Cadance walked out of the bathroom the following morning. Her mane, tail, and fur were back to their normal colors. Shining Armor had been out of bed for some time. She joined him downstairs for breakfast. They sat across from each other and ate in silence. Shining ate quickly and took his dishes to the sink. He sat back down at the table, sipped his coffee and read the newspaper while Cadance finished eating.

The sobering reality of the previous night hit him like a bucket of ice water just as soon as he had finished. The clarity replaced the haze of his lust-addled mind. He took a long shower and went straight to bed. Cadance joined him in bed a short while later with nary a 'good night' from either of them. He wasn't angry. At least, not at her. He was upset with himself. His self-loathing went by a more common name: Shame. They hadn't said a word to each other the next morning either. But Cadance refused to let this go on any longer.

"Are we going to talk about it?" she asked.

"No," he replied as Cadance barely got the last syllable out.

"Shining, it's okay if you-"

"No," he repeated, cutting her off. "We are not going to talk about it." Cadance opened her mouth to say something else. But his walls were up. It wouldn't do either of them any good for her to keep trying with his guard up like this. She finished eating and put her dishes in the sink. As she did, a wisp of green smoke came into the window. It materialized into a scroll on the table. Cadance walked over and opened the scroll, reading it over.

"It's a summons... from Princess Luna," Cadance said.

"Oh? What does she want with you?" he asked, taking a sip.

"It's for you," she said.

Shining choked on his coffee.

A week later, Shining Armor stood in his full dress uniform outside of the throne room at the appointed time. One hour after sunset. He stood at attention and waited with his eyes on the clock. In the back of his mind, something was nagging at him about the date. Something that he had forgotten. But he was at his royal summons. He could not think of anything else that would be nearly as important to forget.

The minute hand ticked and the clock chimed the hour. He brought his hoof up to knock on the door. Just as he was about to knock, the door was pulled open. He looked at the slit pupils of the batpony on the other side of the threshold. Echo looked back at him with a smirk that seemed vaguely flirtatious. She stepped aside to let him walk by.

Shining Armor approached the throne. The room was shrouded in darkness. The only light was the cool blue of the moonlight coming in through the window. Princess Luna sat on the throne. Batponies, Sunshine Smiles and Frolicsome Meadowlark stood on guard at either side in place of their daytime counterparts. It was of some comfort to him that he would not be alone in the room with Luna. Shining Armor stopped at the proper distance from the throne and bowed.

"Your Majesty," he greeted formally, "Captain Shining Armor reports, as ordered."

"Arise," Luna said. Shining stood up from his bow. He looked up at her. She looked down at him from her seat. She let him stew in his nervousness for a long minute before speaking. "I have spoken to Tia-" she caught herself. "With... Princess Celestia," she said. "I have convinced her to allow your marital union to Princess Cadenza."

"Thank you, Your Maj-"

"BUT," Luna continued, cutting him off. Shining gulped.

Here it comes, he thought to himself. The caveat that would mean him being made to join her in bed.

"But- you must make a formal marriage proposal to Princess Cadenza yourself. Princess Celestia has decreed that if you are stallion enough to ask for Princess Cadenza's hoof in marriage, in her presence, that is, if you have the testicular fortitude to do so." Shining could hear Echo snickering behind him. He ignored her.

"When and where am I to do this, Your Highness?" he asked.

"As for the details, the choices are yours and yours alone," she said. He nodded. "But if you were inclined to make a good impression, one would suggest it be at the Canterlot Hearts and Hooves social."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"You are dismissed, Captain." Shining bowed and turned to leave. "Oh, and there is just one more thing, Captain." He turned back around to face her.

"And what is that, Your Grace?"

"Do not breathe a word of this meeting to anypony else. Especially my sister," Luna said.

"What am I to tell Princess Cadance?" he asked. "She received my summons. She knows about this meeting." Luna narrowed her eyes a slight amount.

"The fact that she has not tried to throttle me since the night of the Gala tells me that you are a stallion that knows how to keep a secret. I'm confident that you will conjure a suitable fabrication on your way home." Shining shifted his weight on his hooves for a moment.

"I appreciate what you are doing for me, Princess. But after this..." he narrowed his eyes. "Don't ever ask me to lie to her again." He turned on his hoof and walked away. The throne room door closed behind him after he exited.

