Liquid Pride

Shining Armor was tied to Cadence's bed. Princess Luna was straddling his hips, rocking back and forth with him inside her. She could feel him getting close. Oh sure, he resisted at first, but no pony denies Luna for long. There was no ploy at deception this time. No disguise of subterfuge. Just pure, unadulterated, domination.

"We did tell thee we would have thou eventually. Immortal as we are, we hath naught but time to bide." She hissed with a wicked smile.

Shining wriggled and writhed beneath her, struggling against his bonds, trying to escape, but his hooves were securely fastened. Her spell on him had disabled his magic. He was completely at her mercy, and his struggles only served to stimulate the Princess further. He didn't want this. Not like this. He felt his body betraying him. He indeed was getting close. A few more thrusts of the Princess riding his shaft would send him over the point of no return.

BOOM

The door to his bedroom was kicked in. Cadence stood tall in the entrance, her wings fully flared, her eyes ablaze with rage. She reared up to attack.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" She demanded of the rutting pair.

"Oh gah, Cadence! Help me!" Shining cried out. "HHNNGG-" Shining couldn't stop. He felt himself erupting inside Princess Luna, spraying torrents of his potent semen deep into her fertile womb.

"HUZZAH! Thou art too late Cadenza!" Luna cackled "Thine stallion hath given us his seed. We shall have his foal! And thou art powerless to stop us!" Shining was too exhausted to do anything more than groan as he felt himself leaking from Luna and onto himself. He felt used, dirty, and nauseous. A pink blur flew across his field of view, tackling the Moon Princess from off his body. Cadence was now on top of him. To untie him.

Right?

"YOU CHEATING BASTARD!" She hollered at him, grabbing his mane and shaking him violently. She raised a hoof to bash him in the face. Shining tried to raise a shield to defend himself, but his magic failed him.

"NO! Cadie! It wasn't my fault! She tricked me!" He cried. Her hoof came down to strike him with terrible speed.
____________________________________________________________________________

"AHHH!" Shining screamed, trying to throw the pony off of him.

"Shining! It's okay! Wake up! It was just a bad dream!" Cadence said, trying to shake him awake. "It's okay! It's me!"

Shining peered into the darkness, trying to make out the figure of his marefriend. His eyes adjusted. Her eyes were filled with compassion, not anger. He was a sweaty mess. He still felt bound. His hooves were caught in the sheets.

"You were tossing and turning something fierce tonight. You got yourself all stuck in the sheets." Cadence explained as she helped free him. Shining rubbed his wrists. He had given himself rug burns from his night terror struggles. "I woke up when I heard you call out my name for help." She continued. "I saw that you were having a nightmare and I tried to wake you. And then you screamed. But it's okay now." She comforted.

"You- you heard me call out for help?" Shining asked.

"Yes, you were talking in your sleep." She said.

"Um- what else did you hear me say?" He asked.

"I couldn't make out anything else. I was just trying to wake you as fast as I could." She said. She pulled at the covers to remake the bed.

"UH- uh, actually, could you get me some water please?" Shining asked suddenly. Cadence released the covers.

"Sure. I'll be back in a minute." She said, heading out to the kitchen. Shining watched her as she left the room. Once she was gone, he pulled back the covers. His side of the bed was a sticky mess of his semen. He quickly pulled the soiled linen from the mattress and stuffed it into a crumpled ball in the hamper, pulling fresh sheets from the closet.

"What are you doing?" Cadence asked from the doorway with his glass of water. Shining closed the closet door and set to reassembling the bed.

"The sheets were... all sweaty. I thought it'd be a good time to change them anyway." He said.

"Okay." She replied, giving it no more thought. She gave him his glass of water. He sipped it quietly and they each climbed back into bed. "Sleep well." She said, snuggling close to him. He wrapped his hoof around her and held her close. Cadence laid her broad wing across her troubled stallion.

Even a Captain of the Royal Guard needs protecting sometimes.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

After his little episode, Shining had no further bad dreams that night. Cadence had seen to that. The remainder of his sleep was the peaceful rest he needed. Still, he wanted to talk to somepony about his bad dreams problem. But the resident expert in dreams would be awkward for him to talk to, considering- well, pretty much every interaction he'd ever had with her. He decided to follow protocol this time around, scheduling an appointment, and not dropping in unannounced on a powerful Alicorn demigod. Sunset was in an hour or so. Luna would be awake soon to attend to the night. Now was as good a time as any. He pushed open the door to Celestia's throne room.

