//------------------------------//
// Promise 
// Story: Ambition Undying 
// by Vivid Syntax 
//------------------------------//


"Ugh," Noble whined as he lie back on his royalty-sized bed. He reached down and massaged his rear legs, trying desperately to make the bones stop aching. "I'm sick of these stupid growth spurts. I mean, I'm already taller than my dad. What gives?"

Onyx blew air from his lips and rolled his eyes. "Bro, quit complaining. I haven't grown in a year." Though he outwardly protested, he was thankful his height had plateaued. A constantly-changing body had wreaked havoc with sword-fighting, dancing, and even his spell-casting. Only by remaining the same size had he been able to hone his skills and calm the urges in his heart, if only temporarily.

He looked around the room. It seemed smaller than the last time he'd visited, and a lot of the furniture was different. Noble's pastel-colored dressers and tables with the cutesy hearts had been swapped out for more conservative furnishings not unlike his parents'. Everything was still made of crystals, of course. The empire had to live up to its name.

The decor was more mature, but the bed was still soft. Onyx flopped down on his back next to his friend. The cushions caught him without a sound.

Noble rubbed harder. "Yeah, but you've filled out a bunch." He held out a foreleg and examined it. "I'm still super gangly."

"Nah, you're…" Onyx turned his head. "...svelte."

Noble cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "What?"

"Svelte. It means, like…" Onyx brought a hoof to his chin, his eyes rolling up and to the side. "Lean but strong, I think. Right?"

With another groan, Noble allowed his limbs to collapse onto the bed. "Whatever."

For a long moment, the two young stallions lie there, not saying a word.

Noble cracked his neck. "What do you wanna do?"

"Anything."

"Okay."

They stared up at the mural on the ceiling: a somewhat abstract depiction of the Crystal Heart's light banishing the shadows.

"Is…" Noble's leg twitched. "Sombra still messing with you?"

Onyx's muscles tensed up, and he sucked in a large breath. He considered trying to change the subject, but when he caught sight of Noble's face, he did not see a judgmental hierarch that sought his embarrassment. He only saw a friend. "Yeah."

"Still getting worse?"

Onyx looked back up at the painting on the ceiling, the one that Cadence had commissioned after his first visit. He sighed. "Yeah. He's started commenting on random things. Pretty dark stuff. I can usually ignore him if I'm not too stressed, though." His honesty with Noble Shield always relieved and agitated at the same time. He was eager to change topics. "What's on your mind?"

Noble shrugged. "I dunno." He bit his lower lip and continued eyeing Onyx. "Mares. Like, all the time. That's normal, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I do it, too." Onyx felt a familiar heat in his chest, a desire to one-up his closest friend. He snuck a glance at Noble and spoke quickly. "One time, in Canterlot, this random mare totally touched me down there."

Noble chuckled. "Heh. On accident, right?"

Onyx felt his cheeks flush and his face scrunch up. He looked away. "Maybe…" When he started feeling hot, he drew his legs in and shrank a little. "She did touch me, though."

Noble's eyes got wider. He tipped his head up, confirmed that the door was still closed, then leaned in and whispered, "Did it feel good?"

"I…" Onyx covered his face and chuckled nervously. "I don't know. I was too scared to remember."

"You're lucky. I never get to mix with the crowds." Noble sighed. "I wonder what… it feels like."

Onyx unfurled a bit. "Well, it has to feel pretty good, right? Otherwise ponies wouldn't do it. I don't think anypony wants to have foals that badly."

"Yeah, I guess. I… just wanna know what it feels like, you know?" Silence filled the air, broken only by the light breeze that rolled in through the window and the noise of Noble Shield scratching his chest. "Hey…"

"Yeah?" Onyx looked back to his friend.

"Do you ever…" Noble's eyes darted to the hoof on his chest, which he flicked twice. He looked up at Onyx again and shrugged. "...you know."

Onyx blushed a deeper red than the tip of his horn. His voice seemed trapped in his throat.

Noble flicked his hoof two more times. "You know, like..." He flicked it yet two more times. "...you know." He blushed as well, flicking his hoof over and over in the silence. One-two. One-two. One-two.

"Uh…" Onyx looked around the room, then whispered back, "Do… you?" The back of his neck felt hot.

"Hey, I asked first!"

Onyx's eyes grew wider. For the first time in years, he wished Cadence would burst through the door. When she failed to materialize, he sucked in a deep breath and barely choked out a response. "S-sometimes."

He jumped a little when Noble let out a big sigh. "Oh thank goodness! I thought I was the only one. Ha! Ah…" When their eyes met, Noble turned away. "So…"

"Yeah?"

"Sometimes, like…" The slow pace of his speech suddenly picked up. "...every morning before your bath?" Noble grimaced and stared, unblinking, scanning Onyx's face for any sign of reaction.

The sides of Onyx's mouth crept upwards. "Yeah, and… sometimes like, every night before bed…" His voice grew sheepish and quiet. "Sometimes twice."

Noble snickered. He tried and failed to keep a straight face. "And sometimes when you lock yourself in the bathroom in the middle of the day?"

Onyx's grin spread wider, and his throat felt like it would burst. "YeaaaaAHAHAHA!!!"

"AAAAHAHAHA!!!"

The two young bucks went berserk, rolling on their backs and holding their stomachs and slapping the mattress and laughing and laughing and laughing. They laughed until their sides hurt, until they couldn't breathe and their ears rang from the noise. They laughed until their throats were sore and muscles spasmed. They calmed down, met each other's gaze, and then laughed and laughed some more.

After what seemed like hours, they lie panting and chuckling, their bodies wracked with the force of their smiles.

Onyx was the first to speak up. "Bro, that–" he snorted. "Yeah, I do it, too. Oh, holy… When I tried to ask my dad about it, he literally ran out of the room."

Noble rolled onto his stomach. "Mine, too!" He gestured the side. "And I was like, 'Dad, you're supposed to be this big hero of Equestria. It's just a… thingy.' Right?"

Onyx sat up. "You can say p-penis, bro."

Noble's eyes narrowed. "You totally stuttered."

"Did not!" Onyx smiled and punched Noble's shoulder.

Noble sat up and punched back. "Did too!"

"Well, at least I didn't call it a 'thingy.'"

"Fine." He smiled. "It feels real good, though, right?" His eyes glazed over. "Real thing's gonna be better, I bet."

"If she's hot, yeah. Hey, did your parents arrange a marriage for you?"

"Nah, they don't believe in those. I get to pick whoever I want. When I do, though, wow… That wedding's gonna be huge."

Onyx chuckled. "Heh heh. Already got it planned out?"

Noble grinned and nodded. "I've got a few ideas."

Onyx rolled his eyes. "Softy. That's why I always win at sparring."

Noble ignored that comment. "It'll be great, though! The royal weddings are always these massive parties that everypony comes to. The princesses, foreign dignitaries, music stars, the works! I don't know about the ceremony yet, but…" Noble cast his eyes downward, but his smile did not fade.

Onyx pivoted where he sat and faced his friend. He scooted a little closer. "What's up, Noble?"

"I know it's way too early to think about, but…" Noble made eye contact. "But you'll be there, right? And be my best stallion? I want you to be my best stallion."

Onyx felt his heart swell. He took a deep breath, he straightened his back, and a wide smile spread across his face. "Of course. And you'll be mine, right?"

Noble nodded. "Totally." He held out a hoof.

Onyx bumped it with his own. "You're gonna make some lucky mare very happy."

"You will, too."

Onyx flashed a toothy grin. "Of course I will. My thingy's bigger."