Author's Note

Welcome to a new story. Hope you like the setup.

Peace in Ponyville is a common sight and that normally means good things. There are things, under the facade of peace where upset can be found.

Chapter 1: Crafts and Confessions

Rarity washed her face with cool water in the early morning after her shower, making sure to clean her face of makeup thoroughly after her... activities last night. She enjoyed the afterglow right after her bedroom workout and the morning after. Her boyfriend, sleeping in her bedroom, rested with blissful content even without a smile. Though the scar over right eye and the patch of gray around his left eye and up his ear would normally take from a stallion's handsome appeal, his conduct retains a strong presence to him that could not be denied. The way he grabbed and pinned her after the mare went through the trouble of dropping her not-so-subtle hints was certainly the action and stance to be expected of a stallion. Goodness she's getting hot just remembering it without the wine she drank, but business first. Before that, "wake up darling." She nudged the white stallion to wake him, his lengthy claret magenta mane falling in his face as he turned over, seeing a cleaned and dressed Rarity, ready for work after the aggressive love making last night.

"Is it noon?" Rarity shook her head as he leaned up, legs swinging over the edge and planting to the floor. "Good." He took the mare by her top and pulled her into a kiss before letting go right there. The mare, startled, saw a wry smirk on his face. "I was afraid I missed morning kisses."

She couldn't help the deep blush coming to her face or the smile on her lips. "Goodness, you can be so rough yet so charming with a lady. Are you rehearsing in private?" The mare's teasing was met with an arm wrapping around her waist in a lazy hug. "Nature needs no rehearsals." Those words from Iron made her a bit swoon before she eased out, having to go downstairs to begin work. Iron wasn't behind that much after getting his shower to do the same.

Coming down in his wielder overalls and boots, the stallion gave Rarity one last kiss before taking Sweetie Belle to school. As he arrived, he noticed two mares waiting out in front of the school house. The cyan mare being Rainbow Dash, who’s dropping off Scootaloo, while Iron was contemplating why Fluttershy was there, since he didn’t see Applbloom just yet. “Morning Dash, Shy. Are you two waiting for something?”

Rainbow waved with a friendly smile as she and Fluttershy nodded with Rainbow speaking first. “We got a letter yesterday morning. Natah’s going to be paying a visit.” Though Rainbow’s face was calm, her wings were fidgeting with excitement as her racing buddy and colt friend were going to be paying a visit. The two were speed freaks ever since Natah was a young colt, after catching his first look at the sonic rainboom, but once they met they became thick as thieves. Fluttershy met him a bit later after the three became close over the years. Just beyond the 4 year mark, Rainbow Dash and Natah had finally grown to have a more romantic rather than rivalry-fueled relationship with Fluttershy following just a year later. Even if she was still “shying away”.

“He said he should be here before the first bell.” Fluttershy spoke up out of nervousness, having a schedule of grocery shopping to keep in order to feed her animals. Thankfully they did not have to wait long, as a sonic boom was heard just outside of Ponyville as they turned their observation to the sky. An ebony stallion with amber-gold feathers, body markings and a longhorn with an amber-gold gradient from his dark coat stood before them in a sleek armor of his own making landed in front of the schoolhouse with everyone present staring at the alicorn in awe.

“Natah, my guy!” Rainbow ran up to him and gave the prince a quick hug before pulling away. “Certainly took your sweet time to make your arrival, but I do like the flare from the entrance.”

“Right.” Chortled Natah playfully as he just smiled, noticing Rainbow’s fidgeting wings and a blush on both hers and Fluttershy’s cheeks. “So what’s got you two so rosy seeing me? We’ve known each other for… what a couple hundred years?” The girls simply nodded but they still didn’t know how to say it. He pulled them in but whispered to Rainbow, “I already know what it takes to melt that tomboy attitude, skittles.” His low and raspy voice at this distance tickled her hearing as she could feel her lips curl up with a hotter blush.

As he was getting a rise out of her, two familiar fillies began to poke his sides, making him squawk out in surprised laughter, which gave Rainbow some ammo for payback, using her feather to tickle him between open segments of his protective gear. She tried holding him but he did manage to escape, retreating from the tickle monsters. “Rainbow!” Scolded Fluttershy as the mare gave the cyan speedster a soft glare, more resembling a pout.

Rainbow shrugged with a sheepish grin, as she figured she’d have to go after Natah now. She was, in fact, ready to set out when they heard, “put me down!” The group looked over and saw Applejack carrying Natah back to the school house like a sack of apples, with Rarity in tow with a package in her hands. Seems lunch was forgotten for the filly and stallion, but she had other business anyway, so it works out. Once the three fillies saw each other, the sun grew dim from their bright smiles, Rarity’s seemed more out of awe. “To catch Rainbow Dash is one thing but Natah?!”

