> Together at Last
>  by Cereal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight's forelegs rested on her bed with her brother's, the silk sheet's contact with her hooves a sensuous feeling. Her hind legs stood on the floor, spread apart before the bed and welcoming her brother. On her back rested Shining Armor's chest and his stomach on her flank. Between her legs, deep inside her, Shining Armor's member slipped in and out with growing pleasure; the walls of Twilight's insides leaking lubrication with each rhythmic pump. The ponies' breathing quickened as the stallion increased the pace of their lovemaking. Gradually louder moans escaped from his sister's mouth, feeding the lust within him. 
A chilled breeze blew in from the open window, flickering the candle lighting and tickling the ponies' excited bodies. 
“Oooh, Shining..” moaned Twilight.
“Mmh, Twilley,” Shining Armor replied through closed teeth. Shining Armor adjusted his position, taking his hooves from the bed and placing them lightly on Twilight's flank. He gently pressed down on her as he began to buck with an upward motion, his slick love muscle pressing on the top of her sensual tunnel, her most sensitive area. A sharp moan escaped the mare's lips.
“Yeah....there. Oh Celestia, yes,” Twilight pursed her lips and bent her forelegs, burying her mouth in the sheets.
Muffled moans came from below Shining Armor, driving his instincts wilder. He pressed down harder on his sister's flank, the dominating move bringing both lovers closer to their goal. His pace quickened further, his younger sister no longer able to tell in from out. The presence of her brother's fifth leg seemed constant throughout her love tunnel, transporting her to euphoric bliss.  Several long moments passed as the energy in the room increased in conjunction with Twilight's moans and her brother's thrusting. Finally the purple mare's channel spasmed in climax, longing for the seed of her older brother. The powerful squeezing on the stallion's shaft pushed him past his breaking point, sweet juices spurted from his tip, splashing into the gate of his sister's womb, only the strongest soldiers breaking through.
Twilight's walls spasmed a second time as she felt her brother's twitching member splurge inside, their warm juices mixing and pooling inside her. Minutes passed as the two ponies stood in silence, letting their sexual instincts fade.
Rested from the passionate session, Shining Armor helped Twilight into bed and laid next to her, a foreleg draped over her. Shining Armor's horn glowed with magic as he pulled the covers over himself and his sister at the same time she magically doused the candles. He kissed her on the back of her neck, whispered a good night wish into her ear, and joined her in dreamland.


***


A crisp morning breeze, carrying the scent of flowers and oranges blew in from the open window and, reaching the sleeping mare's nostrils, put a happy smile on her face. Twilight woke up to the beautiful scent and noticed Shining Armor's spot was empty, a mere imprint in the mattress. She climbed out of bed, letting the silk sheets fall off her body and onto the floor. She meandered over to the window, sleep still tugging at her muscles. When she reached the portal, she drew back the curtains and raised the window to its full height. She propped her fore hooves on the windowsill, gazing lazily out onto the lake next to the secluded cottage, the horizon off to the east lighting the tranquil world in front of the pony's eyes. Orange trees swayed in the titillating wind and on the surface of the lake, a solitary fish jumped, catching breakfast in its gaping mouth.
The unicorn mare came off the windowsill and stretched in the warmth of the sun's rays. Fully awake, the cheerful pony trotted to the bedroom door, a bounce in her step this fine morning, and opened the door with her telekinesis. As she stepped out of the room, through the hall and onto the stairs, a new scent delighted her, cinnamon. She smiled to herself at the thought of what a loving brother she had, cooking her her favorite breakfast after such a perfect night. Twilight reached the bottom of the staircase, crossed the living room to the kitchen's threshold where she stopped, watching as Shining Armor dipped bread into a mixture of milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla before placing them to cook on  a pan over the wood burning stove. She stared his muscled frame as he worked to provide for her, seemingly unaware of her presence. 
“Good Morning Twilley,” he said, turning to walk toward her. Of course the captain of the guard, ever alert, had heard her descent to the lower level.
“Good Morning, BBBFF,” Twilight replied, walking over to meet her brother. They met in the middle of the kitchen and stood on their hind legs, wrapping their forelegs around the other.
“Breakfast will be ready in just a minute, have a seat,” the older sibling said as he returned to the work at the stove. Twilight grabbed a stool at the table and sat down eager for the promising meal. “I figure after breakfast we can harvest some of the vegetables in the garden, and then hang out by the lake before we head over to Fluttershy's for the picnic. What do you think?” the white stallion asked. 
“It sounds good to me,” Twilight responded, still fixated on Shining Armor. “Anything sounds good to me after last night.” Shining Armor chuckled.
“I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did as well. It's been too long since we've been together,” he said, spreading the coals in the stove and removing the pan. He placed the last of the toast on a plate and walked over to the table, carrying the plates in the air alongside him. He set one in front of his sister and the other in front of himself as he sat on the other stool at the table, directly across from Twilight. Two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice trailed behind, landing next to the plates.
“It has. It felt like ages,” Twilight said. “Are you sure you can only stay for a week?” Twilight's head perked up.
“Unfortunately. Cadance can't rule the crystal empire by herself, even if we do have a phenomenal council helping us,” her brother replied, taking a bite of breakfast. Twilight lowered her head and pouted. Shining Armor didn't notice, going off on a tangent about running the empire. The rest of breakfast passed in similar vain conversation all while Twilight's thoughts floated to the previous night. Afterward Twilight cleaned up while Shining Armor went to the garden to prepare for harvest. The purple mare's thoughts drifted to last night, gratifying her. The previous night had been everything Twilight hoped for when she received news of Shining Armor's vacation to Ponyville. Twilight stood before the sink, dirty dishes hanging wet in the air while her thoughts pulled her to the past. Back to the first time her brother and she shared a bed together.
Her placid state was interrupted by a call from her brother outside, announcing that he was ready to start whenever she was. Twilight responded before she rushed to finish scrubbing the dishes, placing them on the drying rack, and trotting outside to meet her brother.
The risen sun greeted Twilight as she stepped outside, the soft, fertile soil of the garden folding around her hoof. Shining Armor stood tall above the plants; tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and beets all arranged in neat rows down the sloping hill, ending just before the lake shore. 
“Why don't we get started with the carrots?” Shining Armor asked. “Didn't Fluttershy ask us to bring extra?” Twilight mumbled a response, her eyes fixated on her sibling. Something bothered her. It didn't seem fair to her that Shining Armor acted like last night wasn't as big as she felt it was. She wanted to change that. Twilight softly raced over to her brother, his back turned to her.
“Uhh, Twilley?” Shining Armor called, looking around for his sister. A quick lick on his underbelly told him. “Whoa! When did you get down there sis?” he asked, a knowing smile spreading across his face. 
“Well I was just thinking,” Twilight tapped her hoof to her noggin. “Here I am with last night plastered all over my mind, unable to think of anything else,” Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at the chided stallion. “ And you're just going through your routine, like it's just any old day. Tell me brother, why aren't you as stupefied as I am?” Twilight asked. 
“Relax Twilight, it's not that it wasn't good for me, it's just that I knew how important last night was to you so I focused on fulfilling your expectations,” red flushed into the stallion's cheeks. “I didn't mean to offend you.”
“Wait, so you mean...?”
“Well you seemed so tired afterward I didn't want to ask you for more,” Shining Armor sat down on the soft ground.
“Oh my gosh Shining!” Twilight brought her hooves to her face. “How could you let me be so selfish?”
“Don't worry about it Twilight. We have plenty of nights together this week.”
“No, I won't have that. You deserve to feel as good as you made me feel.” A twinkle came to the mare's eyes. She bent down to the sitting stallion's groin and licked his sheath. “Consider this my apology,” she licked him once more, “and my thanks.” 
Shining Armor placed a hoof on his younger sister's head as her tongue continued to dance over his holster, and her hooves began to massage his loins. The beginnings of approving moans started to form on the tip of his tongue as his thick member started to grow. The sister alternated her licks between the skin encasing her target, and the tip of her target itself. The stallion ran his hoof through his sibling's mane, stroking her down the run of her neck as she rubbed her delicate hooves over his jewels while she knelt before him. Enticing her target further. She knew just how sensitive her brother's marbles were.
Half of Shining Armor's shaft now protruded from within and Twilight focused her tongue on it, licking upward with the top of her tongue and downward with the bottom. The double stimulation brought forth the first moan of the session from her brother, and Twilight Sparkle reveled in it. Shining Armor reluctantly stopped his sister, backing up through the vegetable garden to the outside wall of the house. A nearby orange tree provided shade and the stallion leaned back, supporting himself with the cottage. He beckoned his younger sibling over with one hoof, his other playing with himself. 
Twilight sauntered toward her beloved relative, swaying her tail and licking her lips, regaling when she noticed her brother's stroking quicken. She stopped in front of Shining Armor and kissed him passionately, pushing his back into the cabin wall. Their tongues swirled together in intimate eroticism and each brought a hoof up to stroke the other's face. Eyes closed and a touching hoof on the face, both ponies indulged in the moment. 
Twilight broke the kiss, saliva clinging to each ponies' tongue before she bent down to Shining Armor's full erection. 
She breathed hot, heavy breathes on it, teasing the stallion then quick licks to the tip, poking the opening and promising skillful pleasure. Twilight circled the head of her brother's member, trailing saliva as she brought a hoof to his loins, intermittently bouncing and kneading them. 
Shining Armor brought a hoof to his sister's horn, softly stroking the magical organ. He gave a push on her head with every downward stroke, trying to goad her to quit playing with him. Twilight wouldn't accommodate however, and only began to bob her head a little bit, bringing just the head into her moist mouth. She timed her head bobs and circling licks deliberately, making sure she bowed her head when her tongue was along the bottom of the head, her brother's most sensitive spot. Loud moans and the throbbing of Shining Armor's love muscle matched Twilight's rhythm, thrilling her. 
Again Shining Armor pressed down on Twilight's purple head, urging her on. Satisfied with how much she made the stallion suffer for not speaking up last night, Twilight began to take a third of his shaft into her mouth with each bob, stopping her circling tongue to slide across the bottom. After each bob, she circled his tip once, keeping pleasure going on both sections of his manhood. 
“Twilight..” Shining Armor whispered. “You're unbelievable.” His sister delighted in the compliment, and for the first time during the fellatio, Twilight took in her brother as deep as she could, tightening her mouth and throat as much as she could on the way down. On the way up, she relaxed and gingerly grazed her teeth along the stallion's member, sending a shiver up his spine.
Twilight dropped her hoof from her sibling's jewels and stood firmly, focusing solely on Shining Armor's cock. She repeated her deep throat technique twice more, before forgoing her teeth and endeavoring toward quicker, fuller passes. She refused to loosen her mouth-grip, both of Shining Armor's hooves now on her head, guiding her speed as her pace accelerated. Shining Armor's shaft throbbed faster, in tune with his sister's hastening stride, as he sped toward climax. 
“Oh Celestia! Twilight, I'm gonna... gonna..!”
The building excitement within the white stallion exploded and he pressed his member deep into Twilight's passage, spraying his seed directly in her throat. Shining Armor let out a deep groan as he reveled in his sister's gift. Twilight felt her brother's body on top of her shudder with pleasure as his orgasm raced throughout his body. His hold loosened as strength left his body and Twilight pulled back her head, sliding Shining Armor's shaft through her mouth, lapping at it lovingly with her tongue. She tasted his fluid as it continued to shoot from the tip. She sucked delicately on his head, bringing the last batch spurting out.
Shining Armor's manhood retreated back toward his sheath and Twilight licked her lips, savoring the taste of her older brother.
“So how was that?” she asked.
“I imagine it was as amazing as you felt last night,” Shining Armor responded. “It was by far the best.”
“Good. So how about we get back to harvesting these vegetables?”
“Ah-hah, good one. You know I'm gonna need a few minutes.” Shining Armor fell to the side, laying in the shade and soft soil “Come join me. We have plenty of time to pick vegetables.” Twilight happily obliged and cuddled up next to her brother for a rest. Satisfied that she had returned his heavenly favor.
> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun hung low in the azure sky and slow drifting clouds created patches of shade. Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor walked briskly up the winding forest path to their secluded cottage, their scarves flowing in the breeze. Chatter intermittently floated between the two ponies, but each however, was more focused on the serene landscape around them. Towering trees hid the sun, chilling the air weaving about their trunks. With the birds starting their journey south for winter, quiet calm hung in the forest. The ponies’ thoughts went undisturbed as the tranquility of the forest fostered in them a sense of grandeur regarding life. 
Twilight’s eyes met her brother’s, and in them she saw her savior, the stallion who had rescued her from the pits of despair, who had taught her to love again. 
Shining Armor saw his delicate little sister, the flower who he had sworn to protect and to nurture. He shuddered at the memory of her once broken self, longing for comfort. Twilight nudged her brother, pulling him back to the present.
“I asked, what do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll cook since you made breakfast.”
“Oh uh, how about fried tofu and steamed greens?” he responded.
“Mmm, sounds good,” Twilight said, resting her head on Shining Armor’s shoulder. Shining Armor returned the gesture as the two ponies crested the hill before their hidden resort, the scent of oranges now in the air. 
Orange hues washed over the lake as the setting sun’s last light illuminated the scenery. The surface of the lake danced as the steady wind blew over it. A skittish deer grazing by the side of the cabin bolted into the woods at the sight of the couple.
Shining Armor led his sister to the porch and opened the door with a glow of magic ushering her in. He levitated their scarves off to the pegs next to the door and walked over to the fireplace.
“I’ll get the fireplace going while you start on dinner, it’s going to be a chilly night,” Shining Armor stated. “We can spend the night down here.”
“Sounds romantic,” his sister said. “I’ll look forward to it.” The purple pony disappeared through the door into the kitchen; light shone from it as she lit some candles.
Shining Armor arranged the fire wood into a square design. He stuck kindling in the center and placed a few logs over top. The tip of his horn sparked, sending magic sizzling into the kindling. A tiny fire quickly sprouted and soon spread to the dry fuel. His task completed, Shining Armor climbed onto the couch and lay down, his gaze locked on the brick fireplace.
Magic flared to life in the stallion’s horn and he pulled close the curtains flanking the windows of the cabin, blocking out what little light remained outside. The open room was covered in moving shadows as flames flickered in the fireplace. Shining Armor’s eyes glossed over as the atmosphere sent his memory reeling to a familiar setting months ago.


