Wednesday, April 13th, Dawn, Celestia’s Spire, Canterlot

Extending her hands high over her head, Celestia ended the symbolic ritual to return the golden sun to its place in the sky. As the roaring fire from its affection filled her half-dozing bones, she wished it a good day. Breathing a sigh and letting her hands drop to her side for a moment, her world was silent and peaceful...

“Why does Dusk Shine believe in some foal’s story about the Engine having healing powers? If you were going to tell him anything, it should have been about the syphons. He would have figured out their links to ley lines himself and used it as a tactical advantage if something were to go catastrophically wrong. Instead, he now believes he needs to make a sojourn to Cloudsdale to plead for help from the Engine! Let that poor mare rest, sister, she's been dead long enough!”

As weary as dealing with Luna’s rages made her, Celestia was jealous of her passion. Celestia’s sun burned hot, and after so many years of solo rule, emotional outbursts were a draining effort only worthwhile in the most necessary of situations. Shaking her head slowly, Celestia finally spoke up, her voice already tinged with the weariness the upcoming fight would bring on. “Luna-”

But even as the words formed on Celestia’s lips, Silken Flight interrupted, the Spymistress’ voice dry and serious. “My Princess, he is already a terror on my agents. Think of the damage he could do if he knew he had no need to ever sleep again, and could rejuvenate his magic simply by finding some spring ten miles to the east… or that oddly large tree fifteen miles to the north-east. Your sister is right, my goddess, it is better he not know.”

Glad that for all the times that Cadance or Luna chose to question her, Silken Flight always seemed to have faith in her choices. Celestia let out a careful sigh before nodding slowly at the scarred mercenary in gratitude. “Beyond that, Dusk has already proven he has a poor understanding of his health, and I value him taking care of himself much more than any breakthroughs in new magic his research might achieve. I am forever awed by the magic he uses with ease despite his young age, but to lose him to an accident caused by overconfidence or ignorance on his part would be absolutely unacceptable! Besides, surely Cadance told you about what happened to Golden Panacea, the last syphon I found.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Luna shook her head dismissively. “He was a rare healer, but had a medical condition of some kind. She says he saved a filly who ended up being one of your most promising students, before Dusk, right?”

Patiently letting out a long breath, Celestia turned to the grand staircase that led into the castle proper while waving for the other mares to follow her. “Sunset Shimmer wasn't just a student. She was a prodigy. She had such promise… Until the day I found her in the depths of the vault, attempting to toy with relics even I do not dare touch lightly.”

With Luna and the spymistress trailing behind her as she strode into the depths of her castle, Celestia remained resolute in her decisions. As they arrived at the gates of the vault, Celestia brushed her fingers over the gate before finally halting, turning her back to the hidden doorway even as it began to slowly grind open. “The point is, syphons are dangerous, Luna, even more so than a rogue changeling, or undocumented black lotus smugglers. Of the seven simulacrum you and Starswirl forged, two were shattered by a syphon known as Resolute Impact.”

For a moment Luna paused, gazing past Celestia’s shoulder into the depths of the darkness that lay behind her sister. She could just barely make out something moving slowly in the dark shadows, something that was drawing nearer to them. “The- they were shattered? Not merely disabled? But they are made to self repair, to regenerate from the ambient mana of their posting. How-”

From the shadows the groan of metal rubbing on metal signaled the arrival of a towering golem made from the depths of the vault. Its body was built of excessively decorated, glowing blue metal that burned with the flickering fire of eternal mana. The living statuette paused, lowering its spear as it recognized the sisters and reverted down to a passive stance.

Shaking her head slowly, Luna walked around her sister, and stroked the giant artificial mare's cheek. “This one was left to guard the Tree! Sister, are you sure-”

Celestia shook her head as Luna looked into the stone face that was so nearly a mirror of the Night Princess’, but was devoid of her empathy. “It's necessary. In well over a thousand years, we have never had anything threaten the Tree. And we have never had a more dangerous place needing protection than the vault. Four of the sisters still guard Tirek’s oubliette. The one at the Mirror Pool was destroyed by Resolute Impact. The same as with this one's twin, who patrolled our old castle. I had to pull this one here. I dare never to risk moving the four from their hidden posts around Tirek. Only they might be able to delay him long enough for us to devise a plan, should he ever break free.”

Shoulders slumping, Luna shook her head slowly. “But just because one syphon shattered two of my guardian simulacrums, it doesn't stop the good they can do. Starswirl was a syphon. Even before he mastered magic, it let him join the Elder Unicorns in moving the sun and moon. Empress Pure Radiance of the Crystal Empire was a syphon. If she hadn't been, who knows if they could ever have forged the Crystal Heart. They can still do good.”

Celestia placed a heavy hand on her sister's shoulder, shaking her head. “I never doubted their capacity for good. You name two. I can name forty. But let's start simple. Golden Panacea. A soon-to-be father. A healer of rare talent, probably comparable to dear Cadance herself… but he saw an injured filly, burned and crushed by the accident that followed the discovery of her special talent. Short of Mother herself interfering, I believed the filly to be a lost cause. But he didn't simply stabilize her. He didn't order her brought to one of the three ley lines in Canterlot, where he might have saved her safely. Instead, he immediately began pouring his healing magic into her until he started feeding her his own life force.”

Celestia turned from Luna, as well as the stone-faced mare made of rock and mana, and walked across the room to gaze out the window at her morning sun, speaking to the window. “Self control, sister. Most syphons don't live long enough to learn it. You named two. Two pillars of self control beyond any comparison. But Dusk is no such thing. He stays up studying until his eyes go cross and Barb drags him to bed. He obsesses on projects until those closest to him worry for him and force him to move on. It's been happening for years, and despite all I've done to teach him control, nothing has changed. Would you really trust a stallion who dragged his own broken body through the Everfree to try and stop Nightmare Moon just because he has the power of a syphon?”

Luna lowered her head but still gazed at her sister through her long bangs. “He did it to save me… yes, I would.”

Noon, Dusk’s Observatory

Somewhere, some tiny part of Dusk knew he should have questioned Dash’s suggestion that they go for a casual walk. But after watching the bats and griffons from the balcony last night, the idea of mingling casually with two groups he had never had a real chance to get to know on neutral or friendly grounds was enticing. Of course, after walking around the more public parts of the campus, Dusk caught a whiff of the kitchen staff serving breakfast to the late-rising students, and the offer of a ‘homemade’ breakfast he didn't have to cook made it easy for Dusk to divert Dash into the cafeteria.

Dusk’s earlier concern regarding Dash’s “innocent” suggestion they go on a walk was confirmed when she said that he’d want to eat a light breakfast. After eating an apple and banana, and regretfully eyeing the cafeteria’s infamous hash browns, Dash began pestering him to lead them to the track he’d mentioned before. After a short walk, the pair found the track ring, and began stretching their legs as a class milled around the nearby field. They were tossing around the balls used for the magic ball game that Dusk had played so often before moving to Ponyville. But for all the practice they were getting with the large and magically sticky yellow one point ball, or the smaller magically neutral green three point ball, the magically repellent purple eight point ball lay forgotten to the side.

Halfway through their third lap of the field, Dash’s nudge to his ribs caught his attention while she gestured her thumb towards the students who had grown only louder as they ran laps. “So what's up with them? And why such different balls?”

Looking to where Dash was pointing, Dusk laughed gently, moving to match her pace while he nudged her in return. “Oh come on, Dash. We talked about them before, remember? That's the balls for the unicorn version of rugby.” But even as Dusk spoke, he reached out with his magic, forming a thin cushion beneath the anti-magic ball as they neared the students. In one swift motion, Dusk lifted the magic ball off the grass, tossing the purple sphere into the air.

Leaping off the track and out into the grass, Dusk caught the ball in one hand, before directing it behind his back to Dash while waving with his free hand at the shocked and agog students, as he skirted back onto the field, picking up his pace to catch up with the mare. “The rules are rather straightforward. The larger, yellow ball is worth a single point and sticks to magic, making it easy for even younger players to carry the ball to a point. The smaller green one is three points, but magically neutral. Easier for the other team to steal, but more rewarding if you can cross the field to score a point. And-” Dusk paused, throwing an aura of power under Dash’s hands while she tossed the ball from hand to hand, knocking it free from her far side so he could snatch the ball out of the air. Spinning it on the top of a finger using his magic to form a shield over his hand to make the magic repellent ball float, Dusk needed to constantly adjust which direction the magic touched the ball from as he casually grinned at Dash. “And of course, while physical contact is allowed, you can't touch the ball with your hands, making it a tricky game, as the eight point ball tries to move away from any magic.”

Dusk created a second copy of the magic shield on his other hand, surrounding it in magic, allowing him to carefully juggle the magically adverse ball from one hand to the other. Winking playfully at Dash as they jogged on, Dusk repeated the process, extending similar raspberry glowing shield spells over Dash’s hands as well before bouncing the ball off his hand and over to her. “Just remember! You can't catch it, it'll just bounce away. You gotta balance it off the magic. Juggle it if you can.”

Caught off guard as the ball the size of her hand was tossed casually to her, Dash instinctively tried to snatch the ball out of the air with her hand. Half-wrapping her hand around the ball, Dash had to stop jogging so she could turn off the track and chase after the ball. “Right! This! This, Dusk! Is bullshit!” Bouncing the ball several more times off her hand as she chased after the ball, she barely kept it aloft, fumbling the ball time and time again.

Far across the field, the watching students had turned from shock and confusion at Dusk’s intrusion, to laughter at Dash’s struggle. Scowling at them, Dash quickened her pace, diving straight under the awkwardly tumbling ball, throwing her wing out under it just before the ball hit the grass…

And this time it was Dusk and the students’ turn to gasp in shock. While Dash had dove through the grass to catch the ball with her wing, the two never made contact. Instead, the ball had repelled from her extended limb just like it did from any other source of magic. And with such a wide buffer line, her wing beneath it, the ball now simply hovered in place, much to Dusk's delight. “By the Light, Dash! Don't tell me you did that on purpose!”

Slowly rising up off the grass while staring at the ball as it hovered over her wing, Dash adjusted her wing carefully from side to side to alter the ball's position. As she stood slowly, nervously rubbing the back of her head and adjusting her weight to sit back on her heels, Dash grinned at Dusk. The false bravado in her tone was clear as day to him, but the students who rushed over the field to get a closer look didn't appear to pick up on it. “What? Of course I knew! After all, pegasi naturally use magic while we fly, so why wouldn't my wings work with your stupid magic-hating ball?”

While Dash remained calm and smug, Dusk reached a hand down to grasp hers, helping her to stand while shaking his head. Already trying to push the ball around by flexing and folding her wings, Dash rolled the ball back across her shoulders, and onto her other wing, scoffing casually when the students started to gather and question her. “See, we're just naturally more athletic than you unicorns, Dusk. No wonder you guys don't let any of us play in your league.”

Laughing along with Dash’s joke as she continued to show off for the impromptu crowd, Dusk shook his head while grinning at the students. “That’s exactly why we don't let pegasi play, Dash. If you got going quick enough to take flight, there's no way we could keep up once you got a good two or three hundred feet up.”

Pressing into Dusk’s arms and playfully flicking her tail at the students, Dash rolled the ball down her wing, playfully kissing Dusk’s cheek before flicking her feather tips, tossing the ball through the air in a lazy arc to the stunned onlookers. “I suppose we could find some kind of comfortable middle ground to make things fair. Maybe no flying higher than a hundred feet over the field?”

Dusk put an arm around Dash’s shoulder and turned with her away from the students, who had scrambled to catch the ball after Dash tossed it at them. Together they shared a private laugh, moving to get off the field, only to walk squarely into Silken Flight and a trio of bat foals.