Applejack just shrugged her shoulders. From her perspective, she felt someone like Scootaloo about to rush by and stuck her hand out to catch them. When she saw it was Natah, she just carried him back to the schoolhouse, since that was where he was supposed to meet Rainbow for a reunion.

Natah, having been carried back like a rowdy foal, had continued to stand there just barely behind Apple’s side. The mischievous gaze on his multi-colored mare still bearing down on him. “I’m innocent…” As Natah was staring up to Rainbow with embarrassed apprehension, Rarity passed off lunch to Sweetie Belle before ushering her to her friends and their school while passing a meal to Iron, who took the food with gratitude. The stallion, knowing full well what may come next, looked over to Applejack. He’d worked in her family’s field a few times as a favor though honesty tends to work both ways when you spend enough time together.

Applejack looked between the two and kept her temper under control. She wasn’t really mad at them, more herself for not knowing better. “I just need to know what you two did last night. The smell is potent enough to be a perfume.” Rarity was both surprised and scared since that meant Iron was all over her, maybe not in that way now but the point still stands. “...buck.” Rarity was at a crossroads on how to explain it and her blush was getting no better.

Iron, ever the knight to the rescue spoke up. “We did what a passionate couple would do when there is trust between each other, we shared the bed. Though I nearly broke it.” His blunt words were just enough to give Applejack an idea of what Rarity was pinned under, at least so the children present did not hear the nasty details between two adults. “O…kay I am… silenced and impressed that you said that.” Iron raised a brow before looking over the flannel that was barely covering and supporting her breasts and her shorts which were seemingly ready to protest against her ample bottoms. “And I don’t think you have much room to talk, considering the fact you came here in those shorts and that top. Granted you work in the heat, but you just started your day.”

“Yeah, plus there isn’t a heck of a whole lot I can wear.” Applejack said with a dejected look, almost glaring angrily at Rarity’s more evenly voluptuous figure. How she is so blessed to not have the cursed bottom muscles the Apple females have must be nice, though it lets her feel some sympathy for Fluttershy for her figure. Poor pegasus is built like the unholy delivery of a runway model and a wet nurse. “Darling, you know I can make you something more accommodating for your figure.” Rarity felt that hot glare but knew why Applejack can be so touchy about clothes, especially denim; hard to work with, too rigid and not enough space.

“You could wear more breezy clothing, if you’re trying to fight the heat.” Iron’s innocent suggestion made the mare’s face heat up with frustrated embarrassment, making the stallion wish he’d not opened his mouth the first time. Now, though, this was just getting ridiculous. “Okay, AJ, what is the matter? What are you wanting from me? I know I cheated you out of the first night but your honesty is your default. You still put a filter on your words and it makes the signals a bit mixed.”

This made Rarity realize why she felt so inclined to try offering Iron so much to tell her she did like him. It wasn’t until she withdrew her generosity to give him more emotional sentiments, especially after last night’s date, that he finally reacted. “If you have something you really want to say Applejack, say it.”

The farm mare was about to protest before she was, quite literally, saved by the bell, ushering all the children in as she took a deep breath. She strode up to the white stallion with her honest nature acting as her foundation as she finally said the truth. “Since Bloom is now out of ear shot… Iron, all I want from you is your character. All that pillow fluff the other couples spew in bed… I don’t want that.” AJ could feel her body heat up again from her rising heart rate and heat, but she pressed on. “I want nasty promises, enticing threats, lovely dangers - I want my skin and ears to feel like I’ve been thunderstruck as you make me feel like a mare comic whore when you roll me on the hay. Not in the hay, on it. I want Equestria to see me bare your kids on the farm.” She felt her legs tremble while tears stung her eyes, her face down cast from the regret of listening to her best friend. “I feel… so dirty and sinful now…”

As she was lamenting her guilt, a hand raised her eyes back to Iron, who was looking soulfully into her green jewels before she was surprised again, this time by a quick kiss to her lips. “Then Tartarus better keep their claws off you.” Those words, possessive and protective, made her heart feel like it could leap out of her chest while the others, who heard that nasty honesty, felt as though an angel was forgiven for its sin of decadence.

“You… really don’t think I was… nasty?” Applejack was still thoroughly embarrassed, though the shame melted with those simple actions, bold as the sun and gentle as the moon.

“There really is no shame in telling someone how you feel. You are you, and others should love you for that alone.” Natah’s words held weight as he knows this much better than most. “Right, Dashie?” His teasing tone returned as he directed the inflection to the cyan mare.

“You better shut your mouth, goldie locks.” Rainbow’s own blush was only mocked by a challenging smirk, daring the mare to make a move.

