LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME

Chapter 17: This is a Call

Golden Bit sat in his darkened study, glaring at the palace on the other side of the window. He took another swallow from his glass tumbler of scotch, not even tasting the liquor. The ice clashed together with a CLINK as he set the glass down on his desk. The Duke leaned back in his chair and steepled his hooves in front of him. How does she do it? She must have spies within my own network, if not my house, but I sure as Hay haven't been able to turn them out. Everypony down to the lowest scullery maid has had their movements tracked for weeks, and nothing.

Using his magic, he reached out to his wet bar and floated another bottle of scotch over to him and poured another glass, then set it down next to the three empties before him. Nothing. Not so much as an unaccounted for minute. If it weren't so confounding, I think I'd be turned on by her prowess, but not when my legacy is at stake. No. I will find a way to put you under my hoof, My Princess. And I think I finally have it. I'll break up your precious student's happy little family-

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and with a voice scratchy from disuse and too much alcohol, said, “Enter.”

Golden Bit's well-groomed butler entered and sketched a small bow. “Milord, your son has arrived.”

Immediately, the Duke sat up straight in his chair and ran a hoof through his unkempt mane. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about the scotch stains on his immaculately tailored jacket, nor the bloodshot eyes, but he coughed into his hoof and gestured. “Thank you, Brass Tack. Send him in.”

Brass Tack bowed again and stepped aside to hold the door open wider. Golden Bit was shocked to see his son. No longer was he the sniveling whiny brat he last saw. Gone was the cowed look in his eyes, the stooped posture, and nervous dithering he normally adopted in his father's presence. In his place stood a stallion. He still wore the well used armor of a captain of the Frontier Guard, covered in the dirt and grime of the trail he had undoubtedly gathered on his way here, but wore it as something of a badge of honor rather than treated it as the filth he would have just a few short months ago. Blueblood stepped into the study, placing his doffed helmet on an end table as he did.

Golden Bit gave him a genuine smile and said, “My son. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Still standing at attention, Blueblood replied, “I've come to ask you to repeal your law prematurely, Father.” Golden Bit's smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a scowl. “I'm sure you've seen the damage it can do to Equestria. It still hasn't been passed, yet it has split the military down the middle. The few officers who believe in it are mocked and ridiculed, and even those noble officers who do not are having to turn a blind eye to insubordination, lest they- we end up having to punish whole platoons, leaving us with no troops to command.”

The Duke's horn glowed and the door to the study slammed shut. “Do you know what I've gone through to get that piece of legislation passed? The favors I owed- still owe? The cocks I had to suck, the begging I had to do, the pride I had to swallow for this? Are you even aware of how many bridges I had to burn for this? Lady Heartstrings still won't speak to me to this day, and Silver Veil has turned opposing me into some sort of vendetta!” He turned just enough to look out the window once more while keeping Blueblood in his sight. “No. I cannot. Not anymore. Doing so would make me the laughing stock of Parliament.”

Blueblood relaxed his posture just a touch and took a step forward. “Father, they've all lost respect for you over this anyway. Even Scarlet Fish is planning to turn against you in the next committee of the Parliamentary Budgetary Office. I still cannot see how this bill will do anything but bolster your pride in an accident of birth.”

Golden Bit whirled his chair around and slammed his hooves onto his desk. “What! Where did you learn that?”

“You're not the only one with his hoof on the pulse of the noble houses,” Blueblood replied with a sigh. “A lot of the younger generation doesn't like being told how far they can rise.”

Golden Bit's eyes narrowed. “You're the one inciting the heirs to rebel against their parents. If it wasn't for those brats, I could have kept the rest of the nobles in line, but thanks to them, everyday I can count another house in the camp against me. How sharper than a serpent's tooth...”

Blueblood rolled his eyes. “Really, Father? Trotting out that hoary old Shaky Spear quote?” He relaxed his posture and sat where he stood. “The fact is, Father, that it was your actions that alienated all those ponies. I had little to do, other than alert them to each other's dissatisfaction.” He sighed again and looked out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to his father. “Which brings me to the primary reason for my visit. At the behest of not just the heirs, but the noble rulers themselves, I am here to extend you an offer that you simply cannot refuse.

“They wish you to step down as Duke of Canterlot, and pass on your title to me.” Blueblood looked again to the castle through the window and shook his head. “Personally, I would have preferred you to keep the title, and me to go on with my duties in the Frontier Guard, but circumstances demand that I put aside personal desires for the good of Equestria. It's over, Father. The other nobles won't deal with you after this botched move. They all think that you've lost your touch, and many think your sanity as well.”