Shadowed by two fillies and a colt, each of whom openly wore wooden swords belted around their waists with full sheaths, Silk had an odd little harassed look to her disposition. Meeting Dusk’s eyes with an almost-surprised look, Silk then looked at Dash, before the weathered mercenary gave them both a slow nod, before gesturing to the foals in her wake. “Wind, Skies, Grove? Meet Dusk Shine and Rainbow Dash. Say hello. Properly.”

If Dusk had any questions about what Silken Flight was doing with the young foals, her stern tone and the rapid reactions it brought out made it clear to him that she wasn’t playing some game with them. Lining up shoulder to shoulder before her, the foals all drew their wooden blades and touched the tip to their foreheads, before turning the blades down to hover just over the ground at their feet. “In the name of the Night Mother, we salute you.”

Something in the militaristic way the young foals saluted him made Dusk feel uncomfortable. Yet as he watched them, all wearing eager smiles, doing their best to keep their sword arms pointed to the ground and blades hovering, Dusk couldn’t help but enjoy the delight in their eyes. Without a sword on his side to copy their salute, Dusk instead snapped to attention, and offered the foals the sharp salute just as Shining Armor had taught him. “A pleasure to meet you all. Are you all training under Silken Flight? Or are you serving as her personal escort?”

The older of the fillies pushed past the other two while sheathing her sword. She giggled a little as she gave a small bow to Dusk, her wingtips lowering respectfully. When she spoke, it was in an excited torrent of words. “We’re training as body guards! Elders Fading Skies and Starry Night both agreed that we were doing well enough in fencing lessons to deserve a chance to show Silken Flight just how good we are! Are- Are you the real Dusk Shine? The unicorn that Princess Luna said found her in the realm of dreams and finally brought her home to us?!”

Switching rapidly from a somewhat-subdued expression of pride to one of outright shock, Silken Flight rushed to silence the filly with a hand. “Fall Grove! Magistrate Dusk Shine doesn’t need to know about your classes with Princess Luna!”

But the foal, grumbling with impertinence and pulling Silken Flight’s hand away from her mouth, protested her frustration. “But Silk! If he really is the unicorn she told us about, then he’s a hero, right?!”

Putting on a more serious face to try and stay on Silk’s good side, Dusk crouched down to the foal’s eye level. Giving the spymistress a nod, he reached out and gently took hold of the foal’s hands. “It’s kind of you to think so, Fall Grove, but I’m just glad I was in a place to help Princess Luna. Meeting her was a real honor. Personally, I’m jealous. You are the one who gets to take classes with her, I’d give a lot for a chance like that!”

Staring at him with wide, starry eyes, Grove remained silent for a moment before nodding sharply, a happy grin on her face. “Thank you, magistrate!” She stepped back and quickly became lost in a gaggle of conversation with her two partners. The foals kept watching him even as Silk stepped forward.

The always-serious mare looked calmer now, and almost grateful as she watched them move out of his way. Shoulders flexing, she sighed with relief, and turned her head up to gaze at him. Her voice was bored, even dismissive. “Magistrate, you’re here for the Wonderbolts show tonight, correct?”

Watchful of whatever it was that the mare was fishing for, Dusk gave her a slow nod. “I- Well, yes we are. Dash got tickets for tonight's show from a birthday ages ago. Why?”

Shaking her head, Silk placed a hand on the shoulders of one of the foals while turning to walk away from him, her voice still very casual as she let her tail flick lazily behind her back. “Oh, no real reason. But the magistrates often have a few smaller box seats reserved for those that feel like showing up at most public events. I’m sure, for an event like this, you could easily get a box for yourself and Rainbow Dash. After all, it would make for such a nice gesture since you're trying to impress her into joining your herd, right?”

Shocked into missing a step and stumbling over himself, he shook a fist at the spymistress as she walked away. “Silken Flight, you’re as bad at meddling as Cadance!”

Throwing her wing possessively across Dusk’s back and over his shoulder, Dash yelled after Silk’s retreating back as well, but she was laughing the whole time while he was red in the face. “Yeah! Besides, he doesn't need to impress me to join his herd. I’m the star of his herd!”

When the bat mare was finally, hopefully out of range, Dusk shook his head before looking at Dash, unable to keep from grinning a little as he spoke. “So… does this mean we go shower first before looking into these seat upgrades?”

Laughing softly, Dash flapped her wings so that she could wrap her arms around his neck from behind. She pressed in close and drank in his scent as she kissed and licked at the sweat on his throat. “Mmmmphh… I guess, if you have to. I think you smell great as is. Otherwise you’ll complain about something silly like needing to look professional, or having to do your job right, or boring stuff like that.”

1pm, Dusk’s Observatory

Despite Dash’s reservations about Dusk’s need for a shower, she had been all too eager to help. Continually pressing herself up against him in the shower, she spent a few minutes just running her hands over and massaging his arms, shoulders and back muscles before shifting to wash herself and play with his tail hair.

When Dusk offered Dash a bottle of shampoo, the mare brushed a hand through her rainbow hair before finally releasing her grip on his tail. “Nah. I'd better get out, Dusk. Feathers and wings are great for showing off how to fly, but they're a real pain to dry. Just don't keep me waiting too long.”

Left alone in the shower, Dusk didn't waste much time, rinsing the shampoo from his hair and straightening his tail out as quickly as he could with his fingers before finally stepping back out of the shower. With a towel loosely tied around his hips, Dusk walked out into the bedroom, but had to catch his jaw from hitting the floor as Dash gestured for him to look towards the bed. There, laying across the edge of the wooden bedframe, were the fine black silk magistrate’s robes that Rarity had made for him. Complete with the golden trim and sash, Dusk could feel Rarity’s presence as his fingers brushed over the collar, and discovered the fabric felt freshly pressed. “Dash? Why?”

Grinning, the naked mare leaned against his side while resting her weight on his shoulder, fingers massaging his bare abs lazily. “Rarity said if I didn't make sure you were dressed properly for public appearances, she’d confiscate my flight suit ‘until further notice.’ Besides, I want my chance to show off a cute magistrate on my arm. It might even be fun.”

Chuckling softly, Dusk shook his head. “And I suppose my comfort and privacy had better take a second to making sure your flight suit is safe and Rarity’s fine work gets properly shown off, right?”

Kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around him, she enveloped him in her wings as well. Grinning, she said, “Rarity said you'd understand. Now get dressed, I want to see who's performing tonight!”

1pm, Canterlot University Athletics Field

Despite being early to the show at the grandstands of Canterlot University, Dusk couldn't help but enjoy the palpable excitement of the ponies already waiting for the gates to open. Banners of vivid blue and yellow-gold hung from every free surface in the university grounds in celebration of the show. Ribbons, balloons, and posters galore named every one of the sixteen Wonderbolts that were scheduled to perform.

But there was one banner that announced who would lead the performance, and it dominated the wall of grandstands and proudly proclaimed the name now on everypony’s lips. The banner was dominated by the profile of Lieutenant Colonel High Winds, drawn in the colors of her personal sigil, the soft stormcloud blue-gray of her wings, with the unique vibrant yellow uniform of the high visibility of her flight suit. That one of the leaders of one of the Wonderbolt divisions was performing in a public show, specifically the head of the weather teams, made Dusk wonder just what she had planned considering her talent with storms.

Dash’s grip on Dusk’s elbow broke him out of his engrossing deliberations, snapping him back to reality. “Hey, Dusk… do you know anypony here?”

Finally turning to look at the ponies that milled around the campus, he saw rambling groups that gathered around booths and bought souvenirs, clothing and junk food while waiting for the stands to open. But nowhere did Dusk see any pony he recognized. Shaking his head slowly, he offered Dash a shrug. “Not that I could say. Why, Dash?”

Giving him a half-hearted shove, Dash stepped closer, leaning against him while lowering her voice. “Because everypony keeps looking at you and moving out of your way, you egghead. I've never seen a crowd so cowed by a black robe. In Cloudsdale, ponies rush to say hi to magistrates, to ask them about the next new project, or what's happening with the weather, or when the next social is scheduled. Hell, sometimes just to find out what they thought of last night's Wonderbolt race. Don't Canterlot’s magistrates mingle with normal ponies?!”

As Dash explained what he’d clearly missed, Dusk shook his head a little in dismay as he began looking, really looking over the watching ponies. Here and there he saw students that must have been part of a class he took once, but they had simply been background noise in his busy life, never registering as anything else. Even his memory failed him as he looked at faintly familiar faces and searched for names. Perhaps they were only herd sisters of a pony from his classes, or the brother of a classmate? Dismissing the annoyance at not being able to remember, Dusk leaned back against Dash’s weight and squeezed her hand. “Everypony I know loves Grandiose Guffaw, but he was always the most social of the magistrates I've ever met. The rest of the magistrates would come to banquets, or balls at Starswirl University, or the palace and scowl at everypony else while drinking deeply and talking in small groups in the corner of the room. I suppose a few of the younger magistrates often mingled with the older students and younger teachers, dancing, flirting, that kind of stuff…”

Snorting with disdainful amusement, Dash nudged Dusk’s ribs even as she wrapped a wing over his shoulders. “So in short, all the younger males think they’re studs, and the old stallions are all self-serving dicks. Gotcha.”

Laughing at Dash’s simplification, Dusk shook his head. “I didn't say they were only stallions, Dash. The mares are just as selfish and paranoid as the stallions… perhaps more?”

Smirking in response to his jibe, Dash swatted his tail with hers as they approached the gate where mares were taking tickets and letting ponies into the stands. “Well, if I had something worth being paranoid and protective of, I’m sure I would be too. It’s a good thing you and Applejack know your place, egghead.”

Winking at him, Dash stepped out of his arms and folded her wings against her back properly as she pulled out her tickets and spoke quickly with the ticket mare. Before he knew what was happening, another mare appeared by his side with a platter of sandwiches and a glass of wine, shoving it under his nose while flicking her tail playfully. Attempting to be polite, he declined the offer before turning to look back at Dash, her confident voice carrying over the crowd. “No, thank you. We’d rather just have a private space if you have one. The magistrate is a private pony, really.”

Whatever they had been talking about, the ticket mare appeared to understand, accepting Dash’s tickets and having a hurried conversation with a mare in a fine black suit. When they finished, the new mare gave a half-bow to Dusk before gesturing for them to follow her into a private door that led high up into the grandstands. When Dusk finally got close enough to Dash to try talking to her privately, their guide was already opening a door with a key, forcing him to put off questioning her.

As Dusk entered the small box seat, the guide mare bowed again, her voice deep and confident. “The ice box is fully stocked with a comfortable selection of cheeses, salads, finger sandwiches, and wines, Magistrate. However, if you should find anything lacking, just pull the gold velvet rope and one of the attendants will rush to find whatever it is you might need.”

As though the answer to his question had just been waiting to present itself, Dusk finally understood what it was Dash had been talking about with the ticket mare. Shaking with suppressed laughter, he gave the mare a nod, offering her a gold ten-bit piece. “Thank you, ma’am. But we don't want to be a bother. It's already too nice of you to accommodate us at such last minute notice. We won't bother you any further, really.”

Though the mare gave Dusk a subtle look of doubt, she accepted his bits and bowed out of their presence in silence, leaving him alone with Dash in the roomy box seating. Four oversized and thickly-cushioned chairs with plush purple velvet blankets draped over them formed a loose semi-circle across the face of the private space, while thick carpet covered the floor. A dozen small candles infused with lavender incense burned in elaborately carved nocks built into the walls provided ample light, while sky blue drapes of sheer silk allowed them to watch the open field while preventing the sun's glare from entering their space. And in one corner of the box, a small ice box, three feet wide and five feet tall, sat behind a marble counter with a set of onyx-handled carving knives and one of those fascinating independently powered hot plates.

