Nervoucited.
If Dusk Midnight Melody had to choose an emotion to sum up the way he felt right now, then that would be it. Yes, nervoucited just about covered it. Flying low, at two thousand feet, he admired the scenery passing below him as he flew from Canterlot to Ponyville.
Ponyville. Quiet, sleepy, little Ponyville. Home to just twenty thousand ponies, a wholly unremarkable little town were it not for Princess Twilight, the Crystal Castle and the main residence of the former Elements of Harmony.
Right now, to Dusk, Ponyville was the scariest place in Equestria. His powerful, dark blue wings carried the pegasus on towards his destination. The closer he got to the town the bigger the butterflies got in his stomach. Every beat of his wings brought him closer to Ponyville… ‘And closer to him…’ Dusk thought happily to himself as his mind started to wander in mid-flight.
Dusk found his mind wandering all the time, recently. Mostly since the trip to the funfair last week. Ever since he’d met Vocal Chord that evening, the young Prince found he was thinking about nothing else other than the tightness of his flanks, the line of his jaw, his velvet-soft, light grey fur, dark blue, spiked mane and tail, his sheath…
Dusk blushed a fierce crimson as he flew, which momentarily distracted him from thoughts of his destination. Thoughts which came crashing back to him as he saw the town approaching in the distance. Ponyville was getting closer. Which meant he was getting closer to Ponyville. Closer to him. Closer to his stallion. Closer to the date he had with his stallion.
Dusk was so nervoucited!
He was also prepared. The moment Vocal Chord had hung up after having called him after the funfair to arrange the date Dusk’s brain had overloaded. Thirty minutes later, when he’d stopped hyperventilating, and his mum, Octavia, had almost stopped laughing at him hyperventilating, he started to think.
Then he went to his suite to think in private, if only to get away from his mum’s incessant laughing.
Of course the answer had been his friends. Specifically those with partners. Or experience of having had partners. Upon reflection Cyclone had probably been a mistake as a first option to call. The moment he said he wanted dating advice for his first ever date, the black mare had laughed as hard as his mum, at least until he hung up his phone.
Air Raid and Wildfire hadn’t been much more help, though he was sure his B.B.F.E, or best bestest friend ever, would have some helpful tips for him. And she did, after Air Raid had stopped laughing long enough to pass Wily her phone. “Be yourself” Wily had said. “Have fun,” she said.
While these ideas had seemed fine on the phone in Canterlot five days ago where there was wine, now he was very sober, landing in Ponyville ten minutes before his date these ideas were just the craziest thing Dusk had ever heard. ‘Still, too late to worry now…’ the stallion thought to himself as he made his way to the hot air balloon stand.
Besides, he was prepared. After trying his friends and best friend, the light bulb had gone off and the solution had presented itself. Twilight Sparkle. Dusk didn’t know why he hadn’t gone to the Princess first off. Twilight had never failed him with a problem yet, and she was the Princess of Friendship, and she had her marriage to Rainbow Dash too…
True, his cousin Cady was the Princess of Love, and she had the very hot and very cute Shining Armour, the very strong Captain who always seemed to make Dusk’s knees weak with just a look, but, well, Ponyville and Twilight were nearer. And Twi had a library. A huge lovely library. Full of books. And books were a source of reassurance to Dusk. Dusk trusted books.
As Dusk waited by the hot air balloon for his date to appear – he wasn’t worried, they had agreed four o’clock in the afternoon, and it was only three fifty-two – he recalled with a smile bursting into the Crystal Castle five days ago.
~ ~ ~
“Twilight! Twilight!” Dusk burst through the doors of his science teacher’s library, a look of utter panic on his face warring with feelings of complete joy in his heart. Although Twilight, no, Princess Twilight, wasn't ‘technically’ his teacher during the University holidays, the dark blue pegasus still went to her with any problem he had, true most of those problems were homework related and nothing like this, but at this point Dusk was out of options.
And this was a problem and a half…
Frantically he called her name once more before the sound of clopping hooves from the stairs outside the library reached his ears. A small semblance of calm entered his being at the sound of her measured hoofsteps.
“Dusk Melody, what in the wide world of Equestria is wrong?”
Panic threatened to resurface, and Dusk flapped his wings in agitation, hovering a few feet from the floor of the library. “Twilight! Thank the sun and moon! Help…I need, please…help!”
Twilight took a deep breath. “Right. From the top, tell me what's happened.”
“Well, I…you see, I…” Dusk trailed off, still maintaining his panicked hover.
“Has something happened to Luna, or Octavia?” Twilight asked, fishing for clues as to what had wound up her top student.
“I…wait, what?” Dusk landed with a bit of a thud, confused slightly. “No, it's nothing like that, my parents are fine…no, this is worse, much worse…”
“Okay, is anything wrong with Celestia then?”
“No! Aunt Tia is perfectly fine! Everypony is fine!” Dusk raised his voice in annoyance, wishing Twilight would shut up about his family and let him start so he could finish.
“Well,” Twilight’s tone had turned noticeably chilly in the past few seconds, “what is it then that has you in this state?”
Dusk, in a barely audible voice that Fluttershy would have been proud of, opened his mouth, eyes firmly focused on the floor, “I asked him out…”
“Excuse me?” It wasn't that Twilight didn't believe what she’d heard, more that she didn't hear anything. “Say again?”
“I asked him out…Vocal Chord. I asked him out. On a date. With me. In five days. With me. On a date.”
“But…that's brilliant! Dusk I'm so happy for you!” Twilight halted her congratulations, upon noticing the glazed look in the young stallion’s eyes. “So…forgive me, but what's the problem?”
"The problem? I don't know what I'm doing! I've never asked anypony out before! I've never been on a date before! What do I do? What do I say? Where should we go?” Dusk’s wings flapped involuntarily, joining his right eye as it twitched.
Twilight chuckled, recognising much of herself in the pegasus’ freak out. Gently she placed a lavender hoof on his shoulder. “Dusk, calm down. Everything will be fine.” Seizing a book on a nearby shelf in her magical grasp the Princess levitated it over to where they were sitting and deposited it in Dusk’s hooves. “Here, take this. Read it, it'll help, I promise.”
Dusk glanced at the title of the book he had been given, and with a faint blush on his cheeks stored it in his saddlebags with a grateful smile at the Princess. “Thanks Twilight, I'm sure that'll help!” Wrapping his forelegs around her neck he brought his favourite teacher into a tight hug before flying out the open library doors.
“Good luck!” Twilight called after him, her only reply the slamming of the main castle door a moment later.
~ ~ ~
Dusk checked his watch, three fifty-eight. Two minutes to go. Nervoucited didn’t even cover the way he felt any more. But, he reflected with a smile, he had read the book that Twi had given him, ‘Romance 101, The Novice’s Guide to Dating,’ he had read it cover to cover several times over the past few days. He had taken its advice to heart. ‘Get to know your potential somepony as soon as possible,’ the book had said. So, in his saddlebag was the means by which he’d do just that.
Dusk smiled confidently. Vocal Chord would be so surprised!
~ ~ ~
"Vocal..."
The noon day sun shone through the windows of the little one storey house, ricocheting its way around the bedroom until it eventually hit the closed eyes of the sleeping unicorn. With a sigh he rolled over in the bed and tried to ignore the sunlight and the accented voice that called his name.
“Vocal Chord…” Falsetto leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom, her forelegs crossed and a little wry smile on her yellow muzzle. Uncrossing her legs the earth pony mare wiped her powder blue mane from her eyes and trotted over to her snoozing friend. She smiled at the sight of the light grey unicorn, all curled up in the doggie bed, looking for all Equestria like the best little pet in the world.
The bass player crouched and leaned herself close to her lead singer’s upturned ear, smiling as she took a deep breath. “VOCAL CHORD!” she shouted into the ear, and immediately giggled as the slumbering stallion jerked awake, spilling out of the bed onto the bedroom floor.
“Morning ‘Setto,” Vocal yawned himself fully awake as he groggily shook his head. “Was that really necessary?” he asked grumpily as he scratched his unruly mane and stretched, his muscles popping from being curled up in the pet bed.
“Good afternoon, Vocal,” Falsetto sniggered as she started to busy herself with tidying the bedroom to some form of decency. “And yes, it was necessary,” she continued as she carefully put her prized bass guitar back in its stand. “Somepony has a date with a Prince today, remember?”
Vocal dragged himself to his hooves, trying to process his backing singer’s sentence through the fog of sleep that still clouded his brain. He wondered why he was so light headed. He didn’t remember getting drunk last night, not to say that was hard proof he didn’t, but something felt off. Concentrating he tried to magically unlock the dog collar around his neck, and panicked when nothing happened. “’Setto, my magic’s not working!” the singer whined as he tried to work out what had happened.
Falsetto looked up from her cleaning, and idly wondered if it would constitute a breach of their roommate agreement to let him panic a bit more. ‘Maybe…but it would be funny…’ she thought to herself with a giggle. A moment later she took pity on her friend and trotted over to him and put a yellow hoof on his shoulder. “Chill out, dumbass.” She grinned, the Vanhoovan showing in her accent.