***


It had been another romantic, passionate evening spent with Cadance. The two lovers curled up together in front of a blazing fire. It was getting late and Shining Armor needed to leave. He got up, kissed Cadance good night and threw his rain coat on before stepping out in the storm. He went straight home through the rain, the streets clear of ponies; only the ones with the most urgent business out in the downpour.
He arrived at the modest Canterlot home that he happily called his own, but paused, confused to see the door wide open despite the weather. A feeling of unease came over the young stallion and he tentatively climbed the steps up to the door. He walked past the threshold, about to call out for his sister when he heard a voice cry out. The stallion could never have imagined such a soul-cutting sound could come from his sister’s mouth.
Fueled by terror, Shining Armor threw off his raincoat and rushed upstairs to his sister’s room, fearing the worst. The sight in the room would forever scar him. Twilight lay prostrate on her bedroom floor, her muzzle soaked with tears. Over her body stood a large pegasus stallion, eyes wide with madness, incoherent babbling coming from his mouth. The disgust in Shining Armor froze him solid. He was unable to believe his eyes. 
The string of denials streaming from Twilight’s mouth broke the inexplicable hold over Shining Armor. A primal roar of anger erupted from his mouth and caught the pegasus by surprise. Shining Armor lowered his horn and charged with reckless abandon. 
Instinct controlled the pegasus’ actions and he turned to face his attacker. He couldn’t turn quick enough however, and the unicorn crashed into his side, the white horn colliding with his shoulder, popping it from place. Shining Armor took a step back before ramming into his sister’s assailant once more. With one less leg to help him balance, the pegasus fell to the floor, a new bruise coloring from the second attack. 
Shining Armor ordered Twilight out of the room, and without hesitation she fled into the hallway. It took all of Shining Armor’s strength to stand still and not continue beating the broken pegasus. Shining Armor used his magic to tie the pegasus up with Twilight’s bed sheets and stuffed a pillowcase in his mouth to end his rambling.
Shining Armor stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him. Twilight was curled up on the floor across from her room. 
“Hey kiddo, can you stand?” Shining Armor asked. “We need to go get one of the royal guard to take him.” Twilight meekly nodded as she stood up, leaning heavily on her brother for support. “Alright sis let’s go.” Shining Armor guided his sister slowly downstairs and to the front door where he dressed her in her rain coat then slipped on his own before both ponies stepped outside.

Swift Guard knew something was wrong when he saw the sibling’s exit, Twilight leaning heavily on her brother. He had stopped in front of the captain’s house when he noticed the door ajar despite the weather and ran over to the two.
“Captain! Is something wrong sir?” he asked as he crossed the street.
“Swift Guard! I’m glad to see you,” Shining Armor said. “I need you to bring your men here as quickly as you can.” Swift Guard brought a hoof up in salute before galloping off toward the closest guard station.

It took several days before Twilight could tell the tale in full. Though she refused to go into details of the actual assault in the bedroom. Instead hinting heavily at what the pegasus had done. She had met the pegasus at the library just a few days earlier; they got along well, both interested in researching historical unicorns. Twilight had invited him over that night to show him her personal library, which contained a few rare books, the only ones in print. 
The pegasus began his assault as soon as they got inside, pinning Twilight against the wall and trying to kiss her. She broke away and tried to run into her room, but before she could close the door his wings carried him in. It seemed like hours before Shining Armor burst in and charged the pegasus.
Twilight never answered when the guards asked her why she didn’t use any magic to stop him, she just hung her head in shame. Shining Armor hated when they asked the question; obviously the encounter shook her worse than they thought.

The first few weeks after the experience weighed heavily on the family. The bonds between them weakened as Twilight remained locked in her room, only coming out for some meals. Shining Armor took it upon himself to head to the library for her. On the rare occasions Twilight could be found outside her room, family conversation was awkward. Twilight wouldn’t answer her father with anything more than head shakes, and she would only confide in her mother when they were alone, keeping other conversations to one word answers.
She talked to Shining Armor most, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. He could only guess it was because he saved her. He never gave it much thought though, the talks they would have when he brought her library books were some of the most productive at speeding her recovery, more so than when she discussed the event with her mother. They didn’t discuss the event, just idle chatter, but Shining Armor loved to see her opening back up.
Eventually Twilight warmed up to her family, and most nights were back to normal, except for the odd night when she preferred to stay in her room. Her friends came up from Ponyville to help with the recovery, after Twilight bid them to stay home for the better part of the ordeal. Her parents were happy to see that she was willing to talk with them again. Together with her parents the five friends were able to get Twilight outside fairly regularly, starting with short trips to the library. 
She adjusted fairly well to life after that, although those that knew about the incident could notice her going out of her way to avoid talking to any stallions, and even some older colts. Any male that happened to get her into a conversation found her answers straight and short, with her body always turned to leave at any moment, and she did everything possible to make sure she would never be alone with anyone.
As the weeks went by, Twilight found herself growing frustrated with herself. Unable to meet any new stallions, depression gripped her as she realized she might never love again, that she might never foster a family. Without some other pony to love Twilight started to develop feelings for the only two stallions in her life. She knew her father would never accept her growing feelings. There was no way he or her mother would accept such a relationship; Shining Armor on the other hoof, might.
Being married to a pony whose special talent was love itself took a certain kind of stallion. Cadance was open about her philosophies on love and almost every pony knew it. She was often quoted for saying “Love knows no bounds,” and she openly saw other ponies. Shining Armor had nothing against it; he understood polyamorous ponies. However with Twilight’s growing intimacy he found himself considering the option., though he wouldn’t admit it at first. As she started to move closer to him, he too, moved closer to her. Reluctance held him on the edge however, he doubted that it would be the best course; he would rather help her open up to other males.
Over the next few days Shining Armor invited her out with him and his friends. Subtle at first, he tried to get her to talk with some of the guys. When it didn’t work, Shining Armor dropped the subtleness and openly urged Twilight to give another relationship a shot. Seeing the merit in the endeavor, Twilight gave it a shot. She spent a few nights hanging with Swift Guard and her brother, but after a few days Twilight found herself unable to completely trust him.. Swift Guard became frustrated with the relationship and ended it. Twilight was unaffected; by this point she had completely convinced herself that Shining Armor would be the only one she would ever love.
Shining Armor started to see no other option; if he wanted his sister to learn to love again he would have to be the one to teach her. With Cadance’s guidance Shining Armor started dating his sister with the intention of one day weaning her off. 


***


Shining Armor watched the shadows dance on the cabin walls as the fire warmed the living room, shielding the home from the unusual summer chill. The clatter of dishes and silverware could be heard from the kitchen as Twilight finished preparing dinner. Shining Armor breathed a sigh as he let his muscles relax from the day’s long travels. The road to and from Fluttershy’s cottage was a long and winding one and it had tired both Shining Armor and his sister. Twilight called him from the kitchen.
“Can you set the table, BBBFF? I need to finish steaming the greens and then it will be ready.”
“Sure thing,” Shining Armor replied as he got off the couch and trotted into the kitchen. Grabbing the dinnerware in his magical grip he levitated them over to the table and arranged a place for both him and his sister. He finished placing the last fork for himself and turned to levitate the pan of tofu over to the center of the table. Twilight stirred the mixture of vegetables in the steamer before placing the lid back on.
“Just another minute or two and they’ll be ready,” she said.
“Good, it smells so delicious I can hardly wait,” he said and sniffed the golden brown squares, licking his lips.
“Well sit down and hold your horses. I said just a minute,” the purple mare said, turning to the sink and washing off her cutting board. Shining Armor sat down on a stool and grabbed half of the tofu squares steaming in the pan. He shook some seasoning from the assortment on the table across the crispy delights. His magic covered one of the squares and he brought it to his mouth.
“Hey! No eating until everyone is at the table,” Twilight scolded.
“Who are you? Mom?” Shining Armor asked. He moved the piece of tofu closer to his mouth.
“Don’t you dare.”
“I think the greens are done,” Shining Armor said. Twilight turned to look at the steamer before realizing the ploy. She looked back at her brother. 
He chewed the tofu with a stupid grin on his face.
“Whatever,” Twilight said before she turned off the steamer and brought it over to the table. She levitated the rest of the tofu to her plate, and the pan over to the sink, then she grabbed half of the greens, her brother took the rest. She left the steamer on the table as she and her brother ate. They reminisced about their younger days when they lived together with their parents. Dinner passed quickly, both ponies eager to eat after the long day. 