Bothered by the excessive amount of unaccounted and unexplained ambient magic in the air, Dusk’s horn flared as he reached out with his magic and found that somepony had reinforced the box against strong winds, most weather, and even listening magic, much to his own momentary shame. As he let go of his magic, he noticed that Dash was hard at work, moving three of the chairs against one wall before removing the plush cushions that made the armrests nearly a foot thick each. Satisfied with her work, the mare grinned over her shoulder at him, and gestured with a thumb. “Check the ice box, maybe there are some fresh carrots or baby tomatoes. That and a bottle of wine should help kill some time until the Wonderbolts start. I got this chair good and ready, so now we can sit together instead of having twenty pounds of frilly cushions in the way.”

Grinning again, Dusk opened the icebox and fished out a bowl of mixed fruit and veggies as well as a promising-looking bottle of Almaden Mountain White Zinfandel before joining Dash at the single central chair. Giving her a wink, Dusk slipped the wine into the ice bucket stand that Dash had prepared, and sat down when she gestured for him to go first. Surprised at how plush the cushions still were after Dash’s dismantling, Dusk settled in and looked up at Dash.

If Dash had been carrying a sign, she still couldn't have been any less subtle. Hands stretching over her head, she twitched her hips to the beat of some personal rhythm, her taut ass and shapely hips presenting a delightful view, occasionally blocked by her tail’s teasing shift and sway over her ass. With her wings lifting and spreading wide open, she backed slowly towards him, her feathers standing on end. She brushed them lightly across his chest, shoulders, arms, and face, her primaries just a tickling promise. Bringing her wings back up and to the sides, Dash slowly lowered her weight onto his lap, grinding her pert rump against his groin. She let out a low, eager groan at the pressure of his clothed crotch rubbing up in between her ass cheeks. As she gyrated her hips slowly, she pulled his arms around her hips, squeezing his hands gently until he took the hint and began massaging her sides. She leaned her upper body back down against Dusk, her wings still spread wide so she could get in as close to him as possible. She let out a happy sigh against his neck before nipping his jaw, smirking when she heard his breath catch for a moment. “Hello there, Magistrate. Nice to meet you again after-” She paused, grinding her ass harder against his erect shaft. “Oh!~ Too long.”

Shifting against the naughty mare, Dusk kissed the side of her head as he ground his groin against Dash’s eager ass, letting out a slow breath as he snuck his fingers up into her shirt to trail his nails against her stomach. “Again? Really? After all of last night? You'll wear me out at this rate, Dash. I'm only mortal.”

As the distant sound of the first drops of rain began, Dash merely laughed before grinding her hips back against Dusk’s trapped flesh again, enjoying the friction of their clothing rubbing achingly, slowly against her sensitive parts. “If not now, when? Nopony can see us, and the crowd’s already way too loud. Besides, Applejack and Rarity have had you to themselves for months. I gotta catch up somehow. I think it's only fair I get to be a little greedy.”

The first crack of the storm hit, and Dusk moved his head down to capture Dash’s lips in a long, intimate kiss, even as she continued to writhe against him. Pulling out of the kiss regretfully, Dusk sat up in the chair and bounced Dash in his lap, earning a laugh from her. When she stood up, Dusk took his hands from her hips and turned to pour two glasses of the chilled wine. Outside, the downpour of the storm picked up, and began muting all outside sounds and smells, giving the pair the illusion of being alone at the show. But as Dusk turned back to Dash, he was hit by the familiar scent of her wet musk as he watched her slip her tight pants down. Mouth agape, he could only stare as she let them drop around her ankles, taking time to flash her ass off at him in the most provocative angles she could, highlighting her already-drenched cunny and massive cutie marks. The evocative sight of those rainbow bolts of lightning over her bare hips were enthralling in the light of the scented candles. Despite how much of them he’d seen the night before, Dusk found that he still couldn't look away from them, even for a moment.

The faint magic that had originally bothered Dusk didn't earn any of his attention now, but the spectators in the stands below were grateful as a shield of magic designed to guard against bad weather bloomed into life. While the field inside the arena continued to get soaked, those watching now had a reassuring glow to help them see as, in pairs, the starting Wonderbolts made their first pass overhead. In the darkness of the thunderstorm, their vivid blue and yellow uniforms barely managed to stand out, but their weather magic and their increasing speed left the iconic glow of the truly elite flyers, streaking trails of glowing blue in their wake.

Smirking at the awestruck look on her lover’s face, Dash snatched one of the glasses from him. Dash drained the wine swiftly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand while undoing his belt with her free hand. “Did you know I never tried wine until Rarity gave me a glass? Before that, it was always good old Apple family cider. A way better choice to drink with somepony rowdy like AJ.”

Finally jolting out of his stupor, Dusk sat back as Dash fiddled one-handedly at his belt. He sipped at the wine and let it linger on his pallette, breathing out a gentle sigh even as a nearly neon yellow streak passed by their curtained window, so brilliantly that Dusk couldn’t help but notice as the head of the Wonderbolts Weather Corps made her showy arrival. Even indirectly being reminded of his last experience with cider brought back the foul taste of raw meat and the way his horn had been scarred, however. Needing to actively distract himself from those bad memories, Dusk reached out to cup Dash’s bare flank, fingers stroking over the lightning bolts on her taut thighs before moving to pull her into his lap. ”This is more my speed. A sweet, but subtle and soothing drink. Good for a calm night before a soothing fire with a good book.”

As he sat his drink down to focus on trying to draw her back onto his aching loins, Dusk was thwarted by Dash’s mischievous nature. Just as she was about to slip him inside of her, Dash shifted her hips back and landed with her rear just above his cock, squeezing her thighs against his shaft. She’d trapped his cock against the surface of her sex, wet lips rubbing over his throbbing flesh as her thighs pressed in on him from the sides. Letting out a halting moan, Dash said, “Y-you and Rarity and your reading during stormy weather. Mmmmph… Why not appreciate a real work of art? Re-real effort goes into making a good storm!”

Thwarted by Dash’s love to tease him, Dusk slipped his hands under her shirt and dragged her back as he shifted to sit deeper against the chair. He placed his lips against her neck and gently bit her, groaning as she ground her drenched sex and thighs against his needy shaft. Panting for breath after a few more moments, Dusk struggled to keep calm while she pressed back against his straining body. “Dash? I'm sure you've got a good point about storms, but- this is just unfair.”

Smirking at the want in Dusk's voice, Dash relaxed her legs, rising half up and off his throbbing cock. Hovering over him, Dash soothingly stroked Dusk’s stiff shaft with one hand, licking her lips as she felt the juices that ran off her cunny on his member. “Begging already Dusk? Pinkie was way more patient with her strapon Jill than this…”

Unable to help but laugh at Dash’s comparison, Dusk relaxed under her slow but steady stroking hand, working her natural lube into his aching shaft and stoking the need she had brought to life. “Well Dash, Pinkie’s toys are probably made of plastic or latex. I'm going to guess they're probably comparable in texture, but her toys are still not quite as tender as my flesh.” Teasing her just a little, Dusk pouted dramatically, but struggled to make it believable as he internalized a soft moan of pleasure as she beat him off.

If Dusk had convinced Dash of anything, she didn’t show it, instead focusing on using her hand to line up his hard cock with her slit. Enjoying the feel of him against her sex, she hesitated, rubbing the head of his shaft slowly into her lower lips. “Don't complain too much, Dusk, or I won’t protect you from Redheart or Bronze next time!”

Done with her idle threat, Dash lowered herself swiftly onto Dusk's shaft. Letting out a loud moan, she squeezed her legs together and wiggled her ass against Dusk eagerly, her tail twitching rapidly against his chest. She reached out to the sides, gripping the arms of the chair tight as she spread her wings and arced her back against Dusk. She let out another eager moan when she felt his hands on her, one sliding up into her shirt to find that she’d forgone a bra. Dusk let out a groan of his own as he pinched her nipple, rolling the pierced flesh between his fingers gently even as his free hand moved down to stroke one of her cutie marks. Enjoying the attention, Dash began rolling her hips in an attempt to find space for every bit of his shaft she could take, groaning even louder as her wings flapped erratically at her sides.

Somewhere out in the rainstorm that engulfed the field, a single bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, shooting down into the field. It tracked straight for Lieutenant Colonel High Winds, where she stood alone in her high visibility suit. With her stormcloud blue-gray wings spread wide open, she held a metal rod overhead, firmly gripped in a hand. When the bolt made impact, a resistant glow bloomed to life as the blinding bolt was refocused by the weather mare, channeling through the rod in her hand into the ground at her feet. Steam, at first pouring from her extended arm, soon swiftly began to engulf the air all around the elite weathermaker, as the channeled nature boiled the rain around her, vaporizing the very cloud that poured on her head.

Dusk saw none of this. His vision was blocked by Dash’s writhing body as she continued riding his erect shaft, the mare crouching down with her feet on either side of his hips. Her arms were extended behind her, on the back of the chair for balance as she cried out in pleasure with each thrust, her back arching further and further the more worked up Dusk got her. Seeing such an easy opening for revenge after her teasingly slow start, Dusk stretched his hands out to grip both of her shoulders. He extended his thumbs down to press into her wing muscles with the tips of his nails, scratching at the very outer edge of her too-sensitive flight muscles. The scream of pleasure she gave out prompted Dusk to lean forward in his seat and plant his lips firmly at the center of her flight muscles, kissing and nipping them softly.

When Dash cried out again, and bottomed herself out on his shaft, Dusk nearly came. There was a sudden, intense and pleasurable shift of pressure as Dash’s vaginal walls tightened reflexively with her unexpected climax. She slowed down, riding him by slowly rolling her hips in a steady rocking and grinding rhythm that, despite the tightness of her climax, only further teased Dusk’s needy rod. When her climax had worn off, Dash all but fell back against him, panting breathily against his neck. She kissed the side of his neck, making a trail up to his ear, where she gently bit his earlobe and moaned into his ear. When Dusk thrust his hips up against her, Dash’s surprised intake of breath just prompted the stallion to further torment her. He trailed his hands down her body and up into her shirt, gently pinching both of her pierced nipples. Enjoying the attention he was giving her, she licked his cheek in yet another painfully slow moment of torment. When Dusk’s hands returned to her cutie marks, Dash groaned softly and rolled her hips, earning another soft moan from Dusk. She grinned and sat up taller, turning to cup his chin with one hand. “Dusk? I want to try something… different… new? Will you let me try, please?”

For just a moment, something in Dash’s eyes opened up, and in them, Dusk saw a fragile mare, full of hope. Stroking his thumbs across her marked hips, Dusk leaned forward to give her a soft kiss on the lips before nodding. “Of course, Dash. If it's important for you, I'll try whatever you want at least once.”

Grinning wickedly, Dash rose, giving a muted groan as she pulled off his erect member. She turned around so she could wrap her arms around his neck, while her wings spread out forward to lock behind his back. She leaned forward, pressing her erect pierced nipples into his chest as she ground her dripping sex against his shaft. Pressing her lips roughly against his, Dash wiped up some of her honey that had gathered on her thighs when she came, thoroughly rubbing the natural lube onto his cock with careful, attentive strokes. “I… I really like anal sex, Dusk. And after Pinkie introduced me to her toy Jill… it only got even better! So I figured, if it's that good with a toy, it's gotta be even better with a stallion!”

Groaning happily as Dash masturbated him, making sure he was properly lubed up, Dusk was unable to help but laugh a little at her excitement for anal sex. It was a type of sex that had never really occurred to him, but he was willing to give it a try for Dash. Thinking about it, however, made him suspicious about how many times they had bumped into such awkward situations. He couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Dash’s motives had never been quite so innocent, but that only made him more eager to try this out.

All thoughts outside of what Dash was going to do next ended as she placed her legs on either side of his knees again, her bare ass hovering over his drenched member, with her tail held to one side. She directed him to hold her hips. “We’re going to start out slow, okay Dusk? Just support my weight and hold my tail, I'll do the rest.”

