• Published 15th Dec 2013
  • 15,960 Views, 862 Comments

Cheesecake and Changelings - Dropbear



After an alarming trip through a black hole in his fridge, Nigel M. Chalmers finds himself in a colourful peaceful country populated with a throng of friendly ponies... in the body of one of their nation's worst enemies. Of course it all goes to

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Peace Soon to be Shattered

“Come in dear, you’re early.”

“I know,” Midnight told Starbright while she followed her mother into the house. “I came straight here after walking Nigel to work.”
“I take it he will be joining us after?”

“He will,” she answered, both trotting into the living room. Starbright paused, Midnight tilting her head at the reaction.
“This will prove most interesting.”

Confused at her mother’s muttering, Midnight shifted on her hooves awkwardly. “So, do you need some help?”

“Oh no, it’s all ready to go,” Starbright dismissed, resuming her trotting. “In fact, your father’s already sitting at the table waiting for it to start. Go in and join him, I’ll start getting ready to serve.”

With that, Starbright veered off towards the kitchen, Midnight watching her go before continuing to the dining room. Something about her mother seemed off, like she knew something and wasn’t going to tell her.

As soon as Midnight entered the candle-lit dining room, she realised that she wasn’t the only one not entirely sold on the dinner.
Her father was already seated in his chair at the head of the table, the stallion sipping golden liquid from a whisky glass. His face was locked in a frown, however when he saw her he brightened.

“There she is!” he announced with a slight slur, getting off his chair to approach her. “My favourite daughter, come here Midnight.” She smelt whisky on his breath when he embraced her, his wings patting her on the back before he withdrew to smile at her shocked face. “Maybe you’ll make this night slightly more bearable.”

“Dad,” she began, keeping a close eye on the drunken stallion while he returned to his seat. “Have you and mom been fighting?”

“What?” Darklight questioned. “No, of course we haven’t, what gave you that idea?”

“Well, you do seem to be… drinking a little too much.”

“Nonsense,” Darklight retorted, taking another sip to prove his point. “I’m drinking because of the dinner.”

Surely it wasn’t going to be that bad, she herself wasn’t too keen but she was still going to make an effort to enjoy it. She glanced around the table and noted that there were eight places set instead of three, sparking alarm bells in her head.

“Yup,” Darklight told her, noticing her observation. “That’s why I’m drinking. Your mother thought it’d be a good idea to invite your sisters and their excuses for coltfriends again.”

A chill ran down Midnight’s spine, the news far from welcome. She remembered the previous time, the night consisting of ridicule and ending with an angry brawl. Granted, Nigel wasn’t going to be present for most of the time, but that meant that she was on her own.

“Why?” she mumbled, sitting down next to Darklight and placing her head in her forehooves. “Why would she even…”

“I thought that after the last dinner, we could do one to make up for it,” Starbright answered, trotting into the room with a large plate on her back. She used her wings to lift it onto the table, revealing a platter of steamed vegetables. “Now, it’s a shame that Nigel has to work, but we’re all a family and we need to get along. I want you to be nice to your sisters, and doubly nice to that DJ that Melody is seeing.”

“Be nice to that moron Bass?” Midnight scowled. “After all of the things he said and did?”

“Now Midnight,” Starbright warned. “Nigel already punished him enough, and they were both at fault. There is no excuse to be rude to him; he’s a guest after all.”

“A bad one,” she muttered, her mother narrowing her eyes. Any further lecturing was cut off however, the door bell ringing.

“That’ll be our guests,” Starbright announced merrily, a single warning glance being sent towards the father and daughter before she left the room to answer the door. Midnight inched her seat closer to her father’s, Darklight himself reaching for the whisky bottle by his chair for a refill.

“It begins,” Darklight muttered, the sounds of hooves growing closer.

“We’re one down,” Starbright’s voice grew louder as she approached. “But that’s okay, I’m sure we all have plenty to talk about in his absence.”

Five ponies emerged into the room, Starbright leading in Melody and Glitter with Bass and Beats following their marefriends.

Midnight tried to not make eye contact with the group, they doing to same to her. Starbright failed to notice any issues, and instead trotted into the kitchen.

“Dinner is ready, why don’t you all say hello while I serve it up?”

Evidently the matriarch still held sway over the newcomers, even if they lived out of the house. The four mumbled greetings to Midnight and the scowling Darklight, Midnight merely nodding in return. The four took seats opposite her, Melody with Bass and Glitter with Beats.

“I see you’re looking better than last time, Bass,” Darklight observed, the targeted stallion wincing.

“Uh… yeah,” the DJ replied, glancing towards Midnight and the empty space beside her.

‘Oh no,’ Midnight thought, Darklight preparing to speak again. ‘Dad, why do you have to do this now?’

“I hope getting your rump kicked taught you a lesson,” the Chief shared, taking another sip of whisky while Midnight closed her eyes to take a deep breath. “I want cordial behaviour in this house, not your usual stuck-up-“

“Darklight!” Starbright sang from the kitchen. “I hope you’re behaving out there!”

“I am dear!” he called back, before glaring at Bass. Returning to the nursing of his whisky, he left everyone else alone.

Bass had shrunk in his seat, Melody glaring at her father. Midnight, Glitter and Beats were left to look around the room, the trio intent to stay out of it.

“So…” Beats started, tapping his hoof on the table. “I hear that your… coltfriend met the Princess.”

“No way,” Bass interjected before Midnight could downplay the situation. “What about, exile?”

“Bass!” Melody hissed, smacking his shoulder with a hoof. Bass winced and looked towards Darklight, the Chief narrowing his eyes.

“Actually, Princess Luna thanked Nigel and gave him her blessing,” Starbright informed, walking into the room with a tray of glasses on her back and setting them down. “What he did was very brave, wasn’t it Darklight?”

“Yes dear,” the Chief answered, a sour look on his face at the reminder.