Twilight and her brother sat curled up on the couch by the fire. A light blanket and the warmth of the fireplace kept them warm. Crickets chirped outside and an occasional owl hooted. The chilly air gusted and whistled through the trees. Twilight nuzzled closer to her brother and laid her head to rest on him. Underneath the blanket she traced shapes on his haunches, just above his cutie mark.
“Uh, is it a butterfly?” her brother asked.
“Yeah, good job,” she told him. She began tracing another shape. Shining Armor’s haunches twitched under her 	gentle hoof. His sister’s hoof trailing through his hair tickled him and a giggle escaped Twilight’s lips.
“Does it tickle?”
“Yeah, a little.”
Twilight moved her hoof lower toward her brother’s underside, aiming to really tickle him. Shining Armor threw a defensive hoof to block her, but she stood up on the couch and used the extra leverage to out maneuver him. Shining Armor protested through a laugh and turned around, diving underneath his sister and twisting to bring both hooves up and tickle her belly.
Defenseless, Twilight could only hop off the couch and attack from the side. Shining Armor rolled over on his side however, and had four hooves to his sister’s two, and so was able to erect an impervious defense. Twilight backed off, deflected, and started to formulate another plan. Shining Armor wouldn’t give her a chance though, and he jumped at her from the couch, softly tackling her to the floor. 
Twilight lay under her brother now. She brought up a hoof to stroke his chest while she gazed deeply into his eyes. Shining Armor lowered his head and wrapped his mouth around Twilight’s. The fireplace crackled as sensual sparks flowed across the sibling’s bodies increasing their sensitivity. Twilight traced her hoof down Shining Armor’s chest and onto his barrel. She caressed and stroked his muscular frame. 
Shining Armor slipped his tongue into his sister’s mouth, running it along her cheeks and over her own tongue. Twilight pushed back and wrapped her tongue over the tip of her brother’s, gently stroking it. Shining Armor enjoyed the sensation, his sister’s wet tongue stroking his own in a devious way. Heat built up in the conjoined caverns of the two lovers.
Out from under the blanket and close to the blazing fire, sweat started to form on the ponies’ bodies. Shining Armor pulled back from his sister, she followed him up as high as she could, refusing to break the embrace. A string of saliva connected their tongues before falling down onto Twilight’s nose. Her brother breathed hot, heavy breaths on her muzzle. 
Twilight reached up and pecked her stallion on the muzzle with short kisses. Shining Armor pecked her back before rejoining in a fiery kiss. They lowered their heads back to the floor, circling their tongues together. Passionate moans escaped from the throat of both ponies. Twilight brought her other hoof up with her other as she continued to caress Shining Armor’s chest and barrel. Shining Armor took a hoof and ran it along his sister’s face, lifting it toward his as he pressed the kiss harder. Hot and tingling, their tongues danced in each other’s saliva sending sparks down their spines.
Shining Armor set Twilight’s head back down and pulled away from the kiss, another string of saliva keeping the two together. He lost himself in his sister’s deep purple eyes and he took his hoof from her face and stroked her luxurious mane.
“Twilight,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful.” Twilight blushed and smiled meekly. 
Shining Armor continued to run his hoof through her mane as he lowered his head and kissed her neck. He went lower slowly, pausing every few inches to nibble and suckle her. Twilight took her hooves from his chest and ran one through his mane while she held the hoof stroking her mane with the other. Her hoof ran through his double blue mane with ease and she began to circle the base of his horn, causing him to stop in his gradual descent to her nethers. 
His sister’s hoof traced the foundation of his horn and he took a moment to enjoy it. He kept his tongue to his sister’s chest, tracing shapes like she had done minutes before. Twilight blushed as Shining Armor connected the base of the heart he drew. He brought his hoof down from Twilight’s multi-colored mane and ran it down her side, Twilight following the movement with her own. 
He resumed his journey down his sister’s underside and stepped back to readjust his position. He stopped inches above Twilight’s sacred fruit and worked his tongue on the inside of her thighs. He planted soft kisses trailing toward her sweet spot, but always stopped just out of reach. Twilight felt the outside of her nethers flush and the inside warm up in anticipation. Twilight took her hoof from her brother’s horn and began to tease her own, starting at the bottom and running it up to the top where she gave it a light flick. Magic began to filter inside the organ and it glowed its signature reddish purple.
Twilight moaned.
After what seemed an eternity to Twilight, Shining Armor hovered over the folds of her love tunnel. He exhaled hot, slow breaths over the slit. A trickle of his sister’s nectar flowed out and around her curves, landing on her tail. Shining Armor watched love juice dampen the surrounding hair. He took his tongue and gingerly licked his sister from bottom to top, stopping at the top to entice her love button out of hiding. He delighted in his sister’s tantalizing scent and sweet taste.
As her brother lapped at her flower, Twilight could feel her lower lips part, inviting him deeper. Her horn continued to tingle as she alternated between stroking and flicking it, the magical glow flaring with each flick. She felt her brother’s smooth oral tool ride up her slit, lightly spreading her outer lips. The sensation of his tongue delicately touching the inside of her drew forth a coo. He rubbed and twirled the knob’s home, finally revealing it. 
Shining Armor took it in his mouth, caressing it with his soft lips, wetting it with his saliva. He folded his tongue around it and sucked, sending shivers riveting up Twilight’s spine. Her hind legs curled and a girlish moan joined with the whistling wind outside. He switched between swirling it with his tongue and vibrating it with his humming lips. His chin hairs rubbed the outside of her sex, starting a steady dribble of love juice that wet his chin. He started to forcefully bob his head up and down, performing oral on her excitable bud. His chin pressed in on her with every downward motion, poking into her soft insides. 
Shining Armor’s chin hairs tickled the lips of her sex and his steadily increasing cunnilingus caused a spike in pleasure as her pelvic muscles tensed before exploding in a short orgasm. Twilight squeaked and a squirt of clear nectar covered her brother’s chin, but he maintained his stimulation, carrying her through the orgasm. Twilight dropped the hoof from her horn. Shining Armor pulled back as the throes of climax subsided from his sister, sex juice dripping from his chin. Twilight breathed short, quick breaths, her eyes locked with Shining Armor’s for a moment before he dove back into her organic dessert. 
“Shin- Uh!” she blurted, unable to complete the sentence as her brother’s tongue dived inside of her. He licked the freshly lubricated walls, still in the fading throes of orgasm. Velvet and silk caressed each other deep inside Twilight and her fading orgasm was sustained. Again her pelvic muscles tensed, joined this time by the muscles of her love tunnel. 
Shining Armor rubbed his snout over his sister’s hypersensitive bud, darting his tongue quickly in and out of her. He took pleasure from the feeling of her hot, roiling walls gripping his tongue with their velvety ridges. The playful grip intensified with each thrust of his love tool, each move bringing the taste of his sister’s sweet juices. Lust fueled his hunger and he quickened his movements, bringing his sister, riding on the roller coaster of pleasure, back to a peak. Stronger than the last, Twilight’s orgasm squeezed her brother’s tongue out from inside her and several strong squirts filled his mouth with sweet nectar. Shining Armor drank it happily, licking the excess from his lips and muzzle. 
Twilight’s chest rose and dipped in rapid succession as her entire body convulsed with pleasure. Rivers of ecstasy flowed across her skin and the warmth of the hearth wrapped her in a blanket. Shining Armor tenderly kissed the folds of her secret garden before resting his head on her. He watched as Twilight’s body settled and her breathing calmed. 
“Oh sweet Celestia, Shining. That was incredible,” she said sitting up. She poured his eyes over his frame, the square jaw, the muscled shoulders set above a toned chest, the tender look upon his face. Twilight loved everything about him. His legs bulged with quiet power as he stood up. Twilight noticed his stallionhood protruded several inches from his sheath. The white member hung limply beneath him. Twilight stood up from the floor and walked over to her brother. She nuzzled his head with her own before moving around to the side, running her voluptuous body along his sturdy frame. She swished her tail into his face, wafting her scent toward his nose and draping him with her silky hair. 
She circled around back of him, letting her tail slip off his muzzle. She rubbed her body through his soft tail, the trickling flow tickling her. The purple mare came around on his other side; nudging Shining Armor with her horn, tickling the skin beneath his hair, then ran it up along his neck toward his own horn. She affectionately rubbed their magical organs together; hers was still tingling from the stimulation during her oral. 
His sister’s horn felt warm on his own; it warmed up as scintillating sparkles appeared around it, encased in a sky blue light. Twilight’s horn also flared to life and the siblings gripped the other’s horn with a ring of magic which they started moving up and down over the ridged organ. The magical ring tightly gripped the horn and tingled as it stroked the organ, warming it. Shining Armor turned toward his sister and locked his lips with hers. She tasted the sweetness of her own nectar on his tongue, and it excited her. She quickened the pace of her magical grip, warming her brother’s horn as he twisted their tongues in an erotic embrace.
Twilight, her erogenous horn near climax, broke the embrace and brought her horn to her brother’s, adding physical sensations to magical ones. Shining Armor tightened his ethereal hold and added a spell that vibrated the ring as it crested her horn. Twilight’s horn flared as it culminated in a euphoric burst of pure magic, secreting a white cream. The unbelievable event caused the spell stroking Shining Armor’s horn to falter, but he gripped his own horn and together with the physical sensation of horn on horn joined his sister in magical zenith. The same creamy solution poured from his horn.
Exhausted, Twilight sat down and licked Shining Armor’s face. He returned the gesture and again the sibling’s locked love jaws with each other, swirling tongues and swapping fluids. The silk on silk feeling aroused both ponies and Twilight brought her hooves up to her brother’s shoulders and pressed in to kiss him deeper, her tongue reaching the back of his mouth. She walked him back toward the couch where he climbed up. Hunched over, kissing his sister, he sat down on the cushions and spread his hind legs. His white shaft stood several inches from his sheath, getting harder as the promise of pleasure became reality.
Twilight broke the kiss and moved in on her brother’s genitals. She started with a deliberate lick on his smooth jewels, taking each into her mouth in turn. Inside the moist and warm cavern of her mouth she rolled them around and tenderly ran her tongue over every inch, coating it with dribble. She let the reproductive diamonds slip out of her mouth and she nudged her brother’s shaft, goading it to grow. The flawless tool stiffened.
Twilight looked up at her brother, and he looked down at her. Shining Armor loved the sight of his sister next to his member as she watched him, waiting for feedback. He nodded, and Twilight took a lick of the fleshy lollipop. The first contact of his sister’s smooth tongue on his member nearly doubled its size. It stiffened still more as Twilight worked her skillful tongue along its length.
Twilight’s delicate tongue quickly had her brother’s shaft standing at full attention. She kissed it dearly and rubbed the side of her face on it, appreciating its size and warmth. She went at the base from the side, taking half in her mouth and wrapping her tongue around the other side. The double feeling of tongue and mouth over his member elicited a moan from the stallion. He brought up a hoof to his sister’s face and her soft hair. She looked at him with large eyes before she started moving up and down his stallionhood.
Every inch of Shining Armor’s shaft twitched as his sister’s delicate ring ran over it. She pursed her lips during the ascent, grabbing parts of the shaft as she went. Her tongue glided over every ridge leaving no crevice untouched. At the top she paused and took her brother’s head into her mouth, pulling at the sides with her lips and running her tongue over the opening. Shining Armor moaned and the head of his member throbbed inside his sister’s mouth, swelling ever so slightly. He moved his hoof from her hair to the side of her face. He endearingly held her head, staring into her eyes as she released his head and started her descent. Again Shining Armor experienced the dual sensations of lips and tongue on his member. 
Twilight released the savory treat and took both of her brother’s jewels inside her mouth. She massaged them with the sides of her mouth as she ran her tongue fervently between them. Shining Armor, looking down upon the lust-laden site, smiled; his sister’s mouth bulged, struggling to contain his seed bearers. Further moans escaped his lips as Twilight began to take turns deep throating each. Preparatory liquids started to leak from his member. It dripped down to the base, leaving a clear trail and his sister dropped her task to lap at it. 
She circled her tongue around the glans, feeling every throb as it continued to swell. She brought a hoof to her brother’s groin and started stroking the lower half as her tongue swirled over the hot, bulging head. The taste of sweet preseed coated her tongue. Her lust grew and muffled moans flowed around Shining Armor’s sex. Twilight pressed down on his sex, taking it slowly, inch by precious inch. 
She started passionately, slowly. Her lips flowed over his organ with grace and she lightly pressed her tongue along the underside. She stared into her brother’s eyes, asking for instruction, she was his to command. Shining Armor guided her head with his hoof, keeping the steady yet slow pace. He savored each feeling as his sister’s mouth gently glided up and down, each inch of his shaft receiving its turn. Slowly she began to alternate between keeping her tongue pressure light, increasing the pressure, or making quick little laps. Each of the three techniques drew a different response: when she kept the pressure light, Shining Armor closed his eyes to relish in the sensation, when she increased the pressure his shaft stiffened, pushing back against her tongue, and when she lapped at it a small smile came to his face, the quick movements tickling him.
Before long Twilight found her pace guided by her brother’s hoof on her head. After each change in technique he pressed down just a bit more. Each change in pace also brought a change in direction. Shining Armor guided his sister’s head to a side, causing his member to twist in her mouth. As her pace quickened, so too did her depth. Within time her brother’s member ran the full length, touching the back of her throat. 
Twilight switched her hoof from the bottom his member, now encompassed by her mouth, to his jewels. She gently kneaded each, rolling it around it small circles. Shining Armor moaned at the simultaneous stimulation, both erogenous organs tingling with mounting pleasure. He placed his other hoof on his sister’s head and guided her into a frenzied pace. Twilight’s loving fellatio seemed to encompass her brother’s entire shaft at once and the pleasure surged. She kept her tongue pressed hard on the underside, enjoying the incredible feeling of the rock-hard shaft spearing her throat. 
Telltale gasps of breath came from her brother and Twilight watched as his face contorted. She locked down on the foundation of his love muscle as it violently throbbed, pressed in on by the velvety texture of her throat. Thick streams of hot seed shot from the tip, coating the walls of her throat from top to bottom. She held on tight while her brother shuddered, whispered moans flowing from his lips. 
The throbbing slowed as Shining Armor emptied himself but Twilight refused to loosen her muscled grip, keeping his member erect. Finally she slid the slippery member from her lips and planted a kiss on the tip before she wordlessly climbed up on the couch with her brother. One hind leg to each side she straddled him. She lowered her sex to his and rubbed her love bud with his glans, titillating it. Love juices leaked from her precious flower, mixing with the saliva on her brother’s member, further preparing it for penetration.
Twilight sat on her brother’s member; the glans pressed in on her flower and gently opened it. Her folds slipped around the glans and took him in, her walls tenderly griping the stallion as he slid to her depths. She took in his full length, resting her rump on his lap. For a moment the siblings sat gazing into the other’s eyes as they relished in the ultimate flesh on flesh intimacy.
Shining Armor pressed in to nuzzle his sister and she returned the gesture.
“Twilight,” Shining Armor called. “Start moving.”
Twilight bit her lower lip and brought her legs under her. She began with a steady rhythm, slowly riding the entire length of her brother’s shaft. He watched with bliss as his shaft flowed in and out of his sister, each time better than the last. He rested his hooves on his sister’s haunches, squeezing tightly as he followed her movement.  He reached in and planted kisses on her neck. She bent down and licked his horn, still excited from earlier, and coated in magical cream. She lapped at it hungrily.
Lust filled her as the creamy substance, an aphrodisiac, coursed through her body. She felt every bit of air on her body as her senses exploded. Her walls clamped down on Shining Armor’s member as the surge in pleasure sent her into orgasm. The sweet taste of lingering seed in her mouth doubled and caused her to drool. The scent of sex flooding the cabin penetrated her nose, driving her lust to new heights. Her eyes took in every inch of her brother’s body, his chest dipped and rose with each tired breath; his muscles flexed as he tightened his shaft and began to pump into his sister. The hush of her brother’s whispered moans, the slap of her rump on his thighs, the gushing sound of her brother’s member driving into her love tunnel, and the hum of magic in her brother’s horn all culminated into a glorious symphony that tickled her ears. 
The velvety folds of his sister’s twitching walls gripped Shining Armor in a tight embrace. His glans flared, and grew. Each thrust brought it to the depths of her tunnel, tapping the entrance to her womb. Melodious moans sang from her mouth with each contact, teasing her body with the promise of seed. He took her in his grip and laid her back on the couch. Standing over her while she was riding the throes of aphrodisiac-driven orgasm he took control of the love making. He bucked her with all his might, quickly increasing to a feverish pace. Harmonious moans came forth from the lovers, ecstasy flowing through their veins. 
Their song came to its zenith as Shining Armor buried himself to the hilt in his sister, fresh seed spewing out into her womb. Twilight tasted her brother’s essence for the second time that night as her ears wiggled and her body squirmed. She wrapped her hind legs around her brother, keeping him deep inside her.
Shining Armor’s glans grew to block off Twilight’s tunnel, locking his seed against her womb. Twilight shuddered as the pressure against her gates caused them to convulse while soldiers filtered through. Shining Armor collapsed on his sister, locking lips in a passionate kiss. He rolled over, so they both lay on their sides facing each other. Still inside his sister he pulled the blanket over them and broke their kiss. 
“Good night, Twilley,” he said.
“Good night, BBBFF,” Twilight replied, slipping into exhausted rest. Shining Armor threw a few more logs on the dying fire to last through the night before joining Twilight.
	
> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle's eyes fluttered as she woke to the cheerful calls of birds outside. Across from the couch where she laid sunlight shone through an open window and a crisp breeze rolled in off the lake, cooling her. The fire in the fireplace had died down to coals and the weather had taken a turn for the better with a warmer morning. 
She let the blanket over her fall off to the couch as she stepped down to stretch. Her joints popped, flooding her with relief before she walked over to the window to investigate a sound outside the window. The soft sound of a hoe striking soil metered in between the sweet calls of birds and the soft whistle of wind through tree tops. 
Shining Armor held the hoe in his telekinetic grip and worked the garden's soil in measured movements. Twilight watched him work silently for several minutes, taking in the simplistic beauty of the quiet lakeside landscape. Twilight thought about sneaking out the window to go and surprise her brother when he turned around and waved a hoof at her. Of course she couldn't sneak up on the Captain of the Royal Guard. Sometimes she wondered if he could even read her mind. She waved back and said, "Good Morning."
"Morning Twilley," he said. "I've left your breakfast prepared on the table. Come on out when you've finished eating. 
"Alright," Twilight said. She turned from the window and trotted through the living room to the kitchen. A bowl of cold cereal sat on the table with a bottle of milk in a bucket of ice next to it. Twilight uncapped the bottle and overturned it into the bowl and sat down to eat.
She finished quickly and trotted outside to join to her brother. Shining Armor held a bag up to her with his telekinetic grip that Twilight took with her own. He continued hoeing down the line toward the shore. 
"I've already finished an entire row so you can start on that one, and I should be finished with this one before you catch up," said Shining Armor. 
"Okay," Twilight said. "What's after that?" She started pulling seeds out from the bag two at a time and placing them in the ground then covering them with a hoof full of dirt. 
"Nothing. We're ahead of the schedule that Auntie gave us. I just want to keep up with the daily activity of gardening."
"I see," Twilight said. "Then we don't have anything else planned for the day?"
"Nope. Well I've got a meeting with Cadance to make sure everything's going smoothly back in the kingdom, and we could both use a bath, but otherwise we're completely free."
"Oh gosh. I don't think I like that." Shining Armor watched Twilight levitate a paper and quill from the bedroom window on the top floor and nearly face hoofed. "Okay then. First thing for the day is gardening, then I need to make a schedule for everything I want to do after." Twilight scribbled on the parchment. She then rolled it up and levitated it back through the window and into the bed room. Shining Armor silently applauded Twilight for her ability to grab items without sight.
"Geez Twilight, can't you even relax during vacation and not try to schedule it?" he asked.
"Contrary to what unorganized ponies seem to think, scheduling is something that, for me, is very relaxing," Twilight said.
"I guess I can see what you mean." 
Twilight was halfway done with planting the seeds in her row and had just passed Shining Armor. "You better hurry with your hoeing or I'm gonna catch up to you," she said, trying to turn the gardening into a competition. Everything seemed to turn into a competition between the two. "Bet you can't beat me," she said. Shining Armor was glad to see his sister acting like her old self.
"You're on Twilley," he said, and he started to work the hoe quicker. A smug smiled crossed Twilight's face as she pulled out a group of over fifty seeds. She levitated them each into the remaining holes in the ground and then covered each hole simultaneously with dirt. Shining Armor stopped.
"I win," said Twilight.
"That doesn't count, you cheated," Shining Armor said.
"How is magic cheating when you're a unicorn?" Twilight asked.
"The entire point of this kind of work is building character, concentration and discipline with a repetitive task."
"And the entire point of a competition with your older brother is to wipe the floor with him." Twilight's grin nearly reached her ears.
"Well congratulations. Now you get to sit there and watch me work," Shining Armor said smiling, thinking he had at least won a little bit.
"No, I get to watch you try and work with only three legs. That's your punishment for losing."
"I don't get a punishment since you cheated."
"Tell that to somepony who cares." Twilight wrapped Shining Armor's left hind leg in her magical grip and pulled the muscled limb off the ground, bending it up at the knee.
"Hey quit it Twilley," Shining Armor pleaded as his leg was stolen out from under him mid-stride. He stumbled for a few more paces before face-planting in to the soft soil. Twilight burst into a fit of laughter that had her down on the ground as well. His leg freed, Shining Armor stood up and shook himself off. He went back to work just shaking his head and chuckling to him, simply glad to see Twilight enjoying herself. 
He nearly finished half of his remaining work before Twilight could stand again. She wiped tears from her eyes and fought back more laughter. "Oh, that was perfect, you should have seen the look on your face before you ate dirt," she said. 
Shining Armor shook his head again; a tinge of red seeped into his cheeks. "So did you enjoy the picnic yesterday?" he asked.
"Oh gee, pfft, I can't possibly, pffftchgk, I can't imagine *snort* Ican'timaginewhyyou'retriyngtochangethesubject," Twilight blurted out before another bout of laughter overtook her.
Shining Armor continued to work without stopping. "No I'm serious Twilight, what did you think of the picnic?" Twilight wiped the tears in her eyes and calmed her laughter.
"Oh, you really mean it? Didn't I tell you yesterday? I had a good time," Twilight said. "Picnics at Fluttershy's are always a good time; though I was a little surprised to see Big Mac tag along with Applejack. I take it that was your doing?"
Shining Armor shook his head. "No, that was all Applejack's idea, and she didn't tell any of us. So how did you feel?"
Twilight shrugged. "Fine. I didn't feel threatened or anything, but it's not like he particularly stayed around me or anything. Plus I mean come on, it's Big Mac after all. He wouldn't hurt a fly." Shining Armor nodded. He was slightly surprised that Twilight felt so easy around the large stallion, but she did have a point. 
"Well that's good news. Maybe we should try again this week to see how you feel around a stranger."
"Maybe, but I don't think anything's changed. I haven't felt any safer recently. It's just like I said, Big Mac's sort of an exception."
"Okay I see, maybe we'll try an acquaintance or something before somepony new," Shining Armor said as he finished his work on the last section of ground. Twilight planted the remaining seeds and covered them with dirt. Shining Armor placed the hoe next to the shed and tied the seed bag closed before placing it next to the garden tool. "Now what do you say we hit the lake?"
"Sounds good. Do we need anything?"
"Nah, Auntie keeps a bucket of brushes and some soap hanging on the side of the dock." Both ponies trotted down the slope toward the shore. The siblings bathed in relative silence, each staying to themselves. Shining Armor kept glancing over at Twilight. He expected her to saunter over any second because she had been so aroused lately.

