Edited by JimboTex and Regreme

The nightshift pegasi had been busy all the way through till dawn, it seemed, given the thick, dark expanse of heavy cloud cover that hid the rising sun. A light drizzle had already began, subtly foreshadowing the downpour that was to come later that evening. It was unusually cold for a summer morning, and the street outside Kye’s house was deserted, save for two unicorns. Lyra sighed, the chilly morning air misting in front of her muzzle as her horn sparked out for the fourth time in a row.

“No, no, you can’t overcharge it, Lyra! It has to be precision cast, or the thaumic resonance field will be misaligned... and that will lead to all sorts of problems with the physical manifestation of the-”

“Okay, Twilight!” Lyra groaned, rubbing her temple with one hoof and gently tapping her frazzled horn with the other. They had been trying to conjure this stupid selective-bypass dome for the past half-hour now, and Lyra was beginning to regret volunteering to help. “Are you sure you can’t do this on your own?”

“I told you before—the only known version of this spell is a dual-cast formula. It won't work with just one unicorn. One alicorn, maybe…”

“Can’t you get Spike to write to Luna, then?” Lyra asked, shifting slightly on her haunches and continuing to massage her tingling horn.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to bother a princess with this, Lyra. Come on, let’s try again.”

“What about somepony else? Somepony more, err… magically refined?”

Twilight frowned. “You know Rarity isn’t powerful enough to cast this spell, and there’s no way in Tartarus I’d even consider attempting this kind of thing with anypony else. Did you even read the book I gave you describing the intimate nature of the incantation?”

Lyra grinned sheepishly. “I, um… my dog ate it?”

Twilight was clearly not amused. “You don’t have a dog.”

Recognizing a lost cause, Lyra sighed. “Okay, I never got around to reading it. But you said yourself that you’d be handling the actual casting,” she said, beginning to charge her horn with a little more restraint. Twilight shook her head momentarily, but mimicked the action, once again closing in to touch the tip of her horn to Lyra’s.

Being a mare of great power, it was very rare that Lyra ever found herself overwhelmed by another’s magic. Twilight, however, was one of the exceptions to the rule. Such a blatantly direct connection to the element of magic was slightly terrifying, if she was honest. That would’ve been fine, if it didn’t have the extremely unfortunate side effect of turning her on.

“It’s working,” Twilight gasped. Sure enough—a small dome had formed, and was beginning to expand toward the house. Lyra was a little too distracted to fully appreciate the spectacle, though. None of their previous attempts had been anywhere near as intense as this.

Given that Lyra’s relationship with Twilight had been mostly platonic up until recently, she would've quite preferred not to ruin any potential progress by having an involuntary orgasm in the middle of the street. That, however, was easier said than done. Lyra could physically feel Twilight’s magical ember intertwine with her own, and it was bliss. Wave after wave of euphoric pleasure rolled through her horn, causing her ears to twitch as they travelled down towards her nether region. When her tail suddenly decided to give a noticeable jerk, Lyra promptly broke contact and backpedalled a few paces in shock.

“Sweet Celestia!” she yelped, placing a hoof to her horn tip in a desperate attempt to quell the urge to blow sparks everywhere. After a few deep breaths, and a questioning glare at Twilight’s annoyingly evident composure, Lyra cleared her throat. “Are you sure this is the right spell?”

With an expression halfway between exasperation and embarrassment, Twilight nodded. “If you’d have read the book I gave you, you’d have known to… um… take care of yourself, beforehand.”

Now, it was Lyra’s turn to blush. “Oh… well, Kye’s still asleep, I think…” she trailed off, subconsciously looking for a distraction.

Thankfully, she found one.

A suspiciously colourful tail had just whipped around the corner of the garage. Without saying a word, Lyra trotted back a few paces to find none other than Rainbow Dash pressed up against the garage wall. The pegasus gave a start upon finding herself so easily discovered, but had recomposed herself to casually leaning against the wall within about half a second. “S’up,” she said, disinterestedly examining one of her own forehooves.

Twilight trotted over to Lyra’s side. “Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash,” she greeted with a slight frown. “Shouldn’t you be overseeing the thundercloud assembly?”

“Eh, the team can handle it.”

“Even without their team leader?” Lyra chimed in. She had a sneaking suspicion where Rainbow Dash was going with this, especially seeing as she had abandoned her duties.

“It ain’t exactly Advanced Magical Theory. Even those feather brains can manage a few minutes without my expertise,” she added with a snort.

