I remember my first time at the gym when I was around sixteen. Overweight and weak, I wasn't ready for what the training would put me through. I could see all those muscular guys bench-pressing more than I weigh, doing more pull-ups than I could do, and they looked great as well. I felt like I didn't belong there, but there was a guy named... Jay? Yeah, I think that was his name. He approached me and offered to help me begin my training. I wasn't really comfortable with that, feeling shame that I couldn't do much, but I didn't refuse. Day by day, I lost weight and gained muscle. I remember how my muscles aches, how I sweat like a pig in the sun, and how many times I wanted to collapse and die.

Martial arts training I've just begun is as close of an experience as that one, although now I'm more prepared. However, this mental preparation didn't help me at all with what came next. It was just a few hours, but it was a few hours of absolute hell. Despite my alicorn strength and endurance, I felt completely drained by the end of the training. My body was beaten, metaphorically broken, and now I felt like a piece of tenderized chicken.

...

I wouldn't be against having some chicken, actually. Mmm, chicken... with onions and pepper... juicy. Yeah, I'd gladly go for that for sure. Maybe some beef...

But cows here are sapient, as far as I know. I better not give them the idea that I find them delicious. Hm, but what about chickens? Are they also sapient? That would be a nightmare for anyone who likes meat. But I suppose it would be heaven for vegans. I've never dabbled into veganism, but I guess I've been doing it for almost a year now simply because I had no access to meat. And, well, I'm a small horse now, so I guess I'm a herbivore, and I will remain one for the rest of my life. It's not really that bad, I just like the taste of some nice, cooked meat.

In any case, I'm tired and sore, and now I wish nothing more than to take a relaxing shower and crawl into my bed to rest. I'd teleport myself straight to bed, but I'm too sweaty. And I don't want to gamble on teleportation, my focus wouldn't be as good now. I don't want to end up teleporting to Celestia having a bath or anything like that. Already happened once, and it was awkward, to say the least. Good thing I didn't teleport to anything, ahem, more private.

Iridia was walking alongside me, her shape exactly the same. Yeah, the trainer wasn't kidding when he said it was a long and difficult way for us. Sure, we had good initial strength, but we needed to apply it properly if we were to fight well. To completely destroy our egos, he demonstrated a few tricks that rendered us unable to move. That was a hard wake-up call I didn't know I needed. It definitely confirmed that I wouldn't stand a chance if I were attacked by anyone with experience in fighting. The trainer even showed us how to disable unicorn magic – all you need is to tap the horn in a specific, small point, and it would disable magic for a few seconds. One might say that a few seconds isn't enough, but in the fight, they're way more than enough, that's for sure.

I wish it were easier, but then... it would be too easy. It took me quite a few years to learn to play the guitar, and I bet martial arts are barely any different when it comes to learning. You need consistency, practice, and effort to succeed... but I guess that applies to literally everything. Except breathing, maybe. But then, I heard about a breathing technique that warms the body up, making you able to swim in nearly-freezing temperatures. It was some... Wolf method? Wilf method? I think I came across a YouTube video a few years ago, but I don't remember the details anymore.

Anyways, it seems that literally everything needed those three things I said. Consistency, practice, effort. Maybe add 'will to learn' to that. It's possible I'm forgetting something... but eh, I guess these four are enough.

In some sort of haze, Iridia and I reached our apartments and went our separate ways to rest. I stumbled into the bathroom, all but flopped right into the bathtub, and turned on the water. Oh yes... if I believed in God, I'd say it was some sort of holy rain... but no, it's just water that feels nice. And I didn't even need to adjust anything, it's perfect as is. Aaah...

And so I lay there in the tub, soaking in the water. It feels so damn good... the water is just the right temperature: cold, but not freezing. I don't feel like I want a warm shower now. Oh, and one more thing... I took off my necklace and placed it nearby, making my wings visible again. They're also somewhat sore, and I bet some water procedures wouldn't hurt. ALthough, there's oil on my feathers that makes flight easier or some such, but... I don't really fly much anyway. Luna did her best to teach me to fly properly, but I don't think I'd be able to fly freely without revealing my alicorn nature.

Maybe I should reveal it one day... but how? And how would I deal with the consequences? There's no way I would be left alone. I heard stories about paparazzi harassing actors and other celebrities, and it terrifies me when I imagine the fallout of my reveal. I'd be, what, fourth alicorn in Equestria? Sure, ponies got used to their princesses, but I would be a new one, and...

"Are you alright?" I heard Moonshine call me from the entrance to the bathroom, breaking my line of thoughts

"Yeah, just... tired," I replied weakly, "The training was... tiring... yeah..."

"I can make some food if you want," she offered, and I heard a smile in her voice.

"That'd be... very nice," I replied with a sigh of relief when I felt the water reach my more aching muscles, "Thank you."

I don't know how much time I spent bathing, but it was probably more than an hour. When I got out, I was completely soaked from head to hooves, water streaming from my body. Once I dried off, becoming very fluffy, I finally exited the bathroom. Moonshine did her best to cook some veggies and fruit, but personally, I'd like some meat. Hm, maybe I should go and search for a meat place somewhere. Hopefully, I won't stumble into some 'Stallion Meat Gay Club', because that type of establishment is not what I'm looking for, that's for sure.

Anyway, I quickly devoured the food my fillyfriend made. Mmm, delicious... I'd still go for some chicken, though. I think I'd take two chickens. Maybe all the chickens.

