“Congratulations, Director.” the Counselor said, taking his eyes off from his clipboard. “Another successful test.”
The Director smiled to himself briefly hearing that. All tests they’ve conducted so far ever since the team came back were successful. And that meant that they were ready for the next phase...
“How’s the status of our agents?” he asked the Counselor, looking away from the illusionist outline.
“Agent Eastin was released from the infirmary today.” the other unicorn replied. “His condition seems stable, and the doctors came to a conclusion that it was safe for him to go back to his living quarters. His body’s reactions, however, are still duller than they used to be, as is his coordination. It’s unsure when he will be again fit for duty... and considering your plans, Director, his recovery-time might be extended.”
“Leave that to me to worry about, Counselor. What of agent Los Pegasus?”
“He’s still in the infirmary. Or if you mean this precise moment, he’s at the gym. It would seem that when one of the doctors tried to stop him from leaving his bed, agent Los Pegasus threw him across the room. His body’s condition is once again stable, and all of his vitals check out, but an exertion like this could prove to be too much. Do you want me to send security to the gym and escort him back to infirmary?”
“No, leave him be.” the Director replied, and ignored the slight surprise Counselor’s gaze. “What of the other agents?”
“They’ve all been resting since they were released from the infirmary. All of their wounds have healed. As for the mental status of agents...”
Mane moaned as Clouds tongue caressed the tip of his pride.
“Oh, you like that?” she asked him teasingly, stopping her efforts. Instead, she rose up to the level of his head, and now moved her hoof up and down his business. “You know, I cannot help but wonder: how come I am serving you here, when you dropped down on the Leaderboard, while I got higher?”
The earth pony glared at her, who in turn smirked. He hated when she made fun during sex, not because it was hurtful or anything, but because that made her pause. So instead of answering, he pushed Cloud back and pounced on her, pinning her to his bed. Before the pegasus mare realized what happened, he rolled her on her belly; and with practiced ease, Mane slid into her. Cloud gasped, surprised by his brutality, but didn’t make any effort to stop him as he began to thrust his hips, resulting in sloppy sounds that could be heard across his quarters.
“Somepony’s impatient here!” Cloud commented in between moans.
“This sucks!”
Trot and Balti glanced in annoyance at Hoof, and then returned to look at the cards each of them held.
“I would hazard to guess that’s what Cloud is doing right now.” the earth pony told him, putting one card away. “Same with Filly, and Crys-”
“This is just un-bucking-believable.” Hoof continued to rant, as if he thought they cared. “The Pegasi Armada had equal number from both genders in their ranks. Equestrian Army was more or less the same, and so is the royal guard currently. Why the buck this flying piece of rock has only four mares onboard, with three being taken and the last one being my sister?!?”
“Pipe down, mate, at least you don’t get kicked out of your own room when somepony wants to rut.” Trot said absentmindedly, still feeling a bit offended on how he was forced to leave his quarters.
The room they were currently in was Balti’s and Cloud’s, as the group play cards. It didn’t do much to lift his spirits, however, as soon he began losing to Batli. Hoof was also technically playing, but the unicorn colt was far too concentrated on cursing his ‘cock-blocking fate’, as he likes to put it.
“Hey sis, how come you haven’t tried to get with somepony?” Hoof suddenly asked, stopping his previous activity - bashing his head against the floor - to look at her.
“Just because you have some sort of obsession with the opposite sex, doesn’t mean that I do too.” Balti replied briskly, putting one of her cards away with magic. “Seriously, if it weren’t for birth certificates, I would doubt that we are actually related, let alone that we’re twins.”
“Ditto on that, sis.” her brother said, picking up his cards, but without much enthusiasm. “Is it possible to for ponies’ twins to have two different fathers? That could have explained some things.”
“Your family reunions must be charming.” Trot commented.
“And besides,” Balti continued, exchanging one card for another, “the only stallions left are Trot and Los.”
…
“And?” Trot asked after ten seconds.
“Oh, sorry, was that not self-explanatory?”