“It wasn’t really a huge deal,” Midnight tried to step in before the praise increased. Unfortunately, Starbright didn’t get the hint.

“Nonsense,” Starbright replied, trotting back into the kitchen before returning with a bowl filled with fruit slices. “It was a very good thing to do, protecting our daughter,” she fixed Bass and Beats with a smile. “I’m sure you two would also fight two armed Grimskulls for Melody and Glitter, wouldn’t you?”

“Mom, Dad,” Midnight spoke up, earning the attention of all. “Just stop it.”

“I’m only teasing dear,” Starbright grinned, before trotting back into the kitchen. Silence blanketed the dining room, everyone out of things to say. Beats coughed awkwardly into his hoof, before Glitter turned to Melody.

“So, Melody, I hear that you’re working with Bass now.”

“I am, I help with the tickets to his shows and with the set-up.”

Midnight sat back in her chair, the conversation fading into the background. She tapped her hooves together and stared down at her belly. She wished that Nigel was here, mainly to give her someone to talk to. However, he wasn’t so all she decided to do was wait for dinner. She glanced up when Starbright passed her, her mother noticing that something was wrong.

“Midnight, could you please give me a hoof with the dinner?”

“Sure,” Midnight answered, breathing a sigh of relief. A hoof touched her foreleg while she was getting down from her chair, Darklight looking at her with pleading eyes.

“Take me with you,” he whispered, the other four not noticing thanks to their conversation. Midnight was beaten to an answer by Starbright, who waggled a wing-tip at Darklight. With a final, apologetic look to her father, Midnight trotted away from the table with her mother following behind.

“See? It’s not so bad,” Starbright told her, lifting a platter of cheeses onto her back before grabbing two bottles of dressing with her wings. “They’re not focused on you or Nigel, so try and relax.”

“They’re so boring though,” Midnight complained, using her wings to carry a glass salad bowl. “I mean, what am I supposed to talk about?”

“What about Bass’ dayclub?” Starbright offered. “Or if Beats’ is helping in his family business. Sometimes you must make sacrifices dear, even if your sisters’ coltfriends are slimy punks.”

‘Wait, what?' Midnight mentally questioned, her mother walking out of the kitchen with her trays of food.

“Now everyone, we should almost be ready to eat. I hope you boys like simple entrees, I still have some work to do on the main.”
Dismissing her thoughts about her mother’s behaviour, Midnight followed Starbright out. Placing her salad bowl on the table, Midnight huffed before returning to her seat. Starbright, in the middle of dishing out some steamed vegetables, smiled at Midnight.
“I also hope you all have a healthy appetite like Midnight does, I don’t want any leftovers.”

‘Why do I bother?’ Midnight asked herself, sighing before grabbing a plate. Everyone began to choose items to eat, ranging from cheese to fruit to vegetables. Choosing to stick with just slices of fruit and some cheese, Midnight munched and looked around the table.

Glitter and Melody would occasionally glance towards her and then back, while Beats and Bass seemed dedicated to avoid the attentions of Darklight. Speaking of Darklight, the Chief was currently draining his glass yet again.

“So,” he began, prompted by a warning look from Starbright. “Any news?”

“Not much dad,” Melody answered, taking a bite out of a melon slice. “I already told you about my job.”

Darklight grimaced but held his tongue, his gaze turning on his middle daughter. “Glitter?”

“Well, I’m currently helping Beats’ around the house,” she explained, sharing a conspiratory look with her coltfriend. “But I was looking around for work.”

Midnight rolled her eyes, everyone knew that Glitter and Beats were just leeching off of Beats’ father. Still, Darklight nodded while Starbright took over.

“What about you boys?” she inquired, chewing on an apple slice. “Still going okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Beats replied. “I am looking at starting to apprentice under my father, actually.”

“Oh,” Starbright nodded. “Any new and upcoming artists?”

“Not at the moment,” the blue-vested stallion answered. “Most of the new talent is coming out of Equestria and-“

“Well, I was looking at starting a career in singing,” Glimmer interrupted, placing a hoof on her chest. “I think I’ve always had a talent for it, and Beats promised me that he’d record me when he starts working for his father.”

Midnight tried to hold back a chuckle, losing her composure for a brief second. The thought of her sister being a professional singer was just absurd; in fact Glitter probably had the least amount of musical talent in the family. Luckily she recovered in time, however Starbright looked at her curiously.

“Well, I think it’s time for some drinks,” Bass offered, much to the surprise of all. He produced a wine bottle from his bag on the floor, the grin that Melody was giving convinced Midnight that she, not Bass, was behind the idea.

“That would be lovely,” Starbright agreed, all of them pausing their eating to prepare their glasses. Midnight chose to pour some water instead, an option that prompted action from Bass.

“It’s very good wine,” he stated while holding out the bottle with his wing. “Come on, join in on the fun.”

Midnight, not convinced that Bass knew what good wine was, was about to politely decline but her father beat her to it.

“Don’t you know that pregnant mares shouldn’t drink,” Darklight muttered, before his eyes widened when he realised his mistake. The table went silent, Midnight looking down at the floor and fidgeting with her hooves.

“Pregnant?” Melody repeated, her face twisted into one of befuddlement. “With a changeling’s-“

“No!” Midnight quickly defended. “It’s not his, can we just leave it?”

“Then who’s is it?” Bass inquired, his three friends sharing his curiosity. Midnight didn’t see curiosity, however; she saw looks of judgment and disapproval. The silence continued, and she didn’t know what to say. Without another word she left her seat and hurried out of the room, moving through the living room and galloping out of the front door. With tears welling in her eyes, she ran around to the side of the house and sat down against it, wrapping her wings around her and sobbing.

