Canterlot was a place full of prosperity and nobility, and it was filled with many high-class and pretty wealthy ponies. It was also the home of the Princess of Equestria, Princess Celestia. The city of Canterlot was currently under the dead of night as the stars and moon were high above the sky. Many ponies were in their homes, fast asleep as the prior day’s events had tucked them out. One house was home to a married unicorn couple. In their bedroom, Night Light and his loving wife, Twilight Velvet, were all cozied up on their mattress with their blanket over them. However, that quietness wouldn’t last long as a sudden movement followed by a sound awoke them; they opened their eyes suddenly as the bags underneath their eyes told it all.

The pair let out an inner groan as the bouncing sound kept going; a young and innocent voice soon followed it as they knew full well who it belonged to.

“Mom! Dad! Wake up!” The voice, filled with youthful innocence and excitement, belonged to the couple’s daughter. She was a beacon of joy, a filly unicorn with a pink star and several mini-white stars surrounding it. “Wake up! Wake up! Today’s the day! Today’s the day that I start magic school!” Her words, a testament to her uncontainable enthusiasm, echoed through the room, banishing any remnants of sleep.

The two unicorns groaned interiorly as they should have known their daughter’s eagerness for knowledge and magic would have gotten her bright and early and, in turn, made them also get up despite the sun not even peaking above the horizon.

“Twilight, sweetie,” said Night Light as she lifted his head to address his daughter, who stopped bouncing to listen to her parents. “I know you’re excited, but it's…”

“... five…” said Velvet as she grabbed the nearby clock on their nightstand and had to do a double take to see just how early their daughter had awoken them.

“... five in the morning! The sun’s not even up. Little ponies like yourself should still be in bed.” said the male stallion.

“But…” squeaked the filly as her parents shifted their position to sit up and look at their daughter.

“Listen, sweetie. I know it means a lot to you. But it’s not just a big day for you. It’s also for your brother. Remember, he starts cadet school today, and you don’t see him leaping about!” the mare told her child.

“Okay,” said the filly in a defeated tone as she folded her ears and felt sorry for waking her parents up due to her enthusiasm.

“Now, go back to sleep, Twilight,” responded Night Light gently as the filly crawled off their bed to go back to her room to let her parents get more rest.

The duo watched their daughter leave as it crushed them a bit to see Twilight’s enthusiasm to start school diminish, but they wanted to get more sleep.

“You know she gets that from you, right?” yawned Velvet before resting her head on her pillow.

“What do you mean?” yawned Night Light as he rested his head.

The pair soon felt their eyes beginning to close as they fell back to sleep. For a few moments, things were back to being peaceful as they were about to drift back off to dreamland. However, the bouncing sound from before returned as their blanket was flung into the air this time and awoke the pair. Twilight was back bouncing on her parent’s bed as she wasn’t alone; the filly was accompanied by her big brother, who was also excited to start his first day at the cadet academy; he joined in with his little sister to wake up their parents like old times. The pair groaned while Night Light grabbed his pillow with his hooves and put it against his face.

“You know…”

“Don’t say it, honey!” responded the stallion through the pillow, knowing fully what his wife would say.

After the bright and much earlier start than expected, the family of four was preparing the luggage for the taxi that was set to pick them all up. A knock on the door was heard while they ensured their son had everything he needed. Velvet approached the door and opened it to reveal a pink alicorn standing there.

“Morning, Mrs. Velvet.”

“Cadance, so glad you came!” said the married mare as she hugged her son’s marefriend. “Did Shining Armor ask for you to come over so he could say goodbye?”

“Something like that,” giggled the alicorn as she covered her mouth with her hoof before walking in with her coltfriend’s mother.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll say he’ll miss you when he’s away at school.”

“No matter how far apart we’ll be, I’ll always love him,” said the pink princess as she found the goofy stallion to be her one true love.

“I remember the first time you arrived and how awkward of a moment that was,” said Velvet as she quickly recalled when they first met Cadance.

A knock on the door was heard as Velvet approached it and pulled it open. There stood Cadance as she’d taken up the job of foalsitting.

“Hello, I’m Cadance. The foalsitter you asked for,” said the alicorn as she introduced herself to her client, who contacted her the day before about babysitting their daughter.

“Oh, my Celestia, thank hoofiness! We’re so glad you could make it on such short notice!” said Velvet as she was relieved and delighted that they managed to find a foalsitter to watch their daughter and wouldn’t have to cancel her outing with her husband. “Twilight!” called out the married mare as she turned, “Your new foalsitter is here!”

A response wasn’t heard as the mare again called out her daughter’s name.

“Twilight!”

Again, no response.

“Oh, she’s probably upstairs in her room. Come along!” said Velvet as she invited the pink alicorn in.

Cadance smiled and nodded as she followed the mare into her home and up the stairs to her daughter’s room. They expected the filly to be either playing with her dollies or perhaps reading a book; however, they couldn’t prepare for what they saw as the filly wasn’t alone.