A short while later, both ponies clean and dried off, they sat in their own parts of the house. Twilight sat out on the front porch with her quill locked in frantic telekinetic writing and Shining Armor sat upstairs. He sat on a small stool in front of the hutch. His horn glowed light blue as he worked his magic spell on the mirror. An oval shape appeared in the middle of the glass, rimmed with a light blue glow. The inside of the oval blurred like water until a picture appeared. Inside the oval sat Cadance, hundreds of miles to the north in the Crystal Empire, but both ponies were connected for a brief time by a powerful communication spell. 
"Can you hear me, Cadance?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yeah hun, I can hear you," Cadance replied. "How are things going at the cottage?"
"They're going pretty well. I think you were right, Twilight's settled down after the first two days. She didn't climb all over me this morning wanting to be intimate. Not even while we bathed just a few feet away."
"Well that's good. Do you still have my instructions? Now is the time to talk about her problem when she isn't fawning all over you, drowned in hormones."
"Yeah, I've got the list in my saddlebags."
"Excellent. Don't forget, this is the most important step. You've got to start weaning her off the moment she loosens her attachment to you. She'll see reason then and be open to discussion." 
Shining Armor nodded at the pink alicorn. He almost hated talking about Twilight as if he didn't love her, and the relationship they had, but he reminded himself that it was for the best. He lived so far away and a long distance relationship just wasn't healthy for Twilight. If she had been as desperate for attention as she was at the start of this vacation, after just a few weeks without seeing him, the unavoidable months of separation that were to come would tear her up inside.
"I won't forget baby. Did you send the letter to Celestia, and did she respond?"
"Yeah Spike should be delivering the books sometime this afternoon." 
"Good. Then I'll have no trouble getting started in the evening," said Shining Armor. Cadance gave him a nod. The rulers then delved into issues regarding the empire.

Twilight checked off the third mark on her list, marking the completion of her schedule complete. She stood up from the bench and began to work on her fourth task. She had decided that a long walk through the orange orchard would be a lovely way to spend the rest of the morning leading up to lunch. She started off at a brisk pace, wanting to get deep into the orchard before slowing down to take in the sights. She veered off to the east before moving north, trying to keep the lake in sight on her side. The morning air had gone from crisp to gentle and it felt refreshing running through her newly washed coat.
Twilight took the solitude as a time to collect her thoughts. Shining Armor had surprised her by suggesting, so early in their vacation, to try and work on her trust issues. Didn't he want to spend some time with her? Twilight shook her head, and the notion from it. She was being silly she told herself. Her brother loved her more than he ever had. He only wanted to see her get better. Deep down she knew it was necessary; she couldn't be with her brother forever, not when he had an empire to run and she friendship to explore. She didn't like the thought however, and tried to bury it deep. All that mattered, she told herself, was this week. She finally had time to spend with the only stallion she could trust and she wanted to make the best of it.
Best of it? What did that mean? Go on dates with him? No, that wasn't it. Sex? Oh goodness. Twilight blushed, realizing that this was the first morning she hadn't lusted after him like a filly new to heat. Sure it was nice, but that wasn't what she wanted. No, what she wanted was to simply spend time with him, placing trust in the only stallion she could. The last few weeks of always looking over her shoulder were eating away at her and she loved that she just felt so safe in Shining's presence. That was what she wanted, to feel safe.

Before Twilight realized it she had walked a full circuit around the lake and was back in front of the cabin. She pulled out the schedule and marked off the walk, glad that it had been just as helpful as she hoped. The next task on her list was lunch and Twilight's tummy rumbled when she read the passage, agreeing that lunch was indeed a good idea. Twilight entered the kitchen and started making some food. She almost called up to her brother but stopped herself, telling herself that she shouldn't interrupt important political matters. So she ate her salad in silence, thinking a little more on the ideas from the walk. She was interrupted by a knock on the door, and a call from someone who sure sounded a lot like Spike.
Twilight walked out through the living room, toward the door and called through it, "Spike? Is that you?"
"Yeah," came the reply. Twilight's magic gripped the door handle and opened it, revealing Spike standing with a stack of four large tomes in his arms, threatening to crush him underneath their weight.
"Oh my gosh," said Twilight, she lifted the tomes from the dragonling's arms. "Did you really lug these things all the way out here?"
"Yeah, I came as soon as they arrived in the mail along with the Princess' letter," said Spike, rubbing his forearms where the edge of the books had been digging in.
"The Princess?" Twilight asked. She looked at the tomes then, and jumped slightly in surprise. They were the tomes she had been looking for in the library when she met the pegasus. Twilight had felt uncomfortable looking at them since then, and to think the Princess had sent them to her on her vacation! "Why in Equestria would she send me these?"
"Here, read the letter she sent with them," Spike said through panted breath. He held out the rolled letter and Twilight took it, unrolling it in the air before her. She skimmed it once before reading, a little upset with Celestia.
"Sometimes I wish that pony would mind her own business," said Twilight. Twilight rolled the parchment up with as much distaste as her magic could show and tossed it to the side. She thanked Spike and pushed him out the door. She instructed him to screen any further letters from the Princess before rushing over to deliver them, just during the vacation though. 
Twilight watched from a front window until the little dragon was out of sigh. She turned to the table she had set the tomes on and stared at them. She had no desire to open them and possibly relive the moments that led up to inviting the pegasus inside her home. She took the tomes, four in all, and levitated them over to the bookcase her Auntie used more for knickknacks than reading material. She placed the tomes on the top. “Out of sight, out of mind” as the saying goes. She had no desire to read them.
Then why hadn't she made Spike take them back? Twilight sighed, seeing her subconscious reasoning. Overcoming her distrust wasn't about following her desires. It was about proving to herself that everything was going to be okay, and sometimes to prove that she needed to make herself do the uncomfortable things. 
Twilight cleared her head of the thought. She would work on that at a later time. For now, she needed to get back on schedule. Spike's visit had interrupted her lunch and that was pushing into her reading time. She returned to the kitchen and finished the meal she had started.
When she was done and had finished cleaning up she pulled out her schedule and checked off the task. Now was the time she had allotted to read up on the two books she had brought with her to the cabin just for times like these, when Shining Armor was busy with necessary check-ins. She pulled the two books out of her saddlebag hanging on a peg by the door. One was the latest Daring Do novel and the other was a composition of all the new spells created last year in Canterlot. She set the composition down on the table and leaped over the couch, plopping her plot down on a cushion and bringing the Daring Do novel to hover in front of her face. It had just been released last Wednesday and she had yet to begin it. She made a bet to herself that she could finish the whole thing before Shining Armor was done talking with Cadance. 
She flipped the book open to the first page and began to race him.

Twilight closed the book with a contented sigh, another fantastic adventure, and a new villain appearing in the cliffhanger. Dash was right the ending was superb. She couldn't wait to talk with her about it. Twilight thought she had  beaten her brother, and one of her hooves shot up in triumph.
"Was it that good?" her brother asked. Twilight jumped, the book launching from her telekinetic grip. Shining Armor stood by the fireplace. He had laid a few logs in the fireplace, and Twilight never noticed. His sister's reaction made him laugh.
"Geez, Shining, I never heard you come downstairs. How long have you been there?"
"Long enough."
"Long enough to what?"
"Oh nothing. What do you want for dinner?"
Dinner? Had she really been reading for that long already? She turned to look out the window beside the fireplace. The sun was lower in the sky than when she had started, but not low enough for it to be time for dinner. She looked back at her brother; he had a stupid smile on his face.
"Geez, stop teasing me," she said, sitting up straight. "How did the meeting with Cadance go?"
"It went well; she and the advisers are doing fine without me. She just wanted to run a few policies by me first," Shining Armor said, walking over to the bookshelf. "Did someone visit? I thought I heard a knock on the door and then some talking."
Twilight rolled her eyes; she knew her brother had noticed the tomes. "Yeah, Spike came running over to drop off some tomes that the Princess had sent. They're the tomes I was going through back in the Canterlot library when I met...him." Her stomach sank just thinking of the pegasus.
"Did you look at them?"
"No."
"Just set them high on a shelf to be ignored?"
"No!” Twilight flinched, embarrassed at her outburst. Meekly she said, "I just didn't want to get to them yet." She twirled a hoof on the couch. Shining Armor pulled the top most tome down and set it on the bed next to Twilight. She visibly recoiled away, backing toward the edge of the couch. 
"If you're still scared to read it, at least try and get used to just being around it. It's just a book."
"A book tied to some pretty terrible memories."
"C'mon," he said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "You love reading about famous unicorns, don't let that guy interfere in your life anymore, he's gone. I'm sure once you start reading and rediscover your love for it you'll never think about him again when you're reading about them. Don't you think so?" Twilight nodded. "Good." He took his hoof from her shoulder and went back to the bookcase, taking the remaining tomes and placing them with the other on the couch. Twilight scooted back farther, now sitting more on the edge than the cushions.
Twilight's stomach felt like a rock inside her, weighing her down. She looked at her brother and he smiled at her. She straightened up, for him, and moved off the side of the couch, sitting full on a cushion, next to the tomes. Shining Armor smiled a little more. "Is this good enough?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"It's a start," he replied. "Do you think you could sit there for a few minutes?"
"Minutes? Won't a few seconds be enough?"
"No Twilley. You can do this. How are you feeling?"
"I guess it's not too terrible," she said, eying the tomes. "They are just books after all and I'm getting used to the memories they're evoking."
"That's good." Shining Armor was standing next to her now, and again he placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Do you think you could touch one? Maybe even open it?"
Twilight raised a hoof, but set it down again. She raised her other hoof, but set it down just as fast. "No, no I don't think I can. I think we're moving too fast." Twilight backed away from the tomes.
Shining Armor reassured his sister, and he got her to sit closer. Shaking, Twilight lifted her hoof and successfully set it on top of the tomes. She shuddered. Shining Armor nudged her shoulder. "There you go sis. It's not so bad is it? It's just a book."
Twilight nodded. "It's just a book," she said under her breath. The rock in Twilight's stomach seemed to shrink. Shining Armor removed his hoof from her shoulder and stepped back. He waited to see what she would do. 
With her hoof steadying, she moved it over to the side of the tome and put it under the thick leather cover. She opened it up and Shining Armor would have sworn he saw a small smile sprout on Twilight's face. Engrossed in the tome after reading just a few sentences she cleared the couch of pillows and blankets, propped the tome up on the side of the couch, and laid in front of it. Hours flew by as she read and read, only stopping once, when Shining Armor forcefully slammed the tome shut to make her eat her dinner. She wolfed it down and opened the tome right back up.
Shining Armor could only shake his head that night, when the moon peaked through the curtains, as he walked up the stairs to bed, leaving his sister to read.

> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight woke to the steady patter of rain drops on the window next to the fireplace, a dark and dreary day to contrast yesterday's sunshine. Dark, heavy clouds hung over the countryside, their fat waste rippling the surface of the lake. The many orange trees around the cottage jerked in the wind, whipping back and worth. Beneath her resting head sat open a tome dedicated to the works of Equestria's five most influential unicorns in the last twenty years. Twilight gasped and grabbed the blanket covering her to dab at the tiny pool of drool marring the pages. What would Celestia say if Twilight of all unicorns ruined one of Canterlot's most treasured tomes? Thankfully the pages cleaned neatly, no doubt helped by a spell cast on the tome to keep it in repair. 
She smiled at the tome before her, pride stiffening her posture. Just last night that tome filled her stomach with a heavy rock carved from dread. She had conquered it, and part of her fear, by reading it once again. Shining Armor was right, (weren't older brothers supposed to be?) the tome was merely an item connected to a bad memory, and she couldn't let something like that prevent her from exploring a passion. By disassociating the book with her assailant she moved one step closer to trusting other stallions once again. 
But that same step took her one step away from her brother, didn't it? 
Twilight found her attention then on the blanket around her, and the gentle snap and pop of the low fire in the fireplace; neither had been there went she went to bed. It warmed her heart to know she had her brother looking out for her. What would she do without him?
As if in response to her thoughts, the bedroom floorboards creaked.

Shining Armor woke to a rhythmic tapping that came from the mirror on the bedroom's hutch. He got out of bed, took one look out the soaked window toward the lake, dark under the gray sky, and walked over to the mirror. He sat on the stool and answered his wife's call with the second half of the spell. A small window opened across the mirror's surface, revealing the delicate face of his beautiful wife.
"Good morning, sleepy head," she said teasingly. "It must be raining if you slept in."
"Good morning, Cadance," said Shining Armor, yawning. "Yeah, it's raining a bit." Both ponies leaned forward to nuzzle noses. "How did the meeting g-"
"We'll talk about that later. Tell me how Twilight reacted when she saw the tomes," demanded Cadance, a sparkle in her eye.
"Well, she set them on top of the bookcase, out of the way."
"Oh please tell me you didn't leave them there," said Cadance.
"I didn't. I pulled them off the shelf and tried to get her to feel comfortable around them."
"And?"
"And she did!  She even started reading them again; I had to slam the book closed to get her to eat dinner." Cadance's smile radiated.
"Wonderful!" she said, clapping her hooves together.
"You're more excited than yesterday, why is that?"
"I'm happy for her! How did talking to her go?"
"About that… Twilight was so engrossed in the tome we didn't have time, we'll have to get to it today."
"Well okay, just remember that it is incredibly important to do that soon. Get the problem out in the open and have her talking about it."
"I know hun, we'll talk about it over breakfast." 
"Then I won't bother you anymore." She winked and blew a kiss at Shining Armor before closing her link to the spell, and the blue-rimmed oval in the mirror winked out. Shining Armor stood up from the stool and stepped across the floor toward the door.

