“I tell ya, Lighty, I’m gonna really freakin’ miss this mating season.”

Night Light didn’t even bother opening his eyes, reclining under a shady tree in the late afternoon sun. “You say that every mating season, Pommel.”

“Yeah, but this time I really mean it,” Pommel added, reclined against the same tree right beside him.

“You say that every mating season too.” Night Light paused for a long moment of thought, and then smiled. “But you know what, Pommel? For once, I feel the same way.”

“Yeah, of course you do,” Pommel said, slugging him in the shoulder. “For once, you actually won mating season.”

“Oh shut up, mating season isn’t a competition.”

“Says the stallion who got to bang two of the top three hottest mares in Equestria. At the same time.”

“Are you going to make me regret telling you about that every day for the rest of my life?”

“Probably, yeah.”

The two stallions shared a brief chuckle and fell silent for a moment, basking in the warmth and beauty of their mutual summer day off. The weather was just right: warm enough that the two friends weren’t wearing anything more than matching white, semi-casual shirts, but cool enough that they could at least wear that much without soaking them through with sweat. Canterlot Central Park was mostly calm around them; the busy evenings of ponies gathering with their mating season dates had passed with the last days of spring, and the park was a haven of peace and quiet once again.

When Pommel wasn’t carrying on about mares, anyway.

“So I’m guessing number three is that Steadfast girl you were seeing all season?” Night Light spoke up curiously, opening an eye at last to look over at the bat-pony.

Pommel shrugged. “Number one, actually, but yeah.”

Night Light raised an impressed eyebrow. “Wow, really? You liked her that much?”

“Damn straight,” Pommel confirmed, grinning his cockiest grin. “Told you, that girl is freaky in the sheets. You three aren’t the only ponies who had the best season of their lives this year.”

“You say that every year too.”

“Yeah, but this time I--… damnit, shut up.”

Night Light laughed softly to himself. “So you really like this mare, huh? For real?”

“Yeah, I already told you--”

“No, I mean do you really like her?” Night Light clarified. “Mating season’s been over for a couple of weeks now… are you still seeing her?”

Pommel went from smirking to squirming in record time. “Screw you, dude, that’s personal.”

“Aww, come on, it’s just an innocent question.”

“I seem to remember a certain evening at the officer’s club when I asked about you and Velvet, and you told me to shove it,” Pommel snorted at him.

Night Light waved a dismissive hoof. “That’s totally different, you were asking about my sex life.”

“Is it a crime to drill you about who you’re drilling?”

“Yes. It carries a life sentence on conviction,” Night Light drolly joked. “And you’re changing the subject.”

Pommel groaned and rolled his eyes. “Ugh… fine, yes, we’re still hanging out, okay? We’ve got a dinner and theater date in half an hour.”

Night Light smiled victoriously. “There, see, was that so hard to admit?”

“It’s not that big a deal, dude, so what if I’m still seeing her?”

“It’s totally a big deal,” Night Light insisted, his smile growing almost proud now. “I’ve never known you to settle down with any mare before, you’re the biggest tail-chaser I know. Damn, Pommel, you must really like her.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep your friggin’ voice down before you ruin my reputation,” Pommel admitted under his breath.

“Wouldn’t that be a tragedy,” Night Light said with a snicker. “But seriously, Pommel, I’m happy for you. You’re a good stallion under all the smartass. You deserve a nice mare.”

Pommel actually blushed for once. “Ugh, come on, Lighty, you promised you’d never get this sappy with me again.”

Night Light had to laugh. “Alright, alright, shutting up…”

“Thank you,” Pommel said. “…So are you ever gonna give me the details about the threesome thing?”

“Nope.”

Pommel threw up his hooves in exasperation. “Oh, thanks. I open up to you a little and this is what I get back? Some friend you are.”

“It was a special night, Pommel.”

“You boned each other for the rest of the season, you lying little twat.”

Night Light went rapidly red. “How do you figure that?”

“Uh, hello, Celestia’s personal night guard?” Pommel said, tapping a hoof to his own chest. “It was pretty obvious whether you were banging her on any given night, when I’d come in and find an empty throne there’s not much else she’d be doing. And even if it wasn’t obvious, what do you think we talk about all night when she is there?”

“She… talks about it?” Night Light asked.

“Oh yeah. You must give it to her crazy good, too, ‘cause she always has a big goofy smile on her face when she’s on the subject.”

Night Light groaned and covered his face in his hooves. “Well then why the hay are you grilling me about it too?”

