//------------------------------// // 7: More than Skin Deep // Story: The Lawyer and The Unicorn (T-Rated Version) // by Firesight //------------------------------// Music: A New Day Phoenix couldn’t remember the last time he felt so good. That was unbelievable… even my first time wasn’t like… THAT! Was the only thought he could immediately manage as he slept at her side in the aftermath of the act, the pair just basking in each other’s presence and the afterglow of their first real encounter, leaving Phoenix reflecting that all they’d actually done was just fool around—if it was so good just for THAT, what about when we really…? It was a question that he sorely wanted the answer to, but one that would have to wait. The sun was starting to edge lower in the sky so they had to leave the area sooner rather than later. They cleaned themselves up in the pool as best they could, stripping down and washing their clothes in the falls but stealing a few minor intimacies while in the water, leaving Phoenix marveling again that he could be ready to go again so quickly. This is almost unreal… did her magic affect me somehow…? he couldn’t help but wonder. Twilight quickly dried their clothes with some judicious use of her fire magic, heating them without burning them; by the time she finished his flannel shirt felt like it had come right out of the dryer, deliciously soft and warm. For her part, Twilight was still very much lost in the memories of her remembered sensations, her body and mind still basking in the afterglow of her first time not just as a human, but ever. It wasn’t like she hadn’t self-stimulated as a pony before. Unicorn magic could certainly be turned towards such ends, and on occasion she had—especially recently, when she’d started reading Rarity’s romance novels. That one scene from Silverwing still gets me every time… she shivered, wondering if she could ever convince Phoenix to roleplay something like that. But still, they were NOTHING like this! She shook her head in happy disbelief, wondering how much of it was due to her human form… and how much of it was just the fact that at long last, they had gotten together. Well, we didn’t QUITE… she reminded herself with a grin. If that was just fooling around, what is it going to be like when we go for real? She found the thought both scary and heady. Their clothes clean, the pair reluctantly redressed and began making their way downslope again, the sun starting to turn color as it approached within an hour of sunset, tinted orange early by the large amount of dust in the air. They held hands as they walked, chatting softly and occasionally kissing, only to be caught short at a sudden hard clopping sound coming up behind them. They sounded like hoofbeats to Twilight, but the gait was far too long and heavy for any pony. They turned to see… Twilight froze as she beheld the massive four-legged creature rounding the trail bend. It was white and brown and utterly enormous, all but dwarfing its rider, who was sitting atop it in a special saddle holding reins that attached to either side of its very long snout. Its eyes were far smaller and more offset than any pony, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel a tinge of revulsion as she looked at it and smelled its gamey, sweaty scent, knowing instinctively what it was but still wanting to shut out its presence and all it implied. Music: Uncomfortable Echoes It’s… a HORSE! Was the only thing she could think, still gawking as the large beast came downtrail, ridden by what appeared to be a uniformed officer not too dissimilar from the constables she knew back home. Seeing she was spellbound, Phoenix gently tugged her to the side, out of the path, as the Terran equine slowed and turned as it passed… staring at her from its greatly offset eyes that only emphasized their alienness, eying her as if they sensed something was different about her. “Evening, folks,” the park ranger halted his mount as he called to them both, the horse’s head still turned to stare at Twilight. “Trail entrances were closed half an hour ago. Unless you’ve got a camping permit, you need to leave the park now, before sunset.” “Apologies, officer,” Phoenix quickly acknowledged, noting Twilight’s slightly horrified reaction to the equine’s appearance, and the chestnut mare’s odd interest back. “We lost track of the time. We’re on our way out.” “Last shuttle to the mountain base leaves in fifteen minutes,” he warned them. “Don’t miss it, or you’ve got a long walk out.” With that, he yanked his horse’s head around, seemingly confused at his mount’s reluctance and continued intentness on Twilight, whose eyes never left its retreating form. “Um… Twilight?” Phoenix shook her shoulder. “Are you okay?” “I…” her hesitation told him she wasn’t as she finally tore her eyes away. “Sorry. Let’s just… get to that ‘shuttle’ or whatever,” she said, but appeared very troubled, almost clinging to him. “Sure…” Phoenix replied, giving her an odd look, but didn’t press the matter further, the pair making the bus just before departure, sitting alone in the back. Music: Afterglow A completely contented Celestia relaxed, snuggled beneath the covers in the embrace of her human mate. It wasn’t often she got to see him, so every moment she spent with