Iron then held AJ in a hug as he addressed everyone, still looking at the farm mare with determined eyes. “My turn.” Everyone perked up to see what he’d say. "I'll fulfill your wish." The group was both flustered and confused as his words first came out as vague. "I'll threaten your body with pregnancy as I toss your beautifully sturdy frame in the orchard. The fornication I put you through will be an R-rated wet dream since you want the night sky to see you getting plowed and fertilized like your farm in spring." His words came out hoarse as he whispered into her ear but the others could hear his breathing into her. "I bedded Rarity because of her respect, so I'll court you for your honesty to yourself. You'll be my 'childhood sweetheart' as we toss in the dirt and seed an orchard of our own in your 'apple blossom'."

While Rarity knew Iron could be rather… nasty, what came out of him was filthy enough she and Natah both were as red as a sunset and just as bothered. “I did not know a man could talk to a mare so… boldly like that.” Natah’s words were chortled at by Rainbow but she knew what he meant. Even she wasn’t… that steamy with her language.

Natah’s gaze snapped to the mare, who really was trying to not laugh. “Excuse me, Dashie? Do we need to race?” Rainbow, remembering something from earlier on the topic, pulled a piece of paper from her bag and put it on a nearby table. This caught everyone's attention. "What's this?" Crude as it may have been, it looked like a well made map and a route through the nearby Everfree forest.

"It's a racing route. I was told by Iron that I'm too used to the routes in Ponyville, since they don’t push my limits due to familiarity. After thinking about it, he's right." She then started to go over the map and her racing route, which seemed to be more of a race of endurance. Iron gave it a look over and saw it went over the vast majority of the Everfree area, not just the greenery. Though one section in the middle of the forest and one at the end of the circuit were straight shots. She said this was to address the simplicity and stagnation of her usual training, a means of helping her to push her speed in time attacks. Fluttershy then spoke up as the two stallions looked at places on the map that looked a bit dangerous. "It took a few days to get the tracking just right so each lap would push her limits. I was opposed, but she did ask me to come along to be a spotter for the areas, so any harm is my responsibility too." They two let out a sigh of relief, though this did kick Natah's pride a bit, since he's often the reckless speed demon, even more than Rainbow.

With the route planned, Iron went about his way to the workshop after kissing Applejack and Rarity a quick farewell for their jobs. Natah, still with the pegasi, looked over to the butter yellow mare now that she was a bit more relaxed. “Speaking of asking, is there something you wanted to say, Flutters?”

The poor mare’s face went from the soft yellow to a deep red as her wings popped hard from an erection. Hard to hide the contents of her question with that body language. “I was… wanting to know if y-you would take me to the clouds like Rainbow does. T-take me as your m-mare.” The sound of the birds seemed to stop as everyone present felt their own feats of confidence get shot in the knee by this mare’s boldness.

Natah was also astounded before taking the mare into a hug, his shorter height meaning a face full of those soft pillows but his joy and pride could not be misplaced. “That is rather bold of you to say, Flutters. I thought you’d ask a different stallion, given… well…” He glared at the fact his left wing meant few pegasi would look his way. Rainbow would have said something had Fluttershy not beat her to it, taking Natah’s face and making him look at her.

“Listen here, Chronus, I asked you not because you are an alicorn, not because of your station and not because of your handi-” She stopped herself swiftly and lifted the smaller alicorn with ease and hugged him closely, more eye level. “I asked because we’ve known each other for so long, letting Rainbow and me see your growth, your smile, your pain and your bravery. None of that has anything to do with my emotions, so don’t ever say that again.” She wanted to bring up the handicap that he’s been having to hide with his armor, but it’s already a sore subject for him, so she left her words there and held him close, not wanting him to stew in his depression.

The firm gesture and caring aura brought Natah’s joyful smile back, Rainbow joining in on the hug so that Natah would fully know how much he is loved by the two mares. “You two are just… so dang sweet, you know that?” They only cooed to agree with him, sharing the moment for a bit more as Natah tried to fight back his tears of joy.

The Iron Forge Workshop
Arriving at the shop, Iron opened the massive sliding doors of the exterior walls, allowing natural light to flow in as he continued to open windows and skylights. The Forge, itself, awakened gently with a yawn sounding like groaning metal as it lifted itself from the floor. The main floor of the shop was expansive to accommodate the Forge, a golem made with metals of the purest refinement possible and powered by a Crystal Core. Various suits of armor made for the guard that work under the princesses and for the local towns lined the walls off to the side and away from the main floor.

"Greetings, Iron Wrought." The Forge spoke with joy. It wiped the sleep from its eyes before turning them onto a replacement core, made from leftover minerals from the resources gathered. "Good morning Iro. What's your condition?" The greeting was rather standard for Iron since he wanted to treat the machine as a person over a tool. Sentient golems worked day and night to make the tools and armor but can still dream like others, even if they don’t ‘sleep’ in the conventional sense.

