The filly raced through the palace entrance, the clack of her hooves ringing out in the palace halls. The guards and servants didn't take much notice of her being there, having grown used to her visiting the prince. She quickly pushed open his door and burst into the room.
Eros shrank back from the sudden intrusion. “What the... oh. Hey Aegis. What's up?”
Aegis was vibrating in place, bursting with happiness. “I did it! I did it!” Her breaths were quick and short.
Eros looked around, then turned back to her with a raised eyebrow. “Did what?”
She turned to her side showing off the shield on her flank. “I got my cutie mark!”
“Wow.” Eros pulled her into into a hug. “I told you that you would get it soon. But...” Eros stepped back. “What's it for?”
“Take another step back.”
Eros complied.
Aegis took a deep breath, and focused on channeling the magic. Just do the same thing you did before, thought Aegis. Don't force it. Just relax and let it happen. She felt the energy build up at the base of her horn and more upwards to the tip. From there, she directed out and around her, forming a thin, pink sphere surrounding her. “What do you think?”
“What is it?”
“It's a shield spell. Go ahead, try to hit it.”
Eros brought his hoof up and smack it against the shield with a thump. The magic pink sphere didn't budge, nor did Aegis – who sat in the middle of it with a giant smile.
“I was walking around earlier today when I saw this old lady crossing the street. Then suddenly, there was this out of control cart going down the street. I ran to the old lady to try to push her out of the way or something but she wouldn't budge. Then...” She motions to the shield. “This just kind of happened. The kart ran into my shield and broke apart.” In truth, it didn't entirely happen out of nowhere. She had been studying different magic spells in hopes that one of them would be her special talent, including this particular shield spell. However, her attempts to cast it never worked until that moment when another pony was in danger. “Then I ran here to show you.” Aegis looked back at her flanks again, beaming with joy and pride at the new mark.
“That's so cool, but was the mare ok?”
“Oh, her? Yeah yeah, she's fine. Hey, want to help me practice it?”
***
The two sat on opposite ends of a tennis court on the palace grounds; Eros with four tennis balls and holding a racket with his magic. “Are you sure about this?”
Aegis pointed her hoof at the prince. “Hey, you said you'd help me practice.”
“I know, I know. But –”
“No buts. Just hit the ball.”
Eros sighed and shook his head. It didn't matter to Aegis, she knew what she was doing. She stood up and concentrated on her magic. The shield had already proven strong enough to stop a cart, so of course it could stop some tennis balls. However, that isn't what this was about. Now was the time to test how quickly she could get it up. What was the point in a shield if you couldn't raise it in time?
Aegis' attention was squarely on the pink colt; no blinking, no thoughts, just staring and waiting. With an exchange of nods, the test began. Eros' magic flung the ball into the air and smacked it with the racket as he came down sending the ball straight for Aegis. Her horn crackled, the spell powering up just as the ball was hit. With a second to spare the pink shield surrounded Aegis and knocked the ball away.
I love this spell, thought Aegis. I better make sure that wasn't a fluke.
The shield collapsed, the pieces breaking up and fading into nothingness. “Ok, keep going! Hit the next one!”
Eros shook his head again, but again sent a ball flying down the court towards Aegis. Once more Aegis brought up her shield and made the ball bounce away harmlessly. With each test, Aegis' confidence grew, and a cocky smirk formed on her lips. The third ball also hit the shield and bounced back across the court.
“Yes! I master-” Smack! She stumbled back and fell over, clutching at her eye as it pulsed in pain.
“Aegis!” she heard Eros shout and his hoofsteps closing the distance between them quickly.
Aegis whimpered, and curled up, still holding her eye. “Ow ow ow ow.” Tears were streaming down from the hurt eye.
“Aegis.” Eros was standing over her now. She felt his hoof rub her shoulder. “Let me see it.”
Aegis curled into a tighter ball, not wanting to remove the hoof that covered her eye. “N-no!”
“Aegis, let me see it now.”
She finally opened her good eye and looked up at Eros. Fear and guilt were etched into his face.
“Please let me see it.” His voice was softer, more sympathetic sounding this time.
Against her body's wishes, Aegis pulled the hoof away, giving Eros a clear view of the hurt eye. In turn, he cringed. “H-how bad does it look?” she asked with a sniffle.
“This isn't good.”
Aegis went back to holding her eye and Eros helped her to her hooves. She refused to take the hoof from her eye again, leaving her with only three legs to walk on; though the prince had her lean against him as they hurried along back into the palace.
They quickly found some servants who took them to a doctor's office within the palace. A little patching up later, Aegis was sitting on the infirmary's bed. An icepack, which helped to numb the pain and reduce swelling, was being held against her eye by a cloth bandage. The pain was certainly dulled, but all it took was looking in a different direction for it to flair up again. Aegis' tail swished back and forth behind her as the anger set in. She couldn't believe that she did something as stupid as forgetting about the fourth ball.