Moving his grip over the pert, tight, small ass, Dusk did as she asked, squeezing and spreading her cheeks wide open while keeping her tail suspended up and off to the side, out of the way. Watching as Dash lowered herself onto his cock head, watching as his tip slipped inside her, inch by carefully controlled inch, Dusk worried she was going too quickly when he saw her bite her lower lip. Groaning out against her tightly shut lips, Dash paused, breathing in rapid gasps. Before finally speaking. “Ohhh by the Light! Pinkie was so right about stallions. This is so good! Dusk? Is it good, tell me you like it too!”

The pressure around his shaft was shocking to Dusk. The additional pressure of her tight tail hole around his throbbing shaft was unlike anything else he had ever experienced with the other mares. Bordering on uncomfortable, if not painfully tight, the way Dash took command and paced them out only added to the thrill of trying out something so new. Moving slowly to avoid breaking Dash’s balance, Dusk formed a thin cylinder of solid magic between her thighs, rubbing it slowly back and forth across her sloppy wet lips where its faintly vibrating tip could stimulate her sensitive clitoris before finally answering her. “I think you found a real winner, Dash. How's my experiment going?”

Outside, the crowd had rushed to their feet as one pony, roaring in joy. The weather mare summoned forth bolts of lightning from the sky, while high above, her second in command performed daring stunts of dexterity and weather sense, by dodging between the bolts even as they burst free from the clouds to impact on lightning rods she had planted in the short chopped grass of the arena. But Dash and Dusk never noticed any of that, as in one slow but steady plunge, Dash hilted on Dusk’s member, while screaming in pleasure directly into his ear.

“Dusk, you dirty cheating asshole! Keep that up, and I'll never let you out of the bedroom!” She panted heavily, rubbing her small breasts against his face. “Don’t you dare stop!”

Rolling her hips to take his shaft in steady, regular thrusts, she drew up only an inch or two at first before dropping back down on his throbbing cock. As her confidence grew, they both grew more relaxed. Dash began taking additional inches, and added extra speed. Soon Dusk found her rhythm and matched it before drawing her weight onto his shoulders, pounding deep into her ass while the magical rod slipped its inch-long vibrating length into her sex, to tease her further. With their increasing pace, Dusk couldn't help but enjoy the rising pressure as his climax built, the aching need for release quickly mounting, pressing against his self control. “Dash… I'm… gonna cum.”

Dash grabbed Dusk's jaw with both of her hands. She turned his head so she could make their mouths meet and gave him a deep, aggressive and passionate kiss. Breaking free and gasping for breath, she leaned down to bite his neck roughly, sucking on the skin for a moment before speaking. “Then come on already! I've- I got my turn, you've probably earned yours by now!”

With that permission, Dusk increased their pace, shifting his weight further down in the chair as he put her whole body into his arms. Months of work on the Apple farm made supporting Dash’s weight easier, and rapidly bucking under her, for one incredible moment, Dusk finally found relief: flooding her tight ass with his rich seed, making it all the tighter. For a moment time froze, and he hung there, suspended in bliss.

Then time returned, and like a glass thrown into the air, Dusk came crashing back down. As the last of his pleasurable climatic thrusts drove his seed into Dash’s hugging walls, something inside his back shattered in a burst of pain that rivaled his still-unraveling climax. Barely able to breathe, it took all of Dusk’s suddenly feeble strength to lower his body back into the chair, and gently place Dash’s weight back onto her own legs. Even then, the sudden loss of strength and flare of pain left him gasping for breath, his vision blurred and blocked by black spots. His delighted groan of pleasure warping into gasps as he struggled to think of anything else but the pain.

Somewhere in the blinding flood of agony, Dusk felt a hand gripping his, and a voice whispering in his ear. Unable to make the words out, Dusk squeezed the slender but powerful mare's hand in return, though it took everything he had to answer. “My- back…”

Lost in a new flare of the pain, Dusk couldn't make out much of anything else for a while, floating in a blinding white void that exceeded his ability to suppress or ignore.

Then came a soothing bliss that dulled the pain, and slowly began to overwhelm the ache in his still spasming back muscles. The nullifying feeling of something very wet and cold spreading over his back was followed by pressure to his lips, and Dusk realized he had been rolled onto his chest at some point. A part of his brain realized that it was a straw that rested against his lips. Sealing his lips over the straw and drinking deeply, Dusk was shocked when he tasted not water, but the same wine they had been drinking before.

With the dulling alcohol and cold water soothing the throbbing pain in his back, Dusk felt his senses slowly returning. Hands had begun to rub into the sore muscles of his back, driving off the insistent needles in his back and soothing the spasming muscle... as well as a voice, muttering to herself in frustration. “If you're going to pull a muscle every time we fuck like this, Dusk, there's no way Nurse Redheart will ever let me near you again!”

Feeling more and more fragments of his mind return as Dash’s massage suppressed the worst of the flaring pain, Dusk tried to turn to face her as best as he could without moving too much. Breathing in and out with care, Dusk finally answered her. “If you don't tell Redheart anything, neither will I, Dash. You’re doing wonders already.”

Grumbling as she worked her hands into his aching back muscles, Dash flushed slightly. Settling herself more comfortably on Dusk’s ass, she leaned into the pressure she was putting on his back. “You’re lucky you’re worth all the trouble, Dusk.” Her tail twitched behind her, laying on top of his. Frowning slightly, Dash noted that the spot that seemed to give Dusk the most relief was right between his shoulders on his spine, almost where her own flight muscles were on her back. Sighing, she thought to herself, “Maybe I should take the spa twins up on those massage lessons. Would be a good excuse to get him naked again…” Dash flushed again, before grinning widely.

Dusk shifted to place one of his hands on her still-naked thigh behind him, and he stroked the taut muscles he found there tenderly. Taking another large gulp of the wine, he cleared his throat before speaking. “I know, Dash. I’m beyond lucky to have found you girls, much less that you’d all put up with me. I love you, Rainbow Dash.” He wasn’t sure if it was the wine already getting to his head or not, but he felt that it was important that she knew that.

Freezing in place when she heard those words, Dash went silent. She stared down at him for a long moment, biting her lip. Then, slowly, as if she was afraid he was going to get up and run if she acted too fast, she leaned down to lay on his back, her wings lifting up and laying across their upper bodies.

Dusk once again found himself in Dash’s little world, just the two of them surrounded by her feathers. He felt the slight chill of her piercings pressing against his back, and the mare herself trembling slightly. “Dash? Are you ok? I didn’t mean to ru-”

Dash leaned forward to press her lips against Dusk’s, silencing him. She rubbed her hands against his shoulders, pressing in tightly against his prone body. Breaking the kiss off, Dash nuzzled her head in against his back. Whispering softly, she said, “I love you too, Dusk...”

9pm, Starswirl University Grounds, Canterlot

Not minding having to miss the concert that followed the Wonderbolts show, Dusk finally stood steady again as Dash helped him down the long staircase out of the private boxes. Dash was grateful for how long the concert after the Wonderbolts show was scheduled to go on for, because after five hours, the audience was so into the show it was going to be easy for her to sneak her drunk magistrate out, black robes of office or not.

Thanks to Dash’s wonderful massaging and a lot more wine than he was used to, the throbbing ache in Dusk’s back was numbed again. Now he only struggled with walking sideways due to his indulgence in said expensive drink.

Walking close together, with one of Dash’s arms wrapped around his hips to help steady him, they had been making great progress, until the sudden cry of an all-too familiar voice made Dusk freeze in dread.

“Dusk Shine! By Princess Celestia’s Eternal Sun! What in Tartarus are you doing here?! And why are you drunk?! I was sure that Redheart or one of the others would have had the sense to keep you caged up after you got attacked by a hydra!”

Flanked by Princess Cadance and a bat pony… Dusk’s intoxicated brain stumbled for a moment to identify the tiny mare’s unfamiliar face, finally offering up the name of Gentle Br- before reluctantly surrendering to confusion. But it was little Barb who he settled on, trying his best to focus on her so he didn't have to look at the disapproving glare that Princess Cadance had leveled on his soul.

Holding up one finger in an effort to accentuate his point as he spoke, Dusk tried his best to mangle together an acceptable excuse for Barb. “It'sh not like that, Barb, real’y. Dash and I’re on-a date. It's even our-our first real d-d-date. And- well, you see, Dash’s never had uh date with a stallion before, right, so I figured a little wine would make the night go betterer for us. Except, well, Dash don't really like wine as much as I do, and I didn't want some expensive wine to go t’waiste,” he reasoned with a goofy grin, hoping his excuse sounded as good as it did in his head. “Plus the concert was quite nice, so we stayed and I dealt with the rest of the bottle.”

Barb’s expression didn't change, but the way Princess Cadance suddenly beamed with pride, rushing past the young guard mare to Dash’s side, took everyone by surprise. She snatched up Dash’s hands and squeezed them with an impressive strength that left a hint of visible shock in Dash’s expression. “Is it true, Rainbow Dash? After Rarity and Applejack, I was already so proud of my reclusive Dusk Shine finally coming out of his shell! If you're serious, why, Dusk has a real herd forming!”

Suddenly confronted by an authority figure from Dusk’s past, even one relatively close to their age, was clearly overwhelming Dash. Her face rapidly flushed into dark shades of red, even as Dash stammered to respond. “Oh! It's, um… it's not something that major, really, Princess Cadance. Me and Applejack have been close rivals since I got the job running weather for Ponyville, and Rarity’s a close friend. It's not like anypony in our group of friends wants to have a foal or anything.”

Drunk as he was, Dusk’s gaze turned to Dash, a hand half lifting in response before being lowered as he thought better of saying anything.

Following in Cadance’s shadow, Gentle Breeze moved in near silence to stand adjacent to Dash while also positioning herself beside a sales stand so she could watch Barb without leaving her back exposed. Somewhere in his drunken mind, Dusk registered the uncomfortable way she carried her short spear, along with an odd bulkiness under her black uniform cape.

Stretching to reach up to Dusk's shoulders as Cadance gushed over Dash, Barb gripped his black magistrate’s robe and dragged him down to her eye level, her keen sense of smell bothering her for some reason. “You never drink, Dusk, at least nowhere near this much.” Pausing a moment, Barb's tone grew deeply accusatory. “This is really unusual for you. And why do you smell like both of the Princesses’ magic?”

Meanwhile, if Dash had thought her attempt to dismiss Princess Cadance’s excitement was well thought out, the alicorn’s excitement proved that thought very wrong. “Oh! I can't wait to see what Dusk's little foals would look like! They'd just be so cute! I mean, Dusk was just the most adorable foal! And if you look at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, you can just picture what Applejack or Rarity’s foals might look like if you're not convinced! Besides! You three don't need to have foals right now. The most common problem most herds run into is the mares fighting with each other because they didn't know one another well enough before joining a herd. Enjoy the knowledge you're friends with your herd mates, Rainbow Dash! It makes everything so much easier the better you know one another!”

Cadance was beyond excited by the news that Dash had inadvertently shared; she was nearly as bubbly and energetic as Pinkie. As overwhelmed and flustered as Dash felt by Cadance’s attention, she was suddenly desperate for anything to escape. She found that in the way Barb was looking at Dusk. “Barb, it's really nothing like that, really. I think he's earned a few drinks after the last few days. After the whole hydra thing, he came to Cloudsdale to cheer me on and something went wrong with his spell. He accidently- well, he fell off Cloudsdale.”

Barb’s jaw fell slack, and at first she could only stare for a moment at Rainbow Dash, and then her gaze slowly turned to Dusk. After a long moment, she released Dusk and straightened up to smooth out the fine white dress she wore, before curtsying low to Princess Cadance. “I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel on your and Shining Armor’s plan for dinner tomorrow. As it turns out, I'm needed in Ponyville far worse than we could ever have guessed. Because apparently Dusk doesn't have the brains to keep himself from falling off clouds, and here somepony is talking about him fathering a herd full of foals!”

Still in her own little dream world, Cadance scoffed at Barb's reaction and softly scooped up the irate baby dragon, cuddling her close and kissing her cheek. “Barb, you'd make a wonderful aunt for Dusk’s foals! Strict, but unafraid of spoiling them rotten! Besides! Most stallions are more sexually active long before they reach Dusk’s age, often having had a foal or two already. It just goes to show how comparably responsible he's been relative to his peers. That, or his fertility condition is worse than Nurse Redheart reported.”

