Angel Bunny stomped his hind leg on the hardwood floor of the quaint little cottage, pointedly glaring at the sunshine yellow mare hovering around the room. The rabbit had been trying to gain the attention of his pegasus owner for five solid minutes, but his attempts were seemingly futile.

Fluttershy was lost in thought—a rather common occurrence as of late. She couldn't stop thinking about a certain stallion—a certain stallion that wasn't even a stallion at all. He was kind, caring, considerate, handsome… She wanted to do things with him… things she hadn't been interested in doing with anypony else…

Yes, she was quite taken with the human, even though she’d never have the courage to tell him. Of course, Lyra had probably told him by now. It was partly the reason Fluttershy had kinda been avoiding him a little, Lyra as well for that matter.

The rapid leg thumping ringing through the room finally pulled the pegasus from her thoughts. “Oh, I’m sorry Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy apologised, swooping down to land on the floor. She was halfway through unclasping the hair curlers from his tail when there was a sharp knock on the door.

Fluttershy flinched. “Who is it?” she called, timidly trotting to the door and looking through the peep hole. She relaxed when she spotted Rarity standing on the other side.

“Hurry! I think I may have been followed here,” the unicorn frantically whispered.

Fluttershy quickly opened the door and ushered her friend inside, wasting no time in slamming it closed again and bolting it for good measure. “You were followed?” the pegasus nervously asked. She took another look through the peep hole. “By who, and why?”

“Relax dear it was only a photographer, they keep following me because they know I’m with Kye,” Rarity reassured, yet she anxiously glanced out of the window anyway. “Speaking of Kye, why haven't you been spending any time with him, or any of us for that matter?”

Fluttershy couldn't see anypony lurking around outside so she turned to face the unicorn. “I’ve been busy,” she casually replied, before fluttering over to the bird house to check on a sparrow that had recently sprained one of it’s wings.

She knew Rarity had a point. Fluttershy was doing what she always had when it came to relationships—hide. It was a pretty big problem, considering she really wanted things to work out this time.

“Fluttershy-” Rarity began.

“I know.” Fluttershy sighed. “I’m just… nervous,” she admitted. The sparrow was still sleeping peacefully so the pegasus glided across the room, eventually coming to rest on the couch.

Ever since she had seen Kye in Froggy Bottom Bog she’d been interested in him. She’d sensed he was different from other stallions right away, and not just in appearance—but then Lyra had swooped in to snatch him from under her muzzle. She wasn't mad at the unicorn—Lyra was her friend, but being Kye’s number one mare would have been… exhilarating.

“You needn’t worry darling, Kye positively adores you,” Rarity said, gracefully sitting next to the pegasus on the couch.

“I know,” Fluttershy said—and she did; Kye often stole elongated glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Of course, a lot of stallions did this. It was a phenomenon that often left her feeling rather uncomfortable, but when Kye gazed at her with that familiar glow of adoration in his eyes it made her feel… empowered.

“Just spend some time with him dear—just the two of you, no distractions,” Rarity suggested. “Oh! You should get him to give you a massage, he’s rather good at it,” she added excitedly.

Fluttershy thought about it. Admittedly, she had had a few rather raunchy daydreams about Kye demonstrating his new profession on her, not that she would ever confide that particular fact to anypony else though. “Maybe…” she began, gingerly tracing a hoof over the fabric of the couch, “if his schedule isn’t too busy…”

“Oh nonsense darling! You wouldn’t have to book an appointment. I’ll go get him now-”

“No!” Fluttershy yelped, causing the injured sparrow to wake up and start chirping rather loudly. The pegasus cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “I mean… not right now…” Her nerves were getting the better of her again.

Rarity looked a little disheartened. “Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes.” Fluttershy replied, slightly disappointed in herself. She wished she had the courage to take charge of a situation and seduce the stallion she was interested in—like a mare was supposed to—but her severe lack of confidence often had her fleeing at the first sign of intimacy.

Much to her surprise, Rarity dropped the issue without argument. “Very well then. Why don’t you come and take a look at the concept designs I made for this year’s Trottingham Fashion Showcase instead? I could use a second opinion on the embroidery.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy replied, grateful for the change of subject.

Rarity beamed, unlocking the door with her magic and stepping outside. Fluttershy took one last glance at the sparrow—which had since fallen asleep again—before following her friend out into the afternoon sunlight.

Oh shit.

Kye gazed into the deep amber eyes of his expressionless alpha, almost like a deer might stare at the headlights of a speeding truck. His body seemed to be temporarily paralysed, but that didn't stop his heart from trying to jump out of his chest. Lyra didn't look angry, but Kye was well aware the mare was exceptionally talented at hiding her true emotions.

She slowly trotted into the ward, her face still very much unreadable. Luna was saying something to Tink but Kye was too busy trying to figure out if Lyra was going to kill him or not to hear.

A large midnight blue wing suddenly clipped the side of his head, snapping him out of the odd trance-like state. “A little help?” Luna chastised, turning back to the panic stricken pegasus now hyperventilating on the bed. “It’s okay, she won't hurt you,” she softly told the frightened mare, before turning to the unicorn. “Lyra, tell her you mean her no harm.”