Propose to Cadance on Hearts and Hooves Day at the Canterlot Social? he mused to himself. Everypony will be there, including Celestia. He thought about what kind of ring he would get her. It sure would be one hell of a birthday present for her.

Shining Armor's eye went wide.

"Oh, SHIT!" he cursed out loud, realizing what it was that he had forgotten.

It was Twilight's birthday today.

He hadn't even gotten her a card.

He galloped to the castle barracks. As strained as things had been between them, he never forgot her birthday. And shameful lust aside, she was still his sister and he loved her. After what had happened between them the day she moved to Ponyville, he was afraid that she would think the worst of him ignoring her now.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he swore as he ran. He burst through the barracks doors. One of the enlisted ponies went to attention and shouted.

"Officer on deck-"

"Shut up!" he cut him off, "I mean, carry on!" he apologized. Sort of. "I need the two fastest pegasi immediately if not sooner!"

"Sir!" two winged volunteers stood up.

"Station a chariot! I need to get to Ponyville yesterday!" he said. They quickly ran outside and got into the harnesses. Shining boarded the chariot and they took off. Shining realized that he was empty-hoofed. "Can you get me to the Ponyville bookstore before it closes?" he yelled to them over the noise of the wind. It was less than fifteen minutes to close.

"Why, Cap? You gonna buy us a cider if we do?" one asked.

"Private, if you get me there in time, I will buy you both a case!"

"Hold on, Cap!" the other said, before going into a steep dive down from Canterlot Mountain. They pulled the chariot downward faster than it could free-fall. Shining just held on as his rear hooves came off the floor. A few minutes later they screeched to a halt in front of the Ponyville bookstore. The sound of Shining's screaming caught up to them.

Shining Armor stepped out of the chariot and double-timed it to the store. He puked as he jogged, but didn't break stride. He pushed the door open just before the clerk could flip the sign to 'closed'.

"I need a book!" he said.

"I'm sorry, but we're clos-"

"I said 'need', not 'want'," he cut her off. "It's a birthday emergency!"

"Okay, uh, what book?" she asked. Shining froze.

Fuck. What book? What did Twilight like?

"Oh! That one with the pony that does the thing-" he stammered.

"You're going to need to be more specific," she said.

"Darling- During- Daring Dude?" he tried.

"Daring Doo?" she asked.

"Yes, that one!"

"Which one?"

"The newest one! Please!" he said. She turned and fetched the book. He put a large stack of bits in her hoof. "Keep the change!" he yelled as he ran back to the chariot. "Golden Oaks Library! Now!"

They came to another abrupt halt in front of the library. Shining was nearly thrown from the chariot. He gave each of the pegasi a big stack of bits. "Take the evening off. Knock yourselves out," he said. They both climbed out of the harnesses and headed to the local tavern. Shining took the blue sash from his uniform and wrapped the book with it like a ribbon. He knocked on her door frantically. "Twilight!?" he yelled. The place was dark. She probably already went to sleep. "Shit. Twilight!?" he yelled louder as he continued to bang on the door. Next door, the lights came on and the window opened. A pale-green unicorn stuck her head out the window.

"She's in Canterlot," Lyra said. "Her friend, Rarity, couldn't come to Ponyville, so she moved her party there."

"Okay! Thanks!" Shining yelled. He turned back to the chariot. "We need to get back to-" The pegasi were gone. "Shit." He ran to the tavern. There were already nearly a dozen empties littering the floor at their hooves. "What the fuck! It's been like, four minutes!"

"Thanks, Captain Obvious!" one of them said before shot-gunning another can, crushing it, and adding it to the others. They were both in no condition to fly.

"Dammit!" Shining ran to the train station. The ticketing clerk shook his head.

"Sorry. Last train to Canterlot left a few minutes ago," he said. "The midnight red-eye departs in a few hours." Shining sighed in defeat.

"Okay. Um... do you have a pen I could borrow for a second?" The clerk passed him a pen. Shining wrote on the blue ribbon wrapping the book and gave the pen back.

