After the mares had been pried off the comfort of his arms, Silver hurried to her room so she could ready for their date later that night. Thomas informed Talon of what was going down, and after giving him a congratulatory hug, the griffon vowed to hold down the fort while he readied the reinforcements. Back in Luna’s chambers, it had only taken the human a few minutes to don his dress clothes while Moonlight, after discarding several plates of metal to appear less bulky, fussed over the wrinkles to his amusement.

“Excited are we?” Thomas asked as the unicorn finished patting him down in front of Luna’s massive full body mirror.

Moonlight placed her hand over his chest and gave a knowing smirk as she felt his racing heartbeat. “It seems I’m not the only one.”

“Noted,” Thomas said, taking a calming breath. “Any last minute advice?”

“No worries,” Moonlight assured. “I’ll be your loyal wing-mare and make sure you don’t cause any international incidents.”

“International incidents?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. “That’s your idea of a pep talk?”

“Don’t worry your cute little flank off.” Moonlight grinned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “She’s the one trying to impress you, remember? Just sit back, be impressed, and let nature take its course.”

“Nature.” Thomas frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror. “You mean destiny, right?”

Moonlight’s ear twitched, but she said nothing as she stood behind him, admiring how good he looked in his dress clothes. She already had a good idea what was bothering him.

“There’s just something… I don’t know… deceptive about what we’re doing,” Thomas admitted. He still had conflicting feelings over this ‘destined lovers’ thing and figured he just needed to talk it out more. “It’s like cheating, like we already know where this is going and are just manipulating her into it.”

“The way you look at things,” Moonlight sighed as she let her hand run through her human’s messy hair. “It’s just so… amazing, sometimes.”

“Amazing?” Thomas asked Moonlight’s reflection.

“You’ve been through so much, wound up in a strange land of strange customs, and yet here you are.” She glided her hand down the side of his head, teasing his jaw before gripping his shoulder. “Standing in Princess Luna’s chambers, holding one of the most coveted positions in all of Equestria, and yet you’re still so humble and worried over potentially hurting this mare’s feelings.” The unicorn leaned down and pressed her cheek into Thomas’. “It speaks of a strength of character most of the aristocracy can only imagine, yet it all comes so easily to you.”

Thomas averted his eyes from both the mare and her reflection. “I suppose that’s one of the few bonuses of depression. It’s really hard to feel too full of myse-yow!” He yelped as a certain someone pinched his rump.

“Now we’ll have none of that,” Moonlight chided. “I’m not about to let my coltfriend feel down on himself before his date with a couple of gorgeous mares even starts.”

“And that’s another thing,” Thomas added. “I was kinda under the impression you didn’t really like Silver. Why the sudden change?”

“I guess that just goes back to your question about destiny.” Moonlight sighed contentedly, still pressing her cheek to his. “This might be a difference in culture, or even species, but I’m just not as bothered about this as you. I’m a pony, so if destiny says I’m more likely than not to fall for this mare, then I really don’t see much reason to fight back,” she admitted.

Thomas nodded, silently agreeing that it was likely the pony herd mentality compelling her to go with the flow. “That’s nice of you to say, but is that how Silver’ll react?”

Moonlight straightened up, but still kept her hand on his shoulder. “And that’s where things do get a little deceptive, I guess. Although in this case, it’s more like we know what’s likely to happen, but have no guarantees. We’re free to pursue our own lives as we see fit. Destiny just plays a little helping hand.”

“How so?” Thomas asked skeptically. “Because from where I’m standing, it seems like destiny sort of renders choice pointless. It’s like, no matter what happens, this date is guaranteed to be a success…” He paused. “It just hit me how weird it sounds to be bummed out by something like that.”

Moonlight chuckled. “Well, the way I see it, there are a lot more factors at work here than destiny. Her applying to join you as a concubine, a job literally defined by love making, seems far more relevant, if you ask me. She chose to be here, which means she’s also chosen to be with us. Then there’s the simple fact that you already get along.”

Thomas nodded along in quiet contemplation. Moonlight was right that Silver had chosen to be here, and thus chosen to deal with the resulting consequences. When you added in all the talk of Luna’s growing desires, this outcome really did seem inevitable.