"My status is optimal as always, at present, but I still thank you for asking." It replied graciously, the voice having a mix of humming and ringing like the song metal makes when flicked, almost like an accent for it. It reached for the Crystal Core it was working on and presented it to Iron. "Will this be a sufficient improvement to your shop?"

Iron looked at the core presented before shaking his head solemnly. "Iro, that core will not be you if we replace it, though I wish we'd done better on our first try for someone so precious and priceless." The stallion said sadly, his eyes noting the much improved design of the crystal density and the energy ratio from the atomic alignment. "We can send this to Canterlot to work for the princesses directly, but you will be more important to this town for both your time and contribution." These words, though meaning little to the golem now, seemed to resonate in it, as if the song of Iron's own heart harmonized with the machine.

"Very well. Thank you for your input. And your words." Iro nestled the core, cradling it like a father before setting it aside. "Now, for the armor you requested, the prototype is ready for deployment. There is an issue, however."

"I already figured." He waited for a bit as the golem took out another Crystal Core, though much smaller. "It doesn't look that potent, but we are testing power sources so this should be viable. Go ahead and install." The golem nodded before turning to the armor in question. It was designed to be similar to the standard armor used by the guard, modified for power sources ranging from backpack extensions to internal generators. A flexible material runs throughout the interior with additional connectors to prevent energy transfer lag from the power source to the entire suit, making it look closer to full plate armor. The back was extended outward to allow for the core in the form of a casing, which the core was slotted into before the casing was sealed and the back closed.

The Forge worked a bit and ensured a good seal before looking to Iron. "It is ready for its test." Iron nodded and stripped to his underwear, since this would be donned like standard armor, the Stigma on his back on display for a bit as he stepped into the armor. The inner material sealed up like a jacket before the plates moved about to ensure a firm fit to his form, his mane done up and in place before stepping to the middle of the shop for a literal test run.

The test began with a boom and was immediately ended with a roar from Iro, both turning Natah’s and Fluttershy’s heads to the shop as they flew over in worry. Meanwhile, Iron was at the end of a trench head created from the startup, the core of the armor having provided too much power, more than a physical body can handle, much less a terran. From Iro's distress call, the dark and gold streak of Natah was already on the way, landing in front of the armor and ripping the plates off so the arms could unlatch and release Iron. Thankfully, there was no serious injury, a concussion at the worst, mostly shell shock. "Thanks." The white terran said gratefully to his friend and savior.

"What the heck happened?!" The alicorn asked in a demanding and worried tone, his eyes reflecting this concern upon seeing the shallow trench created by the suit's test run.

"Relax. It was a simple startup and test run." Iron slowly eased himself to his feet, the alicorn stabilizing him as the stallion looked at the heavily dented armor. “Simple my bright stripes! You made a trench, what were you doing?” The alicorn’s warranted concerts were met with a deep breath and sigh as Iron steadied his body and mind.

“I was testing power sources for the new armor. Apparently a single heart, even from a small beast, was too much for the superstructure.” The explanation from Iron left Natah blanched from immediate fear. It used the heart as intended, but still could not handle the heart's output or the damage from the crash. “One hea-dear god! Iron I do respect the grit but could I ask, as rich as it is to come from me, for you to pump the damn brakes just a little?” Coming onto the scene from above, the cyan mare, Rainbow Dash, hit the ground to inspect what happened. Even after giving her the rundown, she was still worried about any lasting damage. "I'm fine skittles. I'll see a doctor later on."

"Seriously dude, what happened?" She asked, looking at how bent the armor was in places. “Besides you turning yourself into a RAILGUN ROUND and making us worry the next test is going to end up putting the metal through your chest?”

"I used the core of a Phantom, which proved to be too powerful. Maybe it was the size." As he was thinking of ideas, he looked over to Iro, who's plates were drawn into a concerned look. "I'm fine Iro, really. And it was an accident. We just did not know the result."

"Seriously, what possessed you to think that was safe?" Pressed the alicorn as Natah put his own two bits in out of worry. “You might be better off strapping something like that to a titan…” The alicorn felt glares from the mares being bored into him after saying that. "What?"

"He said it was a test. I doubt he knew what the outcome was going to be." She said before looking at the terran and asking, "right?"

"It was a small core from one beast in what is basically just powered armor. I didn't think it would be too much, so it's back to the drawing board." The terran rested on his couch in the shop.

Taking a breath of relief, now that his friend was taking it a little easy, Natah spoke up while he had an idea. “Since that is settled… Rainbow, why don’t we start our race here, if you’re raring to go?” He had the same cocky smile as the chromatic mare shared the look before nodding.

