Love is War (Diamond)
“Finally.” Putting the brush down, I smiled in the candlelit mirror and perfection smiled back. It was a carefully crafted lie—one I’d spun a million times before and one I would continue to spin until the day I died.
A lady’s reputation was built on her looks, after all. At the very least, I was going to look the part. Acting the part? I was still figuring that out; I probably always would be. I had the looks down pat, though, and I made sure every filly and colt in Ponyville knew it.
With my makeup and mane taken care of, I carefully picked up my Diamond Tiara™ and set it in its proper place. As I sashayed out the bathroom door, I found my fillyfriend lazing in her bed and reading a book of some kind. She was very pointedly not looking in my direction, the faintest of blushes on her cheeks, but I could see her ears swivel as they tracked me.
“Oh, Night~ I’m ready~” With my most ladylike titter, I slipped up to her and between our two beds so I could lean in to whisper in her ear. “Aren’t you gonna look at all my hard work before we go out? Or are you only avoiding my gaze because you’ve been sneaking clicks at my flank this whole time~?”
“Screep!” The poor, little, adorable foal looked up with the most preciously wide eyes as she snapped her book shut and backpedaled to the other side of her bed. Looking back over her shoulder at the entrance to our cozy little cave, she first squirmed, then frowned before taking a deep breath and putting on one of her ‘Guard’ faces. “Don’t scare me like that, Diamond. I don’t want to disturb any of the other guests. This is a Cave Inn not some sleepover at home.”
“Teehee! I know! You and me with a room all to ourselves~” My grin grew as she forced herself to keep her composure.
“A room right next to Mom and Dad’s.” Night snorted and tossed her head back. “They’ll know if we try anything funny.”
“And you act like they wouldn’t want us trying anything funny. Your Dad tried to buy us the volcanic hideaway suite instead.” I poked her chest. “You turned down not just free but private hot springs for our whole weekend getaway. I am allowed to tease you as punishment, hrmmm?” Leaning in to peck her cheeks, I finally pulled back to give the poor dear her breather. “Now, are you really gonna take me out looking like that?”
“Looking like what?” Blinking bemusedly and still a bit starry-eyed from me being so close, Night looked down at herself. “I look just fine.”
She looked more than fine, really, but that wasn’t the point. Sure, her coat was the perfect shade of grey that she could get by looking scruffy and rugged or smooth and silken. Sure, her mane was one of those cursed few that managed to keep a fairy tale windswept look no matter what she did to it. My fair, sweet Nightingale wasn’t the type of mare to need to slave away at a mirror for hours on end to look just right, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her get away without doing anything on a date night.
Giving a great and heavy sigh, I crawled onto her bed and prepared to punish her once more. “Wrong answer, my dear. If you really can’t tell, though, I’ll just need to get you ready myself. Careful not to squirm too much or you’ll mess up all the attention I just gave my coat~” I pressed close, tail swishing over to my bags to grab my emergency brush. The bathroom was much too far away—I had a point in need of making now. Raking it through her mane was a simple task, and so I was free to devote most of the next ten minutes to shamelessly making sure she was stiff as a board.
Night squeaked a few times, and purred at others. One time she growled, but it was a good growl, not a bad one. Sweet Celestia, it would be nice to hear that growl more often, but a lady was nothing if not patient. I could wait for my knight to be ready. To do otherwise would cause nothing but scandal.
Once I finished with her mane and tail, I cracked my tail against her flank and pulled back. “There, that’ll do. Now, where oh where art thou taking me, noble knight?”
“Well, I do have a bit of a surprise for you later, but… I thought you might like to go on a bit of a walk?” Night’s face was guarded as she gave a small, almost invisible smile. “Mom loves visiting here. It, uh… gives her an excuse to stay extra close to Dad.”
“Mmm… I can certainly see the appeal.” Hiding my smile behind one hoof, I giggled as Night stood and stretched in the candlelight.
Cozying up to her, I slipped under her stretching wing to let it wrap around me. It fell easily, no rustling or fuss of any kind. I slipped it around me as casually as any other dress or cloak I’d worn a million times before. Warm as always—I could never tell how much of that heat was her and how much was me—my heart fluttered as we walked out and into the blackness of the unknown.
We were on the third floor, and the only distinct shapes to be had were the railings that looked out into the large and echoing lobby, and the curtained entrances to other caves in the wall.