Eros had sat next to her the whole time. She couldn't quite read what the colt's expression was, other than him being pretty upset.
“Go ahead and say it.”
Instead of the 'I told you so' that she was expecting, he sat next to her and nuzzled the non-hurt side of her face. “I'm just happy that you're alright. It was scary seeing you hurt.”
She leaned into it, needing the contact to make her feel better.
***
Years later inside of his room, a depressed Prince Eros sighed into his pillow as Aegis sat nearby.
“I said I don't want to talk about it,” mumbled the prince.
“Why not?” She jumped up onto the bed and laid down near Eros. “You were really out of it yesterday and you didn't even come to school today.”
“Aegis...” The two looked into each others eyes but Eros quickly turned the other way. “Just drop it.”
Aegis huffed. “Geez, what crawled up your butt?”
“Ok, that's just... ewww. Nothing is going to go up my butt.”
“Well, you're certainly acting like it.”
“Aegis, you wouldn't understand.”
“Of course I wouldn't understand when you won't talk to me about it.”
A heavy silence filled the room. Aegis continued staring at Eros waiting for a response and for his part, Eros seemed to be trying to avoid any further eye contact. In this particular battle of wills, Aegis came out on top. “It's because of that stupid play!” said Eros, finally speaking up.
“Play? You mean the school play?”
“Yes the school play.”
“What about it? We did get horrible roles with having to be a pair of sheep in it, but it's not that bad.”
“It's not about our roles.” Eros groaned. “Think about what the play is about.”
“A family coming together for Hearth's Warming Eve. And?”
“You really don't get it, do you?”
“Maybe I would if you'd just tell me!”
“Have you met my family?”
“Your family? Well, there is –“
Eros cut her off, “Celestia isn't really my aunt. She doesn't count.”
“Wait, she's not?”
He answered with a curt, “No.”
“Then no. I haven't.” Now that her mind was on the subject, Aegis tried to think of any moment when Eros spoke of family other than Celestia. She knew Eros didn't have any siblings or cousins. Perhaps the oddest part, she has never heard him mention his parents.
“That's because I don't have a family!” he yelled at her. After the initial outburst, Aegis could plainly see that Eros regretted raising his voice. “I'm not like you and everypony else. I don't have a family to spend Hearth's Warming with,” he added in a much calmer, almost solemn tone.
“But, how? How is that possible?”
“...it's a long story.”
“I have time.”
Eros opened his mouth but closed it without saying a word and shook his head. “You aren't going to let it rest, are you?”
Aegis gave him a determined stare. “Not until I know what happened.”
“Fine.” He sat up and settled into position, still keeping from making any eye contact with Aegis. “I was born in a town far to the south of here, near the Badlands.”
“What are the Badlands?” asked Aegis, having never heard the term before.
“It's...” He paused for moment, likely trying to figure out how to word it. “It's a dangerous area full of monsters. Stories say that there's monsters there that can turn you to stone with one glance. Ones that lure ponies to the water and drown then. Spirits that try to turn ponies against each other. Shapeshifters that take the form of loved ones and feast on your emotion, leaving you as nothing but a dried out husk.”
Thoughts of such monsters brought a shiver to Aegis' spine. “Why would anypony live near there?”
Eros shrugged. “I heard that the land around the village was really fertile. They must have thought it was worth the risk. Also, according to the legends, the monsters of the Badlands don't like going into Equestria since they know it's protected.”
“So, what happened?”
“I was born.”
A confusing statement if Aegis ever heard one. How could a pony being born be the bad thing that happened?
As if he read her mind, Eros elaborated, “You see, the stories of monsters made the ponies there really superstitious. They also valued order and predictability. If something brought chaos, surely it would attract the monsters. Then, two regular ponies married and created an alicorn...” his voice trailed off moment.
“I guess they didn't like that, huh?” asked Aegis, trying to get him to continue.
“The ponies called me a lot of bad names. They thought I was a bad omen that would bring ruin to them. Some brought up an old legend of a second princess, one that vowed to bring eternal darkness. They thought I might be the reincarnation of her. They insulted the couple that created me as well.”
The fact that Eros was avoiding calling them his parents wasn't lost on Aegis.
“They believed that the two must have made a deal with a monster... or worse, that one of them really was a monster, just disguised like a normal pony. Those two likely feared me as well. To protect themselves, they disowned me, kicking me out of their home.” Aegis saw the tears forming in Eros' eyes, and a few formed in hers as well. “One old mare took me in out of kindness. But the rest of the village hated me.”
“Eros... I'm so sorry.”
“It gets worse. You see, some ponies started disappearing from the village without a trace, including the old mare that took me in. Who do you think they blamed?”
“You?”
“I can still remember that night. A mob showed up at my home, demanding that I come out. I hid under my bed, hoping they'd just go away.” The tears were running down his cheek and the prince started shaking from the memory. “Then suddenly, the noise outside died down and I heard two ponies enter the house. Their hoofsteps sounded too heavy to be the any of the villagers. I still hid but they found me.”
