//------------------------------// // Heart to Heart // Story: An Affliction of the Heart Volume Three: Hybrid // by Anonymous Pegasus //------------------------------// Warden was limping heavier than ever by the time he made it home, his wing and hoof stiff and unwieldy from the rough treatment he had received. The opioids they’d used at the ‘clinic’ had well and truly worn off, and he was looking forwards to soaking his hoof and wing liberally in wonder weed. Thankfully, Warden didn’t have to carry anything, having arranged, as usual, for it all to be delivered to his home that afternoon. Kuno was nowhere to be found in the front yard, and Warden assumed she was somewhere in the house. He pushed the front door open with a hoof and a heavy sigh, easing inside and pushing the door closed with a hindhoof, proceeding into the house proper. The door to the bedroom he and Kuno shared was slightly ajar, and a candle was lit within, casting a flickering orange glow on the wall. Warden frowned, limping up to the door and nudging it open with a shoulder. Spitfire was laid out across Warden and Kuno’s bed, resting with her back to him. She was wearing the full Wonderbolt costume, with the furtight blue fabric hugging every little curve of her form. Her head lifted, and she looked back over her shoulder at him, one large yellow wing flexing lazily. There was even a pair of very authentic-looking Wonderbolt goggles pushed up just under her fiery mane. “K-Kuno?” Warden asked in a strained tone, his eyes wide, staring. Spitfire’s low, smoky voice made Warden slightly weak in the knees as she responded. “Kuno is on holiday, Warden. I’ve taken her place for now. Why, what is it that you would do with your darling wife that you wouldn’t do with me, hmm?” Warden felt his mouth go dry, his cheeks warming heavily. “K-Kuno, what are you doing?” “I already told you,” Spitfire said brusquely, rolling over to face Warden and then dropping onto her hooves, prowling closer to him, pushing her nose up under his chin, nudging his head upwards slightly as she inhaled his scent. “Kuno isn’t here. And I’m recruiting. You’ll be no good to me in the air with that wing, so you’re gonna have to prove your worth me in some... other way.” Warden swallowed hard, his ears splaying back and his good wing giving a nervous twitch. “S-Spitfire, this is -” Warden paused then, shaking his head to clear it. “Kuno, what are you doing?” Spitfire gave a low, husky growl in the back of her throat, gripping him with surprisingly powerful hooves, and throwing him bodily onto the bed. Warden hissed with a sharp intake of air, teeth clenching at the strain it put on his roughed-up wing. “Suck it up, buttercup!” Spitfire growled, pulling herself atop him, straddling his form. “You’re gonna have to be a little tougher than that to impress me, rookie!” Warden could feel every inch of the Wonderbolt captain pressing against him, the firm muscles shifting under the taut fabric of her flight suit, even her warm exhalations brushing across the fur of his face. He gave a weak squirm, pushing at the pegasus’ chest with his forehooves. “K-Kuno, stop.” “You keep telling me to stop,” Spitfire breathed into his ear, swirling her tongue along it with a slow, eager motion. She deliberately pushed their hips together, smiling wickedly,  “But your body is telling me otherwise...” “Kuno, stop.” Warden pushed a hoof firmly against her chest, before he wrapped both around her form and then rolled them both over, until he was pinning the pegasus to the bed, holding her down under his weight, leaning heavily on his good hoof. “But you want this,” Spitfire cooed, staring up at him with a slow, coy smile. “I want my wife,” Warden stated flatly, narrowing his eyes down at her. Spitfire shifted uncomfortably, and for the first time, Warden saw a crack in Kuno’s facade. The mare shifted slightly, looking away as she said softly, “No you don’t...” Warden blinked, entirely confused at the response. “What?” Spitfire frowned up at him, and then gave a long sigh, her features drooping. A flash of green encompassed her, and his wife was suddenly under him instead of the Captain of the Wonderbolt. The suit, formerly tight and curve-hugging, now hung loose and baggy on the changeling. The goggles slipped down over her face clumsily, and Warden lifted a hoof to push them up over Kuno’s head, slipping them off gently. “What do you mean?” Warden asked with a deep frown. Kuno frowned deeply, looking away, fidgeting at the loose suit with her forehooves. “I wanted to give you Spitfire.” “Why?” Warden asked blankly, rubbing a hoof through his mane self-consciously. “Because it’s one of your fantasies,” Kuno stated, lifting a hoof to push the suit away from her face, where it was bunching up. “It was a crush. A silly little celebrity crush,” Warden pointed out, climbing off the changeling and then laying on the edge of the bed, stretching his bad wing out with a faint hiss of displeasure. Kuno