Virtue and Vice: Equestria

by enigmaMystere

Stealthy Shades #41

The emerald stallion enters back into his friends living room to see a sight that easily brings warmth and calm to his troubled mind. Simply put, in front of him sits his family. His wife lays down on her stomach, a smile on her face that matches his own. Their eldest daughter, Ruby, stands beside her, scratching the scalp of one of her siblings as the young colt closes his eyes and enjoys the attention. Both of the younger ponies, twins actually, stand on either side of their mother, nuzzling her affectionately even as they finish off small ice-cream cones. Such a sight as this is one Rhino would treasure forever, and many more like it.

The navy nymph's eyes slowly open, and she giggles softly at her husband. Now what are you just standing there for, love?

He chuckles just loud enough for two small sets of ears to perk up. Didn't want to spoil the moment.

I think the little ones would prefer you to join us. She smirks softly as the young ponies turn to look at him. That, or they'll take the cuddling to you... either way, you know how they love their father...

Rhino barely has time to sit down and open his forelegs before the two eight year olds impact his chest simultaneously. He wraps them both up in an embrace, nuzzling them lovingly as the little green colt who looks almost exactly like his father speaks up. "We missed you, Dad!"

He only smiles, kissing them both on the forehead. "I missed you both too." He gives them a playful smile. "You didn't go and get your cutie marks while I was gone, right?"

The aqua blue filly shakes her head, her blue and pink mane sticking up slightly from the action. When she speaks, her voice is soft and clearly childish, and there's a small smile on her lips. "No, Daddy. Myst has been trying, though."

"Oh? Rhino turns to his only son, ruffling the mane that has it's colors switched from his own black and blue to blue and black. "And what exactly have you been trying, mister Mystic Nexus?"

The colt smiles, revealing a few fangs in his mouth, courtesy of his partially changeling genetics. "We were just playing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders again. They were trying puppetry!" His ears fold down sheepishly as he nuzzles his dad. "None of us were very good though... well, Serene sort of was, but she was doing it her way."

"The puppets were... creepy." She bows her head, her little wings fluttering softly. "I like my own better..."

Rhino just chuckles again at the feeling of his daughter's translucent wings tickling his fur. "There's nothing wrong with putting your own spin on something. You know how much we all love your little shadow puppets when we read." He looks to Ruby and Gel for confirmation.

They both nod, the young mare giggling softly. "I really liked it when you made those little rabbits from that one story."

"See?" He nuzzles her gently. "If you keep figuring out what you like, you'll find what your talent is in no time."

"But Dad... I want to do whatever Myst does..." She pouts cutely. "He isn't good at shadow puppets..."

Her twin pouts as well, giving their father the full blast of cute. "I try, I really do, but I can't do anything with shadows like she can..."

Ruby frowns softly, but quickly recovers with a short laugh. "But what about your own skills, Myst? Surely you've found one in your spare time?"

The colt shrugs. "I dunno, I usually do stuff with Serene. The only time I don't is when she and Mom are doing their flying stuff while you and Dad show me magic. I mean, magic is really cool, and I like it, but..." he looks to his twin. "Serene only has levitation so that can't be it..."

She smiles and gently nuzzles him, drawing an 'aww' from their older sister. Gel, meanwhile, looks to her husband, an eyebrow raised. Love... how likely is it for them to get the same cutie mark?

I'm going to say virtually impossible. He shifts the twins to one forelegs as he gets up and walks over to her and Ruby. Ponies may have the same marks, but they mean different things. Still, they're usually completely unrelated. The closest thing I know of is twins having similar cutie marks in different aspects of a talent...

...and I'm gonna take the risk to say that it's even more unlikely? She gently kisses him, smiling softly to hide her anxiety.

Smiling as the twins giggle at their affection, he responds. Not exactly, I mean family members tend to have similar interests. Look at the Apple family to see that. We just need to keep an eye out for what grabs them... individually.

I suppose that's the best option... She shrugs and looks to her son, blinking slightly. "...Mystic, sweetie, you have a bit of ice cream on your nose."

"Huh?" He crosses his eyes, seeing a bit of vanilla on his muzzle. Sticking his tongue out, the colt leans his head back as he tries to lick it off. His attempts are less than successful as he grunts, squirming as he tries and fails to get it.

