While Moondancer and Sugar were tending to one another, and the rest of the serving maids were picking up the pieces of their most recent… acquisition, said acquisition was…
“Aww, don’t tell me you’re done already?” Two-Step whined as she stroked his chest. “Come on big guy, is that all you got?”
“Hey, normally I’m the one asking that,” Jonathan fired back, rotating his claws that were firmly attached to the headboard via hoofcuffs. “An’ normally, I’m the one in charge as well.”
“Well, life throws curve-balls on occasions,” Two purred as she rubbed his chest. “And you came to us, so you play by our rules here.” She giggled as she nipped at his neck. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining. So I must be doing something you like~”
“Yeah, you kept up with me pretty nicely,” Jonathan admitted. “Most mares can’t outlast me. Makin’ me wonder how you did.”
“Oh, I’m just a very special mare,” Two-Step hummed as someone knocked on her door. “Yes? I’m a little busy here.”
“Just letting you know that Miss Moondancer has returned,” a voice called out and Two sighed with relief. Well it was about time, maybe now her mother would stop pouting all over the place.
“Thankyou, oh, and bring me a bottle of Mood Setter would you, someone here needs a little pick-me-up~”
“On it,” the voice said before it retreated.
“This stuff isn’t some sorta illegal stimulant, is it?” Jonathan asked, having picked up on what it likely did by context.
“Oh heavens no, Two-Step replied. “We would never do something like that. It’s just the latest in a new trend on infusing drinks with emotional magic. A changeling technique or so I’m told. I don’t know all the details. But it’s a drink that is both delicious and gives your libido a little jumpstart~”
“Fascinatin’,” Jonathan said as he rattled his bindings again. “Mind unchainin’ me so I can have some for myself?”
“And let you loose now?” she purred. “I’m not silly Mr. Jonothan. No, I think I’ll have you as my toy for a little while longer yet.”
“Joy,” the bird said with as much sarcasm as possible. There was a knock on the door, the serving-maid had returned with the bottle.
“Ah, here we are,” Two hummed as she pulled both the bottle and the maid closer with her magic. “Now, how about you be a dear and serve the good griffon his drink hmm?”
“I can do that,” the maid said, glad to be getting some manner of vengeance on the griffon that had gone through half of them before Sugar had gotten involved. She poured the drink out, discreetly charging it with just a little extra lust once it was in the glass. “Open wide~” she sang.
“You both are enjoyin’ this way too much,” Jonathan muttered before simply opening his beak and drinking the stuff the mare poured into it.
“Perhaps a little, but you reap what you sow Mr. Jonothan,” Two replied as she sipped her own drink and hummed at the taste. She leaned over and trailed a hoof down the maid’s back. “Hmm, perhaps I should have a little snack while the birdy recharges~”
“Please miss Step,” the maid said, shivering a little at the touch. “We’re all still dreadfully full after having tried to deal with your guest…”
“Oh alright,” Step hummed and placed a few kisses along her ear. “But only because you’re so cute. Would you mind fetching me the key for these cuffs though? I suppose I can’t leave him tied up all day…”
“Oh, I’m certain you could, but variety is the spice of life,” the maid agreed. “What sort of replacement bindings would you like?”
“Replacement?” Jon asked with a hint of fear. She...wouldn’t keep him all day, would she?
“Hmm, the ones for adolescent dragons are always fun, as are the anti-magic silk wraps for unicorns…” Two-Step hummed and closed her eyes. “Hmm, why don’t you surprise me?”
“I can do that,” the maid said with a giggle before leaving the bottle behind. The ones for minotaurs hadn’t seen much use, and should be more than strong enough to hold him…
“You’re really gonna do this,” Jonathan said with a defeated air. “You’re actually gonna try and keep me here.”
“Oh, I could if I wanted to, but that’s all kinds of illegal, regardless of whether you’d agree to it or not.” Two-Step hummed as she swallowed another mouthful of wine. “If you truly want to leave, then I have no objections…”
“I’m jus’ not used to bein’ tied down,” the black-feathered griffon said before rattling his bindings again. “In any sense. I’m much more of a free spirit, an’ I do my best work when I can move too.”
“Well, the maids certainly can attest to that,” Step hummed as she waited for the maid to return. “Perhaps if you can convince me, I’ll consider making you more of a ‘free-range’ meal~”
“I’ve spent most of my years traveling between cities, wooing mares and showin’ them my magic touch,” the griffon said, before smirking. “One time, I got a mare to finish with just one touch.”
“Either you are exaggerating, or she was woefully inexperienced,” Two-Step replied with a small huff. “You’ll find that I’m not so easily taken, as the last half-dozen rounds have proven~”
“Oh clearly not,” the griffon responded. “But I’m willing to bet that fifteen minutes under my claws will have you begging for another round, with me in charge this time.”
“Alright, fifteen minutes hmm?” Two-Step smiled and leaned in close. “And if you can’t live up to that, then you get to be my toy until sunrise~”
“As long as you agree to actually let me go, I can agree to that,” Jonathan said just as the maid came back with a set of really sturdy looking straps and buckles.
“The set for minotaurs, adjusted for our friend here,” she said before depositing it gently on the ground.
Two-Step purred and licked her lips. “Ah, very nice. I believe I approve of this quite a bit.” She looked at the maid and smiled. “Now I have one more job for you,” she said as her magic flared again as Jon’s bindings came off. “I need you to keep time, and let me know when fifteen minutes is up… starting, now.”
The maid merely nodded and pulled a watch out of...somewhere, while Jonathan rubbed his wrists to make sure they were still working properly for a moment or two. Then he realized that he was being timed, and went to work.
It started off like any other massage he would give one of his clients. Innocuous. Innocent, even. And then he trailed a claw down her spine when he went from her shoulders to her back, pressing a few points along the way.
“Hmm, not bad,” she hummed. It was a good thing that she used an actual transformation this time, or else she’d have not gotten much out of this. “Still, do you think slow and steady will win you this race?”
“I am only getting started,” the griffon said as he finished up with her back, making sure to grope her flanks once for good measure, before starting on her hindlegs. A few minutes had already gone by, and he would need to be quick and perhaps not so discreet in what he was doing. He still did his best to disguise hitting the points, but rushed as he was, he couldn’t hide everything.
“Ohh, somebody knows their pressure point techniques,” Two moaned a little. It did feel good, but that this rate, he was going to lose before she was barely luke-warm. The massage still felt good though.
That was when he went from her hind legs to her front legs, not coincidentally hitting more than a few points along her sides as he trailed his claws over her form. Hey, all you had to do was know what to look for and have a good memory, and you could find pleasure points everywhere. And he picked up his massage/molestation again as he worked over her front legs, humming happily as he did.
“Ohh, not too bad,” she remarked. Still, her transformations weren’t perfect, so a few times he’d aimed at a point that simply wasn't there. She may have been unicorn on the outside, but she was still changeling on the inside. “What’s the time little cutie~?”
“Nine minutes, thirty seconds,” the maid answered. Jonathan grunted and stepped his game up a notch, no longer trying to disguise or hide what he was doing. Now he was all after making this mare want him in five and a half minutes. And he knew exactly how he was going to do that.