“Ha! This is fun!” said the filly, enjoying herself before using her magic to pick up an object. “Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine…”

The filly was currently in her room as her big brother sat beside her. The duo was currently engaging in an activity, and that activity was trying to see how many chocolate eclairs she could shove into her brother’s mouth all at once. The filly was having a blast playing with her older brother as he took it upon himself to make his sister happy by giving her something to count, and he wanted to see how many he could put in his mouth. The stallion seemed to relish in this personal accomplishment… that was… until his eyes shifted out of the corner of his eyes, and he noticed two important figures. One of them was his mother, who face hoofed herself at seeing her children do something like this. The other he was more worried about was Cadance herself; it was no secret the stallion had a crush on the pink alicorn as he’d been trying his best to get her to notice him during school, but it was to no avail.

So now, here he was, in a compromised position, with the mare he had a crush on, not only in his home but standing there with his mother, bewildered and stunned, to say the least, watching him do something goofy with his baby sister. Shining Armor didn’t want to look any more of a fool than he already was in front of his crush; as if to save any hope he might have of getting the pink alicorn to love him, he tried tapping his little sister’s side to stop. However, Twilight was enjoying herself so much that she ignored her brother’s plea to stop, and she kept shoving more eclairs into his mouth and counting off. It seemed there was no way to save himself from looking like an idiot in front of his crush, as Shining Armor was not looking forward to meeting her in the halls tomorrow at school, and there was the matter he was starting to choke on the sweet treats.

With the mares, Night Light came up by Cadance’s side as he had an unamused look on his face at what his children were doing.

“So… here’s the deal. We’ll pay you 2 bits an hour to foalsit Twilight. And four bits to babysit Shining Armor,” said the stallion, as he knew that his son could be a kid sometimes, even if he were supposed to act his age. Cadance’s gasp fell, and she held a hoof to her mouth as if looking concerned.

“Um, deal,” said the pink alicorn as she seemingly accepted the terms of the agreement.

“Yes, I remember that day like it was yesterday,” said Cadance as it made her giggle.

“Well, he’s currently in the backyard if you want to talk to him,” said Velvet as Cadance left to find her special somepony.

The married mare watched her son’s marefriend go to their garden to meet with her son. She smiled as she knew that when the time came, Cadance was the perfect mare for her little Shining. Night Light approached his wife’s side and pulled her in as they saw their son speaking with the pink alicorn.

“Look at them. Do they remind you of someone?” asked Velvet to her husband.

“Who?” asked the stallion, as he didn’t know what his wife was referring to.

“Oh, Nighty,” chuckled Velvet as she leaned in to nuzzle against her stallion. “Remember how we were when we were their age.”

“Oh… right,” grimaced Night Light as he began to recall things.

Many moons ago…

“For the last time, Cookie. I am perfectly fine not being in a relationship!” said Velvet as she was currently having tea with her friend.

“Come on, Velvet. Look at us; we’re two young, beautiful mares. Before we know it, we’ll have wrinkles under our eyes. And I, for one, am not gonna sit by and let my beauty dwindle away.” said the unicorn to her friend. “Besides, look at you; I don’t know if you realize this, Velvet, but the way stallions stare at you, why even I’m jealous.”

“Well, thank you for that piece of info, Cookie, but I don’t care how stallions look at me. I’m more concerned with my career at the moment.”

“Velvet, I know working in a bookstore has been your dream, and you hope to become an author someday. There’s no doubt that your writing is talented. But… be realistic, what if it doesn’t happen? Wouldn’t it be safe to have something to fall back on?”

“Like what?”

“Perhaps have someone in your life, maybe start your own family.”

“And what? Waste my years being a stay-at-home mother? No, thank you.”

“Well, don’t kill the idea entirely just yet. Anyways, I need to get going, Velvet. I’ve got to get ready for the hot stallion I’m meeting tonight. Shall I escort you back home? The sun will soon be setting.”

“Thank you, Cookie. But I can manage. I know the route to get to my home. Plus, I wouldn’t want to keep you from your hot date you can’t stop talking about.” said the unicorn, as she could tell her friend was very interested in the stallion she was seeing.

“Well, alright then!” responded the mare to her friend as she left the cafe.

“Honestly… me, a mother? As if,” said Velvet as she scoffed at the idea of motherhood. “Check, please.”

Once Velvet paid for the meal, the mare began to head home as she had to get up bright and early for work tomorrow. The mare left the cafe as she had her saddlebag around her and proceeded toward her home. A while later, the mare was walking alongside the streets of Canterlot. The sun had set quite a bit sooner than expected, and the moon was now out. The few stars that were out gave some light, but darkness still shrouded most of the mare’s surroundings. Velvet did feel a bit terrified of walking alone at night, but she put her fears aside and continued to truck onwards.