He walked back to the library and pushed the book through the return slot. Then he turned and walked back to the train station to catch a nap on the waiting bench. He would catch hell from Cadance for being out all night. But he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

~~~~

As he expected, by the time he arrived in Canterlot, Twilight had already departed back to Ponyville. Cadance had been worried sick about Shining. He apologized and explained the best that he could, and Cadance forgave him.

Back at the library, Twilight nearly tripped over the book as she walked inside. It was a wrapped Daring Doo book. The ribbon was signed, From Shining. Happy B-Day. Sorry. Her eyes watered. Spike walked by and saw how sad she looked.

"Uh oh, what's wrong? Somepony late with a book again?" he asked. She pulled the blue sash from the book and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah." Twilight sighed and headed upstairs to start unpacking. In the next room, Spike belched. A moment later he walked into her room with a scroll.

"I wouldn't put your travel bag away just yet," he said, giving her the scroll. "It looks like Celestia wants us to do the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant in Canterlot this year. This is great!" Twilight didn't react. Her mind was elsewhere. "That's great, right?" he asked. Her eyes fluttered and focused on him again.

"Great. Yes. I'll let the others know as soon as possible," she said, looking at the scroll. Another trip to Canterlot. This time she resolved to see a certain somepony.

"What are you going to do while you're on leave?" Cadance asked Shining as they put up the Heath's Warming decorations in her house.

"You, I assume," he answered.

"I'm afraid not," Cadance said. "Officially, you're still technically my employee, and you have to get the Heath's Warming holiday off."

"Oh."

"I'll be fine in Canterlot Castle visiting Aunt Tia. Don't you want to visit your family?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, after the pageant, I'll accompany Tia back to the castle, and your leave will start, and be until dawn of the day after," she explained.

"Okay." Shining continues to hang the decorations up in relative silence. There was one last nugget of information that Cadance wanted to relay to him, but she was unsure of how exactly to broach it. All she knew was that she didn't want him to find out about it himself at the last minute.

"Twilight will be there," Cadance said. Shining froze for a brief moment before carrying on as though the words had little more impact than the weather report. "She's in the pageant. Along with her Ponyville friends. And Spike."

"Okay."

"I just thought you should know."

"Okay." They finished decorating a short while later and Shining went to his guard quarters in her house. The bed was still made from when he had first been assigned to the villa. It had never been slept in. But the drawers of the dresser still had most of his personal effects, including what mail had been forwarded to him from the castle barracks. There was an envelope that he had opened already. He took the card out again and looked at it. It was a standard 'thank you' card that came in a pack of thirty or so. This one had been sent to him for the book. It was signed from Twilight, but he recognized Spike's writing. She probably never even saw the card. Just like he never saw her. It felt oddly appropriate.

"Hey," Cadance said from the doorway. He put the envelope back in his drawer and turned to face her. "We need to have dinner and get ready for the pageant."

"Right." He followed her out to the kitchen.

After the general admission crowd filled in the seats below, Princess Cadance took her place in her royal box seat. The next box over was reserved for Princess Celestia and Luna. It wasn't close enough for them to be heard, but enough to be seen. Cadance emphasized the need for Shining to be on his best behavior.

"Could we have another chair please?" Cadance asked the attendant. As a Royal Guard, Shining was expected to be... on guard. But Cadance wasn't about to let him stand for the entire evening. Shining took a seat in the folding chair. His respite was short-lived. Celestia and Luna walked in a moment after, bringing them and everypony else back to their hooves.

"Please, be seated," Celestia announced into the theater before she and Luna took their seats. The lights of the theater turned down as the play began. Celestia was content to just sit and watch the production. Luna, however, was most vocal about the many many historical inaccuracies of the play.

"What is this horse manure!?" Luna complained incredulously, careful to keep her voice low enough for only Celestia to hear. "This is meant to be a historical re-enactment but it is almost entirely fiction!"

"Well, this play is more interpretive than anything. What's important is the message," Celestia tried to explain.

"But none of this makes any sense!" Luna said. "There's no mention of the rise of the three tribes from the Alicorn master race. No mention of the fiend, Discord, creating the disharmony between the tribes and bringing about the Windigos. And there is no mention of the finding of the Royal Sisters by Smart Cookie. Brought back from stone by Starswirl. What did they find in that cave? Magic!?"

"Those are minor details, Luna."

"Minor!? We united the tribes under a common banner and defeated the Windigos! The very banner they use in the play! After the Pillars vanished, we defeated Discord and were hailed as the saviors of Equestria. Has everypony forgotten!?" Luna asked.

"Over time, the history books focused less on what made us ponies, and more on what made us divine," Celestia explained.

"And I'm sure you were only too pleased to let them," Luna huffed. Celestia sighed.