Golden Bit swept his foreleg across the desk, sending the bottles flying across the room to shatter against the wall. Scotch and broken glass trailed down a painting of Golden Bit's deceased wife and Blueblood's mother, staining it. “How dare you! I made you! I've given you everything, and now you dare to lead my foes against me?”

Blueblood returned his hard glare without flinching. “No Father, you molded me into your cat's paw. I may have been your son, but I was always first, and foremost, your tool for gaining power. You cared more for your position than for your son or the ponies over which you ruled.”

“How dare you even suggest that I cared for power more than for you!” Golden Bit roared. “I sacrificed personal friendships, money, favors, my pride so that you could have it better than I did! I was setting you up to rule over Equestria, not just Canterlot! Even your mother gave up-” He froze mid yell, grief apparent on his features.

Blueblood stepped forward and placed a hoof on his. “I know what Mother sacrificed for me, and I'm sorry it cost you as well, but don't you see Father? Aside from the fact that what you were trying to do would be considered treasonous by most, it would never have worked for more than a generation or two at most. Would you want your grandfoals or great grandfoals to suffer for your actions?”

Golden Bit slumped back into his chair and looked dejectedly at nothing. “I was hoping that you and your children would want to carry on, make it a tradition. It's well past time we ponies wrested control of Equestria from her incapable hooves. You personally were witness to her incompetence during the last Royal Wedding, not to mention what happened when she let Discord escape.”

“And both of those things were beyond her control, Father,” Blueblood retorted. “The changeling queen had everypony fooled, and Discord escaped due to all the disharmony in the world. You cannot blame her for those things.”

Looking his son in the eye for the first time in many minutes, Golden Bit replied, “And what of the mess Parliament has become in the past few centuries? What about the increase in border disputes, necessitating the bulking up of the Frontier Guard? What about the increase in frequency of world class threats? Ever since Princess Luna returned as Nightmare Moon...”

Blueblood shook his head sadly. “Parliament is such a mess because we ponies are the ones running it. We aren't infallible, and many of us succumb to the allure of power. The border disputes are increasing because the other nations which have always found Equestria's preeminence to rub them the wrong way are testing our borders to see if Princess Luna's return has softened up Princess Celestia. As for the last, there's only so much one can do to preempt those kinds of threats.” He gave another weary sigh. “Father, the truth of the matter is that we have enjoyed an unparalleled length of peace and prosperity under Princess Celestia's rule. As the commoners are wont to say, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'”

Golden Bit looked unconvinced, but said nothing as he slumped in his chair. Blueblood took the opportunity to plow forward. “There was another reason I wanted to ask you to put a stop to the law before it goes before the PBO for budgetary consideration. I've met a mare wile I was stationed out on the fringe. I can tell you right now that she's not a gold digger, because she's almost as rich as you are, and she wants little to do with court, so she's not after power. She's the only mare to have ever made me forget about Spar- Twilight. I'm in love with her, Father, and I've come to ask for your blessing in pursuing her.”

A deafening silence descended upon the room. Blueblood watched his father with pleading eyes, but the old stallion made not even so much as a facial twitch. The longer the silence stretched, the more nervous Blueblood became. It all came to a crashing end when Golden Bit swiveled his chair completely around and whispered, “Get out.”

Blueblood slumped and walked to the door, pausing to gather his helm. Turning back enough to see the back of the chair, he said, “I love you, Father.”

Golden Bit said nothing, but held the picture of his son and Twilight as foals tightly to his chest, and flinched as he heard the door close.

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Spitfire touched down in front of the door to the house she had come to call home. She sighed and felt a tightness in her chest that she had thought was behind her when Twilight accepted her feelings. She made sure that a smile was firmly in place before opening the door and walking in. “I'm home!”

Four faces on the couch turned to her as one, and a white blur ran up and tackled one of her legs in a fierce hug. “Ma!” Sunny cried out happily.

Spitfire bent to scoop up the little bundle of energy and hugged her tight. “Hey there, Kiddo! I'm happy to see you, too!”

Trixie came up and kissed her on the cheek. “About time you showed up. We were about to sit down to dinner whether you were here or not.”

“You didn't have to wait on me,” Spitfire replied. “I've told you before to just eat if I'm late. No sense in starving four ponies instead of one, you know.”

“Not gonna happen, Hot Stuff,” came Cheerilee's response from the kitchen as she served up the plates. “We endure feast or famine as a family.”

Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Ugh. How corny can you get?” she asked playfully.

“Let's just sit down and eat, because I, for one, am starved!” Twilight exclaimed.

They sat down to their meal, but a little bit of yet to be revealed news kept gnawing at Spitfire's guts, preventing her from enjoying it. Cheerilee was the first to pick up on it and asked, “What's wrong, Spitfire? You look like something's weighing on you mind.”

Spitfire let her fork touch the plate again with a sigh. “I'm sorry girls. I was trying to let us have one last enjoyable meal together, but I guess I can't hold it in anymore.” She pushed around the mashed potatoes on her plate, unable to meet their eyes. “I- I'm being shipped out next week.” The mares gasped, but she pushed on. “The trouble on the border with the Griffo-Minotauria Hegemony has really escalated, and Parliament has requested the Princess send a quick response team to deal with anything that could crop up.”

Cheerilee gave a weak effort at denying it, but Twilight laid a hoof on her foreleg. “We knew this might happen some day, Cheery.” She looked to Spitfire and with a sad smile, said, “Don't worry, Spitfire. We'll be right here, waiting for you to come home.” All three mares got up from their seats and enveloped her in a hug, making room for a tiny filly who refused to be left out of any affection being doled out.

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Salanshandaraen pulled a tight barrel roll before snapping her massive feathered wings out to their full width, braking for a landing. She flapped as she stretched out her hind legs towards the ground, sending out a huge gust of wind that bent the tall stalks of grass in waves. Finally settled onto the ground, she folded them neatly away, accidentally brushing them on the treetops that encroached on the ruins dozens of yards away. The golden dragon brought a forepaw up to her head, and let a tiny purple figure, barely as large as her smallest scale, crawl onto it before lowering it down to the ground.

The little purple figure hopped down and turned to the dragon. “Wow, that was intense, Mom!” Spike exclaimed.

Sal began shrinking down from her true titanic size to one more comfortable when dealing with smaller creatures, ruffling her feathers back into place as she did. “It was, wasn't it?”

“Yeah it was!” Spike shouted, jumping in the air in excitement. “Those griffons were all like 'pull over', and then you were all 'no way', and just took off! They never stood a chance! You blew past them so fast, I think I saw one of them lose all his feathers!”

The gold dragon chuckled. “Wouldn't be the first time it's happened,” she replied as she nuzzled Spike. She pulled a satchel from out of thin air, and draped it over her neck. “Come on. I want to talk to Nyx before she sends you home.”

They walked into the library, blinking owlishly as they stepped into the now well-lit structure from the dim entryway. One wouldn't recognize it from it's earlier state, but ever since the arcaneficarum had been repaired, the library looked better than it had in millennia. The pair of dragons approached the front desk where Onyx worked, filling out cards for a new card catalog. “Good afternoon, Onyx. Is Nyx in?”

The black dragon looked up from his tedious work and smiled. “Sal! Back so soon?”

“Just dropping Spike off for home. I also need to see Nyx. Is she busy?”

Onyx nodded. “Naturally, but I'm sure she'll take a break for you.” He leaned over the counter and looked at Spike. “You mind waiting here for a bit? She's in one of her 'moods' again.” He reached behind him and pulled out a comic book, handing it to the small dragon. “Here, entertain yourself for a bit.”

Spike took the comic reverently, and his eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh! X-Mares number two-seventy-four! This is the one where Rouge and Magnetron get together after losing her powers in the Savage Land!” He giggled like a manic as he clutched the comic to his chest and ran over to the children's reading area within eyesight of the front desk.

Turning back to his other guest, Onyx gestured towards Nyx's office with a gentlemanly, “Shall we?” As they approached the door, Kat materialized in front of the door and crossed her arms across her chest. “Kat? What's wrong?”

The ghostly image said nothing, just shaking her head. Onyx groaned and facepawed. “Oh, no. Not again...”

Salanshandaraen turned to him curiously. “What is it?”

Onyx sighed. “She's been... distraught ever since Twilight's herding ceremony. She's taken to hiding in her office and stuffing herself with chocolates from other Prime Material planes.” He looked to the ceiling and shook a fist. “Damn you, Godiva!”

“Well what-” The gold dragon never got to finish her question as they both noticed Kat stiffen, and her eyes turn entirely black.

