• Published 14th Apr 2015
  • 24,432 Views, 663 Comments

Satellite Lovers - whatmustido



You marry the love of your life. It just happens to come with more baggage than you'd like.

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Chapter 6

The potion’s effect wore off some time in the night, so you woke up holding your precious sunny delight. Though the way your crotch was aching, she hadn’t been acting so precious the night before. But since everything was seemingly back to normal, you carried on as usual. Well, up until you started heading to your workshop.

“Prince Consort Anonymous?” one of the younger apprentices said as you entered the metalcrafting wing of the palace.

“What do you need?” you asked.

“The forgemaster would like to speak to you, sir,” he replied with a bow.

“Alright. Is he in his shop?”

“Yes, my lord. Do you need me to guide you?”

“No, I know where it is. Thanks for letting me know.” You started walking that way, wondering what he’d want. Maybe increased funding or something, though you don’t know why he would need it. Or maybe he just wanted to ask how you were liking his program. When you got to his shop, you let yourself in, because the dude was practically deaf since half of his life was spent around banging hammers. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

The old forgemaster didn’t notice you, but one of his apprentices did, and poked the old guy until he turned around. “Ah, Prince Consort! I wanted to discuss this chain mail with you.”

You looked over to what he was working on, and sure enough, it was a small chain mail vest. “I didn’t think anyone would actually try to make it.”

“I did more than try, Prince Consort. I succeeded. It took me and my colts some work, but we got a good size for the loops. This armor’s strong. And light, like you said. It’s gonna save a lot of lives.”

“It’ll probably also pinch their fur like crazy.”

“I think soldiers would prefer getting their fur pinched a few times to getting killed on a scouting mission. And they’d definitely prefer marching in it, since it looks like it breathes easier along with being considerably lighter. Plate’s still better in a full fight, but this stuff’ll do for a lot of things. And we can incorporate it into the original plate armor, making it safer, lighter, and look nicer.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that. But it’s probably not too easy to make, so I don’t know why you’re telling me.”

“I asked you here to tell you that I’m willing to give you your own workshop, if you want it.” Now that was a surprise. “This idea is a lifesaver, Prince Consort. It’s worth giving you your own place if you can give us more ideas like this.”

“Wow. That’s… an honor. But… it’s also not really a good idea. I’m still learning a lot about metalworking. I have human ideas, but I don’t have human knowledge. I don’t know what I can or can’t do, or what I should or shouldn’t do. I don’t want to get hurt or hurt someone else. I’d like my own shop, but it’s better that I keep working with someone else until I know more.”

He nodded. “A wise answer, if disappointing. If you’d like, I can give you to an actual master. You’ll be given better projects. It’s what we should have done with royalty in the first place, but our hooves are full of younger apprentices. But I can shuffle them around, if you’d like.”

“I’m fine where I am, sir. I don’t want to rock the boat if I can avoid it.”

“Hmm. That is your choice, Prince Consort. But if you have any other ideas for things we could make, please, let me or Goldilocks know.”

“...You ever hear of a crossbow?” Sure, you could mention guns. But you aren’t sure if you want to be the guy to bring that kind of heat to this world.

“I have not. What are they?”

You quickly looked around the room for some stuff you could grab as an example. You quickly find a beam of wood and a broken wheel that would work as examples. You put both on a table, with the wheel in front of the beam. “This wooden beam acts as the stock, which is held up to the shoulder to aim. Or at least, that’s how humans would do it. The wheel acts as the bow, and there would be a string attached to each end. The string is pulled back to a certain place on the crossbow, either with a crank or by hand. Then an arrow is placed in a groove on the stock and locked onto the string. A trigger is pulled, releasing the string and propelling the arrow toward the target at which the stock is pointing. It’s easy to make, easy to fire, and you can aim it with a bare minimum of training. Reload times are bad, but you could make a semi-automatic one with enough machinery.”

The forgemaster slowly nodded all throughout your demonstration. When you finished, he said, “I have heard of such a thing. I think the minotaurs have them. Or rather, larger versions of them called ballistae. Your version is made to work with bipeds, but… Hm. Exports or the auxiliaries… Or a modified design. Attach it to the armor, make mobile weapon systems attached to earth ponies… Launch enchanted arrows? We can use this, Prince Consort. Though I’d prefer armor or items of convenience, not weapons.”

“I’ll remember that in the future,” you replied. “I’d prefer giving you those, too. Do you need me for anything else?”

“No, Prince Consort. Thank you for the suggestions. They will be a great help.”

“You’re welcome, sir. I’m heading to my workshop, then.” He nodded and turned right back to the chainmail he was working on as you left.

