Somewhere in Canterlot there is a door. The door is located in a narrow, winding alley in the poorer quarter of the city. It has no sign over it, nor number on it. It is marked only by a small, magical lantern set in the wall beside it, which seems to contain a glowing red coal.

The door is almost never locked. Should a pony venture to open it, they would find a small and surprisingly luxurious reception room inside. There are several velvet-upholstered couches there, and a fire burns in the fireplace on all but the hottest nights. The carpet is deep and soft underhoof. The walls are covered in walnut paneling and damask silk wallpaper in red and gold. An oil lamp burns atop a dark walnut desk, behind which sits a unicorn stallion. Part of his job is to welcome those who step through the door to Ember's.

The stallion's cutie mark is an eye. He never explains what it is that he sees, but the other part of his job is to know who should be allowed to venture past the second door and who should be firmly shown back out to the street.

There are not many of the latter. Ponies tend to find the door to Ember's when they need to. Those who can be satisfied by ordinary pleasures will easily find their way to any of the half-dozen or so brothels of varying levels of class and price located within the city. Those who need more, however, sometimes find themselves not at Rosie's or The Sweetbox, but opening the door to Ember's and stepping within.

All who need Ember's services are welcome, whatever their gender or species might be. Payment in bits is accepted there, taken by the stallion who watches the door, yet the cost of a session within is surprisingly small, and is sometimes waived entirely.

Beyond the reception room and through the second door is an even more luxurious sitting room. Some who arrive within are surprised to see it. Ember's is legally licensed as a brothel, and most who come there think of it as such. They are expecting a bedroom. The bedrooms lie further within, but Ember will take no pony there until they know exactly what she is and what she offers. She also makes certain the ponies who come to her know the nature of the true payment she asks for her services.

This is done without words. The sight of her, reclining on a chaise lounge, her filmy wings folded at her side, her charcoal-colored chitin gleaming faintly in the lamplight, her slit-pupiled eyes fixed on her client; this is enough to tell anypony exactly what she is, and what payment she desires. A changeling queen is impossible to mistake for anything else.

Yet of course a changeling queen is also very easy to mistake for anything else. She can be whatever her clients need her to be. She offers them their deepest, darkest fantasies; their strangest and most perverse desires. In return she feeds on their lust and their love.

The taste of jealousy, fear, hatred, grief, or anger, however, are bitter to her. So she does not offer only fantasy. She also offers much more, to those who need it. For each pony it is different. For some there are words of advice. For some there are acts of catharsis. For many there is the never-before-known experience of being accepted, fully and utterly, by someone to whom one cannot lie.

Deception is her stock in trade, but so are truth, understanding, and healing. Few of those who come to her leave unchanged. Sometimes the changes are simple: a little bit of extra confidence, or a little dash of extra happiness from an impossible fantasy well-fulfilled. Sometimes the changes are much more profound.

So come, walk the streets of Canterlot by moonlight, look for the glowing ember lantern above the door, and discover what peace or pleasure Ember's can bring to those who find it.

Star Dream walked slowly down the dark alley. He was worried he might be lost, which made him a little bit nervous. Or a little more nervous, rather. Hard as that was to imagine. He'd had an entire colony of butterflies fluttering in his stomach before he'd even left home.

He was a fairly handsome young stallion, dressed in a fine vest with a matching collar and cravat. His coat was a pale blue so light it could almost be mistaken for white. It wasn't quite light enough to be royal, but here in Canterlot it was very much an aristocratic color. His eyes were light blue, and his mane and tail were a dark steel blue.

His flank bore three stars, which had appeared when he'd developed an interest in astronomy as a colt. Though he was not that much past colthood now. He had filled out a bit over the last year or two, but he had only just reached adulthood.

Star looked up to see an odd lantern hung above a plain wooden door, set in the wall of the alley. It looked like the back door to some shop, or perhaps to a low-class residential tenement building. Still, the strange lantern with its red-glowing coal was what he'd been told to look for, so he reached out a hoof towards the latch.

He stopped short of it, his hoof trembling. Could he do this? Could he really? On one level he very much wanted to, and he certainly could spare the bits, but on another he was absolutely terrified. Eventually desire won out over fear and he lifted the latch.

The door swung open easily, revealing not a run-down tenement or a shop's back hall, but a classy reception room, done up in red and gold. He stepped inside, looking around wonderingly. This was more like what he'd expected.

"Good evening, sir. Welcome to Ember's."

"H-hello."

"Ember is with another client, but she should be finished quite soon. If you would be so kind as to wait here, sir?"

"Uh. Sure. Okay." Star sat on one of the couches, feeling the soft velvet against his hide. He shuffled his hooves a bit, glancing at the unicorn sitting behind the desk near the second door that led further inward. He was purple, with an indigo mane and tail. Star couldn't see his cutie mark. His face was calm and still, showing no trace of any kind of emotion. After his initial greeting. he paid no attention to Star at all. Instead, he picked up a pencil in his magical field and began writing something.

Star looked around the room, his eyes finally settling on the fire. He watched it flicker, having nothing better to do. With nothing else to think about, his mind started jumping ahead, to what might lie beyond the second door. It was of dark walnut with iron fittings, quite different from the simple door he'd entered through.

He glanced back at that. Perhaps he should just go.

Then he looked at the other door, and licked his lips. He'd heard stories... Everything he could possibly fantasize about was behind that door. Even the most wild of his wildest fantasies, the ones he didn't dare actually dream about, since the mistress of dreams might see them.

"Oh Luna," he whispered passionately. "Let me show you my love!"

"Star! Thy very name sings of thy devotion to me! Yes, show me how you love me!"

"Yes! Oh Luna! Oh my love! I shall show you. But... first you'll have to tell me how. I don't know what to do."

"What? Thou art naught but a callow youth, unsuited to lick my hooves! Be gone!"

The pleasant fantasy disintegrated into a nightmare, as it always did. Even though it was merely a daydream and he should have been able to picture whatever he wanted, his fears always appeared instead. He swallowed, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering with frantic strength. He couldn't even fantasize properly about what he wanted. He didn't know enough to picture how it should go. All he knew was bits and pieces, from books and colts' gossip, and quite a lot of the latter sounded patently ridiculous.

He was sure he was going to make a fool of himself. Even here, with somepony who would be paid to satisfy his fantasies, he would probably get thrown out for his ignorant, clumsy fumbling. He should just go. Life as an eternal virgin wouldn't be that bad, right? He'd survived so far without knowing what sex was like. He could just leave, and go back to his books and his star charts.

Just as he rose to go, the inner door opened. He heard a low murmur of voices from the dimly lit room beyond, and then a mare came trotting out, looking rather smugly content. Star's eyes followed her across the room. He looked away as he realized he was staring. He hadn't thought that mares might come here too.

"If you would care to come pay, sir, Ember will be ready for you in just a moment."

Star twitched nervously at the sound of the stallion's voice. Right. Payment. He went over to the desk and pulled the bit pouch out of his vest.

"It will be fifty bits, sir."

Star counted out the money, feeling rather surprised. He'd heard stories about courtesans who charged hundreds, even thousands, and Ember was supposed to be the very best. Fifty bits seemed far too cheap. Still, he wasn't going to question it.

"You may enter," said the unicorn. Star nodded to him and went to the door. It was closed but not latched so it swung open easily under his hoof. He stepped inside. Looking around, he barely noticed the room itself. His eyes went straight to the dark figure seated on a couch at its center. She was very tall. Even sitting, it was obvious that she would tower over Star. Her body was dark charcoal gray, covered in smooth chitin that was polished to a high sheen. Even the holes in her legs appeared to have been carefully buffed. Her wings were folded to her back, tucked against an iridescent wing case that shimmered with blue and green. Her turquoise mane and tail were not truly hair, but filmy chitin that fell down around her face.

"Welcome," she said softly. Her voice was low and throaty, almost seductive, yet with a buzzing, echoing quality that made his fur want to stand on end.

"Uhm. H-hello."

"I'm Ember. What's your name?"

"S-star Dream."

"A fine name for a fine young stallion. Come, sit beside me." She gestured to a second couch that was positioned opposite the one she lounged on.

Star felt his knees knocking as he crossed the room and climbed onto the couch. He wasn't sure, at this point, if he was afraid because of the specter of imminent sexual failure hovering over him or if he was afraid of the gigantic, intimidating sight of the changeling.

"There's no need to be afraid," she said. Her smile was gentle, despite the fact that it showed a set of far-too-sharp fangs. "If it will set you at ease, I can take another form. Most ponies who come here have one in mind for me."

Star's thoughts instantly flashed to the princess, and he flushed. That wouldn't exactly set him at ease though, then he'd be staring all those fantasies-turned-nightmares straight in the eye. But that's what you came here for, you idiot, he thought to himself. To have your first time be with Luna, even if it wasn't for real.

He was no longer so certain that was a good idea, though. Perhaps he should wait, and ask for that another time? Of course that assumed that he didn't make such an idiot of himself this time that he would be barred from ever coming back.

When he didn't say anything, Ember said, "I can just be a pony, my usual pony self, for you. Would that help?"

"Uhm. Maybe." Star felt himself flushing. He wasn't even sure why.

Ember smiled again. A flash of green fire washed over her, and when it was gone an ordinary earth pony mare sat there. She was a medium blue, her mane and tail exactly the same color as her coat. Her cutie mark was a triskelion, a three-branched spiral. "There, is that better?"

It was, a little bit. One or two of the fluttering flock of butterflies left. The rest, however, were still busily flapping about Star's stomach. Ember rose and nuzzled at Star. He flinched at her touch for a moment, his whole body jerking with tension and fear, the butterflies going mad. All she did, though, was nuzzle, and so he slowly relaxed. She settled herself on the couch next to him. She was much smaller now, her changeling form would not have fit.

"Tell me about yourself," she said. Her voice was still low and throaty, but the buzzing echo was gone.

"I thought... aren't you...? I mean... don't you...?"

Ember chuckled. "I am, and I do. But I also like to get to know my clients sometimes. I don't charge by the hour. So tell me about yourself, Star Dream."

Hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence as Ember listened and responded with no sign of either boredom or scorn, he told her. He shared stories of his childhood, talked about his studies at the university, and described his family. Only one thing, of all his hopes and dreams, remained unmentioned—the reason he had come here tonight.

After what seemed like no time at all, and yet must have been nearly an hour, Ember began nuzzling him again. She pressed close and rubbed her cheek against his. "You're much more relaxed now. I'm glad."

A stray butterfly floated through Star's stomach. "So are we going to, ah..."

"Mate now? Fairly soon, yes."

The butterfly invited a few friends. Star tensed, fear returning. The conversation had been good, but now he would have to face his nightmare.

"First," said Ember gently, "I would like you to tell me what you're afraid of."

"I-I'm not afraid," said Star quickly.

Ember's eyes flashed with a an alien glow for just a moment. "I can taste your fear. There's no need to lie to me. I'd like you to tell me what makes you so nervous. When I mentioned mating, you tasted of something very close to terror. I promise that I will force nothing on you that you do not desire. Stories of changeling terrors are just that, stories. I won't harm you."

"It's not that." Star swallowed. "It's just... well... I..." He shivered. Her eyes were warm and encouraging, so finally he managed to whisper, "I've never been with a mare before."

"Ah," she said softly. "You fear... what? Failure to please me?"

"I don't know what to do," he said, trembling again.

He felt her nuzzle against his cheek, and her body pressed gently against his. "There's no shame in that. I can teach you, it isn't hard."

"But... but what if I do something wrong? What if you don't like it?"

She chuckled softly. "It is rather difficult to do something 'wrong', Star. Tastes do differ a bit, but instincts don't. By and large the things you will naturally want to do are exactly the things you should do. I will be happy to guide you in learning what I like, and you can do the same for me."

He blinked at her. "But you're supposed to be the best courtesan in Canterlot. Why would you need me to tell you what to do?"

"Because I am not telepathic. At least not with ponies. If you were another changeling..." She chuckled and shook her head. "But you are not. Every pony has their own little quirks, their own little buttons that they like having pushed. So having sex, especially the first time a pair are together, often involves a great many pauses to say 'that was good' or 'not there please' or 'more just like that' and so on. Especially if both parties want the other to enjoy it. One can, of course, just climb on and rut away without talking, but it's much better if you communicate a bit."

"I... see." Star felt like he'd been hit between the eyes with a mallet. It had never occurred to him that there wasn't a single "right way" to go about things. She needed to ask him what he liked? What did he like? He had no idea! How was he supposed to tell her what he wanted when he'd never done this before? "But I... I..." he shivered, then came out with it, "If I've never had sex before, how do I know what to tell you?"

She began to nibble his ear gently. His brain immediately began to shut down as a wave of bliss went through him.

"Mmm..."

Ember giggled in his ear. "That's how you know. I bet if I asked 'do you like your ear nibbled' right now, you could tell me."

"Yes..." Ember nibbled it a little more, and Star's eyes went unfocused. "That is... nice."

"I like mine nibbled too," she said. She tilted her head, putting one ear quite near his muzzle.

With his heart suddenly pounding, Star bent his head just a bit and dared to close his teeth over her ear-tip. He nibbled very gently, not wanting to hurt her. She let out a happy little sigh. "Yes, that's good." He continued for a while, until Ember shifted, removing her ear from his teeth. Suddenly Star found her muzzle pressed to his in a deep, gentle kiss. He kissed back. This, at least, he knew a little bit about. He'd gotten this far with a mare before. He dared to part his lips and let his tongue brush against hers. She parted them in willing invitation, her own tongue moving to meet his. He closed his eyes as their tongues twined together. His heart was still beating fast, but the butterflies were packing up and leaving, to be replaced by a low, slow heat.

Ember broke off the kiss and rose. She held out a hoof to him. "Come," she said simply.

He got up and went with her willingly, that heat warring with the last of the butterflies as they crossed the room. What she had told him made him feel a little better, but he still wasn't able to banish his nervousness entirely. Still, with her hips swaying seductively in front of him, her tail flicking back and forth to give him little glimpses of what lay beneath, it was impossible for him to deny that he wanted her.

She led him through another door and into a bedroom. It was as luxurious as the rest of the place. The bed was in that same dark walnut, hug with red velvet drapes. Star licked his lips as he looked at it, caught between fear and anticipation.

Ember nuzzled against him again, and gave a playful little tug on the collar and cravat he was wearing. "Let's get rid of these, shall we?"

"Okay..."

She bent her head and started undoing the buttons on his vest with her teeth. Star held very still and let her. She slid her head further under his barrel as she went. When she reached the last of the buttons she didn't stop, but kept nuzzling down his stomach. His tail twitched, and his breath came a little faster. He felt her muzzle brush teasingly against his sheath and a shudder went through him.

Ember pulled back and resumed removing his clothing. Star willingly cooperated, pulling off the unbuttoned vest and dropping it carelessly to the floor. The collar and cravat followed it. That task accomplished, Ember climbed up into the bed and beckoned for Star to follow. He swallowed, feeling once again awkward and uncertain, but joined her without too much hesitation.

"Now we just explore each other a little. There's no pressure to do anything in particular. Just let me know if you like or don't like something." Ember smiled. "That doesn't have to be with words. There are other ways of making that quite clear." She rolled onto her side, facing him, and lifted her muzzle to gently nose at Star's horn. He gasped softly at the sensation. Ember let out a throaty little chuckle. "See? I'm quite sure you liked that."

"Yes..."

Ember kissed his horn, eliciting another soft gasp, then rolled over onto her back, stretching out seductively. She looked up at Star expectantly. He licked his lips again, not sure how to start. She didn't have a horn, so he couldn't just imitate her. He remembered that she'd like the ear nibble earlier, so he rolled onto his side, hesitantly putting one foreleg over her, and nuzzled her ear. She made a small, appreciative sound. Feeling incredibly daring, Star stared nuzzling down the side of her neck. She continued to make soft sounds of pleasure, so he kept going. When he reached her shoulder he hesitated, his muzzle pressed there. He was breathing faster, nervousness still mixed liberally with arousal. Arousal was gaining ground though.

He lifted himself up a bit and nuzzled down across Ember's chest. She made another pleased sound and put a hoof to the back of his head, stroking his mane slowly. He nuzzled down further, his heart pounding at his daring. Part of him almost didn't believe that she would really let him continue, but she was still stroking his mane encouragingly, so he did so, adding a few experimental licks as he moved down across her stomach. She seemed to like that too.

When Star reached her nipples, he paused. He was fairly sure that he should do something with them, but what? He nuzzled against one lightly, trying to think. Ember made another soft murmur of enjoyment, which encouraged him enough to dare licking at it. That got a slightly louder reaction. He smiled, feeling a little more confident, and tried sucking at the nipple.

"Ooo... that is good. Do that."

Star did. He suckled at the nipple like a foal, and Ember stroked his mane soothingly. His eyes slid slowly closed, the last of his nervousness fading away. There was something about this that was both arousing and relaxing at the same time.

Eventually Star lifted his head and gave a little bit of attention to Ember's other nipple as well. She sighed blissfully and continued to stroke his mane. After a few moments, however, he moved on, once more sliding himself down lower, nuzzling gently as he went. Finally he reached his destination. He paused for a moment, breathing in Ember's scent. It was musky and intoxicating and he could feel his own arousal increasing just from that.

He nuzzled hesitantly against the outer lips of Ember's marehood. He was no longer nervous, but he was still a little uncertain exactly what he should do. It wasn't too hard, however, to eventually reach the conclusion that he should try licking. He ran his tongue over her lips gently, tasting her. She tasted as good as she smelled. Not only that, but she let out a soft moan at the touch of his tongue. So he continued to lick, stroking his tongue slowly over her.

After a while she lifted her hoof and tapped the back of his head lightly. "Here, let's do this properly."

He lifted his head and looked up at her curiously. She smiled and scooted up the bed, laying her head on one of the pillows. She spread her legs out and patted the bed between them. "You lie here."

"Ah." Star instantly realized what she wanted. It would be far more comfortable in that position than with him against her side, bent double, as he had been. With a nod of agreement, he settled himself between her legs. He found it was quite comfortable for him to wrap his hooves around her flanks, holding her as he bent his head to lick at her again.

"Mmm. You're a fast learner," she said approvingly. She started stroking his mane again. He lifted his head to smile up at her, then lowered it and resumed licking. His tongue ran across her folds slowly, savoring the taste of her. Ember spread her legs a little bit wider, and he took that as an invitation to push his tongue in and lick within her. She moaned loudly as he did. He closed his eyes and licked deeper, his other senses alive with her; the sound of her moans, the taste of her, the feel of her smooth flesh against his tongue.

At length Ember breathlessly said, "Move up a bit. You need to... ah..."

Her instructions were cut off as Star remembered a scrap of something he'd read and realized exactly what he needed to do. He ran his tongue up between the lips of her marehood to find the small, sensitive nub of flesh at the top. Once there, he worked his tongue firmly against it.

As he continued, Ember shuddered, her hips twitching. He tightened the grip of his hooves around her flanks and licked harder, working the flat of his tongue firmly against her clit.

"Ah, yes!" Ember twitched again, her hips bucking, her legs tensed, her hind hooves digging into the bedspread. Her front hooves were still against the back of his head, clutching at his mane. "Don't stop," she gasped.

He didn't. He licked faster, working his tongue almost frantically against Ember's clit. She was letting out soft, rhythmic cries, and he could feel her body tensing. Her back was arched and her tail was trying to flick where it lay trapped under him. Star began to feel a bit concerned. His tongue wasn't used to this sort of thing, it was starting to get tired. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

Still, he didn't slow down or back off. He was going to give this his all. If anything he increased his pace. The sounds that Ember was making increased in pitch and volume, and he could feel the tension in her body growing. Her hooves pressed insistently at the back of his head, her hips lifting to him. Then she let out one last gasping cry and gave an almost convulsive shudder. He could feel her shaking, her legs trembling, her hips twitching against him.

She relaxed with a long, slow, sigh, and Star lifted his head. He almost couldn't believe that he had made her come, but there really wasn't any other conclusion he could draw from what had just happened. He noticed that his chin was damp with her fluids and he wiped it off with one hoof, feeling a bit embarrassed, which was entirely ridiculous, really.

"Was that... I mean, did I do all right?"

"You did," said Ember, her voice radiating blissful satisfaction. "Now come up here so I can kiss you."

Star smiled and readily moved up to lie beside her. She kissed him, as promised, a gentle, sweet sort of kiss.

When she broke it off, she said, "You taste much better now. I'm glad that I've been able to help you relax."

Star blinked for a moment, confused. Then he remembered. He had actually forgotten that Ember was really a changeling. "Oh. Uhm. Thank you."

Ember giggled. "No, thank you! Though I can make you taste—and feel—better still. I think it's my turn now. Roll over."

Star flushed, but rolled onto his back willingly. His stallionhood peeked from its sheath, not fully aroused, but well on its way. Ember didn't bother with any further preliminaries, she bent her head and started nuzzling at his sheath, running her soft muzzle along it and then up his cock. It began to emerge and harden rapidly; it was eagerly ready only seconds later.

Ember drew her tongue slowly up the pink shaft, wringing a low moan from Star. He'd never felt anything like it. The slick, wet heat of her tongue was amazing. She lapped up to the head of his cock and swirled her tongue around it. Star moaned again, a jolt of pleasure shooting through him. Then Ember closed her lips over the tip of his shaft and started to sink slowly down on it.

That was too much for him. Another, stronger bolt of pleasure went through him, wringing a low cry from him, and he came.

Ember went still as his seed shot out onto her tongue. She swallowed it, drinking the bitter-salt fluid down willingly with only a few drops escaping her eager muzzle. When Star's climax was finished, Ember lifted her head and swallowed the last of it.

Star opened his eyes and looked down at her, his cheeks flaming. "I am so, so sorry!"

Ember smiled and planted a small kiss on the head of his cock. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But-"

"No. I wanted to bring you pleasure. There's no shame in feeling it. Especially not when you're new and inexperienced."

"But stallions should-"

"Be able to last all night?" interrupted Ember.

"Uhm. Yes?"

Ember chuckled and shook her head. "No. Taking forever to come is a rather more annoying problem than coming easily, take it from me. The latter has a very simple solution, in a stallion with youth and enthusiasm on his side." Ember bent her head and licked at his cock again. It had started to soften and retreat, but it took only a few more long licks for it to come to attention again. "See?" said Ember with a smile and a wink. "You should last much longer this time. If not, well, we will just have to try for round three."

Star couldn't help it, he laughed. "All right."

Ember's smile broadened into a grin. "And if you're up to it, there's always round four too. There are all kinds of things I'd love to show you how to do."

Star licked his lips, but it wasn't nervousness that caused the gesture this time. The last of the butterflies had well and truly gone, and all that remained was a very pleasant anticipation. The rest of the night was going to be wonderful, he just knew it.

Ember lay back on her bed and sighed. She pushed a thought out to the unicorn stallion at the desk outside. Still no clients, Far?

No ma'am. Looks like it's going to be a slow night.

Ember shifted restlessly. Slow nights were bad nights. Her body's need was making itself known. If no client came to give her what she required, she would have to make do with other means of relief. She licked her lips, her tongue passing slowly over her long, sharp fangs, and considered asking Far Gaze to leave his post and join her. But that would be giving up on the possibility of a client, and it was early still. Somepony might turn up yet.

Meanwhile she would do what she could by herself. It wasn't the same, but it was better than nothing. She let out a long sigh and she slid one perforated hoof down her stomach, licking her lips again in anticipation. Her hoof slid smoothly over her chitin, caressing its way down her body. Her covering of chitinous plates wasn't as sensitive as pony skin would have been, but there was something about doing this in her own form. Few ponies were interested in her the way she was. She understood, but she still appreciated the rare occasions when she could enjoy herself as herself.

Her hoof ran lightly over her ovipositor—tucked against her lower stomach in its sheath—and found its way below, to the wet lips of her marehood. She let out a low moan as she touched herself. She was already burning with need, just that first touch enough to make her drip with moisture, the liquid oozing over the greenish flesh that her probing hoof revealed within her slit. She moved her hoof slowly, drawing it out a little bit, stroking steadily back and forth. Her breath came faster as she worked. Her eyes slid closed as she tilted her head back.

She moved her hoof a little faster, her juices slicking it as it slid up and down between her legs. She was panting hard now, her thighs clenched about her hoof, her back arched.

Suddenly she rolled over onto her stomach. She spread her legs and lifted her filmy turquoise tail, as if welcoming a stallion who wasn't there. She imagined one, calling on years worth of memories containing many different stallions. Someone young and eager, perhaps, like that unicorn colt the other night had been. She remembered what it had felt like when he'd mounted her. Her hoof slipped beneath her to continue stroking her marehood. She bucked her hips down onto it, grinding against it, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she did so.

She pushed harder, her hips moving faster still, holding nothing back now. Her mind filled with images of past lovers; she could almost feel the weight of a stallion on her, filling her. Her body strained, seeking release, her hoof working as fast as she could make it. Finally she was there. Her body shuddered, and she let out a soft cry as a wave of pleasure swept through her.

A moment later it was over and she relaxed, lying still on the bed. She let out a deep sigh. The burning need that had filled her was sated for now.

Ember rose and used a bit of magic to clean herself off. That done, she trotted out into the sitting room and flopped down gracelessly on one of the several luxurious couches there.