“If you think about it, the deck might have been stacked in our favor, but we’re still the ones who decide to play. That’s why we’re going on a date, so we can fall for each other now. That way, when she does find out about the past, it either won’t matter, or she’ll ride us all the harder to make up for lost time,” she finished with a giggle.

“Huh.” Thomas huffed, finding the way she described that last part oddly suggestive. “And you? I mean, now that you know what you were in the past, what do you think of her?”

Now it was Moonlight’s turn to avert her eyes. “She has some rather nice flanks, and I should probably ask what kind of shampoo she uses to make her fur so shiny.”

A little non-committal, but she’s definitely thinking about it. Thomas thought as he met Moonlight’s eyes with a sly grin.

“She might fluster easily, but we all have our little problems. There’s a true nobility deep down that I can’t help but admire,” Moonlight continued. “When in her element, she carries herself with such poise that it’s obvious she’s from fine stock. She’s a mare who was bred to be with Luna. If that means we’re also meant to be together, then I see no point in fighting, but I’m not going to blindly accept either. If we are meant to be, then let it be of our own volition.”

“And the reincarnation stuff?”

“Let that serve merely as a lubricant to help us ease into place,” Moonlight beamed proudly.

Thomas hugged her. “Tali’s being a bad influence on you,” he chortled. “I like it.”

“Just make sure you let her take the lead,” Moonlight added as she pushed him away and smoothed out the wrinkles. “She’s the traditional type, so that’s what she’ll be expecting.”

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

The pair turned their attentions to the door and smiled. Thomas in particular, relieved by Moonlights’ explanation, happily led the way and opened the door.

Silver Bell, Prench bat pony, looked absolutely stunning as she stood in the doorway with calm confidence. She wore a bright blue dress with a splash of white detail. The sleeves were little more than shoulder sized straps of a darker blue. The skirt was knee length with a white trim, which suggested that it wouldn’t be an impediment if she suddenly decided she needed to move. The bust was just open enough to give a peak as to what lay inside, adding a refreshing air of modesty. Her wings ruffled with what Thomas assumed to be intent as his eyes fell upon the midnight blue trim matching the bracelets on her wrists. Blue really was her color as it contrasted beautifully with the silver gray of her fur, which really did have a shine to it.

“Good sir.” Silver curtsied politely and batted her eyelids suggestively. Glancing at Moonlight, Silver found the other mare looking surprisingly attractive without so many plates obscuring her appealingly lean figure. As the unicorn relaxed her posture in a signal of welcome, Silver then offered her hand to her intended date. “Would you do me the honor of being my guest to dinner this fine evening?”

Remembering himself, Thomas took her hand, only to lean forward and kiss her delicate fingers. “It would be my pleasure.” He grinned slyly.

“Good sir.” Silver tittered, her cheeks flushed by the happy surprise. “You truly are a gentlecolt.”

“I have my moments.” Thomas grinned as he released her hand.

Seizing the opportunity to regain control, Silver offered her elbow, which her date happily looped his arm through. As she felt the warmth of his body through his sleeves, the bat mare quickly glanced back at Moonlight to make sure there weren’t any signs of disapproval. When she found none, she gestured to the human’s free arm, which Moonlight promptly took as the mares stood to either side of their stallion as Silver lead the way down the hall.

The trio made light conversation about the various goings on in the castle as they made for the carriage conveniently parked just outside the main gate. There was a growing chill in the air, reminding all of the season and making a certain human envious of pony fur. Thomas made to open the door, but was stopped by Moonlight as they allowed Silver to do so instead, and they continued speaking.

“And I’ve only been properly introduced to a few of Celestia’s concubines, but they have all been just delightful,” Silver said cheerfully as she sat next to Thomas, hoping he didn’t mind how much she was leaning against him while Moonlight watched from the opposite seat.

“So I take it that this internship’s been treating you nicely, so far?” Thomas asked as he felt Silver’s hand slide across his thigh.

“It’s better than I had ever imagined,” Silver cooed into his ear. “And the best part is that we haven’t even gotten to the real fun yet.” She sighed, only to realize it had been a while since Moonlight had spoken. “Out of curiosity, how have you two been doing so far?”