him was precious to her. Despite having lived nearly twenty-five normal human lifetimes, there were few people, let alone ponies, who could truly meet her requirements for being her lover, but the man she had nibbling on her neck was one of those rare few. “My dear Prince, you’re such a tease!” she admonished, giggling slightly. “You act like you haven’t seen me in a whole year!” she bared more of her neck to him. “My apologies, my dear Princess, but you may recall that in fact I haven’t?” Ferro Stabile replied, not ceasing his efforts in the least. “Just making up for lost time. And if I may ask, what drew your attention earlier?” Celestia smiled herself at that, closing her eyes to drink in his touch and comfort. “My apologies. Trust me, I wasn’t bored with your efforts, My Prince. It would seem my faithful student has just experienced a very important part of life.” She gave him a magical caress beneath the covers to emphasize what she meant. “I see…” he said with a chuckle. He’d learned of Celestia’s magic early on and how it could be turned to more sensual pursuits; not minding her use of it on him in the least. “Twilight Sparkle. You’ve spoken of her glowingly before, but I never expected you’d actually bring her here. You care for her quite a bit, don’t you?” Ferro asked. “I could tell, even during the brief time I saw you two together, that she holds a special place in your heart.” “Observant as always, my attentive Prince,” Celestia nodded, holding his hand to her. “She has learned much of the magic of friendship, but the even more potent magic that comes with intimacy has eluded her… until now.” “She’s a lucky mare,” he mused. “Phoenix Wright is quite an amazing man. When it comes to his clients and those he’s loyal to, he’ll do anything to keep them safe.” Celestia quirked an eyebrow in mild surprise, her hand stilling against him. “You know him?” “Only by reputation,” Ferro clarified. “He’s been in the news repeatedly for miraculous courtroom turnabouts, proving his client’s innocence against impossible odds and uncovering conspiracies in the process. He’s not a prosecutor, yet he’s taken down everyone from petty thieves to corrupt police chiefs,” he told her, resolving to dig up some old articles to show her. “I was actually in the gallery at his last case, where he was defending a celebrity actor from a popular TV show, named Matt Engarde. But he only did so under duress—we didn’t learn this until the very end of the trial, but he’d been coerced into defending him.” “Coerced? How so?” his otherworldly lover asked. With effort, he focused his attention on the question instead of the sun princess, settling for holding her in his powerful arms. “From what I can recall… his assistant, a young girl from Kurain Village named Maya Fey, had been kidnapped by an assassin,” Ferro answered, looking skyward as he tried to remember the case. “Apparently that assassin was the actual killer in the case, but Engarde hired him to do it, which makes him guilty of the murder as well. And to make a long story short…” he took a deep breath. “Engarde had the assassin hold Miss Fey hostage to force Phoenix to defend him. He hadn’t expected to be arrested, but once he was, he tried to arrange things so that he would be acquitted. And it nearly worked.” Celestia frowned, their lovemaking momentarily forgotten. There were few things that could truly upset her, but assassins were one. To her, a nigh-immortal being who cherished life, the idea of someone whose job was to end lives was anathema, and she had dealt harshly with both pony and gryphon versions of them in the distant past. “So what happened?” she asked, wondering if the local authorities had any information on this assassin. Or perhaps I could have my own agents check into this… Ferro frowned. “The assassin had a surprising sense of… I hesitate to say honor, but in a twisted sense, that’s what it was. He testified remotely at the trial via two-way radio. He said he considered his profession a noble calling, and that he was bound by certain rules—one of which was not to betray the confidence of a client, and he expected the same of his clients in return. “So in the end, Phoenix Wright used that to his advantage. He turned the tables on Engarde by proving to the assassin that Engarde had actually filmed the moment of the murder, to use as blackmail material to keep him in line. So when the assassin found out… he considered that a breach of contract and let Miss Fey go, announcing that his former client was now his next target,” he couldn’t help but grin as he remembered the stunned and fearful look on Engarde’s face as he heard the words coming from the transmitter. “Miles Edgeworth, the prosecutor for the case, rather casually suggested that if he plead guilty, they might be able to provide him protection via incarceration, so the coward quickly did so, sacrificing his fame and freedom to save his own skin. It’s worked so far, but given that assassin’s reputation… he won’t avoid him forever. And you’ll forgive me for saying so, Tia, but… I don’t think many tears will be shed when Engarde is gone,” he finished, laying back and lacing his hands behind his head. Celestia chuckled a little, shaking her head. “Well, now I truly have heard it all. An assassin with