Twilight walked over to the bottom of the stairs as Shining Armor reached the top, smiling at Twilight as he descended.
"Morning, Twilley," he said.
"Good Morning, BBBFF," she replied. 
“Did you sleep at all? Or did you stay up all night reading?”
Twilight looked down at the floor. “I fell asleep sometime after reading about Moonlight Dancer and her seven spells to help a pony dance the Dance of the Nine Moons.”
“But you got enough hours? You’re rested?”
Why did he sound worried?  “Of course, I’m ready for an exciting day, or would be, if it weren’t raining out.”
“Didn’t Dash say it would be over mid-afternoon?” Shining Armor reached the bottom of the stairs and went for the kitchen, Twilight right behind.
“Yeah, that’s what the schedule she gave us says. Thankfully, it's the only rain scheduled for this week.”
Both ponies entered the kitchen and Twilight went straight for the cereal lining one of the counters.
“Just cereal this morning? We can make something more with the time we have since we can’t work the garden in the rain.”
“Cereal’s fine. I’ve got a craving for some I guess.”
Shining Armor shrugged and fixed a bowl for himself, then sat with Twilight. 	“So, you didn’t have any trouble with reading after I went to bed did you?”
“No, once I started reading the feeling left completely. At first it was like there was a heavy rock in my stomach, but then it just lifted when I opened the book.”
“That’s great; you’re one step closer to opening up to strangers again.”
“I am, but…” Twilight looked everywhere in the kitchen but at her brother. 
“But…? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is. I’m just worried."
"Worried? About what?"
"About what will happen between us. Let’s hypothesize for a moment. If I do get over my fear of stallions, then what does that mean for us? Can we still be together?”
“Twilight… Don't you want to move on? You won't need me when you relearn to trust other stallions."
"But I will need you, I do. Even if I can trust again I don't think that will change my feelings for you. I'm not with you only because I can't be with anyone else," Twilight's checks flushed, "but because I love you."
Shining Armor leaned back on his stool. He was sure Twilight wanted to get better more than anything. "But Twilley, our relationship isn't healthy." Twilight winced. "Don't take it that way. Believe me when I say 'I love you' because I do, but I have my duties in Canterlot and you have yours in Ponyville, we can't be together enough for a real relationship."
"I knew you would say something like that, but we can make it work. Plenty of couples do, we'll be one of them. We can use that spell you and Cadance do."
"That's not enough, Twilight. It pains me to be away from Cadance and the mirror trick is not enough to make up for it. I know you want to get better, why are you so adverse?"
Twilight seemed taken aback. "It sounds like the only reason you came was to fix me."
Shining Armor sighed, and a pained expression marked his face. Twilight was too smart not to notice, but he had held on to the slight chance that he wouldn't have to admit to it. "Look, it's true I came here more to help you recover than spend time with you, but I did it out of love. It's hard to put into words, Twilley, but I love you two different ways. I love as a family member, like an older brother loves his younger sister. He wants her to grow up to be strong and independent. To not need anyone's help and make a life all her own. That part of me is what sees this relationship as a bad thing. I can't see you being as independent as you could be without me, and with your trust issues dealt with." Shining Armor tried desperately to get a feel for how Twilight was taking this, but she sat there, unmoving and expressionless. "On the other hoof, I love you as your lover. I want to be there for you, to hold you and care for you during all the troubles of your life, but if I just coddle you, how can you heal? They conflict, and confuse me. Does that make any sense?"
Twilight sat in silence as she took in her brother's words, her vision blurring from the welling of tears. "I-I think I need some time alone." Twilight stepped off her stool and walked upstairs.

Shining Armor fought down the urge to go after his sister. True, he wanted nothing more to hold her and comfort her. He had dumped a lot on her and it was surely as confusing for her, if not more, than it was for him. However, it was best to let her mull it over for herself. She was smart, she'd puzzle it out, but Shining Armor wasn't sure he could.  He trotted slowly into the living room and threw a few logs into the fireplace. The cold seeped in around the windows, and he shivered. Usually, a rainy day calmed him, and brought on a reflective mood, but today his heart wouldn't stop pounding and the cold was simply uncomfortable. He stretched and sat on the couch, levitating Twilight's copy of the newest Daring Do novel. He had always wondered why they were so popular.
Twenty pages in, then thirty, Shining Armor could see why. Daring Do was a well-rounded character and he could see how a lot of readers would resonate with her. If only-- Shining Armor set the book down in frustration. His sister was upstairs, possibly crying, and he was sitting down reading a book. The lover in him wanted to go hold her and whisper in her ear. 
No, she was capable of handling it on her own; she would benefit from it, and grow. Shining Armor growled. Why were emotions so complicated? And who had thought it a good idea to let them conflict?

Twilight wanted to slam the door, but beat the temptation and closed it with just a little force. How could Shining Armor be so…so…, Twilight moaned with irritation. What did he mean he loved her two different ways, how was that even possible?  And he admitted to coming only to fix her! Twilight walked over to the window and opened it. Heavy raindrops wet her face, drawing her attention away for a moment to cool down inside.
She let the rain drip from her face as she collected her thoughts. She could think this through, and understand it. She understood the way he loved her as a lover, it was the same way she loved him. Trying to imagine a conflicting point though, was hard. Impossible, she was about to say, but she shook her head. She would get this. Her love for him as an older brother didn't translate the same way it did for him, from older to younger.
Twilight leaned against the bed and closed her eyes, trying to picture what it was like to have a younger sibling. Someone to look after, to care for when needed, and to watch grow as they learned about the world. The thought made her smile. She remembered desperately wanting a younger sibling as a child. Someone to watch over and take care of, to help them grow and become an individual. She sighed. Maybe she could see why Shining Armor would want to treat her such a way after all. She wouldn't want to hold back that imaginary sibling in anyway, but how could she prove to her brother that their relationship wasn't going to hold her back? They could work things out. No, they had to; she didn't want to lose him!
She climbed into the bed and wrapped herself in the blankets where she sunk into thought for several minutes. Maybe…maybe she was overreacting. She couldn't fault her brother for wanting to help, but why couldn't he include her? Him and Cadance wanted to do it all without asking her how she felt!
A knock on the door broke her thoughts, and she looked up to see her brother enter the room.
"Twilley?" he asked. "Can we talk?" Twilight didn't feel like answering so she gave him a look she hoped was inviting. He smiled and stepped in, using his magic to close the door and window. "It's too cold and wet to have the window open." 
He made his way to the side of the bed where he stopped and sat. He lifted a hoof and rubbed the back of his head. "I've been thinking Twilley. It's not fair, what I said to you. I just... I just thought I was doing what was best for you." His cheeks colored beneath his fur and his smile turned into a smirk. "I shouldn't have dumped my feelings like you on that." She almost told him he was being silly. Sharing your feelings with your loved one was something you were supposed to do, but the gesture was sweet. 
"You'll work them out in your own time," she said.
"Thanks," he said. "But I think I already have. Not entirely, but enough to know what I want for the mean time. There's a part of the two feelings that are shared, and that's the part where I love you. I think I can use both to help you, if you want." Twilight smiled.
"I do want to get better, Shining, but in my own time, and by my own way. Can't you and Cadance include me in your plans?" Shining Armor beamed at her. She patted the side of the bed with her hoof. Maybe she didn't fully understand him, and maybe she hadn't totally forgiven him yet, but he was trying, and apologizing.
Shining Armor climbed onto the bed, and Twilight opened the covers for him. He slipped in next to his sister, cuddling close. "You got the bed wet," he said.
"Oh be-" Shining Armor cut his sister off with a kiss. Twilight's heart fluttered as her brother's lips locked with hers. This is what she wanted. Shining Armor shifted their weight so he half lay on Twilight, pressing his lips against her as he wrapped his forelegs around her. She pressed back, bringing her hooves around, one running through his mane and the other running along his shoulders. Twilight melted in Shining Armor's legs, and she pressed her tongue into his mouth where he met it with his own, the two dancing back and forth slowly. Slow and passionate they went, taking their time to enjoy the other. Twilight soaked in her brother's scent, and her body tensed at the promise of coming love. Heat swelled through her body, and she kicked the covers off of her and Shining, then wrestled her brother until he was below her.
Shining's eyes widened in shock at his sister's forwardness. So the desire those first few days wasn't gone? Good, let Twilight lead then, it was important to her, and him, he realized. They had the rest of their lives to help Twilight cope, but they only had the remaining week alone together, and Shining Armor's heart swelled with love. Cadance would be upset, but she'd get over it. His sister's drive showed that she wasn't as hurt as he had feared she might be. Twilight broke the kiss, a single strand of saliva connecting the two as she pulled back. Her eyes glittered, and she whispered, "I love you," as her horn flared to life. The tingling sensation of unicorn magic engulfed Shining Armor's body, making him squirm. Slowly, the tingling intensified, and Shining Armor's limbs were pressed tight against his side. Where had she learned something like this?
Twilight grinned as Shining Armor closed his eyes and moaned. She worked her magic along every inch of his body, each sparkle of energy bursting along his coat. The spell came from the book she had read, and it wasn't the only of its kind; Twilight thought some of those spells would make even a harlot blush. She held her kinetic grip on her brother's body as she stepped back and placed her head over his groin. His shaft lay on his belly, half erect. She worked another spell along with the first, and thin, pink tendrils of magic sprouted from her horn and glided along his nethers. Two tendrils danced along the underside of his shaft and four tendrils circled the sensitive skin under his stomach and around his stallion-hood, another two wrapped around his jewels. She sent pulses through the tendrils, and they started to vibrate.
Shining Armor felt his tool go from flaccid to erect in a matter of seconds as strange threads of what he assumed were magic danced around his crotch and on the underside of his member, dragging lightly over his fur and flesh in a ticklish way. He moaned when they started to vibrate. The two tendrils dancing along the underside of his shaft were joined by more tendrils that wrapped lightly around the base. They were thicker, with a stronger pulse than the rest and his legs twitched as the threads rolled over his member, leaving no inch unloved. Soft against his flesh, like skin on skin contact, Shining Armor writhed in agonizing pleasure as his sister's spell held him restrained. He yearned to squirm under the pleasure, to indulge himself fully in the deep sea of ecstasy. They were warm, as well; their heat flaring with each steady pulse, a heat that Shining Armor tried to lose himself in. Two more threads wrapped around his jewels and bounced lightly, vibration speed and strength changing with each bounce. The skin on skin feeling awoke a familiar feeling within the reaches of his hooves, and he fought every urge to sink in and submit so soon. He couldn't, however, hold back the steady stream of moans from his lips.
Her brother's moans only increased her excitement, and Twilight created two more tendrils of magic that started their way down to her flower, where they delicately caressed her petals. They were like soft, dry tongues, smooth and warm as they rolled over the outer walls. She giggled at her brother, biting his lip and trying so hard to hold on when she knew the pleasure was overwhelming. The spell's power had been documented in very deep detail. She thought of adding her tongue to the mix, but something about getting her brother off with only magic turned her on. She could see it in his eyes, the desire for flesh on flesh contact, let this be his punishment for what he said. Another tendril of magic worked its way to her folds. She increased the magic pulsing through the tendrils and set one more tendril, vibrating quickly, to work around her brother's tip as the set of tendrils around his shaft reached below the glans and paused, Twilight flooding magic into them.
Shining Armor gave up in the face of overbearing odds when the final thread brushed the underside of his glans. Three of the hot, beating tendrils tight around his head were too much to bear. The hoof tingling sensation inside overflowed, and his body was rocked by pulses of its own as he felt his semen rocket through his shaft and onto his chest. The thick tendrils caressing his shaft shot to the bottom where they squeezed as they performed short strokes in time with his spurts.
Twilight watched as her brother coated himself with his essence, licking her lips. She stopped all of the tendrils except the two wrapped around the base of his shaft, pulsing in tune with his body's convulsions, milking every last drop. Eight, nine, ten thick ropes of cloudy seed shot across the stallion's barrel. Shining Armor's moaning finally faded to panting as the last of his seed dripped from his tip. Licking her lips, Twilight leaned in to lap the salty treat.
Shining Armor stared blankly at the ceiling, nothing registering in his mind but the fading throes of orgasm seeping out of his body. Twilight relaxed the spell that held him tight before dispelling it, and he stretched his muscles, sensations returning to his body. He nearly whimpered as the magical vines around his member released their titillating hold. Was Twilight...licking him? Weakly, he lifted his head to look down at his sister, her eyes locking on his as she dragged her tongue over him, cleaning the mess they had made.
"Where....did.....you....learn....that?" he asked through gasps of breath. 
Twilight smacked her lips and stood up. "That's not important. Did you enjoy it as much as you seemed to?"
"What....do you....think?" Dead tired and still sarcastic. Twilight bit her bottom lip before leaning next to her brother's ear.
"I hope it didn't spoil your taste for flesh," she whispered. "And I really hope you're not done yet."
Refusing to let his sister wait any longer, he reached a hoof up to stroke her horn, and realized it still glowed, tendrils of magic snaking over her back. He grinned. What kind of brother would he be if he didn't play with his sister at a time like this? Her horn was warm, hot even, from the spells that she had been holding for a while now, but she still twitched under his hoof. His horn lit up, lifting himself up as Twilight backed off of him. Facing one another, she pressed her lips to his, the salty remnant of his seed crossing to his mouth. It didn't perturb him, and he returned the gesture in full. Their velvety tongues swirled around the other, mixing fluids. The familiar sense deep within him started to build again, and he felt his shaft twitch.
Twilight rubbed her inner thighs together, the void in her nethers too much to bear. She had resisted letting the tendrils enter to keep that burst of pleasure for her brother, but they still inched closer out of desperation. Breaking their tongue lock, she stepped back off the bed, and bit her lower lip again. She fluttered her eyes and gestured for Shining Armor to join. 
Twilight's look made his member twitch again, and a tendril from her horn darted under him to start stroking the underside. His erection was back by the time he stood behind his sister, and she placed her fore hooves on the bed, looking over her shoulder at him. That look of longing too much to bear, he darted in, lapping heavily over his sister's flower. The tendrils hummed and tickled his tongue as he pressed them against Twilight.
"No..." she moaned. "I want you." Locking eyes with her brother, she created two more tendrils that snaked behind her brother and pushed him forward. His well-worked hooves were rough on her haunches as he mounted and lined up his thrust. His tip pressing at her entrance, she rocked back at the same moment she pushed him with the tendrils. The void inside her shattered as her walls clenched tightly around her brother's burning passion. Heat flowed through her body from the contact, threatening to melt her. Hard again, he worked his smooth tool back and forth down her love tunnel, eliciting gasps with each thrust. Celestia, she had never been so horny before, and that initial burst had almost driven her over the edge. It didn't though, and Twilight craved that release. She made the two tendrils behind Shining wrap around his jewels and hum lightly. Creating one more, she sent it to her quivering bud and twirled it around the nub, shooting sparks of euphoria through her. 
Twilight's velvety folds wrapped tight around his member, and Shining Armor let primal urges take over. Slapping against his sister with each buck, he pounded her with a fiery passion that spread from his sex to the reaches of his body. His horn lit up in a soft glow as he worked his magic on his sister's horn. The magical prowess of his sister impressed him even then, as she continued to work so many threads of magic during intercourse. He wasn't about to be outdone by his sister in pleasuring her though, and he pressed down on Twilight's haunches and added an upward motion to his bucking. His member rubbed along the top of his sister's ridged walls, drawing forth a gasp and a steady stream of squeaks from her with each pump. 
As her brother adjusted to reach her tender spot, Twilight increased the hum of her spell. It reached a level where she was starting to have trouble keeping a steady stream of pulses going, so she drew back the ones working on the outside of her folds and let them fade. Longing for her release, she timed it so she bucked backward as her brother went forward.
"Faster," she moaned. "Faster." She made the wisps around her brother's pouch throb to set the message and rested her head on the bed. The position of submission never failed to drive Shining Armor into a frenzy as she moaned into the sheets.
Twilight's walls clenched tighter as Shining Armor picked up his speed, bucking with reckless abandon. Nothing riled him up like his sister face down and moaning into the sheets with her plot in air. Release was a few moments away when the trembling ring wrapped around her hot, burning horn and stroked up and down. She had time to send one strong pulse to the tendril caressing her flower's bud before the magic dispersed as her brother's spell around her horn sent her over. 
Twilight's walls spasmed tight around Shining Armor's cock as he buried it deep within her. Crashing waves of orgasmic pleasure from her nethers took Twilight's legs out from under her and she fell forward onto the bed, her brother landing on top, seeming to impossibly bury himself even deeper. Her walls hungrily grasped his shaft, desperate to milk his essence as it coated her intimate embrace. Her horn exploded in orgasm as well, magic cream dripping down the base to her head. Her eyes fluttered as stars swirled before her eyes and heat burned her body.
His sister's walls trembling around his shaft, Shining Armor let the familiar sensation within burst forth again, and spurts of his soldiers assaulted Twilight's inner gate, pooling before it. One long moan escaped Twilight's lips as her orgasm played out.
Both ponies hung limp on the bed, their breath heavy. They lay for a time like that, until Shining climbed off of his sister, their juices leaking from her sex to drip steadily on the floor, and climbed into the bed. It was still early afternoon, but Twilight climbed up onto the bed and snuggled in next to her brother. She would never miss a chance to spend time cuddled in Shining Armor's hooves. Even when she wanted to be mad at him. Together in each other's hooves, they drifted off to sleep as rays of sunlight broke through gray clouds outside.
> Chapter Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"It's settled, then," said Shining Armor. The unicorn levitated two trays over, one with two glasses and a bottle of wine, the other filled with assorted cheese and crackers. "We'll have Big Mac over tomorrow night." A fire burned low in the hearth this evening, offering ample warmth to fight back the cold summer night, and keep the ponies who lounged on the couch before it comfortable.
Twilight's stomach lurched at the idea even though it had been hers. Big Mac was the stallion she felt most comfortable with besides her brother, so it was best to start with him. They'd do nothing but spend the evening in the garden with Shining Armor close by, but Twilight couldn't help but feel uneasy. Twilight could only nod.
"Are you sure you're comfortable with it?" asked Shining Armor. "I won't push it if you don't want to." Twilight gave him a level look. She had just told him to dote less and there he was, doting. He had to get his head around the idea that Twilight was ready to face her problems, not run away.
"In a way I'm not supposed to be comfortable with it," said Twilight. "That's the point, but I appreciate your concern." So long as he didn't push too much. Now that she was in control of her recovery, Shining Armor didn't seem too overbearing with his desire to help her out. At least not when he'd actually listen to her when she said no. After their nap they had talked throughout the afternoon and evening about what Twilight wanted to do in order to ease herself around stallions. Shining Armor's method of bringing over another stallion was unfortunately the best option. Nothing else would really have any affect, and really, Twilight was worried Big Mac wouldn't have any anyway. Applejack's brother was so unlike other males that Twilight wasn't sure he could help her feel comfortable around other ones. He was just so quiet, so out of the way that she sometimes forgot he was there at the picnic the day before.
Twilight levitated a butter cracker with cheese on top as Shining Armor set the trays down and poured them each a glass of wine. He climbed on to the couch and snuggled up against his sister and took a sip of the vintage. A young pinot noir, it was good, and went well with the firm cheese and flavored crackers.
The two siblings sat together, sharing their warmth and snack in silence. The day had been mentally exhausting and despite the nap from earlier they could both fall asleep at any moment. They finished the tray of cheeses and crackers with ease, both a little hungry for more, but let the wine fill the gap. 
"Twilley... about what I said earlier."
Twilight reached a hoof up to stop her brother. "You don't have to apologize again."
Shining Armor pushed her hoof away. "No, I do. When I said I came here more to help you than to spend time with you I hurt you. I just wanted to say that the time we've spent together has been incredible, and I'm glad that we're together. I love you." He reached forward and nuzzled Twilight's nose as she giggled.
"I love you, as well, BBBFF." Twilight returned the nuzzle and laid her head against her brother's while she watched the hearth flames flicker. Twilight let herself get lost in thought while she watched them dance, as ponies are wont to do. Today was the most important step in her recovery, the day she decided on a serious course that would help her day by day with no room to step aside. She was in charge now, leading her own recovery and it made her feel empowered, confident that she could succeed. Shining Armor would be there to make sure she went through with it, both by his closeness and distance. She had come to understand him a little more, about how he loved her two different ways.
Unbeknownst to Twilight, Shining Armor had also gotten lost in thought while he watched the moon reflecting over the lake outside. It was a clear, quiet night and the moon shone beautifully on the water's surface.  Something about his thoughts irked him as he listened to the crack and pop of the fire. Confused by his conflicting emotions he felt he was missing something obvious. Something that he had forgotten.
When the two ponies' eyes started to droop, they cleaned up dinner and prepared for bed, but Twilight spied the tomes sitting beside the couch and her eyes no longer felt so heavy. "Actually," she said. "I think I might stay up and read for a bit. There was an interesting spell about growing plants that I wanted to read."
"That's fine," said Shining Armor. "I was going to call Cadance about our little development in the morning but I’ll do it now instead." Knowing that Twilight might read until morning the siblings shared their good night kiss and went their ways.

