//------------------------------// // Fantasy // Story: An Affliction of the Heart: Volume Two // by Anonymous Pegasus //------------------------------// “But I don’t want to!” Kuno protested, flailing a hoof at Warden in protest. “She’s requested to meet you,” Warden said, exasperated. “What does she want with me?!” Kuno whined, dancing in place anxiously. Warden gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t even know! She just turned up with Shining Armor and asked to see you.” It was the afternoon after they had returned home, and after an entire day of just lazing in the bath together, only pausing to swap out the water for warmer water, Kuno had taken a trip to Canterlot to get the Aurora seeds as she was much faster than Warden. Or rather, she had requested them. The seeds themselves were being delivered by an armed Royal Guard escort, and as Warden had found it, at the head of the five-pony squad, were Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. A unicorn guard stood between two pegasi behind the prince and princess, with a small wooden box kept close to his chest. Kuno whimpered faintly, her ears splaying back. “Do I have to?” “I... could make up a terribly bad lie?” Warden offered helplessly. Kuno sighed once, lowering her head. “Fine. I’ll see her. But if one of those guards even twitches then I’m blasting them off their hooves. Kindly go out and remind them all that I can turn into a bloody dragon before I go out there!” Warden sighed faintly, shaking his head and then smiling, leaning forwards to kiss his fiancee before turning and heading outside. The five ponies were still there. The three guards in the back, and the prince and princess up front, sitting in the shade of the tree in the front yard. Warden made a helpless motion with his hoof as he go closer. “She’s coming out, Ma’am. But she ahh... wants me to remind you that she can ‘turn into a bloody dragon’ before she will.” Shining Armor looked mildly alarmed, and Cadance merely smiled. “Come out then, mighty dragon!” Cadance called cheerfully. Kuno slunk out of the cottage, her head lowered, in her pegasus form. Her wings were slightly spread, ready to attack or evade. She stopped several lengths from the three of them, watching them warily. “We’re not going to bite,” Cadance said softly, shaking her head at Kuno. Kuno huffed, planting her rump. “I’m not coming any closer.” Cadance pursed her lips at that, her horn glowing. Kuno’s eyes widened, and she squirmed slightly, finding herself locked in place. Cadance stalked towards her. Warden moved to impose himself between them, but Shining Armor blocked him deftly. “Last time we locked horns, you came off much the worse,” Shining Armor reminded flatly. Warden backed off a little bit, his ears pinning back, biting his bottom lip. “Don’t hurt her!” he called after Cadance, frowning worriedly. Kuno growled faintly, working her hooves against the magic holding them down, her eyes slowly narrowing at the alicorn as Cadance stopped in front of her. “I’ll hurt you if you don’t let me go...” Cadance snorted once, leaning down to be on the changed pegasus’ level. A hoof raised, touching at the changeling’s cheek gently. Kuno winced, shying away. Cadance snorted again, forcefully gripping the changeling’s cheek and then staring into her eyes. Kuno tried to defiantly meet her gaze, but gave up after no more than a few moments, looking away. “Say that you love him,” Cadance ordered calmly. “Prove to me that I chose right.” Kuno’s ears pinned back, and she whimpered faintly, before staring up at the princess. “I love him.” Cadance gave a thoughtful hum at that, and her horned ceased glowing. She drew back then, giving a thin smile, turning to her husband. “I chose correctly.” Warden was mystified, looking back and forth between the three of them. Cadance stepped back over to her husband. “You understand, of course, that we had to be sure you weren’t under her spell?” Warden frowned at this, pursing his lips. “I... guess.” He motioned towards Kuno, beckoning her over closer. Kuno frowned deeply, cautiously making her way over closer to the trio, pressing up close against his side and wiggling under his wing, as though to hide herself. Warden lifted a hoof to wrap around her shoulders, holding her close as she glowered at the prince and princess from under the protection of his wing. Shining Armor gave the changeling a long stare, his hoof twitching reflexively. Cadance lifted a hoof to soothe her husband. “She’s fine, Shiny. She won’t harm him.” Shining Armor didn’t look very releived. “So... can we have the seeds?” Warden asked, holding out his good hoof. Shining Armor frowned deeply, and then motioned to the two pegasus guards. “The plantation will be guarded. Constantly. The produce will be weighed at every picking. Understood?” Warden nodded once, peering past the guard captain and at the two pegasi behind him. “Do they know... about Kuno?” Shining