standards. They’re still one of the worst kinds of people, but at least this one seems… somewhat different.” She shifted to lay against him. “I didn’t realize that Phoenix had been through such an ordeal. From what you say, I am impressed he managed to keep himself together for the whole trial.” He reached down to grasp her hand, feeling a surge of energy through it—it never ceased to amaze him how utterly magical she could make the simplest of touches. “I have no idea how he did it, Sunshine. A lesser man would have crumbled under the pressure, but not him. I mean, if you think about it, that was Phoenix Wright’s sole courtroom defeat, and yet… it was also in some ways his greatest triumph. He uncovered the truth, saved his assistant and got the correct party found guilty, yet still didn’t break his oath as a defense attorney. Can only imagine how much that case took out of him, though…” Ferro shook his head before his expression turned sardonic. “So, My Princess… returning to the here and now, dare I ask how he and your student hooked up?” Celestia looked over at him, her expression mischievous. “I’ll let them tell you themselves. You’ll get to meet them both tomorrow. Until then…” her voice turned sultry as she rolled up on top of him to present herself in offering, and he immediately accepted, the two making up for lost time yet again. Music: Feelings of Insecurity Phoenix was getting worried. Twilight’s mood had changed dramatically on the way down the mountain, and on the bus ride home. Where before she’d been bantering and playful, stealing kisses and even the occasional magical caress, now she was quiet and brooding, avoiding eye contact with him, telling him she was fine but needed a little space ‘to think about things’. Concerned that she was having a delayed negative reaction to what they’d done, he’d granted her request, letting her be alone with her thoughts as he got take-out from the local Chinese place, making sure to order from the vegetarian side of the menu. But she barely touched her food, distracted and only picking at it with her magic, and finally, Phoenix had to speak up. “Twilight… what’s wrong?” he asked her earnestly, putting down his chopsticks. “Nothing’s wrong!” she snapped, still avoiding his eyes. But just as she bit out the last word, his vision went dark. Wha…? As Phoenix watched, everything receded from his sight except Twilight and the uncoiling chains around her that marked the appearance of two red psyche-locks. Phoenix was very surprised—his magatama was in the inner pocket of his suit jacket hanging in his bedroom closet where it always remained outside of work days; he would have thought it was too far away to lend him its power! Moot point. So there’s something she’s hiding from me. Now what to do about it… he thought of simply telling her she had psyche-locks, but realized that might just make her even more defensive and attempt to avoid him entirely. Well, guess I do this the old-fashioned way, then… “Twilight…” he began cautiously. “We took a big step today. It’s natural that you might be feeling a little weird after, and I understand if you want to step back,” he offered first, watching her reaction and the phantom locks carefully even as some part of him reflected that to his surprise, he didn’t feel weird at all. Huh. Guess I really WAS ready! He detected no change in her body language nor so much as a twitch from the psyche-locks, telling him his first probe had missed the mark.. “I know that, Phoenix…” she said. “And… I don’t regret what happened. I’m not mad at you or anything. It’s just that… just that…” she shook her head slowly, her eyes going distant again. “What then…?” Phoenix studied her carefully considering his next move like he was cross-examining a witness in court, reviewing everything that happened in the aftermath of their session and the return trip. Wait. Now that I think about it, she only started acting strange after… “Was it that park ranger we ran into?” She instantly tensed and a psyche-lock rattled, causing Phoenix’s brow to furrow. The Ranger…? But why would he bother her? She’s already seen uniformed police officers since she’s been here. Unless… he turned the question around as he always did in court and spotted the problem instantly. “Was it the fact he was riding a horse?” “Ngh!” Twilight grimaced as if in pain as a psyche-lock instantly shattered. Bingo! Phoenix suppressed a smile. So you’re upset about the horse. Then the next question is… “Why?” he asked. “They’re not intelligent like you and I are, but horses have been very important to my race over our long existence. We’ve used them as beasts of burden, transportation… they’ve even been companions, and yes, friends to humanity for a very long time. I’m not exaggerating when I say we owe much of our development as a species to them. We don’t need them as much anymore, but the bond we’ve formed with them lingers, and they’re still useful for getting around in rough areas like a national park.” Far from reassuring her, she seemed to get even more tense. “I get that!” she said a little more sharply than she meant to. “I read about them and how humans still use them. But same as everything else here… reading and seeing are two different things,” she abruptly got up from the