“But…what…I don’t get it, why…” Vocal’s voice trailed off as Falsetto took his horn in her mouth. He was just about to ask her what he’d done to deserve this little treat when he felt her teeth grip something and twist, before she removed herself and spat what she had removed at his hooves.
“You forgot about the inhibitor again, stupid.” Falsetto giggled as she reached around him and unbuckled the collar. “Besides, good doggies don’t touch their collars, do they?” She bopped his nose with her hoof before carrying the collar to his saddlebag and resuming her battle with the forces of untidiness.
“Thanks ‘Setto,” Vocal started before a thought came thundering to the fore of his brain. “Wait…you said it was the afternoon! What time?” he asked as a new wave of panic threatened to overtake him.
“Relax pooch,” Falsetto sniggered at Vocal’s pout, “you have about two hours. There’s a hot bath in the bathroom ready for you, and cold scrambled eggs on toast in the kitchen.”
“Thanks ‘Setto.” Vocal grinned as he set off to the kitchen to find his food bowls.
Having decided the tidy war was won for today, the yellow earth pony leant against her bedroom door and mentally counted down, ‘Three…two…one…’
Right on cue she heard Vocal Chord let out a whine of disappointment from the kitchen. “The eggs are on a plate. The plate is on the table. You will sit like a pony and eat like one, thank you very much,” Falsetto chided him, an undertone of frustration in her voice.
“But…”
“No ‘buts’ V!” she exclaimed, breathing through her nose for calm as she made herself a coffee. “You know the agreement; I indulge your little pet-fantasy-thing, whatever it is, and when you wake up the next day and the collar comes off, I get my friend back to talk to. I walked you and played fetch with you yesterday, so now you can be a pony for me.”
“Fine…” Vocal sulked as he started to eat his eggs and Falsetto joined him at the table with her steaming coffee. Vocal cast a look at his food bowls as he ate, and while he had to admit the cold eggs weren’t all that bad, ‘They’d taste better in my bowl…’ he thought to himself.
“So…” Falsetto started as she took a sip of what Vocal guessed was her seventh caffeine injection that day, “what’re you gonna be doing?”
“What? With Dusk, you mean?” Vocal asked as he swallowed a mouthful of eggs without thinking, a good proportion of his concentration still lingering on the bowls on the floor.
“No, with his mom,” Falsetto answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I’m sure Princess Luna would just love to walk you on a leash around the Royal Gardens.” She gave an annoyed sigh. “Yes, I mean with Prince Dusk.”
Vocal stuck his tongue out and gave Falsetto a loud raspberry. “Well, Dusk said something about a hot air balloon ride, and a picnic on a cloud, so it should be fun.”
Falsetto drained her cup in a single swallow and gave her friend a solemn look. “Don’t buck this up, V.”
Vocal answered her look with one of his own as he slid off the seating pad to go to the bathroom. “What d’you mean, don’t buck it up?”
“I mean, this isn’t your usual skanky groupie looking for a quick fumble with somepony famous, this is a date with royalty! So, like I said, don’t buck this up.”
The unicorn paused at the bathroom door and looked over his shoulder with a grin. “Yes, mom, I’ll behave, mom!” Vocal Chord giggled as Falsetto stuck her tongue out at him and decided it was time to beat a hasty retreat to the sanctuary of the bathroom.
An hour later Vocal emerged from the bathroom, washed and scrubbed to within an inch of his life he had even spent a good twenty minutes brushing his fur. His unruly dark blue mane and tail were straightened, possibly for the first time in his life, Tartarus, he’d even polished his horn.
Falsetto put her book down, a rather racy ‘romance’ novel called, ‘Twilight’s Lover,’ and looked Vocal over as he exited the bathroom. To her great surprise she found her mouth hanging open. ‘Jeez…he’s really trying…buckin’ hell, even I’d give him one…’
“Hey V, looking good mate, almost didn’t recognise you.” She trotted over for a closer inspection as he stuck his tongue out at her. “How’d you get your mane to behave?”
“Used your mane straightener.”
“Gee thanks. That’s that ruined then.” The earth pony mare aimed a swat at Vocal’s flank, which he easily dodged with a giggle. “Go on, get out and have fun with your Prince.”
“Yes ma’am…” Vocal paused at the door and levitated his saddlebag to him from the bedroom, but caught Falsetto’s questioning look as he laid it over his back. “What?” he asked, left eyebrow raised.
“You aren’t serious?”
“What?” Vocal asked again.
“You’re taking your collar and leash? Seriously, on a first date? With a Prince?”
Vocal Chord simply shrugged his shoulders as he opened the door with his magic. “You never know ‘Setto,” he grinned back at her, “I might get lucky.”
“Yeah, well don’t think me or the band’s gonna visit you in the dungeons when you get arrested for being weird!” the yellow bassist yelled after him as he sauntered off down Mane Street towards the hot air balloon stand. ‘Ugh…he’s so gonna get arrested,’ she thought as she shut her door.
~ ~ ~
“Dusk, babe, what the hay is this?” The light grey unicorn held the sheaf of paper in his magical field, scanning it incredulously.
“Well, Vocal, it's, well…it’s a…questionnaire…” the dark blue pegasus’ voice trailed off through sheer embarrassment. ‘What was I thinking?’ he thought to himself.
“I can see it’s a questionnaire, Dusk,” Vocal Chord said with a roll of his green eyes. “What I want to know is why my sexy coltfriend has given it to me?”
Dusk shuffled his hooves inside the wicker basket, closely inspecting the weave as he spoke. “It's a ‘getting to know you’ questionnaire,” the young pegasi explained like it was the most reasonable thing in Equestria.
“A getting to know…Dusk…”
“Um, yes Vocal?”
“This questionnaire has seventy five questions and more than twenty pages! You seriously expect me to answer all these? Really?”
“Well, if you wouldn't mind…”
“But babe, we’re on a date! You're cute and I love you! Why do you need this?” The exasperated unicorn waved the papers at his coltfriend.
“Well, this book I borrowed from Twilight’s library said it was a good idea to get as much information about your new partner as possible…” Dusk trailed off again as the basket lurched into motion.
“Twilight huh? Hey, speaking of the Princess, thanks for getting her to cast the cloudwalking spell. That'll be a help later. So, which book was this exactly?”
A fierce blush flared across the pegasus’ muzzle, turning his dark blue coat a bright purple. “Romance 101, The Novice’s Guide to Dating.”
“Oh Dusk Melody, what am I to do with you?” Vocal laughed out loud, throwing the questionnaire over the side of the hot air balloon basket with a wave of his magic.
“Hey! Mmph!” Dusk’s protest was cut short as Vocal leant in for a kiss, their lips pressing tenderly against each other as Vocal gently pushed his tongue into his coltfriend’s mouth, causing the pegasus’s wings to shoot out either side of his body with an audible ‘poomf!’. As the balloon gained height and Dusk relaxed into the deep passionate kiss, the Prince found that he really didn’t care about the questionnaire after all. ‘Besides…’ he thought with a ghost of a smile as he kissed his coltfriend, ‘there’s two more copies at home…’
~ ~ ~
“Dusky?” Vocal Chord asked as a thought occurred to him, the unicorn reclining against the pegasus’s barrel, his head resting on the Prince’s wing as they laid together on the Stratocumulus cloud.
Dusk swallowed the mouthful of daisy and sunflower sandwich before he answered, “Yes, Vocal?”
Vocal levitated over a cucumber and watercress sandwich and took a bite as he framed the question in his head. “Why don’t you have guards, y’know, when you go places?”
Dusk took a sip of his wine, mulling over his answer. Certainly his friends had asked the same thing, even his mom, Luna, had offered the royal guard many times when Dusk had gone out, or to attend some minor function or other. Every time he had refused the use of them.
“Like, take the funfair last week,” the singer carried on when Dusk didn’t reply straight away.
“What about it?” Dusk asked, reaching for one of the strawberries on the plate next to them.
The unicorn finished his sandwich before continuing, “I get that you were hanging out with your friends having a good time and that, but, c’mon Dusky you got assaulted by that bully’s thugs. Yet even after that here you are again, flying about, trotting about, no guards or anything. So, why?”
“Because…” Dusk replied, having considered his response, “I hate being seen as something special, that’s why. I’m not some prancing royal fop that thinks ‘commoners’ shouldn’t be within ten feet of me, or that everypony should bow and grovel as I walk past, or that they should put on airs and graces to appease me. Equestria’s got Blueblood for that.”
Vocal sniggered as he levitated his glass of wine and took a sip. “I get that too Dusky, and I’m glad you aren’t like Blueblood, but surely you can have some security, even if they aren’t near you all the time?”
Dusk smiles as he took another strawberry; “I don’t need security, I have Air Raid.” They both shared a laugh at that, remembering the lime mare standing over Blitzwing with her hoof at his neck.
“Seriously though,” Dusk said as the laughter died away, “I want ponies to think they can approach me. I’m not better than them, or more deserving than them, just because Luna’s my mom and Octavia’s my mum. I’m just a pony, Vocal, and besides, Twilight doesn’t have any guards.”
“True,” Vocal giggled as he finished his wine and went for a refill, “but she’s an all-powerful, immortal alicorn. You aren’t cutie. And Blitzwing approached you alright. What’s his deal anyway?”