“W-who was it?” asked Aegis, almost afraid of what the answer was going to be.
“A couple royal guards. They happened to be patrolling the region and the mob got their attention. They took me with them back to Canterlot and Celestia took me in. Then, about a month later, I met you.” Eros turned to her and smiled. “Aegis, I know you just want to help, but you can't. I... I just want to be alone. Please.”
Aegis nodded and walked out of the room, wiping the tears from her eyes. She knew she had to do something for Eros but she was at a loss of what it was.
She made her way home, shutting the door behind her. As she did so, a small, purple unicorn came rushing down the steps “Eros? Oh, it's you.” The smaller filly's expression turned from excitement to indifference quickly.
Not one to take sass from her little sister, Aegis placed a hoof on top of Twilight's head and rubbed it in, mussing up Twilight's mane.
“Wah! Stop it!” complained Twilight, waving around one of her front hooves in protest.
“It's good to see you too, Twiley.”
“I'm going to tell!”
Aegis laughed and stopped, earning a glare from Twilight. Twilight stuck her tongue out at her and ran back to her room.
With her mood now lightened a bit, Aegis did the same, heading to her bedroom. She jumped up and flopped down onto her bed. “Eros will probably feel better in the morning,” she said with a yawn and drifted off to sleep.
***
Morning came with its standard routine, and soon Aegis was in school. Eros entered the classroom shortly after her, and sat next to her. The normally bright alicorn had dark circles around his eyes, and without so much as a glance in her direction, he slumped down, resting his head on the desk.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“I couldn't sleep.”
“Because of...”
“Yes, because of that.”
Aegis decided to leave well enough alone while around other ponies. If she would have tried talking to him about it here and now, in front of everypony, he would have likely only snapped at her. Still, it was a subject that she wasn't just going to drop.
“Eros, are you busy after school?”
“Yes, and so are you. Remember?”
She groaned, having forgotten all about practice for the play. Because I really need to practice the line, 'baaaaaa' thought Aegis. “After practice?”
Eros shrugged. “Sure. Whatever.”
The bell rang and the teacher walked in. Class went about as expected for them. Though Eros was quieter than normal, the other students didn't seem to notice. Aegis too was more withdrawn, upset at seeing Eros in such a state.
***
“No, no, no,” said the director to the students on the makeshift stage they had setup in the gymnasium. Atop the stage there was a table and the family of characters sitting around it, none with their back to the audience area, of course. “You must say it with more feeling.” If there was one thing Aegis didn't like about the play, aside from being a sheep, it was the director. He was snooty stallion in a black sweater and a beret. Despite only being the director of a school play, he was very nitpicky and far too dedicated. “You must be the character. Now do it again.”
One of the students, who was being forced to use a crutch for his role, said the line, “Celestia bless us, everypony.”
“Better, I suppose.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Director?” asked Aegis, walking up to him.
“Hm? Oh, yes, Aegis was it? Why aren't you in costume?”
Because I don't want to dress like a sheep. “I will in a moment but first, has Eros shown up?”
The director grunted and shook his head. “His majesty,” the scorn in the way he said that came through loud and clear, “must have decided that he had better things to do than to show up for practice.”
It's not like we need a ton of practice to go 'baa' on cue. Aegis had some rather choice words for the director but bit them back. “T-thanks. I'll get into costume now.”
Despite her objections, she was happy about one part of her role; she could sit to the side and be ignored by the director. It just sucked to do that while dressed like a farm animal.
***
After dealing with the play, Aegis wasn't in the best of moods, but didn't want to delay things even more. She trotted from the school to the palace and was allowed in without question – one of the perks of being a known friend to royalty. She went straight to Eros' room and knocked.
“I know you're in there. Can we talk? Please?”
“Aegis, I –”
“No. Do not tell me to go away! This is important.”
“...” After a moment a silence, she finally heard a voice from the other side. “The door's open.”
She turned the knob and pushed it open to see Eros sitting in his bed looking miserable. “I guess I don't have to ask why you skipped practice, huh?”
“Is that why you came here?”
There was a part of Aegis that was ready to tell Eros off for lashing out at her, but she kept it in check. “No. This is.” She hopped up onto his bed, and just like he had done for her years ago, she pulled Eros into a hug. He didn't hug her back, but he didn't fight it either. He just sat there, leaning against her. “I get it. I mean, ok, I don't get it. Not fully. I can't imagine how you feel right now. But I get that it hurts. Just, please stop trying to do this alone. Let me help you.”
She felt his trembling hoof move up her back, as well as his face pressing into her shoulder, followed by feeling his tears run down her shoulder. Eros didn't say anything, or make much noise; he just cried in silence – even after his tears ran out, he kept crying. It took Aegis awhile to realize that Eros had cried himself to sleep on her. While she may have liked that he wasn't holding it in anymore, Aegis hated that this was all she could do for him. But if this is what he needed, then she'd be there for him every time. Knowing that he probably really needed a good sleep, she was extra gentle in laying him down onto the bed. Aegis didn't want to leave him alone quite yet, so she laid down as well, drifting off into slumber.