Still nobody, I take it? Ember asked Far.

She could hear his faint chuckle in her head. No. I assure you I'll tell you as soon as somepony arrives.

Ember sighed. She felt fine for now, but her need would return well before the night was over if she didn't sate it with something better than her hoof. That was sometimes annoying, but it was what she had chosen. She preferred the constant need to the alternatives.

Ah, there's someone at the door, said Far Gaze.

Ember's ears perked up. She straightened herself, checking that she was arranged in a pose that was both seductive and non-threatening. Once satisfied with that, she closed her eyes to look through Far's.

He was watching a stallion enter the reception room. Ember smiled. She quite enjoyed mares, but she did rather prefer stallions. He was a big one too, maybe not a full-blooded draft pony, but certainly rather on the large side. That was good. And he was fit as well, his muscles showing clearly through his light green coat. An earth pony, which meant no wings or horn to play with, but that was just fine. She licked her lips in anticipation.

Seen through Far's gifted eyes, a hazy aura hung over him. By now Ember could interpret the colors of an aura nearly as well as Far himself. It was mixed, but overall the colors weren't good. This was a stallion with problems. Well, that was hardly surprising. Ember found herself hoping that this would be one of the simple ones, one of the ones where a good rutting to take his mind from his troubles was all he needed. She needed it too. Already the ache between her legs was stirring again.

She drew her attention away from the reception room and concentrated on her breathing, cooling herself with deep, slow breaths. Whatever her own needs might be, the stallion's needs came first. She had sworn to that when she first began her business here, and she hadn't gone back on it yet.

The door opened and her prospective client stepped in. He looked just as good in person as he had through Far's eyes. He wasn't surprised to see her. Some of her clients were, some weren't. This one obviously had expected to find a changeling queen sitting in the middle of the room.

"Welcome," she said. "I'm Ember."

"Bell Pepper," he said with a short, uncertain nod. Now that he was here, she could taste the emotions rolling off of him. Right now it was mostly nervousness. There was also a strong acid tang of guilt with it. She wanted to sigh. Guilt meant that he wasn't just stressed about something. Guilt meant an issue he would need to work through first, probably. There was also an intense need. He was not aroused, exactly, but there was something he longed for, almost desperately. She knew that emotion well.

"So, you know what I am."

"Yes. You can be... anyone."

"Indeed. Who do you want me to be?"

The guilt grew stronger. He looked away from her for a moment, then back. "My wife."

Ember suppressed another sigh. "I cannot exactly mimic someone I have never met," she said instead.

"I could describe her? It... it wouldn't have to be exact."

"I see. Very well, go ahead."

"She's a unicorn. Kind of average build. Her coat is cream colored. Hair is pink. Her cutie mark is a golden bell."

Ember nodded, forming a mental image of the pony in question. She willed her transformation magic to life, and a moment later green fire had swept over her, replacing her native form with that of an ordinary pony mare.

"Is this close enough?" she asked, her voice now a soft alto.

"Y-yes," said Pepper. The emotions from him shifted. Guilt was still there, strong and sour. Fear, also, came from him, bitter and acidic. Love was there too, though, sweet and delicious. Ember pulled a thread of it in from him.

It was enough to know that she could not go ahead in good conscience without knowing more. "You love her," she said softly.

The stallion gaped at her. Hesitantly he nodded. "Yes. We... we've only been married a year now, but I love her like I've known her all my life."

"Then why are you here, and not with her?"

"There are things..." he swallowed, the fear stronger. A thread of shame came from him as well. "There are things I can't do to her."

Ah. So that's how it is. Ember was suddenly nearly certain she knew where the problem lay. "What sort of things?"

"I have... fantasies. I saw a picture once, in Playcolt. It... I... It made me want things. Or no, I always wanted them, I just didn't quite know what they were. But I can't! I just can't do them to her. I'd hurt her. I could never hurt her." He was flushed now, the emotions he'd held within bubbling to the surface, their flavors becoming stronger, clearer.

"Describe these things," said Ember gently. "In detail. Start with the picture you saw, if that helps."

A flash of red-hot desire came from him, spicy and strong on Ember's tongue. His cheeks were flushed and his ears were twitching as he started speaking. "The picture I saw was of a mare wearing a saddle and bridle, with her... her back hooves tied down. She was looking back over her shoulder, holding out her reins. I... I pictured my wife there, like that. I imagined that I took the bridle, and used it to tie her head down, so she couldn't move. I... In my mind, I yanked her head around roughly and called her things. Horrible, crude things. I pulled up her tail, I didn't wait like I always do until she was ready and lifted it herself, I just pulled it up and took her. Slammed my cock right into her." He was breathing hard now, his eyes wide and distant. "I... I bit her mane too, pulled on it hard, and called her more names, and just... just took her. I... I heard her screaming, and she fought the bridle, and said no, and I did it anyway. It was so vivid, thinking about doing that to her. I want to hurt her. I want to say terrible things to her. I want to do terrible things to her. But I can't. I know... you probably won't let me hurt you either, but I could..." he paused and licked his lips. "I could say things. You could... pretend to say no. I could just take you anyway. Couldn't I?"

He shivered, and Ember could see that he was aroused, his cock standing free of its sheath beneath his barrel. The sight, coupled with the lurid description he'd just given her, sent a wave of need through her. She wanted him desperately. She could almost have leaped on him and taken him as carelessly as he had described wanting to take his wife.

Instead, she spoke, her voice betraying none of her need. "Have you ever wondered why a picture like that would be in a magazine like Playcolt?"

He blinked at her. Obviously he hadn't wondered that prior to this moment. "I suppose it's because of sick deviants like me," he finally said, his ears going flat back.

Ember smiled at him and shook her head. "Playcolt is not exactly a fringe publication," she said, her tone gently chiding. "It is vastly popular, and I can tell you that it never publishes anything that won't appeal to most of its readers."

"But... the picture?"

"Wanting to have a mare in such a position is normal," she said. "It's one of the more common fantasies out there. You share your urges with many, many other stallions. It's perfectly ordinary, and perfectly natural. And," she added with a little wink, "as a female, I can assure you that it is also normal, natural, and incredibly common for mares to fantasize about their stallions doing such things to them. If you told your wife your fantasies, it's quite possible that you'd discover she shares them."

"I... I couldn't. I could never actually do any of this to her. There's no way I could ever hurt her."

Ember gave him a compassionate look. "Pepper... if you do those things to me, tonight, and then go home to her, do you think that won't hurt her?"

"She won't know. I know it's not right, but I'd never tell her."

"She won't know, but you will. The guilt will always be with you. You'll be miserable. Do you think she won't notice? Do you think she won't care? If she loves you as much as you love her, she'll be miserable too, to see you so unhappy."

Pepper's head sunk, his ears drooping low. "She does love me."

"You would hurt her, if you did this."

There was a long silence as he stood there, the very picture of misery. "I know," he finally said. "But I have to. I saw the picture months and months ago. I think about it more all the time. I'm going mad with wanting this. I have to do something about it."

"Yes you do. But that something isn't with me. At least not now. You have to tell her what you want."

"She'll be horrified."

"It's possible. But it's not very likely." Ember gave him a little wink again. "I said this once already, but I'll say it again. Most mares have similar fantasies. It's incredibly common, even more common than it is among stallions. Nearly every mare I've ever met has at least a little bit of an interest in sometimes having rough sex like you describe. Bridles, name-calling and all, might I add. And I can tell you that I do see quite a few mares here, it isn't only stallions who come to me, so I know what I'm talking about."

Pepper's head came up just enough for him to look at her. "You mean that?"

"Yes. I don't know your wife, but I know mares. There's a small chance she won't be interested. There's a much larger chance she will. And even if she's not, if she really does love you, she won't hate you for wanting this. She'll find a way to help you."

"What if she doesn't? What if she does hate me?" whispered Pepper.

"If she hates you merely for having a fantasy, then she never loved you after all, and it's better to know that now, rather than later."

"But what do I do if she does? I can't even imagine telling her this."

"Can you imagine coming to me every time you start fantasizing for the rest of your life? The fantasies will come back, you know they will. Can you imagine having to hide this secret from her forever? Can you imagine always living a lie, making both of you miserable, and she'll never even know why? That's what you face, if you don't tell her."

"I... I guess you're right. I just... I can't help but be certain she'll be horrified. What will I do if I lose her? I love her so much."

"You have to trust her. If she really does love you she'll find a way to make you happy, even if it horrifies her at first. If she doesn't love you enough to try, then you come back to me, and I'll give you your every fantasy, but I won't do it when it will make you miserable."

He sighed, sitting suddenly on his haunches. "I thought... I thought I was just going to pay for a good time."

Ember chuckled. "Well, you should have gone somewhere else then. I live on love, Pepper, not on guilt."

"Oh."

"I'm glad you came to me, though. You'll tell your wife, won't you?"

"I guess I will."

"And then either you two will have the most mind-blowingly amazing sex you've ever had in your lives," said Ember with a grin, "or you'll find out that you are just not compatible, which is something that's better to know now than after years of misery trying to make something impossible work."

"Heh. I guess so."

"I know so. Now go out there and tell your wife how much you love her, and how much you want her in all your fantasies, even the wild ones."

Pepper straightened a little. "Put like that, it doesn't sound so bad."

"That's because it's not bad. It's good."

"I'm not completely sure I can believe you..."

"You can. Now go." Ember let go of the mare's form and reverted to her own in a flare of green fire. "If you need to come back, I'll be here. But you probably won't. The stallion at the desk will give you your money back." She made a shooing gesture towards him. He gave her a slightly shaky smile and retreated out the door. She heard him refusing Far's offered refund. Apparently he thought that what he'd gotten was worth the fifty bits, even if it hadn't been what he'd originally wanted. Ember smiled a bit at that.

When Pepper was finally completely gone, Ember flopped back on her couch with a deep sigh of frustration.

You did good, said Far, sounding amused.

Life is utterly unfair to me sometimes, Ember replied wryly. He was so dang hot! And his little fantasy! She squirmed on the couch. Just thinking about it was making her soaking, now that she wasn't fighting it.

Far laughed in her mind. Well, maybe he'll be back.

I doubt it. His wife would have to be crazy to not be interested.

You never know.

Eh. I'm not going to wait. Put the spell-alert on the front door and get back here, you, she said, getting to her feet and walking into her bedroom.

If you insist, said Far, still laughing.

I do. Ember went into the closet attached to the big bedroom and started rummaging around.

What are you looking for? asked Far as he set the spell that would let them know if anyone came in the front door.

What do you think? The bridle and the hoofcuffs, of course!

Oh, so it's going to be like that, hmm?

Yes, it's going to be like that! Now quit laughing at me and get back here, unless you want to be the one wearing them.

Yes ma'am.

It was several hours later, and Ember and Far Gaze lay entwined together in her bed, both of them feeling drowsy, content, and quite worn out. They had done everything from Pepper's fantasy, and quite a few more things besides. As they lay together, basking in the afterglow, the magical chime that meant somepony had just come in the front door sounded.

Far groaned and rolled over.

"I'll go get it," said Ember. "I've worn you out rather thoroughly."

"I won't argue," murmured Far drowsily.

Ember stripped the worst of the sweat and other fluids from her carapace with a spell, then trotted out through the sitting room and into the reception room beyond. Somewhat to her surprise she saw Bell Pepper standing there. "Pepper?" She blinked at him, testing the air to see if he tasted of despair, but instead found an intense flavor of contentment mixed with gratitude.

He didn't look like he'd been rejected either, she realized. The tangled mane that at first had looked like he'd been running his hooves through it in distress suddenly looked more like the sweaty results of something much, much more fun. He smelled faintly of sex too.

"I wanted to say thank you," he said.

Ember laughed. She drew in a generous share of the wonderful, delicious emotional energy he was giving off, but she wasn't going to keep him here. "You're more than welcome. I'm glad it worked out well for you."

"Did it ever!" said Pepper, grinning.

"Well, if it did, then what are you doing here? Go on, go back to her. If you have the energy in you to walk down here, you should be getting ready for another couple of rounds!"

Pepper laughed. "Maybe. Though she was asleep when I left. But... thank you. Thank you so much."

"I didn't do that much."

"You did."

"Well. Okay then, you're welcome. Now get going."

He nodded and, with one more wave, turned and left. Outside, the streets were gray with pre-dawn light. It was almost sunrise. Ember yawned. Her needs had been met for the night, and her client satisfied as well, even if those had turned out to be two different events this time. Now it was time for her to go to bed and rest.

Hopefully tomorrow would be another busy day.

Pearl walked slowly through the streets of Canterlot. The sun was setting behind the mountain's shoulder in a blaze of celestial glory, but she didn't look up at it. Her eyes rested on her silver front hooves, seeing only the cobblestones passing beneath them. Her footsteps were heavy, dejected. Her charcoal gray mane, normally done up in a stylish bun, hung loose, rumpled and disarrayed as though she hadn't brushed it in days. The wayward strands of it almost hid her silver horn. She glanced up every so often, but only to choose her course. As she drew nearer her destination, her steps picked up just a little bit. She was looking forward to a relaxing spa treatment. It wouldn't cure the bleakness that had devoured her life, but it would at least help her feel a little better, she was sure. Eventually she arrived at a door with a reddish lantern burning beside it. She'd never been here before, but this seemed to be the place.

She swung open the door and stepped into the opulent reception room. It was much nicer than she had expected, and in a very different style. She'd never seen a massage parlor that had a fireplace before.

"Welcome to Ember's," said the stallion behind the reception desk warmly. Pearl walked over to him, not quite managing to return his smile. She took the gift certificate her friend had bought her and held it out to him. "I'm here for the spa package."

He took the slip of paper from her and smiled. "Of course. Through the door, there." As Pearl stepped towards the door, he added, "Do not be alarmed by anything you see here. This is a safe place, I promise."

Pearl knew something was not quite right about that statement, but she didn't have the mental energy to summon more than a vague sense of confusion over it. She simply walked through the door, into the room beyond. She'd expected that to be the spa itself, but instead she found herself in what seemed to be some kind of parlor or sitting room. Then she gasped, shocked out of her depressive stupor. There was an enormous changeling sitting in the middle of the room.

"Welcome," the creature said. "I am Ember."

"I... I..."

"Do not fear. You are safe here."

Pearl remembered what the stallion had said, and suddenly understood why he'd said it, even if she didn't understand what was going on. "This isn't a spa."

The changeling chuckled. "It is, actually. Among other things."

"What other things?"

The changeling smiled. "I believe the current euphemism in common use is 'pleasure house.'"

"Oh." Pearl flushed, feeling suddenly horribly embarrassed. "But the stallion at the desk took my spa gift certificate."

"Yes. Payment in bits isn't really all that important to me. My real payment is the satisfaction of my clients. I require it to live, in fact."

Pearl remembered that changelings ate emotions somehow. It made a bizarre kind of sense, once she considered it, to find one working in a whorehouse. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I got confused enough to come here instead of to the spa. I'll go."

"Please, stay," said the changeling. "It is also a spa, and I can give you quite a thorough treatment. I won't do anything further unless you want me to."

Pearl hesitated. The changeling's smile seemed so earnest and sincere.

"If you find me intimidating, I can easily be a pony for you." Green magic ran over her, and when it was done a blue earth pony mare stood there. The smile was the same, but it was a bit less intimidating without the fangs. "Please, will you stay?"

Pearl almost walked out. Normally she would never have stayed in a place like this. Her husband's reputation would be destroyed. But then he wasn't her husband any more, was he? So why not? "Well... all right."

"Thank you!" The changeling's smile grew wider. What was her name? She'd given Pearl a name, but now Pearl couldn't remember it. "Follow me," said the changeling, turning and walking towards the back of the room.

"I'm Pearl," said Pearl as she walked after the changeling. "What was your name again? I'm afraid I wasn't listening when I first came in."

"Ember," said the changeling over her shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you, Ember," said Pearl, the pleasantry coming automatically to her lips. She'd spent so much time mingling with Canterlot society. Those days were over now.

Ember led her into a spacious white-tiled room, with tasteful teal accents. They were the same color as the accents Ember herself had born before changing, Pearl noticed. A large tub stood in one corner of the well stocked spa. This was more like what Pearl had been expecting. "If you'll seat yourself, I'll begin filling the bath for your soak. Do you have a preferred fragrance? If not, I can pick out something soothing."

"Whatever you like is fine," said Pearl, sitting with a sigh. She watched Ember bustling back and forth across the room, testing the temperature of the bath and pouring in things from various jars and battles from a rack on one wall. Eventually the changeling gave a satisfied nod.

"There, it's ready. Climb in, please."

Pearl carefully climbed in, glad of the steps that led up to the lip of the tub. She wasn't as young as she'd once been. The water was just shy of being too hot. She sighed with bliss as she lowered herself up to her neck in the fragrant bath. That was wonderful.

Ember laid out a towel beside the bath. "There you are. Would you prefer I left you alone while you soaked, or shall I stay and chat? I do enjoy getting to know my clients."

Pearl hesitated. She had to admit she was a bit curious about the changeling, though. "You can stay if you like."

"Thank you." Ember sat down on a chair beside the tub. She leaned against it, smiling at Ember like she was an old friend. "So, tell me a little about yourself. You seem to be a bit down right now. What's troubling you?"

Pearl closed her eyes, leaning against the tub's sloped back and submerging everything but her face. "Divorce, in a word," she said. "My husband... left me, not long ago."

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Some days I am too. Other days I'm glad to be rid of him. I sometimes think our marriage was a mistake. It was a marriage of convenience, I think. There was no love there. Not really."

"Well, then you can be glad of the chance to find someone better this time."

"Ha." Pearl snorted. "As if. No stallion would look twice at an old nag like me."

"Nonsense. I can tell you that the stallion at the desk looked twice at you. I did too, if I'm being honest. You have a wonderful coat color, it's amazingly elegant. And the figure under it isn't bad either."

Pearl found herself sitting up a bit so she could turn and look at Ember, to make sure she wasn't joking. But though she was smiling broadly, it wasn't a mocking smile. "You're just saying that," she said.

"I assure you, it's quite true." Ember gave her a rather broad wink. "If you should desire my other services, I would be more than delighted to provide them, even without any payment."

"Oh my." Pearl blushed brightly and sank back into the water, considering sinking under it entirely to hide her flaming cheeks.

Ember giggled. "Also, you have an adorable blush."

"Oh my," said Pearl again. This time she did sink entirely under the water, having no other idea how to escape the unaccustomed, embarrassing compliments. When she surfaced again Ember had looked away from her, though the changeling still had an amused smile on her face.

Wanting to change the subject, Pearl said, "What about you? I know a few changelings live in Canterlot, since the treaty with them, but you don't look like any other changeling I've seen."

"That's because I'm a queen."

Pearl frowned, trying to remember. "I thought I read that the Canterlot queen lives south of here, in a big hive out in the badlands?"

"She does, yes. I have no hive, there is only me. Queen Sweetcake is kind enough to not mind my presence in her territory, since I have no hive of my own to live with."

"Why don't you? Er, if that's not rude of me to ask."

Ember smiled. "It isn't. I am not easily offended. As for why... I don't really care for being a mother. Nor am I terribly fond of being responsible for the lives of others. For those rather large reasons, and for many more lesser ones, I prefer to live without a hive."

"I see." Pearl sighed softly. "I never got to be a mother. I'm still not certain if I'm happy or sad about that. My husband..." She shrugged, and sank back under the water, not knowing what else to say. When she surfaced again to breathe, Ember said nothing, letting a surprisingly comfortable silence stretch out between them.

Eventually Pearl climbed out of the tub, dripping scented water everywhere. Ember picked up the towel and toweled her off briskly. After her initial surprise, Pearl found she quite enjoyed having the other pony rub her mane and coat dry. Though when she toweled her tail off all the way up to the top, Pearl found herself blushing again.

Once she was more or less dry, Ember directed her to a massage table, which Pearl climbed onto without hesitation. Ember immediately began running her hooves over Pearl's coat, lightly at first, then more firmly. Pearl groaned as Ember's hooves found a knot at the base of her spine. The changeling worked at it diligently, pressing deeply, until it began to loosen. "Mmm," mumbled Pearl, her eyes half closed, her body relaxing further.

Soon she was a limp puddle of a pony, utterly and completely relaxed. Ember had worked up from that knot at the base of her spine to her shoulders and neck, finding every little bit of tension along the way. She started to run her hooves back down again, just rubbing gently this time. There were no more knots to find, but it still felt good.

Then, when she reached the base of Pearl's spine, she kept going, running her hooves over Pearl's flanks. Pearl tensed a bit, she hadn't expected that. Still, it did feel good as Ember caressed her pearl necklace cutie mark. Ember's hooves kept rubbing there, as Ember herself leaned over, her body tucked up against Pearl's rump in a way that made Pearl blush, and spoke softly in her ear, "Relaxed now?"

Pearl swallowed. The feeling of Ember pressing against her rump was stirring some rather unfamiliar sensations in her. She felt a faint heat between her legs, and her tail gave a little twitch. "Y-yes," she said.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," said Ember. Then she leaned back, taking her warm weight from Pearl's rump. Her hooves slid down, caressing the outsides of Pearl's thighs. They moved to gently flex one hock, then down to flex her pastern, moving her hoof slowly back and forth. Pearl found she was a little bit tensed again. This was not at all what she'd expected. It was just a thorough massage, though, right?

Ember's hooves moved to her other pastern, and flexed that carefully too. Then up to her hock, moving and massaging the muscles there. Then up her thigh slowly, both hooves still on her leg, so that one was sliding up the inside of her leg.

Pearl swallowed. "S-stop," she stammered.

Instantly Ember removed her hooves.

Pearl took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry," she said.

"For what? Feeling arousal at a pleasant sensation?" said Ember calmly.

Pearl flushed. "I wasn't feeling, uh..."

Ember chuckled softly. "I can taste it. You still are, a little. I can continue, if you like."

"I haven't... I mean, a proper mare doesn't..."

That prompted a little giggle from Ember. "A proper mare doesn't feel arousal, is that what you're saying? You should know that's silly. Arousal is a normal feeling that nearly all ponies have at one point or another. Including proper mares. Definitely including you."

"But I never.... I mean, even with my husband..."

"What, he never got you going?" Another giggle. "Let me guess. He climbed on, soldiered away for five minutes, finished, and climbed off?"

Pearl flushed. That did come fairly close to describing what she'd endured during her usual wifely duties. "Well..."

"Let me assure you that if that was the case, then he was a terrible lover, as well as being unable to appreciate a beautiful mare."

"I'm not beautiful," said Pearl reflexively.

"You are gorgeous." Ember was suddenly standing in front of her, looking into her eyes. Ember's eyes were bright, leaf green, Pearl noticed. She crouched to put her head at Pearl's eye level. She lifted one hoof and stroked Pearl's cheek. "You make me want to do far more than massage you. If you don't want me to, I won't. But if you do want it, I would love to make love to you, Pearl." She bent in and planted a tiny kiss on the tip of Pearl's muzzle.

Pearl blushed brightly. She didn't know how to respond to that. She was just a fat old nag. Her belly was plump, not flat and taut. Her flanks carried plenty of extra fat on them too. There were rolls. There were wrinkles. Her fur was no longer as sleek as it had once been, it was growing dull and coarse. Ember was young, and beautiful, and a mare on top of that. How could Ember say she wanted her? Nopony had ever wanted her, not even her husband. He'd had desire enough for the younger mare he was with now, but not for her. Not in years. She was too old, and too ugly, for desire.

Ember's eyes looked into hers with a gentle intensity. Her hoof started to caress down from her cheek, stroking softly down the side of her neck. She felt that tingle of heat between her legs again, and laid her ears back, feeling flushed with shame. She shouldn't be feeling that. Proper mares didn't. Proper mares did their duty to see to the needs of their stallions, who felt such things. Mares didn't.

Did they?

Ember moved in and kissed her again, on the lips this time. It was lingering, almost passionate. Pearl hadn't been kissed like that in years. Decades, even. The heat Pearl felt flared higher as Ember's lips moved slowly against her own. She felt Ember's tongue push against her lips. Feeling incredibly daring, she parted her lips for it. Her eyes were half closed, lost in strange sensations. Ember's lips on hers were soft, and her tongue tasted strange, a slightly acidic, alien sort of flavor. Was that because she was a changeling? Because she was another mare? Pearl didn't know. She felt lost, and yet she wasn't afraid. It felt so good.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ember slowly broke off from the kiss. "You are so beautiful," she whispered in Pearl's ear. Pearl could almost believe it. Ember's teeth nipped lightly there, and Pearl gasped. The sensation only added to the heat she felt. It was so wrong, so unnatural, and yet so good, to feel it.

Ember moved back then, and straightened. Pearl looked up at her from where she still lay on the massage table.

"I want you," said Ember softly. "I can be whatever you want me to be, stallion or mare, unicorn or pegasus, whatever you desire. But I want you. Let me please you, Pearl."

"I... I don't know. You can't mean that."

"I do mean it." Ember leaned forward and nuzzled up the length of Pearl's horn. Pearl gasped at that. She'd given her husband the rare horn job when they were younger, but nopony had ever touched hers. Not like that! "Let me show you," whispered Ember. She licked at Pearl's horn, running her tongue slowly up one of the spiral grooves. Pearl shivered. She could feel Ember's tongue massaging her magical energy, sending a warm tingling through her.

