measure. Donning her most becoming smile, she rapped on the window with a free hoof and held her breath.

Only turning his head just enough to glance at her, he made no move to greet her. There was no shock or dismay, he didn’t jump up and demand to know why she was there, and he didn’t even try to hide his outfit - he just silently peered at her with a single eye, broken and completely still as she employed her magic to unlock and open the window. Carefully holding the carrying tray of tea and a bag with two orange scones, she crept inside.

“First of all, thank you for earlier,” she noted once she’d set the food and drink down.

He grunted and looked away, barely paying her any mind. “Don’t mention it…”

Trotting over to him, she gingerly placed a forehoof on his shoulder and unintentionally made him start. “I most certainly am going to mention it. Torque, you’re a good stallion and -”

“You should leave,” he whispered.

“Why?” she softly questioned. “If this is a bad time, I could -”

“Because I can’t keep doing this!” he barked, slapping her hoof away and bolting whipping around to face her. “Do you have any idea - any idea how bucked up this is?!?”

She went rigid, taken aback by his outburst. “I won’t breathe a word to anypony about you, I swear by the Great Mother.”

Hopping to the floor, he stomped his hoof and splintered the wooden floor. “Great, just bucking wonderful! So the whore I’ve been plowing, the one I’ve been paying to disguise herself as my sister, says she’ll keep my secret! Gee - thank you so much.”

Weathering the hurtful comments, she fought the urge to snap at him. He was clearly distraught and in the midst of some sort of crisis, yet his eruption ran contrary to his actions. The entire reason she was there was because he’d saved her from a degrading fate - as such, she wasn’t going to turn her back on him that easily.

“Talk,” she calmly but sternly demanded, drawing his baleful gaze. “Unless you’ve come clean to Vise or some of your friends, you need to get something off your chest.”

“Buck you,” he fumed.

“You have and I wouldn’t be surprised if you did so again in the future,” she breathed. “Torque, I’m not here for business - I’m here because I’m worried about you.”

Storming over to her, he kicked the take-away cups of tea with such force that they exploded. “Why? I didn’t ask you to come here! I didn’t want you to come and thank me! Just go back home and forget this ever happened - oh and don’t expect any more calls from me. We’re through…”

“And I didn’t ask you to stalk me,” she stated. He froze and his eyes widened, giving her an opening she was more than willing to exploit. “The chances of you simply stumbling on me in that alley were slim - so slim that I doubt it was a mere coincidence.”

Tensed muscles, set jaw, and intimidating aura notwithstanding, something within him shifted. She’d struck a blow, one he apparently hadn’t expected, and managed to turn the tables on him. Nopony save a changeling could know what she’d done, being only able to see his incensed state, yet the wild, wrathful energy he discharged diminished ever so slightly.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she urged, inching closer to him. “Talk to me, Torque, please…”

The unbridled fire of his rage died, drowned out by a tsunami of sorrow. Sinking to his haunches, he tore off his mask and cast it to the side. She’d successfully dealt with one issue, the enraged hero who’d been on the verge of what could be a catastrophic breakdown, but the more pressing problem still remained. Crossing to him, she summoned her courage and embraced him.

To her astonishment, he buried his face in her neck and shuddered - no, not just shuddered, he quietly sobbed. She didn’t say a thing, mutely stroking his back and doing what she could to comfort him. He may have had powers that defied explanation, the strength to crush stone and the speed of a bullet train, but he was just a pony.

“It’s ok,” she faintly uttered. “Whatever’s wrong, it’s ok…”

“No…” he choked out, refusing to look up at her. “No it’s not…”

Withdrawing and bringing a hoof under his chin, she smiled. “It is - if it’s not, it will be. You’re a good stallion, Torque, and you’ve got a bright, happy future in front of you.”

“How?” he pleaded with tears streaming down his face. “J…just look at me. I knocked out two guards, I can’t stop fantasizing about Vise, and my life is coming apart at the seams.”

She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the crown as she pulled him to her bosom. “If you were truly a bad pony, none of that would bother you. Nopony has complete control over how they feel, everypony looks up to you, and you’ve done far, far more good than harm - not to mention you rescued me. There isn’t a soul on the planet that’s flawless, though you shine more brilliantly than most.”

Gently pushing her away, he wiped his nose and sniffled. “I’m s…sorry…”

“Hush,” she faintly tittered. “Really, you don’t need to apologize to me.”

He gradually composed himself, coming to his senses as his rampant, chaotic emotions waned. She’d meant everything she told him, whether he believed it or not, and she was happy that she’d been able to talk him down - however there was much to do. His reprieve was finite, a temporary clarity to the maelstrom that was raging within him, and it did nothing to address his inner demons.

Trotting to his nightstand and momentarily peering at the photo of Vise he kept by his bed, she snatched up a hoofful of tissues and returned to him. “You said you won’t be seeing me after this?”

“I…I don’t know,” he despondently responded, looking utterly defeated. “You’re a sweet mare, but your services are only making things worse. The more I do things with you, the harder it is for me to do anything. I keep thinking of Vise, but I can’t talk to her without thinking about…”

“About your true feelings for her,” she concluded.

He nodded and weakly shrugged his shoulders. “Pretty much. I love her, Měi - I love her as a sister and I lust for her more than I have for anypony. If she finds out what I’ve done, I’ll lose her…”

With a heavy sigh, she lowered her head. “You may. While I may not know her, such a revelation would tarnish the relationship between most siblings.”

“I just - Guh!” he groaned, shaking his head while rubbing one temple. “What am I supposed to do?”

She’d understood that it may come to this, that there was a chance he may seek her council, though she wasn’t sure if she was up to the task. Taking him by the forehoof, she stepped back and pulled him up. He’d opened up to her and had asked for her help, but there was one thing she required before she would dare assist with tackling his problems - time.

“What you’re going to do is take a shower, change out of your costume, and then help me clean up this mess,” she instructed, waving down at the tea splashed across the floor and over his bed. “Once you and your room are tidied up, I’d like to discuss a possible solution to your woes.”

“R…really?” he stammered.

The hint of hope wafting off him was ambrosial, yet the aftertaste of her lie sat acridly on her tongue. She wasn’t a therapist, nor was she some nigh-omnipotent sorcerer, and she couldn’t snap her hooves to make all his troubles disappear - even so, she wasn’t going to leave him to the wolves. Nodding and grinning, she trotted to his side and ushered him to the bathroom.

“Really,” she affirmed, immeasurably thankful he couldn’t detect her deceit. “Go on. I’ll strip your bed and put the linens in the wash.”

Spinning in place, he ensnared her in a hug. “Thank you…”

She locked up, overwhelmed by the warmth and sincerity of his words. To her mercy, he released her, bashfully smiled, and scampered into the restroom. Shows of affection were nothing new for her - for goodness’ sake, she’d gotten more than she could count over the years, yet the light of his gratitude was almost blinding. She may have been a whore, a pariah to many, but he genuinely needed her.