By the time you got to the shop, you were a lot later than you should have been. But when you stepped inside, the fire wasn’t even on yet. Goldie was just sitting on the couch, seemingly lost in thought.

“Sorry for being late,” you said. “The forgemaster wanted to talk.” She didn’t reply. “Everything all right? You usually have the fire up by now.”

After a few seconds, she blinked. “I had a weird day yesterday.”

“Something happen in the forge?”

“And on the way home. And at home. You gave Princess Celestia that… that potion, right? The one that… that gave her my body?”

“Yeah. Did some people mention seeing you or something? I heard we were in the papers…”

“Has that potion been tested before?”

“Once. But Luna said she didn’t test it too thoroughly. Why?”

“...I felt everything.”

“What.”

“I tasted what she ate, though my mouth didn’t chew. I felt bugs crawling on my hooves when they were holding hammers. I felt cool water against my fur when I was boiling in the forge. And when I was in bed, I felt… something else.”

“...I need to go have a talk with a blue princess.”

She smiled. “You definitely do. I haven’t been touched like that in years! You need to do it again!”

“What.”

She hopped off the couch and started inching toward you, a big smile on her face. “I know why the princesses married you now, Anon,” she sultrily whispered.

“Um…” You started to back away without even thinking about it, lifting your hands defensively.

She continued advancing. “I think I could go for a more personal taste…” She suddenly jumped toward you and you leapt back in fear. Then she burst out laughing. “Oh, the look on your face!”

“...What.”

She was still laughing so hard she couldn’t answer you, so you positioned yourself next to the door until she could finally compose herself.

When she did, she was still having the occasional giggle fit. “You’re married to the princesses, Anon!” she said. “I’m not gonna do anything to you.” Her smile dropped. “Unless you offered. Then I’d jump your skinny bones in a heartbeat.”

“...Uh. That’s… not really making me feel any better.”

“I spent all night with something jammed up my butt that wasn’t even there. You can deal with it.”

“Look, I’m sorry about… that. I didn’t even want to, but Celestia insisted. It felt wrong, doing that with someone else’s body, but…”

“Are you saying I’m ugly?”

“I’m saying you’re not my wife. And Celestia had your body. It felt wrong, but…”

“Oh so right?”

“Well, it felt right on a part of me. But if I knew you were feeling it too, I would’ve just snuggled her close and left it at that.”

“And let me miss out on that? No buckin’ way. Now I really need to find a good stallion.”

“...You are taking this a lot better than you should.”

“Would you rather I be upset?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Good. Let’s get to work. You’re late again and we have a lot to make up for.”

“...Alright.”

She started setting up the forge as you began figuring out how you’d tell Luna without sounding like a pervert.

When you got to the breaking point, you sat in your chair, not having said a word since you both started. You weren’t really sure what to say, honestly. She did, though. “So how was your date?”

“...Fun. Well, mostly. We ran into an old ex of mine and Celestia… said some things she shouldn’t have. You kinda have a high ranking enemy now. If you see Fleur de Lis, just go the opposite way.”

“...I’m enemies with the Fleur de Lis?”

“Yeah, a little. She was bothering us so Celestia… Well, what she said isn’t important. What is important is you might need to be prepared for some nasty rumors coming your way.”

“I’m curious. What did the princess say?”

“Well, Fleur’s been feeling a little down since our breakup, and has been engaging in a lot of… activities. Celestia brought those activities up and how they can adversely affect her body, and suggested a temporary fix.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Celestia called Fleur a slut and told her to go have sex with some dogs because they’ll fit her loose vagina perfectly.”

She burst out laughing.

Once you were done in the forge, you went to take a shower. You already spoke to Luna once while nasty and stinky. You weren’t about to do it again, not if you could help it. That’s just rude, man.

When you were good and clean, you stopped by her room, still somewhat unsure of how to tell her what happened. When you knocked, she answered a few moments later. “Anon. How was your date?”

“Great, for the most part. We had a bit of a run-in with an ex of mine and it turns out Celestia gets a little jealous. But the potion is what I wanted to talk about. What kind of testing did you do before?”

“I tested to make sure it worked. It did, so I had the lookalikes spend their day as they pleased. Did you notice any strange effects?”

“I didn’t, no. But the original mare told me that she experienced some.” You paused, still not sure how to go on.

“...And what did she say?” Luna asked after a few seconds of silence.

Fuck it. “She felt everything Celestia felt.”

“...Oh. Oh. That is interesting.” Her horn lit up and you found yourself pulled inside. “Sit. I will find some paper.” Her room was still really cold, but the couches were made of velvet so they were probably pretty warm. You picked one at random and sat. Luna lounged in one opposite you quickly enough, paper and a quill held in her magical grasp. “Did she taste what Celestia ate?”