Ember closed her lips over the tip of Pearl's horn and swirled her tongue around it. Pearl gasped. It felt like a wave of pure magic had shot from her horn down through her whole body, to that point of heat and desire between her legs. Ember didn't stop there, though, she started to go down, taking Pearl's horn into her mouth.

Pearl moaned, then blushed to hear herself make such a shameless sound. She couldn't help it though. That single jolt had become a steady pulse that ran the length of her entire spine, making her whole body tremble with bliss. It felt amazing. She'd never felt anything like it. By the time Ember had gone down all the way, she was almost incoherent with it. And Ember just stayed there, Pearl's horn in her muzzle, sucking at it, working her tongue along it. Pearl could feel every motion Ember made, for each one sent further jolts of pleasure through her. She was moaning shamelessly now, her body twitching, her hips grinding against the massage table.

Ember pulled back slowly, and Pearl could feel every motion of the changeling mare's lips against her horn as she did. She groaned at the feeling, her tail flicking madly. As Ember started to slide back down again, Pearl let out a gasping cry. That felt even better. Soon Ember had set up a steady rhythm, working up and down slowly on Pearl's horn. Pearl was hardly aware of the fact that Ember was working her horn, all she knew was the pleasure that pulsed through her body. It was building rapidly, and her moans built with it. Finally she cried out as it reached a point where she couldn't bear it any more and cascaded over into a wave of pleasure that shot from her groin up into her horn.

Just as her body jerked with that final spasm—her back arched, her head lifting, her whole body shaking with it—Ember pulled back, letting the fountain of silver sparks that shot from the tip of Pearl's horn splash harmlessly against the ceiling.

As abruptly as she'd gone rigid, Pearl went limp, her head dropping to the massage table, her whole body relaxing completely. She lay there panting, a light sheen of sweat covering her silver coat.

Ember smiled fondly down at her and planted one last kiss on the tip of her horn.

Pearl blinked slowly, her senses gradually returning. A blush colored her cheeks as she remembered what she'd just done. She hadn't done anything that shameless since she'd been very young, and then never with a mare! It was absolutely shocking.

Somehow she couldn't actually bring herself to be shocked, though. It had felt wonderful. She would do it again, if given the chance.

"You see?" said Ember, sounding a little bit smug. "I do want you."

"I... do see, yes," said Pearl, still a little bit dazed and breathless.

"I want to show you more. Come." Ember moved away from the massage table. Pearl almost wanted to just lie there and soak in the afterglow. But she couldn't quite resist the lure of more.

More like that? Yes please!

She staggered a bit as she got to her feet. Her legs felt surprisingly weak, not to mention that her head was still spinning with the delightful aftermath of what Ember had done. Somehow she managed to get her hooves under her enough to follow Ember out of the spa. A second door in the sitting room lead to a bedroom, just as richly appointed and luxurious as the rest of the place. Once they were both inside, Ember turned to her. "What shall I be for you? Unicorn? Pegasus? Stallion? Mare? What do you like?"

Pearl shook her head, hardly knowing how to answer. "I suppose stallion. I was never much into mares. Though you could almost change my mind. But I've always been attracted to stallions."

"Very well." Green fire flashed over her again. When it cleared she was still blue-on-blue, but now she was taller and broader, with a square muzzle and a heavy build. Still an earth pony, still with those same leaf-green eyes, but quite definitely a stallion, and a fairly large and well-built one at that. Pearl looked Ember over and licked her lips. She made an awfully handsome stallion. Or was it he now? Pearl wasn't sure, but even though she knew Ember was really a female, it was impossible for her to look at that ruggedly masculine form and think of anything but "he".

"How is this?" His voice matched his body, deep and a little rough.

"That's... just fine." Pearl licked her lips again.

Ember chuckled. "Oh good," he said as he stepped closer to her. She lifted her head to him, and they kissed. Softly at first, but with rapidly increasing passion. When they broke apart, Pearl was breathing faster, the still-strange sensation of desire rising again in her. She knew what she wanted to do about that, though. Feeling amazingly wanton, she went over to the bed and put her forelegs up on it. She settled herself, folding her forelegs so that her chest rested on the bed, her back hooves still standing on the floor. She flicked her tail, blushing brightly as she looked back over her shoulder at Ember.

He grinned at her. "My, so eager! I like that." He stepped forward and rose to put his front hooves on the bed on either side of her. His body pressed to hers as he leaned forward, but though she could feel his cock, already hard and hot, brushing against her, he did not move to enter her immediately. Instead he began to nip and nuzzle at her ears, his hips rocking slowly, his cock sliding teasingly against her entrance.

She let out a moan of need. She wanted him. He ground against her, his hips tight to hers, and nipped at the back of her neck. She could feel his hot breath against her skin. "I want you," he whispered intensely. "I want to take you. I want to rut you senseless."

Pearl's breath caught. He really meant it. She knew, with every ounce of her body, that he meant it. Knowing that was the most wonderful feeling possible, even better than the magical orgasm she'd experienced mere moments ago. The feeling swept her up, made her heart race even faster.

Feeling wanted, she discovered she wanted him, in a way she'd never wanted a stallion before. She found herself pushing back into him, her body practically begging for him.

"Do you want me?" his rough voice whispered. "Do you?"

"Yes! Oh sweet Celestia, yes! Take me, please!" Pearl responded without thought, and her own brazenness was nearly as exciting as what Ember was doing. She would never have dreamed that she could dare to beg for a stallion to take her like that.

Ember chuckled softly in her ear. "Good," he said. He pulled his hips back, shifting behind her, aligning his cock with her entrance. She felt his tip against her, pushing at her dripping folds. She held her breath, anticipation thrilling through her.

Then he pushed in, his cock slowly sinking into her. She felt it stretching her, filling her, feeling like nothing she'd ever known before. It should have been familiar, her husband had entered her countless times, but the passion that made her tremble turned the sensation into something amazing, something wonderful that wrung a helpless moan from her.

The moan turned to a gasp as Ember ground his hips against hers, his cock pushing so deeply that it bottomed out, a feeling that was a kind of wonderful pain, a thrilling ache deep within her body.

He pulled back, then thrust in again, faster this time. Pearl let out a gasping cry. She had no words to describe how good it felt to be suddenly filled like that.

Again, he pulled back and then thrust into her, and again she cried out. Soon he fell into a steady rhythm, driving deep with each thrust. His forelegs gripped her barrel as he moved, a primal gesture that stirred her passion even further. He nipped and nuzzled at the back of her neck, sometimes tugging at her mane. She shuddered and moaned in time with his motions, her mind past thought, capable only of feeling.

He started moving faster, his breath becoming ragged. He pounded into her, hitting that deep, wonderfully painful spot with each thrust now. His hips bucked almost frantically, and he grunted with each thrust.

He didn't hold back at all, he just took her, as hard as he possibly could, his wild passion fanning the flames of her desire.

Suddenly he bit down on a clump of her mane, his forelegs gripping her even harder, pulling her back onto his cock, which twitched, flaring within her. She cried out, then cried out again as she felt his seed spurt into her, filling her, his body shaking as he came hard within her. The heat and slickness of it inside her felt wonderful, far better than she could have imagined possible.

When it was done, he let go of her mane. His muzzle rested on her shoulder, his breath still coming fast. His grip around her barrel loosened, but he slid one hoof under her, beneath her stomach. He pressed it between her legs, where his cock still rested inside her, stretching her open. His hoof found just the right spot, pushing against the swollen nub of her clit, slicked with her juices and with his own seed that had leaked from her. She let out a startled gasp of pleasure at the touch. That was followed by another gasp as he rubbed swiftly back and forth, and then by an intense shudder as her burning desire built rapidly to a wave of complete bliss that broke over her. Her body tensed, her inner walls spasming around the cock filling her, her mind going blank as pleasure overwhelmed her.

She came back to herself a moment later, lying limply bent over the bed, Ember still atop her and within her. His softening cock slowly pulled free, allowing a sticky mess of fluid to run down the insides of her legs. She did not care one bit. She felt far too good to care about anything at all. The world could have ended just then, and she wouldn't have cared about that either, except perhaps to regret that she wouldn't be able to feel such amazing sensations again.

"Mmm," she said.

"Indeed." Ember's voice was drowsy, blurred with lingering pleasure that echoed what Pearl felt. He nuzzled the back of her neck, then rose, climbing off of her.

Pearl slowly moved back from the bed, staggering a bit as her weight fell on all four hooves again. She'd thought her legs had felt shaky after the horn job, but now she could barely stand at all. Ember stood next to her, and Pearl found herself leaning against his side. "We should get cleaned up," he said.

Pearl blinked, becoming aware of the state she was in. For a moment she was almost embarrassed, then she decided that she still didn't care. "Probably," she said, a blissful, dazed smile still on her face.

Ember chuckled. "Come on." He led the way back to the spa, where a shower provided them both an opportunity to clean off the sweat and mess. Ember nearly started everything again as he playfully helped Pearl wash even her most sensitive areas. She was just a little bit too exhausted to follow up on his teasing, however.

When that was done and they were both dried off, they walked out into the sitting room again. Pearl was perfectly groomed now, with her mane and tail loose and flowing, and her coat shining like polished silver. Yet it was the gleam in her eyes that made her look radiant, not the gleam of her coat.

"Thank you," said Ember.

"Thank me? I'm the one who needs to thank you!"

Ember smiled, and with a flash of green fire returned to her natural form. "You provided a very rich meal for me today, and what you felt was honestly for me. I could tell."

"You did far more than that for me. But you are welcome," said Pearl.

"Feel free to return whenever you wish. For you, I can offer quite a discount." Ember winked.

Pearl laughed. "Well... I might come back, yes. It's almost tempting to ask if I can just stay." She glanced at the door and gave a little shrug. "But I suppose you have other customers waiting by now, and I have things I need to do."

"I don't mind keeping them waiting. Not when you're here."

Pearl looked up at Ember. "It's hard to believe you mean that. I'm just a fat old nag, still."

"Never. You are beautiful. I don't offer discounts to everyone, you know."

Pearl blushed faintly.

"You're still cute when you blush." Ember leaned in and gave Pearl a soft kiss. Pearl kissed back for a moment, though it was strange, kissing Ember as a changeling. Still, she couldn't bring herself to care about that, either. Ember had made her feel wonderful, and believed she was beautiful. Those counted for much more than the oddness of chitin and fangs did.

"I'll come back soon," said Pearl after she broke off the kiss.

"I'll look forward to it," said Ember.

Pearl walked out the door, to find that there were two stallions waiting in the reception room. "Finally," muttered one of them under his breath. Pearl favored each of the stallions in turn with a bright smile. She didn't care about a pair of stallions seeing her in such a place, either. A few days ago she might have. A few weeks ago she would have been mortified on behalf of her husband's reputation. Even mere hours ago she'd felt a bit strange about it. Now it didn't matter one bit. All that mattered was the way she felt. Not the physical pleasure, though that was good too, but the way Ember had made her feel beautiful, desirable, and capable of desire. There was a new spring in her step as she crossed the room and headed out into the city beyond.

She might still be an old nag, but she wasn't an ugly old nag, destined to be alone forever. She had Ember, and if Ember could want her, perhaps somepony else could too, someday. Whatever might happen, the bleak despair that had been devouring her life was gone. She felt that she had a future again.

The summer night was beautiful. A faint breeze carried the scents and sounds of the countryside wafting into the city. The stars twinkled overhead, with barely a cloud in sight. High overhead, the waxing moon was bright, nearly full.

Despite all this beauty, Sunburst walked with his head down and his wings drooping. The amber-colored pegasus was not enjoying the warm summer night.

The blue pegasus stallion beside him was trotting jauntily along, his wings up and his tail swishing. He looked over at his companion and said, "Hey dude, you're going to get laid, not to a funeral. Buck up! This'll be great, you'll see."

"If you say so, Cerulean," said Sunburst tiredly.

The pair arrived before a door with a red-glowing lantern beside it. Cerulean nodded at the door. "Here we are."

Sunburst blinked at the plain wooden portal. "This doesn't look right. I thought we were going to Rosie's?"

"This is the place. How would you know what Rosie's looks like anyway? Been holdin' out on us? Maybe you don't need my help to make a stallion of you after all!"

Sunburst flushed and looked away, mumbling something.

His friend laughed and opened the door. "Come on."

Inside was not quite what Sunburst had expected. He wasn't sure exactly what that was—something with mares draped seductively all over, probably—but the restrained elegance of the reception room with only a single stallion at a desk was not it.

"May I help you, young sirs?"

"Yeah. My buddy Sunburst is here to become a stallion at last," said Cerulean with a broad grin.

"I see." The purple unicorn looked between them, then nodded. "It will be fifty bits."

"Nice. This should cover it. Keep the change." Cerulean handed over a pouch.

The stallion took it without counting the contents. His horn glowed, and the door leading further inside opened. "You may enter."

"Go get 'em, big boy," said Cerulean with a further grin.

Sunburst slunk through the door with his tail between his legs.

Inside, there was still no sign of the seductive mares draped all over. Instead, a single figure reclined on a couch near the center of the dimly lit room. The low light meant it took a few seconds for Sunburst to make sense of what he was seeing. When he did, his eyes widened in shock.

"Welcome," said the changeling, her voice a low, throaty purr. Or perhaps it was more of a buzz, it was nothing like a pony voice. "I am Ember."

"I... uh... I'm Sunburst." Sunburst swallowed.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Uhm. O-of course not. I just wasn't expecting a, uh, expecting you."

"Given that this is your first visit here, I am not surprised." She smiled warmly at him. It was odd how friendly that expression was, given the sharp fangs it revealed.

"Yeah. Uh..."

"So, do you have a fantasy you wish to tell me? I can be whatever you want me to be. Or whoever."

Oh. Sunburst suddenly managed to put two and two together. Of course. "I..." he started to say "I don't know," then an image flashed through his mind. A pony, always glimpsed from a distance, beautiful beyond measure. He'd known she was out of his league, but he'd had a crush on her all the same. He fantasized sometimes that she would notice him, speak to him, perhaps even be willing to go out with him. He'd known it was foolish. She was older than he, and a sophisticated, intelligent and very famous unicorn. He was a pegasus of no particular distinction. Still, perhaps if he saw the face of his crush, he might somehow find a way to feel a flicker of desire? "Do... do you know, uhm, R-Rarity? The Manehattan fashion designer?"

"I do." Ember smiled. A flash of green fire washed over her. When it faded, instead of the tall, charcoal-dark form of the changeling, there was an elegant, slender unicorn mare lying on the couch. Every detail of her form was just how Sunburst remembered it. "How is this, darling?" she said. The voice was perfect too, a rich alto with just a hint of a Canterlot accent.

"Wow," said Sunburst.

"You still seem rather tense though. Perhaps we could begin with a massage, to help you relax?"

"That would be... okay."

"Follow me then, my dear." Ember got to her feet and walked across the room, her tail swishing seductively as she went. Sundrop followed, his own tail still held low. He got the feeling that even with her looking like Rarity, he still wasn't going to enjoy the night much. Still, he had to go through with it, whatever it took.

The room she led him to was something like a miniature spa. The whole place was tiled in white, accented with turquoise here and there. A tub big enough for three or four ponies stood against one wall, and an open door showed a small sauna. Shelves held soaps and oils and bottles of shampoo. A massage table stood near the tub, and that was where Ember led him.

He settled himself on the table, stretching his body out and trying to relax. Ember stood beside him and began to work on his back. Her hooves were gentle at first, simply running over his fur lightly. He'd expected her to straddle him, and to be acting more flirty and sexual, but he might as well have been at an actual spa.

Though her voice held a hint of heat when she spoke, even if the words were not exactly seductive. "Tell me about yourself. You know me, of course, everypony who's anypony does. But I am ashamed to admit that I do not know you at all."

Sunburst could almost believe that was actually Rarity. Ember mimicked her flawlessly. "Well, I'm a student. I'll be graduating this year in weather systems, with a specialty in high altitude work."

"Oh? I'm afraid I don't know a great deal about weather work." Her hooves continued to work at his back, digging in a little now, kneading at the stiff muscles there. Sunburst let his eyes slide half closed, actually relaxing a little at last.

"You could probably learn basic cloud-handling if you wanted. I mean, here in Canterlot, half the weather teams are unicorns."

She chuckled softly. "Indeed. Though weather is not my special talent, darling. Believe me. But come, tell me more of your studies." As she spoke she circled around him to work on the other side for a while. Her hooves were sure and warm against his back. It felt very good. He just managed to not moan as she pushed on a particularly stubborn knot.

"Well... this year I'm taking advanced magical theory. Beginning theory is a gen ed requirement, of course, and the intermediate is actually required for my major. Magic is a big part of how weather management works, after all. Native pegasus magic isn't quite the same as unicorn magic, we can't actually cast, but we do have some all the same."

"Yes. I remember learning about that."

Sunburst nodded. Then he gasped softly as Ember finally moved up to massage the muscles between his wings. They were one giant mass of knots, and her touch sent shocks of pain through him. But it was a good pain, and the more she worked, the more he relaxed.

"Why are you taking advanced theory though? Is that also required for your major?"

"No." He had to pause to gasp again as she worked right at the base of his wings. "I'm the only non-unicorn in the class. But I enjoy it and I needed an extra elective. It's all theory, so it doesn't matter if I can't cast."

"Are all your classes going well for you then?"

"Oh yeah. I like school. I'll miss it a bit when I graduate. Though I look forward to having a job in weather work."

"I see. I am rather puzzled, though. If it isn't school, and you do not yet have a job, what is it that has caused you so much stress? You are a mass of knots, darling."

Sunburst froze.

"And if you tense up again like that, you will undo all my hard work." Ember pouted at him. He flushed a bit and tried to relax. "Now come, tell me everything. I'll pry it out of you eventually, so you may as well confess now and save me the trouble."

"I... well..." Sunburst's ears went flat back against his head in misery. "I guess you could say it's my social life."

"Or lack thereof?"

"Or lack of mares and presence of stallions. My buddies are just... they just... They won't leave me alone. About the mares. They..." He broke off, flushing more brightly.

Ember arched one eyebrow at him. "Yes?"

"They found out a couple of months ago that I'm still a virgin, and they just wouldn't let it go. They kept at me and kept at me and kept at me, and then last week they all chipped in some bits, and cornered me, and made me agree to come here, so I could 'be a stallion'." There was more bitterness in Sunburst's voice than he had really intended.

"Coming here was not your idea, then?"

"Heh. No."

"You sound upset."

Sunburst heaved a sigh, his ears dropping, his wings hanging down from his sides. "I think something's wrong with me. I should be excited, right? Getting laid, and by my fantasy crush, no less, ought to have me jumping for joy. But when I dream about Rarity, I don't dream about getting her in bed. I dream about loving her. Her loving me. Us having a life together. I'd work my way up the Canterlot weather team until I was a captain, buy us a big, beautiful house on the high slopes, and we'd live there together. We'd take care of each other. We'd love each other. Maybe have a couple of foals..." He sighed again. "Hell, I know having that with Rarity is probably impossible, but maybe someday I'll meet a mare I can spend my life with. That's what I want. Wanting to just rut like an animal... that doesn't appeal to me at all." He blinked, remembering who he was talking to. "Uh, no offense."

"I take none whatsoever, darling." Ember smiled warmly down at him. "I do not particularly care for mere rutting either. A genuine emotional connection, however small, is something I strongly prefer before bedding a pony." She bent down and kissed the top of his head lightly. "The one thing I absolutely require, however, is my partner's enthusiastic consent. If you have no desire to lose it, then you are perfectly free to leave here with your virginity intact, my dear."

"But my friends..."

"They may mean well, but they are not being true friends to you, if they have forced you to come here against your will."

"I... they... they're right though. No real stallion would be here, with you, and not want you."

"Nonsense."

"But..."

"A 'real stallion' is one who is true to his own dreams. You've told me your dream, and it doesn't have rutting with a whore anywhere in it, does it?"

Sunburst looked up at her, frowning. Her words were working their way slowly into his mind, but he couldn't let one thing pass. "You're not a whore."

Ember chuckled, her expression showing only amusement. "I am. I take payment, in bits and in other currency, for sexual services. That's rather the definition of 'whore', darling. I'm not ashamed of it. It's the best way I've found to get what I need."

"Love, you mean?"

"Among other things. If it were only love..." Her expression turned distant. Then she shook herself. "Suffice it to say that I enjoy what I do. The way you enjoy weather, perhaps. Doing this is being true to my nature in many ways."

Sunburst let his head fall to the massage table, feeling something that had been ground down by month's of his friends' constant ribbing slowly spring back up in him. Ember was right. "Having sex with you wouldn't be being true to mine."

"No."

He went to get up. "I should go then."

"Tch." She snorted. "Please, just because you don't need all my services doesn't mean you shouldn't get your money's worth. The tub is there for soaking. I can wash your back, if you like. Your wings look like they haven't been preened properly in weeks. You are still tense, I should at least finish your massage before you go. You'll leave here looking like a million bits." She smiled.

"Heh. Cerulean will think I did get laid."

"Let him, then. I don't think he's much of a friend." Ember tossed her head, the gesture perfectly Rarity in nature.

Sunburst gave a little shrug. "He is a friend, he just doesn't understand."

"I suppose you know him better than I, darling." She turned and trotted away. "Now relax there while I fill the tub. And do let me know if you have any preferred scents. I personally enjoy lavender, it's quite calming, but some stallions find it a bit too feminine."

"Uh. I guess lavender is all right."

"Wonderful." Her horn was glowing green—one way in which she did not perfectly imitate Rarity, he noted—as she turned knobs and then floated over an assortment of jars. "Perhaps I'll try sandalwood instead. That is also quite decadent, and rather masculine, don't you think?"

Sunburst laughed and said, "Whatever you think is best, I don't know anything about any of this." It was remarkable, he thought as he watched her prepare the bath, how much better he suddenly felt.

Climbing into the tub was pure bliss, and when Ember climbed in next to him he didn't tense up at all, he just let her wash his back and put shampoo in his mane.

That was followed by the rest of the massage, and then by a thorough, sensual, and yet wonderfully relaxing preening. Sunburst's wings had never felt better.

When it was all done, he really did feel like a million bits. He admired himself in the floor length mirror on one wall. His wings were sleek and perfect. His coat gleamed. His dark orange mane practically sparkled. He turned to Ember and smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." He saw Rarity's easy generosity in the smile she gave back to him, and wondered suddenly how much the form she took influenced the changeling. Would she have acted differently in some other shape? Would she have said something different? Or was the changeling herself also generous?

"I didn't give you any love though."

"Love isn't the only emotion I can draw energy from, darling. Gratitude can supply what I need as well. It's one of my favorite flavors, in fact."

"Oh. Well... thank you all the same."

"You're very welcome. Now come, let's see if your friend is still waiting. Though I shall be changing forms to go to the door. I don't want to damage another pony's reputation by having her seen here by somepony who may not understand what's going on."

"Of course." Sunburst watched with interest as green fire flickered over Rarity's form. When it passed there was an earth pony there, her mane and coat both blue. The smile she gave him was much the same as the one she'd worn as Rarity.

She led the way out of the spa, back through the sitting room, and to the reception room door. It swung open at the touch of her magic. Sunburst stepped through, seeing that Cerulean was indeed still sitting in the reception room.

"Thank you for coming," said Ember, her voice dropping to a throaty purr as she added, "You can feel free to come again any time." Then she grinned and gave him a broad wink.

He could help himself, he laughed. "I might," he said.

"Woah," said Cerulean, sounding impressed. "Turns out you're a real lady's man once you get unwound, huh?"

Sunburst headed for the door, chuckling. "Not exactly."

Cerulean trailed after him. "Huh? But the way she was all flirting like that..."

"We got along rather well, yes. But I didn't 'get unwound'."

Cerulean's hoofsteps behind him halted for a moment, then trotted to catch up with him as he went out the door and into the street. "What? You mean you didn't get laid?"

"Nope." Sunburst would never have thought that he could say that and feel so good about it.

"Hey! You chickened out and wasted our bits? After all our effort to help you?"

"They weren't wasted."

"Yes they were. Now we gotta do this again, so you can actually be a real stallion."

"I am a real stallion." Sunburst smiled. "Ask Ember if you don't believe me."

"But... you just said you didn't get laid."

"Yep."

"What the hell?"

"Let's just say that being a 'real stallion' hasn't got anything to do with getting laid. Maybe someday you'll understand."

"Dude. Maybe someday you'll actually get some and you'll see what you've been missing."

Sunburst smiled cheerfully, thinking of his dreams. "When the right time comes, I won't have missed anything."

"Finally," said Lucky Break, shooting to his feet as the door opened and a plump, middle-aged mare came out.

Quick Hoof rolled his eyes as his more impetuous friend danced impatiently in place. Lucky was a chestnut unicorn, with a soot-black mane and tail and a light blue horseshoe cutie mark.

Quick was a unicorn too, but he was a pale orange, with a cream colored mane and tail. His cutie mark was an hourglass. It had nothing to do with time travel, as he was constantly having to tell ponies. It was for skillful time management. He was never late for anything. A visit to Ember's, however, was not the kind of thing that lent itself to strict scheduling, much as Lucky might have wished otherwise. Quick chuckled as Lucky practically bolted to the desk and dropped his bits in front of the stallion there. "All right, can we go in now?"