"Well... I didn't make any special effort to correct them," Celestia admitted. "But I could not rule a nation divided. I wanted a holiday about the ponies themselves, and the importance of unity among the races. And so the message of Hearth's Warming, turned into this."

"Get along... or else," Luna muttered.

"Or else, indeed," Celestia said. "A nation divided against itself can not stand, Sister. Perhaps not a fate of Windigos. But the prospect of an outside invasion dividing us and conquering, or a civil war is scary enough. You and I have a greater responsibility than these ponies can possibly fathom, burdened with a truth they can't handle." Celestia leaned back in her chair. "Have no illusions, Luna. These stories exist for the good of the ponies. Not my personal enjoyment."

"That may be true," Luna said. "But you're not right."

"No..." Celestia admitted, pursing her lips, "I am not." She stood along with the crowd to applaud the end of the play. Luna rose as well, applauding the performance of such a pleasant fiction.

Twilight Sparkle bid farewell to her friends after the play. She would be not returning to Ponyville with Rarity or Applejack that evening. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both heading back to Cloudsdale to visit their families, as was Pinkie Pie with her trip to her rock farm home. Twilight and Spike took a taxi across town to her old home in Canterlot.

Shining Armor escorted Cadance outside to join the other princesses in the short walk from the Canterlot playhouse back to the Palace proper. At the entrance they stopped and waited as Cadance turned to face him.

"Alright, well, I'll see ya the day after tomorrow..." Cadance said. Celestia cleared her throat loudly. "Oh, um, I mean, *ahem*. You are hereby relieved, Captain," she said in her formal tone. Shining bowed as he was trained.

"Your Majesty," he replied. "Majesties," he corrected. They turned and walked inside the castle. The on-duty guards closed the doors after them. He turned back to the cobblestone road. All of the taxis were at the playhouse after the event, and likely had all departed by now, unlikely to return. For taxi drivers it was a holiday as well, and they had families of their own. He started walking, looking in the general direction of his parents' house. He had made the walk plenty of times before, even in the snow. "Right," he said to himself. "Home."

"Is he not coming?" Twilight Sparkle asked, sitting at the kitchen table with her parents. She looked at the clock again. It was getting late. Night Light and Twilight Velvet looked at each other briefly.

"He said he had leave for the holiday," Velvet said.

"But that can be taken away at the last minute in the Royal Guard if something happens," Night Light said. "Believe me, I know."

"He wanted to be here," Velvet said. "I'm sure he misses you, too." Twilight looked away, over at Spike, sleeping curled up under a blanket on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"You can have the guest bed," Night Light said. "We turned his old bedroom into the guest room after he graduated from the academy."

"What about my room? Twilight asked.

"After you moved to Ponyville, I turned it into my study," Night said.

"Oh," Twilight said. She looked in her bag at the blue sash from Shining's uniform. She reached in and touched the material again.

"I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow," Velvet said. "It's late. The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will get here."

"I guess." Twilight walked upstairs to the guest bedroom. Night Light and Velvet went to their own bed shortly after.

Shining Armor made a small detour on the way to his parents' house, stopping at only place with an 'open' sign still in the window.

"We're closing up soon," came a voice from out back, "What'll it be- oh-ho shite! Shining!? Is that you?" the barkeep asked walking back out into his bar. "How the hell are ya, ya lil' scamp!?"

"Hi Uncle," Shining greeted Air Tender.

"The fook are ya doin' in m'bar on Hearth's Warmin'? You should be at home, eh?"

"I'm on my way. I just wanted to stop by and wish you a happy holiday. Is Uncle Mage Star around?"

"Nah, fam, he's on duty t'night. A right shame. But ya Gramps is right over there." Air Tender pointed at the stallion slumped over in the corner booth. Shining walked over to the older stallion, giving him a bit of a shake to stir him.

"Hey Grandad," Shining greeted. His grandfather blinked his eyes for a moment, waiting for them to focus.

"Oh, hey, Shining!" he said. "Happy Birthday!"

"It's, um- It's Hearth's Warming," Shining corrected.

"Happy Hearth's Warming," he said. He patted his pockets. "I uh, I didn't get a... Hey, let me buy you a drink!" He stood up and Shining helped him stagger over to the bar. "One for my grandson!"

"You don't have to-" Shining tried to say.

"Put it on my tab!" he said.

Air Tender snorted. "Your tab." He poured a mug of cider for Shining. Shining tried to slide a few bits across the table. It was almost the end of the month, and his grandfather's pension payment was already long spent. Air Tender pushed his bits back and gave him the mug.

"Nah fam," Air winked. "It's from 'both' of us." Shining took a swig from the mug.

"Shouldn't you guys be at home?" he asked.

"This is home," Air Tender said. "Both spiritually 'n lit'rally." He pointed at his ceiling, his loft above the bar.

"What about him?" Shining asked of his grandfather.

"Who the fook else do ya t'ink would 'ave 'em?" Air said. "He hold up the rent, 'n I keep'm fed."

"Feed me another, Tendie!"

"Tendie!?" Shining asked. Air Tender glared at him.

"Don't you fook'n breathe a word a this t'anypony else!" Air Tender said. "Nah ol' man! Yer cut off!"

"I pay your damn rent!"

"Aye, ya do! An' so ya ain't no good to me dead!" Air poured another mug. "Now look, Shine lad, I'ma have this one with ya, then you get yer arse home to yer folks, eh?"

"Alright. Just this one. Cheers." Shining clinked his glass to his, "... Tendie."