table and walked away, her posture defensive. “And what did you see?” Phoenix quickly followed up, not certain where she was going with it. Twilight shivered as she remembered the large equine mare turning its offset eyes on her, giving her a gaze that only reinforced its alien-ness and lack of sapience, a gaze that was at once curious and confused, as if she sensed something different about her… or maybe it sensed that we were somehow ALIKE? She shuddered again. “I… it’s… it’s hard to explain,” she stammered. Phoenix didn’t reply right away, carefully considering his next question. Did that horse really bother her that much…? “If it’s the fact he was being ridden, don’t worry—they’re treated very well,” he assured her. “They get plenty of hay and water to say nothing of grooming and attention.” She shook her head again. “No, it’s not that… not entirely, anyway…” Twilight murmured second phrase under her breath.. Not ENTIRELY? Then what… Phoenix blinked as the answer occurred to him. “Is it the horse itself that bothered you?” Twilight flinched a little as the remaining lock rattled. “Phoenix… when you read about us during Rainbow’s trial, did you read about our ancient history? From before even Princess Celestia’s time?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she went on. “Many millennia ago, we ponies didn’t truly exist. What did exist were horses. They were non-sapient, uncivilized creatures that did nothing productive for the world.” Phoenix frowned. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” “It’s the truth,” the disguised unicorn retorted. “Anyway… something happened way back when, and one particular horse stumbled into a pocket of wild magic. She gained both wings and horn, and her mind was opened to sapience. She was the first pony, in a sense, and the wild magic she stumbled into had granted her enormous power. She could have done virtually anything she pleased with it. However, she retreated from the world, but not before casting a spell that blanketed it… not before molding Equestria into the world it would become.” “And that spell created more ponies?” Phoenix asked, his hand on his chin as he considered the story. “It did far more than that,” Twilight explained. “The spell changed the very nature of our world. Unicorns instinctively understood that they were meant to wield magic and even control the sun and moon. Pegasi innately knew how to fly and manipulate weather. Earth ponies never questioned their strength or ability to yield more bountiful crops than the other two tribes. The magic spilled over into other races as well, creating everything from Gryphons to Minotaurs to Zebras, each with their own unique powers and abilities.” “One pony did all that?!” Phoenix blanched, wondering what such a goddess of one would look like. “What happened to her?” Twilight shrugged. “Nopony knows. She retreated from the world. She knew that her power was too great and could be misused, so she left. Some say that she moved on to mold other worlds, others that she ascended to godhood and still watches over us from afar. All we know about that period all comes from word-of-mouth and longstanding legends. But deep down… we haven’t truly forgotten that we used to be mere horses.” Understanding dawned on Phoenix. “So when you saw the ranger’s horse… you thought you were seeing yourself…?” he ventured a guess.. “Yes!” The single, anguished word was torn from her throat as the second and last psyche lock shattered, his vision returning to normal as the chains retracted out of sight. “It-it was like looking into a funhouse mirror where everything was distorted and wrong, except… it wasn’t! Of all the things I’ve seen here, nothing was so alike me and yet so alien as that horse! It f-felt like… like I was looking into our ancient past, seeing the creatures ponies once were… and maybe deep down we still are,” she fell backwards on his couch and buried her head in her hands as her fears tumbled out of her uncontrollably. “And it scared me, Phoenix. Scared me half to death! That… that thing had no magic, no mind, and… I-I mean, is that how you see me as a pony?” her lip was quivering. “As a dumb four-legged beast, only fit for riding or…” she couldn’t finish the sentence, suddenly getting up and walking away, her arms clutched around her. Though tempted to get up and comfort her, Phoenix stayed where he was, sensing his presence would be an intrusion at that moment. “When we first met… you called me a talking horse, Phoenix. That’s an insult to ponies, as it implies lack of intelligence and magic—for some even, a lack of a soul itself. I brushed it off because you were new to our world, but now after seeing that… that animal, I keep hearing it over and over, and all I can think of… all I can think of…” her voice went unsteady, “is that horse. How it looked to me and how it must look to you. And how I must look to you as a pony for it,” she wrung her hands in all-too-human gesture. “H-how can we be together if you only see me like… that?” she gave a choked sob. Phoenix stared at her, taken aback. In some ways, it was a variant on a question he’d had to ask himself repeatedly, in reverse—could he see past her equine exterior to the soul within? Could he look past the superficial resemblance of