Kinds of Love

Chapters

Fair Knowledge
The Mind of a Mare in Heat
Sisterly Bond
Girls Night In
Guys Night Out
Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 1)
Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 2)
Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 3)
Bonus Chapter: Spoony Paladin
A Change in Perspective
In the Heat of the Moment

Fair Knowledge

The royal couple lay upon their bed, with Aegis on her back, and Eros next to her on his stomach, with his wing draped over her.

“Are you sure of this?” asked Aegis. It had been roughly two weeks since their first go at gender-swapped relations, and now Cadence – or rather, Eros – wanted to expand upon his research. He wanted to take it beyond the bedroom, and go out on a date in their current forms. “I'd rather not have to answer a million questions about this, or answer them while looking like this.”

“Have I ever steered you wrong before?” he asked, giving her a playful nudge with his muzzle.

“Yes. Yes you have.”

“Ok fine, have I steered you wrong in the past week?”

“Calender week or in the last seven days?”

“Aegis, come on. Please?”

She sighed. “I just don't know. It's one thing to be a mare for you but–”

“Hon, it'll go well. I promise.”

“There's no way you can promise that.”

“Fine, I'll do my absolute best to make your first date as a mare go great, that's what I promise. I even know what we can do for it.”

“Oh?”

“The fair.”

“I...” She facehooved. “Another one? It's been like what, a week since the last one?”

He shrugged. “Ten days, actually. What can I say, crystal ponies love fairs. Besides, it brings in tourists, so I'm not going to complain.” Eros pushed up, raising his upper body, and moving over a bit, until he was directly over her, almost nose to nose. She stared up, into his eyes. “What's the worse that'll happen? Some stallions getting jealous of me having such a beautiful wife?” He kissed her.

She grunted into his mouth and tapped him on the chest a few times to make him break it. “Just because I'm a mare doesn't mean I'm going to go mushy over every cheesy line.”

“Aegis, please? For me?”

“...fine.”

“Really?”

“If it means this much to you, I'll do it, but you owe me one.”

“You're the best wife ever. The girls at the spa will be waiting for you, and don't worry, they won't be shocked.”

“Oh, is that so,” she growled, her right ear twitching in annoyance.

“Heh, heh...” he laughed nervously. “I may have let it slip that we've done this before, and that I was planning this.”

***

She quietly, stealthily made her way through the few blocks that separated the palace from the city's spa. To help hide herself, she grabbed a black cloak before leaving. Along the way, she thanked lady luck for the fact that none of the other ponies noticed her, likely too busy preparing for the fair.

Aegis wasn't an idiot, she knew that this whole gender-bending thing between them was
going to get out eventually. If nothing else, the servants and guards would catch on, and rumors were bound to spread. Nonetheless, she would have preferred it to be a slow spread rather than having Eros – or was it Cadence at the time? – tell others all about it. He was going to have to do a lot in this date to get back in her good graces, and if he didn't, then somepony was going to spend the night on the couch. She groaned after that last thought.

Great. Now I'm beginning to think like a mare...

Aegis stopped in front of a large building – not overly tall, but quite wide, and likely went far back as well. She cracked open the door and stuck her head in, “Hello?” Inside was the main room, with a few of those things the customer's laid on. Aegis thought she heard Eros once call them a something table. All the attendees turned to her, making it very difficult to resist just leaving right then and there.

“Oh, Princess Aegis! We've been expecting you. Please, come in,” said the nearest one, a cream colored pony.

She cringed at the title princess, but decided to keep it to herself. Afterall, it technically was her title at the moment, and the pony was probably just trying to show proper respect for royalty. “...yeah, sure.” Aegis pushed open the door and entered, getting a better view of the place. With a sigh, she pushed the hood of her cloak back, finally fully revealing herself.

“Right this way, your highness,” said the cream pony, as she led Aegis into a backroom, one with its own table. One wall of the room was completely covered by a large mirror. “I thought you might like being back here, away from anypony that walks in.”

Aegis nodded in gratitude. “Thanks, Ms. um...”

“Bonna Fide, your highness.” She patted the table and motioned for Aegis to get on.

No sooner had Aegis lain on it, two other attendants came in, each holding a brush. “This is Marigold,” Bonna Fide pointed to the yellow one. “And this is Lace,” she pointed to the white one. They all got closer. “Now then, they're going to take care of your mane, tail, and fur; though it looks like they won't have much to do.” As Bonna Fide spoke, the others got to work. The feeling of them brushing her wasn't as uncomfortable as she expected. Aegis would go so far as think that it was actually relaxing.

Bonna Fide stayed in front of her, with a hoof on her chin, and had a look of concentration. If Aegis had to guess, she was appraising her appearance. “Your date is only a day out at the fair, so I don't think we'll have to break out any makeup.”

Thank Celestia for little victories, thought Aegis. It was obvious that Eros would eventually push Aegis into trying girlier things, but for now she was happy to ease into it.

“However, seeing as how it's your first date as a mare, we should pretty you up a bit. I'm sure Prince Eros would enjoy that, but what to do... Idea!” She rushed out of the room.

Aegis felt a pang of worry, but the soothing brush strokes melted it away in a hurry, and she happily leaned into them.

Ok, I can see why Cadence spends so much time here...

It wasn't long before Bonna Fide returned with a bottle of hoof polish – light-blue hoof polish to be precise. She sat it down next to Aegis. “Yep, same shade as your eyes. Perfect! Girls.” The other two stopped and backed away. “Roll over onto your side."

Aegis stared at the bottle, not moving.

“Princess, it's only a bit of polish. It won't hurt.”

“I know it won't hurt but...” She debated going through with it, and then looked at herself in the mirror. As much as she hated to admit it, the color probably would look good on her. “Alright. If you think it's a good idea, I'll trust you.”

“Attagirl.”

Aegis rolled onto her side, and the two assistants got to work. Lace grabbed one of her ankles, while Marigold started applying the polish her hoof.

“So Princess, has Prince Eros been a good husband so far?” asked Bonna Fide.

“Yeah, he's been pretty good in the role so far. I'd bet he got used to the form before he even tried bringing up the idea to me.” It was a cynical thought, sure, but she wouldn't put it past him. “But, he's been a gentlecolt for the most part.”

“Well, I just hope he hasn't picked up any bad habits yet?”

“Like what?”

“Well, like naming... it.”

Aegis looked up at Bonna Fide, tilting her head in confusion. “It? Naming what?”

“Ahem,” she looked away for a moment, obviously embarrassed. “His penis.”

Aegis rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, guys don't really do that.”

She giggled. “Oh really? Marigold, what did your last boyfriend call his?”

“Spire of Flesh,” she said, through clenched teeth as she continued holding the brush.

Aegis blinked a couple times, letting the words fully sink in. “You can't be serious.”

“She is. Let's see, when it comes to naming stuff, I once had a guy call his mustache a lovestache. Yes, he was being completely serious.”

The more she heard, the more she hoped that she wouldn't draw any male attention at the fair.

“Be thankful you have a nice stallion like Eros. Many, many mares would give a back hoof for a stallion like that.”

“Well, they can't have him,” Aegis answered rather quickly, then immediately closed her mouth, and blushed. She mentally chastised herself for getting upset at the thought.

“Aww, did someone get jealous? Don't like thinking of some other mare hitting on your husband?” joked Bonna Fide.

“Please don't tell Eros about that. He'd never let me live it down.”

She laughed. “Rubbing in something to embarrass his wife? Maybe he has picked up a few guy traits. You needn’t worry Princess, my lips are sealed.” She moved her hoof across her mouth, as if she was actually zipping her lips shut.

“We're done Princess,” said Marigold. She gave one of Aegis' hooves a tap, likely making sure that the polish was dry. “Go and ahead and check it out.”

Aegis hopped down off of the table, and turned towards the mirror. Her shapely, muscular legs now ended with blue hooves, perfectly matching her eyes, and going well with her darker-blue mane. Her mane was also improved, flowing down the back of her neck without any sign of a knot or out of place kink. “It looks nice,” she said.

Bonna Fide came up and put a leg around her shoulder. “You're very pretty as a mare, Princess Aegis. Eros will absolutely love it.”

“There is one thing I have to ask before leaving. Why don't you girls seem shocked by any of this? Your prince just walked in as your princess and you didn't bat an eye.”

“Cadence giving us fair warning probably helped, but also think about who our past ruler was.” Her assistants shuddered. “As our new rulers, and two of our heroes, you two could do just about anything, and we would take it in stride.”

Aegis hadn't really thought about that, and it was a good point. As long as neither she – nor Eros – abused their positions, the crystal ponies were unlikely to cast judgment on anything their rulers did in their spare time. She made a note to remind herself of that on future occasions.

***

Eros had been waiting for her outside of the spa, and now they were off to the fair.

“It looks nice on you,” said Eros, nodding to her painted hooves.

“Heh, thanks. Bonna Fide thought that it would.”

“She was right.” Eros got closer and wrapped his tail around hers, giving it a little tug. “It's also nice to see you not all covered up.”

“That was a bit silly, wasn't it?”

He nodded in response. They passed by a sign on their way into the fairgrounds. It read: Slippy's Games and Attractions.

“So, what should we do first?” asked Aegis.

“How about some games?”

It was as good of a place to start as any, and Aegis agreed. First up was Frog Flipper.

“Step right up, step right up!” said the pony running it, a purple stallion with a slug for a cutie mark. Aegis decided it was best not to ask the meaning behind it. “Flip a frog onto the lily pad and win a stuffed animal,” he called out in the typical loud and kind of obnoxious announcer voice. The game looked simple enough. There was a small seesaw set up not too far from a large container of water that had lily pads floating on the top. A sign with a diagram showed a pony hitting one side of the seesaw with a large mallet, flipping a frog into the water. Underneath was written: no magic allowed.

“What about you?” he asked, pointing to Eros. “Want to win a prize for the pretty filly?” Aegis let out an annoyed snort at the comment.

“Sure thing,” replied Eros. He nuzzled her. “Stay right here. I'll be back with your prize.”

It wasn't half bad to step back for once, and watch her partner be the one trying to win her something, rather than the other way around. A bit to the side of the setup was a booth filled with hanging stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. Without giving it much thought, she glanced from one to the other, trying to pick out which she'd want to get.

She looked back just in time to see the purple pony set the frog onto the seesaw. It was no ordinary frog, for it wore a bowler hat, and was smoking a cigar. “Oh look at the big stallion with his big hammer. I'm shaking,” mocked the frog.

That is one rude frog, thought Aegis.

Eros gained a serious look to him, and took the mallet in mouth. He raised it up, swung it down, and slammed it into his end of the seesaw. The frog didn't move.

“I think I felt a breeze,” commented the frog.

Eros did it again, slamming down the hammer, and once again, the frog didn't raise up off his end at all.

“Hey Princess Pink, maybe you should let the misses do this for you. She might be able to swing harder than the average grandmother, unlike a certain someone.”

This was the final straw for Eros. He released the mallet from his mouth, and took hold of it with his magic, raising it high above his head.

“Eros, you aren't supposed to use magic,” called out Aegis, though he didn't seem to take notice.

In a flash, Eros brought down the hammer, smashing it into his end of the seesaw – the resulting sound wasn't unlike that of a cannon going off, and caused the end of seesaw to be shattered into a hundred or so pieces.

“Loserrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr –” shouted the frog, as it rocketed up into the sky. Aegis lost track of him, and his loud shout, after he pierced a cloud.

Using her years of experience as a military commander, Aegis constructed the best possible strategy in this situation: leave. Quickly. She tapped Eros – who was still staring up into the sky – on the side. “Sweetie, maybe we should check out the other games. Now.”

“Er, right. Yeah.” Eros turned to the pony who ran the game; the poor guy was just looking up, mouth agape. “Sorry.” With that, Eros trotted off, Aegis in tow.

The next few games pretty much ended with the same result, though there was remarkably less frogicide. First was the fish bowl game. Nearly everypony who has been to a fair has played this at least once in their life. The booth had a table in it with a ton of glass fish bowls on it, each with a relatively small opening. All you had to do was toss the ping pong ball, and try to get it into the bowl. His first attempt bounced off the edge of one and out of the booth. Second attempt was same as the first. On the third attempt, the ball circled around the edge of the bowl, came to a halt, and then fell to the side, between two of them.

Next came the dart game. Balloons were taped onto the back wall of the booth, and Eros tried to bust them with a dart. Not a single throw found its mark.

Finally they came upon the classic game of trying to knock over milk bottles with a ball. The bottles were stacked in the traditional way of two on the bottom and one on top. It was rigged, Aegis was sure of this. As were the last few, and likely every game in this fair. She would have been impressed at their audacity to try to con the city's rulers, but the more likely scenario was that the workers didn't recognize them. Rather than being angry at them though, – honestly, who goes to a fair expecting all the games to be on the up and up? – she was more disappointed in Eros for not recognizing this fact, or for perhaps thinking that he was going to be so good at the game, that it didn't matter.

Eros put his bits down on the front of the booth, and the worker handed him two balls.

He should be used to getting two balls by now, mused Aegis.

Eros threw the first ball, missing completely. The frustration was already starting to set in for him. He reared back, then threw the second as hard as he could. It hit the table in front of the bottles, bounced up, and nick the top one, causing it to rock back and forth, but it didn't fall. “Oh come on!”

“So close. Maybe try putting more force into it next time,” said the pony running the game.

The word force caught Aegis' attention immediately. Now was not the time to be telling Eros to put more force into, well, anything. She tapped at Eros' side. “Hey, I'm starting to get hungry. Let's go grab some funnel cakes or something.”

“Not right now. I think I have this figured out.”

He seemed so sure of himself, but she knew this was going to end in disaster, with the potential to destroy the entire booth. Desperate times called for desperate measures; she just hoped she could do this well. “Sweetie, please,” she said, and gave him a look similar to that of a lost puppy.

“Just two more –“ Eros froze in mid sentence when he turned to look at her. “I... um... well... Fine!” He covered his eyes. “Just stop with the big, sad eyes. Gah.”

“Sucks being on the other end of that, doesn't it?”

He nodded.

“Come on.” She started walking away, assured that he was following by the sound of his hooves on the grass.

After getting a bit away from the booth, and most other ponies in general, she turned back and glared at Eros. “Ok, seriously, what the hay is going on with you?”

He looked behind him for a second, then back at her, and pointed a hoof at himself.

“Yes you. You've been acting like the rear end of a mule ever since the first game.” Aegis turned to the left just in time to notice a mule passing by. “Er, no offense.”

“None taken,” said the mule, before wandering off.

“Was I really that bad?” asked Eros.

“You sent a frog into orbit,” said Aegis.

“...he deserved it.”

“He did, but that doesn't make it right. I've never seen you this competitive before.”

“I... I don't know. I just really didn't like losing in front of you for some reason. Especially not while also being insulted by that frog. I never acted this way before at fairs, right?”

“No.” A realization came to Aegis. “You've also never done it as Eros before. Maybe our minds are a bit different like this. Hormones and all that. Think about it, what guy likes to lose in front of his girlfriend, or wife, or whatever we're supposed to be when like this?”

“You, um, got a point. Plus, I may have been upset with myself.”

“Not like it was your fault that they're probably rigged.”

“But... I really wanted to win you something nice, and make this date special for you. Isn't that what a stallion is supposed to do for his mare at a fair?” His ears went down, and he stared at the ground. “I wanted to have that moment, and got so close to it, only to fail each time. It would have been great to see your eyes light up when I gave you the prize that I earned for you.”

Aegis stepped forward and nuzzled him.

“Honey?”

“You idiot. Yes, that would have been nice, but all I wanted was to have some fun.”

“And I probably ruined it, right?”

“The day isn't over, so you still have time to make it up to me. Alright?”

He nodded.

“Good.” Their moment got cut short by the sound of her stomach rumbling. She held a hoof to it, blushing in embarrassment. “And I wasn't lying about wanting to get something to eat.”

“You know, fair food is bad for you. The greasy stuff will go straight to your thighs.”

“Really?” she asked, and quickly looked down at hers, while Eros laughed. She glared at the ground for a second, then huffed, and walked away.

“Honey, I'm sorry. It was just a test. You know, for science? Honey?”

***

The royal couple continued walking around the fair and watching the different attractions. Aegis was happily chomping on the last of what used to be a big pile of greasy onion rings.

“Happier now?”

“Yes,” she said, before swallowing.

They were now passing the frog flipping booth again. The little seesaw was still broken at the one side, and would likely remain that way for the rest of the fair's stay.

“Should I um, go apologize for that?”

“You've probably spent enough money for them to get a new one. Don't worry about it.”

“Alright, I guess.” He started to laugh for a second.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking, since they all got the chance to see my new masculine side, maybe I should show them how girly their weekend princess can get. Just a little ear nibble is all I need to do it.”

Aegis stepped away, protectively covering the ear closest to him. “You wouldn't dare.”

In truth, there weren't too many differences between Aegis and Shining, as both pretty much had the same base personality. The fact that she tended to blush easier, and somewhat enjoyed getting fawned over by the spa workers and Eros were two of the smaller ones. However, the most noticable difference was her new found ear fetish, as Eros liked to call it, much to Aegis' chagrin. All it took was a nibble from him on her ears, and she would melt.

Before he could answer, a strange sound caught her attention. It was coming from the sky above.

“Errrrrrrrrrrr,” came a yell.

It can't be.

She looked up, and spotted a small, frog like object falling from the sky. It came hurtling down into the tub of water, knocking about half of water out. As she got closer, she noticed that the bowler wearing frog – he must have lost his cigar somewhere in the stratosphere – was sitting dead center on a floating lily pad.

“Lucky shot,” said the frog.

The pony working the stand's jaw hit the ground. “You... you actually won,” he said.

“But I thought I wasn't allowed to use mag-oof.” Eros' last word was cut off by small jab to his ribs.

“What he means to say is that we'll take that red seapony.” She pointed it out to make sure the worker got the right one.

He grabbed it and gave it to Eros, who in turn gave it to Aegis, placing it on her back.

“Who's the man?”

“You,” Aegis answered, and kissed Eros on the cheek. Judging by his blushing, Aegis knew she caught him off guard with that.

“I am a bit surprised you would have had a prize already picked out. Guess that's something new with you while you're a mare.”

“Um, actually, I kind of always liked the story of The Little Seapony when I was younger.” Her cheeks went red again. It was times like these that she hated having white fur that wouldn't hide it at all.

“That's actually really cute. Though you didn't get one of the brushable Ariel figures, did you?” No answer came. “Oh Celestia, you totally did, didn't you?”

“...don't judge me.”

Author's Note

Kudos if you know the cartoon that inspired this chapter. Aside from MLP and Little Mermaid, of course.

The Mind of a Mare in Heat

Aegis stretched out on the comfortable cushions below her. Her eyes stayed shut as her mind started waking up, and she let out a big yawn.

Cushions?

She stretched out again, patted the cushion, and scrunched her face in confusion. This wasn't her bed. In fact, judging by the feel of it, this was a couch. Opening her eyes revealed that it was exactly what she thought it was. More to the point, Aegis wasn't in the Crystal Palace. The walls were plain wood, with quite a few book shelves carved into it. If she didn't know better, she'd almost swear that she was in her sister's library, but that was crazy. Surely she'd remember traveling here.

Eros came into view, stepping front of the couch, and nuzzling her. “Well, look who's finally up. That trip must have taken a lot out of you hon.”

“Trip?” Aegis questioned, before trying to sit up – trying being the keyword. A heavy weight around her waist refused to budge and she came crashing back down. “What the?”

Eros rolled his eyes. “Hon, we've talked about this. I know you don't like feeling useless, but you really should try to stay in one spot for a while. If you need anything just ask and I'll get it.”

“Why shouldn't I move around?” Aegis rolled over and inspected to the weight holding her down, only to see that her stomach was pushed out well beyond its normal size. “I'm... I'm...”

Eros gently placed a hoof on her stomach, giving it a little rub. “I know, isn't it amazing?”

“I still can't believe it.”

That voice...

A purple alicorn entered the room. “This is so wonderful.” Twilight giggled and hopped up and down. “I'm going to be an aunt. I'm going to be an aunt.”

Aegis continued to stare at her stomach, and then came a small movement from within. The feeling of a very tiny hoof hit against her from the inside.

Oh Celestia, I... I really am pregnant. How? When?

No matter how many times she searched her memories, nothing could be found on how this came to be. The only time Eros and her fooled around with her in heat was yesterday. When he finally decided to stop teasing her, he used a hoof to make her cum, not anything that could do this to her. Perhaps the more disturbing part was that she wasn't panicking. Rather, she kept focusing on her stomach in amazement, almost happiness.

Why does this feel so... normal?

“How are you feeling hon? Anything you want?” asked Eros.

“I... I'm actually really hungry.”

“Again?” asked Twilight.

Aegis' ears drooped and she blushed.

“Let me guess, you want something sweet right?” asked Eros. He snickered and turned to Twilight. “Ever since she started showing, Aegis has had a huge sweet tooth.”

She wanted to speak out, but in truth, the idea of digging into something sugary was very nice right about now. She sighed and nodded.

“Well, Spike makes sure that we always have ice cream in the house. How does that sound?”

“Really good,” responded Aegis.

Her husband and sister walked out of the room, but Aegis could still hear them talking through the open doorway.

“So, what did the doctor say? Is it a colt or filly?” asked Twilight.

“Actually, it's colts. With an s.”

Twilight gasped. “No way. Really? Twins?”

“Nope. Triplets.”

“T-t-t-t-t-t-t,” Aegis stuttered, not able to get the word out.

“You want to know what's even more amazing?” There was a small moment without any speaking. Likely Twilight nodding, figured Aegis. “It's one of each race. An earth pony, a pegasus, and–“

What felt like a little nub brushed up against Aegis' insides.

“–a unicorn.”

“Wow. I know it's possible for alicorns to have any of the three, but all three? Do you know the odds of that?”

“I'm guessing low.”

“Extremely low. Miniscule in fact.”

“Though I guess this means I need someone to teach magic to my unicorn son. Know any pony that specializes in that? An alicorn perhaps?”

“Wait, you want me to be his teacher? Really?” There was another small pause. “I'd love to. Hm, I'll need to get some notes from Celestia on my old lessons first. This is going to be so much fun.”

“Triplets...” Aegis finally forced the word out. “I'm going to have triplets–”

A loud sneeze erupted from the other side of the room.

“Hello? Who's there?”

“Drat!” The air in front of Aegis began to shimmer and become wavy, before revealing the form of a dark blue alicorn. As she phased into reality, it seemed that time around them had stopped. There was even a butterfly frozen in midair. Luna sniffled. “Stupid cold.”

“P-princess Luna? Wait, if you're here... then this is a...” The realization of the situation brought a sigh of relief. “Oh thank Celestia!”

“Heh. I wished more ponies reacted that way when they saw me.”

“Luna... Why in the name of Tartarus am I dreaming of this!?” Aegis pointed to her belly.

“You're still in heat. Like it or not, there's a part of your mind that wants this to happen.”

Aegis snorted. “Stupid mind...”

“At least this dream wasn't about how you got to be this way, unlike the last one.”

“Wait, last one? Luna, how many of my dreams have you been around in? And for that matter, how did you know I was in heat?”

“Oh, um, well...” Luna pointed in the other direction, “Quicklookoverthere!” Aegis didn't budge. “Yeah, I didn't think that was going to work. I've been watching your dreams since the wedding. It's pretty easy to see if someone's mind is being messed with inside of their dreams, so I've been keeping a close eye on the dreams of all the important ponies since the changeling invasion: yours, Cadance's, Twilight's, the other element bearers, etc.”

“Makes sense I suppose, but you could have told me before this. Oh and Luna?”

“Yes?”

“I've made peace with others knowing about 'Aegis', but I'd rather not let others know that I dreamed of being pregnant, alright?”

“Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Hm... May I,” Luna asked and pointed Aegis' belly.

Aegis groaned and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

Luna nuzzled against Aegis' stomach. “Wow, I can actually feel them moving.”

“Yeah, so can I,” she grumbled.

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapters. This one, the last one, and the next one could have been all one chapter, but I kind of don't like doing point of view shifts within one chapter. So, I decided to cut them apart, even though they are essentially one sequence of events. Also, this is as close as you're going to get when it comes to Aegis being pregnant.

Sisterly Bond

Shining snorted in annoyance as he was roused from his sleep. Why is it that whenever you're trying to get up is when the bed was its most comfortable? he wondered. The knock on their door – the same noise that had awoken him in the first place – came again. Whoever it was, it became apparent that they weren't just going to give up and go away. He blindly poked at Cadance, “Sweetie, could you get that?” The only response he got was a loud snore. For a moment he considered testing to see if she really was asleep – it wouldn't be the first time she has faked being asleep so she wouldn't have to be the one to get up. After another knock, he sat up, let out a big yawn, and hopped off the bed; only now cracking open his eyes and letting them adjust to the light. This better be something good.

Their living quarters was divided into two rooms: a bedroom and a living room. On his way out of the bedroom, he passed their dresser. On top of it sat a red, stuffed seapony. A bit of stitching on its back had already split, Shining figured that it was poorly made. He had been meaning get one of the maids to fix it up, but kept putting it off. In fact, this was his first day off in a few weeks. Thankfully he didn't have many duties as the prince of the Crystal Empire – Cadance was the one to do the governing – but he still had his role as the head of Equestria's Royal Guard.

He stood, staring at the door that lead out of his living room, and considered turning around and going back to bed. A clock hung from the wall next to the door displaying the time of ten am. As the morning fog in his mind started to clear, he remembered the letter he got the other day. Oh, right. She was coming over today for a visit. Another knock came. With a groan, he opened the door and his sister was waiting on the other side. “Hm... Hey Twiley,” he said, punctuating it with another yawn.

“Wah!” Her wings shot up in surprise, and she backed up until the hallway wall stopped her. “S-Shining?”

“Yeah?” He tilted his head.

“Oh, um, I can come back later if this is a, um, bad time.”

“No, it's a fine time. Twiley, are you ok?”

Her jaw dropped at that question. “Am I ok?” She pointed at him. “Y-you... you! Are you ok?”

“What?” He felt his face to see if he could figure out what she was going on about. His snout was shorter and rounder, as was his horn. Shining checked the back of his head, taking notice of his – or rather her – mane's length.

She noticed the bedroom door behind her moving and Cadance popped her head out. “Who is it ho-o-oh! Um, hey Twilight.” She looked back and forth at the two, then pointed to Aegis. “It was all her idea,” she quickly said before vanishing back into the room and closing the door.

Aegis looked back to Twilight, who seemed even more confused now. She groaned and facehooved. “Luna fuck me with the moon...”

***

Aegis walked her little sister to the guest room, explaining why she was a mare on occasion, and most importantly that it was in fact Cadance's idea, not hers. Though she did spare Twilight of the more intimate details. She had no desire to share those with her little sister, and she was sure that Twilight would be thankful to know as little about that side as possible.

“Alright, here you go.” She opened the door and led Twilight into the guest room. It was pretty much the same as Aegis' and Cadance's living quarters, though smaller. The living room for it had the standard setup of a couch and coffee table in the middle with a desk off to the side.

Before she had the chance to continue saying anything, Twilight snatched out a tape measure from her bag and started taking Aegis' measurements – taking notes as well, of course. “This is quite the experiment and a very good question to ask. 'Does changing the gender of the ponies in an established relationship change how the relationship functions.' Surely there will be some changes, whether they be subtle or pronounced.”

“Twiley!” Aegis called out when she felt the tape measure measuring her underside.

“Alright, done with the measurements. Now then, what are the personality changes that you've noticed?”

“Wow, I didn't expect you to take it like this.”

“Oh, I was plenty shocked when I first saw you, but the more I think about this, the more it seems like a great thing to observe.”

Aegis simply rolled her eyes. She probably should have expected this from Twilight. All things considered, Twilight always did want to know the how and why to everything she saw. Give her something unusual and Twilight will spend days trying to figure out everything about it. Seeing her older brother being her older sister was apparently no exception.

“You didn't answer my question though, did you notice any changes in the way you behave? I have noted that your movements are different, more inline with what a normal mare's would be, was that something that happened naturally? How about Cadance – er, what is her-his name as a stallion?” As she continued her questions, Twilight came close and started poking at different spots on Aegis.

“It's Eros, and would you stop that?”

“Eros you say? That's rather fitting to be named after an ancient god of emotion. What about you? Are you still using Shining Armor or did you also pick out a new name?”

“Aegis.”

“I get it, after your special talent. Before I continue, I need to check out the palace's library.”

Aegis blinked a couple times. “For what?”

“I know there's books about common activities for sisters to do together. Oh, this is going to be perfect.” Twilight happily trotted past Aegis and out of the room.

“What just happened?”

***

“You can't be serious.”

“It's in the book.”

“What kind of book did you get?”

“How to Bond with Your Sister.”

“That's an actual book?”

“It would seem so.”

A kettle of freshly made tea was on the middle of the table with a couple plates of various types of strudels around it.

Twilight lifted the kettle. “More tea Princess Aegis?”

“I feel ridiculous.”

“Oh come on, don't think of it like a tea party. It's just two sisters talking over some snacks and tea. Nothing immature about that.”

Aegis sighed. “Alright, fine. It does at least sound better that way. I'll take a cup with three sugar cubes.”

“Hm, interesting. You only took one cube with your tea as Shining.” Twilight mixed in the sugar and levitated the filled cup over to Aegis.

“I have more of a sweet tooth when I'm Aegis.” She blew on it and took a sip. “Ok, this is actually pretty good.”

“You never answered my question, you know.”

“Oh, about the differences? Honestly, I haven't noticed that many. There's the sweet tooth thing, I blush a lot easier, and my ears are a lot more sensitive.”

“Are you attracted to stallions?”

Aegis stopped in mid drank and began coughing. “T-Twiley!?”

“Just be honest.”

Aegis looked away and took another drink of the tea. As if to show that she was right about the differences, Aegis gained a crimson hue to her cheeks. “Maybe a little. At least I do for Eros. When it comes to other stallions, I don't know. Haven't really thought about it.”

“You know, one pony just isn't enough of a sample size.” She scratched her chin. Now, Aegis was a bit worried. She had seen that look from her sister before and it usually led to trouble. “Perhaps with the right incentive I could get a group of volunteers to form a proper experiment. I'll need to keep tabs on them and their relationships. I'll call it 'The Effects of Gender Changes on Interpersonal Relationships.' That may be too wordy though, but at least it is direct.”

“Twiley?”

Twilight seemed to snap back to reality and looked at her big sister. “Yes?”

“What did mom say about experimenting on ponies?”

“Oh come on, I've apologized for that. Besides, they'll be volunteers this time.” Twilight took a large bite of a strudel. “Oh, the blueberry ones are great.” She snapped off a piece and levitated it over to Aegis.

“Just don't mess with their fur color.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

Aegis stared at her little sister in a deadpan expression. “You gave me black fur and a dark red mane.”

“The spell wore off, so it wasn't that bad.”

“It took a week to get my colors back to normal.”

“I thought it would look nice.”

“Really?”

“I was young and hadn't met Rarity to know about proper color combinations and contrast.”

Aegis rolled her eyes and huffed. “I had to put off asking out Cadance for the first time because of that...” She grabbed the strudel piece and ate it. “The blueberry ones are pretty good.” After swallowing and getting some more tea, “So, what do you think?”

“Think about what? Having a big sister?”

“No, about why I act a bit different this way. Is there an actual reason?”

“The why for the changes is a pretty good question.” Twilight held out a hoof. “On the one hoof there's the idea that you are just playing a role and Aegis is a character that your mind made up. Basically, she's what you think mares are like, and since you're playing a mare, your mind adapts to the role and you take on those characteristics. It really is just an act, though one so good, you don't realize it while doing it. Do you have any cliché things that you've enjoyed as a mare?”

“Well, um...” Aegis nervously scratched at the back of her head. “I have really enjoyed spending time at the spa to relax as Aegis. And, um, I like getting my hooves painted.”

“Oh? What color?”

“Light-blue. It matches my eyes.” Twilight snerked. “Hey, no laughing. I like the way it looks, alright?”

Twilight nodded. “Sorry, sorry. It just feels so weird to hear you say that.”

“Believe me, it felt weird saying that I liked it the first time.”

“Ahem, anyways, yes that could potentially be an example of simply acting the role.”

“Potentially?”

“Correct.” Twilight extended her other front hoof, not before lowering the first one though. “There's also the fact that hormones do play a major and, at times, subtle role in how we behave. So, with having an entirely new brain chemistry, some of the changes would be true personality alterations. There's the chance that some things, like the sweet tooth or the blushing could be beyond just playing a role. These traits may be impossible for Shining to possess.”

“Ok, I think I get it, but how do I know which changes are real ones and which are just me playing a mare?”

“Honestly? I haven't the slightest idea,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I might be able to come up with a system for categorizing the probability of which changes are real and which aren't to a degree if I got to experiment on a large group of ponies. That would be the only way. In the mean time, it might be best to just not think too hard on it and go with what feels natural.”

Aegis nodded. “That's pretty much what I've been doing.” The two continued to make idle chit chat as they went through the rest of the tea and the snacks. “So, what's next in that book? Playing with dollies or something?”