~~~~~

"NEXT ONE! NEXT ONE! NEXT ONE!" the three stallions cheered in the bar, pumping their hooves in the air as they chugged another round.

~~~~~

Shining's bleary eyes looked at all the empties littering the bar. Then at the elderly stallion sleeping on the tile floor, spooning an empty forty-ounce bottle. Then at the barkeep trying to feebly clean the same glass with the same rag for the last thirty minutes. And then at the clock.

It was so late that it was early.

"Oooh... fuuuuck," Shining groaned. "I gotta go!"

"Lock the door on your way out. And give yer father me love," Air Tender yelled after him.

Shining's eyes rolled around in his head, looking at the houses going past him. His hooves managed to auto-pilot him through the city. He found himself on the old stoop of his foalhood home. He stared at the lock like it was some kind of ancient riddle.

"Lock..." he mumbled to himself. "... Key," he answered himself. "Key," he repeated. He opened his bag to get his keys. There weren't that many but he was certain that he had gone through and tried all of them twice before he found the right one.

It wasn't his first time sneaking home after hours. As soon as the door unlocked he went into stealth mode. He closed the door behind him quietly. He stepped carefully through the house, keeping his hooves on the soft padding of the carpet, avoiding the curled up baby dragon and avoiding the steps that squeaked going upstairs. He made it to his bedroom and slipped into his bed.

The pony in the bed beside him stirred. Shining hadn't slept alone in bed since he had moved to the villa, and was accustomed to the company. He reflexively wrapped his hoof around her.

Twilight blinked awake with a start, but she recognized the white fetlocks on the hoof holding her in the dim moonlight. She smiled as she felt him pull her close to him. He was cold from being out in the winter night. He pressed himself against the inviting warmth of her body. She felt his hoof move lower along her belly down to her-

Twilight let out a gasp as she felt her brother's hoof between her legs. He started rubbing her in just the right ways to spur her arousal, teasing her wet marehood and playing with her clit. To feel the touch of another pony, him of all ponies, it was better than all of her fantasies, by far. Twilight let out a muffled moan into her pillow as her brother brought her to orgasm with his hoof, wetting the sheets under her.

Shining let out a smug chuckle hearing his success audibly moaned from her lips. She could smell the cider on his breath and felt him against her back. She felt it against her back. He held his hoof in place on her pussy and started thrusting fruitlessly against her, his penis pinned between them.

Twilight reached back to try to guide it lower, but he was holding onto her tightly. She lifted herself to get a bit more leverage and pulled herself away quick enough to push his shaft downward. His next thrust sent it between her legs, grinding along her pussy as he kept humping. She tried to angle her body so he could be thrusting upwards, not forwards. She nearly got it lined up when he suddenly flared too wide for her to get it in. He grunted and bucked frantically and he came. The first rope shot up at Twilight's face, landing on her horn and mane. The second splashed across her cheek and open mouth. The last few dribbled out against the fur of her chest and the onto the bedding.

"No..." Twilight whimpered, watching it vanish back into his sheath. "Shining? Shining!" His only response was his snoring. Twilight laid there in the dark, tasting her brother's seed on her tongue. She wiped her cheek and fur, licking her hoof for what more she could. She sighed. It wasn't exactly like she had dreamed. But they would have another chance tomorrow to do it right, at last.

Twilight woke up early the next day. She extricated herself out from under the comforting weight of her brother's hoof. She knew that he would be far more tired and was content to let him get some extra sleep. He would need his strength later. She walked into the bathroom to wash the stickiness from her mane that she did not want to have to try to explain at breakfast.

The sound of running water made Shining head pop off the pillow. Hangover or not, he lurched upright in bed and got to his hooves in a hurry. He needed to pee, NOW. Twilight heard his hooves quickly approaching and turned to greet him.

"Oh, hey-"