Shaking her head and palming her cheek hard, Dash gave a heavy sigh. “He’s just trying to help Derpy and Amethyst have a second foal. Applejack and Rarity haven't said anything about having foals to me!”

Crossing her arms over her thin chest, Barb stuck out her jaw. “Well Applejack and Rarity never said anything about that to me. They never even said you were joining their herd! I am going back to Ponyville with you and Dusk. And nopony will be talking about having foals as long as Dusk still needs a foalsitter.”

Laughing softly, Cadance set the still-grumbling dragoness down and moved to Dusk's free side, scooping up Dusk’s right side and smiling down at Dash. “Let's get this stallion to bed. Then I'll take Barb to pack, while you go get tickets. A few hours will sober him up enough for the train ride, I'm sure.”

Giving the towering young goddess a grateful nod, Dash breathed a breath of relief. “That sounds like a good idea to me, Princess. As much fun as our little vacation to Cloudsdale was, it’ll be nice being home again.”

Having been largely ignored, the guard Gentle Breeze followed along in silence. The young bat mare took advantage of the chance to study Rainbow Dash, fascinated by the relaxed, carefree attitude of the winner of the Young Flyers Competition.

9:20pm, Rarity’s Boutique, Ponyville

Watching Sweetie Belle write a short story for school as they sat together at the kitchen table, Rarity turned away from her cup of cocoa at the sound of somepony knocking for a second time at the distant door of her boutique. “How simply bothersome. I am sure I hung up the sign after dinner! What could be so important?”

Shaking her paper free of wrinkles, the young mother smiled fondly over at her foal, speaking softly. “Sweetie, dear. It's late enough. Finish your cocoa and head to bed. We can work on your story tomorrow night if you want. Just remember to put your cup in the sink and wash up. I'll be up to say goodnight after I see whatever it is that has somepony knocking down the shop door so late at night.”

Giggling at her mother, Sweetie exposed the brown stain on her teeth from the cocoa before answering. “Okay, momma. I'll give Opal a kiss goodnight while I wait!”

Watching as her foal reached for the last of her slightly tepid drink and drained the rest in one long series of gulps, Rarity couldn't help but speak up. “If you must, but remember to brush your teeth and wash your face first. You know how picky she is about keeping her fur clean. We don't need to experiment with finding you another new hairstyle tonight!”

Pausing on her way to the sink, a deeply thoughtful expression crossed Sweetie Belle’s face and she stood taller while innocently declaring aloud. “Oh! Now I get why she insists on using a straw when she drinks cocoa!”

Shaking her head at the childishness of her foal, Rarity walked into the boutique and used her magic to light up a few candles about the room. As she did, the knocking stopped, but the winged figure shadowed by the setting sun loomed outside the glass, standing taller when she saw the lights flare up. Raising her voice as she approached the door, Rarity tried to call out as diplomatically as she could. “I'm quite sorry, friend, but I was just putting my little sister to bed. Do forgive me, what has brought you by so late? We closed an hour or two ago-”

Opening the shop door, Rarity was shocked to discover that Bronze was waiting outside the door, two heavy rolls of fabric tucked under an arm, her eyes as beet red as her cheeks. All things considered, it was rather surprising that the guard hadn't come around to the back door. “Oh, my! Bronze?! What's the matter? Why are you so red-faced? And why didn't you come to my door? You're always welcome to visit, that's why I gave you a key.”

If it were possible, Bronze’s face turned only more red from embarrassment as she attempted to apologize and explain herself all in one rushed and frustrated mouthful. “Oh! I'm sorry Rarity, if I'd known you were busy with Sweetie, I- Well, I can come back another day. It's just- you see, I was trying to make these gloves, and I bought the material, and the pattern, and everything else, but I just can't make anything work! I can't make the lines overlap properly, and then the stitches were too loose, and the soft inner layer of silk wouldn't line up. Oh Rarity, it's- I'm just totally hopeless with this stitching stuff!”

The forlorn look in Bronze’s eyes was more than Rarity could stand. Reaching out with a spell and taking the two rolls of fabric from Bronze so she could keep her hands free, Rarity stood up on her toes, reaching up to cup the tall guard’s cheek so she could kiss her softly. “Gloves? I can help you with that, sweetheart. It's no problem, really. When do you need them by?”

Momentarily flush with relief, Bronze gave a sigh as Rarity stroked her cheek. “I need to finish them by the magistrate’s meet. My… my dam and sire are coming for a visit, and she has bad hands, so I thought I could make her gloves. Will you- will you teach me?”

As Bronze spoke, Rarity couldn't help but find herself thinking back, and realized there were so very few times she had ever seen Bronze without her gloves on. Only when she did paperwork, cooked... or those very few rare, but pleasurably quiet, private moments they had spent together... Otherwise the mare never went without them. And finally, Rarity understood. If Bronze’s dam had ruined her hands, it was no wonder she was so insistent on giving Dash a pair before the Wonderbolts show. “Help you make them? I- Well I mean, we've got a few weeks, Bronze. But are you sure? Doing a two-layered pair of gloves properly can be quite frustrating and picky. But, if we've got a few weeks, I'm sure we can walk through it before they arrive…”

Squeezing Rarity's hands in hers, Bronze nodded sharply. “I really do want to learn how to do this myself, Rarity. If you can spare the time, I'd be grateful.”

Smiling softly up at the young guard, Rarity squeezed Bronze’s hand in return. “First let me go tuck in Sweetie. Then I'll take you to my creativity room. We can at least get started with cutting out the pattern and work on your stitching. I'll even make a second pair so you can follow along step by step, alright?”

Finally fully relaxing, Bronze gave the fashionista a powerful hug. “Thank you so much, Rarity. I'll make this up to you someday, I promise.”

Shaking her head and smiling at Bronze’s over-gratitude, Rarity mentally prepared for a few more hours. How bad could a simple sewing class go?

Thursday, April 14th, 12:30am, The Imperial Throne, Griffonstone

“I am never riding in one of those cargo shuttles again, Spitfire. I'd rather walk on my own two feet than let somepony strap me in to be bound in a sledge like a newborn foal like that. The turbulence alone made it feel like it was shaking my brain out of my ears! Never mind the endless rattling of all that spare armor and whatever other supplies they had stored all around me.”

Still flexing his right shoulder to help pull at the stiff muscle of his back and wings, Rainbow Blitz knew his commentary might be overheard by any servant or spy nearby. Roughly a dozen clan Alphas were no longer even attempting to be subtle in their near-open revolt against the clans that still at least faked some sense of public obedience to the current emperor. Despite their unsubtle rivalry for control of the capital, however, they were far from the most dangerous due to the constant plotting of the other clans often thwarting them.

But after having spent so long tied up by a medic and served nothing but the rotten herbal brew they had all sworn was best for his stiff wings, he was simply glad to be back on his own two feet. Besides, Spitfire’s soft laughter told him the area was at least reasonably secured. It had taken a few years, but his once-student had grown into a powerful mare to be remembered. The obvious presence of a few extra scars added years to the filly he had helped train once years ago, with the worst being just a few inches away from her left eye, but the commanding poise she carried herself with was as sure a sign as any other that she'd only gotten tougher with years of experience and leadership.

“It's just a pleasure to see you in a proper uniform again, Blitz. Most of the Wonderbolts under my command haven't seen any real battle with griffons in their lifetime beyond basic training. And the griffons here still speak of you like you’re some walking legend. Of course, they treat old Captain Crimson Ripbeak about the same, and they still insist on calling her ‘The Hellcat’ when they’re not calling her a traitor. But if you really want to see them get worked up, go on tour with the guards around any of the bars at night. Then all they ever talk about is ‘The Night of the Red Moon’. Your presence will be good for morale, sir.” Pausing as she started to guide him towards the towering gray stone castle, the Wonderbolt lieutenant colonel stopped, looking thoughtful. “Oh, and the Ambassador said she wanted to greet you as soon as you arrived. Something about how she was glad to get a chance to see you again.”

Despite his best efforts, Blitz knew Spitfire saw him wince at the mention of the ambassador, but he took the next step, rather than force her to say anymore. “Then I suppose I should go see her first, shouldn't I? It’s only right to respect the chain of command, and she speaks as Celestia’s voice in this city. Tell me, I hear that the griffons used to call her ‘Celestia’s Pretty Bookmare’. Is any of that still true? I remember Velvet never was one for tolerating nicknames.”

Doing her best to hide the grin that tried to spread over her lips, Spitfire shook her head, clearly struggling to hold back a laugh as they passed a guard post manned by two Wonderbolts and three griffons in uniforms that were all mismatched. When they were given entrance to the inner halls of the castle, Blitz couldn’t miss the the fact that the halls were stripped and damaged, with all the normal decorations missing. As the door closed behind them, Spitfire finally answered. “Not anymore. Not a week back, the Alpha - the previous Alpha of clan Bloodsteak - pillaged an orphanage that Velvet paid to have built with her own money. She caught him on top of the omega mollen she’d hired to raise the children. Afterwards they gave her a new nickname, and she hasn’t commented to anypony about this one, since they don’t use it around her. ‘Celestia’s Emasculator’. Since then, the clans, even the openly rebellious ones, are behaving very carefully when she’s around. Most of them are even finally respecting her ‘property’ and ponies they see as being ‘owned’, in griffon terms, by Ambassador Velvet.”

Considering her story, Blitz stroked his jaw with one hand. He had already read the reports about many of the problems still plaguing the empire's capital. Thinking about the situation as they arrived at a second checkpoint, Blitz couldn’t help but notice that this time, it was crewed by three members of Celestia’s Royal Guard and two Wonderbolts. With no griffons in sight as they crossed the last few halls, Blitz added that as an extra detail to his growing mental checklist. When they passed into the next point through a heavy chamber door, Blitz was shocked at how much the condition of the hall remarkably improved.

The scorch marks and broken masonry disappeared, replaced with occasional tapestries and very rare artwork. But it was as they began to pass by occupied chambers that Blitz finally saw why. Most of the rooms had been recently converted to house the Royal Guard or Wonderbolts as a makeshift barracks. In every room they passed, there were bunk beds lining the walls, with footlockers and at least one table just large enough for two to write reports. Already, Blitz saw two lower officers hard at work, writing at either end of a table with quills in hand.

As they neared the end of the hall, two rooms located right before the next checkpoint, located across from one another, had their double doors wide open. To the right stood a kitchen that was currently under the command of a scowling mare in what Blitz estimated was her forties with a metal spoon shoved under her arm. In front of her, there were three younger royal cadets that looked like they had just been harangued by the mare and her bent metal spoon. But on the left, what had been a moderate-sized meeting hall of some kind with a massive fireplace, now appeared to have been converted to serve as both an armory and forge on top of its original purpose. In it stood a towering earth mare, and Blitz felt a weary gaze that lingered on him for a brief moment. After a cursory study of him, her bandaged tail flicked irritably behind her back, before she returned to her work on a caved-in piece of Royal Guard plate mail. Seeing where his gaze lay, Spitfire spoke up. “She’ll be grateful when she sees what you put up with on the ride here. We desperately needed those two new portable forges and all that good Trottingham steel.”

Nodding gently as they continued on towards the checkpoint, Blitz decided to get his first uncensored report of this new duty. “So just how willing are the griffons to take on the guards openly? The kind of damage done to that platemail armor implies a very violent confrontation.”

