Author's Notes:

As some of you may have noticed, this is the first story I labeled with a 'mature' tag. This is due to me wanting to try and write a sex scene in this story. I did my best to make it as tasteful as possible and relevant to the actual plot.

If you don't want to read something like that, then when Firestar says: “Shh… The time for talk is over.” simply skip down to the next scene break.

If this does not offend you please look it over and let me know what you think. (Is it any good? Should I keep it up? Never do it again?) As this is my first attempt at writing something like this, I am interested in any feedback you have.

Thanks in advance.

Ataxia awoke to the light of Princess Night’s sun. She relished the warmth provided by that shining globe. Few ponies knew it yet, but Shimmering Night had started to take over the day shift from Luna, something the Princess of the Night was eternally grateful for. For Ataxia, that simply meant she could spend more time with Shimmering Night, which was something she was eternally grateful for.

Ataxia smiled as she rolled out of bed. She had personally requested a room with a view to the east just so she could have this moment. Stretching out in the sunlight, she arched her back and then relaxed. The combination of a good stretch along with the warm light was her drug of choice in the morning. One she would never get enough of.

Looking over to the window, she laughed as she remembered the one time she caught somepony staring in at her. She turned the little toad into his namesake for that. He spent two weeks as a frog, hopping from place to place until Fluttershy finally found him and asked her to turn him back. Of course, now she would never do something like that. The poor colt’s parents were worried sick about him. Not to mention how mad Fluttershy had been. She supposed that maybe, just maybe, his story about simply looking for a ball was true, something that had a little more credence by the fact that she found the ball the next day in her bushes.

“Live and learn.” She said to nopony in particular as she dismissed that troubling memory. Ataxia rolled on her back to let the sun hit her stomach. Much to her annoyance, as soon as she was comfortable a cloud blocked her source of warmth. Ataxia briefly considered blasting the rogue cloud to its component atoms and then finding out which pegasus was responsible for placing it there and making them pay for it. She held back on that though. The last time she declared war on the weather ponies it had not ended well for, well, anyone. It took them almost six months to repair the damage and get back on schedule. Still, the weather ponies in Ponyville now knew better and they had passed the word onto their comrades in Canterlot. Sadly, that warning did not seem to make it to the Crystal Empire.

As such, it was with remarkable restraint on her part that Ataxia did not do anything about it. She merely stoked the dragon fire in her chest and let that warm her the rest of the way up. She hated doing it this way, it felt too much like cheating. However, Cadance would not be happy if she made a scene. After their battle with Tartarus, the two of them had developed a mutual respect and admiration for each other.

She grunted in annoyance as the Cloudsdale pegasi team added even more clouds to the sky. She knew the forecast called for overcast today. That did not make the reality of the situation any easier. She already missed the sun. Well, that was not entirely true. She would never admit it, but it was not the sun she liked; it was the pony that controlled the sun.

Her subconscious kept trying to send her that message every single day for half a year now; she would find herself stealing unintentional glances at the newest princess. Her eyes would linger places that they should not be looking at for a little too long. Her heart would race every time she heard her laugh, or if they were simply in close proximity to each other for any real amount of time.

Unfortunately, it was a message totally lost on the mare; her experience with love came in the form of dragging whatever stallion or mare she found attractive from a bar and giving him or her the old wham, bam, thank you (even if they were not interested). Ataxia only had a few emotional connections in her life; while that number had been increasing of late, her first real one was with Fluttershy… Fluttershy was the mare that took her in, the one that seemed to know just what to say, the one who sincerely wanted to be her friend, and the one she let die.

She reconsidered teaching these pegasi why they should not block her light in the morning. It was a thought that she immediately lost when she saw a team of Wonderbolts doing a flyover.

‘It’s been awhile since my last hunt!’

By ‘awhile’ it had been a whole two days. Her smile turned to a frown when they pulled up and looped around. They were just getting in some practice. However, their stunt did knock the clouds out of the way, much to the enjoyment of Ataxia and the displeasure of the weather ponies that now had to move them all back in place. However, that brief glance of the sun did remind the mare of a certain somepony who was already up.

Ataxia found herself with a small spring in her step as she headed out the door and down the hall. ‘Night should be in the throne room with Cadance.’ She thought. Her mind then went to all the fun they could have today just hanging out, well, all the fun they would have if Night would actually go along with any of what Ataxia suggested. Somehow, the mare could be a total buzzkill and awesome at the same time. It was a conundrum worthy of an egghead to figure out.

Her thoughts almost caused her to walk straight into Emperor Siros.

“Pardon me, dear.”

“Watch where you're goin- …Oh, Emperor Siros… hi.”

The griffin smiled at the mare. The two of them had an odd relationship. He helped awaken her other side, her dragon side. The side she inherited from her father, Spike. However, that did not help the odd looks she got from every pony that saw her transformation. Not that she cared… but still.

“Please, just Siros. My son is emperor now.”

“Only because you don’t want the job.”

He laughed at that. “What can I say? The old guard has to make room for the young bucks at some point.”

Ataxia just looked at him odd; Equestria did not run that way, so why did the Griffin Empire do so? “I guess, seems kind of inefficient. What if your new leader isn’t any good?”

Siros smiled. “That’s the job of the old guard, to train their next leader.”

“If you say so.”

“Anyhow, where were you off to in such a hurry?”

“I was just off to see Night in the throne room.”

Siros nodded at her. ‘I thought as much.’ He thought to himself. “Allow me to accompany you; it will do these old bones good to get some exercise.”

“Sure. Tell me, how are things going in Warclaw?”

“You should see it now Ataxi-“ His sentence was cut off by a loud shouting noise coming from the side room.

“YOU BUCKING ASSHOLE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” A door opened up and a panicking Icarus ran out of it before slamming it behind him. They heard several loud banging noises hitting the other side of the door, including one that caused the entire wall to vibrate. Icarus looked at the two in the hallway, his breathing heavy and beak agape.

“What the buck?” Ataxia asked.

“So, I take it this is one of her better mornings?”

Icarus took a minute to catch his breath before replying to his father. “Yeah… you could say that.”

“What did you do?”

Both griffins looked at her with an odd expression on their faces. “You didn’t see at dinner?” Icarus said sarcastically.

“Ahh… ok, I get it. Wow... that’s a bitch, huh?”

“You could say that, I’m afraid it’s all part of the joys of pregnancy.” Siros laughed.

“You two going out, or anywhere? I don’t care where. If so, please let me come too.”

Just then, the door opened up and a pissed-off Aurora looked out. “I don’t bucking think so, get your flank back in here, now!” She grabbed the griffin by his tail and yanked him back inside. The other two watched him be tossed into the room as he cried out loud; “Save me!”

Aurora nodded at Siros before slamming the door shut, soon after the yelling picked up again; magnified several times over. Ataxia looked at Siros and noticed that he still had a smile on his face.

“He’s bucked, isn’t he?” She asked the old griffin.

“Oh yeah.”

“Are you going to do something to help?”