“Just looking for some perspective!” Pommel laughed. “She only really talks about how it was for her, she doesn’t say much of anything about you and Velvet. Something about what little respect for your privacy she can blah blah blah.”

“Well that’s something, at least…”

“But yeah, it’s pretty obvious you three boned all season, so really you might as well just tell me about it.”

“Can’t you ask anything about how we’re doing other than in our sex lives?”

“That’s not nearly as interesting.”

“Ugh… I don’t know what you want me to say, Pommel,” Night Light replied with a helpless shrug. “It’s not like we were doing anything totally crazy. It was… well, a threesome.”

“Several threesomes.”

“Whatever. My point is, it’s not like it’s a complicated thing to imagine. Half the time I’m with Velvet, half the time I’m with Celestia. Sometimes I do other stuff to them, sometimes they do other stuff to me, sometimes they… do stuff to each other,” he finished with a deeper blush. “That’s really all there is to it. Any more than that and I’m just giving you a blow-by-blow.”

“Yeah, I bet there was--”

“--A lot of blowing, yes, thank you, Pommel.” Night Light groaned and rolled his eyes. “Velvet beat you to that joke weeks ago, by the way.”

“Damn. Guess I need better material.”

“You never had good material in the first place,” Night Light said with a smirk. Pommel had no response to that, and so he let silence settle back in for another brief stay.

“…So alright, I’ll bite,” Pommel eventually spoke up again. “How are you guys doing? Other than your sex lives?”

“Thank you,” Night Light said with a relieved sigh. “We’re doing good. Really good. We’re living together now. Velvet started writing. She’s got a lot more free time for it these days too, she loves it. And Celestia promised to get her first book published, so she’s really excited to finish it.”

“That old librarian broad never tried to get her back, did she?”

“They haven’t spoken a word to each other since she quit, actually,” Night Light said, with no small amount of surprise. “I think Feather Duster’s more scared of her than the Princess now.”

Pommel let out a low whistle. “Damn, remind me never to get on Velvet’s bad side.”

“Yeah, it was scary to see,” Night Light agreed.

“So she gave up trying to, uh… expose you guys?”

Night Light nodded. “Seems that way, yeah. Celestia said they had a long talk about it a little while ago. I think she feels really stupid for making such a big deal out of somepony’s private life. She still doesn’t like the whole ‘Celestia’s Guard Captains are also her private lovers’ thing, but I think she understands now that I’m her Captain of the Guard way more than I’m her…”

“Consort? Love slave? Sex toy?”

“…Sure, something like that,” Night Light said with another eye-roll. “Anyway, I don’t think she’ll be making trouble for us again.”

“That’s good,” Pommel said. Another long pause settled before he spoke again, this time with a coy smile. “…So, uh… if Celestia really did get frisky with her past Guard Captains--”

“Stop right there,” Night Light immediately interrupted.

“…I’m just saying--”

“No, Pommel.”

“I mean you gotta wonder--”

“No I don’t.”

“You’re not even a little bit curious how you compare to--?”

“Nope.”

“But you could totally ask Celestia--”

“Not thinking about it.”

“But it’s like, biologically encoded that every colt wants to surpass his dad one day--”

“Pommel, I swear to Tartarus I’m gonna geld you if you don’t shut up.”

Pommel jerked upright, waving his hooves frantically for a moment. “Whoa whoa whoa, let’s not say things we can’t take back.”

“How is any of this about me and Velvet?”

“I’m sorry, that was boring!”

“Is sex the only thing that isn’t boring to you?”

“No, but come on, dude,” Pommel said, slumping back against their shady tree. “We’ve been friends with her for years and you’ve been into each other the whole time. You were practically dating already. I pretty much know all the shit you guys have been doing together. Unless you’re getting married or something, nothing you’d tell me would be new and interesting. Therefore, it’s boring.”

Night Light immediately went quiet, and red in the cheeks. “Uh… well…”

“…Oh shit, are you getting married?”

“No, no!” Night Light hastily corrected. “I mean… not yet. I was… I mean, I’ve been thinking about, you know, asking…”

“See now, this is interesting.” Pommel sat upright again, looking over at his long-time friend. “You seriously started thinking about it?”

Night Light blushed sheepishly. “Yeah… a while ago.”

“How long?”

Night Light fidgeted in place, sitting up himself. “Ah… well…”

Pommel raised an eyebrow, and smirked. “…You already have a ring, don’t you?”

Night Light gulped and smiled helplessly, slowly producing a tiny box from the chest pocket of his shirt. “…Yeah.”

“So you’re not thinking about asking. You are gonna ask.”