As consciousness returned to her, she felt something warm pressed against her back. With a little squirm and a look to her side, she saw what it was: Eros with his head and one foreleg on her, essentially using her as a pillow. The act brought a blush to her face. Aegis wasn't sure how she'd describe what it made her feel, other than that it felt good to be this close to him.
***
Things went smoothly for the pair of friends over the next few years. Eventually Twilight moved into the palace as Celestia's personal student, much to the delight of both of them – at first anyways. It had started during her studies leading up to the exam, where Twilight cast off any socializing for the sake of studying. Her days started with a book in her hooves and they ended with a book in her hooves. Now, she stayed holed up in that tower, barely speaking to anypony aside from Princess Celestia and a young dragon, Spike.
In another part of the palace, Aegis and Eros were laying in his bed again. “I'm just worried about her, that's all,” said Aegis.
Eros, “I know, I know. I'm worried too, but we just have to trust Auntie Celestia. If anypony can get Twilight to open up, it's her.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right. Also, one other question.”
“Yes, Aegis?”
“Must you use me as a pillow?”
He squeezed and nuzzled into Aegis' back. “But you're so soft and warm.”
Their displays of physical affection had grown over the years since that first hug that Eros gave Aegis. Though it really took off after Aegis consoled Eros that one Hearth Warming season.
Aegis grumbled but made no further protests.
***
Back at school, everypony was gearing up for another school dance. Posters for it were around every corner and in every classroom. Aegis and Eros had a tradition of going together to the bigger events – as friends, of course – and choosing to skip the smaller ones. As far as Aegis was concerned, this was one of the smaller ones. She sat in the classroom as the final minutes of the school day trying to think of something they could do that night instead. She didn't want to just hang out at the palace again. The last time they did that during a dance, Eros seemed bored.
There's always playing a game or two, thought Aegis. She owned plenty of boardgames since Twilight liked playing them with her when they were younger. Then again, Eros can be a sore loser at times. There are some new comics and books we could read together. Could always take a carriage ride over Equestria. Nah, being in the air probably isn't anything special to him anymore, now that he's gotten to be a better flyer. Maybe we should check out a restaurant we haven't been to before.
Any further consideration would have to wait as the bell sounded.
“Are we hanging out today?” asked Eros.
“Yeah. I got nothing better to do,” she answered as she stood up and stretched out her legs. Aegis took the lead as the two walked down the hall of the high school, passing by the other students. Just as they turned a corner, Aegis slipped. In an effort to save her, Eros grabbed her tail, but the effort ended in failure. It simply made her fall straight down onto her stomach instead of falling forward. To top it off, the base of her tail now hurt a little from being pulled it like that. Naturally, this would be the time that a group of students would turn the corner.
“And then she... Uh...” The mare speaking stopped lost track of her sentence. Aegis turned her head back to see a them getting stared at in silent shock.
What's up with them? she wondered. After all, it was only Eros standing over her... with her tail in his mouth... holding it up... Aegis tensed up and she felt her cheeks get warm at the realization of what this must look like to them.
Eros spat out her tail. “Not what it looks like! Not what it looks like!” he said, pleading their case.
The group giggled and walked away. Real mature, thought Aegis. She moved one of her forelegs, immediately discovering what had caused the fall: the floor being wet. On cue, over walked the janitor to put up the warning sign. Aegis continued to lay there, letting the annoyance and embarrassment at what just happened simmer within, until Eros' magic lifted her up to her hooves.
She stared back at him. “Why didn't you do that the first time instead of grabbing my tail?”
“I panicked, ok? I didn't think, I just reacted.”
Aegis turned away and started trotting off.
“You aren't mad because of what just happened, are you?”
“Let's just go.”
Just as they were walking out the door, a filly that Aegis only vaguely recognized walked up to them. She had seen the filly around school from time to time, but didn't really remember her name.
“E-excuse me, Eros?” asked the filly, obviously nervous.
“Yes?”
The filly stammered a bit more before finally finding her tongue, “Well, you know that the dance is coming up soon, right?”
Eros nodded in response. A knot slowly began forming in Aegis' stomach since she knew what had to be coming next and didn't like it one bit. Come on Eros, just turn her down nicely and let's go, thought Aegis.
“Yeah, I know about it. Why?” Aegis wasn't sure if he was just playing oblivious or if he really didn't see what was happening. Wouldn't be the first time the goof didn't notice something.
“Well, if you don't already have a date,” as she continued speaking her voice got smaller until it completely petered out out the end, “I was hoping you'd consider going with me...”
The answer is no.
Eros nonchalantly answered with, “I've had a couple girls ask me, so I'll have to think about it.”