“You kidding? I may not have long left, but I do want to see my grandkid before I die.”

Ataxia laughed at that and continued on, and the two went the rest of the way in silence, although they both had a smile on their face as they walked. When they entered the throne room, Princess Night was sitting down to tea with Princess Cadance. Siros looked over at a disappointed Ataxia. He had seen that look on faces too many times to not know what the cause was. The wise old griffin walked right up to Cadance and started making small talk with the skill only a seasoned diplomat possessed. Siros expertly managed to bogart Night right out of the conversation without being rude or offensive.

Ataxia did not know why the old griffin did what he did but she was grateful for it. Seizing on this opportunity, she jumped up and went over to talk to Night.

“Hey Night! What’s on the agenda for today?”

Night laughed as she saw her life-long friend walk up to her. “Ataxia it’s Saturday, plus I’m on vacation until Monday.”

“Soo….”

“Nothing Ataxia, I have nothing planned.”

“Great! Come with me!”

“Ataxia!!!!” Night shouted as Ataxia dragged her out the room and down the hall by her hoof.

Cadance watched them go with a smirk; she turned to Siros with a knowing smile on her face. “You know that wasn't necessary, I wouldn’t have kept them apart.”

He grinned back. “I know, but how often does someone get to talk with a mare as pretty as you, especially when that mare is the Princess of Love.”

Cadance blushed at that. “You always were a flatterer.”

He bowed playfully at the princess. “What can I say? I know true beauty when I see it.”

Cadance smiled. “Siros, if I didn’t know better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me.”

Siros sighed at that comment. “No princess, that's a younger griffin’s game. My days of chasing tail are over. Me, I'm simply happy to be in the presence of someone as lovely as you.”

Cadance’s smile left her at that. She could not help but feel sorry for the old griffin. ‘He’s still pining over her.’ she thought to herself. Cadance placed a hoof on the old bird’s shoulder. “I know she means a lot to you.”

“Not really, she married me for my title you know, she never really loved me. Icarus took her death hard, but I never thought anything more of it myself.”

“I wasn’t talking about your wife.” Cadance said with a small smile. “I know how you feel about her, I knew it the first time I saw you two in the same room together.”

He glanced up at the princess, a small tear falling from his eye. “I never knew anyone… anyone as stunning as her before, but she loves another. I… I could never interfere with something like that. I… I may want her, but more than that, I want her to be happy, and Twilight makes her happy. I... I could never get in her way.”

Cadance embraced the griffin in her hooves. A few more tears left him when he finally faced his unreciprocated love. She slowly ran a hoof down his back. The griffin was the oldest of his race, wise beyond his years, and served as a symbol of the strength for his kind. Yet, at this moment, he felt as weak as a newborn foal. She could feel every shudder of his body as he let loose all the emotion that he kept bottled up over the years.

“You know, we are built to love, we love deeply and passionately. Enough that we wouldn't even hesitate to spend our own lives to save those we love. However, there is no safety if they don’t love us back. Such unrequited love can tear us apart faster than anything else in the world.”

“That’s where you're wrong, princess.” He spoke, his own pain temporarily relieved by simply being held in the hooves of the Princess of Love. “Our love is its own safety net, for if you love someone enough, you can let them go, and your happiness will come simply from seeing them happy.”

She laughed a little. “I suppose that’s true.”

……………………………………………………………..

Two ponies lay out on the islands of Vanhoover. Each spread out on the beach, simply relaxing and soaking up the rays of the sun. Of course, one pony lying on top of the other caused the latter to miss a few of the rays, but in his expert opinion, her warmth more than made up for it, even if his legs were going numb.

“So tell me, how does it feel to be Princess Firestar?”

Firestar lifted her head from her husband’s chest and looked at him, she smiled the warmest smile he ever saw and went in for a kiss. She tasted the stallion’s salty lips with her own. However, Radiant was not going to let her off that easy. The prince wrapped a hoof around her head and brought her in even closer. Radiant’s tongue left his mouth and began prying her's open. An intruder she was more than prepared for, rather than drag out the siege, she allowed this unknowing foe entry before her own tongue sought battle. After a few minutes of combat, she followed her defeated opponent back to its home and returned the favor. Radiant had no choice but to accept defeat. He let her head go and allowed the mare the victory, again.

She pulled back, a small trail of saliva continued to connect the two until he bopped her on the noise, breaking the string with a smile. One she was more than happy to return. “Does that answer your question?” Firestar asked.

“I don’t know… I might need you to explain it again.” He said with playful cattiness in his voice.

She gave him a very seducing look, one that promised hours of fun later that night. “You idiot.” She said with a laugh. “Guess I’ll just have to keep explaining it to you, won’t I?”

“What can I say? It takes this idiot awhile to learn anything.”

She laughed and went in for another kiss, one he was more than happy to receive. Unfortunately, at the last second she pulled up and simply pecked him on the horn. “Ahh.” Radiant said with disappointment in his voice.

“Hey, you quit being dumb and I might get in the mood again.” She said with a smile before returning her head to his chest. Radiant looked down and ran a hoof through her mane. He knew she did not spend a lot of time on it, settling simply to make it presentable in the mornings. However, to him, it felt smooth as silk. Somehow, simply touching it always sent shivers down his spine. He wrapped his other hoof around Firestar and squeezed her tightly as the two lay out and enjoyed the crystal-clear water lapping at the shore.

He felt her sigh in contentment at his touch. Through his hoof, he felt her breathing slow down, her heart was beating slower as she closed her eyes and drifted off in blissful slumber. With the warmth she provided and the waves washing up and down the shore, it was not long until he joined her. The stallion fought it off as long as he could, as he did not want to miss a second of simply watching the mare sleep on his chest, yet the sandpony waits for no one. Soon, he to found himself falling asleep.

……………………….

“Radiant! Radiant Star! Wake up!”

A smack upside his head caused the stallion to awaken from where he lay. Sweat poured down his brow and his horn let off small uncontrolled magical discharges in random directions. His heart felt like it was going to explode, every muscle in his body felt tense. He sat up and took in several deep breaths as his conscious mind sought to make sense of what just happened. The memories came back like a tidal wave in his mind, the horrors he saw in his dream.... The stallion began crying from the intensity of it alone. He started hyperventilating, his body demanding more oxygen to feed its starved muscular system.

A tan hoof wrapped itself around his shoulders and forced the stallion’s head against its owner's chest. Firestar held her husband as tightly as she could, allowing the prince to cry out on to her. Few ponies ever saw this side of him; he would not let them see this. This was him at his weakest, at his most vulnerable. She could not fault him one bit, not for this.

Firestar spoke when he was ready, when the tears and the sobbing finally stopped. “It was that dream again.” It was not a question. This was the third time her husband awoke in such a state in the past six months.

“Yes.” Radiant managed as he sought to slow down his breathing.

“Please… please tell me about it. I… I can’t help you if you don’t let me in.” She begged him. This was the third time it happened, and he still refused to talk to anypony about it. About just what he was dreaming of that caused him such distress.