Serene giggles quietly and leans over, licking the vanilla off. "Got it." She turns to her family and pauses, tilting her head to one side. "...I still think I prefer chocolate."

Rhino laughs, hugging both of them tighter to him. "Oh, I swear, all of you little ones can't help but be adorable... even your big sister who sometimes says she's too big for it." He gives Ruby a wink.

She pouts, putting her glass of milk on the counter. "When have I ever said that? I like it when you call me cute..." She giggles, her tail swishing softly behind her. "It gives me such a warm, tingly sensation..."

He smiles, raising an eyebrow. "Even in front of your friends?"

"...maybe not. But I still enjoy it, regardless." Ruby nervously laughs, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Hmm..." Rhino leans down between his two youngest foals. "You two want to do something fun to your sister before we head home?"

They look to him, curious, though the aqua filly speaks for them, albeit in a hushed tone like her father. "What do you mean, Daddy?"

His eyes dart to his oldest daughter as he whispers the plan to them in hushed tones. They both nod happily, though he does have to lean back slightly to avoid his son's curved horn.

When he looks back to his eldest daughter, he sees she returned to nursing her glass of milk. In her magic before her, a small poster floats, and her eyes travel across it at a snail's pace.

Narrowing his eyes, the stallion lights his horn up. An arcane circle appears on the ground under his daughter's hooves before they suddenly slide out from under her, eliciting a squeak of surprise from the pink mare. As her own magic cuts off in surprise, he catches her, her drink, and her poster, gently setting her onto the ground and them to the side while he puts the twins down as well. "Get her."

Laughing and giving playful roars, the two charge at Ruby as she lays stunned, jumping onto her stomach. Their hooves immediately go to work, running up and down her ticklish ribs and sides.

The pink unicorn squeals, writhing underneath her siblings as they tickle her relentlessly. She bites her lip, unable to concentrate her magic, and decides it best that she try a different approach.

As Rhino leans against his wife, watching the playful attack, they spot Ruby's horn going back into her head, soon replaced by two pink wings that sprout from her back. Even as she squirms under her siblings, pink feathers spread as she begins her own assault. Both Twins are rendered giggling masses of cute as they find it harder and harder to keep up their attack. Soon though, Mystic gets next to Serene, laughing even as he bats away the threatening wings while Serene goes back to tickling.

Not giving up just yet, the now-pegasus rolls onto her side, easily getting them both with the feather tips of one wing. She suddenly grabs Mystic and pulls him close, blowing a raspberry on his belly.

He laughs even louder, squealing as his hooves flail around. "S-Serene! Help!"

Despite his calls for help, the young filly can't do anything except laugh and squirm now, the full of Ruby's wing now tickling along her side. Their sister, meanwhile, uses her hooves to do the same with the colt, a childish grin on her lips.

The colt tries a different approach. "Dad! Help us!"

Laying on the floor with his tail curled around his wife's, Rhino just chuckles. "But you're doing so well! Come on, you can beat her!"

Eventually, Ruby stops, holding them close and sighing softly. "You know..." She whispers into their ears as they pant. "...I hear Dad is a ticklish pony, too..."

Their ears flick at attention, slow smiles growing wide on their faces.

She lets go, smiling to the stallion. "Go get him."

"Wait what?" Before Rhino can react, the tickle duo is on him now, tipping him onto his side and tickling mercilessly. The stallion lets them go at it, laughing his head off and trying to shy away from their seeking hooves.

Gel watches as her husband and their kids play together, his laughter filling the room. After a while, however, she brings her tail across his nose, giggling softly. "Rhino, it's getting late. Maybe we should head home for dinner?"

His laughter dies down to chuckling as he looks up at her, back to the foals, then back to her. He scoops them up onto his chest before reaching both forelegs out to her. "Carry us?"

"While I probably could..." She playfully rolls her eyes at him. "I think they'd prefer to have a comfortable ride on their daddy's back."

"Hmm... I can do that." He flips over, making them giggle as he sets them on his back. "You want a ride, too, Ruby?"

"I don't think there's enough room, dad." She laughs softly. "I'd prefer to walk home with you guys, anyways... and it's only fair they have a turn on your back, right?"