Sitting in the dirt, she cursed her luck. Now her sisters knew, and then they’d go and tell their friends. Soon, everyone would know, and she’d never hear the end of it. She felt ashamed, even though she thought that she’d gotten over it she still felt terrible whenever it was brought up again. No doubt everyone was talking about it right now, her sisters likely saying about what a terrible pony she was. For minutes she sat and wept, wishing that she’d never joined the Guard in the first place.

She didn’t even unwrap her wings when the front door opened and hoofsteps approached her. The sounds came around the side of the house and stopped, Midnight slowing her sobs but not acknowledging the pony. It was probably her mother or father about to console her, but at the moment she doubted that even that could help her.

“Midnight?”

She stopped crying out of confusion, Melody’s voice saying her name.

“Mom and Dad told us what had happened,” Glitter added, Midnight wiping her eyes with her wings before looking up. Her sisters were standing together, looking at her with pity instead of the expected mockery. “We were wondering why you were back home, but we didn’t think it would be as bad as…”

“I know,” she sniffled in reply. Midnight tried to get her emotions under control but still found the tears flowing freely. “Still, there’s nothing anyone can do now, so let’s just not talk about it. I’m fine now, you can go back inside and I’ll be in shortly.”

“Midnight, you’re not alright,” Melody sighed, moving to sit beside her. Midnight flinched when a wing was placed across her back. “If you start to cry when it’s brought up, then there is a problem.”

“I just didn’t want you two to know.”

“Why?”

Midnight looked at Melody, Glitter sitting down next to her. “You’d make fun of me.”

“Really?” Glitter questioned, shaking her head. “You think we’d tease you because of… that?”

“You tease me about everything else,” Midnight muttered. “You always have.”

“But not this,” Melody confirmed, shifting on her spot. “Midnight, we’re your older sisters, if you want to talk about it then we’ll listen. I’d want to talk to you if the same thing happened to me.”

“Really?” Midnight questioned, Melody acting surprisingly mature.

“Of course, you’re my sister. Talking about it helps and right now we want to help you. So come on, get it all off your chest.”

“To be honest,” Midnight admitted. “I’ve already gotten over most of it. I’m home, I’ve got a nice stallion who is happy to help me look after the baby and Equinox has gotten what he deserved. I guess that the only thing l was worried about was everyone finding out about it. So when Dad mentioned it…”

“Yeah,” Glitter agreed. “He’s always been like that when drinking. Come on, let’s go back inside.”

Midnight glanced between her two sisters, before smiling thankfully and getting to her hooves.

“Thanks,” she acknowledged with a smile. “It’s really helped.”

“No problem,” Melody grinned, before heading back towards the door. “I heard that Mom’s making her casserole for mains, we better get some before the guys eat it all.”

Her sisters’ priorities washed away the last dregs of sadness, Midnight grinning before following them back into the house.


Nigel trotted along the cobbled road, the dark street lit by lamps. He’d just finished a quiet shift at work, no major mishaps plaguing his night. Straight after he had made his way to Midnight’s parent’s house, hoping that he wasn’t going to rock up too late. He also hoped that Starbright would go easy on Midnight, regarding the interruption that had happened earlier that night.

A few nocturnes passed him on the street, their gazes lingering but none said anything aside from polite greetings. He wished them well back, guessing that news of his… incident at the furniture store had probably spread. Still, there was no going back and they’d hopefully soon forget about it all.

Looking up, he spotted three guards fly overhead, armoured in silver. He briefly wondered how Princess Luna’s campaign was going, before he returned his attention to the road.

His hooves left the cobbled stone when he walked through the gate to the house, the door keen in his sights. Brushing the dirt off his hooves on the welcome mat, he lifted one and knocked on the door three times.

He waited, hoofsteps approaching from inside the house, before the door opened and he was greeted by a smiling Starbright. “Nigel, welcome,” she greeted, stepping aside to allow him entry. “We’re just in the middle of dessert, would you like some?”

“No thanks,” he acknowledged, returning her smile while entering the house. He heard the sound of conversation from the dining room, his brows momentarily furrowing. “We’re not the only guests?”

“We invited our other daughters and their coltfriends again,” Starbright informed, a warning look being sent his way. “No fighting.”

“I won’t,” he promised, grimacing at the thought of once again sharing a table with the four brats.

“Good,” she replied, leading him further into the house. “Midnight’s been getting along fine with them.” Starbright paused, gesturing for him to follow her into a side room. He walked in after her, the room some kind of study judging from the bookshelves and writing desk.

“Something wrong?”

“Well, my husband has had a bit too much to drink, and Darklight let slip that Midnight was pregnant.”

“Oh,” he replied, wincing at the thought of how that would have played out.

“It wasn’t as bad as you probably think,” Starbright continued. “Melody, Glitter, Bass, and Beats were very understanding, Midnight was just upset for a while. I’d like it if you didn’t mention it, if that’s okay.”

“She’s fine?”

“She is,” Starbright confirmed with a nod. Nigel thought about it for a few moments before letting it go. After all, if Midnight was fine then he agreed that there was no need to bring the issue up.

“Okay, I won’t say a thing.”

Starbright seemed satisfied with his compliance, and opened the study door again. Leading him out, they resumed their journey towards the dining room.

Upon emerging into the room, Nigel grinned when he saw Midnight. She was sitting down next to a woozy Darklight, her cheeks bulging while she chewed on a fat slice of brown cake. The others around the table were eating with far more etiquette, forks grasped in their wingtips. Nigel raised an eye at her behaviour, the other diners staring at her in amazement.

“Midnight!” Starbright chided, Midnight’s eyes widening when she turned to look at her mother mid-chew. “That is no way to eat, what do you think your colt-friend thinks?” Starbright advanced on Midnight, fixing her with a stare while Midnight sheepishly placed her slice down and used her wing to pick up a spotless fork.

Secretly, he found her gluttonous eating habits amusing, and a little cute. He’d never tell Starbright that though, instead he merely smiled and moved to sit down in the free seat next to Midnight.