Kye couldn't help but notice the slight hint of uncertainty in the alicorns voice. The fact that a freakin’ goddess was worried about the potential ramifications of their current predicament made the whole situation all the more terrifying.

Lyra stopped by the bedside, placing her forelegs on the mattress and much to Kye’s relief—smiling. “There’s no need for any of this Tink. I’m not mad at you, and even if I was I wouldn’t hurt you,” she calmly spoke, gently brushing a few strands of red and black mane from the mare’s eyes. “You don't need to fear anypony anymore.”

Luna smiled and Tink relaxed a little. Kye smiled as well—that is until he caught Lyra’s gaze again; the expressionless face was back.

“Kye dear, may I have a word with you in private?” the unicorn calmly asked, gesturing a hoof toward the corridor she’d just emerged from.

“Um… sure,” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

A sense of dread arose inside of him, culminating in the pit of his stomach as he followed Lyra out into the corridor—silently hoping he hadn’t screwed up too badly. He was well aware by now that the females usually made the decisions in Equestria, and that his alpha was probably going to be rather pissed off that he’d “went behind her back”, so to speak.

“You like her, don’t you?” she asked, her pretty amber eyes boring into him.

Kye paused, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to lie to her. Not only would she see right through it but she’d be hurt that he’d tried to hide his true feelings from her. He eventually decided to bite the bullet.

“Yes,” he said, sitting down against the wall of the empty corridor.

Lyra sighed. “Can’t say I didn’t already know.” she lay down next to him. “You might wanna tell me the next time you invite a mare to live with you though. I mean, I am your alpha…” she shot at him in a half-exasperated tone, yet gave him a friendly nuzzle at the same time.

Kye sighed with relief, overjoyed that this little discussion hadn’t turned into their first argument. “Live with us you mean,” he corrected.

Lyra grinned. “Thought you’d never ask…or at least ask me first…”

“I’m sorry. I would have ran it by you first but Luna just threw it out there, couldn’t exactly say no, could I?” he replied, gently running a hand over her mane. “Besides, I might like Tink but I lo-”

Kye was interrupted by a loud bang, followed by a series of loud barking sounds—which was just as well—considering what he’d been about to blurt out. Fucking idiot. Way too soon for that… think before you speak…

A sky blue pony with a tangled grey mane and tail had just burst from one of the wards and was now careening toward them along the corridor. She had a single screw for a cutie mark and was doing a rather convincing impression of a Jack Russell. Lyra was quick to react—catching the crazed mare in a levitation field before she ploughed into them. Kye flinched in reflex, but the pony was now hovering three feet in the air.

A flustered looking unicorn nurse emerged from the ward and immediately started apologising. “Sorry!” the mare gasped, relieving Lyra of the still barking pony. “Matilda tries to escape quite a lot.”

Lyra gave an awkward smile, before sarcastically mumbling something under her breath that sounded a lot like “great timing”. The nurse, too busy with restraining the wriggling patient, didn’t appear to have heard.

“Again, I do apologise,” she said, before hastily disappearing back into the ward with the dog-pony.

Lyra turned to Kye, pointedly flicking her ears, smiling and giving him a rather expectant look. Kye held his tongue. Didn’t matter if she wanted him to say it or not, it was still way too soon. After a somewhat awkward silence, Luna opened the door to the ward.

“What are you two doing out here? Is everything… okay?”

“Yea everything's fine,” Lyra said, beaming at the princess and promptly trotting back into the ward.

Luna shot Kye an inquisitive look.

“Don’t ask,” he said, getting to his feet and following his cheery alpha. Luna grinned, closing the door with her magic and returning to sit in one of the plush armchairs that had been “borrowed” from a staff room down the corridor. Kye perched himself on one of the armrests, unconsciously letting one of his hands wander to the alicorn’s back.

“How are you wings?” Lyra asked the pegasus.

“Um… better,” she squeaked, still slightly fearful despite Lyra’s assurances.

“Sorry about the Earthquake the other day. I was just really mad at Ace. Hope I didn’t hurt you too much,” Lyra said, a tinge of guilt in her voice.

“It’s okay, they’re fine… or at least, they were…” Tink replied, glancing down at her bandaged wings.

Kye immediately felt a surge of rage boil up inside of him at her words. Luna must have noticed, because she wrapped a wing around him. “You already got him Kye. He can’t hurt her anymore,” she whispered, before kissing him on the cheek.

The small action dissipated his anger, but brought the slowly returning tingling sensation to his attention. The isotope suppression spell that Princess Celestia had cast for them was wearing off. Out of politeness, he tried not to react to the radiation. But with Luna being exceptionally powerful, the spell always faded fast. He couldn’t prevent himself from tensing up.

The goddess sighed. “It’s okay, I’ll go.”

“No, try the spell,” Kye bluntly requested. Luna had never needed an isotope suppression spell before. Most of her interaction with her subjects took place within the dreamscape—where it wasn’t necessary—therefore she couldn’t cast it quite as well as her sister.