Armor frowned at that, and then peered at the changeling. “They do not. It would be best to show them now, so that they might become acclimatised.” Warden nudged Kuno gently. “Change, hun. It’ll be fine.” Kuno looked up at her fiance for a long moment, biting her bottom lip. She took a single step away from him, ducking out from under his wing. She lowered her head, closing her eyes. Her entire form shimmered green, and she returned to her normal form. The two pegasi jumped and cried out in alarm, reaching for their weapons. Warden immediately sidestepped, interposing himself between Kuno and the guards, wing coming up to protect her, covering her form as he glowered at the two guards. Kuno was the only one that heard Warden clench his teeth, gritting and grinding them at the pain of extending his bad wing. Cadance and Shining Armor extended their hooves, stopping the two pegasi from lunging. “She’s my fiance.” Warden glowered at the two pegasi, his eyes narrowing. “If you want to hurt her, you’ll have to go through me.” The two pegasi looked back and forth between Kuno, Warden, and Shining Armor. Shining Armor gave a soft nod, making a motion with his hoof. The two guards relaxed a little, but remained wary. Warden lowered his wing slowly, clenching his teeth as he folded it tight to his side again. The unicorn guard stepped forwards, eyeing Kuno in all her changeling glory with a wary, almost scared gaze, depositing the box in front of the two of them and then withdrawing quickly. Warden clenched his teeth, scooping up the box and then nodding to the guards. “I’ll have to show the two of them where the plantation will be. Tomorrow, though. I need to inspect the seeds, make sure they’re viable.” Shining Armor nodded once. “I’ll send them around in the morning.” Warden nodded, lifted a hoof in salute. The five ponies turned, and then started back down the path, the two pegasi peeking back over their shoulders worriedly as they walked. Clenching his teeth, Warden turned and began to walk in as dignified a way as he could towards the front door of the cottage, pushing it open. He made it two steps inside before he collapsed, clenching his teeth tightly and whimpering, his bad wing crimpled and half-extended. Kuno followed him, frowning deeply and then gently touching him with a hoof. “I’ll get the wonder weed,” she murmured gently, as she moved off towards the kitchen. Warden made a noncommittal sound, pushing the box in front of his nose with a hoof and then clicking it open. A trio of blood-red. tear-drop shaped seeds with pulsing yellow veins in them greeted him, sitting in a velvet-lined case. Warden’s sharp eye immediately noticed that the left-most seed was slightly bruised and shrivelled near the tip. It wouldn’t grow properly. He decided against using it. The remaining two, however, were perfect. Kuno returned with the jar of green liquid in her hoof, unscrewing the lid by using a hole in her hoof like a bottle opener, and then dipping her hoof in the liquid, and smearing it across his wing. Warden melted instantly, giving a low groan of relief. He closed the wooden box, and then scooped it close to him, resting his cheek on it and closing his eyes. “Oh sweet Celestia that feels good...” Kuno giggled faintly, gently kneading at his wing. “Just relax Warden. Have a rest.” Warden nodded faintly. He tried to open his mouth to ask Kuno how she felt about the guards, but he ended up just groaning faintly and passing out. Warden awoke with a crooked neck from sleeping on the floor using a wooden box as a pillow. With a faint groan, he shifted and pulled himself up from his splayed position, disturbing Kuno in the process. Kuno made a faint sound of annoyance at being awoke, huffing faintly and rubbing a hoof against her face. “Wouldn’t it be easier to sleep on the bed?” Warden asked with a wry grin, scooping up the box containing the seeds. Kuno huffed faintly, waving a hoof at him accusingly. “I could ask the same of you!” Warden just smiled at that, shaking his head. “I’m going to go sit in a dark room and make sure these seeds are viable.” Kuno tilted her head to the side. “Really?” “Really.” “I’ll come with,” Kuno stated immediately. Warden hummed faintly, and then shrugged. “Welp, it can’t hurt. Just don’t touch the seeds or do anything to them once we’re in the room, kay?” “Kay,” Kuno said, saluting seriously. Warden led his fiancee into the room that had formerly been her prison, almost two entire years ago, and closed the door behind them. The lock had been broken by the previous tenant, but the door remained closed. Warden placed the wooden box on the desk, and then picked up a blanket off the bed, folding it in half and then covering the window with it, plunging the room into darkness. There was a shuffle of movement, and then Warden flipped the lid of the box open, causing the faintest of yellow glows to emanate from inside, washing both his own and Kuno’s