The entire herd of Razor's family was in town helping to prepare for the wedding. It was the day before the big day and half the town was buzzing with excitement. During the previous week, Feather Tip found a place to stay and a job at the New Humansville Hotel. However the herd was still one mare short. Not wishing to spring anything too unusual on Artex at the last minute and make him nervous, Razor and Vaiawa had decided that the Changeling Queen would use her magic in the place of a fifth mare on their wedding night. The future bride and groom had gotten an earful from Visceral Slaughter about traumatizing her parents, though she and Mason privately laughed about it when they were alone.

Razor Wit was constantly on pins and needles. She was nervous and jumpy. No less than three times through the course of the day, did she personally go into town and check on every single preparation they had paid for. Visceral Slaughter was getting plenty of exercise just trying to keep up with her daughter. Oriana, Rose, and Vaiawa were doing their best not to pull out their manes at the ridiculous, nervous energy of their future sister/wife.

Mason spent time with Artex, as the man continued working on the table for Oriana. It was not a quick job and he wanted it to be sturdy enough to stand on. The rest of Mason's herd was staying at the local hotel and enjoying the sights and soaking in the experience of New Humansville. Needless to say, their preconceived notions of how Humans did things was again shaken to its core, but in what was arguable the most positive way one could imagine.

Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Discord, and the entire Apple family from Ponyville, including Big Mac's whole herd, were also staying in town for the next few days. They were having fun getting reacquainted with the friends they had made before and making new friends. New Humansville was nothing if not friendly and unlike Ponyville, everybody was welcomed no matter what species they were.

Artex knew his friends were planning a bachelor party for him, but he did not know the details. He was not eager to have one. His former wife had made him go to a strip club with his friends and the whole ordeal had made him very uncomfortable. Especially when one of his friends shelled out two hundred dollars to have a pair of dancer use leather belts to spank him up on stage. His bruised butt cheeks had been sore for days and the burst capillaries were ugly as all get-out.

The day was wild with activity and as soon as the sun went down, Razor Wit and Artex were each scooped up by their friends and family and taken to their bachelor and bachelorette parties.

* * *

Razor Wit was sitting, blindfolded on the floor of the living room of their house. She had been told to stay put by Rose Thorn. She could hear other mares in the room, but she could not make out what they were saying. From somewhere nearby, beat-heavy music started playing and the blindfold was whipped off her face.

She looked around, blinking owlishly and hoping her friends and family had not decided to give her a Human style party. The thought of having a Human man taking off his clothes in front of her made her feel dirty and not in any good way. She was happy to see that they had instead set up tables all around with hearty, savory dishes and lots of wine. The tradition for the 'Farewell Bride Celebration' was for the mare to eat well the day before and at the wedding so that she would have as much energy as possible for the wedding day and the first night of the honeymoon.

Razor stood up and smiled at all her friends and family. Her mothers were all there as well as her sisters. The mares from Ponyville were present, and so were all of her friends from New Humansville. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were there too.

"Thank you all for doing this. It means more to me than I can say." Razor said happily.

Her mother trotted up to her, Visceral Slaughter's horn was lit, "This is supposed to be a time for celebrating. My little filly is all grown up and getting married." She hugged Razor firmly then stepped back as she levitated over a plate that was nearly overflowing with food, "Now eat up. You're going to need your energy. I have the feeling your husband is going to wear. You. Out." She stepped farther back snickering impishly.

* * *

Artex found himself sitting in total darkness. His friends had led him to a private room on the upper floors of the Melting Pot, sat him in a chair, closed the doors, and turned off the lights. Artex had an uneasy feeling about the situation. The lights snapped on and there in front of him was Razor Wit standing in the middle of the room. She was wearing a pair of panties and her expression was one of open desire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST3pYx0q_Ow

Heavy beat music started playing in the room and Razor began swaying to the tune. At first she only tapped her hooves to the beat and shifted her weight, getting a feel for the music. Gradually, she began stepping in-time with the beats, swaying her tail in a hypnotic manner. She began to bob her head to the rhythm and her hooves began to move more openly in wider movements. She began taking slow steps toward Artex, her forehooves and hind legs crisscrossing so she might as well have been walking on a straight line. Despite being a Kavim, her movements were somehow sexy. The way she accentuated every motion and rolled the muscles in her haunches were arousing to the poor man. She suddenly sprang forward and placed her forehooves on his thighs. She reached her head over his left shoulder and pressed the left side of her neck against his face as her hips continued swaying. She lifted her tail over her back with a low moan and swatted Artex in the face with the fine hairs. She lowered herself on his lap to where her chin was on his chest and tilted her head upward. She began to pant lightly, her sweet breath making its way to Artex' face, and she pressed her forehooves against his thighs.