Listening to the shower start to run, she gazed at the closed door of the bathroom and was overcome with melancholy. She should have been pleased, joyful that she’d snatched him from the jaws of a breakdown, though a gloom hung heavy over her. For all the things she had to be proud of, an apartment of her own and the means with which to get by, she had desires that had gone unfulfilled.

Ironically enough, most of her brothers and sisters would have been envious of her. She never went without, each day was a banquet, and she lived better than most, yet she felt empty. Every day - every single day, she saw families and couples while she was out and about, cheerful little relationships that touched her, and it cultivated a longing within her. Maybe she’d grown jaded in her age, or perhaps she’d spent too long away amongst ponies - whatever the case may be, she yearned to find love - true love.

The passion her clients afforded her sustained her in more ways than one, though it was ephemeral. Once the bits had been paid and her services rendered, that was it - an end that was abrupt and, while sating her in a bodily and monetary sense, was unrewarding. Outside of a very small number of friends, and excluding her customers, she had nopony for support.

As she gathered up the dampened blankets and sheets from the bed, having used the covers to mop up what tea there was on the floor, her mind went to work. While she couldn’t dictate how she felt at any given time, she could fixate on the task at hoof - in that regard, she fixated on Torque’s dilemma. He’d be out of the shower before long, and she was sure he was ready for her to magically solve his problems, so she needed to think of something.

The good news was that he took his sweet time washing himself, giving her a chance to think - the bad news was that the conclusion she came to was bittersweet and wasn’t necessarily foolproof. With the linens in the wash, she checked his kitchen cupboards and begrudgingly started a pot of coffee. The java finished just as Torque reappeared, trotting in while drying his mane with a towel.

“I thought I smelled coffee,” he laughed.

“I would suggest you get tea for my visits,” she halfheartedly grumbled while turning toward her, “but that won’t be necessary after today.”

With his mirth fading, he cast his eyes to the floor. “About that - look, I didn’t mean what I said.”

“No, I believe you were on to something,” she tutted. Removing her purse and placing it on the counter, she removed her pipe and cocktail of herbs. “May I?”

He crossed to her and dismissively waved a hoof. “Go ahead. What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t think you should see me anymore,” she serenely answered. “Each of our little meetings plunges the knife deeper and will only make things more difficult from here on out. For the sake of your sanity and the love of your sister, you have to find a way to push past this.”

“But how though?” he moaned. “Trust me, it’s not as simple as flicking a switch or pressing a button.”

Packing and lifting the pipe to her lips, she ignited her horn. “I know that. You didn’t simply wake up in such a quandary, and you won’t be able to get yourself out of it at the drop of a hat - be that as it may, you’re not beyond redemption.”

He pursed his lips as she touched a sorcerous flame to the mixture of herbs. “And I’d do that by…?”

Drawing out the moment, she pulled sweet smoke into her muzzle, savored the numbing, buzzing sensation to wash over her tongue, and slowly exhaled. Heavy conversations, like the one she was wading into, were best done at a metered pace to prevent flared tempers or hurt feelings. As she peered at him through the pink plume, she willed the corners of her mouth upward.

“You try your hoof at dating, of course,” she purred.

“And where would I even start with that?” he lamented, throwing a hoof up in frustration. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for somepony like me to start dating?”

“A handsome, compassionate, young stallion as yourself should have mares practically flinging themselves at them - that is, unless you’re referring to our righteous pastime,” she giggled.

Looking down into the mug of coffee, he closed his eyes. “Yeah, that. The few heroes I know who are in relationships are either seeing another hero, been married for years, or both - sure, an ordinary pony - no offense.”

She shrugged and smiled all the wider when he peeked over at her. “None taken.”

“An ordinary pony doesn’t have much at stake when dating,” he explained. “I’d have to make sure I trusted a potential marefriend - like, really trusted them before I even considered telling them why I was occasionally rushing off for hours at a time.”

“It’s still far from an impossible endeavor,” she hummed. “I understand you’d have to tread lightly until somepony earned your confidence in such a regard, but that’s what dating is for. You don’t simply open yourself like a book and reveal all your secrets to anypony you’re just getting to know.”

Knitting his brow, he sighed. “Let’s say I did find a marefriend, one who either figured out who I was or that I was comfortable enough with to spill the beans to ~ what happens if things don’t work out and she starts running her mouth?”

She took another toke from her pipe before continuing. “Well the bay is quite large and deep in places. I’m sure nopony would find the body,” she cooed. Seeing and sensing his abject shock, her composure broke and she laughed. “That’s a joke, sweetheart. Seriously though, unless she stole your suit, there’s always plausible deniability. Anypony can say anything wild or scandalous - as long as there’s no proof, you wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“So I’m just supposed to go to a bar or something and start trying to pick up a mare?” he asked.

His naivete was adorable and a breath of fresh air in contrast to the gravitas of the discussion. “If that’s a route you decided to take, of course, though that’s one of many options. One can meet a prospective lover anywhere - moreover, there are venues that offer services for those seeking love.”

With the barest trace of a smile splitting his features, he cocked his head. “Like those speed dating things?”

“Those or blind dates, yes,” she confirmed. “The world’s your oyster, Torque, and there are plenty of mares who’d like -”

“You want to get some dinner?” he inquired.

His sudden question caught her off guard, though she wasn’t bothered. Considering he likely hadn’t been eating properly, what with all his stress and inner turmoil, she couldn’t blame him for being hungry. Slipping a forehoof into her purse and feeling around for her wallet, she chuckled.

“I suppose I could treat you to a meal,” she sarcastically whined. “With all the fine dining I’d had at your expense, it’s the least I could do.”

“I didn’t mean right now,” he clarified. “Maybe we could go out this Friday?”

Peaking a brow over at him, she grinned. “Like a date?”

“Not like a date - a date,” he whispered.

She’d heard him clearly, every word being simple and well enunciated, but she couldn’t for the life of her make sense of what he’d just said. “I…I beg your pardon?”

“A date,” he repeated with a blush creeping into his cheeks. “There’s this place I’ve been hearing about on the waterfront that we could - crap,” he coughed, looking over at a clock in his living room, “I gotta go. Do me a favor and lock up when you leave. See you Friday!”

Regaining all the speed he’d displayed in the alleyway hours prior, he rocketed into his room, back through the kitchen, and out of the door over the span of a few heartbeats. It was anypony’s guess as to why he’d left so swiftly, she hadn’t the slightest idea of where he’d gone, and he’d abandoned her in a bewildered, frankly stricken state - despite all that, his parting statement rang in her ears.

Surely - surely this was a joke. He couldn’t honestly intend to try to court her, the actual her ~ could he? Drawing from her pipe, failing to realize the embers had died, she blankly looked over at his untouched coffee. As she moved unthinkingly through his apartment, turning off the lights and coffee maker as she went, a single line - that single line ran on repeat through her mind.

‘See you Friday…’

Issue 2.5

Vise slowed and her smile faded as she spotted Swift. She was supposed to meet him at the park for a trot, some pony-watching, and simply to relax, but she could tell at a glance that something was amiss. Pacing by a bench and holding a phone to the side of his head, he scowled.