"MOVE!" He practically shoved her into the tub as he pushed his way past her. He was already partially emerged from his sheath before he reared up in front of the toilet to let it fly. He groaned in pain from the bright lights of the bathroom. Once his aim was true he clenched his eyes shut, ignoring the other pony in the room.

Twilight just sat there, halfway in the tub and watched him. She didn't appreciate the rude greeting, but still relished the sight of his length, even if it was in a context she didn't particularly care for. She felt a familiar twinge in her lower abdomen as she watched him continued to go. Though perhaps she could warm up to the idea, she mused to herself.

Shining finished and shook himself dry before he slumped against the sink. He just leaned there and breathed, waiting for the adrenaline of his pounding heart to stop making his brain throb.

"Hey," Twilight started again, from in the tub. Her bottom half was still hanging out and over the edge. His head turned slowly to her and his eyes squint open. He blinked a few times. The blurry purple smudge took shape. "Last night was fun."

"Wha-?" Last Night? What the fuck about last night? Shining thought, clearly in no condition to think. He looked at the matted, sticky blotches of her fur, and the plastered parts of her mane, and the milky shade of yellow in the toilet.

"Shiny... we had sex," Twilight said.

Shining fell to his knees and puked into the toilet. Hard. Heaving until everything was out. Even the air. He coughed and sputtered and gasped. And then he flushed. He wiped his mouth and looked back with bloodshot eyes at the angry glare she was giving him.

"That was the booze, not you, I swear." he said, sitting on the floor next to the porcelain throne. She passed him a washcloth for the rest of the... whatever he drank last night... on his fur. He leaned over to the medicine cabinet and grabbed some tablets and put his head in the sink to slurp some water from the faucet.

"Well, we didn't actually have sex," Twilight said. "You used your hoof on me and then humped against me until you..." she pointed at the stains in her fur. "... finished."

"I'm sorry!" he said, mortified.

"Yeah, well you can make it up to me soon enough," she said, climbing out of the tub. She heard their parents waking up down the hallway. "But not right now." She leaned over and closed the bathroom door. She got back to scrubbing him out of her.

"Twilight, are you up?" Velvet asked from the hallway.

"Yup!" Twilight replied. "Just getting freshened up."

"I thought I heard somepony being sick," Velvet said.

"Uh, yeah. That was just Shiny. He just had a rough night," Twilight said, quickly wiping the last bits from her fur.

"Shining's here?" Velvet opened the door. She looked at Twilight standing next to Shining on the floor. He looked like death warmed-over.

"What in Equestria happened to you?" Velvet asked.

"I was on my way here from the castle, and I stopped by Uncle Air's place to wish him a happy holiday and have just one-"

"Stop!" Velvet held up her hoof and cut him off with an angry huff. "I don't need to hear the rest." She shook her head. "Look, breakfast is going to be in... an hour. So get yourself cleaned up and-"

Shining groaned as he tried to move.

"Twilight, be a dear?" Velvet asked. "I need to go cook." Twilight gave her a salute.

"You got it!" Twilight turned on water to draw him a bath.

Velvet turned and walked back down the hallway. "Night! We need to talk about your brother!" she bellowed to her husband. Twilight lifted Shining with her magic and lowered him into the warm water. He tried to protest but it just came out as a groan of relief once he was in the warm water. She took some shampoo and started washing his mane.

"Twi, I can wash myself," he said.

"What did you get me for Hearth's Warming?" she asked, ignoring him.

"Twi, I..."

"Were you going to give me anything?" she asked. "Besides a facial," she whispered with a wry smirk.

"Twi, stop it."

"Not that I didn't enjoy it," she said, licking her lips. "I just wanted to know if I should expect more."

"No."

"Oh really?" she asked, eyeing him sprouting in the warm water. She closed the door with her magic and took the wet wash cloth and washed his horn while her free hoof reached down into the water to-

"Hey!" he nearly shrieked as she started stroking him.

"For me? I found my present!" Twilight teased. He tried to push her away but his magic was grounded in the wet cloth and his muscles were too fatigued in his hangover.