He finished up with her forelegs before running his claws over her ribcage again, hitting a point here or there...before he went for the few points he knew every mare liked. One was having her mane tugged, but that was more for during or after. The other?
About six inches up the spine from the tail base, there was a point that, if he pressed it just right...like so. It got any mare riled up if they were already in the mood. Two-Step gave off a lewd moan as she twitched a little under that touch. Ohh, perhaps he did know what he was doing.
“Ohh, someone’s desperate to win our little game,” she purred. “But, I believe that there were no rules about me playing fair either~” She turned and winked at the maid. “Care to run some interference dear?”
“I could, but I recall what he did to me the last time I tried that,” the maid said, enjoying now the scene of miss Two-Step getting her own. “Twelve minutes, by the way.”
Jonathan smirked before pushing another spot that most mares had, what he’d dubbed a warming spot halfway between the first and their tails. “Mus’ feel bad when the help turns against you,” he commented.
“Ohh, she is going to be thoroughly punished later,” Two-Step replied, shooting a small glare to the maid. “Perhaps I’ll even employ a certain bat to assist with that.”
“You are of course assuming that your current lover doesn’t show you up, madame,” the maid replied, even as Jonathan went for her spine, tapping along it for points that sometimes were also warming ones.
“S-Such disobedience,” Step muttered, clenching her jaw to try and fight off the oncoming emotions. “And you are close Mr. Jonothan. I’d best hurry.”
“Oh, well with that,” he said, before touching one claw to the base of her tail. “I win.” And then massaged the thing so that it was pulled in all sorts of directions. If she hadn’t been all warmed up and hot and bothered, this wouldn’t have worked. And normally he’d put off doing this, but he was on a time limit. She gave off another moan and shuddered. Okay, what the hell was that and where had that snuck up from?
“T-Time?” she gasped, being rather caught off guard by that.
“Fourteen thirty,” the maid said, and Jonathan explained while he continued to play with her tail.
“See, the tail’s connected to your central nervous system, and if it’s in a state of arousal and sensitivity, doing this,” he said, massaging the base and jerking it to the right a little. “Sorta reminds your whole body that you’ve been teased. I don’t use this trick all that often, but it’s fun when I do.”
“That has, got to be cheating,” Two-Step moaned, both in defeat and arousal. “But a deal is a deal after all. So you’re free to go if you want.”
“Oh, who said I was going anywhere?” the griffon asked. “I got you all warmed up, after all...it’d be irresponsible of me if I didn’t...finish the job.”
“And on that note, I am leaving again,” the maid said as she turned tail and left.
“Deserter!” Two-Step called out. “Well, I guess this isn’t so bad. So,” she turned and licked her lips. “Round seven then?”
“I can go for that,” the griffon purred as he finally got to enjoy a tumble with this mare with his claws free…
After her talk with Scope, Midnight decided to head out and take a walk around the city. She’d left the nymph at the mercy of her little cousin… why she was even still there was anypony’s guess, but Sun was pretty harmless.
The thestral waved to a few ponies that greeted her as she wandered around, and even a few undisguised changelings.
“This place has changed so much,” she murmured to herself. “It doesn’t even feel like the same city anymore…”
Her tummy gave a rumble of protest and she decided to swing by Fredricks. She craved something sweet and hoped that the griffon could sate that need.
The restaurant in question was fairly quiet that morning, at least until Midnight made her usual dramatic entrance.
“Good morning~” she greeted anypony with a chipper tone. “Your favourite Thestral is here~”
“Ah, hello again!” Fredrick replied as he came down the stairs, ready to take his place in running his restaurant after a quick wash-up. “On your lonesome again today?”
“In this city, it’s hard to be alone,” Midnight quipped as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “And how about you? Doing okay?”
“Finally, yes,” Fredrick said with a smile. “I had a pair of undisguised changelings in the middle of my lunch rush yesterday, and nopony minded. I’d like to say we’re finally back in business.”
“Aww, I’m glad to hear that,” Midnight replied as she took a seat. “And I bet the Captain’s finally relieved to take a small breather as well.”
“You have no idea,” Narrow replied as she came down the stairs after Fredrick. “Still, I doubt this city will let me relax for long. The next disaster is always just around the corner… and usually Ledger-flavoured.”
“That colt does get himself into the most interesting situations,” Fredrick mused. “Maybe we could ask Midnight to turn traitor and give us advance warning?”
“Nah, I don’t think Levvy has anything planned… actually, scratch that, he always has plans…” Midnight tilted her head and hummed thoughtfully. “Now I’m confused. What if Ledger is planning something? What if he hasn’t told me!?”
“Great work, you broke her,” Narrow deadpanned as she watched the flustered bat pony.
“Like as not, whatever he’s planning, he’ll tell you eventually,” Fredrick said, trying to smooth it over. “And if you tell us first, I might be inclined to reward you with something from the dessert menu.”
“Dessert! That’s why I came in here!” Midnight suddenly focused on him. “Well, all that I know is that Levvy has a lot of free time now. So he could be planning something out of boredom…”
“I’ll pay a visit to his place of business later,” Narrow muttered. “Besides, it’s been a while since I checked up on him last.” She gave her griffon a kiss and smiled. “Will you be able to deal with this crazy bat all on your lonesome?”
“Not I, that’s why I have a confectioner,” Fredrick said with a chuckle. “Almost didn’t for half a day, but he came back. Do you know how hard it is to find a confectioner in this town?”
“Difficult I can imagine,” Narrow replied as she adjusted her armour. “Well, play nice. And I’ll see you tonight.” She gave him another kiss and trotted from the room, leaving Midnight to sit in her seat and wag her tail expectantly.
“Dessert?”
“Yes yes, I’ll have Sweet Tooth come along with a list of things he can make for you soon,” the griffon said as he turned to leave. “Behave, and I’ll keep my promise of it being free.”
“Yes Mr. Fredrick,” Midnight said like a bored schoolfilly. The bell at the door chimed as a Pegasus mare walked inside. She had a pristine white coat and a pastel pink mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was a sun half-hidden behind a cloud. She was also stunningly beautiful…
She looked around and when she saw Midnight, she smiled and trotted over. “Excuse me Miss?” she asked, “Is this seat taken?”
“Free country,” Midnight nodded and waved at the seat. The mare smiled and took the seat opposite the Thestral and looked at Fredrick.
“So, this is the famous… or is it infamous Fredrick?” she giggled and bat her eyes at him. The griffon had turned to seat her when she arrived, but followed after and merely chuckled at her question.
“It would all depend on your point of view, I suppose,” he said. “Sadly I am taken now, so you’ll not be able to gauge the truth behind any rumors you may have heard on your way over, milady.”
“Oh? Well it’s good to see love bloom regardless. Congratulations on your relationship,” she smiled. “Oh, where are my manners. I am Sunny Skies. I’ve come all the way from Canterlot due to the rumours that this place has the most delightful confectioner. Am I… mistaken?”
“We probably couldn’t outdo any more dedicated place, like Amy is for our local ice-cream store,” Fredrick said. “But for desserts, Sweet Tooth is quite skilled at turning my visions into reality. Which is a good thing, I’m good at cooking, but baking is not something I excel in.”