It took a few moments before he replied, he allowed himself this time to collect his thoughts in such a way that he could articulate them to the mare, to try to get his message across. “Ok… I think I'm ready to tell you.”

She hugged him tighter while whispering a silent ‘thank you’ to the sky.

A few minutes later, they returned to the beach house they were staying in. Firestar walked into the kitchen, her limp still noticeable to the stallion as she did so. He knew it would have been easier on her to simply fly there, but she was never one to do things the easy way. Every moment she could, the mare would spend on her hooves. She was trying her hardest to get them back the way they were, before... before it happened…

When she returned, Firestar passed her husband a cool hard apple cider, a small gift for the two that Rainbow left them as her wedding present. That alone spoke volumes to the love Rainbow had for them. As their aunt, Rainbow cared deeply for both of them. He took the glass with a small nod of thanks and took a sip. Firestar watched him with care in her eyes.

“It was the Titan attack. I relive it sometimes… In my dreams that is.” She nodded for him to continue.

“During the, worst times It… It happens differently, I chase after you just like before, but… but Night and Luna down the Titan before I get there. I see you… I see you lying there, looking up at me with a smile on your face that I finally found you. But… but the Titan lands on you before I make it.” He began crying again, tears falling freely from his eyes. “I know it’s stupid. I know it’s just a dream, but… but I can’t help feeling as if I failed you. I’m… I’m sorry.”

Firestar walked up and hugged him again, allowing his tears to fall freely, all the while cooing softly in his ear. “It’s not stupid; don’t think that for an instant.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He cried into her chest. Firestar slowly rocked back and forth, taking more of his weight onto her as she did so. She ran her hoof along his back, softly running it through Radiant’s fur. She began humming to him, allowing the vibrations to travel from her to her husband. After a few minutes, it seemed to work, his crying calmed down and the tears stopped falling.

She lifted his head with a hoof. His bloodshot eyes spoke volumes to the mare about how he felt, about how much he was punishing himself for his supposed slight to her. Radiant stared up into her eyes. He expected to see a look of judgment, to be told he was stupid for letting something like this get to him. He was a prince for Luna’s sake! He should be strong enough that a stupid dream would not affect him like this.

He did not see any of that. All he saw in her eyes was patience, understanding, and love, an endless pool of love. Tears began falling anew, but unlike before, these were tears of happiness.

“Radiant, listen to me right now, you did not fail me. You saved me; you saved me from certain death by doing the impossible. You overcame your very nature to do so. I owe you everything I am, everything I will be; I’m only alive right now because of you.” The conviction in her voice conveyed her seriousness to the stallion.

She continued. “It’s just a dream; always remember in your heart, that whatever happens, I will be here for you when you wake up. Keep that thought in the back of your mind for all time. Make it a fact of life for you: Ponies need to eat, plants grow, and I will be here for you. Make it a part of who you are. Then, whatever you dream about, you will always carry that with you. You will always know it to simply be true.”

He listened to every word, every syllable the mare spoke. It was the last time he ever had that dream.

“I don’t deserve you.” He whispered.

She brought up her other hoof and held his head steady. “You idiot, you're the only one who does. It’s I that don't deserve you.” She went in for a kiss. One that he reciprocated, there was no grand gesture. The two simply let the act speak for itself. Letting the simple kiss convey everything they felt about one another. It was the single greatest kiss of their lives.

‘Radiant, you've been so strong for me; you've been my rock, my everything. Let me carry you now; let me carry the weight of your burdens. Your weight, your dreams, and your happiness; let me carry it for you. Even if it’s just for a little while.’

She proved her strength. The mare took her hooves off his head and stuck them under Radiant’s legs; she spread her wings and lifted him off his hooves. It had been a while since she last gave her wings a real workout. Her rehab primarily focused on her back legs. Of course, that did not mean she was slacking. As the former Captain of the Wonderbolts, Firestar would never let her wings go weak. She easily lifted them both in the air. Radiant was surprised by the action, but not enough to cause him to break the kiss. He merely wrapped his own hooves around her and hung on tighter as she flew them both up the stairs.

The next thing Radiant knew, he was being laid down on a soft blanket. As Firestar lay next to him, the bed easily conformed to the extra weight; they finally broke the kiss. He looked at her in all her glory. Never once did he imagine that he would see someone as breathtaking as her lay next to him, one who at that very moment looked at him with pure love in her eyes, not judging him, not expecting him to be anything other than who he was. Radiant counted every day of the past seven months as a blessing. He simply stared at her with his head resting on a pillow.

He now understood what true love was. For the first time he could remember, he was living with it in his life. Suddenly, the rest of his life seemed hollow, as if it was missing something.

It was missing something; it was missing her. Firestar was the piece of the puzzle that was left out, the one that completed everything. Regardless what he did, what he would do in the future, it would be meaningless if she were not there with him. This was it, this is what mattered, it took him forty years to find it, but now that he had, he would never let it go. Knowing what he knew now, Radiant would spend another forty… another hundred and forty years looking for it, looking for her, because... because it was worth it. Because she was worth it.

Firestar took her hoof and wiped a rogue tear away from his eye, an action that earned a smile from the prince. She took that hoof and ran it along his jaw feeling the soft, warm coat that made up the unicorn. Firestar did not stop there; she ran her hoof lightly down his broad chest, causing a shiver of anticipation in the stallion. Her hoof traveled up and down his stomach, lightly stroking his muscles.

“Firestar, what are yo-”

“Shh… The time for talk is over.” She covered his muzzle with her hoof.

Climbing on top of him, Firestar brushed her mane out of her eyes and connected their lips together. She slowly, gently caressed his head, the actions careful and deliberate. Their lips parted from each other and she begun a string of kisses up his forehead, ending on his horn.

The action caused a murmur of contentment to escape from Radiant’s lips. ‘You think that feels good? You haven’t felt anything yet.’ She knew his weakness, the one secret nopony else knew of, his ears. Firestar left his horn and softly blew into his right ear. Her breath carrying with it the promise of more to come.

Radiant’s eyes opened wide as he realized her intent. “Firestar… don-“ His sentence was cut off as she began nibbling on his right ear. It was an action that drove the stallion wild with desire. His one weakness that he made sure no pony knew about. Firestar discovered it their second time, and while she might have promised never to abuse the power; she never said anything about not using it again.

As far as Radiant was concerned the battle was over, the war was lost as soon as her teeth made contact with his earlobe. Every pony had a secret, every pony had something they liked more than anything else, and this was his. He would do anything she wanted right then. All she had to do was keep nibbling away. Which is why what came next surprised him; Firestar stopped nibbling and whispered into his ear.

“Take me.”

His earlier thoughts vanished, his dream forgotten; his worries over failing and losing the one thing that was the most precious to him were gone in the blink of an eye. Radiant’s broad smile crept over his face as he turned the tables on the mare. Sweeping her hooves off the bed, Radiant rolled on top of her. This was her secret. The side of her that she let nopony else see. Firestar was a type-A personality, always in control, always the one leading from the front, making the hard decisions. Her greatest turn on was when someone she loved, someone she trusted took that control from her. Most ponies would be far too scared of her to ever attempt such a thing. Not Radiant; he was perfect for her.