“That’s not necessary, I’ll - no, no you won’t,” he growled. “Grell, you are not in charge here ~ is that clear?”

Like a fly on the wall, she listened and slowly crept closer to him. She hadn’t the slightest clue about who he was talking to or what he was discussing, but she could immediately tell that he wasn’t in the best of moods. She made a point to alter her approach and come around the front of him, if only to silently let him know that she was there.

He bared his teeth and lowered the mobile just enough to grimace at the device. “If you have a problem with that, we can take it up with Burner when I get back. You may be valuable, but you will not undermine our operations or threaten our employees.”

Frowning, she nervously fidgeted just out of reach. She’d only seen him angry - legitimately angry on a hoofful of occasions, and she was thankful for it. While he was one of the biggest, sweetest stallions she’d ever met, moments like these reminded her of why so many ponies looked upon him with dread.

“There’s no such thing as inconsequential corporal punishment…” he huffed, glancing up and spotting his marefriend. His eyes widened and he started, flinching at the sight of her. “No I - no, we’ll continue this conversation later. Place the aforementioned Aco-Lights on cleaning duty until I return. I’ll be back shortly.”

Hanging up on whoever he was talking to, he levitated the phone into his saddle bag, hung his head, and groaned. Vise didn’t hesitate in the slightest as she trotted over, reared onto her hind legs, and wrapped her hooves around the back of his head. Whatever had happened, she was going to do her best to take his mind off it and maybe - just maybe offer a bit of insight.

She nuzzled her muzzle against his neck and held him close. “Long day?”

“That would be an understatement,” he muttered, “but it’s better now.”

Pulling back, she peered into his eyes. “And why’s that?”

“Why do you think?” he chuckled, leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek.

Her cheeks darkened and she giggled like a school filly, overjoyed that she’d managed to salvage his spirits. “Big softy.”

“You’re not the only one who holds that opinion,” he lamented.

“I’m guessing somepony thinks you’re not being a meanie more often?” she inquired, lowering herself onto all fours and backing away a hair.

Nodding, he pinched the bridge of his snout. “Grell, the help my brother decided to call upon, has a feather in her ass and is trying to use brute force and menace to rein in the underlings. I keep telling her that punishments should only be given sparingly, lest you breed contempt and derision amongst those you hold power over, but she won’t listen - she never listens.”

“Well I’m sure Burner values you over her,” she reassuringly stated while she rubbed his foreleg with her hoof. “You know what you’re doing, you clearly have a way with the Aco-Lights, and - shoot!”

He peaked a brow at her small outburst. “Is something wrong?”

“No - well, yes maybe,” she grumbled.

More confused than ever, he cocked his head and squinted. “No, yes, and maybe - which are we going to go with?”

“It’s nothing bad,” she clarified, pouting her lip up at him. “I actually have some good news I wanted to share with you.”

“Oh?” he chirped. “If it’s good news, I hardly see how that would have you out of sorts.”

“Well…” she began, twisting and innocently drawing her forehoof in a circle on the ground. “So you know how Torque has been acting weird right?”

Keeping his eyes on her, he nodded. “Yes. Has he been -”

“He wants to go on a double date with us,” she blurted. “And guess where he wants us all to go!”

As he closed his eyes, his expression fell flat. “Please don’t say he wants to go to -”

“The Broiler!” she exclaimed. Seeing his frown, she lifted a hoof and attempted to playfully shove his shoulder. “It wasn’t my idea!”

“Aside from the prospect of eating at a restaurant that’s one of the faces of my - Ahem - business, I’m glad your brother is doing better. He is doing better ~ isn’t he?” he quickly added.

“Oh yeah, tons,” she merrily answered. “I don’t know what happened or what he’s been going through, but it’s like he’s back to his old, chipper self - even better than that, he has a marefriend!”

Leaning toward her, he smirked. “And you want me to impress Torque and his newfound love interest at the Broiler ~ correct?”

“I mean, yeah,” she guffawed. “I can understand that you’re probably used to the food there, but it’s so good! Just please, please do this for me. You know how protective Torque is about me! This might be your best chance to win him over!”

A wolfish smirk split his muzzle while his eyes narrowed. “And what do I get in return for this? Procuring reservations, ensuring the finest quality of service, and I’m sure fitting the bill will - Mmmph?!”

She struck like lightning, grabbing his cheeks and giving him a deep, passionate kiss to silence him. He may have talked a good game, acting like he was bending over backwards for a night out, but she knew better than to let him fool her. Waiting until he contentedly hummed and went to slip a forehoof around her neck, she hastily withdrew.

“For starters, you’ll get more of that,” she tittered, winking up at him.

Wavering, trying and failing to maintain his stern demeanor, he rose to his full height. “That’s all?”

“Oh not even,” she noted. Trotting to his side and locking forelegs with him, she beamed. “If you play your cards right, I might just wear something fancy out - something that I know you’ll enjoy.”

It came as no surprise when he relented, smiling and shaking his head while he began trotting forward and to the hoofpath. “I suppose I could pull a few strings - by the way, who’s this marefriend of his?”

“No idea,” she flippantly responded. “He gets all flustered whenever he mentions her, blushing and acting all bashful, so I know she’s gotta be something special.”

Trotting along at her side, he leaned ever so slightly against her. “Well I guess we’ll both find out tomorrow…”

Issue 3

“Darn it,” Torque cursed under his breath while he charged down the sidewalk.

As he skirted pedestrians and traffic, recklessly rushing through intersections, his thoughts raced. If he hadn’t had to intervene and stop a mugging, having to change outfits before and after the inconvenient intervention, he would have been right on time - unfortunately for him, his heroics had cost him time and made him late. It was bad enough that he was already anxious as all get-out, uncomfortable in his dress vest and nervous to be going out on a date, but his tardiness only amplified his unease.

Rounding a corner and nearly running into a mailbox, he lifted his gaze and spotted the Broiler. Between the queue of would-be patrons and the neon signage, it would have been impossible for anypony to miss the restaurant from a distance, though arriving was only the first hurdle he had to overcome. Slowing as he approached, he scanned the small crowd of ponies lingering in front of the eatery.

“Torque,” a familiar voice shouted, making his ears perk up.

Looking over and spotting Měi seated on a bench by the door, he smiled, noticed whom was standing beside her, and instinctively grimaced. Swift Step, the stallion his sister was seeing, stood out like a sore thumb; taller and more heavily built than most, the titan turned and peered in his direction. He forced a smile and waved as he approached the mismatched pair, reminding himself that he had no real reason to be upset with the colossus.

“Sorry I’m late,” he sighed, brushing himself off.

Měi slid over and patted the empty space beside herself, smiling up at him all the while. “No need to apologize. Since we’re still waiting on Vise, there’s no harm.”

Turning his attention over to Swift, he extended a foreleg. “Swift.”

“Torque,” Swift rumbled, taking and shaking the proffered hoof. “I trust you’re doing well?”