"Right." He walks behind her, putting her between himself and Gel as she gets up. "Time to go home and have a nice family dinner. Board games, reading, and snuggling to follow."

"And shadow puppets?" The youngest filly chimes in.

"Of course," he smiles back at her. "I can't wait to see them."

She hugs his neck, happily nuzzling his nape as the rest of the family chuckles at the cuteness. Gel nods towards the door, smiling warmly. "Let's go, then. I want to see what you make, this time..."

---

Meanwhile, the other family had quietly made their leave while the other was reuniting. The trio of mares - well, technically one mare, one nymph, and one combination, but that takes far too long to say - leisurely stroll down the street. Octavia takes a sip of a lightly steaming caffeinated brew, looking appreciatively over at her daughter. “Thank you again for the treat, Melody. However, isn’t the parent supposed to treat the child after being away?”

The filly smiles softly, giving a soft nod in response. “I know, but I feel it’s better to surprise those you care about… in a positive way, of course.”

After taking another sip and feeling herself relax a bit, the grey mare leans over and nuzzles the young blue mare. “That is a wonderful way of thinking.” She gives her a kiss on the cheek before turning and doing the same to her wife. “So, I heard you were playing for the twins again.”

“That’s right, mum.” She giggles, beaming proudly. “They said I was as good as ever. And they didn’t interrupt once.”

“You must have had them properly entranced then, considering how difficult it can be to completely have the attention of foals that age.” The mare nuzzles her once more. “You never fail to make me even more proud of you.”

Fuschia eyes roll playfully at this. “It’s not that hard, mum. They love music, especially with a story behind it.”

Oh? Luster finally speaks up, smiling warmly at her daughter. Did you share that one Fiddles told you when you were little?

“Well… maybe I added a bit…” Melody shyly laughs, twirling a lock of violet mane around a hoof. “Changed a few characters… the hero into a heroine… minor cosmetic stuff like that.”

“Well, nothing wrong with a little different rendition of a good story.” Octavia raises one eyebrow even as she smiles. “Do try to keep the true tale separate, though. It is a good one.”

“I think mine was better.” She smiles, pausing to place a hoof on the other earth pony’s shoulder. “After all… it’s the story of how you met mom… with a few dragons thrown in.” She winks and continues forward, leaving the treeline and starting up the cobblestone road to their home.

“...” The mare stands silently for a moment before she looks to her wife. “Did our story need dragons in it? I honestly don’t know where they would fit…”

“I just combined the story of your meeting with the one of the knight and the maiden.” Melody spins around and sticks her tongue out at her coyly, walking backwards all the while.

Octavia blinks. “Hmm… well, I am looking forward to finally unwinding after that interesting trip by spending time with the two of you… I think i’d be nice if we hear this new version. It sounds very fascinating. What do you say, dear? We all get nice and comfortable, maybe light a fire, hot coco… maybe a hot bath before bed...” She trails off, already imagining an evening of utter bliss and relaxation.

I would like that, too… Luster frowns, rushing forward past their daughter and over to their home. ...but things don’t seem to be that easy.

To the untrained eye, the structure does not appear particularly off. However, to the nymph that has lived in it for quite some time, it isn’t hard to tell that something has changed since she and her family last left it. On the doorstep are small shards of barely visible metal; while their source would be impossible to guess simply by looking, it becomes much clearer when the door itself is examined. For one thing, there are several small scratches in the metal around the lock; for another, when she goes to test the door, it opens as though it had never been locked or even closed tightly.

The nymph’s face quickly turns to a stoic expression, her body rippling as she rises up onto her hindlegs. A hoof reaches back as it shifts around, the newly-formed talon grabbing her black metal staff and pulling it out of the makeshift sling. Soon enough, the now-dragon pushes the door the rest of the way open, making her way inside with silent steps.

Octavia’s own eyes narrow as she draws her bow. “Melody. Stay behind me.” In a quieter tone afterwards, she adds, “Just wanted to come home and relax, but no… this burglar is getting a piece of my mind.” She swings the bow lightly once, just enough to where it doesn’t make a sound before she starts walking forward.

Barely audible to even sensitive ears, a very faint rummaging sound can be heard from upstairs, continuing undisturbed by the new arrivals for several seconds before being interrupted by a muffled thump, followed by a not-quite-restrained grunt of pain. A moment later, the rummaging returns.