He looked into her bright blue eyes and gazed upon her very soul. What he saw was a mirror reflection of his own. These two lovers were each other’s opposites. The part of themselves that they were born without; the part they spent their lives looking for and despite the odds, finally found. He kissed her again, once more forcing his tongue into her mouth. This time the battle was a massacre. He found his strength, rallied his troops, and took ownership of what was his, of what he wanted more than anything in life. Her tongue never stood a chance.

The kiss alone was enough to rattle the mare, but it did not stop there. When Radiant let go, he began a trail of kisses down her neck, pausing only to leave his mark on her perfect fur coat. Firestar let out a gasp as the pain mixed with pleasure. She was never one for the more kinky aspect of sex, but she suddenly saw the appeal. It was not the act that mattered, it was the trust those acts implied. Putting yourself into someone else’s hooves and knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you were perfectly safe.

The kisses began to move lower as Radiant ran his tongue down her coat. He paused only when he reached her small nipples. Taking each one in turn, he switched between licking, biting, and sucking on each erect bud. His actions sent shivers into the mare as Firestar struggled to not cry out right then. She was almost disappointed when he stopped.

He moved lower, leaving a trail of saliva in his wake. Firestar trembled with anticipation when he reached the end of his journey, her anticipation turned to excitement then disappointment as he merely grazed over the area, continuing to each one of her hind legs instead.

Radiant knew what he was doing all too well. He purposely skipped over the honey bucket as it would drive her wild with anticipation. Instead of going straight there, he concentrated his attention along the inside of her hind legs, switching between kissing and blowing as he kept getting closer, then closer to her slit. Only to pull back at the last possible moment, judging by the movements in her legs and the profanity that left her mouth, it was having more than the desired effect.

“Radiant… don’t tease.” She said after the third time he switched legs.

“As the lady wishes.”

He moved up to the pot of gold, it’s moistening lips puffed up from the affection she felt, he could almost see the rose bud on top. ‘Well, I'll just have to make this worthwhile, won't I?’ Radiant started slowly, lightly blowing up and down the entrance to her marehood, causing a shudder in his wife as he did so. He loved that reaction from the mare; it was on his top three best things in the world. As he watched, he was amazed at just how wet she already was; and to think, he had not even gotten started yet. He nudged the edges open with his nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled like… like... like heaven.

“Radiant, I swear, if I haaa-“

Firestar’s complaint died in her throat as his tongue found its way inside. She quivered as it reached deeper and deeper into her. She felt every rough texture on it, every time he curved it and twisted. It sent waves of excitement into the mare. She began bucking up with her hips, trying to fit more and more into her all at once. It was all for naught, every time she would push back he would pull back.

Radiant smiled as he watched her go wild under his administrations. He expertly timed each one of her thrusts with a withdrawal. He knew what she wanted, but he was in control. He would not simply give her the release she sought just like that. Such things had to be earned, and he knew just how to do so.

After the next thrust she attempted, Radiant pulled all the way back and admired his work. She was close, very, very close if the stains on the bed sheets were any indication to go by. He looked up at her face; her normal stoic features and cool resolve were gone, replaced only with a look of wanting desire. “If only I had a camera.” He said softly.

“What did yo-“

Before the words left her mouth, he attacked. Going straight for the gold, he softly blew on her clit, causing the mare to scream in a mixture of pleasure and desire. He knew enough, the clit was the most sensitive part, save it for the end and get the motor working before you touch it. It will drive her up the wall.

Radiant proceeded to drag his rough tongue from the bottom of her slit all the way up to the button. He circled it, once, twice, three times before closing his lips around it. Firestar could no longer hold back, she screamed out his name as she wrapped her back legs around the stallion, pulling him in closer and forcing the prince to finish the job. A task he was more than happy to accomplish. He saved the coup-de-grâce for last. Radiant softly, very softly bit down a little, then dragged his upper teeth across her engorged clitoris.

For Firestar, the last action was the equivalent of a dam breaking in her mind. All of the pleasure he caused amplified in her many times over. She lost control of her nervous system as her body was wracked with waves upon waves of endorphins. Her back legs spread out, letting the stallion come up for breath. An option he did not take.

Radiant stayed put throughout it all, he clasped his lips over the entrance, drinking down every little bit of the sweet nectar she had to offer, what did not make it in his mouth simply splashed out on his face. It was a perfume he did not mind wearing. The prince would not let his princess off easy. He kept rubbing his nose on her clit. Radiant dragged out her orgasm as long as he was able and they both loved every minute of it.

When her vision finally returned to her, Firestar saw the stallion lying next to her, holding her softly in his hooves. His face was glinting in the light, his fur matted down from where it became too wet to stand up on its own. They smiled at each other as her strength returned. It was then she noticed that his member was fully aroused. She went down to return the favor, only to be stopped by a hoof.

“No need, you've already given me more pleasure then you could ever know.”

She nodded back and reached in for a kiss. He welcomed her with a smile. Her tongue darted into his mouth, enjoying the new taste that accompanied his usual flavor. Firestar never tasted herself before; she always thought the idea was a little gross, but now? Now she could not get enough of it, somehow her own flavor mixed with his formed a sweet ambrosia on her tongue.

When they broke apart, Firestar smiled a devious smile at him. While she may not go down on him, that did not stop her from going up. Firestar jumped up on the stallion. Sitting on his chest as she proceeded to grind herself against his abs. She dragged it out, moving back inch by inch as she did so, causing the fur on his chest to match that on his face. Until, at last, she felt her prize behind her.

Leaning down and reaching back at the same time, she kissed her helpless victim, all the while positioning his member just right. When she felt the head line-up, she pushed herself back. Moaning aloud as she took the first six inches all at once. It was indescribable to her, an intruder that came out of nowhere and forced its way inside. She paused, allowing the feeling to pass before she looked down, less than half of him made it inside. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began sinking down, taking the rest a moment at a time. Allowing her the time to adjust to each, new, inch.

Radiant smiled at her as a plan developed in his mind. He reached out with his magic and gently placed a grip on her shoulders. Without warning, he pushed down, causing the mare to gasp as she was hilted by the stallion without notice. Her face turned to a grimace as she grew angry with him for ruining her fun. It was an action that left her completely unprepared for what happened next. Radiant sat up and wrapped his hooves around the mare. His lips made contact with her's, causing a sharp squeal to leave her mouth.

They stayed like that for hours, days even. Radiant penetrated the mare from two locations at once, his throbbing member filling her from below as his tongue tasted every nook and cranny of her mouth. Slowly, she wrapped her hooves around his back and began lifting herself up and down, actions that caused his member to grow even bigger as it engorged itself to its full potential. She moaned in blissful harmony as she felt herself empty and fill with each movement of her hips.