“Hehe, I bet you’d love to put a bun in Narrow’s oven~” Midnight giggled, poking the griffon.
“That would only come much later, and you’re starting to act up, little bat,” the griffon reprimanded her. “So, you are here for the sweets as well? Shall I just send him over like I originally planned?” Fredrick questioned the pegasus of the pair.
“That sounds lovely,” Sunny nodded and smiled at him. Midnight nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Free sweets were on the line!
“Very well, then Sweet Tooth shall be out soon. Hopefully.” The griffon turned to leave. Sometimes that colt was downright skittish around mares. He’d been getting better as of late...maybe he’d just leave out the details as to who he would be baking for.
“So,” Midnight said once he left. “Your name is Sunny Skies?”
“That’s right,” the mare responded. “And I’m already acquainted with you, Miss Midnight Song.”
Now that got the bats attention. She blinked as she tried to recall where she’d seen this mare before. She really was getting the strangest sense of deja vu from her. But… where?
“Have we… banged before?” Midnight asked and Sunny blushed and shook her head.
“Um, no… not quite,” she smiled. “But we have a met a few times so…” She was going to continue, but a rather familiar-looking colt was approaching. “Seems our dessert is here~” Sunny giggled, licking her lips.
The white earth pony drew near, along with taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, before he stood in front of the mares like Fredrick had instructed him. “Hello, I am given to understand you two require sweets?” he asked politely.
“Ooh, I certainly know what sweet treat I want~” Midnight hummed and bat her eyes at him. Sunny smiled and giggled.
“That would be nice,” she said and looked at him. “But for now… I believe I was promised some cookies?”
Sweet Tooth actually stopped what he was doing, just looking at the mare and trying to work his jaw. That...that couldn’t be, could it? Best to check. “It’s nice to see that this time I’m not being swept off my hooves,” he commented.
“I thought about it,” Sunny said, showing off her stunning amethyst eyes. “But we agreed to take things slow yes?”
Midnight looked from the mare, to the colt and blinked. She was missing some context here…
“So I have her order,” the colt said before turning to Midnight. “What did you want to have miss Midnight?”
“Well, I’d say you, but it seems my new/old friend here beat me to that. So some chocolate cake with whipped cream sounds good,” the Thestral nodded.
“Oooh, cake, I like the sound of that as well,” Sunny smiled.
“So one order of cookies, and two orders of cake,” the colt summarized. “Anything else?”
Sunny glanced at the menu, everything just looked so good. As did the one that was serving them~
“I think some tea would also be nice, whatever you think will go well with those desserts,” Midnight said.
“I have just the brand in mind,” Sugar said with a wicked smile. “I’ll be back with your orders in a few minutes then.” With that, the red-maned earth pony turned and was off to the kitchen.
“So,” Midnight smirked once he left. “You know him?”
“We’re… acquainted,” Sunny replied. “We bumped into one another and he promised me some cookies. So I thought I’d come and surprise him.”
“I see,” the thestral nodded and looked at the retreating stallion. Her snack time just took a turn for the interesting. “Want some help snaring him? I have some experience in that area.”
“Hmm, I am a little out of sync with the whole ‘dating’ thing,” Sunny replied, making air quotes with her hooves. “I almost scarred the poor dear for life with my last attempt.” She looked at the bat and nodded. “Very well. Instruct away Miss Midnight.”
“Just leave it to the professional,” Midnight smiled and licked her fangs. “Okay, so here’s what I want you to say when he comes back…” She leaned across the table and whispered, Sunny’s blush growing with each word she spoke.
Eventually the colt returned, balancing a platter on his back as he stepped carefully, to avoid spilling it anywhere. He slid the thing onto the table and began serving them. “One order of cake to the both of you, and an assortment of cookies for you,” he said, putting the food where it needed to be.
“Mmm, almost as delicious as the one serving them,” Sunny smiled sweetly and licked her lips. The colt blushed and looked away, not sure how he should respond to those advances. Wait, no, he knew how to respond, he just didn’t think he could.
Sunny wondered if she’d said that right, he had responded and just kind of… stood there. She reached out with a wing and touched his shoulder. “Um, are you okay?” she asked out of concern.
“Fine!” he said with only a hint of a chirp to it. He chirped when he was nervous, and hoped they hadn’t heard. “Just...I thought I made it quite clear last time…”
Midnight’s ear flicked. She’d caught that familiar noise and her eyes widened slightly. He was… and the way he acted… ohhh dear, she’d gone about this all wrong. She suddenly grabbed Sunny and smiled at Sweet Tooth. “We ah, have to go powder our noses. Be right back!” and she zoomed from the room before either pony could protest.
“...Well that went about as well as it normally does,” the colt sighed.
“Miss Midnight?” Sunny reeled as they came to a stop inside the bathroom. “What is—?”
“Okay, I really screwed up because I didn’t know who he was,” Midnight nodded. “We need to change our tactics!”
Sunny just gave her a deadpan stare, quite the far cry from her usual cheery disposition.
“I know, I’m sorry okay!” Midnight replied and Sunny smiled, pulling the bat into a hug.
“It’s okay, I get the feeling he’s going to be a tough nut to crack.”
“He actually reminds me a lot of someone else,” Midnight said with a soft smile. “Okay… so, new plan…”
A few minutes later, only Sunny emerged and took a seat back at the table. Hopefully they hadn’t scared the colt off for good...eventually, Sweet Tooth walked by again, tilting his head at the absence of Midnight. “Is...Miss Midnight not eating with you?”
“Hmm, something came up I’m afraid,” Sunny smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, she said she’ll come back a bit later. Why don’t you sit with me?”
“I...suppose I can do that,” Sweet said as he slowly sat next to the mare. “So, a disguise today?”
“Well, I’m not somepony that can move about easily without one,” she replied. “Do… you like it? Or am I not cute enough?”
“I’m not somepony that judges based on looks,” the stallion said with a shake of his head. “It’s what’s inside that matters to me.”
“What’s inside is tricky… and one that feels far too old for this dating game,” she giggled. She lifted one of the cookies and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing. “Mmm, I could be more full of these though. Absolutely delicious~”
“I keep a jar stocked at my place of the things,” the stallion commented. “And you’re hardly too old for the dating game. Besides, even if you did have those years on me, that just means you have more experience.”
“That makes me sound like I’m a corner mare from the Strip,” Sunny said with mock indignation. “I am a pure maiden Mr. Sweet.”
“You’re still a pony at your core, go on and try and tell me you weren’t thinking impure thoughts when you swept me off my hooves the first time,” the confectioner dared her.
“I…” Sunny paused and a light blush graced her cheeks. “I’ll admit that, certain thoughts may have crossed my mind at the time.” She paused and looked at the colt. “Hmm, since when did you become so bold? It makes me wonder if a certain bat has switched sides…”
“Dealing with two mares is twice as stressful as dealing with one. Especially when one all but ponynapped you for an afternoon, and the other is Midnight Song,” the stallion retorted.
“Why do I have the distinct feeling that the latter is still worse than the former?” she hummed as she ate another cookie. Sweet snickered before replying to that.
