//------------------------------// // Need For Power: Reminiscing // Story: Shine Of The Silver Sun // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// Connie wasn't overly comfortable entering the mansion with guests milling all around her. It reminded her too much of her old 'home', something she believed life on the streets had beaten out of her. Nonetheless, she felt a tiny touch of pride as she drew the glances of both noble stallions and mares around. She hadn't bothered too much with makeup or styling her mane, just a little pink lipstick and incessant combing. However, she had chosen a set of clothes no other mare around would dare touch with a long pole. The simplest explanation would be it was a set of stallion clothes cut for a mare. White, frilly shirt under navy blue and gold jacket covering her chest, and long, tight pants of the same colour scheme hugging her flank like yoga pants. The suit complimented her one blue eye, and made her pull off a classy and yet whorseish look at the same time. Cromach was by her side and, while Connie drew interested stares that lasted only for a moment, his appearance made stallions burn with envy and mares with desire. His snow-white visage contrasted with black and gold jacket of Griffon Intelligence Service - the Black Ops, something feared and also admired in the ranks of high society with the knowledge of griffon hierarchy. He wasn't wearing anything other than the official jacket, showing off to the entire world the muscles of his waist, behind, and hind legs sliding hypnotically under white coat. Noblemares didn't have enough self-control to avert their hungry eyes. "Ambassador Cromach and lady Contradiction!" the earthpony usher with quite the pair of lungs on him called out the griffon and unicorn entering the ballroom. If there was somepony who might have missed their entrance, they definitely got the memo about the importance of the arriving guests when the host of the evening, a white, blonde-maned unicorn noble in his early twenties hastily excused himself from the group of ponies he'd been talking to and strode over to Crom and Connie. Contrary to being the new lord of this mansion, the host of this celebration, and the unicorn about to be engaged to his beloved, Leo Goldhorn's red and gold clothes cut in a way similar to that of Royal Guard officers were easily lost in the blinding luxury of what his guests were wearing. He wasn't alone. Halfway through the ballroom he was joined by a brown-haired satyr girl whose spring-green dress said she had very similar tastes to Connie. Figure-hugging, slipping in the crack of her behind with every step, and only accentuating every curve of her upper body. The curves were not voluptious, though, it was a toned and fit figure of somepony used to moving around and carrying heavy equipment, specifically griffon rifles and guns. Her name was Fortune, and she used to be an Order member just like Leo, one specialized in long-range projectile weaponry. It took a lot of strength to diveroll while shooting a sawed-off shotgun in one hand and keep a steady aim. "So here is the promised couple," Connie smiled widely when Leo and Fortune walked over. Fortune leaned down to Cromach who kissed her cheeks politely, smiling as well. "Ah, screw it!" Fortune took Crom's head into her hands and gave him a deep kiss. She used to have a crush on the griffon before, and she knew her soon-to-be-engaged partner would understand. After all, both Fortune and Leo owed Cromach... if not everything than definitely a lot. Alright, she used to be crazy about Cromach to the point of drooling insanity. Only a tiny fraction of that obsession remained, though. "Hey, Connie, long time no see!" Leo took Connie's outstretched hoof and kissed it. Connie chuckled and hugged the noble unicorn. "I'm glad things worked out for you, Leo," said Connie, "How is life with that firecracker anyway?" she nodded to Fortune still frenching Cromach who was starting to turn blue. "I'm terrified to death each and every second that I'll do something dumb which will make her leave me," Leo smiled, "and it's totally worth it." "Awwww," Fortune let Cromach go and gasp for breath, and ran her fingers down Leo's golden mane. She leaned to Connie and whispered loudly enough for all four of them to hear, "He has no idea I feel the same way." Leo rubbed his muzzle against Fortune's toned belly. He wouldn't do this in the company of anypony else in the whole world, but Crom and Connie had been there as well, and knew what possible loss of everything meant. They understood that the open show of affection was