Luster growls quietly, slowly sinking into the floor. She looks to her family and holds a claw up to her lips, motioning for them to be quiet right before she is completely submerged. The filly, curious, slowly yet carefully climbs the staircase.

In the bedroom shared by the two mares, a stranger to the household is busying themselves with a relatively quiet searching of any drawer or shelf they can locate in the dark. While keeping the light off is necessary to avoid tipping off anypony passing by outside, the unwanted visitor is beginning to regret not bringing some light source of their own. Aside from some tiny rocks they hope to be jewelry of some sort, they have yet to find anything they can identify as being of value. Eventually, they got tired of searching for a needle in a haystack, and have begun just stuffing anything they get their hooves on into their bag; pieces of cloth, more hopefully-valuable rocks, and practically anything else solid and roughly hoof-sized.

As they grasp another cloth, the lights suddenly turn on. That’s not what scares the stranger, though; that would be the large shadow falling over them. A talon grabs them by the neck, slowly turning them to face a pair of slitted eyes, narrowed in anger.

For a pony who had been trying for an unknown amount of time to be silent, they - she - did not hesitate to scream loudly enough to rattle every window in the building. The other talon clamps around her mouth, the tail waving its held staff demonstratively. You have one chance to explain yourself. If you don’t… well, let’s say you won’t see morning. Got it?

The ebony dragon pulls the claws away from the pony’s muzzle, enabling her to get out the first thing on her mind in a frantic, pleading tone. “Please don’t kill me! I have a daughter! I’ll give everything back! Just please don’t kill me!” Her words start to catch in her throat near the end, and she seems ready to curl up into a ball if let go.

Funny. I also have a daughter. She sighs, effortlessly tossing her onto the bed and grabbing her pole from her tail. Now, I know you aren’t lying. You have fear... but you also have love. The kind that a mother has for her child.

Speaking of that bond, another duo with that same relationship eases their way up the stairs. Tavi’s voice calls out. “Is the situation under control?”

It seems that way. She sits on a chair, steepling her claws and leaning forward. Now… you say you have a daughter… aren’t you a bit young for that?

As earlier predicted, the mare curls up into a tight ball as soon as she is no longer in the dragon’s grip. However, she keeps her dark orange face - the only part of her body not covered by a sleek black catsuit - facing the creature, afraid of what may happen if she so much as looks away. “I m-made a mistake...he didn’t want to deal with it...so now it’s j-just us...” Her words come out in an erratic stutter, as though she’s trying to tell a story without organizing the details in her mind first. “She...she’s barely a year old...”

I see… Luster smirks coyly. You’re obviously not the first to have this happen… so why should you be treated differently?

The blue filly in the doorway huffs softly. “You could be a little nicer, mom… can’t you see she’s scared?”

“That’s sort of the point, dear.” Octavia comments, sliding into the room in front of her daughter, still speaking to her. “Excuse us if we aren’t in the most charitable moods right now.”

“I-I’ll give everything back!” the burglar repeats desperately, folding in on herself even tighter. “I’ll leave you alone! Just please let me g-go home...” She whimpers into her hooves. “K-Kat...mom...Twister...Winter...somepony h-help me...”

Hey. She smacks the pony on the head with her staff. Calm down. I’m not gonna eat you, foal. I’m an amoravore, anyways. This doesn’t seem to dissuade the mare’s fears any. The disguised nymph pinches the bridge of her nose, groaning softly. I eat love, not ponies. Clear enough?

Finally, the quivering pony begins to uncurl, nodding slightly in understanding but still looking scared for her life; if not because of the dragon in front of her, because of the two spectators on the sidelines - particularly the rather ticked-off-looking gray earth pony. Nevertheless, the mare forces herself to sit up as much as she can manage.

Better. Though I think I know something else that can help. Almost immediately, the dragon’s form begins to shift, rippling as she starts to shrink. In mere seconds she’s back to normal, smiling warmly at the orange pony. Now… what were you saying about Winter? That wouldn’t happen to be a… cobalt-colored fellow, would he?

Over the course of the few seconds it takes for Luster to change forms and ‘speak’ to her, the mare goes from looking petrified with fear to nothing but surprised, confused, and a little hopeful. She starts to say something, only to shut her mouth and look at the wall with a small glare aimed at nothing in particular. “He’s...yeah, that’s him...unicorn, weird shield thing for a cutie mark?”