The mare was so focused on getting home that she was unaware of a dark shadow trailing her. Velvet arrived at a corner street and took a second to catch her breath and collect herself. She sensed something as she turned her head and faintly saw a figure slip into a nearby alley. The mare’s flight or fight kicked in as she began to turn left of the corner and picked up her pace. The figure slipped out of its hiding spot and followed its target. Velvet was now so scared out of her mind that she felt whatever was following her wouldn’t stop. The mare was so focused on getting away that she didn’t notice her sense of direction and turned unexpectedly into a dark alley.

The mare bumped into the wall and rubbed her muzzle before looking at the stone wall. She got up and turned to get out quickly but halted in her tracks when the figure that’d been tracking her stood before her. The figure stepped out of the shadows and was revealed to be a bulky earth pony with a scar underneath his right eye. The mare instinctively backed up as the stallion looked to corner the mare.

“Please, I want no trouble,” said Velvet as she tried to negotiate with the pony stalking her. “I don’t have any bits on me.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t want any bits,” smirked the stallion as he had something else on his mind.

Velvet backed up into the wall before the stallion managed to get a hold of her and shoved her onto the ground on her back. The mare whimpered as she feared what this pony might do to her. The stallion was looking forward to having his way with this piece of pony ass that he managed to corner; however, before he could get to work, he was quickly whipped back. At this point, Velvet had closed her eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream and that she would wake up. The mare soon heard sounds as they seemed to be fighting; the unicorn opened her eyes and saw two figures brawling it out. Some grunts were heard a second later as the large earth pony flew into a nearby wall and stack of barrels. The figure that threw the larger pony into the stuff stood firmly at their foe, as Velvet couldn’t quite make out who it was. As the earth pony stood up and looked to charge at the intruder, the pony lit up their horn and fired a spell at their target, which rendered him unconscious and dropped to the ground.

Velvet was still stunned as she couldn’t believe what she saw. Her attention was then returned to her senses as she noticed the figure slowly approaching. Fearing this pony might want to do what the earth pony had intended a few moments ago, she flinched and closed her eyes again.

“Are you okay, miss?”

The mare opened her eyes and saw a hoof before her. She looked at it before gazing upward to see who it belonged to. A unicorn stallion, around her age from what she could tell, had appeared before her and was offering his help. The mare looked at the pony’s face as she could tell it was one of good and not evil. The smile on his face made her heart flutter and beat just a bit faster than normal. She didn’t know how long she spent looking at the stallion’s face, but her body acted on its own, and she put her hoof in his as he helped her up.

“T-thank you,” stuttered the mare.

“I hope he didn’t hurt you too badly,” said the stallion.

“N-No. You came at the right time,” responded Velvet, finding it a bit hard to look her savior in the eyes.

“Glad I got here when I did,” smiled the unicorn stallion as he proceeded to walk toward his unconscious foe and used his magic to drag him away. “Do you need someone to make sure you get home safely?”

“O-Oh, no thank you. I appreciate the offer, but my home isn’t too far.”

“In that case, have a safe night, miss,” responded the stallion as he left with the earth pony dragging behind him.

Before Velvet could say thank you, the stallion was out of sight. The mare soon made her way safely back home, as it’d been a night she was sure to remember.

The following day, Velvet arrived at her job as usual and got to work. Following the events of last night, Velvet couldn’t stop her mind from playing it in her mind. She only wished she had learned of the stallion’s name so she could reach out to him and possibly invite him out for a cup of tea as a way to say thanks. The mare was so lost in her mind that the sound of the doorbell ringing snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Welcome, how can I help you…”

The mare’s voice trailed off, and when she saw who actually stepped foot inside the bookstore, she had to do a double take. Standing there, accompanied by some royal guards, was none other than Princess Celestia herself. The mare couldn’t believe her eyes as she never would have thought that of all ponies to enter this quaint little store, the princess of Equestria herself would make an appearance.

“P-P-P-Princess Celestia…” stuttered Velvet, still not believing the ruler herself was present.

“Hello there, Miss…”

“Velvet!” blurted out the mare before putting a hoof to her mouth for speaking so loudly in the presence of royalty. “So sorry for speaking abruptly, your highness.”

“No need to apologize,” smiled Celestia as she gave a heart-warming smile at the mare. “I’m just here to get some new books.”

“Oh, but of course, feel free to browse the place and let us know if you need assistance,” said Velvet, trying her best not to embarrass herself in front of the princess.

She stepped to the side and allowed the alicorn to look through the different sections of the bookstore. As the princess looked through the different parts of the shop, Velvet turned to look at the two guards who accompanied the princess. Both royal guards were unicorns as their horns stuck out from their helmets; however, the mare was focused on one particular guard in general. She couldn’t really make out the face of the guard on the right, but she could see his eyes.

The stallion who stood at his post focused on his task of not moving as Velvet approached him. He initially noticed it from the corner of his eye while still looking forward as he figured she would do what every other pony did when noticing them. See if they actually moved at all. So the guard remained as stoic as ever, knowing the mare would eventually give up in trying to make him move. However, his training didn’t prepare him for what the mare did. Instead of poking his side, waving their hoof in front of his face, the mare was now eye to eye with the guard.