“Well, okay, then,” Twilight smiled. “You’ll just have to give me and Lyra a few minutes to get this barrier spell going, then we can-”

“Actually, I was kinda hoping to talk to Lyra… alone.”

Twilight looked as though she was about to object, but Lyra held up a hoof. “We’ll be quick,” she told the unicorn, trying to ignore the hurt that momentarily showed on her face.

“Oh… okay.” Without another word, Twilight teleported away.

An immense feeling of guilt washed through Lyra’s barrel, followed immediately by a surge of anger. “What?” she asked the rainbow pegasus, with slightly more venom than she had intended.

Rainbow Dash didn’t even flinch. “Well, y’know, I was wondering if I could-”

“No.”

“-maybe get in on this herd thin-... wait, what?” Rainbow frowned, finally placing her forehoof back on the ground. “What d’you mean, no?”

Lyra sighed. She could’ve certainly done without dealing with this mess… “Look, Rainbow, I know you,” she began, massaging her temple with a hoof. “You’re funny, smart, good looking, and ferociously loyal to your friends. Kye would fall in love with you, without a doubt, but…”

“But, what?”

Lyra levelled the pegasus with a stare. “Can you honestly say you could do the whole ‘committed relationship’ thing? Because that’s what this is—we’re in it for the long run.”

“Of course, I could-”

“Really? So, when your heat wears off, you’ll still want to be tied down to a herd?”

“It’s not like I’d be tied down-”

“Yes, for you—that’s exactly what it would be.”

Rainbow nickered. “Just what are you trying to say!?”

Lyra sighed once more. “All I’m saying is you’re popular, Rainbow Dash. If, months, even years down the line you were to break his heart, then I’d have to break your face.”

Rainbow Dash scowled. “You’re not even giving me a chance! I’m not like I used to be anymore.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind sharing? There are several mares in this relationship already, not to mention a princess…”

Rainbow’s frown deepened. “... A princess? You mean…” Her eyes widened in shock.

Lyra didn’t elaborate. “Rainbow Dash, please, just think this through. If you really want to be a part of what we have, then come back when heat week is over. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go apologise to Twilight.” Without another word, Lyra teleported, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the street.

The crossplane engine snarled angrily to the tune of thirteen-thousand revs per minute as the motorcycle it was housed within tore along the heat shimmering tarmac. Its rider laughed into the roaring wind, the mirthful sound resembling that of an adrenaline-fuelled psychopath. With a twist of the throttle, the bike roared even louder as it shot over the winding, rural highway.

The deep, cerulean sky played host to a few brilliant white cumulous clouds that leisurely drifted along with the wind. The road, an asphalt snake through rolling hills of beautiful wild flora, shimmered beneath the burning sun. The landscape was mostly untouched by human hand, a great aesthetic compared to the urban sprawl of the inner-city. It was one of the reasons Kye loved the place so much. Nothing else mattered when he rode through this beautiful region. The mundane routine of daily life was left behind in the city, all but forgotten.

Accelerating over a crest, the bike caught a good three feet of air before gripping back down onto the tarmac and racing towards another slightly larger crest that lay ahead. Kye grinned, blindly accelerating once more. The tyres left the tarmac a second time as the bike flew around six feet into the air this time...

It was at that point Kye regretted taking such a stupid risk, as a large number of sheep were scattered across the road beyond the crest. Oh shit.

Instinct dictated that he squeeze the brake lever. He did so, but with the drawback of being airborne, it didn’t make a blind bit of difference. Closing his eyes, he waited for the impact—but no such impact occurred. The bike just… stopped. In mid air. Instantly.

The inertia had certainly changed in its nature, yet there was no generation of G-force that the laws of physics would usually dictate. It was like the Higgs Field just suddenly didn’t apply. The fuck..? One of the sheep lazily observed the stationary motorcycle, now bizarrely frozen three feet above the road. It gave a loud “Baaaaa,” before wandering off to graze on the fields, clearly indifferent to the oddity of the situation.

Kye removed his helmet, glancing down at the bike with a dumbfounded expression. It was completely motionless, even the engine had stopped. It was only when he spotted an alicorn quietly chuckling away to herself in his peripheral vision that he deduced what was going on. The lucidity hit, along with his ability to remember.

Kye facepalmed. “Very funny, Luna. Now, can you put me down, please?”

