Twilight Sparkle beat her wings hard against the unfavorable wind. Her eyes were good enough to pick out some features below but the trees and foliage of the mountain range they were flying through provided little help. Rainbow Dash would have been far better at this even with the sight-seeing spell Twilight had cast on herself to assist.
This had been going on for hours. They followed the only logical path up from the entrance of the arachne underworld with no luck yet. Judging on the information Twilight had obtained before leaving, it seemed reasonable for her brother and sister-in-law to take a northerly trek up along the mountain range until heading east at the northwest corner with the Equestrian border. Ultimately it was Pinkie Pie who blasted ahead with her changeling jets, having spotted the ponies of interest.
The air seemed to get damper the lower Twilight flew, an icky reminder of the climate she had forgotten about in the underground caves and sky above the treetops. It also got darker. Even the high position of the sun was blocked out by the equally high mountain range as she fell in altitude. The trees barely parted for what was the best “trail” around.
There were remnants of an ancient road that Twilight finally stepped down upon with her hooves, but calling it a road was a bit of a stretch. The occasionally visible moss-covered stone barely occurred often enough and in a cohesive enough direction and shape to be discernible as once belonging to something more.
If not for Pinkie, they might have surprised their quarry. But alas, the roar of her black jets and boisterously loud voice combined with the conspicuous buzz of Chrysalis’ wings made that possibility void. A large tent was erected practically on the “road” with little offset and a color scheme that made more sense for blending into snowy landscapes than jungle ones.
“Wakey-wakey!” Pinkie shouted at the closed tent door. She was banging a pan against a skillet – both of which she had obtained from absolutely nowhere.
A growling mumble and feminine eek later saw two heads poke out of the forward tent flap. The bottom was pink and the top was white.
“Pinkie-” Cadance began.
“-Pie?” Shining Armor finished.
“The one and only!” Pinkie shouted needlessly back. She threw the pan and skillet behind her, which Chrysalis casually side-stepped to avoid getting hit. “Whatcha doin’?!”
“Huh?” was all Shining Armor could manage before his wife below him stood up taller and caused him to fall back in the tent.
Cadance opened the rest of the tent flap and stepped out. Her mane and tail were a wreck. Perhaps testament to having been awoken from sleep which was also indicated by her sleepy face she shared with her husband. “What…? Twilight? Chrysalis?”
Twilight stepped up to Cadance from around Pinkie and returned the warm hug Cadance gave. “That’s right. I was told you had left not long ago.”
“Told? But we didn’t tell anyone where we were going,” the pink alicorn’s confusion continued.
“Not even me,” Shining said under his breath. He stepped out behind Cadance and offered his own hug to Twilight.
“The arachnes,” Pinkie answered quickly.
Cadance’s expression became far more awake at that. “Y-You’ve spoken to them?”
“Yes,” Twilight said, her tone positive but becoming a tiny bit disappointed. “I think we need to talk.”
“That’s what I said,” Shining Armor sighed out and gestured for them to enter the tent.
“I had no idea how matters were going to develop,” Cadance explained. She was seated on the propped-up bed with her husband.
As far as tents were concerned, this was about as nice as they got. The fabric on the outside was a snowy camouflage but the inside had royal reds, purples, and blues arranged in a pleasant and subdued manner that spoke of Crystal pony design. Unlike Rarity would have, Cadance had not decked the interior with large volumes of unnecessary luxuries. Some necessary items were about such as their traveling bags and small folding table and chairs.
Light streaming in strategically from the tent’s upper screens fell upon the surface of the table, causing Twilight to move the chairs closer to the bed. She preferred talking without being distracted. The light coming in was not directly from the sun but it was strong enough to carry with it the moving shadows of the jungle.
“But you knew I, at the very least, was already immortal,” Twilight frowned. “Why did you decide not to confide in me? And did you think I wouldn’t be able to piece it together?”