He expected the mare to stare at him for a moment or two, but she kept doing it. The guard tried to do his best just to look forward, but with the pretty mare blocking his whole view, all he could see was her. Eventually, he did something he never thought he’d do and broke protocol. Velvet was staring intentionally at the guard as she felt a hoof push her back.

“Is there anything I can help you with, miss?” asked the guard as he managed to get the mare to give him some personal space.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just… you remind me of someone. Your eyes,” said the mare as she continued to look at the guard. She was getting ever so closer to the guard, as her eyes didn’t waver.

“Velvet!!!” yelled a voice.

The mare instinctively yelped as the book she held in her magic dropped, and the book landed on the guard’s hoof; he instinctively shouted in pain as he bumped his head on the top of the doorway and knocked the helmet off the guard. The mare turned as she noticed her boss staring intently at her with a scowl.

“Stop flirting with the royal guards and get over here to finalize the princess’ purchase!” yelled the older unicorn mare to her employee for slacking on the job. “So, sorry about that, your highness.”

“Right!” said the mare as she noticed the book that was on the ground. She picked it up and noticed the helmet nearby; when she went to put her hoof on it, another hoof fell on top of hers.

The mare looked up, and her eyes couldn’t believe what she saw. Standing before her was not only the royal guard she’d been caught staring at, but he himself was the pony. The pony that had saved her the night prior. A royal guard was the stallion that saved her from being taken advantage of in that alley; the mare had her mind blown as she couldn’t believe it.

“Velvet!!!” yelled the mare’s boss.

“Coming!” yelped the mare as she zoomed away to avoid getting into more trouble.

Night Light just saw the mare whisk away as he didn’t too much of it and grabbed his helmet to put it back on his head. Making sure it was secured, the unicorn returned to his post and stood firm, doing his job. The sound of the door opening was heard as Velvet had just finished giving the princess what she wanted; the two guards carried her stuff for her and left for the carriage waiting outside.

“What was that, Velvet!?!” shouted the mare’s boss.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… I couldn’t believe it,” said the mare in a daydream-driven state of mind as the mare’s boss just rolled her eyes and left her employee with her fantasies.

Princess Celestia talked with one of her guards outside the shop about what went down.

“Lieutenant Night Light.”

“Yes, Princess,” saluted the guard as he stood at the attention of his ruler.

“Tell me. Do you know that mare?”

“Whatever do you mean, your highness.”

The princess sighed as she knew how dedicated the unicorn was to his job.

“At ease, Lieutenant. No need to act on high alert. Tell me, do you know that mare that was staring so intentionally at you?” asked the alicorn.

The guard dropped his mystique as he looked at his ruler with a genuine look. Seeing the alicorn giving him a warm and motherly smile made Night Light drop his serious demeanor as the guard looked away for a bit before returning to respond to his ruler.

“I do, your highness. Last night, I saved her from a pony trying to exploit her.”

“Ah, I see. So you saved her?” smiled the alicorn. “Well, did you get her name?”

“No, Your Highness… that is, until recently when her employer called her by her name. But that’s not a concern to me, Princess. You are my top priority and responsibility.”

“I appreciate that, Lieutenant. But I have plenty of guards to watch over me. And if I were you, I’d at least meet with her one last time. Who knows, maybe you two might have a connection.”

“Forgive my response, Princess. But I am a guard.”

“Yes, you are. But you’re a pony first,” responded Celestia as she got in her carriage, and it began to roll forward.

Night Light took a second to compose his thoughts after hearing that statement from the princess before he trotted along behind the carriage.

Sometime later, Velvet was speaking with her boss as she told her about what went down last night.

“It is strange that the pony that saved you happens to be a royal guard,” the mare’s boss responded.

“I didn’t know he was a royal guard. It was under the dark of night, and I barely got a good look at his face, but those eyes… I can’t get them out of my mind.”

“Then you’ve taken a liking to him.”

“Pardon?”

“Velvet, it’s clear as the night is from the day. That stallion that saved you has piqued your interest. If I had someone as handsome and muscular as a royal guard save me, I’d jump at the chance to invite them back home.”

Before Velvet could respond to her boss, the doorbell rang. The mare turned as entering the shop for the second time was the stallion she’d been thinking about. She couldn’t believe her eyes or luck as Night Light was back, out of his uniform and looking about. He soon spotted his target and went to the counter as Velvet was frozen.

“Are you Velvet?” asked the stallion as the mare could only nod. “Are you free tonight?”

“Why, yes!” said the mare’s boss as she slid in and answered the stallion’s question to help her employee.

“Then would you be free to have dinner with me?”

“She’d be more than happy,” said Velvet’s boss as the mare snapped out of her trance and glared at her boss.

“Excellent. Meet me at this place,” said Night Light as he handed the restaurant's address to the mare’s boss, who happily took it.