The earth pony rolled his eyes, ignoring the snicker that escaped Hoof.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t think about you in that way, then.” he said, wanting to at least to make that clear. “Changing subject: I was passing by the infirmary earlier. Los went off to train in the gym.”
“Crazy pegasus.” Hoof commented, putting one card away and taking a new one. “He could at least wait until he’s fully healed.”
Los growled as he continued to lift weights. His muscles yowled in protest, but he ignored them, concentrating on the exercise.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. He knew he should be resting while his body healed. But he couldn’t just lie in bed and do nothing. That way, he would be forced to relive his battles with the Diamond Dogs. Relive his defeats...
His forelegs finally gave out, unable to bear such heavy thing in his condition. Los quickly rolled away from it, before the weights fell down, leaving cracks in the floor.
“Damn it!” he thought, voicing his displeasure with himself in a single roar.
Even before he joined Project Eclipse, he wanted to be the strongest he could be. In kindergarten, he was the first one to start fights, while at the same time defend his classmates from older bullies. Later on, he did whatever he could to increase his strength; he even took a job on a rock farm for some time. After he came to Project Eclipse, with the Augmentation Process making him even more physically strong, he was really happy. But despite all of his might, and all of his training, this... mutts’ Emperor nearly killed him, twice!
“I need to be stronger...” he thought, brushing the scar on his throat absentmindedly.
E sighed as Filly kissed him on the neck. Seeing her questioning gaze, he said: “I could barely feel that.”
Her face immediately took on a disappointed expression, as she lied next to him on his bed. E turned to her as she hugged him, her wing wrapping around his body while she rested her hooves on his chest.
The earth pony presses his lips to them while looking into her eyes. He didn’t like to see her in pain as she was now. The doctors said that in time, his nervous system should return to its previous condition once it was given enough time. The fact that he was released from infirmary was enough of a proof that all he needed right now was rest. However, that knowledge alone couldn’t make Filly feel less guilty over this.
“It’s not your fault, and you know that.” E told her.
She didn’t reply, not with words. The pegasus mare nuzzle his cheek instead, planting soft kisses now and then. Despite his lack of complete control over his body and decreased sensitivity, E tried his best returned the affection. He wrapped his hooves around her, moving them down as he kissed her-
Not for the first time, Filly’s action took him by surprise. But instead of rolling them over, so that she was on top, E realized - once his head stopped spinning - that he was the one on top. Surprised, he lifted himself up on his legs, glancing down on Filly’s body, not sure if this wasn’t some sort of mirage conjured by his mind. But no, she was there, looking at his seductively, her legs and wings at her side.
E couldn’t help but smirk at the irony of this situation. “For two years you never let me be on top, and now when I’m practically paralyzed you do?”
“I figure this will make you much more... contributed in this effort.” she said, smiling at him in a way that made him much more aware of one particular organ of his body. “I know how much you want this, to be in control...”
She let the sentence hung over them, while she stretched out. Her hind legs spread wider, with the left one moving to the other side of E’s own leg. E, unable to hold off his suddenly renewed urge, pressed down; his lips finding Filly’s without problem. As their tongues were for a moment occupied, their front hooves wrapped around each other, and they began to move their bodies. E felt his tip brushing against his marefriend’s nether lips, and in a short time, he noticed how moist they were. Not wanting to waste much time, he slightly pulled back and brought down his right hoof to help himself.
“Be gentle.” Filly instructed once the tip of his stallionhood rested right before the familiar entrance. With a sultry smile, she added: “I regenerated most of those parts recently. But who knows, maybe I’m a virgin again?”
Normally, E would ponder if such thing was possible, but as he was now, his mind barely registered ‘be gentle’. Slowly, very slowly, he pushed himself deeper-
“Okay, scratch what I said earlier.” Filly told him after few heartbeats. “Fuck me like there’s no tomorrow!”
E glanced at her briefly, to make sure she wasn’t joking, and complied.
If anypony would find themselves near their quarters, they would be able to hear screams of pure ecstasy.
Crys glared angrily at the wall of her and Cant’ quarters, still unable to believe what happened days ago.
Filly became Number One.