“It won’t work.”

“Just try,” Kye pleaded.

Luna smiled, giving him a quick hug. “I have work to do, most of it parchment related. Maybe next time.”

Kye knew what she was about to do. He made a movement to latch his arms around the goddess, but she had already teleported.

“Damn it!” he cursed, falling into the chair she had just vacated. It was the second time Luna had left because the isotope suppression spell had wore off. He sure as hell hoped she wasn’t going to make a habit out of it.

Lyra snickered at him from behind her forehooves, even Tink was smiling. So they think it’s funny, eh? Kye dived at his alpha, taking care to avoid Tink, lest he disturb her injuries. The unicorn clearly hadn’t suspected the attack, for she was knocked flat onto the bed underneath him. She squealed with laughter, not even trying to put up a fight.

Tink gasped, causing Kye to quickly jump up. “You okay?” he asked.

The pegasus was trying to hide beneath the blanket. Kye blinked in confusion, glancing around the ward for the cause of her odd behaviour. His sweeping gaze eventually settled upon the door, which was ajar. A pair of dark green eyes were staring at him through the gap. They blinked. A split-second later, they were gone.

Kye launched himself at the door, quickly wrenching it the rest of the way open and scanning the hallway. No sooner had he stepped foot outside of the ward, a shimmering field of amber energy burst into existence around him. Lyra skidded through the shield she’d just conjured, stopping at his side. Her head was lowered, her horn aimed down the corridor at... nothing. It was empty.

After a few seconds, she let the shield drop. “What's got you so spooked?” she asked, taking a final glance up and down the corridor before levelling him with a quizzical look.

“Somepony was here, spying on us,” he replied, also double-checking for any sign of the eavesdropper. Once he was certain that they were indeed alone, he shot her a sly grin. “Was the shield really necessary?” he asked, casually flicking one of her ears with his index finger.

The unicorn playfully snapped her teeth at the offending digit. “Like I said before—you're mine, and I protect what's mine,” she concluded, whipping his leg with her tail before trotting back into the ward. Kye rolled his eyes and smiled, following her through the open doorway and closing it behind himself.

Tink was now trying her best to convince anyone observing her bed that she was just an uneven part of the mattress. Kye sighed, sat back down in the armchair and slowly pulled back the covers. “Tink, d’you wanna tell me who that was?” he cautiously asked.

After a few seconds, the pegasus spoke. “Nox,”

The name wasn't familiar to him. Lyra promptly answered his unasked question:

“She's one of Ace’s mares—remember the black unicorn that Rarity hit with st. Elmo's Lightning?”

“St. Elmo's Lightning? Was that the freaky blue fire?” he asked.

“Well, technically it’s plasma, and it’s colour usually matches the magical aura of the caster,” she replied. “I’m quite proud of her actually—she’d been struggling with it over the past few days but when she saw Nox attack you she nailed it.”

Kye felt a rush of affection and pride for the fashionista. He smiled, idly glancing at Tink. She was still throwing glances at the door and half-heartedly attempting to hide.

His smile faltered somewhat, his newfound pride vanishing as quickly as it had came. He found himself forming a rather sobering conclusion in his mind, one that—as far as he knew—could be a real possibility. Lyra must have sensed his discomfort, as her ears stood straight and a look of concern crossed her features.

“Are you... Are you ashamed of me being here?” Kye slowly asked the bed-ridden pegasus, silently trying—and failing—to convince himself that he wouldn't care about her answer.

Tink stopped fidgeting. Her eyes went wide, completely disregarding the door and focusing only on him. “W-What?” she stuttered, her ears flattening against her mane. “Why would you think that?”

She looked on the verge of tears, her expression a mixture of melancholy and confusion—making her appear even more adorable than usual. Kye cleared his throat—immediately regretting his doubt-fuelled accusation. Judging by her reaction, it was obvious she was being sincere.

“I’m sorry. I had to ask… 'cause… y’know,” he gestured to himself.

“What?” she asked, evidently flummoxed.

“Well I’m not exactly equine, and I’d imagine I’m not good company to be seen in public with.”

The pegasus blinked. She glanced at Lyra for a few seconds, before suddenly rolling herself over. She winced as the casts on her wings twisted slightly, but she somehow managed to find her hooves.

“Woah, Tink, maybe that’s not such a good ide-” Kye began, but the rest of his sentence was muffled by a large amount of bushy, red and black mane when the pegasus threw herself at him, latching her forelegs around his neck.

“Over there Fluttershy dear,” Rarity instructed, pointing a hoof to the assortment of gown schematics on a circular table in the middle of the Boutique.

They had just arrived—Rarity having ushered the pegasus through the door and discreetly sealed it with her magic behind them. Fluttershy made her way over to the table and began examining the designs. Rarity however, trotted toward the staircase.

“There are a few more upstairs. I'll be right back,” She casually announced. The pegasus idly waved a wing in acknowledgement, her eyes still scanning the various parchments littering the tabletop. No sooner had the unicorn reached the landing, she grinned rather deviously—before teleporting outside.