“Nyx!” Onyx shouted and threw open the door which passed through Kat harmlessly. He raced in, with Sal close on his heels. The office was a mess. Papers lay scattered everywhere, intermixed with candy wrappers and the stuffing from several torn-up cushions. Nyx herself was laying on her belly, head erect and staring sightlessly forward with pitch-black eyes. Onyx ran to her side and looked into her eyes for only the briefest of moments before looking away. “She's deep in a trance.” He picked up a sheet of blank paper as well as a stick of charcoal, ready to write.

A line of drool dripped from her open mouth, and a slight wheeze could be heard as she exhaled. When she spoke, her mouth didn't move, but her raspy voice filled the room and echoed off the walls, giving her already unsettling appearance an extra hint of the macabre.

Born between two worlds,
bearer of power cosmic,
thy time approacheth.

Thy travails endeth,
with the setting of thy sun,
and gift of thy mark.

Where Sun and Moon meet,
when ends and beginnings join,
the cycle will break.

With that, Nyx collapsed onto her side, sprawled across several cushions. Salanshandaraen rushed to her and cast a spell. She gazed over her prostrate form for a few seconds, before turning to Onyx. “She'll live, but she's in terrible shape. Dehydration, not enough sleep, too much inactivity, and too much of the wrong foods have taken their toll on her. Let her rest for now; but when she wakes up, force her to eat and drink plenty of water, and make her exercise.”

“I tried, but she's just so stubborn, and I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but she's only about ten times more powerful than I,” Onyx protested. He looked to the prophesy in his paw with worry.

Sal came up beside him and read it. “At least it sounds positive, right?”

Onyx shook his head sadly. “It could be bad or good. Part of the problem with Nyx's prophesies, is finding out for whom they're intended. Unless you solicit her for one of these specifically, we can have a devil's own time trying to figure out their meaning. We have a whole room filled with prophesies just like this one, and we have no idea to whom they belong, nor what they mean.”

“You mean it's not talking about her?” Sal asked.

Shrugging, Onyx placed the paper on Nyx's desk. “The pieces fit, but we've been wrong about these before. Granted, she's been on her mind a lot lately, but that's no guarantee that's this is about Princess Twilight.”

Salanshandaraen closed her eyes as she shook her head in confusion. “I still don't know why Celestia let that name go into common usage.” She tsked and turned back to Onyx. “But like you said, the pieces fit. It all seems fairly neat if you ask me.”

“That's because you're a straightforward individual, Sal. Prophesies are purposely vague and open to interpretation. Mortals weren't meant to know what was coming so clearly.” Onyx drew a blanket over the sleeping sphinx. “Nyx says that the worst curse you can inflict on someone is a perfect understanding of what is to come. Judging by her,” he looked at the sleeping immortal sadly, “I'd say she was right.”

As he lead her out of the office, he added, “As for your question about... her,” he practically spit out the word, “I'd say that she probably let ponies use the name so that it wouldn't disappear entirely. A sop to the hurt she felt at losing a sister.”

The gold dragon scrutinized him carefully, making him wither under her glare. “You need to tend to that anger, lest it fester into something... actionable.” she said, her voice breathy with menace. Her mood lightened almost as quick as it darkened, and she added with a toothy grin, “Just some friendly advice.” Onyx shivered beneath her toothy smile.

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Fluttershy paced in front of the Golden Oaks library nervously. She looked in the window again and saw Spike talking with Trixie and Cheerilee, Sunny Days gamboling among the mares' legs. Her eyes refocused, and she took note of her reflection. Oh, my. The bags under my eyes are becoming noticeable. She turned away quickly before she was noticed and slowly flapped over to Sugarcube Corner, hoping to get there before it closed. She made it just as Pinkie-Pie was turning the sign over.

“Hiya Flutters!”

Pinkie-Pie's cheerful greeting immediately brought a smile to her face. “Oh! Hello, Pinkie. Could I trouble you for a carrot cake cupcake? I wanted to bring home a surprise for Angel.”

“Nuts?” Pinkie-Pie asked.

Fluttershy cowered down like somepony had just threatened her. “What?” she squeaked.

Pinkie held up two cupcakes, one in each hoof. “Do you want one with nuts,” she held up her left hoof, “or without?” she held up her right.

Coming out of her crouch a little, the pegasus replied, “With.” She stood there watching Pinkie-Pie wrap up the cupcake for travel, trying to formulate the words in her mind.

“'Sup, Shy?”

Fluttershy yelped and jumped up so high that she was able to grab onto the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. She peeked out of a partially closed eye and spotted her oldest friend on the ground. “Oh. H- hello Rainbow Dash. How are you?”