“He’s a homophobic bully…”
“Yeah…I kinda worked that bit out for myself,” Vocal giggled as he floated over a strawberry. “I meant what’s his deal with you?”
“His family is old, Vocal, one of the oldest in Canterlot, even Equestria I daresay. They were Luna supporters, the whole lot of them. His ancestors lost a lot of influence when the Nightmare took my mom and aunt Tia had to send her away. They lost a great deal of their wealth, status and power.” Dusk took a breath before continuing on, thankful that Vocal wasn’t interrupting him, “When my mom returned and was cleansed by the Elements, Blitzwing’s family was among those who called out for her to be sent back.”
“So you see, my cute unicorn,” Dusk smiled, “being Luna’s son was never going to get me a Hearth’s Warming Day card from them, and being gay in Canterlot doesn’t help either.”
“So what?” Vocal Chord surveyed the three-quarters eaten picnic, trying to decide what to go for next, before settling on a chocolate dip for the strawberry. “What’s it matter if you’re gay in Canterlot?”
“Old families, like Blitzwing’s, and Blueblood and some that are worse than them both, are the rule rather than the exception. Image and status are everything in Canterlot, Vocal, anything that doesn’t fit the perceived ‘normal’ template is excised and removed. I’m protected to a degree by being royal, but I still have to mind how I act.”
“That sucks.” Vocal dipped a strawberry in the chocolate sauce dip and with a smirk floated it over to the midnight blue pegasus. “Open, Your Majesty.”
Dusk was about to reply that he shouldn't be fed, nor should he be addressed as ‘Your Majesty’ when he saw the smirk on the light grey muzzle in front of him. Swallowing the retort, he opened his mouth and prepared to swallow the treat as well.
“Oops…” Vocal snickered as he ‘accidentally’ smeared chocolate on Dusk’s nose before trying again, this time inserting the fruit and watching as the pegasus swallowed it. Smiling the unicorn dipped another strawberry and sent it towards Dusk, again ‘accidentally’ missing. “Sorry.” He grinned as he leant in to the pegasus’s stained muzzle and proceeded to lick the chocolate from his fur.
Dusk melted into the kiss, running his tongue along Vocal’s lips, blushing slightly as he felt his wings extend out to their full span.
Vocal Chord edged closer to his date, wrapping his forelegs around the stallion’s shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. “See Dusky? We don’t need no questionnaire, baby.”
Dusk kissed Vocal’s neck, cooing gently as the unicorn nipped his ear. “That…hmm…was a…ooh…good…ahh…idea…at the time…”
“Sure it was, baby…” Vocal licked his way up Dusk’s ear again as he leant back, pulling the Prince on top of him on the cloud, “sure it was…” The unicorn moved from his date’s ear and kissed him full on the lips. The pegasus fell on top of Vocal with a surprised ‘eep!’ and was about to resume the kissing when he caught sight of the singer’s saddlebag, forgotten next to their picnic.
“Vocal?”
“Hmm…yeah?” he asked between kissing and nipping his way along Dusk’s jawline to his neck.
“Wha…ooh…what’s…hmm in the…aaah saddlebag?” Dusk managed to ask as Vocal continued his assault on his jaw and neck.
Vocal pulled his muzzle away from the neck he was busy covering in kisses and glanced over at the bag, for a split second almost regretting bringing it, but this was a part of who he was, and he figured it was best to be upfront straight away with stuff like this. “Oh…it’s um…something I’m going to give to you,” he answered with a sheepish smile.
“Oh Vocal! You got me a present? I love you!”
“Well…it’s for you, but I hope we’ll both get enjoyment from it…” Vocal levitated over the saddlebag, a look of apprehension on his muzzle. ‘Well…here goes nothing,’ he thought as Dusk took the bag and peered inside. ‘Oh no…he hates it…Falsetto’s gonna kill me’.
Dusk flipped open the saddlebag with a hoof and peered inside its depths, wondering what in Equestria his date had given him, and his brain started to slide on a tangent of things he could get him in return. He was partway through formulating a list of potential gifts when Dusk’s hoof, fishing around the almost empty bag, found and gripped what felt like the only thing in there. Carefully he extracted his hoof from the saddlebag and found himself looking at what was inside.
A dark blue dog collar and leash. A metal identification tag on the collar read simply, ‘Vocal’. As Dusk turned the collar over in his hoof he was aware of the unicorn watching him warily, judging his reaction.
Dusk, in turn was studying the dog collar, deep in thought. Of course he knew what it was for, he’d seen it all before at home. He smiled as he recalled memories of Octavia wearing a bridle and reins, and Luna leading her around the castle and the grounds, her tail tied to the headwear. His parents had never hidden their interests from him, it was just how life was. His mom, Luna, was the dominant one, and his mum was her sub. Coming home from school and seeing his mum in hoofcuffs and a ball gag was as natural as seeing her with her cello.
Now here he was, sat on a cloud, on a date – his first ever date, and his coltfriend had presented him with a collar and leash. A dark blue collar and leash. Dusk held the collar against his fur, the colour was almost a perfect match. The significance wasn’t lost on him. ‘Vocal wants to be my pet,’ he thought as he turned the collar over in his hooves. ‘What the hay do I do? He wants an answer, look at him, sat there watching me hold his collar…’ Dusk was at a loss as to what to do, ‘I could ask Twilight…Celestia NO! She’d recommend a checklist or something…I could go to mum…no…too straight laced.’ Dusk sighed as he pondered his options. ‘I guess there’s always mom…after she’s stopped laughing.’ Dusk sighed again, mentally ruling out Darkstar and Cyclone for advice, for the same reasons.
“Dusk…” Vocal inched forward and put a light grey hoof on Dusk’s own, his usually confident brash voice cracked and uncertain, “say something, anything…please?”
Dusk looked up at Vocal Chord, saw the fear and uncertainty in his eyes, sitting there wondering if he’d made a mistake in sharing this most intimate thing with him. Dusk looked and smiled. ‘I can do this,’ he thought to himself, convincing himself, ‘for him, I can do this…’
“Dusky…”
“You wish to be my coltfriend or my pet?” Dusk interrupted him, looking him straight in the eyes. ‘I can do this…’
“Dusk…” Vocal smiled, feeling slightly more confident, “I want to be both, and I want you to be my coltfriend and my caretaker.”
“Caretaker? How do you mean?”
“Well…” Vocal took a deep breath as he started to explain, his smile wavering again, “when the collar goes on, I’m not a unicorn, I’m not a pony or a singer with a band. I’m a dog. A pet. I like to act like one, and be treated like one.” Vocal paused for breath, trying to gauge Dusk’s reaction. He hadn’t yelled at him yet or called him weird or sick, so he carried on, “As a caretaker you’d be like my owner, do everything a dog’s owner would. Walk me, pet me, feed me, play with me…” Vocal shivered, “…and…discipline me.”
“I see…” Dusk tried to keep his voice even, to not give anything away just yet. “Do you have a caretaker right now?”
“Yes, um…Falsetto,” Vocal mumbled, his blush lighting up his face. “She um…she takes care of me.”
“Your bass player?”
“My friend. My best friend. Strings and Crescendo just don’t understand why I need to do this. They have the decency to not make snide nasty comments about it because we’re friends,” Vocal recalled the arguments and accusations as he spoke, “but they made it clear they don’t want anything to do with that aspect of me.”
“What’s your arrangement?”
“During the week I’m her friend, Vocal, we do band stuff, hang out, then the weekends, usually Friday night to Monday morning she’ll put the collar on me and I’ll be her puppy. It works for us.”
Dusk smiled at Vocal as he gave him a little kiss on the unicorn’s lips. “Friday to Monday huh?” He kissed Vocal again as he nodded. “Well, it’s only Saturday evening. You have some time to go yet, pup.”
Vocal’s pale green eyes lit up with excitement, he could barely believe what he’d just heard. “Dusky…are you saying…?”
“Yes Vocal, my lovely cute stallion.” Dusk grinned as he embraced his coltfriend with a kiss, “I’ll happily be your caretaker and…I’ve always wanted a puppy.”
The sun was just starting to set over the capital city of Canterlot, bringing with it an orange and red glow over the land. The dry summer heat was slowly replaced with a cooler air, signaling the coming of the night.
There were crowds in the populated city, but all were slow moving and contained sophisticated dressed ponies. It was rare to see anypony run in the luxurious town. The rich and elite were never in a rush, favoring fashion over punctuality. With their chins held high, Canterlot ponies walked with care, treading gracefully with their social status in check. Many ponies were heading home to celebrate the end of the work week. They would typically celebrate it in their own way whether it be charity ball or a quiet wine tasting party at home.
Along the main streets of Canterlot, a light gray unicorn could be seen weaving through the slow moving crowds. Unlike the well-dressed ponies around him, this unicorn dashed as fast as he could through the traffic. His eyes locked on the castle at the top of the hill. Today was Friday, and that was enough to excite the stallion.
Vocal Chord was looking forward to the weekend and had just finished setting up the various shows he'd be performing in with his band. The work heavy week left the unicorn tired and weighed down with the stresses that came with the job. Thinking about the upcoming weekend made these last few days tolerable and he could just barely keep focus on the job at hoof.