rolled onto her hooves, lifting a hoof to begin gently stroking along the wing, frowning slightly. “Your wing smells like magic.” “Yeah,” Warden said, blinking once, pausing, before saying quickly, “The wonder weed was starting to wear off. I got a magical alternative that’ll last longer. Expensive, but worth it.” Kuno frowned at him, her expression falling. “You’re a horrible liar, Warden.” Warden licked his lips nervously, before deflating. “Yeah... I guess I am.” “Aren’t I exciting to you any more?” Kuno asked plaintively, licking across her fangs in an expression of faint nervousness. Warden blinked slowly, completely wrong-hoofed at that. “What?” “Why aren’t you excited by me any more?” Kuno asked, just as plaintively. “I mean... I know that we’ve been together for years... but I can be any pony you want. How isn’t that alluring to you any more?” Warden stared at Kuno for several long moments. “It’s kinda weird, hun. I don’t know Spitfire personally... never even saw her up close. The only time I ever saw her were the posters I put up in my room and that one magazine I uh... hid underneath my mattress.” “And you wanted her,” Kuno said glumly, rubbing a hoof against her cheek sadly. “Was it because you know it’s really me under there? Is that why it’s so unexciting?” Warden frowned deeply, confused again. “Why are you so intent on me being uninterested in you? I love you.” “Because I can feel it. I’ve felt it ever since Swarm was born... The fire isn’t there any more, Warden. And because... because...” Kuno frowned deeply, sighing and looking away. “Because I followed you to town. I always do if I can. It keeps my skills sharp to follow you around sneakily and because I want to know everything about you. I know where you went. I saw you go into that... place.” Warden’s ears splayed back, and he gave a faint sigh. “I can explain.” Kuno’s hoof lifted to lay gently over his lips, silencing him as she shook her head. “You don’t need to, Warden. I know ponies. I knew that your interest would wane. I’ve been preparing for it for a long time. But you have to let me spice things up. You have to let me keep you excited with me. You don’t have to go some strange... whorehouse for your pleasures. You know that I can entertain you better than they can.” Warden shook his head firmly, pulling back, licking his lips slightly to wet them. “Kuno... listen. You’ve got it wrong,” he said gently, leaning in to kiss her nose. “I didn’t go to a whorehouse.” “But I saw you go in there... you came out half exhausted and panting and satisfied in a way that I haven’t been able to make you for years...” Kuno said, swallowing hard, her eyes watering slightly. Warden gave a long sigh at that, rubbing a hoof through his mane nervously. “I wanted to keep this a secret... keep it a surprise...” “That you went to a whorehouse?” Kuno asked flatly. “You’re over-analyzing the situation, Kuno,” Warden said, lifting his good hoof to wrap around her neck and hold her close against his side, kissing her neck gently through the flight suit. “Then explain to me how what I saw was anything other than you visiting a whorehouse,” Kuno stated flatly, begrudgingly rubbing her nose against his neck. “I...” Warden trailed off, staring down at the floor and then heaving a heavy sigh. “They’re a new clinic in Ponyville. They’re erm... some kind of physical therapists. They use alternative medicine to try and heal injuries that regular doctors are incapable of fixing. They basically cut my wing open, chipped off the bone that had grown over, mixed up the resulting bone fragments with magical gems and then stuffed them back in my wing, topping it off with some magic to heal the incision, and some remedial magic to encourage the graft to take.” “I understood exactly enough of that to be confused,” Kuno admitted, frowning deeply. “I tried to get my wing fixed,” Warden said with a heavy sigh. Kuno blinked once and stared at him, bewildered. “Why would you want to keep that secret?!” Warden gave a sad smile. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I won’t know for at least a month if the graft is taking. And even then, it’ll be months more of training to even be able to fly again, considering I haven’t used my wings in years. I wanted... I wanted to take you flying. Like I did on our wedding night. But I don’t want to be doped up while it’s happening.” Kuno frowned deeply, staring into his eyes, searching him. “You’re... not lying...” she murmured, frowning deeply. “I thought you’d be happy?” Warden said, growing exasperated. Kuno frowned even further, biting her bottom lip. “But... I’ve felt your love for me waning. Why?” Warden likewise frowned, his ears pinning back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kuno nudged him with her nose. “Before Swarm died... there was a fire there. It was hot, intense. It was intoxicating and wild. Like a bonfire on a moonless night. It just radiated this fierce energy... And now it’s died