Shining Armor entered the bedroom and closed the doors with his telekinetic magic. He left the candles unlit to get himself used the dark in preparation for bed then made his way to the hutch by the light of the moon. His horn lit up with the glow of magic and an oval of blue light appeared in the mirror before him. In a moment it rippled before focusing into an image of Cadance sitting before her own hutch. She was fixing her luscious, tri-colored mane before bed.
"Hey hun," she said, leaning into to rub noses with Shining Armor. "I didn't expect you to call until tomorrow. Did something happen?"
"Dear Princess Cadance," said Shining Armor, smiling. He started with a slightly facetious tone, but turned more serious as he went on. "Today I learned the importance of being honest and putting my thoughts out in the open. I can't help Twilight recover without her help, and she's responding better than ever. I was foolish to think she'd be scared away, she's brave, and nopony wants her to recover more than she does."
Cadance giggled. "I think you've been hanging around Twilight too much, dear. However, I'm glad to hear you learned something so important. What does Twilight think you should do next?
"We're inviting Big Mac over tomorrow evening to help work the garden. I'm going to stay by in case she needs me, but otherwise she's just doing to try and settle her stomach around another stallion."
"That sounds nice," said Cadance. She started working her hair again, rolling her mane. She looked almost like she did on their wedding day. Her neck was long and slender, and best appreciated when her hair was out of the way. "I'll be there around lunch."
"Sounds goo- Wait what?"
"I said I'll be there around lunch."
"I know what you said!"
"Then why did you ask?"
"You know what I meant!"
"I want to help Twilight too, you know. In fact all of her friends would, but we'll get to that some other time. I'm going to be there around lunch."
"How? You're too far away to make it here that quick."
"Not if I leave now and sleep on the way."
"Who's going to take care of affairs there?"
"The council will do just fine. We'll only be gone for a few days. See you tomorrow." Cadance blew him a kiss before ending the connection and leaving her husband to stare wide-mouthed at himself in the moonlit mirror. Cadance was taking too big a risk as far as he was concerned to leave the Empire unattended and come to the cottage. Not that she listened to him when it came to matters of love. With a sigh he trudged over to the window and took one last look at the moon-painted lake. A small wind whistled through the trees and rippled across the waters. Shining Armor crept over to the bed and climbed under the covers, wondering how Twilight would respond to the news about Cadance's surprise visit.

Twilight lay on the couch, her tome propped up on one of the arm rests. She wondered, not for the first time, what it was that had sparked such a spike in the development of new "adult" spells this past year. Usually, only a handful were developed in a year, but the tome before her comprising the year’s newest spells to date had twenty and the year was only a little more than half over. Twilight turned the page, the plant spell she had at first been interested in too similar to the magical tendrils she had learned yesterday.
The next spell was also similar unfortunately, and actually by the same unicorn. Reading further, it turned out to be an improvement on the spell. The creator had devised three other tendrils to change things up. It would certainly be worth learning, but she wanted something new. 
None of the other spells appealed to her, however, as they were designed for use on mares. Shining Armor wanted nothing to do with such things, Cadance had told her once, rather awkwardly, back when Twilight and Shining Armor first became intimate, and so Twilight closed the tome with the intention of going to bed when another tome caught her eye. 
It was one of the tomes she had been checking out when she met her assailant. It was a rather well renowned biography on Ethereal Dreamer. One of the only ponies to ever try and study dream magic, largely considered Luna's domain and off limits to other ponies, Ethereal Dreamer had found a way to induce sleep with magic that led to clairvoyant dreams with a reasonably high accuracy of ten percent, quite a lot for a lifetime cut short by a dream the poor unicorn never woke from. Celestia had placed a ban on the sleep spells after that, and Luna herself had yet to give any kind of word on the magic, except that she was fine with some pony exploring the area while she had been absent.
Twilight wasn't too interested in the magic, especially since it was forbidden, but the concept would be fun to study, the pegasus had promised her. Twilight's telekinetic grip grabbed the tome and levitated it from the stack, opening to a random page. A folded sheet of white paper fell out, landing on the couch. Twilight set the tome down and picked up the piece of paper, unfolding it in the air to give it a quick run over. 
Twilight gasped and released her grip, letting the paper fall lightly to the couch. She swallowed and placed a hoof on the corner of the sheet, turning it so she could read despite her mind screaming at her not to.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
How do I say this? Well, I know the answer to that. It's actually very simple.
I love you.
There. That's it. I said it. Phew! It feels good to get that off of my chest. I really wish I had the courage to tell you in person,
but I hope this note will do just fine.
I look forward to talking to you tomorrow when you show me your collection,
Brilliant Feather

Twilight swallowed again and reread the note. She reread it several dozen times over the next few minutes, perhaps a hundred, or even a thousand times. Unable to stop, unable to move, there it was, a love confession by the stallion who had ruined her life, and it was so... normal.
For the first time in months since he attacked her, Twilight thought of Brilliant Feather as he had been before, a shy, compassionate, and well-read pegasus. Nothing about him could ever have tipped her off that he would do what he tried to do, and nothing in this note did either. When he had attacked her he had been muttering under his breath as if insane, as if he was obsessed with her. The words that streamed out his mouth then hadn't registered with her until later when she could actually think about them instead of trying to fight off the stallion's gropes and forceful kisses. They had been as unsettling, some more so, than his physical assault.
Twilight shuddered, she wanted to curl up and cry. It reopened the wound he had cut into her heart. Tears rimmed her eyes, heavy and begging to fall. It all reminded her of why his betrayal hurt so much. Twilight sighed and straightened herself. She had spent the afternoon talking with her brother about ways to deal with just this sort of feeling. As impossible as it seemed she needed to stamp it down. Squash the pain and fear into nothing. It was in the past, he couldn't hurt her again, and with her brother's help, she'd learn that others wouldn't hurt her either. He had been an outlier, a statistical oddity. What Brilliant Feather did wasn't normal pony behavior. 
She smiled. It was all very obvious, but that mattered little in the face of powerful emotions. Still, she had managed to push them down and take rein, even if her hold was a little bit shaky. Squashing the pain down to nothing on her first real try was impossible, and she doubted she could ever really squash all of it. Some wounds just healed too slowly, and left scars in their wake.
Twilight closed the book and levitated it over to sit with the others, and she moved the note with it, leaving it folded on top of the stack. With her mind set, she set off to bed, ignoring the thoughts that floated on the edge of her mind. Doubt and fear would ruin the hold she had over herself. She slid into bed next to her brother, taking comfort in his snores. Everything could be worked out in full when she woke, he'd help her with anything.