“Yes.”

She made a mark on the page. “Did she smell anything?”

“She didn’t say, so I doubt it. And I know she didn’t hear anything.”

“Interesting…” She made a few more marks. “And she felt everything physical?”

“As far as I know. Celestia was playing with bugs and Goldie reported that. And she mentioned that she felt like she was in water. And she said she felt… the end of the date.”

“So she had full body feeling the entire time the potion was in effect, including sexual contact.” She started writing stuff down. “It could be used as a primitive communication system between two far-off points… Or it could—Wait, you had sex with Celestia when she was in somepony else’s body?”

“It wasn’t my idea!” you blurted. “I didn’t want to, but Celestia was… insistent. She seduced me!”

“Oh. Yes, she can be like that sometimes.” She looked back to her page and continued writing.

“You don’t… I don’t know, see anything wrong with that?”

She paused and looked up again. “Is there something wrong with that, Anonymous? What you and your wife do in bed is none of my concern. So long as it’s consensual and does not cause lasting harm, it is your own business and I do not want to know about it.”

“...Oh.”

She went back to writing for a few moments before stopping again. “Do you feel guilty about it?”

“...Kinda.”

“Then you probably should not have done it. If you feel the need to assuage your guilt, I will allow your workshop partner to participate in the coming night court. I will open it fully in a week’s time.”

“Well… It’s your court, Luna. I don’t know what you want there and what you don’t. She’s more of a smith than a crafter.”

“One that was good enough to get a job at the palace. That means she has talent. I will invite many ponies in the first week. It is up to them to get invited back after that.”

“Alright, then. It’ll be fun to see what all they come up with, anyway.”

“Then you will be excited to learn that you will be in attendance as well.”

That made you pause. “Uh. I’m barely an apprentice. Why would you invite me?”

She rolled her eyes. “You will be there as my husband, not as an artisan. This arrangement works both ways, Anon. I will often be forced to attend events you are invited to and you will often be forced to attend events I am invited to… or hosting. I will only steal you from my sister’s bed on the first night.”

“Well, I can certainly show up at the start. But I’m not sure I can stay up all night. At least, not and function normally the next day.”

“You will be perfectly fine with my magic coursing through your veins. For one night, it will do no harm.”

“So you can keep people awake with magic?”

She nodded. “Indeed I can. Though there are… side effects, if one stays awake for too long. Twitchiness. Irritability. Depression, in some cases. Hallucinations. With one night, you will merely have some grogginess through the next day. Though if you want to begin testing magic with me, you will need to change your sleep schedule anyway. Split it between night and day, perhaps.”

“I’ve always wondered… Why do you sleep during the day and stay up at night? I mean, I know you’re the night princess, but there are a lot more people awake in the day.”

“Celestia deals with the politics. I deal with the problems. Most of them are easier to deal with at night. And it is my domain. I am, as you said, the night princess. That is when I am strongest.”

You shrugged. “Alright. So what am I gonna need to do for that night?”

“Very little. Some of what will be showcased was commissioned months ago. Some will be made that night. Of those I invited, I expect perhaps half to show up. While it is a great honor to be invited to a princess’s court, it is considerably less of one to be invited to the court of one that was dishonored so greatly. And given that it is also an inconvenience for most ponies to stay awake through the night, I truly doubt many will appear. I will have a few old friends in attendance, however. You will definitely meet them.”

“...Old friends?” you asked. “Like, dragons or something?”

She blinked. “No. But that is a wise idea. I know of one that was a gemcrafter in days of old… Do you know what an eternal is?”

“Nope.”

“More colloquially, they are known as vamponies.”

“Oh, vampires! Bloodsuckers.”

“Good, you know of their curse. I recently received a letter from one that I knew long ago, and she would like to visit. She was also a connoisseur of the arts, so I invited her for the festivities. My sister might not approve, but she will live.”

“Well, that’s interesting. I didn’t know vampires even existed here.”

“They do. They used to be more numerous, but a few of them started pushing on me and Celestia. We pushed back. It ended poorly for them. Those that survived decided it would be best not to advertise themselves very openly.”

You shook your head. “This place has a really colorful history.”

“Indeed it does. There are various other types of undead as well. Ghosts. Zombies. Skeletons. Some are only brought forth by mages delving in dark magic. Other are brought forth from trauma or the need for justice.”

“I kinda hope I don’t run into many of them.”

“Wise. I also invited the one madremonte I know, though she might not attend. Tracking her down in the first place was difficult, so I hope she will make it worth the effort.”

“I have no idea what that is.”

