Shining stood at the kitchen counter in the squadron break room. He had recently changed over to the evening shift for a change of pace. He also found that the night guard tended to be a bit more talkative, making the nights go by a little faster. It totally had nothing to do with him preferring to take orders for Princess Luna or anything like that.

But it also meant he had to adjust his sleeping schedule. He was so used to being 'up with the sun' that he was having trouble sleeping through it. Or staying awake all night. So each evening, he came here. He stood at the kitchen counter, trying desperately to remain vertical. His head kept dozing off, making it look like he was bobbing for apples. He angrily tried to will the infernal contraption to work faster. Its demonic gurgling sounded like it was about ready to overflow and regurgitate all the sewage of the city. "WORK dammit!"

DING!

Shining retrieved his coffee mug from the machine, taking the first, blissful sip.

"Oh, coffee machine, I love you. I'm sorry about yelling at you. Let's never fight again." Shining cooed, nuzzling the stained rim of the BrewMaster 9000. "OW!" Shining winced, his cheeked burned on the hot surface. "You always hurt the ones you love..." Shining considered divorcing the coffee machine- with his hooves. Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, passed by the break room door.

"Captain Spitfire!" Shining called out. Spitfire backpedaled into the doorway. "You're back early. I take it the mission to exterminate the rampaging dragon in Ponyville went well?" He asked. Spitfire looked at him nervously for a split second.
~~~~~

She flashed back to that terrible mission. The Wonderbolts scrambled upon receiving the report of a dragon terrorizing the town of Ponyville. They started their attack run, strafing the beast, hoping to draw him away from the populous. He took to scaling the nearby shear mountainside. They had to stop him before he took up residence in the highlands. They had already lost the element of surprise and they were about to lose the high ground.

They knew full fell that a dragon's tough hide was impervious to all but the most powerful attacks and weaponry, but they were running out of time. In a bold gambit, Blaze went in for a direct attack, sheering a few of the dragon's green spines. The superficial injury only served to anger him.

He turned to attack, rolling his back to the cliff side. In doing so, he exposed one of his few weak spots on his underbelly. In unison, the trio turned and dove in for a swift strike. Speed and maneuverability were their only advantages. But at the last second, the dragon caught the trio in a water tower tank, slamming it into the mountainside, trapping them within.

Spitfire couldn't remember how long they were trapped in that darkness. Herself, Blaze, and High Winds imprisoned together. The three of them had no illusions that they might meet their fate in the line of duty. A dangerous mission like this, fighting a dragon, they knew full well that any one of them could be struck down and killed or eaten by the monster. Dying in a crash happens so fast that they never put any thought to it. 'By the time it happens it's over. Painless.'

But none of them had expected this. Trapped, waiting, it was torture. Spitfire and her two sisters-in-arms huddled close together. The other two mares shivered in terror, uncertain of when the end would come.

"I guess this is it girls." Spitfire said solemnly. "It was an honor serving with you." Spitfire began to cry silently.

"I never got to see Manehatten." Blaze whimpered. "I kept putting it off and putting it off. I always told myself, 'There would be time'." She wept openly, pressing her muzzle into Spitfire's flight suit. High Winds started to sob. The youngest member, it was barely her second year on the team.

"I wish I had met somepony. I always pushed them away for my career. Just- some nice stallion to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. Somepony to just- just tell me I was pretty." She cried.

"Everything will be okay." Spitfire lied, hugging her tighter. She kissed her on the forehead. Comforting her two wingmares, Spitfire couldn't help but ponder her own regrets. She had always lived her life to the fullest, hadn't she? No regrets. That was her motto. Perhaps she could have taken Soarin up on his offers. Even though fraternizing within the ranks was strictly forbidden. That, and she never did have the heart to tell him stallions weren't for her.

Her thoughts turned to that one mare, the Best Young Flier, Rainbow Dash. There was instant chemistry as soon as they met. Spitfire could tell that Rainbow was into her big time as well. But all that changed when Rainbow told her that it was her dream to join the Wonderbolts. If they were to date, that could never be a possibility. Not only because of the fraternization rule, but if she were to be selected, it would appear to the other applicants as favoritism.

Spitfire put her personal desires aside in favor for a chance to work along side such a talented Pegasus. Albeit only as a friend. She had already signed the acceptance letter for her to try out at the next season's recruitment. But now she wished only to know how that wild, untamed mare kissed. So full of passion, she wondered if she was just as aggressive in bed. It had been so long since she had been intimate. Spitfire retreated into her fantasy world, abandoning the terror of her current state. She imagined the rainbow pegasus on top of her, running her hoof up her thigh to her hot, wet-

CREEK!

The heavy metal tank fell away from the mountain side. The three looked around, seeing no dragon anywhere. It must have run off, leaving the city. That was good enough for them. Mission accomplished. They recovered themselves quickly and darted off back to Canterlot, swearing to never speak of what happened that day again.
~~~~~

Shining was a bit taken aback by Spitfire's thousand-yard stare. "Spitfire? I take it the mission was successful?" Spitfire returned to the present moment.