Another slow nod. “…Yeah. You’re right, it feels like we’ve already been together for years anyway, and I know I love her, so…”

“So basically you’re just procrastinating at this point.”

“Yeah, I--… wait, what?”

“You’re scared and squirming in your fur over it, so you’re putting it off ‘til you grow the balls to speak up.”

“I’m not scared. It’s just… it’s a big step, that’s all!”

“Well if you’re not scared, then get to it, Lighty. You’re meeting her here to go to dinner tonight, right?” Pommel said. “Why not ask her when she gets here?”

“I can’t just… ask her out of nowhere!” Night Light exclaimed. “I have to… wait for the right moment!”

“Yeah, you’re procrastinating.”

“I am not procrastinating!”

“Yeah? Then ask her when she gets here.”

“Maybe I will!”

“‘Maybe?’”

“Fine, I will, period!” Night Light insisted. “As soon as she gets here, I will ask her!”

“Ask me what?”

“AUGH!” Night Light leapt a foot in the air with an embarrassingly high-pitched yelp, whirling around to find Twilight Velvet had crept up on them again, and hastily hid the little box back in his pocket. “Goddess, you’re way too good at that…”

“I don’t even try to do anything, I just walked right up to you,” Velvet said, giggling to herself and sending ripples through the thin violet evening dress she was wearing. “You two just get so wrapped up in bullshit you forget the rest of the world exists.”

“S-sorry,” Night Light said, calming down enough to step up and give her a quick kiss and a nuzzle. “Didn’t mean to ignore you. You look great tonight.”

“Thank you, hehe… and you weren’t, don’t worry, I just got here,” she assured him, returning the affection. “What’s this you were you gonna ask me?”

Night Light swiftly blushed. “Oh… uh…”

“He’s got something real important to tell you, don’t ya, Lighty?” Pommel said, snickering.

“Shut up, Pommel…” Night Light hissed back.

“Heh… something important, huh?” Velvet echoed, and suddenly blushed a little herself. “I, uh, actually… had something important to tell you too.”

“Oh, really?” Night Light said. “What, uh… what is it?”

“Nuh-uh, you go first this time,” Velvet insisted. “Mine’s kind of a big one, anyway.”

“W-well, uh, mine’s… kinda big too,” Night Light countered.

“I’m preeeeeetty sure mine’s bigger,” Velvet argued.

“Oh shit, she’s gonna dump you Lighty! Better act fast!”

“Pommel, shut up!”

Velvet giggled again. “I swear, sometimes listening to you two is like listening to a couple of teenage colts.”

“Pfft, I wish I was still a teenager!” Pommel cackled.

“Pommel, will you get out of here already?!” Night Light snapped.

“No way, I gotta make sure you actually do it.”

“Do what?” Velvet asked.

“If you don’t say it, Lighty, I will.”

“Pommel, don’t you fucking dare.”

“Whoa, hey, hey, calm down,” Velvet cooed, giving her coltfriend a soothing nuzzle. “It’s okay, take your time if it’s important.”

“I’m giving him a minute and then I’m saying it.”

“Is this punishment for something? Have I wronged you somehow?”

“Just ask her, you big baby. Fifty-five seconds.”

Night Light groaned, rubbing his muzzle and shaking his head. “This is so not how I imagined doing this…”

“Doing what?” Velvet gently pressed. “What’s all this about, Night Light?”

“Forty-five seconds.”

“Nnnhh…” Night Light squirmed in place for a moment, doing his best to focus on Twilight Velvet instead of Pommel’s asinine antics. “Velvet, we uh, we’ve known each other for a long time now, and…”

“Thirty-five seconds.”

“…and, well, we’ve been, er, together, these last couple of months--”

“Thirty seconds.”

“--but, well, we’ve known each other for so long already, it feels like we’ve been dating for years…”

Velvet was already blushing and starting to smile. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Definitely feels like we’ve been dating for more than just a couple of months.”

“Twenty seconds.”

Night Light jolted and threw a snarl and a glare at Pommel. “I swear to Celestia, if you say another word--”

“Don’t waste time talking to me, talk to her. Ten seconds.”

“Just ignore him, Night Light,” Velvet said, as soothingly as she could. “Come on, what are you trying to say?”

“Five seconds.”

“Nnnhh…” Night Light squirmed and shuffles his hooves again. “Velvet, uh…”

“Four.”

A bead of sweat ran down Night Light’s brow. “Well, Velvet, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and--”

“Three.”

“--you’re really special to me, and--”

“Two.”

“--there’s nopony else I’d want to be with but you--”

“One.”

“--s-so, uh, I was thinking…”

“…One-half.”