Melody quirks an eyebrow at this. “You… didn’t happen to have a crush on him, did you?”

“Crush?” She raises an eyebrow of her own at the filly. “We were together for a good seven months. I think that’s a level or two above ‘crush’.” She winces as she remembers the rest of the present company and almost bites her tongue to keep from making any other comments that could be interpreted as rude.

Octavia simply watches for the moment, the rhythmic swinging of her bow like a metronome to the situation.

“Then… you broke up?” She tilts her head to one side, confusion clear on her face. “I don’t know why… you seem like a nice enough mare… wait, he wasn’t the father, was he?”

The orange mare shakes her head. “Yes to your first question, no to the second. He decided we ‘weren’t working out’ one day, and a couple days later...weird things happened.” She shudders. “Since then, I’ve only seen him occasionally in Canterlot, and I always avoid him. As for the father, that was just some creep who found me at the bar and-” She cuts herself off, remembering the age of the filly she’s speaking to. “...well, long story short, it wasn’t Win. I don’t even know the name of who it was.”

...okay, what the fuck? Luster steps forward, the filly watching in confusion. Who does that to a pony? You didn’t think to try and get someone to help? Your parents? Your friends? Someone who cares for you?

“I’d like to see you try and walk up to your parents and tell them you’re a pregnant eighteen-year-old because you got drunk on your birthday despite their constant warnings to stay away from that sort of thing!” the mare snaps. “And friends? The only friends I had at the time had either moved to some other city, or were just drinking buddies who eventually ended up in my situation.” She grits her teeth and sighs. “Besides...my bed, I made it, I lie in it.”

“But you don’t have to do it alone.” Melody frowns, stepping forward and gently placing a hoof on the mare’s latex-covered shoulder. “You should talk with your parents. If they care about you, they’ll understand. They’ll help.”

The orange pony offers an even gaze. “Please don’t touch me. I appreciate the sentiment, but your mother just wanted to kill me. I’d rather not infuriate her.” She scoots away from the hoof. “Anyway, it’s too late now. This isn’t the first little break-in of mine, and my dad’s a royal guard. He probably knows what I’m doing and wouldn’t so much as let me breathe his air if he came across me again.”

You know what? The nymph in question stands, holding her staff out, the end mere inches from the catsuited mare’s muzzle. I tried to be nice. I wasn’t going to kill you; I was going to knock you out and take you to the local royal guard captain. Shame, since you seem to know said pony. Now… I want you to dump all that you took out of your saddlebags. And that’s an order.

The mare sits still for a long moment, then wordlessly begins to obey. She turns her saddlebags upside-down, letting all its contents spill onto the floor. Once they’ve been emptied, she doesn’t even put them back on, instead letting them fall to the ground as well. She looks at the nymph, trying to maintain a calm expression, only to tremble slightly beneath it and have to look away again. “...tell Winter...that Tempest says hi.” She shuts her eyes. “Do whatever to me.”

The grey mare gives her wife a meaningful look, raising an eyebrow that says volumes about her opinion on the situation.

Oh, I will. She turns her attention to the contents of the pile, carefully sifting through each item. She smirks and pulls out a small red gem, turning and holding it out to the mare. This is a pigeon blood ruby. It can fetch upwards of three thousand bits. She sits there for a moment, waiting quietly before tilting her head to the side. Aren’t you going to take it?

The mare - Tempest - gives the gem only a glance before slowly and reluctantly shaking her head. “I told you I’d give everything back and leave you alone. I’m not going to take something after you decided against cutting my head off...” She shuts her eyes. “Thank you, but...I can’t.”

You’re not taking it. She reaches forward, turning the fabric-covered hoof up and putting the gem on it. I’m giving it to you. You’re receiving a gift. Simple as that.

For several seconds, the orange mare just stares at the gem, finally realizing what the nymph is trying to do. Suddenly, she grabs her with her forelegs in a tight hug, burying her face into the changeling’s shoulder and letting actions do the talking rather than words.

Letting out a long breath, the grey mare slowly stows her bow. She isn’t happy by any stretch of the imagination, but as she looks onto the scene with an understanding expression, she at least isn’t mad anymore. Irritated is another story.