"Yeah, well there ain't no giant dragon there NOW is there?" She said, forcing a cocky smile, and quickly heading on her way. He watched her head down the hallway, her toned flanks rippling beneath her tight flight suit. He couldn't understand how she didn't have at least two coltfriends at any one time.

He loved those flight suits. Sure, he had seen all of them out of it. But the way the fabric conformed to their contours, especially when she got a wedgie. "Hmm." He grinned at the image. He turned and headed back to his own office. A few items were waiting for him in his inbox mounted to the outside of his door. He took them and his coffee inside.

Princess Cadence was waiting for him at his desk.

"Get the door will you?" She asked. He quickly looked around outside to see if anypony saw her. He quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Evening babe." He said giving her a smooch on the cheek. "Are you here to uh, start off my Friday night with a bang?" He asked seductively.

"Ah, no, I can't." She said. "Besides, this office lacks the soundproofing we would need. You know me." She smiled with a devilish grin. It was no secret to either of them that she could get very vocal in the heat of the moment.

"Hey, I found this store that I think you'd just LOVE. It's 'Canterlot's best kept secret'." He recited.

"The Crop?" She replied. "Yes, I've heard of it. I've always wanted to check it out, but I've never been able to go."

"Why not?"

"Come now, I'm a Princess, a celebrity. Could you imagine the scandal if anypony were to see me in a- sex shop?" She whispered.

"They said that they were very discreet." He said.

"But what about the other patrons inside? Or anypony outside that saw me enter? You might not have to think about these things but I do." She said frowning.

"Well... you could schedule an appointment for a private shopping session and just teleport inside." He suggested. Cadence put a hoof to her chin.

"I- I suppose that could work..." She said. Shining grinned like an idiot, nodding excitedly. "Okay. MAYBE. But only if you're REALLY good okay?" She said. He nodded more seriously. "Anyway I actually came by to tell you that I have two tickets to the Canterlot Heath's Warming Eve pageant play!"

"Ugh, not really a fan of the theater." He groaned. She gave him a slight glare. "Buuut I'm always willing to try something new for you sweetie!" He said.

"Well I thought you might like to know that Twilight and her Ponyville friends will be in the production this year." Cadence said with a smile.

"Really? Okay then I guess." He said.

"Perfect. It's a week from tomorrow night. I'll pick you up at your place?"

"Oh, no that wouldn't be right for me to not pick you up at your place." Shining said, trying to be chivalrous.

"Oh, no it's okay. Your place is closer anyway. I'll just take the shortcut." She said.

"Shortcut?" He asked. Her response was simply to teleport to right beside him. "Oh. Right. Shortcut."

"Next Saturday. Don't forget." She said opening the window.

"How could I?" He said. Cadence leaped out the window, taking flight to the evening sky before vanishing in a flash. He shouted after her, "Showoff!"
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

KNOCK KNOCK

Hearth's Warming Eve. Shining walked to answer the door. But when he opened it, there was nopony on the porch.

"Surprise!" Cadence said from behind him, triggering his PTSD, having teleported inside. Shining nearly leaped out of his fur.

"GAH! Cadence! You do NOT sneak up on somepony who's in the guard! I'm on high alert here! I almost killed you right then! You do not even realize!" He shouted, breaking out in a sweat. Cadence just hugged him.

"But you didn't. And if that isn't true love, then I don't know what is." She smiled. "Come on, let's go to the pageant."

They arrived at the palace playhouse. A name that always irked Shining. His idea of a 'playhouse' was a makeshift room built up in a tree that would terrify any inspecting fire marshal.

"Why don't they just call it the palace theater?" Shining asked Cadence as they waited in line.

"They don't show movies here Shining. They do play productions. That's why it's a playhouse." She explained.

"Yeah but you don't play in it." He mocked. "And you always say how you want to go here as 'going to the theater'." He said.

"Yes but in that context- what I mean is- ARG! Sometimes I swear you deliberately try to misunderstand me." She huffed. Shining just laughed.

"Yeah, it's true I do." He admitted.

"Ah, Good evening Princess Cadenza. It's a pleasure to have you." The maître de at the door greeted, turning to Shining. "And you are?"