Phase one of her plan was complete. Phase two however, involved finding her coltfriend. As far as she knew—he hadn’t had any clients today, so he’d probably be at the hospital. It’s where he always was whenever he had any free time. He really did seem to harbour a rather soft spot for Tinker Breeze, so much so that Rarity often found herself worrying about him getting hurt. It was probably just an old prejudice however—it was plain to see that the pegasus was nothing like the rest of her wretched herd.

The unicorn made her way through the market, where most of the stall vendors were busy packing up for the day. The flags adorning the tops of the surrounding buildings lazily waved in the light breeze, accentuated by the combined wake of a few pegasi gliding overhead. Several unruly clouds had rolled in from the south, and were in the process of being swatted away by a zig-zagging Rainbow Dash.

Rarity looked up at her prismatic friend, the latter of which seemed to sense her gaze. The pegasus stopped in midair, quickly scanned the ground and dived, gliding down to land next to the unicorn.

“Hey Rarity, have you seen Kye?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, I’m actually looking for him right now,” Rarity replied, before frowning slightly. “Why?”

“Er… well, he took off somewhere in a hurry earlier—actually seemed kinda bummed out about something. I was jus’ wondering if he was… y’know, okay?” the pegasus said, somewhat awkwardly.

Rarity contemplated her friend. “I’m sure he’s fine,” she said, smiling. “You can come and find him with me to make sure, though, if you’d like?”

Rainbow hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Nah, I gotta finish bustin’ these clouds. Catch ya later.” The pegasus hastily launched herself back into the air, zooming up vertically at breakneck speed.

Rarity watched her go, a knowing smile spreading across her face. Subtlety was hardly a trait in which Rainbow Dash could usually claim any aptitude. But Rarity had to admit—if she didn’t know her colourful friend as well as she did, then she just may have been fooled.

Tink held on to the human with what little strength she could muster. She was utterly devastated that he’d assumed she was ashamed of him, and was determined to prove to him otherwise. She didn't even care that Lyra was watching the affectionate embrace, she needed to let him know that she appreciated everything he’d done for her.

He seemed tense at first, almost afraid to touch her, but he eventually reciprocated the action. It was nice—really nice in fact. The feel of his arms wrapped around her back, the soft, smooth skin of his cheek against hers. The warmth radiating from him. She just wished her wings weren't encased in casts—she’d love nothing more to be able to wrap him up in them. It would feel wonderful.

The door of the ward was suddenly flung wide, and the pegasus instinctively burrowed her face into Kye's chest, thinking Nox had returned. Kye flinched at the noise and tightened his grip—not enough to hurt—but more than enough to reassure her.

“Lyra darling, may I borrow you for a second,” said a voice that, thankfully, didn't belong to her former herdmate. Tink shifted slightly and opened an eye, spying Rarity over the top of the armchair.

“Sure,” chirped Lyra. The unicorn promptly jumped to her hooves and followed Rarity out into the corridor, without so much as a glance back at her coltfriend—whom Tink was still draped atop. The door closed in an amber aura, leaving her and Kye quite alone.

A sudden wave of shyness gripped the pegasus. This was the first time she’d been truly alone with Kye—not counting when she’d been unconscious, of course.

“You okay?” he asked, glancing down at her with a look of concern. “I'm not hurting your wings, am I?”

“No...’m fine…” she squeaked.

“You sure? If you’re not comfortable I can-”

“Kye,” she breathed. “I’m fine.”

The pegasus paused, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. There was a lot, some of which she knew she didn’t actually have the courage to tell him.

“I never thanked you for saving me…” she began. “At the time, I didn’t really want to be saved. But here… right now… I-I’m glad you found me, so t-thanks.” She paused, her breath catching slightly in her throat. “I don’t know why I stayed with Ace for so long. I guess I was just scared of being alone, or what he’d do to me if I tried to go…”

Kye wrapped her in his arms more securely, but kept his silence.

“I’m sorry for all the stuff Ace and Coco-”

“Don’t,” he said, finally cutting her off. “Don’t apologise for them. It’s unnecessary.”

“But I-”

“Do you remember the night we met near the alleyway? You helped me. I haven’t forgotten.”

Tink paused again. She remembered that night quite well in fact. She’d been terrified, knowing how much Lyra cared about him—and what the deadly unicorn was capable of. She couldn’t quite bring herself to tell him that the main reason she’d aided his escape was simply out of fear. “I...well-”

“And that day outside the hospital, when Coco yelled at you.” Kye said, cutting her off again. “You probably could have shoved me a bit harder—bit of a poor effort on your part I reckon.” He smiled, causing a current of warmth to spread through her. She couldn’t help but smile right back at him.

“Well, I didn’t want to hurt you…” she mumbled, blushing slightly.

Kye grinned again. “Even though I was busy strangling your stallionfriend.”

“He’s not my stallionfriend anymore,” she reiterated. “And besides, he started it.”

“Good thing I finished it then,” he added, bringing a hand up to massage the base of her neck.

“I’m glad you did.” She smiled, gently tracing a forehoof over his chest.