Nodding greetings to the other four guests, Bass in particular avoiding his gaze, Nigel slid into his seat and looked beside him at Midnight. She was finishing her mouthful, a faint blush on her cheeks. Leaning over, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Unfortunately, he got a bit of chocolate in the process and so he tried to repress the urge to scrunch up his mouth. It tasted like straight brine, confirming that it was sugar that he was unable to eat.

“You okay?” Midnight mumbled out through crumbs, Nigel nodding while she stretched out her free wing to rub his back.

“Yeah, it’s just the chocolate.” Midnight picked up on the issue, nodding before returning to her cake. He chuckled despite the circumstances; evidently dessert was more important to her. Leaning back in his seat, he found a wine glass set down for him. Glancing at Starbright, he saw that she was sitting back in her chair.

“It’s very nice wine,” she told him. “Bass brought it along.”

At the mention of the DJ, Nigel looked across the table. Bass was still trying to avoid eye-contact, the stallion sipping his own wine. He had at least had the decency to remove his hat at the dinner table this time, and he hadn’t really done anything antagonistic.

“It’s good wine,” Nigel tried to complement, taking a sip of the woody flavour.

“Thanks,” Bass muttered, no one else saying anything.

“I hear that the battles against the Grimskulls are going well,” he tried again, a sharp intake of breath drawing his attention to Midnight. She was wincing and shaking her head, Nigel looking back at the others and noticing the uncomfortable looks.

“Ah,” he mumbled. “They know about that.”

“Don’t be ashamed, son,” Darklight slurred, leaning across the table. “You did what you had to do.”

‘Wait, did Darklight just call me…?’

“That’s right,” Starbright joined in after shooting Darklight a warning look. “Sometimes things just get out of our control. Besides, you helped Midnight and all of those other ponies.”

“I guess,” he replied, shaking his head and dismissing the thoughts of Darklight’s blunder.

The wing on his back curled around his side and pulled him closer to Midnight, their chairs bumping together. She gave him a reassuring peck on the cheek before looking back towards Melody, Nigel feeling a hoof drape itself over his shoulders.

“You were talking about something before?”

At her question, Melody broke her gaze from the two before continuing.

“Oh, yes. Well, I was thinking about visiting Equestria sometime next month, and I was wondering whether you knew of any interesting things to do there?”

“I don’t know much,” Midnight replied with a smile. “Although I heard that visiting the Canterlot Gardens was a pretty normal thing to do.”

Nigel drifted out into his own thoughts while the conversation continued. He may still be on shaky ground with Midnight’s sisters, but at least she seemed to be getting along now. It was probably best to just stay out of it, and let the conversation remain civil.


Midnight hummed while she put the kettle on, the night having gone better than expected. Nigel was currently taking a bath, the changeling having been distant during the evening. She had put it down to his failed attempts to interact with everyone at the dinner, and hopefully once he had finished his bath he’d be more relaxed.

She smiled when she remembered making up with her sisters, everyone leaving her parent’s house with grins and farewells instead of bruises like last time. Well, except for Darklight, who had drunk one glass too many and had fallen asleep at the table.

Starbright had taken the time to draw on his face with chocolate frosting, a fairly decent signal of the evening coming to an end.
Waiting for the kettle to boil so she could make a cup of tea, Midnight grew bored. A mischievous grin grew on her face, an idea popping into her head. Getting to her hooves, she trotted out of the kitchen and headed to the bathroom.

Stopping outside of the door, she opened it slightly while the sound of running water increased in volume. Peeking in through the crack, she saw that Nigel was having a shower instead of the bath, the changeling facing away from her.

Suppressing a giggle, she watched while he moved under the water, her eyes roaming over his body. Secretly, she was a little disappointed that he planned to change back to his original body once he was able to. There was something about the smooth, warm, chitin that she enjoyed, and she wondered how things would change if he did go back. He had already said that he felt like his mind had altered, would he still be attracted to her afterwards?

Midnight was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice him exit the shower, or see him look right at her. As such, when he opened the door fully and pounced on her, she was taken completely by surprise.

“Ah!” She fell back onto the soft carpet, the being on top of her pinning her down and giving her a mock glare.

“Now, what’s this you’re doing?” he teased. “Spying on people in the shower are we?”

“I was just…” she tried to defend, but was unable to think of anything to say. Instead she shifted underneath him, her face heating up.
“Not going to confess?” he smirked, a forehoof going down to rub her flank. “I guess that I have to interrogate you.”

She gasped when he went for her ear, nibbling on the end ever so slightly. He seemed to like it, however he soon moved on to what she had found was one of his favourite targets.

Her wings had begun to flutter thanks to the feelings shooting through her body, and he used his free hoof to lift her neck slightly off the ground. She gasped when he kissed the base of her left wing, a tongue drawing a line up the membrane. Midnight shuddered while he paid attention to it, moving one of her forehooves to her mouth to help hold in a moan. She bit down upon her hoof and waited for him, Nigel steadily making his way back down her wing. Closing her eyes, she was content to just relax and enjoy him do all of the work.

The whistling of the kettle interrupted their fun, Midnight sighing before pushing him off.

“Hang on,” she told him, leaving him on the carpet while she got to her hooves. “I’ll just get this then I’ll be back.”

Shakily walking towards the kitchen, she mulled over just how good his affections felt. To be honest, it was simple stuff, but the way they drew it out just made it seem so much more. It certainly said something about their relationship that they each knew every sensitive spot of the other. She once again cursed her pregnancy, in her eyes stopping her and him from fully enjoying each other.
Turning off the oven dial, she quickly hurried back to the bathroom to find him lying on the carpet like before.

“I’m back,” she announced, flopping down onto the floor and rolling onto her back. “Now, I believe I was being interrogated?”

“Oh, right,” he replied, before climbing back atop her. Once again his hooves went for her flanks, and he leaned in to kiss her. Wrapping her wings and forelegs around him, she eagerly returned the kiss and lost herself to the bliss.