WHAT? Aegis' mind went blank trying to process that. He didn't tell me about this! She looked back and forth between the two, trying to picture Eros with the filly, or any other filly – the thought bringing a scowl to her face and tightening the knot that had once been her stomach. He's not supposed to be with other girls. He's just not. Eros is supposed to be... She wasn't sure how to finish that thought, only that it was wrong for Eros to show that kind of attention to other girls.
“Oh, um, thanks for thinking about it,” said the mare, shyly, before trotting off.
“Ugh. I swear, I've been asked out like each of the last three days,” said Eros, adding a chuckle at the end. “Oh well, I'll figure out who to take. So Aegis, are we hanging out at your house or the palace?” Aegis glared at him. “Aegis?”
“If you wanted to go to the dance, why didn't you just ask me?” she growled.
“Because I know you don't like them.” He reached out to her, trying to get Aegis to relax, but she refused to.
“Tell you what, why don't I just go home and let you 'hangout' with one of your girlfriends?” She walked away, leaving a stunned Eros behind.
“What was that all about,” she heard from behind her. Aegis picked up her pace until she was running home to get away from Eros.
She sped through the front door and ran up the stairs, only taking a moment to stop and catch her breath when she was safely locked away inside of her bedroom. Aegis tried calming herself as she sat there with her back against the door, questioning what had happened. What is wrong with me? wondered Aegis. I acted like a jerk back there.
She forced herself back up to her hooves and over to her bed, both her head and tail lifelessly hanging down for the few steps it took to reach the mattress. Getting up onto it, she stretched out and went limp, thinking things over.
So what if Eros goes on a date with a girl? That's not a bad thing, right? Despite trying to play it off as nothing, the thought was almost painful. A different mare asking him each day... What do they even see in him. Ok, so yeah, he's really handsome, and has a great mane. Yeah his smile can light up a room. Yeah it feels amazing when he touches m-WHOA! She jumped up to a sitting position, her eyes going wide. Where did that come from? She rubbed her temple, trying to clear her head. Fine, if Eros wants to go to dance, I'll just take him myself. Problem solved.
***
Unless, of course, there weren't anymore tickets left.
“What do you mean you're sold out?” asked a shocked Aegis to the two stallions selling the tickets during her lunch period.
“Well, it's not like they can fit everypony into the gym at once.”
“I know but this isn't like it's prom or anything. They shouldn't have sold out already.”
“We're sorry Aegis, but that's it. It really is sold out.”
Aegis stomped a hoof down before walking away. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Eros sitting at a table with a couple fillies. He waved, but she didn't respond. Instead she went to an empty table and ate alone, occasionally grumbling about Eros while doing so.
***
After school ended, she again ignored any attempt Eros made to talk to her and quickly walked home, going straight to her room, and curling up on her bed. The worst feeling of all being that she didn't understand why she was so angry and sad about everything that had happened. Eros was right that she didn't care for dances. It made total sense that if he wanted to go, he'd have to go with another girl. So, why did it hurt so much for her to actually picture him doing that?
A soft knock came from the door. “Are you ok dear?”
“I'm fine mom.” Her voice was listless, with no strength behind it.
The door opened and her mother, Twilight Velvet, stuck her head into the room. “Aegis, you sulked all of yesterday and didn't eat dinner. Now, you come straight home from school and sulk again. I'll ask again, are you ok?”
Aegis sat up and opened her mouth to say some retort about how it's nothing, but couldn't bring herself to lie like that – not with the way she's feeling. She shook her head and flopped back down. “No, I'm not.”
Velvet sat next to Aegis, and stroked her mane. She'd be lying if she said that it didn't make her feel a little better. “What's wrong? Did something happen at school?”
“I don't know. I wish I did. It's driving me insane! But I don't know what's wrong.” Her breaths quickened as she spoke for the first time about it in front of another, actually showing how much the situation was getting to her.
“Shh, shh, it's ok dear. Just take a deep breath and think back to what started it.”
Aegis sniffled before answering, “Well, it happened at school. This girl asked out Eros and ever since I've been acting like a jerk to him and getting upset over everything.”
“Ooooooh, I see what it is,” said Twilight Velvet with a giggle.
“Y-you do?”
“When you think about Eros, what do you feel?”
“Well...” She pictured Eros in her head with that cute smile he has, feeling herself smile at the image. “Happy. It makes me feel really nice.”
“Dear, have you considered that maybe you like him in a different way than you did before?”
Aegis tilted her head, looking up at her mother curiously. “Different way? Like what?”
“Well, to put it bluntly, you're attracted to him. Like how I'm attracted to your father.”
“WHAT?” Aegis recoiled, surprised that her mother would even say such a thing. “It's not like that! Eros and I are just friends.”
“Then why does it bother you to think of him with another girl?”
“It... it...” Aegis fumbled through her words, trying to come up with any other explanation.
Her mother just smiled at her. “Ok, just do this for me, imagine how it'd feel if he kissed you.”
Aegis' cheeks went hot and her heart quickened its beat. In spite of her best efforts to fight against it, thinking of his lips pressed against hers brought a smile to her face, causing her to hide it behind her hooves. “Dang it, I do like him!” she whined.