"Uh, he's my personal security for the evening." Cadence interjected. The short service pony behind the greeter had a brief look of surprise before quickly darting inside.

"Very good. Your booth has already been prepared for your arrival this evening." He bowed, as she passed with her 'guest'.

"Booth?" Shining whispered.

"Shining, I'm a Princess. I can't just sit in the general seating with the common rabble now can I?" She said with a grin. Shining knew that she didn't usually like to take advantage of her title. Usually that sort of thing was forced on her. But whenever she played along it was always with a sort of satirical mocking that Shining just found amusing to no end. He had gotten quite good at playing along himself.

"No. No we can't now, can we?" He said, as they both pointed their noses up in the air like snobby elitists, before they both broke down giggling at how silly the whole situation was. They walked up a small staircase to the balcony seats. It was a small booth in the back wall of the theater. Cadence had a large, custom seat with regal padding and upholstery. Beside it was a hastily-placed metal folding chair, presumably for him.

It was one of only two such booths. The other was a short ways away beside them. It was slightly larger, with a big, plush... throne for lack of a better descriptive. It didn't take a genius to figure out for whom it was reserved. Beside it was a smaller plush chair, similar to Cadence's.

Cadence settled into her seat, making herself comfortable. Shining... made do with his chair. The stage was in a good viewing position from their height. A grey mare poked through the curtains, waving at the attendance before promptly vanishing behind again. He looked over at Cadence's mini-throne. There was generous room for two. He was about to join her when the trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of the Royal Princess.

Or rather, Princesses.

Everypony in attendance rose from their seats as Celestia passed through the booth curtain onto her private balcony. Her sister, Luna, not far behind. She greeted the ponies in the audience below with a warm smile and a nod before taking her seat. Everypony else followed suit. Luna settled into her seat, looking as excited as a small filly on Hearth's Warming Day. Shining slumped back into his metal chair. With her aunts a mere thirty feet away, it seemed that invading Cadence's personal space that evening would have to wait.

As was tradition each year, the Princess, Celestia, would mock the play mercilessly from her perch on high. In olden times, it was a test of the actors' resolve. If she successfully caused any of them to falter, then they failed the test and were ejected from the play production afterwards.

In civilized times since, it had turned into a more lighthearted joking. It was the one night of the year that she got to really let loose in public. And no matter what happened in the play, even if it became a total disaster, the benevolent Princess would always be the first on her hooves to applaud at the end.

Still, her constant chatter made the seats at the very back of the theater that much less desirable for those who genuinely wanted to enjoy the play. And unless you were a complementary guest of the actors, the seats at the front, away from the range of her voice, became much more pricey.

Perhaps that was her plan all along.

The lights of the playhouse lowered, signaling the start of the play.

"Ah. It's about time!" Celestia shouted into the room. "I haven't got all night!"

Luna joined in. "But prithee, sister. Art thou not immortal?"

"I am! That makes them wasting my time all the more impressive."

"AH HA HA HA"
"AH HA HA HA"

They laughed together in unison. The ponies directly below them groaned. For them, it was going to be a long night. The curtains parted. Spike was onstage as the narrator for the evening.

"Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, -"

"YEAH! Sing it brother!" Celestia shouted, pumping her hoof in the air. Luna looked hurt.

"BLASPHEMY! We did also rule! Hath our name no merit any longer? Doth they no longer recognize our crown?" Luna asked. Celestia stared at her for a moment and then laughed.

"Nope! I guess not!"

Spike continued the story, undeterred, away from the range of their mockery. "... and so, mistrust between the tribes festered. Until one fateful day, it came to a boil!"

"HA HA HA!" Celestia laughed. "A festering boil! I guess they do remember you Luna! Or your BUTT anyway!"

"TIS A LIE!" Luna fumed. "We shall have thee know that our backside tis as immaculate as it hath ever been!"

Shining wasn't even watching the play anymore. The display in the balcony beside them was worth everything. He had never seen Celestia in such rare form. It was refreshing to see her acting so... normal.

"... So the summit of the tribes did not turn out as well as hoped. And the three leaders returned home to lick their wounds, and basically complain." Spike narrated.

"Yeah! Lick their crotch wounds!" Celestia yelled.

"SISTER! Hath thou no shame whatsoever?! How dare thee speak of such a crude subject. Especially in front of our loyal subjects?!"

"What's the matter? Getting butthurt from your crotch wound? AH HA HA HA!"

"NEIGH! Speaketh of our behind again and we shall pummel thine's all the way back to the castle!" Luna fumed.

Okay. Maybe 'normal' was being too generous of a descriptive. On stage, Rarity, in her role as Princess Platinum, made her way into the scene.