"Twi-" he pleaded helplessly. She mistook his moan for one of pleasure as he came to full mast, sticking half-way out of the water. She leaned down and started licking his tip. "Twi, stop!" he said sternly. "This is- it's sexual assault and I don't consent!"

Twilight stopped. She slowly took her hooves off him. She clenched her jaw and eyes in self anguish. He was right and she damn-well knew it. He pulled the wet cloth from his horn and covered his erection with it.

"Please," Twilight said through her teeth with her eyes still closed. It wasn't angry. It was desperate. "Please," she begged again. "Just... let me have this? All I've ever wanted was you. Ever since that first time, I can't stop thinking about you. I miss you so much. Just let me have this?"

"Twilight, no."

"Look, I get it," she said, opening her eyes finally. "I want this, and you want it too-"

"No, I-"

"But you wish you didn't," Twilight continued. "I know because sometimes I also wish that I didn't. I know that it's weird. That I'm weird. But I can't change it. It just how I feel. And I know you feel the same way too, deep down."

"..."

"Just... just this one time? Okay? Please?" Twilight was nearly in tears. "Be mine?"

"Twi,"

"Please?" Twilight begged again, pressing her face into his shoulder, whispering against the nape of his neck. "Please, please, please?"

Shining mentally cursed himself, and his weakness to his libido, and to her sad, begging pleas. She could end a war with those eyes.

Or start one.

"Just this one time?" he asked. Twilight was upright in an instant. Her hoof snatched the cloth away and was on his shaft, stroking again.

"Uhuh!" she confirmed with an excited nod.

"You know damn well that won't be enough for you," he said. She didn't reply. She simply continued to idly stroke him, and the last of his willpower, away. "Fuck it. Fine." He barely got the 'n' out before she had him in her mouth, swallowing him until her face was below the waterline. By the stars, it felt like she had sucked his spine right out, turning the rest of his body to jelly. She held herself there, letting the occasional bubbles out of her nose. But her ears were still above water. "Okay Twilight," he said. "Okay," he repeated, getting worried. "Twi, you don't need to impress me!" She lifted herself off and took a breath.

"But you are impressed!?" she asked with a proud grin.

"Extremely," he breathed, just barely able to hold onto the edge of the tub. "Come on, we don't have time for-" Twilight cut him off by sucking him again. Her head bobbed up and down on what she could above the water line. One of her hooves stroked the rest underwater. Her other hoof gently rolled his balls.

She hadn't the skill or experience of Cadance. But her enthusiasm more than made up for it. She bobbed her head fast enough to give a woodpecker a run for its bits. She sucked like her life depended on it. As though she had poison coursing through her veins and his cum was the only antidote. She was utterly focused on her mission. Celestia herself could barge in and she wouldn't have stopped.

"F-fuck!" Shining moaned. She was going to make him cum so fast it almost hurt. "T-twi, I'm-" Twilight stopped and stood up, arching herself over the tub. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting in with you, I want you to finish inside me!" she said.

"W-what? No! Use your mouth."

"What?"

"I want to cum in your mouth," he blurted.

The words made Twilight's legs go weak and she fell back down to her knees. He WANTS to cum in my mouth! She resumed sucking him with the same gusto as before. She grabbed his hoof with hers and pulled it to her flank. It was plainly obvious what she wanted him to do. He reached under her tail and mashed his hoof against her marehood, rubbing her in pace with her movements. Her moan vibrated around him, sending him past the point of no return. He flared in her mouth and she took one last breath.

She felt him throb and pump his load into her mouth, quickly filling it. As soon as it hit her tongue, her whole body quivered and she spurted her marecum against his hoof in her own orgasm. She didn't break stride and just kept swallowing, letting only a few drops escape. He finished cumming but she kept sucking.

"Twi, stop! Stop, stop, STOP!" he shuddered, grabbing her by the horn to pull her off his over-sensitive dick. She looked at him through her lustful haze.

"Best. Gift. Ever," she said, punctuating it with a belch.

"Kids! Breakfast!" Velvet yelled from downstairs. They exchanged the same 'oh shit' expression and quickly made themselves decent. Twilight hiccuped. Shining just looked over at her.

"I hope you still have room."