“Now comes the important part.”
“W-what's that?” Aegis was busy trying to push the image out of her mind and calming herself.
“Telling him.”
“I don't have a choice in that, do I?”
“It's either that or keep feeling miserable.”
“But... what if he only thinks of me as a friend?”
“That's definitely a possibility, but do you want to just keep pining for him without ever knowing how he feels?”
“...no.”
“The truth is, yes, this could go wrong. He might not feel the same way about you that you feel about him.” Aegis hung her head in silence. “But, if you want a relationship, you'll just have to risk it.”
“I guess.”
After a moment of them sitting there, Twilight Velvet motioned towards the door. “What are you waiting for?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.” She nudged Aegis towards the edge of the bed. “Get it done and over with so you don't try to overthink on how to do it.”
“Fiiiiiine.”
She jumped down off of it and headed out her door, hearing, “My little girl is growing up,” behind her. Aegis groaned at the maternal display.
***
With every step Aegis took towards Eros' bedroom, she felt her stomach being constricted, like the anxiety was a snake wrapped around her torso trying to squeeze out her will to go forward. She didn't let it stop her as she went down the palace hall. Just knock, open the door, and tell him how I feel. That's all I have to do, and then it'll be over, she kept reminding herself.
Finally she reached it, the door looking more imposing than she remembered. Swallowing down any doubts, she reached up and softly knocked on it. No answer. “Oh come on, be home,” she grumbled. Again, she knocked, this time without any softness.
“Excuse me, are you here to see the young master?” she heard a voice say. Aegis turned to see one of the maids standing just down the hall.
“Yes. Is Eros not home?”
“Sorry, but he went out earlier with a young girl from school. He shouldn't be too much longer getting home.”
“Is it ok if I stay here to wait?” The maid nodded and got back to work. Aegis opened the door, went in, and closed it behind her.
So, how am I going do it? The various scenarios played out in her head. Oh Eros, you're so handsome and I love you! Er, no. That sounds stupid. Um... Eros, it has come to my attention that I have an attraction for you. Ugh, that was worse than the last one. Eros, be my boyfriend. That one could work, but I don't want it to sound like an order.
A little time and many scenarios later, Aegis heard somepony touching the door from the other side. Just stick to the plan.
The door opened, revealing Eros on the other side. “Aegis? What ar-MMPH!”
She cut off whatever it was that he was going to say when she stepped forward and kissed him. Closing her eyes, Aegis indulged in the feeling and his taste. She heard the pomf sound of his wings springing up. “Welcome home, Eros.”
“I, what, you, why, how... what?” he stammered. Eros' wings were still standing on end. In fact, his whole body was stiff and unmoving. He looked as though his mind had just been broken.
What started as a chortle quickly grew. Aegis did her best to hold it back, believing that this wasn't the time to laugh, but it came out anyways, she was laughing loudly at the prince's reaction. “Dude, thank you so much for that. Ha! You have no idea how nervous I was, but that was priceless. Oh Celestia, you should see the look on your face!”
He began to regain his composure, but still looked utterly confused. “W-would you please tell me what's going on? What was that?”
“Ok, ok, I think I'm good now.” She giggled a couple more times, getting the last of it out of her system. “Before anything else, Eros, I'm sorry I acted like a jerk before. You didn't do anything wrong and you didn't deserve it. It was all me being an idiot.”
He waved off her concern. “It's fine, really. I just wanted to know what was wrong with you. I'm still wondering that. Are you feeling alright?”
“Better than I have been in a while. Eros, I like you. Not friend like, girlfriend like. That's why I got angry about you actually thinking about going with some other girl to the dance.” She sighed in relief. “You know, that was a lot easier to say than I thought it was going to be.”
“You, um, like me?”
“...yeah, I do.”
“Oh.”
Silence. Worse, awkward silence. Not wanting to let it continue, Aegis spoke up, “So...”
“I don't know. What are we supposed to do now?”
“How do you not know what to do next?”
“How would I know?”
“This is supposed to be your special talent right?”
“That doesn't mean I know how to handle my best friend liking me.”
“Well, do you like me back?”
“Maybe?”
“What do you mean maybe?”
“I never thought about it.”
“Now you are. Did you like the kiss?”
“Yes.”
“Then you probably do like me. Right?”
“I guess that's how it works.”
“Then it's settled, we like each other.” She stepped forward, kissing him again – this time, he kissed back.
“I'm definitely going to like that part.”
***
As time passed, the two kept growing closer. Being a teen added in the fact that their newly discovered sex drives were constantly in flux; thus leading to incidents where their thoughts were largely hormone driven. On more than one occasion Aegis went home early, coming up with some excuse as to why, when she felt the need to find a release – usually through a cold shower, though there were a couple times she attempted to handle it with her hoof. The latter would just leave her more frustrated as she couldn't figure out just the right movements to make herself cum. She would either then take a cold shower or just lingered there in a heap of sexual tension.
