It was finally Saturday. While technically Thomas was on duty, this was the day when he had Luna all to himself without any annoying nobles, boring meetings, or training with Tali. Nothing to do but enjoy the long night in the peace of each other’s company, especially after all that ‘apologizing’ Luna had done yesterday. After their morning ritual and the raising of the moon, Luna endeavored to dress herself into a casual t-shirt and knee-length skirt. Thomas elected to wear his uniform, for time-saving purposes.

There came a knock at the door. When Luna beckoned them in, the doors opened and a butler pushed a cart bearing several trays of food. He was followed by maids who carried in chairs specially crafted to fit the Princess and her concubine.

“We’re not having breakfast with the others tonight?” Thomas inquired as he eyed the food.

“Nay. Our sister is in need of her beauty sleep and her bed warmers could also use a bit of a rest,” Luna explained.

Thomas moved to pull Luna’s chair out for her, but a maid beat him to it. She gave an apologetic look when she realized what he’d intended to do, which he returned before another maid pulled out his own seat. The maid didn’t understand that it was basically a cultural miscommunication. The pair ate their meals in relative silence, finishing at roughly the same time. The cart and extra chairs were carried out and Thomas and Luna were left alone.

“So…” Thomas began in an awkward attempt to break the silence. “What did you want to do today?”

“What would you like?” Luna countered. “Always you ask what we have planned. Do you not have plans or desires of your own?”

Thomas shrugged. “You usually have stuff that needs to be done. I just tag along for the ride.”

“Well not this night. This night, we shall let thee,” tap, “you decide our activities.”

“Then…” Thomas pondered. “Since you wanted to do so earlier, why don’t we go on a real date?”

“Real?” Luna flicked an ear. “What do you mean by that?”

“Not to say that I haven’t enjoyed being with you,” Thomas explained casually. “But sometimes it feels like we rushed into this a bit. I know you said that that’s normal, but it still feels like we, I don’t know, should have gone through more steps before…” he trailed off, blushing.

Luna’s lips puckered as she nodded thoughtfully. “You have a point,” she began, cutting Thomas off. “The manner in which we have courted you has been… unusual, to say the least. We apologize for not being mindful of your feelings earlier. There are, as you said, normally more steps that ponies observe while courting. Perhaps, to make up for it, our relationship could stand to benefit from indulging in a few courtship rituals, particularly those steps we missed.”

“Courtship?” Thomas puzzled before choosing his next words as carefully as possible. “Sorry, but don’t you already, kinda, well… own me?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “You are not our slave, dearest Thomas. You are a free citizen of Equestria, who just so happens to earn a living serving your Princess in a rather… unique fashion. You are our stallion. And as a mare, your mare, it would be most unseemly if you were not courted properly.”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Thomas agreed with a smile as he reflected on the revelation that he was, in fact, herded to Luna. He’d asked for clarification and it turns out that marriage was something reserved for nobility or those who could afford the expensive ceremony. So while they were not technically husband and wife, herd-mate held the same social meaning. However, even that much was not public knowledge, for reasons he still wasn’t clear on. Still, the knowledge that he wasn’t actually a prostitute had been a great relief, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel something about this was a bit off. However, the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea of Princess Luna courting him. “Sure. So, how do we start these courtship rituals?”

“Hmm,” Luna wondered. “Well, before the actual date, there are a number of formalities to be observed. For instance, the mare must first make the stallion aware that she is interested.”

It was cute the way Luna seemed to be channeling Twilight and Thomas couldn’t help but smile. “Alright. So, how do you-eep!” he yelped as Luna pulled him into her embrace and cupped her hand firmly against his left butt cheek while her breasts half consumed his face.

“This. Is. Mine.” Luna said in a deep, sultry tone, her voice heavy with desire. “Free citizen or no, this,” she squeezed, “cute coltish plot is the property of the Princess of the Night.” She finished by batting her eyelids seductively.

“Wow,” was all Thomas could say as he felt his heart pound against his chest. “So that’s how a mare does it?”