“--if you don’t think it’s, uh, too soon, that is…”

Velvet was smiling ear to ear now; she probably knew what was coming, if she was as smart as Night Light gave her credit for, but she kept playing along anyway. “Yes, Night Light…?”

“…One quarter.”

Night Light gulped down a heavy breath. “Would you….maybe…”

“…One eighth.”

“Want to…uh…”

“…Oh come on. One sixteenth?”

“…”

Both Night Light and Velvet stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow at Pommel.

“…Don’t make me get to zero,” Pommel warned, jabbing a wingtip toward them. “Because I will!”

“…Skknnt…hehehe…” Velvet snorted and cracked into a fit of giggles. “You’re such a doofus, Pommel…”

“One thirty-second…th!”

“Ugh…” Night Light rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. “Where was I? Nnnhh, never mind, lemme just start over--”

“Oh fuck that, zero!”

“FINE!” Night Light bellowed frantically. “Velvet will you marry me?!”

Velvet squealed immediately and threw her forehooves around Night Light’s neck, kissing him all over his face. “Oh, Night Light, of course I will!” she agreed without an ounce of hesitation. “I’ve been waiting to hear you ask that since the moment I met you!”

“Oh thank Celestia…” Night Light sighed in relief, cracking a broad smile.

“Yeah, you better thank Celestia for smacking enough sense into you to ask me out,” Velvet reminded him, smiling coyly.

“Among other things she did to you…” Pommel snickered.

“I’ll be sure to send her a thank you gift,” Night Light countered with another eye-roll. “Are you about done ruining the best moment of my life?”

“Don’t you mean ‘making it more memorable?’”

“Right. I’m sure Steadfast will appreciate that explanation for why you’re late for your date.”

“Oh pfft, I’m not late, I’ve still got a few--” Pommel froze momentarily at the distant echo of a clock tower sounding off the hour. “…Motherfucker.”

“Time flies when you’re being an asshole,” Night Light said, smirking.

“Have a good night, Pommel,” Velvet said. “Tell Steadfast ‘hi’ for me. Oh, and tell her we’re still on for lunch tomorrow.”

“Yeah, sure, if I’m not sleeping on the couch tonight,” he muttered. “Alright, I’m outta here. Oh, hey, uh… for real, sorry about that whole--”

“Forget it, dumbass, just go!” Night Light shooed him away.

“Heh, right. And hey, congrats, you two, you’re gonna be great togeth--”

“GO!”

“Going!” Pommel chuckled and turned tail, streaking off as fast as his wing-assisted hooves could carry him.

Night Light shook his head and chuckled as well. “Dunno what he was thinking, waiting ‘til the last minute like that.”

“Pretty ballsy of him,” Velvet agreed, nudging Night Light’s flank. “Almost as ballsy as proposing without a ring.”

Night Light blanched. “Oh buck me,” he muttered, swiftly turning apologetic. “I’m sorry, I have a ring, really I do, Pommel was just riding my ass and it slipped my mind--”

“It’s okay, really,” Velvet giggled. “I figured as much. I wouldn’t mind seeing it now, though.”

“Heh, r-right,” he hastily agreed, and removed the little box from his pocket again, letting it float toward her in a soft glow that was thankfully no longer gold, but his own midnight blue.

“I thought I saw you hiding something when I walked up,” Velvet said, grinning wider still. “No wonder you jumped so bad.”

“Eh-heh… yeah, you kinda looked like you knew what I was getting at…”

Night Light levitated the box just under Velvet’s nose and popped it open. She immediately gasped at the sight of it, which Night Light chose to take as a good sign.

“Oh my goddess, Night Light…”

The ring inside was a fairly standard band of gold designed for a Unicorn horn, but what really caught Velvet’s eye (he hoped) was the centerpiece: a dozen tiny, off-white diamonds, fitted tightly into a rounded square around a much larger central gemstone of the finest amethyst, a near-perfect match for the two tones of her mane and tail.

“What do you think?” Night Light asked. “You want to try it on?”

“Absolutely…” Velvet whispered.

Night Light plucked the ring from its box and sent it floating above Velvet’s head, slowly letting it settle down over her horn and rest just above the base, gleaming in the early evening sun.

“How does it look…?” she asked.

“Perfect,” Night Light answered. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, Night Light…” she said, pulling him into another embrace, and this time touching their horns together so that a pleasant tingle of shared magic filled them both. “Thank you. I can’t wait to wear it on our wedding day.”

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” Night Light agreed, kissing her forehead.

“Mmmh… wow, I’m so glad you went first now,” Velvet said, sitting back on her rear. “This would’ve felt kinda weird if I’d said my thing first.”

