You know that feeling you have when you just had the best sleep of your life and you wake up to what seems like a perfect day? That would be me at this moment. It must have been obnoxiously early because the moon was still high in the sky.

'The dream I had was so vivid, and Luna was in it. Ah man...that wasn't fair, Mr. Brain.'

I woke with a smile on my face...only to see Luna on top of me in a very compromising position.

She was splayed over me with a messy mane, literally connecting us at the hips. A scent also caught my attention...one that was rather unmistakable.

'Oh gods...that wasn't a dream. Shit, shit, shit!'

I levitated the sleeping goddess off of me as gently as I could, then I shimmied out of the bed careful not to wake the rest of my guests. I then set Luna back down again, pulling the cover over her.

Of course with the with the way my mind works, I had images running through my head so fast it could be counted as insanity. Images both good and bad, but none that I was ready for at the moment. I walked out to the balcony overlooking the palace and sighed heavily before slamming my head on the railing.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..." I chanted while slamming my head against the steel bar over and over, hoping that sooner or later I'd knock myself out.

It was about a minute into this wonderful new hobby of mine when I heard hooves approaching behind me, and then a gasp.

"Steel? What are you doing? Stop that!" said the unmistakable raspy voice of Rainbow Dash.

I stopped, but didn't turn to look at her. I licked the side of my mouth as I felt blood dripping down the side of my face, for some reason the taste calmed me a bit...odd. After a few minutes of silence I turned to meet her eyes, only for her to gasp again.

She was looking at me with not disgust or anger...but concern. "Steel...why? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

I snorted a laugh. "Because I'm an idiot, Dashie."

Her concern dissipated, and was replaced by a frustrated sigh. "Okay Steel...what did you do now?"

I sighed heavily again, sitting down. I said in as soft a voice as I could manage, "I think I got Luna pregnant."

Dash just stared at me for a second before bursting out laughing. She was literally rolling on the ground, which just made me more frustrated.

"Okay Dash, it's not funny. I'm serious." I said, getting steadily more annoyed.

She calmed down enough to catch her breath and just smiled at me, tears in her eyes. "Steel, you are going to be fine, I promise. So is Luna."

I wasn't really convinced. "Dashie you don't get it, I'm not ready to be a dad yet! And with a war coming? This is by far one of the worst possible times for this. By Celestia, somepony kill me now..." I had worked myself into a frenzy, and before I knew it I was speaking at a speed that only Pinkie could decipher.

She just placed a hoof over my mouth and giggled. "No Steel, I didn't mean it like that. I know you'll be a good father someday, but I also know that's not now...not for you. What I meant was that Luna can't be pregnant. She's not in season."

I felt relief and a feeling of stupidity wash over me. 'I really need to read up on the workings of pony anatomy and biology...' "Okay Dash, well that's a load off of my chest. Question though...how will I know when she is 'in season', or any of you for that matter?"

She scoffed. "Trust me Steel, you'll know."

I grumbled, "Wait a minute, you mean I've been neglecting sex for nothing then? Why couldn't any of you told me this sooner?"

She blushed brightly and shrugged. "You didn't ask."

I nodded dumbly and walked back inside to the washroom to clean myself up.

I looked in the mirror to notice a split in my skin just over my left eye, and I set about cleaning it up as best I could. After wrapping it and cleaning up the sink, I walked back into the room to notice that Dashie had settled back in the bed, and the rest of the mares had yet to wake up as well. With my mind at ease again, I lifted Luna up before scooting back in my place, laying her just beside myself with a kiss. A few moments later and I began to drift back to sleep...

I woke up feeling warm and secure, so I looked to my left to see a vivid pink fluff ball snuggling against me. I was a little nervous for a moment before I thought, 'What the hay...' and snuggled closer to her. She let out a cute squeak that I couldn't help but grin at. Pinkie got a little intense sometimes, but when she was calm like this, she was so cute. Like two-week old kitten cute.

'Ugh...I think I've been spending too much time around Twilight. Since when is Pinkie cute?'

I tried to rationalize my thoughts to myself, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't care. Buck it...I was fine with thinking she was adorable. After all, Steel didn't seem to mind being all lovey with us, why should I care?

As much as I hated to, I knew I had to get up and get cleaned up. Vinyl was having a party at her house for something or other. Didn't matter to me, I loved hanging out with her, and her parties were always great.

I begrudgingly untangled myself from Pinkie's grasp and headed to the bathroom to get cleaned.

I was awestruck when I noticed just how big it was, but then again it was for royalty after all. I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, then took to brushing my mane and tail. I kinda wanted to wake Rainbow up for this, but she looked really peaceful curled up next to Sparkles (yes, I gave her a nickname), so I let her be. After I finished cleaning up, I walked over to Steel. He must have heard me because his eyes were open, looking at me.

I shuffled over and kissed him on his cheek. "Hey Steel, I gotta go. Vinyl is having a party tonight and I wanna be there for her. So I'll see you later, okay?"