Meanwhile, the kettle grew cold, no one bothering to make a cup of tea.


“Okay, okay! We’ll work for you!”

Equinox sneered while he kept the knife pressed up against the panicking stallion’s throat. Dealing with these lowlife scum was always a chore, but he had no choice. Three months had passed since he’d be sent to the hospital by the Bug and its traitorous whorse, and while his body had healed his influence had all but decayed.

As of such, he so far only had a gang of twelve hired thugs to do his dirty work, however that was all soon to change.

Pressing the knife held in his wing forwards, he enticed a small stream of blood from the gangleader’s throat.

“Yes, you will work for me,” he confirmed, loving the fear in the gangleader’s eyes. “If you fail, or betray me, then I’ll hunt you down and end you. Understood?”

“I understand!”

Sneering, Equinox removed the knife and stepped back, the former gangleader rubbing his bleeding throat with a wing. Looking around the worn-down warehouse, Equinox flicked a wingtip into the air.

“Let them go, they work for us now.”

At his command, the ten stallions to the left of the warehouse lowered their assorted weapons, the eight nocturnes lying on the floor breathing audible sighs of relief. They disappointed him, having given up at the first sign of a knife, but they were all he had to work with. Glancing across towards the newest addition to the ranks, Equinox gestured towards the gangleader.

“Name?”

“Shadow Dancer.”

Equinox nearly lost his composure at the name, and he forced himself to hold back his laughter. Were some nocturnes really that unimaginative? He almost wished that the injured stallion had been named ‘Cut Throat’ instead, that would have made his day. Still, now was not the time for humour, he had work to do.

“Rival gangs,” he questioned with a tone honed from years in the guard. “How many, and where?”

“There’s the Vamps in the East side, about twelve of them,” Shadow explained with a nervous shiver, holding a wing to his cut, the blood flow almost having stopped. “Then there’s the Belfries in the Northern slums, they have at least thirty members.” Equinox smiled to himself, it seemed that during his absence in Canterlot the criminal gangs had grown in number. It would prove to be most useful. “Why do you ask?” Shadow inquired, before shrinking under the gaze that Equinox sent him.

“It’s none of your concern as to what a Firstborn like me wants with a Commoner like you,” he insulted, before baring his fangs in a grin and starting to trot towards the door. “However, I’ll let you in on a small amount of information, since you gave up so easily.”
The beaten stallion winced at the reminder, Equinox gesturing for them all to follow him.

“Let’s just say that I think the city could use with a change of ownership, and to do that we require a fair amount of lowlife scum.”


Nigel waited at the shop counter, the young cashier ringing up his purchases. He watched while a box of chocolate cupcakes went into the brown paper bag, the young mare glancing up with a smile and wide blue eyes.

“Midnight sent you out again?”

“Yep,” he answered her, raising an eyebrow. “When else do I come here by myself at six-twenty-three, to buy chocolate and tinned fruit?”

Dusky giggled at his answer, the mare brushing back her neon blue mane with a hoof. His reasons for the late trips for all sorts of sweet treats were well known to the small store’s staff. A tin of peaches was followed by a jar of pickled onions, Dusky stopping to stare at the unusual pick.

“Changed again?”

“You bet,” he sighed. “I was instructed to fetch only the finest pickled onions, to supplement the glorious diet of chocolate and sugar. I had to comply; my life might have been threatened.”

Another giggle interrupted his cashier, before Dusky grinned at him wickedly. “You mean your sex-life was threatened.”
He snorted with amusement; she was his favourite cashier thanks to her rather blunt jabs. Nigel knew that she was only fishing for some sort of gossip, but he still played along.

“Surprisingly, no,” he replied, earning a nod to continue from Dusky. “I don’t know if it’s the hormones or just the sugar I’ve been feeding her, but four months in and she’s still as playful as the day I met her.”

It was a straight out lie, Midnight had taken weeks to get that comfortable around him, and she was still recovering to the very day. She had asked him to keep the information of their meeting to himself, but despite their repeated stories of meeting romantically by a lake the rumour of their real circumstances of meeting had circulated. It was shy of most of the details, but the fact that Equestria was still looking for a changeling with blue pony eyes didn’t help their shaky cover-up.

“Well, if you keep on treating her to this then I don’t see that changing.” Dusky held up a tin of top-shelf chocolate frosting, winking at him with a grin. “I seem to recall that she was in here a few days ago, buying some equally expensive cheese.”

“We both may partake in the subtle art of bribery,” he countered, smiling at the memories that such gifts tended to create.

“You both must be so excited, four months in. Only another seven to go and you’ll have a foal running around.”

Dusky’s smile faltered slightly when she said this. While the exact details of Nigel’s and Midnight’s relationship was unknown to most whom they interacted with, the one sure thing that everyone knew was that the foal wasn’t his. It was still a touchy subject and some had guessed, correctly, that Midnight’s closeness to Nigel was out of more than love.

“Oh, I am looking forward to it,” he replied, without a hint that he was upset about not being the real father. “I hope it’s a girl, but Midnight is very keen on having a son. I guess that either works for me.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Her mother is also very vocal about wanting a grandson, so if Life knows what’s good for it, then it’ll give her a boy.”

Another giggle from Dusky prompted a middle-aged stallion to stick his head out from a door frame at the back of the store. “Dusky, you better not be slacking off and chatting to the customers again,” the manager and owner, Echo, warned before he spotted Nigel at the counter. His frown turned into a grin, the stallion nodding his head. “And you, Cheese-legs, stop distracting my staff and getting them into trouble.”

“Make me,” Nigel retorted with a smirk. “The customer is always right, after all.”

“Oh really?” Echo shot back. “Well, that means that when I have a drink after work tomorrow, I’ll have to come and harass you constantly at the bar.”

“So a standard Friday then?”