Now free of the bonds of his band and job, Vocal dashed through Canterlot, making a beeline for the castle. He quickly weaved through the crowds, short of pushing ponies aside as he ran. At such a quick pace, he arrived at his destination in record time.
The large white castle sat on its own hill, overlooking the rest of the city. Its many white and gold towers stretched into the sky as the structure shined in the sunset light. Armored pegasi and unicorns could be seen hovering around the grounds of the castle, keeping the peace and managing the few castle doors that lead to the outside.
Vocal arrived at the main gate, crossing the deep moat that flowed underneath and stopping in front of the large wooden door.
Three white earth ponies waited for him in front, all wearing similar golden armor. Two of them carried long, white spears as the third stood with authority. Before Vocal could get anywhere close to the castle gates, the leading pony stopped him.
Vocal cleared his throat, fixing a few stray hairs of his dark blue mane. "I'm here to see Dusk Midnight Melody," the unicorn stated, doing his best to appear confident to the armor clad pony.
The guard stared at the gray pony, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as he glared downwards. After a long pause, he finally turned to the other two guards. "Let him pass," he stated with authority. The two spear wielding guards immediately responded, pulling their long metal spears out of the doorway and allowing access.
"Thank you, sir," Vocal said with a bow of his head before scurrying past the three authoritative guards.
Vocal Chord finally entered Canterlot Castle proper. Long marble hallways stretched far in front of him, leading to the many rooms and stairwells of the large building. Many ponies have lost themselves among the many hallways and connecting buildings of the large castle, usually requiring a guide to navigate the labyrinthine design.
However, this wasn't Vocal's first visit to the castle and his path was well practiced. He knew the turns he had to take and the hallways he had to follow to reach his destination. After a quick beeline through the castle, the unicorn found himself standing in front of a plain looking, wooden door.
Politely he gave the door a couple knocks, but proceeded to let himself in shortly after. "Knock, knock," he said as his head peaked through the doorway. A pair of dark blue ears could be seen behind a couch, perking up at his voice.
The pair of ears belonged to Vocal Chord's mate, Dusk Midnight Melody. Dusk's week was much quieter than Vocal's, mostly involving him attending boring royal meetings to keep up appearances as a member of the royal family. A week of holding his tongue and being a quiet listener to other royals left the pony in need of this weekend as much as the unicorn.
"You're a bit late, V." the pegasus said, peeking up over the back of the couch.
Vocal walked in the rest of the way and closed the door behind him. "Yeah, sorry. The guys wouldn't let me go until we settled on a venue and a playlist for Wednesday." Vocal took a heavy breath of air, "I didn't want to keep you waiting, but Falsetto wanted ‘Here and Now’, while Crescendo insisted we play ‘Deeper Shade of Blue’…ugh, it was a silly argument."
"I'll let you off this time," the midnight blue pegasus said, closing his book and hopping up off the couch. The two lived together in a spacious royal suite, which was more of an apartment than a typical bedroom. The suite contained a kitchen, living room, dining room, two bathrooms, and a master bedroom. Despite the surplus space the two were given, the suite was furnished to support two or three occupants with its small dining table and short couch. All the rooms were decorated with high end furnishings and expensive fabrics, giving the whole suite a sort of high class feel to it. "You ready for this weekend?" Dusk asked, closing the distance between the two.
A large smile shined on Vocal Chord's face, spending a couple of days in the studio with his band had been exhausting. "Yes!"
"Yes...What, sweetheart?"
"O-oh...yes...Master," Vocal Chord quickly corrected himself.
Dusk smirked, giving coltfriend a couple condescending ruffles of his mane. "That's what I like to hear." The pegasus then proceeded to grab a boring looking, mundane dark blue collar off of a nearby end table. A gold dog tag with the word "Puppy" was etched into it in elegant text. Knowing what to expect, the unicorn lowered his head.
Yet another weekend would be spent with Vocal Chord as Dusk's loyal and obedient puppy. Vocal himself could barely count the amount of times they had done this. Dusk Melody discovered early on – on their first ever date in fact - that Vocal had a thing for pet play.
Now, every weekend, Vocal Chord would willingly strip himself of his duties as a busy musician and allow Dusk to command him like an owner would his pet. With a little help from the unicorn, Dusk proceeded to wrap the collar around Vocal's neck, buckling it tightly, but loose enough that he could slide a couple of feathers between his fur and the collar. He was careful to not hurt his pup. Once the collar was on, Vocal felt himself start to slip into the puppy role.
"There we go," Dusk said, taking a step back from the collared pony. "Now my puppy's nearly ready for the weekend." The pegasus nodded affirmatively, wiping a few strains of black hair back into place. "What do you wanna do first?"
Vocal blushed as he hesitated for a moment. He knew long before the collar was put around his neck what he wanted to do. Yes, he deeply wanted to be Dusk’s puppy, but he also hadn’t seen his coltfriend for a couple of days. He needed some sexy times before they played. "Can we please have some snuggles first, D, y’know, you and me?”
Dusk smirked at the response. "Well I don't know," he said crossing his forehooves in contemplation. "I suppose I can stretch to snuggles…and perhaps a little more, hmm?” it was a bit of an empty gesture, as he had missed Vocal as much as he had missed him.
The gray unicorn responded with a happy, puppy-like yip of joy. "Yay! I love you!” Vocal Chord reared up and wrapped Dusk in a tight hug, their sheaths rubbing together, even Vocal's tail began to wag for the added effect.
Dusk smirked at his beautiful, handsome coltfriend. "Well alright. Just a little fun then, before we begin playing." He said before giving the collar a light tug, "but you're keeping the collar on!"
"Y-yes sir."
"Good boy, now scurry on to bed."
Without any further encouragement, Vocal darted for the bedroom as fast as his legs could carry him, hopping up onto the springy mattress and eagerly waiting for his coltfriend to catch up. Dusk's pace however, was not quite as speedy as he took his time walking through the living room and into the master bedroom where his soon-to-be pet waited. He understood this was important to Vocal, but he wanted ‘pony time’ too.
The generously sized bedroom was big enough to hold the pegasus' books and reading chair with plenty of room for a Princess sized bed. A door to a large walk in closet could be found on the far wall, close to a large bay window that allowed sunlight to filter into the room. The long golden beige drapes that hung on the window were closed for the evening, bouncing the flickering candle light of the room back in on itself.
Vocal Chord, already well on the way to that subspace, sat on top of the springy mattress, his blue tail wagging happily behind him. As his owner got closer, the unicorn found himself getting more excited and energetic. "Well aren't we a hyper little puppy," Dusk smirked, slowly looking over Vocal's tantalizing body.
He noted how Vocal's body wiggled with energetic excitement as his puppy side showed through ever so slightly. The metal dog tags that hung on the collar jingled quietly. Already Vocal could be seen growing a sizable erection between his legs. The unicorn gave Dusk's face a playful lick which quickly turned into a kiss squarely on the mouth. That kiss led to another one and then another one, followed by a couple sensual moans from both ponies. They closed in on each other's warmth.
Vocal's member stiffened to its full length twitching between the two as they touched. The body heat of his master was enough for his arousal to be triggered, sending his heart into overdrive. His cheeks flared up as his cock flared up stiffly.
Dusk's member rubbed against Vocal's, becoming hard in seconds. He ran his hooves over the unicorn's body as they kissed each other deeply. His hooves brushed over the angles of the other pony's body, sending shivers down his spine. Without any more encouragement, Vocal quickly broke their embrace, twisting his body around on the bed. He moved about the sheets so that his back faced Dusk, his tail hole inviting Dusk to advance.
After liberally applying a hoof-full of cherry flavoured and scented lube – Vocal did so love cherries – that was sitting ready on the Prince’s vanity, Dusk gripped Vocal's flank, pressing down on his cutie mark of crossed microphones which caused Vocal to shiver with anticipation. He slowly thrusted his hips forward, bringing his twitching member close to Vocal's tail hole. The head of his cock teased Vocal, making the unicorn shiver.
Vocal let out a couple cute whimpers as Dusk leaned in further. The submissive pony's cock strained underneath him as Dusk's cock slipped into his tail hole inch by inch. He was allowed to pleasure himself as Dusk continued to thrust into his rump. A naughty hoof dipped underneath their bodies and began rubbing the twitching cock underneath. Pre-cum was already seen dribbling off the head of his cock, speckling down on the clean bed sheets.
Dusk's thrusts started slow, taking on a steady motion of going in and out of Vocal's rump. The pace steadily quickened, sending bolts of arousal through both their bodies.
With such a cute submissive puppy under his charge, Dusk didn't seem to last long. He growled with arousal as his body flared up with heat, his cock suddenly twitching inside the unicorn's tail hole as he filled Vocal's rump up with his sticky cum.
Vocal let out something that sounded like an attempt at a howl crossed with a whinny, easily the cutest sound Dusk had ever heard, as his body shuttered past the point of no return. His cock twitched and began spurting out strings of cum onto his chest, leaving the pony panting.
Dusk slowly pulled out of the relaxed pony, easing his length out of the tail hole. His own member was slick with his own cum, quickly deflating after the intense session. The wonderful sex left the two exhausted with big smiles on their faces. Their humid bodies laid on top of the cool bed sheets as they recovered.