The tension that had been plaguing her shoulders gradually dissipated with his touch. For the first time in days, she felt comfortable. Almost too comfortable, in fact. Her whole body went limp, causing her hindlegs to slip. If she didn’t adjust her positioning then she would soon end up straddling Kye’s groin. Just the thought of such a possibility caused her cheeks to flush. She tried to hide her face so he wouldn’t notice, but all she succeeded in doing was slipping a couple more inches down onto his thighs. Her wings started to stiffen in response, causing them to chafe against the inside of the casts. It wasn’t particularly painful, but it was far from pleasant.

Kye must have noticed her discomfort. “You sure I'm not hurting your wings?” he asked.

“Yes,” she squeaked, still attempting to hide her mild arousal. Apparently, he wasn’t convinced.

“Tink.”

He whispered her name. The sound was like a soft caress to her ears. She finally met his gaze, unable to prevent her eyes from seeking his. The small action of lifting her head caused her to slip into position on his denim-clad groin. She vaguely noticed something firm pressing up between her hindlegs, causing her tail to twitch. Her wings were as solid as the casts that held them, and her muzzle was now just inches from his face—so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. Taste it, even…

She closed her eyes, waiting—and promptly ignoring the rational thought screaming inside her head for her to get the heck away from him. This was a stupid idea, and she knew it. You didn’t fool around with another mare’s stallion. Especially if said mare was Lyra Heartstri-

CRACK.

Tink’s eyes flew open. Apparently, she should have listened to her rational thought, because Kye had just disappeared. She also perceived—much to her dismay—that she was now suspended above the armchair in a shimmering field of amber energy. The pegasus immediately panicked—a lot. She couldn’t move, though she wasn’t sure if that was because of the levitation field, or the paralytic fear now coursing through her veins.

“I wasn’t g-gonna k-kiss him!” she managed to choke out.

Lyra trotted into the ward, casually kicking the door closed with a hindleg as she did so. “Yeah you were,” she simply said.

Tink began to hyperventilate again. It was pathetic—a schoolfilly fresh out of flight training could have seen through her lie, never mind a Still Way grandmaster. “Please, don’t hurt me,” she sobbed, keeping her eyes tightly closed and waiting for the inevitable.

After a few seconds, she felt the soft fabric of the bed cover beneath her hooves. The levitation field vanished, and she wound up laying quite comfortably on the mattress.

“Really, Tink? It’s been less than an hour, and you’ve already went and forgotten what I told you.”

Tink opened her eyes, confused at Lyra’s words. The unicorn was curled up in one of the armchairs, her head resting on an armrest. “Let me refresh your memory—you don't need to fear anypony anymore. That includes me.” she said, as casually as if they were discussing the weather schedule.

“B-But… I…” the pegasus stammered.

“Oh, don't get me wrong—I know you want a piece of my stallion. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,” Lyra mused.

Tink blanched. She had no idea why Lyra wasn’t tearing her a new one right now, or at least warning her away. It’s what mares usually did when others took an interest in their stallions.

The unicorn smiled. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

The pegasus blinked, more confused than ever. “Huh?”

“Y’know, when he does all that crazy massage stuff with his fingers. Much better than hooves—don’t you think?” Lyra said, yawning idly and stretching her forelegs.

“Um…” Tink began, unsure how to respond. She wasn’t sure if Lyra was trying to catch her out or not.

“The sex is fantastic,” the unicorn continued. “He prefers Dolphin-style, so it's always rather...intimate.”

Tink blushed, but Lyra didn’t seem to care. “W-Why are you t-telling me this?” she stammered.

Lyra ignored the question. She got to her hooves and hopped over the small gap between the armchair and the bed, landing softly on the mattress and laying down next to the confused pegasus. “Isn’t there something else you wanna ask me, Tink?” she whispered.

Tink flinched a little at the sudden proximity, but Lyra put a reassuring forehoof on her shoulder. The unicorn’s amber eyes shone with a comforting mixture of sincerity and concern, something that Tink had never noticed before. Nopony had ever looked at her with such genuine affection… at least, nopony since her parents.

“Tink?” Lyra softly spoke.

The pegasus tried to hold back her emotions, but the dormant memories of her past quickly flooded to the surface. She was suddenly seven years old again, and her father had taken her to the Cloudsdale Amphitheatre to see the Wonderbolts Derby. She’d been so intrigued by the elite pegasi that day that she’d discovered the exhilarating rush of flight not long after.

A whirl of colours temporarily flooded her vision, then she was nine. Her mother had just won the title of “Miss Cloudsdale” in the Canterlot Gardens Beauty Pageant. Every young filly had wanted to be the daughter of Aurora Breeze that day…

The same odd visual interlude clouded her sight yet again, then she was eleven. The cold, green eyes of the timberwolf that had just slaughtered her parents were shining bright with tainted radioactive decay—casting an eerie glow over the blasted ruins of the manor house she had once called home.

“TINK!”

The pegasus opened her eyes, the ward quickly sharpening into focus. She was mildly surprised to find herself sitting on her hindhooves, her face dripping with sweat and tears. Lyra was right beside her, holding her upright and looking more than a little worried.