“I suppose not,” Cadance hung her head. “But should we not treat good news as good news? Shiny is-”
“Immortal too,” the stallion finished for her. His gaze, however, was on his little sister. “I had no idea that was the plan but when we got here and spoke to the Vine...well, I had a choice to make. Given the situation as it has evolved, I couldn’t see a reason not to go through with it.”
Twilight, in spite of being annoyed at being left out of the loop, got off her chair to hug her brother. “I’m glad you decided the way you did,” she told him before pulling back. “I couldn’t imagine being without my BBBFF.”
“I guess I won’t be without my little sister either,” he nudged her shoulder. “I know there will be hard times ahead as a result of this but,” he drawled out the word, “I think we’ve gotten pretty used to it.”
Cadance tried looking less guilty. “Forgive me for not telling you first?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Twilight turned her attention to her sister-in-law, her tone softer than before. “I was kind of annoyed I wasn’t told about it but both of your lives are your own. You don’t need to come to me for approval or even just to let me know. Whatever the case, I’m glad we’re where we are. I don’t have to worry now about any of you kicking the bucket before I do.”
“Kicking the bucket?” Shining rose a brow.
“Applespeak,” Pinkie Pie snorted in laughter from the table. She remained there outside the circle of others so she could work on eliminating the tasty food that had been foolishly left there.
“Well I expect I’ll still be getting you books on your one thousandth birthday,” Shining’s face turned to a sly grin.
Smack!
“Oooow,” Shining mocked pain as he rubbed the foreleg Twilight had playfully hit.
“Come on you two,” Cadance giggled. “Play nice.”
Twilight stuck her tongue out but did so while smiling at her old foalsitter.
“Oh, she always does,” Chrysalis spoke up for her queen.
Cadance, in spite of her previous squeamishness around her once-foe, countered quite coolly. “I’m sure she does, but then I wasn’t talking about what the two of you do in the bedroom.”
“Cady!” Shining turned wide-eyed at his wife.
Twilight blushed while saying something along the lines of “it’s not like that.” But then she mentally added “yet.”
Chrysalis just made a cheerfully buzzy giggle.
“I don’t suppose we have a faster way back?” Cadance went on, leaving the last topic where it was.
“Oh, uh, you mean transport back to Equestria?” Twilight took a stumbling moment to catch the meaning.
Cadance nodded while Shining rolled his eyes at the inappropriate remark that was now glazed over.
Pinkie Pie answered instead and did so mumbling around a mouth full of muffin. “Nope! No more room on the last flight out!”
“Huh?” Shining Armor felt lost again.
“I assume you two have gone slowly because Shining Armor has no wings and repeated teleportation was giving him migraines?” Chrysalis suggested with a sidewise look.
“Y….yes...” Shining looked at her suspiciously. He hated how easily she just reasoned out what they had been doing.
“It’s been a pleasant journey this way,” Cadance insisted happily. “Camping along the way. Just the two of us. It’s been like a breath of fresh air.”
“Literally,” Twilight added casually.
“Actually, I’d prefer for us to continue back the way we came,” she looked again to her husband who returned her kind look. “I’m sure Spike and Rarity are doing just fine with the crystal ponies.”
If Twilight noticed the tiny tick of a smirk that flashed on Cadance’s face then she didn’t bring it up. “That reminds me,” the purple alicorn exclaimed. “They’re probably dealing with the changelings by now. We should get back soon to help. I can’t imagine that mess will be an easy one to deal with – as much as I trust Spike.”
“Changelings?!” Shining Armor went wide-eyed again.
“What exactly happened while we’ve been away?” Cadance expressed her equal surprise. “I thought the changelings had backed off.”
“To make a long story short, I made a deal with them,” Twilight explained. She was back in her seat and sipping at a cup of ice water. It helped take the edge off the clingy humid air. “They won’t pose a threat now and I won’t have to worry about Equestrian politics getting in the way.”
“So you dumped them in our empire?” Shining Armor deadpanned with flat brows.
“Hehe,” Twilight blushed again, but for a different reason.
“Now now,” Cadance patted her husband’s shoulder. “If Twilight trusted them to be there then I’m sure it’s fine. Besides, where better to find the love they desperately need? I’m certain the crystal ponies will never be lacking in it.”