The goddess strolled over to him, her signature wry smile still etched on her face. “As you wish, but you really should be more careful. You’re fortunate this is merely an illusion,” she warned, sweeping her flowing mane from her face and regarding him with big, beautiful blue eyes. The motorcycle silently touched back down onto the tarmac.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Kye asked, dismounting the bike and observing the goddess. She was looking elegantly beautiful, as usual. But knowing his luck, she’d probably only interrupted his dream to tease him some more. “You’re actually gonna stick around this time, right?” he added, failing at his attempt to sound indifferent.

The alicorn simply smiled, tilting her head to the side and feigning contemplation. She was up to something—and Kye knew it. “What are you-”

Before he could finish the sentence, she stomped a forehoof.

Even though Kye had been half-expecting it this time, it still didn’t fail to scare the shit out of him. Again. The worn tarmac of the old country road cracked beneath her hooves, quickly crumbling to dust. The surrounding air vibrated with power, carrying a shockwave of destruction in all directions. It blasted through him, causing his skin to tingle beneath the leather of his race suit and his hair to stand on end.

He'd seen this display before, but the memory did nothing to quell his astonishment at witnessing the spectacle a second time. Mere seconds, and then there was nothing. Only her.

No, that wasn’t true. Kye suddenly found himself standing next to Luna on what appeared to be… the moon. The sun shone brightly over the void of space, fully illuminating the rocky surface. A familiar, yet alien blue orb also reflected light from the sun.

Equador looked beautiful from afar.

“Wow. This is…” He glanced at Luna. She appeared oddly tense… “What’s wrong?”

The goddess gave a long, drawn out sigh, seemingly steeling herself. “I have wanted to show you this place for a while now… This… this is my nightmare, Kye.”

Kye glanced around at the scenery. It was a little bland, but he wouldn't exactly call it frightening… It actually looked kinda serene.

“Perhaps I should clarify,” Luna chuckled, laying down at his feet. Kye immediately followed suit and sat down beside her. “This is where I was banished. An exact replica of Equestria’s moon. Sometimes, when I sleep, I return here… unable to leave. It may look peaceful to you, but the helplessness of being stranded, with nopony to talk to… Only the sins of the past for company. It’s unbearable.”

She paused, and the silence was deafening. Kye was lost for words, unable to break it.

Luna turned her head toward the shining blue marble. “I’m not proud of what I did, Kye. This… this nightmare is my attempt at redemption. It is merely another of my creations. The last binding illusion crafted for malicious intent… the grande finale, if you will.”

She turned back toward Kye, the faintest hint of a tear appearing in her eye. Kye felt helpless, still searching for words of comfort.

Luna turned away once more. “It is highly efficient… tailored to my fears, and able to utilise my memories.”

A long, cold silence followed, during which Equestria seemed to discreetly shrink in Kye’s peripheral vision. When he snapped his focus to it, however, it appeared normal… Though, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a little further out of reach than before.

It was menacing in its subtlety.

“P-Please… Luna, stop.” Kye stuttered, finally finding his voice.

The goddess gazed longingly at the receding world. “Why? My victims could not escape. Why should I gift myself with relief, when they were doomed to suffer?”

“Luna, this is ridiculous,” Kye whispered, placing a hand on her back. “How does... this change anything?”

“This is my repentance.”

Kye sighed. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

The alicorn turned away, gazing off into the limitless void. It was clear that she had been practicing this form of nightly torture for a while. It was a sufficiently chilling vision nonetheless, but having to deal with its subtle terror with the catalyst of a thousand years of solitude here…

“There are better ways to atone, Luna,” Kye finally spoke. “Why would you show me this now if you didn’t know that yourself?”

Luna did not immediately answer, or give any reaction at all, for that matter. Kye had a feeling that she had a hard time displaying even the tiniest hint of weakness, but had foregone that trait in apparent hope that he could give her a reason to end her self-inflicted punishment.

After what seemed like a long time—it was difficult to tell in such a vague illusion—the goddess spoke.

“What would you have me do?”

A small grin tugged at the corner of Kye’s mouth. “You’re the only one who can influence dreams, right?”

“There are others, but they are few.”

“Well, seeing as there aren’t many ponies battling nightmares, why not use the time and effort you put into this into battling more nightmares?”

Luna raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Ingenious,” she deadpanned, but cracked a small smile nonetheless.

“Hey, sometimes the simplest solution is the best,” Kye said, grabbing a handful of moon dust and letting it run through his fingers.