“Not normally, no,” Luna corrected, continuing to playfully knead his butt. “There are more subtle gestures, but never mind them. We need to be direct as you might miss normal courting signals,” she growled. “Now that the mare has made her intent known, the stallion must let her know if he reciprocates.”

“Reciprocates, huh?” Thomas asked, fighting to urge to moan into Luna’s touch. “I suppose it goes without saying that simply saying ‘yes’ won’t do?”

“Not normally, no,” Luna batted her eyelids again. “This is a pony courting. You may do as you like, but I would like to see your intent through your actions. Subtle gestures and signals are generally what are used. Words can come later. For example, if you had a tail, you would entangle it with mine.”

Actions, huh? She’s trying to teach me the pony way, but that look in her eye suggests she’s doing this just as much for herself as me. That’s fine, but what should I do? Thomas thought back to observations about ponies showing affection to one another. The first thing to come to mind was nuzzling, but that seemed a bit too common and a hug didn’t seem to send the right message either. He’d seen a lot of tail wagging when guards and servants ducked behind corners with one another, but that was out too. Then he had something. Smiling up at Luna, he motioned for her to come down to his level.

Luna’s expression a mix of curiosity and excitement, she obliged and lowered her head to his level. Without warning, Thomas lunged and took her ear between his lips, gently kneading the fuzzy lobe between his teeth. Luna gasped is shock, but as the teething continued, she began to moan and lean into it, which Thomas took as a sign she approved and continued. It was fun playing with her.

“T-Thomas,” Luna sighed. However, she was unable to say more as the human took her head in his hands, released her ear, and then maneuvered her head so he could better access her other ear. “Urgh,” the alicorn groaned in delight.

“Sorry,” Thomas said, but the look on his face showed he held no remorse whatsoever. “I just felt your ears needed to be balanced.”

“Balanced?” Luna exhaled as she stood back to her full height, casting a shadow over her assailant. “Is that a human custom?”

“A little, but it’s more like a ‘me’ thing. It bugs me when things look out of balance.”

“Does it now?” Luna asked playfully as she quickly ducked down and gave his left cheek a brief lick. She pulled back and returned Thomas’ disapproving frown with a coy smile.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes I think you’re a little evil,” Thomas deadpanned.

“Sometimes you might just be right,” Luna smirked before dipping back down and balancing his other cheek.

“So, did I show I reciprocated, or does my mare need more?”

Luna leered down at Thomas. “You know very well we need more, but that can wait till later. Also, for future reference, an especially affectionate nuzzle would more than suffice.”

“Especially affectionate?”

“Indeed,” Luna nodded. “As distinct from that which you would give a friend.” She read Thomas’ confused eyes and knew he did not understand. “We suppose you will just have to experiment until you know the difference.”

Thomas chuckled. “So, does that mean we’re ready to start?”

“Verily,” Luna gave a confident nod before turning her body to face the door and clapped her hands twice. “Moonlight Shield. Swift Scabbard. Your presence is required.”

The doors opened and the two guards marched in where they stood at attention before the alicorn. “Yes, Princess Luna,” they said in unison.

Luna stood and motioned for Thomas to follow her to the center of the room. “We have decided to venture amongst the citizenry this night and partake of the modern custom of dating. However, we do not wish to do as Princess and concubine.”

“Understood, Princess,” Swift nodded.

“Pardon?” Moonlight asked. “What’s understood?”

“Yeah. Um…” Thomas was cut off his vision came under assault from a brilliant light from Luna’s horn. The flash was short, but his eyes still took a bit to adjust. “Wha… what happened?” His vision still blurry, Thomas felt one hand cup over his eyes while another grasped his shoulder and push him gently across the room.

“Thomas. You now face a mirror,” Luna instructed calmly. “Do not be alarmed by what you are about to see.” And she removed her hand.

As the human’s vision became more solid, he braced himself to look in the mirror. “What the hell!?”