Twilight cracked it open, and a smile formed on her face. “Nope. It's makeovers!”

“Oh... joy.”

***

“Would you hold still,” said Aegis as she finished putting a pair of fake eyelashes on Twilight.

Cadance had lent them a makeup case – a rather large one at that – to use. She had seemed rather amused by the idea of Aegis giving any kind of makeover or using makeup at all. As the two left the room, Aegis overheard Cadance whispering to Twilight, “If she messes up really badly, we can have it fixed at the spa later.” The case now sat in the center of the guest room's table.

I'll show her, thought Aegis. “Close your eyes Twiley.” She applied some bright pink eyeshadow to Twilight.

“What color are you using?”

“You'll see in a second.” Aegis held up the blush brush and liberally applied it to Twilight's cheeks. “I think I'm getting the hang of this.” Next came the lipstick, she made sure not to skimp on that. “We aren't doing outfits too are we?”

“No.”

“Good.” Aegis did the finishing touches, mainly making sure that the lipstick wasn't too sloppy. “Ok, now look.” She grabbed a compact mirror from the case and held it up for Twilight to see.

Twilight stared in silence at her reflection. Slowly turning her head to the left, and then to the right. She opened her mouth for a moment, but quickly closed it again.

“Well, what do you think?” Thinking on it for a moment, Aegis added, “And be honest.”

Twilight took one more look at herself in the mirror before answering, “Well, if you want me to be completely honest... I look like I belong in a circus, scaring little children.”

Aegis's ears drooped. “Heh. That bad huh?”

“In a way, I'm actually kind of relieved.”

Aegis cocked in her in confusion. “Say what now?”

“Well, it would have been kind of insulting if changing genders gave you the ability to apply makeup well.”

“You got a point.”

Thankfully for both of them Cadance had also given them plenty of wipes to clean up the results. It took quite a few of them, and a lot of hard rubbing, but Twilight eventually managed to remove all traces of her clown makeover.

“Aha!” Aegis exclaimed and pointed at Twilight, “It didn't take a professional to fix it!” Twilight stared back at her, blinking a few time in amazement, before starting to giggle. It grew louder into a full laugh, which Aegis joined in on. They leaned against each other as the laughter slowed to a stop. Looking through the case again, Aegis spotted a some nail polish containers.

After picking out a shade of red, labeled fuchsia, she held out a hoof to Twilight. “Let me see your hoof.”

“Um...” Twilight's sight went from Aegis, to the bottle, and then back to Aegis.

“Trust me. This is one thing that I do know how to do.” She motioned for Twilight's hoof again.

“If you say so...”

Going through the instructions she had gotten from Bonna Fide, and trying to mimic the way the girls at the spa did it, Aegis applied the polish to her sister's hoof. To her surprise – and likely to Twilight's as well – Aegis applied the polish perfectly without dripping any of it onto the couch or getting any on Twilight's fur.

“Color me impressed. Where did you learn how to do this?”

“Some friends at the spa showed me.” Twilight leaned back on the couch and held up her other front hoof for Aegis, who took the hint and did the same for it. “Unless you want to want to give me a makeover, I guess that's it for the makeover.”

“I don't think you left behind enough makeup during your attempt for me to even try.”

“Oh hardy har.”

Twilight focused on her hooves and Aegis could practically see the polish drying. Twilight touched her hooves to check if it worked, and then sat back down normally. “On to the next chapter.”

“If it says anything about shopping together, I'm out.”

Twilight looked through the book. “Nope, not shopping. Actually, we should skip this one.”

“Twiley suggesting that we skip something on a list? I am shocked!” Aegis said in faux surprise.

“Well...” Twilight closed the book, and Aegis saw a slight blush on Twilight's cheeks. “It's talking about boys.”

Aegis rolled her eyes. “Dear Celestia how cliché can a book get.”

“Yeah, it is amazing. So, let's just forget the book then.”

“Wait,” Aegis said, giving Twilight a curious glance. “You seemed fine with everything until this. I have a reason to not find this one interesting, but why are you trying to avoid it?”

“Reason? Who said I have a reason? So, um, let's go do anything else besides this.”

“Twiley?” Aegis poked at her sister's shoulder. “Do you like somepony?”

“M-maybe,” she mumbled, staring down at the floor. “Not that it really matters?”

“Oh?” asked Aegis. “Why wouldn't it?”

“I don't think I really have a shot with him.”

“Why don't you start by telling me a little about this guy.”

“Alright... He's an earth pony and –“

“An earth pony? Really?”

“Ugh. First Rarity and now you. Why is it so surprising that I would like an earth pony?”

“I just always figured you would want somepony that could use magic.”

“I happen to be fine dating a pony that doesn't use magic, thank you very much.” There was a certain level of aggravation to her voice, obviously upset that both Aegis and Rarity would find that so odd.

Aegis waved off her sister's indignation. “Fine, sorry. You can continue.”

“Ahem, he's an earth pony and he's the big brother of my friend Applejack. He's a large, kinda quiet, really down to earth guy... Oh, and he's a farmer.” She had a soft smile on her face while describing him. “And he is pretty handsome too.”

“Oh?” Aegis playfully nudged her sister. “You planning on telling me his name or just keep describing him?”

“Um, right...” Twilight blushed, and coughed into her hoof. “His name is Big Macintosh, though most ponies just call him Big Mac.”

Aegis nodded. “So, what did he do to get your attention?”

“Well, remember that time I accidentally, nearly destroyed Ponyville with that, Want It Need It, spell?”

“Yes, I was briefed on what happened.”

“Then you know that I lost Smarty Pants because of it. Turns out it got beaten up in all the commotion and Big Mac ended up being the last pony with it. About a month later, he brought it back to me, completely stitched up and looking good as new. A lot of guys wouldn't have done that.”

“Sounds like a nice guy.”

“He is. But...” Her ears drooped down. “It's not like I actually have a chance.”

Aegis put her foreleg around Twilight, pulling her into a hug. “Why not?”

“Because nearly every single mare in Ponyville has been trying to get his attention it seems. I can't compete with all of them.”

“It's not a competition. Listen, if this guy really is the down to earth guy you think he is, he would prefer a date invite over a mare trying to get his attention. All it takes is walking up to him and saying, 'Hey, I think you're a cool guy. Want to go on a date?' That's it.”

“I-I,” Twilight stammered. “I couldn't just walk up to him and ask him out.”

“Why not?”

“Because... because he might say no.”

“And?” asked Aegis, in a very matter of fact way. “So what if he says no?”

Twilight leaned into Aegis' hug, resting her head against her older sister's shoulder. “Right now, I think I don't have a chance. If I do that, then I would know that I didn't have a chance.”

“And what happens if he says yes?”

“I'll probably stand there dumfounded and act like an idiot.”

“Look, I know asking somepony out is tough. Heck, I asked out a freaking princess. Believe me, I'm still impressed that I managed to pull that one off. But you have to pony up and do it. Either way, you'll be able to move on. And if he does say no, you can come back to the palace. We'll eat ice cream and talk about it or something. Whatever it is that mares are supposed to do together when one is having boy trouble.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So, are you going to do it?”

Twilight was silent for a moment before finally answering, “Yes. I'll do it.”

“Atta girl. So, what's next?” Aegis picked up the book with her magic and looked through it. “Twiley, why didn't you tell me these suggestions had age ranges next to them?”

“Because I didn't want to miss the chance to see you at a tea party.” Twilight, in a mature fashion befitting of a princess, stuck her tongue out at Aegis.

Aegis grumbled as she flipped through the book until getting to the next main suggestion, “The older sister reading a story to her younger sister.”

“Well, that's not much of a sister thing. You used to do that for me all the time.”

“Speaking of which,” Aegis pulled away from Twilight, jumped down off the couch, and walked towards the door. She looked back to Twilight, “The library here might have your old favorite.”

Twilight's ears perked her ears up. “Really?”

“I'm about to find out.”

***

Sure enough, the Crystal Palace Library did have a copy of it. The sisters were laying together on the couch, just like they did when they were younger – aside from the one major difference anyways. Aegis was pressed against the back of the couch with Twilight curled up into a ball on the other side of her. She held the book in front of her as she finished reading it out loud, “That's when the third pig yelled, 'And your granny can sit on a pin!'”

Twilight giggled. “I love that part.”

“Yeah, it is a pretty good line,” said Aegis before continuing to read, “Now I'm a pretty calm fellow. But when somebody talks about my granny like that, I can go a little crazy. When the cops came, of course I was trying to break the pig's door down. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene. The rest, as they say, is history. The news reporters found about about the two pigs I had for dinner. They figured a sick guy going to borrow a cup of sugar didn't sound very exciting. So, they jazzed the story up with all that, 'Huff and puff and blow your house down.' And they made me the big bad wolf. That's the real story. I was framed.”

Twilight, from memory, recited the final line, “But maybe you could loan me a cup of sugar?”

Aegis closed it and laid it on the table. They continued laying there, not really knowing what to say or if they should say anything at all. Eventually, Twilight broke the silence.

“Hey sis?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for what you said earlier. I really will ask him out. Heh, this is one thing that's definitely different.”

“What's that?”

“I'm not sure I could have talked about that with you before. I know you're still the same pony but...” Twilight thought on what to say next for a moment, or so Aegis assumed. “But it's easier to talk to my big sister about a guy than what it would have been talking to my big brother about a guy. I hope that makes sense.”

“No, I understand. And if you need to talk more about him at some point, just say so and I'll turn into Aegis, um, me... er, you know what I mean.”

“Thanks.”

The comfortable silence came back as they just enjoyed each others presence. However, unlike the last silent moment, Aegis swore she could hear something coming from behind the couch. It was a pretty soft noise and sounded almost like a quill... writing on... paper. Aegis groaned. “Twiley, have you been secretly taking notes?”

“...yes. For science.”

Author's Note

BTW, the book Aegis is reading to Twilight is a real book. It's called: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Definitely worth checking out.

Girls Night In

Aegis looked over her reflection one more time, taking in the brilliance of her new attire. It was originally Cadance's idea – no surprise there – that Aegis should get a royal outfit akin to what Cadance and the other princesses wore. After speaking at length about the idea with her little sister's friend, Rarity, she agreed to a design that marked her as royalty, but had still had a unique twist. For starters, she rejected using gold, like Cadance and Princess Celestia did. Instead, she chose silver as the primary element. In lieu of a crown, she had a thin, wide band of a silver that fit snugly around the base of her horn. It was adorned with four round amethyst jewels evenly spread out. Rather than the thing that Luna and Celestia wore around their necks – to her surprise not even Rarity had a name for them – she opted for a simple, silver-thread cloak. It had a clasp in the front with an amethyst jewel in the shape of a shield. The finishing touch, and the one that was the most traditional, were her boots which were the standard shape.

The finished product arrived this morning and Aegis quickly took it to her room to see if the real thing matched what she had imagined it to be. Rarity had lived up to the hype – everything fit perfectly and looked just like the sketches she produced. In the mirror Aegis could also see two of the palace's head maids standing behind her, Spic and Span – there were times when Aegis seriously questioned the philosophy of families having naming themes, particularly when that theme was cleaning. The twin sisters were light-grey colored earth ponies with blonde manes, each wearing the typical maid outfit – one designed for utility, not for fetish fuel. The pair were nearly identical. The only easy way to notice distinction was the style of their manes; Spic's was shoulder length and in a high ponytail, while Span's was short and messy.

Span trotted up to Aegis' side, giving her a friendly pat to her side. “Don't worry princess, she'll love it. Princess Cadance will return home and be all like, 'Aegis, you're so beautiful. Let's make out.'” She added in a couple kissing noises at the end. Aegis always appreciated the more candid responses she and Cadance got from the twins compared to the stiff and cautious way the other servants acted around her. Perhaps it was due to the pair having served as Cadance's attendees since before Cadance became the ruler of the Crystal Empire.

The scenario of Cadance returning home, throwing her forelegs around Aegis' neck, kissing her on the lips, and proclaiming how beautiful she was ran through her head. Aegis shuffled her hooves for a moment before returning her gaze back to the mirror. “You really think she'll like it?”

Instead of Span, Spic spoke up to answer this time. “Indeed, mistress.” Aegis crinkled her at the term mistress. She didn't outright dislike the term but the female honorifics – sans the title of princess – still caught her by surprise every now and again. They also served as a reminder to her of how different – sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes in overt ways – Aegis got treated by others in comparison to Shining Armor. “I'm sure milady will be quite smitten with the outcome.”

“And what time is Cadance supposed to be back by?” This day had originally been set aside by both of them to be a 'date night' of sorts, but some new political business got Cadance called away to Canterlot. Her wife didn't say much on what it was about as she left early in the morning. All Aegis caught in Cadance's half-asleep grumbles was the name Blueblood; that alone was enough for her to know that Cadance's trip was not going to be an enjoyable one.

“Her scheduled return is between three and four pm,” said Spic.

“Which means she'll actually be back around six,” added Span.

Aegis sighed in disappointment. She had been looking forward to spending a simple day with her wife but now all they'll get is a bit of alone time in the evening. Well, better than nothing, I suppose, she thought, trying to perk back up. “And the dinner? What will it be?”

“Black bean and cheese enchiladas with ranchero sauce. Mistress, yours will of course come with extra ancho chiles to add an extra kick to it.”

“And for the side dish, there's fontal polenta with mushroom saute,” added Span.

“For drinks we have a barrel of Apple cider imported from Equestria.”

“From Applejack's farm?” asked Aegis.

“Sorry mistress, but no. However, it is made by a farm owned by other members of the Apple Family that we regularly do business with. I assure you that the quality will be top notch.”

“Yep,” said Span with a big smile. “Spic and I scraped together some bits to get our own barrel of the stuff added into the shipment request. It's pretty good.”

“Ahem, yes. Anyways, we'll also have a small number of wines at the ready, should her highness, Princess Cadance, require an alcoholic drink after her day in Canterlot. And there will be a variety of desserts that you two can choose from, once the meal is finished,” added Spic.

“Mmmm.” Aegis could practically taste it already. “It sounds wonderful. Speaking of food, what's for lunch?”

“A simple salad,” said Spic.

“...oh,” said Aegis.

“Hey, not every meal can be big and mouth watering good.” Span looked over Aegis. “It wouldn't be good for your figure.

“I guess you're right,” said Aegis, not really sure if that meant that she currently had a good figure or that she needed to work on it.

“Do not worry mistress, we'll make sure to include a large variety of vegetables and fruits so it won't be too small or plain,” said Spic.

***

A rather annoyed princess in silver garb sat at the end of the dining hall's table, staring at the stars through the large window to her right. The servants had done an excellent job of setting the table up for the dinner: a white table cloth that hung over the sides and had a heart pattern around the edge – cliché and a touch tacky but Cadance always had a fondness for it –, a pair of candles where Aegis and Cadance were to sit that gave off a lavender scent, and for the finishing touch, there were a couple musicians hired to provide soothing, ambient background music during the meal.

However, now the sun was sinking over the horizon and the couple candles were the only sources of light in the room. The band was long gone, but not before Aegis assured them that they would be getting their full payment even though the event never happened. Aegis' portion of the meal had been eaten. As she expected the food was very good, a small consolation that had made the wait more bearable.

There were a million and one excuses for why Cadance wouldn't be home yet, and most of them were out of Cadance's control. As the hours silently ticked by, Aegis made sure to continually remind herself of the latter point to keep her frustration at the situation rather than on any one pony. That being said, she certainly planned on being direct in asking Cadance what the hold up had been.

The door to the hall opened, but Aegis didn't bother looking over towards it. “Mistress?” The formal tone of the voice revealed the speaker's identity right away.

“Yes Spic?” asked Aegis, some of her frustration slipping out into her tone.

“Princess Cadance has arrived, but she chose to go straight to her bedroom instead of here.”

Turning towards Spic, “Is that so?” asked Aegis.

Spic nodded and added, “I met her at the train station and she wanted me to tell you that she decided to eat before leaving Canterlot due to the late hour. And there is something that I should probably warn you about.”

“Warn me about? Did something happen?”

“I do not know. I can say that her majesty did not appear to be in a good mood. In fact, this may be the most foul mood I've ever seen from her.”

“Did she say why she was upset?”

“No ma'am. I tried to ask her about it and only got a glare in response.”

Aegis' curiosity had been piqued. Cadance's personality was always one of patience and kindness; times when other ponies saw her angry were few and far inbetween. “Right. I'll go check on her.” Aegis got off the chair and headed towards the door.

Spic curtsied for her. “Good luck mistress. I hope the princess feels better soon. Until then, if you should need me, I'll probably be up for a while longer.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” As she passed by Spic in the hallway, “And don't worry about Cadance. I'm sure she'll be her old self again in no time.”

***

Inside their bedroom, Cadance was lying on her stomach, her legs and wings stretched out across the bed. She hadn't looked back or even moved when Aegis entered, and instead continued to stare a hole into the wall at the head of the bed. The only acknowledgment she gave to Aegis' presence was a short, annoyed sounding grunt.

Aegis considered whether she should approach Cadance or not for a moment before deciding to join her on the bed. She sat down next to her wife and started giving her a gentle back rub. “You ok, hon?”

“You know, I always try to look on the bright side. I always try to see the good in everypony.” There was an edge to her voice, at times sounding like a low growl. “But today, there was no bright side. There was no good in that... that... horrid mare!”

“Um, you wanna talk about it?”

“No!” came her curt answer. Aegis felt Cadance's muscles tense up under her hoof.

“...ok.”

Cadance blew a tuft of hair out of her face, and continued, “But, it's not fair to act grumpy around you and not say why, is it?”

“Not really, no,” replied Aegis.

“It all started a few days ago. That lout Blueblood,” her expression turned into a noticeable scowl when she mentioned his name, “came to the empire.”

“Let me guess, he acted like a obscenely spoiled brat?”

“Actually, he was worse than normal.”

“Worse?” Aegis' ears perked up in surprise. “How in tartarus could he be worse than he normally is?”

“He was drunk. So, we got the typical Blueblood but with slurred speech and bad balance. Also, he apparently gets rather lewd towards mares when inebriated. He went so far as to pinch Spic's butt.”

Aegis facehooved and groaned. “Kind of wish I would have been there. I'd gladly put him in his place if I got the chance.”

“Span did a quite the job of that herself. She kicked him and then let out some rather choice words. Some of those curses didn't even sound like they were from our language.”

“Heh. Remind me to buy her a keg of her favorite cider in the near future. She deserves it for that.”

“Anyways, he came storming into the throne room, demanding that I imprison her for assaulting a nobleman.”

“I really wish Celestia or Luna would revoke the royal status of some ponies,” grumbled Aegis.

“I had the guards escort him out of the throne room and told them to hold him until morning for him to sober up. They ended up putting him in one of the old slave cells that Sombra made.”

“Serves him right. However, I'm going to say that it got some political backlash, right?”

“You think? That's what my meeting today in Canterlot was about. Turns out Blueblood's mother, Golden Lace, has connections on the royal court and demanded an explanation for why her 'precious little baby' was forced to spend the night in a cell like 'a common beggar or street urchin.' I did my best, my absolute best, to calmly inform her that he was rude, drunk, and made inappropriate contact with one of my servants.” Cadance's brow furrowed as she continued, “Apparently I was just being petty and acting jealous of the Blueblood line, since there was no way her child would ever act in such an uncouth manner.”

Aegis began kneading at Cadance's back, trying to imitate how the mares at the spa gave massages. She started up high, around Cadance's shoulders.

“Lower, please.”

Aegis complied, moving lower down Cadance's back, to her wing joints. They were tight from stress and twitched a bit as Aegis worked on them. Aegis guessed that she was doing it right by the content sigh that came from Cadance.

“That mule looked me in the eyes and called me a liar. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

“What happened next?”

“Well, she said that I had to give a formal, public apology to Prince Blueblood in the Crystal Empire, or else. You should have seen the way she balked when I said no. She acted like she's never been told that in her life.”

“Probably hasn't,” remarked Aegis. Just the account of this mare was enough to sour her mood.

“She threatened to bring up a inquiry on how the Crystal Empire was governed and whether or not I should be allowed to continue being its ruler. I was quick to tell her that the nobles of Canterlot had no sway over the Crystal Empire and that only Celestia or Luna themselves could remove me from my duties as princess. She didn't seem to understand the idea that there was a place that she couldn't control. She threatened it again, and got the same response. She didn't get it the second time I told her either. Hours! I literally spent hours trying to drill into that mule's head that she didn't have authority over the Crystal Empire and neither did the royal court. Only Celestia and Luna could do something like that and they weren't going to.”

Aegis momentarily stopped the massage to nuzzle Cadance and kiss the back of her neck, trying to calm her down. “You shouldn't let her get to you hon.”

“I know, I know. But there's just something about her and gets under my skin. It's no wonder that Blueblood turned out the way he did.” She sat up and leaned against Aegis. In return, Aegis put a foreleg around her, lovingly hugging her. “Want to guess what she did when I finally did get the message through?”

“Something drastic and stupid, I bet.”

“She demanded a special meeting of the royal court to remove any autonomy from the Crystal Empire and make it a proper province of the kingdom, rather than a client state. Thankfully Celestia –“

“Wait, what?” asked Aegis in surprise. “Celestia was there and let Golden Lace talk to you like that?”

“I asked her not to intervene. The empire is mine and I'll be the one to defend it. Anyways, that seemed to be the last straw for her. She ordered the council to disregard anything that Golden Lace had said and to not vote on anything involving the Crystal Empire without her direct approval. Golden Lace stammered a bit, asking Celestia to reconsider but Auntie Celestia had her removed from the palace.”

Aegis kissed Cadance on the cheek. “For what it's worth, it sounds like you handled the situation well. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Thanks, and sorry.”

“For what?”

“Missing our date night.” Aegis was about to speak up, but Cadance put her hoof to Aegis' mouth, cutting her off. “I know it wasn't my fault but I still feel bad about it.”

“Well, we could still do something.”

“I don't know... I am not sure if I'm up to doing anything romantic right now.”

“Who said it had to be something romantic?” Cadance looked up at her, slightly confused. “For starters though, Spic and Span did set aside some wine just in case you needed a drink after your meeting.”

“I probably could use one.”

“Then we could...” Aegis mulled over various possibilities, trying to think of something that would lighten the mood or at least take Cadance's mind off Golden Lace. “Well, there are some movies in one of the store rooms that we haven't watched yet.” The pair, as well as other influential ponies around Equestria, would sometimes get free copies of movies from the burgeoning industry. There was nothing quite like getting public praise from royalty to get ponies to see your movie.

“Well, alright. Anything to help get me out of this mood. I really don't like being angry.” She hopped down off the bed and stretched out with a groan. “I shall get the wine, and you can set up the projector and grab the films.”

Aegis answered with a salute, and the two left the bedroom.

***

After upwards of twenty minutes, Aegis – with the help of Spic and Span – found the projector and some film reels. Somepony had gotten the bright idea to put them into different storage rooms... on different sides of the palace. After that little hunt, setting up the viewing screen on Aegis' bedroom's wall was a piece of cake. Aegis dismissed the twin servants, but not before letting Spic know that she'd be receiving a gift from her and Cadance soon for having to deal with a high profile guest making an ass of himself.

Now, she sat alone, fiddling with the projector that stood on a tripod beside her bed. “Come on you piece of junk.” She flipped the switch on and off rapidly, but nothing happened. She opened the side panel and didn't see any dust or anything else that could be causing it to not work. In fact, it was in remarkably good condition. She fell back on an old standby, giving it a whack on top and then trying to turn it on. Still nothing.

“Aww. Did losing your tool make it harder to work with machines?” came a slurred voice from behind her. She turned back to see Cadance slumped against the door, holding a couple wine bottles in her telekinetic grip – one of which was already half empty. On the bright side however, her scowl had been replaced with a big smile.

“Are you already drunk?”

She recoiled in over the top, almost theatricality shock. “I beg your pardon? For your information, princesses do not get drunk.” She flicked her mane to the side. “We get pleasantly buzzed,” said Cadance, in a huffy tone.

“Well, excuse me princess,” said Aegis with an eye roll as she went back to work on the projector.

She felt Cadance lean against her back and look over her shoulder. “Did you make sure the energy crystal was charged?”

Aegis didn't immediately reply; instead, she just stared ahead. The type of mindless stare one got when they realized they overlooked the simplest of answers. Feeling along the bottom, Aegis found the little tab to push in and open, revealing a cylinder shaped crystal. She pulled out the object which had managed to befuddle her and checked its level. Yep, it was empty. She grumbled and pressed it to her horn, feeding her magic into it. A small spark coming from it informing her that it was full once more, and she put it back in its rightful place. One flip of the switch, and the projector turned on without any trouble. “...stupid machine.”

“So, what did you grab for us? Action? Comedy? Romance? All of the above?” asked Cadance, leaving little time for a response between questions.

After she finally quieted down, Aegis replied, “I grabbed a few. You can pick the one that interests you the most.”

“Hm.” Cadance flipped through the film canisters, mumbling the titles. “How about this romance one? It is supposed to be date night, after all.”

“What's the name of it?” Cadance held it up for Aegis to see. “Teacher's Pet? Odd name for a romance but sure, why not?” She took the film reel, put it in the projector, and hit play.

Cadance laid down and Aegis followed suit, snuggling against her wife to watch the movie in comfort. She picked up the bottle that Cadance hadn't started drinking from and took a sip. It tasted like... blueberries? She held up the bottle and it was indeed a blueberry wine.

“I think it's a new type but it's been getting kind of popular,” said Cadance.

“I can see why.” Aegis took a big drink this time, as the opening credits were rolling. It was easily one of the sweetest wines she'd ever tasted.

The opening credits included a screen saying, 'Now in High Definition. Featuring three new shades of grey that you won't find in other movies'.

Aegis shook her head. “When do you think these movies will finally have, you know, actual color to them?”

Cadance shrugged. “I actually kind of like it being black and white. Lets you use your imagination for the colors.”

“I guess,” said Aegis, skeptically. She, of course, would still rather them be able to show the colors of things rather than just describe them.

The movie faded in to a scene in a classroom. A unicorn mare sat in front of a black board. Aegis noted that she was fairly easy on the eyes and had a curvy figure. A bell rung. “Now class, don't forget to do your homework.” The students – who looked to be in their teens – murmered various responses before filing out of the room. “Star Catcher, could you stay behind for a moment?” she asked to the last colt as he was leaving.

“Oh... um, alright Miss Violet,” said the colt, his voice timid and unsure. He shuffled back to his desk in the front row, starring at the floor the whole way.

Violet sat on the floor, next to his desk, and patted the colt on his shoulder. “How long has it been since you moved here?”

“Two months ma'am,” mumbled Star Catcher.

“I noticed that you haven't been able to make any friends in that time. You spend all your time alone.”

Star Catcher nodded his head.

Aegis groaned. “Ten bits says he ends up wowing a girl with kindness or something.”

“Oh shush,” replied Cadance.

“Come now, I know there are some nice colts and fillies here. I could introduce you to them if you'd like.” She rubbed his shoulder. “Would that make it easier?”

“Ma'am –“

“It's alright just to call me Violet. I'm not that strict.”

“ – Violet, sorry but, that could make them just make fun of me.”

“Hm.” The teacher thought on it for a second. “I see your point.” She held up a hoof, “Oh, I got an idea. The next big report is going to be done in pairs. I was originally going to let everypony pick their own partner, but I'll make the groups instead and put you with somepony that I think you'll get along with. How does that sound?”

“R-really? T-thanks Miss Violet.”

“Hey, it's just what a good teacher does. I need to skedaddle out of here. Just remember that you can always come to me for help or advice.”

He watched as she walked out of the room, with his ears drooped down. Even though the film was black and white, Aegis could still see a blush on the boy's face. “I think I have one pony I want to know better,” he said.

Aegis blinked a few times in surprise. “I don't think I like where this movie is going.”

“Don't judge it too quickly. It could still be good,” pointed out Cadance. “Besides, it's normal for a teen to have a crush on an adult at times.”

Aegis took another swig from the bottle, she figured that she might need it for this movie.

For the next couple of scenes, Star Catcher always sat in the front row, did his best to answer any question the teacher asked and so on. He presented himself as the model student in hopes of getting Miss Violet's attention. The time came to start work on a report – it was on studying the founding of Canterlot and building it to be the new capital – and Violet paired off the students into study groups. Star Catcher was paired with a filly pegasus.

She smiled and extended her hoof to him. “High. I'm Cloudy Skies. Though my friends call me Cloudy.” She seemed pretty friendly and upbeat.

“Um, h-hi,” he stammered and shook her hoof.

During their initial look at the history textbook, Aegis noticed that Cloudy kept looking at Star and smiling whenever he was looking the other way.

“Aww. That's kind of cute. Remind you of anyone?” asked Cadance, giving Aegis a playful nudge.

“Yeah, I remember that you were kind of shy around me the first time we met.” She nuzzled Cadance. “Probably the only time I've ever seen you blush.”

Cadance got a distant look to her eyes, and Aegis wondered what could be going through that mind of hers. Before she could ask, Cadance leaned over and kissed Aegis. Their soft lips pressed against each others for a moment. Cadance was the first to break it, then rested her head against Aegis' shoulder.

“That was unexpected. What's up?”

“This movie reminded me of what I was like back then is all. But instead of a teacher, I had you to help me.” She nuzzled against Aegis' neck.

A few minor scenes later, Violet was walking back into the class room. The camera made sure to zoom in on the school clock to show that it was before classes began, thus she was along. “What's that?” she wondered out loud. The camera panned out, showing a flower and note on her desk. She picked up and read, “A violet for a Violet.” She held up the flower – Aegis couldn't really tell if it was actually a violet or not, given the lack of colors – and stared at it for a moment. “Another one huh? Well, they did warn me that I'd sometimes have to deal with crushes from the students. I just gotta have a talk with whoever this is. Hm, there's something on the back, 'meet me in here an hour after the final bell.' That... certainly makes things simpler.”

This wouldn't be so bad if they told us Star Catchers' age, thought Aegis.

“That's actually kind of sweet,” commented Cadance.

“Not that imaginative though. Violet for a Violet? He could have come up with something better.”

“He is a kid, what do you expect? Just be impressed that he didn't use a roses are red poem.”

The class filled up the room moments before the bell rung. Star Catcher sat up front, as always, but this time Cloudy Skies sat beside him. “H-hi there Star.”

Star Catcher pried his eyes off the teacher for a moment to say hi back but went straight back to the teacher.

“I looked through the textbook last night to give us a head start.” She batted her eyes a bit after saying that.

“Really? That's cool.”

“Oh come on!” exclaimed Aegis. “No one can be that oblivious.”

“You'd be surprised,” responded Cadance.

“You know what, maybe there's a reason this kid didn't have friends.”

“You should not be so critical. It's called suspension of disbelief. Try it.”

“I'll need help for that.” Aegis took another big drink.

After taking attendance, the teacher had the students go back to work on their history report. When they hooked up with their partners and were focused on their own thing, she went over to Star and Cloudy. “You two are already that far?”

“I worked on it a bit last night,” said Cloudy.

“That's great Cloudy. Are two enjoying the assignment?”

“Yes ma'am,” quickly answered Star.

She smiled back at him. “Good.”

“Miss Violet, could you help us with something?” ask a colt from off screen.

“Looks like I'm needed else where. Good luck on the report and have fun.”

Star kept his attention on her as she walked away with a love sick expression on his face. “Star? Equestria to Star?”

“Hm?” He turned back to her. “Oh, right. The report. So, how far did you get?”

They continued talking over the information – mostly dates and such, like the fall of the old capitol in the Nightmare Rebellion, Celestia's time of mourning, the first plans for Canterlot, and the like. The movie jumped to near the end of the school day, and the two were still at work. It seemed as though Star did manage to get some of it done.

“Um, hey, Star?” she asked, far more timidly than she had been acting earlier.

“Yeah Cloudy?”

“I was wondering if... I was wondering if you'd like to hang out after school!?”

“Tonight?”

She nodded.

“I, um, can't. I'm... going somewhere with my parents. Yeah, that's it.”

Her ears drooped down, and she sunk into her chair. “I understand.”

Aegis just shook her head at the scene.

The bell rung and the class scurried off; except for Cloudy, who sulked on her way out. While most of them headed off towards the exit of the school, Star Catcher went the other way, and hid behind the corner of the next hallway. He closed his eyes and steadied himself. “You can do this. Just wait for a bit.”

The camera went back to the classroom, where Miss Violet sat, waiting for her admirer. That's when the special effects kicked in – well, Aegis hoped that it was done on purpose. The screen started getting blurry, moving as if the cameraman was shivering. Violet rocked back and forth in her chair, and fell forwards onto the desk.

“Miss Violet? Miss Violet!?” came a masculine voice from off screen. It wasn't Star's voice, or any named character that Aegis could think of. An adult stallion in a suit and wearing glasses – a teacher Aegis assumed – came in and checked on Violet, but she had no reaction.

It cut to a moment later, the classroom was empty. In walked Star. “Miss Violet? Are you here...” He quickly saw that no one was there. “Oh.” He sat and the camera zoomed in on his eyes, showing a single tear coming out.