Morning brought the light of the sun and the sweet scent of oranges to Twilight's nose. She could never get tired of waking up to that. It was leagues better than the smell of Canterlot's bustle and the sweetness beat out Ponyville's country freshness. She rolled over and stretched in the bed, wincing against the spear of sunlight that lay across the pillows. Surprised to sleep in somewhat late, Twilight swung out of bed and over to the window to see if she could spot Shining Armor. A strong, warm breeze swept across her as she stood looking out. The garden was clear, however, and the lake empty except for fish splashing up and out of the sheen.
She turned then for the door, the wooden floor squeaking beneath her hooves. Maybe he had seen the note and would talk to her about it. Opening the door and stepping into the hallway brought the frantic sounds of somepony busying themselves in the kitchen. Twilight’s stomach rumbled. Smiling to herself, she walked down the stairs and crossed the living room to reach the kitchen where sure enough, Shining Armor stood before the stove, several items encased in his sparkling field of magic.
"Good morning, BBBFF," she said, walking over to him.
He turned, surprised to see her. Had she actually managed to sneak up on him? "Good morning," he replied, giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Help me with the eggs, would you?" He held out a frying pan and half a dozen eggs before Twilight, expecting her to take them in her magical grip. She did, but not before Shining Armor had released them and they almost cracked open on the floor. Her brother scooted over to make room for her to stand next to him and use the only free burner. "Cadance is coming over around lunch time and I wanted to have something ready for her. It's a long journey and I'm sure she'll be hungry, as will her guards." 
Twilight fumbled at the mention of their unexpected visitor and missed with an egg, cracking it over the stove and not her pan. "Cadance is coming? I had no idea." She levitated a towel over to wipe up the mess then tossed it in the trash.
"Neither did I, she chose to surprise me with it last night and I decided to surprise you with it as well."
Cadance coming to help didn't really surprise Twilight in and of itself, only the suddenness of it. In the beginning she had rushed pretty hard to get her to open up, but it had only made her close tighter. Now, with help from her brother and the reins in her hooves, she thought the mare's assistance would be quite welcome.
"That's nice," said Twilight, a big smile splitting her face. "What are we making for lunch?" Her stomach rumbled rather loudly.
"More importantly, what about breakfast?"
Shining Armor grinned. "The eggs are our breakfast, along with the bread I toasted just before you woke. Speaking of which, how did you sleep?"
"I slept alright," said Twilight. "Better than I expected to." So true it almost hurt. Sleep had seemed impossible with the way that note had hit her, at least until she climbed in next to Shining Armor.
"What do you mean?" asked Shining Armor. "Find an even kinkier spell that you were too excited to try out?" Shining Armor's cheeks reddened to match the coals in the stove.
"No," said Twilight, her cheeks nearly matching her brother's. "Something a little more serious than that." She leaned against her brother for a hint of support. "I found a note for me left in a book by Brilliant Feather."
Shining Armor froze, his eyes glued to Twilight. "Oh, sweet Celestia, Twilight," he said. "How do you feel? What did it say? Where is it? Do you want me to beat him up again?" He leaned against Twilight himself, offering more support and nuzzling the side of her neck.
"It was a confession," said Twilight. "He told me he loved me." She fought back the pain that jabbed at her heart. Some kind of love that had been. "I feel hurt again, just like I did back when it happened. It really brought up that feeling of betrayal that I first felt." Twilight sniffed and leaned against her brother, she wanted to wail, knowing that he would be there to comfort her, but she stood tall and sniffed again. "I did my best to shut it down, to remind myself that it’s in the past and that he can't hurt me anymore."
"Good Twilley," said Shining Armor. "That's great. Don't forget, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You couldn't have known he would do any of that."
"I know," said Twilight. "There was no signs that he had any such intentions." She leaned into Shining Armor with one final push as a silent thanks and stood up, focusing on breakfast.
It turned out Shining Armor was making another tofu meal for lunch, with plans to picnic out on the other side of the lake next to the cave. Today was supposed to one of the warmest days of the week with a constant breeze.
The siblings finished their breakfast quickly, eager to start with the day. Brilliant Father's note was too good of a starting point to pass up, and right after breakfast (they could really clean up later) Twilight and Shining Armor sat together on the couch, in the cross breeze between the windows. Brilliant Feather's note lay between them, flat and open. Shining Armor had read it several times, disgusted with the innocence it tried to portray. Brilliant Feather was nothing but a twisted, manipulative liar who had taken advantage of Twilight and her love for magic and for famous unicorns. He doubted the pegasus had truly had the same interests Twilight did, only feigned them to get close to her. After all, why would a pegasus be so interested in magic? Of course, it brought up the thought that Brilliant Feather had had his eyes on Twilight for some time before finally going after her. Twilight insisted that none of his information could have been ad-libbed or improvised. He knew hard facts and understood magic as well as most unicorns.
Shining Armor supposed the pegasus could have had a legitimate interest in unicorns and magic, as odd as it was. Regardless, the note was sickening. Shining Armor couldn't help but see a darker pegasus behind it. He couldn't begin to imagine what Twilight felt, he had never known Brilliant Feather until after the assault.
"Well, let's start," he said. "I guess I should ask how the note makes you feel."
"I-I don't know where to start," said Twilight. "It reminds me of why I liked him so much. It reminds me of the shy, well-read pegasus that I resonated with. Which in turn reminds me of the pain he caused me. He never seemed capable of what he did; that’s why his betrayal hurts so much.”
Shining Armor nodded. "Okay, and what was the other part. Why else does his betrayal hurt so much?"
"Not only did he break my trust at that time, but it might have been his intention the entire time. I don’t know how I didn’t see it. We got along almost too well, and I fell for it and invited him in, which he only wanted so he could…"
Twilight swallowed. Despite all the time and all the work with her brother she couldn't say it out loud. She couldn't even think it. If she were honest with herself, the physical violation wasn't as bad as the betrayal, the physical pain had gone away a long time ago, yet she still had a harder time talking about it. Maybe it had been worse than she remembered. The mind sometimes repressed events. She took comfort in her brother's hoof on her shoulder and she leaned into his leg.
"You don't have to say it, Twilley," said Shining Armor. "I know it still hurts.”
Twilight nodded. "I can keep going." Twilight straightened her back and cleared her throat. "When Brilliant Feather assaulted me there were two things going through my mind. The first--." Tears rimmed Twilight's eyes as she refused to crumble. Shining Armor shifted his leg so it wrapped around his sister's shoulder and pulled her close.
"Shh," he whispered. "Maybe we should wait until Cadance gets here." Twilight sucked in a breath before breaking down. She was befuddled by her inability to talk about the details still, even with her brother. At this stage she should have better control over her emotions. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Things were supposed to get better from this point on. 
Time passed as the siblings lay together, neither one paying any attention to it. All that mattered was the connection between them, one the bookend, the other the book it kept in place. Eventually, the sound of flapping wings followed by hooves on the ground broke the silence.
"Cadance?" asked Twilight.
"She's early," said Shining Armor.
	
> Chapter Six
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shining Armor pushed the cottage door open with his telekinetic powers and stepped out into the sun. Cadance sat atop her chariot with a large smile, the warm morning breeze blowing her mane across her face. Two stallions shining with sweat, Crystal Wall and Swift Wing, unhitched themselves and saluted their king before taking to the air. They headed out west, into the orchard's center where he expected they would spend the day.
“Good morning! ~” said Cadance as she sprang from the chariot to land on the soft ground.
“Good morning,” said Shining Armor, they hugged and rubbed noses. “We didn’t expect you so early.”
“Crystal Wall and Swift Wing decided they would put in some extra work,” said Cadance. “They wanted to do their part in helping their king’s sister. How is she?”
Twilight stepped out of the door with the picnic basket in her telekinetic grip just as Cadance asked. “Better, now that my sister-in-law is here.” The two met each other halfway.
“Sunshine! Sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” They ended with a giggle and an embrace. It warmed Shining Armor to see Twilight smile again. Something so simple seemed so impossible just moments ago as she tried to open up.
Cadance spied the basket. “A picnic, huh? Good idea, sister.”
“Actually it was my brother’s idea,” said Twilight.
“Really?”
“Strange, huh?”
“Since when do you like picnics?” asked Cadance.
“I don’t particularly like them,” said Shining Armor. “I just thought it would be a good idea.” The white stallion shrugged.
Twilight and Cadance shared another bubble of laughter.
"Well, if you two don't mind," said Cadance. “How about we turn lunch into brunch? I skipped breakfast to get here as soon as I did.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Twilight. The three set off toward the northern side of the lake. Between them, the picnic basket floated in a cocoon of reddish purple.
Ripe oranges hung heavy as the trio walked beneath the branches, their signature scent dampened from the morning dew. They each picked one to go with brunch.
The clearing was a gentle slope several paces long from shore to the orchard. It allowed ample room for the ponies to lay down their checkered blanket. Twilight and Shining Armor dove right into work while Cadance satisfied her empty stomach.
"Twilight found a note from Brilliant Feather," said Shining Armor. "We think it was written the day before the incident." Shining Armor showed her the note. "What do you think of it?"
"It’s vile," said Cadance, “I can’t help but see it as a way for him to weasel himself into Twilight’s life. But more importantly, what do you think of it, Twilight?"
Twilight mustered up her courage and told Cadance what she had told Shining Armor. That the note had caused her old feelings for the pegasus to resurface, both the good before the incident and the bad afterward.
"Can you go into some details for me about how you felt beforehand?" asked Cadance.
"How about I start from the beginning? Going over it all again might help me sort it out."
"Whatever you like," said Cadance. "You're in charge, we're just here to help."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Okay, I first met Brilliant Feather at the Royal Canterlot Library about a week after your wedding. I was in the public area, reading up on some of the more prominent unicorns; Constellacious, Blue Moon, Dusk Watch, and of course, Starswirl the Bearded. I was just about to start on Blue Moon's Torrential Spells series when I noticed one book in the series was checked out. I was so angry that somepony just checked out one right in the middle. So I went around asking the ponies there if they knew who had it because the librarian couldn't tell me. That’s when he came up to me. He had heard I was looking for it and let me borrow it.
That was when I asked him why a pegasus would be reading about unicorns and he told me he had always secretly wished he had been born a unicorn. At first I laughed, but after we talked I lost all doubt that he was telling the truth. I’ve never seen a non-unicorn so into magic. And he knew everything. We talked for hours that day about famous unicorns and their discoveries. He had me show him a few spells they had created that he always wanted to see. When the librarian threw us out that night we vowed to meet there the next day." Twilight paused and lowered her head. "I opened up to him so much in just that one day, something I had never done with a pony before. Something I should never have done.”
"Don’t say that, Twilight," said Shining Armor and Cadance in unison. Shining Armor let Cadance speak.
"You had no idea what was going to come of it. You met another pony you really clicked with and did what was natural, what was right. You befriended him."
"You can't blame yourself for being friendly," said Shining Armor.  "Brilliant Feather is the one to blame for taking advantage of you."
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know. There's just something in me that tells me I could have avoided the whole thing."
"Don't listen to it," said Cadance. "It's just wishful thinking, and it's not good for you. Do you want to go on?"
"I do," said Twilight. "So the next day we met sometime after lunch and it was just like the day before. We talked for hours, mainly about Starswirl the Bearded that day, and I showed him a few spells. I didn't do all the teaching, though. He had a few rare books himself that he brought. One was about transformation spells his grandfather had saved in the library fire at Vanhoover. It had some of the coolest, hardest spells I've ever seen."
"Sounds pretty awesome," said Cadance.
"It was! I wish we had been able to get through the whole thing before we were thrown out again. That night I packed up a few rare books of my own and brought them with me the next day."
"I remember that," said Shining Armor. "That was when you first told us about Brilliant Feather. Mom and Dad were so surprised that you were taking your precious rare books out of your room. It was also the day Brilliant Feather came over."
"I had forgotten a book," said Twilight. "That was why I invited him over after we were kicked out that night. The day had been the same as the last. Nothing was out of the ordinary and he almost refused my invitation. But I was so happy when he said yes."
"You liked him," said Cadance.
"I did. I know that's why I opened up to him so easily and invited him over. I was elated to have made another friend and I sort of felt that he might have liked me back. Anyway, we went home straight from the library, I told him we could eat some of the leftovers from the night before so we didn't have to stop anywhere. I was surprised to find that Mom and Dad were still out when I got back, but I didn't think anything of it.” Words caught on themselves in Twilight’s throat. Shining Armor rested a hoof on her back.
"You don't have to go on, Twilight," said Cadance. "We know what happened and can work with what you gave."
"Actually," said Shining Armor, "we were talking about this just before you came. Twilight's a bit disappointed that she can't talk about it. She wants to try and push through it."
"Well, okay," said Cadance. "I didn't want her to go any further than she was comfortable with, but if that's how she feels.” Cadance looked around. “Why don't we eat first? It will give her some energy to push through."
Twilight and Shining nodded as they simultaneously grabbed the bundle of food and drinks. They pulled out lunch and munched away. The silence hung palpable in the air as they ate. What was to be a relaxing affair by the lake had become a chore to prepare for a turbulent storm.
Twilight regained her composure as she ate, but upon resumption it started to crumble. She pushed through it, though. For the first time since the incident she was able to go further than the initial assault of forceful kisses and described the assault in the bedroom. Tears rimmed her eyes as she fought through, recounting the experience in explicit detail.
It was hard for Shining Armor and Cadance to listen. Not as hard as it was for Twilight to talk, of course, but the level of detail staggered them. Twilight had always been attentive to detail, but the realization of how vivid that made her memory of the incident was hard to take.
However, by the time she reached the part where Shining Armor came in, her eyes were dry. Pride swelled in the couple who sat across from the purple mare as they wiped their eyes. Beneath those watery eyes they smiled.
Neither their smiles nor their pride matched Twilight’s own.
She had finally divulged the deed in whole, and it seemed like the world sighed. The sun above shone down on the trees in all its resplendent glory. The leaves never looked greener, or the oranges oranger, and their sweet scent filed her lungs as she took a deep breath and sighed in relief. She could almost jump for joy, almost. It seemed too inappropriate to go straight from a tale of such pain into celebration, but inside she hopped a little. She was here to push past that pain, after all.
Together they watched the lake in silence. A light breeze blew over, rolling the water into tiny waves that never quite crested. Here and there fish broke the water, creating a trail of glittering light captured inside the crystal liquid before softly plopping back into the lake. Around them the air hummed with a tangible sense of contentment. Both Shining Armor and Cadance let Twilight enjoy her achievement.
"Oh my gosh!" said Twilight out of the blue. "It's already afternoon and we still haven't invited Big Mac over."
Shining and Cadance both let out a small sigh, for they had feared the worst at Twilight's sudden exclamation.
"Don't worry, Twilley," said Shining. "He and Applejack told us they would help at any time."
"Still, we should give him some notice," said Twilight. "I'm going to go write a letter." Twilight was up and off before either Cadance or Shining Armor could remind her she had no one to send said letter.
"Think she'll figure it out before she's done writing?" joked Cadance.
"I doubt it," said Shining Armor. The two shared a laugh. "So, that went better than I expected."
"I know," said Cadance. "I'm so proud of her for pushing through that. It was good that she could afford to wait until she was ready."
"It would have been terrible if Brilliant Feather hadn't confessed and the courts had to pull it out of her. I don't think I could have handled that."
"I don't, either. I remember you practically attacked the guards when they first started asking her right afterward."
"How could I not!? They were so insensitive, poking and prodding so soon after the fact."
"They were just doing their job, hun. Brilliant Feather could have gotten off much lighter if he hadn't confessed and Twilight refused to talk. They just wanted him behind bars like us."
"I know, I know." Shining Armor stood up and started to clean up lunch. "What do you think we should do next?"
"We let her decide," said Cadance. "I imagine she's going to ride this success for most of the afternoon until Big Mac gets here. We'll have to help her through that, I'm sure, but until then we can probably just relax and offer our support only when she asks."
"That’s it? Don’t you have something big planned?"
Cadance rolled her eyes. “Remember what you said you learned? About Twilight being in the lead with her recovery?”
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think that meant we would do nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, dear, it’s the most important thing we could do. We’ll be there for her when she needs it, when she asks for it. Sure we can step in if we really need to, but its best to float on the edge and wait for her to ask.”
“What if she takes our inaction the wrong way?”
“We’ll just tell her that we’re going to take a more hooves off approach. If she has any questions we can answer them then.”
Shining Armor rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “Alright, if that’s what you think we should do, I just don’t like standing by.” He hated it, truthfully. Twilight was like a delicate flower to him, she stood tall and colorful in the sun, but the elements around her could threaten to uproot her easily. How could Cadance be so sure this was best?
"I don't understand, you were supposed to have something more."
"Why do you think that?"
"Well you gave me those instructions on how to wean Twilight off. I thought you had something similar for the next part."
"Honey, I gave you that sheet of paper because you asked for it. I don't mean to criticize you, because I know you love your sister and were only doing what you thought was best, but you could have handled this better. You should have told her what this trip would be about, and if she doesn't want to be weaned, then so be it. If you still think its a good idea, explain it to her, don't try and force it on her."
"Why haven't you told me this before? Have I been doing this whole thing wrong?"
"This is more complex than right and wrong." Cadance raised a hoof to her husband's face and stroked it. "I didn't tell you because it was important for you to learn for yourself. You're a prince now, Shining Armor, you can't take control of the situation like a big brother and guide it how you want to. You need to think about those involved in your decisions and how they need to have their own say. I've compared this situation to running the empire a few times to try and hammer that home."
Shining Armor sat down, stunned. If she wanted him to learn a lesson, he certainly had. His intentions were to help Twilight return to herself, the pony she had been before Brilliant Feather came along, unaware that she might not want quite the same thing. Certainly the incident shouldn't have happened, but it had drawn them into a relationship, one his sister had made clear she didn't want to disappear.
"You sound an awful lot like Celestia."
"I know you're a grown stallion," said Cadance," and it may come off as an insult, but I can't help it. We princesses see the world a certain way, a way where we see improvement possible in everypony, even our husbands. Just telling them how to change doesn't work."
The white stallion shook his head. "I'm not insulted." Shining Armor stood and dusted himself off.  "My father always told Twilight and I that one can never stop improving themselves. This is one of those times. Trust me when I say I'll take this lesson to heart. Even if I have to be on standby."
“Good to hear, dear.” Cadance placed a hoof on his leg. “Let's go see if Twilight needs anything.” Cadance helped Shining Armor clean up from the picnic and the two ponies set off for the cabin.
When they walked in, Twilight sat on the couch, both paper and quill held aloft in her magical grasp. She set both down on the table beside the couch and called for Spike. Upon turning to call for the assistant, she met the eyes of her family.
Cadance and Shining Armor looked at her and she sheepishly laughed to herself.
"I guess I have to deliver this myself," said Twilight.
"I told my guards to return in the afternoon in case we needed anything," said Cadance. "We can have them deliver it for you. Until then, I hear you brought the newest Daring Do book with you. I have so little time to read I have yet to finish it, do you mind? It won't take long."
"Sure," said Twilight. "It's over there on the side table."
Cadance levitated it over to her and turned toward the stairs. "Don't hesitate to come get me if you want to talk about things." She trotted up the stairs with the book.
Shining Armor walked over and took a seat next to Twilight. "I'm so proud of you," he said, laying a hoof on his sister's shoulder. "You did really well out there."
"Thanks," said Twilight. A smile crept up on her face and she stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth. "I did, didn't I? I don't know what happened but once I got past the initial part it all came out so fast. I wanted to tell it, I needed to tell it." Her brother rubbed her shoulder. "But let's not talk about that any more today."
"Are you sure?" asked Shining Armor.
“I’m sure,” said Twilight. “I feel like it was a big enough step that we can wait until tomorrow to further discuss it. Tonight I just want to focus on Big Mac’s visit. Do you mind if I read for a little bit?"
“Just let me know if you need anything, I’ll be outside. There’s always something to do out there.”
"Thanks," said Twilight, leaning into Shining Armor. They kissed and went off to do their own things.
Twilight lay on the couch and levitated over the copy of the tome she had been reading when she found Brilliant Feather's note. The next entry in the tome was a spell that induced dreaming. Not the clairvoyant dreams Ethereal Dreamer had become known for, but regular dreams. The spell aided in the memorization of dreams to help ponies reach lucid dream states by familiarizing themselves with their own dream structures. Twilight read over the spell with little interest, for it wasn't too exciting, nor did it teach anything about dream magic.
She turned the page to find Ethereal Dreamer's legacy. The entire second half of the tome comprised the unicorn's work on her one spell to induce clairvoyance and the many different ways to cast it. Her mind devoured every word on the next hundred pages before she finally broke away. By her guess hours had passed, though she neither saw nor heard any sign of Cadance or Shining Armor. Her hooves sunk deep into the couch cushions when she stood. Laying the tome on the nearby end table, Twilight stepped onto the hardwood floor and walked to the stairs.
The sound of horseshoes on wood echoed throughout the cabin.
"Cadance?" she called up the stairs. "Cadance are you still up there?" No response came from her sister-in-law, if she was even up there, so Twilight took to the stairs one at a time until she reached the top. The bedroom door was ajar, and Twilight bumped it open with a forehoof. "Cadance?" she called once more as she entered. A strong breeze fluttered the drapes over the window. A thin shaft of moonlight illuminated sheets sprawled over an empty bed.
Twilight turned and trotted back into the hall, her hoofsteps quickening alongside her heart. She called again for either of the two ponies who had helped her just that afternoon.
Silence swallowed her calls.
She hit the ground floor at a gallop headed straight for the front door. She threw it open with a burst of magic and rushed out into the summer night. The orange trees swayed in the strong wind, their sweet scent heavy in the chilled air. The smell made her sick as she ran around the cabin. There she found two sets of hoofprints headed toward the orange orchard. Her hooves kicked up dirt as she dashed after them. Still the night air absorbed her calls.
The temperature plummeted. Foggy breath blocked her vision. The world closed in on her. Though she galloped, she made no progress. An infinite trail of hoofprints extended before her.
She hit something solid.
"Twilight!" said Shining Armor. "Are you alright?" Twilight was vaguely aware of a hoof wrapped under her chest, lifting her up. She forced her weak legs to steady beneath her as orientation returned to her. She was on the floor in front of the wall. Each breath came as a small gasp.
"What happened?" she asked. "Why am I breathing so heavily?"
"It was just a bad dream," said her brother. "You were only dreaming."
The dream returned to Twilight in a rush and she threw her hooves around her brother. "I thought you left me," she said.
"Twilight, I will never leave you," said Shining Armor.
"I was so scared."
"It's okay now." Shining Armor pulled his sister tight and squeezed. Still she panted. Cadance returned with the cold washcloth she had set out to find and dabbed Twilight's face with it. The purple mare was covered in sweat from her chest to her haunches. Tiny trembles shook her body. "Cadance and I will never leave you." His sister's hooves squeezed him in return.
"Not on purpose," said Twilight.
"Not for any reason," said Cadance. "Tell us, what makes you feel this way?"
"I accidentally cast Ethereal Dreamer's clairvoyant dream spell when I was reading up on it. I dreamed that you two went off into the woods and left me here alone. No matter how hard I ran after you I could never catch up."
"Oh, Twilight." Cadance joined the siblings' embrace. "Ethereal Dreamer stated that they were only accurate less than ten percent of the time. Shining Armor and I are not going to leave you. We have measures in place at the Empire that will keep us here barring only the most extreme emergencies. At worst I'll go back alone. Your brother stays until the end of the week no matter what." Cadance forced her sister to look her in the eyes while she spoke. She wanted to make sure Twilight understood every word. In the end Twilight dried her eyes and stood up, rubbing the small bump on her head.
"What were you reading that for anyway?" asked Shining Armor. "I thought her spell was forbidden."
"It was one of the tomes Brilliant Feather lent me. I was just curious about the research and never intended to cast it. I don't even remember doing so."
"Well, regardless," said Cadance. "It's over and done with." She lifted the biography from the floor with her horn and set it beside the other tomes. "Still, you shouldn't cast it again. I don't know what we'd do if you fell to the same fate she did."
"I have no intention of doing so," said Twilight. "In fact, I might never read it again." Twilight shook her head to unjumble her thoughts. "What time is it?"
"A little after four," said Cadance. "Crystal Wall and Swift Wing stopped by sometime around three and I had them deliver your request to Big Mac. He'll be here around seven. Applejack said she would come along, we thought that would be fine with you."
"It is," said Twilight. "What will we do until then?"
"I was in the middle of a conference with some of the council back at the empire when I heard you hit the wall. After I finish that I would love to talk about some of the things you've been studying lately."
"Deal," said Twilight. "I've learned a few new spells I think you'd enjoy." Cadance returned upstairs to the hutch where she reopened the communication portal. Shining Armor and Twilight hopped up onto the couch and snuggled together.
"How are you feeling?" asked Shining Armor after they crawled under a blanket and started a fire.
"I don't know what to feel!" said Twilight. She sighed and looked out the window at the orange trees. "I was so happy when I finally told the story in full, but that feeling came crashing down with that nightmare. I almost feel like shaking, but I also kind of want to dance." She sighed again. "Emotions can be so annoying at times."
Shining Armor laid a hoof over Twilight and pressed his neck against hers. "I know that feeling all too well," he said. "Life would be much simpler if we could pick an emotion for a day and stick with it."
"They say you need the bad to fully appreciate the good. I don't know that anypony would choose to feel bad for a day. We'd all be ‘happy’ ponies but I don’t think we’d ever really know it."
"Okay maybe we could just choose them for an hour or two, but you get my point."
"Sorry, I guess I over analyzed that."
"Don’t apologize, Twilight, that's what I love about you. You're always knee deep in everything, giving it your all to fully understand it, even a mere statement like that."
Twilight blushed. "I never thought about it like that. Often times I get distracted by investing myself in something when I need to be doing something else."
"But it all works out in the end, doesn't it?"
"After a whole bunch of stress, sure." The siblings chuckled.
"Stress would probably be one of those bad feelings no one would ever choose.” Shining Armor leaned in. “So, if you could choose one emotion to feel for the next few hours, what would it be?"
"Not scared of abandonment, that's for sure. Hmm, I guess I'd want to feel love." Twilight turned and pecked her brother on the cheek. "But I don't think I need any kind of magical wish for that to happen."
"I’d choose the same thing," said Shining Armor. The white stallion leaned in and kissed his sister. The lip on lip contact sent their hearts fluttering.
Twilight slipped her tongue into her brother's mouth, entwining it with his. They stared deeply into one another's eyes, their hearts in harmony. Neither could resist the urge to kiss the other and they both closed their eyes, their tongues expressing their feelings with a sensuous dance. 
Inch by inch, Shining Armor pressed Twilight further back, careful to keep their lips locked. She scooted awkwardly to adjust so he could be on top of her, his weight lightly forcing her into the cloud of cushions. Beneath Shining Armor she felt like his name was literal, like he was a suit of armor that protected her by giving off a light to banish the darkness that threatened to swoop in and devour her. She had been silly to think he would ever leave her, for she knew nothing in the world could separate them. She rubbed her hooves up and down his sturdy chest as sparks popped from the swirl of their tongues. A deep seated fire within flushed her body and she felt a drop of juice run down her rump to land on her tail.
Shining Armor stroked Twilight's mane as he drove her further into the couch. The air under the blanket grew hot from labored breaths of bodies begging to break free. Underneath, Shining Armor longed to run his hooves all over his sister, to take in every inch of her all at the same time. Frustration built up at his lack of ability to do so. Possessing only two hooves with which to caress Twilight, Shining Armor savored their kiss. At the same time, he continued to stroke his sister’s silky mane and ran his free hoof down her side. He stopped on her haunch, giving a firm squeeze and pulling up.
Lifting Twilight's bottom brought her entrance to his swiftly growing shaft. Sweet nectar coated the head of his member as he rubbed it over Twilight's folds. When he was slick enough, he parted her flower. Twilight gasped in his mouth and he felt the movement of her tongue as she whispered his name. He whispered back her name and pressed further inside of her.
Every inch that Shining Armor pressed inside of Twilight drew forth another gasp. He paused, let the sensation mellow, and then pressed further in search of another gasp. Though her walls hugged him close, each movement was like the first. After an eternity of recurrent bliss, Shining Armor's glans caressed her deepest reaches where he rested. He breathed heavier than ever before in their lovemaking, more than the times he had turned her over and rutted her like a barnyard mare. He pressed further still, his pouch squeezed against her flank. The tip of his shaft came into full contact with the entrance to her womb as he stretched her to her limit. The next moment he was gone. He pulled out in a flash of carnal bliss, leaving a hole desperate to be filled before he pressed in again without pausing.
His first entrance had been an eternity of cyclical bliss, but his second entrance an eternity of sustained warmth, like the unfailing presence of the sun. Then he pulled back out, like the cool of night. Twilight did not cry out for the void to be filled, for like the balance of good and bad emotions, the absence of the sun gave expanded meaning to its return.
Never before had Twilight's walls hugged Shining Armor's shaft with such a tender yet firm grip. Each thrust brought a gasp from both ponies and they were forced to break their kiss. Shining Armor used the freedom of movement to place a hoof over Twilight's pelvis and press down. The added pressure brought a loud moan to Twilight's lips, and sparked the momentum of a force in the base of Shining Armor’s loins.
Twilight arched her back in euphoric rapture as Shining Armor's added pressure was too much to bear. Her body burned hotter than ever before, a fire ready to break out from within in any way it could. She twisted as their lovemaking drove her pleasure to new heights. A height that culminated in an explosion of rhapsody. Twilight wrapped her forehooves around her brother's neck and pulled him toward her. They locked lips, Twilight borrowing Shining Armor's mouth to muffle her wavering moans as her tunnel stroked his love member in a frenzied attempt to draw out his seed.
A jolt ran through Shining Armor's body, from the base of his hooves to the top of his spine. His sister’s double embrace brought the mounting force in his loins to a rupture. His rod twitched inside Twilight's caressing walls as string after thick string of his essence coated her innermost folds. Shining Armor fell on Twilight as every spurt sucked away his strength, all until he was just a mess of flesh on top of the purple mare.
Her brother's weight wasn't too much to bear. Twilight rather enjoyed the comfort of armor. She was content to wrap her legs around Shining Armor's wide shoulders. He returned the embrace, if meekly.
"You're not usually this tired," said Twilight. "Was it that special for you, as well?"
Shining Armor merely smiled and gave a sharp tilt of his head. Together they lay for some time, enjoying one another beneath the warm blanket, still connected in the ultimate sense.
"How long do you think Cadance is going to be?" asked Twilight.
Shining Armor shrugged and turned to rest his head on Twilight's chest. She took her brother's lead and laid back to relax. The day had been good overall, and she was past the rough spot. Of course, there was Big Mac stopping by in a couple of hours. Twilight's stomach sank. Just three more hours. “It was only Big Mac,” she told herself. It was what she had told herself every hour since they had decided to invite him. Twilight pushed down her worry.
There was no turning back. The butterflies would pass soon enough, and she would be even farther on the road to recovery. That helped calm her.
Some.