Remembering what she said earlier, Radiant waited for the perfect time to strike. As she came back up, he squeezed her tightly, rolled her over onto her back, and pressed down, causing himself to hilt once more. She smiled as her stallion took charge of the situation. This was by no means their first time having sex, but it was the first time as husband and wife. Somehow, that made it all the more pleasurable.

He proceeded to buck his hips in and out at his own pace, all the while enjoying the feeling of being in charge, of being the one in control. For both of them, it was pleasure beyond description.

“Faster.” She moaned as his sack smacked once more into her.

“As the lady wishes.”

He sped up, causing her to rock her head back in delight, before long the entire bed moved with them, causing a banging noise against the wall. Neither of them cared, as far as they were concerned, they were the only ponies on the planet.

Before long, Radiant began grunting himself, causing his own moans to mix with Firestar’s. Firestar was in a blissful stupor. She had no idea how he had lasted this long, but somehow the stallion just kept going. Her mind was blank, overcome with her third orgasm in as many minutes. Until, at last, she saw the look in his eyes. He was reaching his breaking point and they both knew it.

Radiant looked down with a smile, he knew he was close, but he had one last trick to play. Through a supreme force-of-will, he reached out with his magic and took hold of Firestar’s feathers. He began to simulate the act of preening; an action he knew would drive her up the wall.

When the moment finally came, she wrapped her hooves around him, spun back on top, and screamed in blissful pleasure. Squeezing him as tightly as she could as she felt wave after wave of his spunk enter her, already full to the brim with his throbbing erection, she had no doubt that some of it would be forced out and onto the sheets. She did not care; that feeling combined with the sudden sensation in her wings caused her fourth and longest orgasm of the night. They lay like that for the rest of the evening, Firestar felt the stallion slip off into a blissful slumber, a sleep she soon followed him into, all the while she was enjoying the feeling of falling asleep with him still inside of her.

………………………………………….

Radiant awoke to the sunrise shining in the window. He yawned as the fresh smell of hay-bacon filled his nostrils. On this he had mixed feelings, he would have much rather awoken to the mare he loved still in his hooves, but he was hungry. He decided that was an argument he would not settle anytime soon and to just be grateful for small favors. When he went to get out of bed, he noticed that portions of his fur were sticking to the sheets, a leftover reminder of last night’s events. He smiled and headed for the bathroom instead of the kitchen.

…

Firestar finished laying out the plates when she heard the shower go off and the stallion she loved come down the stairs. As expected, he cleaned up first. Something she had done also and judging by the smell of sex in the bedroom, something they both needed to do to the room before tonight. Briefly, she considered leaving the room like it was, as it was just going to happen again, possibly a few times before tonight even. She dismissed that thought off hoof as Radiant walked over and kissed her.

They both sat down at the table to enjoy their meal, Firestar kept looking up at him, stealing glances as she did so. He smiled back every time he caught her. “What? What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing… well, something. I just have two questions, when did you learn to do that, and how did you last so long last night?” Her curiosity was piqued.

“Do what?”

“That thing you did last night… you know.”

“Oh…” He smiled at her. “Actually, I just remembered some pointers Rainbow Dash gave me on that one.”

She smiled at him. “And the second question.”

“I remembered my mom trying to give me those pointers first.”

Firestar laughed at that. “Really? Remind me to write them both a thank you note… I think ten or twenty should cover it.”

He looked at her confused. “Ten or twenty lines?”

She shook her head. “Pages.” Firestar said as she nodded seductively back up to the bedroom and proceeded to walk back up the stars. Swaying her hips in just the right way as she did.

Radiant watched her go with a grin on his face. He turned back around and downed the rest of his water before getting up. His appetite might have left him with the prospect of more sex, but he knew that he was going to need his fluids for what’s to come.

“As the lady wishes.” He smirked as he followed his wife up the stairs.

……………………………………………

Firestar laid out on the beach as Radiant finished his swim. She watched the white unicorn climb out of the ocean, water droplets falling down from his red mane. She knew, deep down, that this was what she wanted, or more precisely, this was who she wanted. Simply seeing him made her smile, this weekend, it was, is, perfect… in every way that mattered anyway. Sure, they would fight, they would argue, and she would be sick of looking at his stupid face from time to time. But, that was all bullshit. None of that would last. This would, her feelings for him, his feelings for her. Those are what mattered; those feelings are what was important.

“You should've joined me for a swim. The water feels great.”

“No thanks. Besides, how could I admire the view if I was in the water with you?”

“Oh, and here I thought the pretty mare was checking me out… Guess I was just getting my hopes up.”

She smiled as he came closer. That smile turned to a frown as she realized his intentions. “Radiant, don’t you dare!”

He grinned, and shook his body back and forth with all his might, causing water to spray everywhere from his wet coat. It was a masterful plan, one well executed and delivered. Unfortunately, in the game of war, the first rule is to know your opponent. While Firestar was many things these days, including but not limited to: A princess, his wife, Commander of Cloudsdale, and one of the top ten toughest mares in Equestria (quite the achievement when you consider the competition); she was also a former Captain of the Wonderbolts.

Firestar easily took flight, causing Radiant’s great plan to backfire. Instead of getting her wet (and not in the fun way), he only managed to wet all of their stuff and towels, but in war, there is always collateral damage.

“You missed!” She yelled out, flying small victory loops over the ocean.

“Did I?” He whispered.

“What was that?” Firestar stopped flying and hovered in place. Confused by the sudden grin that appeared on his face. For Radiant’s part, he just smiled at her as his horn came to life. Firestar suddenly found her wings locked by her side with magic energy. She looked at each in turn and then back at him.

“I’m so going to get yo-“ Gravity did not let her finish that sentence. The mare plummeted into the ocean. Radiant let her wings go, using them and her legs, she kicked to the top, her head breaking the surface of the water to find a grinning Radiant staring at her. She smiled back, unable to stay mad at him for long.

As Firestar made her way out of the water, Radiant had to admit one thing to the mare. “You’re right you know, the view is much better from the beach.” Soaking wet, Firestar looked amazing, her mane lay down in just the right way to ignite the fire in his loins.

She left the water and smiled at her prince. Admiring how even wet, he was still ‘excited’ to see her. She walked right past him and slapped him in the face with her tail. Leaving him with a, “You might want to take care of that.”

Prince Radiant Star looked around to see what she was talking about, after a few seconds it finally dawned on him. He knew it probably wasn’t going to happen but he shrugged and asked anyway. “Little help?”

Firestar looked back and grinned. “I would, but some total idiot dumped me in the ocean after getting all our towels wet. I gotta go dry off now. Bye.” With one final smirk, she took off, flying as high and as fast as she could go. Looking for clouds to fly through to soak up the water still on her coat.

Radiant watched her go, part of him was simply relieved that she was not too mad at him. Of course, that did not solve his problem of having no clean towels to dry off with, or his other problem of having too hot a wife. He shrugged and looked around, realization of his mistake dawned on him. ‘Wow, I really am an idiot, aren’t I?’