face in the pale light. Kuno looked back and forth between the box and Warden. Warden gave a wry smile. “Excuse me for a moment.” Warden turned and then put his full weight on his bad hoof, gritting his teeth and bearing down on it, twisting his hoof slightly. He winced and whimpered softly, shuddering a shaky exhalation. Kuno bit her bottom lip, staring at her. “What are you doing?!” Warden panted faintly, wincing and taking the weight off his hoof, lifting it to his eye and then rubbing faintly for a moment, before holding it out for appraisal, giving a weak smile. “Pegasus tears.” “I can see that,” Kuno said, furrowing her brows deeply. Warden smiled again, and then picked up one of the seeds, gently rubbing his hoof over it, soaking it in the faint moisture of his tears. The seed immediately flared with light, and a glowing yellow tendril began to grow from it. “I found that salty liquid works well. Tears work best, for some reason.” “How in the name of Celestia did you discover this?” Kuno asked with a slow shake of her head. Warden just gave her a sad smile. “Completely by accident, actually. It was kinda just after Swarm died... I was going into withdrawal from Aurora, and trying to get the seeds to sprout which they would not do...” Kuno nodded at that, throwing a hoof around him and hugging him tightly. “So... the seeds are viable?” Warden nodded, placing the seed down gently, and then picking up the other gingerly, smearing salty tears across it. It, too, sprouted, sprouting a violently yellow stalk. “And the third?” Kuno asked. Warden shook his head. “The seed is damaged. Probably was made like that.” “How do you even get Aurora seeds?” Kuno asked, peering at him. “Do you get them off a vine somewhere? The guards looked at me kinda sideways when I requested Aurora...” Warden smiled faintly, gently placing down the second seed, putting it back in its slot with the stalk facing outwards. “You create them. Requires a very special kind of magic that few unicorns know nowadays. They’re created on-demand. Most likely it was Celestia herself who made these three... I guess the apple seeds they used originally weren’t perfect. Or at least, that one wasn’t.” Warden pointed an accusing hoof at the lame seed, wrinkling his nose. “Then how did Daggertail get hold of the seeds?” Kuno asked, tilting her head to the side. “It’s possible to create a seed from an Aurora plant if you know what you’re doing... I’ve never looked it up myself, but it destroys the fruit itself. And when one fruit is worth a hundred bits...” Warden trailed off with a helpless shrug. “Plus, it requires a unicorn. So I’m pretty screwed for trying to do that.” “So much of this needs to be done with unicorns,” Kuno said with a wrinkled nose, poking out her tongue in distaste. Warden gave a wry smile. “Politics, really.” “Politics?” Kuno asked, blinking once or twice. “Politics.” Warden affirmed with a nod. “The unicorns wanted to be sure that their invention wouldn’t be stolen from them. So they ensured that it needed a unicorn to help create it. That way, the ponies couldn’t run off with their new wonder-plant.” “Ugh, politics. You know that the literal translation of that word is ‘many blood sucking parasites’ right?” Kuno asked with a wrinkled nose. Warden grinned at that, shaking his head. “I believe that’s what politics is at heart, anyway.” Kuno made a sound of disgust. “I’m picturing unicorn lawyers creating these things, and writing tiny rules down on the husks.” “They made a magically binding contract,” Warden pointed out with a faint smile. “A very crafty one.” “Oh? and what would that be?” Kuno queried. “Adding the poison to the plant,” Warden pointed out with a thing smile. “The plant that releases the neutralizing spores is a mix of aloe and mint, with some other things thrown in to make it release the spores into the air. Thing is, the unicorns never taught the earth ponies how to create this plant, so they could control the spread of Aurora by controlling the spread of the antidote.” Kuno wrinkled her nose deeply. “That’s nasty...” “Welcome to interspecies tension,” Warden said with a wave of a hoof. “I could use a little interspecies tension,” Kuno said with an innocent smile. “Just remember, Warden. Once I’m pregnant, I’ll be a sobbing mess of hormones and any little thing you do wrong will be punished by an arbitrary length of time with no sex.” Warden shuddered. “Whatever will I do? It’ll be like I’m single again and stuck with just my hoof. The horror.” Kuno snorted once, rolling her eyes and leaning against him, batting her eyelashes up at him suggestively. “Don’t make me get the chains, Warden.” “But what if I want you to get the chains?” Warden asked with a raised brow. Kuno blinked once, and then gave a cheery smile. “Okay!” Without hesitation, Kuno started for the door. Warden quickly dragged her back by the tail, shaking his head in earnest. “Nono! I was joking!” Kuno giggled, curling