“Yeah, I get the feeling that if she hadn’t hooked up with Ledger, she’d be a lot worse. As it is, she’s manageable. I’m surprised that stallion is still alive, frankly.”
“Midnight Song is... “ Sunny stumbled to find the right words to describe her. “Exuberant. Yes, let’s go with that.”
“She wore out a nightclub,” the stallion deadpanned back to her. Sunny raised one eyebrow and glanced towards the bathroom, where the Thestral was likely still hiding.
‘Seems we have a lot to talk about at some point, my wayward guard,’ ‘Sunny’ turned back to the colt and shrugged. “Well, be that as it may, how did she become the focus of our conversation?” She nudged the plate of cookies forward and smiled. “You shouldn’t have told me you keep a supply at home. I just may follow you now~”
“Oh no, whatever will I do with a pretty mare back at my place?” Sweet sighed dramatically. “Probably nothing, truth be told. I’d more than likely just lock up once you did.”
“Sarcasm is unbecoming of a gentlestallion,” Sunny hummed as she took a bite of her cake. Oh by the sun, it was amazing~
“Fredrick’s said I’m one the moment I get over my anxiety and actually talk to a mare. Not sure this counts.” The colt sighed and put his head on the table. “I mean, I sorta already talked with you...and we’re not having the sort of talk he indicated might happen.”
“Oh, and what talk might that be?” Sunny asked as she placed her empty plate down and reached for Midnight’s abandoned one. “The birds and the Breezies perhaps?”
Sweet waited for her to take a bite before replying. “The sort of talk where the only words you’re saying are ‘harder’.”
Sunny coughed as the cake got stuck in her throat, her face turning a bright red as she reached for her teacup and hastily gulped it down. After a few deep breaths, she shot a glare at the stallion. “T-That… oh you little… that was mean.”
“It’s lighter than what you’d get for stealing Midnight’s cake from her,” he said with a smirk.
“Well, she can consider that her… just desserts~” Sunny winked.
“Yes, well, I don’t nearly feel up to the sort of talk Fredrick implied I should have one day,” the stallion said, brushing off the bad pun. “So I don’t know if you should follow me home or not.”
“Well, our date here is going alright so far,” Sunny hummed. “But yes, slowly it is then.” She sighed and lifted another cookie to her lips. “Perhaps another day…”
“...All right, fine, I suppose you can follow me home,” the stallion said, giving in to the guilt. “But no funny business, you hear? We’re just going back to make sure you’ve had enough cookies and for me to get used to mares.”
“Funny business? Moi?” Sunny put a hoof to her chest with a hurt expression. “Why, whatever do you mean?”
“Lady, a stallion would have to be deaf and blind to not see all the little signals you’ve been putting off,” the colt said to her. “Heck, I bet you could snag any other serving colt easily. Just bat your eyelashes at them. I dunno why you’ve decided on the most difficult one…”
“Hmm, why indeed,” Sunny hummed and tapped her chin. “Those others are easily readable. Like a book for foals. But you…” She leaned closer and stared into his violet eyes. “You intrigue me.”
“And you fluster me with a word sometimes, so we’re perfect for each other,” the stallion riposted. “Still, it’s nearly time for me to punch out...so if you wanted…” He trailed off, not able to finish the sentiment.
“Mm, I think I’d like that,” Sunny nodded. “Excuse me for one moment okay?” She kissed his cheek and stood up, heading for the kitchen.
“Well, that happened,” Sweet Tooth said as he rubbed his cheek with a hoof, not quite believing it himself. Plus, he knew who she actually was, so that was an added layer of stunning right there.
As Sunny Skies strode into the kitchen, it didn’t take long to locate the griffon she was looking for.
“Ah, there you are Mr. Fredrick,” she called out. “I have a few things to say to you if you don’t mind.”
“Listening, my dear, but I am sort of in the middle of something,” he said, not looking away from the pot he was stirring.
“Well,” she said as a golden glow surrounded her body and her disguise peeled away, revealing the regal Alicorn of the Sun. “For a start, I’d like to apologise for ponynapping your confectioner the other day. It must have caused you quite a bit of trouble.”
“I did nearly have to start advertising for another before he was returned via royal chariot, your highness,” the griffon said, not stopping his stirring for a moment. “I have heard rumors of your sweet tooth, but I didn’t think it so large you would have to go and ponynap mine.”
“Which is why I am apologising,” Celestia huffed. She certainly hadn’t expected this reaction from him. Was he used to alicorns popping up in his kitchen? “Well, regardless. I’d like to borrow him again if that’s alright. I’ll not stoop to ponynapping again though.”
“That’s fine, that colt finished up with his baking before taking your order out to you,” Fredrick replied with a wave of his claw. “We’re fully stocked for the coming night. Just do take care with him? I’ve been getting the impression that he’s not...quite comfortable around the fairer gender.”
“But he’s the one that invited me,” she giggled as she re-donned her disguise. “Now, I believe I have a home visit to make. Oh?” She paused on her way out. “Sorry about the trouble I also caused a moment ago. You should be able to deal with it though.”
“What trouble was that?” the griffon asked.
Sunny had already left though, and the kitchen doors swung open a moment later as a downtrodden Midnight skulked inside.
“Freddy… Sunny stole my cake~” she whined.
“We have more,” the griffon chuckled as he plated another slice of cake for the batpony. “Just give her a minute to sweep my confectioner off his hooves properly this time, and you can go out and enjoy it.”
“Fiiiine,” Midnight pouted, sitting on the floor as Spike chuckled, walking in from the storeroom.
“You’re running a little low on saffron and paprika,” he informed the griffon. “And the batch of tomatoes you have are a little under ripe.”
“Mm, I’ll send a runner out to pick some up,” the griffon said as he finally drained his pot of spaghetti. “How is the bread doing?”
Spike opened the oven and stuck a claw inside. “I’d say another five minutes…”
“Good,” Fredrick said as he turned his attention back to the small pot of white sauce bubbling away. “And then you will see the power it holds, I promise you. Watch.” The griffon cleared his throat, not even looking at the batpony. “Midnight, would you like a piece of bread?”
Her ear flicked and there was a shuffling sound before the Thestral was lying under him on her back, looking up at him with bright eyes. “That would make me most happy~” she said.
“See?” He said to the drake with a small laugh. “It’s not done yet Midnight. Up you get, you can have a piece when it is.”
“Whoo!” Midnight rolled out from under the griffon and hovered into the air next to Spike. “So dragonboy, how’s it going anyway? Learn any fun stuff?”
“I’ve learned a bunch,” Spike nodded as he checked the temperature of the oven. “But… I dunno if I’ll ever put it to practice…”
“Confidence, young drake,” Fredrick rebuked him. “You will find a pony that captures your heart again, one that is close to your own age even. But until then, you must never forget the things you have learned, one of which was…” he trailed off and let the dragon finish.
“Always be courteous and make her feel special, because she is,” Spike recited. “Respect her wishes if she says no and don’t force things. And don’t pursue mares in a relationship.”
“Precisely,” the griffon nodded, happy he’d learned so well. “I’m certain when you find the mare for you, you will remember those notes, and it will be a courtship for the ages.”