“Get ready for the tricky part.” Night nipped my ear and held out a hoof to stop me. “Stairs are just ahead. If you want me to carry you like last ti—”
“I am perfectly capable of doing this!” I instantly bopped her nose. “If your Mom can do it, I can.”
“Mom flies up to the room, Princess.”
“And? She would take the stairs if she were an earth pony!” I huffed.
“If you say so, Diamond, but stick extra close, then, hrmmm?” The smirk was audible as Night pressed closer and squeezed her wing tight. My ears swiveled and strained as she gently guided me to a staircase and led me down it with utmost care. It was absolutely and utterly terrifying, and I bit my lip hard, unable to stop from shaking with every step.
In the end, we made it down, though, and I was rewarded with a happy purr from Night as she nuzzled me. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“Oh, I think we both know I did.” Back on a level floor, it was easy to smirk at Night.
“Mmmm… whether you play at being tough as nails or a damsel in distress, you’re still as cute as a button.” Nipping my ear a little harder than before, Night entwined her tail in mine. “You should have just let me have that one and saved yourself the risk.”
“I knew you’d catch me if I fell.” Bumping my hip against hers, I laughed to hide how loud my heart was still pounding in my ears. “Maybe next time you should just sweep me off my hooves and take me without even asking?”
“Aye. Maybe I should.”
Hook, line, and sinker. Now to just count back from ten and see how long it took her to—
“Errrr… W-wait a minute. I didn’t mean it like that.” And there it was.
Giggling, I reached up to pat Night’s cheek. “You rarely ever do. Now get your mind out of the gutter. We have a walk to go on.”
“Me?” With a huff of her own, my marefriend half-frowned, half-smiled. “You’re the one who just never quits teasing.”
“Once a bully, always a bully.” Sticking my snoot up high, I gave a perfectly practiced laugh. “I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again. If you have a problem with it, then maybe you ought to put me in my place.”
Ahhh, that one always got her. Every. Single. Time. I couldn’t use it too often, but it was always worth the wait to see her response.
It was so sinfully delicious to watch her eyes widen and her emotions war inside her.
But alas, my knight was too honorable to take advantage of the invitation, as always. There was no being swept off my hooves. I wasn’t flown back to the room and punished. No, all I got was the joy of watching her squirm, and that cooled when I gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and a nudge to the shoulder.
“Your damsel in distress is waiting for you to lead on, love.” That got her going again. Always did and always would. Best way to fix a broken toy soldier was to wind it back up and remind it of its mission.
Night easily jumped at the reminder, pulling me close again and leading on like I hadn’t scored a major hit.
Even the lobby of the inn was dark and indistinct as Night led me through it. I could barely make out the outlines of shadowy figures coming and going. They flitted about in the darkness, little more than blurs of motion at a distance.
My knight in shadowed armor pulled and nudged me with gentle firmness out into the city, and my heart only pounded more as we traversed the darkened streets of the Undercity. At first we had at least a few silvery torches and glowing mushrooms to guide us by, but Night quickly stole me deeper into the mountain where few daydwellers ever tread.
The deeper we went, the more thestrals there were, and the blurs of motion in the darkness would turn almost dizzying as I pressed close to Night and let her lead on. My ears swiveled at every little whoosh of air and every clack of a pebble. Quiet as it was, every sound seemed to explode in the silence. A drop of water from the stalactites would crash into the ground like a waterfall breaking upon the earth.
It was rare for words to be exchanged at a volume I could hear, with most thestrals mumbling quietly to what I assumed were others. A few shopkeepers were polite enough to talk at levels I could hear, but Night was always quick to remind me we had plans before I could pull out my purse and go feeling about in the dark. A quick nip of my ear and a purr about coming back later were all it took for me to melt back against her and move on.
I pouted as she teased me more and more in her own way. Our meandering walk took us past tailors, jewelers, salons, and more. Once we passed a spa, and while nopony was out and acting as a crier for their services, I could smell the hot springs and feel the steam leaking out of the cavern entrance.
“Night~” With my most piteous whine, it was my turn to nibble her ear. “I do so love walking with you, but I can’t wait anymore. Come on. Let me buy something.”
Nightingale chuckled as she pecked my cheek in retaliation. “No. We’re running a little late as it is. Perhaps if you had taken less time to get ready?”
“Or maybe you should have taken a less scenic route.” I grinned up blindly at her.
“Mmm… You saw through that, huh? How could I not, though? The sound of your heart fluttering is just too perfect not to savor.”