Standing in the reflective surface was not the human’s familiar, lanky form, but a taller, more muscular unicorn with white fur and a messy brown mane. After the initial shock wore off and he accepted that he was indeed looking at a reflection, Thomas studied the figure in the mirror more carefully, occasionally daring to glance down just to remind himself that these changes were real. It was disconcerting, but also a little exhilarating. He had a respectable build and what looked like at least a foot taller than he used to have. His eyes, though bigger, were the same shade of green and his hair looked the same. He was still wearing his uniform, which, to his embarrassment, seemed to hold a much larger package than he was used to; seriously, it looked like he was trying to smuggle a large sausage and a couple apples. It was all he could do to resist the urge to check. Turning his body slightly, he found a messy brown tail coming out from just above his rump. Speaking of which, upon his flank was a cutie mark.

“Illusion magic,” Luna said simply. “Do you approve?”

Thomas suddenly became aware of the mare speaking in Luna’s voice and wearing Luna’s clothes. She wasn’t an alicorn, as she had no wings and her horn had been shortened, but a sky-blue unicorn with a plain violet mane and tail, both rather curly and of moderate length. The unicorn had Luna’s teal eyes, which she used to stare up at Thomas as he was now the taller of the pair.

“What?”

“Tis an old trick Tia and I would employ from time to time,” the unicorn explained using Luna’s voice and inflections. “We disguise ourselves as commoners in order to go out and see what our citizens are really like when they aren’t tripping over themselves to bow to us. Tis a most refreshing activity and the perfect guise with which to venture out into the city, unmolested.”

Eventually, after he’d finished gawking, Thomas allowed himself to really think about the merits of this idea. It was easier after Luna explained that this was all just an illusion and that his body was not really changed. This became evident after he went in back to change into one of the sets of clothes he’d purchased with Talon and the colt-sized clothes had adjusted themselves to fit over his more stallion-like physique.

However, the illusion was incredibly convincing. Thomas stretched his arms out and felt the added weight of his more toned body, or at least thought he did. It all felt awfully real. He ran his hands over his arms and marveled at the realistic softness of the fur and the lines of his muscles. He gave his tail a tug, which felt weird in a way he couldn’t describe. He touched his horn experimentally and sent shivers of delight down his own body, which unicorn Luna giggled at. Next he turned back to face the mirror. It was still weird to have this strange stallion look back at him and did as he did. However, when he forced himself to see the stallion as his reflection, a thought demanded to make itself known.

“I’m sexy.”

“This is news to you,” unicorn Luna tittered as she approached his side and locked arms. She sighed as she let her head rest on his shoulder. “Do not be fooled by this little mirage. It is little more than a piece of eye candy and in no way reflects upon your true appeal, my stallion, dearest Thomas.”

Her words combined with the feeling of her fur left Thomas feeling very warm inside, though he was still mindful of her horn. However, there was one more thing that needed to be said. “You could have asked,” he said plainly.

Luna’s ears perked and she looked up at his neutral expression, and then her ears splayed in realization at what she’d done. “You are right. In my excitement, I acted in haste without taking the time to follow the most basic of considerations. I am sorry,” she whispered.

Stallion Thomas smiled and tightened his grip around her arm. “You’re really that excited to take this guy,” he motioned to the mirror, “out on a date?” Jesus, you’re a pushover.

“Oh, he’s not that bad,” Luna shrugged. “I could most certainly do worse.”

Thomas gave Luna a playful shove, which she returned. “Just ask next time, okay?”

“Most certainly.”

When the issue of money came up, Luna insisted that for this to be a proper date, it was only right for the mare to pay. Thomas tried to insist, suggesting that she paid his salary anyway and that he could use it to buy her a gift, but she would have none of it. It was the mare’s place to buy her stallion the presents on a first date, but she agreed to let him try things the human way next time. After which, she shared a coy smile with Moonlight and the mares laughed at their private joke.

Swift left his helmet on the night stand and began to undress as Moonlight did the same. The guards were to accompany the pair on their outing, but under the guise of off-duty guards so they wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. It was also suggested, by a certain sky-blue unicorn who seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much, that they pretend to be out on a date of their own, but that idea was rejected by both guards. However, Luna did request that Moonlight was to disrobe entirely, unlike Swift who was allowed the trousers and shirt he wore under his armor. If she didn’t, Luna threatened to order to her to lock arms with Thomas as his second date. Moonlight couldn’t get out of her armor fast enough, much to Luna’s satisfaction and Thomas’ embarrassment.