"Clover the Clever, I need you!" She called out. Twilight made her first appearance on stage, gaining Shining's attention back to the play itself.

"Yes your majesty." She said placing a blanket over her. "Did the other pony tribes see reason as I predicted?" Twilight said in her role as Clover the Clever.

"No Twilight!" Celestia shouted. "She just NEEDS you! She needs you to warm her up! She just came in from the cold and she needs you to get her body hot hot HAWT!"

"Please sister! Hath thou no respect even for thine own faithful student!?" Luna begged. Celestia lowered her voice.

"Luna, it's just a game. A bit of traditional fun to have with the common ponies. It's all in jest." Celestia explained. Luna's eyes lit up.

"Ah, 'tis tradition? We enjoy games!" Luna looked back to the stage. Princess Platinum continued to rant to Clover the Clever.

"... Unicorns are noble and majestic. We will no longer consort with the likes of them." She finished, slamming her hooves into the tub of warm water, splashing Twilight.

"HA HA! She hath gotten that mare wet, like during sexual intercourse!" Luna tried in a mocking shout. Celestia cringed, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder.

"Um, maybe you should leave this to the professional." She said.
~~~~~

The rest of the play went on like that. Shining's attention was divided between his sister on stage, his marefriend beside him, and the train wreck in the other balcony. His initial interest in coming out tonight was to see Twilight. And he was looking forward to spending time with Cadence, and perhaps being a little naughty. But with her watchful Aunt nearby, he couldn't even do that.

Celestia's little display was a whole different show on its own. Poor Luna's butt continued to be the... butt of many of her sister's jokes, and her own awkward attempts to mock the play continued to be almost painful to listen to.

But all good things must come to an end. After the final scene of raising the Equestrian flag, Celestia did indeed lead the standing applause as the full cast came back out on stage. The whole theater sang along with the traditional Hearth's Warming Eve carol.

Afterwards, Shining and Cadence made their way back down the stairs. She put a hoof on his shoulder, halting his descent. He turned to look back at her, only to be met with her lips on his. He pulled her close into him in a sweet embrace as they made out in the dark stairwell. He ran his hoof over her sensitive wings, causing them to involuntarily stand up stiff. She shivered under his touch.

"Hmm, you know just how to rub those." She purred.

"Do you think we have time?" He asked, cocking his eyebrows. She looked nervously down the stairs.

"Can you make it fast?" She asked. Her voice was ragged with heated desire. His wing play had already gotten her quite worked up. He just nodded vigorously. She could see that he was quickly becoming fully aroused. She turned and put her forehooves on the stairs above her, leaning low, her rump up high. She flagged her tail aside, exposing her hot, wet, marehood to him. The danger of the situation was a massive turn-on for both of them.

There was no pretense of foreplay. He mounted her immediately, his iron rod easily sinking to the hilt in her very ready pussy. She tried her best to stifle a moan. They had each hoped for a long, romantic evening of heavy petting in their private booth. It was now clear that their desire had been denied for far too long. He wasted no time as he started to just jackhammer away, utterly fucking her.

He didn't usually like to use that term. He would usually much rather prefer to 'make love' to her, or something similarly less vulgar. But there was no disguising what this was it that dark stairwell. With the quickie, there was no attempt to prolong the experience. They were each just trying to get off, and get each other off, as fast as they could. It was just pure, carnal, rutting. Unadulterated lust.

He was fucking her.
And she loved it.

She felt his member sliding in and out of her wanton, velvet tunnel with each of his powerful thrusts. Each time he sunk home, his heavy balls slapped against her sensitive clitoris, sending a bolt of electricity from her loins throughout her body, causing her wings to shudder. He leaned forward, nibbling on her tender wing tips. It turned her on hotter to no end!

Cadence could feel her climax getting close. The pressure was rapidly building in her tummy. She felt his cock begin to flare inside her, signaling that he was about to cum himself. That knowledge, and the new sensation of his widened girth forcing itself against the insides of her stretched pussy walls, sent her reeling over the top in perfect unison with his own throbbing bursts inside her.

Far downstairs, out of sight around a couple corners, an attendant called up the stairwell. "Miss Cadenza?"

"I'M CUMMING!" She shouted. Her pussy clamped down on Shining, milking his cock for all it was worth. He just grit his teeth, struggling to stifle his own moan as he pumped rope after rope of semen deep inside her.

Downstairs, the attendant was satisfied with the Princess's response that she was 'on her way.'
~~~~~

After a quick stop to the little fillies room to 'freshen up', Cadence rejoined with Shining outside the playhouse. They both still looked a little flush in their afterglow. Outside, anypony else would have chalked it up to the cold.