There were a couple times where Aegis really got her buttons pushed. The first prime example came from something as simple as visiting Eros. Everything was going normally up till she got to his door, for when she did, she heard a couple grunts coming from the other side. Thinking nothing of it, she opened the door without knocking – a common enough occurrence for them when checking in on one another – and saw something that would be forever etched into the her mind: Eros, on his back, penis fully extended going up his stomach and chest, his hooves on either side of it, and his face is mid-moan. The two – being inexperienced in anything like this – did the only thing their bodies allowed them to, completely freeze and stare at each other in state of horror and, to some degree, lust. While he seemed to be staring at her face, she had her eyes fixed on his member sitting between his hooves. When she regained a bit of composure, Aegis slowly backed out. “I gotta go!” One sprint later, she was back in her room, this being one of those times when she was left in a heap of sexual tension.
The other of the biggest moments was also when Aegis physically matured into a mare – i.e. her first time coming into season. She awoke from a rather interesting dream involving Eros, to find that she was, for lack of a better term, leaking. “I feel weird,” she mumbled, still half asleep. She shifted back and forth, furrowing her brow. “And why am I wet?” she asked herself as she fully woke up. Spinning over to her back, she yanked the blanket off of her, and got a full whiff of her scent. Just to confirm the suspicion of what this could be, she leaned forward getting a good look at her vagina. Yep, it was soaked and on the puffy side. She flopped back down, the back of her head hitting the pillow. The filly, or perhaps now would be a good time to call her a mare, groaned in displeasure, being somewhat repulsed by her body's actions. “Ugh, why me? Why now?”
Later that day, a knock at her door caught her attention. “Hello? Aegis?”
“Don't open the door!” she quickly shouted, not even giving Eros the chance of walking in.
“Alright, I won't. I just wanted to see why you missed school.”
“...I don't w-”
“Aegis, you know what happens when one of us says that. Just tell me what's wrong.”
She groaned again. Every word she heard from him sent a shiver through her body and left her brain reminding her what a perfect mate he'd be. “I'm... I'm in heat.” The embarrassment was palpable in her voice.
“Oh, um, that would explain the smell.”
“You can smell it out there?!?”
“Yeah, but only a little. And it's not a bad sm-”
“Stop! Just stop.” Aegis wished she could just seal off her room completely until she went out of season. After a minute or so, she realized that she never heard Eros walk away. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I figured you could use the company.”
It did make her feel better having Eros nearby. However, it also made her feel better in the wrong way, since as long as he was there, she couldn't get her mind off of dirty thoughts involving him. That being said, Aegis didn't have the heart to tell him to just go away. “Alright, you can stay, but don't come in here. Got it?”
Eros spent hours there talking to her about random subjects ranging from what happened at school to events in the palace. She was grateful for the company and to not have to deal with this alone. It was also what made her decide that maybe it was time to go all way with Eros – after her body cooled down, of course.
***
Her heat cycle came and mercifully passed, letting Aegis return to normal. Even out of her hormone driven state, she still wanted to have sex with Eros. It seemed like the next step for their relationship, and she wanted to do it for him. A new way for her to show her love for him. There was only one thing she needed to do first: talk to a more experienced pony. That pony happened to be standing in her doorway right this moment.
“What did you want to talk about, dear?” asked her mother.
Aegis steadied herself, knowing that this was going to be uncomfortable but it had to be done. Just remember, when this is over, you get to go see Eros and... She brushed the thought off, not wanting to get worked up yet. “Mom, I want to know what...” The rest was a incomprehensible combination of mumbling and squeaking.
“What was that?” Twilight Velvet stepped closer.
“I said, I want to know what...” Again with the mumbling.
“Aegis, you're going to have to speak up.”
Aegis sighed and steeled her nerves, looking her mother square in the eye. “I want to know what it's like when you have sex for the first time.”
“...oh. I-I think I hear the laundry calling.”
“Mom!”
“Sorry, sorry. Heh. If your grandmother was here, she'd be laughing her tail off at this. 'This is just as awkward for me as it is you, and someday, you'll learn that to be true,' she told me when we had the talk. Oh, I'm rambling aren't I.”
“A little,” responded Aegis. “And I really don't want to think about grandma while talking about sex.”
Her mother laughed. “Fair enough.” She sat down next to Aegis. “So, what is it that you want to know?”
“I guess, how does it feel?”
“Painful.”
“What?” Aegis tilted her head, not really understanding what her mother meant.
“There's this part inside of you that gets stretched out the first time you get rutted. It's also not uncommon for there to be a little bleeding involved.”
Aegis closed her back legs, holding them together tightly. The idea of letting Eros penetrate her was now sounding less appealing.
Twilight Velvet smiled at her. “I'm not saying it won't feel good the first time. It still might. And even if it doesn't feel good physically, it might feel good emotionally, if you're with the right pony. Understand?'
“I think so.”
“What's most important is that you pick a nice pony who cares about you. And I think you have.”