“Heh, you weren’t gonna break up with me, were you?”

“Hehe, no, of course not…” Velvet assured him. “It’s much nicer news than that. Just, well…”

“…Just what?” Night Light gently pressed.

“…” Twilight Velvet suddenly took Night Light’s hoof in hers, and pulled it slowly south while her other hoof lifted her dress, like she’d done a dozen times by now to get him petting her nether-lips.

Night Light blanched briefly. “Uh, Velvet, we’re kind of in public right now, maybe we can wait ‘til we’re back--”

Velvet stopped, holding his hoof in place over her stomach, somewhere between her navel and her teats.

“…home?”

Night Light blinked curiously, looking back and forth between her stomach and her face. “…Velvet?”

Velvet’s cheeks were bright pink, a happy smile on her face that nevertheless looked nervous and uncertain as well.

“Night Light…” she said in her softest voice. “…I’m pregnant.”

Night Light’s eyes bulged instantly and shot back down to her belly. “W…W-what?”

“I’m… pregnant. We’re pregnant,” she repeated.

Night Light’s brain went blank. Every conscious thought in his head had vanished, left, completely shut down in shock. And even though his mental faculties slowly rebooted themselves one by one in the evening that followed, in that moment something else awoke inside him. Something he had never felt before. It was not unlike his military instincts and training, actually, but this ran much deeper, more raw, more primal. This mare before him was no longer merely his friend-turned lover, or even his fiancé. As of that moment, she was the mother of his foals. And with that knowledge came a protective instinct more intense than anything else he had ever felt, a burning, fiery passion to guard her from anything that could possibly harm her. Not even his dedication to guarding Celestia felt as strong as this sudden instinctual desire to keep her safe. Her, the foal, and any future foals they had.

And there would absolutely be future foals. Of that he was suddenly certain. He had no idea where it was coming from, but the fact that she was pregnant with his foal suddenly made him want her more than ever, made him want to wrap her up tight in his hooves not just to protect her from harm but also to rut the stuffing out of her, to fill her with his seed, to ensure that she would bear his foals, that he would have a family with her.

Yes, there was no doubt in his mind now. He was going to marry this mare, protect this mare, raise kids with this mare, grow old with this mare… and spend every night he possibly could along the way making hot, sweaty, passionate love to her. Starting right now.

“…Night Light? Are you okay?”

Night Light shook his head sharply and found Velvet’s eyes again. “Y-yeah, I… I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she pressed, sounding worried now. “You went all quiet and rigid for a second. I didn’t freak you out, did I?”

“No, no, nothing like that, I… I just…” Night Light swallowed hard. “…Are you sure? That you’re pregnant, I mean?”

“Oh, well… not a hundred percent, no, I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to look into it. But all the signs are there, and we weren’t exactly using any contraceptives all season. So I’m not completely sure yet, but I really--OH!!”

Night Light abruptly swept her off her hooves and tossed her over his back. “Let’s go home and make sure.”

“Make--?” Velvet gasped slightly, going pink again in an instant. “You mean… you want to have--?”

“Twilight Velvet, I want a hell of a lot more than just to have foals with you,” he interrupted, craning his neck to nuzzle forcefully under hers. “You want to know what I was just thinking about?”

Velvet groaned immediately at the affection. “Tell me…”

“I was thinking there is no doubt in my mind that I am going to marry you, protect you, raise kids with you, grow old with you, and spend every night I possibly can along the way making hot, sweaty, passionate love to you.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Starting right now.”

“Mmhh, but what about dinner…?” she muttered, already starting to hump his spine like she knew their previous plans were a lost cause.

“Don’t care,” he grunted in swift confirmation, moving at a brisk trot toward home. “Taking you home and making babies.”

Velvet shuddered and threw her forehooves around Night Light’s neck again, nuzzling near his ear. “I so want to make babies with you…”

“Glad you agree,” he replied, picking up speed.

“Mmhhhh,” Velvet murmured, squeezing her thighs excitedly around his body as he ran. “Although you know, I really am probably already pregnant… and mating season’s over, so even if I’m not, I’m probably not gonna get pregnant ‘til next summer…”

“Then it’ll be good practice for the second one,” Night Light answered coolly.

“You think there’ll be a second one?” Velvet cooed in pleased surprise.

“There will if I have anything to say about it.”

Velvet’s grin reached ear to ear again. “…Have I mentioned that I love you?”

“You could say it a few more times.”

The two lovers giggled together and kissed once more before bolting at full gallop the rest of the way home.