"Certainly," said the stallion with a nod. "If you intend to go in together, the other gentlecolt must also pay. The fee is per-pony."

Quick got to his feet and pulled out his bits. He gave Lucky a glance before doing it. "Hey, are you really sure about this?"

"Hell yeah! It's going to be awesome. You and me, bro, with the finest mare in Canterlot between us. Just the thing to wash the taste of that Sunflower bitch out of your mouth. Now come on."

Quick sighed. Sunflower hadn't been a bitch, exactly. She'd been more than a little rude, but that had been his fault. She had been pretty, and he'd liked her in a lot of ways, but somehow the chemistry between them had been all wrong. She had gotten frustrated with his lack of interest in her physical charms, and Quick couldn't blame her one bit. But maybe Lucky was right, maybe a good session with a mare would be what he needed. So he dropped his bits on the desk and followed Lucky back into the room beyond.

He knew about Ember's, so he was expecting the changeling seated in the center of the room. Though he hadn't thought she would be quite so tall.

"Welcome," she said, smiling down at them. "I am Ember."

Lucky flashed her a charming grin. "I'm Lucky Break. This is my buddy Quick Hoof."

"Welcome," said Ember, smiling at them both with a smile that was somehow warm and friendly, despite displaying an alarming set of fangs. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I know what I want," said Lucky, grinning. "I've always had this thing about alicorns, and the younger one, Twilight, is one hot filly. So if I get to pick, that's what I want."

Ember turned her attention to Quick, who shifted from hoof to hoof under that penetrating gaze. He tried to picture some mare or other. Did he like Twilight too? He didn't know her personally, but he'd caught a few glimpses of her, and she was definitely pretty, in a bookish sort of way. He tried to visualize her in a sexy pose, but the image twisted itself into something else. He shook the traitorous thought off.

"Do you have a fantasy?" said Ember, still looking at him. Quick hesitated, then shrugged.

"Twilight is fine, I guess."

"You seem reluctant."

Quick shrugged again. "I just... I guess I don't fantasize much." At least not about anything normal. He pushed that thought away. His fantasies were too weird to consider sharing in front of Lucky.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," said the changeling gently. "The stallion at the front will be happy to refund you if you're having second thoughts."

Quick glanced over at Lucky, then shook his head. "I'm fine." He wasn't having second thoughts, he simply felt... disinterested, he supposed was the only word for it. He was willing enough to give this a try, it just didn't excite him as much as he'd hoped it would.

"Very well. If you change your mind, I will happily stop at any point. Simply let me know."

Quick nodded. Lucky echoed it. Ember smiled and got to her feet. "So. First allow me to change." Green fire washed over her, and when it was gone a purple alicorn stood there. She was short, especially for an alicorn, and fairly slender, but rounded in all the right places. Quick could see why Lucky had a thing for her. "How is this?" she asked, her voice no longer the buzzing voice of a changeling, but the warm tones of Twilight Sparkle.

Lucky was practically drooling at the sight. "That's just fine," he said dreamily.

Quick had to chuckle at his friend's enraptured expression.

"Excellent!" Ember bounced just a bit on her hooves, her wings half-spread with enthusiasm. "Time to retire to the bedroom, then." She led the way through a door, with Lucky directly behind her, his eyes fixed on her flank. Quick, behind him, found his own eyes straying to Lucky's flank, watching the twitching of his tail and hoping for a glimpse of what lay beneath. When he realized what he was doing he yanked his head up, focusing his attention on Ember instead.

Once in the bedroom, Ember sat on the edge of the bed and looked between the two stallions. "So! There are lots of different ways to go about this, what do you two prefer?"

"I got dibs on mounting her," said Lucky, grinning hugely.

Quick snorted with amusement. Ember giggled, then shot a glance at Quick and asked, "Is that fine with you?"

"Yeah."

"Wonderful! Why don't you sit in the middle of the bed."

Slightly puzzled, Quick climbed into the bed and sat on his haunches.

He felt Ember's magic grabbing him, adjusting his position, so that he was sitting near the edge of the bed, facing her. She leaned over the bed, her forelegs resting between his legs, and put her head down to his lap. That left her hindquarters standing ready for Lucky. She glanced back at him, her tail flicking up. "How's this?"

"Oh yeah," said Lucky. His muzzle went under her tail immediately, rubbing against Ember's marehood. She let out a little squeak of delighted surprise, before turning back to Quick and nuzzling against his sheath. It did feel very pleasant. He knew that seeing the alicorn mare stretched out below him should have been more than merely "pleasant" but though she was definitely nice to look at, it didn't really do that much for him. The sensation was good though, so he let his eyes slide half-closed, just concentrating on how it felt.

Ember made a soft sound of pleasure, whether from enjoying what she was doing to him or from what Lucky was doing to her Quick didn't know. Her muzzle slid down his sheath to the base, and rubbed sensuously against his balls. Soon she was licking at them, her tongue caressing them. She even took one into her mouth, which felt a little odd, he'd never had a mare do that before, but it was definitely good. His cock began to emerge from its sheath, growing and hardening slowly.

With a low moan, Ember ran her muzzle up his sheath and along his hardening length. The velvety touch of it made Quick let out a soft moan of his own.

Ember paused in her attentions, making another soft sound of pleasure. Quick opened his eyes to see Lucky up on his hind legs, his forelegs resting on Ember's shoulders. His cock was out, the black length of it rubbing against Ember's hindquarters. Quick licked his lips, watching as it bobbed up and down against the velvety purple fur of Ember's flank.

Ember wiggled her rump, letting out a little needy whimper. Lucky's ever-present grin broadened. He shifted his hips, his cock vanishing from Quick's view as he pressed it against Ember's entrance. Ember was no longer doing anything to Quick, but he didn't mind. He watched her with something like envy as she let out little moaning sounds, her wings flaring out, her body shifting and squirming while Lucky filed her.

"Mmm, yeah." Lucky's grin was still in place, but his eyes were closed as he started to pump his hips, thrusting into Ember. Ember lowered her head and began licking and sucking at Quick's now fully hardened cock, making muffled sounds of pleasure as she did so. Quick's eyes came unfocused, his mind drifting away from the scene in front of him as he let himself simply enjoy the sensations he was feeling.

His attention was pulled back to reality by the sight of Lucky's horn bobbing up and down directly in front of him. Lucky was bent over Ember's back now, his whole body rocking back and forth as he took her. This put the blunt spiral of his horn so close to Lucky it was almost touching his muzzle. Quick licked his lips, his attention suddenly fully focused on his friend's horn. He felt an almost overwhelming impulse to suck it. His pleasure-fogged brain didn't fight against the sudden urge. Surely Lucky wouldn't mind. Horn sucking felt good, didn't it? That's what they'd come here for was to feel good, right?

Quick leaned forward and captured the tip of Lucky's horn between his lips. The sensation of its hardness in his mouth felt amazing, sending a shiver of pleasure through his entire body. He leaned further forward, taking the horn deeper, suckling on it.

Then it was abruptly jerked away from him as Lucky yanked his head back. "What the hell?"

Quick flushed, suddenly realizing what he'd done. He'd tried to give his friend a horn job! "S-sorry," he stammered.

Lucky stepped back, pulling from Ember, who had lifted her head from Quick's cock and was looking at at the two stallions in puzzlement.

"I'm not gay, dude!" said Lucky, glaring at Quick.

Quick shook his head rapidly. "I'm not either!"

"Like hell you're not! You just sucked my horn!"

"I just like horns, okay! Mares have them too!"

"Last time I looked I was not a mare, and you were sucking mine! That's gay as hell!"

Ember cleared her throat pointedly, interrupting the argument. "And what, exactly, is wrong with being gay?"

Both stallions looked at her. Lucky's ears flicked, and he opened his mouth as if to snap something at her, then he shut it again and looked away. "Nothing," he muttered. "But I'm not gay."

Quick flushed, his ears flattened with shame, and looked away as well. "Nothing is wrong with it. I just... I'm not either. I've never liked a stallion. I'm not... I haven't..." He stopped, trying to find a way to put it into words. "I don't want a coltfriend. I just..."

"Just like horns?" said Ember gently.

"Yeah. And... cocks, I guess." Quick heaved a sigh. "Maybe I am gay."

Lucky scowled. "Hello. Liking cock is the definition of gay. If you like cock, you're gay."

Ember chuckled and shook her head. "Not necessarily. Although whether one likes cock or not, one should not simply start sucking somepony's horn without asking." She shot Quick a firm look.

Quick flushed. "Sorry."

"But it really is more complicated than simply straight or gay."

"Oh come on!" said Lucky. "How complicated can it be? You like mares or you like stallions, that's that."

Ember grinned, sitting back on her haunches between the two of them. "Oh? I like both mares and stallions. What about me?"

"Okay, so you like mares, or stallions, or both. Three options, simple stuff."

"Not so simple." Ember shook her head. "Trust me. I've been dealing with the sexual needs of ponies for a long time now. There are so many combinations of physical desires, romantic interests, and mental quirks that there's no way to list them all." She turned to Quick. "Maybe you are gay. There's no shame at all in liking other stallions. Or maybe you're not. Maybe it's more complicated than that. Tell me, have you ever felt romantic attraction towards a mare?"

"Maybe. I like being with mares. They're nice. They're pretty, and interesting, and..." Quick waved a hoof vaguely. "I like mares," he finally concluded.

"And you don't like stallions like that?"

Quick shook his head. "No, not at all."

"I see. Then how do you feel about the idea of a mare who has a cock?"

Quick flushed bright red. He could feel it all the way to the tips of his ears. "I... uh... it's..." He swallowed and tried to get a grip on himself. "I've, uh, fantasized about that," he finally said.

Ember grinned. "Well then! It is still possible that you are gay, or bisexual, and simply haven't met the right stallion. But it is also quite possible that you are perfectly straight, and simply have a bit of a phallic fetish. In which case..." She turned to Lucky. "How do you feel about mares with cocks?"

Lucky snorted. "That sounds weird as hell. I don't want to touch a cock, or look at a cock, or do anything with a cock. I like mares. I like pussies."

Ember chuckled. "Oh? Have you ever seen a mare with a strap-on? Was that weird?"

Lucky blinked in bafflement, then furrowed his brow in thought. "Well... no. I've always thought that was kind of hot, especially seeing one mare do another. But that's not the same as having a real cock!"

"Indeed not! Your interests are perfectly natural, and I do not expect you to want a cock, artificial or real. But for the sake of your friend, would you be willing to make a small compromise?" Green fire suddenly flashed over her. When it was gone she still looked like Twilight Sparkle, but her seated position made it quite clear that something had indeed changed. Quick found his mouth suddenly dry as he looked at the half-erect shaft that had appeared between Ember's hind legs.

She rose, turning her rump towards Lucky, smiling back over her shoulder at him. Her tail flicked aside, and faint hint of Lucky's usual grin returned at the sight of the feminine slit that still lay beneath it. "How about it?" said Ember. "I'll make sure you get this sort of view, and your friend can enjoy the other side."

"Ah hell, sure, why not?"

"Quick Hoof? Will that be all right with you?"

Quick nodded swiftly and eagerly. "Yes. Definitely. Absolutely."

Ember laughed delightedly. "Wonderful! Well, in that case, let me just arrange things." Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment, then she smiled and nodded confidently. "Okay. Lucky, if you would lie on your back on the bed, please?"

"Yes ma'am," said Lucky, his grin back in full force. Quick moved aside on the huge bed, making room for Lucky to sprawl out comfortably on his back. Ember climbed into the bed as well and straddled Quick, facing away from him.

She ground her hips against him, and Quick could see Lucky's cock springing to attention, standing up just in front of Ember's own pinkish shaft. "How's this?" asked Ember.

Lucky put his hooves to her flanks, just over her cutie marks, and squeezed. "This is just fine by me," he said happily. Ember chuckled and lifted herself up a bit. Quick resisted the temptation to reach in and help position Lucky's cock beneath Ember. He wasn't going to make his friend uncomfortable like that again. Instead he waited patiently as Ember teasingly rubbed the lips of her pussy against Lucky's cock. She didn't tease for very long, though, before sinking down, taking Lucky into her. Lucky let out a low groan of pleasure as Ember's wetness closed around him. Quick just stared. The sight of the gorgeous alicorn mare, her cock standing erect as she sank down on Lucky, made his own member ache with desire. It was quite possibly the most erotic thing he'd ever seen. When Ember had taken Lucky's entire length and was resting with her rump pressed to his hips, she lifted one hoof and beckoned to Quick.

He needed no second invitation to position himself between both Lucky's and Ember's legs, his muzzle going straight to the warm, hard, pink flesh of Ember's cock. He nuzzled at it, feeling the heat of it against his muzzle. He'd dreamed of doing this so many times, and now those fantasies had become wonderfully real.

Feeling incredibly daring, Quick opened his mouth and licked at Ember's cock. It tasted faintly salty, flavored with something he couldn't really name. That too was wonderful. He lapped at it eagerly, drawing his tongue along it, and felt another thrill of pleasure go through him as he heard Ember moan.

"Okay, time to start rockin'," said Lucky. Ember giggled, then gasped as Lucky grabbed her hips firmly and started bucking up into her. This had the result of making her cock bob up and down against Quick's tongue. He shivered as some of his wildest fantasies flooded into his mind. What would it be like to take that cock into his mouth, to feel it thrusting down his throat?

Time to find out, he thought to himself, and opened his mouth to take the broad head of Ember's cock in. Unfortunately with Lucky thrusting into her, and the cock bobbing up and down with the motion, that ended up being easier said than done. He ended up with the head awkwardly bumping against his lips and even grazing his teeth, which couldn't possibly be comfortable for Ember.

Apparently she was either uncomfortable herself, or noticed Quick's awkwardness, for she tapped one hoof against Lucky's hip. "Hold on for a minute." He stopped thrusting, lying panting beneath her, and apparently not minding the pause. Quick lifted his head a bit, glancing up at Ember. She smiled down at him. "Go on, Quick. Go slowly. We'll start again when you're ready."

Quick gave her a grateful smile and then lowered his head again. This time he was able to easily close his lips over the head of Ember's cock and slide down, taking it slowly into his mouth. It felt amazing. Even better than sucking on Lucky's horn for that brief moment had. He let out a low groan and went further down. He got nearly half of the thick shaft down before having to stop. He would have taken more if he could, but the feel of it at the back of his throat made him nearly gag. So he paused and slid back up until he was only holding the tip of it in his mouth.

He felt Ember's hoof stroking his mane. "How are you doing?" she asked. He wasn't going to pull back now, so he just made a muffled sound of pleasure and slid back down a bit. Ember chuckled softly. "Sounds like you're doing good. Feels like it too. Let's get going again, Lucky, hmm? Slowly at first."

"Yes, ma'am," said Lucky again. Quick couldn't see it, but he could hear the grin in Lucky's voice. He felt it as Lucky started to slowly buck his hips, pushing Ember up, and pushing her cock deeper into his mouth. He kept still, letting the two of them do the moving. It was amazing. Soon, though, Lucky started moving harder and faster. Quick found it a struggle to keep up. As Ember's cock moved faster and more forcefully, Quick found himself gagging and choking. He wanted to keep going, to take even more, but eventually he had to pull back.

He looked up at Ember. She had her wings flared out, her head tipped back, and an expression of blissful concentration on her face. As she noticed Quick's withdrawal she looked down. "After we finish here," she said, panting, "I can take care of you properly." Quick nodded, sitting back. The huge bed had plenty of room for him to move clear of the pair and still sit comfortably. He watched as Lucky pulled Ember down hard onto him, his hooves tight on her hips. She closed her eyes again, pushing down and grinding onto each of Lucky's thrusts. Her tail spilled across his chest, twitching now and again as she moaned with pleasure. Her moans grew louder as Lucky's thrusts grew faster, harder and more frantic. Then Lucky stopped, grunting, holding Ember down hard. She let out a gasping cry. Quick couldn't really see well enough to know for certain, but when they both abruptly relaxed, he knew that Lucky had come.

A moment later Ember let out a long, contented sigh, and climbed off of Lucky. She bent over him, and he reached up and pulled her down to kiss her. She kissed him back, but when he let her go she said, "Thank you for the ride, but I should probably make sure that your friend has some fun too. Is that okay?"

"Sure is," said Lucky, waving a dismissive hoof. His usual grin was a broad smile of satisfaction now as he lay in something of a sticky mess, his eyes closed, his body utterly relaxed. Ember laughed again, a delighted little chuckle, and moved over to sit beside Quick. Quick couldn't help but let his eyes settle on Ember's still-erect cock. She gave him a reassuring smile and nod when he glanced up at her, so he once again bent his head to take it into his mouth.

He reveled in the feeling of it, the taste and texture and heat of it. He sank down on it, taking it as deeply as he could, feeling a further thrill at the moan of pleasure that Ember let out in response. "I am... really close," she panted. "If you don't want a mouthful... you should probably stop soon."

Quick made no move to pull back. He'd fantasized about this for so long, he wanted the entire fantasy, every bit of it. He wasn't entirely sure that was a good idea, but he was going to do it anyway. He rubbed his tongue against the underside of Ember's cock firmly as he moved up and down along it, trying his best to make her come. It wasn't long before he got the result he wanted. She arched back, letting out a soft cry of pleasure as her cock twitched in his mouth. A sudden flood of cum spurted out onto his tongue, the bitter-salt taste unexpected and strange. It filled his mouth more quickly than he had expected, the rush of it making him choke a little bit. Part of him wanted to endure and keep his head down on Ember's cock no matter what, but a second pulse of hot, thick semen forced him to pull his head back, the rest of the pulsing stream hitting him in the muzzle. He swallowed a bit of what remained in his mouth, the bitter taste of it lingering on his tongue.

When it was over, he lay there between Ember's legs, catching his breath, trying to sort out his suddenly confused emotions. Should he be ashamed of having sucked off a cock, even if it was a mare's? Should he feel bad that he hadn't kept his head down and swallowed it all? It hadn't been exactly like his fantasy, he'd thought he would love the taste of it, but he hadn't at all.

He felt Ember's hoof stroking his mane and looked up at her. She has a blissfully satisfied smile on her face. "That was... Mmm."

Her smiled prompted an answering smile from Quick. "Yeah," he said. "I'm kinda a mess though."

Ember giggled. Her horn lit with a green glow and she cleaned the mess from his muzzle. The touch of her magic felt warm and tingling on his fur. "That's how you know you had fun!"

Quick laughed. When Ember was done cleaning him, he sprawled out on the bed. She settled herself between him and Lucky, who still had a blissful grin plastered on his face. He immediately rolled over and cuddled up to Ember, who turned as well, spooning with Lucky, then putting a foreleg over Quick and tucking her head against his shoulder. He stared up at the ceiling, relaxing, his pulse finally beginning to slow.

"Was that what you wanted?" asked Ember.

Quick paused to really think about it before answering. It hadn't been exactly what he had imagined. But it had been good. He'd gotten his fantasy, and he'd enjoyed it. So in the end the only answer he could give was, "Yes, it was."

The last light of sunset was fading on the horizon, while overhead the sky was a deep, indigo blue. The moon was up, and the first stars had begun to shine. Only a narrow strip of this celestial glory, however, was visible from the alley where Ember's stood. The pony who now approached the red-lit door didn't even look up at it.

She was an earth pony mare, a bit taller than average, but otherwise fairly unremarkable. Her coat was a light tan, her mane and tail a mousy brown. Her cutie mark showed a white china teapot pouring a cup of tea. She moved slowly down the alley, glancing around frequently as though afraid she were being followed.

The mare slipped in through the front door so quietly that Far Gaze almost didn't notice her. It wasn't until she made a tiny, timid throat-clearing sound that his head lifted from the paperwork before him. His eyes ran over her swiftly, registering both the obvious and the less easily seen. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he gave her a warm smile and said, "Welcome to Ember's, ma'am."

"Thank you," said the mare with an almost formal nod.

"I can take your bits here, and then Ember will be happy to see you inside," he said, with a nod to the door that led deeper within. "It's fifty per session."

"Of course," said the mare again, with a second nod. She trotted forward and deposited her money on the desk.

Far glanced down at it, nodded, and lit his horn to open the door to the room beyond. The mare glanced around once again, even though the room was empty other than Far Gaze and herself, before stepping inside.

Inside, the space was opulently furnished, but the mare didn't even look at the lush carpeting or printed wall paper. Her eyes went straight to Ember, who lounged on a couch in the middle of the room.

"Hello, and welcome," she said as she looked over this new arrival and tasted the first hints of her emotions. "I'm Ember."

"I'm Darjeeling Cup," said the mare, giving that formal little nod again. Then she ducked her head a little and added, "Though some ponies call me Dar."

"Dar. That’s a very charming name." Ember smiled carefully, trying to make the sharp-fanged expression as unthreatening as possible. Dar tasted strongly of nervousness, with a faint hint of shame mixed in. It was a taste that Ember was all too familiar with, but thankfully it was usually easy enough to dispel. "Would you be more comfortable if I took a pony form?"

Dar frowned faintly, apparently considering the question very seriously, then shrugged. "Not unless you would prefer to."

"You aren't here for me to be a particular pony for you, then?" said Ember.

Dar shook her head. "No."

"Ah. May I ask what brings you here, then? Besides the obvious, that is." Ember garnished the question with a little wink.

Dar actually cracked a smile at that, but it vanished almost immediately in a fresh wave of nervousness. She hid it well—it didn’t show on her face at all, but Ember could taste it clearly. "I've... heard that you are very discreet."

Ember nodded. "Yes. I never discuss my clients with anyone, except in the most general of terms. I never name names and I never speak with reporters."

"That's... very good." Dar shifted from hoof to hoof, then added, "They also say that you, ah, engage in various, uhm, fetishistic activities."

Ember chuckled softly. "There are very few things I won't do, yes."

"May I ask what those few things are?"

"I will never do anything to a pony without their full, informed consent, for one. That is why I greet ponies”—she gestured to herself with a hoof—"like this. I want them to understand what payment I take before I draw on their emotions, even though the process does them no harm. I will also never do anything that will damage a pony's love for another. That’s just as abhorrent to a changeling as it is for a pony. So, in particular, I will not help ponies cheat on those they love. Those they do not love, well... that is another story, of course.” There was a brief shrug before she continued, ”Lastly, I will not do anything that will permanently harm a pony, physically or mentally, nor anything that would permanently harm myself. Some situations aren't so clear-cut, I know, and I am not perfect, but I abide by my rules as best I can."

"Interesting." There was a gleam of approval in Darjeeling's eyes.

"So whatever it is that interests you, the odds are good that I'm willing to provide it."

Dar hesitated a moment longer, then nodded firmly. "Very well. I, ah..." She scuffed the floor for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase her desires. "My daily life has many responsibilities," she finally said. "I want to get as far away from that stress as possible. I work at the palace, you see, which is a rather high-pressure environment. I want to be free of that. I want, well... I want somepony else to take control of me. To, ah, restrain me, perhaps even to hurt me. I want to be taken out of my life." Her cheeks were flushing brightly, and Ember could taste embarrassment strongly, a cinnamon-spice hanging in the air. "I realize that it's a little bit peculiar..."

"It isn't peculiar at all," said Ember, shaking her head. "In fact, restraint and light pain-play are among the most common requests I get."

"Oh?" Dar looked at Ember, her hazel eyes filled with a thoughtful curiosity.

"Certainly. The release from stress provided by pain, or by restraint, or by submission is something that a great many ponies enjoy." She rose, smiling down at Dar warmly. "Which means that I have lots of fun toys to use on you! So why don't we retire to the bedroom, where we can work out the details of just exactly what will best help you forget your job and relax?"

Dar smiled, some of the nervousness dropping from her. "That sounds delightful."

As they walked towards the bedroom, Ember glanced over her shoulder at Dar. "I should ask how you feel about sexual contact as part of this evening's events."

Dar looked puzzled. "Isn't that a given, here?"

Ember chuckled. "You might think so, but no. Not all ponies come here wanting sex. Many who enjoy submission, bondage, masochism, and so on actually prefer such activities without sex."

"Ah, I see. I'm afraid my experience with this sort of thing is, ah, limited."

"There's no shame in that. We were all new at some point. I personally do prefer such activities with sex, but that decision is entirely in your hooves. Once we've agreed on what you do and don't want, well... then I shall have my way with you, one way or another. But first I want to know what it is you want most. You will be submitting to me, yes, but I am here to serve you all the same."

"Then I'd rather have it with sex as well." Dar blushed a bit as she spoke, but she also shot Ember a small smile.

Ember smiled back. "It's always good when the client's tastes are in line with my own." She swung the bedroom door open as she finished speaking and stepped inside, Dar at her heels.

Inside, Dar looked around the luxurious room with curiosity. She didn't seem impressed with it, as many clients were, but then if she worked in the palace she had no doubt seen much more opulent chambers. There were no kinky toys lying out to shock her either, all of those were stowed carefully away where they wouldn't bother clients not so inclined. Dar did, however, notice a small detail that most clients missed. "May I ask what that is for?" she said, pointing at a heavy eye bolt that was driven into one of the beams that supported the ceiling.

"That—” Ember replied, glancing up at the anchor point with a slight smile, “—is for me to hang ponies from.”

"I see." Dar's cheeks were heating again, but it wasn't quite embarrassment that Ember tasted this time. It was spicy, yes, but tasted less of cinnamon and more of the peppery heat of lust.