“Aww, I know it will be,” Midnight giggled, nuzzling the dragon.
“It’s just hard since my physical age can fluctuate,” Spike sighed. “It’s been fifteen years since I hatched, but…” He prodded his pudgy belly and sighed again. “Being a dragon is hard…”
“It’s not like being a griffon in Equestria, probably, and might even be stranger than being a changeling,” Fredrick admitted as he added a little oregano to the sauce. “But at least you seem to be on a path. Do you have the courage to see it through, is the question. Because nobody but you can walk it for you.”
“Haven’t got much of a choice,” Spike shrugged as he pulled the bread from the oven. “Ah well, being Twilight’s assistant keeps me pretty busy anyhow. Still…” His mind wandered to a certain white unicorn mare. “I guess I am still a kid huh?”
“Perhaps by your species standards, but you seem rather well-educated by ours,” the griffon said. “Were you a pony, I’d call you a teenage colt who knew just a little too much.”
“A scaley little know-it-all huh?” Midnight giggled, poking at Spike. “Sounds about right.”
“What was that?” Spike asked. “You don’t want any bread now? Okay.”
“Nuuuu, I’m sorry,” Midnight whined, batting her hooves at him. Fredrick just chuckled at the play, happy that the drake had fallen into the role of teasing so well.
“Don’t be too cruel to her, Spike, or she’ll tell Twilight on you,” the griffon warned.
“Nah, I play dirtier than that,” Midnight said in a husky tone. “He teases me too much, and I tell him what I do with Twilight in every, explicit, detail~”
“Eewwww,” Spike grimaced. The griffon shook his head as the oven dinged.
“Ahh, that’ll be the bread,” he said. “Spike, if you would?”
The dragon shuddered as he pulled out the loaf and set it on the countertop. “Fredrick, are the customers allowed in the kitchen?” he asked.
“Cheater!” Midnight responded.
“Normally no, but Ledger is an exception,” the griffon replied. “Can’t begin to list off how that stallion helped me with some of the things I was having trouble with. Now if only I could get a few recipes from him…”
“Maybe by giving his mare a tribute of cake and bread?” Midnight asked, wagging her tail again.
“You already have the cake, and if you asked nicely and promised to swipe a recipe from him, I could see to giving you two pieces of bread,” the griffon offered.
“Ledger might get mad at me…” Midnight weighed her options. But… Fred Bread! “Done deal!”
The griffon smiled and pulled out a large knife and sliced the loaf of bread up, before passing two pieces over to the batpony. After thinking about it for a second, he passed one over to Spike as well. Just to let him see how powerful it was.
“Nummy!” Midnight said gleefully as she nibbled the delicious bread. Spike blinked and picked a piece up and bit into it.
“Hmm,” he murmured as he chewed it. “Could use some ruby dust… but it’s not bad. Best I’ve ever had at least.”
“Family recipe, one that Ledger helped me properly adapt to pony tongues,” the griffon said. “I swear, that colt has a tongue I would love to have…”
“Oh?” Midnight said with a smile so wide it threatened to split her face. “You know, with enough cider I bet I could convince him to give it to you… provided I get to watch~”
“And I forgot all about how you like to twist conversations,” Fredrick said before looking over at Spike, to gauge the effect of her words on him.
The dragon had wisely ignored the mare, instead focusing on slicing up the bread neatly. He caught Fredricks look and shrugged. “The less I know the better,” he replied.
“So,” Midnight smirked. “Feel like coming over for drinks tonight?” she asked the griffon.
“I am making a note to stay far away from the farm,” the griffon said. “Especially during cider season.”
“Aww,” Midnight pouted and giggled as she polished off her bread. “Still… I wonder what Levvy’s up to right now?”
“Okay, so let’s try it again…” Twilight sighed as she floated the apple up to the plate. “And hopefully we don’t evaporate this one…”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if we knew where they were going at least,” Ledger said as he fed both plates a charge of magic. “I don’t want Narrow coming in and complaining about random apple-induced head-trauma.”
“And now he’s jinxed it,” Twilight shook her head and fired the spell. The apple vanished and if the test worked, it should return momentarily…
A second later, there was a pop and the apple re-appeared.
“Did we just?” Ledger breathed, daring to touch the apple with a hoof. The outer surface rippled like water and it suddenly exploded, soaking the stallion in apple juice and pulp.
“This is still an improvement!” the disguised drone said with a smile. “At least they’re showing up again!”
“The complete molecular breakdown is worrying,” Twilight sighed, floating over her clipboard to write down the latest result. She trotted over to Ledger and looked at him before licking his cheek. “At least this result is delicious.”
“Hey, I didn’t need an excuse to get you to lick me,” Ledger said with a small laugh. Before realizing they’d left the plates on his desk, where his paperwork spell was in idle mode. “Uh...oh. This…” A quill and inkpot had already levitated themselves up and were starting to make marks on the plates for some reason. “...could be interesting.”
"Is your paperwork spell... assimilating the teleportation spell?" Twilight asked worriedly.
“No, it looks like,” Ledger said as the marks continued. “It looks like it’s trying to...correct us. A...spell-checker.”
Twilight blinked. She almost felt insulted at the fact that a spell thought it knew better than her. The office door opened as Scope walked in, looking at the organised chaos.
"Ohh boy, what did you eggheads do now?" she asked.
“Science!” Ledger cheered from behind his desk. The paperwork spell finished making its marks on the plates and fell silent again. “You know, maybe I shouldn’t have let it look at my diary when I was bored.”
"I worry about you two," Scope shuddered as she looked at the plates. "So what did you even-" As she read the inscription, the plates shone and the nymph vanished with a pop, leaving the two alone once again.
Twilight froze... before her eyes widened in panic. "Ohno...ohnonononono!"
“I’ll admit that could have gone a lot better,” Ledger said as he started to panic as well. “But...maybe the spell works this time? Or better on changelings than it does on fruit?”
"We just vaporized our fiancé!!" Twilight screeched as she poured over her notes. "We'll be banished for our crimes. Scopey will hate us because we killed her!!"
“It’s nice to know I’m the reasonable one,” Ledger said. “Please tell me you’re kidding at some point.”
"Well with luck she was killed instantly... and didn’t suffer molecular deconstruction," Twilight buried her head in her hooves. "This is all my fault..." she continued to drown in her sorrows as a buzz filled Ledger’s head...
“Hold onto the blame for a minute,” Ledger said as he reached for the Hivelink. “Testing, testing, you there Scope?”
“...Fucking barely!” came the less than enthused response. “What the hell did you do!?”
“Apparently teleported you somewhere. Can I tell Twilight you’re not dead at least?”
“So… you have no idea where you sent me huh?” Scope’s tone was full-blown snark. “Well, here’s a fucking hint. Tell the princess that her brother says hi!”
“All the way up to the Empire? Wow. By chance are there a load of apples around them from our previous tests?”
“...I can’t believed you asked that,” Scope sighed. “Feh, no apples… lots of apple juice and pulp though. Which, coincidently, will be all that’s left of you two once I get home!”