Tempest mumbles something into the nymph’s shoulder, then retracts slightly to rephrase it without the obstruction. “W-Winter...” She gulps. “...can I see him?”

---

Atomic Vortex exits the Carousel Boutique, inwardly debating if he should curse Enigma or not for causing him to spend two hours with the local fashionista. He shrugs, well, the other stallion was the one who got used as a model anyway, and they both got free suits out of it, so maybe it wasn’t so bad. A small spasm of his wing muscles reminds him of his original plan: to go home and relax. As he starts walking, he momentarily considers maybe getting a massage at the spa, but he isn’t nearly that bad yet. He shakes his head and chuckles as he foregoes the thought.

“Yo, Tex!” The voice causes him to look up, the mare before him smiling slyly. “I saw where you came from. Do you have a job on the side I’m just now hearing about?”

He recognizes her signature shades, his own flashing as he smiles back. “Not quite, still just the town detective. I got dragged in there by your stallion.”

She stands still for a moment, her mind trying to process this. “...so… if you’re not doing anything extra, why did you guys go in there?”

“From what I gathered… Rarity dragged him in because she wanted to make him someone for the ball, and he dragged me with him because he wasn’t going alone.” He shrugs, stretching his wings as he does. “Didn’t turn out too badly, even if he is still in there being her model for a new line.”

Vinyl flinches at this. “She’s not making him model dresses again, is she?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, suits. Still for mares, though.”

“Ah, I see.” She scratches her head. “At least it’s not for dresses… last time, a certain stallion walked in during fitting…” She smirks, elbowing his side. “Right after you joined that team. Surely you remember?”

He averts his eyes, his voice aloof. “Hey, in my defense, they were on the lower layers and it did fit him well.”

Vinyl tilts her head to one side, confused. “...if it drew your attention, why didn’t you notice his package?”

“Because I saw a front on view and my eyes don’t automatically go south.” He huffs. “I’ve told you and him that I didn’t ask my wings to make that split second decision that mare clothing on mare body equaled mare.”

“Funny.” She smirks, eyes narrowing behind her shades coyly. “I wonder whether a certain Wonderbolt would agree…”

He raises a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Agree with what?”

"Whether it counts as cheating to stare at E in a dress." She sticks her tongue out and turns, chuckling darkly. "Maybe I can find Rainbow and get a letter to the Captain that way..."

The normally stable guard blanches and steps forward with a hiss. “No!” He blinks and backs off as he realizes how much he reacted, clearing his throat awkwardly. “No… there’s no need for what was a misunderstanding… and I wasn’t even with Spitfire at the time… we got together the month after that.”

“Aww…” Vinyl huffs, turning to the side. “There goes any thoughts of blackmail…” She picks up a stray apple and balances it on his head. “Oh well, I guess I’ll have to find another way to prank you.”

“If that was your idea of a prank… I’m officially worried.” He shudders at the possibilities.

“Dude, I’m kidding.” She pulls off her shades, frowning deeply. “I’m actually a little hurt you think I’d do that.”

His ears fold slightly. “Look, it’s hard to tell with you and a few of the others. I mean, honestly it’s like it would damage my relationship, mostly it would just give Fire something to tease me about…”

“I know. She came to me with something the other day… still hard to tell what she was talking about.” She puts her iconic sunglasses back on and turns to the side, smiling warmly. “Well, have a nice day, Tex. Give my regards to Fire when you see her.”

"I'll do that." He raises a hoof in departure.

She starts to leave but pauses, a hoof in the air. “Oh, and tell her ‘no thanks’. Okay?”

He blinks behind his shades. “What?”

“Yeah, she didn’t want me to tell you more than that. Sorry.” She shrugs. “I think she’ll look for the help elsewhere, though… I just don’t do private functions.”

“... ok… looks like I have something to probe her about now…” Atom hums thoughtfully at this information.

“Glad to give you food for thought. Now, I have a stallion to return home to… if he’s there, that is.” With that, she leaves, waving over her shoulder at him.

He nods, heading on his own way and wondering if the day will get even more interesting despite it being the first of his ones off.

Comments

[Atomic Vortex]

Private functions hmmm...*thinking cap and appropriately sized beard for stroking thoughtfully*...intriguing.