With both matters brought full circle in a seamless manner, a sigh of relief washed from Natah. “Good lords, all this has me stressed out. I can only imagine how Pinkie would react to this.” He had a right to voice his concern since the only one that seemed to put the brakes on when something gets out of ha-”

“Oh that’s an easy answer” The aforementioned pink mare said as she came out of Fluttershy’s tail like some shadow of hue before the rest of her followed, fully dressed before having a smile of dread and fury. “I remind myself that my friends can be reckless and they just need someone to care for them. Now if someone hurt them that way I would make certain that they feel as helpless as they make me for witnessing my friends in a state that I cannot relieve them of.”

“i…ok first of all, where did you come from?” Natah asked, expressing everyone’s obvious shock at the mare’s apparent super power to just break reality. “Secondly, who hurt you to get you THIS pissed?!”

“Oh I’m not hurt. I’m just damaged” The pink mare said factually with a beaming smile. While everyone was shocked, Iro was the one to express sadness with the inverbal groaning in his chest. “Aw, don’t be sad for me Smithy. I have plenty of help from my friends.” Pinky said with a reassuring smile before turning to Iron. "Still, I'd say what you did was a bit more reckless than what Natah normally does, even when you account for the race he and Rainbow are having.”

“Wait, you already knew?” The alicorn and pegasus asked in shock before the pink terran just nodded her head swiftly with a smile.

“So what’s this…? Are you some kinda shadow stalker now…?” She looked off to the side with a pondering expression and just shrugged her shoulders innocently, not really knowing or saying how she knew, since it’s her running secret.

“Are you sure you two want to do this right now, though?” Iron spoke up, referring to the race the two speedsters were geared up and psyched for. Natah chuckled as he answered with a cocky smile. “Don’t worry about a thing, Wrought. With both of our speeds, we can run the circuit and finish the area or even the lap before those beast’s have a chance to see what flew over them.”

“Even though you two will be going through a combination of long straights and winding turns that call for more dexterity?” This caught the alicorn as he seemed more proud of his direct speed than acceleration, having a sheepish smile. Iron knew better, though, since these two fliers loved testing their limits. This brought a smile to the terran’s face as he finally agreed.

As he felt better, Iron stood up, going to one of the benches and pulling out a strange object, though one Natah was a bit familiar with. "Another project?" Iron nodded to Rainbow’s question as he led the two to the sliding doors. "We'll start the race with this thing. When you hear it go off, you race." The speedsters nodded and got into position. "Mark." He said, aiming the object upward as the two relax their wings. "Set." Their legs tense as they prepare to kick off. Iron putted the tool's trigger and Natah sped off as he saw the light from the object while Rainbow launched at the sound.

The crack of the shot echoed throughout the town and Iron clicked a switch as an item dropped from a housing, followed by a scowl on his muzzle. "Burned." He tossed the shorted crystal cell into a crate while setting the object on the bench. "Um... may I ask... what this is?" The timid Pegasus asked, still a bit shaken from the sudden cracking it produced. "I'd be a little more worried about-" "What the hell was that!?" He knew the resident unicorn would not ignore that sound. She'd heard the sonic booms from Rainbow and Natah so many times that she never bothered to check the one he made, but the sudden crack from the tool he created was much more alarming as she forgot her teleportation out of hurry.

"Good to see you too, stardust." The stallion greeted the overly organized unicorn dryly before her eyes set on the object, activating her neurons out of her intense curiosity. Already knowing where this would be heading, he started to move about the shop with graceful steps to keep the item from her study. This had the added effect of agitating her as she became more angered with her charge, eventually combusting into flames with a glowing white coat. He played the matador and lined up one charge out of the shop before shutting the sturdy door. This action was soon followed by hard rocking and banging against the door as Twilight had fully forgotten she could teleport. Again.

“Oh, she is really mad.” Pinkie said with a giggle before putting her finger to her chin. “But she’s also acting a wee bit feral, and it needs to stop.” She went from happy to serious as she looked around. “Smithy, could you get a shield ready? We’re going to use that to knock Twili out. Iron, Fluttershy, let her charge in, open the door and let her run in so she doesn’t destroy the doors.”

Nodding, the three got their places and Pinkie counted down perfectly before blowing a whistle she pulled from her tail. With a kick to the plank, the wood latching was sent off its fixture by Iron before Fluttershy opened the door right as Twilight charged. She ran in and collided with the shield with a metal ring echoing in the shop. She soon lost her balance and was knocked out from the collision. Being the motherly type, Fluttershy hoisted Twilight up and onto the nearby couch to let her rest. The poor unicorn’s head was certainly going to be throbbing.

“OOOF. I know someone is going to be a dizzy wizzy after that.” Pinkie said playfully as she checked Twilight’s head. “She’ll be fine.”

