//------------------------------// // Princess of Love // Story: Dawn of the First Day // by Miniscule Literary //------------------------------// After hours of agonized waiting, spending almost all her waking hours worried sick, Luna could at last go searching for her lost love. The ordeal had taken quite a toll on her; the alicorn felt her heart breaking at the thought of Alfonz being intimate with anyone else, even with her own sister, whom she loved and trusted beyond any shadow of a doubt. Luna knew the code of the royal consort; Celestia was well within her rights to ask this of Alfonz, but it did little to soothe the princess' woes. When the human had failed to return, the feeling only intensified. She wanted to believe that Alfonz was still hers; that he and her sister had done nothing throughout the night. But why else would they be gone for so long? It was past the time the sun should have risen, however, which gave Luna a valid reason to hunt her sister down and find out for sure. The Princess of the Night trotted through the halls of the palace with suppressed anxiety; had it been up to her, she would have bolted to her sister's quarters in seconds. She needed to remain calm and collected, and not draw any more attention to herself. With a short greeting to a pair of guards, she turned a corner and, at last, Celestia's room was within sight. Her excitement did not last long. A large, pink form strode some distance down the hall, making its way toward her sister's quarters. A pony with both a horn and wings; an alicorn, and one that filled her with dread. Princess Cadance was here. But why? What business did the ruler of the Crystal Empire have in Equestria? Cadance was notorious for her ravenous appetite for stallions; her power over love made roping in new mates child's play. The alicorn had even gotten a bit conceded as a result; both Celestia and Luna regarded her with considerable distaste, for many reasons, namely: she had taken most of the stallions that remained in the palace, before they had all disappeared. And now, here she was, only a few days after they had brought Alfonz to stay with them. Luna felt a fierce anger boiling within her; she was fully prepared to fight for her mate. "Cadance!" she called, trying to suppress her feelings for now. The other alicorn stopped at the sound, turning to the one who had spoke. Upon realizing it was Luna who had called for her, the princess assumed a sly grin. "Princess Luna! So nice to see you!" she said as Luna approached. "It really has been too long." "What are you doing here?" the Princess of the Night asked, her voice laced with spite; Cadance seemed to enjoy it. "A little birdy told me there's a new Royal Consort in town," she explained, her grin widening. "It has been quite some time indeed! I was hoping for some...personal time of my own." "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," Luna stated bluntly, glaring at her relative. "Why is that?" Cadance asked innocently, though she clearly loved the other alicorn's aggression. "Alfonz is mine for the day. Celestia has taken him from me already; I cannot allow any more delays." "So he's here?" Cadance asked, gesturing to the door with a hoof, as if completely ignoring what else Luna had said. "We'll just see what Celestia has to say on the matter." Confident in her sister's judgement, Luna agreed. The two made their way to the door and gave it a few loud knocks. Even after a few minutes of waiting, no response came. "Where is she? Doesn't she know its time to raise the sun?" the pink alicorn said impatiently, scowling at the door. "I'm sure she won't mind if we let ourselves in," Luna added suddenly. "This is an important matter. The sun, I mean." With a small field of magic around the handle, the Princess of the Night gently pushed the door open. The two alicorns poked their heads inside, looking around the darkened room for their wayward kin, and Alfonz. Almost immediately, they spotted the brilliant white form of Celestia laying on her floor pillow, her back to them as she slept soundly. There was no sign of Alfonz. "Sister!" Luna called, stepping into the room alongside Cadance. "It is time for you to assume your duties! Wake up!" Celestia jolted, raising her head wearily. After a confused look around, she eventually spotted the two alicorns in the doorway. "Oh...oh my," she said, slowly realizing what her sister had said. "I'm terribly sorry. I was up most of the night..." Luna's heart sank. Celestia yawned widely, stretching her luxurious wings as she woke up her unwilling body. As the alicorn rose, both Luna's and Cadance's eyes widened. Hidden beneath their kin's body was the prone form of Alfonz, laid out on his back, his head where Celestia's hindquarters had been. He appeared to be sleeping. "Alfonz!" Luna cried out in shock as Celestia stepped off of him. She seemed almost as surprised to see him as they were. After a moment of silence, the man suddenly shot upright, inhaling deeply as if it had been his first breath in years. "I DIDN'T DO SHIT!" he yelled at no one in particular, heaving in place as he tried to catch his breath. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all stared at him; Luna looked on with horror, Celestia with embarrassment, and Cadance with enjoyment. "What were you two doing last night?" Cadance asked with a laugh, looking from each of them to fully enjoy their reactions. "Not much," Celestia murmured, her mood souring. Luna felt a spark of hope rise in her chest. "Nothing," Alfonz corrected smugly, laying back down on the floor pillow with his arms behind his head. Internally, the man felt as though he wanted to commit suicide from the atrocities he had to endure the night before, but his victory aided in lifting his spirits. "I'm so glad-" Luna began excitedly, before she realized what she was saying. "I mean...oh. That's too bad, sister." Celestia grumbled to herself as she made her way to the door. "We've been meaning to ask you for your input," Cadance said as she passed, stopping her in her tracks. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm back in Equestria!" "I noticed," Celestia replied with considerable distaste. "I'm here to partake in some 'royal consorting', if you get my drift," the pink alicorn explained with a nudge of her shoulder. "And I have told her Alfonz is still mine for the day!" Luna added, appearing beside Celestia, opposite to Cadance. "You interrupted my own time, remember, sister?" "This is true..." "But Luna should be sleeping now!" Cadance insisted, smiling mockingly at the other alicorn. "I will have him back by nightfall, then he's all hers." "You will be sleeping soon, sister," Celestia said, turning to look at Luna. She had a look of 'I'm sorry' about her; there was little she could do. "But...! But...!" Luna stammered, trying to find a way to turn the situation in her favor. Yet again, she was left with nothing but defeat. But Alfonz had resisted Celestia; perhaps he wouldn't be like the others? Perhaps he would return to them, and they would spend the rest of their lives together. "Its settled then!" Cadance said cheerfully, trotting over to where Alfonz lay, oblivious to the conversation. "'Alfonz' will come with me for the day, and will return to Luna's care by nightfall. I trust it is okay for me to use my room here for a while?" "Wait what-" Alfonz began, sitting up. "Yes, Cadance." "Wonderful!" the pink alicorn said, engulfing Alfonz in her magic. "Wait wait, who the hell-what is going on here?!" the man protested, struggling in vain against yet another entrapping snare. He finally realized just who he was dealing with; Princess Cadance was here, for whatever reason. His mind was too weak to understand the true depth of his situation at the time. "See you around," Cadance said lowly as she passed the scowling Luna, Alfonz, cursing and yelling, in tow. She watched the man float away, her eyes welling up with tears. "We're going to have so much fun, Alfonz," Cadance assured him as they went, the man now floating in front of her, his arms folded. "Yeah I doubt that," he growled, glaring at her. "Don't I get a say in this?" "Of course!" Cadance replied happily, giving him some hope. "But I'm sure I can convince you, should you decline." "I have some bad news for you," Alfonz began, thinking back to his encounter with Luna. "As a human, I can only breed after six or seven years of courtship." "Funny and cute!" Well, it was worth a try. In time, the two arrived at yet another corner of the palace, one that Alfonz wasn't exactly familiar with for once. Before them stood a single large door, much like the entrance to Celestia's quarters, with a brilliant crystal heart inscribed on its surface. With a short burst of magic, Cadance threw the door open and brought him inside. The room was not unlike the ones he had come to know from the royal family; very high quality furniture, if not a bit dusty and without use, stood before him, inside a room of a dull pink and gold. The bed was smaller than those seen in the previous rooms, however, but was also surrounded by a thin curtain, much like Luna's bed. "Home away from home!" Cadance mused as she entered, giving a content sigh. Almost without conscious thought, her magic brought Alfonz over to the bed, releasing him a few feet over it; he collided with the mattress with a soft thud. "If you say so," he commented, scowling, as Cadance slowly advanced toward him. "Let's skip the formalities," the princess began, throwing back her head to push her mane from her face. "I'm Princess Cadance. I'm a mare; you're a male. Let's have some fun." "Pass." "Some fight in you!" she said with a grin. "I like that." A short burst of magic knocked Alfonz onto his back, his legs still hanging over the bed. Almost immediately, he felt Cadance's body pressed up against his legs, prompting a short yell of surprise from him. Looking down, he saw the alicorn practically on top of him, her hooves holding herself up on either side. "No thank you!" he insisted, pushing himself further up the bed with his feet, out of his attacker's immediate reach. "Fair warning: I am not beyond punching you in the face." "And I'm not beyond using a little force myself," she retorted, giving him a sly chuckle as she crawled sensually up the bed. The man recoiled, his fist clenched. After the things Celestia had tried on him, this was considerably tame, at least. "Last warning," he growled, readying himself for a fight. "I am not in the mood for more of this shit." "Oh, you want to play hard ball?" Cadance said suddenly, growing a mix of angry and excited. "We'll play hard ball..."