“Aside from wearing this money suit, yeah,” he warily laughed, straightening his collar. Scanning the throng, he knit his brow. “You haven’t seen Vise?”

Shaking his head, Swift straightened up and peered over the queue of ponies. “I would say she got distracted by passing a bakery, but she knows we have a fine selection of desserts.”

“Wait,” he balked, squinting over at the unicorn. “We have a fine selection of desserts?”

“Indeed we do,” the titan mused. “Considering I’m the co-owner, I made sure of it.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know that - you know, since he’s seeing your sister,” Měi giggled. Undoubtedly seeing and sensing his tumultuous mixture of emotions, she reached out and stroked his foreleg. “Swift here was kind enough to ask me if I’d like some refreshment while I was waiting for you. Imagine my shock when we found out that we would be dining together.”

Torque felt like he should have said something, another apology perhaps, but he remained silent. It wasn’t implausible for the two to strike up a conversation and ultimately conclude that they were there for the same reason, yet the revelation that Swift was a proprietor of the establishment was a lot to take in. As loath as he was to admit it, Vise really had found herself a catch with the stallion.

Shaking the unicorn from his thoughts, he turned his mind to more pleasant matters. His eyes wandered back to Měi and all her natural splendor. Adorned in what appeared to be an azure oriental dress with gold trim, she was nothing short of stunning - so much so that he wasn’t the only one admiring her. Glancing over and seeing Swift’s gaze lingering on her bust, he smirked.

“Do you like it?” she inquired, peeking down at herself. “It’s called a Qipao.”

“And here I thought you couldn’t look better,” he chuckled, leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek.

“The dress suits you remarkably well,” Swift coolly noted. “If you’d be so kind as to give me who your tailor is, I’d -”

“H…here I am!” Vise bleated, barging through the crowd. “I got - Whew - oh jeez, I got caught up by this really nice stallion who was asking me for directions.”

Staring over at his sister, it was easy for Torque to see why somepony had stopped her. Clad in what he was sure was supposed to be a modest dress, Vise’s curvaceous physique was put on full display; her full hips, generous backside, and ample bosoms filling out their fabric confines, shifting and swaying while she fought to catch her breath. He could have gawked at her for hours, instantly reminded of just how bewitching her beauty and naivete could be, but the moment ended before it could begin.

Turning to face her, Swift tenderly lifted and kissed her forehoof. “In that stallion’s defense, I believe I’d find an excuse to speak with you myself - you know, if I was still single.”

His temper flared, his lip began to curl, and his hackles raised, hearing the giant speak to his sibling so comfortably. Nopony had given him a good reason to dislike Swift, and his sister had always been a good judge of character, but he couldn’t help but find the show of affection as an affront. Vise was an innocent soul, as sweet and carefree as anypony could get ~ what gave this big, burly bastard any right to treat her so -

“Ahem…” Měi softly coughed, tearing him from his darkening thoughts. As he looked over at her, she smiled and pressed herself to his side. “Don’t…”

The simple word struck a chord, resonating within him and defusing the ticking time bomb that was his ire. Anypony save for a changeling wouldn’t have noticed his distress - even then, without the context of why he’d be upset, they wouldn’t have understood why he was getting angry at what was essentially nothing. He slowly exhaled and let the rancor bleed away while holding her gaze.

“Thanks,” he murmured. “You really do look lovely tonight.”

“You’re one to talk,” she tittered, running a forehoof around his neck. “I knew you’d look nice all done up in a suit.”

He grinned, catching the subtle implication of her assertion. The midnight of her hide contrasted wondrously with the blue and gold she wore, yet it was her brilliant, mauve eyes that captivated him. With or without a disguise, she was an alluring creature and he was thankful for her in ways he struggled to express.

With a slight bit of green creeping into her face, she touched her cheek. “Is…is something on my face?”

“No,” he breathed as his face drifted closer to her, “you’re hard to keep my eyes off of.”

She tried and failed to conceal her blush, turning away while smiling from ear to pointed ear. “S…stop that.”

Embolden by her modesty, he snickered and rubbed his neck against her. “Only if you -”

“Oh wow!” Vise gasped, butting in and sundering the moment. “Torque, is this your marefriend?! She’s so pretty!”

“I - Cough,” he croaked, stepping back and waving between the two mares. “Vise, this is Měi. Měi, this is my sister, Vise.”

Collecting herself in a flash, Měi gave the pegasus a small bow. “I’ve heard good things about you, Vise. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Vise leapt forward and snared her in a hug, folding her wings around the changeling like they’d known one another for years. “It’s nice to meet you too! Anypony who’s willing to put up with my brother is a friend of mine - especially if they have him smiling like a goofball like that!” she laughed, nodding over to him.

“Come now, cut him some slack,” Swift hummed, coming up to his side and gently elbowing him. “Standing in front of such a lovely pair, any stallion worth his salt would find it difficult not to be slightly flustered.”

“Stoooooop,” Vise whined, batting at the unicorn’s chest with a wing. “You’re making it weird!”

“A unicorn, an earth pony, a pegasus, and a changeling walk into a bar,” Měi tittered. “Let’s hope this evening doesn’t serve as the basis for a joke at our expense at some point.”

Swift lifted a hoof and cleared his throat. “Correction, madam, two fine stallions and their lovely dates trot into a restaurant - true, we do have a bar, but this is hardly the strangest party I’ve seen dining at my establishment,” he remarked. “In any case, if you three are ready, I have a table waiting for us.”

As pleasantly as things had been going, recovering from what could have been an inglorious initial fumble or two, Torque saw no reason to wile away their time outside. “By all means, lead the way.”

He moved alongside Měi’s, waved to the door, and followed Swift and Vise inside. He’d heard that the Broiler was a nice place, upscale by all accounts, though he was stricken by just how posh the restaurant was. From what he could see, lingering in the foyer while his sister’s date chatted with the host, there were two cavernous dining areas, a full bar, and even a small stage at the back with a pianist. Already fearing the hit his wallet was going to take, he accompanied his party over to a table.

“Would water and a chef’s salad suit everypony?” Swift inquired, easing himself into one of the chairs.

Seating herself, Měi nodded. “Hot tea would be lovely.”

“And a coffee for me,” Vise added.

“Water’s fine for me, thanks,” Torque replied, taking his seat beside the date.

Vise eyed the server, ensuring the order was taken down before swinging his focus over to the lone earth pony. “We do have a number of -”

“So how did you two meet?” Vise interrupted, leaning over the table while beaming over at the couple.

“W…well,” Torque began, reflexively rubbing the back of his neck, “believe it or not, we sort of bumped into each other one day.”

There was no way in Tartarus he was going to spill the beans about how he really crossed paths with marefriend, so he could excuse himself for the small bending of truth. Both he and Měi had concluded that the inevitable question would be best met with a plausible, uninteresting answer. They met while getting groceries - nothing more, nothing less, and that’s the story they were going to stick to.

“Funny,” Swift noted. “It seems that lady luck smiled on both of us in that regard.”

Peaking a brow, Torque leaned back. “Bumped into her when you were out?”