“Thanks mom.”
“Dear, since I know we probably aren't going to have this talk again, is there anything else you want to know? Anything at all?”
“Well...” Aegis debated whether or not should she mention the other problem she's been having or just figure that out herself. Screw it, I'll just say it. “I have a really hard time m-masturbating. I can't seem to figure it out.” I can not believe I just said that to my mother.
“Ahem,” she coughed in surprise. “Well dear, that isn't that unusual. It takes time for you to learn the ins and outs of your body. Just keep trying and you'll get it. Also, if you've found out that there's something that helps you get into the mood, just tell him.”
Aegis nodded. “I will mom. Um, thanks for just being honest and not using nicknames for parts.”
"No problem." The two hugged. Remaining that way for several seconds.
"Mom?" Aegis asked after a bit.
"Yes?" Came the reply.
"Can I pretend I didn't just ask you such embarrassing things?"
A soft giggle was her response. "Of course dear."
***
After the talk, Aegis immediately headed for the palace. Now that she knew what to expect, she didn't want wait another moment. Proceeding to his door, Aegis knocked – she had learned her lesson.
“It's open.”
Aegis walked in to see Eros talking to two earth pony maids that didn't seem any older than Eros and her were. Moreover, they looked to be twins.
“That'll be all ladies.” The two curtsied to Eros and then to Aegis before walking out of the room.
“What was that all about?”
“Hm?” He arched up an eyebrow at the comment. “You mean them? That's Spic and Span. They just started today and Auntie Celestia thought it'd be a good idea to make them my personal attendants. Why?”
“Your own personal, female attendants. No, that's just great.” There was an unhappy edge to her voice.
“Aegis, you aren't going to get jealous, are you?”
“No, no. What girlfriend wouldn't like having her boyfriend being taken care of by twins in maid uniforms. Really, would it have been that hard for you to have had a male servant?”
“He wouldn't have fit in the maid outfit. Well... I suppose we could have made alterations to it.”
“Hardy har, you know what I meant.”
“Aegis, let's put it this way, the reason you don't like me having a couple personal maids our age would still be a problem if I had a personal butler our age.”
“That... Wait, what do you mean?”
Eros facehoofed. “What I mean is that I like stallions too. So, yes, what you're worried about would be possible with a butler as well.”
“Wow, um, I didn't see that coming.” In all the years that she's known him, Aegis had never even considered that Eros swung both ways. So, maybe he wasn't exactly the standard manly-man, but he didn't seem to have anything that would suggest that he would like kissing other stallions... The image of which just forced itself into the forefront of Aegis' mind, bringing a small smile to her.
“Aegis? Are you... are you picturing me with another stallion?”
“No!”
He didn't say anything back, making it apparent that he didn't buy her response.
“Maybe. Yes. I'm a horny teenaged girl, what did you expect?”
“Um, horny?”
“Er, right. That's what I came over to talk to you about...” Once more deciding to go the direct route, “Wanna have sex?”
And up goes the wings. “A-are you sure?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Moments later, they're on the bed with Eros mounting her. “Ok, push it in.”
He nodded and did so. His tip pressed into her slit, getting a little deeper when, “Ah! Ow! Damn it, ow!” Eros quickly pulled back out.
“What happened?” he asked, both surprised and worried over her sudden pain.
“That's normal, ok. It hurts for mares their first time. Just keep going, I'll be fine.”
“If you say so.”
He thrust back into her, bringing the same reaction, and again she urged him to just keep going. The whole time she muttered, “Ow,” under her breath and between grunts. After several more thrusts, the pain was started to give way, and she looked forward to being able to enjoy getting rutted, only to then feel his hot seed being shot into her. No, not now! Eros pulled out and they both flopped down onto the bed. Neither of them were particularly happy with how it went.
Their first time wasn't sexy, it wasn't romantic, and it wasn't perfect, like Aegis had wanted it. It was quick, dirty, and painful. Now came the only thing more awkward than the bad sex itself: talking about it.
“Well, that sucked.”
“A bit. Guess it wasn't what you imagined huh?”
“Not even close. What about you? Did you at least enjoy it?”
“I couldn't enjoy it that much since I knew it was hurting you.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Eros put his wing over her and kissed her cheek. “You know what that means don't you?”
“What's that?”
“That we'll just have to do a lot of practicing until we are good at it. And hey, it won't be painful for you anymore.”
For the first time since it started, she smiled. “You're right, it won't.” Aegis leaned into him, snuggling against her prince. Despite it not being anything like how she imagined, she still was happy to have done it and gotten it over with. More importantly, she got to lose her virginity to a great stallion that she loved. That made this moment worth the pain leading up to it.
Aegis spent the night with Eros and returned home in the morning to find a brown paper bag and a note. The note read: I think this might help you out. Love Mom. PS: Try to keep it out of sight, like in a drawer or something.
“Help me?” She peeked into the bag, only to quickly close it again as her entire face went red. “O-oh...”