**********

Walking around Canterlot in the guise of a common pony was indeed refreshing. Not one pony gave him a second glance of fear, marvel, or disgust as he walked down the street. It was nice to finally fit in. Not even the mare whose hand he was holding got that much attention. They both blended into the crowd perfectly, even with the clearly off-duty guards walking as casually as they could by their side.

“How is it, dearest Thomas? Do you approve of the appearance we’ve chosen for you?”

“It’s pretty good,” the pony-looking human boasted as he glanced down over his body for the fourth time since leaving the castle. “However, I was wondering about the cutie mark,” he gestured at the flank hidden beneath the pants.

“What about it?”

Thomas pulled the waist of his pants out just enough for him to look down at his flank. Upon his fur was adorned the image of a blue heart with a white moon rising behind it. “Real subtle there, Pr- I mean… what do I call you now?”

“Sapphire,” Luna answered. “Our name in this guise shall be Blue Sapphire. You can be Moon Lover.”

Thomas glared down at the mare beside him. “Do you even know what subtlety is?”

“Such impertinence,” Luna puffed her lip out in an adorable pout. “While these illusions are most impressive, do not let them make you forget which of us is truly the more power-FUL!” Luna yelped as an arm reached around her shoulder and pulled her into her stallion’s broad chest.

“I won’t forget,” Thomas promised as he leaned in and nuzzled the mare’s cheek. It felt strange to do this with Luna while she looked so different, but her antics, manner of speech, and even the feel of her fur were enough to reassure him that, while odd, he was still with Luna, so this was fine. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to take full advantage of this situation,” he teased shamelessly, apparently oblivious to the guards who were averting their eyes.

“On that topic, what do you think of our shape?” Luna inquired.

A red flag went off in Thomas’ brain at the question. He knew he’d need to tread lightly. After these last few months in Equestria, Thomas had learned enough about pony features to know that the image Luna had chosen was not unattractive by any stretch, though he couldn’t specify in detail. Overall, while still very sexy, it was far plainer than her usual form. While he thought this, he noticed the unicorn’s ears stand in anticipation of his answer. “You think I could get away with saying that you’re as pretty as the Princess of the Night?”

Luna stared stoically before allowing her lips to crack a smile. “A bit cheap, but that would be satisfactory.” She sounded a bit disappointed, but at least she wasn’t angry, and that was what mattered most.

Thomas gave a relieved sigh at dodging such a bullet as the four continued walking.

Moonlight strained not to smile. It was nice how much Thomas and Luna opened up around one another. However, it was still a bit jarring to hear the familiar voices come out of these strange ponies. Luna was quite beautiful, but she suspected that Thomas didn’t fully appreciate what a hunk he’d been turned into. He looked like he belonged on the front page for Stud Weekly, not that she’d ever admit to reading such a thing. The mare’s mind then drifted to the fact that she was the only member of the group who was naked. Unlike Thomas, she was a pony and had no reason to feel embarrassed by her body, but on that same token she had caught him stealing several glances at her. Why? Granted the attention from such a fine stallion was nice, but it was still Thomas. That made it different… somehow, right?

Since their walk began, Thomas had stolen several glances at Moonlight, but he was certain she hadn’t noticed yet. Outside her armor, she had a nice body with a toned stomach and respectable D-cups, which were especially large on her larger pony frame. Thomas felt guilty for staring at the naked mare for a number of reasons. Besides the fact that he was currently locked arms with his herd-mate, there was also the fact that Moonlight was his friend. He wouldn’t want to damage that relationship by making her feel awkward. However, she didn’t seem to mind. The guard was walking about, naked as the day she was born, and didn’t seem to care one bit. It was her culture, after all. Regardless, Thomas still felt weird for staring at his naked friend for no other apparent reason than this was the first time he’d seen her naked. Also, her nipples were more of a peach color and… thankfully, that train of thought was broken as a screech echoed down the street. Thomas and company turned to face the source and down from the heavens descended a familiar face.