“Close,” the unicorn muttered with a grin. “I was out getting coffee when fate dropped her into my lap.”

“Heh - yeah,” Vise laughed, sliding her chair closer to the colossus. “I guess you could say he ran off with me.”

The comment brought a pained look to the unicorn’s face, but Torque could forgive the small discomfort. If Vise was half as bubbly and affectionate with her oversized coltfriend as she was with everypony, he was going to have his hooves full. Feeling something caress his thigh, he looked over as Měi leaned against him.

“I could say the same about your brother, Vise,” Měi sighed. “He’s a charmer, make no mistake about that, but he asked me out to dinner a few days ago and then ran off. What if I’d said no?” she pouted, peeking up and winking at him.

“Torque, you didn’t!” Vise gasped.

“W…well - uh - y…you see,” he sputtered, unprepared for the playful accusation. “If you have to know, she gave me no choice.”

Softly laughing and rubbing her cheek on his shoulder, Měi closed her eyes. “Lies - lies and slander of the highest caliber. I would never pressure somepony into a date.”

“Ok ok ok,” Vise exclaimed, waving her wings and forelegs. “You two are too cute. Měi, whatever you’re doing with him -”

“Or to him,” Swift added. Earning himself a feathery slap on the shoulder, he halfheartedly grimaced. “What? Just look at how red - well, red or green they are!”

Looking across the table with her heavily-lidded eyes, Měi smirked. “Says the stallion who’s letting a mare half his size accost him with impunity.”

“I…” Swift trailed off, apparently taken off guard by the comment. “Touche…”

“Hah!” Vise whooped, thrusting a hoof over to the shapeshifter. “My mare! By the way, feel free to bully him if he’s asking for it - Celestia knows I need a little help keeping him in line.”

Swift quirked a brow over and down at the blithe pegasus then peered over at the changeling. “In all seriousness though, I do apologize if my banter unsettled you.”

“It’s quite alright. Growing up in a hive, you get used to ribbing,” Měi tranquilly responded.

“I can only imagine,” Swift grumbled, pinching the bridge of his snout. “With Maretropolis being as busy as it is, living in a hive must be quite busy.”

Unslinging and placing her purse on the floor beside her, Měi gave a little shrug. “It is, but most of my kind don’t mind it - after all, if that’s all you’ve ever known, you get used to the hustle and bustle. Honestly, there are days when I miss being around family.”

“Too true,” the unicorn rumbled. “After my parent’s passing, my brother is all the family I have left.”

“My condolences,” Měi breathed, dipping her head.

“It’s fine, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Swift stated. “Even if it’s just the two of us, we get along just fine.”

Staring over at the giant, Torque cocked his head. “Is he like you?”

Swift turned, his expression unreadable, and studied him for a moment. “In what way?”

“In…” Torque fell silent, realizing he may have just placed his hoof on a landmine.

Other than Swift’s immense size, there was something about him that wasn’t quite right. The broad build, height, and atypical facial structure were unusual for a unicorn, but it was the horn that stood out the most. Seemingly carved of ebony and with a slight, almost imperceptible curve, the bony protrusion caught Torque’s eye and led him to make the innocent, if not poorly timed question.

Pushing himself away from the table and slowly getting to his hooves, Swift locked eyes with him. “Do you take offense that there’s kirin in my blood?”

“What? No?!” he bleated, shaking his head and waving his forehooves. “I was -”

Swift chuckled, cutting him off, then burst into a fit of laughter. “I jest. Given that you’re open enough to date outside your species, I know you meant no offense. To answer your question, Charred, my brother, bears many of the same traits as I do.”

“But he got all the good looks,” Vise loudly whispered over at Měi, nodding her head over at her coltfriend.

With his cheeks darkening, Swift reseated himself. “So some would claim. If he was here, I’d call him out to introduce him - sadly, he’s off this evening.”

“Well pay him my regards,” Torque stated, still recovering from what could have been a very unfortunate turn of events. “And thank you - both of you for allowing us to dine here. I know this place stays busy.”

“Says the stallion who’s managing a shop on his lonesome,” the unicorn amusedly countered. “From what your sister has told me, your line of work can be challenging at times.”

“It can be, yeah,” he admitted, “but that’s part of the fun. You never know what’s going to roll in at any given time.”

“Ugh - don’t get me started,” Vise groaned. “Half the ponies who come in don’t know what they need.”

Měi closed her eyes and rubbed her temple at the remark. “Tell me about it. If you’re going to see an expert, trust the expert…”

Perking up in her chair, Vise shifted to face the drone. “Speaking from experience?”

“Yes and no. I may not have my hooves buried in machinery, but dealing with clients is something with which I’m all too familiar,” she softly lamented. “Don’t get me wrong, most are as sweet and accommodating as can be, but there are still those who try my patience.”

“Now I have to know. You are…?” Swift left the question to hang, studying the shapeshifter.

With a grace and smoothness that somehow belied and complemented what she did for a living, Měi proudly held a hoof to her chest. “I’m an entertainer.”

“Oooooooooh!” Vise gasped in awe. “So you’re a singer? No, wait, an actress?”

“Depending on the occasion, I can do either,” Měi giggled, cozying up against Torque.

Torque kissed her cheek and released a shuddering sigh of relief. She hadn’t mentioned how she’d respond to any discussion about how she made a living, but he should have realized she’d have the matter well in hoof. Quick witted, stunning, and with a forked, silver tongue, she was always a delight to be around, irrespective of what form she was in.

“Well I think that’s - Oh!” Vise chirped, leaning back as their server trotted to the tableside.

After ensuring everypony got their proper order, Swift looked to his guests. “Forgive me for not allowing you time to browse the menu. Far be it for me to make an order for you all, but the carbonara is, in my opinion, one of the finest dishes we have available,” he intoned. Being greeted with nods of approval, he motioned to the waiter. “Four orders of the house special.”

“And can we get some cheesy bread?” Vise excitedly asked.

“And two orders of grissini,” Swift added with a smile.

With their salads and beverages arrival, followed by the server’s departure, the quartet began to halfheartedly eat. Torque couldn’t speak for everypony seated, but he thought the salad was fantastic. The vinegar-based dressing, fresh croutons, and crisp vegetables were almost enough to bring their conversation to an end - almost.

The four continued to chat while they happily munched away, their discussion wandering from one topic to another as such aimless talks were wont to do, and everypony was in good spirits. While Torque had initially been apprehensive about the meeting, uncertain of how well he’d deal with his sister and her gargantuan coltfriend, his concerns were proved unwarranted - if anything, he found himself facing a wholly unexpected problem. Chewing and swallowing a mouthful of greens, he looked away from Měi as quickly as her eyes turned toward him.

He’d set off that evening bracing himself to spend some time with Vise, girding his loins and constantly telling himself not to ogle her or make things awkward, yet he’d ended up fixating on his marefriend instead. Měi’s smile was infectious, her eyes glimmered like a pair of gemstones, and her body - heavens above, even doing something as simple as sitting in her chair, she was hard not to look at. As the main course arrived, he flinched when something soft caressed his thigh.