“She’ll be there.”

“Great. See you tonight.”

With that, the stallion left the shop as Velvet returned to reality.

“What?” said the mare’s boss as her employee stared daggers at her.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

The mare stood in front of the restaurant where she had been asked to have dinner. After arguing with her boss and being given the day off tomorrow, the unicorn left for home and got ready for her impromptu date. Eventually, the mare landed on her outfit for the evening. She wore a semi-casual blue dress with matching earrings, and the unicorn took a deep breath before entering the establishment. The mare approached the pony running the restaurant booth.

“Um, excuse me, I’m here to meet someone.”

“Name, ma’am.”

“Twilight Velvet.”

“Ah, Ms. Velvet. Yes, your guest is waiting for you. Please, follow me.” the waiter led the mare to her table.

Velvet looked about the establishment. The restaurant wasn’t too fancy, and she didn’t find herself out of place. The mare followed the pony as they came to the table, and the stallion that had asked her out was already seated. Night Light stood up from his seat and wore one of his militia-style jackets.

“Your guest, sir.”

“Thank you, I can take it from here,” responded the guard as he gave the waiter some bits and left. The guard then looked at the mare he invited as he found her rather attractive, given her outfit. “Hey.”

“H-Hey,” the mare responded, tracing her hoof on the floor before her.

“You look lovely.”

“Thanks, you look handsome yourself.”

“May I?”

“O-Oh, y-yes,” stuttered the mare as she was so nervous that she didn’t notice Night Light being a gentlepony and pulling out her chair. She got control of herself and sat on the seat, allowing her date to showcase his manners before he took his position across from her.

For the first two minutes, neither pony said anything. The pair just looked at each other as they weren’t sure what to say, given they had met the other the previous night and their earlier encounter. Eventually, Night Light made the first move.

“So… how are you feeling?”

“Um, I’m fine. Just a bit nervous.”

“I was referring to what happened last night.”

“Oooooh. Yes, I’m fine. Thank you again, though. I couldn’t bear to think of what might have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

“Well, lucky for you, I did,” smirked Night Light as he sipped his water. “So… your name is Velvet?”

“Twilight Velvet, actually. But, yes, you can call me Velvet if you’d like.”

“A lovely name for a lovely mare such as yourself,” responded Night Light as it made the mare blush a bit at hearing the compliment from the handsome stallion.

“I don’t believe I got your name,” said the mare, wanting to know her savior's name.

“Night Light. Lieutenant Night Light.”

“Lieutenant, huh?” repeated Velvet as she heard Night Light’s rank turn her on quite a bit. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Night Light.”

“Likewise, Velvet. So tell me a bit about yourself?” asked the stallion, wanting to get to know the mare.

“Oh, I’m nothing more than just a simple mare who loves her job. Though… I do have a dream of sorts.”

“And what dream is that, if I may ask?”

“Don’t laugh, but… I one day hope to become an author of sorts.”

The mare closed her eyes and flinched back, half-expecting the guard to make some snarky remark about her dream or even a straight-up laugh in her face. However, Night Light didn’t do any of that. Instead, the guard just looked at the mare with an intrigued expression.

“That sounds like a nice dream.”

“I-It does? You don’t find it amusing?”

“Should I? If your dream is to be an author, then strive for it. Don’t let what others say about it deteriorate you from your goal. If that were the case, I would’ve given up on becoming a royal guard when I was a colt.”

“How did you decide to pursue your dream?” asked Velvet as she leaned forward with her hooves on the table.

“Well, I had trouble with a few other ponies when I was young. You could say they were bullies of sorts. And just when they looked to do some real damage to me, a guard stepped in and took care of them. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to become. I wanted to be a guard, not just for the authority but for the power that came with it. The power to help those in need, such as myself. Luckily, my skill for knowledge came in quite handy as I studied every book there on how to become a royal guard. I enrolled in the academy and graduated with honors at the top of my class. I soon joined the brigade and was able to serve under the princess herself. Even was promoted to the title of lieutenant in just two short years.”

“That’s fascinating,” said Velvet as she was impressed by Night Light’s tale and found herself even more drawn to the stallion.

Little did Velvet know that a small topic of conversation would soon develop into a long talk between the pair as they got to know each other quite a bit. For the mare, she listened intensely to everything Night Light told her as he spoke like smooth butter. As for the stallion, listening to some stories Velvet had written was just as captivating as any good adventure book he’d read. He dared say they were even better, not to mention her silver tongue as she went deep into details to describe her writing as it felt like he was experiencing it themselves. The pair thoroughly enjoyed the date they were on as they got to know each other, and in turn, something sparked deep inside.

At some point, music began to play, and several ponies were shown moving to the nearby dance floor, where the band played some classical music. Velvet was so entranced with the music that she didn’t notice Night Light getting up from his chair and walking toward her as he offered her his hoof.

“Oh, no. I’m not a very good dancer,” said Velvet.