"Your Majesty." Shining said as he bowed before Princess Celestia. "I wish to request an audience with your sister, Princess Luna." He asked. He braced himself for what was sure to be a thorough interrogation as to his reasons for such a request. Most who requested were denied by Luna's over-protective elder sister.

"That needn't be necessary, Captain..." Celestia answered. He figured that meant that she was no longer even accepting requests. "... Because you are on my sister's no-appointment-needed list." She finished.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked, surprised.

"Luna retains a list of ponies that may see her at their leisure." Celestia explained pulling a small scroll from her cabinet. "You are on that list."

"Really? Me? Who else is, if I may ask?"

Celestia looked over the scroll. "As of this moment..." She paused, as though counting, "You are the only one." She said flatly, keeping her expression stoic. She peered over the top of the scroll, staring at him, trying to read him. His training of being stared down by drill sergeants came to bear under her gaze. She narrowed her eyes by the slightest degree. She could sense nothing untoward from the Captain.

"Well Captain, if there is nothing else, you are dismissed."

"Um, actually, I was going to ask if there were any upcoming Ponyville assignments I might be able to volunteer for." Shining said. Celestia returned Luna's list to her cabinet, exchanging it for her day planner. She flipped forward several pages, scanning for 'Ponyville'.

"Hmm, the Ponyville Nightmare Night festival is coming up next week. Luna has expressed an interest in attending. She will need a security detail..." Celestia said. "And she does seem quite... taken- with you."

"That sound perfect! It would be my honor to-"

"Oh, no. Sorry." Celestia cut him off. "She already has a contingent of her Bat Pony night guards for the task." She flipped forward several more pages. "Hmm, no, I'm afraid there are no other taskings in Ponyville in the foreseeable future."

"Might I schedule some leave then?" Shining said at last, resigning that he would have to handle this himself on his own time if he was ever going to see Twilight again.

"Let me see... Yes, I can spare you for a while... the week after next. Is that suitable?" She asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your time." Shining said before bowing and turning to leave.

"Captain. There is just one other thing I wish to discuss." Celestia said, rising from her throne, striding over to him. She stood close to him, making a point to tower over him for a moment before leaning in close, whispering in his ear.

"I don't know what's going on between you and my sister. But do not for a moment consider a romantic relationship with her. Your mortal mind cannot fathom what she has been through.
And if you break her heart- I will break your neck. Is that clear?"

"Y- Yes ma'am. Crystal clear." Shining swallowed hard.

A wisp of green smoke flew into the window, materializing into a scroll before Celestia. She opened it reading it over quickly.

"Hmm, It seems that Spike has sent me a letter... Twilight seems to be letting her fears of being tardy with her friendship reports get the best of her, and she needs my immediate help." She said, turning back to him. "You are dismissed, Captain."

"But I could-" Shining started. Celestia vanished in a flash, teleporting to Ponyville. " - help..." Shining said to the empty throne room. He looked over at the new stained glass window of Twilight and her friends vanquishing Discord. The scene went dark as the sun set outside. He quietly swore to himself. "Buck."
_____________________________________________________________

KNOCK KNOCK

"Enter!" Luna's voice came from behind her door. Shining opened the door and walked inside. Luna was just returning from raising the moon on her balcony. "Captain! To what do we owe the pleasure of thine company this evening?" She greeted. He bowed briefly.

"Your Highness." He returned.

"Please, how many times must we beseech thee to call us Luna?" She said.

"At least one more time Your Highness." He said.

"Thou art still such the gentlecolt. Even after our... informalities." She smiled.

"That's kinda what I came to talk about." He said, scratching his mane nervously.

"Oh? Hath thou reconsidered our offer?" She said, sprawling onto her bed seductively.

"Um, no. It's just that, I've been having these... explicit dreams about, well, you." He explained.

"Hmm?" she purred.

"And, I know dreams are kinda your thing, and so I was wondering if you had anything to do with it." He said

"Art thou accusing us of manipulating thine dreams for our own ends?" She asked, looking hurt. Shining said nothing. With respect, those were not his words. And besides, he felt it was rude to answer a question with a question. He waited patiently for her response.

"No." She said finally. "It is not within our power to bend the free will of the dreams of ponies. Whatever thou art facing in thine dreams that thou finds undesirable, it is thee alone who hast the power to overcome them." Any trace of desire fled her face, replaced only with compassion for a good pony seeking her genuine help. Shining didn't feel much better. He believed her when she said that she hadn't a hoof in his bad dreams. But he had hoped there would be more she could do for him.