ponies to horses—and superficial was all it really was, given their brightly colored coats, expressive faces, magic use and sapience—and accept her as the pony and person she was? It wasn’t easy, but I did… Music: Desperately Comforted “You know, Twilight… the very night after you first came here, I lay in bed for hours considering that very question. I couldn’t sleep because it was bothering me so much. And then when I finally did nod off… I had a dream,” he told her from where he sat. “A dream where we were making out as humans. I started to undress you and yet I wasn’t very turned on. In fact I was confused, wondering how you being a human changed things. Was that really you? Was any attraction to you dependent on the form you took?” he recalled, wringing his hands for a moment, wondering how much he should tell her… and then deciding she needed to hear it all. “And then I got my answer… or so I thought. When I started undressing you, I found that you were a pony underneath your clothes,” he remembered, startled to feel a strong surge of excitement at the memory. “And it really turned me on. Turned me on so hard I woke up… well, so hard,” he told her, motioning to his pants, bringing a brief, if unseen smile to Twilight, who was still facing away. “At the time, I thought it meant I preferred you as a pony, and yes… it took me a while to come to terms with it. Then when I finally did, we had that first little encounter on your last visit, and it really confused me—how could I prefer you as a pony but still be attracted to you as a human? I thought it contradicted the dream. But after Mia’s talk and listening to you now… I think I know what the message of the dream really was,” he said meaningfully and, deciding the time was finally right, he stood up and went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She did not pull away but he could feel her trembling under his grasp. “I didn’t fall for you because you were a pony, and I didn’t do what we did today only because you were a human. I fell for you and did it… because you’re Twilight Sparkle. A wonderful and fiercely loyal friend, full of power and life, who would do anything for those she loves… even cross an entire dimension and take an alternate form just to see them again… just to be with them,” he reminded her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. With that, he turned her around to face him, holding her hands in his own. “And that was what the dream truly meant. That regardless of the form you take… underneath, you’re still Twilight Sparkle. And that is who I’m attracted to,” he held her hands in his own. “Not Twilight the human. Not Twilight the unicorn. But Twilight Sparkle… the person and the pony.” The glimmering in Twilight’s eyes told him he’d said the right words. “Phoenix…” she began, her voice breaking. “Hearing you say that means everything to me. But still…” she stepped away again. “You don’t have to pretend. I understand if you only want to be with me as a human. For you, I’ll do it, but…” he could hear the yearning in her voice to accept her as she truly was. Twilight… I don’t see you as a HORSE! he nearly said, only to bite off his own response. In the courtroom, there was a time for words and a time for evidence, and here she needed the latter to prove his interest was independent of her physical form. But this time, the only evidence he could provide… He closed his eyes and smiled as he realized what he needed to do, feeling his excitement surge further at the thought. Well, she made a grand gesture to me earlier today to prove she was okay with what happened—with having sex as a human. Guess it’s my turn now. Turnabout’s fair play, and that’s what I’m known for, right? “Twilight…” he tipped her face up to see his, then kept his gaze locked with her as he picked up the pendant battery from where it lay against her chest, the thing that allowed her to maintain human form as long as she wished. He kissed it once… then slowly raised it up over her head, removing it from her. Twilight’s eyes went wide when she realized what he was doing… and what he was inviting her to do. “Ph-Phoenix… y-you mean… y-you really…?” she barely dared hope, her human attributes almost ironically responding to the idea of being made love to as her equine self. His only response was to kiss the pendant again and then toss it aside—a symbolic gesture, since she could draw on its mana remotely as long as it wasn’t too far away, but still a very welcome one—and kiss the point on her forehead where her horn would be. “I do,” he told her. “Now let me see that filly I came to know so well.” Twilight felt a sudden joy grip her, heady excitement quickly reclaiming her. She hugged him once, closed her eyes… and transformed back in his arms, her human features both shrinking and growing into equine ones, lavender fur erupting all over her body as her hands faded back into hooves. When she opened her eyes again… she was the purple-eyed pony he had originally met her as, not a talking horse, he reflected, but the unicorn mare he’d come to appreciate and even love. And this is where I prove it… he promised her as began to make out with her in earnest. This is where I prove that our feelings are mutual and this attraction transcends her physical form...