“Agreed,” Twilight joined Cadance with a wink. “In fact, some changes have been going on with the Crystal Heart. We can look into that once we get back.”
“Good changes, I hope,” Shining remained unsure.
“Oh, totally,” Twilight replied with somewhat of a white lie. She had less information on it then she would have liked.
“So any gossip to share?” Cadance again steered the conversation. She looked to Chrysalis for some reason.
The large changeling smirked in response, her posture becoming more interested. “The boring every day kind or the exciting sexual kind?”
“Please!” Shining threw up his hooves.
“Well I guess that means we’re talking about sex then!” Chrysalis happily clopped her forehooves against each other.
Twilight facehoofed while Cadance just laughed. Besides the Princess of Love having no obvious issue with it, the other pink pony in the tent was of the same persuasion.
“Oh oh oh! Talk about me!” Pinkie Pie bounced over in front of Chrysalis. “Talk about me!”
Chrysalis turned from gleeful to deadpan in a mere second. “You’re a virgin.”
“Oh yeah!” Pinkie twirled about the tent. “I’m so wild~!”
Twilight skipped the facehoof this time. “Do you even have any interest in it?”
It was meant as an honest question but Shining Armor wasn’t sure he could take the resilient topic. “Should I even stay here? Maybe I should leave the tent for a bit.”
“Oh, you party-pooper,” Cadance waved her hoof at him. “Fine. If you want to, but don’t go too far away. We don’t want to mount a rescue operation.”
Shining’s reply was only an expression. It said “I was Captain of the Guard, remember?”
Just as the stallion was exiting the front entrance, Chrysalis decided to give him parting words. “Don’t let the bugs bite.” She received a bump to the foreleg for it.
“So,” Cadance resumed their conversation. “What kinky secrets shall we share?”
“Hey!” Pinkie put her forehooves to her hips while standing on her rear legs. “I didn’t get to answer!”
“For Cadance’s benefit, feel free,” Twilight shook her head.
“Not exactly,” Pinkie began. She slid up to Cadance on the bed, putting a foreleg around her as if they were old drinking buddies. “You see...to me, sex may be fun and all but it lacks the free spirit of the party-”
“It’s because you wouldn’t be able to stay in one place long enough to actually have intercourse,” Twilight put it bluntly in continued deadpan.
“It’s not my fault that I like to mooove,” Pinkie bobbed her head around with the drawled word.
“You know, Pinkie,” Cadance poked her forehoof against the other pink pony’s chest. “There are still plenty of safe sexual activities that can be enjoyed without being glued in one place.”
“The Princess of Sexual Counseling,” Chrysalis giggled.
“It’s an important element of love for most individuals,” Cadance tutted.
“Oh, I know,” Chrysalis countered with a wiggle of her brows. “More than you and your husband do. That’s for sure.”
“Don’t play it up. It’s not like we’ve gone that far,” Twilight turned to her changeling with a wicked grin. “You’ve never been with a pony.”
Cadance laughed at Chrysalis’ failed jab.
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, was innocently sweet. “Well I’m with ponies all the time! I hate being alone.”
It’s not literal, Pinkie, Twilight instantly returned. It’s an expression that means sex.
“Oooooooh,” Pinkie drawled, as if she hadn’t known that.
The pink alicorn broke the more light-hearted mood, however, with her next question. “Would you two like to be with each other?”
“Is that not obvious?” Chrysalis answered at once.
Twilight was slower to respond, though. Not because they hadn’t already talked about such things and shared feelings over the hivemind. Rather, there were some technical details Twilight had not confronted.
“Yeah! Just do iiiit!” Pinkie cheered from next to Cadance. She was waving pompoms now.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “When we’re comfortable.”
“What about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?” Cadance gently inquired. “Anything there? Perhaps with each other...?”
“Yeah, you going to make it a foursome or what?!” Pinkie turned to loud grumbling.
“Pinkie,” Twilight did go through with the facehoof this time.