“What was that?” the unicorn exclaimed, “you totally spaced out… Are you okay? Should I go get Nurse Redheart?”

Tink brought a shaky forehoof up to her face, wiping the moisture from her eyes. “No… just a bad memory…” she croaked, trying her best to erase the vision from her mind. It was embarrassing enough at the best of times that Tink sometimes had weird flashbacks, but she was mortified that Lyra had just witnessed one of the little episodes…

“You wanna talk about it?” Lyra asked, the same look of concern shining from her eyes once more.

“No, it’s okay…” the pegasus trailed off, desperately trying to think of a way to change the subject. “Is Kye coming back?” she asked, before she could stop herself. It was the first thing that had come to mind. She inwardly facehoofed at her own stupidity.

Lyra grinned. “Not tonight.”

An awkward silence followed, though Lyra seemed completely unaffected by it. The unicorn merely sat there smiling, almost as though she were waiting for something.

“What?” Tink asked, even though she was beginning to suspect what Lyra was waiting for.

The unicorn shrugged. “You tell me,” she said, getting up and trotting toward the door.

The pegasus watched Lyra open the door with her magic. Just as she was about to cross the threshold, a small voice in Tinks head told her that it was time to act.

“Wait!”

CRACK.

Once again, Kye was caught unaware by Lyra’s rather annoying tendency to teleport him when he was least expecting it. This instance, however, was particularly annoying—considering he’d finally broken the ice with Tink.

“Damn it Lyra!” he cursed.

His little outburst was immediately greeted with a loud hiss. He opened his eyes, finding himself sprawled upside down on the couch in Carousel Boutique. A rather angry looking white cat was perched beside him.

“Kye?” said a sweet, familiar voice.

Kye glanced around the shop. Fluttershy was stood next the table, looking at him with a confused expression. “What are you-” the pegasus began to say, but she was cut off by another angry hiss. Before Kye could even blink, the irate feline took a swipe at him. It’s claws slashed clean through the fabric of his shirt and into his arm.

“Fuck!” Kye cursed, falling off the couch and landing on the floor.

Fluttershy was stood over him in an instant, her wings spread, shielding him from further harm. “Opalescence, no!” she chastised.

The cat took one look at the pegasus, gave a rather loud yowl, then quickly darted away. Kye tried to sit up, but Fluttershy didn’t move. Instead, she put a hoof on his chest. “Let me see.”

He rolled his sleeve up. There were three bleeding slashes on his right arm, just below the shoulder. Fluttershy examined the wound. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” she said, quickly flying over to the door.

She turned the doorknob and pulled, but the door stuck fast. Kye frowned. He was in the process of getting up to go and help her when a bright flash of blue light briefly illuminated the room. Fluttershy jumped, evidently startled by Rarity’s arrival.

The unicorn idly glanced between the human and the pegasus, a strange little smile on her face. Kye sighed. It was obvious what she was up to.

“Rarity,” He said, somewhat annoyed at her juvenile approach to what he regarded as a highly delicate situation.

“Yes dear?” she replied, feigning innocence.

Kye facepalmed. “Why is the door locked?” he asked, but she didn’t appear to have heard him.

“Are you bleeding?” she exclaimed, quickly trotting over to inspect his arm. “Oh dear, I guess you’ve met Opalescence. She sometimes reacts badly to strangers.” The blue aura surrounded her horn, and Kye felt the wounds grow cold for a few seconds.

“What the?” He glanced down at his arm. There was still a little blood on his shirt, but the cuts were gone. “Wow...that’s...pretty impressive,” he mused.

Rarity smiled, rearing up on her hindlegs to kiss him. The action startled him a little, but he reciprocated in kind—embracing the unicorn as he did so. After a few moments, she dropped back down onto all fours and glanced at Fluttershy.

The pegasus was still trying to open the door, but it still refused to budge. When she noticed Kye and Rarity looking at her, she paused, clearing her throat. “Um… I should probably get going. The beav-”

“I’m sure Applejack will be able to deal with them just fine dear. Now, why don’t you stay here and let Kye give you that massage we discussed? You do look rather stressed, after all.”

Rarity may as well have suggested a tea party with a fully grown dragon, considering how Fluttershy seemed to recoil at the the unicorn’s words. Her mane had fallen askew—covering most of her face—and she was determinedly avoiding his gaze.

Kye couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. He would have considered himself completely rejected by the timid pegasus—if he didn’t know her better of course.

“Go.” Rarity instructed.

Kye sighed again. “Rarity-”

“You’re crazy about her, and you know she’ll just keep trying to run away unless you take the initiative. I’m given to understand that this is the norm where you’re from, is it not?” The unicorn gave a devious smile, clearly confident that she’d presented him with an irrefutable argument.

Kye scowled—the mare certainly had a point. Damn it Rarity! He strode over to the door and scooped the pegasus up into his arms. She emitted the most adorable little squeak and fluttered her wings a little, but otherwise let him carry her over to the couch without any complaints.