It cut to the next day, and all the class was there. Once again, Star and Cloudy sat in the front row. However, there was no teacher present. Most of the kids were whispering to each other about that fact – except for Star, of course. He was staring ahead with a worried expression.

In came a pony, the same one as before that helped Violet. “Settle down students.”

“Principal Prickly, where's Miss Violet?” quickly asked Star.

“That's just what I was here to talk to you all about. I'm afraid your teacher is in the hospital.” There was a collective gasp. “She's in stable condition, but it is serious. As such, she'll be taking a leave of absence. I'll oversee the class and continue her scheduled lessons. Let's see here,” he went to the desk and opened up Violet's lesson book. “Ah, here we are. You all are continuing your report today and she's already put you in your pairings. But before that,” he pulled out a large card from his pocket. “I have a card for all of you to sign. I'll also need someone to deliver it to her.”

“Oh!” Star raised a foreleg. “I can do it. Pick me!”

Principle Prickly nodded and sat the card down on Star's desk. “Make sure everypony here signs it.”

“I will Principle Prickly.”

As the class went by, Star continually watched the clocked. Sure, he helped Cloudy when she asked, but besides that, it was painfully obvious that his mind was elsewhere. As soon as the bell sounded at the end of the school day, he was off like a shot. He grabbed his scooter outside of the school, and rushed to the nearby hospital as fast as his legs and wheels could take him.

The outside of the building was the standard looking hospital. A large sign in front said Canterlot General. Running up to the woman at the desk near the hospital entrance, “Excuse me, can you tell me the room where Miss Violet is staying?”

“Are you a family member?” asked the nurse.

“No ma'am. I'm one of her students. I'm here to deliver this to her.” He pointed the the card being held under his wing.

“Very well. She's in room 118. It's right down the hall and to the left.”

“Thanks!” He ran down the hall. It didn't take him long to find her room, and he slowly pushed the door open.

Aegis felt Cadance's hoof grip tightly onto her own. “Worried?”

“A little.”

With the door open, Aegis, Cadance, and Star finally got a look at Miss Violet. The unicorn laid on a bed, with a few machines hooked up to her. A stallion wearing a lab coat stood beside her, looking over something paper attached to a clipboard.

“H-how is she?” asked Star.

The doctor glanced over to him and back to the chart. “Honestly son, I don't know.”

Violet looked over to Star Catcher and smiled. “Is that card for me?” she asked, her voice weak and raspy.

“Hm? Oh! Yes!” He grabbed the card from under his wing and sat it down next to her on the bed. “Everyone in class and the principle signed it, just for you.”

“How ni-” before she finished, she started heavily coughing. The doctor strongly patted her on the back, which helped them die down. “...sorry.”

“Are you going to be ok, Miss Violet?” Star asked, with tears in his eyes.

“Doctor, could you give us a moment?” He agreed and walked out with his clipboard, closing the door behind him. “Star, I don't know. I... I... I have horn cancer.”

“Horn cancer? HORN CANCER! Really!” said Aegis, nearly shouting the last part.

“Shush!” chastised Cadance. “I want to hear this.”

The term horn cancer was enough to get Aegis to finish off the bottle.

“What's that?” asked Star.

“Well, it'd take a while to explain. But, in short,” she coughed again before answering, “It means that I might not make it.”

“B-but...” His tears were flowing freely now.

She reached out, putting her hoof on his shoulder. “Star, I need you to be honest. Were you the one that left that flower?”

He nodded, apparently too choked up to talk.

“It was a really nice gesture, but I can't date a student or someone this much younger than me.”

“I don't care! Just... I just want you back as my teacher. At least give me that.”

“I'll do my best.”

“Thank you.” There was a moment of silence, with neither speaking. Aegis wondered if they forgot their lines.

“Hey Star?”

“Yes Miss Violet?”

“What do you think of Cloudy Skies?”

His looked turned to one of confusion. “Cloudy? She's nice, I guess. Why?”

“She likes you, you know.”

“What!?” His eyes went wide and his ears stood on end. “Likes me? Like, likes like me?”

“Yes.”

“I-I didn't notice that at all.”

No kidding, thought Aegis.

“Listen, now that you know we can't happen, maybe you should give her a shot.”

“A-alright, Miss Violet. I will.”

“That's a good boy.” She loudly yawned.

“I'll let you get some rest. And I'll see you back in school, right?”

She was silent for a moment before answering, “Sure...”

He turned and walked out of the room.

“I think he'll turn out just fine,” she thought out loud.

The camera cut back to the front of the hospital as Star was walking out and to his scooter.

“...hey, Star,” said an off screen filly. She walked into the shot, showing that it was Cloudy. “I, um, wanted to see how she was doing.”

“Miss Violet is... She's going to be fine.”

“Really.”

“Yeah.” He looked over to her and got a bit closer. “Would you like to hang out?”

“Yes! Er, I mean, yes. That sounds great.” She hopped and landed with a large smile on her face.

The movie faded out and then came back into focus at a graveyard. Two pegasi were standing there in front of a plain tombstone. It was Star Catcher and Cloudy Skies, but they were older now, likely in their early twenties. Star held a flower and put it done on the grave. “A violet for a Violet,” he muttered, and Cloudy snuggled against him, putting her wing around him. “I still owe you one Miss Violet.” Then came the movie's final fade to black, and the ending credits rolled.

“Aww. That ending was really sweet,” said Cadance, as she snuggled against Aegis. “What did you think?”

“...horn cancer.”

Cadance gave her a small smack to shoulder. “Oh come on. Don't let that make you hate the movie.”

“I didn't hate it because of that,” said Aegis, to her defense. “That was just the final straw.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

“I will say, the story idea and the ending were good. The rest, not so much.” Aegis tried to stand up, but the room went wobbly as the alcohol hit her hard, and she fell over onto something warm and soft. She laid on whatever it was, thinking about just going to sleep.

“Aegis, you're squishing me!”

“Hm?” Aegis poked at the soft thing, realizing that she felt fur and feathers. “Ack. Sorry.” She forced herself to stand up fully, and then it dawned on her their position. Cadance on her stomach, with Aegis standing right over her, with her chest right above Cadance's shoulders. “Heh.” She rubbed the end of her nose against the back of Cadance's neck, giving it a little lick.

“Sweetie?”

“Yes, hon?”

“You don't have the equipment to do anything from that position.”

Aegis mulled over her wife's words for a second and then looked down her underside, seeing it end with two nubs of her teats and a slit. “Dammit.” She moved off of Cadance and laid back down with a frustrated huff.

She heard Cadance giggle and then felt a hoof rub the bottom of her chin. “Did the alcohol make you a bit frisky? Would you like a helping hoof?” Her voice was a touch lower than normal and oozed sex appeal.

Aegis eagerly nodded, and kissed Cadance. The next part came as a surprised to Aegis as she felt her hoof moving its way down her body – the surprise being that she wasn't controlling it. “C-Cadance?”

“I never said that it'd be my hoof.”

Aegis gasped in confusion and pleasure as her hoof brushed against her teat on its way to the slit. Before she had a chance to collect herself, it started sliding up and down her lips. “Ah! C-Cadance, what the... Ah!” It began to move faster and get rougher.

“This is actually something I should have done before. It's good for a mare to know her body completely.”

Aegis grunted and moaned as the traitorous hoof continued to work her over. Her back legs grew stiff, raising her hips up into the air, forcing her to essentially present herself to be mated. “Cadance! I... I... Ah!” The squirming of her body and bucking of her hips caused Aegis to tip over onto her back. With each pass of her hoof, she felt her slit growing wetter. In her mental haze, she gave in to her arousal, and brought her free fore hoof to her teat, teasing the nipple. The extra pleasure surged through her body, bringing a twitch to her legs and making her arch her back.

“Oh Cadance,” she cried out between the pants and moans. She looked over to her wife, who watched it all happening with a smile not unlike that of a cat.

The heat coming from her vagina was getting more intense, reminding her somewhat of her short time being in season. As her hoof got deeper into her, it found a nub and grazed against it, sending a shock wave of pleasure surging through her body. The small twitches in her back legs grew to strong kicks and her hips shuddered in delight as she lost control of her lower half. As the heat grew, so too did a pressure. She knew it wouldn't be long now. It grew stronger and stronger until finally her body couldn't take anymore. It became stiff, with every muscle tightening up, and she screamed her delight as the orgasm washed over her. After it passed, she laid there panting, letting the fog in her mind clear out. She didn't even bother removing her hooves from her slit and nipple.

“That was impressive,” commented Cadance. “I'm happy that you were able to find your joy buzzer that quickly. Not bad at all.”

“N-not like I had a choice.”

“Oh? Is that what you think?” She giggled. “I stopped using my magic after you rolled over. Everything after that was all you.”

“W-what?” Aegis' cheeks darkened and her ears went down. It sunk in that she just pleasured herself to orgasm with her wife closely watching. She tried in vain to sink down into the bed.

Cadance reached out and grabbed the hoof that had betrayed Aegis earlier. Pulling it up, Cadance licked some of Aegis' femcum from it. “Just as before, you still taste sweet.” Though her next reaction caught Aegis off guard; she yawned.

“Did I bore you?” jokingly asked Aegis.

“Sorry. I would normally let this go on for a while longer, but it's been a rough day and I'm still... pleasantly buzzed. I'm going to call it a night,” she said, punctuating it with another yawn. She found a comfortable position and started to doze off.

Aegis had other ideas. She laid upon her side behind her wife, and used her magic to pull Cadance into her clutches. Using one foreleg, she held Cadance's forelegs against her chest.

“Aegis, what are you d-ACK!” She was cut off as Aegis' other hoof moved down to Cadance's slit. Aegis parted her lovers lips with the edge of her hoof, moving it up and down the length.

“I may still be learning about my body, but I know yours perfectly,” whispered Aegis into her ear. “So, want me to stop or keep going?”

Cadance's soft, lithe body twisted and squirmed against Aegis. “You better not stop now!” She was already panting from Aegis' touch.

Considering the princess of love's rather high libido, Aegis – or rather Shining Armor – had gotten to know the combination to Cadance's safe rather well. A little to the left, a little to right, and then press in deeper, rinse and repeat. It wasn't long until Cadance was reduced to a babbling mess reveling in enjoyment. Aegis kept at it for five or so minutes, until Cadance cried out in release. Her body went limp in Aegis' hooves.

Aegis nuzzled against the back of Cadance's neck, as well as giving it kisses. “Feeling better about your day now?”

“Mmmm, much better,” she cooed.

Author's Note

If anyone wants to take the Teacher's Part storyline and characters and make an actual fic of it, be my guest. Whether you want to be a parody, serious, or both.

Guys Night Out

Shining snorted and grunted, the first bits of consciousness were returning to him this morning. As a regular part of his waking up process, he reached out and tried to pull Cadance close. In this instance, he only touched empty space. Confused, and maybe a little curious as to what she could be up to now, Shining Armor opened his eyes.

“Hey sweetie,” said the talking pink blob that sat on the other side of his bed in a distinctly male voice. “Finally up?”

Shining shook the cobwebs from his mind, and as his vision cleared, the hazy blob creature took on the shape of a handsome prince. “What? Oh... oh. Morning.”

“Shining, you sound rather out of it.”

“Sorry, still tired. Also when I go to sleep next to a princess, I usually expect to wake up next to a princess.” He sat up, stretching out his back. “So, why are you Eros?”

Eros gave him a cavalier grin. “What, your spouse can't alter their bodies overnight without a good reason?”

“Well... yes. It's exactly that,” said Shining.

Eros shrugged. “I realized that we haven't yet hung out while both of us were guys. Would you like to give it a try?”

Shining Armor thought it over for a moment, double checking to see if they really hadn't both been stallions at the same time before. As far as he could recall, Eros was right. “Alright, I'm game. Got anything in mind?”

“Well...” Shining watched as Eros was formulating some thought. “Nope.” It wasn't much of a thought. “What do guys normally do together? Watch sports? Talk about mares? Complain about their girlfriends and wives – which you better not do that often.”

“Sometimes. Though most of the time it's just trying to one up each other and joke around.” There has to be something we could do... thought Shining. “Actually, one the guards, Fencer, is holding a tailgate party before the matches. We could talk with them and then watch the matches together.”

“Um...” Eros raised his hoof, like a student would and asked, “What matches?”

“Gladiator matches.”

“Gladiator!” Eros reeled back, looking stunned by what Shining had just said. “We still have those?”

“Yeah.” Shining stepped closer, trying to figure out why Eros was so shocked. “What's wrong with that?”

“Don't those usually end with dead ponies? That's what it said in the history books.”

“What are you ta-oh. Oh! No!” Shining laughed at the misunderstanding. “It's not like the ancient pegasi games. No pony dies. They'll probably be sore for a while afterward but not injured. I think it'd be easier to show you what happens than to explain. So, you want to go?”

“Alright, I'm in.”

***

Their chariot pulled to a stop in front of the Crystal Arena. There was already a large crowd gathered outside of the building – most of which were clustered into individual groups, usually surrounding a cooler or two.

“Now's the hard part, finding them.”

“There they are,” said Eros from above.

“Right, flying. I guess that would make it easier.”

Eros floated down, landing next to him, then leaned against Shining Armor.

Having the guards seeing me with Eros... This isn't going to get me any odd looks or jokes. Here goes nothing.

The guards' party was close to the arena, forcing the royal couple to weave their way through the crowds. The matter was made easier thanks the Crystal Ponies recognizing them and parting for them. Though it still took a minute or two. Shining silently wished that he could fly too just to make getting around others easier.

“Captain, over here,” said a waving pegasus. He had brown fur, a white mane, and Shining remembered that his cutie mark was a sword cutting through wind.

“Yeah, I see you.” The pair walked up to Fencer. The other guards were mingling with one another around them.

“Good to see that you made it.” He pointed over to Eros. “And this must be... damn. What was it again?”

“Eros,” replied Eros.

“Gotcha. Have you ever seen one of these shows before?”

“I didn't even know they existed until now. Shining said it's better to see a match than have another describe it, so I figured, why not check it out?”

“Cool.”

“Hey Shining, I'm going to go grab something to drink. Do you want anything?” asked Eros.

“No thanks. I'm good.”

Before walking off, Eros leaned in and nuzzled Shining Armor. “I'll be right back.” The crystal prince trotted away.

“Heh.”

Shining glanced over to Fencer. “Not. One. Word.”

Fencer ran his hoof over his lips, sealing them. “Must be a bit weird dealing with switched genders.”

Shining slowly shook his head. “You have no idea. So, any of the guards entering this time?” asked Shining Armor, attempting to change the subject.

“Only the best one.” Fencer placed a hoof to his chest and flashed a cocky grin.

“Typhoon?”

“What? No. Me.”

“You don't say.”

“Why yes Captain, it will be I entering the tournament and defending the honor of the royal guards.”

Shining's expression turned serious for a moment. “I want you to keep that last part in mind. I order you to have a good showing. If you lose the first match, I'll be expecting fifty laps around the arena tomorrow morning.”

“Heh, uh, good one Captain.” Shining's expression didn't change. “Crap. Really?”

“I won't have my guards looking weak. Understand?”

Fencer saluted. “Yes sir! Trust me Captain, you have nothing to worry about. I didn't get this cutie mark for no reason.”

A more relaxed expression returned to Shining. “Good.”

They both turned to see Eros near the center of the crowd. The pink prince was surrounded by several of the female guards. They were all leaning towards him, engaged in whatever it was that he was saying. Looking closely, Shining even spotted one of the mares giggling after Eros spoke.

Fencer let out a low whistle. “I'll give him credit, he knows how to woo a girl or two.” Fencer poked a nearby guard. “Hey Typhoon, check it out.”

“Check what out?” asked Typhoon.

“Even a mare turned into a stallion gets more girls than you.”

“Oh, ha ha ha... you aren't funny.” Typhoon's tone was far from serious and Shining figured this was normal for them.

Either way, any comeback from Fencer was cut off when a stallion's voice rang out from the stadium's loudspeakers. “Attention, attention! All ponies who have signed up for today's event, please report in now. The rest of you can come in and take your seat within the arena.” The announcer went on to repeat that a few times.

“And that would be my cue.” Fencer went up into the air, and hovered over Shining. “Don't worry Captain, I'll win the first match with ease. Don't blink or you might miss it.” After saluting, he made a beeline for the arena.

At this point Eros made his return to the scene. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nothing out of the usual.” Deciding not to care about the peanut gallery and any ribbing he might get from the other guards, Shining nuzzled Eros and placed a kiss on the alicorn's cheek. “We should head up to our booth.”

“We have a booth?”

“There's one that's always reserved for us,” explained Shining Armor. “Consider it a perk of ruling the empire.”

***

The booth was high up in the stands, had a nice assortment of refreshments, and a good view of the rest of the arena. In the wide open spot below, there were a large number of thick mats in the center. From these mats, two pillars stood. They appeared to be six or seven feet, roughly speaking. Each pillar had a platform, with a small space between them.

A unicorn stood near the mat and projected his voice out to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the games to begin! For today's feature, we present a gladiator tournament in the non-earth-pony division.”

“Non-earth-pony?” asked Eros, giving Shining a confused expression.

“Their natural strength gives earth ponies too big of an advantage most of the time,” explained Shining Armor. “This is a combat based sport and that extra strength and endurance gives them too much of an advantage when going against a pegasus or unicorn. On average, anyways.”

“Makes sense, I suppose.” Eros lightly pushed Shining's shoulder. “Are you going to tell me what this is about now?”

“It's simple really. A pony stands on each platform. Then, they're given a staff that has soft, padded ends to them. They whack each other until one falls off.”

“What happens if they both fall off?

Shining thought on that question for a moment. He hadn't actually thought of that possibility before. “I guess it goes to whoever hits the mat second.”

“Coming out of the blue corner, we have Fencer, a member of the Equestrian Royal Guard! Let's hear for this brave competitor!” There came a cheer form the excited crowd, particularly from the other guards. Fencer walked out from one of the tunnels and onto the field. He wore a dark-blue padded helmet and knee pads. Also noticeable from the private booth of the royal couple was that Fencer's wings were tied to his sides.

“Not much sense in a sport about knocking someone off a platform when they can fly,” said Shining.

“Ladies, if you would be so kind,” shouted the announcer. His two unicorn assistants levitated Fencer off the grass and onto his platform. As Shining expected, Fencer took the chance to showboat a little – doing bows to the audience and he even blew a couple kisses to the assistants. “Oh, this challenger appears to be quite confident in his skills ladies and gentlecolts. Let's see if they live up to his swagger.

“Coming in from the red corner...” Out walked a dark colored unicorn. He had similar gear to what Fencer did – except for a cap on his horn, likely designed to stop magic use. There was one other glaring difference between his gear and Fencer's, the color. “Or maybe I should say, the pink corner.” The unicorn's enthusiasm came to an abrupt end, being replaced with an annoyed expression. “I present, Donut.” Many within the pony crowd started to laugh, including Shining Armor.

“And just what, pray tell, is wrong with pink?” asked Eros. Even without looking, Shining could feel Eros staring a hole through him.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” He whistled nonchalantly.

The announcer's assistants lifted the disgruntled Donut up onto his platform. Fencer, to no one's surprise, also pointed and laughed. Their weapons, for lack of better term, were then lifted up to them.

“Go Team Pink! Kick his butt!” cheered on Eros.

“Hey, you can't cheer against Fencer,” said Shining Armor.

“And why not?”

“Because he's one of my guards.”

“So what? This goes beyond that. I want Donut to defend the honor of the color pink.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Eros whistled. “You can do it Donut!”

“Fencer knows what's on the line. He isn't going to lose.”

The combatants traded blows, each one getting deflected by the other's weapon. Donut was the more aggressive one early on, not giving Fencer the chance to counter. Again and again he pounded at Fencer's staff. However, it didn't go in his favor. He slipped up just once and struck too high, the only opening that Fencer needed. With one quick counter, he slid his staff under Donuts, raised it up, and pulled it away. The speed of his counter, matched with Donut being off balanced, yanked it from Donut's mouth. It was either letting the staff fly off, or to be pulled off the side of the platform with it, not that it made a difference in the end.

Continuing his showboat ways, Fencer waved goodbye to the pink-clad pony and said something to him, Shining couldn't hear what it was, before knocking him off the platform and ending the event's first match.

“Fencer, from the blue team, wins. Let's get a round of applause for our winner, who'll be advancing to the next round.” The ponies throughout the arena stomped in applause. Except for one pink pony.

“He can be a mule at times, but he's good in close quarters combat,” commented Shining Armor.

Eros mumbled an incomprehensible response under his breath. Judging by the tone, Shining was sure that it wasn't something nice.

The rest of round one played out and Shining saw the competitive nature in Eros bubbling back to the surface. Every time Shining said who he thought was going to win, Eros would pick the other pony and cheer his heart out. He had to admit, Eros was actually kind of cute when he was hopping up and down and cheering a pony on. Though he never said it out loud or showed it through his actions, he did like seeing Eros' choice win, just to see the smile on Eros' face. Then again, the quick pout from Eros when his selection lost was nice too.

There was an intermission at the end of the first round, and in that moment, Shining reflected on just how used to this whole affair had gotten over the past few months. If anypony would have told him a while back that he would go out on dates with another stallion, he would have laughed. If they were serious, he would have laughed harder. It wasn't that he was against the idea, just that he had never even considered it. He still didn't, but Eros was different from other stallions. His lean body moved with an air of grace that, surprisingly, went well with his playful personality. There were times when a bit of his mane fell over his face just right as he looked at Shining with that cocky little grin, and it was absolutely perfect.

Granted, nearly all of those times were when Shining was Aegis, and how they felt about Eros was different to a degree. Perhaps it wasn't as strong when he was Shining, but there was no denying the attraction.

“Woo! Second round is about to start,” said the energetic prince as he raised up a hoof, snapping Shining Armor back to reality.

“You're really into it, huh?”

Eros nodded. “It's pretty fun to watch.”

Thinking back to the conversation with his sister, Shining wondered where this part of Eros' personality came from. Was it all an act, how Cadance thought guys naturally were? Or maybe Cadance's competitive side just got a major boost from the male hormones. Shining didn't pursue the subject since it'd be near impossible to figure out for sure.

Eros got closer and leaned against Shining, his head resting on Shining's shoulder. “I guess I'll try to cheer for Fencer this round.”

“Unless he faces a pony in pink again, right?”

“Heck yeah. Sorry, but I'll always side with team pink.”

Fencer was in the first match of the second round as well. The next challenger was more prepared for the battle. He picked and chose his spots to attack and tried not to overextend himself. While the strategy was sound, it would prove to be a moot point. Once more Fencer showed off his parrying skills. First knocking his opponent off balance with a deflected blow, then knocking him off the platform.

“If he wins, we should invite him to dinner at the palace,” said Eros.

“Or we could treat his whole squad to meal as a celebration.”

His opponents in the following rounds tried to be careful when fighting Fencer. In fact, in the finale, Fencer's opponent refused to take the offensive at all. For a tense few moments both fighters stood completely still, just staring at each other, menacingly.

“Oh come on! Somepony make a move already,” yelled Eros.

“That pony has thought this through better than the others. This move is pretty smart.”

“Really? All he's doing is just standing there.”

“Exactly. You don't attack first when you know the enemy focuses on countering. Instead, you make them go on the offensive. However –“

Fencer took the bait, and went in for the attack. As if trying to copy Fencer's own moves, the other pony tried to parry it. But there was nothing to parry, seeing as Fencer pulled back at the last moment. The failed attempt at a counter left the pony open and Fencer wasted no time. With a precise strike, he swept one of the pony's legs. The next blow knocked him off.

“– Fencer is good on offense too,” said Shining, proudly smiling at the skill shown by his fellow guardspony.

“It does seem a touch unfair, considering the others don't have as much experience.”

“There's always ponies with some training that enter these games. Everypony knows or should know that going into it.”

“There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the qualifying tournament is Fencer. Did he do good or what folks?” They took the cue and cheered. Fencer struck a dynamic, action-hero-esque pose.

“Qualifying?” asked Eros.

“This is when things get interesting.”

“As such, he's earned the right to face one of our top gladiators for the prize!” said the announcer. He went on to say that Fencer would be given a three minute chance to prepare for the final fight.

“Who are the top gladiators?” asked Eros, curiously looking at Shining.

“Very athletic, well trained competitors hoof picked by the promoter. Their sole job is to make sure no one wins the prize money.”

After Fencer's time was up, the announcer called out, “Now presenting, the eighth wonder of the world. The Behemoth, Snowflake!” From the tunnel walked out a hulking white pegasi that had muscles on his muscles' muscles.

“I-is that a real pegasus? It looks like someone stuck a couple little wings on a bull,” said a shocked Eros. “Fencer's dead, isn't he?”

“He has a chance; not a good one, but a chance.”

The mountain of muscle fluttered up to the platform before having his wings tied down. To his credit, Fencer didn't show any fear, but he wasn't doing any showboating anymore. He got low and readied himself.

“Aaaaaaaaand... go!”

Snowflake struck fast and hard, knocking Fencer back a bit, even through his attempt at a block. He had better luck deflecting the second blow and hit the counter. Snowflake barely budged. The progress was lost right way as Snowflake took a small step to the left, back to the center. Fencer struck out again, and Snowflake made no effort to block. Fencer's strike knocked Snowflake a farther than the last time, but also left him open. A powerful swing connected to Fencer's side, pushing him to the very edge of the platform. The next knocked him off. With that, Fencer failed to win the big prize.

The crowd roared, easily the biggest cheer of the night. Snowflake, standing high over Fencer's fallen form, raised his forelegs in the air. His shout of, “Yeah!”, was heard all the way up in the royal couple's booth.

“So, are you going to make him do laps?” asked Eros.

“Only five hundred.”

“Oh, ok... what?”

“Kidding,” Shining assured his husband. “Look, we'll still do dinner thing for him and his division.” He looked down onto the field. The audience was already leaving, and the announcer was bidding them farewell. Snowflake was in the back. Fencer was left by himself in the middle of the arena. Shining watched as his pegasus guard got up and rubbed his shoulder – the same shoulder that was smacked by Snowflake's staff. Some other guards of his division were walking onto the field.

“Let's go down there and let them know they're invited over... say, tomorrow?” asked Eros.

“Works for me.” They headed down the flights of stairs and onto the field, now able to hear the chatter of the guards.

“That ending was my favorite part of the show,” said Typhoon with a grin, giving Fencer a push.

“Hardy har. That guy was built like a freaking manticore. Might as well of been hitting a brick wall,” Fencer said, moving around his shoulder.

“Are you ok?” asked Shining as he entered the group of guards.

“Oh, Captain.” Fencer saluted, but with the wrong foreleg and winced. “I'll be fine. I'll just have a bruise for a while.”

“Anways, all of you guys are invited to dinner in the palace for dinner tomorrow. Consider it your prize for getting as far as you did.”

Glancing around, Shining spotted Eros standing off to the side, staring up at the platforms. “I wonder if I could get good at something like this?”

“Eh, you probably wouldn't like doing an actual match. It can get pretty rough at times,” said Shining, waving off the thought.

Eros turned and glared at him. “And why would I not like something that was rough and tumble? I may not look imposing but I am an alicorn prince. I can more than handle my own in a scrap. Could certainly deal with a simple unicorn.” Eros' mouth shut immediately after the last part, giving the look of somepony that knew they just said the wrong thing.

It was followed with some snickering and 'oooh's from the ponies around them. It was no surprise to Shining that Eros' overly-competitive nature had gotten him in trouble again. However, even though he kept much better control over it, Shining had his own competitive streak, and his pride. Husband or not, another stallion had called him out in front of his subordinates. That was not something he could simply brush off.

“Come again, honey?”

“Um, well...” Eros showed some nervousness but at the same time, wasn't backing down. “I said I could definitely match a unicorn in a competition.” Eros' words were sounding more confident. “And?”

All the ponies turned to Shining, awaiting his response. He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Just remember, you started this.” He pointed to a couple unicorns in group. “Lift me up onto the platform.” They did as ordered, and Shining brought up one of the staffs with his own magic. “Well?” A part of Shining felt bad about this, but there weren't many other options that he could see. Besides, Eros was a big boy and didn't need to be coddled.

Likely from his own pride egging him on, Eros flew up to the opposing platform with a staff in mouth. Shining took out of his telekinetic grip and into his mouth. One of the guards – Shining didn't really pay attention to which one it was – counted down. “Three... two... one!”

The match – if it could truly be called a match – ended quickly. The skilled soldier sending the alicorn prince toppling down from his perch and onto the mats below. He spat out the pole and the unicorn guards lowered Shining down off his platform.

“Alright guys, show's over. Go celebrate Fencer getting his flank kicked or something.” On their captain's urging, the group dispersed. A few of the mares lingered for a moment, looking over at Eros, but they too were soon on their way.

Shining nudged Eros, who was still laying on the mat with a rather defeated look. “You ok, hon? You hurt?”

“Just my pride. Well, maybe my side as well, but mostly my pride.” Shining helped Eros up to his hooves, and he leaned against Shining. “I really need to stop being so competitive. Sorry about that.”

“Yes, you really do.” The two walked hip to hip back to their carriage, not really saying much.

***

Once back at the Crystal Palace they retired to their room, Eros leading the way in. Shining hung behind him, and even though he likely wouldn't say it out loud, he was appreciating the view.

“Want to do anything else or just rest?” asked Eros.

Perhaps it was due to the buzz he got from watching the fights or maybe it was simply a random bought of horniness, but something had put Shining in the right mood to push things farther with Eros. In fact, as they were riding back the palace, Shining had to force his mind to think of boring subjects to push out the image of him taking his prince right then and there.

Now that they were alone and had some privacy, he didn't feel like holding it in any longer. He leaned forward, nipping at Eros' flank.

“Wah!” Eros pulled back, raising his hind leg on the nipped side.

Shining pushed down on Eros' hips, mounting the smaller stallion, until he was completely underneath Shining. “I never did get a prize for winning our match.” Shining slid his hoof down Eros' stomach to his shaft, then stroked up and down its side.

“Neh!” Eros gasped. His hips were pushing up against Shining, and he leaned he head back attempting to nuzzle Shining. “W-What did you have in mind.”

Shining continued the stroking as he gave some thought to it, letting Eros shift around and give happy little grunts and gasps. To simply rut the smaller stallion wasn't a good enough option as far as Shining was concerned. He wanted more... The memory of that first night they experimented with gender sprung forth, giving him an idea and a bringing perverted little smile smile to his face. “I know what I want.”

***

“You can't be serious?” Eros stood at the end of their bed, shyly lowering his head. Around each leg was a snug, lacy, black stocking. A corset tightly clung around his lithe, slender midsection. It was the same lingerie that Aegis had worn on her first night of existence. However, there was one addition: a red ribbon tied around Eros' penis.

From his spot on their bed, Shining appraised Eros' new look. “Give me a little turn.”

Eros opened his mouth, as if he was going to complain, but seemed to decide against it. He turned around until he was facing away from Shining, and held his flanks up high. The corset was doing a great job of accentuating his ass. “Happy now?”

Without warning, Shining gripped Eros' hips with his magic and pulled the now wriggle and struggling prince onto the bed.

“Sh-Shining. What are you-Wah!” Shining flipped Eros onto his back before he could finish his sentence.

Shining's gaze moved from the alicorn's blushing face down to his erect penis. It stood stall, practically begging for more attention. Using his nose, Shining nudged Eros' penis. “You like this, don't you?” He ran the tip of his tongue up the penis, starting at the sheath and following a vein, stopping at the head.

Eros moaned and cried out, “Yes!” His hind legs were already twitching.

“Good.” Shining moved up until his chest was over Eros' chest. With a back hoof, Shining held Eros' penis tightly against Eros' body, and moved up and down its length. Shining was nose to nose with Eros, staring into his eyes. He saw silent pleading in them, the desire for him to go farther. “I'm going to rut you,” Shining said in a matter-of-fact way, “I'm going to make you cry out my name. I'm going to make you beg for more. And I'm going to make you cu-” Eros came. Shining hadn't actually seen it, but he could feel it from the movement of Eros' penis. Eros looked just as shocked by it as Shining. He stepped back to see the white mess that now lay on Eros' chest and a bit on his stomach.

Eros hid behind his hooves, and he whimpered. “Oh Celestia, I cannot believe I did that.”

“Heh.”

“No. No laughing.” Eros pointed a hoof to Shining. “You know for a fact this has never happened to me before.” Eros' eyes fell to the white spots on his chest and corset.

Shining didn't give the prince a chance to dwell on what happened. Standing over Eros again, he started licking off the cum.

“Are you... are you really... Wow, that's hot,” Eros said, half in shock and half in lust. “W-what does it taste like?”

Despite previous nights spent with Eros, Shining – technically Aegis at the time – had never tasted cum before. “It's actually a little disappointing.”

“You know, you should never say those words to a guy while in this situation.”

“Hm? Oh! Heh. I just meant that the way other ponies act, I expected it to be the worst tasting thing ever or best thing ever. But it was just... bland.” After finishing off his plate, Shining flipped Eros back onto his stomach. Using his magic, he kept Eros' shoulder's down and forced his hips up into the air.

“Shining, what are you doing?”

