//------------------------------// // Should've Said No To It // Story: The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars // by Phoenix Firebird //------------------------------// Year 7 of the Tri-Alicorn Era "Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll see what we can do as soon as possible." As soon as the pony walked out of the room, Midnight closed and locked the door. And no sooner after that did he let his forehead make contact with the desk for what seemed like the millionth time that day. A muffled groan made it's way about as he repeatedly hit his head on the desk, making the various items on it shake and move in small ways. This was the 8th day that his lover and his best friend had been gone. For a normal pony, that might've been fine. For a monarch who shared the crown's work with two others, and had to do their work on top of his, it was quite the opposite of fine. Celestia and Luna had still risen their respective heavenly body, but Midnight had done just about everything else in their place. He hadn't slept in a good 36 hours, he was weak in every knee, and he hadn't eaten nearly as much as a growing alicorn should be each day. But regardless of this, he still pushed through, and he knew it would be only two days till his fellow monarch's return. Though, in all honesty, that was probably the only thing that got him through today. He still wasn't sure if he could get through tomorrow without dropping dead. From hunger. Or exhaustion. Or boredom. He had many choices. "Your Highness, your next appointment is here. A Ms. Lunar Sea." Midnight's guard, Sky Sprint said through the door. Another groan could be heard as Midnight lifted his head up, straightened out the objects on his desk, and unlocked his office door. "Thank you, Sky Sprint. Please let her in." The doors opened to reveal a tan colored pony with a chocolate-colored wavy mane and a light blue dress that covered her cutie mark. She walked in, her hooves making a light clicking sounds as she made her way across the marble floor to Midnight's desk, a slight sway in her hips as she walked. She took a seat in the chair provided, staring at him with vibrant brown eyes, which had a slight tint of red, almost has if she had been...crying? "Good evening, Lunar Sea. How can I help you?" "Your Majesty, thank you for seeing me. It's been a hard few months for me. Forgive me if this is a problem that you shouldn't be handling, but...my coltfriend has been...g-going downhill lately. He's been gone multiple nights in a row, reeks of alcohol and sex when he returns, and has been...using substance." Lunar Sea said, her voice filling with sadness as she spoke. "I don't know what to do, and I can't go to my parents or the authorities. They'll just...a-arrest him, take him away, and I love him so much!" She cried, breaking into tears as she finished her sentence. As she cried, Midnight pondered on what to do. Her coltfriend seemed to have been caught in a darker part of the city, where the black market thrived. If he had been using illegal substance, he was eligible for at least 5 years in jail, and a fine of 10,000 bits. On top of that, he had obviously been causing emotional trauma in this poor mare, who wanted nothing but to help him. He would normally try to help in these situations, but the law had more authority than he did at this point. "Lunar Sea, I'm honored that you have a trust in me strong enough to bring a personal problem like this to my attention. It is very much appreciated, especially in these trying times. However, that being said, as a representative and leader of the Equestrian government, I'm afraid that if your coltfriend is engaging in illegal activities, I'll have to notify the proper authorities. The law is above me in this situation. I'm truly sorry." "Wait! Please, don't! There has to be something I can do to help him!" She pleaded, eyes wide open, tears still streaming down her face. "Miss Sea, our rehabilitation centers are the best help he can receive at this point. If you truly love him, I must insist that you let me handle this as the law dictates it must be handled." "No, please. I'll give you anything!" She begged. "Miss Sea, there's nothing you can offer me that will change my mi-" Midnight stopped, a deep blush filling his face as Lunar Sea locked lips with him, forcing her tongue inside his mouth as she sat on top of his desk, her eyes closed, tears slowing as she continued to kiss him. He tried using his magic to force her off of him, but she raised her hoof to his horn, causing waves of ecstasy to move through his body, de-focusing the stream of magic that previously coursed through his horn. She pushed him back, knocking him out of his chair, back on the floor, she sat on him, leaned in to his ear, and whispered- "How long has it been since you've been properly treated?" That pushed it. It had been a long time since he and Celestia had engaged in their more...intimate activities. And with the war effort taking up most of their time, he had barely been able to do anything at all with her. The stress that had built up over those weeks, and especially the last 3 days, left