"Captain- Shining, here, take this." She levitated a large ring over to him. It appeared to be a branch, bent into a circle. Inside, a thread had been woven into an intricate pattern resembling a spider's web. Some beads and feathers were suspended from the bottom.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Tis a dream catcher. T'was a gift to us from the Buffalo Tribe Shaman near the Appaloosan settlement. It is said to 'catch' bad dreams if it is suspended by one's bed." She explained.

"Does it work?" He asked in all seriousness.

"If thou believes in it." She replied. He looked skeptical. "Shining, much of that which is magic, greatly depends on our faith in its machinations. Thine belief in thine magic powers it. So too with the dream catcher. It works if thou believes it will." She said. That answer would have to be good enough for him as he held it in front of him in his hoof.

"Thank you, Princess." He said, turning to leave.

"Goodnight, Shining."

"Goodnight... Luna."
_______________________________________________________________

Two weeks later

"... and we threw spiders and killed a pumpkin..." Luna recounted to Celestia.

"Uh huh.... Uh huh..." Celestia tried her best to show interest in Luna's story about her time in Ponyville for Nightmare Night.

"And we want to add a pony to thy list. His name is Pip. He is an Earth Pony in Ponyville. He just moved there from Trottingham." Luna said. Celestia added 'Pip' to her list under Captain Shining Armor. "And he said we were his favorite Princess. It pleased us greatly!"

"Uh huh- wait what?" Celestia perked up. "You're his favorite princess? Has he even met me?"

"We do not know. But he did proclaimeth that we were his favorite Princess. We heard it with thine own ears, as did several others."

"Hmm, I need to have a chat with this 'Pip'." Celestia noted in her mind.

"...And then we bobbed for apples and ate lots of candy and..." Luna continued.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Thank the heavens!" "Come in!" Celestia called out. Shining Armor opened the door, poking his head inside.

"Princess Cele- er- Princesses." He bowed quickly. "Good morning, I was just reporting for my off-duty, starting my leave today." He said. He already had his bag from his barracks locker. Celestia nodded in acknowledgement. He was about to close the door.

"Oh, Captain, just a moment if you would." Celestia called out. He stepped back inside. "Princess Luna here was just regaling me with tales of her trip to Ponyville last Nightmare Night. Would you be so good as to escort her to her quarters for the day. I'm sure she'd love to tell you all about it."

"Oh, would we!" Luna said, rising to her hooves to join Shining.

"Of course, Your Majesty. It would be my honor." He said. The pair left Celestia's chamber, leaving her in peace.

"I should give that stallion a medal..." Celestia mused, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"... and we threw spiders and killed a pumpkin..." Luna recounted to Shining. The pair arrived at her door. "...And then we bobbed for apples and ate lots of candy and..."

"YES. WELL, here we are." Shining announced. "Um, it's been fun, and I wish I could stay, but- I have a train to catch."

"Oh, some other time perhaps?" Luna asked.

"Yes. Of course." Shining said, leading her inside her room. "Sleep well."

"Shining, how hath thou been sleeping? Hast thy dream catcher been working for thee?" She asked.

"Yes. Thank you. For that. But, I really gotta go. Okay?" Shining said anxiously.

"Ah yes. Farewell Captain."

"Princess."
__________________________________________________________________

Shining had run every morning since he joined the Guard. He was in the best shape of his life. He'd even run from honest-to-goodness dragon attacks. But nothing moved his hooves quite like leaving the palace for some well deserved time off. As the last gate to the palace closed behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Free."

He started down the road to his childhood home. He could at least stop by and see his parents before he boarded the train to Ponyville that afternoon. He opened the door to his family home, calling out to his parents.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

"We're in the kitchen dear!" He heard his mom yell back. He trotted to the kitchen where they were having lunch. She had already finished and was sorting through the day's mail. His dad was finishing his sandwich while perusing a copy of the Hoofington Post.

"Hey, I thought I'd stop by and see you before I headed to the train station." Shining said, taking a seat at the table, helping himself to one of the apples in the fruit bowl.

"Oh, did Twilight send you another copy?" His mom asked. Shining's ears perked up.

"Of... what?" He asked. His mom held up a scroll, handing it to him. Shining took it in his hoofs, unrolling it.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I will be arriving in Canterlot next Friday evening coinciding with Shining's scheduled leave. Looking forward to seeing all of you again and spending some time after being in Ponyville all year. We have so much to catch up on.