He pulled me into a hug with one leg and kissed me on my cheek as well before nodding and releasing me.

I left the room, closing the large silver doors behind me. The two guards that were posted outside the room stared at me with confused expressions. I just smirked at them and walked down the hallway. It took a few minutes, but I finally reached the landing pad for carriages. I could see Vinyl's house, so I focused and disappeared in a flash.

When I opened my eyes again, I was outside Vinyl's front door. If I knew her, she'd still be passed out from last night, so i let myself in and raided her fridge for some breakfast. Not much, but I found some eggs, toast, and a few apples, so I started cooking breakfast for the two of us. I was just about to finish when I heard the clopping of hooves from the stairs above me. I looked up to see Vinyl smiling from over the railing.

"Hiya Lyra! Gosh, it's been forever since I've seen you. What have you been up to?" she asked while wearing her trademark grin while walking down the stairs.

I shrugged. "Not much. Playing music, making money, dating a prince..."

She stopped dead in her tracks as she reached the bottom of the winding stairwell. "You're dating a prince? Who? Do I know him?"

I nodded. "Yes you do. You introduced us."

She furrowed her brow and placed a hoof on her chin, thinking. Suddenly she gasped in realization. "Steel? He's the new prince?"

I nodded again. "Yeah. Weren't you at his coronation?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Umm, I might have been sleeping off a hangover that day. Sorry babe."

I giggled. I remember when all the stallions in town used to think we were dating, she messed with them by calling me "babe" and similar things. It was an inside joke of sorts. One that was still funny every time because it still got a reaction out in public. I gave the eggs a stir and caught the toast with some magic as it popped out of the toaster. I placed it all on a plate and slid it over to Vinyl, who was seating herself on a stool at the counter. I served myself and cleaned up really quick before sitting beside her and digging in.

"You know," she began, "I never figured Steel for the 'royal' type." she said with a mouthful of toast.

"Well he wasn't really feeling it at first, but the princesses convinced him after awhile." I said after taking a sip of apple juice.

She nearly spit out her food. "Wait...he knows both of the princesses too?"

I giggled. "Well knowing would be an understatement. They're kinda together too."

She slammed a hoof down. "By Celestia, who is this guy? I mean he shows up out of nowhere and makes friends with all of the Elements of Harmony, then both of the princesses."

I smirked. "You know Vinny, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of us."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Maybe a little bit. I mean it's not like I really had time to get to know him though. I'm so happy that he showed me that dubstep music, it helped my shows take off like wildfire. Still...my career keeps me really busy. I barely have time to myself anymore."

I shrugged. "So take some time off. You're making tons of money off of your record sales. I'm sure you can afford some time to yourself. Trust me Vinny, your fans aren't going anywhere. Not only are you one of only like three musicians in all of Equestria, but in my opinion you're also the best."

She grinned seductively. "Dear Lyra, flattery will get you everywhere."

That was one thing about Vinyl that I loved...she was just...everywhere. Like after that statement, I honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Still, it's one of the things that kept us close after all these years, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

She suddenly burst out laughing. "L-Lyra, you should see your face!" I pouted cutely, hoping it would get her attention. It worked and she groaned. "C'mon Lyra, that's not fair. You're no fun at all..." I wore my own grin and leaned over, nibbling on her shoulder. She moaned while biting her lip. "That's not fair either, Lyra."

I played innocent. "What? You said I was no fun. I was just proving a point." I leaned closer. "Besides...if you thought that was good, I really shouldn't tell you what Steel and I did the other night."

She gasped again. "W-what did you do? C'mon, don't leave me hanging!"

I leaned over and whispered in her ear a very sensual explanation (use your imagination). I pulled away and noticed she was blushing so hard even her ears were turning red.

She composed herself and looked me right in the eyes. "Okay, you got me. Now I'm really jealous."

How? How did she land a stallion like that? She's got to be exaggerating somewhere in her story...or something's different about him. Like he's got a fifth hoof or something. I mean I loved Lyra to death, but I remember her not being the most socially open filly with colts back in school. She's right, I need to set some time apart for myself. If I missed something this huge, maybe I am working too much. Now I just gotta find a way to tell Tavi about it, otherwise I'll just get a three-hour long "I told you so" speech.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, I hadn't realized we were walking through the city of Canterlot now. 'How did she teleport us both without me noticing? Okay Vinyl...no more spacing. Next time you snap out of it, you're gonna be an old mare with grandfoals or something.'

I always thought the capital was really pretty, but I tried to steer clear of this place. The upper-class ponies didn't really like me. All I ever hear out of them is "low class" this and "lower class" that.

It was sickening.

Next thing I knew we were walking up to the giant golden gates to the palace. Two guards stopped us before recognizing who Lyra was.

She looked back at me and smiled, then she looked at the guards. "She's a friend. I'll take full responsibility."