Luna tilted her head to one side. “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Her smile grew wider. “You have to help me.”

Kye blinked, before snorting rather loudly. “I know I have many talents, but I’m pretty sure magically altering dreams isn’t one of them.”

“It could be,” Luna coolly stated, getting to her hooves. A quick stomp later, and the moon, Equestria, and the endless void beyond were eradicated.

Kye suddenly found himself sprawled on something that felt like grass. Taking a second to orientate himself, he stood up to find he was indeed in the middle of a field. An extremely large, flat field. The sun was shining directly overhead, there were no clouds, and all that could be seen besides green grass and blue sky was the horizon where the two met. In fact, the only other reference point bar the sun was a grinning Luna.

“Welcome to the Dreamscape.”

Kye squinted moronically. “The what now?”

The alicorn gave a light chuckle, gracefully flexing her wings in one fluid motion. Kye’s gaze independently followed the movement before snapping back to her face. “This is where we shall discover if you are capable of assisting me in my duties.”

“Wait… You’re serious? You do know I can’t do magic, right?”

“True, but you—like all creatures—have the potential to weave dreams as a conduit in the presence of a true inceptionist.”

Kye blanched, giving a nervous chuckle and throwing up an arm. “Woah… I hope you’re not going to just blast me with magic and hope for the best.”

Luna paused. “Well when you put it like that, it does seem a little crude. It is, however, essentially what we will be doing.” The alicorn grinned, before giving a drawn out sigh. “But not tonight.”

Kye opened his mouth to protest some more, but ended up questioning her sudden change of mind. “Why?”

Luna closed her eyes briefly. “A young filly named Scarlett needs my attention. Maybe one day you’ll get to meet her.”

With that, the light dimmed, and Kye’s lucidity fell away.

“Kye,” Rarity breathed. “Are you awake?” The unicorn paused as she sat upright on the bed, unable to tell if her coltfriend was even conscious or not.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea… Willing her ember to flame up once more, she concentrated with all her might to conjure the Cunning-Clover cooling incantation. The light flared from her horn as expected, bathing the room in an azure glow.

She waited, nervously glancing between both Kye and Lyra, both of whom appeared to be fast asleep. Thank Celestia Octavia had had to work. Rarity was only just beginning to warm up to her as a herdmate, and would have been positively mortified if the earth pony had witnessed this.

Several seconds ticked by, but the incessant itching between her hind legs refused to quit. Rarity gave a pained whine. By the light of her horn, she could quite clearly see the thin sheen of sweat covering Kye’s bare chest… She barely suppressed a gasp. Each inhalation of her breath carried with it his unique scent, fuelling her carnal desire.

Lustful, predatory thoughts clouded her brain as her sultry gaze swept over him. She had her magic. He was powerless against it, so long as he couldn’t reach her horn… It would be all too easy to hold him down and-No! Rarity forced her aura to recede, giving another pained whine. She wasn’t the type of mare to take a stallion against his will, and she’d break off her horn before she ever hurt Kye.

No. She refused to lower herself to the status of a lust-crazed scorcher.

The fashionista gave a heavy sigh. She lay down, making sure to keep her hooves away from her sleeping coltfriend, lest she be tempted to take him in his sleep.

It had started the previous day. A small twitch of her tail now and again, but nothing the incantation couldn’t handle… Now, though, just being near Kye was enough to set her nether region on fire. The desire to be mated was clouding her every waking thought, and keeping her from falling asleep. The intoxicating mass of unmistakable maleness lying next to her demanded her attention… She wasn’t sure if she could fight back the urges anymore.

No. She would fight the urges. At least until Kye woke up. With an almost pained whimper, the unicorn rolled away from the human and readjusted her sleeping mask.

Something long and hard was poking Kye in the neck when he woke up. He knew exactly what it was… Sleep with enough unicorns, and it was all too easy to recognise when one had accidentally impaled you in the night.

Carefully removing the offending horn from his throat, he opened his eyes to find it belonged to Rarity. Predictably, she was still fast asleep, snuggled against him in a loving embrace.

Kye gave her sleeping blindfold a slight tug. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” he cheerily quipped, giving her diamond adorned flank a light slap for emphasis.

The sleepy mare nickered in response, rolling away from him and using her magic to manipulate the covers in order to shield herself.