- Twilight

"That's why you were going to the train station right? To meet her there?" She asked. Shining silently crumpled up his ticket to Ponyville in his bag's pocket.

"Uh, yeah, exactly. You know me, I can't wait to see her!" He said.

"Well, we have a bit before her train gets here. Why don't you tell us what it's been like being in the Royal Guard?" She asked. Visions of being seduced by the Princess of the Night who was disguised as his sister flashed through his head, culminating in the memory of his marefriend rutting him senseless as a temporary stallion.

"Oh, you know... The usual." He said. "Guard patrol, royal guests, chaos spirits. Stuff like that."

"Yes, tell us about vanquishing Discord!" She said excitedly.

"Well, I wasn't really... directly involved in that- matter." He said cautiously.

"So no dragon slaying stories this time?" She said with a pout.

"No, sorry." He shrugged.

"Hmm, well tell us again about that last dragon you fought. I love that story!" She said.

"Oh, okay." He resigned. "It was last spring. We were scouting the southeast boarder on a routine patrol. There had been reports of hostilities in the area. That was when we saw this huge shadow in the sky coming in on us for a strafing run..."

"... and there was so much blood we just slid down the mountain like a water slide!" He finished. His mother just shook her head at him.

"How you ever washed your fur to be white again I'll never know." She said, looking up at the clock. "Oh, Twilight's train will be here in about a half an hour. Why don't you head on over there and surprise her?"

Shining Armor made record time getting to the station. He was grateful for his physical conditioning. He was barely winded. He had finished the thirty minute walk in barely half that time. Despite ample seating, he stood ridged on the train station, as close to the edge as he legally could, closest to the end facing the approaching train's direction, as though somehow willing the train to arrive sooner.

The locomotive smoke on the horizon slowly became a shimmering point of light. His eyes followed its path into the mountain tunnel and then to the ridge-side pass, the shimmering point resolved into the vague, elongated shape of a train, and then into individual cars. The train neared the station. He could feel the pounding of the locomotive's loud, powerful engine resonating in his chest.

Or maybe it was his pounding heart.

Shining began sweating nervously. He felt his hooves get clammy as the engine passed by him. Steam hissed from the boiler and the breaks squealed as the train ground to an eventual halt. A voice called from the front of the train through a megaphone cone.

"Canterlot Station! Disembark for Canterlot Station! Mind the gap! Next stop, Baltimare!"

Mares and stallions of all walks of life exited the train. His eyes scanned each of them quickly looking for his sister. Lavender fur. Violet hair. Lavender fur. Violet hair. Lavender fur. Violet hair!

"Twilie!" He called out. She seemed to be distracted with something. She looked like she was arguing with the engineer about something. He quickly waded through the crowd over to her.

"... sir, I'm just saying that if you look at the math, a petroleum powered internal combustion engine would be much more efficient and- SHINY!" Much to the engineer's relief, Twilight abandoned her proposal for locomotive reform in favor of embracing her brother. "Shiny, I haven't seen you in forever!" She squealed, hugging him tightly. It was all he could do to just hug her back with equal enthusiasm.

Here she was. After all this time. Here she was, in his hooves.

"Twilie! Aw, I've missed you kid. How was the train ride?" He gushed.

"Well, I was actually expecting a chartered chariot back after my last trip to Ponyville. But Celestia said that since this wasn't on official 'friendship studies' business, she couldn't justify the travel expense. But other than that, I mostly just read my book on the way here. Passed the time."

"Ah, you and your books. Same old Twilie." He said with a smile.

"So, are you excited?" She asked him.

"Uh, for what?" He asked back. She gave him a playful jab in the side of his ribs.

"You know! For the Canterlot Brohoof Bash!" She said. Shining did his best to parry a look of a deer in headlights. The poker face he managed convinced him in that moment that he should have pursued a career in professional gambling.

"Oh. Yeah, of course!" He lied.

"Have you read up on the events?" She asked.

"No, sorry. I've... been busy at work." He said.

"Well don't worry. I'm sure that we'll be ready by tomorrow if we practice tonight."

"...'kay..." Shining felt himself being strung along by forces outside of his control again. He didn't like the feeling. But he could accept the new puppet master as long as it was her. They took their time walking home. He had gotten to her fast. Now he wanted to take it slow, and cherish this time with her.