"That was good...for a start," Dusk teased as he pulled his body up into a sitting position. He then dug through the drawers of a small end table that sat by his side of the bed. He pulled out a gold and platinum ring, engraved with VC, and held it up for the unicorn to see.
Vocal instantly knew what it was. He was very much excited. He wanted to wear it so much! But, he had to play his part. His ears drooped down flat to the back of his head, very much like a scolded pup. "Do I have to?" Vocal gave his master a pouty lip, eyeing the metal ring. While he liked to wear them – dogs didn’t cast spells, after all - he never enjoyed the initial headache that happened when the inhibitor ring blocked his magic. Still, he knew deep down that it was necessary to be a good boy.
"Yes, puppy. You wanna be a good boy, don't you?"
"Woof!” Vocal barked happily, “Woof!" Ever so carefully, Dusk slipped the cool ring around the unicorn's horn, giving it a little twist to snap it into place. He gave the device a couple tugs to make sure it was on snugly. Right away, the rings of the device began to glow a soft gold.
Vocal felt the predictable dizziness rush over him, making his sight blurry for a few seconds as blood rushed to the front of his head. Dusk kept him steady as the device worked its magic, bearing down a level nine inhibitor field on him. Dusk checked on his pup. "Good?"
"Ruff," Vocal stated, shaking his head as the aches faded away.
"I'm glad to hear it.” Dusk smiled, he knew now they’d had their sexy times and the collar and ring were on, nothing short of a nationwide emergency would get his pup to speak. He had his safeword of course, but Dusk knew just how far he could push his pup. He knew and respected his limits. “Now it's time for bed time."
Vocal Chord smiled and let out a big yawn. He leaned back onto the soft bed pillows and started to close his eyes. His satisfied mind already showed signs of falling asleep, the week in the studio having sapped his energy. "Op op op!" Dusk's voice rudely interrupted the gray unicorn's slumber, accompanied by a gentle but firm bop to his nose. “You're not sleeping here. You know the rules."
"Mmmmm! Mmm, mmmm!” Vocal whined, squirming his body to avoid the bopping hoof. Of course he knew the rules. That didn’t mean he couldn’t try and push back every now and again. “MmmMMM!” he whimpered, pawing at the pillow, his intent quite clear.
Dusk shook his head, "you know the rules. Collared puppies sleep in their bed." He stated firmly, pointing his hoof towards a large round pet bed that rested in the corner of his bedroom. In it was a plush square cushion that had a visible soft crater in the middle of it from being slept in.
Vocal tried to interject as best he could. Pawing at the pillow and giving Dusk the biggest ‘puppy eyes’ he could manage.
"Unless you want to argue with your Master and sleep in your cage," Dusk sternly responded. He had learned over the past few weeks, under Falsetto’s tutelage, to overcome the dreaded puppy eyes attack.
That shut Vocal Chord up real quick. On those few nights that he was extra naughty, really disobeying his Master or sneaking food out of the fridge, his cage served as his effective punishment. The large metal pet cage was only pulled out of its spot in the bedroom closet to be used as his place to sleep in at night when he was to be punished. While the thin mattress that lined the floor wasn’t strictly uncomfortable, he did so love his doggie bed. In response to Dusk’s question, he shook his head and licked his owner’s foreleg.
"That's what I thought," Dusk firmly nodded. "Now, out you get, shoo!" He gave the unicorn a playful swat of his flank, just above his cutie mark to ‘encourage’ him off of the bed.
Like a good boy, Vocal slinked to his pet bed, stepping inside of it, he turned around once then twice before curling up in a loose ball on its fluffy cushioning. "Wo-Woooof!” Woof, wooof!” Vocal the puppy quietly wished his owner a good night as he lowered his head down onto the cushion.
"Goodnight pup," Dusk said, pulling the fluffy covers over him and snuggling under the warmth. He reflected, as he turned out the bedroom lights, that it was a good thing indeed that Falsetto had taken the time to teach him how to understand ‘pup-talk’, which meant reading body language besides the tone of the barks. As the bedroom was shrouded in darkness, Puppy let out a big yawn as he curled up tighter on his pet bed. The wonderful sex and the constant surge of emotions from the pet play had left him tired and ready for a good night's sleep.
~ ~ ~
Morning came almost immediately for the sleeping Vocal. It seemed like the moment he closed his eyes, daylight was already shining brightly through the open bedroom window, stirring him awake. He squinted and raised his head, gathering his bearings and remembering where he was. The empty headed feeling from the inhibitor ring reminded him that the device was still attached. His collar tag jingled quietly, reminding him, if it needed to, of its presence as well.
Memories of the night before quickly rushed back. The way his Master had taken ownership of him, the ease with which pegasus and unicorn had slipped into their chosen roles. What was really hot was the trust each placed in the other. Even the awesome sex the two had shared before slipping into their roles completely. The weekend had just started and already he felt a quiver in his heart for what was to come.
His joints popped as Vocal Chord pulled himself up and out of his pet bed. He let out a heavy yawn and stretched his forelimbs in front of him. His collar jingled with each head movement he made. He raised his head to find his Master's bed empty, the sheets still jumbled up from last night. He surmised, correctly, that Dusk had beaten him to be the first one up, but not by very long.
He chuckled softly, for his Dusky was not a morning pony in the slightest. Slowly, Vocal walked out of the bedroom into the suite proper. His nose twitched at the delicious scents as his ears could hear the sound of cooking from the nearby kitchen. Submissively, he peeked his head in to find Dusk hard at work at the stove. “Woof…wo-wooOOF!” he barked the greeting, walking over and nuzzling Dusk’s hind legs. He had learnt a good nuzzle was an excellent cure for ‘grumpy-morning-pony-itis’.
The pegasus busied himself with breakfast, switching between multiple stations in the kitchen as he worked. The pony quickly glanced up from the pots and pans, briefly acknowledging Vocal's presence. He did so love his morning nuzzle, even if it was a travesty to be awake before noon. "Good morning, pup. Sleep well?"
"Mhmm," the puppy whined as he stretched his back legs, "woof!”
"Why don't you sit down, pup? Breakfast's almost ready," Dusk said, keeping his eyes on the cooking food.
"Ruff! RuuuUUUFF!” to show his owner just how appreciative he was, Vocal wagged his electric blue tail enthusiastically in the air. He padded over to his empty food and water bowls and sat patiently, panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"Good pup!” Dusk didn’t look up from the breakfast he was cooking – cheesy scrambled eggs and savoury pancakes – to know that his pet had bypassed the kitchen table and was sat like a good boy at his bowls. Despite the tantalizing smells of food and the growling of his stomach, Vocal behaved himself and sat in front of the bowls. He knew if he was patient, then food would come. His owner always took care of him.
Even so, the remaining fifteen minutes or so of cooking time felt like hours to the hungry collared pony. Occasionally he felt a quiet whimper of distress slip out of his muzzle as he waited. After waiting that long amount of time, he was all too excited to see Dusk walking across the kitchen, a wide tray balanced on his back.
The midnight blue pegasus smiled at the sitting unicorn, ‘He’s such a good boy!’ Dusk thought, full of pride at how well behaved he was. He placed the tray on the kitchen table before taking the jug of water and topping up his pup’s water bowl. "Aw, good boy. Waiting for your master to finish cooking. I hope you're hungry." When Vocal licked his forehoof, he couldn’t help but scratch behind his pale grey ears. Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, Dusk used a fork to scrape the fresh hot scrambled eggs and cheese into his bowl. The pancakes were for him.
His task done, Dusk sat down to enjoy his stack of pancakes, complete with haybacon sprinkles and maple syrup. While the Prince set about his meal with fork and knife, Vocal dived in muzzle first into his bowl, tail wagging ever so gently as he ate away. He was a much slower eater because by the time he cleaned out the bowl and washed it down with some cool water, Dusk was nowhere to be found. Before he knew it, his Master was walking up to him with a leash in hoof.
Without any explanation, Dusk clicked the leash onto Vocal's collar, locking the two pieces together. Dusk gave Vocal's leash a gentle tug. "Come along, pup. We're going for a walk." If he must be up at this un-goddess-like hour, they could at least enjoy the day together.
Vocal let out a quiet whimper as he followed his Master's lead. He wondered where they were going. ‘Probably just around the suite,’ he thought sadly. In spite of his previous efforts, Dusk had not been brave enough to take him outside, even into the palace halls, where it was pretty safe.
It was much to Vocal Chord's surprise, then, that he found himself being led out of the safety of their suite. He was so stunned that he forgot, for a moment, to walk at all. With gentle tugs of his leash coaxing him along, the unicorn was lead out into the marble floored halls that he walked through just the evening before.
The halls were, of course, much more active during the day, mostly it was the various members of staff going here and there about their business; waiting staff, cleaning staff, and the other members of the vast unseen army that made the palace run smoothly. Many of them were guards, patrolling the long halls with their shiny gold armor and powerful presence. Occasionally it was a royal official, record keepers, accountants, even the occasional ambassador home from their travels. To a pony, they all tried to avoid eye contact with the passing royal family member and his pet. Usually, they were smart enough to not interfere with royal affairs.
Everypony that passed Dusk and Vocal may have averted their eyes at the sight, but Vocal knew they would get to staring once the two passed. He couldn’t help but worry about the gossip that he fueled with his pet play and the reputation he might have built inside the walls of the castle.