“Exactly what I said I was going to do. Now stay.” Shining hopped off the bed and started checking in some of Eros' drawers. “I know you have some...” Every few seconds Shining glanced back to Eros, who had obediently stayed the way Shining left him. Embarrassment was written all over the prince's face; however, his cock was still sticking out, looking as hard as ever. A part of Eros had to have been enjoying his submissive role.

“Found it.” Shining held up a container of lubricant. He generously applied it onto his penis – which was quite pleasurable in its own right – before getting back onto the bed. He had kept a little extra in his magical grip and pressed it into Eros' anus, causing him to gasp.

“Just... be gentle.”

“We'll see.” He mounted Eros, pressing the tip of his member into the tight hole. At first, the anus seized up, clenching tightly. Shining was only pushing in a little at a time, while massaging Eros' flanks. Bit by bit, Eros' ass relaxed, letting Shining go all the way in; it felt like his penis was being enveloped by a warm, tight, soft cushion. Under him, the smaller, dolled up stallion squirming about. The combination of control, heat, and tightness sent sparks of pleasure down Shining's penis.

When he finally pushed in all the way to the hilt, he stopped for a moment. Eros, on the other hoof, didn't. He rocked back and forth on it, letting out grunts and moans. Shining, using his telekinesis, grabbed a hold of Eros' hips and thighs, keeping them pressed against Shining's. Eros tried to keep rocking, but it was pointless.

“S-Shining?” he whined while panting.

“Who's the alpha male?”

“What?”

Getting closer to Eros' ear, Shining sensually whispered, “Who is the alpha male here?”

Eros tried to move around again, but still couldn't. Shining was keeping him filled and needy. “You are. Now please rut me.”

“And who's the princess?”

“Please don't make me say it.”

Shining took hold of the back of Eros' neck and growled in a show of dominance.

“I am!” Eros cried out, his body shuddering from the act, and he mewled.

With that business out of the way, Shining performed like a well oiled piston, pounding against Eros' ass over and over without letting up. Just as Shining predicted, Eros was crying out his name and begging for more. Only once did the rutting stop, when Eros tried to reach back for his own penis. Shining stopped that with a swift, hard smack to Eros' ass.

“No!”

“But–“

“No. Princesses do not touch their penis while getting rutted.”

About this time was when Shining noticed that Eros was leaking – globs of cum were dripping from his head. The two continued rutting like wild animals until it finally came time for Shining's turn to unload. He held back for as long as possible, wanting to enjoy the situation, but his body wasn't going to listen anymore. With one last strong thrust, he stiffened up and shot out squirts of cum into Eros. When his orgasm finished, he yanked his penis out of Eros in one quick jerk, bringing one last gasp from his lover, then rolled over to his side of the bed.

Shining pulled Eros against him, and – in stark contrast to the previous events – lovingly nuzzled him.

“That... wow. I've never seen you like that before. You've never been that rough with me before.”

“It's because I couldn't be,” replied Shining, still cuddling against Eros. “I'd feel so guilty if I got that rough with Cadance. She's soft, fragile. If I pushed or pulled her around on the bed like that, I'd also be asking if she was alright every minute of it. Celestia forbid if I ever left a mark on her. I'd never forgive myself. But you're not Cadance.”

“And with another guy, you don't have to hold back.”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“I can't say that I'd want this happening too often but... I suppose I wouldn't be against getting a hard rutting like that every now and then.”

Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 1)

A filly, whose fur was white as virgin snow, was sitting upon her bed reading the latest issue of Captain Equestria. Behind her, hanging over the head of the bed, was a large The Little Seapony poster. However, as enjoyable as it was to see Cap' beat down the villain of the week, all good things come to an end. She started a countdown in her mind: three... two... one.

“Aegis, it's time to get ready for school,” said the maid, a mare no older than her mother. If Aegis was remembering it correctly, the maid's name was Crystal Clear. She had been a recent addition to the household. Before she came it was just Aegis, her mommy and her daddy – both unicorns, like her. Then her mom starting gaining weight and stopped doing most of the chores around the house. Whenever Aegis had asked why, her mom would look around nervously and say that she'll explain later; which was often a grown-up's way of saying never.

However, at that moment, the filly had more pressing matters on her mind, which made it hard for her to fully enjoy the comic. Her summer vacation had come to an end, and she would soon be heading back to elementary school. The summer was fun. She played a lot with some other fillies and colts, as well as read up on some of the great warriors in history. Nothing quite like hearing tales of a single pony holding back a horde of monsters. She'd give anything to be like–

The maid opened the door, bringing the filly back to reality. “So you are up.”

“Good morning Mrs. Clear,” said Aegis, trying not to sound rude, despite the fact that she didn't want to go to school. Her parents had given her a lecture before hiring Mrs. Clear, that servants were to be treated with the same respect that she'd show any other pony; despite what she may have seen at times in the homes of other nobles.

Just as Aegis went to jump down from her bed, her hoof caught on a kink in the blanket, and the little filly came tumbling down the side. The blanket came with her, wrapping around her as she spun, creating a soft and snugly cocoon of sorts. She struggled, pushing at it and trying to roll, but her back held down the blanket below her, making escape difficult. Her one free leg uselessly kicked about in the air. Every moment that passed marked her rising frustration. She let out a angry yell – it came out more cute sounding than angry, due to her being a little filly – and aimlessly flailed about until she was finally freed. Standing back up – with a mane and tail that were now a complete mess – she bucked the bed with all her filly rage, for it was obviously the culprit behind her fall.

“Well Miss Aegis, you are quite lively this morning,” said Crystal Clear, while doing a poor job of holding back her laughter.

“It's not funny,” grumbled Aegis, making her way over to her vanity mirror. It had a thin layer of dust over the desk that the mirror sat on from its lack of use.

Crystal Clear pulled out a brush and got to work on Aegis' mane. “Keep up with your magic practice and soon, you'll be able to do this all by yourself.”

In truth Aegis already had enough of the basics down that she could control a brush if she wanted. Being brushed was calming, and helped to sooth any displeasure of having to go back to school. She could simply relax and focus on the the brush's teeth massaging the back of her neck and her tail.

“You got really pretty eyes. When you get older, you're going to have to keep the colts at bay with a stick.”

Aegis shook her head. “The other girls are a lot prettier.”

“They may be fancier, but that doesn't always mean prettier. You need to have confidence Miss Aegis.” She finished up the last few brush strokes needed and Aegis' mane now lay flat, looking presentable once more. “Alright, off you go. Your parents are waiting for you downstairs.”

After giving the maid her thanks, Aegis left the room and headed for the kitchen. Her home wasn't particularly fancy, but it was close in size to her friends' homes. It had all the basic rooms, plus a library, a den, a servant's quarters – that part being brand new – and a couple spare rooms. Nothing special but she liked it. Aegis went down the steps into her living room, turned the corner, and she was in the kitchen. Mother was sitting at the table eating, rather odd, breakfast of a pepper jack cheese, hot peppers, and lettuce salad. In fact, she had been eating a lot of spicy things lately. Are the spicy foods making mommy fat? wondered Aegis.

“Good morning sweetheart,” said her father as he placed a bowl of cereal on the table for her. His magic gripped her and sat her down on a seat. “Eat up. Don't want to be late.”

“That's right,” added her mother. “And when you get back, there's something we need to talk about.”

“Do I have to go? Can't you tell me now?” she whined.

“Aww, why don't you want to go to school? Your friends are going to be there,” said her mother.

“I know. But some of the girls are snobs.”

“That isn't a nice thing to say. Who taught you that word?” asked her mother.

“Daddy did.”

“Oh, did he now?” said her mother, before casting an annoyed glare at her father.

“Heh. She must have heard wrong.”

“Oh, I'm sure,” said her mother, not sounding particularly convinced. “Listen dear, if other girls act like that, just ignore them. Alright?”

“Alright mom, I'll try.”

“That's a good girl.”

“Is this talk about why you're getting fat?”

“I... I haven't gotten that fat yet, have I?” She looked down at her stomach to the sounds of Aegis' father chuckling in the background. “Ahem!”

“Sorry,” said her father.

“Have I?”

“I think you're just as beautiful as the day I met you.”

“You didn't answer the question.”

“I know, but it's the best you're going to get out of me.”

Aegis finished her breakfast, not really paying attention to her parents' banter. After the last bite, she left the house, walked down the street, and entered Canterlot Elementary. Mobs of students lined the halls, mostly kids of upper-class or noble families.

“Hey blank,” said a unicorn colt.

“Heh, this blank kicked your butt at stick ball last week,” she responded as the two did a hoof bump.

“Pfft. That was a fluke.”

Aegis considered staying and hanging out with the others for a bit, but the bell rung, dashing any hopes of that. It was a shame but she only had herself to blame for not getting ready sooner.

After quickly trotting to her classroom, Aegis sat in the front row, as usual. In walked their teacher, a unicorn stallion. He was impeccably groomed and always wore a suit. The mares around Aegis sighed and got starry-eyed when he walked in, but Aegis never really saw the appeal. He was handsome, sure, but she saw nobleponies who dressed and sounded like him on a daily basis around town.

“Good morning class,” said the teacher.

“Good morning Mr. Silver Pen,” replied the class in unison.

“Today we are welcoming a new student into our class.” He turned to the door. “You can come in now.”

The door slowly opened and in walked a pink alicorn colt. Nearly all the students around her 'oohed' at the sight and the classroom filled with the sounds of whispering as the colt took center stage in front of them all. Aegis just stared curiously at him. She had never seen an alicorn up close, nor did she ever expect to. The only other one she had even heard of was Princess Celestia. The colt's mane was divided into three colors; yellow, fuchsia, and violet – the triple colored mane only adding to his rarity. The colt's cutie mark was a crystal heart.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

The colt looked around, nervously tapping his hoof on the floor. “M-my name is Prince Eros Deus Amoris. But you all can call me Eros.”

“There's an empty seat up front by her,” said the teacher, pointing out the seat next to Aegis. Silver Pen started his lesson, this one being on long division, and the class quieted down. Aegis kept glancing over at the colt, still unable to get over the fact that she was sitting next to an alicorn.

After making his points, the teacher passed around the assignment, a few pages filled with problems for them to solve, and told the class to work in partners.

Without thinking Aegis turned to Eros, who was seemed lost as to what to do. He looked around, obviously not sure who to approach or how to do it.

“Hi,” said Aegis. “My name is Aegis. Want to be partners?”

“Oh, um, hi. Yes.”

They didn't do much talking beyond going over the problems. Aegis had to pry and poke just to get reactions from him.

“So... did you just move here?”

“Oh, well... I moved into the palace a few weeks ago,” replied Eros, his voice was weak and timid.

Aegis pushed on the colt's shoulder. “Quit being so nervous. I'm not going to bite or anything.”

“Oh, um, sorry.” He looked over at her with a small smile.

She rolled her eyes. “So, you live in the palace? You mean the royal palace?”

Eros nodded. “I live there with Auntie Celestia.”

Aegis froze, with wide and shocked eyes. “Auntie? Y-you're Princess Celestia's nephew?”

The progress she had made was lost in that in one instant; Eros turned away and looked back at the math problems. “...we need to get this done.”

She wanted more answers, but decided not to push the issue. If he wanted to be all mysterious, then fine, let him. They finished the problems quickly enough, and went through the rest of the school day. Eros had stuck by her for the most part. She remembered hearing one of the other fillies describe it as like a puppy following its owner.

The final bell of the day rung, followed by a horde of fillies and colts excitingly running out of the school, including Eros and Aegis. Ahead, right by the exit, Aegis spotted a large royal guard.

“Prince Eros!” he said in a rather deep voice. The guard waved, and they walked up to him. “The Princess ordered me to come get you at the end of your school day. She also gave me this.” He showed them a coin purse under his wing. “She said that if you wanted, you could stop by the ice cream parlor. There's enough that you could bring a friend as well.”

Eros turned to her. “Do you want to?”

On the one hoof, Aegis' parents had wanted to have a talk with her and she probably should get home quickly to do that. On the other hoof, free ice cream, and it was any flavor she wanted; maybe even vanilla with peanut butter swirl. Plus, Eros seemed like he really wanted her to hang out with him. Needless to say, the other hoof won out. “I'd love to ice cream... Um, I mean go.” With that, they were off.

***

“Mom? Dad? I'm home!” Aegis called out, closing the front door behind her.

“We're upstairs! Come on up!” came their voices from their bedroom.

The filly hopped up the steps and made her way into her parents room. Her mother was lying on their bed on her side, while her father sat on the floor nearby.

“Aegis, why didn't you come home sooner? You knew we wanted to talk to you after school,” her mother asked.

Aegis lowered her head. “Heh heh, sorry. I met a new friend and hung out with him after school. I'm not in trouble, am I?”

Her mother gave a soft, gentle smile and patted the bed for Aegis to jump up. “No, I'm not mad and you aren't in trouble, but this is important. Get up here.” With a boost from her father, Aegis made it up onto the bed and was immediately pulled into a hug by her mother. Her mother stroked the back of her mane and nuzzled her. “Dear, you've, um, taken some health classes, right? So, you know where babies come from?”

Aegis blushed, surprised and feeling embarrassed at her mother's sudden show of affection. “Y-yes? They grow inside of mommies.”

“That certainly makes this simpler,” said her father with a sigh of relief.

“Dear, you're going to be a big sister.”

“W-what?” Aegis looked at her mother's belly in amazement. “I-is that why you got fat?”

“Would you stop saying that?”

“...sorry.”

“It's alright dear.” Her mother nuzzled her again. “We would have told you sooner, but I wanted to wait until we knew if it was going to be a boy or girl. You're going to have a little sister.”

Aegis couldn't help but to smile at the news. She had heard others in her class talk about their brothers or sisters and she always wanted to know what it was like to have one. “Is she a unicorn?”

Her parents nodded.

***

Another morning came and the family were once more eating breakfast in the kitchen. Like she had the last few days, Aegis' mother got second and third helpings.

“Mom?”

“Yes dear?”

“Can we go the park after school?”

Her mother shook her head. “Sorry dear but I have a doctor's appointment today. Maybe you can hang out with that friend again.”

Aegis sighed. “...alright.”

That wouldn't be last time Aegis' desire for attention would be left unfulfilled. The next day, when she wanted to show her mother a picture she made in class, she got ignored again. Some of her parents' friends had come over and the baby was all they talked about. “What are you going to name her?” “Will she take after her mother or father?” “Are you going to get a magic tutor for her early on or wait like you did with Aegis?” Baby baby baby baby baby baby! That's all Aegis heard, over and over again. It was all any of the adults wanted to talk about. The days following that were just as bad.

School was almost as bad. Her teacher had somehow heard the news – stupid adults always gossiping, thought Aegis – and he announced it to the whole class. Not only did she have to deal with adults constantly asking her how 'excited' she must be to be getting a little sister, but the other kids kept asking her things about the baby, like when it was coming and, of course, what the name was going to be.

I wish mom never got pregnant, thought Aegis as she entered the school one morning.

“So, any news about the baby?”

The grumbled started low and built up into a full on, “AAAAAARGH!”

“Wha!” The pink alicorn reared up and fell on his back, flailing his legs.

“Oh... sorry Eros.” The apology was low and sounded somewhat indifferent as the filly hung her head. “Please don't ask me about her.”

“Alright, fine. Geez.” Aegis reached down and helped Eros back to his hooves, and even dusted off the alicorn. “You didn't have to yell.”

Aegis apologized again, before adding, “It's just, I'm so sick of hearing about her. Baby this, baby that. Maybe I'd like ponies to actually ask how I'm doing.” She pouted and snorted in annoyance. The upset filly walked forward, heading to her class, but was stopped by a tug on her tail. “Eros?”

He looked around and after a group of other students walked by, he leaned in and whispered, “Follow me.” He walked by her, heading in the opposite direction of their class, towards the exit.

“Eros? Eros!” she whispered yelled. “What are you doing?”

“Just trust me.” By now the halls were empty as the other kids and the teachers were in their respective classes. “Should be a few minutes before anypony checks the halls, let's go.” He opened the front door. “Ladies first.”

“Wait, are we skipping class?” She felt his magic lift her off the ground and she uselessly wriggled about in the air. A second later, she was back on solid ground, outside the school. “Great, we are skipping class.”

“Shh.” Eros pressed a hoof to her lips to shush her and he looked around. The streets of Canterlot weren't particularly busy in the mornings, and this day continued that routine. “As long as we steer clear of the market, I think we'll be fine. Just don't act nervous.”

“Why would I act nervous? I'm only going to get in a bunch of trouble!” She groaned and looked back to the school behind her. It would be easy to run back in and just tell her teacher that she was in the bathroom.

“Come on Aegis, please? Look, if we get caught, I'll take all the blame,” Eros reassured her.

“Why do you want to do this so badly?”

“Because I want you to be happy.”

She looked back and forth, thinking over what he had just said, before responding with a flat, “What?”

“I don't like seeing you upset. So, I'm going to take you around the town and cheer you up.”

She was amazed at just how different he was now from the shy, timid colt she first met. Since that day, he had opened up more and more to the others. While he was no party animal or anything, he had become far more relaxed and assertive around others. However, his closeness to her hadn't changed a bit. Some of the other kids would even ask her, 'Hey Mary, where's your lamb?' on occasion.

“Now, are you coming or not?” asked Eros, as he stepped beside her and nudged her with his shoulder.

“Y-yeah, alright.”

“Good. Now just try not to act like you're doing something wrong and we won't get caught.”

We are so going to get caught... thought Aegis, but she followed Eros' lead anyways. They stuck to back roads, making the trip to their first destination, the ice cream shop, which took about ten minutes longer than it should have. Even on the less traveled roads, Aegis still jumped nearly every time she heard a noise, or worse, the voice of an adult. Still, they made it there without incident.

“See, what'd I tell you. Heh, you were kind of cute when you were scared though.”

“S-shut up. I wasn't scared.”

Eros once again paid for their treats and then the two went back out into the city. Aegis began to calm down and actually passed by the occasional adult without cringing.

“Where are we going now?”

“The stadium. I heard the Wonderbolts are practicing there. We can watch them until it's time for school to let out.”

“That... actually sounds like fun.” Her pace quickened, leading to her pulling ahead of Eros. He soon joined her in a quick trot as the two headed for the stadium.

“Ah! Get down,” said Eros as he jumped on her, practically tackling Aegis. He pulled her around the corner of a building.

“Ow! Eros, what are you doing,” she whispered.

“I saw a guard from the palace.”

“Where?” Aegis peaked around the corner and sure enough, there was a guard pony standing in the street just looking around. “I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you!”

“We aren't going to get caught. We just got to get a little creative, that's all.”

“Maybe we won't get in as much trouble if we turn ourselves in.”

“Aegis, pull yourself together. Just trust me, alright?”

“...fine. You got a plan?”

Eros looked behind him, as did Aegis. There was a large, discarded box, just waiting for the trash pony to come and pick it up. “I just might.”

Moments later, Aegis laid on Eros back, had the top of the box on her back, and was peering out of a little hole they made in it. In this instance, Aegis pondered the possibility that Eros had completely and utterly lost his little pony mind. But if he had, it would also make her insane for following something so insane. There was simply no way she could see this working. They were going to get caught and she was going to get grounded or something equally as bad. However, all that being said, it was still more appealing that being back at school and getting asked about the baby.

“So, you got what you're supposed to do?” he asked.

“Yeah, I'll be the eyes and you be the legs. Now turn left.”

Eros began turning.

“Other left, other left!”

“Sorry. It's hard to concentrate with you on my back.” He turned back the right way.

“Now, go forward. When we get out of here, turn right,” she ordered. Aegis could feel the tightness of Eros' muscles as he tried to hold her up and walk around. He probably isn't used to lifting stuff at the palace, she thought. “Turn now.”

Eros turned to the right – Aegis thanked Celestia that he got the direction correct this time – and started trotting down the street. “Is he still there?”

“Yeah, but he's looking away. Keep going.” After only one more step, the guard turned. “Stop! Get down!” They stopped and Aegis stared at the guard.

We're just a box sitting by a building. Nothing odd at all. Please keep moving, thought Aegis. The filly's heart thumped against her chest, and with all the tension, she forgot to breath, holding it in and waiting for the danger to pass.

The guard started coming up the street, heading right for them.

“What's going on?”

“Shush.”

He stopped mere feet from the box and glanced around again. Finally, much to Aegis' relief, he continued walking pass them. She breathed again, bringing in some much needed oxygen, and went slack on Eros' back.

“That's a good sign, right?”

“Yeah, he's gone. Now move.”

With the guard gone, the two stopped caring about being cautious. Aegis pushed the box up off of them, jumped down, and ran as fast as her little hooves would take her. Eros was right behind her the whole way.

Block after block they ran, until they reached the Royal Stadium. Aegis wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back to see Eros with his head down, weezing. “You wimp.”

“Am not!” he forced out before he slumped down to the stone street.

“Come on, we can't just stay out here.”

“But...”

“Get up.”

“Fine!” Eros stood back up and Aegis led the two inside.

The stadium was gigantic. Aegis figured that it could fit most of the ponies in Canterlot inside of it. They walked up a set of stairs and into the stands, the field in clear view in front of them. There were a couple pegasi standing on the field looking up. Above them were a group of pegasi flying in intricate patterns, doing loop-de-loops, and trying out tricks. At one point, five of them got into a circle and did a nose dive. They were getting closer together as they hurtled towards the ground, only to break the formation and level off a mere few feet before impact.

“Wow. That was a amazing,” said Aegis, biting back the temptation to loudly cheer, lest she give them away.

Eros gave her a big smile. “It's nice seeing you happy again.”

“It's nice feeling happy again.” Her moment of happiness didn't last long as realization on how short lived this break was sunk in. When this was over, she was going to go home, back to a mother that's always too concerned with getting enough rest or emptying the fridge again to pay attention to her – not that her father had been much better. Her head sunk and the smile turned upside down. “What's the point of this?”

“Hm?”

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. Aegis shut them tight, trying not to cry in front of Eros. “No one even cares about me anymore. They only care about that stupid baby,” her voiced cracked near the end.

A hoof pushed against her chest and she looked up to see Eros glaring at her, looking more serious than she had ever seen him before. “Don't say that!”

She was about to step back in surprise, but Eros pulled her close into a tight hug. Her muzzle was buried in his shoulder fur, and her head leaned against the side of his neck. A red hot blush bubbled to the surface, stretching out across her cheeks. “E-Eros?”

“I care about you. You're my best friend.”

“It's just... I...” A few moments passed by as she sat there, being held by Eros unsure of how she should react or how to feel. Slowly, she raised up one of her front legs and wrapped it around Eros, returning the hug, and pressed against his shoulder. “It isn't fair! No pony asked me if I wanted a little sister. I just want some attention.”

Eros patted her on the back. “I know, I know.”

She remained sitting there, holding him tightly and leaning against him for a while, just enjoying his presence. Being this close to someone other than her parents was certainly new for the young filly, but felt wonderful. Part of her wished she could just stay in that stadium all night, snuggled next to Eros.

However, those thoughts ended abruptly. Eros quickly snapped to attention and tensed up. “Um... uh oh.”

An annoyed growl reverberated in Aegis. “We just got caught, didn't we?”

“Yes.”

“By that same guard?”

“Yes. Go ahead and say it.”

“Dang it Eros, I told you so.”

“...sorry.”

Against her desire, Aegis let go of Eros, steadied herself, and turned around to face the guard. He was large, typical of pegasi guards, and had a stern expression. “Ahem. Prince Eros, care to explain why the palace received word of your absence from school?”

Aegis looked back to Eros, who seemed to be holding himself together well, not looking scared at all.

“Sir, I... I skipped class.” Aegis took note how her skipping wasn't even brought up.

“And you missy, shouldn't you be in school too?”

So much for that. She nodded. “Yes sir.”

“Don't blame her!” said Eros, coming to her defense. “It was all my idea. I practically begged her to come with me.”

Aegis smiled at him, mentally thanking the alicorn.

“You two can explain the details to the Princess. Now come with me.”

They didn't make any fuss and dutifully followed the guard. Though there was one thing bugging Aegis that she couldn't quite put her hoof. Something about what the guard said... Then, it hit her. “Princess!? Why would we have to explain to the princess?”

“Well, she's my guardian.”

“WHAT?”

“Not so loud.”

“Sorry, but why didn't you tell me that?”

“Ponies act all weird around me when I tell them. So, I don't.”

Aegis huffed and looked away.

“Please don't be mad at me.”

“I'm not mad, but you should have told me.”

“Sorry.”

The three went the rest of the way through the streets of Canterlot in silence. Both the kids hung their heads in typical fashion of one that had just gotten caught doing something bad.

“We're here,” said the guard.

Aegis stared at the palace, taking in its grand design in awe. This was the closest she had gotten to it and it looked even better than it did from a distance. With its golden towers and flying banners, it looked like it was straight out of one of the fairy tales her parents used to read for her. “Wow,” was the only word she was capable of saying at the moment.

“Psst.”

“What?”

“I don't think we were supposed to stop here.”

“Oh.”

The halls of the pristine palace were buzzing with activity. All manner of servants were scurrying about, cleaning this, carrying that, and just generally looking busy. The pattern was broken up by the occasional guard. After some twist and turns, they stopped in front of a rounded wooden door.

“You two, stay right here and don't budge,” said the guard, pointing to the side of the doorway.

“Yes, sir,” they both replied and obeyed, sitting down in that spot.

The guard knocked, prompting a response from beyond the door. “You may enter,” said a beautiful, female voice. The guard opened the door and closed it behind him.

“What is the princess going to do to us?” asked Aegis, letting a bit of concern slip into her voice.

“I don't know. I've never gotten into trouble before.”

“That's probably a good thing.”

The door opened and the guard walked back out. “Her majesty would like to see you now.”

The pair gulped and slowly walked in to meet their fate. The room inside was not quite what she expected. It was a den, not too different from the one her parents have. The walls were covered by paintings of different parts of Equestria and bookshelves. In the middle was a table. Against the far wall, by a window, was a comfortable looking red chair. The door closed behind them, causing Aegis to jump.

“Be calm little one. I merely wish to hear why the two of you chose to skip classes today,” said the heavenly alicorn in front of them, who sat on the chair. Even though Aegis had never seen her in pony before, there was no mistaking that this was their princess.

“W-well, um, y-you see –“

Eros cut off her stuttered explanation with one of his own, “It was all me, Aunt Celestia.” Aegis looked over in surprised. Eros seemed to be just as nervous as her, but didn't waver. “I begged and practically dragged her out of the school. I am completely to blame for this.”

“N-no, he isn't.”

“Aegis?”

“Eros wouldn't have done any of it if he wasn't trying to cheer me up.”

The princess chimed in, “Is that so?” Much to Aegis' surprise, the princess seemed to be genuine in her curiosity. “What is it that has you that upset?”

“Well...” Eros gave her a nod of reassurance. Aegis sighed, sat down, and began explaining it to Celestia. “I'm getting a baby sister...”

“Oh? Congratulations.”

Aegis shook her head. “That's the problem! Everyday it's the same thing. All anypony wants to talk about is her. It's like... like they forgot all about me.” She fully admitted to herself that the line was sounding more pitiful every time she said it, but that didn't stop it from being how she felt.

“Eros?”

“Yes ma'am?”

“Could you please leave us alone for a moment? I wish to speak to her one on one.”

“Um.” Eros and Aegis exchanged glances, and Aegis nodded to him. “Alright.”

As the door closed behind Eros, Celestia rose to her hooves and walked towards Aegis. The filly braced herself, unsure of what to expect, and going so far as to tightly shut her eyes. When the sound of the hoofsteps stopped, nothing came, but she could feel that the princess was close by. Cracking open her eyes she saw Celestia sitting right next to her, but facing the other way. She followed the princess' stare to a painting of an eclipse hanging just above the door. Was that there before? Aegis wondered.

“Princess?”

“You feel lost, like the world has moved on without you. Right?”

“Y-yeah. Something like that.” Her ears drooped as she too stared at the picture.

“I've seen what that feeling can do to a pony, particularly so when a sister is involved.” Her voice took on an almost somber quality. “Aegis, you can't let this feeling get to you, consume you. Know that there are ponies who care about you, even if they don't always show it.”

“I know!” she said with a raised voice, but quickly lowered it as to not offend the goddess next to her. “I mean, I know that mom and dad love me, and I have my friends. It's just that, it's hard to see it sometimes.” Aegis felt a hoof rub her back, its warmth and magical energy passing through her, calming her. “A-and it's not like anypony asked me if I wanted a sister. Maybe I'm not ready. I don't even have a cutie mark, how I can be a good big sister?”

“Just be there for her, and in turn, she shall be there for you. The best big sister is one that offers empathy and understanding, no matter how small or big their problem appears to be.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And, I won't lie to you. Keeping a sisterhood strong is tough work at times. There can be times when you rub one another the wrong way, or times when you think they're just being selfish. Times when you think they just don't care about you.” She continued looking at the painting while speaking. Her words sound distant but heartfelt. “But, when you have somepony that looks at you with nothing but love in their eyes and calls you sister, there's no words to describe just how great it feels.”

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“How do you know all this?”

“I've been around for far longer than I care to say. I've seen so many things happen in my lifetime. But some things never change. Your story is one I've seen play out over and over again. Just be honest with your feelings and remember that you're loved, and things will turn out well. One more thing.”

“What is it, your highness?”

“Talk to your parents about this. Share your concerns.”

“What if they just brush me off again?”

Celestia's voice took on a sterner tone, and Aegis knew this was more of a command than a request. “Don't let them. Make sure your voice is heard and they understand why you were so upset.”

“I promise.”

“Speaking of which, they should be arriving any minute.”

“What!?” cried out the filly. She tore her eyes from the picture to the door under it.”But... but...”

“I couldn't just not tell them what happened. I sent the guard you met earlier to get them.”

“I-I understand.”

Aegis watched as the doorknob turned and it slowly opened, revealing her mother and father standing in the hall. The pair bowed to Celestia before turning their full attention onto Aegis. “We apologize for any trouble our daughter may have caused you ma'am. Rest assured, she will be disciplined for cutting class and for any disturbances she may have caused.”

“Please, do not be too hard on her, for she did have reasons behind her actions,” said the princess, giving Aegis a nudge and motioning for her to go to her parents. Aegis scampered over to her parents and looked back to Celestia. “Reasons that she'll be talking to you about as soon as you all get home. Isn't that right, young lady?”

“Yes Princess Celestia. I promise.”

“That's a good girl. Now go on. I still have to deal with Eros.”

Aegis was about to speak up and ask Celestia to go easy but the stares of her parents were bearing down on her. Deciding it wasn't the right time, she accepted that Eros would have to get some punishment for skipping class and dragging another student along. For now, she had bigger issues at hoof.

Author's Note

Ok, so here's part 1 of the the three part finale. I considered uploading this all at once, but you guys wait long enough for my chapters, let alone one that would have been that big. So, here's the first of the three arcs in it.

Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 2)

The filly raced through the palace entrance, the clack of her hooves ringing out in the palace halls. The guards and servants didn't take much notice of her being there, having grown used to her visiting the prince. She quickly pushed open his door and burst into the room.

Eros shrank back from the sudden intrusion. “What the... oh. Hey Aegis. What's up?”

Aegis was vibrating in place, bursting with happiness. “I did it! I did it!” Her breaths were quick and short.

Eros looked around, then turned back to her with a raised eyebrow. “Did what?”

She turned to her side showing off the shield on her flank. “I got my cutie mark!”

“Wow.” Eros pulled her into into a hug. “I told you that you would get it soon. But...” Eros stepped back. “What's it for?”

“Take another step back.”

Eros complied.

Aegis took a deep breath, and focused on channeling the magic. Just do the same thing you did before, thought Aegis. Don't force it. Just relax and let it happen. She felt the energy build up at the base of her horn and more upwards to the tip. From there, she directed out and around her, forming a thin, pink sphere surrounding her. “What do you think?”

“What is it?”

“It's a shield spell. Go ahead, try to hit it.”

Eros brought his hoof up and smack it against the shield with a thump. The magic pink sphere didn't budge, nor did Aegis – who sat in the middle of it with a giant smile.

“I was walking around earlier today when I saw this old lady crossing the street. Then suddenly, there was this out of control cart going down the street. I ran to the old lady to try to push her out of the way or something but she wouldn't budge. Then...” She motions to the shield. “This just kind of happened. The kart ran into my shield and broke apart.” In truth, it didn't entirely happen out of nowhere. She had been studying different magic spells in hopes that one of them would be her special talent, including this particular shield spell. However, her attempts to cast it never worked until that moment when another pony was in danger. “Then I ran here to show you.” Aegis looked back at her flanks again, beaming with joy and pride at the new mark.

“That's so cool, but was the mare ok?”

“Oh, her? Yeah yeah, she's fine. Hey, want to help me practice it?”

***

The two sat on opposite ends of a tennis court on the palace grounds; Eros with four tennis balls and holding a racket with his magic. “Are you sure about this?”

Aegis pointed her hoof at the prince. “Hey, you said you'd help me practice.”

“I know, I know. But –”

“No buts. Just hit the ball.”