Chrysalis hummed pleasantly. “Sounds marvelous,” she purred at the idea. “I’m more than adequate to keep three small ponies occupied, I think. Why, it would take at least two ponies simply to-”
Cadance put a forehoof to her own lips and blushed lightly. “Oh my,” she whispered out behind her hoof.
Twilight’s face was quite red but she managed to give a steaming rebuttal. “I d-don’t need you flaunting your sexual ambitions to my old foalsitter.”
“Old?” Cadance paled.
“You were perfectly okay with it a moment ago,” Chrysalis pursed her lips in a fake pout. “Too close to home or am I just making you,” she tapped Twilight’s horn with a forehoof and a giggle, “horny?”
“Bahahahahahhahaha!” Pinkie Pie rolled onto her back on the bed, laughing her heart out.
“I’d say your changeling is drunk on your own emotions, Twily,” Cadance offered, recovering from the perhaps misunderstood “old” remark.
Indeed Chrysalis got even more dopey with every instance Twilight blushed and had to reign in her thoughts. “I just thought it’d be nice to talk about this for once with somepony I trust, is an expert in these matters, and who isn’t in a romantic relationship with me.”
“Oh, I know,” Cadance soothed and patted the bed next to her and opposite Pinkie. Although it was a thin pop-out travel bed, the mattress was magic-grade and thus had extra softness that would not have otherwise have been possible.
Twilight moved over to the spot in an almost fidgety manner.
“I get the feeling something else is bothering you,” the Princess of Love gave Twilight a serious opening.
“That obvious?”
“Ponies don’t usually bounce around like that unless their thinking is separate from their talking.”
“I bounce all the time!” Pinkie put in as she rolled around on the bed.
“Not that kind of bouncing,” Twilight clarified.
“So?” Cadance insisted.
Twilight knew this mare well and knew she could trust her. It wasn’t as easy as she thought to talk about, though. Perhaps that had to do with the fact that the hivemind had spoiled her rotten for easily communicating and not worrying about what the other might be thinking in response. Her question wasn’t exactly typical either. There wasn’t any reason to believe Cadance would have knowledge on it beyond general advice and there were plenty of books for that.
“I kind of...want to know how I should approach my...uh...”
Cadance put a forehoof gently on Twilight’s back to comfort her. “Yes?” she encouraged.
“My lovers?” Twilight went on, bumping her forehooves together. “I mean, none of the individuals in my hive have any real sexual experience and certainly not with starting with multiple partners. Should I start with each of them all at once or one-on-one and then in what order?”
“I see,” Cadance let out an even breath. “This is about first times. You’re not sure who to be sexual with first since you want your first time to be with them all. And you’re not sure how you can do that if it is your first time.”
Twilight nodded with a “mhm.” As much as she felt comfortable with Cadance, it still felt a little embarrassing for her. But if anyone could be trusted to help then it was Cadance. Both Pinkie Pie and Chrysalis were only silent because they had been told to be in the hivemind.
“Well,” Cadance began while taking in a deep breath. She had given much love guidance in her life and, though Twilight’s situation was unique, she had indeed countered more than one polyamorous group before. “This may sound disappointingly simple, but I’ve never found it to go wrong. Talk to your lovers as individuals and as a group. See what they have to say about it. Let them speak their minds and speak yours. I get the feeling that won’t be hard with this hivemind of yours.”
“That’s actually part of the problem,” Twilight frowned. “I do know and feel everything already because of it. I think...I think I just doubt.”
“Yourself?” Cadance asked softly, leaning closer.
“Yeah,” Twilight sighed.
To that, Cadance leaned up straight again, her chest proudly out. “Then don’t. You’ve overthought it. Sometimes thinking ruins the joy of experiencing. Rather than worry about making the best first time ever, only focus on having a fun first time together. It’s your love that matters, not your ‘performance.’ Real love is not a show to be criticized. It’s a beautiful expression of life to be cherished. So stop thinking, stop worrying, and start doing.”
“Cadance.”
“Yes, Twily?”
“That was a horrible pun.”