"... and so that was how I helped Princess Luna understand what Nightmare Night was all about." Twilight finished recounting her adventures in Ponyville for the past year. They had taken the long, long, LONG way home to accommodate her thorough story telling. By the time they arrived home, the sun had just set, and the city's sky was quickly becoming dark with the onset of Luna's night.

"Oh, there you two are!" Their mother said as they walked inside her house. "I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry Mom. We were just catching up on the way home and we took a little detour." Shining explained.

"A little?" She said, looking at the clock.

"Okay, a big detour. But we're here now. Safe and sound." He said, putting her bags down. He hadn't realized how heavy they were until he felt the burden of their weight leave his shoulders. They ached something fierce now.

"Hi Mom!" Twilight squealed, leaping into her mother's hooves, diffusing the situation instantly. "I missed you and Dad so much!" She said, nuzzling her cheek.

"I've missed you too, Twilight." She said, squeezing her. "Um, we still only have the one guest bed so... I guess you two will have to fight it out over who gets the bed and who can sleep on the couch." She said, motioning to the sofa behind them. It was older than both of the siblings.

"Twilie, you should get the bed of course!" Shining immediately said.

"Oh, no. You carried my bags all the way here, you must be aching, you take the bed!" Twilight said.

"Twilie, that couch is way more comfy than any cot at the barracks. I'll be fine." He said.

"No. I have a bed at home. You have a cot at work that you have to sleep on all the time. I'll sleep on the couch. If you sleep on the couch, I'm gonna sleep on the floor!" Twilight insisted.

"Alright. I don't want to argue. I'll take the damn bed." He huffed, and then smiled. She really did care about him.

Later that evening after a gregarious dinner, Shining settled into his old bedroom bed. Their foalhood bedroom had been transformed into a rudimentary guest room for when either of them happened to visit. Therefore, it had gone largely unused since he had moved out.

He laid there on his old bed, staring out the window at the night cityscape. The illuminated figure of the castle in the distance reminded him not of his day-to-day work there, but of his dreams as a younger colt, preparing to enlist for the Royal Guard. And laying there, he felt, just, safe. Like no matter what else happened in his life, if it all fell to pieces, he could still come back here, to this house, this home, this room. And it would be okay. With each blink, his eyes closed a bit longer. His tired eyelids closed one last time. Sleep took him.

Shining was stirred from his sleep briefly after he found it. He felt another weight climbing into the bed. He had shared a bed enough times with Cadence before that he thought nothing of it. Just Cadence coming back from getting some water. He thought. He moved to wrap his hoof around his marefriend. The instant of the first muscle contracting in his arm brought him acutely back to reality.

His eyes opened. He looked around himself. This was not his room. This was not Cadence's room. He was at his parents' house in his old bedroom. That was not Cadence in bed with him. It was-

Shining's arm froze. He had barely moved it from his side. Hardly an inch even. But with careful, deliberate patience, he returned his hoof to his side a fraction of an inch at a time. His eyes strained at the darkness. Her straight combed mane filled his field of view. He could just barely make out the highlight streak of pink in her violet locks. And her scent! Only now, with the genuine article bombarding his senses, could he see how trite Luna's attempts were at replicating Her. Luna hadn't deceived him, he let himself be deceived with his desire.

Adrenalin flooded his system. "Luna, if this be a dream, let it never end." His every sense told him otherwise. He was really in his bed. She was really there beside him. He had a thousand questions. Most began with 'Why?' Why are you in this bed with me? Why have you rewarded my wishes so? Why do you torturer me so?

And yet an instant later, as quickly as they had arose, his questions vanished from his mind. Dream or not, he decided to simply enjoy this for what it was. Whatever it was. He snuggled closer to the mare in his bed, draping his hoof across her.
_______________________________________________________________________

Shining Armor packed lightly for his visit to his parents' house. Among the trivial items he disregarded were Luna's dream catcher. That night, he had a very embarrassing dream that he was laying in bed with a mare. She pressed herself close to him, grinding against him. And that when morning came, he was sporting very turgid morning wood. To his surprise, the mare reached back and gave his shaft a couple of gentle tugs, and then left his bed before the dawn.

Shining awoke from his strange dream. He was alone in bed after all. But he was still, very proudly sporting morning wood. He sat up in bed. It was not yet dawn outside. But the morning light was glowing dimly on the horizon.