“Things are going fine,” Moonlight replied. “I’ve asked the Lt. about moving from the barracks to one of the castle guest rooms and he said it wouldn’t be a problem. We only have to wait for Attentive to set a room aside and we’ll be golden,” she explained as she gently tapped her hoof against Thomas’ shin. “Other than that, I plan to stay on as a guard and, pardon the pun, moonlight as a concubine.”

“Wait?” Silver queried. “I thought the castle had loads of empty guest rooms held on constant standby. Why do you need to wait?”

“Attentive gave some really long explanation,” Thomas answered. “But all I got from it was that bureaucracy’s a pain in the butt.”

“Ah,” Silver nodded understandingly. “Not to sound greedy, but in the event I pass my final test,” she rolled her shoulders as if to shake off any feelings of guilt. “Would I have to wait for a room upgrade?”

“Don’t tell me you’re in this just for the fancy room?” Thomas asked in playful shock.

“Oh sweetie,” Silver tittered as she pulled him close. “Of course it is. Weeks of work and a lifetime of dreaming has all been so that I might retire into one of the legendary guest rooms of Canterlot Castle.”

“Did you get that from Tali?” Thomas asked.

Silver giggled and averted her gaze. “I can just see the looks on my parents’ faces if they heard me making such a joke.”

“I’d be more interested in seeing their faces after they see who you’re with,” Thomas added with a mischievous smirk as he waggled his eyebrows.

Silver’s melodious laughter reverberated through the carriage car. Besides having a coltish face, Thomas also had a youthful vigor and charming wit that Silver found immensely adorable. Although that did bring up the question of how they really compared in terms of age. “Just let them see that tender flank of yours in uniform. I’m sure that’d put a stopper to any misgivings.”

Thomas suddenly found the view through the window very interesting as he looked away, causing the mares to stifle laughs at his discomfort. The remainder of the carriage ride continued in relative silence until they arrived at Dusk’s Cider House.

Silver had called ahead to reserve their seats, so they were able to get to their table in no time. Thomas and Moonlight sat on one side of the booth while Silver elected to sit across from them. As she sat, the bat mare quickly surveyed her surroundings. The restaurant was as nice as she remembered, but she could do without all the ponies either gawking or sneaking glances at her companions. It was hard to blame them, as an on-duty guard in partial armor and her human companion were an unusual sight, but the mare couldn’t help but feel a rise in ire as she caught wind of several whispers being exchanged.

Like pegasi, bat ponies had very sensitive ears so as to listen to the changes in wind while flying. As such, it had always been exceptionally difficult for her to ignore when ponies whispered behind her back, despite her practice at ignoring the opinions of those who weren’t worth her time. But now they were whispering about her dates. Who the buck do these stuck up prats think they are? Honestly, the nerve of some ponies. Her eye twitched at repeated accusations of “meat eater”, “dereliction of duty”, “cosplay”; and those were just the ones that could be mentioned in polite company. Silver’s irritation must have shown through her features as Moonlight picked that moment to cough.

“Ahem,” Moonlight waited until she had everypony’s attention. “So, Silver. Why don’t you tell us a little more about yourself?”

Silver smiled in relief, taking the hint. No doubt Moonlight was hearing the same things she was, but so long as it was only talk and no pony was making any trouble, it could be ignored in favor of more pleasurable company. After the waitress stopped by to hand them their menus, conversation promptly resumed regarding their various upbringings. Silver told of Prance, the gorgeous art, the pristine culture, the plush ivory towers, and the nobility with their noses stuck so high in the air that they ran the risk of getting stuck on the afore mentioned towers. Moonlight recapped her own foalhood in Canterlot with additional details, such as how she used to get into a lot of fights at school.

“Well that’s a bit of a surprise.” Silver noted, deciding against her impulse to make an unladylike remark about such brutishness.

“Now before you go letting your imaginations get the better of you,” Moonlight amended, “I wasn’t a thug or anything. I was actually protecting other ponies from the bullies when the teachers weren’t around.”

“That’s my girl,” Thomas pressed against Moonlight’s side as a wistful smile came to his face. “This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with your cutie mark story, does it? Because I just realized you never told me that one.”

“Didn’t I?” Moonlight touched her chin in thought. “Huh. I suppose I didn’t.”

“It seems only fair, since you already know mine.” Silver tittered playfully.