'Well, only one solution to his problem.' He turned around and went back into the water. Finding it a lot colder this time around.

……………………………………………………………………………..

“Ataxia, I don’t think this is a very good idea.”

“Hey you lost the bet, which means you have to do whatever I want you too, or are you going to welch on the deal?”

‘Yeah, yeah.' Night grumbled to herself. It was not exactly a fair bet anyway, a race from the palace to the northern edge of the Crystal Empire and back. She had naturally assumed it was a hoof race. Unfortunately, that was one detail that Ataxia did not bother to share with the mare. As soon as she started off, the dragacorn transformed and took off to the north. A sonic rainboom following up in her wake, rather than waste time trying to catch her, Night spent her time simply trying to minimize the damage and repair what was already broken. With Luna back in Canterlot, and the griffin delegation left to return to their home with her sister. That pretty much left the job up to her and Cadance. The latter of which she did not want finding out about this mess her friend had created.

Of course, when Ataxia made it back two minutes later, Night chewed her flank off and made her help clean up. However, that did not change the facts. She lost the race and had to do whatever dare Ataxia made her, so here she was…

“You know this is totally foolish, right.”

“Quit stalling and do it.”

“You know I’m a Princess of Equestria, I can banish you, and throw you in a dungeon at the place I banished you to.”

“Yet, none of that will get you out of this situation. Now quit stalling and do it already.”

“Ugh… fine.”

Shimmering Night put on her best seductress look, brushed her mane back with her magic, and gave her coat a quick once over. She then proceeded to turn the corner and walk straight to her ‘unfortunate’ victim. Swaying her hips ever so slightly as she did. The crystal guard did his absolute best to not stare. Unfortunately, he needed another thousand years of practice to be half as good as what was required to achieve that. The sway of her hips, the way her coat sparkled in the light, and the slight way her mane covered her face only to be blown aside was all too much for anypony.

He ogled her, his mouth agape, and his mind blown. Shimmering Night smiled inwardly that she could still have this effect on ponies. After her whole incident with Bright Dawn, she had written off ever finding a special somepony again. She did not look at anyone like that, not anymore. So naturally, she assumed that no one saw her like that anymore either. She was happy to be proven wrong.

The crystal guard was not the only one who was staring. It was meant to be a joke, something that would make her friend embarrassed and uncomfortable, but seeing her now. Ataxia's jaw joined the crystal ponies on the floor. The way Night swayed her hips back and forth, the way her tail expertly went to the opposite direction of her hips. It all cumilated to give Ataxia a view that ponies would fight wars over. Part of her knew this was wrong, that she should not be staring at her friend like this. However, Ataxia quit listening to that part years ago. ‘I… I... do I like her?’ She asked herself.

“Hey there, big stallion. What’s your name?”

“Ma’am… I can’t remember my name right now, ma’am.”

Night laughed at that, his training would cause him to answer any question as truthfully as he could, but she had startled this poor stallion into a stupor so great he could not even remember something like his name. That was more than enough to settle the dare, but Night wanted to take this one-step further. She knew she could shove it in Ataxia’s face if she could make the stallion faint.

“Well, that’s alright by me, after all, what’s in a name?” She walked by him, gently running her tail along his chest, causing the stallion to visibly blush as she did so. “After all, I go by so many, many names myself. Some call me, princess.” She moved in for the kill. “Some call me, Night,” She whispered the next part into his ear. “Some call me, Mistress.”

Few ponies knew just how much Ataxia changed with her new form. It had heightened many of her senses well beyond the normal limits of ponies, and not just when she transformed. Ataxia doubted there was a pony alive that had a better sense of smell. She could see almost perfect at night. She could hear just as well too.

Ataxia rushed out from around the wall and grabbed her friend. Doing her best not to pull her hoof out of the socket as she did so. The crystal guard just looked on, confused at what happened. He was very grateful to be left alone, but now had to use the restroom to take care of the problem Princess Night left him with.

Ataxia opened a door and looked inside, when she saw that the room was unoccupied, she shoved a very confused Night through it. Night looked at her friend, Ataxia was red faced and fuming.

“Ataxia! What the buck was that about?”

“Why did you do that?!”

“What? It was your idea…”

“I… I…” Ataxia was lost for words, it was her idea. She dared Night to seduce a member of the crystal guard. Why was she so angry? “I never I… I…”

“Ataxia, what’s wrong?”

“I… I…”

“You what?”

“You took it too far!” Ataxia screamed it out.

“What? Did you just accuse somepony of taking something too far?”

Ataxia looked around, the room backfired, she was trapped. She did not know why, but that whole thing upset her to the point of feeling physically ill, she needed air, she need to escape… “I… I gotta go.” Ataxia turned to the window and disintegrated it with a blast of magic. She jumped out, transforming as she fell and flew off at top speed, doing her absolute best to put as much distance between her and her friend as possible.

Shimmering Night looked on horrified at what just happened; something was wrong with her friend. Ataxia was many, many things… However, this is the first time she had ever seen her act like this. She seemed like a caged animal, one that needed to escape at any cost. Destruction for the sake of destruction she was used to, but this is the first time Night saw her destroy something out of fear.

“Ataxia. What’s wrong?” She pleaded into the sky for her friend to return, there was no use going after her. Only Rainbow had any hope of catching her and she was on the other side of the world right now. Night turned around and went to talk to Rarity before she went home, perhaps she might know more about what was going on with her daughter.

……………………………………………………………

Firestar awoke to the smell of warm coffee. She smiled as the scent of it filled her nostrils. It was the smell of bliss personified. Of course, it was made even better by the feeling of the hooves wrapped around her, hugging her tightly. She looked up at the face that those hooves belonged too. Radiant stared down, casting a warm glow on her with his smile.

“How is my favorite idiot doing this morning?”

“Better, now that you’re awake.”

Radiant levitated a cup of coffee over to her. He knew exactly how she liked it, two spoons of sugar with a smidgen of milk. It had taken him a few tries to find out exactly how much a ‘smidgen’ was, but now he had it down pat. She kissed him before taking the coffee from his magic. Much to her displeasure, several strands of fur came off and stuck to the bed. While the memories of why they were stuck caused her to smile, the pain was not exactly welcome. Not this early in the day anyway.

“Sorry about that.” Radiant said as he saw her grimace in pain.

She giggled a little and lay her head back down on his chest. “Not your fault, well, not all your fault anyway.”

He sighed in content. “Well, if I can make you laugh I've done my job.”

“I think you can make me do more than laugh.” She said.

They lay like that just in time to see the sunrise in the east. It was an amazing sight to behold, yet, at that moment, neither of them cared. They had what they wanted, something as common as a sunrise did not matter. Only they mattered. However, it did remind Firestar of one unfortunate fact.

“It’s Sunday, isn’t it?”

“Eeyup.”

“That means we have to go back today, doesn’t it?”

“Eeyup.”

“I don’t want to go back.”