FLUSH

Shining heard the noise from the restroom in the second floor hallway. He immediately played possum, laying back down, feigning sleep. He dared to open one eye just a sliver to peek at whoever it was. Twilight opened the bathroom door. She walked into the bedroom, reaching for the covers to climb in the bed. She looked hesitantly at the approaching dawn and thought better of it. She released the sheet, opting instead to head back downstairs to the couch.

But- it was a dream. Wasn't it?
__________________________________________________________________

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Shining lurched forward in bed, striking his alarm off. Little Shiny was tenting the sheets in front of him, but that was nothing new to him. It would pass in a few moments. He squinted out the window, counting down the seconds.

"... and three... two... one." He brought a hoof to shield his eyes from the sun cresting over the horizon. "Right on time. As usual." Shining's pulse was still pounding from the adrenalin of the mechanized waking. And also because- because...

His memories came flooding back. Last night, the mare, the dream, Twilight! He looked at the bathroom. It was empty. He inspected the bed and blankets for any sign of her presence. A particular way the sheets were pulled, any errant purple hairs.

"Nothing." He said quietly to himself, frustrated. Finally convinced that it was indeed just a dream, he roused himself from his bed and began to prepare himself for the day. Downstairs, Twilight was already at the breakfast table.

"Hey Twilie! What's for breakfast?" He asked.

"A banana and peanut butter." She said, handing him one that she had just prepared.

"Really? That seems a little strange." He said. "Why?"

"The banana had good potassium and vitamins for energy. And the peanut butter is a good source of low cholesterol protein." She said, spreading some peanut butter onto her own banana. "Plus, it tastes about the same on the way up as it does on the way down." Shining looked at her a little puzzled. "The last time I really physically exerted myself I was a little... ill."

"Ah." Shining sat down, biting off a piece, and chewed on his breakfast. Twilight was idly doing a crossword puzzle. She insisted on the banana being covered with peanut butter to begin with, but had a weird habit of eating it separate from the banana. Shining watched the uncomfortable scene unfold as Twilight licked the spread from the dangerously phallic-looking food, sucking on it to an obscene amount. He tried not to stare. At least he tried not to be obvious about staring.

He tried at least.

On the way to the Brohoof Bash, Twilight briefed him on the events. Shining's stomach growled a bit. One banana does not a complete breakfast make.

"I'm still a bit hungry." He said.

"That's good." She said. "There is a pie eating event that you need to save room for. Besides, it's better to work out on an empty stomach."

"Work out?" He asked, a little incredulous.

"Yeah, it's a lot of physical activities, culminating in a timed obstacle course race!" She said excitedly. "And no magic allowed. So we need to be on the top of our game to keep up with the earth pony teams."

"Okay, pie-eating contest, obstacle course, what else?" He asked.

"Here, let me show you." She pulled the flier from her bag. "There is also a Twister competition, water-volleyball and a six-legged race."

"Wow, sounds like it's going to be quite a day." He said, reading over the paper.

"Yeah, but I'm sure we can win this if we work together." She said with a smile, nudging him with her shoulder as they walked, quickly nuzzling his neck with her forehead.

"Wait, where is this being held?" Shining asked, noting their location and direction.

"Oh, they have the whole thing set up in the west castle courtyard." She answered. Shining dreaded being anywhere near the castle while he was on vacation leave. It just made it that much easier for him to get roped into doing castle guard work on his time off.

"Are- are the Princesses going to be at this thing?" He asked nervously.

"No, they're actually doing their own thing this year in Ponyville." She explained.

Shining was suddenly very relieved that he had avoided spending his time off in that town this week. They arrived at the palace and were each given a matching colored team handkerchief. The announcer began explaining the rules and scoring system. Each event would be worth so many points. Whichever team at the end of the event with the most points would be this year's winners and receive a blue ribbon.

Twilight wasn't listening. She had already begun limbering up, doing her stretches.

Shining wasn't listening. He was watching Twilight limbering up, doing her stretches.

"The first event will be the Twister competition!" The announcer said at last. There were several other brother teams and a few other brother/sister teams. The event referee would hit the spinner, calling out the limb and color. The first team to have a member not be able to reach a spot or to fall, was eliminated. Two rounds of teams went before Twilight and Shining were called up.

Twilight recognized the other team, Thunderlane, and his little brother Rumble. The four of them each stood on a side of the large, square play mat. Shining and his sister stood opposite one another. The ref called out the first instruction.