Eros sighed and shook his head. It didn't matter to Aegis, she knew what she was doing. She stood up and concentrated on her magic. The shield had already proven strong enough to stop a cart, so of course it could stop some tennis balls. However, that isn't what this was about. Now was the time to test how quickly she could get it up. What was the point in a shield if you couldn't raise it in time?

Aegis' attention was squarely on the pink colt; no blinking, no thoughts, just staring and waiting. With an exchange of nods, the test began. Eros' magic flung the ball into the air and smacked it with the racket as he came down sending the ball straight for Aegis. Her horn crackled, the spell powering up just as the ball was hit. With a second to spare the pink shield surrounded Aegis and knocked the ball away.

I love this spell, thought Aegis. I better make sure that wasn't a fluke.

The shield collapsed, the pieces breaking up and fading into nothingness. “Ok, keep going! Hit the next one!”

Eros shook his head again, but again sent a ball flying down the court towards Aegis. Once more Aegis brought up her shield and made the ball bounce away harmlessly. With each test, Aegis' confidence grew, and a cocky smirk formed on her lips. The third ball also hit the shield and bounced back across the court.

“Yes! I master-” Smack! She stumbled back and fell over, clutching at her eye as it pulsed in pain.

“Aegis!” she heard Eros shout and his hoofsteps closing the distance between them quickly.

Aegis whimpered, and curled up, still holding her eye. “Ow ow ow ow.” Tears were streaming down from the hurt eye.

“Aegis.” Eros was standing over her now. She felt his hoof rub her shoulder. “Let me see it.”

Aegis curled into a tighter ball, not wanting to remove the hoof that covered her eye. “N-no!”

“Aegis, let me see it now.”

She finally opened her good eye and looked up at Eros. Fear and guilt were etched into his face.

“Please let me see it.” His voice was softer, more sympathetic sounding this time.

Against her body's wishes, Aegis pulled the hoof away, giving Eros a clear view of the hurt eye. In turn, he cringed. “H-how bad does it look?” she asked with a sniffle.

“This isn't good.”

Aegis went back to holding her eye and Eros helped her to her hooves. She refused to take the hoof from her eye again, leaving her with only three legs to walk on; though the prince had her lean against him as they hurried along back into the palace.

They quickly found some servants who took them to a doctor's office within the palace. A little patching up later, Aegis was sitting on the infirmary's bed. An icepack, which helped to numb the pain and reduce swelling, was being held against her eye by a cloth bandage. The pain was certainly dulled, but all it took was looking in a different direction for it to flair up again. Aegis' tail swished back and forth behind her as the anger set in. She couldn't believe that she did something as stupid as forgetting about the fourth ball.

Eros had sat next to her the whole time. She couldn't quite read what the colt's expression was, other than him being pretty upset.

“Go ahead and say it.”

Instead of the 'I told you so' that she was expecting, he sat next to her and nuzzled the non-hurt side of her face. “I'm just happy that you're alright. It was scary seeing you hurt.”

She leaned into it, needing the contact to make her feel better.

***

Years later inside of his room, a depressed Prince Eros sighed into his pillow as Aegis sat nearby.

“I said I don't want to talk about it,” mumbled the prince.

“Why not?” She jumped up onto the bed and laid down near Eros. “You were really out of it yesterday and you didn't even come to school today.”

“Aegis...” The two looked into each others eyes but Eros quickly turned the other way. “Just drop it.”

Aegis huffed. “Geez, what crawled up your butt?”

“Ok, that's just... ewww. Nothing is going to go up my butt.”

“Well, you're certainly acting like it.”

“Aegis, you wouldn't understand.”

“Of course I wouldn't understand when you won't talk to me about it.”

A heavy silence filled the room. Aegis continued staring at Eros waiting for a response and for his part, Eros seemed to be trying to avoid any further eye contact. In this particular battle of wills, Aegis came out on top. “It's because of that stupid play!” said Eros, finally speaking up.

“Play? You mean the school play?”

“Yes the school play.”

“What about it? We did get horrible roles with having to be a pair of sheep in it, but it's not that bad.”

“It's not about our roles.” Eros groaned. “Think about what the play is about.”

“A family coming together for Hearth's Warming Eve. And?”

“You really don't get it, do you?”

“Maybe I would if you'd just tell me!”

“Have you met my family?”

“Your family? Well, there is –“

Eros cut her off, “Celestia isn't really my aunt. She doesn't count.”

“Wait, she's not?”

He answered with a curt, “No.”

“Then no. I haven't.” Now that her mind was on the subject, Aegis tried to think of any moment when Eros spoke of family other than Celestia. She knew Eros didn't have any siblings or cousins. Perhaps the oddest part, she has never heard him mention his parents.

“That's because I don't have a family!” he yelled at her. After the initial outburst, Aegis could plainly see that Eros regretted raising his voice. “I'm not like you and everypony else. I don't have a family to spend Hearth's Warming with,” he added in a much calmer, almost solemn tone.

“But, how? How is that possible?”

“...it's a long story.”

“I have time.”

Eros opened his mouth but closed it without saying a word and shook his head. “You aren't going to let it rest, are you?”

Aegis gave him a determined stare. “Not until I know what happened.”

“Fine.” He sat up and settled into position, still keeping from making any eye contact with Aegis. “I was born in a town far to the south of here, near the Badlands.”

“What are the Badlands?” asked Aegis, having never heard the term before.

“It's...” He paused for moment, likely trying to figure out how to word it. “It's a dangerous area full of monsters. Stories say that there's monsters there that can turn you to stone with one glance. Ones that lure ponies to the water and drown then. Spirits that try to turn ponies against each other. Shapeshifters that take the form of loved ones and feast on your emotion, leaving you as nothing but a dried out husk.”

Thoughts of such monsters brought a shiver to Aegis' spine. “Why would anypony live near there?”

Eros shrugged. “I heard that the land around the village was really fertile. They must have thought it was worth the risk. Also, according to the legends, the monsters of the Badlands don't like going into Equestria since they know it's protected.”

“So, what happened?”

“I was born.”

A confusing statement if Aegis ever heard one. How could a pony being born be the bad thing that happened?

As if he read her mind, Eros elaborated, “You see, the stories of monsters made the ponies there really superstitious. They also valued order and predictability. If something brought chaos, surely it would attract the monsters. Then, two regular ponies married and created an alicorn...” his voice trailed off moment.

“I guess they didn't like that, huh?” asked Aegis, trying to get him to continue.

“The ponies called me a lot of bad names. They thought I was a bad omen that would bring ruin to them. Some brought up an old legend of a second princess, one that vowed to bring eternal darkness. They thought I might be the reincarnation of her. They insulted the couple that created me as well.”

The fact that Eros was avoiding calling them his parents wasn't lost on Aegis.

“They believed that the two must have made a deal with a monster... or worse, that one of them really was a monster, just disguised like a normal pony. Those two likely feared me as well. To protect themselves, they disowned me, kicking me out of their home.” Aegis saw the tears forming in Eros' eyes, and a few formed in hers as well. “One old mare took me in out of kindness. But the rest of the village hated me.”

“Eros... I'm so sorry.”

“It gets worse. You see, some ponies started disappearing from the village without a trace, including the old mare that took me in. Who do you think they blamed?”

“You?”

“I can still remember that night. A mob showed up at my home, demanding that I come out. I hid under my bed, hoping they'd just go away.” The tears were running down his cheek and the prince started shaking from the memory. “Then suddenly, the noise outside died down and I heard two ponies enter the house. Their hoofsteps sounded too heavy to be the any of the villagers. I still hid but they found me.”

“W-who was it?” asked Aegis, almost afraid of what the answer was going to be.

“A couple royal guards. They happened to be patrolling the region and the mob got their attention. They took me with them back to Canterlot and Celestia took me in. Then, about a month later, I met you.” Eros turned to her and smiled. “Aegis, I know you just want to help, but you can't. I... I just want to be alone. Please.”

Aegis nodded and walked out of the room, wiping the tears from her eyes. She knew she had to do something for Eros but she was at a loss of what it was.

She made her way home, shutting the door behind her. As she did so, a small, purple unicorn came rushing down the steps “Eros? Oh, it's you.” The smaller filly's expression turned from excitement to indifference quickly.

Not one to take sass from her little sister, Aegis placed a hoof on top of Twilight's head and rubbed it in, mussing up Twilight's mane.

“Wah! Stop it!” complained Twilight, waving around one of her front hooves in protest.

“It's good to see you too, Twiley.”

“I'm going to tell!”

Aegis laughed and stopped, earning a glare from Twilight. Twilight stuck her tongue out at her and ran back to her room.

With her mood now lightened a bit, Aegis did the same, heading to her bedroom. She jumped up and flopped down onto her bed. “Eros will probably feel better in the morning,” she said with a yawn and drifted off to sleep.

***

Morning came with its standard routine, and soon Aegis was in school. Eros entered the classroom shortly after her, and sat next to her. The normally bright alicorn had dark circles around his eyes, and without so much as a glance in her direction, he slumped down, resting his head on the desk.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I couldn't sleep.”

“Because of...”

“Yes, because of that.”

Aegis decided to leave well enough alone while around other ponies. If she would have tried talking to him about it here and now, in front of everypony, he would have likely only snapped at her. Still, it was a subject that she wasn't just going to drop.

“Eros, are you busy after school?”

“Yes, and so are you. Remember?”

She groaned, having forgotten all about practice for the play. Because I really need to practice the line, 'baaaaaa' thought Aegis. “After practice?”

Eros shrugged. “Sure. Whatever.”

The bell rang and the teacher walked in. Class went about as expected for them. Though Eros was quieter than normal, the other students didn't seem to notice. Aegis too was more withdrawn, upset at seeing Eros in such a state.

***

“No, no, no,” said the director to the students on the makeshift stage they had setup in the gymnasium. Atop the stage there was a table and the family of characters sitting around it, none with their back to the audience area, of course. “You must say it with more feeling.” If there was one thing Aegis didn't like about the play, aside from being a sheep, it was the director. He was snooty stallion in a black sweater and a beret. Despite only being the director of a school play, he was very nitpicky and far too dedicated. “You must be the character. Now do it again.”

One of the students, who was being forced to use a crutch for his role, said the line, “Celestia bless us, everypony.”

“Better, I suppose.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Director?” asked Aegis, walking up to him.

“Hm? Oh, yes, Aegis was it? Why aren't you in costume?”

Because I don't want to dress like a sheep. “I will in a moment but first, has Eros shown up?”

The director grunted and shook his head. “His majesty,” the scorn in the way he said that came through loud and clear, “must have decided that he had better things to do than to show up for practice.”

It's not like we need a ton of practice to go 'baa' on cue. Aegis had some rather choice words for the director but bit them back. “T-thanks. I'll get into costume now.”

Despite her objections, she was happy about one part of her role; she could sit to the side and be ignored by the director. It just sucked to do that while dressed like a farm animal.

***

After dealing with the play, Aegis wasn't in the best of moods, but didn't want to delay things even more. She trotted from the school to the palace and was allowed in without question – one of the perks of being a known friend to royalty. She went straight to Eros' room and knocked.

“I know you're in there. Can we talk? Please?”

“Aegis, I –”

“No. Do not tell me to go away! This is important.”

“...” After a moment a silence, she finally heard a voice from the other side. “The door's open.”

She turned the knob and pushed it open to see Eros sitting in his bed looking miserable. “I guess I don't have to ask why you skipped practice, huh?”

“Is that why you came here?”

There was a part of Aegis that was ready to tell Eros off for lashing out at her, but she kept it in check. “No. This is.” She hopped up onto his bed, and just like he had done for her years ago, she pulled Eros into a hug. He didn't hug her back, but he didn't fight it either. He just sat there, leaning against her. “I get it. I mean, ok, I don't get it. Not fully. I can't imagine how you feel right now. But I get that it hurts. Just, please stop trying to do this alone. Let me help you.”

She felt his trembling hoof move up her back, as well as his face pressing into her shoulder, followed by feeling his tears run down her shoulder. Eros didn't say anything, or make much noise; he just cried in silence – even after his tears ran out, he kept crying. It took Aegis awhile to realize that Eros had cried himself to sleep on her. While she may have liked that he wasn't holding it in anymore, Aegis hated that this was all she could do for him. But if this is what he needed, then she'd be there for him every time. Knowing that he probably really needed a good sleep, she was extra gentle in laying him down onto the bed. Aegis didn't want to leave him alone quite yet, so she laid down as well, drifting off into slumber.

As consciousness returned to her, she felt something warm pressed against her back. With a little squirm and a look to her side, she saw what it was: Eros with his head and one foreleg on her, essentially using her as a pillow. The act brought a blush to her face. Aegis wasn't sure how she'd describe what it made her feel, other than that it felt good to be this close to him.

***

Things went smoothly for the pair of friends over the next few years. Eventually Twilight moved into the palace as Celestia's personal student, much to the delight of both of them – at first anyways. It had started during her studies leading up to the exam, where Twilight cast off any socializing for the sake of studying. Her days started with a book in her hooves and they ended with a book in her hooves. Now, she stayed holed up in that tower, barely speaking to anypony aside from Princess Celestia and a young dragon, Spike.

In another part of the palace, Aegis and Eros were laying in his bed again. “I'm just worried about her, that's all,” said Aegis.

Eros, “I know, I know. I'm worried too, but we just have to trust Auntie Celestia. If anypony can get Twilight to open up, it's her.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right. Also, one other question.”

“Yes, Aegis?”

“Must you use me as a pillow?”

He squeezed and nuzzled into Aegis' back. “But you're so soft and warm.”

Their displays of physical affection had grown over the years since that first hug that Eros gave Aegis. Though it really took off after Aegis consoled Eros that one Hearth Warming season.

Aegis grumbled but made no further protests.

***

Back at school, everypony was gearing up for another school dance. Posters for it were around every corner and in every classroom. Aegis and Eros had a tradition of going together to the bigger events – as friends, of course – and choosing to skip the smaller ones. As far as Aegis was concerned, this was one of the smaller ones. She sat in the classroom as the final minutes of the school day trying to think of something they could do that night instead. She didn't want to just hang out at the palace again. The last time they did that during a dance, Eros seemed bored.

There's always playing a game or two, thought Aegis. She owned plenty of boardgames since Twilight liked playing them with her when they were younger. Then again, Eros can be a sore loser at times. There are some new comics and books we could read together. Could always take a carriage ride over Equestria. Nah, being in the air probably isn't anything special to him anymore, now that he's gotten to be a better flyer. Maybe we should check out a restaurant we haven't been to before.

Any further consideration would have to wait as the bell sounded.

“Are we hanging out today?” asked Eros.

“Yeah. I got nothing better to do,” she answered as she stood up and stretched out her legs. Aegis took the lead as the two walked down the hall of the high school, passing by the other students. Just as they turned a corner, Aegis slipped. In an effort to save her, Eros grabbed her tail, but the effort ended in failure. It simply made her fall straight down onto her stomach instead of falling forward. To top it off, the base of her tail now hurt a little from being pulled it like that. Naturally, this would be the time that a group of students would turn the corner.

“And then she... Uh...” The mare speaking stopped lost track of her sentence. Aegis turned her head back to see a them getting stared at in silent shock.

What's up with them? she wondered. After all, it was only Eros standing over her... with her tail in his mouth... holding it up... Aegis tensed up and she felt her cheeks get warm at the realization of what this must look like to them.

Eros spat out her tail. “Not what it looks like! Not what it looks like!” he said, pleading their case.

The group giggled and walked away. Real mature, thought Aegis. She moved one of her forelegs, immediately discovering what had caused the fall: the floor being wet. On cue, over walked the janitor to put up the warning sign. Aegis continued to lay there, letting the annoyance and embarrassment at what just happened simmer within, until Eros' magic lifted her up to her hooves.

She stared back at him. “Why didn't you do that the first time instead of grabbing my tail?”

“I panicked, ok? I didn't think, I just reacted.”

Aegis turned away and started trotting off.

“You aren't mad because of what just happened, are you?”

“Let's just go.”

Just as they were walking out the door, a filly that Aegis only vaguely recognized walked up to them. She had seen the filly around school from time to time, but didn't really remember her name.

“E-excuse me, Eros?” asked the filly, obviously nervous.

“Yes?”

The filly stammered a bit more before finally finding her tongue, “Well, you know that the dance is coming up soon, right?”

Eros nodded in response. A knot slowly began forming in Aegis' stomach since she knew what had to be coming next and didn't like it one bit. Come on Eros, just turn her down nicely and let's go, thought Aegis.

“Yeah, I know about it. Why?” Aegis wasn't sure if he was just playing oblivious or if he really didn't see what was happening. Wouldn't be the first time the goof didn't notice something.

“Well, if you don't already have a date,” as she continued speaking her voice got smaller until it completely petered out out the end, “I was hoping you'd consider going with me...”

The answer is no.

Eros nonchalantly answered with, “I've had a couple girls ask me, so I'll have to think about it.”

WHAT? Aegis' mind went blank trying to process that. He didn't tell me about this! She looked back and forth between the two, trying to picture Eros with the filly, or any other filly – the thought bringing a scowl to her face and tightening the knot that had once been her stomach. He's not supposed to be with other girls. He's just not. Eros is supposed to be... She wasn't sure how to finish that thought, only that it was wrong for Eros to show that kind of attention to other girls.

“Oh, um, thanks for thinking about it,” said the mare, shyly, before trotting off.

“Ugh. I swear, I've been asked out like each of the last three days,” said Eros, adding a chuckle at the end. “Oh well, I'll figure out who to take. So Aegis, are we hanging out at your house or the palace?” Aegis glared at him. “Aegis?”

“If you wanted to go to the dance, why didn't you just ask me?” she growled.

“Because I know you don't like them.” He reached out to her, trying to get Aegis to relax, but she refused to.

“Tell you what, why don't I just go home and let you 'hangout' with one of your girlfriends?” She walked away, leaving a stunned Eros behind.

“What was that all about,” she heard from behind her. Aegis picked up her pace until she was running home to get away from Eros.

She sped through the front door and ran up the stairs, only taking a moment to stop and catch her breath when she was safely locked away inside of her bedroom. Aegis tried calming herself as she sat there with her back against the door, questioning what had happened. What is wrong with me? wondered Aegis. I acted like a jerk back there.

She forced herself back up to her hooves and over to her bed, both her head and tail lifelessly hanging down for the few steps it took to reach the mattress. Getting up onto it, she stretched out and went limp, thinking things over.

So what if Eros goes on a date with a girl? That's not a bad thing, right? Despite trying to play it off as nothing, the thought was almost painful. A different mare asking him each day... What do they even see in him. Ok, so yeah, he's really handsome, and has a great mane. Yeah his smile can light up a room. Yeah it feels amazing when he touches m-WHOA! She jumped up to a sitting position, her eyes going wide. Where did that come from? She rubbed her temple, trying to clear her head. Fine, if Eros wants to go to dance, I'll just take him myself. Problem solved.

***

Unless, of course, there weren't anymore tickets left.

“What do you mean you're sold out?” asked a shocked Aegis to the two stallions selling the tickets during her lunch period.

“Well, it's not like they can fit everypony into the gym at once.”

“I know but this isn't like it's prom or anything. They shouldn't have sold out already.”

“We're sorry Aegis, but that's it. It really is sold out.”

Aegis stomped a hoof down before walking away. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Eros sitting at a table with a couple fillies. He waved, but she didn't respond. Instead she went to an empty table and ate alone, occasionally grumbling about Eros while doing so.

***

After school ended, she again ignored any attempt Eros made to talk to her and quickly walked home, going straight to her room, and curling up on her bed. The worst feeling of all being that she didn't understand why she was so angry and sad about everything that had happened. Eros was right that she didn't care for dances. It made total sense that if he wanted to go, he'd have to go with another girl. So, why did it hurt so much for her to actually picture him doing that?

A soft knock came from the door. “Are you ok dear?”

“I'm fine mom.” Her voice was listless, with no strength behind it.

The door opened and her mother, Twilight Velvet, stuck her head into the room. “Aegis, you sulked all of yesterday and didn't eat dinner. Now, you come straight home from school and sulk again. I'll ask again, are you ok?”

Aegis sat up and opened her mouth to say some retort about how it's nothing, but couldn't bring herself to lie like that – not with the way she's feeling. She shook her head and flopped back down. “No, I'm not.”

Velvet sat next to Aegis, and stroked her mane. She'd be lying if she said that it didn't make her feel a little better. “What's wrong? Did something happen at school?”

“I don't know. I wish I did. It's driving me insane! But I don't know what's wrong.” Her breaths quickened as she spoke for the first time about it in front of another, actually showing how much the situation was getting to her.

“Shh, shh, it's ok dear. Just take a deep breath and think back to what started it.”

Aegis sniffled before answering, “Well, it happened at school. This girl asked out Eros and ever since I've been acting like a jerk to him and getting upset over everything.”

“Ooooooh, I see what it is,” said Twilight Velvet with a giggle.

“Y-you do?”

“When you think about Eros, what do you feel?”

“Well...” She pictured Eros in her head with that cute smile he has, feeling herself smile at the image. “Happy. It makes me feel really nice.”

“Dear, have you considered that maybe you like him in a different way than you did before?”

Aegis tilted her head, looking up at her mother curiously. “Different way? Like what?”

“Well, to put it bluntly, you're attracted to him. Like how I'm attracted to your father.”

“WHAT?” Aegis recoiled, surprised that her mother would even say such a thing. “It's not like that! Eros and I are just friends.”

“Then why does it bother you to think of him with another girl?”

“It... it...” Aegis fumbled through her words, trying to come up with any other explanation.

Her mother just smiled at her. “Ok, just do this for me, imagine how it'd feel if he kissed you.”

Aegis' cheeks went hot and her heart quickened its beat. In spite of her best efforts to fight against it, thinking of his lips pressed against hers brought a smile to her face, causing her to hide it behind her hooves. “Dang it, I do like him!” she whined.

“Now comes the important part.”

“W-what's that?” Aegis was busy trying to push the image out of her mind and calming herself.

“Telling him.”

“I don't have a choice in that, do I?”

“It's either that or keep feeling miserable.”

“But... what if he only thinks of me as a friend?”

“That's definitely a possibility, but do you want to just keep pining for him without ever knowing how he feels?”

“...no.”

“The truth is, yes, this could go wrong. He might not feel the same way about you that you feel about him.” Aegis hung her head in silence. “But, if you want a relationship, you'll just have to risk it.”

“I guess.”

After a moment of them sitting there, Twilight Velvet motioned towards the door. “What are you waiting for?”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.” She nudged Aegis towards the edge of the bed. “Get it done and over with so you don't try to overthink on how to do it.”

“Fiiiiiine.”

She jumped down off of it and headed out her door, hearing, “My little girl is growing up,” behind her. Aegis groaned at the maternal display.

***

With every step Aegis took towards Eros' bedroom, she felt her stomach being constricted, like the anxiety was a snake wrapped around her torso trying to squeeze out her will to go forward. She didn't let it stop her as she went down the palace hall. Just knock, open the door, and tell him how I feel. That's all I have to do, and then it'll be over, she kept reminding herself.

Finally she reached it, the door looking more imposing than she remembered. Swallowing down any doubts, she reached up and softly knocked on it. No answer. “Oh come on, be home,” she grumbled. Again, she knocked, this time without any softness.

“Excuse me, are you here to see the young master?” she heard a voice say. Aegis turned to see one of the maids standing just down the hall.

“Yes. Is Eros not home?”

“Sorry, but he went out earlier with a young girl from school. He shouldn't be too much longer getting home.”

“Is it ok if I stay here to wait?” The maid nodded and got back to work. Aegis opened the door, went in, and closed it behind her.

So, how am I going do it? The various scenarios played out in her head. Oh Eros, you're so handsome and I love you! Er, no. That sounds stupid. Um... Eros, it has come to my attention that I have an attraction for you. Ugh, that was worse than the last one. Eros, be my boyfriend. That one could work, but I don't want it to sound like an order.

A little time and many scenarios later, Aegis heard somepony touching the door from the other side. Just stick to the plan.

The door opened, revealing Eros on the other side. “Aegis? What ar-MMPH!”

She cut off whatever it was that he was going to say when she stepped forward and kissed him. Closing her eyes, Aegis indulged in the feeling and his taste. She heard the pomf sound of his wings springing up. “Welcome home, Eros.”

“I, what, you, why, how... what?” he stammered. Eros' wings were still standing on end. In fact, his whole body was stiff and unmoving. He looked as though his mind had just been broken.

What started as a chortle quickly grew. Aegis did her best to hold it back, believing that this wasn't the time to laugh, but it came out anyways, she was laughing loudly at the prince's reaction. “Dude, thank you so much for that. Ha! You have no idea how nervous I was, but that was priceless. Oh Celestia, you should see the look on your face!”

He began to regain his composure, but still looked utterly confused. “W-would you please tell me what's going on? What was that?”

“Ok, ok, I think I'm good now.” She giggled a couple more times, getting the last of it out of her system. “Before anything else, Eros, I'm sorry I acted like a jerk before. You didn't do anything wrong and you didn't deserve it. It was all me being an idiot.”

He waved off her concern. “It's fine, really. I just wanted to know what was wrong with you. I'm still wondering that. Are you feeling alright?”

“Better than I have been in a while. Eros, I like you. Not friend like, girlfriend like. That's why I got angry about you actually thinking about going with some other girl to the dance.” She sighed in relief. “You know, that was a lot easier to say than I thought it was going to be.”

“You, um, like me?”

“...yeah, I do.”

“Oh.”

Silence. Worse, awkward silence. Not wanting to let it continue, Aegis spoke up, “So...”

“I don't know. What are we supposed to do now?”

“How do you not know what to do next?”

“How would I know?”

“This is supposed to be your special talent right?”

“That doesn't mean I know how to handle my best friend liking me.”

“Well, do you like me back?”

“Maybe?”

“What do you mean maybe?”

“I never thought about it.”

“Now you are. Did you like the kiss?”

“Yes.”

“Then you probably do like me. Right?”

“I guess that's how it works.”

“Then it's settled, we like each other.” She stepped forward, kissing him again – this time, he kissed back.

“I'm definitely going to like that part.”

***

As time passed, the two kept growing closer. Being a teen added in the fact that their newly discovered sex drives were constantly in flux; thus leading to incidents where their thoughts were largely hormone driven. On more than one occasion Aegis went home early, coming up with some excuse as to why, when she felt the need to find a release – usually through a cold shower, though there were a couple times she attempted to handle it with her hoof. The latter would just leave her more frustrated as she couldn't figure out just the right movements to make herself cum. She would either then take a cold shower or just lingered there in a heap of sexual tension.

There were a couple times where Aegis really got her buttons pushed. The first prime example came from something as simple as visiting Eros. Everything was going normally up till she got to his door, for when she did, she heard a couple grunts coming from the other side. Thinking nothing of it, she opened the door without knocking – a common enough occurrence for them when checking in on one another – and saw something that would be forever etched into the her mind: Eros, on his back, penis fully extended going up his stomach and chest, his hooves on either side of it, and his face is mid-moan. The two – being inexperienced in anything like this – did the only thing their bodies allowed them to, completely freeze and stare at each other in state of horror and, to some degree, lust. While he seemed to be staring at her face, she had her eyes fixed on his member sitting between his hooves. When she regained a bit of composure, Aegis slowly backed out. “I gotta go!” One sprint later, she was back in her room, this being one of those times when she was left in a heap of sexual tension.

The other of the biggest moments was also when Aegis physically matured into a mare – i.e. her first time coming into season. She awoke from a rather interesting dream involving Eros, to find that she was, for lack of a better term, leaking. “I feel weird,” she mumbled, still half asleep. She shifted back and forth, furrowing her brow. “And why am I wet?” she asked herself as she fully woke up. Spinning over to her back, she yanked the blanket off of her, and got a full whiff of her scent. Just to confirm the suspicion of what this could be, she leaned forward getting a good look at her vagina. Yep, it was soaked and on the puffy side. She flopped back down, the back of her head hitting the pillow. The filly, or perhaps now would be a good time to call her a mare, groaned in displeasure, being somewhat repulsed by her body's actions. “Ugh, why me? Why now?”

Later that day, a knock at her door caught her attention. “Hello? Aegis?”

“Don't open the door!” she quickly shouted, not even giving Eros the chance of walking in.

“Alright, I won't. I just wanted to see why you missed school.”

“...I don't w-”

“Aegis, you know what happens when one of us says that. Just tell me what's wrong.”

She groaned again. Every word she heard from him sent a shiver through her body and left her brain reminding her what a perfect mate he'd be. “I'm... I'm in heat.” The embarrassment was palpable in her voice.

“Oh, um, that would explain the smell.”

“You can smell it out there?!?”

“Yeah, but only a little. And it's not a bad sm-”

“Stop! Just stop.” Aegis wished she could just seal off her room completely until she went out of season. After a minute or so, she realized that she never heard Eros walk away. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I figured you could use the company.”

It did make her feel better having Eros nearby. However, it also made her feel better in the wrong way, since as long as he was there, she couldn't get her mind off of dirty thoughts involving him. That being said, Aegis didn't have the heart to tell him to just go away. “Alright, you can stay, but don't come in here. Got it?”

Eros spent hours there talking to her about random subjects ranging from what happened at school to events in the palace. She was grateful for the company and to not have to deal with this alone. It was also what made her decide that maybe it was time to go all way with Eros – after her body cooled down, of course.

***

Her heat cycle came and mercifully passed, letting Aegis return to normal. Even out of her hormone driven state, she still wanted to have sex with Eros. It seemed like the next step for their relationship, and she wanted to do it for him. A new way for her to show her love for him. There was only one thing she needed to do first: talk to a more experienced pony. That pony happened to be standing in her doorway right this moment.

“What did you want to talk about, dear?” asked her mother.

Aegis steadied herself, knowing that this was going to be uncomfortable but it had to be done. Just remember, when this is over, you get to go see Eros and... She brushed the thought off, not wanting to get worked up yet. “Mom, I want to know what...” The rest was a incomprehensible combination of mumbling and squeaking.

“What was that?” Twilight Velvet stepped closer.

“I said, I want to know what...” Again with the mumbling.

“Aegis, you're going to have to speak up.”

Aegis sighed and steeled her nerves, looking her mother square in the eye. “I want to know what it's like when you have sex for the first time.”

“...oh. I-I think I hear the laundry calling.”

“Mom!”

“Sorry, sorry. Heh. If your grandmother was here, she'd be laughing her tail off at this. 'This is just as awkward for me as it is you, and someday, you'll learn that to be true,' she told me when we had the talk. Oh, I'm rambling aren't I.”

“A little,” responded Aegis. “And I really don't want to think about grandma while talking about sex.”

Her mother laughed. “Fair enough.” She sat down next to Aegis. “So, what is it that you want to know?”

“I guess, how does it feel?”

“Painful.”

“What?” Aegis tilted her head, not really understanding what her mother meant.

“There's this part inside of you that gets stretched out the first time you get rutted. It's also not uncommon for there to be a little bleeding involved.”

Aegis closed her back legs, holding them together tightly. The idea of letting Eros penetrate her was now sounding less appealing.

Twilight Velvet smiled at her. “I'm not saying it won't feel good the first time. It still might. And even if it doesn't feel good physically, it might feel good emotionally, if you're with the right pony. Understand?'

“I think so.”

“What's most important is that you pick a nice pony who cares about you. And I think you have.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Dear, since I know we probably aren't going to have this talk again, is there anything else you want to know? Anything at all?”

“Well...” Aegis debated whether or not should she mention the other problem she's been having or just figure that out herself. Screw it, I'll just say it. “I have a really hard time m-masturbating. I can't seem to figure it out.” I can not believe I just said that to my mother.

“Ahem,” she coughed in surprise. “Well dear, that isn't that unusual. It takes time for you to learn the ins and outs of your body. Just keep trying and you'll get it. Also, if you've found out that there's something that helps you get into the mood, just tell him.”

Aegis nodded. “I will mom. Um, thanks for just being honest and not using nicknames for parts.”

"No problem." The two hugged. Remaining that way for several seconds.

"Mom?" Aegis asked after a bit.

"Yes?" Came the reply.

"Can I pretend I didn't just ask you such embarrassing things?"

A soft giggle was her response. "Of course dear."

***

After the talk, Aegis immediately headed for the palace. Now that she knew what to expect, she didn't want wait another moment. Proceeding to his door, Aegis knocked – she had learned her lesson.

“It's open.”

Aegis walked in to see Eros talking to two earth pony maids that didn't seem any older than Eros and her were. Moreover, they looked to be twins.

“That'll be all ladies.” The two curtsied to Eros and then to Aegis before walking out of the room.

“What was that all about?”

“Hm?” He arched up an eyebrow at the comment. “You mean them? That's Spic and Span. They just started today and Auntie Celestia thought it'd be a good idea to make them my personal attendants. Why?”

“Your own personal, female attendants. No, that's just great.” There was an unhappy edge to her voice.

“Aegis, you aren't going to get jealous, are you?”

“No, no. What girlfriend wouldn't like having her boyfriend being taken care of by twins in maid uniforms. Really, would it have been that hard for you to have had a male servant?”

“He wouldn't have fit in the maid outfit. Well... I suppose we could have made alterations to it.”