him desperate. He missed a physical touch. He wanted it back. He NEEDED it. He returned the passionate kiss, using his magic to take off the dress on her body. His mouth went down on her neck, getting lower and lower. The sun went down, and the moon rose, unnoticed by either individual until an hour after the sun's departure. Only when the guards knocked did the two take notice of the present around them. "Your Highness? Is everything alright?" His other guard, Arctic Breeze, asked through the door. "Yes, everything's fine. Miss Sea was just about to leave." Midnight said with a slight tone of hostility, glancing at Lunar Sea, who was getting back into her dress as he spoke. She fussed with her hair, making it to look like it did when she entered, and when she was finished, came over and gave Midnight a soft kiss on his cheek. "Till we meet again, Your Majesty." She said in a sultry voice, swaying her hips ever so slightly more as she walked out of the office. Midnight walked back to his desk, putting his chair upright and taking a seat in it. His eyes glanced over to a portrait he had on his desk. It was a picture of him and Celestia from the day of their inauguration, her eyes and smile wide as Midnight planted a kiss on her cheek in their full royal regalia. He drew a shaky breath, and grabbed the portrait with his magic, putting it face down on the desk. He grabbed a piece of parchment and began writing, not about anything in particular, but to calm himself. As he continued to write, a knock came from the door. "Your Highness? A letter has arrived from Princess Celestia." A panic came over Midnight. She had already written her daily letter to him earlier that day, and should've been asleep by this point. She wouldn't have written unless it was dire, and it couldn't have just been about Lunar Sea. She couldn't have known about that already! "W-what? Bring it in immediately." Midnight said, stuttering as he pushed his piece of parchment into a drawer in his desk. Arctic Breeze walked in, levitating the letter with his magic. Midnight grabbed it immediately, snapping the ribbon and unrolling it quickly. "Are you alright Your Highness?" Arctic said, hesitating to leave the room at Midnight's sudden panicked actions. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. You may return to your post." He said, turning back to his letter after dismissing Arctic. My Dear Midnight, Are you alright? Luna rose the moon over an hour ago, and yet we have still not seen the light of your stars glow upon Equis. I know you're working very hard. Luna and I are eternally grateful for the work you are doing. Everything helps when it comes to ending the war. I know you must be very tired, and it means a lot, especially to me, that you've been handling all the needs of our citizens. Please make sure you get some rest tonight. Luna and I will be home soon. Sending my love, Celestia Midnight put the scroll down, a heaviness in his heart growing ever steadily as he read the last words over and over again. He lit up his horn, barely registering the stars as they rose to their position in the sky. He felt nauseous, feeling like he could throw up any second at the thought of the transgression he had committed, the weakness he let come over himself, the LUST... Because of an hour of lust, he could lose love forever. "Faust, you should've shown me how to say no to this..." he muttered, putting the scroll in a cleverly concealed safe in the office's closet. He then walked over to a wood cabinet, opening it and grabbing an old bottle of scotch and a glass. He poured the aged hard liquor into the crystal, and lifted it to his mouth, swallowing the burning liquid. "What have I done..." he said, swallowing more, and proceeded to pour himself another glass. Something wasn't right. Arctic Breeze could feel it. First, after that Lunar Sea mare left, the Prince seemed to be more jumpy then he had been as of lately. After he had taken the scroll, he and Sky Sprint hadn't heard a word from him for the past two hours. The Prince normally retired to his chambers at a time that had passed over half an hour ago. Even on busy nights like these, this wasn't normal behavior. He had waited long enough to not be concerned. He went up to the solid mahogany doors, rapping his hoof on them hard and firm. "Your Highness? Are you alright in there?" he asked, a tone of concern present in his voice. No response. "Your Highness, can you hear me?" Yet again, no response was heard. Arctic Breeze turned to Sky Sprint, a look of confusion and worry on his face. Sky Sprint shrugged, glancing at the door, and back at Arctic. Arctic nodded in response, opening the door slowly. The first thing that hit him was a strong smell of alcohol. It was almost overpowering, and it made him take a step back in disgust. The second thing however, caught his attention in a much more urgent way. Slouched on the desk in front of him was Prince Midnight, surrounded by a few empty bottles of scotch. He appeared to be conscious, muttering under his breath, and visible tear lines were under his eyes, constantly refreshed by new tears flowing from his eyes. "Sky