As soon as Pinkie said that, the sky was shaken and light by two echoes of sonic booms. Right after these sonic disruptions, Rainbow was the first one to land in the shop, breathing hard and smiling from ear to ear as sweat dripped from her coat. A cheer rang from her like a war cry as her excitement reached its peak. Natah was seconds behind as he landed, armor steaming against the cooler air and bright red from the intense burden put on it. “Rainbow. What. The hell. Was that?!”

“That was the result of my hard work and constant labor, a Double Chrome Rainboom!” Her giggling could not stop as she was just ecstatic with her accomplishment.

Just as he was about to challenge her giggling, the safety of the armor activated and launched him out of the suit, more steam pouring from the interior to rapidly cool back into the safe zone for itself and the wearer. “...ow.” The ejection left him with no time to react as he landed on the floor with a blank face before getting up. “Ugh… that armor was augmented with Twilight’s help to push passed her Sonic Rainboom, and she pulls THAT out?!” Despite looking like he could have been cooked alive, the stallion does look surprisingly good as always with his abs-

“NATAH! CLOTHES?!” The alicorn’s confused face was apparent before seeing his nude state. He still blushed even after dressing himself, since he basically revealed his constant nudity under the armor. The steam finally washed away and the faces of pity were hard to press away. He saw the expressions with confusion before dread flooded his face.

“IRO! DOOR!” The Forge was quick to use its longer construction arms to grab and close the large sliding doors before locking them in place. The skylights were closed and the fans were turned on, just so the steam had somewhere else to vent. This revealed the armor possessing a wing of its own, made from a primary augment Twilight had made in order to hide Natah’s biggest secret and disability.

As the armor cooled during restart, the wing collapsed back into the armor as the party made sure no one could see into the shop. Just as everyone was settling down from sealing up the shop, Twilight began to stir, knocking everyone out of their stupor. “Um… why is she-nevermind I see the gun.” Natah didn’t need to look very far to see the possible reason she was knocked out. He approached her and knelt down with an empathetic expression. “You good twi-”

“Why does everything hurt…?” Her voice was hoarse yet she was still loud enough with her question from the frustration she was still feeling.

“Well we had to do SOMETHIN’ to keep you from going Tauros on us” Pinkie spoke up before helping Twilight to her feet. “More specifically on my damn doors.” The terran said with a scolding tone, making Twilight blush at her rudeness before looking away. The stallion didn’t question her but figured he’d have to explain himself anyway.

“One thing that had occurred to me.. what’s gotten amethyst over here so enamored with what is essentially a glorified starter pistol?” And there it is. “Probably the fact it didn’t sound like a normal sonic boom compared to the ones you too normally make or the one I made earlier.” Iron’s comment had Twilight shocked for a moment as she slowly looked back at him with fear. “But to explain why I made it, I wanted to make a secondary form of weaponry for the guard, veneration and respect included.”

“Veneration?” Twilight, knowing the definition but not its applications, was rather surprised that any weapon is given that much sentimental value for any reason. Being the general type of intellectual she is, this confused her.

Natah knew perfectly what Iron meant. Weapons like swords and spears are made and treated with great care as they are weapons that both protect and take life. They are venerated for their role and thanked for their service by the knights who value their worth. If something like this gun ever makes it to production just to have them in mass quantities, they are treated as a simple tool of death and not an instrument of defense.

Iron, still shaking his head at her question. “This weapon is no different from a sword, club or spear. It’s designed to take a life. That shot, though, was not as far as I hoped it would go. Which might be for the better.” Iron had been on and off of the project for months as he didn’t know if finishing the weapon would be worth the danger it could bring. “I don’t want something this dangerous to be treated so callously… but I also want to improve on the cartridge’s design to increase range before working on power.”

Natah was ready to offer some suggestions before the pegasi in the room shot him a glare. He’d already provided more than enough for Equestria, from helping terrans learn they can use internal magics and energies to current weapon redesigns that are in limited use for their power. While he’d want to see more in the world, he had to be reminded that people want to accomplish things, and taking that from them outright would undermine them learning how to do it in the first place.

Speaking of learning, the others looked to Iron’s armor as it was finished being rebuilt. It looked a bit more like the standard knight armor with a bit more bulk around the shoulders and legs with a few extra inches of plating. Natah was about ready to offer suggestions on the armor before both girlfriends clocked him on the top of his head. This caught the other three’s attention as the impact was enough to be felt in the shop. “I would not be surprised if he suffered brain damage,” said Twilight with a wince after remembering her recent collision with the shield.

“We kept telling him to stop and he can be dang reckless about his choices.” Rainbow countered Twilight’s words as the mare knew Natah better than the unicorn what the alicorn would get into.