“Enjoying yourself?” Měi sweetly inquired.

Having just shoveled a forkful of the creamy pasta into his muzzle, he tentatively nodded. “Mmm-hmm-ph?!”

He nearly choked, aspirating on the bite when her hoof crept up his leg and to his loins. It would have been impossible for anypony to see what was happening beneath the tablecloth, thank Celestia, but the sudden, amorous touch was enough to have him make a spectacle of himself. Beating his hoof against his chest, he fumbled for his water.

Vise shook her head and reassuringly patted Swift’s shoulder, seeing the giant’s concern. “He’s fine. Torque, it’s not a race!”

“I - Cough - I know,” Torque wheezed, finally getting the offending morsel down. “It is really good though.”

“Thank you,” Swift hummed. “I’ll be sure to -”

“Tch,” somepony clucked from behind them.

Looking past Torque, Swift grimaced. “Is there a problem?”

Torque turned and looked over his shoulder, following the unicorn’s gaze to a table seating a pair of ponies. The duo were clearly of blueblood, exceedingly well dressed and with a bottle of chilled, expensive-looking champagne resting between them, and they looked none too pleased. Wondering what had them out of sorts, he only eventually realized what - rather whom had spurred their ire.

Glancing back at Měi, he scowled and turned his attention back to the posh couple. He wasn’t normally one to doubt his instincts, but he prayed his intuition was wrong about the duo - if it wasn’t, he’d be hard pressed not to make an actual scene. He coughed into his hoof, caught the pair’s eyes, and quickly sought to address the matter personally.

As the mare at the table went to speak, the stallion shook his head and turned away. “Pay them no mind, dear.”

Swift snorted, appearing no less disgruntled than he had moments prior. “Pardon me for asking, but is something wrong?”

Acting like nothing was the matter, ignoring both Swift and Torque, the couple went back to their meal - at least they tried to get back to their meal. Ignoring somepony was easy to do at a distance, but it became considerably more difficult when said somepony was suddenly standing just beside you. Having to crane his neck up to look at the earth pony towering over him, the stallion scrunched his snout.

“Garçon,” the pony called, waving down a passing waiter.

“You got something to say, bub?” Torque asked, staring down the uppity pony.

“Bub?” the stallion scoffed. “I’ll have you know, I’m Cavallo - Sir Cavallo.”

Leaning in and causing the stallion to recoil, Torque sneered. “I don’t care. If you have a problem with my marefriend, I’ll -”

“Thank you, Torque, but I’ll handle this,” Swift hummed, placing a hoof on Torque’s chest and gently pulling him back. “My apologies, sir and madam, but you may not have heard me a moment ago. What happens to be the problem?”

Looking the unicorn up and down, Cavallo glowered. “And whom might you be?”

“I, my good stallion, am the proprietor of this fine restaurant,” Swift coldly stated, “and it appears as though there’s a dilemma that needs tending to.”

The stallion smiled smugly as he looked to Torque then Měi. “Darn right there is. For starters, I don’t appreciate having some hooligan confronting my wife and I while we’re trying to eat our meal,” he huffed. “Secondly, I was unaware that the Broiler allowed certain things to be served,” he continued, his voice dripping with contempt and his eyes settling on the changeling.

Torque clenched his jaw, his blood ran hot, and he tensed. Though his attitude had been tempered over the years, there was a hoofful of things that never failed to set him off. Staving off the temptation to do something that would only end up getting him in a heap of trouble, he held his ground when Swift tried to push him back.

Momentarily looking at the fuming earth pony, Swift frowned. “It appears as though you’re correct, Sir Cavallo, there has been a transgression. The Broiler prides itself in providing the best of service to the fine ponies of Maretropolis, although there are things we will not tolerate.”

“Too right,” Cavallo grunted.

“That is why I will politely ask you to leave,” Swift calmly continued. “Ma’am, you’re free to stay if you so choose, but we do not condone bigotry in this establishment.

The stallion’s jaw nearly hit the floor while his eyes widened. “You…you can’t be serious!”

“Oh I’m quite serious,” Swift chuckled. “If leaving of your own volition is an issue, I’m sure my friend here would be more than happy to assist in seeing you to the door ~ right, Torque?”

Smiling broadly, admittedly a bit too pleased with the turn of events, Torque rolled his head and cracked his neck. “I’m pretty sure I could manage that…”

“B…but…how could - Fine,” Cavallo finally blared, throwing his napkin on the table and bolting to his hooves. “Darling, we’re leaving!”

The mare, presumably his mistress or possibly much younger wife, hung her head while she mutely stood. She hadn’t done anything wrong per se, and Torque hadn’t the slightest clue as to the content of her character, yet the fact that she hadn’t said a word and was blindly following the stallion’s orders left a bad taste in his mouth. If she had an ounce of common sense in her head, she’d give the noble a piece of her mind or reconsider her relationship with him.

Watching the pair make their way out, he jumped when he received a pat on the back. As he turned his head and met Swift’s gaze, noting the approving look on the unicorn’s face, his opinion of the giant shifted. While he wasn’t about to go singing the stallion’s praises or anything, he wasn’t going to let a genuinely good deed go unrecognized.

“Darn good on you for that,” he groused, begrudgingly clapping the titan’s shoulder.

Swift gave the smallest nod of approval as he turned and proceeded back to his chair. “I could say the same to you, though you could have let me handle it…”

“And let you have all the fun?” Torque laughed, returning to his seat. “Come on, that pompous ass was talking about my marefriend.”

“Be that as it may, you should be wary of such heroics,” the unicorn amiably tutted. “Were I not here or had that stallion been with company, you may have gotten yourself in a scrap.”

Beaming over at Měi, Torque winked. “It’d be worth it.”

“Keep an eye on him, Měi,” Vise teased, “he can be a hothead.”

“What?” Torque asked, his expression faltering as he stared at the changeling.

Měi hadn’t said a thing, sitting motionless and watching him throughout the entire exchange - that was until that moment. With her eyes never wavering from his face, she leaned over and brought her muzzle to the side of his head. Was she going to chastise him for sticking up for her? Had the evening been ruined by the haughty, intolerant jerk? Did she suddenly want to leave? Remaining still, he gulped when her breath washed over his ear.

“My hero…” she whispered.

A thrilled shiver shot through him as she pulled away and pecked his snout. It wasn’t until he heard Vise giggling like a schoolfilly that he snapped from his stupor. Of course his sister would find the show of affection funny, even if she hadn’t heard what Měi had said, but he wasn’t about to give her any ammunition to get amusement at his expense.

The remainder of their meal passed by in a blur - not for lack of banter or disinterest by anypony’s part, but because he found it harder and harder not to fixate on his date. Her rapier wit, eloquence, and gorgeous good looks were enthralling, making it virtually impossible for him not to relish her company. By the time everypony had finished eating and were preparing to part ways, his thoughts lingered on her and her alone.