Echo let out a final chuckle before shaking his head and returning to his office, Dusky almost shaking with laughter.

“For- forty-three luminaries,” she managed out between giggles, Nigel whistling at the price before opening up the coin purse around his neck. Despite suggestions from Midnight he still hadn’t bothered to learn how to use his horn and wings. Instead he merely used his mouth and hooves to deposit the coins on the wooden bench. Dusky scooped up the coins and counted them, returning two that he had overpaid before passing him the bulging bag.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to carry this all, I’ll break something,” he joked, manovering to take the bag onto his back.

“You’re a strong stallion,” Dusky reassured, before grinning again. “So, just exactly how much time and what will this buy you from Midnight?” She kept her voice to a whisper while she leaned over. “Midnight told me what a wheel of cheddar bought her.”
He rolled her eyes at that statement. Midnight had made some friends, but she had a terrible habit of telling them about their romantic exploits.

Most of them still couldn’t believe that they had impersonated nobility and made-out on the third floor of the ‘Le Hanger de Cheval’.
Regardless of that, he still thought that Dusky was likely the worst pony to trust with intimate information. She wasn’t a mean mare, but she had a habit of… using the information to bait him. It was bait that he couldn’t resist, and that only made it worse.

“I’d buy her four jars of frosting, and I still won’t come close to what a wheel of cheese bought her,” he decided to go along with it. With the bag securely on his back, he turned towards the shop exit. “See you later, Dusky, or later today depending on how bad the cravings get.”

“I’ll make sure to put a big tub of fudge sauce aside just in case,” she farewelled, Nigel leaving the store with a grin on his face.

Stepping out into the quiet street, the night almost over, he turned left and headed for home.

While passing the time on the walk home, he wondered just what delights a full tub of expensive frosting could earn him.


“Oh Master, I have returned with your required sustenance!”

Midnight shook her head with a grin, leaving the couch and her book to hurry towards the kitchen. The last few months had passed without much incident, something that she saw as a blessing. Nigel still hadn’t gained any more information about his possible departure; the displaced human having joked that after his party stuff-up his bosses probably didn’t want him back. That had worried her, Midnight having learnt that he tended to hide his real thoughts behind humour.

Trotting into the kitchen, all concerns over his wellbeing were forgotten when she set eyes on him. In his hooves was a box of cupcakes, Midnight licking her lips at the sight of the treats. It was the jar of pickled onions that followed the cupcakes that really got her stomach rumbling, Nigel placing the jar onto the bench.

Lately her cravings had started to change, probably for the better. While chocolate and fruit still played a large part, she was starting to desire stranger choices. Moving over to the bench, she smiled and trotted beside him to reward him with a nuzzle.

“The sustenance you have provided is most satisfactory so far,” she played along. He rolled her eyes and continued to remove tins from the paper bag, assorted fruits and vegetables contained within the cans. With her eyes on the pickled onions, she reached out a wing to snare it while he was distracted.

“No,” he lectured, pushing the jar further towards the centre of the bench. “You won’t eat your dinner if you pig out now.”

That was false, and he knew it. She always ate her dinner, despite any snacks before. “Just one,” she begged. “I can’t help it, I need to eat one now or I’ll go mad.”

“You’re already mad,” he teased, before pushing the jar even further away. The paper bag was empty, the bench covered with cans and packets. It was now out of her reach, Midnight scrunching up her face at him. “No, I’ll make you dinner after putting these away, and you can have an onion after.”

She huffed and turned away, Nigel snorting before grabbing three tins in his hooves. He trotted on three legs towards the pantry at the other end of the room, Midnight seizing her chance while his back was turned. Grinning mischievously, she flapped her wings and took flight.

It took some effort, moving in general having gotten harder over the months. Her belly had grown a little bigger, but it still hadn’t swelled to a massive size yet. Normally she would have blamed the chocolate, but surprisingly her flanks had remained the same size so her metabolism must have been working in overdrive.

Descending, she sat on the bench and pulled the jar of pickled onions towards her. Using a wing to undo the latch at the top, she opened it and breathed deep. Her nostrils took in the wonderful scent of vinegar, before she reached in with a wingtip and fished a single treat out. Driven on by her body urging her to devour the helpless onion, Midnight popped it into her mouth and chewed.

Her smile of bliss was interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and looking down she saw Nigel staring up at her with an eye raised. Glancing down at herself, she saw that she was sitting on the bench with the open jar between her legs, and she’d been caught red-hoofed. Swallowing the single onion she’d managed to snare before getting caught, she smiled awkwardly while closing the lid of the jar and latching it.

“I was… just testing to see that they weren’t off?” she tried hopefully, Nigel sighing and shaking his head.

“You’ll never learn, will you?”

Guiltily flapping her wings and leaving the bench, she landed beside him and scuffed a hoof on the floor. “I can’t help it,” she tried, laying a wing over his back. “I just feel the need to eat pickled onions; it’s not something I can control.”

“Of course,” he deadpanned. “It was the pregnancy that compelled you to fly up onto the bench, sit down on it, open the jar and eat a pickled onion like your life depended on it.” He snorted, although there was still a faint smile on his face. “You have no control over your compulsions, I thought I was bad but you just take the cake.”

“Wrong,” she replied, bumping her right flank against his. “I’m obviously taking the onion.”

Silence reigned for a few moments, before he sighed and shook his head. “You’ve been spending far too much time around me,” he murmured, a grin on his face. “Back on the onion issue, I think that you should be punished with having to help me make dinner.”

“I was intending to anyway,” she responded, returning her wings to her sides. She looked on the counter, cans of tomatoes accompanied with packets of pasta.

Her stomach rumbled again, already thinking about the future food. While Nigel moved to assemble the needed pots and pans, she took advantage of her more dexterous wings to begin to open the packets. The last one was difficult to open, so she opened the draw built into the bench and retrieved a sharp knife.