A subtle vanilla scent pervaded his nose. It was the same pleasant aroma that he’d noticed when he’d first taken Tink to the hospital, but he’d been too busy worrying about the fate of the grey mare to fully appreciate it at the time. Now that his mind wasn’t so preoccupied however, the fragrance was easily discernible—and more than a little enticing.

Sitting down, he cradled the pegasus in his arms, taking extra care to avoid her back, wing joints, and the back of her mane. It was adorable—almost unbearably so—the way she lay against his chest with her eyes closed, her ears flat to her head, and her forelegs curled up against her barrel.

Rarity smiled triumphantly. Kye merely shot her skeptical look—which she promptly ignored. “Excuse me darlings, but I have a few things I need to take care of upstairs,” she said, trotting toward the staircase and leaving Kye and Fluttershy alone together. Kye scowled again.

Fluttershy had yet to say anything, and if Kye was honest with himself, he was beginning to worry that she might be too scared to tell him that she was uncomfortable. It could have just been his tendency to jump to conclusions—but where this timid pegasus was concerned, he couldn’t be sure.

A few tense moments passed—during which time Kye contemplated just setting her down and making up some excuse to make a quick exit. He very nearly did so—until she wrapped her wings around him and nuzzled into his chest. An inexplicable calm washed through his senses at the affectionate little gesture. It reminded him of the sudden inner peace that had overcome him upon first meeting the pegasus in Froggy Bottom Bog.

Time temporarily ceased to have any meaning. Kye didn’t know how long he sat there, idly running his fingertips over her delicate coat—but he had a sneaking suspicion that any amount of time at all wouldn’t be nearly long enough. He felt utterly content, even more so than when Princess Celestia had cast the pacification spell...

“Wake up.”

A gentle hoof nudged Kye’s shoulder, and he immediately heeded the whispered request. He opened his eyes. Fluttershy was still motionless on top of him, her head on his chest. Rarity was sat on the couch next to them.

He blinked, straining his eyes as he glanced around the room. It appeared to be dark outside. “Did I fall aslee-” he began, but Rarity preempted him.

“Shhhh…”

The unicorn’s horn began to glow, and a beautiful, shimmering aura surrounded the pegasus in his lap, causing her to float up into the air. An odd sense of loss accompanied her departure. He watched as a silk blanket flew through the air and encompassed her sleeping form, covering everything but her head.

“Come with me.”

Rarity headed for the staircase, levitating Fluttershy through the air alongside her. Kye pulled himself to his feet and followed, curious as to what the mare was up to. They eventually reached a bedroom. It was styled similar to the shop downstairs, but featured a rather large, elaborate looking four poster bed with a canopy. A few pony mannequins stood next to a small workstation, full of various rolls of fabric.

“Is there something you needed?” he asked.

“Well, Lyra is keeping Tink company at the hospital, Octavia is performing at a concert, and Fluttershy-” she carefully set the pegasus down on a couch not unlike the one downstairs, “-is asleep. So, that means I have you...all to myself,” she said, whispering the last three words for dramatic effect, no doubt—and seductively lowering her eyelids.

“Oh…” Kye said, blinking rather stupidly. He should have guessed she’d want to have a little fun...

The fashionista pointedly licked her lips. “Take off your clothes.”

Kye didn’t need to be told twice. He was halfway through stumbling out of his jeans when he paused, glancing over at the still sleeping Fluttershy.

“What if she wakes up?”

The unicorn shrugged. “She’ll probably run. Of course—she won’t get very far,” she said with a devious smile.

Kye laughed. “I knew you’d planned this. Wow, you can be… kinda evil sometimes,” he said, stepping the rest of the way out of his jeans.

“Sometimes darling, you have to be cruel to be kind.”

An odd tingling sensation shot through his balls as her telekinetic field removed his boxer shorts. Rarity discarded the garment to the floor and hopped up to the bed, flashing blatant “come fuck me” eyes at him and flicking her beautiful tail. The effect was almost instantaneous. He all but dived at the mare, but she quickly dodged out of the way. Consequently, Kye landed on his face. No sooner had he rolled over, the unicorn was straddling his naked body and ferociously kissing him.

Kye reciprocated in kind, bringing both hands up to fondle her ears. He could feel the unicorn’s sex against his shaft, and was eager to finally penetrate her for the first time. He made a movement to do so, but she quickly got to her hooves.

“Not yet—I still owe you for that glorious massage…”

The delectable mare bit his right nipple, whilst slowly running a forehoof down his abdomen. Kye was barely able to maintain his silence, gasping at the heady sensation. She eventually reached the head of his cock, and began caressing the entire length of his shaft with the soft underside of her hoof.

Kye closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the unicorn’s delicate ministrations. He was only minutely aware that her tongue had strayed from his nipple, and was now in the process of trailing down towards his groin. Her hoof was now carefully massaging his balls, and the head of his aching member had long since accumulated a thin glaze of pre-come.

He eventually felt the faint breeze of her breath on his member, barely giving him a moments notice before she flicked her tongue over the head.