“I wouldn’t want to be an attention hog.” Moonlight waved them off. “This is supposed to be all about you, after all.” She gestured to Silver.

“Right.” Silver nodded. “As such, I humbly request that you share your cutie mark story with us, post haste.”

“Very well, though I’m afraid it’s not that much of a story.” Moonlight sighed. “It started out like any other day when I was teaching a bully some manners, when all of a sudden another couple jumped me from behind. Normally the three of them only had a pair of brain cells to share between them, but it seemed they’d finally wised up enough to realize that three is more than one.”

“It’s sad, but that’s actually really impressive the more you think about it,” Thomas said.

“What’d you do?” Silver asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

“What any sensible pony in my situation would do. I ran for it,” Moonlight announced proudly to the shock of her audience. “I knew the area pretty well and there was this narrow alley way about a minute up the road.”

“Wait.” Thomas held up his hand in contemplation. “You didn’t happen to use the narrow passage to cancel the enemy’s advantage in numbers, did you?”

Silver blinked in surprise before turning to Moonlight for confirmation.

The unicorn leered down at the human and gave him a light shove. “No spoilers,” she chided playfully.

“Sorry.”

“How did you know that?” Silver asked. “Did you have any combat training growing up?”

“Nah,” Thomas dismissed. “I just heard a story of a guy pulling that exact tactic on a group of thugs. Whooped them good, just like I imagine a certain mare was about to describe,” he grinned apologetically at Moonlight for the interruption.

“Essentially, yes.” Moonlight rolled her eyes. She was also impressed by her human’s knowledge, but she’d press him for elaborations later. “I ran down the alley and, before the bullies even got there, I fell to my hands, got myself in prime bucking position,” her grin grew, “and I knocked the first bully’s teeth in.”

Silver covered her mouth in a poor attempt to hide her laughter. “And the others?”

“They…” Moonlight trailed off in embarrassment. “They weren’t so easy. Before I could even turn around, the first one, a filly, grabbed my legs and pinned me to the ground. I tried to shake her off, but then her coltfriend came up and started kicking my sides.” The mare rubbed at the phantom pain in her ribs, only to wince when she felt Thomas comfortingly lay his hand on her thigh.

“Vile brutes.” Silver snorted contemptuously. “I eagerly await the part where you taught those hooligans a lesson they won’t soon forget.”

“Then I’m afraid you still have a bit to wait, because the next thing to happen was that my little sister came in and tackled the colt to the ground.” Moonlight grinned in fond nostalgia. “Unfortunately, he was an earth pony and she was too young to use magic effectively, so her advantage didn’t last too long.” She grimaced. “It was starting to look pretty serious for a second there. Thankfully, my older-sister instincts decided to kick in and I summoned this beauty.” Moonlight held out her palm until a miniature version of her magical shield blinked into existence for her audience to admire.

“Fascinating,” Silver said in awe as she reached out to touch the construct of light, finding that it held fast against her finger. “Solid.” She grinned. “And you were able to do this when you were how old?”

“Eleven.” Moonlight beamed proudly. “On an unrelated note, I also learned that shields make for excellent offense as well as defense.”

“No kidding.” Thomas nodded as he too poked at the shield. It was warm and left an oddly tingly feeling in his finger. “I assume you were a good little filly and shared this lesson with the rest of the class.”

“Boy, did I.” Moonlight chuckled as she proceeded into lavish details on all the ways she manipulated the shield to block the enemies’ blows, only to turn around and maneuver it into a bludgeon. “And then I had detention for four weeks and was grounded for five.” She concluded.

“Bummer,” Thomas commented plainly.

“And then my mom recommended me to an old drill instructor friend of hers to make sure I kept better control the next time I got into a tussle.”

“Pardon me,” Silver interjected. “But I think you forgot to mention the cutie mark in your cutie mark story.”

“Oh.” Moonlight blushed. “When the last bully went down, I went over to make sure my sister was okay. There were only a few bruises, but then she pointed at my flank, and I’ve been wearing it proudly ever since.”

“And that’s why you’re awesome,” Thomas declared.

“Yes. I suppose she is,” Silver said dreamily as she rested her chin on her palms and gazed longingly at the mare opposite her.