With a single slice, the packet was open, Midnight pausing to sniff the pasta it contained before setting the knife down and trotting over to help Nigel start to cook.


Equinox put the knife down on the desk, drops of red staining the brown wood.

He stared at the body slumped over it, the stallion having never seen it coming. Behind him, cloak wearing thugs went to work on stripping the large office of valuables, as well as the many files that occupied the cabinets. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, Equinox sniffing the air before getting to work.

“Sorry Pops,” he apologised, pushing the corpse of his father off the large chair. With a thump, the former councilmember hit the floor and remained still. Equinox bent down and opened his father’s vest with his wings, ignoring the blood while he searched for the key that he knew was there. A jingle announced his success, and a wing returned with a thin gold necklace holding a single key.

With a tug and a snap the key came off, Equinox holding it aloft with a grin. This was it, the final piece for his plan.

Making sure that the key was securely in his cloak’s pocket, he turned around to his assorted thugs.

“Cease your looting,” he ordered, picking up his knife from the desk with a wing. Taking a moment to clean it upon the wooden surface, he continued. “We have what we came for; a swift exit is in our best interests.”

Despite their interrupted looting, the eight thugs made their way to the open office window without complaint, all of them carrying sacks or assorted valuables. Equinox smirked, evidently they were more concerned with avoiding the same fate as Eclipse. While on that topic…

“Hoots,” he ordered, a single thug pausing. The others glanced back, but soon resumed their escape out of the window into the dark outside. “I need you to help me with the body.”

The stallion named Hoots winced, but he obeyed. The nervous criminal eyed the knife that his boss was holding with apprehension; he had seen Equinox use it on his former gang leader.

“What do you need? We can’t just leave him here?”

“No, you simpleton,” Equinox growled. “It’s all part of the plan, trust me.” Glancing to the window, he could see that every other member of the crime had already left.

Good.

“Lift him up,” he ordered, Hoots drawing back. Another glare soon helped him change that opinion, the stallion placing his sack of valuables on the ground before hesitantly approaching the dead Eclipse. Equinox watched, waiting until the stallion had been suitably covered in the dead pony’s blood. With a cold smile, Equinox headed towards the other side of his dead father.

“He’s heavy,” Hoots complained, Equinox raising a wing behind the oblivious criminal.

“A life of luxury will do that to a stallion,” was all he said, before he plunged the knife into Hoots’ back.

The young thug shuddered, his mouth opening in a silent scream. Emotionlessly, Equinox removed the knife only to plunge it back in again, this time aiming for the neck. Hoots sank to his knees with a gurgle, before Equinox twisted the knife.

The body of Eclipse fell down onto the now very-dead Hoots, both dead stallions’ dead eyes filled with betrayal.

Taking a moment to place Eclipse’s wing around the handle of the knife still buried in Hoots’ neck, Equinox nodded to himself.

Leaving the sack of valuables on the floor, he made his way to the window. Jumping out, he took flight and soared through the darkened sky towards the warehouse district. Flying low to evade the guard patrols, he skimmed along the tops of silent warehouses before arriving at a brand new one. Landing on all hooves, he knocked three times on the door, waited ten seconds, and then knocked three times again.

The door opened and a grey face looked out, before the barrier was opened fully. Equinox emerged into the sounds of celebration, ponies flocking around sacks filled with expensive wines and numerous valuables. Looking over his sixty thugs with a satisfied grin, the clopping of hooves behind him drew his attention.

“Boss?” the stallion that had answered the door asked. “Where’s Hoots?”

“It’s such a shame,” Equinox muttered, shaking his head. “I heard that he died in a robbery, and get this, apparently my wonderful father has also been killed in a failed break-in at his council office. I can only take condolence in the fact that he managed to kill his attacker before dying himself.”

The thug that had asked gulped, Equinox looking into his eyes and placing a hoof on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I know that this news is sudden and shocking. But, it is an unpredictable turn of events and something that I just couldn’t stop.” Equinox smiled, but only slightly. “To make matters worse, I’m his only son and despite my disowning I am still entitled to his land, his house…”

The key was withdrawn from his pocket, Equinox grinning at it while it dangled from his wing.

“And above all, his precious safe in the family study. Luckily, I managed to find a spare key.”


Smacking her lips, Midnight finished licking her second bowl clean of pasta sauce. The fact that she had helped make it just made it taste so much better. She’d never been much of a cook, but over the last two months with Nigel she really had been improving.

Thinking of him, she looked across the table. He had only eaten one bowl, stating that there was really no need for him to have more. Nigel claimed that he ate with her in order to make her feel more comfortable, but in truth she suspected that he missed eating solid food. His bowl was sitting to the side while he patiently waited for her to finish. Holding out her finished bowl with a giggle, she displayed the spotless surface.

“All done!” she announced. “That was wonderful.”

“We do seem to at least be able to cook pasta right,” he chuckled, leaving his seat and trotting over to fetch her bowl. It joined his own on his back, and he waggled a hoof at her before turning for the kitchen door. “Now don’t go away, I’ve got a special treat for you that I picked up at the store.”

Watching while he left the room with the dishes, Midnight could barely contain her excitement. What could possibly be better than pickled onions? He seemed to think that it would mean a lot to her, so it must be good. It was a fight to remain in her seat and not follow after him, but she managed to remain in place.

She was rewarded for her waiting when the sound of hoofsteps approached, Nigel slowly walking out from the kitchen with a cloth-covered bundle held in his hooves. He was only using his hind legs, going slowly but he was still able to walk without any aid. It still amazed her when she saw it, she had been secretly trying to do it herself and had only managed by using her wings to keep her balance.

“Now Midnight,” he started, placing the bundle down in front of her. “I don’t want you to go and eat too much of this at once, remember the last time you ate the entire box of those cupcakes?”