“Well it was an absolute pleasure meeting you, Měi,” Vise proclaimed, snaring the drone in a hug as soon as they drifted out onto the sidewalk.

Once the pegasus had released her, Swift stepped forward and offered his hoof to Torque. “Barring that small, unsavory interaction, I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did,” Torque replied, firmly shaking the colossus’ hoof. “Thanks for covering the meal, by the way.”

“After the upset, it was the least I could do,” Swift chuckled.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Vise hissed, “he’s a big softy.”

Keeping his eyes on the unicorn, Torque sighed. “You better treat her right…”

Swift bowed and brought his horn to the sidewalk. “I wouldn’t do anything otherwise.”

“And you,” Vise chimed in, thrusting a wing over at Měi, “whatever you’re doing with my brother, keep it up - oh and don’t be afraid to give him a hard time.”

“I’ll do my best,” Měi tittered.

Warmly grinning at Měi, having said their adieus, Torque locked forelegs with her and trotted away. Everything had gone much, much better than he’d predicted, despite the little hiccups, and he couldn’t have been more pleased - still, his glee wasn’t purely from the dinner. As he kept pace with her, with her taking a slight lead, he found himself at a loss.

He wanted to tell her how incredible she was and how grateful he was that she’d agreed to go out with him, but he couldn’t find the words - worse still, she hadn’t spoken a word since they departed the restaurant. Troubling thoughts gradually began gnawing at him, bolstered by his insecurities and the fear that she’d been putting on an act in front of his sister. Though he tried his best to tell himself that he was worrying over nothing, his misgivings grew stronger with every step he took.

Stopping just outside a townhouse, she shrugged and faced him. “Thanks for the night out…”

“Don’t mention it,” he dully responded, barely managing to keep the melancholy at bay.

She swung her eyes over to him and tilted her head, doubtlessly sensing, if not seeing his unease. “Something on your mind?”

“You,” he confessed. “You’ve been running through it since I got up this morning.”

“I could say the same about you,” she breathed, breaking his gaze and halting in her tracks. “Torque, listen, you’re a good, sweet stallion. Are you sure that…”

Stopping beside her, he reached up and brought his forehoof under her chin. “Sure that what?”

“Sure that…” she sighed. “Sure that you want this - want me…?”

He stiffened, taken aback by the question. “What?”

“You know what you are,” she murmured, her voice barely audible as she cast her eyes to the ground, “and you know what I am.”

Snatching up her forehoof, he inched closer to her. “I don’t care! Měi, you’re amazing! I can’t get you out of my head, you’re stunning inside and out, and I really like you - like, like like you!”

She pulled her hoof back and turned away from him. “That’s…”

“We may not have met under the best circumstances, but you’re the first mare I’ve ever met who’s made me feel like this,” he persisted, trotting around to her face. “I don’t know what else I can say to convince you otherwise.”

Holding his breath, he waited for a reply that didn’t come. Maybe he really was a client to her, or she could have just felt pity on him - in either case, her silence spoke volumes. With a crushing woe settling upon him, understanding that the fun evening would be the first and last he’d have with her, he turned, took a step, and felt something tug on his vest.

As he looked back and her eyes, she released him. “You really mean that ~ don’t you…?”

There were a thousand things he could have said, from waxing poetic about her elegance to the way the mere thought of her brought a smile to his face, but he let his actions speak for him. Shooting forward and wrapping a foreleg around her neck, he locked lips with her. The dessert from their meal had been lovely, but the sensation of her returning the kiss was sweeter still.

She stumbled back, threw a forehoof to her purse, and blindly fumbled for her keys as she drove her tongue into his maw. It was a wonder that she was able to unlock and open the front door, yet she did just that. Nearly falling into her foyer while they made out, the pair’s passion soared.

Torque may not have been a changeling, but he could tell how much she wanted this. Kicking the door closed behind him, he pulled back and left a strand of saliva connecting him to her. He’d never wanted anything more in his life than her; she’d saved him from himself, steering him off a self-destructive past, and he saw her for what she truly was - a gift.

To his shock, no sooner than the door slammed shut, she threw herself upon him. They’d kissed more times than he could count, but this time was different. This wasn’t about bits, nor was it about showing a customer a good time - no, now she was showing a side of her truest colors. With startling strength, she shoved him against the wall and ignited her horn.

Though he didn’t see it, he heard the zipper at the back of her dress coming undone. The fabric over her shoulders slipped down, revealing her pitch-black hide, but he was given no time to appreciate it. Peppered with kisses that trailed down his jaw and to his collar, he peeked down when she tugged at the top button on his shirt.

“If - Huff- if you want to keep this in one piece, take it off,” she rasped, drawing her tongue up his neck.

He didn’t have to be told twice, awkwardly scrambling to remove his shirt and vest. Just like that, the powder keg of their feelings for one another exploded. Practically tearing at one another’s clothes while snickering and clumsily meandering into the living room, they left a trail of garments in their wake.

Beating him by a split second, she stepped out of her dress and threw him onto his back. He peered up at her in a daze, shaking off the brief dizziness of being tossed like a sack of potatoes, but all the heightened strength and speed in the world wouldn’t have been enough to save him. She lowered her hips as she stepped over him, dragging her slavering marehood against his rapidly hardening length while she brought her face to his.

“Too slow,” she cooed.

Giving him no time to recover and unbothered by the open shirt he still wore, she rocked back and steadily impaled herself upon him. The sensation of her velvety, succulent confines were every bit as amazing as ever, although the sight of her atop him was what inspired him to act. Gliding his hooves up her plump thighs, he braced his hind legs and bucked his hips.

She threw her head back and gave a guttural moan while he drove her body upward, yet the thrust he delivered was but the first of many. Falling into a steady rhythm, he basked in her splendor. The sight of her heavy bosoms wobbling on her abdomen, the peek of her harlequin depths clinging to his stallionhood, the velvety sensation of her marehood milking his length, the scent of her arousal - in every appreciable sense of the word, she was a feast for the senses.

Not to be outdone, only allowing him full control for a minute or two, she put her body to work. Slamming her hips down to meet his upward plunges, she slammed her ass against his waist with a fury all her own. It was far from the first time they’d shared such an amorous exchange, and he knew it would be far from the last, yet the zeal she displayed was unlike anything he’d seen from her.

“Hah!” she panted, draping herself on his chest, “H…harder…”- then

He was happy to oblige, tightening his grip and ratcheting up the intensity. Having abilities that put him on a different level than most ponies was a bit of a double-edged sword, yet one of the fringe benefits of being stronger and faster than most was that his performance in the bedroom was beyond what many could ever dream to attain. Listening to her voice crack and raise an octave, and taking pride in the way her thighs quivered from his ministrations, he brought a forehoof to her cheek.

There was one thing he could do to sweeten the deal, something that anypony save one of her kind may not be able to truly appreciate. Lifting her chin, he leaned in and locked lips with her yet again. He truly did care for her, cherishing every magnificent thing about her, and his passion for her flung her past the brink of what she could endure.