“Well, neither am I,” smiled Night Light.

The mare accepted the stallion's proposal as the pair made their way to the dance floor. Seeing the pairs being so close to each other, Velvet was nervous as she leaned against Night Light, who had no trouble holding onto her. Having her fur against his, she could feel the bits of muscle on his body as it sent a shiver down her spine. Night Light’s muscles were as hard as diamonds, yet they were so soft that she could fall asleep leaning against him. It was scientifically impossible for that to be, but she didn’t care.

The two ponies swayed to the music as they moved about the floor with precise rhythmic movement. The pair couldn’t keep their eyes off the other as everything around them began to fade. They were so lost in each other’s eyes that they didn’t hear that the music stopped, and the many ponies on the dance floor stomped their hooves to show their appreciation to the band. The pair snapped out of their trance as they realized just how close their faces were before they backed up and blushed. Velvet was the most flustered as she couldn’t believe she was so close to a royal guard and they were inches apart from making contact.

“I think it’s time we leave if that’s alright with you.”

“Please,” responded the mare to her date.

The stallion nodded as he fetched their bill and paid for their meal. Upon stepping out, Velvet felt a cold chill breeze by her as she shivered a bit. Seeing the mare react to the sudden breeze, Night Light removed his jacket and put it around it. She was shocked he’d given up his warmth for her but assured her that he’d be fine. The pair began to walk back to Velvet’s home as she found herself leaning against the stallion and closing her eyes, relishing this moment.

It wasn’t long before the pair arrived at the mare's home as they stood before the door to the house. Night Light accompanied the mare to her door as she took off the jacket he’d given her to stay warm.

“Well, thank you. For walking me home and for dinner. I… I really appreciated it.” said Velvet.

“My pleasure,” said Night Light as he put his jacket back on. “It was nice to enjoy some company for tonight.”

“Same,” smiled Velvet.

“So… will I… I mean, do you… would you like to--”

“Do this again sometime?” said Velvet, finishing the stallion’s thoughts.

“Um, yeah,” responded the guard sheepishly.

“I wouldn’t be against it.”

“Great,” smiled Night Light as he found himself drawn into Velvet’s eyes. The way they sparkled under the moonlight, they looked like stars. “Well, have a good night, Velvet.”

“Hold on,” said the mare, as she didn’t want the stallion to leave just yet. “It wouldn’t be right to leave a girl without… giving a good night kiss.”

“Uh, right,” chuckled Night Light sheepishly as he returned back to the mare.

Her rump was backed against the door as Night Light stood before her. The royal guard was a bit nervous as he didn’t know why. He’d kissed many girls before, but this one with Velvet differed. The stallion began to move his head in and closed his eyes as Velvet did the same. In a matter of moments, the two locked lips; Velvet's immediate reaction to kissing her date was ecstasy and heartwarming. It sent her heart over the edge as her inner desires came out. The kiss, while only lasting for 6 seconds, felt much longer and had so much meaning behind it. Night Light pulled back to look at the mare. She seemed to have gotten even more beautiful, but he didn’t think it was possible.

“Well… um, good night,” said the stallion as he turned to leave, only for Velvet to extend her hoof and grab his as if to keep him from going.

“Perhaps… one more,” said Velvet, giving in to her feelings.

Night Light didn’t know what compelled him to do so, but his body moved on its own and moved back toward the mare. He brought a hoof up to caress her cheek before leaning in for another kiss, as this one was a bit longer and full of even more passion. The pair broke apart as they kept their foreheads touching with their hot breaths on top of each other.

“One more,” said Velvet.

The pair returned for another kiss, once again being a little longer and having more passion behind it.

“One… more,” trailed off the mare as she had succumbed to the lust that was coming out.

Night Light also gave in to his inner desires as he went in for another kiss; the pair soon found themselves moving into the mare’s home as their bodies acted independently. Through all their kissing and swapping saliva, the pair made it to the mare’s bedroom as they landed on the mattress. The mare pinned down the stallion as they continued to make out; Night Light ran his hoofs alongside the mare’s backside as he felt all her curves and edges. He eventually found the prized treasure of the mare as his hoofs felt her rump. He didn’t want to believe it, but his first assumption was confirmed when he saw Velvet’s flanks. Not only were they plump, but they were soft and squishing like jello. He’d be lying if he didn’t say that he could stare at the mare’s ass all day if given the opportunity.

The two ponies managed to remove their clothing as Velvet soon turned her backside to Night Light and presented her backside to the guard. Needing no invitation, the stallion approached the vulnerable mare as he noticed her delicious ponut. He could tell how wet her pussy was as Velvet’s body hungered for what the stallion was packing. The stallion put his hooves on the mare’s flanks and spread them apart; Velvet gasped upon Night Light’s immediate touch of her ass as a wave of pleasure began to wash over her. Night Light then dove in and got his tongue right to work on eating out the mare; the guard lapped the mare’s pussy as if it were his last meal in Equestria. The scent added to his tasting flavor, driving the stallion even further. Velvet couldn’t suppress her moans as it felt so good.