Looking over her shoulder at the smith’s doorway, Spitfire gave a gentle sigh, shaking her head while an expression of exhaustion spread over her face. “That’s our best smith, Black Coal. And while she isn't going to act very happy with what you brought, she’ll be grateful, so don’t take it personally. I've never met a pickier smith. Until the fire we reported a few weeks ago, she used to insist on going to the market to pick out every ingot of steel personally.” Reaching out to squeeze his arm and urge him forward, Spitfire kept him walking at a casual pace before answering under her breath, so that just Blitz would hear her. “You asked: Do they attack the guard? She had three of the Royal Guard with her, but the Alpha of the Whale Eaters liked her tail. Thought it would make a nice belt, and wanted it as a symbol of his strength. We lost two of the stallions that were with her before the market riot started. Five more of the guard died fighting the fire that destroyed the market and ended the riot. All because some- some selfish childish bully with no morals decided he wanted a mare’s tail for his belt.”

Following Spitfire's lead, Blitz remembered the red bandages that had been tied around the towering mare's tail, and dropped his next question, moving on to a more relevant one. “Has he been dealt with yet? I’ve seen some of my greener officers, and I know of at least few who could use a real wakeup call on dealing with griffons…”

Spitfire led them up to the massive iron door that waited ahead, where three earth pony guards wearing full armor waited watching them closely through an open grate, their weapons already drawn. Still speaking softly, the young commanding officer’s voice was distant. “Right now, we can't get revenge for every slight they make, Blitz. I know we normally have to take revenge as often as possible to keep the griffons respectful, but they're currently killing one another faster than we can clear up old debts. Besides, his Beta delivered the slob’s severed head to Black Coal last friday. And he did it personally. Then he proposed marriage to her. When she turned him down, he took the rest of his clan and, as a whole, the Whale Eaters abandoned Griffonstone, declaring it a lost cause. Sadly, they had several rivals, and none of them have budged an inch from the Emperor's throne room. This means that now, instead of twenty-three relatively loyal clans fighting each other and the rebels constantly, we now have only twenty-two clans that continue to do so while faking some measure of loyalty, fighting the sixteen rebels. And of those twenty-two, we suspect between three to five of the ‘loyalists’ have started to take no part in the constant conflict at all… something the council believes suggests that they are merely waiting. That they want to see if one side can manage to outnumber the other before they rejoin the fighting under some new alliance.”

This time when the guards took their papers, they gave them a far longer, more careful inspection than any had before. The way they were folding the seals, and inspecting for hints of alteration or forgery gave Blitz cause to worry, and wonder what lay beyond this door. Worse, what had made them this careful about a fellow countrypony?

When he was finally allowed into the next chamber, Blitz saw why. Upon the dragonbone throne, sitting high over the heads of a council of eight ponies and griffons, sat the young griffon emperor, who looked like any other seventeen-year-old griffon teen with parents that had doted on him too much, and overfed him for years. “Then again, he slew his sire and grandsire in their sleep to take that throne, so perhaps the family was never the problem…”

Watching the way the boy played with the griffon's sceptre of leadership like a toy made Blitz's skin prickle. He remembered a meeting with the old emperor, the one who ruled when Blitz had been just a young Wonderbolt, acting as part of Celestia's honor guard. As vile of a raider that the old emperor had been, he had openly bragged how his grandfather had slain the dragon and carved the emblem of rulership from the dragon's calcified heart, but voiced his disappointment his grandfather had not managed to do so to a more exciting foe, like an alicorn. That meeting had ended... poorly, to say the least, and led up to the Night of the Red Sun. Still, though, forefront in Blitz’s memory was how the old emperor had refused to touch that rod with his bare hands, “lest the vengeful dragon’s fire burn him”. Now this child played with it like a toy baton, casually tossing it around, and occasionally smashing the orb over the head of a weary old gray-feathered griffon in white robes whenever the old man tried to speak.

While Blitz recognized only three others in the chamber, and old habits cut in. First he briefly dipped his head respectfully to the old griffon, ignoring how poorly the emperor treated the man. A nagging half memory told him he should remember the griffon’s name, but in the haze of years, the name was lost. Then he refocused and rapidly memorized the stranger's features before lingering a moment on the two other familiar figures at either end of the table. Regal and masked, Twilight Velvet nearly glowed in the impossibly expensive robes of office that attempted to mimic Celestia’s morning sun. Across from her was General of the Royal Guard, born as Fierce Ridge, but known now as Bobby ‘Engagement’ Lee, a war hero around Blitz's own age, with a record longer than any other member in recent history.

Rising from her seat at the meeting table as Blitz and Spitfire entered, Velvet’s rainbow-coloured robe looked like something from one of the oldest and most obscure temples the richest and old-fashioned families in Canterlot helped fund. The vivid colours even reflected hints of the torch light as she looked to the child emperor, her voice barely hinting at her weariness. “My dear emperor, if I might introduce you to the beloved ‘Spear of Celestia’, Major Rainbow Blitz, a hero of the Night of The Red Sun.”

The use of old titles, old nicknames, and an old war might not have meant much to many back in Equestria, but the Royal Army General sitting at the table with the other advisors rose, and saluted with a fist over his heart. Thinking that they had first met long ago when both were hardly old enough to fit their uniforms made Blitz grin a little, but the main focus of his attention was on the child emperor. As one, the other council members rose, even the griffons who stared at Blitz with hate in their eyes… save for the old griffon who was always standing, his feet shackled together, and the child who rolled his lazy bulk over, his red eyes staring into Blitz's own.

Slowly, the young monarch rose, using the invaluable sceptre as a walking stick to support his awkward teenage weight. He crossed the distance around the table to stand before Blitz, the boy rocking on his heels as he stared over into Blitz's eyes. Finally an evil grin flickered across his face and he clapped his hands together. “Oh, this is rich! You promise your goddess is watching me, and if I let you keep your silly peace, I'll finally get to see a warrior like the kind my grandfather spoke of. So I let you keep your peace. And here he is! A real warrior, at last!”

Giggling from the back of his throat, a thick glob of spittle escaped the boy’s mouth and dribbled down his chin, but those red eyes were unblinking. In one fluid motion that looked almost unnatural for his bulk, the boy pulled out a rust-stained and pitted dagger from his belt, before offering it out to Blitz. “I've kept this as a trophy of my first two kills, Spear of Celestia. Do you keep anything to remind you of yours?”

It shocked and appalled Blitz that this simpleton had managed to kill both his sire and grandsire in a single night. Even Gilda had never been this bad… Carefully accepting the offered dagger, Blitz made a show of admiring it as if it were anything other than a steak knife that had been put to bloody use, going so far as to give it two experimental swipes through the air before reverently handing it back. “A marvelous choice, dear emperor. But in my day, we took no trophies. Our battles were too frequent, and our foes too many to linger over such petty indulgences.” Blitz wondered if this boy was really worth all the trouble Celestia had put into saving him. But if the peace of the nation was at risk...

With a smile that made Blitz’s blood run cold, the boy again offered Blitz the dagger, his voice almost deranged as his bloodshot eyes grew ever wider. “But those days are over now. Today, you can become the Dagger of Ashen Thunderhead, the Emperor. You need only kill ten… maybe twenty clans’ Alphas at most, and all of this will end. Your silly peace-keeping forces can go home. I'll even give you any reward you might want. Mares? Mullen? We even have a sapphire mine. I could armor you in the blood red gems if it will earn your loyalty.”

Like a rock, Blitz's heart fell at the open display of vile cunning, crude deception, heartless cruelty, and total insanity by the griffon teen. Blitz had no doubt that if he were to accept the offer, the teen emperor would denounce Blitz’s acts as that of a madpony, bent only on destabilizing the already-tenuous relationship Griffonstone had with Equestria. Pasting on a sad but remorseful expression, Blitz held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his voice heavy with feigned remorse. “Would that I could, dear emperor, but my Goddess Celestia would book such an act as a betrayal to her will. She has commanded me to advise Lt. Colonel Spitfire during this campaign, and I would not defy my goddess’ will.”

The young emperor looked crestfallen, and re-sheathed his dagger while hanging his head. Leaning heavily on his scepter again, the young man dismissively waved at Blitz while he turned away. “Yes, yes of course! I understand. After all, what is an emperor compared to a goddess who has lived for over a thousand years? Forgive my youthful impulses.”

Turning to storm away, the emperor growled at the old gray-feathered griffon, grabbing by the beard and dragging him along by one hand. “Come along, Old Flightless Fool, my ‘Ambassador’! Come, take me to my harem. I bore of these pointless politics, my mullens must surely miss my company!”

Just like that, the boy was gone, escorted out of the back door by the same, broken yet oddly familiar old griffon he had been abusing with blows from the sceptre the moment Blitz walked in. Finally free to breathe, Blitz was shocked when several of the griffon advisors around the table also let out heavy breaths. Turning to the still-standing people gathered around, Blitz saluted the Royal Army general. “Forgive me, General Lee. I wouldn't have made you wait so long, but I get the eerie feeling that the new emperor would have taken my attention shifting from him for even a moment as a personal insult.”

With a casual wave, the general dismissed Blitz’s concerns while gesturing to the table and lifting a glass of water from the table. “I'd offer you a proper drink, ‘Spear’, but I was banned from such drinks a few years ago ‘for my health’. So water will have to do.”

Accepting a glass from an attendant dressed in the robes marked with the sigil of Twilight Velvet’s house, Blitz watched as the rest of the table sat down, save for Velvet and Spitfire, who spoke up first. “You’re not the only one who gets that feeling, Blitz. Yesterday, he offered two of my most promising lieutenants three rubies the size of my thumb to have a knife fight over the gems. And while I'm sure both mares would have the self-control to refuse such an offer, they are on patrol on opposite sides of the city, just to be sure.”

The hawk-eyed general looked just as weary as Spitfire had as she talked of the market riot, and Blitz could feel that mood was shared by most throughout the room. After a few moments of silence, Velvet spoke, breaking the dreary atmosphere. “Stallions, mares, I have known our goddess for longer than most in this room. Today has been long enough. We all know what we must do in dear Celestia’s name. Griffons, our dear hosts, thank you for always assisting our efforts to maintain order. Let us break now, and perhaps with a good meal, a night's rest, and our fresh reinforcements, tomorrow will look a little brighter.”

There was little joy in the muttered conversation as the room emptied, and eventually Blitz found himself alone with the ambassador, as even Spitfire had left him to his fate. In silence he stood, slowly drinking his cup of water, watching as she calmly bid the last of the council goodbye, shaking the general's hand and sealing the door personally.

As soon as the door was locked, something changed in Twilight Velvet’s stature. The moment they were alone, her presence suddenly shrank. No longer the avatar of Celestia's will, Blitz found she now suddenly stooped as if under a great weight, her head tilted forward a little, almost drooping. In one long breath, she let out a long, weary sigh that dragged on while her fingers worked at a fold of fabric in the hood of her impossibly luminescent robes. With a happy chuckle of joy, she withdrew a hidden pin that prevented her from removing the hood, and at last, let the flashy fabric fall down her back while brushing at her meticulously pinned-up hair. For the first time a genuine smile spread across the lips underneath the goddess’ mask that hid most her face. “Blitz! You don't know how good it is to see you here! I haven't seen you since- since the... Oh... dear. I'm- I'm sorry, Blitz."

The growing embarrassment in the mare’s eyes replaced the previous excitement she had clearly felt, and her hands began to fidget awkwardly. Blitz remembered the last time they had met outside of social events. He could recall the accident in every detail, but he certainly didn’t blame her for what had happened. Stepping closer, he put a hand on the mare's, squeezing gently. “We were there with you for a reason, Velvet. You didn't set those traps, and you tried to care for the cadet, but you were never a healer. I never blamed you. Ruins like that are booby-trapped. It's a risk we Wonderbolts are trained to take."

Burying her face in her hands, Velvet pulled away from Blitz and groaned out in frustration, a perfect contradiction to the perfectly calm and completely controlled ambassador that was on display when the room was previously filled by the advisory council. Returning to pulling pins free so she could finish shaking loose her violet hair, the gray and white streak reminded Blitz of Dusk’s similar pink and blue. "I'm so sorry, Blitz. I haven't seen you for even two seconds, and already I have firmly put my foot in my mouth. Some ambassador I am. Now tell me something about home. How is little Rainbow Dash? I haven't seen her since she was… five? Six? She ought to be what? Seventeen now, right?"