Ember’s smile grew slightly sly. "You like the idea of being suspended?"

"I, ah... I've had the chance to fly by chariot a few times, and I love being in the air. But somehow the idea of combining that freedom with restraint... Yes, I like the idea."

"I can tell you that it is wonderfully freeing," said Ember with a nod. "It can also be quite intense, so I'd prefer to start simpler. If you react to it at all like I do, you may not be in a mental state to appreciate much else. It can take you very far out of yourself."

Dar nodded. "I could see that. I'll let you guide me in this, you are obviously far more experienced than I, here."

Ember smiled, inclining her head slightly in acknowledgement. "Is there anything else you are particularly interested in tonight?"

"I, ah... forgive me, I'm not even certain what the options are. I haven't done anything like this in so long..."

"Well, why don't I get out my toys, and you can see if they suggest something to you."

"That sounds like an admirable plan."

"Make yourself at home, then, while I get everything." Ember gestured towards a chaise lounge that sat against one wall, opposite the bed. Dar went over and settled herself on it, folding her long legs neatly beneath her.

Ember, meanwhile, went to a door, which proved to lead into a large, walk-in closet. She vanished within, and shortly emerged holding several boxes in her magic. She set them down in front of Dar. "Here's a few of the favorites. Now, as I said, right now this is all in your hooves. Pick the toys you want, and tell me if there's anything in particular you’d like me to do with them. Once we begin I will quite definitely be in charge. I'll use them in the order I like, and do what I like—within the bounds you've set. You'll be able to let go of everything and just enjoy yourself." She flashed Dar another wink. Dar let out a tiny giggle, still obviously a little nervous, but also obviously very intrigued.

The boxes were all fairly large, but Ember began with the smallest. "This one has sex toys," she said. "I can shape any of these myself as well, of course. but some ponies enjoy the fact that it's a toy as part of the play."

Dar looked at the assortment in the box, in all their shapes, sizes, and colors. She licked her lips as her eyes darted to and fro. "That does sound... fun." She was flushing again, and a stronger flavor of spice came from her.

Ember grinned. "Any one in particular catch your eye?"

"Ah... They all look... interesting. Just... use a small one? I don't do this very often." Some of the items in the box were intimidatingly large.

"Of course." Ember set that box aside. She opened another one. "These are various restraints. There are a few different sets of hoof cuffs." She started removing bits of black leather and metal from the box. "And here are some bridles. This one has a bit, this other one doesn't. I think either of those might fit you. And there's also a show harness here." Another jumble of straps followed, this one decorated with bright brass and colorful plumes. Dar made a face at the sight of it, and Ember laughed. "Not that one, hmm?"

"No. But maybe one of the others..."

"All right. Hoof cuffs too?"

"Well... what about rope? I thought, with suspension..."

"Oh yes, plenty of rope for that. But I want to tie you down for a bit of a warm up. I can use rope for that too, if you don't like cuffs."

"No, I like cuffs, cuffs are fine!" Dar was still blushing brightly. Ember pulled in a few tendrils of the effervescent anticipation that had begun to radiate from her. It was pleasant. Not as nourishing as love, nor even as good as lust, but a very enjoyable flavor all the same.

"Cuffs it is, then. Now, on to the really fun part!" She opened the largest box. Her magic began pulling objects from it, one by one. Dar watched in absolute fascination. "These are floggers," said Ember as she extracted a half dozen or so multi-thonged, short leather whips. "They're my personal preference for hitting ponies." She grinned, a sudden flash of fangs. "They can look intimidating, and some of them will hurt like Tartarus, but many of them are as much sensual as they are painful. Here, feel." She held out one to Dar, who ran a hoof along the strands.

"It's suede!" she said, surprised.

"Yes. It can still sting, but it can also feel more like a massage than like a whipping. Now these, on the other hoof..." She put down the suede flogger and pulled a pair of single-tailed whips from the box. "These can be used delicately as well, but with any but the lightest of touches they will definitely hurt. They can raise welts and even draw blood-—if that’s what you want."

Dar shook her head rapidly. "No. Pain yes, but not like that. No welts, no blood. I just... want to feel something."

"I understand." Ember set the whips down. "I have a few canes as well. They're another toy that can be gentle if used with care, but they can do some real damage too. And a crop, if you like that sort of play. It's fairly good for beginners, though I personally prefer the floggers. Also several paddles, and a few other odds and ends." She spread out a collection of other implements, mostly smaller ones. Dar looked over them, but shook her head. None of them had caught her eye.

"In that case, I believe we are ready to begin. If at any point you become in the least uncomfortable, emotionally or physically, with anything I do, do not hesitate to say so. Do you have any questions?"

Dar shook her head. "I can't think of any."

"Very well. Time for the fun part." Ember smiled. This time the smile was rather predatory, her fangs gleaming and her eyes glinting with an eager sort of light. Her horn lit, and her magic pulled a set of hoof cuffs from the pile of toys. She set them down next to Dar and proceeded to buckle them on, one at a time. Soon both front and back hooves were wrapped in a padded leather bands, and Ember could see and feel it as Dar relaxed a little bit more each time a cuff was snugged down.

Next, Ember once again lit her horn and picked up a small bench that stood near where Dar sat. It was a bit unusual—narrower than a normal bench and only long enough to seat one pony; perhaps two if they were very friendly. It was padded and upholstered in a durable, dark fabric. Ember positioned the bench in the center of the room's open space. She spent a long moment positioning the bench just so, then, suddenly, her magic wrapped completely around Dar, lifting her off the lounge and into the air. Dar let out a startled squeak and kicked for a moment, struggling instinctively. Then she relaxed, and kept still as Ember floated her over and positioned her on the bench. She was set straddling it, one leg near each of the four corners. The bench's legs were of wrought iron, in a filigree pattern. Four steel carabiners soon clipped each of the cuffs to the legs of the bench, passing through the holes in the filigree. Dar tugged at them testingly. She could move each hoof a few inches, but no more. Ember put a hoof on Dar's withers, pushing down, forcing Dar down to lie on the bench and take her weight off her legs. A little thrill went through her. She was already quite helpless, and Ember wasn't done yet.

The next thing Ember did was to slip a bridle over Dar's head. She carefully pushed the bit into Dar’s mouth before expertly buckling it into place so that it could make its presence known without causing pain. "Now, can you still speak?" she asked.

"Yeth," managed Dar around the bit.

"Good.” Ember’s voice had changed, subtly. She’d shifted to a lower register, hardened her tone-—adopted a voice that brooked no argument. “Speak up if you feel any discomfort, or need me to stop for any reason. But otherwise, I don't want to hear a word. Make as much noise as you like, but no. Talking. Is that clear?"

Dar nodded, another little thrill shivering through her. She watched with interest as Ember lifted another leather cuff. This one was wider, but a smaller diameter than the ones around her ankles. It puzzled her for a moment, until Ember's magic grasped the base of her tail. Then she gasped and flushed, realization dawning. Ember secured the cuff around her dock, pulling it up over her back and leaving her feeling terribly exposed. Or perhaps it was wonderfully exposed. Dar would have flicked her tail in confusion, but Ember's magic still held it tight.

A moment later Ember had flipped the reins attached to the bridle over her back and looped them through the steel ring set onto the tail cuff. Ember pulled the reins tighter until Dar's tail was lifted as far as it could be without strain, while her head was pulled back just slightly, then tied the reins off there. Dar could lower her tail, but only by arching her neck in an uncomfortable position.

Dar was breathing a little bit faster now. The pleasure, anticipation, and spicy lust pouring off of her were filling the room, saturating Ember with their wonderful flavors. It was enough to make her almost giddy. Dar felt things very strongly, it seemed.

She stepped close to Dar and ran a hoof slowly along her side, and Dar shivered at the touch. Ember could tell, though, that it was the right kind of shiver. It was a shiver of eager anticipation, mixed with that unique thrill of not-quite-fear, that came from being helpless in the hooves of someone you trusted. Ember savored the taste of it as she ran her hoof over the curves of Dar's body. Dar was slender, but she had enough padding in the right places. Ember let her hoof trace along Dar's flank, over her cutie mark. Dar's breath came a little bit faster. Her tail twitched, trying to flick. Her legs moved, tugging at the restraints that held her, not so much trying to escape as trying to somehow move into Ember's teasing, tantalizing touch.

Tease was all that Ember did for now, though. She lifted her hoof up as she walked behind Dar, then once again brushed it against her flank on the other side. Dar let out a tiny, almost whimpering sound of need, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment that mixed pleasantly with the taste of arousal that was growing steadily stronger. Ember wasn't going to give her what she wanted that easily, though. It would be all the sweeter for the delay, she knew. Instead she continued to circle Dar, touching her here and there, nuzzling against her, nipping lightly at her ears, teasing her until she was squirming and whimpering almost constantly.

Ember smiled and picked up the flogger in her magic. She trailed the soft strands of it along Dar's back, and a shudder of anticipatory pleasure ran through the mare. Ember lifted the flogger, then let it fall, the strands falling onto Dar's flank lightly, hardly an impact at all. Dar sighed softly, the sound almost a moan.

She knew what was coming.

Ember let the tails of the flogger fall lightly across Dar’s other flank, dragging the suede across the pouring teapot. Dar shifted, squirming a little bit as the anticipation built.

Suddenly, Ember flicked the flogger sharply, hitting Dar's cutie mark with a light, stinging thwap of leather. Dar gasped and twitched. Ember immediately struck the other side as well, making Dar twitch again, though she hadn't caught her breath enough to gasp. Ember swiftly set up a rhythm, hitting one side and then the other, flicking lightly each time.

Dar let out a soft moan, relaxing onto the bench, giving in to the sensation. It wasn't really pain, not yet, but it was wonderfully intense all the same.

Keeping the rhythm, Ember began to slowly ramp up the sensation, gradually hitting harder, letting Dar adjust to the new level of intensity, then raising it again. Dar's soft moans soon turned into gasping cries as the strikes became hard enough to cause real pain. There was pleasure mixed liberally with the pain, though. Ember could taste it pouring off of Dar, filling the room with a heady, intoxicating energy. She drank deeply, taking it in eagerly. Wanting more, she kept hitting harder, until Dar's cries were nearly screams, and the earth pony was tossing her head, jerking her tail up, her legs pulling and straining at the restraints holding them as she writhed. The taste of pleasure and pain both had become so intense they were almost overwhelming, the scent of arousal mixing with them in the air, and Ember wondered if Dar might orgasm from the flogging alone. Some ponies could, though it was rare.

There came a point, though, when the strength of the flavors began to fade, even though Ember had not stepped down the strength of her blows with the flogger. Such a peak of intense feeling could not last forever, and Ember stopped before pleasure and pain together could turn into pain alone. She lowered the flogger, and stepped close to gently run a hoof over Dar's flanks. They were hot and reddened beneath the sleek fur, and her sides were darkened with a sheen of sweat.

"Having fun still?" she asked gently.

"Mmm hmm." The sound was dazed, yet blissful. Dar's eyes were half closed, her expression euphoric. She was doing everything but actually purring.

Ember chuckled softly. "Good. Time to try something else, I think." She untied the reins from the tail cuff, though she paused with the cuff itself still held in her magic, Dar's tail still pulled up high, and blew teasingly under it, making Dar shudder and moan softly. The scent of Dar's arousal was almost stronger than the taste of her pleasure. Ember grinned as she removed the cuff, letting Dar's tail fall. "You're going to like this next part."

She took the cuffs from Dar's hooves as well, then flipped the reins over her head and used them to tug the mare to her feet. Dar stood, trembling slightly from both the aftermath of what Ember had already done and the anticipation of what she might do next.

Ember picked Dar up in her magic, flipping her onto her back suddenly enough that Dar gasped in surprise. Emotional energy fed Ember’s magic, and the quantity still radiating from Dar was more than enough to let Ember keep her suspended in mid air without a second thought—which left plenty of attention for the long coil of rope she lifted into the air along with the pony.

She worked with a kind of sensual deliberation, slipping each coil over Dar slowly, the rope sliding across her hide. Ember first passed a series of loops around Dar's shoulders and back. Some of the strands twisted around her upper legs too, making an elaborate harness that supported her torso. Ember gradually loosened the grip of her magic, letting Dar's upper body slowly come to rest on the ropes, and Dar let out a soft sigh as she felt the ropes take her weight. Her head tipped back, hanging loosely below her. Her eyes were closed, and the taste of her emotions was a delightful mix of arousal and relaxation.

Pulling in still more energy—and starting to feel quite intoxicated with it—Ember continued. She passed several loops of the rope under Dar's head, none of them tight, but rather forming a kind of cradle, and pulled it up into a more comfortable position. Then she started working the ropes around Dar's hindquarters. She let some of them brush between Dar's legs as she worked, but none stayed there. Ember wanted that area to stay readily accessible. Dar shuddered and let out a low moan.

Ember took more rope and pulled Dar's legs together in a kind of hog tie, keeping them above her, and pulling her back feet forward far enough to leave her vulva fully exposed, her tail hanging down unsupported below. With the final set of ropes in place, Ember gently relaxed her magic, letting Dar settle fully into the support of the rope. Dar sighed again, sounding utterly blissful as she relaxed even further.

With a grin, Ember made her tense again by lowering her head and blowing gently across her exposed lower lips. Dar twitched, her tail flicking, and let out a soft gasp. Ember lightly licked there, letting her tongue tease across the surface, tasting Dar's juices. Dar was already dripping wet, obviously more than ready, so Ember decided to not linger and tease further this time. Instead, she lifted her head and picked up a dildo from her box. She chose a smallish one, remembering Dar's request, but not too small. With how wet Dar was, Ember was fairly certain that she could be stretched a bit. Certainly she wasn't going to need any lube. She set the head of the dildo against Dar, resting it there for a moment, letting Dar anticipate it. She rubbed the head back and forth, unable to resist teasing just a bit more, until Dar let out a needy whimper. Her tail, the only part of her that she could move to express her need, was arched back as far as it could be and twitched periodically to one side or the other.

Taking the obvious invitation, Ember began to push the dildo slowly into Dar, and immediately Dar moaned loudly as it started to sink in.

She moaned again as it slid slowly deeper. Ember pushed it in all the way, grinding the base against Dar's lips, which made the bound mare shudder and let out a louder moan. Ember slowly pulled it back, then pushed it in again, working it back and forth gradually, savoring the sounds Dar was making almost as much as the taste of her emotions. It was obvious that the earth pony had finally let go of her former tight control and self-consciousness; she was moaning and writhing shamelessly in the ropes.

Ember pushed the dildo in deeply once more, and this time left it there. She picked up a second toy. This one was shaped a bit differently. Instead of resembling a stallion's cock, this was an abstract sort of shape, with a broad base, a narrow neck above it, then a wider flare that tapered to a blunt tip. It too was fairly small; certainly much smaller than the dildo, but this toy Ember coated liberally in lube.

Dar hung panting in the ropes, her tail flicking back and forth. Ember could taste a hint of curiosity from her, nearly drowned in the arousal and passion. Dar was apparently still at least slightly capable of rational thought. Ember grinned. If she had her way, that would soon change.

She took the new toy and touched the slick tip of it to the spot just below Dar's tail.

Dar went absolutely rigid, shock radiating from her. Immediately embarrassment followed it, but so did a wave of desire. She was panting hard now, and trembling.

"I'll stop if you want me to," said Ember softly, but there was a knowing smile in her voice.

Dar said nothing, though her tail flicked back and forth. Ember tasted Dar's emotions carefully, trying to catch every nuance. There was a bit of conflict there; apparently Dar was old-fashioned enough to find this shocking and perhaps even shameful, but the overwhelming feeling was still desire. So Ember began to push the anal plug slowly in. Dar whimpered, her tail flicking faster. The taste of pleasure from her spiked, a hot spiciness on Ember's tongue. Ember half-closed her eyes, feeling almost drunk from the strength of it. She pushed the toy in further, and Dar moaned, a long, drawn-out sound of pleasure and need. Ember knew that with the dildo already inside her, the plug would make her feel incredibly full, a sensation that some mares found to be nearly overwhelming.

When the plug was all the way in, Ember paused once more. Dar was panting hard, her tail still flicking. Her coat was soaked with sweat, and her emotions were soaking Ember almost as thoroughly. They tasted so very good! She couldn't help but want more, even though she already had more than she really needed for food. She'd never met a pony who gave off as much emotional energy as Dar did. Ember bent her head and lapped at Dar's clit, just above where the base of the dildo rested. Dar cried out at the sensation, jerking in the ropes, her whole body tensing with pleasure. Ember could tell that she was already very close.

Ember licked slowly, drawing her tongue over Dar's clit. Dar whimpered and moaned, her tail flicking madly. Ember let out a soft moan of her own. She felt wonderfully dazed, drunk on lust, and she was only able to control her pace because she knew that the final payoff would be that much better if she drew it out.

Dar's teeth were clamped on the bit still in her mouth, her body arched, her legs straining against the ropes. She was moaning loudly around the bit, shuddering and squirming, her tail lashing still faster, as Ember lapped at her, her tongue probing for the most sensitive spots, teasing them with slow, light motions, then diving in with firm strokes, before pulling back to tease again. Dar was on the very edge now, and Ember let out another muffled moan, suddenly unable to hold back any more. She lapped rapidly, pushing her tongue against Dar's clit, working it with everything she had.

Dar went suddenly silent, her entire body tensed, then let out a muffled cry of bliss as she tipped over the edge into orgasm. Ember didn't stop, she kept working, building the intensity further, pushing Dar into a chain of shuddering paroxysms that made her nearly bite though the bit as she came hard and repeatedly.

A sudden feeling of heat, and the sensation of a powerful magical field washing over her, made Ember jerk her head back in confused surprise. Golden magic that seemed to be half made of fire licked over Dar. Her tan coat and brown mane and tail seemed to burn away beneath the magical flames. Ropes charred and snapped, sending Dar crashing to the floor, but the figure that got to her hooves a moment later was no longer the mousy form of Darjeeling Cup, but an elegant, white-coated shape even taller than Ember herself, whose multi-hued mane and tail flowed around her in an unseen breeze.

Princess Celestia's eyes were wide in absolute panic as they met Ember's startled gaze. She opened her mouth as if to say something, the bridle and somewhat tooth-marked bit still in the way, then she flushed, her ears going back flat with shame and fear that Ember could taste, and she vanished in a flash of golden magic.

Ember sat in her bedroom and watched the sun set. Unlike the room for her clients below, who generally valued privacy and discretion over sweeping vistas, this room had several large windows that looked out over a spectacular view of Canterlot and the valley below. It was nearly summer; more than a month had passed since Princess Celestia had visited. Ember couldn't look at sunrises or sunsets anymore without thinking about that visit. It seemed that Celestia would never return, and that bothered her a little bit. She had enjoyed their session together, certainly, but more than that, she knew that there was something still unresolved there—something that she wished she could help the princess with. Perhaps Celestia had only run away because she'd feared being revealed to the press, but somehow Ember didn't think that was the whole story. Whatever the reason was, if it was something Ember could help Celestia with, she would—if she ever got the chance.

She did what she did because she needed emotional energy and liked having sex. But as she'd perfected her trade, she'd found that more than the sex itself, the thing that satisfied her the most was helping her clients with their problems. So many ponies had troubles and issues, especially with their sex lives. Ember couldn't solve them all, but she did what she could, and slept better for having done it.

She knew could help Celestia—if only the princess would come back. She had actually considered going to the castle, but in the end she had decided, somewhat reluctantly, that that would have been a breach of both privacy and consent. Celestia would come when she was ready. That might mean that she wouldn't come at all, but it wouldn't be right to try and force her help on a pony that didn't want it.

With a sigh, Ember pushed the familiar train of thought aside. Sunset meant it was time to open for business. She would go down before then, if a customer happened to turn up, but most ponies came by night, so she didn't usually bother to prepare much before sundown.

The narrow stairs led to a door in the back of her toy closet, and from there she crossed through the luxurious bedroom where she entertained her clients and into the equally well-appointed parlor where she met them and discovered what they wanted from her—and what they needed.

She had just settled onto the couch and started grooming a bit, to make sure she was properly presentable, when Far spoke in her mind.

You have a rather important visitor, he said, sounding amused but offering no further details.

Puzzled by his caginess, Ember looked through his eyes, and nearly gasped out loud.

The pony who had just slipped in the door, and who stood now with her hoof scuffing the carpet, not meeting Far's eyes, was a very familiar tan mare with a teapot cutie mark: Darjeeling Cup, Princess Celestia's alter ego.

Have her see me, said Ember swiftly and emphatically. Whatever she wants, don't let her go, she needs to talk to me.

I'll do my best, said Far with a mental chuckle. "How may I help you?" he said out loud.

Dar coughed. "I, ah, came to return something which I... inadvertently took with me when I left last time." She reached around, pulling a packet from her saddlebags with her teeth and setting it on Far's desk. It clanked slightly, and Ember couldn’t help but chuckle at the realization that the packet no doubt held the bit and bridle that Celestia had been wearing when she vanished. "And also to thank Ember. For not talking to the press."

Far's horn lit and he opened the door to the parlor. "Ember isn't busy now; you should convey your thanks in person," he said.

Dar hesitated, then nodded and stepped through the door. Ember schooled her face to a pleasant, casual smile, though she wanted to cheer that Dar—or rather, that the Princess—had agreed to talk to her.

"Dar," said Ember warmly as the nondescript pony slipped into the room. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Come, have a seat and let me know what I can do for you."

Dar flushed faintly, and her emotions were an odd mix of surprise, gratitude, and embarrassment. She shed her saddlebags and settled herself gingerly on a couch across from the one where Ember was lounging. "I didn't come here for another, ah, session. I just wanted to thank you for your discretion."

"I said when you first came here that I never talk about my clients." Ember smiled. "I meant it."

"Some ponies seem to feel they can make an exception to such promises when it comes to the Princess," said Dar, with a small sigh.

"I can only imagine how difficult that must be. I'm sorry that I didn't have a chance to reassure you on that front before you left."

Dar looked away. "I checked the tabloids every day for weeks. The worst of them regularly print every outrageous rumor about me that anypony anywhere has ever repeated. I was afraid I would see them explode with scandal and speculation."

Ember had hoped that Dar would take the bait and talk about her sudden departure. She was still opening up a bit, though, which made Ember hopeful that she would be able to find the real root of whatever had caused Celestia to flee in panic before. "I'm sure. I am told that they have had some rather absurd things to say about myself over the years, but I avoid reading them."

"So do I, normally." Dar sighed again. "I cannot tell you how glad I am that my fears were never realized. Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for. I will always treat you like any client."

Dar looked at Ember, flushing faintly, then looked away again. "I do not really intend to become a regular."

"Why not? You came here in the first place to get some much-needed relief from your stressful job, or so you told me. I somehow doubt that ruling Equestria has suddenly become stress-free."

Dar let out a short bark of almost involuntary laughter at that. "No, it hasn't."

"Then stay a bit, let me help you blow off a little steam tonight. It wouldn't be the first time I've given a freebie to a client whose sessions I've enjoyed."

Dar flushed again at the implication, her eyes flickering to the side, "Well..."

"You should at least get a massage, or have a relaxing soak; I have excellent spa facilities here too."

Dar chuckled. "You know how to go for a mare's weak points, it seems."

Ember gave her a wink. "I can even make a fairly decent cup of tea."

Dar laughed out loud at that. "I think my tea steward plies me with enough of it. I modeled this disguise off of her." She gestured at herself with one hoof. "With a few differences, of course, so that ponies wouldn't assume things of her if they saw me here."

"You can drop your disguise if you like. You did me the rare honor of wishing to be with me in my true form. Surely you would be more comfortable in your own."

Dar hesitated, her ears going down. "I don't know..." She tasted suddenly of shame and nervousness, as she had when she'd first visited.

"Would it be too intrusive to ask why you're reluctant? I already know who you are, and you already know that I won't tell anyone."

"It's not that. It's just... Darjeeling can do things that Princess Celestia cannot."

Ember filed that point away as important, but did not press it just yet. She didn't want to make Celestia uncomfortable. "Surely even princesses can get massages," said Ember coaxingly.

Dar's ears flicked back and forth. Then finally, her shoulders sagged before she shrugged. "Very well, then—I suppose they can."

Golden magic once again flickered over her, burning away the drab tan and brown as her form expanded, and a moment later Ember found herself looking up—a sensation she wasn't used to—into the eyes of a pony who was just a bit taller than she. They were violet rather than hazel, but she could still see the pony she'd come to know as Dar in the vulnerable look that lurked within them.

Looking over the rest of her, however, Ember was prompted to say, "I'm sure ponies have often said that you're beautiful. That sort of flattery comes with power. You are, though. You are stunning, and I say that with no need to flatter."

Celestia flushed just a bit. "I, ah... thank you."

Ember chuckled. "I won't push myself on you if you don't want it, but I felt the need to let you know how extremely tempting you are. But come!" Ember's voice was cheerful, and she grinned at Celestia, "Even if nothing else happens, you've agreed to let me put my hooves all over you, and I am certainly looking forward to it!"

Celestia flushed a bit more, but rose gracefully when Ember did and followed her to the second of the two doors leading further into the building. Inside was a small but well-appointed spa, including a large tub, one big enough even for the princess, though if Ember wanted to join her it would be a bit of a squeeze.