down.” Warden frowned, staring down at his forehooves. “I guess... I guess my love for you has dimmed a little bit... But... it hasn’t diminished. Just because the flame isn’t as bright doesn’t mean that the coals aren’t there any more. If that makes any sense at all...” Kuno shook her head. “It doesn’t.” Warden leaned sideways to kiss his wife’s nose gently. “When I first met you... I was under the influence of your spell. That obviously boosted it a fair amount. And then that spell was gone... and I fell back in love with you, for real... and...” Warden trailed off, biting his bottom lip and taking a deep breath. “And you were my replacement for my ex wife... I fell for you hard, Kuno. I won’t lie about that. I needed you more than I needed to breathe.” Kuno frowned slightly at that, looking down at her covered forehooves. “And now?” “And now... I’m content,” Warden said with a slight nod. “I’m happy, and pleased. I have a beautiful, kooky wife, I have a lovely little filly. I have all these things that I honestly believed I would never have. I don’t have to... grasp for you any more. I don’t have to cling to you like I’m drowning... I don’t need you any more, Kuno. I want you. I’m not dependent on you to keep my sanity any more...” Kuno nodded at that, frowning down at her forehooves. “I... I understand, I guess. I thought I knew about love... but now I see it’s more complex than that. Thank you for... being honest.” “You’re not hurt, are you?” Warden asked worriedly, wrapping her in his hooves and holding her close. “I still love you more than I’ve loved anything in the world.” “I’m still... I’m still trying to work out how I feel,” Kuno murmured sincerely. “I was ready for you to grow uninterested in me... I was prepared. But when I thought that you were going to someone else for... for sex... I was... jealous.” “That’s normal,” Warden said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek gently. “For ponies,” Kuno stated, biting her bottom lip. “It’s not rational.” “Love isn’t rational,” Warden said gently, kissing her nose, stroking his hoof gently across her wings. “I love everything about you. Even the things that kind of creep me out. That isn’t rational.” “I creep you out?” Kuno asked, blinking once in confusion. Warden nodded, giving a faint smile. “You were fully intending to hold me down and have your way with me as my teenage celebrity crush. That’s weird.” “I would have rocked your world,” Kuno stated bluntly. “I’ve no doubt,” Warden said with a faint smile. “But I just had intensive surgery, and Swarm is due back from school any time now. The last thing we need is her walking in on us doing that. Let alone if you’re not even, well, you while it’s happening.” Kuno blinked once, head tilting. “That’s... a bad thing?” Warden stared. “Ponies aren’t introduced to sex until puberty.” Kuno’s brows furrowed at that, and she looked intensely confused. “That’s like... introducing a pony to political parties only when they reach the age to vote.” “They’re not expected to have sex until years after that!” Warden protested with a shake of his head. “But they’re hardwired to want it pretty much as soon as they reach puberty. Keeping it secret is stupid,” Kuno stated with a shake of her head. Warden frowned, and then wrapped his hooves around Kuno’s shoulders firmly, nosing into her neck. “Kuno... you’re being a changeling again. This is a pony thing.” Kuno frowned deeply, biting her bottom lip, before she deflated and nodded gently. “O-okay... Thank you... for not being mean about it.” Warden gave a sigh of relief, nosing into her neck gently. “I’m glad you’re so... methodical and rational.” Kuno giggle faintly at that. “So... if I thought like a pony, this would have been a huge, marathon argument?” Warden nodded, resting his nose against her neck, and then frowning deeply. “Kuno... where did the flight suit come from?” “I uhm... got it as a birthday present for you,” Kuno said with a helpless smile. “I was going to surprise you.” “Even though you know I’d never go for that?” Warden asked bluntly. Kuno frowned deeply, and then looked away, shifting uncomfortably. “I-I guess...” “Why?” Warden pressed, nudging her firmly with his nose. Kuno gave a faint sigh, and then peered at him for a long moment. “I guess... I know you’ll never accept Spitfire under normal circumstances... but I... I get a certain thrill... and ego trip, when I’ve got you quivering with desire under me, offering you something you’ve always wanted... and you’re still so adamant that you want me instead.” Warden gave a faint smile at that, leaning in to kiss her nose gently. “Well... It’s the truth.” “I know,” Kuno responded, gently nibbling at his chin. “It just... makes me feel really, really good when you say it.” “Kuno,” Warden said seriously. “Yes?” Kuno asked, her ears flattening under the fabric of the flight suit. Warden leaned forwards to kiss her firmly, wrapping his good hoof around her possessively. “I love you.”