She winced at the memory, she’d spent almost the entire night hunched over the toilet bowl while he patted her on the back and lectured her at the same time. Still, it didn’t stop her from removing the blue tablecloth covering the surprise.

The bright label marking the tin as containing high-quality chocolate frosting brought a giggle from her. An entire can of expensive frosting, as a gift?

“Oh Nigel,” she cooed, gesturing with her wings. He embraced her like she had wanted, and from her position on her chair she rubbed her head against his. “This is possibly the sweetest gift you could have gotten me.”

Both shared a second of silence, before they burst out laughing. It was warm and genuine, and at that moment she couldn’t feel closer to him. A brief thought that she was spending too much time around him and picking up a terrible sense of humour was cast aside, Midnight letting him go and smiling down. “I don’t want to have any now, though. I’m sorry to ask, but could you put it away for now?”

“Really?” he questioned. “I thought that you couldn’t resist sweet, chocolaty goodness?”

She found it funny that he spoke so highly of chocolate, given his inability to eat it, but she merely smiled and nodded. “Yes please,” the smile turned into to a wide grin. “Besides, I know you don’t like the taste of chocolate, and that would really put a damper on the surprise that I’ve prepared for you in the bedroom.”

He paused, his hooves around the can of frosting. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

“Relax,” she reassured, getting down from her chair and rubbing his head. “I promise you that you’ll enjoy it.”

“Okay, I’ll be right in after I put this away and do the dishes,” he gave in, Midnight grinning before bounding off towards the bedroom. She neglected to turn on the light, and instead headed straight towards one of the dresser draws. Seeing perfectly thanks to her eyes, she rummaged around in the bottom one before withdrawing a set of candles and a tinderbox.

Setting them up around the room, she spent a few minutes lighting them all so that they cast a steady glow over the room, in
particular the large bed. Looking herself over in the full-length mirror to make sure that she looked her best, she flew up onto the bed and lay down. Waiting patiently, she went over her plan for the evening.

Her afternoon talk with Dusky had yielded some information that could prove to be very useful to her, Dusky having heard it from a unicorn friend of hers. Midnight hadn’t questioned the validly of the info, she knew to trust Dusky when it came to matters concerning intimate situations.

Hoof steps approached the room, Midnight leaning back on the bed and spreading her wings. Angling her body so that she was facing the doorway, she grinned when Nigel entered the room and glanced around.

“This is nice,” he commented, before looking at her. “Is it because of the frosting?”

She chuckled, their little game of bribing each other with gifts for romantic situations incredibly fun. In reply shook her head, patting the covers beside her with a hoof. “No, although if I had known about it before I would have prepared much more,” her smile wavered slightly. “Do you remember what today is?”

“I don’t,” he admitted, climbing up upon the bed to rest down beside her. Reassuring him, she placed a wing over him and started to rub. “I know we had the month anniversary two days ago, and your birthday isn’t for another three months.”

Her smile strengthened, at least he could remember those dates. “That’s right,” she continued. “But today is also special.” Looking into his eyes, she felt all apprehension about the topic fade away. “It’s been four months since I met you for the first time.”

He was silent for a few seconds, before he grinned. “And this date’s worth a special night? What’s next, a celebration to celebrate an anniversary of an anniversary?”

She rewarded him with a giggle, in truth maybe she was being a little over-the-top about it. “Oh come on,” she replied, shuffling closer until she was pressed up against him. “Are you really going to turn down an excuse for a day with me?”

“Oh no,” he answered in mock terror. “Such an occurrence is a rare one indeed, I’ll have to wait to lunchtime tomorrow before I can even hope to experience you again.”

Midnight scrunched her face up and playfully hit his side with a hoof, huffing in indignation. “With those words, you don’t flatter me,” she raised her nose to the ceiling with the declaration. She couldn’t help but gasp, however, when he planted a kiss upon her neck.

“You know that your ravenous appetite extends to far more than food,” he fired back in-between kisses. Midnight felt her face heat up at both the attention he was paying her and his words. Admittedly, he was correct in the assumption that she was often the instigator of their encounters. Seeking to not let him get the upper hoof, she responded by putting her plan into action.

Eyeing his horn, the appendage moving while he continued to kiss her chest, she moved her mouth towards it and ran her tongue over its surface.

“Gaah!” he announced, Midnight feeling a shudder go through his body. She grinned and continued to lick, Dusky’s information that unicorn horns served as a pleasure point seeming to apply to changelings as well. No doubt the cashier would be after confirmation that it did indeed work with changelings, so Midnight guessed that she’d have to put a lot of effort into her investigations.

Placing her mouth over the pointed tip, she suckled on it ever so gently. Her partner stopped what he was doing to collapse onto her chest, his pants growing louder.

Midnight’s eyes lit up in delight when she saw his heavily-blushed face. She had to admit, he seemed to possess far more experience with sexual matters than she did. The fact that she had so quickly provoked such an intense reaction was amazing to her, she made a mental note to keep the information about his weakness for ‘hornjobs’, as Dusky had so elegantly called the act.

Removing her mouth from his horn, she giggled and hugged the helpless changeling to her chest to nuzzle his heated face lovingly.
“Guess I found a weakness,” she teased, using her wings to play with his ears.

“I… I don’t really mind,” he huffed out, Midnight grinning devilishly.

“Well then,” she continued, running her tongue up the horn again and delighting in the spasm that he gave. Stopping with her mouth posed over the tip again, she breathed out and sighed happily. “I suppose that we better continue, you could say that I am pretty… ‘horny’.”

“So… bad,” Nigel breathed out, before she resumed her actions with a giggle and both lost the ability to form words.

Author's Note:

Another slow chapter, in some ways at least.

So, our two protags seem to be adapting well and making a few friends, although there is still some apprehension about. One wonders just how long their little slice of heaven will last.

Equinox is out of hospital and causing trouble again, although this time he's really gone off the deep end. Will his plan, so far mostly unknown, work?

Well, it just might...