Surprised by Velvet’s intention to simply talk so casually about Dash caught Blitz off-balance, and he struggled not to laugh outright in response. Straining to keep from laughing out loud, he covered his mouth with a hand while he shuddered and shook with barely-suppressed mirth, grateful the ambassador was distracted with her hair.

When he finally got his self control back, Blitz shook his head, as he struggled to explain. “Dash? She's fine, Velvet, she even won the Young Flyers’ Competition. But- well, haven't you been getting Dusk's letters? I know he’s nowhere near as shy about writing as my Dash, surely he told you about their herd?”

Unlike Blitz, Velvet instantly burst into open laughter, dropping the handful of pins in her hand over the table at random while she bent over sideways, grasping her ribs with both hands as she struggled to subdue the overwhelming humor at Blitz’s response. “Oh, dear Celestia! Is she still really going absolutely all out on this ‘Dusk’s in a herd’ joke!? Come on, Blitz, she's been playing jokes like this on me for nearly forty years. First she started by replacing his last letter with some crazy tale about the Elements of Harmony. But other than the return of blessed Princess Luna, I’ve found no proof of that impossible story. Then, ‘Dusk’ stopped writing me at all, and now Celestia has spent most of a year spinning yarns nearly as impossible to believe as the ones she told me as a foal! I mean, how am I supposed to believe he somehow became magistrate of Ponyville, a little farm town of all places! I mean, it was a good joke, since it’d be a great place to get a new magistrate’s feet wet, but please, this is Dusk we’re talking about. He hardly leaves his books long enough to attend her classes, much less start any sort of herd. Celestia’s not going to win this one, so just forget whatever Celestia paid you to play along! I didn't believe her about that nonsense about a dragon either, so don’t even try this new joke about forming a herd!”

Staring at the mare as her laughter slowly died down and she started to wipe tears from her cheeks, Blitz couldn't help but wonder just how many stories were behind Velvet and Celestia’s strange relationship… or just how much Dusk had changed since she’d left to be the ambassador to the griffons. Calmly crossing his arms over his chest, Blitz waited, watching her with a level gaze. Finally, when she had finished laughing, he spoke up, smiling amusedly. “Velvet, look at me. I'm not part of whatever joke Princess Celestia is trying to pull on you. I just came straight from Cloudsdale, where I met Dusk for the third time. He's a very tall stallion, almost a giant for a unicorn, with hair like yours, but with pink and purple stripes. Dusk showed up unannounced with all his friends, having invented a cloudwalking spell so they could cheer Dash on during the Young Flyers’ Competition. I swear to you, Velvet, he really is in a relationship with Rainbow Dash, and at least two other mares… even if Dash is too shy to admit any of that to my face.”

Shaking her head slowly, Twilight Velvet gathered up the loose fabric of her dress robe, trying to rationalize what Blitz said. “I-I… I need to reread what Dusk wrote. Dear Celestia, Blitz! He’s never left Canterlot before, and… h-he can't really be one of the Elements!? I remember Celestia’s stories about them, but they were just that, stories.” Velvet began shaking her head, looking down at the table, and Blitz could tell that she’d momentarily forgotten he was in the room. “If he’s strong enough to use them, like in the stories… He was barely born when Celestia, when she sea-”

Biting her lower lip and cutting off something that left the elderly ambassador red-faced with worry, Velvet looked off somewhere far away. Several times she attempted to say something, yet each time she drifted off and returned to her distant, frightened expression.

Suddenly, she was in her ambassadorial mode again, back straight, shoulders squared, her expression as unreadable as Celestia’s when she wanted to keep something to herself. “Blitz? Do you swear to all of this? Is it all true? The duty of a magistrate? A herd of his own? Has he really come out of his shell? Is he really one of the Elements of Harmony?”

A second ago, Blitz had been tempted to offer the ambassador aid, but now he waved off such an attempt in the face of Twilight’s serious expression. Nodding, Blitz replied, “Until I saw them together for the second time at Dash’s eighteenth birthday, I would have thought the exact same thing. He's a big unicorn, but he's still tiny compared to Shining Armor. It's been so reassuring to see her find a healthy relationship after everything that happened between her and Gilda. I hadn't thought about the other things you bring up. But yes, Velvet, they are both Elements. Rainbow Dash is the element of Loyalty. I can tell you about their friends if you want. They’re all good mares.”

Stoic, the ambassador stood as still as a statue, hands at her side while she turned her head up towards the ceiling for a minute with her eyes closed. Only her slow and steady deep breathing suggested to Blitz that she was deep in thought, or possibly meditating. As the situation in the room grew uncomfortable, Blitz emptied his glass of water, and then cleared his throat to excuse himself from her presence. "Ambassador, if you-"

Without opening her eyes, Twilight Velvet shot up one hand, pointing one finger at him. She was quiet for a moment longer before finally releasing her breath in a tranquil sigh of exaltation. "No, but thank you for asking, Blitz. Will you escort me to my room?"

Whatever had happened to Velvet, she was calm again, smiling behind her mask and watching him. Calm. Blitz let out a small breath through his nose, thinking, ”Perhaps that's just how she deals with stress. Trying to negotiate peace between thirty or more clans of griffons out for blood alone is a monumental task… knowing her youngest foal is now a magistrate, and one of the Elements of Harmony can only make it worse.”

Reaching out, Blitz accepted the weight of Velvet’s hand where she rested it on his elbow, and moved towards the door she selected, speaking formally now. “Of course, Ambassador. If you are Celestia’s Voice, then I will again be her Spear.”

Opening the heavy portal out of the chamber, Blitz was impressed by the attentive way security was already awaiting them. Four towering earth mares in full plate mail waited inside the security checkpoint that protected the meeting room in this hallway. The three previous guards that manned the post had moved to wait in the ‘T’ junction of the hallway beyond. On each of their escort’s breastplates, Twilight Velvet’s sigil had been added, a white dove over crossed scrolls, representing treaties.

The first guard clamped a hand to her heart and bowed before speaking. “Ambassador. Your handmaids have already been escorted to their rooms. Do you wish to retire to your rooms? Or would you prefer if we stopped by the kitchens first? You were in there for quite a while.”

Smiling at the tall guard, Velvet’s voice was full of soft laughter. “Thank you Rose Garden, but I will decline. Right now, I need to see if my stallion has finally lost himself in a stack of books higher than his head or not, and then I need some sleep. But in the storeroom by my chambers, there are a few pots of cinnamon honey on the shelf behind the fresh bran. Take one of them for the maids and another for your guards, with my thanks for your tireless service.”

The giant nodded, lowering her salute and grinning wildly at the tiny unicorn. “Thank you, ambassador, I know something so sweet will be welcomed by everypony. Sleep well my dear friend, I'm sure you'll find Night Light somewhere under one tome or another.””

As two of the earth mares went off down the hall, the other two fell in behind Blitz and Velvet, and the guard ponies were finally allowed to return to their secure checkpoint. Walking close together with Velvet, Blitz kept his voice quiet, leaning in to keep private. “Do you often lose track of Night Light? I hear Dusk is just as bad at getting lost in a book.”

“Dusk takes after Night Light, but where Dusk gets into a book, his sire loves to find places where different revisions of a book vary. It's sometimes simply tragic to see the two of them lose an entire room when they get lost talking about obscure things like that.”

The next two hallways were sparse, with regular patrols of guards from all the clans, and even a few griffons, but as they took a long and winding climb to reach the third floor, a massive barricade, stretching from floor to roof had been built into the structure of the grand staircase, shaped like an inverted wedge, with an iron gate at the highest point. The effect forced anyone who wanted entrance to the third floor to stand in the gateway in the middle of the staircase, exposed to whatever weaponry the guards above held. Arrow slots lined the towering barricade's second story, while even as they approached, Blitz could count seven heavily armored soldiers wielding spears watching their approach.

Releasing Blitz's arm, Velvet stepped out before her escort and sang out softly. “I bring Rainbow Blitz with me, the Spear of Celestia. On my word, he is of no danger to the free mollen of this realm. May we enter?”

Pressing past others to reach the gate, a powerful mollen stepped into view, speaking out once she caught sight of Velvet with her own eyes. “If you give your word he is safe with the sisterhood, we welcome him, ambassador. But we warn you, ‘Spear of Celestia’, we won our independence from the last emperor, and we will die to keep our freedom.”

With the gate opened, Velvet gave him a nod and headed inside, so Blitz moved to follow after her quickly, realizing that the guards were heading in after her without a moment's pause. While those behind the gate varied in age, Blitz recognized one fact over all others: except for a very small number of exceptions, all were female, or under the age of twenty. Of the very few males, most were children, the few adults were dressed like guards and looked wary. They watched Blitz like he carried a bare blade in a threatening manner.

It was Velvet who explained to him what had happened as they followed the taller mollen the rest of the way up to the third floor, a place packed with more griffons than any other part of the castle. “When the last emperor was slaughtered by his grandson, I was visiting his harem, with a few healers I had hired from around town. When word of his death came, the mollens and mares were shaking with fear. In the past, some emperors have slaughtered the last emperor's harem. Sometimes even their families, to end the bloodline of a hated rival.”

Waving a hand back at the barricade, Velvet’s voice was full of wonder. “A long time ago, an emperor had the harem built into a private fortress to protect their purity for himself and any of those that earned access from him. It was the idea of Eagle Mother to declare the harem an independent clan. And for days she managed the gate alone, allowing only me and my guard access. With only one gate, and all of the windows barred to prevent escape, she turned a prison into a safe haven, where a mollen or slave mare could find peace from the endless rape and abuse of greedy alphas. Soon though, small families started to show up, begging for shelter. At first Eagle Mother refused all males entrance. But after days without sleep, she broke and took my advice. Now tocks with families are allowed in, and chucks with mothers inside may come in too. But both are given a single chance, and any offence is banishment for life. So far, the other clan Alphas are too busy to try to besiege us… and Eagle Mother has won several fights against those few Alphas that have tried to demand service, but she is one mollen. We need a better solution, but no answer is coming quickly.”

Glaring back over her shoulder at Velvet and Blitz, the Alpha mollen Eagle Mother scowled with anger. “You talk as if we have no plan! Once we have enough mollen who can fight, we leave! Rip down a wall and fly away. My clan came from the high mountains to the far north. The winters are cold, but there is plenty of game to hunt, and land for a new city! And far enough away that the other clans will not follow us!”

With a sigh, Velvet hung her head, visibly heartbroken by Eagle Mother’s simplistic point of view. But suddenly defiant, the unicorn straightened up almost right away and shot back angrily, “Who would farm? You can't! You would be dealing with challenges from the other Alphas nearly every day! No one clan has nearly half as many mollen as you! And at least half your mollen are mothers fat with chucks or chugs. Your population will grow by half as many again within a year, and your healthiest hunters and harvesters will be busy fighting for your independence almost every day!”

Snorting at Velvet’s solid logic, and ignoring the growing crowd that gathered to watch them as they grew louder, Eagle Mother slammed her fist into a wall with a flat slap of bare flesh hitting stone. “But at least we would have our chance at freedom! With so many, tock betas and clanless tocks and chucks would rush to join my clan! It's our best chance for freedom!”

Again, Velvet refused to show any weakness to the raging Alpha mollen. She snapped her tail hard against her robe, and took one aggressive step forward. “And you'll starve to death! You told me yourself, your childhood clan didn't even number a hundred wings all told! But you were subjected to raids by larger clans! Your mollen were kidnapped, your boys killed and your girls stolen! If your tock got a good hunt? You admitted to me the best of the kills were stolen by the raiders!”