"Left foreleg, red!" The four contestants each placed their left foreleg on a red circle. "Right hind leg, green!" The group all followed along. Several instructions later, the two teams had far outlasted the two previous matches. It was truly the game that ties you up in knots. The mass of ponies on the mat was a tangled mess of fur and limbs. Twilight and Shining were both adults, giving them the advantage of a longer reach. But tiny Rumble was able to squeeze into the tiny spaces between everypony else.

"Left hind leg, yellow!" That one practically had Twilight doing the splits. It was a good thing she stretched before they started, she thought. "Left foreleg blue!" Three of the ponies were able to get to a blue spot with little difficulty. However, Shining was faced with a dilemma. The last blue spot available was underneath Twilight. Each side of her was crowded with pony. The only way he could reach it would be by going between her splayed hind legs. Twilight looked back at Shining.

"Shiny, there's a blue spot open under me." She said.

"I- I don't know if I can get to it." He said nervously.

"Come on! At least try! I want to win this thing!" She said, practically ordering him with her seriousness. Shining carefully reached under her, pushing her tail aside, sliding his hoof as low as he could to the mat. He was nearly there. His face was perilously close to her marehood. She was not aroused in the slightest, but her idle scent was unmistakable at such close proximity. He stretched his neck as far away from her as he could, willing his leg to stretch an extra inch. His face was turned away to the point of straining his neck.

"Am I there? I can't see." He asked Twilight.

"No, you need to slide two inches closer." She guided. He looked behind him. The other two were already exchanging glances of victory, smiling widely.

"I- don't think-"

"Just do it you wimp!" She barked. Buck it. Shining went for broke. If she felt uncomfortable, she'd surely say something. He shifted his weight slightly, sliding his hoof across the mat onto the blue circle. Shining felt her heat on him as his shoulder rested against her soft pubic mound. His cheek was mashed squarely against her marehood, separated by the mere width of her shielding violet tail hair. Twilight didn't say another word. She didn't even flinch. Her mind was dead focused on winning, blocking out all other sensations. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the next command from the ref.

"Right hind leg, red!" Shining brought his leg forward easily enough. Twilight had to stretch hers backwards, causing her tail to shift aside. The side of Shining's face was now in direct contact with her burning hot nethers. His blushing was legendary, showing up starkly against his white fur. He considered just dropping to the floor. But Twilight would never forgive him for forfeiting, and all this discomfort would have been for nothing. He could feel little Shiny getting excited. He focused on the crowd of onlookers, focused on the fear of public embarrassment. It was all he could do to prevent his semi from exiting his sheath. But it remained hidden. For now. He prayed for the commands to come faster as the sound of the spinner slowed to an agonizing halt.

"Right foreleg, green." Shining was able to get to an easy one beside Twilight. She reached one further ahead, making her lean forward, her crotch slid down, grinding against his foreleg before, mercifully, no longer toughing his leg or face. But her new position had her forward half low, and her hindquarters up in the air. And Shining had front row seats to her display. He averted his eyes to, well, anywhere else in the room.

"Left foreleg-" Oh thank goodness Shining thought, quickly retracting his intruding leg from between her legs. "yellow!" The other three once again were quick to make their selections. Shining considered his options. The only yellow left was beside her left foreleg. But her entire rest of her body was between him and the spot. He'd have to reach over her. His other leg was already beside her. He'd have to practically... mount her. She looked back at him.

"It's the only one left." She said, nodding at the open yellow spot. He reached forward, shifting his body over hers, their hips butting together as he placed his hoof onto the spot. He could feel her body's pressure on his yet-hidden semi in its sheath. There was no way she couldn't feel it against her backside also. Shining saw a flash from a camera in the crowd. Shining felt his face turn a darker shade of red.

"Right hind leg, blue." Shining and Twilight turned to the sound of a thud as Thunderlane lost his balance, falling to the mat. The match was finally over, they had won. Shining quickly dismounted his sister.

A volleyball net had been strung up across the pool. Twilight and Shining were now on the same team as Thunderlane and Rumble. On the other side of the net was Little Pip, and his older brother in the back, and up front were two twin stallion brothers. They had identical yellow fur and red and white striped manes and tails. They would be indistinguishable from one another but for one of them sporting a mustache.

Shining and Twilight were at the net on their side. After the first several serves, the score was close at nine points a piece. The ball came over the net. Rumble set it forward to Shining. He bumped it over the net. Only to have it spiked back at him by one of the twin brothers towering over him. He was sitting on his brother's shoulders, giving him a tremendous height advantage.

"Hey come on! That isn't fair! Ref?!" Shining yelled, looking to the official on the sidelines.