“Hardy har, you know what I meant.”

“Aegis, let's put it this way, the reason you don't like me having a couple personal maids our age would still be a problem if I had a personal butler our age.”

“That... Wait, what do you mean?”

Eros facehoofed. “What I mean is that I like stallions too. So, yes, what you're worried about would be possible with a butler as well.”

“Wow, um, I didn't see that coming.” In all the years that she's known him, Aegis had never even considered that Eros swung both ways. So, maybe he wasn't exactly the standard manly-man, but he didn't seem to have anything that would suggest that he would like kissing other stallions... The image of which just forced itself into the forefront of Aegis' mind, bringing a small smile to her.

“Aegis? Are you... are you picturing me with another stallion?”

“No!”

He didn't say anything back, making it apparent that he didn't buy her response.

“Maybe. Yes. I'm a horny teenaged girl, what did you expect?”

“Um, horny?”

“Er, right. That's what I came over to talk to you about...” Once more deciding to go the direct route, “Wanna have sex?”

And up goes the wings. “A-are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Moments later, they're on the bed with Eros mounting her. “Ok, push it in.”

He nodded and did so. His tip pressed into her slit, getting a little deeper when, “Ah! Ow! Damn it, ow!” Eros quickly pulled back out.

“What happened?” he asked, both surprised and worried over her sudden pain.

“That's normal, ok. It hurts for mares their first time. Just keep going, I'll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

He thrust back into her, bringing the same reaction, and again she urged him to just keep going. The whole time she muttered, “Ow,” under her breath and between grunts. After several more thrusts, the pain was started to give way, and she looked forward to being able to enjoy getting rutted, only to then feel his hot seed being shot into her. No, not now! Eros pulled out and they both flopped down onto the bed. Neither of them were particularly happy with how it went.

Their first time wasn't sexy, it wasn't romantic, and it wasn't perfect, like Aegis had wanted it. It was quick, dirty, and painful. Now came the only thing more awkward than the bad sex itself: talking about it.

“Well, that sucked.”

“A bit. Guess it wasn't what you imagined huh?”

“Not even close. What about you? Did you at least enjoy it?”

“I couldn't enjoy it that much since I knew it was hurting you.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Eros put his wing over her and kissed her cheek. “You know what that means don't you?”

“What's that?”

“That we'll just have to do a lot of practicing until we are good at it. And hey, it won't be painful for you anymore.”

For the first time since it started, she smiled. “You're right, it won't.” Aegis leaned into him, snuggling against her prince. Despite it not being anything like how she imagined, she still was happy to have done it and gotten it over with. More importantly, she got to lose her virginity to a great stallion that she loved. That made this moment worth the pain leading up to it.

Aegis spent the night with Eros and returned home in the morning to find a brown paper bag and a note. The note read: I think this might help you out. Love Mom. PS: Try to keep it out of sight, like in a drawer or something.

“Help me?” She peeked into the bag, only to quickly close it again as her entire face went red. “O-oh...”

Maybe, In Another Lifetime (Part 3)

“You're late,” said the peeved pink prince as Aegis approached their picnic blanket. The half eaten snacks let Aegis see right away that he had been waiting there for awhile.

She had ran as fast as she could from the palace to their spot along the edge of Canterlot – a park with a famed view, ponies could see all the way to Ponyville from there –, but it was already too late by the time she was relieved of duty. “Captain made me stay longer. You know how paranoid Celestia has been acting lately,” she forced out between heavy breaths. She removed her helmet and shook out her matted down mane, allowing it to fall into its more natural position.

“What was it this time?” Eros still hadn't looked over at her, instead he stared off into the distant horizon. This had been the third time in a row that Aegis showed up late for a date, and each time Eros cared less and less for her excuses. It didn't help that each time she was progressively later than the last.

“Same as before, double checking every possible exit and going over emergency plans. Though I did get a promotion.” Aegis was beaming with pride while saying that last part.

“Really?” It was plain to see that Eros still wasn't happy, but the last bit of news did seem to brighten his mood.

“Wow, a smile. It's been a while since I've seen that out of you.”

The prince glowered, the smile leaving his face. “It's hard to be happy when I rarely see you anymore.”

“I know, I know, but it's not like I can just walk off duty. Things have been crazy with palace security. Has Celestia said anything to you at all about why?”

Eros shook his head. “She's been really quiet and secluded. I think her time with Twilight is the most interaction with other ponies she gets anymore.”

Aegis grunted. “Figures.” She walked up and plopped down next to Eros, kissing his cheek in the process. “I really am sorry for being late all the time. You know I would have come sooner if I could.” She continued the affectionate assault by nuzzling his neck and kissing the side of his muzzle.

Eros eventually caved to it, as usual. “I know, sweetie. It's just...” His words faded off as he stared up.

“Hm?” Aegis looked to the sky, trying to find what it was that caught his interest. “Do you see something?”

“The stars.” He pointed at them. “The ones around the moon there. Do they look weird to you?”

Aegis squinted, still not quite sure what it was that Eros had noticed. It began to sink in, and the difference became known. “They're brighter?”

“Looks like it. It's kind of pretty.”

'Yeah.”

***

“Princess, you sent for me?” asked Aegis. It was nearing the end of her day and she didn't want to be late for another date with Eros. Still, even in her hurry, she noticed that Celestia seemed... different. Yes, that would be the only way she could describe it. Celestia always had a special aura to her, one that made Aegis feel as though she was in the presence of a goddess. The princess remained calm and wise, even in the most stressful of times. Her presence alone was usually enough to stop any pony in their tracks, and she always seemed to know what to say or do. Tonight however, for the first time that Aegis could remember, the princess was genuinely worried about something.

“Follow,” she commanded in a stern tone.

Aegis didn't question it nor did she reply, she simply obeyed. Anything that could make Celestia act this way had to have been very important and not something to take lightly. The two walked out from the throne room to a balcony, overlooking the city. The sun was just starting its descent and on the edge of the horizon, the moon was starting to ascend. The princess's attention was fixated on the white, shadow covered orb. “It's quite a fitting image for what is to come,” were her cryptic words.

“Your majesty?” questioned Aegis after a moment, not trying to sound rude but she still had plans for this night.

“Aegis, how large of an area can you cover with your shield?”

“I don't really know. I could shield most of the throne room if I had to.” Aegis inwardly wondered if she should speak her concerns right now or not, for the princess was starting to scare her.

“...not good enough. I had hoped you could do more by now.”

Aegis' ears drooped, the comments wounding her pride. “Sorry to disappoint you, Princess.”

Celestia's gaze turned from the moon to Aegis. Her royal hoof reach out and touched Aegis' shoulder. “My apologies. That came off harsher than I intended. Aegis, a new upheaval is coming to Equestria. A being that's been locked away for a millennia will free herself tonight and, in one way another, things will never be the same again.”

“What!?” Aegis sprung up for full attention.

“And I'll be going out to confront her.”

“Just give me one moment and I will have a whole division of guards–“

“No.” Her voice wasn't raised or deepened, but it had a weight behind it that told Aegis not to question it. “I will go alone to talk with her.”

“So, there won't be a battle?” Aegis was still trying to make heads or tails of the situation. This creature, whoever or whatever she was, sounded very dangerous. Yet, the princess was determined to face it alone, and apparently just to talk to it.

“There will not be one between her and I. I have raised my hoof to her once before, and I will not do so again. Either she'll listen to reason... or I shall simply have to trust my two backup plans.”

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but what would those backup plans be?” She was reminded of the things Celestia said earlier, and added, “Will my spell be needed?”

“Perhaps it will. The one plan is already in motion in the town of Ponyville –“

“Twiley?” Aegis had received word earlier from her sister that Celestia sent her to Ponyville to check on the celebration preparations. She thought it strange then, but now it made more sense. “Princess, did you send my sister there as part of your plan?”

Celestia nodded. “Your sister has more raw potential than I have seen in centuries, and could be the key to unlocking our best weapon against this monster. Something that has been dormant for far too long.”

Aegis scratched at her chin, trying to piece together the vague bits of information the Princess had given her. “Where do I fit into this?”

“Should both plans fail, the ponies of Equestria will be looking for somepony to step up and lead them, a unifying figure to help them fight back against the darkness. I believe Prince Eros could be that pony. Your job is simply to guard him. No matter what else may come, he must not become a victim to the nightmare.”

The thought of whatever this monster was going after Eros caused Aegis' fur to stand on end. “You have my word princess, nothing shall happen to Eros. Even without your orders, I would protect him with my life.” It didn't matter what was coming, she'd never forgive herself if Eros came to harm under her watch.

“...it's time.” The moon had fully risen, and both stood in suspense, waiting and watching. In a bright flash, the four odd stars appeared to collide with it, then the shadow was gone.

Aegis' mind came to a complete halt, too transfixed on what had just occurred; the Mare on the Moon was no more. To say it was unnerving wouldn't scratch the surface of the feelings she got from seeing such a magical feat.

“Go to him. With luck, your shield won't be necessary, but I fear for the worse.”

Aegis didn't need to be told twice. She turned and ran back inside, hearing the flapping wings as the princess took off in the other direction. Out through the throne room doors she went in a white and blue blur, only to be stopped by her captain, a large pegasus in purple armor. Sliding to a halt, she saluted. “S-sir!”

“Aegis, the palace is going on lockdown per her majesty's orders. I assume you too saw what happened.”

“Yes sir.” Aegis impatiently tapped her hoof to the floor. “I received special orders from Princess Celestia. Please tell me, is Prince Eros in his room?”

“I believe so.”

“Thank you, sir.” Aegis ran past him, down the hall, straight for living suites of the palace. As she turned around a corner, she found the next of this night's oddities: a hall lined with unconscious servants. There was no sign of struggle. Rather, it looked like the ponies had just fallen over and passed out for no apparent reason. Cautiously, while constantly scanning her surroundings for anything out of place, she stepped forward to the nearest body, a maid. Taking one more look around, just to be safe, Aegis kneeled down, placing her ear to the pony's nose. Good, she's still breathing. If that one was, she figured the others were as well. While up close, she saw the rapid movement of the mare's eyes going back and forth. She's... dreaming? Aegis checked a few more bodies and it was the same as before, all dreaming. This can't be good. Eros, please be ok.

Then came what would cause her halt, and take the breath right out of her. “Such sweet dreams.” The voice sounded to be on the edge of a whisper, just loud enough for her to barely hear it, and it came from right behind her.

Aegis spun around, to see nopony standing there. She stood alone in the hall, save for the unconscious servants, and it was quiet again. What in Celestia's name is going on here? This wasn't something that she could wave off, but for now, it didn't matter. Her mission was to keep Eros safe, not investigate voices from nowhere.

Moments later she threw open the doors of Eros' room to see her boyfriend laying on the floor next to his bed. Just like before, there wasn't any conflict, and he looked to be asleep. “Eros!” she screamed, trying to rouse him. His limp body gave no reaction. Aegis drew closer, nudging his head. It bobbed and to her relief, she did hear him mumble something unintelligible. At the very least, she could see that he was unharmed, pacifying some of her concern. “Let's get out of here,” she spoke into his ear before lifting up the prince and laying him across her back. There's got to be some safe place left in palace.

She trotted out at a slower pace than before, making certain the ride wasn't too rough on Eros and preventing him from falling off. The first thought that came to mind was that there had to be other guards around, possibly still around the throne room. If she could get a group to-

It couldn't be. It made no sense. Yet, there it was. Down the hall of the knocked out ponies, there were no ponies. Every one of them was gone. Their uniforms however, weren't. They were neatly folded in the spot where their former wearer had lain. This can't be happening! What is the point of doing something like this? I... I...

An energy, some kind of powerful magic, hung in the air. Aegis was sure they weren't alone. That much was obvious to a degree, but it was worse now. Whatever was laying siege to the palace, it was winning and she had to get Eros away. Get him away right this second!

Aegis turned back to Eros' room, thinking that it may be safer there. Perhaps she could barricade the door and keep her shield up. However, the door wouldn't budge when she pressed against it.

“It wasn't a bad idea.”

Aegis stumbled backward, nearly tripping, nearly dropping the prince. Her breaths came in quick and shallow as she looked to her left and to her right. To no surprise, there wasn't a single pony in sight. The voice isn't real, the voice isn't real the voice isn't real... Gotta get Eros someplace safe. Someplace... Dungeon! It's the safest spot in the palace, there's even wards that dispel magic!

This time, she didn't go slow for Eros. Aegis kept a strong grip on him with her magic, not letting him slip as she ran faster than ever before, spurned on by fear. Passing hall after hall, corner after corner, it only got worse. She couldn't explain it, couldn't comprehend it, but the fear grew inside of her. That feeling of something, something powerful, watching them wouldn't go away, no matter how far she ran. It didn't help that she hadn't seen any pony since going to Eros' room. There should have been guards around, servants, panicking ponies, instead the only thing she found in each new hall was an eerie silence. The soft clop of her steps echoing in the barren halls and her breathing being the only sounds. That was, until the voice returned. It was louder than before, now a full whisper.

“Bright light, warm light

In the Sky so high

It's time to say goodbye

You dim and grow cold

While my darkness takes its hold

Watch the little ponies run

Since they've lost their precious sun!

Their almighty princess is gone

Never again to bring the dawn

Yes, the nightmare is back

To paint the blue skies black.

With repentance they shall bow

Seeking salvation even now

As common from the weak

My Mercy they now seek

They shall find none

This night is far from done

Bright light, warm light

Gone forever more

Get ready for what's in store..."

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Aegis screamed. Skidding to a halt, she found herself in front of the large, thick double doors leading to the dungeon below. Without waiting a second longer, she shoved them open and closed them behind her, sighing in relief as she finally gave her body the chance to recuperate. Until this minute, she didn't notice just how sore her muscles felt after running all the way through the palace like that, while carrying a stallion. Aegis checked to see that Eros was still safe. He calmly slept. With a sigh of relief, she allowed her head to rest against the door, letting her eyes close for a moment. “We're saf-hm?” They shot back open as she pulled back from the door and touching the front of her mane. It was wet, but with what? She pulled back her hoof, seeing that it was covered in a black, ink-like liquid.

Looking past the hoof, there a trail of it going running down the door, drawing her eyes to the top. Where the first of the protective runes should have been – right above the doors – there was just a big black spot over them. Before her eyes the spot changed, forming words: Nowhere is safe.

Aegis stumbled back, dropping Eros, and falling down into her flanks. This can't be happening... She trembled. Eros, what do I do now? There's nowhere to run... In that moment, she realized how big of a mistake she made. There was no other way out of the dungeons and the wards had failed. They were trapped, at the mercy of the monster. No, not they, just her. Everything depended on Aegis now.

She did her best to swallow the fear and raise her shield, not looking away from the door for even a second.

The inky trail grew wider, consuming the door and wall around it. Then came the eyes, those horrible eyes. They looked only like a dragon's and oozed malefic intent. Below them, the ink formed into a wide, grinning mouth. “One final guard stands, but for how long?” The face, for lack of better term, pushed forward forming the head of pony, yet keeping the cheshire grin through the process. The ink around the face stretched out, taking the shape of a mare. Her body dripped, the droplets spreading across the floor. Her ink-skin solidified, taking a smooth texture, eventually resembling a Wonderbolt's uniform, but primarily being black and dark purple instead of the normal colors.

Its head turned, the neck emitting a sickly crack as it did a 180 degree turn, stopping when it was upside down. “A knight standing over her fallen prince.” The voice carried an almost disgusted tone. “How nauseating.”

Aegis stood there stunned, unsure if this was what had been attacking the palace, or merely a projection. Never had she heard of a creature like this, it seemed to be born of a child's nightmare.

“Tell me, do you really think you can protect him?” asked the creature. It looked down its nose at Aegis in a haughty way that reminded her of the worst nobles she'd ever encountered.

Quick was the response, “I can and I will!” Aegis crouched over Eros, listening to it laugh – one that didn't come for its mouth but from all around Aegis – at her answer.

The spread of the ink hastened, going across the walls, ceiling, and floor. With its advance, the room grew dark, all the light being consumed, until only the light of Aegis' horn was left. Even that light, the second the crossed the shield, died quickly. She couldn't see the creature anymore, only hear it.

“W-what are you?” Aegis whispered.

“Tell me, what is it that you fear most? Is it losing him? How about being cast aside by him as he finally finds somepony worthy of his love?”

Aegis whimpered as images of Eros walking away from her forced themselves into her mind's eye. He would give her a look of disdain, before turning away in a huff. “S-stop. Please stop,” she begged.

“No, that isn't it, is it? It's not losing him, it's failing him. Coming up just short when he needs you most.” Aegis heard it tap the side of her shield. “How long can you keep it going? A day? A week? It doesn't matter. I have all the time in the world, little knight. You've already failed.”

“Y-you're wrong. I'll find a way to protect him.” Her resolve wavered for a brief moment as the taunting pierced her pride.

“She's gone you know. Celestia was banished to her sun. And your sister will soon bow to the rightful queen. Equestria has fallen. You are all that's left.”

“Twiley...” Aegis felt the tears stream down the sides of her face. Her princess, her sister... they were both likely gone. Eros was all she had left.

“The fact that you still believe you can make a difference is laughable. You've even lost the prince.”

“I –” The words were caught in her throat as she looked to Eros only to see the spot completely empty. Aegis collapsed to the ground, whimpering. “Eros... no.”

“Everything you see, hear, or do is under my control. Truth is, this game was rigged from the start.” That arrogant laugh returned.

Aegis wiped her eyes and stood back up. “I... I won't let you break me.”

“Hm... so you still try to defy me? Look around, little knight. You're all alone. The only one left. What hope do you hav-GAH!” she shouted in pain. Cracks formed across her body as bright rays of light burst through them. The building shook, feeling like it could collapse at any moment.

It didn't take long for Aegis to realize this wasn't part of the monster's plan. “Is Twiley doing this?” she thought aloud.

“That impotent little whelp, I'll... I'll... AAAAH!” The screams grew distorted, until finally her body shattered, so too did the ink surrounding her. Aegis was left alone in the now barren room.

In panic she ran back and forth, looking for Eros. “Eros! Eros! Where are you?” The light kept getting brighter, painfully so. Aegis shielded her eyes and called out for him one last time before everything faded away.

Only to find herself on top of something soft, fuzzy, and with wings. “Hmmm, wha-what happened?” Aegis mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. “Where am –“ the answer came before she even finished the question. She saw the door in Eros' room and his bed right next to her. Looking down, she confirmed that the thing under her was Eros, who still slept. “W-wake up! Please wake up.” She nudged him repeatedly, just trying to get any response. After the tenth time or so, his eyes fluttered open. “Thank Celestia...” She snuggled against him, too emotionally drained to give a larger reaction.

“Aegis, is that really you?” he mumbled, hesitant to believe it.

“Yeah, it's me,” she answered while wiping a tear from her eye. After a minute or two of just holding him in her hooves, breathing in his scent, and reassuring herself that he was real. “S-so, what was your nightmare?”

“How did you –“

“You looked upset before I woke you up. Plus, I think we were hit by the same spell.”

“...right. I dreamt that...”

Aegis nuzzled against his neck, trying to get him to finish.

“I dreamt that I was like Celestia.”

“A pretty, pretty princess?” So far the nightmare didn't seem that horrible.

“Ugh, no, not that part. The ageless part. I saw...” He squeezed her, tightly hugging Aegis. “I saw you grow old and die. Your body decayed until there was nothing but dust left. Then I saw the same thing happening to everypony I've ever known, until it was just me. Alone. The voice said that it was my future.”

“Well, it lied.”

“No, it didn't.” He released her and sat up, turning away from Aegis. “I'm an alicorn. Very little is known about us. But Equestria has been ruled by one for countless centuries. What if I'm ageless too?”

Aegis followed his lead and sat up too, not sure if she should give him space or go back to nuzzling him. “Does it really scare you that much?”

“There's a chance that one day being with you will be nothing more than a distant memory.”

“So what?” He looked back over his shoulder at her. “If it happens, then it happens.” Aegis shrugged. “I'll get to be an old grey mare that gets to be with a handsome young prince.”

“This isn't a joke!” he growled. “I-I don't want to see you grow old while I'm still young!”

Aegis walked up, sat down right beside him, and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

“I'm scared, ok?” he sniffled. “I don't want to be left all alone.”

“I know. It's just that, we can't really control that. The only thing we can control is what we do now. And now... Eros, I can't imagine living without you. I never want to feel like I've lost you again.” There had been something on Aegis mind about their relationship from before this newest trouble began, and the feeling of losing him in that Celestia forsaken nightmare destroyed any remaining doubts. “Whether you grow old or not, I want to want to be with you for as long as I can. Someday...” Her ears drooped and a red tint enveloped her cheeks. “Someday, I want to carry your foals. Eros, I know it's usually the stallion who asks this, but let's get married.”

“Are you sure?” There was doubt in his voice, seemingly being caught off guard. “A royal wedding takes a lot of time to set up. Years even. Plus, I know you aren't the type that likes dressing up and doing a lot of other normal girl stuff.”

Aegis kissed him, being completely sure that this was the right move. “What's the worse that could happen?”

***

Apparently, the worst was having her mind controlled and played with by a giant, evil bug. It all started one morning when she was awoken by a commotion. She opened her eyes to the scene of Eros standing over Eros. The one on top looked at her with a cold smile and its eyes flashed – she woke up. She turned to see Eros sitting next to her.

“What's the matter?” he asked, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“I –“ A sharp pain to her head flared as she tried to think. “Ooow...” she responded, holding her head in her hooves.

“You poor thing,” Eros sweetly said. “Holding up that shield outside is getting to you, isn't it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Don't worry, you have me here to take away all that pain.” Aegis felt Eros' magic surround her, along with a kiss to her forehead, alleviating the pain.

Aegis laid back down. “That does feel better.” Things went blurry, and most of the events after that were a haze to her, like she was just watching herself move about in a dream state. She knew she yelled at Twiley for accusing Eros of something... Whenever she thought about it too much, the pain returned.

It stayed that way until the real Eros broke her free, and together they repelled the changelings from Canterlot.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Aegis saw the world clearly again. Twilight was helping Celestia out of an insectoid pod, while the others were collecting themselves and regaining some composure. The magic had restored Aegis' wedding dress and Eros' suit, but the same couldn't be said for the other ponies, who looked like they had been caught in a tornado.

Aegis leaned against Eros, placing her head against his neck. “Eros, are you alright? She didn't hurt you, did she?”

He shook his head. “The wedding is ruined though. No way we can do it today.”

“Like Tartarus we won't do it!” Aegis shouted, bringing everypony's attention to her. “I've been mind controlled by a changeling queen, threw up several times from nerves before this, stuck in the flank I don't know how many times by that sewing needle –“

“You wouldn't hold still!” called a voice from the back of the room, the royal dress maker.

Aegis pointed to him, “That's not the point!” She turned to the others. “After everything that's happened, I'll be damned if I don't get married today! The music will play, my father will walk me down that aisle, Princess Celestia will perform the ceremony, there'll be cookies and punch by the door, and my husband and I will enjoy a great honeymoon afterward or I sw-” Aegis stopped mid rant as it dawned on her what she had just done. In front of everypony she had – quite loudly, mind – ordered Princess Celestia to do something. “Er, that is if you're ok with that, um, your majesty.” Aegis quickly bowed at the end.

Celestia blinked a few times in surprise, taken off guard by the rant. “And you Eros?” asked the princess.

Eros stood firm with Aegis. “If it's what she wants, then it's what I want. But,” he turned to Aegis, “how are we going to fix things up?”

“I have an army at my disposal. Just give me a moment to get a division of guards together and it'll be done in no time.”

“Well, that'll handle setting up the throne room and courtyard, but what about everypony's clothes... Hey Rarity.”

“Yes, Prince Eros?” She responded, as she was looking over and fixing her own dress.

“Get everypony presentable for a wedding quickly, and I'll personally fund your next three fashion shows in any venue of your choosing.”

Her eyes lit up like a foal that had just bit into her very first cookie. She was off before answering, fixing clothes left and right, leaving surprised but well dressed ponies in her wake.

An hour or so later, the bride and groom stood in front of the guests, with Celestia going through the traditional wedding vows. “You may now kiss.”

Aegis fought the urge to roll her eyes at that part. It's not like they haven't kissed, or done more for that matter, before. But, tradition was tradition and the two locked lips for all to see.

“I now present you to the married couple of Prince Eros, and the newly crowned Princess Aegis.” The crowd cheered.

During the after party Aegis was enjoying a bottle of wine, steeling her nerves for the conversation she needed to have next with her sister. There was apology that she owed to Twilight. Before getting that chance, some of the guards approached, obviously having partaken in some of the alcohol themselves.

“Captain!” said one, putting a foreleg around her. “How's it feel to be royalty?”

“I've only been royalty for like an hour, you know.”

“I just hope you don't go soft on us now that you're a princess. Not going to get all fru fru are you?” asked one of the others.

“You're lucky I'm in a good mood or all of you would be doing laps around Canterlot while hungover tomorrow.”

“Nope, same old captain,” said the closest one.

Aegis rolled her eyes. She knew she was going to get some ribbing from her fellow guards for being a princess and certainly didn't mind it. However, she did still have to remind them who was in charge. “You boys stick around and have some fun. Consider it a bonus for nearly getting eaten or worse by bugs. I gotta take care of something.”

They saluted. “Yes ma'am.”

Aegis made her way through the crowd until she spotted Twilight alone at one of the catering tables, looking into her drink. “Twiley?”

“Hm? Oh, hey sis.” Her voice didn't have much emotion behind it, and Aegis wrote it off as her mind being elsewhere. They were just in a huge fight after all and Aegis doubted most ponies were back to normal already.

“Sis, um, I vaguely remember what happened at the rehearsal and –“

“I'm sorry,” interrupted Twilight.

Aegis rose an eyebrow. “For what? I'm the one that yelled at you.”

“I was right, but I acted like a madmare. It's no wonder no pony believed me. If I would have just done things differently –“

“Stop.” Aegis had heard enough and she wasn't going to let Twiley blame herself. “We all screwed up. You came through when it mattered, that's what counts. If you forgive me for yelling at you, I'll forgive you for not thinking things through. Deal?”

Twilight nodded and smiled. “Deal.”

“Now, if you'll excuse me, I think this is the part where I'm supposed to dance with my new husband.”

***

Inside of her bedroom, Celestia looked into a magical screen, seeing the new bride and groom dance together. To her side a portal opened where her dear little sister walked out.

“Sister,” said Luna, “It is done.”

“So I see. When they awake, they will know what it is like to fall in love as the opposite gender.” The screen vanished and she smiled at Luna. “I must say Lulu, this was a brilliant idea for an anniversary gift.”

Luna groaned. “Sister, must you continue to call me that?”

“As your older sister, I have the right to give you a cute nickname. Besides, it's no worse than Celly.”

“It is too,” retorted Luna as she set down on Celestia's bed, rubbing her horn. “If it is ok with you, I think I will be taking the rest of the night off to rest. Creating two dreams that perfectly mirror one another is quite the draining task.”

“Go ahead, I have no objections. You deserve it after your hard work tonight.”

“Sister, are you forgetting something?”

Celestia nervously laughed and looked away. “Whatever do you mean?”

Luna smirked. “I was correct, wasn't I?”

Earlier the royal sisters had a conversation on whether or not the citizens of Canterlot would react similarly to the ponies of the Crystal Empire if one of their monarchs walked around as the opposite gender. Luna believed they wouldn’t, that Celestia could do anything to her appearance and no pony would question it. Celestia insisted that they would. Eventually, the pair agreed to a wager; Celestia would walk around the palace all day as a stallion to test their hypothesis first hoof.

Celestia gave a disappointed grunt. “Indeed you were Lulu. Not a single pony asked why I was a stallion. A few were surprised but quickly regained their composure around me. It did lead to one rather unusual occurrence.”

“Oh?”

“I got hit on by a griffin chieftain. She seemed quite smitten by me.”

Luna laughed. “I know griffins could be rather forward, but I didn't expect that. Should I be worried about my big brother having a fan club?”

“No. I think that is the last time your big brother will be around. I for one like my body just as it is.”

“You're no fun.” Luna poked at her sister's shoulder. “As per the terms of our agreement, dear sister, I shall expect breakfast to be delivered to me tomorrow evening by you. I'm sure you'll be able to get a maid outfit by then.”

“Just remember not to push the joke too far, Lulu. I have centuries to get even.”

“It'll be worth it.”

Author's Note

And there you have it, the finale to fifty odd thousand words of genderswapping goodness. There may be one more update of alternative scenes and stuff that I kinda wanted to include but just didn't fit into any of the chapters.

But what's that off in the distance? Could it be? Tis a sequel indeed. It'll be a group project with Videomaster 21XX, you may of seen his story, Royal Duties: Inheritance in the feature box last week. As well as a friend of ours. I will say this about the sequel, it is more story driven than this story was. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed.

Bonus Chapter: Spoony Paladin

The brave, handsome paladin strode through the dark, foreboding, and mysterious forest. Light from the midnight's moon filtered through the trees, reflecting off his golden armor. Within his magic grip was the greatest of all great lances, Dragon's Bane. This protector of all things good and holy was none other than Sir Valiant The Just. Though the strength of his magic and his body was that of legend, this knight rarely traveled alone. By his side were his two closest allies, stallions who had fought with him against evils from Sigil to Athkatla and to all points beyond. There were none other in all the planes of reality that he trust more than them.

To his right was the wise cleric, Smithson The Wise, armed with his magic and his trusty mithril mace. Unlike the mighty paladin, Smithson was cautious in the face of danger, and tried his best to prevent Sir Valiant from rushing in head first at the slightest hint of evil's presence. He would be heard muttering, “I told you so,” during the few, rare, almost too small to even be worth mentioning times that the paladin's rash behavior got him into trouble.

On Sir Valiant's other side stood a cloaked pegasus, Shadow, a master among rogues. Despite the other two requesting it, he never added a special title after his name, for he considered them lame. The pegasus excelled in stealth and finding ways into places he didn't belong. While normally a stallion like him would have been an enemy to Sir Valiant, the two were friends since foalhood. They had their lives forever changed after witnessing the tragic events surrounding the fall of their home city, Doma. Sir Valiant swore himself to path to justice, and to fight to prevent another such tragedy. Shadow however decided that the only way to survive was to look out for yourself first and foremost. Their morals and methods may differ, but the pair couldn't argue with the fact that they worked better together than apart.

The three had been contacted by merchants who depend on supplies from caravans traveling through this region. All the ones that vanished were set to go through this forest at some point. They also were told of a small village on the far side of it, a place where caravan crews would often stop for the night, as they didn’t want to travel through the forest if they couldn't make it before sunset. It seemed like the best place to start their search.

Shadow stopped and tilted his head upwards to the trees. Soon, the other two stopped as well and looked to him for an answer.

“We shouldn't dawdle out here. Not all of us like traveling in the dark, you know,” said Smithson. He warily looked all around them, keeping his mace at the ready. “If this is the place where they disappeared, then we shouldn't remain out in the open during the night.”

“You worry too much, Smithson. If any threat presents itself, I, Sir Valiant, will slay it!” boasted the paladin, while making a show of swinging his lance. He smiled as he stared out into the dark forest, practically daring some monstrosity or bandit to come out and attack. It would simply mean the death of one more evil doer.

“Listen,” said Shadow.

The only noise aside from their talking was a gentle wind rustling the leaves. The forest was at peace, and one could likely hear the drop of a pin. “I hear nothing,” said Valiant.

“Forests aren't supposed to be this quiet. Where are insects? The birds? Anything?” asked Shadow.

“Now that you mention it, this is perhaps too quiet,” said Smithson. After they put some thought into it, the quiet grew from peaceful to eerie. The fur on the back of Smithson's neck stood on end, and his gut told him that this was a bad omen. “Like I said, we should be movin-”

Snap!

At once the silence was shattered and apprehension gripped the hearts of the adventurers. More twigs snapped in the distance, off the trail and deeper into the woods. “Shall we?” asked Sir Valiant, pointing his lance in the direction from whence the sound came.

“I swear, nothing good can come of us following that sound,” replied Smithson. “Let us be off to find an inn.”

“If it is something bad, then we should deal with it now instead of allowing this threat to continue,” said Valiant. His eyes stayed glued to the direction of the sound, and he was practically leaning forward, wanting nothing more than to go running off to find the source.

“What about you Shadow? Surely you know better.”

“If we see what it is, we may find something of value. It could be worth the risk.”

“Why do I even bother? Fine, we shall go see what was the cause, but please stick together.”

Sir Valiant agreed and took the lead. The three stallions did their best to avoid stepping on anything that would give away their position as they waded around the many trees, taking caution to remain silent. The farther in they went, the darker it became. Sir Valiant was grinning, picturing what new tale the bards would craft about him this time: Sir Valiant, protector of the forest; Sir Valiant vs the Grand Oak Demon; Sir Valiant did another amazing thing.

The sound was close now; had there been more light, they would likely be able to see the source. “Shadow,” whispered Smithson, “What do your senses tell you?”

“All I can tell you is that it's the size of a pony, and I don't think it knows we're here,” he whispered back.

“So, we have the element of surprise... good,” said Smithson.