Kye smirked. “Did I even tell you how much you sound like a horse?” A hefty tug of the covers left the snoozing unicorn open once again. Kye immediately dived on her and began vigorously rubbing her belly. “You’re probably the laziest horse I know.”

“Nuhh! KYYYEEEE!”

A familiar sound rang through the room as Kye’s vision was suddenly tinted blue, and he began to feel unnaturally light. “Oh, no you don’t!” Tightly grabbing the fashionista’s horn, he applied pressure to the tip with his thumb.

Rarity squealed as her magic imploded, sending Kye right down on top of her. “KYE! Why must you insist on awakening me in such an awful manne-ouch! Stop poking me! I’m warning y-Nyuuhh! Stop flicking my ears! I hate it when you do th-hatttt.” Rarity began sobbing overdramatically, giving Kye her near-lethal puppy dog eyes.

Kye, however, had gained a little resistance to her manipulative trickery. He leaned down and began nibbling one of her ears, simultaneously tickling a particularly sensitive spot on her belly just above her navel.

The fashionista squealed again, desperately trying to wriggle free of his hold. “KYYYYEEEE!” She struggled some more, but without the use of her magic, she was helpless. “Okay! Okay! I’m awake! Now, release me!”

Kye grinned triumphantly, granting her wish. Rarity sat up, grimacing at the state of her ruffled mane and dishevelled tail. Kye didn’t hesitate to prod her exposed belly with his toe. “You’d better not be thinking of going back to-whoa!”

Quick as a flash, Kye found himself floating upside down, suspended by his ankle. “Are you going to stop being a pest?” Rarity groggily asked.

Kye snorted. “Fuck no.” He made a grab for her glowing horn, but she was quick to swat his hand away with her hoof.

“Do I have to teach you a lesson?”

“Does it involve morning sex?”

“No. It is a lesson in leaving Rarity to her beauty sleep.”

“I think I’ll pass, then.” He stuck his tongue out at her.

The unicorn sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”

Kye gave an upside down shrug, along with a cheeky smirk. A split second later, she had him pinned on his back. Her searing hot marehood covered his groin, supercharging his morning wood to a fever pitch. A glint of heat-addled lust shone from her beautiful blue eyes. “I guess I’ll just have to rut you into submission.”

Heat week suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

Small, button nose, delicate, fluffy ears, and eyes the colour of the azure heavens. Aurora Breeze was a vision of elegance… or, she had been. For Tinker Breeze, the mare was nothing but a mere memory, of which rare glimpses were often confined to horrendous night visions too ghastly to recall.

Thankfully, such nightmares had been scarce as of late, mostly due to the efforts of the Princess of the Night. The dream Tink had just been having, though, had indeed been edging in that particular direction. Luna had once again intervened, and now she was here. Awake. Back in the real world.

Bad things happened in the real world.

Where was Ace? What was he doing? And how could she avoid him? No, scratch that… Coco was worse, If she had to pick which awful herdmate she could avoid for the day, it’d be her. Ace usually just drank, ignoring her, pretending she didn’t exist…

For Tink, his ignorance was bliss. It meant she would be left alone.

Unless… he was in that kind of mood—in which case—Tink would much rather endure the magical beatings, the verbal berating, and being the subject of ridicule for Coco and the others, than risk not being able to escape his advances… That, at least, didn’t leave her wanting to end it all… and embark upon the next great adventure, in search of her parents.

If only it were that easy.

No. For now, she was confined to the hell of living with a group of ponies that had turned into the most awful individuals she had ever had the misfortune to meet.

Groggily stretching her wings, she winced at the slight pain that shot through them, gasping in lungfuls of air that smelled oddly of fresh laundry… An experimental sniff quickly confirmed that there was indeed a floral scent in the air, as opposed to the foul stench of the dog bed that Coco made her sleep on. Tink could have sworn Nox used to urinate on it sometimes…

Finally gaining enough consciousness to open her eyes, Tink gazed around at the familiar sight of the bedroom she’d fallen asleep in. Her bedroom, in her new home… Recent memories all came flooding back, and an overwhelming joy filled her heart.

Kye had saved her. Brought her back from the brink of death and given her a new home, thus releasing her from the torment she had suffered at the hooves of the Chrome herd. The proof was all around her, yet she still couldn’t quite believe it. She pressed a hoof to the key hanging by the ribbon around her neck. “Kye…” She longed to find him and thank him again and again…

Her whisper was suddenly echoed through the wall, but with a lot more volume, and… lust.