Shakily snaking a foreleg around the back of his head, she held him and whimpered into his muzzle. The hot spray of her climactic nectar against his pistoning shaft and loins was rewarding to a fault, though he didn’t slow because of it - on the contrary, he made him hasten his pace. If carrying her off to her bed would prove how much he longed to be with her, that would be a laughably small price to pay.

With their tongues entwined, they made wild, unapologetic love to one another right there on the living room floor. In spite of all their differences, from their species and pasts to their way of living, a spark had been kindled between them. As he drew closer and closer to his limit, having made her cum no fewer than three times, he pulled back and clenched his jaw.

“Fill me,” she sweetly hissed. “Make me yours and - Aaaagh!”

Her sinful plea was the straw that broke the camel’s back, shattering what little self-composure he’d been able to cling to. Clamping his eyes shut and giving a blissful roar, he hilted her and filled her with his essence. Never before had he claimed her while she was in her true form, but that was going to change.

Heaving air into his chest, slick with sweat and sensual juices, he peered up at her contented, smiling face. “I l…lov-”

“Sssssssh,” she breathed, silencing him by tenderly pressing a forehoof to his lips. “Save that for the morning.”

Though he was thrown off, he gave a tentative little nod. “Does that mean…”

“I feel the same way for you,” she uttered under her breath as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, “but I don’t want to jinx it…”

He could appreciate the sentiment, but that raised a question. “What now?”

“Now - Nnngh,” she grunted, unsteadily standing and freeing herself from his semi-rigid length. “Now we should have a shower and -”

“And cuddle in bed?” he interjected.

Her blush returned with a vengeance, she lowered her gaze, and she ground her thighs together like a lovestruck filly. “I’d…yes. I’d love nothing more.”

Pushing himself up, more giddy than - well, more giddy than he could ever remember being, he cautiously slipped under her, got her onto his shoulders, and looked back at her. “What way’s your room?”

“That way,” she responded, pointing toward a darkened hallway while smiling like a fool.

He set off briskly, carrying her as though she weighed nothing. “Do you - um - mind if I crash here tonight?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she whispered while caressing his neck, “my hero…”

Epilogue

Trotting along in the depths of the subterranean base, Vise couldn’t make it more than a few paces before being stopped and chatted up by the innumerable Aco-Lights. Despite Swift’s protest, she couldn’t help but pop in from time to time - that and seeing her coltfriend in his uniform was a relatively rare treat. She looked over her shoulder and waved, bidding farewell to a nameless goon who’d asked her if she needed directions, and continued on her merry way.

All in all, things couldn’t have been better for her. Swift was just as big and lovable as ever, Torque’s mood had improved dramatically since he’d started seeing Měi, and she couldn’t have been happier with the way things had been going for her - yeah, having a superhero for a brother and a villain as a lover could make things complicated at times, having to constantly remind herself that she couldn’t let certain details slip in conversations, but that was a small price to pay for joy she felt each and every day. Rounding a corner and peeking back, catching the Aco-Light eyeing her rear, she giggled and ran into something big, warm, and surprisingly soft.

She recoiled on instinct and immediately went still. Looming over her had to be the biggest griffon she’d ever laid eyes upon. So large as to even give Swift a run for his money, the mountainous cat-bird turned to face her and glowered. She wasn’t sure what was more surprising, the creature’s size or the fact that the behemoth was most assuredly a she.

“S…sorry about that,” she stammered, flustered from having nearly planted her face in the griffon’s backside.

Looking her over, the she-beast gave a small, disgruntled snort. “As if I don’t have enough problems to deal with, now I’ve got minions who can’t even look where they’re going…”

Vise nearly wrinkled her nose at the rude comment, but she managed to smile and extend a foreleg. “It’s just easy to get distracted around here. I’m Vise.”

“Grell,” the griffon responded, almost reluctantly shaking the proffered hoof.

“I feel like I’ve heard that name before,” Vise thought aloud. “Are you new?”

As she waited for a reply, her eyes drifted over the giantess. With jet-black plumage, eyes like rubies, a crimson tuft of hair on her chest, azure fur on her face and tip of her tail, and a mop of cerulean and white feathers atop her head, Grell was striking - well, apart from her sheer enormity. The griffon was adorned in an unfamiliar uniform, wholly different to her own, which is a part of why she’d asked her question.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Grell countered, releasing the pony’s leg. “Name and rank, Aco-Light?”

Starting, Vise straightened up and gave a salute. “Vise Grip, class B engineer, ma’am.”

Grell’s expression softened slightly, though she appeared largely unmoved. “Good mare. No, I’m not new, but I could forgive you for thinking I was.”

“Same - well, no, kind of,” she laughed. “I’m part time.”

“Part time?” Grell parroted, glowering. “I swear, this place has gone to pot since I left…”

Batting a hoof, she chuckled. “Come on, it’s not that bad. Swi - er - Blister runs a pretty tight ship.”

“Not tight enough,” Grell grumbled, squinting down at her. “And how do you know Blister?”

Vise rubbed the back of her neck, looked away, and bit back a giggle. “I guess you could say he hired me,” she responded, quoting the air with her wingtips. “I’m guessing you know him?”

Keeping her eyes on her, Grell took a small step forward. “What’s it matter to you?”

“Just making conversation,” Vise laughed. “I haven’t spoken with Burner much, but Blister’s a good stallion.”

“They both are, but I ~ what am I doing?” Grell groused, shaking her head. “Get back to work, watch where you’re going, and mind your own beeswax ~ got it?”

Snapping a second salute, Vise swung her eyes forward. “Yes ma’am!”

Without saying another word, Grell plodded off and left her to her lonesome. Though she was a bit shaken by the brief encounter, her curiosity was well and thoroughly piqued. Who was this Grell? How did she know Swift and Burner? What did she mean when she’d mentioned having left? Ignoring her instincts and best judgment, she threw up a hoof.

“Ma’am?” she called, hoping she wasn’t about to make a mistake.

Grell slowed but kept along her way. “What is it, engineer?”

“I - um - didn’t catch your rank,” she shouted.

“I’m an Ig-Nite, first class, and - Oh for buck’s sake!” Grell bellowed, turning and looking down a corridor. “If you three don’t clean this up right bucking now, I’m going to have you scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush - specifically your toothbrush for the rest of the week!”

Vise watched in awe while the griffon flew into a rage. Swift wasn’t one to shy away from using his imposing size to its fullest effect, intimidating his underlings when necessary, but Grell was another matter entirely. The beaked berserker barked orders and stomped her clawed feet - heck, she even went so far as to grab and throw a trash can at the poor souls that had evoked her ire!

She ultimately reined herself in and scampered away, realizing she was probably already on thin ice and that Grell clearly had her claws full. It would only be a matter of time until Swift found out she was paying the base another unannounced visit, and she was not about to get herself in trouble before that happened - that being said, she was definitely going to ask him about Grell. Rolling the griffon’s name around in her mind, knowing full well that she’d heard it somewhere, she made her way toward the bowels of the compound and what she felt sure were machines that needed tending to…