“I would be surprised if you did. You’ll find out when you meet her. The last is a dragon that I will invite if I can track him down, one that began shaping his gems instead of eating them. I really hope I can find him…”

“Sounds like a… mixed group. Are the artists you’re inviting all ponies?”

“No. Mostly, but not exclusively. A few minotaurs. Two griffins. I believe one is a changeling in disguise, but I will not push him as long as he behaves.”

“Cool. It was nice that you invited Chrysalis to the wedding, too.”

“As long as she has known Celestia and I, it was only polite. Given the number of stipulations we put on her, it was barely even a risk. In general, and in small numbers, changelings are harmless. But when they get organized… and when I go out of my way to avoid a wedding… they can be somewhat more dangerous.”

“Just a little. Anything else I need to know?”

“You will need to be dressed up, preferably in my colors. If you would like, I can have a suit made for you based off the specifications of your wedding outfit.”

“Works for me. Not much has changed since then.”

“Excellent. Do you have any allergies?”

“Cats, iodine, and things I don’t want to do. Why?”

“Because it would be somewhat embarrassing if I had food there that made you ill. It seemed unlikely, but I once knew somepony that was allergic to fruit.”

“Well, I’m not really in the habit of eating stuff that I know would make me sick. And I definitely wouldn’t want to fuck up your big day.”

“Good. If this idea goes well, I will likely put my plans for a winter ball into motion. You will need to attend that as well, but it will be a while.”

“So it’s like the Gala, but at night?”

“In some ways. I have a few ideas to make it different. What I do with it will change based on what I can learn in the coming months.”

“Any hints?”

“No. Now, it is my turn for a question. When would you like to start learning how to defend yourself? Sooner is better than later. I am aware that you have an unhinged ex-marefriend. Should she attempt something stupid, it would be wise for you to be able to rebuff her.”

“So… Celestia told you about that, huh?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Told me what? I was given your dossier when she asked if I would marry you as well, but I did not know an event happened recently.”

“Oh. We uh… We had a run-in with Fleur yesterday. Celestia kinda insulted her. A lot.”

“Yes, that is something Celestia would do. She can be quite jealous at times. When she gets that way, she tends to forget possible consequences. Have you warned your workshop partner?”

“Yeah. But Celestia said Fleur’s harmless.”

“She also said Chrysalis would not throw away several thousand years of peace, even if she was starving. And that Ponero did not need a strong garrison force. And the one I remember most, that of course those strange magic artifacts nopony knows much about would not do anything to us. Now Chrysalis hates us, Ponero is nothing more than ashes, and we are both immortal. Your training will start in two days. My sister’s heart will not be broken because some foppish noble’s nose was tweaked.”

You sighed and shrugged. “Alright, I guess. Though there’s only so much I can do against magic.”

“That which you can learn, you will. Your trainer will likely be another biped. You can make your schedule with him.”

“Alright. Just another thing to eat up time in the day, I guess. I don’t really have much going on before lunch, so I can practice that before then. I’m starting to get busy...”

“Welcome to the life of a royal. Consider yourself lucky that Celestia does not give you any actual work to do. Though it might be wise to prepare yourself for it, because it will likely come eventually.”

“...Work like what?”

“Like meeting diplomats. Or citizens that are important enough to deserve royalty but are not worth my sister’s time. Or things that require a signature but are not worth her time. You might also begin finding yourself approached by ponies that want you to speak to my sister or I on their behalf. Or you might find yourself called upon to take a stance on an issue, be it either a quarrel between two ponies or a political question. The life of a royal is not one of ease, Anon. So far, you have had a period of luck, and it seems my sister is happy to continue spoiling you. But that will likely not always be the case. When you speak, ponies will listen. Remember that, and remember who and what you represent.”

You sighed and leaned back into the couch. “Why couldn’t Celestia just be a commoner? That would make things so much easier…”

“Being with one you love makes all the hardships in the world worth it.”

“I didn’t take you for the corny type.”

She shrugged. “I can think of some other mindless platitudes if you would like. But I would prefer to eat. I believe it is nearing time for dinner. Let us go.”

“Works for me.” She finally set the paper and quill down, though you don’t think she wrote anything else since she stopped a while back. When you hopped out of the couch, you felt a sweat stain down your back, probably caused by sitting on that hot fucking velvet shit. “If Celestia’s already there when we get there, do you want to do something romantic to get a rise out of her, then say no hetero to upset her?”

“Definitely. Pull out my chair for me and kiss me when I sit down. Then we will say it and you can sit next to her. She will probably be pouty, so make sure to pinch her cheeks.”

She was. It was adorable.

...Until she bit you.