As if he had seen this argument played out before, Blitz knew what the Alpha Eagle Mother's response would be even before she spoke up, and mouthed along her answer under his breath. “I will not turn over my clan to your goddess, Twilight Velvet! We are hunters who live on the wind and the power of our wings! Your goddess would take meat from our tables and order us to eat flowers! A flower is not a meal, it only distracts a huntress from hunger until she can find real food!”

“And you need to listen to me, you close-minded old-fashioned madgriffon! Celestia already has taken in your kind! They are treated as equals in Equestria! Just because your mollen told you fanciful tales about ponies when you were a newborn kit doesn't mean her words were the whole truth! You've seen me eat meat! Just because I don't have a taste for it doesn't mean ponies don't understand. Don't move to one of our cities! Celestia is kind! I'm sure we can find somewhere in Equestria where your clan could settle. The only two laws you would have to follow are practically identical to your own rules! No slaves! And no eating sentient species!” Now red in the face from shouting into the towering griffon’s face, Twilight Velvet stood chest to chest with the griffon that could easily break her in a single blow, showing no fear despite the overwhelming outrage between them.

Eagle Mother spat on the floor between them, and turned her back on Velvet, speaking with defiance before walking away heading down a different hall. “We are griffons. We eat what we hunt. We enslave what we need, and we are ruled by no gods but those of the wind. My clan will not kneel to your alicorn as long as blood pumps in my wings.”

Nearly ready to scream with frustration, Velvet turned around to Blitz and threw an arm out in the direction the mollen had left. “And to think, your sister-in-law used to be my definition of hard-headed!”

Behind Velvet’s back, a red-painted oak door opened, and a tired, but chipper old stallion stepped out in the hallway. Wearing a plush dark blue and purple smoking jacket, with a wooden pipe held lazily in one hand, two different, but very similar-looking leather-bound novels floated around his eye level, capturing the majority of his attention. But he called out gently, genuine concern in his voice as he looked away from the books. “Velvet? Dear? Are you alright? I heard shouting, again. You've been gone quite an awful long time. Would you like some rhubarb and strawberry jam sandwiches?

Blitz had never met Velvet’s husband before. Most of his work with her had been just that - work, and she had never brought her husband along for a typical job. He figured she was far too sensible for that. Seeing him for the first time, however, Blitz had expected Dusk and Shining Armor’s sire to be a giant like they were. Instead, the old stallion was a scholarly fellow, a few inches shorter and a few years older than his mate. Smiling softly, with attention only for her, he didn't even notice the other griffons in the crowded hallway at first.

Then a chug of eight or nine years pushed a small fruit basket into his free hand, speaking as boldly as she could. “Grandstallion Night Light? Can we have classes again today? I brought you fruit, like you said a good student does for their teacher.”

Witnessing this, Velvet’s frustrations melted away. Walking over to the young girl's side, she stole an apple from the basket and pushed the rest back to the child before giving the girl a squeeze on the shoulder. “He had better give you a good class, dear girl. Otherwise he hasn't earned such a good student.” Patting the chug’s head, Velvet leaned down to kiss her stallion’s cheek. Her voice playful, she hugged her stallion. “Well, it sounds like you finally found a new hobby besides dissecting identical reprints of books for typesetting errors. Good to know you're earning your keep.”

The natural way the two unicorns fit together in that silent moment was touching, but hard for Blitz to watch. He began to turn away, only to pause, realizing that he didn't even remember if Spitfire had mentioned where his rooms were. As he turned back, Velvet broke from Night Light’s arms and gave a motion to her guards before calling out. “Blitz? The mares will escort you back to your rooms or wherever you want, but don't keep them up all night. They work too hard for me as it is. And heed this warning: any mare or mollen who offers you company is almost guaranteed to have been hired by the emperor or one of his flunkies. Maybe even one of the richer Alphas. Don't trust any of them. At best, they want an excuse to rifle through your private papers. At worst? Too often, mollens are hired for their knives, not their bodies.”

Turning back to the two towering royal guard mares, Blitz thought for only a moment about roaming the castle before a pang from a stiff nerve on his back told him that, for today at least, it would be better to go seek out his own room. Offering the mares only a shrug, he smiled. “If you two don't mind, I had a long flight. If there isn't anywhere important for you to show me, let’s call it a night.”

Looking at one another, the guards gave each other a shrug before one of them gestured with her head. “You're on the second floor back in the main barracks, the hallway near where you entered the council room.”

Offering them no argument, Blitz turned after them and followed, unsurprised when the second guard fell in behind him, acting once more as a personal escort by habit more than anything else. Their walk was quiet, and while none of the griffons followed them, dozens of the mollen or older chugs reached out, touching the hands of both guards as they passed. To Blitz's surprise one or two even touched his hand as he passed. “Just how desperate are these poor women? I'm just a stranger with a name of their enemy. Have things gotten so bad in Griffonstone?”

Their walk was busier than before, but as it was still the middle of the night, most of the hallways they crossed were empty. The few times anyone challenged them in a hallway, the two guards grew instantly defensive, putting their hands on their sheathed weapons and entering a ready stance. Each time, whoever they approached would skirt aside, standing next to the doorway, and remain motionless until Blitz and his guards had passed.

Stopping suddenly before a door much like any other, the more talkative guard passed him a heavy brass key on a red ribbon, her voice soft, but serious. “Ambassador Velvet put you in the middle of the higher ranking royal guards and Wonderbolts. Until now, your room was reserved for her, but she’s been staying with the harem, so it’s gone unused until now.”

Accepting the key, Blitz drew a calming breath, shaking his head. “I suppose if they were fit for the Ambassador herself, I have no right to question anything. Did anypony outside her own staff know this was meant to be her room?”

Growing as rapidly wary as Blitz himself, the more talkative mare suddenly gestured with her head to her partner. She then thrust a hand over his mouth and pressed him against the wall of the hallway while pulling the key from his fingers to pass to the other mare. In a moment of tense silence, the guard used her free hand to draw her sword while standing out of view of the doorway while her partner opened it, drawing her hand from his mouth while whispering in his ear. “Say goodbye to us, Major.”

Understanding the mare’s intentions, Blitz called out in a voice he tried his best to make sound like he was weary, sleep deprived and fighting to hold back a yawn. “Th-thank you for the escort. But I’ll be fine from here. Good day, dear warriors.”

As Blitz spoke, the guard in the doorway stepped into the dark room, and for a moment, the room was silent. Then with a sudden battle-cry, she struck, and a tremendous splintering of wood echoed throughout the room and the hallway beyond. The guard next to Blitz rushed into the chamber, only for more silence to follow. Then a nervous, embarrassed cough and soft conversation came soon after. Realizing they had all overreacted, Blitz stepped into the open door and stared where the two mares stood, both ashamed as they looked at the destroyed closet door, rent asunder by the sword held in the quiet guard’s hand. Shaking his head, but keeping silent, Blitz gestured his understanding to her. “We’re all used to protecting others’ lives in dire situations, it’s my fault you two got so jumpy. Say nothing about this, and we will all do our best to forget it ever happened.”

For a moment, the two guards stood staring at one another, and then at last they offered him a salute, turning away and marching out the door. The talkative one paused in the doorway to smile back at him. “Do sleep well, it’s reassuring to see somepony that makes both the griffons nervous and Ambassador Velvet smile. If you need anything, one of us, or our replacement shift will be waiting here for you, sir. Trust no pony without the ambassador’s sigil.”

Closing and bolting the door as the mares left, Blitz at last breathed out in relief, pressing his head against the barrier and relaxing in the peaceful quiet in his new quarters.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a gruff, but far too familiar voice spoke up by his ear. “So you remain at least as wary as ever, Blitz. That’s good to hear. At least you won’t embarrass poor Rainbow Dash by dying in some idiotic accident.”

Heart suddenly racing, Blitz struggled to act casual and remain calm. Turning slowly around, he met the eyes of a mare he never thought he’d see again. It took all of his willpower to act like he was simply just considering her presence in his room, and tried to explain how the brown-feathered, gray-haired mare standing by the corner of his bed had somehow managed to get inside - much less go unnoticed by the two guards. Finally, he gave a level sigh, shaking his head, hoping he could hide the tempest of emotions he was feeling. “I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to see you here, Dee. From everything I’ve heard, no situation ever manages to get so messed up without your help at some point.”

Shifting her weight to one hip, the mare didn’t even bother to laugh mockingly at him, rolling her raspberry eyes before poking him in the chest with one sharp fingernail. “I'm not here to take part in this debacle. Twilight Velvet has gotten herself involved in this far deeper than any plan I would have devised. I was sent here solely to see you. We need to talk, Rainbow Blitz.”

Despite his best efforts, Blitz struggled to keep his temper in the face of the mare from his past. Struggling to keep from growing upset, he balled his hands into fists and put them behind his back. “Oh? And just what in the Light could we possibly need to talk about? Dear Celestia, the last time we saw each other we both ended up too sore to move on our own! Besides, you sure as Tartarus haven't felt the need to keep in touch with me or my daughter for the past fifteen years. Have you even seen your niece since she learned to fly?”

Face growing red, the mare’s wings puffed out behind her back in frustration. Giving him a glare that could cut glass, she snapped at him, tone growing sharp. “I have been watching her every chance I’ve had! And now it looks like you're letting her go to some unicorn like a trophy mare! That family has a history of sticking its collective nose where it doesn't belong, and those parents are the worst of the bunch! Still, her ending up with that stallion is some kind of improvement over what could have happened. I never thought you’d ever recover after letting her get involved with that foolhardy, irresponsible, audacious, near-feral, virtueless mollen spawn of the rancid loins of the old emperor’s lineage!”

Ignoring her nail pressing into his chest, Blitz stepped forward, getting right into the mare’s face, no longer trying to play at calm. This always happened. She always knew just the right buttons to press, just what to say to get him riled up. Grabbing her wrist, he forced her hand aside, his grip holding firm as he glared deep into her eyes. His voice rose, the heat in it apparent, scalding in its accusation. “You don't GET to tell me how you're disappointed in anything I did while raising my daughter! You can't just pretend like you've got that right! Not after so long out of our lives, especially NOT after how you abandoned us when she died!” Blitz’s anger hit a wall, and even as he continued speaking, he felt his voice betray him, felt the old hurts coming back. His next words were nearly whispered. “Not after everything we were. After everything we could have been!”

For a moment they stared into each other’s eyes, Blitz breathlessly panting as they stood in silence, his words heavy in the air. When the mare in front of him remained silent, Blitz’s temper came back, and he practically spat the next words out. “Velvet warned me the griffons would send slave mares to try and seduce me. I never thought you'd be one of them.”

The mare’s eyes went wide, and like a whip, her hand shot out, smacking his cheek with enough force to leave it nearly numb with pain. But in the very next moment, she shoved him backwards, forcing him down to the bed before straddling his hips. Before Blitz could react, she mashed her lips against his in an aggressive kiss, nails already raking up under his shirt. Old emotions came back to the forefront, overtaking his good judgement, and before he could stop himself, he was already reacting to her body. Based on her own forcefulness, he already intimately knew just how much aggression she wanted, just how sensitive she was - like when he gripped the back of her head, crushing her against him. The sound of his shirt tearing only urged him on more, and he roughly pulled on her tail, earning a throaty groan from the mare on top of him.

She looked down at him, red eyes full of need, of anger, of… what might have been. Her voice was thick as she spoke, the words full of emotion. “Celestia damn you, Bee.” Then her lips were on his again, and he was lost in what they had been years ago.

Author's Notes:

And thus ends Dusk and Dash's date in Canterlot! What comes next? See you all soon in Chapter 16: Staremaster/A Dog and Pony Show

Quick grammar lesson to avoid reader confusion! This is also covered in the updated version of the glossary!

Griffon words for: Boy, Girl, Female adult, and Male adult and their insperation:

Male Child = Colt = Chuck From? Chick and Cub
Female Child = Filly = Chug From? Chick and Cub
Adult Female = Mare = Mollen From? Molly and Hen
Adult Male = Stallion = Tock From? Tom and Cock