The guards both nodded and lowered their wings, letting us through. Lyra leaned in close, and whispered, "Don't make me regret saying that, Vinny."

I pushed her away with a giggle. "Oh yes, mistress. Whatever you say." She blushed and I laughed hard. I loved messing with her.

We walked through the winding corridors of the palace, to...somewhere. How the princesses didn't get lost in this place was beyond me. However after like five minutes we arrived at a huge set of silver doors. Lyra opened one of them and peeked inside, then she opened the door fully and we walked in.

There was Steel and four other mares. I recognized all of them, especially Pinkie (she throws wicked parties), and I was about to wave when I noticed what they were doing. They were all sitting in a circle listening to music. The next thing I knew, I could hear it too. Was that coming from Steelbreaker?

"She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then

I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone"

Wow...that was Steel! He was singing, but where were the instruments coming from? I didn't see him playing any...

"Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did

And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time..."

As he finished, I realized that I had closed my eyes and was rocking to the rhythm of the song. It wasn't rave music, but there was something...catchy about it. He looked over at me and stood up, walking towards me. I hated to say it - like really hated to say it - but with his royal gear on he looked like a completely different pony...but in a good way. And his mane had changed! Now it looked like the clouds from the blizzard about a month ago, and I could have sworn I saw snowflakes coming down it.

'Hmm...I wonder what my mane would look like if I were royalty...no! Stop that, bad A.D.D! Focus!'

As I snapped back to reality, I noticed he was standing right in front of me. By Celestia, had he always been that tall? He just stared down at me before pulling me into a hug. 'Aww...I didn't get to hug-tackle him this time. Oh well...there's always later.'

He nuzzled me softly and in a low deep voice whispered into my ear, "Hey Vinyl. It's been way too long. I've missed you."

'He missed me?' What was happening to me? I was feeling all flustered like back in school when I first started "noticing" colts. I nearly stuttered to get the words out to answer him.

"I missed you too Steel." I answered in an uncharacteristically soft voice for me. What? That couldn't have been me. What's going on? Is he using spells on me? Is he inside my mind? WHAT'S HAPPENING! 'Vinyl, slow down girl...calm...calm...' I calmed myself and took a breath. 'Good...now take another breath.' I did as I told myself, and felt my heartbeat slow down some. Once I stopped spazzing out, I looked up at him and could tell he was struggling not to laugh at me. Normally I would be offended, but I realized how foalish I was acting and beat him to it, laughing loudly. The rest of the room joined in and we laughed until my sides hurt.

After we all composed ourselves, Steel went ahead and gave me the heads up on what had been going on. Apparently not only was he friends with both of the princesses, he was "friends" with both of them. 'Lucky bastard.' After that he told me he had something really important to tell me...

"Well Vinyl, if we're gonna be good friends I think there's something about me you need to know. Something pretty crazy." he said.

I was very interested all of the sudden. "Okay Steel, I'm all ears...both of them. What's up?"

He looked a little nervous before taking a breath and closing his eyes. "I'm not of this world, Vinyl."

'What? What's he talking about?' I was confused, so I pushed further for answers. "Steel I'm not sure what you mean. Care to clarify?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. He leaned forward and touched his glowing horn to my head...

As I finished transferring my memories to Vinyl (leaving out the more personal parts, mind you), I saw her wobble a bit before falling to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Wow, that's intense." she said before standing on her hooves again. "What the hay, Steel. So you're like, an alien?"

I nodded. "Technically yes, I am. I pray you don't think any less of me."

She shook her head. "No, this actually answers a lot of questions for me. There are so many things about you - the way you act, the way you do things, the fact that you didn't know how to fly - that didn't make sense until right now."

I smiled. "Well I'm glad to know I'm not so weird anymore."

She chuckled heartily. "You're still weird Steel, but at least now I know why you're weird."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee thanks Vinyl. You really know how to make a stallion feel welcome to an alien world."

She then surprised me with a hug. "Oh please Steel, I'm pretty sure all your marefriends make you feel more than welcome, if you catch my drift."

I chuckled. "Yeah they do. Especially Luna last night...mmm..."

Luna blushed and turned her face away. "Steel, please don't talk about that...you're embarrassing me!"

I walked over and nuzzled the night goddess affectionately and said in a soft tone, "Well, you were rather shameless last night from what I remember. And you didn't wake anypony up? Well done, my dear."

This just made her blush even harder, but she shoved me playfully. "Alright, Steel. Well I have things to take care of. Royal duties and whatnot. Will you be alright on your own until I return?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes love, we'll all be fine. We'll find something safe and non-destructive to do."

She gave me the "stink eye" for a minute before shaking her head and leaving the room. I watched her leave and shut the door, before looking back to see five mares with devious looks on their faces...even Vinyl, which scared me for some reason. The last thing I remember seeing is Twilight's soft chest fur before I blacked out.

Author's Notes:

Song mentioned: "Rocket Man" by Elton John, on the album Honky Chateau.