Tink sat in temporary confusion, but a few explicit sounding moans left her no doubt… Kye was making love to one of his mares in the next room. By the sounds of things, she was rather enjoying herself…

A slight warming in Tink’s nether region suddenly put her on high alert. Oh no. She had been expecting this, but had hoped to postpone it as long as possible around Kye. Barely a few seconds later, a small itch in her loins confirmed her worst fears. Oh dear Celestia… not now!

What if Kye decided he didn’t want to deal with a disgusting, lust-crazed, freeloading pony leaking foul smelling estrus fluids all over his new house?

The moaning increased in intensity. Tink was pretty sure the cries of passion were coming from the elegant unicorn that ran a local, high-end clothing store. If such a usually composed unicorn had succumbed to the effects of her estrus, then what chance did Tink have? Tink couldn’t just whip up some spell to stop herself leaking everywhere, and she didn’t own a plug…

“Oh no!” the pegasus squeaked. Her tail was already wet, and by extension, the bed sheets. She’d been here a day, and had already soiled the place. Kye would be disgusted. He’d probably ask her to leave, and who could blame him?

There was no other option—she had to leave.

Throwing off the covers, she took one last glance at the spotless, homely bedroom that had been hers for one glorious night and turned toward the door. Barely stifling a sob, she removed the house key from her neck and hung it on the doorknob, before silently padding down the stairs, so as not to disturb Kye and his marefriend.

The lounge, just as spotless and even more homely than the bedroom, was empty. As was the kitchen. Tink had never seen a kitchen so clean. There wasn’t a beer bottle in sight, and the benches were free from grime and mould… It was a shame, to be leaving the first place that actually felt like a home to her. One day had been more than enough to know.

But she couldn’t stay, she was already enough of a burden without being a walking sprinkler… Her eyes glazed over as she trotted through into the darkened garage, only to find the door locked. Somepony had obviously repaired it, as it had been lying in a mangled mess on the ground the day before. Giving another sob, she quickly turned back for the kitchen door, her flank brushing against something solid.

EEEEOOOOEEEEOOOOEEEEOOOOEEEEOOOO!

“EEEP!” Frantically flapping her wings in blind panic, Tink shot through the kitchen and slammed into the wall of the hallway. The extremely loud, alien noise continued to blare through the whole house. Quickly wrenching the front door open with her teeth, she galloped about ten feet away from the house, before everything suddenly went black.

…

“Tink… Are you okay?”

A familiar mint green unicorn with an ice blue and white mane slowly came into focus. She had a pair of saddlebags on her back and bore a worried expression. The alien noise was still blaring, and Tink seemed to be lying on her back in the middle of the street. There was no sign of anypony else… Had Lyra attacked her? It didn’t make any sense…

Lyra’s horn began to glow, and Tink recoiled in fear. A brief flash of hurt crossed the unicorn’s face as the garage door opened in an amber glow. Another couple of quick bursts of amber from her horn prompted Kye’s alien machine to give two short bleeps, before finally falling silent.

“Tink?”

The pegasus clumsily got to her hooves. Lyra looked ever so pretty, even under a cloudy sky… The long, spiral engraved horn on her head suddenly looked about five times tastier... “Oh! I was just heading out to… to… to…” Tink trailed off, licking her lips.

“Ah…” Comprehension dawned on the unicorn’s face, along with a slight blush. “Tink, you can’t run away just because your heat has started.”

“What! But, I’m not in heat!” she lied. “Who said anything about heat?” Her tail betrayed her words, flicking from left to right behind her.

“Then why are you eying my horn like it’s your favourite flavour of lollipop? I mean, yeah—I’m hot and all, but you’re not that into me,” she teased, with a smirk.

Tink’s tail gave another twitch, and several scenarios popped up in her head involving Lyra, a bedroom, and a minty green strap on dildo to match… “I… I… mmm… uh…”

Lyra chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Wow… damn, filly. You’ve got it bad.”

Tink was barely even listening. She needed to be penetrated. A cock, a hoof, hell—even a horn. It simply didn’t matter anymore. She would consider anything to douse the fire between her legs. She vaguely noticed Lyra’s horn glowing, before a chilly numbness hit her in the chest, rapidly spreading through her body. The lust rampaging through her mind receded, and her wings went limp against her sides. She was suddenly aware she was drooling a considerable amount… from both ends.

“W-What just happened?” she squeaked, her face burning with shame at the large puddle in the dirt between her hind legs.