“So it WAS working, and look on the bright side, at least you didn’t decompose like the apples.” Ledger’s eye fell on the other plate and he got a thoughtful expression. “I wonder…”
“What’s going ooonnn!?” Twilight wailed, shaking the drone as he just spaced out.
“Hivelink spell,” Ledger said, even as his magic activated the other plate, wondering if that would pull their nymph back from the Empire.
And if the plate had been in the same room as her, then it might have. All it did was glow and do not a whole lot else.
“Ah well, I suppose it was a longshot at best. Looks like you’re taking the train back, Scope.”
“Oh fucking joy,” Scope replied. “Your concern is noted…”
“Hey, like I said, that sauce is the remains of all our previous test subjects. I’m happy you didn’t end up like them, but maybe you should be thankful for not being exploded as well?”
“Thankful!? I’m going to—” She was cut off and Ledger could swear he could hear her being snuggled by what sounded like Cadence.
“Ledger, if you don’t tell me what’s going on…” Twilight said.
“Scope says hi, as does your brother and sister-in-law,” the drone finally said. “Congratulations, we made a plate that teleports something to the Crystal Empire and not ex...plode...I just got a wicked idea.” Levitating the return plate over the sending plate, Ledger activated the one that had stolen Scope away.
“Incompatible Inorganic material detected. Teleportation not completed.”
“Did… did the spell… just speak?” Twilight asked, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Yes, and now I want to know how we can send...idea. We could send them our notes. Or...bad idea, they might start sending us exploded apple instead. Hmm. Is it too much to ask for the ability to complete the loop?”
“We could try using Spike’s breath?” Twilight suggested. “It would only take a small tweak to make Cadence the recipient instead of Celestia.”
“He’s busy with Fredrick at the moment, but not a bad idea...still, I would want the ability to ship inorganic things via this system as well, so it’d be better to fix it now.” Ledger hummed at the thought, and even then, didn’t notice his quill and inkpot hovering nearby, ready to fix imperfection. Twilight did and pulled him over to her with magic as the writing utensils whizzed past him, ready to correct their mistake.
“That spell… is waaay too efficient,” Twilight replied.
“I know, right?” Ledger said with a nod. “I was thinking of researching golems with Lengthy Scroll next. If this spell does well enough until we get a working body made, I might just transport it from here into our best body. Assuming it has enough of a presence to transfer.”
“The thought that you’d most likely succeed scares me,” Twilight nodded. “Though the idea of creating a self-aware homunculus…” She smiled widely and beamed. “So we have our next project then?”
“Assuming this one works well, yes. Lengthy’s already researching good ways to make a body.” The writing utensils finished with a flourish before setting themselves down again. “Ready to try again?”
“Well, I would like her back,” Twilight nodded. “I just hope she isn’t too mad at us.”
“Oh, she’s plenty mad at being our first test subject,” Ledger said as he hovered the plates again. “And look on the bright side, you’ll be able to study this plate at least and determine how we got the results we did, and why it changed when it did.” With that cheery thought laid out, he activated the plate once again, in an effort to complete the loop. The first glowed and the second vanished…
A moment later, Scope’s voice came over the Link again.
“Do… I want to know what some stone plate showed up out of thin air and knocked out Shining Armor…?”
“That’s the counterpart to the plate that sent you there. Also, tell him sorry for us. It appears we haven’t worked out velocity just yet. Something I’ll mention in a minute.”
“Well, whatever, I’m staying here for a bit. There’s someone I want to visit. Might as well make the most of this little vacation.” She disconnected the link as Twilight waited patiently for a response.
“She’s going to stay in the Empire for a little bit, she’s taking it as a vacation,” Ledger said. “Also, we need to work out velocity. The thing clocked your brother and knocked him out.” At that mention, the quill twitched again.
“Ledger, you need to stop that spell before it ‘helps’ again,” Twilight said.
“Hey, I don’t want anything I ship to be accelerated to supersonic speeds,” the stallion said. “Plus, you’ll get more to study. Sometimes I feel like I could leave a question written for it, and it would answer. Which was sorta the point to the exercise, as a building block to self-aware golems.” The quill and inkpot floated over to the plate and started marking it again.
“I get the feeling that this won’t end well,” Twilight sighed. “On the upnote, I wonder if this spell could run my court for me?”
The quill twitched a little as it set itself back in the inkpot, and the plate flashed. “Sympathetic resonance established. Please give five minutes for a change to the partner plate.”
“We should probably tell Princess Celestia about this,” Twilight nodded as she penned out a quick letter. Somepony knocked on the door and caused them to look up.
“Ledger? You in?” Narrow’s voice called out.
“G’on, take our little science project and write your letter,” Ledger said. “I’ll foalsit mine while the good captain has words with me.”
Twilight nodded and teleported from the room as Narrow walked in, looking around.
“Talking to yourself again Ledger?”
“I make it a habit to think out loud,” the stallion quipped. “Sometimes that’s the only way I can get any intelligent conversation.”
“You’re marrying Midnight Song, your own intelligence must be called into question there,” Narrow chuckled as she took a seat, pouring herself some coffee from the pot on his desk. “So, how’s business?”
“Running as well as it could hope to be,” Ledger said as his daily overview floated over to him at her words. “Surprisingly, we actually got more business when my delivery-colts were, ahem, honest with the customers.”
“Yes, amazing how that works huh?” Narrow deadpanned. “And homelife? Midnight driven you nuts yet?”
“I think the one going crazy is her, honestly. She never struck me as one to like sitting still for long.” Waving his hooves out to indicate the office, he continued his thought. “Can you imagine her working in a place like this?”
“Honestly? No,” Narrow replied, sipping her drink. “That was why I let her take her paperwork home, rather than come into an office every day to do it. At least she’s getting it done on time… which surprises me.”
“I think she’s bribing the others into doing it for her,” Ledger admitted. “She certainly hasn’t been trying that on me as of late. Which is slightly offensive that she’d exclude me from the bribery games.”
“She could be using time with you as the bribe,” Narrow chuckled.
“And suddenly, it’s all made clear to me,” Ledger sighed as he let go of the overview, letting it float back into the outbox. “So, how are you treating my best stallion, or griffon in this case?”
“As well as I can be,” Narrow replied, looking at one of his reports. His company was making quite the profit, not as much as what it was under Toll, but still, all things considered. “I think he takes care of me more than anything though.”
“He takes care of all the colts under his wings, it’s not hard to think he would just want better for you if you’re seeing him,” Ledger returned. “He was always concerned about my aversion to mares, for instance.”
“You? An aversion to mares?” Narrow scoffed. “Funny how times change a pony huh?”
“Yup, now I tend to wake up with at least one and call it a normal day,” the stallion chuckled. “Have you had any difficulty in getting him to focus on you instead of the myriad of mares he could be pursuing?”
“None whatsoever,” Narrow nodded. “Unless he’s doing it behind my back. But I doubt it… and I trust him. Honestly, I don’t know why he hasn’t grown bored of me yet.”
“Probably because you actually love him?” Ledger said, tapping his horn for emphasis. “That’s what he’s always wanted, really. Not just mindless sex. But somepony he can come home to, somepony that will come home for him.”