How could have that happen?! Why?! She was the best agent here, and the most experienced one at that! She was going on real missions years ago, when that little cunt was still doing training! Why-
“You really shouldn’t-”
“SHUT UP!” she screeched at the stallion on the other side of the room. Few sparks escaped from her horn as her anger rose. “Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do! You never cared about your position on the Leaderboard, so don’t act as if you have any idea what I’m feeling right now!”
Crys continued to stare at him, daring him to say something. Cant, however, stayed quiet. Resigned, the unicorn returned to look at the wall, wanting to continue her moping-
“Then tell me.”
Her jaw dropped slightly at the sound of this simple question.
“Tell me why this matters so much to you.” Cant continued, rising from his bed and trotting to her. “Tell me why you need to be the best.”
The unicorn looked away. She couldn’t tell him. Not this. How could she tell him?
“Is it because of your mother?”
Crys turned her head to him so fast that she felt dizzy from the motion. Ignoring it, she stated and Cant with wide eyes, unable to comprehend how he figured this out.
“H-how...?” she mumbled.
“You talk in your sleep.” he replied her unfinished question, looking at her with nothing but love and compassion. “I also noticed how you paused for a moment when you mentioned them, back before we faced that draconequus. And I might be a country bumpkin, but my family did read newspapers from time to time.”
“So...” she mumbled, not sure how to react to this, “you know that...”
“It doesn’t matter to me... Twilight Star.” she glanced up, both at the first part of his sentence, as well as sound of her real name spoken. “I love you for you. That doesn’t matter to me, and it shouldn’t matter to you as well.”
Crys looked down again, not sure what to think of any of this. Could Cant be right? Was she wrong all those years thinking that she should be the best there was because of...
… because of...
“But it does.” she finally said, her eyes, full of resolve, met his again. “It matters to me. I need to be the best. If you cannot understand that-”
What she was going to say next was cut off as her mouth became suddenly occupies with another activity. Despite her previous near-furious mood, she returned the kiss, and did not oppose Cant as he made her move back to her bed, with him following closely.
Once they both lay on the bed, the earth pony finally pulled his head back, letting them both breathe air. “I didn’t say that I don’t understand.” he told her. “I only said that... I wish you could let go. But I understand that you cannot, not now at least.”
Crys gazed into those loving orange eyes, wondering how a failure like her could possibly have such coltfriend.
“I love you.” she whispered.
“I love you, too.” Cant replied, kissing her once again.
Soon, his kissed traveled to her neck, then her chest and further down, and for this night, Twilight allowed herself to forget about everything besides the stallion between her hind legs.
“I hope you have a very good reason for waking us up, Counselor.” Filly said, with her tone spiced with a hint of threat, as E stood besides her.
If the Counselor caught that, he masked it well. Or maybe E’s perception was failing, one or the other. The brown unicorn came into their quarters shortly before the time the Canterlot’s Astral Council usually lowered the moon and raised the sun, essentially waking them both up. And while E could live with it, Filly clearly had a different opinion.
“And I would advise against this reason being that: ‘you have been chosen to undergo further Augmentation’.” she added, this time with more than a hint of threat.
“You don’t have to worry about that one, agent Fillydelphia.” the Counselor replied, still calm as ever. “The Director decided against Augmenting furthers either of you. He did, however, come up with another idea; one that you could find potentially... likeable.”
The next day after her talk with Cant, which was followed by very passionate love-making, Crystal stood in the Briefing Room. She gazed intensively at the Leaderboard, burning the image into her mind.
She had to be Number One again.
“Our next phase is ready to begin, Crystal.” the voice of the Director sounded coming from behind her. Crys lowered her gaze, waiting for what was about to come. “We will be asking you to do a great, many things.”
I wish you could let go.
“I’m ready, Sir.” she replied, ignoring the voice in her head.
“Some of these things might be... questionable.”
“What’s this... worry? That’s new...” she mused, detecting the slight change in his tone, but even despite that, she turned around at once, looking at the dark-coated unicorn, her eyes determined.
“I'll do whatever it takes. You've given me everything. I would do anything for you.”