He hugged her tighter, noticing several spots on her coat that were matted together, even her wings looked bad. They had a lot of cleaning up to do in an ever-decreasing amount of time.

“C’mon, we'd better get started.”

“Or, and this is just a suggestion, I could move Cloudsdale over here and we can stay like this?”

He laughed at that. “I could only imagine the logistical nightmare that would make, all the weather ponies would have to scurry clouds to the other side of Equestria and back… Besides, how are you going to move the Crystal Empire?”

“Your mom’s got that.”

"I’ll tell you what, let’s take a quick shower first and then we'll get started packing.” He knew it was a bad idea, but if she kept pushing he'd go along with it anyway.

“And the bed?”

“That will probably have to be burnt after last night.” He joked. “Hey, we're on vacation, let somepony else clean up.”

Firestar gave him her best, ‘Are you bucking serious' look. “No way am I letting someone else see this mess.”

He kissed her again, “Relax, we'll take care of it after the shower.”

“Ok,” she smiled at him. That smile quickly became a frown as he rolled over and got out of bed. The sudden lack of warmth seemed to pierce the mare’s very bones. She slightly shivered as he left.

Radiant turned around and winked. “The shower will warm you up, you know.”

“I would rather you do that.” She hinted.

“We can do that too, although…” he rubbed his hoof against his mouth. “Although I might be getting lockjaw.”

“Well, we'd better make it count then.” Firestar left the bed. Feeling no desire to stay in it as Radiant was not there. Radiant was heading into the bathroom so that is where Firestar wanted to be.

As they entered the restroom, a realization dawned on the stallion. He smiled as an age-old question was answered in his mind.

Firestar looked at him, “What? What are you smiling about?”

“I just figured out why my aunts spent so much on a big shower.”

She laughed at that, “You know we're getting one when we get back, right?”

“Oh, have no doubt about that. I will personally find the biggest one in the palace.”

“Or, we can just tear down the wall to the next room and have them make it into a bathroom.”

“I love you.” He pressed his head against her coat. Closing his eyes and sighing.

Much to his dismay, she brushed his head off her coat and started walking forward. “Hey, you promised me a shower.”

“As the lady wishes.”

………………………………

It took the better part of the morning after their extra curricular activates to pack up and clean the house to the point where you would not walk in and immediately smell sex in the air. While Radiant did not see anything wrong with it, Firestar vowed to give him some flying lessons if he did not help. So, help he did. As expected, they had to burn the sheets, but the bed was salvageable.

The two waited outside for their ride to get in. They were expecting a crystal carriage to arrive around noon. However, neither of them really wanted to leave, this weekend… It had been magical. Sadly, they both had duties to attend too. Duties made all the easier simply by knowing that the other would be there for them, as husband and wife, forever. Firestar smiled at that realization.

“I'll miss this place though.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Tell me something. Why don’t more ponies come here? You'd figure a place this nice would be on top of everypony's vacation list.”

Radiant thought about that, in truth, he did not know why there were not more ponies around here, but he did have a theory. “I think it’s due to the climate.”

“What? The weather was perfect.”

“Yes, now. However, for most of the year it's a lot colder. Unless you want to rearrange the weather patterns.”

She thought about that, on one hoof it would be a bureaucratic nightmare, less clouds here would mean more somewhere else, she would have to have her advisers reschedule all of winter just so she could enjoy this island a little more with her husband. On the other hoof, that meant she could enjoy the island a little more with her husband… “Tough call.”

Radiant smiled, wrapped a hoof around her and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She said back as she started to trace a hoof up his chest. “How much time do you think we have?”

“Not enough.” Radiant sighed as he watched the chariot appear in the distance. Firestar looked in that direction with a disappointed glare in her eye.

“We can still do a quickie?” She whispered.

He laughed, “I’m not that quick.” Ok, she had to give him that. Radiant was definitely a stallion that liked to take his time.

“Later tonight?”

He nodded as the chariot came in for a landing. Two crystal pegasi pulled it from the front. They both looked at him and bowed, a sign of respect. Of course, what they did not expect to see was Commander Firestar with a grin on her face and a spring in her step as she got on board. They looked at Radiant with an eyebrow razed. Radiant winked back causing each one of the pegasi to blush, a reflex that spread through their whole face due to the nature of their crystal coats. Radiant laughed as he got on board with their bags in his magic. The two pegasi took off as soon as he was on; hoping that the air on their faces would cause the redness to go away.

………………………………………………………

“Ok Ataxia, what was that about?” Using Rarity's advice, Night finally cornered Ataxia in the guest room she was staying in. Thinking ahead, she placed herself between the mare and her window. While Ataxia could simply blow a hole in the wall and escape out the hallway, doing so would cause a lot of structural damage and possibly hurt several ponies. Night knew Ataxia would not take it that far.

Ataxia looked at the floor, noticing for the first time the intriguing designs in her carpet. “I’m sorry.” She said to that very carpet.

“What was that?” Night asked, she heard what Ataxia said, but she did not believe those words came out of her mouth.

Ataxia looked up, a look of hurt plastered over her face. “I said I’m sorry. That was a stupid idea and a stupid prank… with everything going on… Radiant’s marriage, Rainbow’s date, and now Aurora’s pregnancy I… I… never mind.” To her surprise, a tear fell from her eye; she tried to wipe it away before Night saw it, but that very action only served to highlight it instead.

Night looked at her friend in shock. She had never seen this side of her before. Not even at Fluttershy’s funeral. This was Ataxia at her most vulnerable, at her weakest. The side she showed to nopony, ever. Realization dawned on the mare at just what this meant. “Ataxia, are you worried about me leaving you?”

Ataxia looked at her, more tears started to fall as she nodded at her friend.

Night was heartbroken. She ran forward and wrapped Ataxia’s head up in her hooves, pressing it against her chest. As she did so, she felt Ataxia start to sob in her grip. “Ataxia… Listen to me, we've been best friends forever. I… I would never leave you, we will always be friends. You have nothing to worry about, you will always have me.”

“Really?” Ataxia barely managed to say the word.

“I pinkie promise.”

That caused a small giggle to escape from the mare; she stopped crying but nuzzled softly into Night chest. “Thank you.”

“I did nothing worthy of thanks, Ataxia.” Night said as she ran her hoof down her friend’s mane.

“Yes you did, you were my friend, even when I wasn’t at my best.”

“Only because I saw who you could truly be when you wanted to.”

“Thank you.” She softly said again as she sat there, her face buried in her friend’s chest. Night running a hoof along her mane, a realization dawned on the mare. She had not been truthful with her friend; she was not upset that Night might leave her. She was upset that she was looking at somepony else. She had always been mad about Night and Dawn’s relationship. Yes, she was a troublemaker at the best of times, but it did not get bad, not really bad, until they started seeing each other. She liked… no, she loved her. That thought made her smile as she nuzzled deeper into Night's coat, breathing in through her nose and savoring her smell. How to tell her would come later, she did not want to deal with that right now. For now, she simply wanted to continue being held.