She shifted the weight on her hind legs, haunches quivering lightly, and slowly licked the underside of his neck and chin. Her tongue was soft and slick with moisture. Her breath smelled of strawberries. She slowly inched her way off his lap, nosing his stomach. Her head leveled out with his crotch and she gave his pants a seductive lick, "Mmmhmmhmm, too bad your little friend can't come out and play." She slid her chin down his thighs and slipped off his chair.

Stepping back, she lit up her horn and pulled a chair away from one of the nearby tables. It slid soundlessly across the floor. She reared up on her hind legs and set her forehooves on the seat of the chair then arched her back sensually and flicked her tail up, directly over her back, letting out a small moan as she did so. She slowly lowered her front end, backside still exposed, and rolled the muscles in her hips, rippling her curves. She gradually slid her hind legs apart, pulling her panties tight against her unfolded hindquarters. The outline of her vulva clearly visible against the thin taut fabric. She lifted her belly and began rocking her hips as if she were being taken right at that very moment. She threw her head back, her mane flowing straight down her spine and mingling with her tail. With her head upside down, she bit the corner of her lip and closed her eyes, panting dramatically. She continued bucking her hips as she did so.

In a lightning quick movement, she brought her head back down and thrust her entire front half through the gap in the backrest of the chair, splaying out her hind legs and revealing her teats and backside open to the air. She flicked her tail low and hid her unfolded privates just as she lit up her horn and ripped the panties right off herself.

Still unfolded, she began swinging her tail back and forth, never revealing herself, but coming so, so close. She hiked up her tail and turned her head so she was looking right at Artex, "Mmm, wanna see what you're in for tomorrow, big boy?"

Artex was dumbfounded. Razor Wit had NEVER acted like that before. He was highly aware that all of his friends were present and watching the scene unfold, in a fairly literal sense. He knew there was no way Razor would ever do something like this so openly. In the spirit of the occasion, he swallowed loudly and raised his voice, "OH, HELL YEAH!"

He felt a cup being thrust into his hands by one of his friends. Shrugging, he took a small sip. It was strong but not overbearing, so he bit the proverbial bullet and chugged the whole thing. It burned going down his throat and left a warm, numb feeling in his mouth.

Razor smirked at his response. Her horn lit up and out from the left, floated a fake, pink phallus in the shape of a Unicorn's horn. It floated over in front of her and she gave it a slow, sultry lick before looking back to Artex, "This big, thick shaft has to go somewhere," she said in a breathy voice, "Pick a destination: oral, vaginal, anal, or..." she licked her lips, "Other."

Artex felt his eyes widen at the offer, "Uh..." he trailed off in indecision. The situation was making him uneasy. She was an exquisite dancer, considering she had probably never done it before. The problem was, he was uncomfortable with such displays outside the bedroom.

Somebody from the crowd of his friends suddenly yelled, "ANAL!"

Razor giggled as sexy a giggle as Artex had ever heard. She looked off to the side and cooed, "Ooh, somebody feels naughty. But it isn't your party right now. You can hire me for one later on, if you like."

Artex slowly stood up. The extent of the scene was making him very uncomfortable, "I appreciate the lengths you're willing to go to, ma'am, but right now I'm getting really uncomfortable with all this."

She stuck out her lower lip and pouted, "Aww, but I still have an hour left."

Artex crossed his arms, but his expression was caring, "Thank you, but I'd rather just drink with my friends till I can't walk straight."

The mare looked off to the side and asked, "Will I still get paid the same?"

A familiar voice answered her, "Yeah, man."

Artex couldn't believe his ears. The lights came on and R.J. Brinsin strolled out toward the mare with a bag of bits, "Here ya go. A hundred and eighty, like we agreed."

The mare nodded and folded herself then disentangled herself from the chair. In a flare of green fire, a Changeling stood in her place. She groaned and stretched her back and legs, "Ooh! I guess I need to practice more before I do that again. I was about to get a cramp."

Artex blinked and smiled, "R.J.!" He ran up to his friend and engulfed him in a bear-hug, "Oh I've missed you man!" He set the shorter man down and stepped away, "When did you get back?"

R.J. chuckled, "Just today, man. Got the Bloodmage strongholds all sorted out and the Bloodmages themselves are undergoin' some adjustments so they can fit in wherever they go, which will probably be here."

Artex smiled, "Glad to have you back, bro. I've missed you." He turned halfway around and waved his arm, "Come on, get yourself something to drink."