“Nnnnngh!” said Velvet, letting out the sounds of the divine pleasure she was getting from the stud behind her.

A hard smack was soon heard as Night Light’s body went on autopilot as he slapped Velvet’s ass to see how much it jiggled. Safe to say, it didn’t disappoint. Velvet did have some fantasy of being treated like a common whore as right now; she was getting that by the thunderous smacks she was getting from Night Light while still lapping her now-drenched cunt. Her fur was slowly starting to turn red from the smacks she received as her sounds escaping her mouth egged on the stallion; some juices leaped out of the mare’s cunt as some melodious noises came from her that echoed around the room.

Eventually, Night Light ceased his assault as he pulled himself from Velvet’s marehood. The mare turned her head to stare back at the stallion that made her feel so good. The stallion raised his hoof to deliver one last hard smack to her backside as it made Velvet release a moan while Night Light watched her ass ripple from the force. It made the guard smile before the mare turned around and crawled toward him. Velvet made her way to the guard like a predator stalking its prey as she had her eye on a certain target. The unicorn was now between the stallion’s legs as she came face to face with his majestic spear. His stallionhood was standing tall and at attention as the act of eating the gorgeous mare’s cunt had gotten it erect. Seeing how big it was made, Velvet practically drooled as she licked her lips before putting her hooves on it. Upon contact, Night Light tensed up as Velvet’s touch was, for lack of a better term, magical. The mare had read many techniques from the many books she read as she was putting them to work and producing some fulfilling results.

The mare then sniffed the cock of her savior as his scent was intoxicating. She took a deep breath before plunging her mouth onto it; the guard felt the bookworm’s tongue as it sent shivers down his spine. The way she was sucking him off, you’d think it was a lollipop. Velvet’s marehood also began to react as it seized upon itself, and some juices leaked from her cunt. Night Light was riding pleasure-filled train of emotions; to think this day started out like any other, and now, here he was getting sucked off not by the mare he managed to save the day prior. It must have been some kind of fate that things were falling into place as they were. As if things couldn’t get any better, Velvet upped the ante by using her magic and began to massage his balls. The stallion nearly came from the double assault, but all his endurance and stamina training came into play as he managed to hold it back. The skill that Velvet possessed and was showing off spoke volumes about the mare. It seemed that she had a hidden, perverted side that was behind that innocent and determined outlook. It turned on Night Light as he put a hoof on Velvet’s head, avoiding her horn as he helped move her head to suck him off even more.

The mare then moved to the underside of the stallion’s shaft as she read it was one of the most sensitive parts. She was proven right as Night Light jerked his upper body forward at the sudden feeling of Velvet’s tongue slathering his cock. Her tongue was swirling around his cock while her magic caressed his balls; as much as it was impressive that Night Light was able to hold back from cumming too soon, he felt his mental grip starting to slip. The temptress that laid before his balls was working her sorcery to get him off as he was starting to lose this battle.

“V-Velvet! Velvet!” shouted Night Light as he tapped the mare’s head, getting her attention.

The mare pulled her muzzle off the stallion’s cock as she looked at her date with a seductive smile on her face. A small trail of saliva remained on Night Light’s shaft as it connected to Velvet’s mouth before she licked her lips. She still had the hard cock before her as she gave it one last kiss on the tip.

“Let’s finish this,” said the mare, willing to cap off this wonderful night with what both wanted, nay, what their bodies craved.

The mare was now lying on the bed as she presented herself to her stallion. Night Light almost instinctively got on top of the mare, as that was how much lust had filled his brain. He was no longer in control mentally as his primal instincts took over, and he was told to give the mare what she wanted. The guard managed to get on top of the mare as he lifted her hind legs to rest on his shoulders and was now in a mating press. He looked down to ensure his member was above its intended target as he gave a look at the mare. She nodded as her sign of consent, and with one mighty push, Night Light got all of himself into Velvet in one shift motion. Velvet moaned upon Night Light, hilting himself into her; the stallion’s cock felt well-lubricated, and the mare’s cavern was hot as it hugged his shaft tightly. The two looked at each other before pressing their lips as Night Light got to work. The guard was moving in a steady rhythm as he got a feeling for the mare’s pussy, and once it got accustomed to the walls inside, he began to pick up the pace. The stallion broke from the mare’s lips as he began to nibble her neck, adding more pleasure to her body. He then moved to her ears as he began to bite them ever so gently, but adding enough roughness that it was the good kind of pain that made Velvet moan.

“Ugh! Nighty… you’re so big!” said Velvet as she was getting assaulted from so many angles that she couldn’t concentrate. “It feels… so good.”

“Velvet… you’re… tight,” said the stallion as he let out some grunts from his grinding.

The guard moved his hips faster and harder as he wanted to see how loud he could make this pony scream. The way her love tunnel felt around his member, words could not describe. Her ass was clapping against his balls from how Night Light was giving it to her; each dive filled her to the brim with pleasure and made her yearn for more.