"So, would you like a scented soak first, or shall we go straight to the massage?"

Celestia, looking around at the provided amenities, once again noticed a detail that many missed. "You have feather oil?"

Ember grinned. "I do! And I'm told I give a very good preening. Would you like to start with one?"

Celestia partially spread her huge wings. "Preening these is a lot of work."

"Which means you haven't had it done in ages, I'm sure, since you're not the sort to fob off work on your servants. I can see that you keep the feathers in good order yourself, but there's nothing like relaxing and letting somepony else do it for you. I don't mind the work. It's my job, after all. And even if you haven't paid me in bits, those aren't my real payment anyway."

Celestia smiled a bit at that. "True enough, I suppose. Very well."

Ember pulled out a cushion and directed Celestia to make herself comfortable on it. Celestia settled into place and spread out one large, swan-like wing. Ember seated herself as well and began to work. She started with a traditional preening, simply using her teeth to groom the feathers. She'd had to learn how to do this—changelings groomed their wings somewhat differently—but by now she was very skilled at it. Celestia let her eyes slide half-closed and sighed. Ember could taste that she wasn't actually fully relaxed, but she had let go of a little bit of her tension, at least.

She finished with the first simple preening on one wing, and moved to the other. She sat a bit closer this time, letting her side touch Celestia's flank as she worked. Celestia tensed a bit at the touch, then immediately relaxed again. Ember smiled and continued her grooming. By the time she'd gotten to the second round and was working the oil carefully over the feathers with a combination of her teeth and her magic, Celestia had let go of much of her tension. She still was not entirely unguarded, but Ember felt like she was making progress. "Ready for your massage now?" she asked after finishing the last feather.

"Mmm hmm," said Celestia, sounding drowsily content. Ember chuckled softly and led her to a massage table. Unfortunately Celestia proved to be too tall for it. "Bother," she said irritably when she couldn't get into a comfortable position.

Ember chuckled. "Well, seems I'll have to drag you into my bedroom after all. The bed is large enough, at least, for you to lie on so I can rub your back."

Celestia raised an eyebrow at Ember. "For a moment there I thought I was being propositioned."

"Is that what you'd rather I do?" asked Ember, grinning.

Celestia laughed and shook her head, but she didn't seem annoyed or defensive, which Ember took as a further positive sign. They walked side by side to the bedroom, and Ember didn't have to direct Celestia to stretch herself out on the bed. Ember decided that she was quite pleased with this turn of events when she realized that she would have to climb onto Celestia in order to reach her withers and start massaging. The massage table let her do so without taking such liberties, but she wanted to take a few now. She still wouldn't push if Celestia showed any signs of discomfort—and certainly, Ember was better equipped than most to pick up on those signs—but Ember wanted both to make Celestia comfortable so she could help her, and to... see where else the evening might lead. She hadn't been joking when she'd said that the princess was a temptation. Celestia was incredibly attractive, and Ember's memories of their first session together were very pleasant indeed.

She seated herself, sitting over Celestia's legs, and leaned forward to put her hooves on Celestia's shoulders. This meant her hips were tucked up against Celestia's rump. She took a moment to take a calming breath to help from having an awkward reaction. Stimulation to that area could cause her ovipositor to come out, and Celestia would probably find that a bit disconcerting. Fortunately the reaction wasn't quite as hard for her to control as a stallion's erection.

With a firm mental grip on her body, Ember began to work her hooves into the muscles over Celestia's withers. They were a mass of knots, which was hardly surprising. She worked at the knots, digging her hooves in, and smiling as Celestia groaned beneath her. She worked her way down Celestia's back, paying extra attention to the spots that gathered the most stress, including the wing bases. When Ember first touched there, Celestia's wings flared out involuntarily. Ember smiled again, but said nothing and merely continued to work at the knots of tension there. Celestia flushed and tucked her wings tightly against her sides. Yet by the time Ember had finished, Celestia had relaxed again, her wings hanging loosely, most of her tension finally gone.

Ember ran her hooves up Celestia's back one last time, leaning over her, and then slowly settled her weight onto Celestia, nuzzling gently at her ear as she did. She felt the faintly tingling strands of Celestia's mane brush against her cheek, the sensation odd but pleasant.

Celestia tensed again as Ember began to nibble gently on one ear, using only her blunt incisors and not her fangs. "If you tense up like that, you'll ruin all my work," said Ember gently.

Celestia heaved a sigh that Ember could feel and put her head down on the bed. "I am sorry," she said, but offered no further explanation. Ember decided it was time to start prying.

"You seem uncomfortable. I don't want to upset you, but I would like to know why it is that Darjeeling Cup lets me nibble her ears, but Princess Celestia does not. Surely they should enjoy the same things."

Celestia sighed again and lifted her head. "There was a time when I would have enjoyed it freely, long ago. It was easier then, when I was young and there were still ponies alive who remembered my foalhood. They never treated me like an ordinary pony, even then I was an alicorn, but they at least knew that I was flesh and blood. Later... I suppose it was my fault, but I don't know what else I could have done." She fell silent for a time. Ember nuzzled her mane softly, but said nothing. Finally Celestia continued. "I have never had what could be called a strong sexual drive. In my youth I eschewed the complications of romance, but as I grew older I found that I craved sexual release when I was stressed. When I first began to rule Equestria, I took lovers now and again, and in those days nopony thought much of it. But there was one... He... I... I discovered that even more than sexual release, I craved the release of being dominated, and of feeling pain. He revealed that he craved such as well, and we had one wonderful night together in which I gave in to my every desire. He birched me until I was bloody. For a brief, glorious moment it was the best thing I had ever experienced. The next day, though, the rumors began. He counted me a conquest. He bragged of what he had done to me. Word of it reached beyond his social circle and into that of the nobility, who were horrified. I was more naive then, and had no strategies for mitigating the rumors. Such things were even less acceptable in those times than they are today, as well. It was a scandal that lasted nigh on a century before it faded fully. To my shame, I must admit that I censored the histories of that period, later, so that it would finally die."

"I can't blame you for that," said Ember.

"I can," said Celestia bitterly. "For nearly three hundred years after that, I took no lovers. Indeed, I did all I could to present myself as beyond such desires, until ponies believed that I was an untouchable goddess. But that did not make the desires go away. I did finally take a lover again, but I was disguised. The stallion I found was gentle. We played no dominance games, but he was strong, and a considerate lover, and for a time it was enough. I visited him for years. He never wed, and I think perhaps that was my fault. I... I also think he guessed, near the end, though I took care that my disguised persona aged as he did. Some of the things he did made me think he knew, but he never said anything. I watched him die. I... After that I only visited professionals, such as yourself, and that rarely. Save once."

Celestia heaved another deep sigh. "That was just before the Gryphon Wars, when diplomacy was falling apart and I felt that I was failing Equestria. I craved release so badly that it was driving me mad. Mad enough to not turn down an unexpected offer, though I should have. She was a gryphon." Celestia gave a little laugh. "A gryphon, on the eve of war! I met her by chance, while disguised. She was... I haven't the words, even now. She was fierce, and primal, beyond anything I have ever known. She brought me to a state where I lost control, as I never did before or since, save with you. She fled, when she saw who I was. Fled all the way back to the gryphon kingdoms. I wondered... well, I still wonder. Some of the propaganda arrayed against me by the gryphons seemed to hold hints that there might have been some rumor of what I had done with her, circulating among the aeries. I told myself that if she had truly spoken out, I would have known—Celestia herself, lying in submission to a common Gryphon molly? It would have been too good for them to have ever let go of it, but there was only ever vague accusations of..." Celestia made what might have been meant to be a vague wave of her hoof, but it only came out as a wiggle of her hooftip, in her current state. "...depravity—along with the usual rumors that I eat gryphon egg omelets for breakfast, and it has been decades since I have heard even that from a gryphon's beak. So I never could be sure if she had kept my secret or not. Either way, I never saw her again. She was probably killed in the war, effectively dead at my own hooves." She put her head back down, and Ember could taste bitter sorrow hanging thickly in the air.

"You have suffered much," said Ember.

Acidic guilt joined the bitter flavor of sorrow. "No. How could I say that? I have had a few troubles, spread out over centuries. I am Celestia Sol Invictus-" her lips twisted as she pronounced the name, "-I have power and wealth beyond the dreams of most ponies. I have and have had many friends. I even have family again! How can I say I have suffered? My life is a good life. I have everything I need."

"You don't have everything you need. You're not made of sunlight, you're flesh and blood, as you've said. You're a pony, like any other pony, and nearly all ponies need sexual fulfillment to be happy."

"I should be Darjeeling again. Princess Celestia is responsible for the whole nation. She can't be... submissive. She can't need sex. She must be above such things."

"Must she really?" asked Ember. When Celestia said nothing in response, Ember nuzzled the back of her head again. "Everyone, every pony and dragon and gryphon and diamond dog, has a right to feel sexual desire. You are no exception. If one of your little ponies came to you, and told you that they had too many responsibilities to take care of their needs, you know what you would say in response. I know it makes you vulnerable, and I know you have been hurt badly before. It must be terrifying to think of letting go so thoroughly. But if you don't, you deny yourself something that you truly do need. You can trust me—I hope I have proved that already. Please, let me give you, Princess Celestia, what you need. I would be happy to be with Darjeeling as well, if that's what makes you happy, but I would rather be with you."

"I don't know if I can. After so long, I don't know how to let go."

"I can help you. We can take small steps." Ember smiled and gave Celestia's ear a light nip with her fangs, leaning down on her with all her weight as she did so, knowing that being pinned beneath somepony nearly her own size would probably be a little bit exciting to Celestia, even if she wasn't consciously aware of it. "We have taken a few steps already, I think."

Celestia shivered beneath her, her breath catching. "Yes..." she said, a little uncertainly.

Ember nibbled a bit more, gently, but letting her fangs prick lightly. Celestia shivered again. Ember knew she was walking a tightrope now. If she pushed, she might scare Celestia off, and pressuring a pony skirted close to violating her own principles. Yet if she didn't, Celestia would no doubt go back to denying her needs. "If you're still not certain, I can wait," Ember murmured softly in Celestia's ear. "I also meant what I said about consent, as well as what I said about privacy. But I want you, I want to give you every kind of pleasure. Only if you are certain you want it, though."

"I'm not certain, no. But..."

"Your body is certain. That flesh and blood wants fulfillment."

"Yes," breathed Celestia.

"Then let me give you that much, at least. No pain, no restraints, just pleasure."

Celestia hesitated a moment further, then suddenly said, "Yes."

"You're sure?" said Ember.

Celestia nodded. "Yes. Please."

Ember chuckled. "Please, hmm? I almost want to make you beg for it. But that would be a bit much, this soon." She nipped Celestia's ear one more time, hard, making Celestia gasp and twitch under her, then lifted a hoof to pull Celestia's head around, meeting her lips in a soft kiss that swiftly grew demanding. Ember was the aggressor, pushing her tongue into Celestia's mouth, but Celestia met her with matching fervor, her tongue twisting around Ember's, venturing forth to caress her fangs and slip between her lips. Ember tasted both arousal and determination from her. She seemed to have decided that if she was going to do this, she would do it wholeheartedly. Ember made a low, purring sound of pleasure and started to grind her hips against Celestia's rump, letting go of her self control a little bit and allowing her ovipositor to begin to emerge. It had been a long time since she'd last let herself feel this kind of arousal with a client. But she wanted to trust Celestia, just as much as she wanted Celestia to trust her.

She broke off the kiss with a low moan as Celestia pressed back against her eagerly. Ember ground her hips harder against Celestia and bit the back of her neck, letting out a low, feral growl.

Celestia gasped, and the taste of her suddenly increased arousal flooded over Ember. Ember drank it in eagerly, even as she growled again and bit harder, letting her fangs dig in until she heard Celestia's whimper of pleasure and pain. She let go and simply lay atop the panting princess for a moment while she decided what to do next. Inspiration was swift to come. She knew just what she would like Celestia to do, and given everything that she knew about her, Ember thought that Celestia would probably like doing it.

Feeling a pleasant thrill of anticipation, Ember rolled off of Celestia, to lie on her back on the bed beside her. Celestia turned her head to look at Ember curiously, her eyes a little glazed, but not yet fully given over to lust. Ember wanted to change that. She reached out a hoof and grasped Celestia's horn firmly. She had a sudden awareness of the surreality of the situation. Here she was, a hiveless changeling queen with no particular claim to power, dominating the ruler of all Equestria. But it was what said ruler needed, so without hesitation, Ember yanked Celestia's head around, dragging the larger mare around until her muzzle was positioned above Ember's hindquarters.

The princess was intelligent enough, and willing enough, to need no further direction; when Ember released her horn, she bent her head and nuzzled along the length of Ember's ovipositor, exploring it gently. It was a little smaller than a stallion's member, and somewhere simpler, being merely a tube of flexible, cartilage-like chitin. The cylindrical shape was sliced off at an angle, creating a flat head that came to a blunt point. A narrow slit in the flat surface was its only other feature. Celestia nuzzled up to the head and licked at it. "Good girl," breathed Ember, panting fast already. Celestia's arousal spiked again at the words, and she set to eagerly lapping at Ember, her eyes half-lidded and glazed with pleasure.

Celestia took the head of Ember's shaft into her mouth, her lips closing over it, and sank slowly down. "Mmm, very good," said Ember. She grabbed Celestia's horn again, holding her head in place, and rocked her hips, pushing her shaft slowly into Celestia's mouth, then pulling it back again. Celestia let out a muffled moan. Ember set up a slow, steady rhythm, and Celestia cooperated with it, her tongue working against the underside of Ember's shaft with each stroke. Her eyes were tightly shut now, and she made soft, needy sounds as she worked. Ember could taste the intensity of her need, and could guess that Celestia wanted the fulfillment of satisfying Ember, but Ember wasn't ready to finish yet. Not without making sure that Celestia could finish as well.

So after only a minute or so, she pushed back on Celestia's horn, forcing her head up. Celestia looked at her, panting, her expression dazed and a little bit confused. "Get on your hooves," said Ember firmly.

"Yes ma'am," said Celestia unthinkingly, starting to rise. She flushed a moment later, the taste of embarrassment mixing with her arousal, but Ember merely kept smiling and got to her own feet as well. She kissed Celestia again, hot and hard but brief, then circled around her, pressing close as she moved, nuzzling down one folded wing, nipping lightly at her cutie mark, pressing her body along Celestia's side, and finally standing behind her and giving her tail a hard tug, right at the base.

Celestia cried out, a shudder going through her whole body, and lifted her tail eagerly. Ember wasted no further time, she reared up and mounted Celestia, first putting her hooves on Celestia's rump as she lined herself up, then moving forward to clasp Celestia around her barrel, just in front of her wings, as she sank into the ready, dripping wetness of Celestia's entrance.

They both cried out together as Ember thrust in. Ember rested there for a moment, then began moving slowly, rocking her hips back and forth, paying close attention to the feel of Celestia's warmth around her. It was good, but it could be better. Ember concentrated, beginning a slow, careful shape-shift. With each thrust, her shaft grew a bit larger, a bit more like a stallion's member. Celestia groaned as it began to stretch her, filling her far more completely than the smaller ovipositor had. Satisfied with Celestia's moans, and with the tightness of Celestia around her, Ember started to move faster, more forcefully. She thrust in hard and deep with each stroke, making Celestia cry out repeatedly beneath her. The taste of Celestia's arousal was strong in the air, heady and intoxicating. Ember drank it in, giving herself over entirely to taste and sensation and desire.

She bit a chunk of Celestia's mane close to her neck, pulling her head back. Celestia cried out, a sound of stunned bliss, her body shuddering beneath Ember. Ember growled, yanking harder, her hips bucking, pounding into Celestia hard and fast. Celestia moaned loudly, her wings half-spread, her front hooves bracing against the floor, pushing back into Ember's thrusting.

Ember groaned. She was very near, the physical sensations and the intense taste of Celestia's emotions combining to nearly overwhelm her. She thrust harder, almost frantically, no longer capable of thinking of anything, only desperately needing to reach her peak. Then she was there, pleasure jolting through her as her shaft pulsed, spurting thick, hot fluid deep within Celestia. Ember cried out, and Celestia echoed the cry, shuddering intensely beneath her. Even as the pleasure of her climax thrilled through her, Ember tasted the intensity of Celestia's pleasure, white-hot and wonderful, and wanted more. She shifted her hooves back, grasping Celestia about the hips and she thrust once more, emptying the last pulse of fluid into her, and slid one hoof between Celestia's legs, rubbing against the wet, swollen nub of her clit. Celestia gasped, then moaned. Ember rubbed rapidly, her own pleasure slowly ebbing, but before the last waves of it had vanished, Celestia cried out and shuddered, the taste of her pleasure suddenly so overpowering that Ember was momentarily completely overcome, energy flooding all her senses, as dazzling as the noonday sun. Bliss washed through her, so strong that it was no longer a taste, but a feeling—as if it were her own. She'd never felt anything like it.

The feeling soon began to fade, ebbing back to a normal flavor, and then draining away, leaving Ember draped limply over Celestia's sweat-soaked back, both mares panting hard. Celestia slid down to lie on her stomach on the carpet, her wings fanned loosely out around her, her mane and tail hanging flat, too tired for the moment to flow as they normally did.

Ember withdrew from her and rolled over to lie beside her. Celestia shifted a wing and draped it over Ember. Ember sighed deeply, feeling both energized and exhausted, floating in a blissful euphoria of far more energy than she could ever need. "That was good. Very good," she said muzzily.

"Mmm hmm," agreed Celestia. Ember was no longer drawing on her emotional energy, but she could taste a trace of the utterly relaxed contentment that Celestia was currently radiating. She smiled, feeling pleased. Mission accomplished, she thought to herself.

Ember? Far's mental voice intruded on her thoughts.

Huh? Finding the mental focus to reply was difficult, but Ember managed.

There are two ponies here, waiting for you. When shall I tell them you'll be available?

Ember nearly laughed out loud. Never. Never, ever. I feel like I could go a thousand years without feeding again.

Far's mental chuckle echoed pleasantly in her head. Somehow I doubt that.

I suppose, you're right. But not tonight. Definitely not tonight. Give them both a coupon and tell them to come back tomorrow. Tonight... Ember pressed a little closer to Celestia's side, and Celestia sighed warmly and rested her head on Ember's withers. Her eyes slid closed and her breathing deepened, the taste of her emotions fading as she fell almost instantly into a deep sleep. Tonight, I believe, I am spoken for until dawn.

Ember yawned. This showed quite a lot of teeth, some of them very sharp. She was not all that tired, but she was a little bit bored. There had been a client earlier, he'd left around sundown. Now it was well past midnight, and no one else had come since then.

Incoming, said a soft voice in her mind.

Oh thank Celestia. I am so bored!

Far Gaze, her receptionist, chuckled and let her look through his eyes at the potential client. A stallion. Fairly young, though definitely of age. He was of fairly average height, but with a thin, lanky build. An earth pony, with a patched black and white coat, and a black and white streaked mane and tail. Ember couldn't see his cutie mark.

A haze of color hung over him, something not visible to ordinary eyes. Far's special talent was seeing the auras that revealed much about the minds and hearts of ponies. The colors of this one were mostly normal, but there was a thick strand of something dark and unhappy wrapped close around him. He had a secret, and not a good one, either. Ember nodded to herself and began preparing her strategies for prying whatever it was from him.

A few minutes later he'd paid at the desk and walked into the sitting room where Ember waited. She couldn't see the aura with her own eyes, but she could taste it, a faint rotten tang of... shame, she decided. His body posture suggested shame too, his tail was tucked low and his eyes wouldn't meet hers.

"Hello and welcome. I'm Ember."

He mumbled something almost too soft to hear.

"I'm sorry, please step a little closer so I can hear you," she said, beckoning him, trying to keep her smile as gentle as possible.

He stepped closer, and she couldn't taste any fear on him. Only the shame, coupled with what was apparently a nearly-crippling shyness. "I'm Bramble," he said quietly, still not looking at her.

"How may I please you, Bramble?"

His hoof scuffed at the floor. He was still looking down, his eyes not meeting Ember's. "Just... I'm here to, you know."

"You seem a little nervous. Would it help you relax if we began with a massage? Or would you prefer it if I took some other form? I can be anyone you want me to be."

"I, uhm, I'm not afraid of you. Though I think I would like it if you were somepony. Can you, uh, do you know Fleur?"

"The model, Fleur de Lis?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I do yes. Are you a fan of hers?"

Bramble blushed just a little. "She's so beautiful."

With a small chuckle, Ember changed forms, the green flame of changeling magic washing over her, replacing her black chitin with pink fur so pale it was almost white, and her filmy turquoise mane and tail with slightly darker pink.

The form she shaped this time was not entirely accurate. She knew Fleur quite well, but Fleur had a personal secret that Ember would never reveal, so what she became was how Fleur the model looked for the public, differing slightly from the appearance of Fleur the pony in private. "How's this, my dear?" she asked.

"Wow," said Bramble, licking his lips unconsciously.

Ember smiled. "Do you have any particular activities in mind? Or shall we retire to the bedroom and see what comes up?" Ember winked flirtatiously at Bramble, but instead of the expected amusement or enthusiasm, he wilted a little bit, and some of that shame was back.

"Yeah," he said, almost too soft to be heard again.

Ember rose from her couch and reached out to put a hoof on Bramble's shoulder. "You don't sound happy about that."

"Sorry. It's okay."

"If it makes you unhappy, it isn't okay, my dear. I insist that my customers enjoy themselves."

Bramble scuffed his hoof again. "I'll be fine. It's just... you probably won't enjoy yourself at all. I won't be a good lover."

Ember managed to not laugh, though she rather wanted to. It was almost endearing when inexperienced ponies were so convinced they were bad in bed. She rather firmly believed that there was no such thing as "bad in bed", only ponies who refused to listen and learn what other ponies liked, and those were always the ones who were confident that they were amazing lovers and knew "the way" to please a mare or stallion; as if all ponies of the same gender were pleased just the same. "Bramble, my dear, you don't need to worry about not being an accomplished lover. I can show you everything you need to do in order to please me."

Bramble drooped a little further, his misery deepening. "It... it's not that," he said, so softly that Ember had to strain to hear him. "I... I just..."

Carefully, realizing that she might well be walking in a minefield, Ember said, "Please, tell me what worries you."

"I'm... really little," he said, his ears flat back to his head. "My marefriend laughed at me and threw me out of her bed last year. I came here 'cause at least I can pay somepony, even if nopony would want me."

"Oh sweetheart," said Ember, feeling a rush of sympathy, "that mare was just being cruel to you. No decent pony would laugh at such a thing. If she were here, I'd give her a few choice words. But you don't need to be ashamed about it."

"It is small though. I've seen... other stallions."

Ember patted his shoulder gently. She knew that sexual equipment came in many sizes, and it was even possible for a stallion to have a penis too small for use in conventional intercourse. There would still be methods he could use, though. "Well, they say it's not what you have, it's how you use it. More than that, it's how you use everything, a cock isn't the be-all and end-all of lovemaking for a mare, I can assure you of that."

"If you say so," said Bramble, not really sounding convinced.

"I do. And I should know! I can tell you right now, in fact, that being a gigantic stallion can be an even worse handicap than being a small one."

He frowned. "That's ridiculous."

"No, it's entirely true. There are problems that come with being larger than average. But come. Let's retire to my bed, and we can explore our options. I promise that there will be something you can do to make me feel good, no matter what we find."

As Ember turned and headed for the bedroom, she couldn't help but think of a time years past, when she was still very new to everything, including ponies, and she'd had a rather intimate run-in with the problem of larger stallions.

A changeling, peculiarly half-way between being a queen and an under-queen, lay sprawled across a modest bed in a simple, unadorned room in the poorer quarter of Canterlot, her wings fanned out as she lay on her back. She was panting, her body trembling, and one hoof was pressed between her legs, rubbing back and forth slowly. Every so often she let out a tiny little whimper.

In response to some unseen signal, the mare breathed a sigh of sudden relief and sat up, letting her hoof fall. A moment later, the door swung open and in walked a dark purple stallion. A second stallion, this one pristine white, trotted in behind him.

"Thank goodness you're here," said Ember, speaking rapidly, her body still trembling. She could scent the stallions, and even though the scent was not quite right, it was close enough to add to the terrible need that drove her.

Far chuckled. "I'll make my introductions brief. Ember, this is Fancy Pants. Fancy for short. Fancy, Ember. I'm very certain you two will get along. But much as I'd like to stay, duty calls. The bills have to be paid somehow." He gave Ember a wink and a smile, and Fancy a nod and a nudge, and then was gone, shutting the door behind him.

Fancy Pants cleared his throat, just a bit stiffly. "Yes, well. It is quite good to meet you, Ember. Far has told me a little bit about you. I've never spoken to a changeling before."

Ember reached out to him, tasting his emotions. There was a hint of nervousness there, and quite a lively curiosity, but mostly there was desire. Far had obviously already explained what she needed, and Fancy Pants had obviously liked the idea. Feeling a second wash of relief, Ember smiled at the stallion. "Maybe you have and you didn't know it. But even though I'd love to talk, I'm sure Far explained that I, uhm, need something else..."

Fancy chuckled. "Oh yes. He said you have a high sex drive."