“It’s okay. I reckon I just bought you a few hours of peace.” Lyra winked. “You’re welcome.”

Before Tink could express how utterly mortified she was, Lyra tapped a hoof on what appeared to be a barely visible, magic forcefield.

“This is a selective bypass dome. As you’ve probably noticed, you can’t pass through it. Twilight and I tried to get you passage rights, but that requires a certain amount of familiarity with the candidate.”

“A w-what?” … Selective Bypass Dome?

“Basically, it’s a deterrent to keep Kye safe during heat week. Herdmates are able to bypass it, look-” She walked straight through the barrier as if it wasn’t there at all, before stepping back through. “Like I said, we tried to make it the same for you, but we couldn’t. I’m afraid you and Kye are stuck inside the confines of this dome for the next week.” She leaned in close, barely an inch from Tink’s ear. “And I wouldn’t worry about your heat. I bet if you ask him nicely, he’d be more than happy to help-”

“No! You can’t tell him, Lyra!” Tink squeaked, her ears lying flat in shame.

The unicorn gave a confused chuckle. “What? Why?”

“Because it’s really bad! And disgusting!” She glanced again at the puddle on the ground, wishing she had more control over her body.

“What are you talking about? It’s completely natural-”

“Is everything okay? I thought I heard the bike alarm…” Kye appeared in the still-open doorway. “Oh, hey, Tink. Didn’t realise you were up.” He grinned.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt… All he had on was a denim garment covering his legs, but the upper part of his body was bare… The shiver that shot down Tink’s spine nearly caused her wings to spread involuntarily once more. The warmth of his smile promised endless affection, and an equal quantity of pleasure, should she ask for it.

“Hi,” The pegasus squeaked, trying not to stare at his exposed chest too much. Even with Lyra’s spell, it was difficult to keep the lusty, heat-ridden thoughts away.

“Where’ve you been?” Kye asked Lyra, eyeing the saddlebags with curiosity.

“I just popped to the Sunday market to pick up a few things. I’ve been up ages, though. Twilight and I had to get the Selective Bypass Dome set up.”

“The what?” he asked, idly scratching his nose with a finger and leaning against the doorframe.

“It’s a barrier that keeps horny mares away from herded stallions. Just think of it as a chastity belt, except bigger.”

Kye frowned uneasily, walking the short distance between house and barrier to investigate. “You mean they’d actually try and get in here?” His proximity caused Tink to shiver with barely suppressed lust.

“Oh yeah, you'd probably end up being the village apple cart without it..."

He scowled, and Lyra’s deadpan expression turned to that of a snickering school filly. "Oh, ha ha. You wouldn’t be laughing if that actually happened," he said, running a hand over the shimmering forcefield. It refused to yield for him.

Quick as a whip, the unicorn’s demeanor changed yet again, her barrel puffing out with pride. "Damn straight. I'd be too busy murdering ponies to chuckle at your misfortune."

"How sweet," Kye teased, but turned to scratch behind her ears anyway.

Tink gazed longingly at his fingers as Lyra closed her eyes, a happy smile on her face as she leaned into the affectionate contact. Just thinking of what those dexterous appendages could potentially do was more than enough to send a hot flush through the flustered pegasus. Her feathers bristled in her encased wings, her ears twitched of their own accord and her tail danced in a non-existent breeze.

Lyra’s spell wasn't working.

"You okay, Tink? You seem even quieter than usual-"

"I'm fine!" she hastily squeaked. "I mean... Sorry. Everything is fine."

He raised an eyebrow, and her tail tried to wave at him in response. Stay put, gosh darnit! Her wings suddenly decided to start misbehaving, as well, a hair-trigger away from flaring from her sides.

"She's fine. She's just adjusting to life in a new home," Lyra chuckled, finally deciding to come to Tink’s aid. The unicorn threw a hoof around Tink’s shoulders, gently ruffling her mane with the other. "Now, get inside before it starts raining."

"Yes, mistress." Kye threw one last fleeting glance at Tink before heading back inside the house. Tink watched him go, taking note of the toned muscle of his back.

Lyra waited until Kye was out of earshot before turning to Tink. "You need a good dicking, or at least a decent orgasm..." The unicorn observed, rather matter-of-factly.

It took a few seconds for Tink to realise what the unicorn had said. "W-What!?"

“It’s the only way you’re going to be able to relax.”

“B-But…”

Lyra smiled. “Do you trust me?”