Strangely though, for once, Dusk wasn't as worried, confident as he was in his position as being a Prince. It helped, greatly, that his mom, Luna, had taken him aside the day before and given him some pointers before Vocal had arrived. ‘Be confident,’ she had advised him. ‘Be confident, be calm, trust yourself and your pet. Head up, shoulders back, smile sweetly and best hoof forward.’ Dusk did his best to follow his mom’s wise words. He carried himself confidently through the hallways as they traveled along. Anypony he matched eyes with he held eye contact with, he made sure to be polite rather than embarrassed.
As such, the pair made it through the palace halls with no challenge. If Vocal was amazed at just leaving the suite, he was stunned to see where they actually were going. The royal gardens was typically the crown jewel for any spring banquet or seasonal ball that was held at Canterlot Castle. It contained a wide variety of fauna and flora that were carefully transplanted from their native lands all across Equestria. Exotic birds called this large expanse of greenery their home, chirping in the bushes and tall trees. The air contained fragrances from rare, colorful flowers. The tranquil atmosphere was free of any offending torrents of wind thanks to the high walls of ivy and hedge bordering the outer edge of the grounds.
During a special event, the place would be overflowing with ponies, every one of them taking in the sights, the wonderful scents, or using the colorful gardens as inspiration for their newest painting. However, on quiet weekend where nothing was planned, the gardens were a much quieter place. Only a few ponies could be seen at this time of day.
Dusk and Vocal entered the scene through one of the many open archways that acted as the garden's entrances. Vocal nervously kept his head down, making himself as small as possible as he followed Dusk around the large lake. Strange, how he had wanted to be taken out for a walk for ages. Now he was getting it, he found Canterlot to be decidedly different to Ponyville. He whimpered ever so quietly as he dared not look up from the ground. His eyes glued to the green grass under his hooves, too embarrassed to look up to see if anypony was watching.
Dusk, on the other hand, was rather having fun playing his role of ‘Master’. He kept his head held high as he carted his pet around the crystal clear lake. The much-needed advice from his parents ringing loud in his head. He showed much less fear in making eye contact with anypony who might pass by. He gave a friendly nod, a courteous "hello", and walked past without another thought.
Presently, after a short walk through the royal gardens, the two found a nice patch of green grass to sit down on with a strong tree to tie Vocal up if the situation ever showed itself. The shade of the large oak tree kept the two cool on this weekend afternoon.
"Look what I have for you, pup!" Dusk said as he fished something out of his saddle bags. He pulled out a simple yellow tennis ball and hovered it in front of Vocal's face for a few moments. He tossed the ball up in the air a couple times, smiling at his collared pet.
Vocal blushed as he stared at the fuzzy, yellow orb. He blushed even more when Dusk proceeded to chuck the ball across the field, requiring Vocal to chase after it. And like a good boy, the unicorn did just that.
On the first couple throws, Vocal's nervously – why he was nervous, he didn’t know. After all, this was everything he wanted - chased after the ball, looking around before carrying it back in his mouth. As the game went on, however, the gray unicorn found himself slipping into the role. He started to relax as he chased after the ball, looking around less and focusing more on the fun object that slowly got wet and slick with his slobber.
As their playtime continued Vocal panted happily in anticipation as Dusk teased him with the ball. His dark blue tail wagged as his eyes focused solely on the ball and not much else. Quite skillfully he even managed to catch the ball in his mouth without it touching the ground.
By the end of it all, Vocal was out of breath, his hooves aching as he carried the slobber covered ball back to his master. After depositing the ball close to Dusk, he plopped down next to his master, still catching his breath. "I never seen you this nervous before, pup,” Dusk commented, placing the tennis ball beside him. "I thought a good game of fetch would sort that out.”
Vocal smirked at this, rolling over onto his back to rest his tired back on the soft, green grass. Dusk had been right though, hadn’t he? Despite his unusual nerves that swelled in him, he noted how therapeutic the game of fetch had been. Dusk rubbed Vocal's soft tummy fur. "Such a good boy! Yes you are! Yes you are!" He cooed at the unicorn as the gray pony squirmed on the ground like an eager puppy. Vocal giggled underneath his Master's hoof, wiggling about as his tummy fur was ruffled. After a few more rubs, Dusk gave Vocal's warm belly a couple pats and pulled his hoof away.
That was the stuff. That was what he loved about this game. He was such a sucker for belly rubs, and he was more than aware that Falsetto had told Dusk just where to rub, too. Not that he minded, while he was being told he was a good boy and getting belly rubs. The world could end, as long as he was getting his belly rubbed, he was right as nine pence.
The next few hours were spent lazily laying under the shady tree. Vocal rested his head on Dusk's lap, utterly content with the world as the young Prince read a few pages of the book he had brought with him. It was nice to take things slow after a hectic work week. The weekends were not only for playing puppy and master for fun, but also to relax and enjoy life at a slower pace. A much slower pace.
As it happened, when their stomachs both rumbled at the same time, Dusk had also brought some snacks to eat, a couple apples for him and a special cookie in the shape of a dog treat or two for Vocal. The quiet relaxation was suddenly ended with the sound of a closing book. "I’m thinking it's time to head in," Dusk said once he noticed that the shadows cast by the sun and the oak tree were lengthening quite a bit. He also didn’t like the look of the cloudy sky. He gently nudged his puppy off his lap and stood up off the soft grass.
As he stood up, Vocal at last noticed just how messy he had gotten from their afternoon of play. Grass clippings, leaves and a couple of little twigs clung to his gray coat as the fur around his hooves were tinted brown from the muddy ground. Small twigs and leaves had also found themselves twisted in his electric blue tail.
Dusk stood up and dusted off a few grass clippings that clung to his own coat. He noted the amount of dirt that covered his pet's fur. "Some pup's gonna need a bath, huh?" Dusk asked playfully, tugging Vocal by the leash back to the palace. By his Master's lead, Vocal was guided back down the familiar halls and into their room where they made a beeline to the bathroom. Hot water was run and the tub's drain was plugged.
As the bath was prepared, using the Prince’s scented shampoos imported from Saddle Arabia, Vocal sat on the cool tiled floor obediently, not moving an inch unless his Master said so. Meanwhile, Dusk pulled some dry towels and a couple washcloths for scrubbing from the nearby closet. He stacked each item on the counter for easy access.
Once the water was turned off and the warm bath drawn, Vocal sat in the tub patiently, allowing his Master to scrub him clean. He would occasionally move a hoof up to be cleaned, but for most of the bath he behaved himself and remained still. "Did you have a lot of fun playing fetch today?" Dusk asked, washing some shampoo off with a splash of water.
Vocal nodded, "Woooooof! Ruff, ruuuuff!" Vocal Chord barked, nodding his head enthusiastically. He was definitely feeling relaxed after all that running and cuddling out in the gardens. It was only the first day of the weekend and he could already feel the stresses of life lift away. ‘Tired though,’ he thought, accentuating his thought with a wide yawn.
Dusk caught the yawn and smiled, "We can take a short nap before we head out again," he answered back, scrubbing some mud clumps out of Vocal's fetlocks.
"Mmmm," Vocal answered back with a pleasured whine and another yawn. He didn't want to ask where they were going to go or argue that he was too tired for any more activities today. He trusted his Master knew best, after all he was just a pup. It was so odd, a Prince washing him!
Bath time was quick and efficient. Just as fast as he was plopped into the water, Vocal was quickly pulled out and wrapped up in luxuriously fluffy towels. His Master took special care to get his pup nice and dry, resulting in fluffing up Vocal's gray mane.
Once he was nice and dry, Vocal was led back into the living room. Dusk took his usual spot by the reading lamp, a stack of his books already placed on a nearby table. Vocal took his place at his Master's side, lying beside him like a real puppy would. Vocal plopped his head onto his Master's lap, quickly getting a gentle pet from him and a loving scratch behind his ears.
~ ~ ~
The two ponies laid on the couch calmly as the afternoon slowly rolled by. There was a relaxing stillness in the royal suite, quiet enough for the birds outside to be heard chirping away. The wall clock quietly ticked away the time as Vocal contently laid his head on his master's lap, letting out a content sigh.
These relaxing afternoons were a welcomed change of pace for the busy ponies. Vocal especially enjoyed the loss of control and responsibility that came with putting on his collar. With the collar on, the unicorn only needed to worry about being a good puppy and following his Master's lead. And so far, he felt he was doing a pretty good job at that.
Dusk Melody enjoyed their time together as well even during the less exciting parts of their weekend. He was perfectly okay with reading his book for the day, occasionally giving his loyal puppy a loving scratch behind the ear. Even seemingly mundane things like reading a book was wonderfully enjoyed when he had his good pup by his side. He reveled in the sight of watching Vocal lean into his rubbing hoof every time he gave his head a good scratch on the ears.
With his idle mind, Dusk noticed a few patches of his midnight blue fur were still matted down from the quiet day at the park. "Hmm," he simply said inquisitively, closing his book and slowly shifting off of the couch. Vocal looked at him with curious eyes, wondering why he was getting up. "I suppose I should take a bath as well," Dusk explained, stretching his legs. "Can I trust that you'll behave yourself while I'm gone, pup?"