Ember wasn't quite certain what the phrase meant, but it sounded about right. "I need to mate. A lot. At least once a day, sometimes more. Far is nice, he likes me a lot, but he says he can't keep up."

"I can only imagine. Well, I'm more than willing to lend a hoof."

"I need something other than a hoof."

Fancy laughed at that, though Ember hadn't meant it to be funny. "I will happily lend any part of my anatomy you might find useful."

"That's good." Ember shifted somewhat uncertainly, having no idea what to do next. Jumping on the stallion seemed like it might be the wrong thing to do. Far had explained to her about foreplay, and about how sex was for pleasure and mutual bonding among ponies, not just for producing young. He'd seemed happy enough with her attempts at such. She should probably try one of the things he'd taught her.

While she was dithering, trying to decide, however, Fancy Pants climbed onto the bed next to her and nuzzled up against her cheek. The taste of lust from him was strong. "You are so exotic," he murmured. "So like a pony, yet so unlike."

Ember turned her head and kissed him, as hard and passionately as she could. He froze, then kissed back, his hooves slipping around her, caressing her chitin. Ember groaned into the kiss. She needed him desperately. Fortunately he seemed to have pretty much the same idea, he pushed her back, pressing his body against hers. She shuddered as she felt a hardness rubbing against her stomach. He was already coming erect. He ground his hips against her, and she instinctively lifted her hips to him, moaning as she rubbed herself against his shaft.

He chuckled softly. "So eager, hmm? Well, let's give you what you want." He lifted himself a bit, shifting until the tip of his cock pressed against Ember's marehood. Ember held her breath, her heart pounding. She needed this so much!

Fancy pressed against her, pushing the head of his cock against her, but it did not go in. He made a little "hmm" sound and shifted his angle slightly, pushing again. Still it refused to enter her. She could feel the pressure against her mound, the broad, flat head pressed to her flexible chitin. She spread her legs a bit wider, trying to help. Fancy grunted and shifted again, this time managing to slip an edge of the head in a bit. Ember let out a soft, hopeful sound, half moan, half whimper of need. Fancy grunted softly and began trying to push deeper. Ember could feel herself being stretched out, but almost immediately the sensation turned from pleasure to pain. She yelped and instinctively pulled her hips back, then let out a whimper of dismay as she realized what she'd done. Fancy's cock was no longer inside her at all.

Fancy cursed softly and climbed off of her, sitting on the bed beside her. Ember sat up and looked down at his lap, getting her first actual sight of the problem.

Fancy's cock was absolutely enormous. She'd thought that Far had been well-endowed, compared to a changeling male, but Fancy was even bigger. No wonder it hadn't gone in. If it had somehow, it probably would have torn her.

She looked back up at Fancy, still trembling. "What do we do?" she said, a hint of needy whimper still in her voice. She was even worse off now than she'd been before Fancy came into the room.

Fancy heaved a sigh, looking somewhat deflated. "Well... my past experience has shown, unfortunately, that when a mare cannot, ah, take me, the only remedy is a long course of careful stretching over several days. Or even several weeks."

"Weeks?" squeaked Ember. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, I don't even want to wait minutes!"

Fancy's ears went flat to his head and he wilted a bit more. Ember didn't recognize the emotional taste coming off of him now, but it wasn't a good one. "I am sorry, madame. There is no help for it."

Ember scowled. She was not going to just give up. Far had gone to great lengths to find a friend who was trustworthy and willing. She wasn't going to just turn him away. "There has to be a help for it, I just have to think of..." Suddenly her mind hit on the obvious solution. "Aha! There is a way. Just one moment..." Ember concentrated, accessing her still somewhat inexpert transformation magic. She'd never done what she had in mind before, but she couldn't think of any reason why it wouldn't work.

Green fire oozed over her, going slowly as she took care to get the transformation just right. When it cleared, a pony mare sat in her place. The blue-maned, blue-furred shape was Ember's usual pony form, but this time she was not the size of an average mare, she was much larger, nearly as big as Princess Celestia herself. Fancy Pants gaped at her for a moment. Then his ears came up and his shoulders straightened. "Well now, that is a useful talent, madame. Very useful indeed."

Her pulse still pounding, and not caring to waste any more time, Ember simply rolled over onto her stomach and flicked her tail up in a gesture that was the same among ponies and changelings alike. Fancy needed no second invitation, he straddled her and pushed his cock against her entrance. Dripping wet with desire, and large enough even for his girth now, her pussy accepted him willingly, his cock sliding slowly in, still large enough to stretch her, but in a good way. He groaned as he pushed in deep, and Ember echoed the sound.

He hilted, his hips pressed to her, and ground himself against her, hitting a deep spot that was actually painful, making Ember gasp and shudder. Yet somehow the pain was exciting too. She didn't understand that, but she did know that she wanted more. The fire of need hadn't been quenched merely by the feel of Fancy's cock in her.

When he pulled back and started thrusting in her, slow and deep, she couldn't help but gasp out, "Oh, yes!"

Fancy chuckled softly in her ear, his hooves hooking over her shoulders, pulling her back against him as she started thrusting faster. Ember moaned, her body trembling with pleasure and need. It felt so good, but it wasn't enough. She whimpered as he settled into a steady pace. She wanted him to come, right now! She arched her back, lifting her hips to his thrusts. He nipped and nuzzled at the back of her ear, and she could hear him panting. He started thrusting harder, hitting that deep, painful spot each time. She cried out with each thrust. It still hurt, and it was still so good! Also good was the taste of the energy Fancy was putting out now. Desire and pleasure were strong and sweet in the air, and Ember was drinking in a generous helping of them without even having to try.

Fancy bit her ear lightly, and she moaned, utterly beyond words now. He too seemed past speech, for he let out a low sound that was almost a growl and ground his hips to hers, bucking them in short jerks, buried to the hilt and pushing relentlessly on that painful spot deep within. She shuddered and whimpered. She'd never felt anything like it. Fancy was breathing hard, his teeth gripping her ear, his body pinning hers completely, his cock pressed deeply into her. As he continued his short, deep thrusts Ember felt a new sensation, the head of his cock flaring within her, stretching her almost past bearing. The emotions coming from him were bright, intense, overwhelming. Ember was completely lost in taste, sensation, and desire.

Suddenly, with a low grunt, Fancy ground his hips to her once more, deeply, and she could feel his cock pulsing within her. She cried out, a wordless shout of utter bliss. This, this was what she'd needed so desperately. Her whole body shook with it, even if what she felt wasn't quite an orgasm. She didn't care, all she cared was that he had come, his seed finally quenching that desperate need.

As the last spurt pumped into her, Fancy let go of her ear and went slowly limp, breathing hard as he lay atop her. She too relaxed beneath him, sighing deeply.

Quite some time later, Fancy Pants lifted his head and said, "That was marvelous."

"Yes, it was," said Ember contentedly.

Ember shook off the memory, turning her full attention to Bramble, who was sitting nervously on the edge of her bed, hunched over a bit as if to hide himself from her. "Come now, no need to be shy," she said, and knelt in front of him, her muzzle moving forward to nudge him in the chest, encouraging him to straighten. She then nudged his legs apart and inspected the sheath and ball sack between them. They looked fairly average, nothing too strange about them. Perhaps a bit on the small side, but it was hard to tell a stallion's size when he wasn't erect. She nuzzled at his sheath, which made a slightly startled squeak come from him.

Managing to refrain from chuckling at the adorable sound, Ember instead concentrated on drawing out the member that remained hidden between his legs. She nuzzled and licked gently at the soft-furred sheath, sometimes moving down to attend to his balls as well. That seemed to get a bit of a reaction; he made a little sound of pleasure, so she lingered there, licking and caressing them with her velvety nose. He moaned softly, and some of the tension went out of him.

She continued, sometimes using her magic to caress and fondle his balls while she kissed and nuzzled at his sheath, sometimes licking and sucking his balls alone, until finally his cock had fully emerged and hardened. She lifted her head, surveying it thoughtfully.

What she saw was indeed on the small side of average. It was probably somewhat less than half the length of the remembered monster that Fancy had been blessed—or cursed—with, and was not particularly girthy either. It was mottled black and pink, smooth, without especially pronounced veins, and it curved just a bit to one side. "My goodness," she breathed softly, playing it up a bit, but still being perfectly sincere, "you are just perfect."

Not giving Bramble any time to comment on that, Ember licked up to the tip of Bramble's cock, her tongue making one long, sensual sweep along it, finishing with a swirl around the head. He gasped and twitched. "Just perfect," she repeated, and took it into her mouth.

It was just perfect. It fit between her teeth without her having to strain her jaw, so she didn't have to worry too much about teeth scraping or biting. She sank down on it, slowly taking it into her mouth, humming softly in pleasure as she did. She loved giving oral, and Bramble's cock was just exactly the right size to fill her mouth without strain. She rather suspected it would be the right length too...

It was. She sank down all the way, until her nose was pressed to Bramble's stomach. Her tongue caressing along the underside, her throat muscles working, swallowing repeatedly in response to the pressure as the tip just pushed into her throat. Bramble groaned. Ember wanted to moan again, but couldn't until she drew back. She stayed down as long as she could, her eyes closed as she concentrated on the wonderful sensation of the cock that filled her mouth and throat. Finally she had to pull back so that she could breathe. She didn't let go entirely, though, keeping the tip within her mouth while she breathed through her nose, still caressing the underside of the tip with her tongue.

After a few moments, she went down again, sinking down rapidly this time. She didn't stay there, though, she started a steady back and forth motion, bobbing her head on Bramble's cock. He groaned again. She smiled internally and activated her magic, cupping his balls while she continued to blow him.

"Oh Fleur," he gasped, another shudder going through him. She felt his balls tensing, and his cock twitched. "I'm going to come," he said breathlessly. She didn't pause for a moment, if anything she bobbed faster. She wanted to taste him. A moment later she was rewarded as a sudden spurt of hot semen flooded onto her tongue. She slowed her motion, concentrating on trying to swallow all of it as pulse after pulse of it sprayed into her mouth. She didn't quite contain it all, some of it dribbled from the corners of her mouth.

When he'd emptied himself, she pulled back, tipped her head back a bit, and swallowed. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at Bramble, who was staring down at her, looking a bit dazed.

"Wow."

Ember chuckled. "Thank you," she said, a bit smugly. A touch of magic cleaned the mess that had dribbled down her chin off, and then she rose to sit next to Bramble on the bed, slipping one foreleg around his waist. They were about the same height, since Fleur was quite tall for a mare. He leaned into her willingly, and the taste of his emotions was much better now, the shame was nearly entirely gone. She knew that one good experience wouldn't permanently undo years of insecurity, but for now, at least, he was happy, and she was happy to have helped him feel thus.

"Did you mean it? I mean, when you said, uh..."

"Well, 'perfect' is a rather bold claim," she said with a gentle chuckle. "But yes. That was extremely enjoyable, and something that's a bit less fun when I have to worry about dislocating my jaw. You are on the small side of average, my dear, but I am telling the complete, so-help-me-Celestia truth when I say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly with you."

"But... we didn't... I mean, I haven't been, you know, in you."

She threw him a flirty wink and said, "Would you like to be?"

His breath gave a little hitch, excited and nervous all over again. "Y-yes?"

"Mmm, marvelous! In that case, let us see if we can get your possibly perfect member at full mast again, shall we?" She slipped her hoof between his legs, making him twitch in surprise. It didn't take long to get him erect again. In fact it went faster this time, probably because he wasn't so nervous about it anymore. There was still a hint of nervousness in the air, but there was also quite a lot of desire and anticipation. Ember savored it as she bent and gave the head of Bramble's cock one brief lick. He shivered pleasantly. "Do you have any preferred positions?" asked Ember.

"Whatever you like is fine," said Bramble, blushing a bit. Apparently not all of his shyness was tied to his shame.

Ember just smiled. "Well, in that case I believe I shall insist on you lying back in the bed. I rather like the 'cowgirl' and it's a good one for smaller stallions." She nudged him in the chest with one hoof, and he obediently scooted back until he was sitting in the middle of the bed, then stretched out on his back. Sweeping her eyes up and down, Ember took a moment to admire him. He was not at all bad looking, and the mottled shaft of his cock, standing up from his body as he lay there, made her want to just jump on him immediately.

She didn't quite leap, but she certainly wasted no time climbing over next to him on the bed and swinging a leg over him. His cock rested against her rump, the soft fall of her tail brushing against it. Flicking her tail aside, she lifted herself and slid a hoof under her to position it against the lips of her marehood. She was already more than ready, her pussy damp with her arousal. Still, she teased herself, and Bramble too, by hesitating, hovering with the head of his cock just touching her warm, slick folds. He let out a tiny, unconscious sound of need. She finally lowered herself, taking him into her. The feeling of his warm hardness within her was good.

"Ah yes..." he murmured as she sank down onto him.

"Mmm," said Ember, grinding her hips down on his a bit. With his cock as deep as it could possibly go, she felt pleasantly filled. It didn't quite hit that deep, pleasure-pain spot, but that was just fine, it didn't need to. She started moving slowly atop Bramble, lifting herself and then dropping back down, going up slowly and sinking down quickly, giving a little gasp each time she did so. The slick sliding of his cock within her felt wonderful. It was not, quite, enough to get her there alone, though.

She slipped a hoof down her stomach and began to rub herself, then decided that she had a better idea and grabbed Bramble's hoof instead. He, fortunately, required no further explanation, and rubbed it lightly against her clit as she moved atop him. She tipped her head back, moaning and panting. She was already highly excited. The feel of him within her, the taste of his pleasure, the excitement of all they'd done already, all that together meant that it wasn't long until she was shuddering on the edge—clenched around Bramble's stallionhood, her breath coming fast, her moans growing steadily louder. "Oh, Bramble," she moaned.

"Fleur," he breathed, moving his hoof faster against her. It was, perhaps, a bit inexpert, but it was enough. She arched atop him, crying out wordlessly as pleasure washed over her.

A long, wonderful moment later she relaxed, panting, and grinned down at Bramble. "You see? Your worries about being unable to please me were quite unfounded, Bramble dear." She gave a little squeeze with her inner muscles and added, "But now I believe it's your turn again."

"Ooo," moaned Bramble, looking up at her with a very pleased smile on his face. "I am not going to complain," he said.

"Good." Ember started moving atop him, pleasant anticipation filling her. Tonight was shaping up to be a very good night indeed.

Auras were interesting things. Ember knew that they were invisible to most ponies, of course, but she quite enjoyed being able to look through Far Gaze's eyes and see them. That particular sort of sight was his special talent, the reason for his cutie mark. Ember wondered sometimes what cutie mark she'd have if she could gain one naturally. Possibly it would be the one she often chose for herself, the triskelion that stood for all things kinky, but perhaps not. Cutie marks were not always so straightforward.

The particular pony that Far was assessing just now had a wheat sheaf cutie mark, an interesting one to find on a thestral. The bat ponies tended towards things related to either night time or martial arts. But this one, a slender, slightly androgynous stallion, had a sheaf standing alone, without even a moon or a shield behind it. His aura was fairly ordinary, a fairly typical pony with nothing suggesting deep dysfunction. His current mood was more difficult to assess, Ember would sample that in detail when he came inside.

The thestral paid his bits and passed Far's desk into Ember's parlor, where she waited, stretched out on her chaise lounge. As he stepped through the door, his breath caught, and Ember could immediately taste the wave of fear radiating off of him.

It was bitter, fear always was, but while fear was often unpleasant—a bitterness like that of crushed ants, not something one would want as food—some bitterness could be very palatable. This was that sort of fear, a bitter-tart-sweet flavor not unlike grapefruit; bracing and pleasant. It was the taste of fear mixed with anticipation and eagerness. It was the kind of fear one tasted on Nightmare Night, the fear of foals who wanted to shriek and run. It was the fear of somepony who was looking forward to being scared. It was wrapped up in a generous dose of the more ordinary nervousness that many first time clients had, but the flavor was strong and clear all the same.

Ember grinned. She usually had fun with the ponies who came in tasting of that sort of fear. "Welcome. Please, enter and seat yourself. I am Ember."

He cleared his throat nervously. "Harvest Moon. Uhm. Nice to meet you."

Ah, there's the night reference, thought Ember. Of course. She inclined her head politely. "It is my pleasure." She paused, and when the stallion didn't immediately say anything else, she added, "So what brings you here this evening?"

"Well, uh, the obvious, I guess, I know you're a, uhm..."

She could tell he was groping for a polite word, so she supplied one. "Courtesan? Indeed."

He nodded. "But I was told that you do... other things. Like. Kinky things."

Ember chuckled softly. "I do, yes. I enjoy a wide variety of kinks with my clients. I take it you have something specific in mind?"

"Not really, well, uh, not that specific, but there's kind of a, uh, thing I'd like to try maybe if you're okay with it." Harvest flushed a bit, aware that he was babbling nervously. He flicked his tail and refolded his wings, trying to settle down.

"Would it set you at ease if I took another form? Many ponies find it easier if I look like a pony."

"No!" That was sharp and sudden, and told Ember everything she needed to know about what he probably wanted. "No," he repeated. "I want you to be just the way you are. Uhm. If that's okay with you."

"Of course it is. You want a changeling specifically, then."

Harvest nodded. "Yes. If, uhm, if it's not offensive or upsetting, I like the idea of, er, of a changeling being kind of... uhm... dangerous? I don't know how to put it, exactly."

"It's a form of race play, I suppose, so it can be fraught, but no I don't find it offensive. In fact I have to admit I quite like playing at the terrifying changeling queen, out to subjugate poor helpless ponies. Is that the sort of thing you had in mind?"

Harvest nodded again, still blushing.

"So you want to be menaced by my evil." She grinned wickedly at him. "Anything else you do or don't want? Sex? Submission? Pain?"

"Uh. Sex yes. Submission... I think yes? Pain I'm not sure. A little bit maybe?"

"Anything specific you'd rather I didn't do?"

"I can't think of anything."

Ember nodded. "Well, since we will be playing roles, I'd like to use a safe word. Are you familiar with them?"

"I've heard of the idea before, but I haven't, ah, used one."

"Well, then you know that if you say 'no, stop, please don't' I will merely laugh evilly and have my way with you, but if you say the safe word I will actually stop. I like to use the red, green, yellow system."

Harvest nodded again.

"The way I use it, green means that you want more, that I am being too mild and I should be more intense. Use it freely. Yellow means that what I have just done is too much, and I should back off, but I will not stop the scene. Use that freely as well. Red I will stop the scene completely. Don't be afraid to use that too, it won't upset me, and it doesn't mean we're done for the night. It merely means that you need a break, and we can discuss what went wrong and why, and try again if you want to."

Harvest nodded once more. "That makes sense."

"Is there anything else I should know before we begin?"

"I don't think so."

"Very well." She knew she probably wouldn't need the safe words, she could taste his feelings after all, but it didn't hurt, and would help if he went on to play with other ponies. But now it was time to cause some feelings; fear and lust in particular were what she hoped to feast on tonight.

Ember let her grin widen while her eyes narrowed, and she rose to her feet slowly, stepping towards the other couch. Harvest Moon cringed instinctively, sinking back into the couch where he sat. She put her front hooves on either side of him, looming over him until he was pressed back into the couch as far as he could go. She bent close, and he let out a tiny, involuntary whimper. Her sharp fangs nipped one of his tufted ears lightly, once, and he gasped. "You are in a great deal of trouble, little pony," she said, almost whispering in his ear. Then she bit him again, harder, wringing a startled cry of pain from him.

"Run if you want, but there is no escape." She stepped back, letting Harvest up from the couch. He froze there for a long moment, then seemed to register what she'd said and bolted to his hooves. Before he'd even taken three steps away from her she picked him up in her magic, holding him entirely off the ground. He let out a yelp of surprise. He flailed about instinctively, his wings thrashing. Ember laughed, a wicked little giggle. "You see? You're all mine." She pulled him close and ran a hoof along his short, stiff mane, caressing him gently. "My little toy. Too bad I play rough with my toys." She grabbed a hoof-full of mane and yanked, shoving his head down, letting her magic go and dropping him to the ground roughly. It left him sprawled on his stomach in a dazed tangle of legs and wings. Then she bit the base of his short tail firmly and quite literally dragged him from the room, taking full advantage of how her larger size let her pick him up easily.

In her bedroom she deposited him next to the bed, sprawled out on his back this time. He looked undignified, but she found herself licking her lips as she looked down at him, for his arousal was also clearly visible. "You look like a tasty morsel, pony," she said. He whimpered again, the reaction delightfully terrified, and flinched away when she bent her head closer. She nipped lightly at one foreleg, which he held folded defensively to his chest. "What shall I sample first? I can taste your fear, and it is delicious, but I could taste other things too. Perhaps your blood?" His breath drew in sharply at that, both fear and desire spiking, and she filed that reaction away for later. "Or perhaps something else..." She lowered her head further, letting her muzzle just brush the tip of his cock. That wrung a moan of pure, helpless pleasure from him.

She flicked her tongue out, tasting him briefly, making him moan again. "Do you want me to? No, don't answer. It doesn't matter what you want, little pony. I'm going to taste you, use you, make you my own, my little pony pet." She licked again, more slowly this time, drawing her tongue across the tip of his cock. He shuddered. "I might hurt you too. I might do anything I want. You can't stop me." She took the tip of his cock into her mouth and let him feel the lightest touch of her fangs as she did, pricking delicately against the sensitive skin.

"Oh stars," he breathed.

She chuckled but didn't lift her head, instead sinking down further, sliding those dangerous teeth slowly down his length. He held perfectly still, breathing in shallow, panting gasps, as if he didn't even dare to take a full breath. She rubbed her tongue along the underside of his cock as she went, providing pleasure along with the threat of pain. She was rewarded with another one of those helpless whimpers. After a moment, though, she pulled back. Fun as that particular game was, she didn't want to accidentally do real damage, and if he did forget himself and flinch too much, she might.

Ember gave him one last teasing lick. "Yes, you are quite tasty." Her magic picked him up again and deposited him on the bed this time. He wiggled uncertainly, his wings awkwardly spread out behind him. She moved immediately to straddle him, pinning him with the sheer weight of her body, and used her hooves to shove his forelegs up over his head. It took only a moment to spit a blob of resin on them, gluing them to opposite corners of the sturdy headboard.

"Eep!" His eyes went wide in surprise at that. She grinned.

"There. Now you're definitely not going anywhere until I decide to release you. If I decide to release you." She was sitting straddling his stomach, but she could feel his cock brush against her from behind, hard and hot. Fear and lust were pouring off of him, filling the air with their heady taste. She drank them both in willingly, savoring their contrasting flavors. She rocked back a bit, rubbing her rump against him, shifting her tail so the filmy chitin that wasn't quite hair slid against his cock teasingly. He shuddered, whimpering again. She loved that sound. It encapsulated the need and the fear that she tasted perfectly. Looking up at her he licked his lips, his tongue running over his own short fangs. They were quite useless now unless she let him within reach, and even then she doubted he would dare. He was to be the bitten tonight, not the biter.

Bending over him, she nibbled his ear again, gently, delicately. She pressed her body to his, lightly for now, smooth chitin to soft hide, and alternated nibbling and nuzzling at Harvest's ear. He almost relaxed, still breathing fast but no longer quite as tense. It was tempting to simply have her way with him then and there, but she wanted to draw it out a little more, savor his reactions, before bringing things to a conclusion that would hopefully satisfy them both.

So Ember took her time, nibbling his ear, nuzzling the side of his neck, nipping softly, all while rubbing against him, teasing herself as well as Harvest Moon. He moaned, his earlier fear starting to fade, and he even began nuzzling her back, as if he'd forgotten that he was a captive with his hooves glued to the headboard. She grinned silently to herself and bit him, sharp and hard, at the base of his neck, just where the vein pulsed beneath the skin. It was not remotely hard enough to draw blood, but after how gentle she'd been it was shockingly rough, and Harvest let out a gasping cry. Ember chuckled darkly against the side of his neck and nipped again, more softly than before but still not exactly gentle. "I would like the taste of your blood, I think" she murmured against his neck. His breath caught again, and he was once more panting fast, filled with fear as well as desire. She laughed, low and soft. It was tempting to go ahead and do it, but it would probably be a little too much. Better to hold off and avoid possibly ruining things. Still, he obviously liked the idea, and so did she, so she continued to nip and bite, feeling his racing pulse beneath her muzzle, knowing she could if she wanted to, and savoring the sense of power almost as much as she savored the taste of his lust.

Her own lust was not inconsiderable at this point. Harvest's belly was damp where she straddled him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to restrain herself much longer. Nor did she want to. Not for much longer, at least, but she wasn't ready to move things to that end game stage quite yet. She had one more little tease first.

She shifted, lifting her hips, pushing his cock down so that it lay across his belly, letting her rub her lips against it, the wetness of her arousal spreading liberally on it. He groaned. "Sweet Celestia."

Ember laughed, low and throaty. "Your princess cannot save you now. You are mine. Do you want me to claim you, little pony? Do you want to be taken?"

A shudder went through Harvest and he let out another of those delightful whimpers. He looked up at her, licking his lips, his wings twitching, his desire obvious even if she hadn't been able to taste it.

"Well? Do you?"

"I..." He squirmed, obviously having difficulty forming coherent words.

Ember grinned. "Do you want me to use you, little pony?" She wiggled, rubbing herself against him. "Do you? Beg for it if you want it."