Dash puffed out her chest and smiled. “Awesome as always. What's up? Besides you, that is.” she added with a smirk.

Slowly releasing her death grip on the fixture, Fluttershy floated gently down to the floor. “Um, I was here getting... a...” Tears welled up in her tightly shut eyes and she hid her face behind her curtain-like mane.

In an instant, Pinkie was at her side, hugging her. “Oh, Fluttershy, what's wrong?”

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head uncomfortably before offering her a pat on the shoulder. “Aw, come on, Shy. You can tell us anything.”

The yellow pegasus shook her head and just silently wept. Glad that the Cakes had left earlier to attend one of Trixie's free shows for foals, Pinkie led her up to her room while Dash silently followed, flummoxed for something to say or do. Once safely behind her door, Pinkie sat her on the edge of the bed and petted her mane. “Come on, Fluttershy. Let us help you,” she pleaded.

Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie into a fierce hug and whispered into her mane, “Let me stay with you two tonight. I... I don't want to dream anymore.”

Pinkie-Pie tilted Fluttershy's head up with a hoof until their eyes met. She leaned in close and kissed her on the lips, gently at first, but with increasing ardor as it was returned.

Rainbow Dash was at a loss as to how to act. On the one hoof, this might be the opportunity they had been looking for to permanently add another mare to their little group, but on the other, this was Fluttershy. Not only was she her oldest friend, but she always considered the mare to be untouchable for many reasons. Her gentle nature, her great beauty, heart filled with so much kindness that she would often suffer so somepony else wouldn't have to, her easygoing attitude, all of it put the yellow mare into a category that Dash had labeled “Look, But Don't Touch”.

Hesitantly, Dash approached the necking couple on the bed, and caressed Fluttershy's back gently. The response was immediate, if not expected. Yellow wings spread to their full span as if on a spring, nearly knocking away her hoof, but she was expecting this. While Pinkie occupied her front, Dash leaned into Fluttershy's back and breathed deeply with her nose buried in pink mane. She hesitantly kissed the back of her neck, and smiled at the shudder and low moan.

Pinkie gently probed Fluttershy's mouth with her tongue, and almost smiled as the pegasus timidly tried to return the motion. The baker moved her hooves down her friend's sides, gently caressing her generous curves.

Dash continued her ministrations, roving Fluttershy's neck with her lips and down her back until she reached the quivering wings. She gently bit down on the shank and playfully gnawed at them. Fluttershy gasped into Pinkie's mouth, and the dock of her tail poked into Dash's thigh as it tried to lift, but was met with resistance. Rainbow forced the wing she was chewing on to fold and eased all three mares onto their sides on the bed, then moved on to the other neglected wing.

Reluctantly extricating herself from Fluttershy's luscious lips, Pinkie-Pie maneuvered herself so that she was standing over both her lovers and facing their rears. She watched as Dash mouthed a wing and slid a forehoof down Fluttershy's chest, and didn't stop until it met the juncture of her legs. The yellow mare gave a low moan, and an attractive blush stained her cheeks. Pinkie lowered her head and took a deep breath, inhaling the unique scent of Fluttershy's dripping wet sex, mingling with her marefirend's.

Dash brought her hoof to her mouth and licked it clean of the nectar that had collected there, savoring the flavor in case this turned out to be a one-time deal. She felt Fluttershy stiffen in her forelegs, and looked down to see Pinkie-Pie eagerly licking up the overflow straight from the source. The athletic mare felt a drop of wetness on her face, and looked up to see a pink marehood with another drop poised to fall. She craned her head up and with one long swipe, licked Pinkie from clit to tail, causing the earth pony to look up and around at her. Motioning with her eyes, Dash pointed over to their “toy” chest.

Pinkie-Pie took the hint and grinned widely. She bounced over to the chest and without even unlocking it, flipped the lid open, and pulled out a small, purple gem. She popped the gem into her mouth and bit down on it with a crunch, and a purple field of energy surrounded her then dissipated.

While she was doing that, Dash and dragged the panting mare to the very center of the bed and onto her belly so that she was facing the headboard. She whispered into her ear, “You may want to raise your rear for this.”

Confused and more aroused than she had been in a long time, Fluttershy looked at her with a stupid expression and said, “Huh?”

“For this, silly filly.”

Fluttershy turned her head to see Pinkie-Pie standing on the footboard with just her hind legs while a foreleg wrapped around the post to steady herself. A very male appendage dangled from between her legs as she grinned at her. Well, to be fair, it didn't dangle so much as jut out aggressively, reaching out towards the shy pegasus who gasped at the sight. “H- h- how...”