“If we attack fast, we can bring it down in a single strike,” said Shadow.

Valiant readied his weapon and before the others could decide on a plan, he charged forward at the mysterious noise maker. Dragon's Bane pierced it with ease, going straight through the creature and out the other side. It didn't even get the chance to make a single sound before falling forward in death. Sir Valiant yanked the lance free and held it up in triumph. Once more he stood as the victor.

Smithson and Shadow walked up to check the body. With the threat gone, Smithson used a light spell, allowing them a good look at the thing Sir Valiant just killed: a mare in a green cloak.

“Um... she... she was a witch, I'm sure. Or an evil cultist,” said Sir Valiant as the other two searched her body, paying his words little heed. “Seriously, why else would you be out at night, in a forest, in a cloak?”

Shadow pulled a scroll out of her cloak, and read it aloud, “To do list: 1: Get more brezian mushrooms. 2: fill canteens with spring water. 3: dust shop before opening.”

“Congratulations Sir Valiant, you slayed an apothecary,” said Smithson.

“Now now, she could have been an alchemist,” said Shadow.

“She could have been an EEEVIL apothecary, or an EEEVIL alchemist.” He smiled at the other two, hoping to get them to agree. “Hey, owning a shop doesn't automatically make you one of the good guys.”

***

“Uuuugh, really?” asked Aegis, as she leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. “Gaffer, that was not cool.”

The four of them were in a den that Aegis had set up within one of the basement rooms of the Crystal Palace, away from any place that was normally busy. Cadance often teased her by calling it the nerd cave. The one back wall was covered by a bookcase full of comics and fantasy stories. Models of space ships and heroes were on top of it. The middle of the room had a table with four chairs, currently occupied by Aegis, Gaffer, 8-bit, and Poindexter. Upon the table was a regional map, various dice, and small, carved figurines to represent their characters – they weren't particularly detailed, just simple pieces designed to fit their classes. An enchanted crystal hung above them, designed to light up the room when commanded to. However, the group preferred to keep it off during their games, and instead used a mounted torch that was next to the door. Its unsteady glow served well in adding the right atmosphere to the room while they played..

“She was a quest giver. I didn't know you guys were going to haul off and kill her,” said Gaffer, defending himself. The unicorn had a green mane and mostly light brown fur. His legs and the middle stripe of his face however were white. At first glance, it almost seemed like he was wearing socks. “Maybe next time you wo-okay seriously, why are you a mare?” He turned to the two others. “Neither one of you are fazed by this at all? Not even a little? Not even going to ask why?”

8-bit shrugged. “I'm just happy we're all here dude. Been awhile since all of us could get together.” The pegasus had a short, light blue mohawk and grey fur. His cutie mark was a pixelated space insect from an old arcade game.

The last of the group, Poindexter, was a white earth pony with glasses and a messy brown mane. “Well, she did tell us about Aegis before now.”

“I know but hearing that your friend is occasionally a hot mare and actually seeing her as one are different. And you-” He pointed to Aegis.

“You think I'm hot?” asked Aegis, unsure if she heard him right.

“Don't change the subject,” responded Gaffer. He leaned forward against the table, towards her. “You just lounge around as a mare now?”

“I wasn't lounging around, before you guys got here, I was at the spa.” The other three froze, and each shot her with a curious expression. “Getting a massage after wearing armor for awhile feels really nice, okay? Also, I might be used to being one or the other, but it still takes time to get used to a new body when I make the switch. Cadance and I had something planned for tonight and I wanted to do it early so it wouldn't be a problem.”

Gaffer sat back in his chair. “Fine, I'll deal with my brain sending confusing signals about you then. Still weird though. By the way, your paladin just went through an alignment shift. He's now lawful neutral.”

“Why?”

“Because you killed an innocent shop keeper. Killing somepony based on suspicious activity can be considered lawful, but it sure as Celestia ain't good,” said Gaffer.

Aegis grunted and rested her chin on the table, staring at the little knight figurine of Sir Valiant. “Fine, I bury the old mare and pray for her soul while asking the gods to forgive my transgression. How's that?”

Gaffer nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “Right, and that's when the beautiful princess appeared.”

“Wha?” said the other three in near unison.

“Why Gaffer, you always were a flatterer,” said a voice from the open doorway, and the three players turned to see Princess Cadance standing there. “Good afternoon boys,” she turned to her wife, “and Aegis.” The princess pranced up to her and embraced her; wrapping a wing around Aegis' back and lovingly nuzzled her neck.

Aegis smirked to the others before kissing Cadance's forehead. Just because she was currently a mare didn't mean that she wouldn't show off having such a beautiful, affectionate wife. As she watched them from her peripheral vision, they appeared to have several reactions. Poindexter was blushing, 8-bit seemed conflicted and rustled his wings, while Gaffer turned away. She was confused at first, wondering what it could be that would have them acting so odd. Slowly the realization crept up on her: she was one of two fairly attractive mares – more than just fairly attractive in Cadance's case – being rather touchy-feely in front of them.

“Ahem.” Aegis quickly cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Cadance, I thought you were going to be busy until this evening?”

“What's the matter? Can't I check up on my lovely wife?” Cadance tilted her head to the side and softly nibbled at Aegis' cheek.

Aegis squeaked, not just for the rather good feeling it gave her, but also out of fear. She was far too close to her ears for comfort, and past instances of Cadance using her weakness to tease her flashed within her mind's eye. Each time all it took was one little bite and tug to make the tough guard helplessly whine. A light blush spread across her cheeks. Please don't go for the ears. She had wanted to show off to her friends, not be part of a show for them. Luckily for her Cadance was merciful and turned her attention to the others in the room.

“And don't think I'm going to ignore you boys.” She walked around the edge of the table and started with Poindexter. Cadance leaned in, softly kissing the stallion on his cheek. “How have things been going for you, Poindexter?”

“W-well,” he stumbled over his words, “I-I don't mean to toot my own horn, but one of the most beautiful mares complimented me on my looks and manliness.”

Cadance giggled and playfully nudged his shoulder. “You get 'em tiger.” Next up was 8-bit, who got the same kiss on the cheek as Poindexter. “How's your lovely wife and son doing?”

“They're great. My boy has even come close to beating some of my scores at the arcade.”

“Sounds like his father, I'm sure you're very proud.” Finally there was Gaffer. “And you... just what kind of trouble have you been getting into lately?”

Gaffer grinned, “For your information, I haven't been in any trouble. Actually my shop has been doing pretty well for itself. I was even able to hire someone so that I'd get some time off. She's a little weird, but she knows how to draw a crowd.”

***

Meanwhile, in a comics and gaming store in Canterlot, a number of ponies were gathered round the new comics section. Most of them were there for the much anticipated Dr. Star Swirl: Master of the Mystic Arts issue #1, a gritty retelling of the history of ponykind's most famous spell caster – yes, it did happen to take quite a few liberties with changes to history for the sake of making the story more captivating. Of the Star Swirl fans, many were dressed in homemade copies of the wizard's iconic hat and cape.

Watching this display of fan hype from behind the counter was a blue unicorn who had been wearing her version of his costume long before it became popular. Trixie smiled at the sight and thought to herself, Finally, Trixie has found where she belongs.

***

“Aww, Gaffer, I'm proud of you,” said Cadance as she hugged him and gave him that kiss on the cheek she withheld earlier. “Next time Shiny and I are in Canterlot we'll make sure to stop by, I promise.”

“I'll hold you to that.” Gaffer turned back to the table, the map, and the game pieces. “Though since you're here, I guess you're gonna drag away 'Shiny' to your date.”

“Nope.” Cadance walked back around the table to her spouse. “I know you guys don't get the hang out as much anymore and I don't want to break up the party. I actually came down here since I was wondering if I could join.”

Aegis blinked a couple times, letting her mind process that information. “W-wait, what? Really? You actually want to join?”

“Is it that much of a shock?” she asked.

“Well, you've never asked to join us before,” Aegis replied.

“Yeah, this is the first time that I can recall you wanting to join our game,” added 8-bit.

“I'm bored and I want to spend time with you guys.”

Gaffer shrugged. “Well, I'm not against helping a newbie learn D&D, but the campaign was set up for a party of three.” He looked around at the other ponies, stopping on Aegis. “Unless...” He grinned. “Hey Shining, would you switch to one of the important NPCs?”

“That depends, what is his-”

“Her.”

“What is her role in the story?”

“Well, if I told you that, it'd give away the whole storyline.” Gaffer got up and walked to the doorway. “Step outside with me for a second.”

Moments went by as the two talked of the character Aegis would take control of. From inside the room, the others could hear them murmuring about the plan.

“Good news everypony, she'll do it,” said Gaffer as he walked back in and sat down. “First, we need to write out Sir Valiant.”

8-Bit raised his hoof. “How about he gets word that he needs to be involved in something back at the city we left?”

“Good enough for me,” said Aegis as she removed her figurine from the map.

“And he dies along the way,” added Gaffer.

“Hey, you know the rules,” said Aegis.

8-Big and Poindexter laughed loudly at the exchange, while Cadance was left with a lot of questions. “Sweetie? What's going on?”

“Our great dungeon master loves to try to kill off any paladin I make.”

“Why?” Cadance looked over at Gaffer.

“Ugh... To make a long story short, one of her paladins once forced me to throw out my campaign and try to improvise the whole thing.” Gaffer entered a staring match with Aegis.

“I may have gone off script a bit, but I say I made it better.”

“So, what actually happened?” asked Cadance.

“Well, I wanted them to be low on funds in the beginning so I had a pickpocket rob them.” Gaffer rubbed his temple. “Biggest mistake I ever made in a game. Little miss truth and justice over there decided to chase the pickpocket and was utterly relentless.”

Aegis waved off Gaffer's comment. “It wasn't that bad.”

“You chased him through nine planes of reality, interrupted a dark earth pony civil war, and killed an elder god – I'm still not sure how the hay you managed to pull that one off – to catch a pickpocket who stole all of twenty gold bits from you.”

Aegis swelled with pride, loving every memory he was bringing back up. “I stand for justice and it was my duty to bring down that thief.”

“And this is why everypony hates paladins,” said Gaffer with a sneer. “Anyways, moving on, Cadance, what kind of character do you want?”

“Um, what kind are there?” she asked.

“A lot. Hm... generally speaking, what kind of characters do you like in stories?”

“Well... Oh! I've always really liked characters that are good singers. Does that help any?”

“So we now have a bard on the team.”

"Um, a bard?" Cadance's ears perked up as she heard the class' name. "What's that?"

Aegis got Cadance's attention with a quick nudge to her side. “In the most basic terms, a charismatic rogue who can use music to help the party or hurt the enemy. They're actually fairly useful to have around.”

“That sounds fun, I'll be a bard.”

Gaffer rolled the dice a few times and scribbled on a character sheet. “To save time, I'll make your character for you. I just need a name.”

“Midnight Melody.”

“Good enough.” He finished it and slid the paper over to Cadance. “There's a list of your abilities on there.”

***

Sir Valiant's justice sense went off. “My town needs me,” were his only words before he ran off back up the trail, leaving his companions to their own devices.

“Well, that was random,” noted Smithson.

“Investigations aren't really his strong suit. We’ll be better off without him.”

“Sadly, I must agree.” A gust of wind sent a chill through his body. “Now, may we please return to the road? I would rather not kill any more innocent townspeople tonight.”

As the two got back on the right path, they spotted a new traveler. It was not a hard task to see her in the dark, considering that her pink fur stood out compared the murky surroundings. Smithson called out to her, “Greetings fellow traveler.”

“Aaaahhh! Robbers!” The mare spun around and pulled out a lute. “Don't make me use this. I can... I can, um, distract you with it.”

Smithson glanced over at Shadow. “Can't say I blame her for thinking you're a robber.” He got a simple grunt in return. “Excuse me miss, we are simple travelers here to investigate the disappearance of some caravans. You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about this, would you?”

“Missing caravan? Oh, that sounds exciting.” She practically squeed after hearing that news. “I love mysteries.”

“That would be a no.” Smithson shook his head. “But, I won't turn down any assistance. Would you care to join us?”

“I don't know...” She stared a hole through Shadow. “He seems untrustworthy.”

“He is, for others.” Smithson patted Shadow's shoulder, showing that he's on their side. “But, he's loyal to me and to anyone in our group.”

“Hmm, alright, if you say so. But I'm keeping my eye on you, whoever you are.”

“It's Shadow.” He walked forward, growing tired of waiting any longer. As Shadow passed her by, he added, “And if you want to threaten someone, your dagger would be far more effective than a lute.”

“...I knew that.”

***

It would be another hour before the band of three reached the village, finding it to be in fairly good condition. There wasn't any apparent damage to the buildings and the few guards that were patrolling the outskirts of it seemed to be relaxed. If the source of the trouble was around here, it didn't seem to be directly messing with the village itself.

They stood on the edge of the village, looking around for any signs of foul play. “It seems pretty peaceful to me,” said Midnight Melody. “Are you guys sure we're in the right place?”

“Yes. But, it could be happening on the roads around this village,” said Smithson. “Still, I'm sure they would have heard something about it. Maybe we should ask around.”

“Um, Smithson was it? Yeah, it's the middle of the night.” Melody pointed up to the moon to emphasize her point. “Do you think ponies want to be woken up by complete strangers and interrogated?”

“An inn,” said Shadow, motioning towards the middle of the town. There stood a large building with a sign that had the image of a bed carved into it. “We can sleep for tonight and investigate in the morning.” Melody and Smithson silently agreed with a nod and followed Shadow into town. Odd that the guards didn't seem to bother even to look in our direction, thought Shadow. Perhaps they just aren't good at their job... Still, you'd think they'd notice brand new ponies coming to a little village.

Once inside, there was a stallion at the welcome desk, yawning. To his left was a set of stairs going up to the second floor, and to his right was a closed door. “You lot picked a good time to show up, I was just about to close down for the night.”

“Our apologies for coming in at such a late hour,” said Smithson as he gave the stallion a polite bow.

“Think nothing of it.” The stallion pulled a key out and placed it on the counter. “Each room has four beds, so you guys won't have to share.”

Shadow sat in the back near the door and stared at the man. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. After a second, his eyes start to lose focus and stung, causing the sight of the man to grow blurry. For the briefest of seconds, there appeared to be blood coming out the corners of the stallion's mouth and from atop his head. Shadow fought to keep his eyes open and focused, but the longer he tried, the more they stung until finally they closed themselves against his will. When he opened them, the stallion looked normal again, and the feeling was gone.

“Your room is upstairs, and to the first door on the right. I hope you lot have a comfortable sleep.”

“Shadow?” Smithson pokes his shoulder. “You look worried.”

“I-it's nothing.” Shadow rubbed his eyes. “I'm probably just tired.”

“Well, only one way to fix that,” said Melody as she grabbed the key. “I hope the beds are comfortable.”

They wearily walked up the stairs, Melody and Smithson yawning along the way. “No need to keep watch tonight, Shadow.”

“If you say so.” He cast one more glance at the stallion before following them up.

***

Shadow awoke after only a couple hours of sleep. His mind couldn't get rid of the image of the inn keeper's bloody face. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him he should leave this village. I need some fresh air.

The room was cramped, with only enough space for the beds and for a pony to walk around each. Shadow's bed was the closest to the window. Smithson was to his left, near the door. Melody's was against the opposite wall, also close to the door. He rolled off the bed and went to the window, the floorboards lightly creaking under his hooves as he walked. He opened the window, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the cool night air. When he opened his eyes once more, something from the house across the street caught his eye, little movements from the curtain in its window. He stopped and watched it for a good minute or two, but nothing happened. Probably just my imagination... but I really don't like the feel of this place. Giving up on the idea that anything was going to appear, he returned to bed and slept for the rest of the night.

***

“Shadow, rise and shine,” said Melody, rousing him from his rest. “Smithson and I are going to check out the tavern for information.”

“Tavern?” Shadow slowly sat up and brushed his mane from his face. “Sounds like a good plan. Hey Melody?”

“Hm? Something wrong, Shadow?”

“Have you sensed anything weird about this village?” Shadow knew that clerics weren't particularly well known for spotting traps, illusions, and the like, but perhaps a bard would be able to confirm his uneasiness.

“Not really. It seems like just any other small village to me.” She turned towards the window. “Except, it is really quiet. You'd think they would be making some noise in the morning. Maybe they could use the help of a good bard to liven things up a bit.”

She had a good point, even a village this size shouldn't be this quiet in the morning when everypony is getting up and going out. “Let's hurry up and check out the tavern.”

***

It was only a short walk to the tavern. Then again, a walk to anywhere in the village would have been only a short walk. The tavern had the typical set up of a bar with stools lined up at the counter, a few tables, and a small stage.

“Don't go anywhere, I'll be right out!” called a female voice from a backroom, behind the bartender area. Through the doorway walked a unicorn mare, dressed up in a green and brown barmaid dress. “We don't get too many outsiders coming out this way that aren't traders.” She leaned against the counter. “So, pick your poison, what kind of drink would you like?”

***

“Aegis, we are totally getting you a barmaid outfit sometime soon. I really want to see this now,” said Cadance, as the stallions in the room snickered and agreed.

Aegis groaned and tried to ignore the comment and get on with the game.

***

“Well actually, we're looking for information,” said Smithson.

“Nuh uh.” the barmaid shook her head. “One mug of ale minimum for information.” The looked to each of them. “What? I wouldn't be a good bartender if I just gave away the information for free.”

“Fine, I'll have a mug of ale. What about you guys?” asked Shadow.

“Well, it couldn't hurt,” replied Smithson.

Melody just shrugged and sat on one of the stools.

The barmaid quickly filled three mugs. “So, what are your names?” she asked as she passed a mug to each.

“I am Midnight Melody, a soon to be world famous bard, at your service.” She pointed to Smithson. “This is Smithson.” She pointed to Shadow. “And the stallion that looks like he'd take your coin purse in the blink of the eye over there is Shadow.”

Shadow shook his head but didn't respond, mainly because it was true.

“And I'm Charged Cider, nice to meetcha. Ok, guess I should hold up my end, what's the information that ya'll want?”

Melody put down the mug after taking a drink, looking rather silly with her new foam mustache. “Alrighty then, we're looking for trader caravans. Some that pass by this area have gone missing.”

“Drat!” Cider stomped her hoof. “Those darn goblins must be at it again.”

“Goblins?”

“Yep.” Cider nodded. “There's a cave packed full of the little buggers down the road, maybe half a mile from here. You know, this would explain why that shipment of wine is late. I don't suppose you three can deal with them?”

“Is that all?” Melody laughed. “We'll have that cave clear before you know it.”

“The folks around here will be mighty happy to have them gone. I'll even throw in a reward if you retrieve anything useful from them.”

Smithson finished his mug and stood up. “Well, it's the best lead we have. Let's head out.”

“Actually, I'm going to sit this one out guys,” said Shadow. He quickly added, before they could respond, “An experienced cleric should be able to take goblins out with ease, and the novice there could use the experience.” It may have been true, but it definitely wasn't the whole story; Shadow wanted to scope out the village. His instincts were rarely wrong, and he knew there was something off here.

Melody shrugged. “Suit yourself buddy. Come on, Smithson, let's go goblin hunting.” She finished her drink and quickly trotted out of the tavern.

“I better hurry and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Stay out of trouble Shadow.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

***

Shadow circled around the village, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of place or unusual. Though all he saw were placid villagers going about their morning routine. He turned and walked down the first road he saw, passing by a few small shops: a candle maker, a blacksmith, and the apothecary. The last one was where he stopped. We should probably tell them what happened... or tell them she was killed by goblins. I wonder if there's any good loot in there. He reached out his hoof and turned the knob. Huh, not even locked.

Shadow walked in and the sight stopped him in his tracks. Surprise took the breath right out of his lungs, and his mind was divided in two – half wanted to attack, half wanted to run. For behind the counter was a kindly mare smiling at him... wearing a green cloak. There was no mistaking it, she was the one from last night. Shadow closed his eyes and tried to force his body to relax.

“Hello and welcome to my humble shop, traveler. What is it that can do for you on this fine day?” she asked.

“I...” Shadow swallowed and took a deep breath. “My friends and I are here to investigate missing caravans. By chance, w-what were you doing last night? See anything strange?” Just what kind of magic is in play here?

“Hmm... last night, last night.” She tapped her chin. “I remember going out to pick some ingredients, but it gets foggy after that. I did manage to tear a hole into the back of my cloak somehow. I'll need to take it to the seamstress sometime today.”

That hole wasn't torn, it was cut. “Thank you for your time ma'am, that'll be all.”

“Don't mention it. Come back at any time.”

Shadow turned and ran out the door. He trotted back towards the tavern, the barmaid was one of the few ponies in town that wasn't setting off alarm bells in his mind. Well, don't go looking for something and then get upset when you find it, as the old saying goes. He had brought his nerves under control as his mind busied itself still trying to make sense of what just happened. I didn't sense any malicious motives in her. She was genuine with her answer of not knowing what happened. Perhaps there's a wizard in the woods that brought her back. It is odd though that Smithson didn't sense any magic use then. Thinking back to the innkeeper, I doubt she's been the only one brought back from death. He passed by a small group of colts and fillies on the road. And what if that goes for the others in this village too?

After reaching the tavern, he went back to his stool from earlier.

“What's the matter, sugar, you look like you just saw a ghost?” asked Cider. “Need a little help in relaxing?”

“Y-yeah. I probably could use a bit of help.” A mug of cider was placed in front of him. “Thanks.”

“So tell me, Mr. Shadow, how many ponies have you lost in your life?” she asked, nearly causing him to choke on his drink.

“How many...” He looked her over and she was rather nonchalant about the question, as if she merely asked him about the weather.

“It's your eyes. I can see the sorrow that only comes to those that have lost ponies close to them.” She walked around the bar to get closer to him.

Shadow's eyes wandered to her hips, taking notice of how she sashayed as she walked. “I've lost plenty.” He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't stop from answering her question. “When I was a young, this power hungry jester poisoned my town. There weren't many survivors.”

Cider was right by him now, and she rubbed his shoulder. “You poor thing. That must have been traumatic on a young colt.” She leaned in and nuzzled against his cheek.

A magical charge swept through Shadow's body, leaving a tingle in its wake. He felt himself nuzzling her back. His peripheral vision blurred until she was the only clear image.

“Would you like to hear a little story?”

Shadow slowly nodded.

“A long time ago there was a village out in the middle of nowhere. From time to time the odd goblin or two would wander close by, but there was enough strong farmers around to keep them at bay. Then one terrible night, the town was celebrating a particularly big harvest and ale was passed around freely. Every stallion drank to his hearts content. The goblins took notice and attacked en masse while most of the town was in a drunken stupor. Normally, it might have stood a chance, but not on this night. One by one the ponies fell and the goblins took everything they wanted. There was just a single survivor, a mare who hid in the backroom of her tavern.” She rubbed his chest and more magic permeated his body, chipping away at his resolve. “Oh, but it's not all bad. After they left, the mare cried out for help, but at first now one came. She screamed until her voice gave out and then silently sobbed. Suddenly, the tavern was lit up and she peered over the counter to see a demon. She looked like a pony, but at the same time, she didn't. The demon has light purple fur, and in place of her mane was dark, purple energy. From the sides of her head hung two long horns. She proclaimed herself to be a demon of desire.

“She told the mare that she could bring them all back. That she would never have to worry about losing them again, or dying herself, but this was not a gift, it was a trade. In return, the mare would have to gather some items to allow the demon to walk in the flesh rather than a spiritual projection. The mare did so. She knew you shouldn't trust demons, but she was desperate to return things to the way they were. She let loose a demon upon the world and in exchange, she got to be with them all again. The bodies started moving, and a simple illusion spell was all it took to make them look and sound normal. It wasn’t what she wanted, but she learned to love them all the same, just as she had before. However as time passed, she noticed that she stopped aging. Just like them, she wasn’t affected by time anymore. The others, her, the buildings, they were all frozen in time.”

His addled mind still had enough sense to think about the cloaked mare. “A-and...” his voice was just a whisper, “if one of the people were killed again, they'd continually be brought back. Right?”

“Yes. And the best part? They won't even remember dying. But, it gets so lonely being surrounded by the undead. I love them like family, but I desire more... I need more. I need somepony to truly love me.”

Her muzzle was no more than an inch from his, and Shadow saw into her eyes. The loneliness, the pain, it was all laid bare within them. He also clearly saw that she had no intention in giving him a choice in the matter. She drew closer...

***

Aegis and 8-bit stopped just moments before it was too late. They hadn't realized it until just this second that they had been acting out the scene, leaving them now in a just-about-to-kiss pose.

“Wah!” Aegis stumbled back a couple of steps. “8-Bit!”

“Hey, don't get upset at me.” He pointed to her. “You were the one going in the for kiss of death. I was just standing there, frozen by your feminine wiles.”

“I do not have feminine wiles and... and I wouldn't have... I...” She turned to Cadance, who was blushing as she watched the too. “Cadance I swear I wasn't going to actually kiss him.”

“Those two can really get into their roles,” explained Gaffer to Cadance.

Cadance had to smile. “I'm the newbie here. If this is how it's done then this is how it's done. So... by all means, continue.” Cadance motioned with her hoof for them to keep going.

“Fine, but I'm not acting it out!”

8-Bit sighed. “Remind me to pick up something special for the wife while I'm leaving. I suddenly feel like I owe her one.”

***

“Well, we got a pretty nice haul from them at least,” said Melody, rather proud of their raid. “We found missing caravans and a bunch of old trinkets.” She held up a locket. “Pretty, isn't it?”

“Was it really necessary for you to charge at the first guard you saw?” asked Smithson. The stallion had a slow, weary pace. Though occasionally he made himself trot a little faster to keep up with her.

“Sorry about that. I got better at the whole, staying behind you thing, as he went on though, right?”

Had it been either of his usual companions, he likely would have made some sarcastic remark. However, the novice bard did actually improve a little with each battle, and she seemed genuine in her desire to learn to be better at her craft. “Indeed.”

“I wonder if this locket belonged to anypony.” She fiddled with the opening mechanism until she finally heard a little click. “Oh, there's an old note inside of it.” She pulled it out and read. “'To Charged Cider, hopefully my words and this present will get me a date with you. You are the most beautiful mare in all the village and any stallion would be lucky to call you his. If you say yes, I swear to the gods that I'll do my best the cherish every moment and make you feel like a princess, just as you deserve. Let's make this festival a new start for us.' It's signed Summer Breeze.”

Smithson stopped in his tracks. “Read the name again.”

“Charged Cider. Wait a minute... that was the barmaid's name, wasn't it? This seems way too old to be directed to her though.”

“We should get back back to Shadow, now.” He took off running. Smithson wasn't one to believe in coincidences, and he would want an explanation from Cider right after they found Shadow.

***

After checking the inn and finding it empty, they rushed to the Tavern to see Shadow calmly drinking at the bar with Charged Cider. “Shadow, are you alright? Did anything happen while we were gone?” asked Melody.

“Nothing too interesting,” replied Shadow, not so much as glancing in their direction.

“Did you find what you were looking for amongst the goblins?” asked Cider.

“Yeah, we found gear from the missing caravans. We also found this.” Smithson tossed the locket with the note still inside of it to Cider, who caught it with her magic. “A present from Summer Breeze.”

Cider opened it and mouthed the words as she read the note. She sighed and slumped against the bar's counter, her eyes never straying from the locket. She gently caressed it with her hoof before slipping it on. “Idiot. You freaking idiot. Why were you waiting until the festival?” Her words were soft and somber. “We knew each other since we were kids and even back then, he would always go out of his way to help me. If only... if only you would have asked me out the day before the festival. We could have spent your last day together.”

“Shadow, get away from her. She's not what she appears to be.”

“...no,” was his reply.

“Shadow? What's wrong?” asked Melody.

Before any answer was said, the sound of a moan and teeth chattering came from the backroom. Whatever it was, its hooves dragged against the wooden floor with each step. Smithson pulled out his mace as the sounds got closer to the door. From out of the room stepped a zombie pony, its flesh gnarled from what appeared to be repeated smacks with clubs. Smithson stepped between Melody and the ghoul, making sure to shield her.

Cider pushed herself away from the counter, slowly walking over to the zombie, and kissed his cheek. “My poor, sweet idiot.” She turned to Smithson and Melody. “I really am grateful that you found this and brought it back to me so I'll give you the chance to run. The rest of the ghouls are coming this way and will attack if they see you fighting me. Run now and you may avoid them.”

“I'm not leaving without Shadow,” said Smithson.

“Yeah, what did you do to him?” asked Melody.

“A simple little charm potion is all, but it'll keep him around long enough for me to make a stronger, permanent one.”

“Why him?” asked Melody.

“It has to be somepony like him, somepony who knows what it's like to be the one who survivors when others don't. To know what it's like to have your world ripped away from you.” She reached out with her magic and threw one of the stools at Smithson, who easily knocked it away with his mace. “I refuse to let him go.”

“You can't just drug a pony and make them fall in love with you! That's psychotic!” yelled Melody.

“I don't care. Run now or this town will have two new permanent residents.” She raised several more stools and some bottles.

I have a potion that can purify him, but I need an opening, a distraction... Smithson cast repel undead on the zombie in the room, who suddenly turned tail and scuttled away.

“Hey! Get back here!”

“Melody, run outside and distract the any zombie trying to get in here.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Trust me.”

“If I become a zombie, I am so going to eat your brains.” Melody ran outside.

Ok, probably only have one shot at this. Smithson darted forward, towards Shadow. Sorry I have to do this. A stool slammed into his side and shattered but it wasn't enough to knock him off course. Smithson leapt at Shadow, crashing into him and pinning him to the floor. “Drink!” He forced the potion into Shadow's mouth. Though Shadow tried to cough it up, most went down his throat and he stopped struggling.

“No!” The objects being held by Cider dropped, and so too did she. “It isn't fair! Don't I at least deserve one living pony?” She cried into her forehooves. “J-just go. Get!”

Smithson wasn't going to waste this opportunity to retreat. After helping Shadow back up to his hooves, they ran outside to the unusual sight of Melody singing and dancing on her hind hooves in front of a hoard of zombies.

“Hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime girl, can we run away yet?” she asked, keeping in rhythm with the song.

Smithson nodded and Melody followed them, not slowing down until they reached the outskirts of the village.

“You're lucky I always keep some purify potions,” said Smithson.

“I swear, zombies are the worse audiences. They just stand and stare menacingly at you. At least there weren't any hecklers,” said Melody.

It took the two a few seconds to realize that Shadow had stopped. When they did, they turned to see him looking back at the village. “Is something wrong?” asked Melody.

“I'm going back,” said Shadow

“WHAT?!” said the other two in unison.

“Shadow, she tried to brainwash you,” said Smithson.

“But, she was right about something, I know what it's like to be the one to survive. I know how she feels.” He thought of the deal she made and knew deep down, that he would have done the same.

“...you're really going back, aren't you?” asked Melody. “I'm not sure if that's touching or utterly insane.”

“How do you know she won't use a charm potion on you again?” asked Smithson.

“There's no sense in charming the willing. Besides, I know what to look for now. I'll see you guys around, hopefully not as a zombie.” Shadow started walking back to the village.

Smithson shook his head. “I vote that it's insanity... but if it's what he feels like he has to do, fine. I won't stop him. Come on, Melody, we should go report what happened to the merchant.”

“Yeah... I guess so.” She followed Smithson away.

***

Back at the tavern, Cider's crying was interrupted when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. “Hey, I could use another round. One without any potions added to it this time would be nice.”

She wiped her eyes and saw Shadow standing in front of her. “Y-you came back?”

Shadow bent down and kissed her forehead.

***

“Aww, that was a sweet,” said Cadance as she hugged Aegis. “You don't end up alone.”

“Sweet but weird. Hey 8-bit, why'd you do it?” asked Aegis.

“Gotta admit, I didn't think one of you would actually stay with her, or you know, let her live,” added Gaffer.

8-Bit rubbed the back of his mane and shrugged. “It just seemed like what Shadow would do. Besides, I've been thinking about retiring him for awhile, and what better way to do it than to let him spend the rest of his days with an eternally youthful barmaid and a town full of zombies?”

“That's the way I'd want to go out,” said Gaffer.

“Did you have a good time, Cadance?” asked Poindexter.

“Yeah, it was pretty fun. I can see why you guys play this whenever you get together.”

“Hey, feel free to sit in on our games. There's always a few npcs or extra party members,” said Gaffer. The others nodded in agreement.

“Though if you boys will excuse us, I am taking my wife out for some romance. Though I do hope you three can come around more often.” She led Aegis out of the room.

Gaffer groaned.

“What's wrong?” asked Poindexter.

“Getting the mental image of one of my best friends as a chick making out with her hot wife and then noticing that I'm focusing more on Aegis than Cadance.”

Poindexter blushed and 8-Bit's wings went up.

“And now you two are doing the same, aren't you?”

“Yep,” replied 8-Bit.

“This is so messed up,” said Gaffer.

Author's Note

Special bonus chapter for the sake of directing everyone's attention to the sequel, that just updated again today:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/160814/kinds-of-love-the-world

I realize that most don't pay attention to blog posts so I figured that would be more effective. I'll likely do another bonus chapter or a chapter of cut content when the third part of the trilogy is ready.