“I guess,” Narrow replied, a slight blush gracing her cheeks. “Look at us, when the hell did we become friends that sit here and talk about our feelings?”
“Eh, it was bound to happen eventually,” Ledger shrugged. “Changeling friendships develop in a way you ponies would call ‘weird’ at best and ‘bucked up’ if you were feeling colorful.”
“Eh, can I blame Midnight leave it at that?” Narrow shrugged, finishing off her coffee.
“I do it every day, and frankly, I wouldn’t change out her influence on my life for anything,” Ledger said with a nod.
“Yeah, me either I guess,” Narrow nodded. She owed the mare her life during that Tirek thing. “Well, I guess you're not plotting to overthrow the town, and I had my coffee, so I’ll let you be.”
“Much obliged,” Ledger said, tipping an imaginary hat to the mare. “And for the record, overthrowing the town would be way too much work and responsibility, at a time when I’m already going to be caring for a foal in the future.”
“...I’m going to pretend you didn’t entertain the idea at all and leave,” Narrow replied. “Also, some reporters were poking around outside, saying they saw Princess Twilight come in here… I told them that they were mistaken.”
“Oh good,” Ledger said with a smile. “She’ll be appreciative of that.”
Narrow nodded and gave him a salute before leaving. Afternoon patrol was always eventful around this section of town. And now that she was gone… and Twilight was Celestia-knows where… he was alone.
Well, not entirely alone. He still had his spell. And now seemed like a perfect time to test as to how well it could actually think. He drew up a clipboard and a separate set of ink and quill, ready for testing. He’d make the first question simple. Then he’d ask how it knew what to do with the teleportation plates.
Moondancer followed Sugar Darling, as did Two-Step and Sweet Dream, another Violet nymph. The unicorn frowned as their little posse headed further into the centre of the city.
“Well, you plan on telling me where we’re going with this little excursion then?” Moon asked her marefriend.
“You simply made me a promise the other night, one I intend to collect on,” the disguised nymph said. Moondancer looked at Step for answers, but the mare just shrugged.
“Don’t look at me, I was told to grab a random nymph and follow.” She turned and looked at Dream. “Isn’t that right random nymph?”
“We just need witnesses, she’ll do for that,” Sugar agreed.
“I feel like an NPC,” Sweet Dream muttered. “Lucky we don’t survive on each other's love. I’d have starved by now.”
“Aww, we still love you,” Two-Step giggled.
“As do many other mares in Las Pegasus,” Moondancer nodded.
“I just want my little cuddlebug!” Dream whined. “Why won’t she let me cuddle heerrr~”
“Probably because she’s in a herd with Ledger,” Sugar offered as they turned. City hall was visible now.
“Now that is a drone I’d love to play with,” Two-Step purred. “Well, if Miss Midnight’s stories are to be believed anyway~”
“He is a noble Silver...but his father is a Violet,” Sugar said. “But he’s taken by multiple mares, and it looks like we’ve missed our chance to be any of them.”
“Oh poop,” Two-Step pouted as Moondancer shook her head. She looked up at the building they were approaching and tilted her head.
“City Hall? Why are we heading there… ah, you’re not going to tell me anyway,” she pouted.
“You’ll find out in a minute,” the nymph sang as they entered and approached the receptionist. “Hello, we’re looking for the clerk and recorder.”
“Fifth door on the right,” the receptionist replied. “You have an appointment?”
“No, is that a problem?” Sugar asked.
“We’ll see,” the receptionist replied as she pressed a buzzer on an intercom. “Hello? Yes… I believe they’re here for… alright… yes, yes.” She pulled her hoof off of the button and nodded. “He’ll see you now,” she informed them. “I trust you have some witnesses?”
“Got them right here,” Sugar said, pulling Two-Step and Sweet Dream close to her and giving them a hug.
“Then proceed,” the mare replied and turned back to her fashion magazine, one with a purple-maned unicorn on the front cover.
“Witnesses?” Moon asked in a worried tone. “This… isn’t about the damage I caused is it? I said I was sorry and would pay for the repairs!”
“Nope, this happened last night,” the disguised nymph giggled as she let go of the other nymphs and hugged her marefriend. And soon to be wife. “Believe me, it’s nothing that bad. I promise~” The party started their small journey to the clerk’s office.
“If you say so…” Moondancer replied. She trusted Sugar… but it wouldn’t hurt to keep a teleport spell handy yeah?
Inside the stallion’s office, well it was quite spacious. It had a large couch as well as two seats in front of his desk. The walls were lined with dozens of pictures of ponies that couldn’t possibly be related.
“Ahh,” he clapped his hooves. “If it isn’t Lady Sugar. I believe our newest population surge is thanks to you.”
“Nah, she uses protection,” Two-Step couldn’t help but giggle.
“While she is rather crude with her phrasing, yes, I’m not responsible for there being ‘more’ ponies in Las Pegasus,” the disguised nymph said with a giggle. “Just for you having to add a box for changelings to tick on their application forms.”
“Mhmm, I just finished making some changes to certain forms in fact,” the stallion nodded. “So tell me, how can I help you today? Well, as if I didn’t already know hmm~?”
“You’re quite the perceptive stallion,” Sugar said as she drew Moondancer close. “I’ve had no shortage of lovers over the years, but this one’s stolen my heart away. Maybe if I do this, she’ll give it back as a gift.”
“So, you and this fine young mare hmm?” the stallion nodded as he pulled out some paperwork. “You make a lovely couple. I’d love to be the one to bind you in matrimony.”
“Yeah… WHAT!?” Moondancer backed away slightly and looked at Sugar. “Okay, you need to tell me what the hell is going on. He’s talking like we’re here to get married!!”
Sugar didn’t say anything, merely sniffled in hurt. She...didn’t want this?...
“Was she not made aware of this?” the stallion asked. “I can only marry you if all parties consent Lady Sugar.”
“I thought she’d agreed last night,” Sugar said with a sniff and a slight sob. “I...guess I can’t hold her here against her will, though, nor would I want to…”
“Wait, waitwaitwait,” Moondancer closed her eyes as she tried to remember what happened. She was so tired after that she remembered Sugar saying something…
This was what she’d said. That they should get married? Moondancer groaned and put a hoof to her face. “Why couldn’t you have just told me before you silly pony?”
“Because...I thought you still remembered and were just playing?” Sugar said. “But I guess we can just call it off if you don’t want to…”
Moondancer sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “Sugar… take your true form.”
The pony paused in her crying for a moment, hope flaring within her as she revealed her second usual disguise as any other nymph. Maybe this would be good enough?...
“Sugar, not that one,” Moondancer replied in a no-nonsense tone. With a defeated sigh, the nymph revealed her real self, that of a noble Violet ‘ling, in front of the clerk. Said clerk was certainly surprised, but given how the other ponies were reacting, then they must have already known. And he was a professional dammit.
“Better,” Moondancer nodded as she stepped closer until she was only a few inches from her lover. “After all, it wouldn’t do for me to marry anypony else but the real you right?”
“If you say so,” Sugar said with a smile. “Does that mean…?”