"Woof, WOOF!" Vocal barked, giving his most sincere of nods as he did so.
"Alright then," Dusk nodded back in confirmation before he turned towards the bathroom. "I won't be long." The pegasus walked into the suite’s bathroom and shut the door behind him. After a few minutes the low hum of running water could be heard.
Like a good, patient puppy, Vocal stayed in his spot on the couch. He watched the bathroom door while occasionally glancing over at the clock on the wall that ticked the minutes away. At first, he figured his Master wouldn't take long. His own bath didn't seem to take up that much time so he remained on the couch, patiently waiting for Dusk to re-emerge.
However, that patience quickly dwindled as time went on. It quickly dawned on him that Dusk was taking his sweet time with the bath and would not be out any time soon. He dearly hoped that this would not be one of his coltfriend’s famous four hour bubble baths. Patience eventually lead to boredom as Vocal continued to lounge on the couch. He then spent his time shifting about on the couch, trying to find a better position on its cushions that would somehow magically rid him of his growing boredom.
Nothing worked.
Eventually his dull mind tried to conjure up solutions to the growing boredom. It quickly sorted through dozens of alternatives, many of them requiring his use of magic which at this point was impossible. With the obvious things set aside, one thought dwelled on his mind. Cake.
He was reminded of the leftover pieces of cake that sat inside the fridge. Just picturing it made his mouth water. The multilayered treat was nothing special, just some leftovers from dinner the day before. Vocal Chord had only caught a glimpse the cake, but he remembered being offered a slice, but being much too full to eat any. Now that he was just sitting there doing nothing, a slice of cake did sound pretty tantalizing.
His bored mind continue to build on the suggestion. Eating was a great way to kill time and Dusk surely wouldn't notice if a slice or two of cake went missing, especially if it was Vocal's to begin with. Right? The more he thought about it, the more promising the idea felt. He licked his chops thinking about it. The unicorn quickly hopped up from the couch, quietly padding stealthily into the kitchen.
The cool, gray tiles cooled his hooves as he walked into the room, flipping on the main overhead light. The kitchen area was a rather modest arrangement, containing no overly elaborate luxuries in its design. A small island sat in the middle of the room, containing an amplitude of cabinets and drawers. A fridge and a number of counters sat against the far wall as well as an oven.
A chilly breeze slipped past the collared pony as he opened the fridge. His prize, the cake, was easily found, sitting on the middle shelf in all its frosted goodness. It was just calling out to him. Although the original plan was for him to only eat a slice of cake, Vocal soon found himself eating the cake in its entirety. He started to panic as he realized just how much trouble he would be in when his Master found out about his misbehavior.
His naughty snack time was suddenly interrupted, however, by said pony. "And what do you think you're doing?" The humourless voice behind him said.
All the colour drained from Vocal’s pale grey face as he slowly turned to face his maker. Standing over him stood Dusk, freshly dried off from the long bath, and wearing a very disappointed scowl on his face. The pegasus crossed his forehooves in front of him to emphasize his disapproval.
The panicked Vocal hastily scrambled for words. "I-I was just-"
"Misbehaving," Dusk completed the thought, "after you just told me you'd behave yourself." His scowl deepened as Vocal's ears drooped down on his head. "And puppies. Don’t. Talk.” He bopped Vocal on the snout with his hoof. “It's straight to your cage for the night."
"Aaaaaaaaawwwwww!” Vocal Chord did not need to talk to vocalise his desperate whine. Still, he had been naughty, and deep down, he kind of knew he’d get caught. He liked to push his Dusk, to see what he’d do.
"Off you go," Dusk firmly stated, shutting the fridge door and pointing an authoritative hoof towards the bedroom. Vocal reluctantly obeyed, his electric blue tail tucked between his legs and his head lowered. He quietly walked into the bedroom, not needing to wait too long for his Master to come in shortly after.
He watched as Dusk opened the bedroom closet, revealing the large metal cage that waited inside. Vocal let a quiet whimper slip through as he looked up at Dusk with his best puppy eyes. "In you go," Dusk firmly stated, unlatching the front door of the cage.
Vocal hesitated, doing his best to amplify his puppy eyes in hopes to win his Master over. Unfortunately, thanks to Falsetto’s training, the puppy eyes had no effect and the pegasus was having none of it, holding tightly to his stern expression. At the end of the very brief battle of wits Vocal reluctantly climbed into the cage.
The cage door was then closed, locking Vocal in for the night. As an added punishment, Dusk decided to close the closet door as well, shutting Vocal into a dim darkness. The only light he had to go on was the thin sliver of lamp light that slipped through crack between the sliding doors.
He sat there in his cage and thought about what he had done. The temptation, looking back at it now with less of a bored mind, was a simple thing to avoid, but something in him expected to be caught. He wouldn't have admitted it, but there was part of him, a naughtier side of him, that wanted to be punished by his Master. The thought was tantalizing, but to actually experience the punishment was a bit too much for the unicorn. Regardless of how he felt about the treatment, he was now forced to ride it out.
Of course, he had his safe word to use, of course he did. All he had to do was call out ‘Candy floss’ and the pet play would be over. The collar would come off, the inhibitor would come off, and he’d get cuddles from his coltfriend. But…that would mean no more pet play for the weekend.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it though. He’d been looking forward to this weekend all week.
With that in mind, Vocal did his best to fall asleep, but he struggled with the seemingly simple task. While it was warm in the closet, the cage was a little uncomfortable in spite of the mattress and its slender layer of padding that was flattened and matted from being laid on.
It was a punishment, after all. The discomfort left the unicorn alone with his thoughts, holding back instinctive, puppy like whimpers. He was sorely tempted to shout ‘Candy floss’, but on reflection, he wasn’t in any pain, it was warm, just not the most comfortable of beds.
He never really liked the cage, per se, but he couldn't deny its benefits as an effective punishment. His ears tucked back as he pathetically whimpered at the closet door in front of him, but deep down he knew he deserved it.
The only change in the mundane was when he could hear Dusk turning in for the night sometime later. He didn't acknowledge Vocal's presence as he got ready for bed. He could hear the pegasus going through his nightly routine and eventually climbing into bed. The lamp was then turned off, shrouding the closet in pitch black darkness.
The night passed slowly after that, minutes ticking away like hours as Vocal struggled to fall asleep. He would constantly shift positions, desperate in finding that one golden position that he'd be able to sleep for more than five minutes in. After so much rolling and toiling, Vocal couldn't see how he'd ever get to sleep.
However before he knew it, Vocal was being woken up by sunlight. He wasn't sure when, but he must have been able to fall asleep at one point after all. He sat up, yawning a bit as his ears twitched about to hear for movement in the bedroom. He could hear Dusk waking up shortly after. He eagerly waited for the closet door to open, minutes feeling like agonizing hours as he squirmed in his place.
As if answering his prayers, the doors finally opened, shining bright morning light into his cage. Dusk stood over the caged unicorn, standing with a strong, authoritative presence. "Have we learned to be a good boy?" The pegasus asked. Vocal pathetically nodded, desperate pawing and nuzzling at the locked door in a bid to get out of the claustrophobic cage and finally stretch his legs. "Good," Dusk simply said, unlocking the cage door.
Vocal Chord quickly scurried out, half worried that his Master would change his mind if he waited too long. Right away his limbs tensed up, crackling and burning a tiny bit as he stretched them about. The cramps were finally able to release tension, bringing much needed relief to the pony. The pup was led out of the room and into the dining area like the morning before. Breakfast was served in a similar way when Dusk took the liberty in cooking their food. Dusk focused on the cooking food as Vocal patiently waited by his doggy dish.
Dusk however, was in no rush feeding his naughty puppy his breakfast. With expertise, he made the cheesy scrambled eggs and pancakes from yesterday. He was tempted to just give Vocal the leftovers, but he decided against it. His pup had been in the cage all night after all. With a smile, he scraped a massive pile of scrambled eggs into Vocal’s bowl until it towered above the bowl itself before refilling him some clean fresh water.
Not wanting to further disappoint is master, Vocal hungrily ate his breakfast, satisfying his grumbling stomach that was forced to miss dinner the night before. He noted with a blush it wasn’t ‘too’ grumbly as it was filled with cake. He was a bit sloppy with his eating, but this was tolerated by his Master. Puppies can be messy eaters after all. Once his meal was quickly dealt with – he even licked up those few eggs that had landed on the floor - Vocal leaned back, licking his lips with a smile and fully belly. His quick eating led to a post-meal daze. He never thought a day in his cage would make him miss food so much.
He was suddenly snapped out of his daze with the sound of metal clicking together. He then felt his neck being tugged in a direction. "Come along, puppy," his Master stated, attaching his collar to a leash. "Time for walkies!" Vocal's tail began to wag as he happily hopped up from his seat. He excitably darted for the front door, eagerly sitting next to it in as puppy-like manner as he could manage. He did need to use the bathroom, after all, and the last thing he wanted was to ‘go’ on Dusk’s floor. That was a ‘Candy floss’ situation.