“It was just a suggestion, wasn’t it?” Twilight challenged, starting to defend Natah before thinking about her own experiments and sighing from realization. “I guess that's why it was a test, though. You expected something to go wrong." Iron nodded as he really only started up the armor and used a limited output. Even without the throttle being opened up fully, it was too much for the armor to take and for him to keep up with at the moment. "Still... all that work from the guard and you can't even use it."

"Maybe not as intended, for the moment." He countered, looking over the armor before getting an idea. "Go ahead and remove the power source, Iro. I have something better in mind." The forge nodded and began a more detailed repair job since there would be no engine installed in the armor. "Won't that make moving around difficult?" Rainbow's question was valid, since the armor was made to be powered by magic, but he noticed something from the startup and wanted to try it himself. “It’ll be harder to move, but I noticed something on startup that has me thinking, so I want to take this opportunity to learn.”

Twilight turned to Natah, who was currently resting on Fluttershy’s lap after being knocked out, before looking at the aforementioned mare. “Why don’t you go ahead and take him to your place Fluttershy, let him rest after that ‘lesson’?” The mare flushed from embarrassment with Twilight having a teasing grin on her face. Everyone cleared the shop after Fluttershy left with the prince in tow, though the mare had to be mindful of other ponies seeing the alicorn’s missing wing.

The alicorn slept for a good five hours, twitching in his sleep as he had a strange dream before waking up in his caretaker’s bed. His blurry gaze opened after his brief sleep before looking around the cottage, falling onto the pink mane of his marefriend. “Where… where are the others?”

“Rainbow is back at work, Twilight is back at the library and Iron told me he’d be out in the Everfree.” She brought the stallion a drink with a slightly worried expression on her muzzle. “We’re sorry for the strike. We needed you to stop before you did or said something reckless again. Though I guess that five hour sleep was worth it?”

“And Pinkie?” He asked in a tone indicating he was not okay with being shut down so many times and put out of commission from his armor’s safeties.

“I’d asked her if she could make a pastry or dessert after you, as an apology.” Natah, feeling a press to his heart with those words, looked to the mare with curiosity. “We know you want to help us in fields outside of fighting, but we want to surprise you with our own accomplishment, like Rainbow’s new speed.” He wanted to say something before remembering that proud look on Rainbow’s face for her well earned victory. “Just like how Pinkie surprised me by saying she already had something themed in color and taste after you.” Those words finished cooling Natah’s temper as he is reminded of how much people push themselves for him.

“You two did that… for me?” Hell the fact all of them are pushing so hard for each other makes the sentiments just as sweet. “You… haah, I really am loved. Speaking of love, you want another kiss?” The prince’s playful teasing reminded Fluttershy of her spicy approach before she went for more than a simple kiss, making the prince spend another hour in bed for in-house activities.

Natah’s whole hour consisted of the timid mare topping him in her bed and begging him to make her keep her word. The new couple now just lay there with Natah relieved and stunned while Fluttershy was glowing. The prince wasn’t really against the arrangement, it was just unexpected of her. Sadly her stamina leaving her left her pinned on the stallion, who was now fighting for air under two cream yellow pillows. She eventually managed to turn over, pulling him with her and smothering his face in her chest. “Okay if this came from all the teasing, I’m sorry!” Natah’s innocent pleas drew a smirk from the mare who just wanted to keep her end of the relationship before pinning the poor boy to her.

“I just wanted to show my boyfriend my affection for his teasing.” Her teasing tone was met with Natah squeaking from mixed emotions before he squeaked again from her feathers tickling his exposed sides. The mare tickled the stallion for a moment before releasing him, letting the poor man escape his pillowy prison on his own. He soon realized what he left and fumed a little, which drew heavenly chuckles from the mare, soothing him again. He really could not be mad at this woman for being a little playful.

The two, now with some free time, got cleaned after their activity and Fluttershy prepared supper, since it was rather late and the alicorn had yet to eat after the fiasco at noon. Natah soon looked at the clock and felt a bit concerned. “Did Iron say when he was going to be back from the Everfree?” She shook her head, saying that all he’d said was that he was taking the armor into the forest for a stress test and hasn’t been back since, which was six hours ago at this point.

The two ate in relative peace after, making small talk about the ideas Pinkie had for dessert to pass the time before the alicorn sensed a flow of magic from outside. It moved with erratic grace like a monkey or a spider jumping from tree to tree. The minor issue was that it was closing in on the cottage. Ever prepared, Natah got up from the table, worrying the pegasus as she followed soon after. The prince armed a spell as the mana felt similar, friendly. There was a noise outside before the door opened, revealing an exhausted, smiling Iron with a look in his eyes that burned with revelation.