“I’m sorry, it just caught me by surprise,” Moondancer giggled nervously. “So, lemme make it up to you by doing this properly.” She cleared her throat as she knelt down in front of the mare. “Sugar Darling… would you do me the honour of becoming my buggy bride?”
There was silence for a moment, before there was a soft answer. “Yes,” Sugar whispered. “A thousand times yes.”
“Glad to hear it,” Moondancer smiled and kissed her while Two-Step and Dream cheered.
“Ah, love is always grand to see,” the stallion nodded. “Well, since they decided to skip right to the kissing part…. Hrmhrm, I now pronounce you wife and… Changeling?”
“Nymph,” Sugar absently corrected him. “But we use wife as well, so whichever.” She was more occupied with the mare she was hugging at the moment.
“And do either of you object to this union?” the stallion asked Step and Dream.
“None here,” Dream giggled.
“Hmm,” Step tapped her chin. “Nah, guess not.”
“Well, then once the couple and the witnesses have signed this document, your marriage shall be recognised by the Crown.” he said, pushing the paper forward. Under the ‘species’ section, Sugar noticed that Changeling was newly listed. She picked the quill up in her magic and deftly signed the thing, marking the appropriate box, before passing control of the writing implement to Moondancer. The unicorn smiled as she signed her name and ticked the Unicorn box.
Once Two-Step and Dream signed both it and the duplicate, the stallion nodded and rolled one up, tying it with a fancy ribbon. “Okay, I believe that does it. You two are now a happily married couple. Well, at least I hope you’re happy.”
“Oh don’t worry, if she’s not now, she will be,” Sugar said as she kissed Moondancer.
“Ohh, you gonna do something special for our honeymoon?” Moon wiggled her eyebrows. “Though I do regret that I couldn’t wear a pretty wedding dress…”
“We can make an official mess out of it later, I just didn’t want you to slip away out of my life before I could snag you for good,” the nymph said as she hugged her new wife. “And I might have an idea or three. Does a visit to a certain Empire sound romantic enough for you?”
“Ohh, I haven’t been there since it first showed up,” Moondancer nodded. “That sounds good.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Sugar said as she looked at Two-Step. “Starting now.”
“I’ll get things organised for your departure,” Two-Step nodded. “I’ve already seen to it that your luggage is packed and a certain surprise to be waiting upon your arrival.” She leaned in close and hugged Sugar. “I’m really happy for you Mom,” she whispered.
“And I know you’ll take good care of the club while I’m gone,” she said back softly. “Just remember to feed your new toy and take him out for walks.”
“Mm, he ran away for the time being,” Two nodded as they bid the stallion a fond farewell and headed for home. “But he’ll be back… they always come back~”
“They usually do at least,” Sugar answered as she reverted to her disguise of a normal unicorn mare for the streets. “And it would be nice if you were set up with a nice enough male that could see to your needs.”
“Hmm, maybe I should marry some willing stallion so I can have a plaything anytime I want?” Two-Step giggled.
“I should think you’d choose marriage for a better reason than that,” Moondancer sighed and then gasped. “Rings! We don’t have any!”
“We’ll get some up there,” Sugar said as she hugged her marefriend- no, her wife. “I have no small amount of funds to my name, you know. I’ve been here a good few years.”
“My own bank accounts aren’t lacking either,” Moondancer responded. Hmm, she’d have to do something about her job. Commuting from here to Canterlot everyday would be a massive pain. Well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. As for now, she was going to go on vacation with her new wife…
Now that was something she never thought she’d say. “My wife huh?...”
“Yup, and you’re mine too,” Sugar said as she gave Moondance a quick peck. “Now it’s official, we’re stuck with each other.”
“Well dang,” Moondancer sighed. “Ah well, I guess I’m stuck with a pretty sexy pony that I love to death then. Not a bad way to spend the rest of my life.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” Sugar giggled before leaning in close to whisper to the mare. “Plus, if you ever feel like seeing a stallion...I’m sure we could strike a bargain with Ledger and Midnight to...borrow him.”
“If you get him to agree to that, I’ll eat my textbook,” Moondancer sighed. “Besides, I’m strictly a mare’s mare.”
“Then while I get him for myself, you could be his mare’s plaything in exchange,” Sugar offered.
“That’s better,” Moondancer nodded and kissed her cheek. “Now, we should probably hurry if we’re gonna catch that train to the Empire today.”
“Or we could cheat and teleport,” the disguised nymph pointed out.
“Uh, dear, I love that you have confidence in my abilities… but I don’t think even Twilight could teleport that far.”
“Fine,” the nymph said with a roll of her eyes. “I was only talking about teleporting to the train station…” Moondancer facehooved and blushed.
“Of course you were,” she groaned and lit up her horn. “Hang on to your buggy butt… actually, I’ll do that,” she giggled as she grabbed the mare’s flanks and they teleported with a flash, leaving Two-Step and Dream alone.
“Well, guess that’s that then,” Two hummed. “Now Dreamy, let’s go throw the wildest party we can while she’s gone!”
“Isn’t that what we do every night?” the disguised nymph asked with a tilt of her head.
“Oh ye of little experience,” Two-Step sighed. “Tonight, we blow the roof off of the place!!”
“So you’re inviting both Midnight and Jonathan over, I see,” the mare hummed.
“We should do that…” Two-Step whispered. “This could be the greatest party in the history of Equestria!”
“Just so you know, if it becomes so bad the guard get involved, as the new head of the club, you get the blame,” Sweet Dream pointed out.
“Middy will be there, so the Guard in involved by default,” Two-Step hummed. “Besides, it’s not a real party until somepony gets arrested.”
“Oh dear,” Sweet Dream said with a shake of her head. “At least be sure to invite a few cute mares, please? It’s been a while since I had a snugglebuddy.”
“I will invite ALL the mares,” Two-Step giggled. “I’ll even see about getting that cuddlebug of yours to make an appearance. Maybe distract Midnight and the others for you?”
“Yay!” Sweet Dream cheered, now fully on-board with this plan. “So, all the Mood-Setter we haven’t sent off? I’m assuming we’re going to be using it tonight.”
“Oh yes!” Two-Step giggled and rubbed her hooves together. Tonight was going to be spectacular!
As Moondancer sat on the train, she leaned into Sugar and sighed. “You think the kids will be okay?”
“If I know Two-Step, she’s already planning to throw Equestria’s largest orgy in our club,” the disguised nymph deadpanned. “I think they’ll be just fine.”
“A city-wide orgy is fine?” Moondancer asked. “Well, if you say so. Just keep in mind that Midnight Song is in that city.”
“She’s taken and pregnant, I’m pretty sure she’ll not attend,” the nymph said as she leaned over to kiss her wife.
It still felt a little weird to think of them as wives to each other, but it was the good sort of weird. Moondancer shrugged and returned the kiss. She knew Midnight better than anypony and she’d be looking for anything to distract her from the mundane by now.
“Well, not our problem. That’s Future Sugar and Moonie’s problem,” the unicorn giggled. She leaned into the mare and sighed. “I love you, my darling wife~”
“And I love you too, my dearest wife,” Sugar said as she kissed the top of Moondancer’s head. The two lay in each other’s embrace as the train made haste for the Empire...