“It is, huh? And just what else about me do you find flawless, hrmm~?” Keeping my gaze locked on the outline of her head, I fluttered my lashes and smirked as the stars in my eyes were reflected by her slitted purple irises.
“Heh… What’s not to find flawless? Your silken coat? Your silver tongue? Your voice is a balm for the soul and your flank is candy for the ears~” Night squeezed her wing and I shivered at her words. Really, it was a wonder I had any patience left after all this time. Whenever she wasn’t a nervous wreck, she was just so…
“Ah! We’re here, Princess!” And there she went, scattering my latest schemes down the drain. She wielded neither passion nor charm nor guile as her weapon. She was simply herself as always. This time it was nothing more than a simple, heartfelt nuzzle as she ushered me inside, but that was all it took sometimes. All my thoughts and plans on getting her to take the next step—few of which were classy or ladylike at the moment—evaporated into thin air.
She was being nothing but the gallant knight, and I had almost let my nobility and grace slip away.
A lady was nothing if not patient. Jumping her before she was ready would do no good. Toe the line. Bend it. Tease it maybe. Take it to the edge of breaking and no more. Nightingale would be the one to make the move when she was ready. Acting in haste would do nothing but hurt in the long run.
Yes, yes… focus on the long-term investment just like Daddy always said. Sure, I could do something drastic to get her where I wanted, but having a throne to sit on was far less appealing than a strong and commanding knight. It was far too risky to try.
“Errr… Diamond? Equus to Diamond?” Night’s voice pierced through my still scrambling thoughts.
Huh? What? Oh! Horseapples. I should have been listening.
“Yes, love?” My smile was immediately back to sparkling.
“Are you happy with your surprise? You’ve just kind of been standing there.” Pressed against Night as I was, I could feel her shoulders slump at her words.
“Screeheehee! I don’t know that she even heard you, Night.” That voice was… Echo’s? “She seemed pretty distracted when you dragged her in. What did you do to her, I wonder~?”
“Heh… it was nothing more than normal and way less than you and Fang boast about.” Night squirmed just a little against me, so little I doubted Echo could even see it.
“Teehee!” Time to regain control of the situation. “Honestly, Echo, you give Night too much credit. The poor dear is still too shy to make The Move, after all. I was merely…” Hiding my smile behind my hoof was always a good way to make Night sweat, but it was hard to hide it fully with how large my grin was. “…scheming on how to best nudge her into action.”
“Screep!”
There it was. Between Night’s squeak and Echo’s titter, my mission was accomplished. It would be nice to actually be able to see my marefriend’s face, though.
“Is that so?” Oh, thank Celestia, Echo was lighting a candelabra. I was starting to think this whole surprise was going to take place in the dark. Casting my eyes about as the cave was slowly lit, it was pretty clear Night had taken me to her friend’s house and workshop. “Well, come on in! My house is your house!”
Finished works stood in stoney silence at various points in the storefront, and each was exquisitely carved. The stone itself looked as smooth as silk, the ponies and other creatures so real and lifelike I could swear if I reached out I’d feel nothing but fur or feathers.
One carving of an owl dangled from the ceiling, a bird of prey so meticulously carved that I actually stepped back on instinct. Its eyes glittered with topaz in the dim candlelight, and it was perfectly posed to be swooping down to attack its prey.
Echo yawned as we followed her from the storefront back into the living room. Unlike the storefront, the living room was absolutely spotless and pristine. It almost seemed weirdly so, but as I cast my gaze about, I found antique furniture, a bowl of expensive candies on the coffee table, and shelves loaded with tea sets lining the walls.
“Wow, uh… Nice place? Not exactly what I expected of you and Fang.” Oh, poor, sweet Nightingale. She didn’t get it, did she?
Echo laughed as she moved to pick up a plain, serviceable mug from the table. “Not what I was expecting, either, but we needed a room to meet with any nobles wanting to commision me, so we have to make do without a normal living room.” With a shrug, she gave us a mischievous smile. “It gives us an excuse to get the most out of the bedroom, at least.”
“Mhmm.” With a nod, I carefully settled down on the couch. “Presentation is everything when you have clients like that. Daddy once said he’d actually prefer just a single smaller house if he could afford it, but…” I waved a hoof in a circle trying to find the words. “It would have hurt his image to downgrade after my whorse of a mom left? Even if all our houses are kinda lonely with just him, Randolph, and me, consolidating down would just come off the wrong way at this point.”
With an imperious sniff, I rolled my eyes. “At least, it would come off wrong to all the shallow ponies out there who like to hoard wealth and status like my mom.” My bitter sneer turned into a smile as a tea kettle’s whistle echoed from deeper in, and as Echo rushed off to come back with one of the fancy tea sets to pour me a cuppa and give Night her own mug of coffee. “You’ve got good taste and service, though, if you’re starting the kettle before every meeting. I just feel bad over how much this room must have cost you just so you could start getting commissions. I’ll make sure Daddy starts recommending you at business meetings.”
“Really? That would… That would mean a lot.” Echo’s playful smile melted into something warm and wholesome.
The tea was delicious and cozy in the candlelit room, a very good blend, though not an expensive one. “Well, I mean, I’m assuming my surprise is a commission at this point.” I turned to look at Night with an arched brow and when she nodded, I brought my smile back to Echo. “There’s no reason not to help you out and spread the word.”
“That’s so nice to hear! Thank you, Diamond!” As Echo swept me up in a hug, she trapped me in a vice grip. Discord damned, training obsessed thestrals. She was thin as a whip, but that just left me feeling like I was being strangled by an anaconda. “Screeheehee! Oh, this is going to be the best! I’m sure that’ll get me all kinds of offers! Honestly, it might leave me too busy since my dad is insisting I finish school this year, but that’s a problem for future me!
“For now, all I gotta do is focus on carving you the single best life-sized sculpture I’ve ever made!”
A lady does not spit take, and so I daintily paused, counted to five in my head, and then finished sipping my tea. Setting my cup down, I glanced up at my knight in shadowed armor, and she had the decency to blush and scratch the back of her head.
“Too much?” She finally managed a grin and a chuckle.
“I was going to say not enough.” My smile was small; my eyes glittered as I made sure my lashes were just so. “Not if you were hoping to make a crack at me. We both know my ego is bigger than that.”
Looking back at Echo, I resumed sipping tea. “Now, then. You want a life size statue, so I assume you need me to pose?”
“More or less!” With a big, horseapple-eating grin, she nodded. “With any luck, I’ll have everything I need by the time we’re done, but I can’t guarantee that. Everypony sounds different, but some have subtler timbres than others.”
“Timbres?” My ear flicked as I cocked my head.
“Teehee! It’s like pitch or frequency but more shady and mysterious.” Echo reached in her smock to pull out a notebook. “Timbre is kinda where you lump all the weird things that make sounds unique together. Think of it like a pony’s sound signature.”
Licking her lips, Echo slunk forward to coo softly at me. “Of course, getting an idea of what I need for a whole statue off of one click is silly. When you’re ready, I’ll be lashing this tongue of mine all over that pretty body of yours like a whip.”
“How fun.” Giving her my best smile, I tittered. Rolling with that little comment would surely leave my knight rustling her wings like mad.
Just. Like. That.
Yes, dance for me, Nightingale Mooncrest. Dance to my whims. If I have my way, this little gift of yours will give you a nose bleed every time you see it.
Oh… but there were so many ways to do that—so many poses for my statue to have. Should I go for something radiant and stick it outside my house? Or should I go for something a little more risque and have Daddy build another wing to the mansion’s art gallery to store it in?
Mmm… with the former I could tease her mercilessly in front of witnesses, while the latter—being a gallery—gave me an excuse to take a picture of her reaction every single time. I could hang them up, and make them their own piece, a dedication to our young, puppy love.
Finishing my cup, I set it down in its saucer and rose from the couch. “Let’s start, shall we? Where would you like me to pose for you?”
“My actual studio is right this way and further in.” Echo waved a hoof for us to follow, jotting notes all the while. Her tongue clicked on occasion, but given how frantic her notes were, I’d bet good bits she was whipping out a supersonic storm.
“Gotta give you credit, Night!” Echo paused in her notes to laugh as we were led back and down some little caves in the back of the house, trudging down into what looked like a quarry full of pony-sized blocks of rock. “You sure know how to pick ‘em. She walks with more grace than half the nobles I’ve met. I’m looking forward to seeing what she sounds like standing still.”
“I call her my princess for a reason.” Night took deep breaths as we walked to regain her cool, and by the time we were led before a podium for me to pose on she was back to little more than a ghost of a smile and mischievous eyes. It wasn’t quite a full-on Guard face, but she was preparing herself.
If only she knew what I had in store.
Hopping up on the podium, I started with the classic. Head reared back and held high, I angled my head down and hid a smile behind one hoof. My eyes were half-lidded as the podium let me look down on my big, fearsome knight for once, and though it got her to blush, Night’s stoic façade otherwise stood.
I was going to have to try harder than that.
From one pose to the next, Echo was happy to wait and let me figure out what I wanted. She knew what I was after. I could see her sneaking glances at Night’s reactions even as she took notes and clicked like mad for every pose. Sometimes she even helped me, suggesting I twist or move some part of my body just so.
For the most part, my marefriend contained herself, though, and so eventually I resorted to my secret weapon, just to see how she would react. There was no couch down here to really sell it, but the podium was just large enough that I could lay myself upon it and pose like one of those Prench mares.
The result was… most immediate and satisfying as Nightingale gave a good, hard gulp and looked away with madly rustling wings. Not a full-on route as she would call it, but I had most definitely won with this pose.
Which is why it was a shame I couldn’t use it. Daddy would kill me if I—
“Oh! That’s perfect! Stay just like that!” Echo burst into a frenzy of movement, circling around me and launching click after click with her tongue as she furiously scribbled. If I tried to move, her shadow reached out to nudge me firmly back in place, and she listened to neither Night’s protests nor mine. “No, no! That’s the perfect pose for a perfect mare! Trust me on that! I’ll even give you two statues for the price of one if it's that embarrassing, but I am using this inspiration!”
Tossing her head back, the artisan tittered like some mad scientist. “You made your bed, now lie in it!”
“What?! No…” I attempted to whine at Night, but Echo’s shadow insistently poked me until I behaved and made the pout saucy instead of cute. “Night! Tell Echo to stop being mean. I don’t need a free statue if it’ll just make Daddy angry.”
“You brought this upon yourself, dear.” As much as Night attempted to take the high road and address me stoically, I could see what thoughts were really in her head as her eyes lingered on me and she gave the tiniest smile. “Besides, it would be rude to refuse such… generosity. If you really are against it, though, I suppose I might just keep the second one all to myself in my room.”
Such boldness. Why was it suddenly so hot? “I-I can’t even— Nightingale Mooncrest, how could you? A knight is supposed to protect their princess’s decency! Help me! Save me! Free me from these shadowy chains!”
My oh-so-noble knight’s smile rose another fraction of a millimeter. It was nothing an untrained eye would notice, but it sent shivers down my spine. I knew what that look meant.
“No.” She said just one word.
And yet… that one single word was like a death knell from her. Strong, firm, and with utter conviction, I would break myself bashing against that rock.
“…Fine.” A ladylike growl purred its way from my throat as I relented, my mind already whirling for ways to win the next battle in this most wonderful war of love.
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Night should introduce Echo and Calculated. If they get along their mutual love of craft might be a good foundation for a friendship.
a visualisation would be awesome .. painters, to your stations !
Diamond is a Brat, in the BDSM sense. I ADORE that idea !!
You sneak! Another Threstral story without letting me know...
Why doesn't Nightmom go down there and straighten the foals out? After her first Einbruch der Dunkelheit, I think a whisper from her would have the weight of doom and The Spell That Should Not Be Cast on the Undercity Nobles!
Nice to know that Spoiled Rich, (nee Milk), packed her ass and went 'somewhere else'. I hope it's a seedy rooming house in Manehattan where there's only one bathroom. Serves the old nag right...
Watch out for Tiara, Night! I'm getting the old court courtesan vibes off that one, knowing the right things to whisper in the right ears...
And she has combat training as well, to know exactly where to put the dagger...
I have this one locked in. Try to escape now!!!!
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Heh, I am pretty sure this one was mentioned both in an old blog and in the authors notes of She Drives Me Batty after I released it.
11288381
My fault...I didn't read you notes until yesterday...
I usually go to my bookshelf and go author to author looking for something new, but in your case, I came up against the old stories, and needed my heart squeezed again when Best Princess went to the Undercity for the celebration post-abeyance...
That one still impacts...like most of my bookshelf. It's not just to escape all the red-bar stories...
11155799
Which fic was Topaz from? I swear the name sounds familiar but maybe I'm thinking of something completely different.
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The name Topaz is a tribute and reference to Topaz from Changeling of the Guard
This was fun
11331107
Changing of the Guard is nape of the fic.
The character is Topaz Showers aka 'the bug mare'
she studies insects.