//------------------------------// // 7 - A Well-Deserved Reprieve // Story: Polygamy is Magic // by Ravenmane //------------------------------// As far as I was aware, neither Twilight nor Rainbow woke before I stirred at sunrise the next day. There was no peace in my slumber; the crack that brought the waking world back to me after a weeklong nightmare was the only solace I could find in the realm of dreams. I could only stare at the ceiling as I waited for either mare to stir from their slumber and help peace return to my mind. Minutes blurred into an hour before swearing finally broke the silence. “Why in the name of all that lives and breathes is Twilight so relaxed while half my bucking body is numb and the rest is as sore as a mare after her honeymoon?” “You are a mare after her honeymoon,” I replied dully. Despite my eyes fixed on the shallow shadow hanging between the top of my room’s window and the ceiling, I still knew Rainbow was slowly making her way to me. “Something wrong Al,” she asked as she tiled my head towards her. I gave her a weak smile. “It’s just something on my mind Dashie, nothing life changing. Twilight said I’m getting outta here today and I think it’s about time we get back to Ponyville and all the normalcy that brings.” Rainbow looked like she was exerting every fiber of her being just to hold back her laughter. “Dashie, it beats lying in a hospital bed like a vegetable all day. I want to get back to some boring day-to-day life and some stupid day-to-day choices. I’m sore, I’m a bit stir-crazy, and I need some fresh air flowing through my mane.” By the time I finished ranting, Rainbow had managed to have placated her urge to laugh. “I’ll see about getting you out of this bed Al. If she wakes up, tell Twi where I went alright?” “Yeah,” I rolled my eyes, “it’s not like I’m going anywhere right?” She kissed me before snickering; leaving me to return to the silence that once more would be my plague. After Twilight woke a few minutes later, I relayed Rainbow’s message and she too left me to the silence of a vacant room. I barely noticed when they returned with one of the doctors who watched over me to say that it was time for me to leave my bed, nor the crowd of crystal ponies waiting for Twilight, Rainbow, and I when we left for the palace. When we reached the Crystal Palace, I continued to follow Twilight in silence. I tried to put on a brave face for the Crystal Ponies, to show them that I was all right, but deep down I knew something was wrong. Why would somepony as cautious as Sombra seemed leave me to bleed out under some rubble. Why not ensure I was no longer a threat by tormenting me just as his trap did to Twilight? My mind was periodically interrupted from exploring these notions by words such as ‘bravery’ and ‘valor’ during a speech Princess Cadance had prepared before presenting me with a gold medal shaped like the Crystal Heart. These distractions helped me remain attentive through the ceremony, but I felt consumed with my thoughts once the ceremony concluded. With rushed goodbyes, reminiscent of my first trip to Canterlot with Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor saw us off at the train station. ***** Now that I had a moment to concentrate on what I was mulling over, I wanted to do anything but dwell on past events. It’ll play out, I told myself, no sense in forcing it. “Now we’re really returning home in victory,” squealed Rainbow as she attempted to break the growing silence that emphasized how empty the train was. “Yeah,” I replied wearily. “Sorry, I’m just hoping Pinkie doesn’t want to throw an ‘Alex is Back’ party or something. I’d like to get back to the job for a few days, if only to remind me that there’s more to being with you both than saving Equestria,” my lips curled into a mischievous grin, “or things best left locked at home so we don’t have to explain it away when-” “Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “you want to bring that up now?” “Well you did want the porter to get it,” Rainbow objected. “Just because he asked did not mean you let him help with that trunk.” “A mare finds a relic lost for ages to help save an empire-” “And all she gets is grief from her family,” I finished much to Twilight’s frustration. “If it makes you feel any better I’m not as moody as I was this morning Twi.” Twilight sighed and nodded. “I can understand going stir-crazy. You have any idea what that whole ‘tardy thing’ made me feel like when I saw it from the perspective of an audience?” “Didn’t you say how embarrassed you were to have shown that side of yourself to your friends, doubly so for having so many strangers seeing you act like that?” Rainbow put her hoof in front of Twilight’s mouth before she could reply. “Think anything’s gonna come through the computer cause of this whole Crystal Empire thing?” I wanted to say ‘yes’ almost on reflex but I wasn’t sure anymore. “I’m not sure if the spell works that way. I mean, if it did then we would have already seen something happen. That was the sort of thing that ends a season,” I paused and let my thoughts recombine, “unless there was some other event that they planned to end the season on that would have far more dramatic consequences.” Twilight shook her head. “There’s no way they’d show any of that nightmare fuel to the intended audience right?” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Well, they got away with Chrysalis didn’t they? She wasn’t made of nightmare fuel right? Just, you know, fool everyone and nearly overthrow Princess Celestia by pretending to be Cadance. I’m sure there wasn’t any trauma that whole thing could’ve caused.” “They didn’t show the guards who actually died from having an army of changelings swarm them. Or what Princess Luna was doing, how she actually killed several changelings while sending others flying into just about anything with the sheer volume of her Royal Canterlot Voice.” Rainbow opened her mouth to say something but, much to Twilight’s pleasure, she quickly closed it. “Twi, didn’t she explain that she was yelling at them for waking her up ten minutes after she finally managed to get to sleep,” I asked after several minutes of awkward silence. “That only helps prove my point Alex, if they show it then they won’t show me being dragged away from the throne room and tormented like some sort of torture porn because I was reckless.” “They’d snap to reality before that happened and just make you look like an empty shell until Spike got your attention.” Rainbow bit her lip. “Twi, how long did you think you were in that nightmare?” Twilight shrunk a little in her seat. “Can we not talk about that? Please?” I shuffled in my seat and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay Twi, if you ever need to let it out then we’re here to help you sort out your fears.” She looked to me and smiled, Rainbow nodded contently behind her. “Hate to break the tender moment but the same goes for you Al. I mean there’s no doubt you’re troubled, something happened when he retaliated didn’t it?” I nodded solemnly. “I’ve no doubt he was at the source of my situation. I was thinking about it all day and I’m sure that he did something to me, probably to do more than unnerve me. You know, in case I survived. Based on what you said Twi, I’m certain he had planned for possible scenarios. Possible cases where he would’ve failed, where he would ensure that those who brought about his demise would suffer even in victory.” “Well then, what do you think we should do Al?” I looked passed Rainbow, our train car passing into a tunnel as a smile came across my face. I got out of my seat and tried to scoot the two of them apart so I could sit between them. “We count our blessings Dashie. We’re all alive and as long as we’re together we are stronger than any darkness that could plague Equestria.” I felt the full weight of both of them press against me, confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt when an attendant on the train came in to light the lamps in our car. Half of the ride back to Ponyville would be shrouded as we had just become, through tunnels that carved a path through the mountainous northern border of Equestria. ***** By the time Ponyville came into sight, according to my eyes at least, it was closing on ten o’clock. Even now, late in the summer, the sun seemed to set no later than eight thirty. The part that I always found odd was how dark it got in the time past sunset and tonight’s overcast night sky did nothing to help either Twilight or Rainbow for when the train would pull up to the station. “What’s it look like out there Al,” Rainbow asked me as I did my best to evaluate what state the weather would be in at the station. “I see some lights in town,” I relayed, “but they’re slowly thinning out. If the clock’s been regularly looked after during our honeymoon then it’s about five minutes to ten. Parents are trying to get their fillies and colts back into a sleep schedule that’s fitting for school and I’d wager a wing that they’ll do what they can with the ‘lead by example’ concept. Either that or Pinkie has the whole town in on a surprise party moment when we finally arrive.” “How much longer do you think we have until we get to Ponyville,” Twilight asked me. “Not enough time to play another round of ‘adult Twister’ if that’s what you mean Twi. That would be ten to fifteen minutes minimum, twenty tops.” Rainbow groaned in response to my answer. “You know one of us has needs this time of the year,” she added as she rubbed her temples. “Ya know, I have so many urges this time of year and I need you to help me fix that.” “I thought we agreed not to have foals yet,” objected Twilight. “I’m with Twi on this one, I mean the trash can’s already half-filled with the condoms we had left from Hayvanna. I understand you have needs Dashie but there are a few problems in regards to sex right now. Firstly, we agreed we aren’t ready for foals. I thought we all agreed that can wait for a couple of years. Secondly, if we still agree about that then we’re out of condoms to prevent premature pregnancy, that goes double for back home. I’m serious, we’ve run out and that’s including the emergency stores. Thirdly, we got in trouble the last few times because we were disrupting the ponies in the car in front of us. You remember how much we tried last time to keep it down and how badly that didn’t work right?” “Well, yeah but-” “Lastly, we don’t have enough time for more since I know foreplay for the three of us will last nine minutes minimum and you know that’s with some idealistic guesswork on my part. Even if it’s just you and me, that’s three minutes of teasing each other’s wings, two more minutes with the sensitive parts of each other’s body, and nine more minutes before we finish. We can agree that if we all don’t get off then-.” “Okay, I get it geez. You’re taking after Twi too much sometimes, you know that right?” I rolled my eyes as the train began to slow down and the conductor opened the door leading into our car. “Everypony getting off at Ponyville, you have five minutes before we reach the station. I repeat, five minutes until Ponyville station.” After he left I whispered to them. “I’ll get more after work tomorrow and we can resume that night alright?” Rainbow sighed and looked to Twilight. “Sounds good for you that we continue this tomorrow night Twi?” “Sure,” she replied optimistically. I turned to look at Twilight, completely flabbergasted at her response. “It’s completely biological Alex,” she explained. “The more it’s satiated, the better Rainbow will feel around the house, but more importantly around Ponyville. Not tormenting other ponies with the allure of her…erm…needs would be the best thing you can do as her mate. Remember what I was like back at the end of spring,” Twilight fluttered her eyelashes, “it’s what you have to accept because you married more than one mare. You have to make it work when it comes to both of us, especially since, as different kinds of ponies, we’re fertile at different times during spring and summer. Spring is the time for earth ponies, the first half of summer is for unicorns, and pegasi are the second half. Well, there are some outliers but, by the book, that’s the majority of each kind of pony. What I managed to find in my and Rainbow’s research on the topic is that there are some occasional times in a mare’s life when they have other short periods where their estrus cycle triggers for a few weeks.” “I remember when we found that. They’re times that are unknown to mares when that’d happen. Stuff like is why there are some ponies that are born in the fall and winter,” finished Rainbow. “It makes sense Al. I mean like, I know that Fluttershy was born twelve days before Nightmare Night. Before you ask, it’s ‘cause I’ve been friends with her for almost forever so I better know her birthday.” Twilight nodded. “I knew a few ponies like that in Canterlot too. Well, mostly thanks to Spike but still, they were ponies that had minor anomalies from the average estrus cycle times.” As the train came to a halt, we left the car that we spent the last several hours as a sanctuary from the rest of Equestria. There was nopony there to greet us and there were only a few lights remaining in town. Thanks to my natural nocturnal advantages, I acted as Twilight and Rainbow’s guide back home. Back to the place where we would collapse in bed for the night, ready to handle the return to everyday life we were in for.