R.J. smirked, but Artex noticed for the first time how hollow the smirk was. His eyebrows creased, "R.J. what's wrong?"

R.J. forced a smile for his friend. He reached up and patted him on the back, "Don't worry 'bout it, bro. I seen and done some shit that ain't jes' gonna go away too soon. I'll be fine, man."

Artex was not convinced, but he let the matter drop, "Fair enough. You're a grown man." He pointed to the Changeling mare, "I have to ask, where did you find her? Most creatures from Equestria are squeamish about sexual stuff."

Brinsin laughed lightly, "I asked around. Apparently she spent time around Gryphons and they into some freaky stuff once they's hitched. Her hubby passed away a while back from some disease an' she came here when she heard about us."

Artex quirked an eyebrow and turned toward the Changeling, "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am."

The Changeling smiled up at him, "Don't be. He was a wonderful Tom. He loved me right up until the end. He knew who and what I was and he could never father any kittens. We lived out, away from civilization and we were happy. I'm more than willing to do things like the dance. It was nice to feel sexy again," she placed a hoof on his knee, "And I know how much you love her. I felt it when I was dancing. I skimmed a little from you, I hope you don't mind. I'll probably be full for weeks!" She lowered her forehoof and turned to leave but then stopped and turned her head back to him, "Oh, and be gentle with her. I could feel the desire coming off you. Don't go overboard, especially if it's her first time." So spoken, she departed.

Artex threw his arm around R.J. and turned toward the buffet set up along the walls, "Come on, bro." He the broke into his Scottish accent, "Lut's ooll get passed!"

The two friends broke away from one another once they had their drinks. R.J. went to speak with Mike Joyner to catch up and get his job back. Artex strolled over to where Chris, Darryl, Kolo, and Big Mac were all standing around chatting and drinking. He walked right over and leaned against Chris' shoulder, "So, how is life with royalty?"

Chris shrugged, "It's pretty good. I've been having lots of fun with portals ever since Discord started hanging around the Palace. I snuck into one of Blueblood's apartments when he was in the bath," Chris snickered, "Dude, he plays with a rubber ducky! He calls it Mr. Quackers!" Chris cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, I portaled his entire tub, with him in it, right into the public fountain in Canterlot Square!" The statement brought about a round of roaring laughter from the gathered males, but Chris was not done yet, "Hehehehee, if you think THAT'S good? I followed Celestia and Luna when they were walking around, talking, last week and waited till they weren't paying attention. I put a portal right in front of them and they walked right into the Royal Guard stallion's bathroom! I swear to you, one of them actually said, 'Princesses on deck' and they all saluted while their asses were backed up to the toilets!" The guys almost died laughing, but Chris was still not finished, "Aheh, well as you can guess, everybody went completely silent for a second and then... you heard this plopping splash from one of the toilets and one of the Guards turned bright red! Bwahahahahahahahaha! HE TOOK A DUMP RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PRINCESSES!"

The guys all held their stomachs from laughing so hard and Chris finished, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Aww MAN! Whew! I tell you, Luna was PISSED after that one! She chased me all over the Palace! I had to 'port' away from her a couple dozen times and even then she pranked me in my sleep by putting chopped hot peppers in my underwear drawer."

The guys slowly came off their laughing high. Darryl was next to speak up, "I'm glad you're the one getting married to a Kavim first, man. Anybody else might have to deal with people bugging out over it."

Artex looked over to his Marine buddy, "Speaking of which, are you thinking of tying the knot any time soon?"

Darryl grinned and took a swig from his mug, "Ahh, already proposed to Backlash."

Kolo whistled, "Whoa there 'D'! You mean you actually in love wit' the Ice Queen?"

Darryl playfully punched Kolo in the arm, "She's a real sweetheart, she just doesn't know how to show it. What about you and Buzz Butter, huh?"

Kolo crossed his arms and smiled hugely, "We finished out our herd. She the only Pony. Rest o' my girls be Changelings. They been keepin' me, heh, satisfied till Buzzy an' me get married. I gotta tell ya, they into some FREAKY stuff! They always askin' me to put it here or there an' even in some wierd places. Them holes in they legs got plenty o' uses, an' you ain't lived till you been stroked off by a pair o' moist, gossamer wings flutterin' all 'round yo' manly bits."

Big Mac took a sip from his mug, looking quite tipsy, and added, "Euyp. Wings'r right soft. Easy to clean up too. An' watchin' 'er clean an' preen 'em after you done made 'em all sticky..."

Artex froze and looked over to his adopted brother, "Dude... I... way too much information."