Vocal Chord practically wedged himself through the door as Dusk slowly opened it. The collared unicorn happily led the way, walking about with his head held high and his tail wagging wildly behind him. However, his mood drastically changed when his Master gave his leash a couple of sharp tugs, leading them in the opposite direction of the castle gardens. ‘No private gardens today?’ Vocal asked with but a puzzled expression and his head cocked to one side.
"No.” Dusk Melody grinned, having taken a rather substantial brave pill earlier that morning before letting his pup out of his cage. “I feel like a longer walk today, pup." Dusk raised an eyebrow, which served to make Vocal's ears prick forwards, wondering what that meant. "I'm taking you out on the town. Do some shopping, maybe even grab some dinner while we're out."
For a split second, Vocal Chord almost blurted out his safe word. However, as Dusk led him over to some bushes in the grounds to privately take care of his toilet needs, he thought about it. A longer, more public walk was what he had always wanted. As he urinated against the bush, he reflected that Falsetto walked him around Ponyville all the time. So why would Canterlot be any different?
‘Because it’s Canterlot’, he thought, quietly whimpering as they started to walk out of the familiar grounds of the royal gardens. He wasn’t worried for himself, oh no, Vocal was happy and confident that no matter what, he’d be fine and so would his band. What he worried about was Dusk, and the effect being out like this would have on the Prince’s reputation and standing in the Noble District.
Dusk immediately caught the hesitance in his pet’s gait, the drooping of his ears and the lowering of his electric blue tail between his legs. He also noted he didn’t use his safe word. Still, the young royal paused and knelt down, feeling a scratch behind the ears would be just what his pup needed. “It’s okay, pet,” Dusk said with a smile, delivering said scratch to the left then right ear, “I’ll look after you. It’ll be fine.” Finally, he rubbed under his chin, making Vocal’s hind leg twitch. “Unless you want to stop?”
‘Oh Tartarus no!’ Vocal thought, whimpering in pleasure as Dusk’s hoof rubbed his chest fur. Sweet Celestia he was cool with this! As long as Dusk was happy, which he obviously was, then so was he. More than happy to continue playing his role, Vocal reared up and tongue washed his owner’s face, delivering long wet licks all over his muzzle and snout until Dusk playfully pushed him down and led them out into the city.
It seemed like everypony in Canterlot was out and about on this lovely Sunday afternoon, or, at least that’s what it looked like to Vocal. The streets were packed with visiting tourists and snooty unicorns, all of them weaving in and out of the many stores and café that dotted the cobblestoned streets.
The sight of a unicorn being trotted around in a collar and dog leash did, of course, attract a few gawkers in the busy Noble District. Vocal could just barely hear mumbles of distaste towards him as his Master led him along the sidewalk. Foals walking with their parents would frequently appear to pet him oddly enough, finding the allure of pet play cute. They even offered to walk him or play fetch with him some time which Dusk politely turned down.
As the evening drew closer, the two ponies grew hungry. After a full day of pet play, Vocal was somewhat relieved they would be taking a break, even if it was at a public place. True to his word though, Dusk had taken care of him, even when that one rather overweight mare had branded them both ‘freaks and abominations’.
Dusk led his puppy to a rich looking restaurant in the Merchant District of Canterlot. The fancy building stood apart from the rest of the tall buildings and crowded streets, giving its atmosphere plenty of room to breathe.
A waiter pony stood at a podium near the entrance of the restaurant. The black stallion was dressed as classy as the restaurant, wearing a clean cut suit that was free of any stains or wrinkles. His attire was as spotless as his dark green mane that was slicked back without a hair out of place. When Dusk and Vocal arrived, he was busy sorting through a couple receipts and seating charts that laid scattered on the podium's surface. He slowly looked up at the arriving patrons, momentarily raising an eyebrow at the dog collar that hugged Vocal's neck.
"Table for two, sirs?" He spoke with an elegant and sophisticated vocabulary, mostly speaking through his nose.
"Yes. That'd be lovely," Dusk answered, "one outside if you’ve got it."
The waiter simply grabbed two menus from the nearby stack and started to walk to the left. "Right this way."
Dusk and Vocal were lead down a main aisle through the restaurant, likely grabbing a couple ponies' attention as they passed. Faint, muddled words could be just barely heard from tables as ponies muttered to each other about the strange sight.
The waiter pony lead the two through a glass door, leading out to a patio area. The patio sat on top of a shallow hill, overlooking a small yard as the rest of Canterlot could be seen beyond. A simple, metal railing lined the edge of the patio to set it off from the cobblestoned path that encircled most of the restaurant. Eight or so tables dotted the area, some already filled with ponies and their meals.
The two were led to a metal legged table with a clean glass top. A well-watered, pink flower bloomed in a small pot in the center. "Shall I start you out with drinks?" the pony spoke with rehearsed words as he placed two menus across from each other, "Water? Wine?"
"Just cider for me, thank you," Dusk said, taking his spot at the table. Vocal was moments away from asking for cider as well, but Dusk was much quicker, "and he'll just have water."
"Very good, sir," the waiter stated, walking away without another word.
With the composed pony gone, Vocal turned to look at his master. The pegasus leafed through his saddle bags and pulled out Vocal's doggy dishes, placing them underneath the table. Vocal was then ushered underneath the table as well, his leash tied tightly around one of the table legs.
Drinks came around shortly after as the waiter continued to – wisely - hold his tongue about the peculiar sight. "Shall I take your order?" The waiter pony asked, floating a notepad and pen with his magic.
"I shall have the wildflower sandwich. And he will just have a small salad," Dusk Melody efficiently ordered, closing the menu and passing it over to the other stallion.
"Very good sir," the waiter mumbled, leaving with the menus in tow. Food came shortly after, served on fancy silver platters. The waiter held his tongue when he saw the unicorn submissively sitting underneath the table. He just shook his head. These modern day royals were strange indeed.
With the help of a fork, Dusk scraped Vocal's plate of food into his doggy dish. Vocal patiently waited for him to finish, blushing ever so faintly whenever he looked around to see if anypony was watching. As Dusk delicately dined at the table, Vocal quietly ate from his bowl. The royal pegasus used a set of silverware to elegantly cut apart his food, never taking in more than a mouthful of food at one time.
Vocal on the other hand ate his food as quickly as he could. He reasoned that the only thing standing between him and being back home out of the public eye was the simple collection of greenery that waited in his bowl. The unicorn was a tad bit sloppy, but he efficiently dealt with the meal, polishing his bowl off and drinking down the cool water as well.
Eventually, Dusk was done as well. He took much longer than the embarrassed unicorn, but finished all the same. The bill was then paid without an issue, attracting more stares from nearby patrons as Vocal was pulled through the restaurant once again.
As if answering his prayers, his Master finally led him out of the building. With light tugs of his leash, Vocal was led back through the busy streets of Canterlot. Stores were slowly closing up for the night, the evening sky slowly darkening the orange sky above.
Vocal kept his head low to the ground, relieved that they had both made it through the day in one piece. Again, he was more concerned for his mate than himself. Dusk took the more scenic route back to the castle, weaving through the many streets of Canterlot. His path gathered a couple more stares and muttered comments about Vocal, but he could barely hear any of them. He was much too excited to get back into their apartment suite.
Finally, after what seemed like agonizing hours, the two returned to their suite, safe at last. Much to the submissive unicorn’s relief, there weren’t any more ponies to gawk at him here. "I hope you've learned your lesson, pup," Dusk said, unlatching the leash. "I don't want to find you misbehaving anymore. Understand?"
"Woooof! Wuuuuf, wuff, wooOOOOF!” Vocal barked in reply, again rearing up and liberally tongue-washing his owner’s face until, desperate for breath, Dusk pushed him down.
"Good," the pegasus simply said back. "Now I think that's enough puppy time for one weekend. What do ya say we get that collar and ring off?" In response, Vocal's face lit up with a bright smile as his tail began to wag. Without another word, the unicorn happily dashed into the bedroom, hopping onto the bed with a happy wiggle of his butt.
Dusk made quick work of the collar, slipping it off and tossing it back into its usual spot in the bedside table drawer. He then moved on to gently twisting off the magic inhibitor ring that slipped effortlessly off Vocal's horn.
Vocal was quickly hit by a rush of relief once the device was removed. His magical powers came surging back with a familiar tingling sensation like waking up a foot after it fell asleep. "I can never get use to that," Vocal simply stated, rubbing his forehead. After a couple of rubs, the burning pain seemed to fade. He moved in close to the other pony and gave him a big hug.
"There's my Vocal," Dusk said as he ran a hoof through Vocal's unruly mane that never seemed to behave no matter what product was used on it. With the exception of Falsetto’s mane straighteners. "Did you have fun this weekend, love?"
"Mhmm," Vocal nodded softly, leaning into Dusk.
"Aww, I'm happy to hear that," Dusk said as he hugged the other pony, "just for that, you get to snuggle with me tonight."
The unicorn smiled, leaning into Dusk and nuzzling underneath his chin. Dusk responded by pulling the unicorn close, enveloping him with a hoof and a wing as their warm bodies touched. A blanket was gently pulled over the two, keeping them warm as the outside air started to become crisp and cool.
Vocal was out like a light almost instantly. Before long, he was slumbering quietly, still snuggling close to Dusk. "Goodnight V," Dusk said with a light peck on the other pony's forehead.