nothing to be ashamed of. "So, welcome to Leo's 'humble' abode," Fortune's fingers traced long lines over Leo's muzzle. "OUR humble abode," Leo corrected her. "Fancy," Connie had nothing much to say, she wasn't really interested in the building, no matter how extravagant. She looked Fortune up and down, "Gotta admit you look good in a dress. Up till now I couldn't imagine you wearing anything other than cargo pants filled with ammo and grenades and some oil-stained shirt." Fortune's eyes twinkled and her mouth turned to a crooked grin. "And how about you, all fancy and that too. I would have imagined you to arrive in something from a cheap night club to get some tail tonight," the satyr winked, "Or maybe, just guessing here, the tight pants are there to keep something from sliding out, perhaps something griffon-shaped, hmmm?" Connie shuffled her hind legs nervously. The bipedal bitch could read her like an open book. It was mutual, though. "Sadly, a poor, unloved mare like me must resort to such substitutions. That," she nudged Cromach watching them with amusement, "or I'm just stretching for the bigger fish, the one you failed to catch." The crossed glares of the unicorn and the satyr could crush a brick between them. "So, ehm, Leo," Cromach coughed to interrupt the staring contest, "I wasn't expecting you two to make it official so soon." Fortune walked around and slapped Connie's plot right under the tail. Her palm did hit something hard. Connie huffed and walked away to the other side of Cromach, much to the satyr's laughter. "Well, I've got some big advantages unicorns don't have an Leo likes," Fortune brushed away an invisible piece of dust from her dress at breast height, "and I enjoy his company. After I signed a pile of papers prepared by Leo's father's lawyers stating that I wouldn't try to rob him blind in case our relationship went south, there was nothing to wait for." "I still don't understand what he sees in a shaved minotaur like you, foulmouth. For a misguided while I actually considered gunning for him," Connie snorted. "I repeat, these?" Fortune squished her breasts together. She wasn't overly endowed in any respect, but it was still something most ponies lacked, and her coltfriend enjoyed immensely. "Pfff," Connie waved her hoof dismissively, "Milktanks like a cow, big whoop. No well-maintained fur, tiny tongue that doesn't reach anywhere. Muzzle that can't even take his entire-" "I guess you do know what makes stallions tick better than I do," Fortune gave her a smug look, knowing she would win this one, "I should thank my stars that Leo isn't like the hobos you had to sleep with to not starve on the streets, or maybe just to have something warm in your stomach for the day." Leo placed a hoof on Fortune's hip. "Honey, remember how she threw you through a wall back in the Order mansion? Yeah, I can't afford rebuilding this place, and we don't need new flesh-coloured wallpaper." "In my defense," Fortune raised her hands, "she didn't throw me through a wall, she broke the wall first. Had she not done that, I would now be thin enough to become Photo Finish's model. Don't worry, Leo, we are just messing around, aren't we?" Connie nodded, giving Leo a genuine warm smile again. "Yeah, I'm ecstatic you two are finally making it official. What made you think I wasn't?" "Well, I-" Leo started. "Stallions, right?" Fortune interrupted him, winking at Connie. "Exactly. No sense of humour." They both joined in sinister laughter sending shivers down the spines of all stallions who could hear. Leo just shrugged. "Uhh, yeah. How about I leave the two of you to crazy it up in here and have a chat with sir Cromach?" "Sure, hon," Fortune gave him a kiss and waved at Connie, "There's a bar in the corner, let's catch up on what's happened since we left the Order." They walked away. Leo stopped a unicorn servant with a floating tray of drinks and levitated a glass of red wine for the griffon and fizzy champaigne for himself. "So, how are you, Leo? Haven't seen you since you and Fortune left Manehattan," Cromach smacked his beak at the sweet taste of the fortified wine. "To be completely and utterly honest - terrified and ecstatic at the same time." "Happy you finally have somepony you can be yourself with and worried beyond all belief that you will fail her?" Crom gave the unicorn a knowing look. "How...?" "A - I heard what you said to Connie while Fortune was shoving her tongue down my throat. And b - it was exactly the same with me and Blaze. I can only wish your story has a more fairy tale ending than ours." "I'm sorry," Leo lowered his head. "Don't