Pinkie pushed the tip down with her free hoof and let it spring up to slap her belly, leaving a wet spot. “Just a gift from Twilight. It'll last a few hours.” She held out another gem in her hoof, and tossed it at Dash, who caught it with her mouth and broke it open with a snap of her teeth. Another cock grew from the pegasus's clit and she winked at Fluttershy with a smirk. “She was going to make them magic bits, but she thought that they would fall out too easy in the heat of the moment, so she made them candy-coated magic instead.”

Dash licked her lips and added, “Mmm.. grape. They're single use like a pill, but they do in a pinch. She's working on a more permanent item as soon as she can think of one that doesn't require thought to use.” She rose to her hooves, and walked to stand in front of her. “Trust me Flutters. By the time we're done, you won't be dreaming of anything but us.”

Tamping her rear hooves as she raised her plush rump, Fluttershy automatically moved her tail aside, causing Pinkie to grin at the sight of her winking marehood. She looked for Dash again, but instead, found herself mesmerized by a cock swaying in front of her tantalizingly. The pegasus groaned as Pinkie put a forehoof on her cutie marks, and wiped the blunt tip of her penis up and down her dripping slit. She was about to beg her to stop the teasing when Pinkie slammed home in one smooth motion.

Fluttershy gasped but she was given no time to recover, as Rainbow Dash's forehooves gently tugged her head up and onto the cock before her. She took a few tentative licks before diving onto it with wild abandon, taking most of the hoof-and-a-half length into her mouth. She worked her tongue around it as Dash plunged into her tight throat and back out again until just the flared end was left inside.

With no need to encourage her, Dash used her forehooves to grab onto Fluttershy's wings, and met Pinkie's eyes across the expanse of yellow pegasus back. They grinned at each other, and waited until Fluttershy got used to their well-practiced rhythm of plunging in at the same time, and switched to an alternating one. When one pushed in, the other pulled out, and vice versa. They kept going like this until they knew she became used to this new feeling, then changed again by speeding up.

The poor mare's mind had gone on autopilot, allowing her to focus on the powerful feelings her two friends had gifted unto her. Nothing could ever top this feeling, not ever. At least, that's what she was thinking, when Dash's knowledgeable and oh so skillful hooves found her alulae and fondled them mercilessly. This sent her over the edge, causing her marehood to spasm wildly which sent Pinkie over the edge, while Fluttershy sucked harder than ever on Dash, sending her over as well.

Pinkie-Pie and Rainbow Dash held onto the mare between them tightly as their cocks spasmed away into either end. Ropes of inert sperm-substitute filled her belly and womb at the same time. Spent, the three of them sank to the bed, not bothering to even wipe themselves clean, just making sure that all three of them would be comfortable. Dash and Pinkie took turns licking Fluttershy's face clean however, causing her to giggle from the sensation.

When she was clean of any sign of sperm, Dash asked her, “What had you so upset, Flutters?”

Pinkie lightly punched Dash in the shoulder and glared at her. Fluttershy smiled sadly and replied, “It's okay, Pinkie. I just... I've been having some bad dreams lately. I was hoping that Twilight could offer me something to help, but I think she's much too busy.”

Dash smirked as a thought occurred to her. “You know, this treatment we just gave you might not take on the first time. You may need to keep coming back to us for a while.”

“Oh! Um, I wouldn't want to trouble you two, or worse, come between you. I know how much you two love each other,” Fluttershy said in a tiny voice.

Fluttershy was squeezed between Pinkie and Dash's strong forelegs in a reassuring hug. Pinkie rubbed her face into the pegasus's mane and replied, “Silly filly! We love you too! If it helps you, you can sex us up anytime you want!” She leaned close to her ear and stage whispered, “Besides, I think you blew Dashie's mind. She's been dreaming of you for a long time.”

Now it was Pinkie's turn to receive a slap on the shoulder, along with Dash's, “Hey!”

Author's Notes:

I told you guys that Fluttershy wouldn't die alone and unloved. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Turns out this is one of those chapters where it doesn't have the main characters in it much, and sorry if that disappoints anyone, but that's how it goes sometimes.

The usual disclaimers go here. I own the arrangement of the words, Golden Bit, Brass Tack, Sunny Days, Salanshandaraen, Nyx, Onyx, and Kat. All else belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust, except for Godiva chocolates. They belong to Godiva. :P