Thomas quickly took stock of the swooning bat pony and blushing unicorn. Damn, these ponies work fast. Just call it a date, share a few personal stories, and in no time they start to swoon. I wonder why it took so long for me and Moonlight to happen. Questions for later. Right now he had other priorities. “Silver?”

It took the mare a second to surface from the other mare’s eyes. “Yes, Thomas?”

“Would it be too forward if I said-”

“Come and get it!” The waitress announced as she distributed their respective meals. They thanked her and she went on her way.

“If you said?” Silver repeated with a friendly giggle.

Thomas took a breath to regain his lost courage. “That as lovely as you look in that dress, I’m looking forward to seeing you out of it?” He waited several long seconds for a blush or embarrassed giggle, but Silver only quirked her head in confusion.

“Forgive me, but how would that be forward?”

Thomas’s jaw clenched as he started to panic. Every joke came with the risk of the audience not understanding, and now he’d just made an ass out of himself for some dirty joke that wasn’t even that good.

“Oooh!” Moonlight’s eyes widened as it dawned on her. After shooting Thomas a cheeky grin, she turned to face Silver. “He means he’s looking forward to getting you out of that dress so you can rut.”

A slight tint of pink touched the bat pony’s cheeks. “Ah. Does this have something to do with human views on clothing?”

Thomas had to resist the urge to face palm. “Yes,” he grumbled. “We kind of tend to associate nudity with sex, but I guess that’s not so obvious around here.” He motioned around the restaurant, particularly at the mostly nude patrons. “It was supposed to be, like, a dirty joke, or something. I thought you ponies were more open about that kind of talk, so maybe…”

“No, no.” Silver reached out over their plates and grabbed Thomas’ hand. “It was a good attempt, and I appreciate the thought. Only…”

“It killed the mood, didn’t it?” Thomas asked.

“It would have,” Silver smiled sweetly. “Until a certain bat pony brought up how she has a thing for toned flanks, like those of her dates.”

“Aww,” Moonlight cooed.

“Yeah. That’s really… wait.” Thomas paused, retrieving his hand as he ran through what he’d just heard. “Dates? As in plural?”

“Naturally.” Silver shrugged chipperly. “I asked the two of you out since you’re courting one another. You both came, so you’re both my dates. Why?”

“Oh,” Moonlight gasped at seeing Thomas’ flat smile. “I thought… Was that not clear, earlier?”

“It probably was.” Thomas closed his eyes and tapped his knuckles disapprovingly on his forehead. Ah. So that’s what she meant by ‘wing-mare’. “I’m just suffering from a terminal case of thick-itis.”

“Thick-itis?” Silver repeated. “Can somepony explain that one to me?”

“Thomas has come a long way,” Moonlight began apologetically as she rubbed his back. “But there are still aspects of pony culture and body language that still elude him.” The mare set her chin on his head in the hopes of not letting him sink too deep. “Then again, I can’t exactly say I’m not just as guilty.”

Thomas tried to look up, but his mare held him in place while Silver looked on in rapt attention.

“If we were the same species, looking back on all the little gestures we shared, I’m fairly certain I’d have invited him to bed after my second or third week on the job.” Moonlight sighed and loosened her grip. “But I’m not terribly disappointed. After all, I think I’ve really enjoyed the experience of getting to know this little stranger.”

Thomas grinned as he rested his head against her breast. “Real sweet and all, but do you have to call me ‘little’? It’s kinda embarrassing.”

“Seconded.” Silver raised her hand. “Some ponies can get a little sensitive about that sort of thing.”

“Proposal denied, by veto of the lead mare.” Moonlight declared sternly.

“She’s gone mad with power. Quickly, Silver. Run. Run while you still can,” Thomas warned with all the urgency the situation would allow, which was more than one might expect.

“But my food’s getting cold,” Silver whined as she indicated her untouched plate.

“Fine,” Thomas pouted. “Eat first, then run for your life.”

“The motion for a healthy meal before exercise is accepted and passes.” Moonlight tapped the table with her knuckles in imitation of a gavel. “Onward to new business.”

A serviceable heart-to-heart story, if I do say so myself. We learn Moonlight’s cutie mark story, affections are shared, and there can be no doubt that Silver has the hots for the flanks of both her dates. If any of you didn’t see that last part coming after all that’s been hinted at and outright stated, I hereby wag the finger of disappointment at you.