around to hold his cheeks with her hooves and kiss his nose. “I know. I was gonna see how far you’d let me get, though.” Warden shook his head, hugging around the changeling and rubbing his hooves down her back slowly. “I’ve been meaning to ask though... all those... things you do.” “Things?” Kuno asked innocently, blinking up at him. “Those things you love?” Nodding slowly, Warden rubbed at the base of her wings. “Aye, those things... why don’t you ever have... requests?” “You mean depraved sexual fetishes that I constantly bug you about until you finally cave in and try them with me just for my enjoyment?” Kuno asked sweetly. Warden gave a nervous laugh at that. “Heh... yeah. Those.” Kuno gave a faint smile at that, peering up at him. “You’re afraid that I’m sacrificing my happiness just to make you happy?” Warden gave a mute nod at that. Kuno smiled and kissed his nose lovingly. “And that’s why I love you, you big softy. You’re always worried you’re doing something wrong.” “But the fact remains!” Warden protested. “I haven’t gotten a single depraved fantasy from you! It’s always about my depravities.” “Well... It’s me being selfish, really,” Kuno said with a faint smile. Warden blinked slowly. “What.” “Well, think about it, silly... I have my own fantasies. I would very much like to do some very depraved things to you involving rope and hot candle wax. Or honey and strawberries. Maybe even some whipped cream...” Kuno hummed thoughtfully, licking her lips. Warden stared at his fiance for a long moment. “But... my main fantasy is to feel your love, Warden. To feel the love you have for me. My fantasy is to have you holding me in your hooves and sleeping contentedly besides me, while I’m safe in the knowledge that I pleased you utterly, more than any other pony ever has, or ever could.” Kuno smiled up at her fiance, licking his nose once. “So I get my fantasy granted whenever I grant one of yours.” Warden smiled at that, shaking his head and swallowing past the lump in his throat, wrapping his hooves around her tightly. “I must have been such a saint in a past life to deserve you,” he said with a grin, nuzzling his cheek against her own. “Either that, or you were absolutely villainous,” Kuno retorted, grinning and nibbling gently at the base of his jaw. Warden held his fiancee close, and then tugged her gently towards the bed with a grin. “Well c’mon then, I have a fantasy to grant you.” Kuno smiled, pushing her pegasus gently onto the bed and then splaying herself atop him, licking and kissing down at his neck and throat. “So tell me then... while we’re having this little pre-foreplay heart-to-heart. Why exactly was it that you turned down Spitfire when I offered her to you? I know you wanted it.” Warden blinked, his cheeks flushing faintly. “S’not my fault! She is a sexy pegasus!” “Granted,” Kuno said with a grin, licking across his throat and up under his chin. “But still, you turned her down!” “I turned you down,” Warden said with a shake of his head, wrapping his hooves around the changeling. Kuno giggled, kissing his nose. “Semantics. Now, focus, Warden. Why did you turn me down?” “Well... it wasn’t you,” Warden said with a huff, nudging her firmly with his nose. Kuno blinked once. “Yes it was me.” “It wasn’t you you.” Warden poked her nose gently. “It wasn’t Kuno. It was Spitfire.” “You would prefer the real Spitfire?” Kuno asked with a giggle. Warden rolled his eyes. “Yes and no.” “Oh, that is such a cop-out! Give me a real answer!” Kuno demanded, huffing and nudging him firmly. “Well, part of Spitfire’s allure is that she’s... well, Spitfire. One of the greatest flyers of this day and age. So that’s the ‘yes’. The ‘no’ is beause she’s not you,” Warden stated, nodding once. Kuno blinked once. “But I’m just a changeling!” “My changeling,” Warden corrected. “But you could have had Spitfire,” Kuno pointed out, bewildered. Warden gave a faint smile at that. “I know you probably won’t understand... I guess our minds just work better. But... you mean more to me than any other pony you could possibly imitate.” “Even Princess Luna or Celestia?” Kuno offered with a wicked smile. “Even those two,” Warden said with a faint shudder, wrapping his hooves around the changeling tightly and holding her close. “There is nopony I’d rather be intimate with at any time, than you.” Kuno’s gaze softened at that, and she gently booped his nose with a hoof. “You’re such a sweety.” Warden smiled, kissing her nose and rubbing his hooves against her wings slowly. “I know.” “Time for your reward,” Kuno said sultrily, lifting a hoof and then beginning to suggestively lave her tongue around the edge of one of the holes in it, before pressing it down his form. Warden’s eyes widened, and he squirmed faintly. “Y-you can’t be serious!” Kuno paused, looking up at him and then bursting into laughter, leaning forwards to kiss his forehead, giggling. “No. But the look on your face... priceless.”