be. Connie said I needed a distraction, and now I have to agree. I've never been the party pooper before. I think I'll just enjoy the food and sights." "There ARE several single mares looking for company. These parties are always a good place to find some. Stallions too if you want, although much less because nobility still frowns on those kinds of relationships," Leo nudged Crom. "Let's not get hasty, Leo." "Sir, it's been over half a year. I'm not talking about finding somepony else, but Connie wrote to us few times and said you wouldn't even go outside the manor. That's not the griffon who beat the spoiled unicorn brat out of me and inspired me to be more than just my father's son." "Speaking of your father, how did he take the news?" Cromach tried to derail the topic. It was agonizing. He knew Blaze wouldn't want to see him like this, and yet just the thought of finding somepony else felt like a betrayal of his memory. Leo let out a weary sigh. "Nobility is nobility, sir. When he heard I wanted to be engaged to a satyr he threatened to disown me. Luckily, after your coltfriend's death princess Celestia kept very close tabs on all of us. I guess somepony told her about it and she pulled some strings. I got this mansion, a meager portion of my father's wealth in monthly payments, and a reward for my service from the princess herself. Honestly, I don't even know what to do with all this." "Have you talked to your father after that? Maybe-" "Don't get me wrong, he willingly agreed to help me with all this when the princess 'explained' what we achieved. He was happy I became sort of a hero, he just had to completely overhaul his expectations. Only thanks to him there are this many ponies here tonight to see me and raise my profile in society. Granted, both princesses promising to arrive and wish me and Fortune all the best must have helped. Even I only know a tiny fraction of all the visitors." "Leo, I know you can handle being a noble and an example to your peers," Cromach embraced the unicorn, "If I ever have a son I'll be happy if he grows to be even a little like you." "He he he. Sir, I doubt you can understand how much that means to me. Still, you're like four years older than I am. Not the right time to pull off the old pony speech." Apprehensive coughing cut through their hushed laughter. A grey-coated, discolored yellow-maned hippogriff wearing a simple white shirt and brown pants stood there, looking happily at Leo and Cromach. He was young, just over twenty, but had a physique achievable only by training and hard work in the fresh air at the same time. "STRAW?" Cromach's eyes went wide. "You didn't think I would leave him out, did you?" Leo hugged the hippogriff, "Great to see you, Straw." "Nice to see you too, Leo," Straw Basket, the final surviving member of Contradiction's team patted Leo's back, and when the unicorn let go he bowed to Cromach, "I'm glad you are here, sir. Connie wrote you needed some cheering up." Fortune, rushing through the ballroom followed by Connie levitating four full glasses, exclaimed: "The big hero himself!" The satyr picked Straw up and pushed his muzzle against her chest. Straw wrapped his wings and forelegs ending in talons around her while balancing on his hind legs. "Hey," Leo faked a frown at somepony else's muzzle buried somewhere where only his should be. He couldn't be happier Straw made it in time, though. The hippogriff was a great friend, but he lived in a small logging town on the southern frontier of Equestria, and train travel was not too frequent down there yet. Straw pushed himself away. Rearing on his hind legs, he was almost as tall as Fortune. His talon poked the satyr's breast. "I think these are only for Leo now, no?" he raised an eyebrow. "I wish," Leo rolled his eyes, "She doesn't share as much as she could." "You might need your own pair with how much you like them. I can't be glued to you twenty-four seven," Fortune stuck her tongue out at him. "Sadly," Leo sighed wistfully to the laughter of everypony. Connie levitated a glass of beer to Straw, rubbed her muzzle against his chest, and kissed him. There was a history between them, a short and warm affair which ended, just like with all of the old team members, in a friendship tempered by ride through hell. Straw raised his glass and coughed. "Leo, Fortune, I know the official ceremony is a bit later, but I wish you the best. You are perfect for each other, and I'm glad you are engaging this soon because you deserve as many days together as possible. Cheers!" "Hear, hear!" Five glasses went 'tink' as the old team's paths crossed once again.