"Are you sure you won't come and see the folks? I'm sure they'd love to see you again." Shining asked.

"I'm sorry Shiny. I have to go to the palace and help prepare for the Hearth's Warming Day celebration. But you go and have fun with your family. You deserve it." She said. He pouted a little. "Hey. Thank you for... tonight." She said, smiling with a knowing wink. That got him to smile. "Good night, Shining Armor. Happy Hearth's Warming Eve." She spread her wings, flying off to the palace.

"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Princess." He whispered. Snow began to lightly fall around him. He turned to make the long walk across town back to his parents' home.
____________________________________________________________________

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Shining called into the house. He closed the door behind him, shaking off the dusting of snow that had accumulated on his fur on the way. He heard a bout of laughter from the living room and made his way inside. He could hear Twilight regaling them with tales of her adventures in Ponyville.

"... and so we all dressed up like Mare-Do-Well to teach her a lesson about humility. And it was fun pretending to be a superhero for a while." Twilight said.

"What was your super power? Reading?" Shining said, walking into the room. Twilight saw him in the doorway and leaped to her hooves.

"Shiny!" She exclaimed, running over and wrapping her hooves around him. He hugged her back.

"It's good to see you again Twilie." He said. "You were great in the play tonight!"

"You were there? I didn't see you." She asked.

"Sorry, you must have just missed me." He said. "But I'm here now! On holiday leave!" Twilight began hopping around.

"Oh, this is so exciting! It'll be just like old times!" She squealed. "We're gonna stay up all night, waiting for Santa Paws the Magic Reindeer to bring all the good little colts and fillies Hearth's Warming presents!" She started clopping her hooves together in glee.

"Don't stay up too late you two, or else Santa Paws won't stop at this house." Their mom said, as she and their Dad got up to retire to bed.
~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight walked back into the living room with a couple mugs of cocoa. She topped them each with a bit of whipped cream. However, Shining was paying more attention to the fact that she was now wearing long, pink and violet striped socks. He never told anypony, but he always secretly had a thing for a pony in socks. There was just something so arousing about them that he couldn't explain. But it really turned his crank. She passed his mug to him and he took a sip.

"Um, you've got a little..." She motioned to his nose. His eyes crossed as he tried to look at his own nose. He had a bit of whipped cream on the end of it. He tried in vain to lick it off before finally giving up. Twilight leaned in quickly and licked it off before either of them even had a chance to think about it.

The ensuing, awkward silence gave them each way too much time to think about it as they both blushed deeply. Twilight suddenly stood up.

"Hey, I just remembered!" She said, eager to change the subject. "I got you something." She went behind the couch and pulled out a small box, wrapped in pretty, decorated wrapping paper, with ribbon and a bow.

"Aw, Twilie, now I feel bad because I didn't have a chance to get you anything for tonight." He said.

"Oh that's okay. It's enough that you're here." She said, passing him the gift. He pulled at the bow and ribbon, and began tearing the ornate paper. Inside was a plain, oblong box.

oblong box

He nervously lifted the cover. Inside, it was white, mottled with blue and grey spots.

It was-

It was...

"Socks?" He pulled the set of socks out. They were polka dotted with grey and blue.

"Yeah! You can't have Hearth's Warming Eve without socks." She said waving her own hoof, showing her socks off. He started putting them on.

"Why is there five? I only have four-" Shining froze. Did she honestly expect him to wear a sock on his-

"It's for the hearth silly!" She said, pointing to the fire place. Three other stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Santa Paws would soon be there. One of them matched Twilight's set of pink and violet striped socks. The other two belonged to each of his parents he assumed.

"Oh. Right." He walked over with the fifth sock, taking the spare nail from the mantle and hammering it into the wood frame. He sat back down next to Twilight, levitating a blanket from the couch and wrapping it around them together. They each watched the fire crackle, sipping at their cocoa. She slowly leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, starting to doze off.

"So... what do you want for your Hearth's Warming wish?" She asked. He felt her warm body against his. He tried to think of something that didn't involve the words 'Twilight's' and 'plot'.

"I dunno. A new skateboard I guess. I haven't gotten a new one since I joined the guard. And my old one is too small for me now. I just- I don't really need anything I guess." He said, trying to keep it something safe. "What about you? What do you wish for?" He asked. Twilight placed her empty mug on the table. Her half-lidded eyes were on the verge of falling asleep. She rolled into him, pressing her muzzle into the soft fur of his strong chest, yawning.

.

"You're here. I've already got my wish."

Author's Note

Partly inspired by this. (safe)