A jolt of pleasure flooded his cock, followed by a strong tingling sensation. His eyes flew open and he glanced down. Raritys horn was glowing—clearly facilitating the blue aura surrounding his shaft. She kept her eyes locked to his as she took him in her maw, his full length sliding into the back of her throat. Kye barely stifled a moan as her muzzle pressed against his groin, her broad tongue massaging the underside of his shaft.

He closed his eyes again, now focusing on trying not to blow a load down her throat. She wasn’t even moving her head that much but her powerful tongue was rather adept, easily putting him in the danger zone.

After two or three rather glorious minutes, he could take it no longer. “Ahh...ah...okay...Rares…” he gasped, wrapping his fingers around her glowing horn, “t-thats enough…” He didn’t know how she’d react if he came in her mouth, and he didn’t particularly want to find out, either.

The unicorn groaned. The subsequent vibrations very nearly pushed him over edge. Holy fuck! Thankfully, she released him—but not for long.

The strong tingling sensation shot through his member again. Kye gritted his teeth, glancing down to see what she was up to. In one fluid motion, Rarity quickly straddled his hips and impaled herself on his shaft.

The sudden penetration was frictionless—due to her being slick with heated mare honey. The devious unicorn then pointedly bit her lower lip—whilst manipulating her inner walls to contract around his pulsating member. His resolve finally broke. He latched his arms around her and thrust deep, spraying her cervix with his seed.

Throughout the duration of his Earth-shattering climax, the unicorn giggled. Kye gradually came down from his pheromone induced high. Panting, he raised an eyebrow at her. It was clear that she hadn’t climaxed herself.

“Oh, did you find that amusing?” he shot at her.

“...a little.” she admitted, still chuckling.

Kye scowled at her. She smiled in response—then bit his neck.

His hands automatically found her ears as her teeth gently gripped his flesh, igniting a new flame of arousal within his loins. Well, shit. That was fast. His slightly softened member began to harden inside her once more, spurred on by the sensation of her tongue sliding over his neck. He thrust deep, and was rewarded with a twitch of her magnificent tail—the glossy strands brushing over his thighs.

Her breathing gradually became more and more laboured as he slid within her, his swollen shaft now fully occupying her lubricated cavity. The loss of her ladylike composure was accompanied by slight little whimpers here and there, the sound blending with the magical tinkling emanating from her horn.

His previous climax had given him plenty of stamina—and after her little chuckle session he was more than prepared to use it. Rarity gasped as he rolled her onto her back, embedding his shaft into the deepest confines of her winking marehood in the process. She certainly wasn’t giggling at him now.

He began to move with purpose, slowly grinding into her with long, deep thrusts. Her horn brightened. Her breathing became shallow and unpredictable, and her tail thrashed against the bed.

“...f-faster,” she gasped, latching onto him with all four legs.

Kye grinned. He sped up, but not by much. Rarity soon began to fidget beneath him, trying to increase the exquisite friction between them. Her shallow breaths turned into mewling whimpers, whilst her beautiful blue eyes pleaded with him to give her what she desired.

Lightly gripping the back of her mane, he finally increased the pace. The unicorn gave a shrill squeal of delight—and immediately began to orgasm, completely catching him by surprise. She captured his waist with her hindlegs, keeping him firmly embedded between her spasming walls as her beautiful static charge bounced off the headboard and ricocheted around the room. The sensation of her marehood gripping his shaft proved too much, and he ejaculated inside her for the second time.

When he finally caught his breath, he rolled off the sated unicorn—completely spent. Rarity cuddled into his side, her tail wrapping itself around one of his legs. He held her close, lightly kissing the base of her horn.

“Wait,” she said, her face scrunched up in concentration.

Kye frowned, wrapping an arm around her. “Something wrong?”

“I… I need to…”

“What?” he prompted.

“I hate that it doesn’t work after…”she muttered, before giving a rather dramatic sigh and rolling off the bed and onto her hooves.

Kye was completely flummoxed—even more so considering she still appeared to be straining. “Rares...what are you trying to do?”

“Magic. I’d rather not make a mess of th-ewww!”

The sound of a semi viscous liquid hitting the floor reverberated through the room. Kye immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, desperately trying not to laugh.

Rarity backpedalled in horror. Of course—that didn’t stop the leak she appeared to have suddenly sprung. She gave one more over dramatic “Eww!” before teleporting in a flash of blue light. Kye snickered uncontrollably, barely managing to contain his laughter. He anxiously glanced over at Fluttershy. Thankfully, the pegasus was still sleeping peacefully.

After a few minutes, Rarity emerged from what looked like an en-suite bathroom. She didn’t even attempt to explain her absence, instead—she flashed her horn. The splattered evidence of their lovemaking vanished from the floor. Climbing into bed with him, she covered them both with the blanket and draped a forehoof over his chest.

Kye snickered, unable to stop himself. “So, Rares, yo-”

“Go. To sleep.”

Kye decided, that on this particular occasion—it would probably be best to do as he was told.

Author's Notes:

In order to distract you all from noticing how much of an asshat I am for leaving it this long, I leave you with this cute pic of best pon3: