> A Melody of Three Parts
>  by etherealunessence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The First Movement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The First Movement


In all his wildest dreams, Knuckle Down never would have imagined himself as a groundskeeper of a prestigious music school. He never thought himself anything special, being an Earth Pony a bit above average height with a burnt umber coat with a dirty blonde mane and tail with blue-gray eyes. Sure he had been a Guard, but when his time was up, he wasn't planning on renewing his contract. Being a Guard was a worthy aspiration in its own right, but he wasn't a career soldier by any stretch of the imagination, so until his contract expired, this was what he considered an in-between job, but the same could be said of anypony's cousins friend too... What truly surprised him is how the cards fell after some fool Guard let a wagon get away from him and almost let it crash into Princess Celestia of all ponies. Well, nopony realized what was happening at the time and he literally threw himself in front of the thrice damned thing and managed to stop it at the cost of completely shattering one leg and breaking the other severely in several places.
Despite his managing to bleed out enough to require over twenty full transfusions and having the best healing mages Celestia could offer, he thought he managed to heal up reasonably well despite being laid up for six months and another three of rigorous physical therapy. That being said, his injuries were severe enough that he would never be able to return to active duty despite his wishes. When his condition had been brought to the Princess' attention by the chief medical mage, she thought of a wonderful, if tortuous position for the poor stallion that would certainly keep him busy while rewarding him for his selfless act. He would be the head groundskeeper for Majestic Stanza's School for Gifted Musicians in Canterlot.
When he heard about his new placement, he had imagined it would be an absurd amount of tedium. Placed in a position where he would be kept busy by menial tasks and never allowed to find fulfillment in his work again. When the Princess took him aside and personally told him all about the various tasks and duties he was being delegated, he suddenly thought he would never find himself up to the task. Being the head groundskeeper for a well known music school was probably one of the most chaotic positions he had ever heard of and with all the learning he had to do in only a few short months, he wasn't sure if he would be able to take over the old groundskeepers role. He really wasn't sure if he was the stallion for the job especially with his lamed leg; however, both the Princess and the old head reassured him that he would be perfect for the job, especially with his talent.
So time passed faster than he ever would have imagined and he suddenly found himself figuratively alone with his copious amounts of notes and books, continuously teaching himself and improving on what he had been taught. Of course, he had to take care of the grounds of the school which involved a good amount of time and meticulous care, but he was also the main security force for defending the students from unsavory characters, whether they be overly amorous fans or unsavory individuals seeking to kidnap a nobles daughter for ransom.
Oh, how he soon came to love and even thrive in his new role. The looks on the faces of trespassers was priceless when he would step out of a hidden nook or ambushed them when they least expected it. Sure, he wasn't nearly as spry as he had been, but some enchantments tied to his new position and a few arcane augments from the Castle mages helped him overcome any disadvantage even if he was left aching and sore by the end of the day. If anything, he was something of a terror for the stalkers and wannabe kidnappers who darkened his schools walkway. He would taunt them a bit from the shadows and make use of his enchantments to make them feel more hunted than they were, herding them into traps and generally impressing on them just how bad of an idea it would be for them to ever show up again without an invitation. It was always a nice day when he could make some nervous fan-colt almost wet his pants and run off without any real effort on his part.
However, as much as he loved to torment these ne'er-do-wells, he was tormented just as much... if not more... Every hour while school was in session, he was surrounded by blooming beauties in their adorable uniforms. Short sleeved white dress shirts, a tan plaid tie reaching down to their navel and a skirt just shy of their knees. Then there was the sheer cotton stockings that clung to their legs like a second skin. With most under the legal age to act on any of their desires with him, he let them down gently but firmly whenever they would confess their feelings to him or ask him to accompany them to some cafe or other. Yes, he did get quite a few propositions, whether it was a cute, perfumed letter slid under the door to his small cottage nestled away in the forest like gardens or a blushing mare rushing up to him and confessing her desire to get to know him better in a secluded patch of garden while her friends quietly urged her on from a conveniently obscuring piece of topiary. But if they were even a day under the legal limit, he always turned them down. Especially since Princess Celestia would drop by unannounced for a midday tea unexpectedly once or twice a month to check up on him.
To be honest, he'd never gotten so much attention from mares before, but this was nice in its own way since he apparently ranked higher than the current chart-topping pretty-stallions that likely plastered many of these young mares' dorm room walls. Not that he let that go to his head or anything of the sort. However, one day when he was wandering through the garden when he heard a few strains of music that led him to a small pagoda sequestered in a seldom used portion of the garden. As he got closer, the music became clearer and he couldn't help but feel a roiling of emotions brought forth by the music. When he finally spied the duo who were practicing, an ash gray coated earth pony mare with a coal black mane and tail along with a mint green unicorn mare with a slightly lighter colored mane and tail which both had a lovely white streak through them. The earth pony mare was sitting regally with a magnificently crafted cello leaning against her shoulder while the unicorn mare was practically lounging with her lyre almost casually held while her fingers danced across the taut strings. 
Taking the chance to stare without worry of repercussions, he took in their appearances; the gray mare was decidedly full figured only in the way few ever would be, her uniform hugging her contours in all the right places while the mint green mare had a svelte form, lithe and energetic even when she was lounging. After taking his guilty peek, Knuckle Down couldn't help but stand in silence until the piece of music was done, finding a slightly melancholic smile on his face when it was over. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard amazing performances before, being in a well known music school as he was, but this was something else entirely. As he was reveling in the music quietly, he couldn't help but imagine they were pouring their selves into the notes, dancing with one another in a way that few would understand or know. Then, suddenly the piece finished and he felt hollowed out as the last note faded away.
As the last note finally faded from the air, he shook himself out of his trance and quickly made his way from the duo with an air or melancholy. Their arrangement had been enchanting in a physical way, making him freeze in place as if he had come face to face with a cockatrice without protection... and he wanted to experience it again. But what would those two young mares think? The stallion who spurned the advances of so many others only to ask them to allow him to sit in on a practice session? They'd probably think him a total creep and deny him out of hand. No matter... It was par for the course, after all.
“Enjoy the show?” Called a slightly scratchy voice somewhere behind him making him freeze. When he turned around, he saw that it was the unicorn mare from earlier with her cased instrument in hand.
The other mare that had been performing with her came up to the unicorn and placed a hand on her shoulder before asking in an almost husky, velvety voice whose accent was clearly from the upper strata of Canterlot's social hierarchy, spoiled only by her irritation at the moment.“Why did you run off like that?” she noticed Knuckle Down and a rather fetching flush came over her cheeks, “I don't think you should be bothering the groundskeeper when he's likely very busy...”
“I'm sure he can spare a few minutes of time for a pair of beautiful mares,” she said with an easy grin, her expression quickly turning to one of mischief as she slowly walked over to him. “I've been wanting to meet him for a while... and don't deny that you haven't had your eye on him either, Tavi. I know we have our fun, but that doesn't mean you aren't a swing hitter... I know I am.” She finished in a scratchy purr while a cat like grin split her face as she watched her friends face redden slightly.
“At least introduce yourself before propositioning anything,” she shot back as she folded her arms under her well endowed bust. “Speaking of introductions, you may call me Octavia.”
“Lyra,” the peppy mare supplied with an easy grin. “So, anyway, we've had an eye on you for a while now...”
“Why's that?” he skeptically asked in his light baritone. “Not like I'm anything special, just the groundskeeper...”
“Exactly because of that,” she replied with a tinkling laugh. “We've heard the rumors... about how you stopped a run away carriage from hitting the Princess...”
“Come on, Lyra,” her companion said as she hefted the strap of her instruments case on her shoulder. “I'm sure he has chores to be about and the rumor mongering you're doing is keeping him from them.”
“Oh, pish-posh, Octavia,” she replied with a wave of her hand. “If he were busy, I'm sure he would have said so right away... Isn't that right?” He couldn't help but give a slightly nervous nod in agreement at Lyra's assessment. “See? He's free right now, so let's all go get something to eat in the commons.”
“It's always food with you, isn't it?” Octavia replied with a half smirk. “One would think by now that your figure would have filled out a bit more with how much you eat...”
Lyra flushed and glanced up at Knuckle before sticking her tongue out at Octavia and darting over to pinch her cheeks softly while her instrument was left floating in place in a golden glow of magic. “And one would think with how much you diet that you'd be three sizes smaller~”
Octavia blushed a furious red and batted Lyra's hands away with half a scowl. “And if we didn't have company, I'd show you...” She cut off with an even deeper blush if that were possible while Lyra circled her, wrapping a hand casually around her waist and spinning herself in closer to give Octavia a brief kiss on the lips.
“I know exactly what you'd show me,” she replied sultrily with a lecherous half grin splitting her face. “What I want to know is if you'd be willing to show that to our hunky and oh-so mysterious groundskeeper too...” Octavia remained silent on that as she looked nervously over to him. In her eyes, apart from the obvious nervousness at first, was a noticeable desire to be desired hidden deeply. Knuckle Down couldn't help but audibly gulp when Lyra turned her own smoldering gaze on him as well. “I know I'd be willing to show him, but what are we going to do if he turns down every mare who approaches him?”
“You know exactly why he turned them all down, Lyra,” Octavia cut in with a scoff. “You proved as much to me a month ago... But... I don't think he'll turn us down since we're both eighteen...”
He was flabbergasted that they were so obviously propositioning him. Well... That and the fact that they realized all the young mares he'd turned down were under the legal limit. “What are you two asking... me... exactly...” he said after a moment to rewire his short circuiting brain.
“Well, I was wondering if you'd want to join us in some...” Lyre responded, pausing for a breath while she donned a half lidded, sultry expression. “Extracurricular activities...” She finished in a husky, seductive tone that had him fighting mightily to push back a flush that threatened to darken his face from neck to ear tips.
“M-maybe that could work...” he replied guardedly as he looked off to the side almost timidly. “But maybe we should talk over something to eat like you suggested... Just to get to know each other a bit more...”
“Sure!” Lyra exclaimed happily as she danced away from Octavia. “We'll drop our stuff off in our room and meet you in the commons in ten.”
Knuckle simply nodded and gave a little smile as Lyra magicked her instruments case over to her hand before dragging a slightly blushing Octavia behind her by the hand, her cello making a hollow noise as its case thumped into her back. Knuckle couldn't help but give his head a shake as the entire encounter was replayed in his mind, from the lively Lyra to the reserved, genteel Octavia. They were both clearly interested in tripping him into bed with them, but after checking his mental registry for their ages, they were clearly attainable and apparently more than willing to invite him into their relationship (if only to spice things up, but being a red blooded stallion, that was more than fine with him).
He couldn't help the suddenly hard beating of his blood as the anticipation of getting to know these two better. He swallowed around nothing and shook his head to clear it of some rather distracting mental images and made his way to the cafeteria where he greeted the head cook with a warm smile and a little quip that set her to laughing while he grabbed a couple apples and an ice cold bottle of whole milk. If she weren't seeing somepony at the moment, he likely would have otherwise been engaged if the appreciative glances she sent his way every so often when she thought he wasn't looking were anything to go by, but that was neither here nor there. He let himself don a little half smile as he thanked her after paying for his food and made his way to a little table near a window, perfectly placed so that the sun was shining down on the table while not getting in his eyes.
Half way into his first apple, Lyra and Octavia came walking into the common area, grabbing a couple light snacks from the food line before making their way over to him. He felt his blood pressure ratchet up a notch and felt his half smile turn just a touch nervous. They settled down across from him and appraised him with smiles that had just a touch of the predatory about them. “So,” Lyra began, “What are your thoughts on bondage?”
There were very few instances where anypony could do a spit take without anything in their mouths, but this was one of those. Octavia and Knuckle both spluttered and coughed while Lyra cackled at her brazen question and their reactions. They both shot each other a quick look, Knuckle's questioning and Octavia's apologetic. “Lyra, must you always be like this?” she asked once she regained some composure.
“Oh, come on Tavi!” she giggled as the other mare blushed slightly. “I know you're looking for something a bit more... intense. I would give it to you if I could, but look at me... Not like I can get the job done unless I resort to a few enhancement potions...” she took a breath and couldn't help another giggle before continuing, “Besides, it's not like we're gonna break out a gimp suit or ball gags... Unless you want to to run out and pick some up...”
Tavi's blush flared to life as she spluttered and waved her hands about as she nervously looked around to see if any other students were around to overhear her scandalous words. Lucky for her, none were and she quickly got her nerves under control. “I swear...” she finally said with a huff of annoyance. “We're trying to get to know our dear groundskeeper, Lyra, not dive head first into asking about what we may or may not be doing in the bedroom...”
“We're doing both at the same time, Tavi, so I don't see why not...”
“Still, we'll get to that when we're in a more suitable place,” she admonished with a light smack to the back of her head which only got a lighthearted chuckle out of the incorrigible mare. “Anyway, Mister Down...”
“Knuckle or Knuck is fine, Octavia,” he cut in with a small smile. “I'm no teacher, just a groundskeeper.”
“Okay then, Knuckle,” she continued with a warm smile. “As we've less than subtly hinted at, we would like to open the door to our bedroom in the hopes of some mutual satisfaction.”
“Basically, we're looking for a red blooded stallion to be our fuck-buddy,” Lyra cut in again, getting Octavia to blush again while Knuckle couldn't help but laugh at the situation he found himself in.
“I think I got the message from the start, Lyra,” Knuckle said with a smirk. “But what I want to know is why me? I know there's plenty of young stallions around the area that would absolutely love to join you two in some activities...”
“Well, we tried that and it didn't turn out so well,” Lyra said with a distasteful twist of her mouth. “They got too... overenthusiastic... and couldn't last for as long as we wanted or weren't willing to play by the rules. With you, we know you've had at least some experience with this sort of thing and can show both of us a good time without us worrying.”
“Well, to be honest, I may not have as much stamina as you'd prefer since I haven't been... active... in several months, but if you'll have me, I'll be sure to show you two as good of a time as I can manage,” he said honestly.
“And that's a big point in your favor, Knuckle,” Octavia cut in before Lyra could say anything. “Anypony else and we likely would have heard some line about how we wouldn't be able to keep up. That and you're humble. You don't posture for its sake just to attract attention.”
“I don't have the time to strut and posture like some,” he replied with a scoff.
“Good,” Lyra said with a little smile. “That means we don't have to wait for you to primp your feathers to impress us... Not like you have feathers... But you know what I mean.” She stuck her tongue out teasingly with a decidedly cute giggle before continuing. “Just get that shirt off and we'll be a happy pair of fillies... Only the Princess knows how many mares you've sent back to their rooms to work off some... 'stress'... when you're out working the grounds.”
“Well, there's one thing I should warn you about,” he said in a slightly somber tone to which they looked at him curiously. “That 'rumor' about me saving the Princess?” He paused for them to nod before continuing. “Well, it's true. I got some commendations and a couple awards for it, but I didn't get away without some pretty nasty scars when my legs were severely broken. I was laid up for half a year before I could even start therapy which was advanced when the Princess put in a good word to the Headmistress here and got me this job.”
“Hey, scars are sexy,” Lyra replied in a throaty purr.
“I doubt they'll be anything that would put us off,” Octavia said with a warm smile.
“Well, the mages at the Castle did a bang up job of healing the most of them, so it's not much more than a few hairless spots and a few silver streaks in my coat,” he supplied just to be sure they wouldn't be completely turned off by his appearance.
“Nothing to worry about,” Octavia replied in that same tone. “So since it seems as though we're all in agreement, why don't we agree on a day, time and place for our first rendezvous and eat our meals.”
“Sounds good to me,” Lyra said with a grin. “How about Friday night around eight at Knuckle's shack?”
“That was quick,” he said with a bark of laughter. “But you seem the most eager, so I was half expecting you to say something a bit sooner.”
“Well, that's when most of the girls are out on the town having some fun, so there's less of a chance for any of them to spot us going to your place,” she answered with a smirk. “Don't want them to get too jealous or anything, ya know?”
That got him to laugh again. “I take it my place because you won't have to worry about any dorm bound mares looking for someone to hang out with checking up on you? Not to mention sneaking me in and out of a girls only dorm...”
“Smart too...” Octavia said with a deep little purr underlying her words. “There's much more to you than meets the eye and I'm perfectly fine with that...”
“So it sounds like we're in agreement!” Lyra practically squealed in giddiness. “I propose a toast to our most pleasurable of arrangements...”
“I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to figure that out,” Knuckle said with a sly grin that set Lyra into a fit of giggles while Octavia's cheeks turned rosy.
“Oh, that was good,” Lyra said after she caught her breath. “But seriously, if we're done hashing out the details, let's get to eating...” The other two nodded in agreement and quickly ate their snacks while lightly chatting to get to know each better. They parted ways about fifteen minutes later when Knuckle felt as if he had slacked off enough, but not before being given a scrap of parchment with the 'rules' for their fun time. He slipped it into one of his pockets and made his way back outside after disposing of his garbage. Looking back in, he saw the pair smiling at him and waved his farewell which was returned. Letting out a huff of breath, he settled down to get down to work. He could play plenty when Friday came around, but that was then and he still had things that needed doing.


***


Over the next couple days, Knuckle's overall efficiency went up by a noticeable amount so he could retire early to make his humble abode more presentable for his company. He would get chores done quicker and even seemed to have developed a sixth sense as he found a few things to take care of before they even became problems. Then again, that was likely because after all the time he's spent taking care of the place by now, he could now start spotting these things to help make his own life a little easier.
All-in-all, it almost surprised him when he looked at his watch after finishing his last chore of the day and found it to be ten to six on Friday. The day had seemed to completely slip by him and now the only thing he had left to do was go home, take a shower and fix a light meal for himself and his guests. Even if they all ended up in the bedroom two minutes after they walked in, he still wouldn't allow himself to be an inhospitable host. So with those thoughts in mind, he let the Staff Head know he had finished with all his chores for the day and was going to retire to his cottage early. He barely kept the eager grin off his face after he was given the okay, but let it loose when he exited the main building.
The trip back to his cottage was uneventful and quick with him making his way to the bathroom immediately. He stripped down revealing a body a few healthy steps heavier than wiry. He gave his self a quick once over in the mirror and nodded in approval when he saw that he was able to keep his arousal in check enough to even prevent a telltale showing in his onyx sheath. The dangling package below on the other hand were another matter as they seemed a good bit more swollen than usual since he had refrained from letting off some steam since making plans with Lyra and Octavia. With no time left to lose, he turned the shower on so that it was just a bit shy of a full on cold shower and went about his business quickly.
Thirty minutes later found him in his kitchen in nothing but a pair of shorts that were long enough to hide most of the scars on his legs. Opting for simple yet tasty, he set a pot of water on the stove to boil while he scrounged up a box of rotini pasta and a jar of vodka sauce. When the water came to a roiling boil, he backed off the heat and put in roughly two thirds of the box along with a healthy dash of olive oil. After putting away the unused pasta, he moved back to his living room and pulled out his work ledger to mark off all the pressing issues that he'd taken care of that day, only to surprise himself when he crossed off the last of them. There would likely be more tomorrow, but this was the first time he'd ever crossed off the entirety of his never-ending list at the end of a day. It only took him a moment to figure out why that was and let himself have a rueful laugh at the thought. Deciding that one more perusal of the rules Lyra had given him would be a good idea just in case he forgot anything, he grabbed the scrap of parchment and read it over once more.



One: If anypony says stop; stop. No exceptions.
Two: Any kinks must be talked about before the fun begins so nopony feels left out.
Three: No keeping track of sexual favors between one another.
Four: No one on one time without permission from the third.
Five: Have fun and let loose a bit.



Figuring that he had let the food be by itself long enough, he made his way back to the kitchen and found the pot boiling merrily away. A quick check found that the pasta was a bit less than halfway cooked, but that suited him just fine as it let him gather a few plates and set the table. He checked the fridge and pulled out a few odds and ends for a light salad to go with the pasta. Opting for a lighter touch here, he decided to bring out the vinegar and oil for dressing and set it beside on the table next to the main bowl of salad. Just as he was about to check on the pasta again, a knock sounded from his front door. Checking the clock, he saw that it was almost an hour early from their agreed time and wondered if something had come up.
Without much else to do, he simply made his way to the door and opened it a crack and saw the lovely couple standing on his doorstep on fidgeting hooves. He opened his door the rest of the way and greeted them with a wide smile. “You're a bit early,” he simply said as he stepped back and let them in.
“Somepony was a bit eager to get the fun started early and...” Octavia began only to pause as she sniffed at the air. “Do I smell food?”
Knuckle couldn't help but give a laugh at her change in topic. “She wouldn't even let you have supper, right?” She simply nodded with a slightly dazed expression while she mentally held herself back from the smells in his kitchen. “I guess it's a good thing I decided to make some supper for us, then. The pasta should be done soon, but take a seat and help yourself to the salad.”
“You are truly the finest of gentlecolts,” Octavia said faintly as she slipped off without another word. 
“You really made her skip supper because you were too excited for some fun?” he asked a snickering Lyra.
“No,” she replied with a little smile. “She always loses her appetite before she goes on stage, but get her within smelling distance of any food when she's like this and it comes back with a vengeance.”
“On stage?”
“Well, I wasn't kidding about the bondage thing,” Lyra said with a wink as she hefted up a small purse that he hadn't seen before now. “She wants to be tied up a bit and dominated. It's a bit too much work for me, but you're definitely stallion enough for the job...”
Knuckle couldn't help the slight flush when he realized that she was eyeing his shirtless form up and down. “I... I see...” he replied simply, continuing after a polite cough to make her eyes snap back up to his. “In any case, how about we go and see if there's anything left of the food?”
Lyra snickered and gave him a playful little bow before following his lead. Octavia hadn't actually eaten much more than a first helping of the salad by the time they made it in, her eyes closed in delight as the crisp vegetables were savored. She opened her eyes when they walked in, rolling them when she saw their playful grins at hoping to see her stuffing her face like some uncouth creature who cared more for a full stomach rather than enjoying the meal they were given. Lyra let out a little laugh as she pulled up a seat and started to help herself to some salad while Knuckle returned to the pot of pasta, taking it off a couple moments after checking it. He pulled out a colander to pour the pasta into and turned on the hot water tap to wash the starchy water away before bringing their empty plates over and serving each as equal an amount as he could, topping each with a  healthy amount of sauce without drowning it.
“Oh, that looks so good,” Lyra said as she reached out with grabby hands, letting out a little giggle of anticipatory delight. “Gimme, gimme!”
“You're just like a little foal sometimes,” Octavia said with mirth laced words, her expression being one of strained concentration as she fought valiantly and failed to stop her laughter. Knuckle didn't fare much better as he joined her with a few chuckles of his own. As he settled down at one of the remaining places, he served himself some salad and dug in with the appetite of one who had to work for it. By the time he started in on his creamy pasta, Lyra had managed to seemingly inhale half of her serving before he had managed to even take one bite. The best part was that she had gotten some sauce on her cheek and clearly hadn't realized it yet.
Shaking away silly thoughts about the mercurial mare, he dug in himself with practiced efficiency. Soon enough, they all had finished with their meals and were sitting around while their light meals settled. “So, your little list said we should talk about kinks before we get started, so we may as well get that over with while we digest a bit...” Knuckle said with a warm smile while Lyra smiled catishly and Octavia blushed. “I know you said Octavia wanted to get tied up and dominated, but I'll have you know I won't do anything more than a bit of spanking.”
“That's fine with me,” Octavia said quickly. “I... I just want to have a hard rutting with sompony who can leave me totally exhausted at the end of it.” Knuckle nodded in understanding since he'd been with his share of earth mares in his guard days and knew all about how they had stamina to last for up to two hours when they were in heat. It really wasn't much of a surprise that poor Octavia was left a bit put out on that end.
“I break out the magic when she's had a particularly rough day, but that leaves me with a headache the next morning...” Lyra said with a mild grimace. “And my budget won't let me buy her any expensive toys that could do the trick either.”
“So I'm just a cheap substitute?” he asked with a wicked smile on the inside while he kept a guards poker face.
“No!” They both half shouted in unison, making him loose a bark of laughter, a wide grin splitting his face.
“Why would you even say that?” Octavia asked in an almost hurt tone.
“Yeah, Knuckle,” Lyra said with a half angry scowl. “We may be moving things along fast, but from what we've seen, you're anything but a cheap substitute. Hell, you could have had your way with pretty much any student here, but you haven't. You're a hell of a stallion, so don't even joke about that sort of thing.”
“Sorry, that was in poor taste,” he replied as he let his smile drop. These two certainly had come to some opinions in the days since they had approached him.
“It most certainly was,” Octavia said with a small huff of annoyance. She took a cleansing breath and met his eyes. “So how about you? Any kinks you might have that we could entertain?”
“Well...” he paused for a moment since he knew quite a few mares were a bit skittish around his favorite fetish. “I'm rather fond of anal...”
Lyra and Octavia shared a quick look. “Tavi's a fan of anal, but I'm not. I've tried it...”
“Only because you get so nervous and tense up,” Octavia said in a tone that showed she had gone over this with her a number of times. It was Lyra's turn to blush and look away with a mild pout. Clearly she wanted to try it, but couldn't get any enjoyment out of it. “I could barely get the first couple inches of our smallest toy in you...”
“If it's a tension issue, I'm sure I can help with that...” Knuckle supplied with confidence in his experiences.
“Maybe...” Lyra said with an unsure look in her eyes.
“Trust me on this...” he said with a confident smile that eased her worry a good bit. Octavia met his eyes and gave him a conspiratorial wink to let him know that she was more than okay with him taking her marefriends anal flower. After all, if he could manage it, she'd get a front row seat to seeing her first time anally.
“Fine, but if it's too much, then I'm done with trying anal for good,” she said to Octavia who gave a little pout but nodded glumly at seeing Lyra reaching her last straw with this particular activity. Lyra's expression lightened as she changed the topic suddenly to her own favorite kinks. “As far as I go, I just love a good oral session. Giving or receiving, stallion or mare... Of course, a good rutting comes in second, but I just love feeling the feeling of them cumming in my mouth or just letting go in theirs...”
“Fair warning, she's a squirter,” Octavia cut in without preamble.
“Tavi, no fair!” she half pouted as her cheeks flushed slightly. “I wanted it to be a surprise!”
“I don't think half drowning our host would be good manners, dear,” she admonished with a half smirk.
“That was one time, Tavi, and he deserved it in the end,” she replied with a half grin. “That flank hole thought he could spank me without going over it first. Left me sore in the flank for a couple days...”
“I suppose, but Knuckle doesn't deserve that treatment.”
“Would have been funny though...”
“It would have,” he agreed with a laugh at Octavia's palm lightly smacking her forehead while Lyra snickered in agreement.
“This guy's totally in my good books after that one,” Lyra said after she got her laughter under control. “Speaking of in... You can cum inside all you want since we're not in season and there's no way you'd catch anything in the Guard. Those monthly physicals they put you through aren't just for show and since you've been here, there hasn't been any word of you having anything in the way of... feminine company...”
“Of course...” Tavi said with a small sigh. She looked between the two with a small smile that turned smoky by degrees. “In any case, I do believe I'm feeling up for a bit of... activity to work off some of that meal if you two are...”
“I know I've been sitting on wet panties for the past twenty minutes and I'm ready to have this particular itch scratched,” Lyra said with a wicked grin. “It's all I could do to not start humping on the chair to make it through that conversation...”
Knuckle couldn't help a snort of laughter at that mental image. He took a moment to give the both a winning smile before saying,“I suppose it's a hosts duty to entertain his guests in any way they desire...”
“Oh!” Lyra said suddenly as she stood up. “You gotta give us five minutes so I can get Tavi set up.”
“Right,” Knuckle said with a laugh as he stood up with a tingle of excitement. “Let me show you to my room...” With that, he led them to the second largest room in his humble abode. It was a bit dark when he opened the door since he hadn't lit the lamp yet, but the light from the living room supplied more than enough to go by, Lyra lighting his oil lamp with a brief flicker of her magic. His room had a full sized bed, a modest wardrobe, a large multi-locked trunk and a small desk and book case combination with a matching chair. Rather sparse all-in-all, but the bed was comfortable and best of all, it had plenty of room for all three of them.
“Now, no peeking~” Lyra said with a lilt and a giggle as she pushed him back easily with just her fingertips and shutting the door without a seconds delay. Knuckle didn't have much else to do but stand there and listen to some whispered words (some almost distinguishable through the door), and the muffled rustling of clothing being taken off and eventually the soft sound of his bed creaking. He heard some giggles and some more muffled conversation before a soft thud sounded. A few moments of silence sounded and finally the door opened and he peaked his head in, his jaw dropping a half second later when her saw the unclothed beauties laying on his bed. 
Octavia had most definitely been tied up, that was for certain. Her arms had been tied behind her back with a soft cotton rope so that her hands were gripping her elbows while her legs were prevented from extending from her bent over position by a rope going from one knee, up her body, over the back of her neck, back down and tied at the other knee. Now, that was quite a sight in and of itself, but what made it even better was how her tail had been lifted up and pinned between her bound arms so that he could have a fully unobstructed view of her glistening folds. The outer lips darkened from her charcoal gray coat color to a full black while just the barest hint of bright pink shimmered faintly in the warm light.
Underneath her and on her back was Lyra who lay there with a half grin, hands clasped behind her head while she looked up at him with her small, perky breasts on display with their hard nipples standing proudly. She lay so that Octavia's knees were just at the crest of her hips while the rest of her body was mostly obscured by the other mares hunched form. “What're you waiting for, stud? A formal invitation?”
He snapped out of his haze and walked into his room and took a breath of the air, catching a duo of distinct smells of obvious arousal. One was low and almost smoky in its scent while the other seemed to flit about his nostrils like sheet lightning. It was a potent combination and one that he could very quickly become addicted to if he wasn't careful. Without waiting for any further goads from the anxious Lyra, he quickly disrobed from his shorts and proudly displayed his rapidly hardening stallionhood. When it came to length, he was a bit over seven inches but girth wise, he was easily a third thicker than most. His member was mostly black with a few mottled pink patches on the underside and displayed a healthy median ring that looked like it would hit all the right spots.
“Ooohhh, Tavi~,” Lyra said as she squirmed and rolled her hips. “He's perfect~...”
Tavi only let out a half muffled sigh and replied, “I'll just have to take your word for it.”
“Why don't you take a look for yourself?” Knuckle asked as he strode over to the head of his bed and displayed himself for her appraisal. She looked up with her uncovered eye from her spot on a pillow resting between Lyra's legs and bit her lip with a small moan.
“You were right, Lyra,” she finally replied, giving Knuckle a sultry smile. “He's going to be just what we've been looking for...”
“Now that you're satisfied with your little lookie, how about Knuckle moves back this way so I can blow him while he eats you out while you eat me out?”
“You two do this before?” Knuckle asked as he moved back around and gently got onto the bed so he wouldn't rock Octavia too much. “Because it seems like you've done this position before...”
“Only once, but it was a lot of fun,” Lyra said as she watched him inch closer and closer until she could finally take a breath and smell the faint amount of musk that was hiding underneath the scent of his shampoo. She let out a little hum of approval when he finally reached the perfect spot an stopped him with a hand on his hip. “Between the two of us, you need to be at just the right height and... size to make the most of this position...”
Knuckle let this bit of information drift by as his eyes locked on his pink prize. He leaned forward slowly and rested on one of his fists while the other came up to gently caress Octavia's warm flank. He shuddered slightly when he felt Lyra's moist breath washed over his member a second before a teasing lick went all the way from the tip of his shaft to the base where her muzzle gently moved back and forth to tease his sack while she took a second to enjoy his masculine scent. By the time he came back to the mare waiting for his attentions, Lyra was already licking back down his shaft with a wide, sloppy tongue. Not wanting to leave Octavia behind, he leaned forward and nipped at the fine fur on the surface of her flank. Nip, kiss, suck, swirl tongue and repeat on both cheeks until he could hear her light pants from ahead.
He slowly closed in on her marehood and noticed that if she was glistening before, she was sopping now. She knew she was in for a good rutting and now that she was in front of him, there wasn't much to stop him aside from her word. She noticed that Lyra was squirming quite a bit now and decided it would be a great time to run some distraction for Knuckle until their first round was done. With that in mind, she bent herself over a bit more so that she could nestle herself between Lyra's thighs with a blush as she knew it would look like she was wordlessly presenting herself for his attentions. She darted her tongue out and flicked it across the top of Lyra's mound with familiar ease, causing her to freeze up momentarily before spreading her legs as wide as she could. Octavia hummed with amusement and went after her marefriend without any mercy as she lapped, flicked and swirled her tongue around in the most delightfully tortuous way she could.
Knuckle was nearly in heaven when Lyra froze up with half of his shaft in her hungry mouth. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that Tavi had shifted and her marehood as only a tongues flick away from his mouth, so who was he to deny her wordless request? He roughly pushed his muzzle into the base of her marehood while he puckered his lips and brought them to her pearl of pleasure in a gently sucking kiss where his tongue barely peaked through to swirl around it roughly. From the high pitched gasp, he still had the knack after such a dry spell and allowed himself a grin as he brought his right hand up to roughly grasp her flank while he gently nibbled at her. The muffled moans and traveled from Tavi through Lyra to his member.
Lyra wasn't sure what she had done to deserve such a reward, but she didn't want this to end. Tavi, nuzzled between her thighs while a virile stallion occupied her mouth to the point that it was nearly full. He was hot, throbbing and the musky pre that leaked from his tip only made her hunger for more. She wanted to feel his full length inside her mouth and brought both hands up to his hips and pulled him closer with insistent pressure. He resisted at first, but after a slightly harder pull, he lowered his hips further until she had to relax her throat a bit so she wouldn't accidentally gag around his length. She let her head drop back a couple inches and applied a good amount of suction as she went back up his length, slowly finding a good rhythm to the point where he began to throb regularly in her mouth.
Being so backed up, it wasn't a surprise for Knuckle when he found himself peaking faster than he would have liked and felt that he had to warn Lyra about how close he was. “Lyra,” he half groaned from where he was using his nose to roughly rub the top of Tavi's mound. “I'm getting close...” In reply, she only moaned and quickened her pace up and down his shaft. He let out a deep moan and returned his attentions to Tavi with another suckling kiss around her pearl, nibbling it between lip and teeth, roughly swirling around it with his tongue while she moaned shrilly into Lyra. If he was going to finish, he was going to help one of these mares finish with him at the least.
Tavi couldn't believe the pleasure coursing through her, the way he was just aggressive enough made the fur between her shoulder blades stand on end and his technique was superb. She could barely concentrate on Lyra, but she knew just how to trip the mare over the edge quickly and without much effort, so she latched her lips around Lyra's pearl and lashed it with her tongue with long, firm licks that had her quickly shivering in ecstasy.
Lyra couldn't stop the shrill moan that tried to escape through her nose, but Octavia had brought out the heavy artillery and was going to make her cum in only a few short moments. The only thing that would make this any better was if she could come down from it with a mouth full of musky seed. So she redoubled her efforts on the shaft in her mouth and continuously moaned into his member until his throbs came faster and faster until the head of his member flared and gave a mighty jerk as he unleashed the first of many thick shots of seed into her maw. That was the last straw for her as well as she shivered and quaked in the throes of her own orgasm before Tavi's weight dropped on her a couple moments later as her orgasm rolled through her, leaving her a panting, sticky, sweaty mess on top of Lyra. 
Knuckle slowly withdrew his member from her mouth with a distinct pop as he passed her lips and looked down to see her slightly delirious eyes barely open while her mouth was over half full of his seed while the bound Tavi's marehood made a mess of her chest and stomach. “Sweet Celestia that's probably the hottest thing I've ever seen...”
Lyra let out a half drunken gurgle that may have been a giggle as her eyes refocused on his own. She closed her mouth and patted for him to get out of the way. Once he had moved, she wiggled out from under Tavi and hefted her up to a partially sitting position while she tilted her distinctly soggy head up by her chin and made a puckering motion with her mouth. Tavi looked his way with a wink and opened her mouth with her tongue sticking out as Lyra leaned down who opened her mouth as well and let her tongue extend out above Tavi's and tilted her head forward slightly so that thick, pearly drops of his cum dripped and flowed from her mouth to Tavi's. After a few moments, Lyra and Tavi closed their mouths and visibly swallowed before opening their mouths to him while sticking out their tongues impishly. If Knuckle had been getting soft a moment before, he found himself back to full mast in record time as he muttered ruefully, “I stand corrected...”
They both chuckled sultrily and looked to his shaft. “Now, how about that rutting you promised?” Tavi asked in a wicked taunt as she raised her hips and wiggled them as she resumed her position from before with Lyra moving up and sitting in front of Tavi so that her marehood was only a couple short inches away from her. Knuckle moved into position without a moments hesitation, placing his hands on Tavi's slightly sweaty flanks and grasped them firmly enough to elicit a moan from her. He moved his hips close and his member slipped over her folds from bottom to top, the heat from her almost searing to him. He let out a groan as he thrust himself back and forth a few times, both to tease her and to give himself a decent coating of her slickness.
Finally, he felt he was ready, and so did Tavi as she gave whimpering little moans as she pitifully tried to thrust her hips back to line him up. He gave her flank a firm little swat that had her freeze in position while he pulled back until the tip of his member parted her folds at the entrance to her most private of places. He brought a hand down to steady his aim as he slowly pushed into her light pink folds, the tightness of her tunnel showing that their number of male partners certainly must be few and far between, especially if they even made it to this point. Tavi let out a breathy moan as she felt herself being stretched by Knuckle's hard length while his heat radiated through her. He paused in his thrust to pull back slightly and gave another, firmer push that brought his medial ring to her entrance. Tavi let out a ragged moan as he pulled back and thrust with enough force that his rind popped inside, stretching her walls just that much more and making her tingle from the back of her neck all the way down to her hooves. One more thrust and Knuckle found himself hilted inside Tavi's sopping tunnel. 
Lyra couldn't help but giggle as she watched her marefriend go stupid from Knuckle's expert treatment. He was firm and demanding without being forceful, giving her nothing but pure pleasure. She watched as Knuckle's expression was one of almost tormented pleasure as he got accustomed to her depths before returning to a eager, confident expression. He gave Lyra a wink as he firmed his grip on Tavi's waist and pulled himself half out before thrusting forward with enough force to make an audible slap. He slowly built up a rhythm with his firm thrusts, creating a sloppy clapping noise each time his hips made contact with her flank.
Tavi was awash in pleasure as she strained against her bonds, her muscles tensing and trying to stretch until they almost cramped and was forced to relax until another rising tide of pleasure made her repeat the same cycle again. She was barely aware of the soaked marehood in front of her, but when Lyra scooted forward and firmly pushed her muzzle to her folds, she licked feebly as she let out moan after moan as the familiar scent of her lover drove her to reciprocate this feeling.
Tavi felt a searing heat washing up through her as she was firmly rutted into the bed. Over the course of her past exploits in the bedroom, she had always felt her orgasms come upon her with a gentle heat that washed through her, leaving her almost energetic after each one until they built upon each other and finally left her exhausted. That didn't mean Tavi didn't love her any less, but it did leave her slightly frustrated every once in a great while, but this one time would make up for countless failed trysts with other partners. Those faint thoughts fled her mind as that searing heat suddenly come crashing up through every fiber of her being, leaving her a weak limbed mess as her marehood let lose a searing gush of fluids that coated Knuckle's sack in a hot layer, cumming without anything more than a deep moan.
Lyra was loving this... Tavi looked like she she was almost completely out of her mind with pleasure while she lapped, nibbled and sucked on her marehood while Knuckle couldn't seem to pick between watching one or the other. She felt a flush as she imagined what he was going to do with her and felt her marehood tingle with anticipation which suddenly turned into an unexpected and messy orgasm as Tavi suckled at her pearl. She let loose in a near spasm as her core flexed and convulsed in a series of glistening spurts that almost drenched Tavi's mane in her fluids and leaving her marehood nearly overstimulated which forced her to roll away from Tavi's weakly flailing tongue.
Knuckle was almost at the limit for the second time that night (especially after Lyra's drenching orgasm) and if he had to keep supporting Tavi's limp weight, he might not have enough energy to spare for Lyra's first real anal experience. So, with that thought in mind, he picked up his pace and pounded into Tavi with a ragged panting as his member throbbed harshly, telling the time had come. He had outlasted Tavi's orgasm, but with the way she was convulsing around him, he was only prolonging it and hilted himself one last time letting her slightly twitching walls dance across the sensitive surface of his member as his flare swelled back to life a couple seconds before the first semen laden throb of his member unloaded into her hot depths. He wasn't quite sure how long he came, but the heat and warmth surrounding his shaft was comforting and let him gently coast down from his orgasm.
He slowly pulled his member out of Tavi after a few moments and watched her pink and black folds leak his thick, white seed onto the covers. That sight earned him a twitch down below and couldn't help but give Lyra a sheepish grin. “You mind if we take a little ten minute break? I'm a bit spent, but I won't leave you hanging if you're still raring to go...”
“Dude...” Lyra said with an easy laugh. “You just rutted Tavi into a stupid mess and you're still good to go after what you call a 'little ten minute break?' I don't know if I can wind down enough even with your little tricks for a round of anal... Speaking of which, I'm not even sure if I can fit even half of you up my plot...” For emphasis, she rolled over onto her knees and moved her tail aside to show her dainty little plot hole. Another twitch came from below.
“It'll fit, but not with me down two rounds...” he said in a disappointed tone that had Lyra giggling. 
“Then we're just going to have to try tomorrow night,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eye that left him smiling devilishly as well. “If Tavi loves anal so much, there must be something to it and you know how to treat me right since you've got the experience... Nothing against Tavi, but cold lube and a slender dildo aren't the most appealing things in the world to me...”
“Then what do you say to a hot oil massage and my own tool for a good first time?” he asked with a cheesy grin.
“Pretty damn good to me, and even if you can't fit back there, I still have two other holes that would love to have you drop a load off...”
They paused as a fit of laughter overtook them, leaving their well worn bodies tired as a wave of fatigue washed over them. “Oh, Lyra, you're too much sometimes,” he said as he rubbed a thumb across a slightly teary eye. “I don't know about how you'd feel about staying the night, but my bed's open to you if you're interested...”
“I don't mind as long as-” a monstrous sound akin to a Timberwolf getting caught in a sawmill cut her off. “Tavi's snoring...”
“You kidding?” Knuckle replied with a chortle, not even halting his words as another snore came forth from Tavi. “The barracks has to issue enchanted earplugs just so the ambient noise of the Guards' snores doesn't cause ear damage...”
Lyra snorted in laughter and broke out into a fit of laughter that had her clutching her stomach almost painfully. Her laughter quickly petered out when she saw Knuckle was only giving her a rueful smile. “You're kidding, right?” A minuscule shake of his head was her answer and she looked over to the still tied Tavi, “Eh, I guess this isn't so bad then,” she said with a rueful chuckle. A moment later, her horn glowed briefly before both Tavi and the ropes glowed before they were floated up and separated. Lyra floated Tavi around into a more comfortable sleeping position but couldn't seem to help herself when she leaned forward quickly to lap up a messy tongue full of their combined fluids still dripping from Tavi's well used nethers. “Still warm,” she said with a giggle as she stuck her tongue out, showing faint white streaks. Another twitch from below, but it was too late.
Deciding to simply not say anything, he just shook his head as a half grin split his face while Lyra snuggled up behind Tavi to form the large spoon. She looked over at Knuckle once she had settled down and patter the spot next to her, showing him that she was more than fine with this arrangement. He gave her a smile as he slid next to her after blowing out the lantern and wrapped an arm around both their waists, his hand resting next to hers on Tavi's stomach. He gently eased his other arm under their necks and welcomed the near forgotten pressure that was someone sleeping by his side if only for a night. Lyra gave a content little yawn and wiggled between the two before her breathing slowed and the only sound was their breathing and the occasional snore from Tavi.
Knuckle closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off in a matter of seconds as the scents of two curious mares filled his mind and invited him to chase after them in his dreams.
> The Second Movement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Second Movement


The morning after their night of fun found Knuckle waking up with a deeply satisfying ache in his body and firmly wrapped around the very warm bodies of his companions. Sometime during the night, Tavi had ceased her snoring and had quieted down to a pleasant hum whenever she breathed out. He raised his head and looked over them with a warm smile when he saw that Tavi had trapped one of Lyra's legs between her thighs, likely pressed right up against her nethers while Lyra's hands had migrated to the valley between Octavia's breasts. If their expressions were anything to go by, they were having wonderful dreams despite their slightly awkward positions. If it weren't so adorable, he would have found the sight incredibly hot.
Deciding to treat them to a freshly cooked breakfast, he gently extricated his dead arm from under their heads with only the barest of sleepy murmurs at their displeasure and eased himself ever-so-slowly from his bed so he wouldn't disturb them further. He grabbed a bathrobe from a peg in his wardrobe and donned it so he wouldn't be walking about the house naked at the least and made his way to the bathroom to take care of his morning ablutions, leaving the door about a third of the way open to let the room vent a bit since he had absolutely no doubt it reeked of hot sex. Ten minutes later found him putting the dishes from the previous night into the sink as he hunted down the ingredients for scrambled eggs and toast. That didn't take him long, so he pulled down a skillet and turned the stove on to get it heating while he prepared their meal. Pulling a trio of plates, silverware and to set around the table so that there wouldn't be any delay when he served them up piping hot.
The sizzle and hiss of the fresh butter and sizzling egg wouldn't do a thing to wake the mares, but he knew the smell of divine golden clouds of egg and the tantalizing smoky aroma of fresh toast would. By the time he had pulled the last piece of toast from the skillet, placing it tenderly on top of the decently sized stack of toasted goodness, he heard the faint rustlings of life in his bedroom... followed by a soft knocking on his door. He froze as he wondered who or what it might be at his door. Hoping to give the girls some warning, he called out a bit louder than usual, “Coming!”
The rustling died down from his bedroom and he made his way to the door, took a steadying breath and opened it with an easy smile... that froze in place as soon as he saw who it was on his threshold. The alabaster mare stood at eye height with him, and met his eyes with her own sparkling violet ones. Her body was shrouded in a light yellow sundress with wispy sky blue embroidery that accentuated her perfectly formed breasts and hips, coming to a stop just shy of her knees where a woven straw handbag dangled from the crook of her elbow. Underneath a woven straw hat that was tilted back at a jaunty angle by her horn, her ethereal mane of the pastel colors of dawn flowed over her shoulder while her wings fluttered slightly as she settled them. It was none other than Princess Celestia herself, as radiant as her sun and beaming at him from a half pace away. “Why, good morning Knuckle Down,” she said warmly. “I hope I haven't come at a bad time.”
He struggled for three tense seconds before giving a nervous, strained laugh that was a hairs breadth away from hysterics. “Of course not,” he replied a touch too quickly for his own liking, but there was nothing to do about it. “Come on in...”
She gave him an even warmer smile and walked in once he moved to the side to allow her entrance. She gave an appreciative sniff to the air and let out a small moan of delight. “I do hope I haven't disturbed your breakfast,” she said as she moved into the living room and sat down on the couch daintily, barely seeming to make an indent in the cushion as she set her bag beside her and rested her hands almost demurely in her lap. 
“Not at all,” he replied quickly as he started to get a reign on his nerves. “If anything, would you care to join me? I made quite a batch of scrambled eggs and toast and I'm more than happy to share some with you, Princess.”
“Please, enough with the Princess, Knuckle,” she said with a light sigh. “You of all ponies can drop my title... When we're in private at least.” She finished with a light chuckle.
“If you insist... Celestia,” he replied with a slightly nervous chuckle. “So, would you care for a plate of scrambled eggs and toast? I made plenty and it's still hot...” he offered temptingly while he mentally promised himself to make it up to Lyra and Octavia.
“Oh...” Celestia said with look of mock conflict, palm to her cheek as she tilted her head to the side before a grin split her face. “If you insist. It's not often I can indulge in such a rich breakfast and you're offer is too much temptation to resist.” Knuckle gave a chuckle and shook his head at her act. Ever since he had gotten to know her, she always had this lighthearted way of joking around that seemed so at odds with the face she usually wore when she was under the tiara of her position. She gave him a smile and stood up, leaving her bag on the couch and removed her hat, placing it on top and made her way past him and into the kitchen with him a pace behind her. He stopped when she paused and looked over her shoulder curiously at him, a slight up curve to the corner of her mouth. “Were you expecting company?”
He froze as if struck by lightning as he suddenly remembered he had set the table for three. He couldn't say a thing and of all the most damning things, Lyra called out from his bedroom. Of all the things that he could have assumed, Lyra's laziness should have been one of them as she had fallen back asleep and now had woken up to find herself in a situation where yelling was clearly the only solution. “Hey, Knuckle! Your cum glued my leg to Tavi's snatch! You got a wet rag or something so I can get free and get me a piece of whatever smells so good?!”
Knuckle had never felt anything even closely akin to the concentrated mortification he felt at that moment. Celestia's eyes widened ever so slightly and a look of mild annoyance crossed her face. “So it seems you did bed a pair of students...” she said with a sigh. “You know, if you could have waited one more week I would have won the entire pool...”
Of all the things she could have said, Knuckle simply couldn't comprehend the words he had just heard. It sounded like the Princess knew about his tryst last night. It certainly sounded like she was disappointed, only not in him but in his timing. But most of all, it sounded like she had placed a bet in a particularly raunchy gambling pool revolving around the amount of time it would take him to take a student to his bed. As his mind seized up, there was a muttering of grumbling curses from his bedroom followed by a rustling as Lyra hadn't heard a single thing transpiring in the other room and opted to just use her own spit to work herself free, waking Tavi up with the stimulation.
“And good morning to you too,” the charcoal mare said bright and cheery smile as she moved into a sitting position with a glowing smile. “Are you going to finish what you started, or not?”
“We can do that later, Knuckle made us breakfast,” Lyra said with a wide smile as she scooted herself out of the bed and made her way out of the bedroom completely naked, yawning and stretching with closed eyes for a couple paces before her eyes opened and she froze in pure shock at seeing the Princess herself looking over her shoulder at her.
Octavia followed after Lyra with a sigh, her hand hovering below her nethers to prevent the bountiful load of seed from leaving a trail on the floor which did nothing to stop a warm, milky trail from trailing down her thighs. “You don't mind if I take a quick... shower...” she began to say, only to trail off when she noticed the tableau before her.
“My, my, Knuckle,” Celestia said as her expression turned from slightly annoyed to appreciative at the sight before her. “It seems you certainly know how to show a pair of mares a good time... The stories your old squad told me certainly haven't been exaggerated in the slightest.”
Knuckle had officially checked out at this point. This must have been a nightmare. He was still asleep and Celestia wasn't here relating the fact that she must have talked to his old friends about his habits. Habits that she clearly had in mind when she placed him here and made a game out of. Of course not... That was silly. Absurd even.
He let lose a breathy chuckle before faintly saying, “This is all in my head, isn't it?”
Celestia looked over to him and gave him a sympathetic smile, “Sorry to throw a wrench in your coping mechanism, but it isn't.” She gave a hearty chuckle and looked over the two mares again with approving eyes. “Dear... You seem to be dripping quite a bit... Maybe you should take that shower before you leave a puddle...”
Octavia's face seemed to go from pale as a ghost to deep crimson between one blink and the next as she realized what her Princess just said, a drip from her nethers on her hand only punctuating the statement. She gave a strangled yelp of embarrassment and darted for the bathroom, slamming the door shut barely after she'd made it inside which elicited a hearty chuckle from Celestia at her reaction. “No need to be ashamed, dear,” she called out with a half grin. “You should be very proud of your body... Your hips are quite lovely, after all.”
Lyra's mind finally reengaged at the Princess' teasing remark, causing her to giggle with a grin of her own. “If we would have known you were going to drop by, Princess, we wouldn't have greeted you in nothing but our coats.”
“Think nothing of it, dear,” she replied easily. “If anything, I owe you two an apology for not making my presence known.”
“Eh, it's not like it would have been the first time this sort of thing has happened before,” she replied, sticking her tongue out a bit. “But fair warning would have been nice... I still have a cum stain on my thigh from Tavi and it's starting to get a bit itchy, so I'm going to go join her in the shower if that's alright.”
“Please, go right ahead,” Celestia replied graciously. “But please try to not tease her too much... She seems to be taking this a bit hard...”
“I'll try, but no promises,” Lyra said with a cheeky grin as she sauntered to the bathroom and slipped inside.
“Quite the interesting pair...” she mused with a quirk to her mouth. “So how about those scrambled eggs, Knuckle? It would be a shame if they went cold before anypony could enjoy them...”
Finally, he began showing signs of life instead of being in suspended animation and jerkily stumbled into the kitchen to take a seat while the Princess sat across from him while humming a happy little tune as she magicked herself over a fresh plate from his cupboard and a fork. After serving herself a modest amount of eggs and grabbing a slice of toast, she dug in with a warm thank you to Knuckle for the meal.
“So you really placed a bet on how long it would take for me to take a student to bed, huh?” he finally said after she had made it about half way through her plate.
She smiled, swallowed her current mouthful of eggs and gave a tinkling little laugh. “Of course! It seemed like fun and it's not like you ever would take advantage of the under aged young mares here. To date, you've only conducted yourself as a gentle-stallion and it certainly seems as though you have done an excellent job of keeping your urges in check... So the only real factor was when a mare... or mares in this case, came to you in the hopes of a good time.”
Knuckle sighed as he put his elbows up on the table and cradled his head in his hands. “I take it you had some kind of surveillance spell set up?”
“Naturally,” she replied with a sly little smirk. “It was set to alert me whenever somepony other than you entered your little cottage. From there, I would alert Bylaw to do some reconnaissance and report back to me and your old C.O. once he verified what was going on.”
“So you came here knowing full well that I had a pair of young mares staying the night with me and may or may not have been involved with had Lyra woken up first?”
“She's the peppy one with the small breasts?” she asked bluntly, making Knuckle sputter and reel back with a flush. “I'll take that as a 'yes.'”
Knuckle took a deep breath, held it a moment and let it out as he slumped down in his chair. “Yeah,” he said with a rueful smirk directed at Celestia. “That's her... Octavia's her marefriend, by the way.”
“What a charming pair, but why did Lyra seem to be unravaged? Does she only swing for the home team?”
Knuckle was finally... finally starting to get over how the Princess talking like a grizzled drill instructor crossed with a high lady of the court. “Nah,” he replied with a bark of laughter. “She was a bit overtaxed by the time I finished with Octavia.”
“You can say that again,” Lyra said with a laugh from the next room. She had apparently finished her shower and was making her way over to them in nothing but her coat and bold as brass. She continued after taking a seat and serving herself some scrambled eggs and toast, “But in all honesty last night was more for Tavi than it was for me...”
“I see,” Celestia said with a warm smile as if nothing were out of the ordinary. “So what brought you two to seek out our dear Knuckle for some bedroom activities?”
“Other than the fact that he's a prime cut of stallion you mean?” she asked, making Celestia giggle and nod, much to Knuckle's embarrassment. “Well, he's got this whole... unexpected side to him that said we'd definitely get more than face value. I mean, he's surrounded by hot pieces of flank all day and never puts the moves on any of them. Sure, I've seen him looking once or twice, but it's not like he went over and flipped their skirt or something.”
“Stallions will be stallions after all,” Celestia agreed with a smirk. “So how was he?”
“Size, output or performance?” Lyra asked, much to Knuckle's red faced mortification.
“Why not all three?”
“Just over average on length, but deliciously thick,” she began with a cat-like grin that Celestia mirrored with a sly glance at Knuckle. “Volume was only good, but that'll probably go up with some regular action. Performance was stellar, especially after he told us about his extended dry spell. He did manage to rut Tavi into a pile of stupid before he finally finished.”
Celestia was going to reply, but she glanced up and called out to the other guest in Knuckle's home. “Octavia, dear, don't be shy and join us for a bite of breakfast,” she said with a joking little half smile. Knuckle and Lyra looked over into the other room and saw Tavi frozen mid step as she tried to sneak back to the bedroom with a towel attempting to keep herself reasonably modest. Attempting was the word of choice as the towel she had could barely be held together in the one hand that was almost frantically trying to hold onto it. The towel dangled only a couple inches lower than her rump, showcasing her curvaceous legs from hoof to thigh, her light pink treble clef cutie mark in stark relief to her dark coat.
“Yeah,” Lyra chimed in casually as she looked over at her lover. “I mean, the Princess saw you dripping cum from your pussy only a little bit ago with her own two eyes. Besides, it's not like we have anything she hasn't seen before...”
“Quite right, Lyra,” she confirmed with an easy smile. “Miss Octavia should be proud of her body anyway. In fact, I know several talent agencies I could personally put her in touch with in case she would want to be a model... She certainly has the figure for it.”
“That she does,” Lyra agreed with a throaty purr.
Octavia was having quite the personal crisis at this point in time. First was everything involving the Princess, of all ponies, seeing her not only naked but dripping the musky fluids from last nights escapades. Second was Lyra, casually sitting at the table and eating breakfast in the nude with the Princess. Last, and certainly not least was the fact that both were teasing and praising her in equal measure. She wasn't sure if she should run screaming at them with the righteous fury of a mare at the last of her wits or just let it all go and simply not give a single buck since it seems as if reason decided to take the day off. She ran over the chances of getting away with assault against both the Solar Diarch and her marefriend, found them to be quite poor, and just... let it all go with the most defeated sigh of her eighteen years, seven months and three days of life. “I suppose I should eat before the food gets any colder...” she said in a weary voice and made her way to the table, tossing her towel over the back of her chair just before taking her seat.
“Atta girl,” Lyra said with a toothy grin from her seat before she lifted her plate to her mouth and shoveled in a healthy amount of eggs without any decorum. Octavia simply shook her head with a sigh and served herself some food and dug in, if bit glumly.
“What's the matter?” Celestia asked Octavia as she picked up Knuckle's still untouched plate and served him a healthy portion of food, to which he thanked her before starting in himself. “You seem to be a bit put out...”
“Well, it's not every day that I expect to completely expose myself to one of the Princesses of Equestria, still dripping fluids from a night of passion and be teased about it,” she said after her mouthful of food. “I mean, here we are... Lyra and myself, sitting around a table with you eating breakfast without a single shred of modesty. It's... just... not what I was expecting and I just kinda want to go back to bed and forget this ever happened.”
Celestia's expression turned to one of motherly concern. “Come now, it's nothing to fret about, Octavia. This isn't the first time I've had a meal with under-dressed companions and there's been more than one occasion where I was the one found dripping fluids from a sweaty night of passion on the floor... At least you have the good manners to prevent any stray drops from falling on the floor.”
“I bet you learned to do that the hard way after a maid slipped and fell in a puddle you left behind,” Lyra said with a face red from barely contained laughter. “Must be pretty hard to notice something like that on a polished, white marble floor...”
Knuckle and Octavia choked on a piece of egg while Celestia blushed and coughed behind her hand before looking over at Lyra with eyes that tried to look away. “That... may have been a contributing factor in learning to not leave a mess behind...” Knuckle and Octavia both found their windpipes blocked once again, choking over the very same pieces of food they had just evicted from their windpipes only a second before.
Lyra, on the other hand, completely lost it at that as she lunged back in her chair hard enough to tilt it but not quite enough to tip it over. Her hooves drummed on the floor after she tilted back while her arms wrapped around her stomach as she leaned forward enough to rest her head beside her plate. Knuckle and Octavia blushed at learning this scandalous little tidbit about the Princess and couldn't help but share a smile between just the two of them as companions in such a similar predicament. Lyra's laughter finally petered out into pained sounding pants as she brought a hand up to the table and pushed herself back into a sitting position. “By your sisters starry mane, that's probably the funniest thing I've ever heard!”
“I would say embarrassing...” Celestia said in a half pout as her lower lip jutted out slightly, cheeks still a rosy pink. “But I figured that you three deserve to know a few intimate details of mine since I barged in on you like I did...”
“And it's appreciated,” Tavi said with a beatific smile that darkened Celestia's cheeks a shade more. “I suppose that I should thank you for being so open with us and putting us at ease... Despite the oddness that is eating breakfast with the Princess while naked...”
“Well, let's be honest here,” Celestia said as her pout vanished like an early morning mist in the sunlight, only to be replaced with an appreciative look that flickered between her and Lyra. “Who wouldn't want to eat a meal with a pair of sexy young mares proudly displaying their bodies... Unless that was to include a strapping stallion in his prime as well...”
“I'd have to agree there...” Knuckle cut in with a roguish grin directed at Celestia, hoping to tease a blush from her as she had done to him.
“Only because it's you~” she said in a voice so innocent that the three others looked on in confusion as she stood up from her seat, bent over slightly to grab the hem of her dress in her hands and brought it up and over her head before any of them could get a single syllable out of their mouths. Underneath her sundress, she wore no bra which revealed that she had nipples which looked tantalizingly soft and colored a light, happy shade of pink. She was wearing a cute pair of light blue panties that had a little white flower embroidered in the triangle of fabric on the front. These weren't on her for much longer as she hooked her thumbs through the sides and took them off without any fanfare, revealing the plush looking outer folds of her nethers, the faintest pink color visible as her coat gave way to bare skin. She sat back down after folding her dress neatly and placing it over the back of her chair, panties resting on top of them.
“Way to go, Princess!” Lyra said with a wide grin. “I gotta say, for a mare of your years, I can assure you that you still got it.”
Celestia let out a hearty laugh at that remark, smiling widely at the much younger mare across from her. She looked to the others who shared a look of quickly fading shock. Celestia was so happy that her ponies could adapt so quickly... if the stimuli was consistently strong enough, anyway. “Why thank you, Lyra,” she said earnestly. “I must say that you're quite alluring as well... But as long as we're sharing compliments, I must say that Octavia is almost dangerously seductive with that body of hers...”
“Oh, you don't know the half of it,” Lyra said with a giggle as she saw Octavia's face ignite once again. “But the worst part is she diets every now and then because she thinks she'll get...” she paused as her muzzle scrunched up. “Fat...”
Celestia looked Octavia over after Lyra's words. Her form was definitely a bit heavier with muscle, but that was because of her earth pony heritage. Her stomach was smooth with only the barest hint of muscle definition while her thighs and calves rolled and sloped with well developed muscle under the barest amount of padding. Her breasts were a solid d-cup with slightly hard nipples a few shades darker than her coat which drew her gaze down her trim waistline and over her voluptuous hips. “Octavia...” Celestia said with a half smile. “If you think you're going to get fat from eating a healthy meal three times a day along with a few snacks, then maybe you should establish yourself an exercise routine to help you burn those extra calories?”
“I would, but with all my classes and composing...” she said with a slightly chagrined expression as her reasons for her dieting immediately sounded flimsy to herself.
“I'm sure that if you took an hour or two out of your schedule three or four times a week, I'm sure you'll quickly find yourself not worrying about your figure any more,” Celestia paused to shoot Knuckle a smile. “Especially since you have an ex-Guard at your disposal. I'm sure he can help you out here as well... Just try to get through the entire workout before jumping his sweaty bones...”
Knuckle snorted in amusement while he gave the thought a moment to roll over in his mind. It didn't take him long to find absolutely no reason not to and gave Octavia a warm smile and a nod before he looked over to Lyra. “Of course, if Octavia comes by, I expect you to come along as well... You're a bit skinny if you ask me and a bit of muscle would look good on you.”
Lyra gave a half squawk as she looked herself over. Her expression quickly turned ponderous instead of slightly outraged and she gave a little hum of thought as she gripped one of her biceps with the opposite hand and gave it a flex. “I could see that,” she said after a moment, much to everypony's amusement. “When do we start?”
Knuckle gave a snort of amusement at that. “Not for a while, Lyra,” he said with a bit of amusement. “Not with the weights anyway. We'll start with basic conditioning... Running, jogging and some fairly basic exercises that will have you thinking you're back in grade school. That being said, it's all important one way or another, so you may as well get used to the thought.”
“Alright,” she replied with a bright smile. “If it'll help Tavi stop worrying and make me look even sexier, I don't mind working out a bit here or there...”
“I suppose if you're sure we won't put you out...” Tavi said with a slightly unsure look at Knuckle.
“No trouble at all,” he replied easily, his smile bringing one out of her as well.
“So...” Lyra said after their little moment. “Are you going to join us or not?”
“Join you?” he replied, completely lost for the moment as she changed the topic.
“In eating breakfast in the buff,” Lyra explained as if it were obvious.
Knuckle had to bite back his immediate refusal. So far, he had been able to coast by without paying too much attention to their distinct lack of undress as the conversation had kept him engaged, but the prospect of exposing himself outright to three beautiful mares immediately began to divert blood to another place of his anatomy that asked for more as it quickly swelled to life. He quickly glanced at the Princess, who looked at him with a suddenly curious expression, an innocent half smile curving her lips up. Tavi was looking at him from under her curly bangs, a faint blush marring her cheeks in secret anticipation, making his resolve weaken further. “I suppose fair is fair,” he finally said as he stood up, his unmistakable arousal lifting the front of his robe away from his crotch. If anything, that only made him harder as he throbbed once under the soon to be discarded robe. The three mares' blushes grew in vibrancy as his hands moved to the waistband, quickly untying it and letting it fall open to reveal his hard vitality. He shifted his shoulders, letting the warm garment slip from him and gathered it across an arm before draping it across the back of his chair.
“I would ask that you not stand at attention in my presence, but it appears as if such actions have become second nature,” Celestia said in a mirth silvered voice. Lyra and Tavi both couldn't help but giggle at the Monarchs play on words while Knuckle blushed, taking his seat shortly after.
“What can I say?” he replied as a smirk came unbidden. “Old habits die hard.”
“I suppose I can forgive you that,” she retorted with a laugh. The others couldn't help a chuckle as well. “Anyway, since we're all in a state of improper undress, we may as well finish breakfast before duty pulls me away.”
“You sure you can't stick around for a while?” Lyra asked as she was quick to start serving herself more eggs and toast. “I mean, it's not every day that we have a chance to hang out with the Princess...”
“I'm sorry, dear,” Celestia replied with an apologetic smile. “But I promise to send Knuckle a letter in advance the next time I plan on dropping by so he can tell you.”
“Awesome,” Lyra said with a wide grin. “We'll be sure to whip him back into shape by then if you'd care to join us with some fun. Couldn't have him disappointing you of all ponies.”
Tavi and Knuckle both flushed, thinking slightly different things despite the same outcome. “Perhaps I'll schedule an extended visit in that case,” she mused aloud with an indulgent smile directed at Knuckle who returned it, if a bit nervously as he was completely unsure if she was serious or not. After that, they all returned to safer waters as the topic changed to the mundane. Celestia spent some time asking after Knuckle's more mundane job aspects, getting a laugh as he complained and griped about how stingy his budget was for procuring new flowers to keep the grounds a thriving and well loved place by the students.
“You know,” Tavi said as a brief lull in the conversation happened. “Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever thanked you for keeping the grounds so beautiful. It must be hard, especially since you came on as the groundskeeper with only a couple months of tutelage under the old keeper.”
“I don't really need to hear it said,” Knuckle assured her with a warm smile. “Seeing the students smiling as they walk through the gardens and enjoying the peace is thanks aplenty.”
“So sappy,” Lyra muttered with a smirk and a shake of her head which got her a token cuff on the back of her head from both Tavi and Knuckle. She shrunk her head down and gave a mock cringe while the pair smirked at her.
“You kinda deserved that,” Celestia said with a chime like giggle that only served to make Lyra pout as she shoveled the last of her eggs onto her last piece of toast before cramming it in her mouth. She took a moment to look outside at her sun and stood up from the table with a deep sigh and a languid stretch that the others couldn't help but appreciate. “However, it seems as though my time here today is coming to an end.”
“Awww...” Lyra bemoaned as she looked up at Celestia with her best puppy dog eyes.
“Now, now... None of that,” Celestia chided with a chuckle as she levitated her sundress and panties off the back of her chair, floating her dress over her form before snagging her panties from out of the air. “You'll see me again before the month is out...”
“Sweet~!” she exclaimed with an ecstatic giggle.
Tavi noticed the panties in her hand and gave Celestia a questioning look to get a teasing one in reply. “If it's not too much trouble, please try to keep Knuckle out of mischief,” she asked her with a warm smile.
“It... shouldn't be too much trouble, Princess,” she replied as she watched to see what Celestia was going to do. She moved around to stand behind Knuckle and leaned down over the back of his chair, her breasts cradling around the sides of his immediately crimson face while she took her recently worn panties and put them on his head before gently wrapping her arms around his neck in a gentle hug.
“And Knuckle?” she asked in a warm voice that held clear notes of her amusement. “Do try to treat these lovely young mares as they ask to be treated. I'd be quite cross to learn that such a gallant stallion was taking liberties, or denying reasonable requests. I know you gave a lot to protect me, never thinking of your own safety or life in the moment. So far I've only given you more work to do, but your just rewards will come in due time. As your Princess... but most importantly, as your friend, I assure you of that.”
Knuckle couldn't say anything as he felt a surge of affection for Celestia at her words. It wasn't because she teased him, flirted with him and shamelessly revealed herself to him that stole his words. It was because he could tell that Celestia felt guilty over a complete fluke of happenstance. He wanted to tell her that he thought nothing of it, that she didn't have to do anything more for him, but the tiniest seed of disingenuous thought strangled his voice. He truly couldn't help the feeling that he'd been cheated in life despite his current fortune and luck. Instead of trying to choke something out, he simply reached a hand up to gently grip a forearm and nuzzled the top of his head to her jaw with a warm smile.
The Princess gave a happy little hum of approval before finally breaking her rather lewd hug and made her final farewells before gathering her bag and hat from the couch and departing the cottage. They sat in quiet contemplation for a while before Knuckle stood up with a little sigh of his own and started clearing away the dishes with a little smile on his face. Lyra and Octavia snapped out of their trances and helped him clean the amassed dishes from this morning and the previous night. Once they had finished with that, Knuckle couldn't help the yawn that escaped his mouth and looked blearily over at the mares who were putting away the last of the things. “You two want to join me for a mid morning nap? I doubt the bedroom's aired out yet, but I was thinking the couch would be big enough if I pulled all the hoof-rests over in front of it.”
“That sounds great,” Lyra replied with a grin while Octavia gave him an odd look.
“What?” he asked with a little bark of laughter.
“I surely hope you don't plan on going about the entire day with the Princess' panties on your head...”
Knuckle felt his face burn hot as he finally noticed the garment on his head. “I completely forgot about them...” he said with a nervous little chuckle as he reached up and pulled them off. “I'll just... go put them somewhere safe.”
“You do that,” Lyra said with a laugh as she began levitating the hoof rests in front of the couch. He went back into his room and thought for a moment before deciding on his trunk. He took the ring of keys from the hook on the inside of his dresser and opened the smallest lock before lifting the lid to reveal a ceder paneled interior that had only a few eclectic odds and ends that held great sentimental value to him. He folded the panties neatly and tucked them into a corner before closing it and shaking his head. Of all the things he ever expected to put in this particular compartment, a pair of panties worn by the Princess of the Sun certainly wasn't among them.
He came back out of his room after locking his chest back up and found Lyra and Octavia chatting quietly as they sat on the hoof rests while they waited for him “You two ready?” he asked during a pause in their conversation. They nodded and stood up, letting Knuckle take the spot against the back of the couch. After he had gotten settled, Tavi sat back down and scooted up next to him, gently easing herself partially on him as she lay down. After she got comfortable, Lyra sat down and scooted up close to Tavi with a timid little yawn that set the other two off with their own jaw cracking ones. “Sure, your jaws crack when I was the one deepthroating last night,” she joked, getting the pair to snort in amusement.
“With such a big mouth, I'd be more surprised if it did crack from something as common as a yawn,” Tavi shot back, getting a giggle from Lyra and a chuckle from Knuckle. After a moment of shuffling and readjustment, all three of them found the most comfortable position ending with Knuckle draping an arm over their middles, getting a content sigh from both mares. They drifted off to a light sleep shortly after that.


***


Knuckle woke up with a deep groan and an energetic stretch, gently pushing against Octavia who was murmuring quietly in her sleep as she groped Lyra in her sleep. Lyra gave a little yawn of her own as she woke up from the movement and blinked owlishly as she craned her neck to see Knuckle smacking his lips as he woke up. “Hey, big fella,” she said quietly. “Have a good nap?”
“Yeah,” he replied as his heart began to pump a bit faster, revitalizing him from head to hoof. “You?”
“Oh yeah,” she replied with a languid stretch of her own. “What time is it?” He looked over to the little clock he had over his mantle piece and found it to be half past ten and relayed it to Lyra. “Huh... Woke up earlier than expected...”
“That so?”
“Yep,” she said with a half smirk. “So what was that you said about a hot oil massage and attempting some anal?”
“If you're sure,” he replied as he felt a surge of excitement down below, his member growing hot and beginning to poke out from hiding.
“I'm pretty relaxed right now and if you're any good with your hands, then I'm feeling confident that you could make it fit if anypony could,” she replied sultrily.
“Sounds like you're eager to get down to business,” he said with an eager grin. “Do you want the full experience or the beginners?”
“What's the difference?” she asked curiously. “You're still sticking it up my plot...”
“Well, with the beginners experience has less... cleaning,” he supplied.
“Cleaning?”
“Well, for anal, it's a good idea to use the loo before we begin so there's no accidental mess,” he replied with a little chuckle at Lyra's look of distaste. “The beginners try just has you do that and I use a rubber. If you want the full experience, you have to... flush yourself out a couple times with a solution and I can forgo the rubber. I have a cleaning kit you can use, so you have both options available...”
“I don't know,” she said after a moment of thought. “I'm gonna ask Tavi about this.”
“No pressure either way,” he replied with a comforting smile. “I know it's a good bit out of your comfort zone and I'm willing to go with whatever you decide.”
“Thanks,” she said with a warm smile. “That means a lot.” After that she wiggled around in Tavi's grasp and started giving her tiny kisses on the lips. The little smacking noises made Tavi's ears flicker slightly and made her let out a little sigh of contentment. After a few more kisses, she started returning them as she woke up smiling.
“Morning, love,” she said in a low, resonant voice that spoke volumes about how content she was at this moment. She gave Lyra one more kiss and looked over her shoulder at Knuckle who gave her a sheepish little grin. “And what has you so excited? Not that I'm complaining or anything of the sort, but you seem to be knocking at my back door...”
Lyra let out a chiming laugh at that before answering, “I was asking him about trying anal and he told me about two ways we can go about it. The full and and beginners.”
“Of course,” Tavi replied with a knowing smile. “I've only used toys for so long that I'd nearly forgotten about the need for extra cleaning for a stallion to play back there without a rubber.”
“Well, I thought I'd ask you which you think would be better for my first time. ”
“Well, if you want to get the most out of it, the flushing is well worth the extra effort,” she answered honestly. “What surprises me is that Knuckle has the proper equipment for it.”
He gave a laugh at that. “Had a few mares in the guard who liked a good anal session and wanted to be able to being them back to my room instead of always imposing on their hospitality so I invested in a kit.”
“A likely story,” Octavia replied as she looked over her shoulder at him with a laugh that said she was only teasing.
Knuckle gave a laugh of his own and patted her rear. “Call it an investment in one of my favorite bedroom pastimes...”
“Speaking of bedrooms,” Lyra cut in with a chuckle, “We really stank that place up.”
Knuckle gave a hearty laugh while Tavi flushed. “That we did,” he replied. “So, what's the verdict, Lyra? Think you want to go the whole nine yards or take the easy way?”
She gave an unsure look at first, but seemed to come to a decision quickly enough as her expression firmed and gave a little nod. “I want to go the whole way... If I'm going through with it, I want to do it right.”
“That's my girl,” Tavi said with a little squeal of delight as she brought Lyra into a quick hug. “I'm so happy you're going through with everything~”
“Tavi, enough!” Lyra said with a laugh at her marefriends enthusiastic reaction, pushing away after a moment. “Let's go clean out my plot since you two want to make it all dirty.”
Tavi and Knuckle laughed at that and they all got up to go about their tasks. Lyra and Tavi retreated to the bathroom after Knuckle dug out his cleaning kit from another compartment in his chest. Knuckle heard some muffled chatter coming from the bathroom before he retreated back to his room to rummage around in the same compartment as before to pick out some oil for the massage. He finally settled on a flagon of lightly floral scented chamomile oil, hoping that its scent and calming properties would help Lyra to relax even more during his massage. Knowing just how messy an oil massage could get, he stripped his stained comforter and a pair of pillows from his bed to bring out to the living room, doubled it over to provide some extra cushioning since it was more than big enough. He set the oil down on the coffee table and went off to the kitchen to pull out a shallow stone bowl polished to a glass-like surface on the interior while it was left slightly rough on the outside. He set it on the stove and turned it on low to heat it.
He returned to the living room after pulling Tavi's towel from the back of her chair and lay it beside where he had set up for Lyra so Tavi could enjoy her front row seat to the proceedings without worrying about staining his rug. He made his way back to the kitchen to check on the temperature of the stone bowl and found it only middling in warmth, so he opted to simply wait until it was hot enough to take off since it wouldn't take much longer. As he waited, he thought he heard a few noises from the bathroom, but the maker or origin of those noises couldn't be discerned and just let his imagination run away with itself a bit. He almost didn't catch the temperature on the bowl in time as he got a bit lost in his thoughts about bright pink plot holes, but he managed to pull the bowl off the stove with only the minor aid of a rag to protect his hand.
After moving the toasty bowl to the coffee table, he quickly poured a good measure of oil into it, letting it release its natural aroma from the heat. He quickly returned the rag to the kitchen and took a seat on the edge of the comforter and looked at the bathroom door. He couldn't help the occasional throb of anticipation from his member and was eventually rewarded for his patience when a surprisingly demure Lyra walked out of the bathroom, her left hand gently gripping her right shoulder while her head was turned slightly away and eyes downcast as a light pink blush dusted her cheeks. The sight made him throb so hard that it was almost painfully pressurized for nearly five seconds before Tavi peeked over Lyra's shoulder and spoiled the look.
“Quit teasing the poor colt,” she said with a laugh. “He looks about ready to burst a blood vessel...”
Lyra gave a husky little chuckle while her eyes suddenly smoldered with an inner lust. her entire image shattering as she dropped her hand from her shoulder while taking a step forward that set her hips to swaying. Knuckle couldn't help the reflexive gulp, but didn't mind showing a bit of weakness in the company he currently shared. “Can't have that happening until he bursts somewhere else, now can we~” Lyra said in a sultry purr as she walked up to him, her slightly moist folds a tongue flick away when she stopped and dropped down on top of the comforter so she could sit with crossed legs.
“That was a horrible pun, even by your standards,” Tavi replied as she made her way over to the towel and sat down, giving Knuckle a thankful smile as she did so.
“So, things go well?” he asked the pair.
“Surprisingly so,” Tavi replied with a chuckle. “I decided to try the same trick doctors use with foals when they go for their boosters and gave her a countdown, only sticking it in before she could tense up.”
Lyra gave a cute little pout as a darker blush crept across her cheeks. “I feel like I was tricked... And by Starswirls majestic beard, was it weird having water get squeezed up my plot.” She gave a mock shiver. “I never would have imagined anal would require so much prep...”
“Only if you want to do it right,” Tavi replied in a slightly opinionated tone before her expression turned noticeably hungry as she continued. “Now you're squeaky clean and ready to get dirty...”
Lyra couldn't help but snort in amusement at that, but refrained from saying anything antagonistic. “So, how do you want to start since I know how this is going to finish?”
“You can lay face up for now,” Knuckle said with an easy smile. “We'll take this nice and slow...”
Lyra gave him a thankful smile as she brought a hand over to cup his cheek warmly before she laid herself out on the comforter. Knuckle shuffled around until he was on his knees and shuffled over until he was at Lyra's side. He moved the almost hot bowl of oil down from the table and set it within easy reach before dipping his fingers in the warm oil before rubbing it over his other hand to spread it out. He repeated this a few more times until there was a healthy coating before reaching down to grasp Lyra's hand, almost causing her to start at his unexpected starting place. He gently but firmly kneaded into the wiry muscle and tendons of her hand, causing her to let out a deep sigh as his slightly rough fingers touched and triggered nerve endings she never knew she even had in her hand, releasing a fraction of the tension that she held subconsciously in her body.
She couldn't believe just how much sensation could be felt from her hand alone, not doing anything at that. His fingers kneaded along the relatively thick muscles of her palm and she felt nothing but waves of soothing pleasure. She almost let out a whine until his oil slicked hands moved to her well toned forearm. She couldn't help the hitched breath she held when his thumb gently dug into the tendons of her wrist, intensifying the relaxation even further as his other hand worked into the taught muscles of her forearm, reaching far closer to the bone than any self massage had reached before. Unnoticed knots of tension melted under his firm ministrations and she wondered if she could ride this wave of pleasure to a climax without a single touch to her nethers. His ministrations dulled as he reached her bicep, but quickly rose again when he reached the joining muscles and tendons where her pectorals stretched to her shoulder.
Knuckle was having a hard time controlling himself as he massaged Lyra. Her svelte form was certainly not just for show as he fondled and caressed the wiry muscles just under her coat and skin. They resisted slightly at first before giving in with a nearly liquid release as he touched on nerve endings that only transformed his ministrations into pure pleasure to her slightly wired mind. As he progressed, the token resistance of her body faded to even less than that as he progressed to her upper torso. After reaching her first set of pectorals, he dipped his fingers into the oil once again and focused his attention on her neglected hand and arm, treating it to the same attentions he gave the other. She practically turned into a puddle of mare when he made it to her other shoulder joint.
Lyra was awash in a sea of relaxation and pleasure when Knuckle moved to her breasts, treating them as simple extensions of her body instead of sexual monuments in need of placation. He gently rolled over their modest mounds, ignoring those deliciously pink peaks of pleasure in exchange for the gently rolling waves he gave her through his inexorable hands. He paused to wet his hands again and continued to give her chest the reverent attention it deserved as an intrinsic part of her body and her passion for music. He moved on to her abdomen, only lightly brushing over the muscles and focusing on her hips. They were taut and firm, practically vibrating when he pressed into them. She tensed slightly, obviously wanting to squirm but resisted the urge strongly so his skilled hands wouldn't miss a single inch of her body. Knuckle couldn't help but look at the treasure nestled between her thighs from his position and found it flushed and glistening, her arousal so strong that the inner petals of her marehood peeked out from hiding just a bit.
He dipped his hands again into the oil before continuing down her thighs once the muscles in her hips were soft and gave to the lightest pressure put on them. Her thighs were slim, but solid, speaking of endurance. They only gave under the firmest of pressure, not melting as the rest of her body had, merely relaxing instead of releasing. He caressed and massaged her from hip to knee, outside and inside. He found it almost adorable when he worked the inside of her thighs, working his way up until his fingers were a fraction of an inch from her marehood, her breath hitching as a pitiful, gasping whine escaped her mouth in pleasure only to leave her wanting even more when he didn't even brush against the fur covering her folds. When he moved on to her calves, she let out deep moans as long held tension was worked out from his firm hands.
Once he finished with her calves, he had her turn over which turned out being an arduous affair as she was as weak as a new born foal for all the help she gave him. Despite her languid form, she was flipped around and rested on her pillow face down and breathing deeply. Once she had been flipped over Knuckle shifted so that his knees straddled her waist, his hard length and package resting with an easy weight along her spine and radiating a gentle warmth through her coat. He dipped his fingers into the oil once again and went to work on her shoulders, easing the tension she held there with practiced ease. He moved on to her upper back, causing a her to let out a guttural groan as a few pops sounded from her spine as her form seemed to turn into quivering mare-jelly. He slowly made his way down either side of her spine, eliciting the occasional pop that only helped her relax even more. Her back was soft and oh so malleable by the time he ran down it a second time.
When he made it to her perky rear, he shifted back a good bit, letting his length run down the valley of her plot before his knees rested by her own. After changing his position, he began with the top, pressing into it gently yet firmly, feeling the muscles under her skin and coat tense slightly before giving way under his touch. He made his way across the top oh-so-slowly, causing her to unconsciously roll her hips up just a bit while her tail flagged itself. When he made it up to her tail, he softly touched on the base of it, causing her breath to hitch as he touched on those neglected nerve endings. He gently rubbed and rolled it, gently rubbing on the tiny patch of bare skin on the underside and causing waves of gentle pleasure to flicker through her body like sheet lightning. She almost let out a little whine as he moved back to her rear, pressing and kneading into the thicker muscles near the center while working outward in a tight spiral that spread a warmth through her rear. When he finally came to a stop at the bottom of her cheeks, he gently teased her as he took his thumbs and worked them into the feverish valley between her cheeks, rubbing them in opposing directions while he pressed down slightly.
Lyra felt her breath come in slightly shallower waves as his thumbs inched their way up to her plot hole. She couldn't help the hitch in her breath as his thumbs tenderly touched on that tight ring of muscle. He rubbed one thumb tenderly around its circumference, bringing a nearly electric sensation to her nethers while he quickly dunked his other in the oil to get another coating before bringing it back. His slick appendage, warm with oil picked up where his other left off, slickening her hole with the warm oil. She let out a sigh and felt herself relax when she realized that he was simply massaging it for now. The biggest thing that surprised her was that it was working.
Knuckle couldn't help the swallowing gulp as he rubbed and caressed Lyra's plot hole. It was so hot to the touch, almost feverishly so. When he first touched it, it was almost hard to the touch but after some time and his gentle ministrations, it was softening a great deal. It was became elastic enough to the touch that he started to rub it from the center to the outside, his gentle touch spreading it open slightly while Lyra let out a half moan half sigh at the sensation. He dipped his hand back in the oil again and quickly brought it back. He felt that she was ready enough to introduce his thumb to her and placed it in the center. He just let it rest there for a moment before he began to move it in a small circle while gently applying pressure. He didn't add any more while he did this, keeping it at a near constant while he waited for Lyra's body to allow him entrance. Entrance he was granted sooner than expected as her tight ring spread around the first half of his thumb with almost a hungry pull while she let out a breathless gasp at the sensation. He felt her ring clench slightly around the intruder before letting up as she got acclimated. Once she had relaxed again, he pressed his digit in slowly all the way to the base and gently wiggled and rolled it about inside her feverishly hot depths.
“How's that doing for you?” he asked in a husky half whisper.
“Oh sweet Celestia, Tavi was right,” she said in a half moan. “This is fucking awesome...”
Knuckle couldn't help but laugh at her new found enthusiasm. “Think you're ready for another finger?”
She wiggled her hips slightly before giving a little nod as her flushed face took on one of blissful contemplation of what she was feeling. Knuckle smiled and curled his index finger up and around without removing his thumb, placing it on her oily hole. He gently wiggled it back and forth as he pressed it into her, gaining entrance quickly while she let out a deeper moan of satisfaction. Once his second finger was in, he noticed that Lyra didn't tense up nearly as much as she did the first time and was excited to think that he would likely be hilted in her plot in a short while. Once he had buried his other finger into her tight passage, he slowly spread his fingers, stretching her walls and causing her to let out little gasps as she processed these new sensations. After a few minutes of this, Lyra began squirming in earnest, what could be seen of her face a deep shade of red.
“Knuckle, if you don't stop fondling my plot and start plowing it, I'm going to go nuts~” she said in a needy voice.
“I think it's showtime, don't you, Tavi?” he asked, finally looking over at the other mare beside him for the first time since they began. His jaw dropped when he saw her unashamedly masturbating from her kneeling position, two fingers buried deep and slowly thrusting into her slick depths while her other was hidden from view, likely toying with her own plot hole. Her flushed face was one of nearly pained pleasure as she was furiously biting her bottom lip to keep herself from making any noises so Lyra wouldn't be distracted or tense up.
Instead of replying, she just nodded her head jerkily. Knuckle couldn't help but grin widely at her wanton display. He slowly pulled his fingers out of Lyra's plot, causing her to moan deeply at the sensation. When his fingers popped out, he watched as the little ring of muscle flexed and pulsed as it tried to pull at nothing. He quickly scooped up a generous amount of oil and began coating his length in the warm liquid. He ran his oily hand up and down his length a couple times, eliciting a quick throb at the sensation before repeating the process twice more until his length was practically dripping. After finishing his prep work, he slathered even more oil on and around Lyra's tight little hole. There was never such a thing as too much lubrication when it came to anal.
He scooted forward until his knees were level with her hips and had to aim himself down with a hand to line himself up properly. He dropped his hips down to a more level angle and leaned forward enough to barely press the head of his member to the pink ring of her plot. She took in a slow, deep breath when he made contact and pressed back into him, the pressure and slickness nearly letting him slide in without much more force. He steadied his aim while he placed a hand on her waist to stop her from forcing it. That pause in action, the position and the situation all conspired to make him throb just right. With that one throb, the tip of his stallionhood popped into the feverish hole which had never seen such a visitor before and he couldn't help the breathless gasp that he let loose at the sensation as she flexed around his initial penetration.
He froze as soon as he entered Lyra's plot so he wouldn't thrust out of reflex and make her uncomfortable. As he waited for her to adjust, the first thing he noticed aside from the tightness was the heat. She was practically searing in temperature compared to the radiant heat of Tavi's sacred spot. Lyra's plot eased on its sudden clenching and Knuckle felt the time was right and placed both hands around her waist, eliciting a low moan from her. He pushed forward with gentle strength and forged ahead into unknown territory. Lyra couldn't stop the moans that passed her lips as she felt herself being spread and filled to such a degree. Each time before this had seemed so calculated and refined to what had been deemed the 'best' experience from Tavi's own experiences. This was so completely different as to be a world apart. Knuckle was alive, throbbing, burning and yearning with a need that only she could fulfill.
Lyra felt his insistent pressure and need to fill her rear passage with his passion and gave into it. He was so gentle, so earnest in his own want and desire to make this pleasurable for her own sake that she could only let him press his slick member forward. He was so gentle to her virgin hole that there was virtually no pain aside from the awkward stretching, only the radiant warmth of his member and the unique sensation of its passage. She could hardly believe it when she felt the firm medial ring of his member pressing against her. She was so full... Surely she couldn't fit any more of him inside her... But another pass of an oil coated hand proved that to be a lie as he slid himself even more into her. Oh... How strange this felt to her, but at the same time she came to realize that as long as it was him, she would be more than fine to allow this intimate intrusion.
Knuckle couldn't believe the sheer tightness of Lyra, the heat, her caressing walls, her sheer vitality as he plunged into her. Unlike so many of his other partners involving anal sex, she was perfectly balanced between the fine line of relaxation and full sensation. She didn't give a single vocal complaint about his advancing conquest of her rear, giving him a confidence that he so rarely felt in such a situation. She writhed against him, inside and outside, trying to draw him deeper while her body showed her obvious approval of his stimulation as her legs shivered, hands reaching up to grasp his own in a weak plea for him to be more forceful.
He reached his base suddenly, her tight hole squeezing around his base in a desperate attempt to pull him deeper while only succeeding in making him that much harder as she restricted the blood flow to his member. He couldn't help but rest himself for a few moments, both for her sake and his own as they both got acclimated to each other. After a few moments he slowly began to withdraw his solid length, dragging across her walls in a way that elicited the lewdest moan either he or Tavi had heard. It was deep, husky and pleased in a way that showed just how much she loved the sheer sensation of his passage. He stopped short of his median ring before slowly thrusting forward again, making her gasp at the feeling.
Lyra was so full that she couldn't accurately describe the feeling if she had been offered a million bits. His length, his girth, his warmth... So filling that she could only properly describe and relive it in a lucid dream given to her by Princess Luna herself and leave her blushing and wanting before the end of it. But this wasn't a dream as his member slowly began to leave her willing walls. She clenched, trying to bring him back in, but only eliciting a throb as he continued on his way. When she thought he was about to continue past his median ring, he began thrusting back into her with that most welcome length.
As he thrust into her and she into him, they fell into a rhythm as they both sought their pleasure from the experience. Lyra couldn't determine whether she loved the insistent thrusting or the slow withdrawal from her tunnel more while Knuckle loved every moment of their union, either way, she was washed in waves of pleasure that she rolled and reveled in. The pace slowly increased as they both grew accustomed to one another, reaching a happy medium where neither was left wanting from the experience. The hot, tight warmth of Lyra proved to be a siren call of Knuckle while his filling heat sounded a call of its own for her. Knuckle slowly began to take shallower and shallower thrusts into her depths as he knew he wasn't to last long. Lyra, on the other hand found his short, urgent thrusting as more of a turn on than anything as her marehood flowed and dripped its approval.
Lyra couldn't help the waves of euphoria that she felt as he dragged against her walls, the nerve endings firing off like slow motion fireworks while her heat seemed to sear him as if he were beside a fireplace and desperately loathed to leave it. They barely seemed to separate from each other as his thrusts grew more and more fevered, his face contorting fiercely as he strove to deny his own release for Lyra's sake. Eventually he couldn't hold back any more as he rapidly thrust into her while he remained hilted in her rear, making her whole body twitch and jerk as he released into her, his searingly hot seed flooding her passage.
He could barely retreat for a proper thrust before his desire to remain buried in her depths, her rolling hips practically forcing him back into her despite his own actions. He felt his peak rapidly approaching and he couldn't stop his body as he held her tightly, thrusting into her while he remained hilted, her rapidly fluctuating walls gripping his hilted member while trying to invite him even deeper. He felt the head of his member flare shortly after that, unloading deep within her bowels with powerful throbs that seemed to only renew his orgasm each time. Throb after throb unloaded into her while he held motionless within her, time seeming to lose its meaning until his throbs slowed and eventually stopped. He let out a long sigh as he gently rubbed her waist, too sensitive to even move from his entrenched spot but still wanting to let Lyra know through a touch that everything was alright. He waited for a few moments before he moved again, slowly pulling himself from her. When he finally pulled himself out with the faintest of pops, leaving her rear passage twitching and slightly agape.
“It's so warm~” she half moaned as she began to raise herself up. Knuckle couldn't help but watch her plot hole and was rewarded when he saw a stream of creamy seed come running out of her well used hole. He saw her try to reflexively clench to stem the flow, but that only made her leak even more, causing it to drip over her soaked marehood. If he hadn't been so completely spent from their session, he may have gotten a twitch from the sight, but it wasn't meant to be.
“I think Tavi enjoyed the show almost as much as you did,” Knuckle said with a low chuckle when he saw the charcoal coated mare sprawled on her back, hand feebly twitching as three of her fingers were still buried to the hilt in her marehood while her expression of pure bliss was matched with glassy eyes.
Lyra looked over at Tavi and couldn't help the silvery chiming of her own laughter. “I don't think I've ever seen Tavi so over sexed in all the time we've been together! If you can help me do this to her more often, then we're going to have the best of friendships!”
“To be honest, we get along well enough despite the sex,” Knuckle said with a warm smile. “So I'd be honored to call the two of you friends.”
“Bah,” Lyra said with a wave of her hand and a half grin to let him know she was joking. “Save the sappy shit for any other time than just after you plowed my plot... I'm going to be walking funny for days after this...”
“Let's just be glad you're not a dancer then,” he retorted with a chuckle that Lyra joined in as well.
“Anyway, I'm leaking an almost obscene amount of cum and Tavi's out for the count,” she said with a smirk. “I'm gonna go clean up and I'll leave you to pull her out of her sex coma.”
“Right-o,” he replied with a mock salute that got a giggle from her as she stood up and shuffled off to the bathroom, hand cupped under her tail to prevent any leakage. Once she made it into the shower, Knuckle moved over to Tavi and gently removed her hand from her well fingered flower and lifted her along with her blanket onto the couch so she could sleep her escapades off. Seeing the state of his comforter, he sighed and couldn't help but shake his head at the horrifically stained state it was in. It was going to need a good, long soak if he ever hoped to get those stains out. So without much else to do, he balled up the comforter, mindful of the wet spots and took it out back to toss into his wash tub. He quickly tossed in a scoop of detergent from the container tucked away in the supply closet and pumped just enough water to submerge it before hurrying back inside lest a pure young filly happened across him in his unclothed state.
After returning to the living room, he stopped for a moment to thank his lucky sun and stars that he happened upon these two mares, their quirks and oddities notwithstanding. Despite all her sexiness and blatant teasing, he could only offer a silent and heartfelt thank you to Celestia. She truly was a wonderful mare and he was grateful from the bottom of his heart to call her his Princess.
> A Forced Rondeau
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Forced Rondeau


Knuckle Down let out a healthy sigh as he settled down onto his plush recliner after a hearty supper. He let himself have a small smile as he remembered what he and Tavi had done in it before she and Lyra had to leave for their shared room in the dormitory yesterday night. He was just about certain that there would have been no way to get the stains out of the upholstery if Lyra hadn't surprised them with a nifty little spell used for just such an event. Without wanting to get himself worked up, he quickly turned his thoughts to the original reason for burning a little extra oil this night; his plans for the projects he'd want to tackle this week as well as the workout routine for his young lovers.
The plans for the projects came first and easily for him as he'd gotten used to visualizing repairs, going so far as to sketching a rough set of blueprints for some of the major projects. Lucky for him, he was kept well in stock with supplies and the tools for any job that needed to be done so it was just a matter of fabricating whatever was needed. He let himself have a little smile as he imagined Lyra and Tavi dropping by after their classes to give him company as he worked while Lyra would make quiet catcalls from where they watched while Tavi would try to scold her (unsuccessfully) for her behavior. With a final scratch of his charcoal stick, he finished his plans for the next day within a half hour of sitting down and moved on to his other project.
After he set aside his blueprints and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, he divided it into six sections, labeling the side-by-side pairs with the same title. Starting at the top, he progressed from “upper body” to “core” and lastly with “lower body.” For now, he'd be limited in what he could have them do for their upper body since he didn't possess any weights or even a hang bar, but they didn't need any of that for push ups, so he just left that as the only entry for now. Moving on to the core section, he started off with crunches, their variants and shelved the more intensive hang bar variants for later. Moving on to the lower body, he opted for several intensive exercises to solidly work the entirety of their legs and tacked on a five kilometer run on top of it all.
Satisfied that this should be good enough to start with, he'd add on more intensive workouts that would branch away from one another since Lyra and Tavi would have different levels of physical needs when working out. Happy with what he had for now, he took his various papers over to the kitchen table and set them in a neat pile for when his day started. He made a mental note to set his alarm an hour earlier than usual so he'd be ready for his young lovers in the morning. The potential of seeing them in workout clothes so tight that they would be wearing next to nothing may have had a bit more to his enthusiasm than he'd be willing to admit, but he wouldn't deny it as a driving factor either.
Just after setting his alarm, he froze as a familiar sensation flooded his senses; that being the activation of the powerful enchantment alerting him to a trespasser on the campus grounds. He immediately sprung into action as he brought several other enchantments to life that let him track this foolish individual more accurately and turn the very grounds of the school into an extension of his will. He sensed the intruder making their way through the grounds, specifically toward the hedge maze and waited to see if he could bring this specific trap to life for once. They continued along the path leading past the maze and he felt a lazy grin spread across his face.
With a sudden surge of magic that was tapped from the mana reservoirs sunk below the school grounds and accessible only to him or Celestia, he channeled it into one specific enchantment and directed the hedge maze to grow. With a rustling roar heard faintly through the walls of his bedroom, the plants grew at an absurd rate from their three foot height to a towering nine foot. They grew across the path and surrounded the intruder in a square before they had a chance to react, going so far as to form a light blocking ceiling overhead, preventing even so much as a glimmer of the moon from penetrating the shielding leaves. As a final touch, he brought another enchantment to life and gave the hedges a layer of protection so that any magic cast at them would either slide off or be reflected back at the caster.
While he let the intruder ponder their poor chances of escape and frightful ensnarement, Knuckle quickly opened up one of the locks on his chest before pulling out and donning a set of light armor crafted from ironwood and inscribed with obscuring enchantments which would make anyone who would look at him appear little more than a hazy, flickering shadow with eyes that glowed a faint, silvery white. As an added bonus, the armor also increased his strength and provided a certain level of immunity to low-grade magic. To finish things off, he grabbed a few choice tools from his chest after closing and opening a different lock, namely a pair of heavy gauntlets that would leave even the sturdiest of Earth ponies floored after a hit, a trio of electrically enchanted bolas and a few contact activated mana-sinks to deal with any eventuality. To top it all off, he grabbed a set of closely linked shackles that grew stronger according to how strong the entrapped pony was, always just enough to keep them physically or magically restrained.
With a grim expression despite the predatory grin stretching across his face, he straightened up and slipped everything that he wouldn't be wearing into the various pouches hanging around his waist for quick access. After everything was settled, he left his home and made his way to the maze, the shrubbery parting for him as he simply walked through it as his enchantment granted him no impediment from his raised defenses. Striking off directly into the maze, he paid no mind to the walls as he focused on the location of the intruder in his mind. They had moved deeper into the maze, likely having made a wrong turn or two... Sadly enough, there was no escape from this maze and he was a minotaur who had a real purpose for existing, these foalish fans and malcontents sacrificing their freedom to renew his desire to protect the fillies and young mares from any potential harm while at this wonderful school. 
He strode silently through the darkness, confident in his stride and unstoppable in his purpose. Tonight, he'd take no chances with them since he wasn't able to ascertain what tribe the intruder was. When only one wall separated him from his quarry, he moved to a spot only a short way in front of their path. He crouched down, one leg bunched up under him with the other slightly extended behind him. Without the rejuvenation enchantment given to him by the miracle workers in Canterlot castle, he'd likely be in a massive amount of pain from the lingering effects of his accident, but instead he only suffered from a needle-sharp sensation as the magic worked to undo the damage he did to his body almost as quickly as it was done. So, when he suddenly lunged through the wall of foliage with lancing fist, he only felt satisfaction instead of near crippling pain at having done his duty as he drew near the shadowed body of the intruder... Only to find that they had easily flowed around his surprise attack.
He spun around and centered his field of vision on the intruder before his eyes constricted painfully as a faintly turquoise light flooded the infinite darkness that had been his only sight before. Before him stood one of four mares he never would have imagined in such a situation. She was light indigo of coat, teal of eyes and her billowing, star speckled mane and tail gave the perception of depth that should not have been there.
“Is this how royalty is greeted now?” she asked in a mildly curious tone, her left eyebrow arching imperiously. “Or is it some new trend that has not reached my aides' ears?”
“Pri-Princess Luna!” Knuckle stammered in shock as he went from an aggressive stance to one of a supplicant seeking forgiveness. “Please forgive me! I had no idea it was you who had entered the grounds and my first thought was for my charges... Had I known otherwise, you would have had free reign over these grounds.”
“Think nothing of it, Knuckle Down,” she replied imperiously, motioning for him to rise as if an offhanded gesture. As he rose, he took in her figure by reflex from hooves to head. From her perfectly manicured hooves, her delicate ankles and calves curved gracefully up to her pleasantly thick thighs which were mostly hidden by a thin pair of compression shorts that squeezed tightly enough to create a decent dent in the natural padding on her legs. Her hips were straining the limits of her shorts, the top band barely reaching over the top of them while hanging just below the modest pudge of her bare stomach. Her waist was surprisingly trim, showing no signs of any excess weight while still curving delicately. Her bust was just a little smaller than her sisters, though it seemed larger in comparison on her slightly smaller frame. Her breasts were hugged close and lifted slightly by a sculpting sports bra that left her reasonably concealed for any outside ventures while accentuating her figure. Her face was a sight to behold as it nearly forced him to mentally purge the previous sights from his mind as she barely seemed out of her teens after the handful of years she had been restored to her proper state. “Had I wished to, you would have known it were me prowling this lovely maze...” she continued with a half smile.
“Princess?” he replied, both cautious and curious as to her motives for her trespassing.
“I simply wished to know the mettle of the one who has so clearly caught my sisters eye and evaluate his suitability as a Consort... After all, it would not be fitting for my sister to take one to bed who is sorely lacking in the skills one could simply buy from any courtesan in the city...”
Knuckle felt himself flush brightly as he registered her blatant statement, his hackles rising at being compared to one of the many carnal companions to be had in the city. Sex was something freely exchanged and those who sought it from professionals paying for it and getting it from those whose special talents inclined them in such a way. That being said, Luna's statement rubbed his fur the wrong way. Almost as if she doubted the value of him on a level deeper than face value and only considered for carnal pleasure. Then there was the slightly shocking revelation of her sisters interest in taking him to bed and the way Luna so casually brushed aside her own sisters choice to see if he was “worthy” in the first place.
“If that's all you're here for, I must respectfully decline, Princess, and press for you to trust in your sisters' judgment,” he replied coldly. “I have more pressing matters to deal with on the 'morrow and need to ensure I'm well rested for them...”
He turned to leave, his magic flaring to revert the maze to its previous height, the sudden light of a gibbous moon hanging overhead as bright as a noonday sun when compared to the darkness they had been enclosed in. He strode off with a firm stride, but the tone of her voice froze him in his tracks. “And you should mind your betters... I shall not be denied in this... Not when she has spoken of you with such fondness... If you are to be a partner for her, with my blessing or not at all, then you shall pass muster by my standards or I shall denounce you before her very court as unsuitable for any dalliances she may desire...”
“And you should mind where your muzzle leads you, unless you find it stung by something unpleasant,” he growled, fists tightening at his sides.
“Such insolence! You would deny an edict by one of your Princesses?” she said incredulously before her expression turned to one of anger as he simply continued on his way.
“I would deny a cunt who would meddle in her sisters personal affairs and doubt those she would consider in such a way...” he replied smoothly, anger removing the filter from his tongue. “As I said, I have better things to do than entertain a spoiled twat looking to get a dicking and tell her sister to look elsewhere no matter the performance. I'd rather Tia make that decision on her own...”
Luna's horn flared to life and Knuckle felt an ephemeral wave shoot through him harmlessly apart from a few embers it left behind. He was shocked, enraged and felt a heat flare up in his lower abdomen all at once. Unbidden, he felt himself hardening in his pants and panted heavily as a good portion of his rational thought washed away under the surge of raw lust. Luna, angered beyond reasoning had cast upon him a two part lust spell so that she would get what she desired and prevent him from gaining release with any other partner. Until he paired with her or she undid the spell, he'd be plagued with unending lust. It was a risky move on her part as he was an unknown quality to her, but she felt her power would be enough for her to get what she wanted.
Knuckle was barely holding himself back from a blind rage at this point, no matter the lust that ran rampant through him. He was hard, his heart was racing, breath hitching every so often and his knuckles cracking from the strength of his grip. He turned around to look at Luna and she realized that she had probably done the worst possible thing to him with how his emotional state was. With a feral grunt, he ducked down and rushed her in a few lightning quick strides powered by the enchantments gifted to him. She moved a hand to block the punch she saw coming but her startlement slowed her reaction so that when she realized the punch was only a feint, he had her hand in a twisting grip that straightened out the limb and forced her body to hunch over to avoid a dislocated shoulder. From this doubled over position, Knuckle moved around so that he was behind her, his throbbing stallionhood pressed forcefully into the tight valley of her flank with an involuntary thrust on his part throwing her balance off enough to prevent any retaliation. He grabbed her tail in his free hand and forcefully stuffed it beneath the back strap of her bra to her great embarrassment and confusion.
“Wha-!” she tried to croak out, but was silenced as she felt his whole body tense and a sudden flaring of pain erupted on her flank. “AH!”
“A Princess does not take what she wants,” Knuckle growled, bringing his hand down again on her flank. “A Princess leads by example and betters her subjects' lives... She asks politely and is given her due... If she is denied, there must be a reason, no?” Another swat. “You... You are no Princess... You are nothing more than a spoiled little foal who needs to be punished.” He brought his hand down on her other flank, Luna finally giving a choked off cry at his rough treatment. “I will not lay with you tonight, or any other night unless you apologize to both Tia and I...” A crack sounded as his palm met her cheek perfectly, causing her to legs to turn rubbery. “And undo this light-damned spell!” Another swat and she found herself muzzle down in the grass as her legs finally gave out while her reddened flank was wantonly pressed against his firm body.
Luna couldn't believe what was happening to her! She was an Alicorn Princess! She was made of sterner stuff than most ponies, but the way he had disabled her and meted out his punishment had been both precise and just strong enough to force her to his will despite any challenge she could have made short of her powerful magicks. Then there were the fiery brands his hand was leaving on her flanks, using more than enough force so that she'd likely be needing a cushion for the next session of night court, but not enough to hurt more than her pride. She couldn't stop the cries as the pain began to sear her rear any more than she could stop her watering eyes and the beginnings of a runny nose. One thing she couldn't deny was how absolutely drenched her marehood and compression shorts were... Surely he could smell her desire and likely feel it soaking through the fabric of his clothes. Normally being the in the dominant role, this turn of events had flipped a switch deep within her and for the life of her, she didn't want this night to end.
“F-fine!” she choked out after a particularly hard swat that left her right cheek throbbing with an almost uncomfortable warmth. “I-I apologize!” He paused in his swings to let her speak, giving her time to clear her nose with a few short sniffles and wipe her eyes of what few tears had escaped. “But please, don't leave me like this!” She writhed around and looked up into his furious eyes with honest pleading. She had found herself turned on more than she could reasonably remember in the years since her return and her relief had her at his mercy. “I-I'll undo the spell and apologize to T-Tia in the morning, but please rut me!”
“Why should I?” he asked in a low growl, threat and promise evident in equal amounts. “I can live with this... I evidently have a trio of fillies more than eager for my attentions and you've only helped me serve them better...”
“I promise you'll have nothing but the sweetest of dreams, the most pleasing of rests and hah~!,” she cut off with a gasp as he roughly grasped her searing rear while he thrust his length instinctively over her covered folds.
“I don't care a whit for any of that...” he replied with a growl as he hunched over her, his shaft wedged between an incredibly hot and soft pair of flanks. “I've done plenty well on my own... months of pain fevered dreams and nightmares without your 'gentle' touch to show me the way... So what would I really gain by bending you over like the two bit nympho you seem to be?”
“I have nothing more to offer you than money, titles and promises!” she squealed as she tried to rub her marehood against him. She gasped with a shudder and whispered, “My body...”
“If that's how it is, then you're gonna be mine for the night since I have everything I want right now,” he replied as he raised himself back up. “Now, undo this damnable spell so I can enjoy you without any extra incentive...” She complied with a quick ignition of her horn, a brief flash of light and a wash of near release as he felt his lust turn from a white hot blaze to a well stoked fire. He let out a huff of air and grinned as he let her hand go so that he could undo the front of his pants, his length springing from its confines as soon as he unbuttoned his fly. Luna gave a little whine as she saw and felt his length slap against her sensitive flank, only to take in a shuddering gasp as his hands reached under the waistband of her shorts and roughly dragged them over her tender flanks until they were resting mid thigh on her.
Once revealed, and clear of his single-minded lust, he took a moment to appreciate her appearance and scent. Her marehood was inflamed with arousal, the light pink petals of her inner folds peeking out slightly from her dark blue slit. The aroma wafting from between her plump thighs was reminiscent of a fragrant forest glade, sweet and slightly spiced by all manner of nocturnal flowers. He felt a powerful throb run through him member and was reminded that he had a beautiful mare bent over in front of him and one step away from continuing to beg him to fill her to the brim. Apart from her initial manners, she was still a gentlemare and who was he to deny her when he would end up enjoying it the most?
Placing a hand high up on her flank, just above the reddened patch he had made, he took his other and grasped himself at the base as he pulled his hips back a bit, letting his precum slick tip slide down the valley of her flank, a silvery trail left in its wake. His tip lightly bumped over the tight star of her anus and then he found his mark. He felt another throb as his tip rested on the puffy outer folds of her flower, a steamy waft of her moisture rising up and curling around him, inviting him in. Taking a quick moment to run the top side of his member along her folds to lubricate himself a bit, she shuddered and panted at his inadvertent teasing. Finally ready, he brought his tip up through her petals, tip nestled between their satiny grip and rested himself at the entrance to her core.
With deliberate care, he applied pressure through his hips, the tight entrance of her tunnel straining to take in his girth until she rolled her hips with a hitching gasp and his tip slipped inside of her. The first thing he noticed was how unbelievably tight she was... how wet... and how she seemed to be gently pulsing around what little of him that was in her. He pushed a bit more and looked down to see her folds wrapped tightly around him as he slowly speared her. She looked over her shoulder with a needy look, begging him to just take her for his own pleasure and to stop being so gentle. He just gave her a grin as he placed the hand that had been holding his aim steady up to her flank and gave her a wink. She barely had time for her expression to turn to relief when he thrust himself into her forcefully, burying half his length in one go. He slid a bit back and thrust again, earning a deep moan from her as he plunged a couple more inches into her dripping depths. Another thrust and his pelvis slapped into her tender flanks with enough force to elicit a wavering gasp from her.
He slowly slid himself out, feeling every slick little bump and ridge that so tightly wrapped around his length. When he was nearly to his tip, the majority of his length almost steaming in the cool night air, he thrust forward fiercely while pulling her hips back hard enough to make her flanks jiggle slightly from the force. He started to build a rhythm, from moderate to fierce in a few moments, her gasps and moans from the rough treatment to her tender flanks and the vigorous plowing of her marehood made a symphony of pain and pleasure blending into one. On a particularly powerful thrust, her arms went watery and she fell forward onto the dewy grass, the chill water seeping into her sports bra and coat a startling contrast to the burning heat just under her skin. She took in a shuddering breath and the melody of crushed grass, fresh dew, clean sweat and the combined aroma of both their musks made her shudder as another moan rumbled from her throat.
Knuckle down was panting, sweat beading on his forehead and matting down his mane as he power fucked the Princess of the Night. There really was no other word for what he was doing. The forceful thrusting, the way he pulled her back by the waist, the nearly boneless way she moved when he practically slammed into her flanks. There was no doubt about it, but there was also no doubt that they both loved it so he kept going. Deciding to change things up a bit, he raised his hips up a bit so he'd be able to thrust down at a better angle to press the ridge of his beginning flare across that delicate bundle of nerves that was her g-spot while he moved his right hand from her flanks so that he could grasp at the base of her tail, thumb firmly rubbing across the hairless patch of her dock which made her seize up as everything quickly came to a head and she came hard.
Her cry of pleasure was half choked as he continued to thrust into her convulsing depths, her back arching and wings flaring as she stared off into the distance at some unknown point with her tongue hanging out of her mouth with a string of drool falling to the ground. The sight of her reveling in her pleasure, the feeling of her inner walls clamping down while seeming to ripple around his length and the gush of incredibly hot juices suddenly soaked his crotch and thighs sent him rocketing over the edge to his own orgasm. With one last frantic thrust, he thrust his length within her to the hilt, his member flaring and throbbing almost painfully with the amount of cum flowing through it. He had no idea how long his orgasm was as his vision blurred over while he hunched over her back with a guttural groan of release, but when he regained his senses he slowly pushed himself off Luna's back and slowly slid his oversensitive member out of her sticky depths.
After pulling out, he dropped to the ground so he could catch his breath, his gaze never leaving that of the Princess' flanks and slightly gaping marehood. As he watched, a pearl of his silvery essence came flowing out slowly, quickly turning into a small stream before it had a chance to drip below her. He couldn't tear his eyes away as the stem of his fluids dripped down her juicy folds, coating her with a lewd glaze proclaiming his deed under the starry sky. As he recovered, he couldn't help but commit the lewd sight before him to the eternal repository of his memory for future use and reference.
Luna was slowly regaining her wits during this time as well, though her recovery was drastically delayed by the desire to relish in the feeling of such a healthy amount of warm, thick seed that had been so forcefully planted within her. As she pondered her situation, she couldn't help but reflect on the actions that had brought her to this point and felt her gut churn with disgust at how she had handled the situation. Tears slowly formed at the corners of her eyes and suddenly she was sniffling as her nose clogged up. Eventually, she lowered her dripping flank down and raised herself up, looking blearily over to Knuckle Down as she fought to wipe away the sudden flood of tears she found herself with. “I won't say a word against you to my sister... I... I...” she cut off as a hiccup interrupted her.  “I won't speak to you ever again, not after what I've done, what I'm asking you to do... I don't deserve to...”
Knuckle growled as he leaned forward on his knees and gave her the hardest swat since this whole thing had begun, making her gasp and arc her back. “I'll have none of that, Luna...” he said in a low tone that brooked absolutely no argument, not from her nor anypony else. “I've heard plenty of good things about you from your sister when she would stop by to visit me, so I know there's a good mare in front of me... You... You just want to make sure your sister isn't going to get hurt by getting invested in me.”
Her face flushed a dark red as he cut to the heart of her being out here. She had been looking to see what kind of character he had tonight, to see if he would treat her sister right (both emotionally and physically, her own experience notwithstanding since it was deserved in her own eyes) for as long or as often as they got together... She had done nothing but try to trip him up, make him stumble and sabotage him with her own plans... She didn't want her sister to walk the years alone, but she also didn't want her to be with somepony who would fold under the pressure or fear the repercussions of being with her. Knuckle saw the truth in her eyes and his expression softened with a lukewarm smile.
“Luna... There's nothing wrong with looking out for your sister, but this is not the way to go about it... You could have invited me to supper, shown up at my house... Hell, an infinite number of things, even invite me to the castle and simply give me an interview if you were feeling particularly lazy... But this isn't the way to go about things, especially since you had gotten my hackles up by thinking you were an intruder looking to do harm to these...” he had to pause here to think of another word since 'innocent' didn't quite fit the bill anymore. “talented and potentially influential young fillies... Not to mention that I'm more stubborn than a sleeping dragon on top of its hoard when it comes to what I see as right...”
“But I had no idea what you saw as right,” she replied with a faint sniffle. “If I hadn't been so unbelievably possessive toward my sister and actually listened to what she had to say about you instead of glossing everything over, I would have been able to think clearly...”
“You lost your sister for over a millennium...” he said in an oddly solemn tone. “If anyone has the right to jealously guard her from harm, it would be you, especially after all she's done to do right by you after what had happened so long ago... But you didn't need to make me give you a hard dicking in order to prove your point...”
“I'm a horrible Princess...” she half moaned, face flushing as she tried to hide her face behind both her hands.
“Not so much as all that...” he said with a nonchalant wave of a hand. “I mean, yes, you've been physically starved for intimacy and are still rebuilding your ties with your sister, so I can see where you're coming from... More or less trying to fill the void of emotional connection with physical at this moment, not to mention checking out my character on top of that as well, but this isn't the way to go about it...”
“...So how would you recommend I go about it?” she asked as she finally toppled herself over and sat on her gooey flanks.
“Find a nice stallion or mare and make something meaningful with them?” he answered with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, apart from some time and a few romps in the sack, what can you really lose?”
She turned sniffed a couple times to clear her nose as she gave it some thought. “I suppose you're correct,” she said after a few moments. 
“See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?” he asked rhetorically with a bark of laughter. His smile turned roguish as he continued. “All it took was a good spanking and a rough dicking to set your head on straight... Plus some sensible conversation with yours truly.”
Luna flushed and averted her gaze as his words stung a bit more than his hands did on her flank. Did she really need what he said or was this... strangely blunt conversation that shed a light on the reasons she had hidden from herself for her actions? Despite the answer, or the reasons, she would come to a decision on how to handle her own needs without being quite so imposing on anypony else. “You seem to shine a light on the truth of this matter in the oddest of ways, Knuckle Down... Is your talent somehow linked with being intimate with somepony?”
“Pffft-AHAHAHA!!!!!” he roared in amusement, making Luna blink and give a nervous chuckle of her own. “No...” he finally said after a couple moments of amusement. “Not in the least... I just happen to get around a bit and it just so happens that my talent works a good deal better after some fun... Lets my words get through the walls ponies normally put up since they have to open up for this sort of thing... That being said, I'm no playboy... I normally work in a one-on-one setting and mostly after I try my damnedest to make friends with them.”
“Most peculiar...” she replied with a slight tilting to her head. “So you help others through friendship and intimacy with one being dependent upon the other... Intimacy through friendship, but do you not try to make moves to turn these intimate friendships into deeper relationships?”
“You kidding?” he said with a look of disbelief. “Having friends with benefits is the best thing in the world and if you know how to handle them... You not only get to have a stronger friendship with them, but you get nookie on a fairly regular basis without the issues one would have in a deeper relationship... And before you say it, I'm not going to be a bachelor forever, but I've gotta find myself the right mare or mares before I finally settle down. I may find somepony from among my friends, but as of right now, I'm not looking. I'm happy with my life, my job and where I stand with the ponies in my life. No need to stir the pot quite yet...”
“I see...” she said, her eyebrows slightly raising at his explanation. “So you're eager to make friendships that are only initially beneficial for the others sake at first, which may or may not turn intimate and then keep a status quo after things have progressed to a certain point you feel that is comfortable for not only you, but them as well. But have you given any thought to the mares who may develop feelings for you despite your relationship management?”
“Of course I have... Sex is synonymous with love and other forms of intimacy, so I'd have to be a light blinded dipstick not to see what can happen. That being said, I may have had a couple mares get more than a little fond of me, but the time wasn't right... I let them down gently and somehow managed to keep our friendship from going arse over teakettle. Eventually, they found somepony else with a few dates set up by yours truly and now we keep in touch on a fairly regular basis.”
“You live a strange life, Knuckle Down...” Luna said with a single light chuckle. “Many a stallion would be envious of your ability to balance your friendships in such a way, while others would pity you for not having yourself a mare to give your heart to. Hearing your reasoning and motives for myself? I can tell that you're making the most out of where you are in your life and enriching that of your friends' as well... Well, you'll hear no single complaint from me about Tia taking you to her bed... Or she to yours as the case may be...”
“Thanks for that, Luna,” he replied with a half smile. “Now, if you need another good dicking, please... just... knock on my door instead of putting me through all this again?” he said with a grin to let her know he was just joking and let his arms go out from under him finally, gently falling to his back with a long sigh of relaxation. “I have to get up early tomorrow morning and I don't like to go out chasing after 'intruders' that really don't need it...”
Luna flushed a bit at having caused him such an inconvenience... and at seeing his semi-erect stallionhood put so casually on display, still slightly glistening from their shared fluids. She couldn't help but feel her nethers heat up again at the recent memory of what they had done only a short while ago. “I-I apologize for inconveniencing you in such a way... I can promise you that I will give you a deep slumber so that you will wake properly refreshed for your morning duties.”
“That's very much appreciated,” he replied with a little smile as he continued to gaze up at the night sky. He heard a faint rustling through the short grass and gave a small start when he felt Luna's hand grip his knee. He looked down his body to see her on her knees while her other hand supported her. She was looking up at him, but he saw the occasional flicker of her eyes as she glanced down at his exposed member, a faint blush coming across his face as he suddenly realized that he had left himself completely exposed this whole time as he had been distracted by his conversation with her.
“Please, allow me to properly apologize before you must turn in...” she said with a dark pink blush rising up on her cheeks. He just gave her a warm smile and gave a small nod. She smiled in return and dropped herself down to her elbows as her muzzle came within an inch of his rapidly hardening member. Her warm breath washed over him and he felt a strong throb as she took a brief moment to smell the combined musk that still lingered about him. Her mouth watered at the scent and she started off with a long, wet lick over the top of his still growing member with as much of her tongue as she could. After her first pass, she quickly repeated it from a slightly different angle, changing her angle every time until he had risen to the point where she could sloppily lick his length from base to tip from the underside. After she had coated his entire length, she moved up to the tip and planted a delicate kiss on his slightly bobbing member which gave a twitch at her ministrations.
She brought her lips back down on the tip of his member again a couple seconds later as she drew all the air out of her mouth, letting her mouth make a seal while the suction within drew his length into her muzzle. She slowly twirled her tongue around him as he sunk deeper into her muzzle until her lips met his medial ring which prompted her to make a slow trek back up while increasing the amount of suction around him. Just when he was almost ready to pop out of her mouth, she quickly descended back to his medial ring and a bit beyond which forced his groan to turn into a gasp partway through. Fighting the urge to smile, she began to bob her head on his length until the tip of his length was lightly brushing against the back of her throat and her nose was pushed up against his base.
For Knuckle's part, he was in nirvana. Luna's ministrations were attentive yet varied in all the right ways. She would change her pace, use her tongue and vary the depths she took him in with an expert touch to not only ramp up his anticipation, but throw off his groove to the point he was nearly ready to grab hold of her ears and have his way with her since she seemed to like that just as much. However, just when he was on the verge of a manic episode she looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes while her pace and technique leveled out. He dropped his head back and let the sensations of her hot, wet muzzle and dexterous tongue carry him swiftly up and over the point of no return in an orgasm that wasn't so much explosive as it was a complete release of tension.
Luna was expecting it from the involuntary signals he was sending through his length, but when his flare throbbed, she felt a surge of anticipation and slowly slid him out as the first volley of his seed splattered against the back of her mouth so that he would coat the entirety of her tongue. It was thick, viscous, pleasantly mucky and quite a mouthful for having rutted her into a sopping mess not even a half hour ago. When she finally pulled off his length with a faint pop, she looked to see him in a state of near sleep from their activities, but that still didn't stop him from slowly cracking his eyes open to look at her with a surprisingly warm smile. She rewarded him with a wink and an opening of her mouth to show his copious load before she swished it around with her tongue and made a small show of swallowing the entirety of it. When she had finished, she stood up and pulled her compression shorts back up before kneeling back down and touching his head with a gentle smile of her own. Her horn briefly flared and he was deeply asleep between one breath and the next.
With that done, she carefully tucked Knuckle's still moist member back into his trousers before gently picking him up in her arms and walking off into the depths of the grounds to find his cottage. She found it without much trouble and made her way inside with a brief spell to open his door. After taking a mildly curious glance around his surprisingly sparse abode, she took to finding his bedroom in short order. Here, she laid him down softly after turning back the covers and then she got to work stripping him of all his armor, weapons and clothes, neatly folding and stacking them on top of the large trunk at the foot of his bed. When that was done, she pulled the cover up over his shoulders and he wriggled slightly as he subconsciously sought out their warmth.
Satisfied that her spell would ensure his restful sleep, Luna made her way from his cottage and stood just outside the door after having closed it. She took few moments to run over what Knuckle Down has said in regards to herself and still couldn't hold any blame to him whatsoever. She had been acting as a spoiled foal would and had needed a firm hand to correct her behavior. Tia would have chided her, Cadence would have teased her about her behavior and Twilight would have made it her personal mission to find a solution that would leave everyone happy and resolve the situation with minimal conflict on any side. Knuckle Down certainly was a peculiar stallion, especially since he so obviously saw the Royalty as mares first and foremost and he wasn't afraid to voice his thoughts or grievances to them either. She was sure she could thank her sister for his blunt speech and approach to her and was certain that if she had been in public, he would have been nothing short of a proper stallion.
With a rueful smirk that quickly turned into a slight grimace at the suddenly cold feeling of his thick seed becoming clammy in her shorts after having seeped out of her and coated her marehood, she felt that tonight definitely could have gone worse. Now, to head back to her rooms, freshen up and then see about tripping an unsuspecting guard into her bed for the rest of the night. With that final thought and a flash of light, she left Knuckle Down to his dreams and returned to her rooms with a promise to herself to not be such a royal cunt in the future.
	

> A Fermata Memory (Part 1 of 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



A Fermata Memory




One week after Luna's visit, Wednesday morning at 6:45 a.m...





Huff... Huff... “So, Knuckle...” Lyra said from just behind him as she panted for breath, her chest heaving in great gulps of air as she wiped her sweat dampened mane out of her eyes. Huff... hfff... “You got... huff... Any plans this weekend?”

Nnngg... “Aside from you two spending it over at my place like the last three...? Huff... I can't say as I have much lined up...” he replied with a little smile. “I know... phew... just how much of a full time job that can be.”

“Hey! Hah... Hah... I take... Phew...! exception to that!” she said as her flushed cheeks darkened just a bit more from his remark. “Just remember... Hah... our positions won't be like this forever...”

“Never said they would be,” he replied with an easy wink over his shoulder to watch her body as she worked. “But you gotta work for it... Ha... if ya want it that badly.”

“Rrrrg...!” she growled as she increased her speed as much as she could while still pacing herself. “I'll work you over so badly that you won't be able to walk right for a week!” she managed to get out in one breath.

“So what were ya askin' 'bout before?” he said, trying to get her to disclose the reason as to why she'd asked about his plans this weekend.

“Later! I'm almost there!” she said between a quick burst of pants as she went all out. She grunted and groaned as she raced to the end... and stumbled just as she was about to pass Knuckle Down who was watching just in case and barely managed to quickly twist in time to catch her, one arm darting under her outstretched arms while the other snaked over and around her trim waist. He froze and let her momentum spend itself before he gently lowered her to the cobblestones.

“You okay? Didn't twist or strain anything?” he quickly asked as he started probing around her knees and ankles.

“No, I'm good,” she replied between gasping breaths. “I just clipped my own ankle when I tried to pass you...”

He didn't reply right away as he wanted to make absolutely sure she was okay before they did anything else. When she didn't flinch or cry out under his probing fingertips, he was satisfied and moved to stand back up, letting himself take in her appearance since they'd started out right away that morning. He felt a pleasant warmth flare below at the sight before him, but he was able to hold himself in check. She was wearing a pair of skin tight, dark grey compression shorts that went down to her knees, doing enough to cover and more to accentuate her form. Up higher, she wore nothing except a black sports bra to keep her modest breasts in check. Both her coat and her clothes were wet with her sweat, giving off a pungent yet appealing scent to him. He was wearing a pair of matching compression shorts but nothing up top, his body's coat and mane barely moist with perspiration at all. “If you're pushing your limits right now, it's no good to try for more than you're ready for...”

“I know...” she said with a little pout. “It's just that I hate how Tavi can just keep going and you're forced to slow down for my sake...”

“It's not anything to be ashamed of, darlin',” he replied as he put his hand on her head and gently rubbed her scalp to her great pleasure. “By the time we're done, you'll be able to match Tavi pace for pace, even if you won't be able to lift as much as she can... Plus it's nice that she's so eager to be out running and exercising, so you won't hear a peep from me about her holding back...”

“I know what you mean... She's been glowing from more than just the fantastic poundings you've been giving her, so I won't hold her back from going all out either... And thanks for sticking it out with me,” she said with a warm smile as she twisted to look up at him. “But I'll hold you to that.”

“I got ya,” he said as he quickly checked the street and ensured that they were alone for the moment. He bent down low and gave her rear a little slap that turned into a firm grope, making her flush and gasp with something more than a need for more oxygen. “Now get that flank off the ground and do your cool down. Tavi's probably almost through her weightless aerobics routine and she'll be starting with the weighted version soon...”

“If we didn't have class today, I'd have you on your back working something else over,” she growled as she pushed herself back to her hooves and started walking with long strides that stretched her muscles and tendons out. “Anyway, back to what I was saying before, I was asking after a friend of mine... You wouldn't know her since she isn't enrolled here, she's from my other school, Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and I know her from some of my classes.”

“That so? What's her name?”

“Moon Dancer,” she answered with a rueful smile. “She noticed how I've kinda... Settled down a bit, so I told her I found a stallion who could keep up with Tavi and I. No names, mind, but she scoffed and told me that 'there could be no possible correlation between your new focus and sexual gratification. Besides the effort involved in frivolities such as the primping and preening required just for a night of debauchery can't be worth the the rewards.' Anyway, I told her that I'd prove her wrong and told her that you'd go out on a date with her, just to show her that there are stallions who don't look only at the surface. Honestly, it took so much effort to have her go on a date! She just wanted you to trip her into bed and have a roll, but that would be such a waste of a perfectly good opportunity...”

“Ha!” he let out a bark of laughter after barely keeping himself in check during her explanation.

“What! What's so funny about this?!” she asked, getting a bit miffed at being laughed at.

“You havin'...” he brought up both hands and making air quotations. “'settled down!' That's a load!”

Her pout returned in full force as she darted behind him and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. Her slight weight wasn't a problem to him in the least and he just kept walking as she clung to him. Eventually, he decided to give her a little support by bringing his hands up and behind to link underneath her rump when he felt her beginning to slip slightly and letting her relax a little and onto his supporting arms. No need to have her slip all the way and take his shorts with her... Not in public in any case... “If you doubt me, I'll show you just how 'settled down' I can get after a good dicking,” she playfully growled into his ear, prompting a flick from her teasing breath.

“Thanks, but no thanks, not with you needing to get to class in a couple hours...” he said as he got his mirth under control. “So, what exactly are you wanting me to do?”

“Well, I kinda wanted you to take her out on a date, but now that I think on it, I want you to give her the full coltfriend experience... Or as much of it as she wants...” she explained, finishing with a little lick and nibble to the side of his neck. “Knowing you, I'm sure she'll be spending the night~”

“Don't go writing checks I can't cash...” he replied with a grumble, slightly uncomfortable with having himself put up on such a pedestal. It had been bad enough when he had been given his medals for valiant service and protecting the crown while in his hospital bed. The ceremonial award was held several months later after his full recovery. It was a private affair and didn't even make the local rag (at his request) but that had been pushing it with just his squad, C.O. and Celestia.

“But she's always alone,” she groused as he turned into a small alcove with a recessed door that unlocked at his touch and opened it to reveal the lush gardens of the school. “I mean, it's her choice, but she also needs to live a little and have at least some experience with a stallion or two...”

“That would be best... Loneliness can be a painful thing if it goes on long enough and she's become aware of it... but is she really so anti-social?” he asked, getting more curious about this Moon Dancer. “If she's so anti-social, how'd you ever get her to agree to go out on a date, especially with a stallion she doesn't even know?”

“I... may have promised to be her research assistant for a month...” she supplied with a slight blush.

“What did Tavi have say about it?” he asked as he ducked and weaved under and around all manner of vivid greenery.

“Well, she wasn't too angry since I'll only be back an hour later each day with a couple hours of assisting in the morning on the weekends, but she swore to me that there wasn't any chance of me getting out of my music practice,” she said with a low volume raspberry being blown at the end of it. “Plus it helps that she's met Moon Dancer a couple times when my other friends and I managed to drag her out of her latest book.”

“You brought this on yourself, you know,” he replied with a chuckle. “But she sounds like a nice mare... If a little reclusive.”

“She's an acquired taste, but she's still a nice mare at heart...” she said sincerely before she amended her statement. “In her own way...”

“So, did you come up with a place and a time or have you left all that up to me?”

“I figured you'd have a better idea about where to take her out than I would,” she replied with a giggle. “You're both the silent types until you get involved with something... Heck, most of the girls in the dorm thought you were mute until you helped one the new girls when she'd gotten lost on campus.”

“Huh... I never knew that...” he mused out loud.

“No big surprise there,” she said with a giggle. “I think we all were a bit embarrassed about that one.”

“No worries,” he replied as he moved his hands so that he was now cupping a cheek in each palm, giving them gentle squeezes and getting faint little squeaks in return. “But I might need to give you a little... punishment for setting me up without asking first...”

“Ooohhh~” she half moaned into his ear, catching it between her bottom lip and her teeth it as it flicked, gently gnawing on it and making him shudder at the sensation. She let him go after a few more seconds and whispered, “I was a little naughty, wasn't I? I suppose it's the least I deserve...”

“Please...” he replied with something between a laugh and a scoff. “You'd give Discord a run for his money on an off day...”

“Ah! I do not!” she said with a peal of bright laughter giving her mock outrage the lie. “Only when it comes to you or Tavi do I get this... this... Urge to just rock the boat. I really don't know how to explain it, but it's like no matter what I do, I just know you two are always going to make sure the boat won't flip no matter what.”

“I know what you mean, darlin',” he replied with a half smile. “You keep things interesting and I gotta admit I've been enjoying having both of you around for more than rolling around in the hay. You're both smart in your own ways... Your relationship is a treat to watch, especially when you turn all cuddly and mushy, but most of all, I'd like to consider you both my friends.”

“That's really sweet of you to say, Knuckle,” Lyra replied with a hug and a kiss to his shoulder. “I'd like to count you among my friends as well... Only, most of my friends can't give me and Tavi a good dicking most weekends.” She finished with a giggle as she reached down and shamelessly fondled him after worming her fingers under the waistband of his compression shorts.

“Oh-kay,” he said with a laugh as he came to a stop and set her down on her hooves despite her whines and protests. “As much I would love a quickie, we really don't have the time for it if you want to get through the rest of your workout before class.”

“You're right, of course,” she said with a pout. “But, I expect a lot of sweaty, sloppy sex all day Sunday... I mean, I want to have to lay down towels from your bed to the shower so we don't have to worry about slipping in a trail of your cum...”

“That... That might be a bit much...” Knuckle said with a raised eyebrow. “How about I indulge another one of your harebrained positions again?”

“Hey, it's not harebrained!” she said with a weak smack to the side of his head. “I'm trying to write a second volume to the Pony Sutra and it's our duty... nay... our pleasure to ensure that we come up with the most reasonably attempted positions and make this knowledge available to the public!”

“Finish your cool down and you can tell me all about this new position during your aerobics...” he said as he started out with Lyra right on his tail. “Tavi's probably wondering if you passed out again...”

“That was one time... one time!”





***





“That really is quite considerate of you,” Tavi said as she emerged from Knuckle's shower after her morning workout. Knuckle looked up from his breakfast preparations and smiled at the sight of her walking out of the bathroom still drying her hair, her uniform already immaculately in place. “Taking Lyra's friend out for the night on Friday, that is.”

“Eh, it's not the strangest thing she's had me, or us for that matter, do,” he replied with a little smile. “But I can tell she's set this up for more than her friend learning about sex first hand, otherwise she wouldn't have set me up with her.”

“I'm not sure if it's your ego or the surety in your special talent that gives you that confidence,” Tavi said with a smirk as she wrapped the towel across her shoulders and under her hair so her uniform wouldn't have any wet spots. “But I can't say that it isn't unfounded in either case.”

“I like to think it's a bit of both contributing to the greater sum,” he said with a chuckle.

“So, what do you think you'll do with her? Any idea yet, or will you go with a gut feeling?”

“Oh, I'll put plenty of thought into it,” he said confidently. “I just need to ask Lyra a little more about her and then I'll work out my plan of attack...”

“That's nice... I'm sure you'll make sure she has a wonderful time,” she said with a half smile, a slight undertone to her voice.

“'That's nice?'” he quoted out loud, tasting the words on his tongue. “You sure that's what you mean?”

Tavi felt herself flush slightly at forgetting just how observant he could be. “Okay, I may just be a little jealous...”

“That's better,” he said with a knowing chuckle. “It's much better to get those thoughts and feelings out into the open right away. So, you're jealous, huh?”

“Maybe just a little,” she said as she averted her eyes, cheeks darkening a little more under his scrutiny. “I mean, I'm happy with how things stand between all three of us right now. These past four weeks have been so satisfying and liberating in a way where we all get what we want and need physically, but I can't help but want to go out one of these days. With Lyra and you...”

“That's very sweet of you, but have you talked to Lyra about this at all?”

“I have and she agrees with me,” she replied with a little smile. “Her words were something like... 'all he does is garden and stalliony junk that gets all the mares who watch him turn their skirts into saunas. He needs to just go out and let lose a bit.'”

“So, like a date? Or just an outing?”

“J-just an outing,” she said with a nervous adjustment of her towel. “You've been taking care of us so much and we feel that it's the absolute least we can do...”

“In that case, I don't see why not...” he said warmly as he put the finishing touches on their breakfast of mixed berries stirred up with sweet clotted cream and a touch of sweet caramel. He served out three bowls for the three of them and put the mixing bowl in the sink. “But only on the condition that you allow me to pay partly for everything we do.”

“I suppose we'd be able to live with that,” Tavi said with a modest grin, eyes bright at the looming prospect of an outing.

“How does next Friday evening sound? That way we can come back here and we can start our weekend off right?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Without warning, Knuckle's front door swung open with a bang and an absolutely bedraggled looking Lyra came stumbling in. Her hands and hooves were flecked with little smears of dirt and she was so sweaty that within a couple short moments her pungent odor could be smelled by the other two. She looked over at the two of them with the slightly glazed expression of one who was nearly physically spent and made her way over to the table, only for Knuckle to grab her by the shoulders and steer her towards the bathroom despite her protests.

“No way, Lyra,” he said in a firm tone. “You know why I'm not gonna let you eat immediately after a workout... You'd just puke it right back up since you're body's been working out, even if you don't believe me. Now, go have a lukewarm shower and get ready for school. Your food will still be here waiting when you're done...”

“Fiiiine...” she groaned out but went under her own power after his chiding. She didn't even bother to wait until she was in the bathroom before she started stripping, removing her sopping sports bra and sending it flying over to his armchair by it's elastic band. She simply stopped just in front of the bathroom and stripped off her compression shorts, leaving them in a pile on the floor.

“So uncouth,” Tavi said with a warm smile that gave her chiding remark the lie.

With Lyra in the shower, the two chatted amicably about potential plans and ideas for what they would do next Friday, coming up with a few ideas that sounded pretty good, but not setting anything in stone as Lyra would have several choice destinations in mind. Roughly ten minutes after starting her shower, Lyra came walking out, looking much refreshed despite the slightly sloppy way she wore her uniform. Tavi let out a tsk of disapproval and stopped Lyra from even sitting at the table until she had set her uniform to rights, giving Lyra a quick kiss on her nose to stop her rolling eyes midway and bringing out a smile in its stead.

“There we are, now sit, eat and we can talk about some of the places you want to go to next Friday,” Tavi said with a smile.

“You mean you finally asked him?” she said with a wicked smile of her own. “Sweet! I was starting to think you'd never have the ovaries to...”

“That's hardly the point and you know it!”

“I may have had something to do with that,” Knuckle said with a little chuckle. “I told her about how you're hooking me up with your friend and I think she may have felt a little... pressured.”

“Maybe just a little,” she conceded, a cute blush dusting her cheeks.

“So, what kinds of places do you like to go to, and do they have coat rooms big enough for any combination of us?”

“Lyra!”





***





After Lyra's decidedly high energy destinations that also tended to double as potential quickie stops along with Tavi's tamer destination ideas, they felt that they had a decent rough idea about what they were going to be doing next Friday. After they'd finished their breakfast, Knuckle asked Lyra if she would be able to come up with a list of her friend's personality traits as well as her general likes and dislikes and to bring it over after her classes that day. She agreed to swing by during her lunch break and drop it off since she would he helping Moon Dancer after their last classes and didn't want him to wait around just for her. With his grateful thanks, he saw them off from his doorstep and made ready for his day.

He opted for only a quick wash instead of a shower since he knew he'd be getting sweaty again with today's workload. After that, he went out back to his shed and gathered the tools he'd need for the day, strapping on his tool belt and gathering a few of the prefabricated parts he'd need for a few of the jobs he'd planned to do that day. With everything he'd need for the time being, he left the shed and went about his duties for the day. Luckily for him, things went mostly smooth for a change and he was able to take care of his major projects with only a splinter getting snagged in the flesh between his thumb and index finger near the end of his last job, causing him to curse like a sailor under his breath.

Taking a quick peek inside of an empty classroom to check the time, he saw that it was nearing Lyra's lunch break and opted to head back to his cottage so that he'd be waiting for her. After getting inside, he unhooked his tool belt and hung it on one of the cloak pegs by the front door and went about making a light snack to tide him over until supper rolled around. Lyra showed up with a blueberry bagel dangling from her mouth just as he was finishing his snack. She made a little small talk before making her farewell and a promise to see him tomorrow morning for her continued training despite all the whining she put on about still being sore after that morning. Knuckle only lightly admonished her, a smile taking the sting from his words and reminded her to do her stretches before bed. For a response she donned a serious expression and gave a mock salute before she ducked out with a giggle, but not before she spun around, flipped her skirt up and flashed him a full view of her perfectly sculpted rear and panties so tight they seemed to be painted on.

Knuckle couldn't help but shake his head with a grin at her response, but couldn't help but settle down with her notes shortly after her departure. As he settled down to enjoy the rest of his break, he unfolded her notes and studied what she thought of her friend. To say that Lyra used broad brushstrokes would be to say that a volcano only changed some of the local landscape, but it was still a great benefit to have even a general mental description of his looming rendezvous. To him, this was actually a boon since he'd only be able to make some loose assumptions that could quickly be changed after first contact. Wondering what kind of package encased such a mare, he let his mind wander a little and ended up imagining a brilliant unicorn mare who was unconcerned with any matter that she deemed unnecessary or trivial whose fashion sense would begin and end with a simple blouse with a pair of slacks and a lab coat over it all. Her mane would be a short, almost coltishly cut since she couldn't be bothered to deal with the maintenance of a longer mane while she would have a small set of glasses perched on the very end of her muzzle to allow her to read or look at others with relative ease. He had no doubt that Lyra would tell him all about her general appearance if he simply asked her, likely throwing in her friend's most attractive features at no extra charge.

Shaking his head clear of such imaginings, he got up and went about the rest of his day.





***





The next day during a brief break in Lyra's workout, he asked her about Moon Dancer's appearance and was a bit surprised to hear just how much his mental image varied from what she actually looked like. Lyra told him that she was a cream coated mare with a waist length amaranth mane and tail that had two distinctly colored streaks of purple with one being a good deal lighter than the other while her eyes were a deep, vivid purple. Instead of the nearly cliched apparel he had imagined, Lyra said that she normally wore a pleated black jumper and a calf length indigo skirt with light grey leggings that only changed its materials depending on the weather and a moderately thick pair of glasses that she was only half blind without.

With this new information, he couldn't help but reevaluate some of his assumptions immediately, causing him to be slightly absentminded during a good portion of their morning routine. Tavi couldn't help but notice and left him to his ruminations while Lyra teased him when she could. That promptly ended when she nearly got herself in some serious trouble when she lifted her sports bra and attempted to blindfold him when he was crouched down for a set of lunges, but it clearly wasn't her fault when a random gaggle of fillies walked across the intersection of the main walkway and the lane leading to his cottage. However, by the end of their usual routine, Knuckle had himself sorted out and saw them both off with a confident smile and a promise that the next mornings routine would proceed as normal (much to Lyra's humorous accusations of him being a slave driver).





***





Friday morning dawned bright and early, not that Knuckle and his workout partners paid it any mind as they made their rounds on their morning run. Lyra tried to get some idea about what it was that he had planned for her friends' date, but his plans were kept under stricter security than the Royal Treasury. She even tempted him with the idea of her doing the rest of her workout in the buff, but he wasn't having any of her shenanigans, sending her off with a pout and a lightly smacked rear that may have just left her more than just mentally frustrated. After they cleaned up and had some breakfast, with Lyra of all ponies leaving a small sack of bits to repay his feeding them in the morning despite his protests, they left with happy smiles and well wishes for his 'date' with Moon Dancer tonight.

With a little correspondence through Lyra, Knuckle was prepared to both be ready and waiting by no less than six o'clock by the fountain in Canterlot's central market. So with that in mind, he went to work with a pep in his step and tackled each project like it was owed his personal vengeance. By the time he was done with the last project, he saw that it was only a little after two in the afternoon and opted to head back to his place for an extended nap in case his date lasted into the night. He only took a quick shower to rid himself of the sweat he had worked up and laid a couple towels across the comforter to catch any excess water before setting his alarm to get him up at a quarter after four. After he lay down in nothing but his coat, sleep was surprisingly easy to find since he'd been so much more active recently with the morning workouts. He woke up with a bit of a surprise, finding himself awake five minutes before the alarm was set to go off and deactivated it before rolling out of bed. His body was surprisingly energized, as if he had not only gotten the best amount of sleep possible, but had even undergone a recovery during his time asleep.

His body seemed to react swiftly and precisely, even his lamed knee seemed to give only a brief murmur of pain as he practically danced through his bedroom door with towels in hand. He made for the bathroom to relieve himself and when finished started the shower before stepping in the mildly warm spray. Feeling that his company wouldn't appreciate any overly masculine aromas or overtures to show that he was indeed a male, he opted for one of his favorite soaps. It was lightly scented, both sweet and slightly spicy in aroma. He couldn't help but especially enjoy it as memories of past friends and lovers came back to mind with its scent flooding his nose. After rinsing his face and body of soap, he quickly shampooed his mane and tail, lathering each three times to give a slight feathering when dry. Done with that, he turned off the water and stepped out to towel himself off with the towels he'd used earlier on his bed and started dressing himself.

He opted for a pair of semi-casual olive drab jeans that had a couple extra belted pockets on the outside of the legs. Up top, he slipped on a black tee shirt that was only mildly snug to showcase some of the figure he worked so hard to achieve and maintain and a long sleeved black shirt that had thin golden stripes widely spaced across it. He left it unbuttoned as he enjoyed the figure it cut and turned his attention to his mane. It was a bit longer than usual, but it didn't really need a trim yet, so he left it as is. He then grabbed a small bottle of mane oil and placed a small dab of it on his palm before putting it back. He quickly rubbed his hands together and then ran both hands through his mane, leaving it both soft and surprisingly highlighted. He smiled at the effect and washed his hands quickly before grabbing a brush and took his mane to task. By the time he was done, his mane gave off a slightly metallic luster and had a small wave to it in addition to a lightweight feel to it from the feathered effect he worked for. Not quite liking the clean cut look, he took a couple fingers from each hand and only slightly tousled his mane, letting it look as if he had taken the time to comb his mane, but wasn't worried about every strand being in perfectly in place. With that done, he repeated the process again, only this time for his shortly trimmed tail and gave himself a nod when he was pleased with the results.

When his appearance met inspection, he walked out of the bathroom after putting his towels in the hamper and made himself a small tossed salad with bean sprouts and a side of lightly salted soy beans. He checked the time after he finished his light snack and saw that it was only a bit before five. Opting to be prepared for his date, he washed his dishes and put them away before locking up his cottage and making his way off campus after leaving a note pinned to his front door informing anyone looking for him that he was going to be out for a while and wouldn't be back until later. Trusting in his enchantments and the legend that he had built for any ne'er-do-wells that might try to make any attempts on his charges, he still hoped to keep the nights venue within ten blocks just in case anything happened despite having tested and verified the effective precision and range of his abilities early on. After a quick stroll through the gardens, he exited through a nondescript door and found himself quickly flowing with the foot traffic of the street as he made his way to the meeting place.

Luckily, it was pretty much a straight shot from the school and as he walked, he made a small mental note about all the shops and stores that might be of some use during the evening. After making it to the square, he looked around to see if his date had been nervous and showed up early, but after a thorough scan of the crowd, he couldn't spot any sign of his date. Opting to make the best of his time before the deadline, he struck off into the area immediately around the area to establish a more concrete plan about what he and she would do. As he made his slow way around the area, he saw several restaurants, even a few familiar ones from his time in the Guard, but wasn't entirely sure about her tastes and opted to wait until her input before deciding on a locale. He also spied several book stores, some of which seemed to be picking up in business as students with this weeks allowance were free to go out and spend it on the latest volume of Neighponese manga that had caught their attention.

He even spotted a karaoke bar that looked to cater to all ages, even selling alcohol to those old enough but with a strict cut off limit and providing a riot of multi-colored sugary drinks for everypony else. He immediately axed that as the cacophony of sound almost seemed to physically push him away from it. Moving on, he spotted a quaint little open fronted bookstore that had a well shaded canopy standing out a little into the street but not overly obstructing the throngs of ponies as they made their way. Pausing to look inside, he saw that there were dozens and dozens of shelves that led into the slightly murky depths of the store itself while everything that wasn't devoted to shelving held a riot of potted plants giving a strange dichotomy of scents that seemed aimed at relaxing anypony who came here, the ancient smell of paper and parchment mixing with the scents of the plants and freshly watered soil. He watched as several of the shops patrons were enjoying a chance to sit and relax with a cup of cool tea or hot coffee as they contentedly perused their latest purchase in peace or conversed with one acquaintance or other about some book they'd recently read. In short, this was a perfect first stop.

He had a good number places in mind for good meal, but had no idea as to her preferences and would leave that up for grabs until he asked her personally. After that? If things went well, he was even considering taking her to a special spot only he and a couple other guards knew about. At the absolute least, even if she didn't want to take the night all the way to the end, he would make absolutely sure that she had a wonderful memory to take with her. He quickly snapped himself out of his mild delusion and looked up at the clock tower and saw that it had been almost a half hour since he'd started wandering around so he decided to take the safe bet and get to the fountain well ahead of time. After finding his way back to the market, he took an easy parade ground stance that was both familiar and comfortable for hours of standing on his hooves and started waiting while surreptitiously looking around for his date. As the time ticked by, he found himself smiling at the whole situation, honestly looking forward to showing a nice (if somewhat reclusive) young mare a fun time on the town.

Right as the nearby clock tower started chiming the hour, he spotted her striding into the square. She was just as Lyra had described her, the only difference being that she had made a concession to the date and wore a knee length skirt instead of her usual calf length one. She had on a black and white striped long sleeved pleated jumper that looked to be made of cotton, so despite the warmth of the day it would still be able to breath reasonably well. Her mane had been loosely pulled back and tied off at the base of her neck which gave her a slightly no nonsense look which was pulled together with her level bangs and glasses that seemed to have been taped around the bridge. The only thing that seemed off was that as she got closer, her expression seemed to be one of slight worry that changed to one of slight embarrassment when she spotted him and took in his appearance.

Hoping to nip this in the bud, Knuckle broke his stance and turned to face her with his warmest smile as he took a few steps to close the distance a little faster. “I'm sure you already know, but I'm Knuckle Down. I thought it would be a good idea to properly introduce myself to such a lovely young mare.”

Her light cheeks dusted pink at the complement and she looked away slightly. “I'm... Moon Dancer, as I'm sure you know. But let me be perfectly clear about this whole thing. I've never done... Well... Anything that we're planning on doing tonight. I just can't believe that having a steady stallion in Lyra's life would produce such an unexpected change in her demeanor and I wanted to see if there's any way it could be from any one specific factor you bring to whatever your relationship is or if it's because of you as a whole.”

Knuckle smiled as she got through with her introduction and reasoning behind going out with him in the first place. “I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to take notes tomorrow, but for now what do you say to just enjoying an evening out on the town. The best way to get as accurate of a conclusion is to have no outside interference clouding your perceptions, right?” Moon Dancer's eyebrows rose together as she looked at him directly, clearly surprised to hear such a clear and concise response about her methods. “Just because I was a Guard didn't mean that I forgot all my lessons from school and the things I've learned since. Anyway, a Guard's greatest asset is what's under his helm, not how heavy a load he can lift or how long he can stand in place...”

“S-sorry,” she quickly replied as her eyebrows lowered and her blush deepened a couple shades. “I just wasn't expecting that response is all.”

“'s all good,” he replied with as charming of a half grin as he could while keeping a chuckle in check. “Not the first time I've been stereotyped before. But what do you say to kicking things off right and have a little chat over coffee or tea at this nice little bookstore I found so we can try to get to know each other a bit better?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she quickly replied, a lot of the tension leaving her face and shoulders at knowing she hadn't offended him. “I suppose that would be a must with everything we may be doing tonight...” Her blush not receding in the slightest. Knuckle couldn't help but think how cute it made her appear... The clearly bookish mare throwing herself into a date for not only the chance at discovering something that may or may not have some intellectual value, but pushing her own boundaries despite her embarrassment with the support of one of her friends and somepony they could trust to treat her right. With that last thought, Knuckle gave her a reassuring smile and took the lead.

Before long, they were in front of the bookstore he found earlier and Moon Dancer seemed to lose most of her self-consciousness as she was immediately drawn into the shop as if in a waking dream, leaving Knuckle to smile as the last of her tail whipped out of sight. He quickly followed her in and found her slowly scanning the shelves, fingertips lightly ghosting across the spines of the books at shoulder height while her eyes flitted and darted between the titles at all heights. Seeing that she was in her element, he opted to simply watch her a bit and do a little perusal of his own in case a title jumped out at him. One thing he noticed immediately about Moon Dancer as he watched her, was that as she perused the books, her tail did a cute little wag, quickly tilting when it was almost at the end of its path one way or the other which made her tails end slightly whip around without getting out of control.

He also couldn't help but notice the shapely curves of her hips and rear covered by her skirt as well as she seemed to glide from silent step to silent step, almost as if she were quiet enough she'd one day hope to hear the whispering voices of the books themselves. He couldn't help but feel slightly clumsy in comparison as his own hoofsteps gave off a faint little clack every time. Turning his attention to the books on the shelves, he saw that they were currently in the history section and moving on towards the fantasy shelves. They slowly made their way through the aisles, passing by a warmly smiling elderly Earth pony mare whose mane had long since faded to a dull grey while her coat seemed to have faded to a color closely resembling fresh paper. She didn't say anything from behind her counter, but her smile widened at the sight of them and Knuckle smiled both widely and warmly to her in response.

During her slow trek through the aisles, Moon Dancer would stop, smile and spend a moment longer on one book or other, as if they were old friends and she were saying 'hello.' But by the end, she had a stack of eleven books that Knuckle carried for her at his insistence. Even he had a few books to add to the stack he carried by the end, mostly to do with horticulture or woodworking, but also the first volume of a fantasy series where the main character was taken from the duty he had loved so dearly due to a dragon hatchling, only to find himself a linchpin in the defense of his country from an outside force had caught his attention. After making their purchase and placing an order for a pair of cold mint tea, they took a seat at a small table under the awning and relaxed for a moment wordlessly until their order arrived. After the first delicious mouthful, Knuckle looked over at his companion and smiled. “I was sure you'd love books and I'm glad you found a few you liked. Knowing you go to Tia's School, I wasn't sure if you would appreciate a common book store as much as you would.”

“I'm sure it was a slip of the tongue, but you surely mean Princess Celestia, correct?” she replied with an imperious adjustment of her glasses.

“Maybe in public, but she gets on my case when I stand on formalities in private,” he replied to her mildly angry confusion. “I got discharged from the Guard for suffering injuries in the line of duty, namely that of getting myself run over like a flamin' drongo by an out of control wagon laden with nearly two tons of supplies as I tried to stop it from running over the Princess herself...” He explained with a rueful smirk.

Moon Dancer's eyes widened quite a bit and she leaned forward. “It was because of you, wasn't it...” she said mysteriously. “The reason why all the medical experts from the school were only giving us partial lessons for nearly three weeks. The Princess had them working on putting you back together as much as possible, right?”

“I can't exactly say, but there was quite a bit to be done just to get me back on my hooves...” he replied with a half snort of amusement. “Just glad I don't need a crutch or cane to get around.”

“Actually, you spurred several wonderful advancements in the field of physical reconstruction, leading to the most effective and professionally applied spell that's used for repairing shattered bones without the need for intensive surgery...” she paused for a breath. “I had no idea I'd ever meet the anonymous stallion from those reports. How in the Princess' name did you survive? Your femoral artery had been punctured in no less than seven places and were forced to wait for any kind of instant triage for the fear of immediately killing you from the massive amount of internal bleeding you would have suffered! It was nearly a day and a half before they even started treating your shattered legs!”

“I'm a stubborn cuss when I want to be,” he replied with a bark of laughter. “Honestly? Can't say as I remember much... The shock must have wreaked havoc with my memories of the time and the pain probably kept me out of sorts for the rest... I only remember waking up nearly a week after the incident with Tia by my side, worried as can be and then smiling like the dawn when I finally woke up.”

“But here you are, walking around like it's nothing,” Moon Dancer replied an astonished look.

“Most days, anyway... Some days my legs ache something fierce and if I get too enthusiastic with my activities, I get sharp pains in them. I still have to go see the doctors right away just in case my bones decide they're not in the right place and start growing again. Had to have three bone spikes surgically removed a month after I stabilized before they could start getting any bigger and pose a problem. I've had a few more since then, but nothing much more than a couple hours in the hospital to get it removed and healed right back up...”

Moon Dancer winced in sympathy. “But still, you're technically a hero, but you never reaped any of the acclaim most get with the award...”

“Can't say as I care much for the spotlight and getting handouts overly much...” he replied with a distasteful twist to his mouth. “I just did my duty. Nothing more, nothing less. But that didn't stop Tia from getting me set up at Lyra's school where I tend to the grounds instead of trying to find work somewhere else... Can't stand sitting idle and an early retirement would have meant the death o' me...”

“That was very generous indeed,” she replied, her expression turning into something slightly unsure. Then she adjusted her glasses and her expression regained its confidence again. “But I must insist you show the Princess proper respect, especially since she isn't here to corroborate your story of being so informal with her...”

He couldn't help but smile. “If only you knew what she would do to me if she ever found out I was treating her like a Princess out of earshot and in casual company to boot. Then again, I'm sure you wouldn't care one whit about standing on propriety if you were surrounded day in and day out with officials and toadies tryin' to get an ounce of favor. However, I will refer to her as 'Princess' during our time together if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Thank you,” she said with a very mildly relieved smile. “It just... irks me like you wouldn't believe when somepony doesn't gives her the respect she deserves. If it weren't for her intervention, I wouldn't even be enrolled at her school at all since I'm a scholarship enrollee.”

“But what about the respect she deserves as simply the mare she is and not the wonderful diarch of our nation?” he asked without thinking. “She, of all ponies deserves to have a life outside of the influence of her her crown and those seeking her favor. You may not know this side to her, but since I've gotten to know her, Princess is only a word to me. I know her as Tia and she's a wonderful mare to know. She enjoys lazy mornings, cat naps and cake. She hates it when somepony stands on tradition when she's known them for more than a week and teases both her Guard and her friends relentlessly. Of course, that says nothing of her legendary pranks... She can't cook anything more complex than a cold sandwich and feels her regalia chafe at her every moment she wears it, but does so because it's both her duty and responsibility.”

Moon Dancer looked shocked at first, but then her expression turned chagrined. “I never thought of her that way... She's always so...”

“Perfect?” he supplied with a half smirk.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “I mean, here she is, the nigh-immortal raiser of the sun and she's given me the most important thing in my life...”

“She isn't your Mother or Father, Moon Dancer,” he replied in a solemn tone. “She didn't give you your life or show you your destiny. You see, we're all little gods in our own right, creating life and ideas that can change things for the greater or the worse. We're our own salvation and destruction, not the Princess. She doesn't deserve to get that responsibility put on her heavy shoulders too...”

Moon Dancer's expression turned solemn before it quickly turned remorseful as she digested his words. “Why do your arguments sound so right that I can't say anything in response?”

“Because they're the truth,” he replied with a small smile as he reached across the table for her hand. She didn't resist, but she didn't return his grip either. “I'm sure you're a devout follower of Tia, but at the end of the day, she's still only a mare despite her being an immortal Princess who raises and lowers the sun...”

“You're right,” she said after a short moment of silence. She gently gripped his hand and smiled. “I really shouldn't hold her to the infallible status I'd envisioned, but it's hard to replace that image of her in my mind...”

“If that's hard for you, imagine when I had to cope with her spouting off a dirty joke for the first time,” he replied with a rueful grin at her incredulous look.

“She does not!”

“Swear by her name, I do,” he said with a laugh in his voice. “That and much, much more... You should see the souvenir she left me during her last visit.” His grin took on a mischievous cast and Moon Dancer looked at him askance, unsure if he were actually telling her the truth or just teasing her. “If you don't take me for my word, you can write the Princess and ask her about it tomorrow from my own personal dragonfire service...”

She gave a puff of air that ruffled her bangs quite adorably and gave him a firm nod that said he had better be able to back his words up or he was going to get a crash course in etiquette involving Royalty. Hopefully she would never learn of the night he entertained Luna. That just might give her an aneurysm...

After their little chat, they retrieved their hands from one another and finished their drinks before striking out to the next destination on Knuckles itinerary. Over the next two hours, they had more pleasant conversation and got to know each other better over a light street side meal from a food cart, though Moon Dancers replies tended to be slightly calculated to give him just enough information to appease without him wanting to ask for more. He picked up on it but didn't say a thing, easily figuring out that while she was doing this to both appease her own curiosity about how physical intimacy can influence a persons behavior, but to experience what a relationship entailed as well. In the end, he decided to ask her about herself while still being open about himself when she asked and was able to slowly get her to become more open with him as she slowly relaxed for the first time during their outing. Lyra was definitely right on the money when she had said her friend was a workaholic shut-in, especially since by the time Knuckle thought to bring out his final trump card to show her a wonderful time she was nearly dead on her hooves.

“You don't get out much, do you?” he said with a slight smirk at the slightly ragged young mare at his side.

She just scowled a bit and let out a little huff in annoyance. “In my laboratory, the only factors that change are the books and experiments I have going on... I'm very close to suffering from sensory overload and we haven't even reached the culmination of this little charade. You know why we were set up together, but both you and Lyra insist on this farce.”

“Oh, come on, Moon Dancer,” he replied with a sly little smile of his own. “You can't tell me you haven't enjoyed yourself at least half the time... Plus this kind of interaction is key in developing lasting relationships when you're finally ready to step out of your lab and join society as a whole.”

She flushed as she avoided eye contact resolutely. “I cannot dispute that, but I've... made due when my body makes its demands or am simply too stressed to think properly.”

“Ooohhh, details, details,” he teased with a laugh at her darkening blush while he casually linked his arm with hers. “Besides, there's more to life than getting a little action to scratch that itch...”

“Pervert...” she said in a falsely sulky tone with a slightly pouty bottom lip accompanied by a modest blush which only got him to chuckle all the more.

“That I may be, but at least I'm honest about it, which can't be said about everypony,” he replied with a bark of laughter.

“At least you're not going into explicit detail like Lyra does on occasion and I'm not distracted by something at the time...” she retorted in a mildly grumpy tone.

“True... I swear that mare has no shame to her name, for when she tells of things hot and sticky, poor Moon Dancer gets a little itchy,” he rhymed teasingly, causing her to blush and he to chuckle.

“If you're trying to get me riled up or tease me out of some twisted sense of humor, it's not needed,” she replied with a little chuckle. “Lyra's groped and fondled me mid-experiment before she got together with Octavia, so if I can ignore that to pipette potions to the milliliter while getting snuck up on and vigorously groped, I can get through your teasing.”

“Duly noted,” Knuckle said with a wide grin before turning pensive. “Though, I've got to admit, with such... colorful friends, why haven't you ever been out on your own like this before?”

“Mostly because I'm busy with my studies,” she answered quickly as a flush raced across her face. “I mean, it's not that I find social interaction tiresome, just... more troublesome when I'm in the middle or close to the end of something really exciting.”

“I can understand that,” he replied with a whimsical smirk of his own. “I remember this time when a really cute substitute with a cerise coat and a cute two tone mane had asked me out for supper once upon a time fairly soon after I'd started workin' at the school. She was a really sweet mare and honestly cared about doing a good job for the fillies under her care, so I agreed. Turns out I'd gotten absorbed in a personal project and had lost track of time... I barely made it to the date with a minute to spare.” He finished with a grimace of distaste. Moon Dancer looked up at him with a curious expression and he continued. “Nothin' ever came of it though, just a nice time out and a walk through the square in front of the castle... Name was Cheery-somethin...'”

“Pffft!” Knuckle looked down to see her biting her lip while trying to cover her mouth in embarrassment over his misfortune. “I! I'm sorry!” she choked out before a wave of laughter had her doubled over. “I can't help it since Lyra had talked you up to be some professional stud for hire and all my expectations were blown out the window!”

“Hey, now,” he replied in a mockingly stern tone. “Just because a few mares find me fun in the sack doesn't mean I'm out for hire...”

“I know,” she said as soon as her laughter subsided, her shoulders shivering from a few aftershocks. “And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease or make fun like that...”

“'s all good, Moon Dancer,” he replied with an easy smirk. “So, how 'bout I show you somethin' real special?”

“Special how?” she replied as her mirth subsided and lifted an eyebrow before a smirk curved the edge of her mouth. “But do keep in mind that we're in public and I don't want to have to fill out any reports...”

“Har-dee har har,” Knuckle snarked back at her as he fought and lost against the grin on his own face. “Glad that you're lightening up a bit, but seriously. It's a bit of a Guard secret that everypony who's in it knows about. The Princesses don't feel the need to do anything about it since it doesn't lead anywhere and nopony can get trapped, so it's a bit of an unofficial attraction for Guards goin' out on dates.”

“I see...” she replied, skeptical about how such a thing had come to pass.

“Oh, you will,” Knuckle replied with an eager grin as he offered her his hand. She only hesitated a second before meekly reaching out and placed her slender hand in his. With her hand in his, he set out at a moderate walk, pulling Moon Dancer close to help them get through the crowded streets more easily. He took several side streets and alleyways to bypass the much more crowded streets so that Moon Dancer would have a chance to recharge herself mentally a bit. He'd been around introverts a bit and knew that sometimes they needed to just get some peace and quiet before they could do anything extra, but she seemed to be holding up really well despite having been out on the town with him for a couple hours now.

They made good time and soon were almost to their next destination. Looking around as they passed the last of the houses and businesses in the district, she looked around and only saw a well preserved watchtower near the edge of the plateau. She gave Knuckle an odd look, to which he only grinned in response. “That's it?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey now,” he replied, his grin never slipping. “Looks can be deceiving...”

She only gave a small grumble in reply and kept walking with him. Quickly enough, they were walking through the entryway with an easy greeting to the guard posted to watch over the place and Moon Dancer looked around at its spartan walls lit with enchanted lanterns to give it a more authentic feel. Knuckle led her down a hallway and descended a flight of stairs into what would have been the pantry area. He stopped and turned to her with a little smile. “Now, for the grand finale,” he said with a flourish at a bare wall.

“Amazing,” she deadpanned.

“Just need you to do one little thing for me,” he said teasingly. “Could ya close your eyes and cover them?”

She let out a little puff of air before simply doing as she was asked.

“Thanks, Moon Dancer,” he said just before he gently took hold of her shoulders and started walking her toward the wall, pausing to press in a stone in the wall and letting the well maintained mechanisms within the wall do their work. Soon enough, a small doorway was revealed as the wall slid backward until it finally stopped. Moon Dancer's ears were twitching like mad as she heard the noises, but was barely able to keep her curiosity in check and held her hands over her eyes. Once the entrance was open, Knuckle took hold of her shoulders again and led her inside a small room with dully reflective walls before fishing out a small flashlight to see with and activated the pull lever on the inside to close the door. Once it was shut, he fished out the manastones he'd brought for this occasion. “Alright, you can open your eyes now,” he said after he walked back over to her.

“Amazing,” she repeated in the same deadpan as before as she saw the darkness.

Knuckle groped for her arm from where he remembered it being and slipped a stone in her hand when he'd found it. “Try 'astounding' or 'beautiful' when you discover the secret,” he replied, the smirk in his voice evident.

Feeling that she was holding a manastone by its resonance, she tried to figure out if he was messing with her or not and sought to see if she could find a resonating signature with a brief flare of magic. Nothing showed up, but she noticed that the pulse didn't return like it should have. Noting this oddity, she slowly walked up to a wall and felt its cool, glassy surface and quickly putting two and two together, put the stone up to the wall. There wasn't much fanfare as whatever the wall was made of did its thing. The fully charged stone was drained in the blink of an eye, a luminescent mote floating in the darkness before her. Then her world lit up.

The spark seemed to grow just a bit brighter before it suddenly seemed to explode in a cascade of sparks, brilliant in gold, mixed with every other color in the visible spectrum. The sparks roiled and swirled as if conducted while other streams and eddies went as they pleased, disrupting flows and patterns as they would, only to suddenly seem to get caught up by some unseen current and begin a new dance or pattern all their own. As Moon Dancer watched in nearly slackjawed awe, Knuckle Down was busy setting his remaining stones to the other two walls before quickly walking over to her. He gently took her shoulder and turned her to watch the pair of motes of light in the corner before they too erupted in a disorienting and elegant display of beauty. Never in her life has she seen anything like this... The fireworks she had seen at Twilight's coronation paling in comparison to this display and those having been crafted by master craftsponies.

“You don't have ta say anythin', Moon Dancer,” Knuckle Down said in a quiet voice full of warmth. “I just wanted to make sure the last thing we did for our date was somethin' you'd always remember.”

She couldn't believe this stallion. Always so playful and nonchalant. So infuriatingly humble while cocky about the oddest things. Everything she knew about the subject of dating didn't apply to him and she hated that he was such an enigma. Then like a burst of brilliance from one of these seemingly dull walls, it came to her that he really was what he said and he wasn't in it just to get under her tail. He just wanted to make sure she had a fond memory of her first real date that would never fade. So, she did the only thing she could think of to show her gratitude... She turned around, put her hands behind his head and pulled him down for what she was sure was the clumsiest first kiss in all Equestria. Knuckle didn't make a single noise, simply hugging her tightly, his hands far away from any places that might send the wrong signals.

After a while, Moon Dancer pulled away, panting heavily. “When this amazing display is over, we're going back to your place and we're going to break your bedframe...”