"There's no rule against it." The zebra answered, putting the tiny rule book back into his shirt pocket.

"Fine. Two can play that!" Twilight huffed, climbing onto her brother.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Shining panicked, feeling her weight suddenly on him.

"Evening the odds." She said confidently, settling in and straddling his shoulders. He wasn't about to argue with her when she was this determined. Her light frame was of no burden to him compared to his usual heavy armor at work. He took her weight with ease. Her wet hair and tail laid plastered to his back.

"Let's do it!" She said. The strangeness of her saying 'let's do it' while on top of him was not lost on Shining. Between that thought and the memories from twister seared into his mind, he was silently grateful that his arousal was hidden beneath the surface of the water.

Twilight's idea served them well. Despite every underhoofed tactic the Flim Flam brothers employed, Shining and Twilight at the net were able to keep pace. Flim on top of his brother edged out a few inches in height as a tall stallion, keeping Twilight on the defensive. The score climbed, keeping close, if not tied the entire time. it came down to the wire at twenty points a piece. The next score would win the match.

"Shiny, I have an idea." Twilight whispered. "Do you think you could balance me on your head?"

"What? That's crazy!" He said.

"Let me try. Levitate me up to sit on top of your head before the next serve." She instructed. Shining lifted her with his magic, setting her on top of his head. She sat upright, her hind legs dangling on either side of his head. She was now head and shoulders over the brothers. Flim was much heavier than her. And Flam did not have the physical strength that Shining sported. It was a bit of a workout for Shining's neck, but nothing he couldn't handle for at least this last play.

Thunderlane put up the serve, sending it over to Pip's brother. He tried to set it forward for Flim to spike it, but overshot his mark slightly, sending it straight to Twilight. She went for it with gusto, spiking it for the win with extreme prejudice. In her haste, she nearly lost her balance, sliding forward, stopped from falling only by Shining's horn.

This only left her in a more precarious position with the side of his horn mashed into her now-parted vulva. She flailed her hooves, trying to regain her balance, leaning backwards. It only served to roll her hips, exposing more of her slit against his horn. One of her hind legs managed to gain a footing on his shoulder. She tried to lift herself from his head so she could shift her weight backwards. Shining, struggling to remain still beneath her her movements, tried to lean his head back to help her move backwards. But his timing coincided with her lifting herself from him. He moved his head back too far under her.

When she came back down, she sat right on his horn. In an instant, his sensitive horn was buried inside her warm love tunnel. His horn was inside his sister's vagina! Shining panicked. His legs buckled. The pair collapsed into the pool, mortified.

The entire affair lasted only a second. The other players were already exiting the pool. The crowd was already dispersing, heading toward the next event area. Nopony realized what had happened.

Except two.

The siblings exchanged embarrassed glances in the water. They shared a simultaneous look of "Yes, I know one of us was just inside the other. Now let's pretend it never happened and never speak of it again." They quickly exited the pool.

From opposite sides.

The rest of the Brohoof Bash was comparatively uneventful. Shining's ravenous hunger won them the Pie Eating event by a mile. And even though they didn't come in first for the obstacle course, they still had enough points to win the Brohoof Bash First place blue ribbon that year!
____________________________________________________________________

Twilight took the ribbon from her bag, looking at it again as they walked home. She smiled, putting it away again.

"Twi, I- sorry about, you know-" Shining tried.

"Shiny, it- it was just an accident. So, don't worry about it." Twilight said before he struggled further with his apology.

"I just- I hope I didn't hurt you or anything." Shining said after a moment.

"No, no no. It didn't hurt. It felt g-" Twilight bit her tongue, mentally berating herself for nearly saying that being penetrated by her brother felt 'good'. Even if it did. She felt ashamed. "It didn't hurt. I'm fine. Now let's just- forget about it okay?"

"Yeah, that's- that's a good idea." Shining said.

The ensuing silence was painful.

"But hey, we won right?" Shining said, desperate now to change the subject.

"Yeah, yeah we did." Twilight said, smiling, pulling the ribbon from her bag again, showing it to him again for the um-teenth time.

At home, Shining collapsed onto his bed, exhausted from the day. Downstairs, Twilight penned a short letter to the Princess. She didn't have Spike with her, so she would have to wait until she got back to Ponyville or deliver it personally while she was in Canterlot.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today, on a separate adventure at the Brohoof Bash, I learned the importance of loving your brother, even if you don't always get along.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.