“Don’t stop... nnngh! Don’t stop!” yelled the mare.

Night Light wanted to reply, but he was too far gone enjoying it. He had his teeth clenched as he exhaled through them; the way Velvet’s flank smacked against him when he moved was almost enough for him to go feral on the mare. The way she was pinned down, egging him on as if to breed her, his biological instincts told him to do everything in his power to ensure he not only marked this mare as his own but also that she knew he belonged to her and nopony else.

Velvet felt her mind starting to break as being in the mating press added to the pleasure she was getting. Seeing how dominant Night Light has turned her on massive, the mare had a slight fantasy of being held down by a superior pony, and Night Light was not only living up to that dream but was surpassing that tenfold. In short, she had succumbed to the stallion she invited into her home and wanted nothing more than to be treated as his personal fucktoy. The inner animal from both parties was starting to come out as Night Light let out some hefty and deep grunts as he drilled Velvet’s pussy from here to Celestia’s castle. The mare looked down to see the stallion’s shaft as it was gliding in and out of her effortlessly and moving like a blur, making her smile; she threw her head back and had her horn starting to light up from the incoming climax. Night Light was pounding this pussy as if his life depended on it, and he was doing an exceptional job.

“Fuuuuck… I’m close! I’m so close, Nighty! I can feel it!” said Velvet, getting her stallion’s attention.

“Yeah… me too!” responded the guard as he knew it was but a matter of moments before this wonderful time would have to come to an end.

“Come on now! Rut me! Ruin me for any other stallions! I don’t care! You’re the one I need now! So… give it… to me… now!” demanded the mare.

“As… you… wish!” said the stallion as he moved even faster.

“Oh, Celestia! That’s it!” screamed the mare.

She and he needed this, and they were both going to reach nirvana together. Night Light entered a frenzy, determined to break this mare in and make her submit to him. Pants and heavy breathing were heard, as well as the squeaks of the bed, as they accompanied the rhythmic slapping and smack that echoed around the room. The sudden ferocity that the guard displayed pushed Velvet over her mental edge as she had her eyes roll into the back of her head. The mare was long gone as she swam in a sea of ecstasy.

Every slam that the stallion drove into her pushed her closer and closer to their intended target. Velvet was being pushed into the mattress, and she was grateful the bed managed to hold both of them and not break from the constant thrusts Night Light was giving her. It was a matter of moments before Night Light drove his member in one last time and hilted deep into Velvet, making both scream out. The guard’s shaft penetrated her cervix and filled her womb. Shot after shot of his seed filled the mare’s cavern as he intended to paint her walls white. The pair stayed close to each other as Velvet wanted to take all of Night Light’s seed. The mare felt wonderful as she accepted the wonderful gift the stallion was giving her. For the first time in her life, she was experiencing a sense of satisfaction that she had never known existed. For Night Light, the sexual experience he had just undergone was, without a doubt, the best he’d ever had in his entire life. Every aspect, from how it occurred to the mare it was with, was near perfection. Holding himself within her, feeling her pussy desperately try and milk him of every single last drop, he released a heavy sigh of relief.

The mare looked at her lover as the two looked at each other with a newfound purpose. They smiled as they lay there holding the other before fatigue finally began to set in and caused both ponies to fall into a deep slumber for the rest of the night.

“Alright, you two! Come on, the taxi is here!” said Velvet as she opened the front door with Night Light using his magic and muzzle to take the bags to the carriage.

“I’ll make sure I write you,” said Shining Armor.

“I’ll be waiting,” responded Cadance.

The young stallion nuzzled his marefriend as he promised despite them being far away, they would continue to love each other and write as often as possible to stay in touch. After giving her one final kiss, Shining Armor got in the taxi with the rest of his parents as they began to head to their destination to drop off their son before heading to the school for Twilight. As they traveled alongside the road, both adults took a look behind them as they saw their kids. The sibling pair were doing one final game with each other before they split as the sight of their children reminded the pair just how far they’d come from that faithful night of their meeting to their first date and the night after and all the other times that would eventually result in them being wed and producing a happy family. All those years ago, Velvet was against being a mother, but here she was… a proud mother of two talented kids destined for great things. Cookie was right; motherhood wasn’t all that bad. Night Light pulled his wife in close as he held her, and she closed her eyes, relishing the touch of her lovely husband.

“We made them,” said the mare.

“Yes. Yes, we did,” smiled Night Light as he looked at his wife before kissing the top of her head.

The stallion was truly lucky to not only have the mare of his life by his side but also to give him two beautiful pieces of treasure to cherish for the rest of their lives. The stallion placed his head on top of his wife, closed his eyes, and listened to the sounds of nature around them as they continued down the path.

Author's Note

It was an honor to participate in this competition and write for someone well-respected and well-known in this community. To Tailsopony, I hope you enjoyed it as well.