A Change in Perspective

What was best in life?

For Shining Armor, the answer was simple: spending a morning in bed cuddled up with his beautiful wife. He would cradle her in his legs, enjoying the feeling of her soft fur, and even softer feathers – he once contemplated asking her to keep the feathers around after preening so he could make a pillow with them – with a pillow that soft, Shining would get the best sleep he's ever gotten. He would hold her close, nuzzling against her, occasionally throwing in a kiss or two to her forehead or along her nose. Cadence would squirm around at first, finding a comfortable position against him – which was adorable to watch by the way. It also didn't hurt that the bed was a lavish bed fit for a king or in his case, a prince.

However, this was not a normal morning, for when Shining reached out his hoof it only found an empty, cool bed. He cracked open an eye, confirming that she was in fact gone. He shrugged, stretched out, and tried to drift back to sleep. While not number one on the list, having a whole, comfortable bed to yourself certainly wasn't a bad consolation prize.

Cadence's voice came from the next room, “Shining dear, are you awake?” He groaned and gave a yawn.

Her steps got closer and before he knew it, a dainty hoof impatiently poked at his shoulder, again and again. “Come on, I made breakfast.” And the morning continued to get odder. Normally the servants would have some breakfast waiting for them when they finally got out of bed.

“But that means having to get up,” he responded.

“Not quite.” He heard the tap, tap, tap of a spoon against glass..

“Hmm?” Shining looked back, seeing not only his lovely wife, but a tray floating behind her. A bowl of oats sat in the middle, next to a glass of grape juice, along with a zap apple jam and peanut butter sandwich – quite possibly his favorite breakfast. “Wow, it looks great.” He sat up, releasing another pent up yawn along the way, and pushed the blanket off himself. “What's the occasion?”

She sighed. “You forgot again, didn't you?” Her voice had turned from the sweet melody it normally was to a much sterner tone.

“Uh...” His mind scrambled to find any important date it was supposed to remember. Anniversary? No, what would come in about five to six months. Birthday? Nope, that wasn't it either. Groundhog day? ...maybe? He did his best to hide all this from her, but the facade was breaking down. “It's, I have a beautiful and very forgiving wife day?” he asked, giving her a big smile and hoping that if it was important, she'd forgive him..

“No,” she said, her voice still stern. “It's, I still have a gullible husband day.” She had started giggling halfway through saying it.

His body relaxed and he sighed in relief. Then he stared at her and gave an annoyed snort. “You are evil.”

Cadence leaned forward, nuzzling him. “I'm sorry, but that's just too easy not to use from time to time. Forgive me?”

He wanted to complain. He had every intention of complaining about that lame joke – as well as complaining that he had fallen for it so easily. However, he looked into her eyes – those gentle, loving eyes – and just couldn't. All annoyance had melted away, and instead, he kissed the end of the her nose. “For making me breakfast in bed, I'll call us even. Next time though, you'll owe me one,” he bluffed, knowing full well he would probably just forgive her again anyways.

She placed down the tray at the foot of the bed. “Dig in.”

That was all the encouragement Shining needed, and he dove into the bowl of oats. The bed moved a bit under as she got onto it, rubbing his back.

“Like it?”

He nodded, swallowed and started going through the sandwich.

“Heh, you always were a quick eater.”

“It helps when it's delivered by a pretty mare,” Shining said, right after swallowing the last bit of the sandwich. He kissed her in appreciation for the meal.

“Anything for my knight in Shining Armor.” She added a nuzzle to his neck to go with the back rubbing.

“Ok, now it's starting to get a bit too cheesy, even for us. What's up hon?”

Her ears went down and she sighed. “Maybe there is something that I wanted to talk about and maybe I wanted to make sure you were as happy as possible before I said anything...”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe.”

“Hon, just say it.” He grabbed onto one of her forehooves with his own. “You're starting to worry me. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, but it might be a bit, um, surprising.”

“Surprising? Wait...” His eyes grew large and he drew back. “Surprising as in,” Shining waved his hoof over his stomach, though moving it as if his stomach was much larger than it really was. “You know, that kind of surprise?”

“What? No!” She rolled her eyes.

Shining wiped his brow, giving a sigh of relief.

“I haven't even even been in season recently for that to happen.”

Shining nervously tapped his hooves together. “Well, it's just that when you said surprise and that it wasn't a bad thing, I just thought...”

She nodded. “I understand, and I can't really blame you for that. Anyways, well, it's just that I've had this really odd feeling for a while and I think I finally figured it out: Envy.”

“Envy?” Shining cocked his head to the side, twitching the higher ear. “But, you're a princess, with an army of servants, the hero of an empire and, well...” He posed, puffing his chest out and grinning, “You have a great husband.”

Cadence placed a hoof on his chest and smiled. “You're right, I do.”

His cheeks turned pink. He really didn't expect her to simply agree with that last part without making some joke or something.

“Shining, my special talent is supposed to be love itself, right?”

He nodded, not fully sure where she was going with this line of thought.

“But I have only felt one kind of love: a mare being loved by a stallion.”

“Uh huh,” he responded. Thoughts of where she was going circled his head, but none seemed to make sense. Of course she had only felt that, this has been the only relationship Cadence was ever in. One possibility came to the forefront, a possibility that Shining would be lying if he said he hadn't thought of before: adding another mare to the bed. It was not an uncommon thought among guys, and Shining had heard that desire be expressed by quite a few of his soldiers. However, unlike some others, he was a smart enough stallion not to directly mention the idea to his wife, or assume that it was the idea she was talking about now. Still though, the hope remained.

“I see the way stallions look at their girlfriend and I wonder what that feels like. To love a mare and to have her love you in return.”

He seized up, the idea seemingly growing more likely by the moment.

“I also felt that way when I see two mares together, or two stallions. Sure, in that case I know what it's like to feel the love of a stallion, but not as one you know?”

And he was lost again. She was envious of love? Of other relationships? Had he done something wrong?

“It's just that... I want to experience love from more than just one point of view. Like I said, I've only ever felt love as a mare being loved by a stallion. I know that feeling like the back of my hoof, but I want to know what those other kinds of love are like as well.”

“Um, let me try to get this straight. You want to try being a stallion in love? Or a mare in love with another mare? Just, something different?” he asked. “Well, I wish I could help, but I don't really get it.”

“Believe me Shining, I don't expect anyone to get it. I know it's weird to feel like this, but I still want to try it.”

“Ok, but how? Being with another mare, or stallion,” he said, putting an extra emphases on the stallion part; “Would be cheating.” Again, he refused to bring up the threesome idea, though this time around it was to prevent the suggestion of adding a stallion to the mix. “And that's wrong.” He had added a bit more of an accusative tone than he wanted and immediately regretted it.

She stomped on the bed. “Of course I know that. Shining, I would never do such a thing and you know it.”

He quickly apologized and she waved it off.

“I do want to know what it's like from another point of view but I would never stoop to doing that.”

“Sorry,” he apologized again, lowering his head. “It was stupid, and I'm sorry. It's just that when you talked about the idea, it kinda sounded like... Sorry.”

She reached out and pulled him close, into a hug. “See, this is why I was worried about talking about it. I knew I was going to get the wording wrong. Shining, what I really wanted to say is that I figured out how to do this. I got Twilight to teach me a transformation spell.”

His mind broke. Sure, synapses were still firing, but any ability to process information had momentarily halted, and he donned the standard poker face. “...what?” The gears in his mind started back up, and he began putting the pieces together. Different point of view... Transformation... Uh oh, was the prominent thought in that moment.

Cadence, the first to break the hug, got off the bed. Her eyes seemed to be avoiding his on purpose, and she scratched the back of her mane, a trait he's seen often in his subordinates when they were nervous to tell him something. “Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything. I just asked her how they work and you know Twilight, she jumps at the chance to play teacher,” she said to the ceiling judging by where she was looking at the time. “Anyways, I'd really like to try this. At least once. Give me this and if you don't like it, I'll never bring it up again. Please?”

“I...” It wasn't often that Cadence would plead with him about something, so he could tell this was important to her. “You promise not bring it up or guilt trip me into doing it later on if I don't like it?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Does this mean that you will?”

He responded with a simple nod.

“Thank you.”

The relief in her eyes was enough to tell Shining that he had chosen the right thing, even if he was still uncertain about it himself.

“Well, Twilight's book said that any pony that gets changed by magic should be given some time alone to adjust, so I'll cast it from outside the room. Alright?”

“Sure.” He watched her leave the room and his stomach clenched with worry. There was just something about the idea of having your entire body changed that was a bit unsettling.

Mere seconds after the door closed, a bright light shined from behind it. The magic invaded his body, feeling like electricity as it traveled down from his horn throughout the rest of him. Some parts felt like they were being compressed – namely his midsection, hooves, and muzzle – whilst others were being stretched out.

His vision blurred for a moment as the feeling left his head and neck. Having enough time to glance down at his nose, he could already tell something was different. It almost felt smaller and wasn't as square as it had been. While he hadn’t moved his position since the time the magic began, his current way of sitting no longer felt right, and he fell to his side.

“Gah!” said an unfamiliar voice. It was a mare's, though huskier than they usually would be. It took a second for it to dawn on him that it was his own voice. The final part of the change happened far quicker than he had expected, as his stallionhood was pulled into him, leaving him or rather her with a newly made marehood.

She laid there for a while catching her breath and taking stock of her body. Aside from the more obvious ones, the first change she took notice to was her mane, and its new length. She wondered if the tail grew as well, but a simple tail flick showed that it had remained the same in length. She wiped her mane out of her face and looked around the room, spotting Cadence's vanity mirror in the corner. Ok, that works. Just walk over there and I can get a good look at myself, she thought. Crawling to the edge of her bed continued to make her slit less ignorable as it slid across the top of the blanket. She tried thinking of other things, even trying to focus on the other changes; for example, her smaller hooves and the fact that they were mostly covered by her fetlocks now. It didn't work. In fact, trying to not think about it made her think about it more. It's only temporary, it's only temorary. She repeated the thought a few more times, making sure to keep her breathing even to prevent any panic.

She tentatively stepped down from the bed, though the distance to the floor seemed a bit larger than she remember, and Shining stumbled as well as gave a girly squeak in surprise. She steadied herself, keeping a wide base to deal with the new gait. Nearly falling off the bed wasn't the start to this that she had wanted, assuming she would have wanted this at all. The rest of the walk across the room was far less dramatic. However, much to her dismay, she couldn't seem to stop her hips from swaying with each step. Shining figured that it was just part of the package. When you had wider hips, they went back and forth as you walked.

The mare looking back at her in the mirror vaguely reminded Shining of the dj pony from her wedding: soft white fur, wild blue mane, and a pretty face – dear Celestia those large, powder blue eyes from of the mare would be able to stop traffic. She turned her head from side to side, trying to get accustomed to her new face, then stepped back to get a better view of her body. It was more muscular than the average mare and still looked like the body of a soldier, even with the extra curves thrown in. Like the face, it wasn't half bad looking, quite good actually. She chose to get serious for a moment, giving her reflection a stern stare, the same type of stare she has used on her subordinates..

Alright, if you could be the youngest graduate in the history of Celestia's Royal Military Academy, you can do this. One day, that's all your wife is asking and making her happy is your top priority, understood? The reflection nodded. Good. Now then, for this day, you will be her mare, no ifs ands or buts. You're going to relax about having a different body and try to have fun with it since getting upset will only ruin Cadence's enjoyment.

She took a deep breath, letting the self-command sink in. Have fun with it, huh? she mused. The corner of her lip curled up into a small grin. Shining glanced around the room, making sure that Cadence was still on the other side of the door. She turned around, pointing her rear end at the mirror, and gave it a shake. Feeling a bit more comfortable, and perhaps more daring, she continued the plot shake and lifted her tail, revealing her sex, getting her first look at it. She'd be lying if she didn't admit to getting a small thrill from it. It is temporary after all, so she might as well enjoy the ride while it lasted. Well, that was her line of reasoning anyways. A sharp whistle sounded and froze her in mid sway, with every muscle in her body locking in place and refusing to move.

“So, this is what you do with your time alone huh?” came a male voice.

She could hear the playful and light nature of Cadence in it, but now with an added touch of bass. The stallion tsked.

“If you'd like I could leave and let you explore it even more.”

She lowered her tail, trying to preserve what little dignity she had left in this situation. Her ears also lowered, somewhat covering up the large blush on her cheeks. “N-no, I'm fine.” She gulped and forced herself to look over, to where the voice was coming from. There stood the pink stallion – while he wasn't overly masculine looking, his color combination didn't make him look as girly as she had thought it would – staring back at her. The female curves were gone, replaced with a sleek, compacted body. He had a smile that looked like it was taken straight off of one of the rogues in Cadence's romance novels. Shining found her blush to be getting hotter, though not from embarrassment of getting caught anymore, and she quickly turned away.

“Cadence? Is that really you.”

The stallion got closer, draping his wing over her. She wasn't sure if the change of height came from her shrinking or from him growing, but there was no denying that Cadence was the taller of the two now, not by much, but it was noticeable.

Cadence leaned in. “You think I'm handsome, don't you?”

“I-I-I... That's not it. You see, I...” She stammered like a schoolfilly getting attention from a colt for the first time.

“You know, it's ok if you do,” said Cadence.

Shining looked back to the stallion, and into his eyes. They may have been less round and pretty, but they still had the same gentleness to them that she had always loved. Shining was a mare divided. Part of her wanted to tell the truth. She had never felt comfortable with the idea of lying to Cadence. Another wanted to deny the very idea of her finding a stallion attractive, even if he did have some very nice looking wings, or a charming voice. A final part just wanted to lean into the wing-hug and rest her head against his shoulder. “Cadence?”

“Yes, and that's the point.” He pulled her closer, and Cadence's wing-hug got tighter. “I'm still me, you're still you, and we love each other. Sure, if feels weird right now but that's also why I'm doing this. It's different, you know, but still kind of the same.”

“I get your point.”

Cadence whispered into her ear, “That's what she said. Literally.”

Shining tried to fight against the laughter. She had always hated that joke – you would too if you were usually stuck in a bunker with other stallions who loved it – and this felt like the worst time to use that joke. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she wasn't able to contain it and laughed anyways.

“See, I told you I was still me,” said Cadence.

“Yeah, you are.” She touched her hoof to his cheek, pulled his head closer, and kissed him on the cheek. He stiffened, his wings fluffed up, and Shining saw Cadence's cheek turn a shade redder than it had been before. Had she managed to fluster him? The idea brought a giggle from Shining, and she had to admit, he was cute like this. “So, what now?”

“Well, to help get into the role, maybe we should also use new names. Cadence does have a girly ring-”

“A girly name for a girly prince.”

He huffed. “I'll choose to ignore that. Anyways, Shining Armor has a masculine quality to it as well.”

“How about... Gleaming Shield?”

Cadence shook his head. “Bleh. That really doesn't roll off the tongue well.”

“Sparkling Armor?”

“Honey, do you really want a name that'll remind us both of your sister? I love her to death, but thinking about her at the wrong time could be a mood killer.”

“Point taken.” This was going to be harder than she thought, but it did make her realize why some others have less than stellar names: it's hard to find the right one. For a reason she couldn't put her hoof on, an old story popped into her head.

There was a legend from the pre-Equestrian period of a unicorn that was said to have perfected the shield spell. She couldn't expand it as far as Shining's, but supposedly, it was completely impenetrable. Swords, unicorn magic, boulders, even dragonfire was repelled when it hit this shield. Many unicorns, including Shining, had tried to copy it but they never succeeded. The name of the ultimate shield spell was, “Aegis.”

“What's that dear?” asked Cadence.

“I think that's the name I'll pick. Aegis.”

“Hm. It's oddly fitting for you,” he said, while he scratched at his chin.

Thinking about his own naming idea, Aegis figured.

“How about Eros?”

“Arrows?”

“Not arrows, Eros. It has a certain charm to it, I think.”

Aegis shrugged. “Sure, it sounds nice.”

“Good. Now the real fun begins.”

***

“Eros, this is embarrassing!” Aegis whined, though she didn't slow down or stop. She pranced back and forth in front of the bed – more importantly, in front of Eros. Rather than still being naked though, she was now adorned in lacy black stockings. The tops of them had a pink bow, and the feeling of them on her thighs rubbing together was perhaps the strangest, yet nicest feeling she had experienced during this experiment – aside from Eros hugging her, that is. Eros had also picked out a corset for her, which squeezed her waist and accentuated her hips..

Eros whistled at her during her latest pass. “Don't whine. I do this for you all the time. Hm...” Eros waved for her to turn around. “Let's see what you were showing the mirror earlier.”

“I... I...” she stammered but did turn around. Eros grew silent all of a sudden, which she took to mean that he was surprised, and he wasn't the only one. As she finished the turn, Aegis knelt down, on the knees of her forelegs, giving him a prominent display of her rear end. Her cheeks once again turned a fiery red as Aegis wondered why she actually did it. Cadence does do this for me, so I shouldn't feel weird or embarrassed doing it for her, she reassured herself.

“Honey, could you um, lift your tail for me?” he asked.

She flicked it up and allowed it to fall across her back. Aegis mustered up her courage, doing her best to just play the role, “So, does it look- Ack!” A nip on her hind end from Eros quickly cut her off.

“D-does that answer you question?”

She had actually squeaked from it, a noise she had heard plenty of times from Cadence, but never expected to be forced to make it by a stallion. On top of that, she could practically feel his stare on her new entrance, and froze up. No matter how badly Aegis wanted to flick her tail back to where it belonged, she couldn't, nor could she raise up to a proper standing position. Her breaths shortened. Maybe it was the one move that went too far for her to handle. Just a kiss on the cheek or modeling sexy clothing was one thing, but to actually feel his desire in that way was another.

“I... I'm sorry,” whispered Eros. “I guess I took it too far. Listen Shining, if you want us to change back now, I understand.”

The guilt of his voice pierced her heart, and Aegis felt like a real heel. He had only wanted to change things up to make them interesting, to experience a new side of love, but she had went and ruined it by panicking a bit because she was actually feeling something new. No. She wasn't going to let Eros down. 10, 9, 8... She counted backwards in her head, remembering that she would tell Twily to do the same thing when her sister would get panicy and twitchy. Her breathing returned to normal. 2, 1.

“Um, Shining? Are you ok?”

She stood and turned around, getting a good look at Eros. His wings were limp and his head drooped from the guilt. “Sorry about freezing up there but I'm over it. We can continue now.” Any doubt in her expression was replaced by a confident grin. “Oh, and it's Aegis.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. Eros squeed in delight and pulled her closer with his magic, into his waiting legs. They fell to their sides, her being held close by Eros.

“Thank you Aegis. This is exactly what I wanted. The love of a mare as a stallion. The love of the most beautiful,” Eros kissed her forehead; “The most understanding,” he kissed the end of her nose; “And cutest mare in the world,” his lips locked onto her own. He greedily pushed into it, using his hoof on the back of her head to hold her still while his tongue pressed into hers. She yielded to him, letting him use her however he wanted in that moment. She pulled herself closer, until their chests touched and she could feel his heart beat. It was going nearly as fast as hers. That moment felt like it lasted a lifetime as he continued playing with her tongue, and kissing her over and over again. Aegis shuddered and moaned into his mouth, and relished in the new sensations. One of the few thoughts she was able to form at the moment, was if Cadence felt the same way when she was kissed.

He reached down with his free front hoof, and started rubbing her lower stomach in a small circular pattern, just above the beginning of her slit. It was a move that Aegis knew all too well, since she regularly used it as a way to warm up Cadence during foreplay. Now, being on the receiving end of it from Eros, she knew just how effective it could be. Rather than the tenseness or the familiar twitch of her old member, she felt a warmth seep out from between her hind legs. It had started during the kiss, but now thanks the extra move, it was quickly spreading throughout her hips. A second sign of arousal came, not only was it a brand new experience for Aegis but it was also a far stranger experience: a feeling of dampness between her backlegs. The latter, like the former, was also growing by the second. Eros finally broke the kiss and pulled away, leaving Aegis panting. A thin trail of saliva had clung from her lips to his, but it soon broke. However, his hoof on her lower belly kept going.

He touched a hoof to her chin, making lifting it a bit until she was staring him in the eyes. “It's up to you if you want things to go farther. Would you be ok if we took this all the way?”

She was still too lost in all the new feelings to have given this serious thought, so she just nodded and tried to kiss him again. However, he pulled away from her, and stepped off the bed. “Eros?” She reached out to try to stop him.

Eros' magic grabbed her sides, turned Aegis onto her stomach, and slid her towards him. Her back hooves ended up on their floor, while her chest, as well as the rest of her front half, were still on the bed. His magical grip moved to her ankles, spreading open her hind legs. She was about to question him, but a wave of pleasure cut her off, leaving her whining and whinnying into the bed. The end of Eros' muzzle was touching her slit, and he lapped at it like a cat at a bowl of milk.

“That's something that hasn't changed; you still taste amazing,” he said, then gave her one last hard lick. She bit down on the blanket, trying her best to keep from moaning too loudly. Aegis wasn't afforded any time to cool down before he mounted her. His front legs wrapped around her waist for balance as he moved up her body, until he had his chest on the back of her shoulders, pining her between him and the bed. His face was buried in her mane, and she felt the heat of his breaths against the back of her neck, tantalizing her..

If Eros' penis had been dormant before – she hadn't really paid any attention to it until now – it had certainly woken up. It grew out of his sheath, rubbing and twitching against her inner thigh, and the flat, rounded head poked at her stomach. Aegis squirmed under him.

“I want to hear it,” he said. “I want to hear your desire. Not just that you're ok with this happening, but that you want it to happen.”

Eros grabbed onto her ear, tugged it to the side and nibbled on it. She doubled her squirming, her whines, and started panting at the newest sensation. The pleasure of it had robbed her of any desire to refuse him.

“D-do it! Please rut me,” Aegis half pleaded, half moaned. She bit down on her hoof in disbelief at the words she said. He released her ear and part of Aegis wanted to ask him – no, more like beg him to do it again.

“Well, if that's what my princess wants...” He pulled back, far enough for his tip to slide down her stomach and start teasing her slit. “3...”

She gripped onto the blanket with both her front hooves in preparation.

“2... 1.” While she had expected him to slam it into her – the way most stallions would, she was sure – Eros instead slowly slid the tip in bringing out a small cry from her. Bit by bit, inch by inch Eros pushed it in, slowly the entire way. Around half way, she felt the ridge from his cock. Just like Cadence loved the feeling of the ring around his, she loved the one around Eros'.

“Oh Aegis this feels amazing. You're so tight.”

She couldn't begin to describe how alien this felt, to be pinned down and filled in such a manner. Aegis' hips bucked back against his; her body wanted more or perhaps just wanted him to push harder. She got her wish. He slid it back and pushed in once again, harder than the first time, but still gentle. It happened again, and again, and again, until both of them were in a near perfect rhythm of him pushing in and her pushing back against him. He stayed mostly quiet while doing it, except for a groan here or there. For Aegis, it was a much different story. Her whines, her whinnies, and her moans grew with each thrust.

For how long this continued, she couldn't say, but eventually something new started happening. The muscles around her slit tensed up, and a pressure from inside her was building up. The feeling of his breath, that ring passing in and out of her, the warmth his body, the feeling of being held down and not having control over it; it all came together to overwhelm her mind. Her hooves grabbed onto the blanket under her, and her back legs began shaking. Possibly feeling how close Aegis was to cumming, Eros pulled back until only the tip was still in her, and then rammed in the rest.

Aegis shuddered in immense pleasure; her body going stiff as she cried out, “Oh Eros!”

The extra tightness was all it took for him to join her orgasm, shooting his seed into her with a loud grunt. To Aegis' surprise, she actually felt the hot semen filling her up, as her slit clenched onto Eros' penis milking it for all it was worth.

Her body began to relax and some of her mind was brought back to reality. Enough so that Aegis felt a new dampness on the back of her neck. Eros was still panting into her mane, so it was no wonder where it came from.

“You know what's nice about being a mare?” asked Eros, in between short, quick breaths. “You can have as many orgasms as you desire, or as many as I desire.”

She gasped as his hips started moving again. “Eros- Ah!” This time, all his thrusts were hard and fast, bringing back that familiar pressure in no time. “I think I'm-” she was cut off as her body spasmed and clenched onto his member again. She panted and sighed contently as the orgasm passed. “That... Was amazing-”

“It's not done yet.”

His penis began twitching. No, it wasn't twitching, it was vibrating inside of her. It started with small vibrations but it was getting faster by the second.

“I learned another spell.” Which each word, she could hear just how short of breath Eros was, but it didn't stop him from continuing.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as any semblance of control she did have over her body was snatched away. Now she was running on instinct alone. Her hips bucked on their own, the sounds of desire forced themselves from her lips, and finally, her orgasm came without any input from her.

Eros' penis stopped, and he collapsed down on top of her. Aegis wasn't in any better shape. After that last orgasm she considered just falling to sleep while still penetrated. She had been filled with his seed, drooled on, forced to moan like a mare in heat, lost all control, bucked until her body went limp... And she loved every second of it. It wasn't necessarily better than sex as a stallion, but it wasn't worse either.

“Eros?” she weakly to force out.

“Hm?”

“Would you mind um...”

“Oh, right.” He lifted up, off of her and pulled.

“Wah,” Aegis gasped in shock as she was also pulled back.

“Uh...” He tried pulling again, and once more, she was yanked back. “Aegis, I can't.”

“What do you mean you can't?”

“You won't let go.”

She thought she was over getting embarrassed by her new body's actions. She was was wrong. Her cheeks went red again and her ears drooped. “How?” She tried pulling forward, but to no avail. Until she relaxed, they would be stuck together.

Eros had given up trying to pull himself free. Instead, he pushed her back in onto the bed, so they could both lay down, and dropped his wing across her. “Maybe you'll loosen up in the morning,” he said with a yawn and cuddled against her. “Mmm, so soft...”

“Eros?”

“Hm?”

“Could you do that ear thing again?”

He groaned, but complied. Eros bit her ear, pulling and nibbling on it. She in turn melted into his embrace, becoming putty in his hooves. Maybe doing this once in a while wouldn't be so bad.

Author's Note

Have a nice picture to go along with the first chapter: http://female-shining-armor.tumblr.com/image/40354518890

In the Heat of the Moment

It was all Eros could do to contain a giggle as he watched Aegis shift back and forth. She had been fidgeting on their bed for the last couple of minutes, unable to get comfortable. A new scent also filled their room; one of fertility and desire. In a move that certainly shocked Eros, was that Aegis had asked for this. He guessed that she had spent enough time as the fairer sex that she had gotten curious as to what it was like to be in season. When she asked, the gears in his mind spun on a plan of action for this evening.

“How can you stand going through this every year?” she asked, continuing to try to find a comfortable position.

“Twice a year actually. A couple weeks in Spring and a couple in Fall.”

“You know what I meant.”

“What's the matter? Got an itch?” Eros responded, feigning innocence.

“You know damn well what it is! I don't get it, I've never seen other mares acting like it was this bad.”

“Because you haven't seen too many dealing with their first heat cycle. Yes, our sex drive goes up a bit–“

“A bit? I can't get the idea of you rutting me until I can't walk straight out of my head.” Eros laughed. “It's not funny.”

“It is to me. Anyways, most of the time the desire for mating isn't anymore than that of an average teenage colt. High, but certainly manageable. The first time however, that can be a be a doozy.” He shot her a devious grin. “Can't it?”

Aegis nodded, with her ears bent back and a blush covering her face.

He pulled her in close to him, with her muzzle buried in his shoulder, and her chest against his. Her hot breath caressed his fur as she started panting. “Just picture it,” Eros whispered into her ear. “A handsome stallion prince mounting you, and breeding you over and over again.” She whimpered, her hips bucking a few times against him. Eros took her muzzle in his hoof and pushed it up, making her look at the ceiling, exposing her long, beautiful neck. From collarbone to under her jaw he slid his tongue, following it up with a bit of nibbling going the other way.

She whinnied and squirmed as he played with the nerves on her neck. “T-that's feels amazing,” she said, her words dripping with lust.

The lewd sounds, the scent, and the feeling of her pressed against him brought about a now familiar twitch between his hind legs. There was nothing he wanted more than to just push Aegis onto her back and to not stop until both of them had nothing left. But he forced that thought down, for Eros had a plan that he was going to stick to, come Tartarus or high water.

Eros placed a hoof on her waist and slid it down, to her pleasure center. The moment it touched one of her lips, her body shivered, and a moan rang out. She was already wet and ready. Eros pulled his hoof away and held it up, the slick lubricant on it glistened in the room's dim light. “You really are into this, aren't you?”

“I-I can't help it,” she whimpered.

“Oh, I know you can't.” He kissed her quickly, before she could respond, pushing his tongue against hers. Eros felt her body melt against his. Without breaking the kiss, he gently pushed her back, onto the bed, with him standing over her pleading form. Eros broke the kiss, though a small line of saliva desperately clung to both their lips for a bit longer. “You look absolutely amazing tonight.”

Eros grabbed her with his magic, turning Aegis over onto her stomach. Aegis' hips shot up to his penis as he started licking her horn. “Are you ready?”

She eagerly nodded.

“You aren't getting off that easy.” Not giving her the chance to question what he meant, Eros fell to his side and pulled her into his embrace. With one of his forehooves, Eros rubbed her chest, and he teased the back of her neck the same as he had done to the front earlier. Just to add another level to her sensations, he rubbed his fully erect penis against her inner thighs – the fur along them grew wet and matted in her aroused state. Throughout this teasing, he made sure to have as much physical contact with her as possible.

“E-Eros please! I can't take this anymore.”

“You'd be surprised how long a body can stay in this state, with the right incentive.” He nipped at the end of her ear, giving it a small tug. Her body shuddered and stiffened. For one brief second, Eros worried that he went a move too far, and it would push her over the edge. However, her body relaxed and went back to the squirming mess it was before.

Making a mental note to avoid the ears, he continued teasing Aegis, not giving her the chance to catch her breath or to cool down.

“E-E-Eros! P-please let me cum,” she begged, between the panting.

“Actually, I believe it's time to tell you a story,” Eros whispered into her ear.

She didn't respond.

“Once upon a time, there was a young alicorn princess. She was quite happy in her life. She had a wonderful knight for a boyfriend. He was handsome, charming, laid back, and put up with all the princess' crazyness and quirks. The princess and the knight enjoyed every moment together. A perfect picture of young love.”

The tip of Eros' wing caressed her cutie mark and slid up along her side, coming to a stop on her chin. It moved up and down along the bottom of her muzzle. “However, the two were growing, and by their teen years, they started to have a bit of private fun. As the princess was maturing into a mare, she reached a milestone. One morning she awoke to find a very stimulating warmth spread through her back end and a strong desire for her knight."

“The princess knew what it was, for she had taken health classes in school. Being the embarrassing situation that it was, she chose to stay home, spending the day in her bed. After their school let out, the knight visited her, and he agreed to help her with her problem. Now, he knew that to go all the way with her would be bad because of what could happen, so he chose a different way to sate her needs.”

Eros reached down with his hoof, circling her slit, and brushing against one of her teats. She gasped and moaned – which was pretty much been all Aegis had been able to do during the story. “He laid her down on her back, and the two locked lips. The knight placed a hoof between her back legs, caressing her vagina. He used the edge of his hoof to part her lower lips, and press into it. She kicked, squirmed, and moaned, feeling as though she could catch on fire at any moment from the heat. When she thought she couldn't take anymore, her body stiffened, but then something odd happened: the knight stopped.”

Eros nipped the back of her neck again, causing Aegis to whimper in pleasure. “Yes, that's exactly what she sounded like,” Eros continued. “She looked at him in confusion, but he started up once more. The same process repeated itself. She squirmed, was brought close, and then he stopped again. She begged and pleaded for him let her have her release, but he wouldn't. This went on for awhile. How long, she wasn't sure. You kind of lose tract of time while in that state. After finally bringing her to orgasm, she was too exhausted to even asked why he had held off for so long.”

Eros' hips bucked on their own. Aegis' wiggling form in his grasp, alongside the sounds and scent coming from her had Eros feeling as though he was denying his climax as much as he was denying hers – well, almost as much anyways.

Shining, for a colt, you must have had a will of iron back then.

“Now, this isn't revenge for what happened then – far from it actually. I loved every moment of it. The feeling of being stuck in that state, so aroused you feel like you could burst at any second, but unable to do anything about it is just indescribable. However, since then, the intensity of my heat cycle has gone down and while it would still feel great, it wouldn't be the same. When you asked if I could put you in heat, I knew I had to share this feeling.” Eros placed the bottom of his hoof over Aegis slit, and immediately she started grinding into it. “Don't worry my princess, I'll let you cum... eventually.”

Author's Note

Yeah, I know, it's pretty short. Anyways, two notes for this:
First off, the last chapter was a Rocko's Modern Life reference for those that didn't get it.
Secondly, if you're wondering, this is more or less how I picture Eros to look: https://derpibooru.org/6260
(picture changed on 8/8/2015, due to the original being NSFW)