For Night’s part, she was none the wiser. She simply held her friend in her hooves. Partly saddened about seeing such a strong pony brought so low, but also honored that she would let her guard down around her.

…………………………………………………………………………

“You ready, Twi?”

Twilight nodded as she tightened her grip around Rainbow. She was happy and sad at the same time; their weekend was over… that she was sad about. However, she found something more; she found her true feelings for Rainbow. She could not explain why, but somehow she just knew that this was the mare she should spend the rest of her life with. They had a connection, beyond the physical, that simply said they should be together. It was something that definitely required more research if she was motivated enough to look. However, that did not interest her one bit. They were together, that is what mattered.

Rainbow took off, heading back to Equestria as fast she thought was safe for the two, although her constantly stealing glances at the mare in her hooves probably made it a little less safe. She was not worried; her brain caught everything when she flew. It cataloged and logged every little detail. A little factoid she knew of thanks to that very same mare.

Of course, seeing something and registering it are two very different things, Rainbow’s brain taught itself through multitasking. She registered every little thing around her and stored it all at once. However, just like any such process, not all the information comes to the forefront. Several times information is taken in, stored, and acted upon without her even knowing it. This was one of those times.

Rainbow ‘saw’ a second shadow on the water. However, her brain also saw that there was no pony around to make that shadow. Subconsciously, she put on a little extra speed, causing the shadow to lag behind. It tried to keep up, tried anyway. Again, she added more speed onto their flight, an action that caused the shadow to lag behind, until, at last, it fell out of view. Without any immediate sense of danger, her subconscious mind did not inform her conscious mind about it, as that part of her brain was far too busy enjoying the feeling of her wife being in her hooves yet again.

The two reached the Crystal Empire in record time; it was a mark of the power of Twilight’s spell that they still looked as great as they did when they left. Of course, they were not wearing the same outfits. Those had been stored away in their packs. A sign of how gorgeous they were that neither mare wanted to ruin them.

Rainbow placed Twilight on the ground as she levitated the bags off Rainbow’s back. Twilight tried to tell her that she could carry a few of them but Rainbow insisted that she had them.

“Thank you, Rainbow. I had a great time.”

“You want to do it again next weekend?”

Twilight laughed at that. "Sure, but how about we stay in the country this time around?”

“Twi, wherever you are, that's the only place I want to be.”

Twilight walked up and met Rainbow's lips in a kiss. The mare fell out of the sky at that. She landed a little awkwardly but did not break the kiss. The feeling was… magical.

When it finally broke apart, Rainbow was amazed that the sun was still out, somehow, that did not seem right to the mare. Her mind reached the only logical conclusion that Luna was slipping on her duties.

“Are you going to bed?” Twilight asked as she gathered her souvenirs and photos. Including the two special ones from the Tunnel of Love and the one taken in front of the Louvre. Those two events would always have a special place in her heart.

“Actually, I have to go see Rarity, she made me promise to swing by Ponyville and tell her all about it as soon as we got back, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it.” Twilight said with a smile as Rainbow took off into the night sky. She headed south, straight for Ponyville.

A thought occurred to Rainbow along the way; she remembered a certain pegasus and griffin that still needed to be dealt with. As soon as Rainbow was out of line of sight of the Crystal Empire, she altered her trajectory a few degrees to the left and put on an extra burst of speed. She had something to tell these too, it would not be a long conversation, but it may cause some bloodshed.

…

Twilight watched her go with a sigh, she knew it was stupid, but somehow seeing her leave, not having her by her side, it sucked. Almost like if her right hoof detached and went somewhere by itself; even if it did promise to return, it would be far too distracting to do anything without it.

Twilight looked back in the direction Rainbow left in; she knew, without a single shred of doubt that they were meant to be. It almost seemed like they were each other’s opposites in life, as if they completed what the other was lacking. All they needed was time, and just like a flower, something wonderful would blossom.

“Miss… can you spare a few bits?”

Twilight stumbled and nearly dropped her bags. She glanced around and saw a pony walk up to her. He was a purple unicorn with a cloak wrapped around his features, from what she could see he looked to be in his mid twenties. While his mane was covered by his cloak, Twilight did get a quick glance at his square academic cap cutie mark.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “What is it you want?”

“Beg your forgiveness ma’am; I was hoping you could spare a few bits for the train. You see, I was out here on business and I spent all the bits I had to get back. I really want to see my family again soon.”

Twilight had never seen someone like this before, something seemed off… However, it was not in her nature to turn away from somepony who needed help. “Tell me friend, what is your name?”

“Sunshine ma’am, Sunshine Spring.”

“Come with me, I'll make sure you get on the first train out of here and back to your family.” She said with a smile.

“I couldn’t ask you to do all that, I'm sure that a princess has far more important things to do then to take care of a lowly subject like me.”

“Nonsense, a princess's first duty is to her subjects. Come, I insist.”

“If you’re sure about that, ma’am? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“I'm sure, let’s get you home.”

“Thank you, ma’am… for everything.”

“You are more than welcome, Sunshine.”

Only two blocks away from the train station, Twilight happily hummed a small tune she picked up from Prance as Sunshine walked behind her, when they got there, Twilight spoke to the operator and went to order him a ticket before she realized she had no idea where he was from.

“Hey, Sunshine?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Where is your home anyway?”

“Ponyville, ma’am.”

She was taken aback by that. “But, Ponyville was destroyed. Are you sure your family is still there?”

“I’m not worried, ma’am; my house was the only one to survive the destruction. Besides, even if they're not there, I know in my heart that they will return. After all, it’s our home, and that's where we belong.”

“Wow, your home survived all of that?”

“My mom built it with her magic, it's her special talent after all.”

She smiled back and ordered him a first class ticket all-expense paid on behalf of the crown. She took the ticket and gave it to Sunshine.

“A pony whose special talent is building homes, they've got to be famous.”

“Thank you ma’am, it means so much to be able to see my parents and family again, and you're right, she is very famous.”

“Say nothing of it, Sunshine. I'm happy to help.”

“If you ever find yourself in Ponyville you must swing by. I would love to give you real thanks for all of this and you could meet my mom while you're there.”

“I would love to.” Twilight said as she turned around and left to head back to the palace.

“Just ask for the house that survived the attack! Everypony will know what you're talking about, and watch out for that bee!” he shouted the last part.

Twilight felt herself be stung in the back of the head. “Ouch!” she shouted as she rubbed it with a hoof. She turned around and yelled back. “Will do!”

‘Even if his warning did come a little late, I think I will pay him a visit, maybe next weekend me and Rainbow could check out Ponyville. We can even visit Rarity while we're there; I always meant to see where she lives.’

That night, her dreams were full of images of a quaint little small town, one that seemed to grow larger as her dream pressed on, when her dream came to an end, she suddenly knew the name of this town.

Twilight Sparkle awoke the next morning an hour before the sunrise. She wanted… no, she needed to go to Ponyville. Everything else became secondary to that end.