Turns out, Iron initially went to spend three hours in the forest but soon got addicted to the accomplished feeling of moving the armor with his own internal mana. He even used a modified version of the racing route Natah and Rainbow used to push his limits and reflexes, letting the more aggressive animals take shots at him. Natah called out the blatant recklessness since no one knew he was out for that long or under those conditions. This otherwise blatant double standard did not go unpunished as Natah’s ass was slapped with enough heat to make his poor bottom smoke from the fiery strength Applejack unleashed from her upset of emotions.

“Don’t act like you didn’t deserve that, Natah. And you,” she turned her anger furiously to Iron, having been worried sick as she’d been looking for him earlier only for Rainbow to tell her he was in the Everfree forest. She then hears from Rainbow that he’s back and at Fluttershy’s cottage, practically sprinting to catch Iron like she thought he was going to disappear. “I didn’t know what could have happened, and Rainbow would not have been able to know any better since she didn’t know you were going to be gone for so long! And the girl can’t be expected to look out for you!”

Natah wanted to say something for his smoldering ass, but left it since Applejack was rightly worried. Iron took the berating since it was his own incompetence that made her worry for so long. “I’m sorry for your grief. I’d stayed to the racing route they used so I’d have a point of reference. I didn’t think my stress test would take so long.” He wiped the tears from her eyes as he gently caressed her cheeks. “I think I can make it up by spending the remainder of today and all of tonight with you. I still owe you that first date.”

Applejack nodded before remembering his words, a slight wetness growing in her bottoms as she hid her smirk. “7:45. Don’t keep me waiting.” She turned to head home before feeling a hand slap her strong cheeks, making them give a little as she felt her heart strings tense from excitement. She even squeaked a bit as she gave Iron a naughty look before heading home. “I’ll go ahead and head home. I have a long night ahead of me.” Iron waved to Natah and Fluttershy as the latter gave the stallion a thumbs up. Meanwhile, Natah was still recalling his dream in vivid detail with Fluttershy taking notice of his worry. “What’s wrong Natah.”

“What am I…?” Natah’s head lowered as his ears had gone flat. “...and why do I have these....memories in my head? There are places I've never been to and people I've never met. Ever since that hit to the head, I could see…so much more. At one moment i was driving some sort of vehicle alongside many other people, fighting for the sake of all reality. Next thing I know, I'm the room mate of a lovecraftian shapeshifting rat then in medieval times with multicolored hedgehogs while falling for a cream colored rabbit.” The dread on Natah’s face was existential, as if he lost some form of line between himself and his reality, unable to see himself anymore.

Fluttershy listened intently to his words, letting him express his worry so he can vent the fear he has now. “I just...laid there thinking ‘are these memories mine’? Did I die and is this reincarnation or is all of this just a fever dream with me part of something more?” His distress had begun to manifest in the form of an alien energy coming from the markings on his body, flooding from his wing and horn in the process as it covered him like a dense atmosphere. “Who am I, and where did I come from? What am I doing here!”

The pegasus took Natah’s face into her hands and made him look at her. The mare made his eyes stay on him as she spoke. “Where are you right now?” These words, for a moment, stunned the alicorn. “Who am I?” He could answer that much clearly but confusion still ran through his mind. “I know dreams can be hard to understand. Maybe those were your past lives. Maybe they were other parts of you. Not much is known about an alicorn so maybe you shed some extra part of yourself, or you were something greater and we are seeing one part of you. This part of you, though, is still as real as the others. Maybe they are also you, but they have their own lives, just like you do. So don’t ask you, right now, are. You, right here, are you, not them. Okay?” Natah felt his world mending as his existence now felt more grounded, more validated as he just pressed himself into her, wanting to keep this reality as long as he can.

As the two would spend their evening in embrace, Iron had dropped off the armor at the shop and was having to run to make up the time walking just to conserve his stamina. He ran the full distance from the shop to the farm and scaled the house to the second floor, where Applejack was currently sitting and brushing her hair in a fidget. The stallion, ever the romantic, knocked on the window, getting the farm mare’s attention as she lifted the obstruction with a confused face. “Isn’t this a little… cliche?” She wasn’t complaining, she was actually quite amused.

“Better than going out the front door into the orchard. I don’t want Applebloom to hear how nasty I’m going to make you sound.” The mare’s heart beat hard against her chest again like it was going to jump out, even more after Iron took her by the waist and carried her deep into the apple farm’s western part of the orchard until the farm was well out of view. Iron took full advantage of the close proximity and whispered in her ear, the low voice sounding more hoarse as he spoke. "I will mean what I say, so unless you feel like explaining to Mrs. Smith who gave you a litter of foals, you better be on some kind of birth control when this batter gets poured into your own orchard." Excitement built into Applejack as her hot blush could be felt against the air and her nethers felt tense. That night, the two fulfilled the mare’s promise as she screamed profane absurdities under Luna’s night sky.