“Talon!?” Moonlight exclaimed.

“In the feather,” Talon boasted, setting her claws on her hips and thrust her uniform-covered pelvis forward. “That said, what are you doing away from your post, smarty-corn?”

“I, uh…” Moonlight stuttered until she came upon a counter. “I could say the same of you,” she pointed accusingly, proud of her clever thinking.

Talon, on the other hand, was much less impressed as she folded her arms across her chest. “If you’d said you asked for a day off with your coltfriend,” she gestured to Swift, “I might have bought it. But now you’ve got me thinking there’s something suspicious going on.”

Moonlight froze, locking her mouth shut to keep from betraying any more information.

Talon looked the two guards over a moment until she noticed the two unicorns beside them. “And who might you two be?”

“M-my name’s Moon Lover,” Thomas said as confidently as he could. “And this here is-”

“Chimp? Princess Luna!?” Talon blurted.

Three of the four ponies were frozen in shock; all except for Luna who smiled and nodded. “How did you discern our identities?”

Talon flipped her head feathers back and smirked confidently. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” Pointing at the two guards, “My first clue was the two guards of Luna and the chimp walking together, trying not to look suspicious, which only makes them look even more suspicious to one with a keen eye. Top it off with smarty-corn’s obvious lie and we got ourselves a mystery.” She then gestured to Thomas and Luna. “Next we have two strange unicorns who don’t walk away from the strange griffon, which makes me think maybe we’re not strangers. Compile that with the fact that you forgot to disguise the chimp’s voice and smell, not to mention Leste’s done the exact same thing to go on dates with me and the others, and there ya go. Mystery solved.”

Luna clapped her hands together in mild applause. “Well done, Lady Talon. Well done. However, for the remainder of the night, it would be appreciated if you were to refer to us as Blue Sapphire and Moon Lover, respectively.”

Talon turned her attention to Thomas and he could see the gears turning in her brain, working diligently on all possible ways she could use this situation to tease him. His assessment was not disappointed.

“Moon Lover. Lover of the Moonbutt,” Talon said frankly. “Fitting.”

“Oh hardy har,” Thomas said dryly. “Go on. Get it out of your system so we can get on with it.”

Talon scowled at Thomas’ dismissal. “The buck you talking about, colt? I’m coming with you.”

“Do what now?” Thomas stuttered.

“Yeah. Luna invited me,” Talon gestured to the unicorn clinging to Thomas before pulling out a letter. “I got this from her a little while ago. She said if I could find the suspicious thing in Canterlot and solve the mystery, I could join in the fun. I found a group of suspicious ponies and used my expertise and superior senses to work out that you were in disguise. Now I get to join, right?”

“Indeed,” Luna nodded.

“When’d you send her a letter?” Thomas asked the unicorn nuzzling his arm.

“We do things when you are not looking,” Luna snickered.

“Do you know how wrong that sounded?” Thomas deadpanned.

“Verily,” Luna proclaimed softly. “And now that our party is complete, there is another matter we must attend to,” she explained as she beckoned the guard mare forward. “Moonlight Shield.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“For the remainder of the evening, thou art,” tap, “you are forbidden from referring to me as Princess. Call me Luna. Or, for the sake of our disguise, Blue.”

Moonlight gulped nervously. She glanced over at Swift, but all he offered was a shrug. “As you wish… Blue.”

“Further, you are to behave as if this were your day off. Relax and smile. If Moon Lover here makes a fool of himself, feel free to laugh.”

“Hey!”

“This is gonna be fun,” Talon prophesized excitedly. “I like this Princess.”

And so begins another long night. Originally I had written this with Thomas just going along with it, but I like the reflection I added. Luna got overly excited, but she apologized with sincerity. So long as she learns her lesson, its fine. Moonlight is now naked in Thomas’ company, uncertain how she feels about him noticing the color of her nipples. Wonder where this’ll lead.