I'll deal with that later. What was I thinking back in the bathtub? Oh right, my alicorn nature. I would really love to fly around all the time, but then this problem of revealing who I am... Yeeeah, this is difficult. Ponies would also start asking questions about how I became an alicorn, and I really have no answer to that. I appeared in Equestria and was already an alicorn, that's pretty much it. I didn't earn it, didn't work for it, I just... well, it's like being born into a rich family. You can have everything you want, but you didn't earn it yourself. My parents were regular people, too, so I doubt they had anything to do with me becoming an alicorn. Unless what they told me is true and God blessed them or something. Weird shit, I'd say.

So, on one hand, flight. It feels amazing to fly. It'd be much quicker to fly somewhere than to walk, and I'd spend less energy flying than teleporting. On the other hand, it's likely my face will be printed in every single newspaper, broadcast on every TV channel, and I'd be harrassed to death by ponies just wishing to see yet another alicorn. I guarantee that there would be some... 'gold diggers', if you know what I say. That is, women looking for a rich husband for the purposes of doing nothing and receiving money just for being women and doing women things. In this case, do I call them 'alicorn diggers'? And I already get plenty of attention from other fillies in the school. The looks they give me have no other meaning than 'I'd like you to fuck me because I think you're handsome and nice'. While it's flattering in some way, I already have a fillyfriend – almost two, in fact. And I'm about to become a father. I'm not looking for more attention, mostly because I already have partners and I will never cheat on them. I have to admit, some of those fillies do look very appealing to the eye, but, as I said, no cheating. I'd be a complete asshole to cheat on someone like Moonshine. She's a nice, cute filly, and I love her, there is literally no way I would ever consider being with someone else without her approval.

Anyway, yeah, I'm not looking forward to getting more attention. I have no personal experience in this, but women can fight for men if they want to, and that fighting wouldn't be pretty. I don't want Moonshine to be subjected to it, I'm certain she would be targeted by some fillies or even mares as an obstacle to my heart. Or so they would think – I definitely wouldn't love anyone who'd even think about hurting Moonshine. She's like a cute little kitten – it's a deadly sin to hurt someone so lovely.

After I finished eating, I went back to the bathroom to clean my teeth. Surprisingly, my body doesn't ache as much anymore, so maybe I'll do something other than sleeping. In any case, I got the toothbrush, put a pea-sized drop of toothpaste on it, and started cleaning. My teeth aren't perfectly white, but then teeth are never perfectly white naturally. There's a light yellow tint to them. I don't think that matters much, all I need my teeth to be is clean. Although, I think dentists can do a deeper, more thorough cleaning, so I might visit one someday. I don't feel anything off about my teeth or any other part of my body, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Once I finished cleaning my teeth, I returned to the main room and sat on my bed. The tiredness washed over me and I felt the bed calling once again. Without offering any resistance, I let myself fall on the bed. The bedsheets touched my body, and I let out a shaky sigh of absolute pleasure. I never thought just lying down could feel so good, but now I do know...

I still didn't put the necklace back on, allowing my wings to spread, covering pretty much all of the bed. Damn, they're huge indeed... I can use them instead of a blanket, and there would be enough left for Moonshine to cover herself. Until now, I didn't think about just so big my wings are, but hell... they're beautiful, and they're mine. It's a sin not to use them to fly. But it's a dilemma... one I will think about later.

"I'm gonna sleep for a bit," I told Moonshine in my tired voice, "Wake me up if y'need anything..."

"Sleep well!" she wished me, and I think this wish would soon come true.

It was deep in the night when I woke up to the sound of weird rustling. For a few moments, I tried to ignore it and just go back to sleep, but the more I listened, the more weird it sounded. I blinked a few times, trying to see through the darkness, but I remained mostly motionless. My body froze when I heard someone whispering next to me. It wasn't Moonshine, it wasn't Night Breeze, it wasn't anyone I knew. This could only mean one thing...

"Do you think these are real?" someone said quietly, amazement in their voice.

"They do look real, man," a reply came from a somewhat feminine voice. I tensed up but didn't act just yet, "Look at these feathers. Look at these back muscles! No way to fake that. My sis has wings, and I would definitely know real stuff from fake."

"Shh, be quiet, he might wake up," the first voice warned, "And don't touch that!"

A freezing chill ran down my spine. Someone broke into the apartment and saw I am an alicorn. I had to act somehow, and quick. But what must I do? What did the intruders want? The veil of sleep still gripped me, and the gears in my mind turned slowly.

"Let's take the stuff and go already," the answer to his question came from another voice. Was this a second attempt at robbing me of my musical instruments?

I swiftly jumped from the bed, swearing internally as I felt my muscles ache again, and fired off some magic at the intruders I managed to catch in the corner of my eye. Someone immediately dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, and the rest began to make their escape. I reached out to the door, quickly closed and locked it, and then fired off another ball of magic at the second intruder. They stumbled for a few steps before meeting the wall of the apartment with their head. The third and the last one was panicking, trying their best to unlock the door. But I was quicker, and soon they dropped to the floor. I snatched them and dragged them across the room further away from the exit.

"What is going on?" Moonshine sprung up from her bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Bring the guards, and make them call Celestia," I said quickly, "Do it!"

This situation smells like deep shit for both me and the intruders. Their trouble is obvious – they broke into my dorm to steal things. But mine... mine was deeper, much deeper. Not many would trust them, of course, but rumors would spread, for they know...

They know I'm an alicorn.

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cphNpqKpKc4