Sprint! Get in here right now!" Arctic called out, clearing the bottles away with his magic as he tried to get a better look at the drunken prince in front of him. "What's wron-woah..." Sky Sprint said, hesitant to take another step into the room after the smell stormed his nostrils. "Get Captain Blaze! We need to get him up to his chambers!" Arctic shouted, the commanding Royal Guard making itself apparent. "Yes sir!" Sky Sprint ran off, heading to the Captain's post. Arctic returned his attention to the prince, desperate to get something out of him. "Your Majesty, can you hear me?" Arctic said, looking directly into the prince's half-closed, bloodshot eyes. "Eurghhhhhh...." was all the prince said before closing his eyes, a light snore showing that he had passed out. "Oh Celestia," he muttered as he tried to lift the prince up with his magic, but he proved too heavy to lift by himself. He tried a few more times, channeling more magic in his horn, but did not succeed in any of his later attempts. By that point, the Captain had arrived with Sky Sprint and three other Unicorn guards. "Sweet Faust, what happened to him?" the captain asked, getting a closer look at him. "He's drunk. Blackout drunk." Arctic said, no better response coming to mind as he backed away from the prince, lining up with the captain beside him. "Well, the best thing we can do is get him up to his chambers. I can have a medical pony put a few spells to try and aid the heck of a hangover he's gonna have in the morning, but that's just about it." the captain said, signaling in the unicorns. "Well boys, focus your magic and get him up to his room. Be careful as to not injure him. Report back to me after you've safely transported him." the captain ordered, receiving a chorus of 'yes sir's as he walked to the door. "Oh, and Private Sprint, Corporal Breeze? Guard his chamber. Make sure he's tended to when he wakes up." "Yes sir!" Sky and Arctic said in unison, hooves popping up into a salute. "Have a good evening, gentlemen." the captain said, walking out the door and down the hallway, heading back to his post. "Ok, soo..." Arctic trailed off, watching the other guards lift the prince up with their combined magic. "Let's get up there. We have a long night ahead of us." Sky said, turning to the door, walking in front of the team of guards. "Indeed. He's gonna have a harder one though." Midnight woke up to a throbbing pain in his head, as if someone was trying to drive a nail into it...from every angle. His stomach was also not in prime condition. In fact, he felt like he was going to not only throw up the contents of his stomach, but his actual stomach as well. His mouth was drier than Saddle Arabia, and despite waking up, he was exhausted. Alicorns may be immortal, and survive many things normal ponies couldn't, but a hangover affected him just as badly, if not worse. He immediately summoned a glass of water from his bathroom, gulping down it's contents as if he was inhaling air after holding his breath. He slammed the glass down on his bedside table, a satisfied gasp escaping his lips. He got up out of bed...and sat back down on the bed, as the moment he put weight on his legs, they turned to jelly, causing him to collapse. Sighing, he pulled a golden rope next to his bedframe, summoning a servant from their quarters. A minute passed by before a pony walked in through the door, silver tray stacked with pain relievers in hoof. He set them down on the bedside table, bowing after putting it down. "I assume this is what your wanted, Your Highness?" "Yes. Thank you very much. Dismissed." Midnight replied, staring at the floor trying not to puke as he waved away the pony. As soon as the servant left, Midnight dashed wobbily to the bathroom, failing to keep what was inside him inside. After throwing up the contents of his stomach for what felt like hours, he slowly walked back to the sink, taking the glass of water and a couple of painkillers in his magic. He put the pills in his mouth, quickly downing them with the water, laying his head on the cool marble surrounding his sink. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to curl up under his bed covers and stay there for...ever, he still had a nation to run and citizens to meet with. He lifted his head, looking in the mirror. Standing before him was himself, hair running amok, his eyes tinted red, dark bags under them. He levitated his hairbrush over, and started brushing his hair, simultaneously putting toothpaste on his toothbrush and brushing his teeth. Regardless of either of these actions, he could not tear his eyes away from their reflection mere inches away. The eyes that had been allowed to betray him, that feasted on the lustful beauty of Lunar Sea. His eyebrows clenched, an ugly anger growing his stomach, twisting it into knots. With a shout he threw the closest object in reach, his hairbrush, at his reflection. The mirror cracked at the impact, spreading the cracks in random and erratic patterns. He stood there breathing intensely, still staring with a hate at the one thing he could see. He turned with a scoff and walked with a wobble towards the door.