Big Mac shrugged, "She was feelin' bad after she panicked on our first night so..." he shrugged again, letting the guys put the pieces together.

"Buuuuut since then you've been able to..." Artex ventured.

"Eyup." Big Mac answered simply. His face turned serious as he addressed Artex, "Yall gotta be right gentle with 'em, Artex. They gonna be scared stiff, first couple o' times. If'n Ah'm bein' honest, yew don't wanna take too long first couple o' times. They're gonna be nervous, an' shakin', an' scared all over the place. They want ya, yew just gotta be gentle. Ah didn't know what Ah was gettin' into with Cheerilee. Had to all but tie 'er down. First time, she got so scared she screamed an' Ah couldn't keep goin'."

Artex nodded his head seriously. He had an idea of what to expect, "Yeah, I've heard about what happened with the Gender Wars and all that."

Darryl, Chris, and Kolo all looked between Artex and Big Mac. Darryl was the first to speak, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You mean to tell me THAT'S why Backlash gets so worked up and stops when we're making out? Because she's afraid of my 'dick'?"

Artex took a gulp and shook his head, "Not really. From what I understand, it's more like she's afraid of the act, not you. All mares are. The Natural Magic did a number on them way back when. Why didn't you learn about this in school?"

Kolo shrugged, "Our teacher glossed over it. Said we'd probably never need to know an' if we did, we should ask our mares."

Artex sighed, "Let me break it down for you then. It started before the tribes of Ponies all got together..."

* * *

Full Spectrum sighed happily as she cuddled up to Catalyst. The two of them were waiting for Starburst to finish in the bathroom and come to bed. Catalyst could not help but to vocalize about something that had been bothering her for a while, "Hey," she addressed Full Spectrum, "Why have you been so happy recently? I'm not complaining, but you're normally really grumpy."

Full Spectrum squeezed the Unicorn mare and sighed again, "It's because I've felt how much happiness there is in the world. To hear about it is one thing, but when I EXPERIENCED it... it changed me. I'm happy now. I've felt the happiness in the world and it makes me happy to know there is so much joy." She lapsed into silence briefly before she muttered, "It'll make it easier when everything goes wrong..."

Catalyst tensed up, "What did you say?"

Full Spectrum released the mare and turned over, facing away from her, "It's time to go to bed, Caddy..."

Catalyst was not hearing it, "No. You said something about everything going wrong. What did you mean?"

Full Spectrum whined, "Come ooooon, Caddy! I don't want to talk about it!"

Catalyst was firm, "If there is something we can do..."

The young woman suddenly sat up and gripped the mare by her shoulders, "NO! If you try to change anything, you'd probably make it worse! Don't make it worse! You can't make it worse!" Full Spectrum crossed her arms under her breast and shook her head, "You can't! Caddy, you can't! You don't know what's going to happen!"

Catalyst's concern was growing by the second. She reached out and pulled Full Spectrum into a firm hug, "I could know if you told me."

Full Spectrum shook her head, "I can't." She whined, "Just knowing will make it worse. Humans have stories where knowing the future makes it happen, sometimes it's worse because the characters know. They try to avoid it, but in trying to stop it, they make it happen, anyway. I may have already said too much and made it worse."

Catalyst felt bad for pushing her future sister-wife so hard, "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I'm just trying to understand... help me understand."

Full Spectrum slowly raised her head. She met the Arch Magister's eyes and spoke slowly, "It's like... kind of like pregnancy and giving birth... it's a long process as the baby grows... it makes you uncomfortable and it causes you some discomfort... but... you know that when it's time... you're going to have a precious little one to help complete your life... the hard part is giving birth..." she sniffled and lowered her eyes, "Right now, we're going through the pregnancy... the birth is yet to come... it's going to hurt... so much... but afterward... it's going to be wonderful to behold..." her eyes glazed over and her voice took on a monotone quality, "... fire will rain from the sky... and the sun will fall to the ground... the darkness shall descend... the cries of the masses echo in the night... songs of sorrow and silence will ring across the lands... the few will confront the many... and the father will search for the mother and child... they are lost, one to another... torn asunder, shall be the nations... the common citizen will rise... and reclaim what once, was theirs... and so too shall pass, the age of stagnation... the light will shine once more... and the darkness shall be banished from the lands..."

Full Spectrum drifted off to sleep as Catalyst stayed where she was, silent sobs shaking her body. Prophecy was nearly unheard of, but the ebony Unicorn knew in her heart of hearts that she had just heard one. Some subtle truth rang true in her spirit and she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt that something terrible was going to happen.

Author's Notes:

A short, saucy dance for those of you who enjoy such things. As always, let me know if you spot any typos.