"I... y-yes..."

"Yes what? What do you want?"

"I..." he squirmed, stammering as he tried to scrape together the mental coherence to say anything at all. "I want you to use me!" he blurted finally, panting.

"Ask me nicely. Say please."

"Please! Stars and moon, please!"

"Mmm. Good boy." Ember lifted herself, repositioning his cock again, this time not to tease, but to take him. She sank onto him swiftly, eagerly, her body taking his within it almost forcefully. He groaned, a wordless sound of utter, helpless pleasure. She ground her hips against his, pushing down as deeply as she possibly could. "Ah yes, such a good little pony toy." He only moaned in response.

Ember let words slip away too, and simply concentrated on feeling. She moved forcefully, powerfully, lifting her hips and thrusting herself back down onto Harvest Moon in a wild, intense rhythm, taking what she wanted of him, feeling him fill her each time. He squirmed and moaned under her, lifting his hips in answer to her movements, willing—eager even—to cooperate with her pleasure.

Given how much she'd worked herself up, it did not take long before Ember was there, tensed and panting fast, on the very edge of climax. She pushed down hard, no longer moving back and forth, but simply holding Harvest's cock within her, as she brought herself that last inch to bliss with her own hoof against her clit. "Mmm, yesssss..." She shuddered, then let out a long sigh and relaxed.

Harvest squirmed under her, voicing a little half-moan that contained both pleasure and frustration. He was no doubt pleased that she'd come, but he himself hadn't.

"That was very good, little pony. Now it's your turn. Come for me." She started moving again, a little less wildly, but no less insistently. She squeezed down on his cock as hard as she could, seeking to intensify his pleasure. The taste of that was heavy in the room, though Ember had already had more than she needed of it. Still, the flavor lingered, heady and intoxicating, as he shuddered beneath her, nearing his peak.

Then he was there. She could feel it, the sensations diffuse, the nerves within designed to report pleasure, not detail, but the twitching and wet warmth of his cock flaring, shooting his seed within her utterly unmistakable. It quenched the fire of her own need far more fully than her earlier climax had, and she let out another, longer sigh of satisfaction.

When it was over and Harvest Moon lay still, panting beneath her she said, "Good boy. Very good boy."

He gave a little shiver and smiled up at her. She could see him fumbling for the right words, and finally he simply said, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Her reply was practically a purr of smug satisfaction.

He chuckled softly. She smiled down at him, the finally lifted herself from his softening cock. There was a fair bit of mess on both of them, so she said, "Shall we clean up?"

Harvest Moon nodded, so a few minutes later found them both in her spa. He had greeted her suggestion of a shower with another nod, so they were both under the hot water. Ember let go her haughty persona, but she did still ask Harvest to help scrub her down. He agreed willingly, and she soaped his slate gray coat in return. As they rinsed off, she asked, "Did that all meet your expectations? Don't hesitate to be honest if anything wasn't quite what you wanted."

"I, uhm, I'm not really sure what I expected. Not that, exactly, but I... uh... I really liked it. It was good."

"I'm glad." She smiled warmly. "Does that mean you'll be a repeat customer?"

"I think so, yes."

Canterlot was in chaos. Ponies ran screaming through the cratered streets. Things were on fire. Guardsponies were helpless, glued to each other—or to anything nearby—with sticky green resin. Other ponies as well, bound and struggling, exuding a thick aura of terror into the air while beneath, above, and around it all the drum of thousands of insectile wings echoed down every street and into every house and shop and public facility.

Changelings owned the city now, and they liked it. They grinned and slavered, and sucked the fear from ponies, fueling their inequine appetites with it. They hunted down those who sought to flee one by one. In one part of the city a particular changeling infiltrator, who was not yet named Sweetcake, pursued a fleeing pony towards a warehouse...

In another part of the city entirely, a changeling who was a little different from most crawled deeper into a cellar and put her hooves over her ears, as if it would block out the hum of the hive in her mind. She was a little bit taller than the average changeling, and her mane-like crest and filmy tail were more colorful, while a hint of green iridescence touched her blue wing-cases.

It was silent in the cellar, the screams and the nigh-omnipresent sound of changeling wings didn't penetrate here, but the hive was everywhere. There was no escaping it; though the changeling who hid was desperate, she was not quite desperate enough to cut herself off from her hive, even if she had known how. She nearly wished she could, though. The gloating, horrible glee that filled the hive—oozing into her mind from Chrysalis herself and echoed further by nearly every other changeling present—made her almost sick, and the bitter taste of fear lingered on the back of her tongue, even though she had not drawn fear from any of Canterlot's ponies. So many changelings were out there, drinking the vile stuff down, that the taste echoed through the bond. Chrysalis might relish it almost as much as love; the nameless changeling found it utterly revolting.

She whimpered and stuffed herself a little bit more tightly against the wall. She hated everything about this. She hated the idea of conquering ponies. She hated the taste of fear. She hated being here, away from the safety of the hive. She was no infiltrator, she had never left her home before. Neither had most of the drones running wild in the streets, of course, but they were not under-queens, they hadn't been raised to think for themselves as she had. They were used to relying on the hive mind for nearly all their thoughts. She was used to having her own thoughts, and right now she was thinking that she really hoped this would be over soon. If she'd thought she could get away with it, she would already have left Canterlot and headed home, but her queen had ordered otherwise, so she was stuck here until Chrysalis decided her conquest was complete enough to let some of her subjects go home.

Her queen's feelings of triumph, though, suggested that the emotional looting and subjugating of Canterlot was going to continue for quite sometime.

Those feelings suddenly changed. There was annoyance, followed by shock, followed by greater shock that was combined with intense anger, and then suddenly the hiding changeling felt a wave of powerful magic slam into her. It threw her across the room, though thankfully that distance wasn't far. She slid down to the floor, feeling stunned and confused.

The hum in her mind had vanished.

The hive was gone.

She lay on the floor without moving for some time, trying to adjust to this strange new emptiness. It was disorienting, unnatural, and lonely almost to the point of pain. What was she supposed to do now? True, she hadn't relied on the hive mind for every thought, but she had always taken direction from it, and from Chrysalis. Now they were gone, and she had no idea what to do, or how to feel. A depressive lethargy crept over her, and she almost gave in to it and simply lay where she had fallen, but eventually her desperately scrabbling mind latched onto one motivating fact.

She was in the middle of a city of ponies. She was fairly certain her queen had just been defeated. The ponies were not going to be happy to see her, when one of them eventually found its way down here. She needed to disguise herself.

She had absolutely no idea how to do this. If she had still possessed her hive bond it would have been simple enough to gain instruction. Without it, she wasn't certain she could manage. Still, she'd taken pony form a hoof-full of times, mostly as a nymph, when playing with her classmates. If she could only remember how she'd done it...

The sun had set, and then come up again, while the changeling struggled to change. Finally she got it. The pony she created was a mare, with a perfectly average build. Her coat was blue, and her mane and tail were blue, and her eyes were blue too; the changeling hadn't been able to think of anything more creative. This would do for now.

That left the question of what to do next. With a strange feeling of both freedom and terror, she realized that she could do anything. Anything at all. She could seek out the hive and return to her former life. She could walk into the palace and surrender to Celestia. She could try to live as a pony somewhere. She could do literally anything she wanted. No queen was there in the back of her mind, telling her what her duty was.

She paused and considered that. Did she have a duty? If she did, it was surely to the hive. Did that mean her only choice was to return to it after all?

A wave of hunger reminded her that right now she had other priorities. She needed food, both ordinary food and emotional food. Beyond that, she needed to know more about what had happened. With a determined expression on her face, she started to climb the rickety wooden stairs leading up out of the basement. Time to take action.

The alarming creaking beneath her hooves suddenly became a high-pitched snap, and a board gave way as she put her weight on it. She scrambled, lurching, and managed to get her balance again, but a stab of pain went through her ankle. She limped to the top of the stairs and sat on the landing there, examining the ankle carefully. The surface wasn't broken, so it was probably only a sprain. Although she suddenly recalled that ponies had their skeletons on the inside. Maybe it was broken? She put a little weight on it. It hurt, but not that much. It was probably just a sprain, then. Surely even as a pony, a break would hurt more than that. The changeling muttered a few mild curses in annoyance. She'd come through all this without anything other than a few bruises where she'd hit the wall. To then twist her ankle climbing a set of stairs was ridiculous.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it now. She limped on down a dingy hall with a hoof-full of doors leading from it. She didn't know what was behind the doors, nor what lay up the sturdier stairs that led upwards from the hall, but at the far end was an open door that led out into Canterlot itself, and it was there that she must go. Out where ponies would be thronging the streets, no doubt full of suspicion and anger after having just been invaded. Alert ponies, eager to spot anything unusual, who would surely notice an untrained changeling trying to be an infiltrator... Her hooves moved more slowly as she approached the door. She was having second thoughts about this idea.

A creaking behind her made her spin and jump at the same time, with the end result that too much of her weight came down on her injured ankle and she fell in an ungainly sprawl.

"Here now, lass, those horrible things are gone, no need to be so jumpy. I'd think you were one of my cats, if you hadn't landed on your nose instead of your hooves." This peculiarly rough yet cheerful voice came from an elderly mare who was peering out of a now-opened door in the hall. She emerged, squinting at the changeling as she did so.

The changeling carefully untangled herself from her own feet and stood. "Uh..." she said cogently.

The old mare laughed. "Got a bit of a knock there, lass? I noticed you were limping. Do you need any help?"

The changeling tasted something from the pony. It was delicious. She pulled in a bit of whatever emotion it was, as if she were drawing on a feeding crystal. Feeding crystals were fairly bland, a jumble of energy from different sources, mostly stripped of its emotions, and thus mostly rather flavorless. It was like drinking water, refreshing when thirsty, but not particularly interesting. This, though, was much better. It was sweet, like honey, but somehow richer. She took more of it, her eyes glazing a bit as she savored it.

"Lass? Hello?"

The changeling started, almost falling again as the jolt made her put her weight on all four hooves.

The old mare laughed again. "You really are just like a cat."

"Uh... sorry."

"Mrs. Gleaming? Are you bothering the mailmare again?"

That voice came from the stairs, and was accompanied by a steady clopping sound as the owner descended.

"No, Far Gaze! Just talking to a young pony who seems a bit confused. I think those creatures yesterday have rattled the poor thing a bit."

Far Gaze, when he appeared on the stairs, proved to be a dark purple unicorn, with an even darker indigo mane and tail. He looked at the changeling with interest, his eyes sweeping up and down her. He raised his eyebrows for a moment, then let them fall again. "Hello there, miss," he said. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Uhm." The changeling's mind went completely blank. She'd come up here for food, and she had at least gotten emotional food, if not physical. She also wanted information, but how was she supposed to get it? The unicorn and the old mare were both staring at her, the mare still chuckling faintly, but the unicorn looking far too thoughtful. "Tell me what happened last night!" she finally blurted.

"Oh. You don't know?" asked Far Gaze.

She shook her head. "No. There were... creatures?" she ventured.

"Indeed. The paper this morning said they were called 'changelings' and had attempted an invasion under the leadership of their queen. They were repelled by the combined efforts of Princess Celestia's student Twilight, Princess Cadance, and her fiancee Shining Armor, the captain of the royal guard."

The changeling thought she knew those ponies. Cadance was the one her queen had been replacing. The captain was the one she'd been sucking the love from, and Celestia was the one who ruled here, who Chrysalis had wanted to best. "How?" she asked.

"The application of powerful love magic in the form of a particular sort of shield, apparently. Shining Armor is a shield specialist, he was the one creating that shield protecting the city these last few days."

"Ah." None of this actually told her anything. "What happened to the changelings, then?"

"They're all gone, so no need for you to walk about jumping at shadows like there's one lurking somewhere," said Mrs. Gleaming, still grinning.

"Yep. The shield caught them all and threw them out of the city, or so I was told." Far gave the changeling a little wink as he said that, which somehow made her even more nervous. She was, apparently, the only changeling in an entire city of ponies. This was not good news at all. "It looks like you're injured," said Far, interrupting her paranoid thoughts. "Would you like me to help you wrap that ankle up?"

"Uhm." The changeling realized she was probably saying that too much. "Yes, thank you?" Her stomach suddenly growled loudly, reminding her that she needed physical food as well as emotional food. "And maybe you can tell me where to get some food?"

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded.

"I'd be happy to let you have lunch with me. I have some fresh daisies, I was going to make sandwiches."

The changeling had only the vaguest of ideas what a daisy was—some kind of flower?—and no clue what a sandwich was, but food was definitely agreeable. "That would be good?"

"You say it like it's a question." Far laughed. "Yes, it would be good. Think you can make it up the stairs?"

"If the poor dear doesn't scare herself silly and fall down them," interjected Mrs Gleaming, with a laugh.

The changeling felt her cheeks heating, which was an odd sensation. "I can, I think."

"Well, then, I think we'll leave Mrs. Gleaming to lie in wait for the mailmare, and retire to my apartment, where I have a fairly well-stocked first aid kit and a tolerably stocked pantry." He gave the old mare a nod, and she smiled and nodded back.

"I'll do that, lad. You take care of the jumpy lass there." She retreated back into her apartment and shut the door, leaving the changeling alone with Far.

"Come on," he said, pointing to the stairs. "My apartment is on the second floor, so it's not far."

"That's good," said the changeling, limping her way toward the stairs. She started to climb, which was awkward on only three legs, but not really all that bad.

Coming up the stairs behind her, Far said, "So have you forgotten your special talent?"

The changeling halted for a moment, confusion making her ears flick around. She glanced back at Far. "What?"

"No cutie mark," he said, pointing a hoof at her flank.

Panic raced through her. She had forgotten a cutie mark! Far would figure out that she was a changeling any second now. He would attack her, or drag her off to the guard, or...

"Sorry, I shouldn't tease like that. I'm sure somepony who's a blank flank at your age is tired of hearing about it, right?"

"Yes, right, that is it, definitely, I am a blank flank and I am tired of hearing about it," babbled the changeling, her heart still pounding.

Far just chuckled in response and nudged her lightly with his hoof. "Almost to the top," he said, reminding her to start climbing again.

At the top of the stairs, he pointed the way to a particular door. Inside was a series of rooms, all connected, rather like the chambers in a hive. The changeling realized that this must be a pony hive. The whole building, probably, was more or less a hive, if all the doors led to places like this, where ponies lived. Though it seemed like quite a lot of space for just one pony.

"Come on in, take a seat while I go get a bandage."

"Do you live here alone?" she asked, curious.

"Yup. I'm a bachelor, no wife or marefriend for me. At least not at the moment. How about you, do you have a special somepony?" He was grinning again, and the changeling concluded that the creamy-tart flavor she could taste from him was probably amusement.

"Uhm. N-no."

"That's surprising, you're pretty cute." He winked again at the confused changeling. "Now let's see about that ankle."

He examined the ankle, agreed with her conclusion that it was a sprain, and wrapped it snugly in an odd stretchy fabric. The changeling put her weight cautiously on it and found it did feel more secure, though a coating of resinous changeling spit would have been even more so. That done, the stallion set about making lunch. The changeling sat and watched curiously as he pulled various items from cupboards and from a large boxy thing that exuded cold when it was opened. Changeling food tended to be simple, mostly fungus supplemented occasionally with fish or cooked insects. It kept one fed, and that was generally sufficient. Ponies, she knew, were much more varied in their diets, despite not eating meat at all.

What Far eventually set in front of her was two square slices of something spongy, rather like certain fungi, but with an entirely different scent to it. Bright yellow and white flowers were layered between the slices, and there seemed to be some sort of paste spread on them as well. A single flower was set on top, as if it were a decoration. Far bit into his "sandwich" immediately, so the changeling tried to follow suit, and immediately ran into another problem. She was used to lifting her food with her magic, but she'd taken an earth pony shape. She had no horn, and couldn't cast any spells. Her innate shape-shifting magic was the only thing she could access like this. Far, despite being a unicorn, was holding his sandwich in his hooves, so she attempted to emulate him, only to have the whole thing fall apart and lie in a pile on her plate.

Far chuckled, the taste of amusement from him growing stronger. She scowed at him and just lowered her head to eat. It wasn't very dignified, and she was once again worried that the pony might see it as a sign that she was an impostor, but she was hungry, and the food smelled wonderful.

It tasted wonderful, too. She ate every crumb, and licked the plate clean. She looked up to see Far grinning at her again, but she didn't even mind, that had been worth it. Just because she could, she pulled a bit of his amusement from him, and ate that as well.

"So," said Far, still grinning, "I'm Far Gaze. What's your name?"

Her mind went utterly blank again, panic gripping her. She had forgotten to choose a name! Ponies had names! She needed to pick a name right now. But names usually had something to do with cutie marks, and she didn't have one of those either! Her mind raced around in terrified circles. "I... ah... uhm... I'm, er..."

Far laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm teasing you again. It's cruel of me, I shouldn't do it. You don't need to tell me your name, it's fine." He gentled his smile and added, "I also promise that I won't hurt you. I want to help you, in fact. You're very fascinating, and I want to know all about you. So please don't be afraid, okay?"

"I... o-okay," stammered the changeling, feeling very confused.

"I know you're a changeling," said Far, still smiling gently at her.

Her heart started pounding once more. "N-no I'm not!"

"It's okay. I promised that I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I? I know you don't mean me any harm. You are definitely a changeling though, I can tell."

The changeling sighed and slumped. Her disguise must be even worse than she'd thought it was. "I should have thought of a name. And a cutie mark. And something better than blue."

Far chuckled. "It might have helped, but those weren't what gave it away. I knew as soon as I saw you. It's my special talent, see?" He turned so she could clearly see his flank. The picture on it was of a stylized eye, the same dark, forest-green color as Far's actual eyes. "I see the unseen."

"Oh."

"That's also why I'm sure you're harmless, though your fellows last night didn't seem to be. I had several rather narrow scrapes with them."

The changeling nodded. She had found it traumatic enough on the attacking side.

"Can you explain why that's so?"

"They... the queen went mad. That's the only thing I can call it. The hive went mad with her. I didn't go mad entirely, because I'm an under-queen and I can think my own thoughts. The rest just think whatever the queen wants."

"Ah, I see. So you are communally-minded?"

She nodded.

"Interesting! You're in touch with them now, then?"

She shook her head. "No. The magic that threw the rest out cut the bond. I can't sense them anymore." The lack of the bond was still an ache at the back of her head, a lonely wrongness that refused to go away.

That must have shown in her voice, for Far asked, "That distresses you? Even though you think your queen was insane?"

"I've never been without the hive before." She paused, then added, "I've never even been outside of the hive before! I'm not an infiltrator, I don't know anything about ponies."

"Ah. That explains much. I wondered, if changelings were so clumsy as you and your queen seem to have been, why we'd never discovered them before. But your queen is not an infiltrator either, I take it?"

It was the changeling's turn to laugh at the very thought. "No, she's not."

"So what do under-queens do in the hive?"

"Carry out the queen's instructions. Watch over the nymphs. Mate with the males sometimes, when the hive needs more eggs or the queen doesn't want to lay."

"Nymphs?"

"Young changelings."

"Ah. So you basically make and rear babies, hmmm? Not terribly progressive!"

"What?"

"Never mind." The grin was back.

The changeling scowled. She wasn't sure she liked being laughed at so much.

"So, ah... What is your real name?"

"I have no name. Only ponies have names."

He blinked at her for a moment, surprised. "Then what do you call each other?"

"There is no need to call each other anything, when we speak through the bond."

"Heh. I guess that figures. I have to call you something, though."

"Oh. Uhm..." The changeling still couldn't think of a name.

Far chuckled. "Shall I pick one for you?"

"If you want."

"Well, if you're going to stay here among ponies, you'll need a name. Are you going to stay here?"

The changeling shifted uncertainly. The empty ache in the back of her mind urged her to return to the hive. The memory of the bitter taste of fear, and the queen's unnatural relish for it, urged her to stay far away. Yet staying away from the hive would mean learning to live on her own, and said life would have to be among ponies, else she would starve. She was rapidly realizing how little she knew about ponies, and how hard living among them would be.

"Hard decision, hmm?" said Far.

She nodded.

"Well, you can stay with me at least temporarily, while you decide, how is that?"

"Stay with you?"

"Sure. I don't think you'd do so well out there on your own," he said, tasting of amusement again, though his smile was gentle.

The changeling sighed. "No, I suppose I wouldn't."

"Then that's settled." Far grinned again. "Now I just have to come up with a name."

She stared at him, baffled. Why was he so pleased to have her stay? She was a changeling, he was a pony. Even if his sight let him know that she didn't want to attack him, that didn't explain his cheerful willingness to help her. He was not part of her hive, what reason could he possibly have for helping her?

There was a sudden spike of a strange emotional flavor, that the changeling had never tasted before, from Far. He jumped to his hooves. "Aha! Ember!"

The changeling tilted her head to the side, considering this strange outburst. "Ember?"

"Yes. It's a perfect name for you."

"Okay..."

"An ember is a potential. It can glow and shed warmth, or it can ignite a fire. It can be or become many things. I think you have a great deal of potential in you." He smiled at her, and this time it wasn't a mocking, amused smile, it was something warmer, more welcoming. "It's also quite old-fashioned. It's the kind of name that somepony who was a bit of a nut would name a filly. That's the story we'll tell ponies. Your parents were part of a cult, one of those ones that goes out and lives in a commune, so you grew up outside of normal pony society. There are even some documented cases of adult blank flanks in communities like that, since foals raised in isolation often have limited opportunities to try new things and find their special talent. So a story like that means that you wouldn't need to make up a cutie mark and pretend to have a talent you don't really have. Once you're a little more at home here, and have figured out something you could call your talent, you can 'gain' your cutie mark."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"It's brilliant, if I do say so myself. You, upon escaping from your family's commune, found yourself homeless on the streets of Canterlot, and I, soft touch that I am, took you in. It's even almost the truth, which is the best sort of lie."

The changeling—Ember now, she supposed—nodded slow agreement.

"Welcome to pony life, Ember," said Far, grinning.

Ember, still a little uncertain, but also a bit hopeful that she might like living among ponies, gave him a small smile in return.

The pair sat for some time talking. Far was curious about changelings, and Ember was equally curious about ponies, so they had a great deal to talk about. Soon, though, Far started yawning. "Forgive me, but it's past my bedtime."

Ember blinked at him. It was daylight outside. Indeed it was still morning, the day hardly begun. "I thought ponies slept at night?"

"Most do, yes, but I have a job as a night watchpony at a warehouse complex, so I need to be awake during the dark. So I live a bit backwards and sleep during the day."

"I see." Far yawned again, and Ember found herself echoing it. She was tired too. Yesterday had been awful, and she hadn't slept last night at all. "I should sleep too."

"I don't have a spare bedroom, but I can sleep on the couch and let you have the bed."

Ember had no idea what the difference between a couch and a bed was, but she nodded her agreement and followed Far into the bedroom. The bed was quite different from the sleeping mats she was accustomed to, but she found the soft mattress to be fairly pleasant. She removed her pony disguised and curled herself up comfortably on top of the blankets. Far looked at her undisguised form curiously for a moment, but he merely bid her goodnight and went into the next room to find his own sleep.

Ember, exhausted in both mind and body, expected to fall asleep immediately, but rest refused to come. There was no comforting presence of her fellows, grooming each other in the dark of the hive caverns before curling themselves together to sleep. There was no dark at all, the curtains were drawn, but daylight still leaked in, making the room far too bright.

Most of all, though, there was no soothing hum of the hive in her mind.

She tossed and rolled in the bed, trying to find some position that would let her relax and sleep, but all she could do was think about how very alone she was. Finally she rose and crept out of the bedroom, into the living room where Far lay sleeping on a narrow couch. If there had been room, she would have simply curled up with him, but there wasn't. So, hesitantly, nervously, she touched him with a hoof. He didn't stir, so she poked him again, a bit harder.

"Wha?" He blinked up at her, still more than half asleep. She laid her ears flat back, ashamed at her weakness, and suddenly wishing she hadn't bothered him. Far rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Ember? What is it?"

"Sorry..." she looked away. "I just can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"The hive is gone..."

Far sighed. "I don't think I can do anything about that."

"I don't want to sleep alone. I always slept with others, in the hive."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I can do something after all." He yawned and climbed off the couch.

Ember, still feeling somewhat embarrassed, trailed after him back to the bedroom. Far climbed into the bed, which was big enough for two, and patted the mattress next to him. Ember climbed in as well. Far laid down and pulled the blanket over him. Ember wiggled under the blanket and pressed up against Far's side. He stiffened briefly, then relaxed. She sighed, relaxing as well, and started to groom his mane, nibbling gently at the strands of his hair. The texture of it was odd, but the familiar motions were reassuring.

"Uhm, Ember?"

"Hmm?" She'd already relaxed enough to be almost half asleep. She blinked herself awake and paused in her grooming, tasting something strange from Far. It was unlike any of the other flavors she'd encountered so far, a faint, warm, spicy sort of flavor.

"What are you doing?"

"Grooming you. Do ponies not groom each other?"

"Ah. Not exactly, no."

"Should I not, then?"

Far took a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh, and the odd flavor Ember had tasted faded somewhat. "No, you probably shouldn't. I... won't be able to sleep if you keep doing that."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Ember laid her head down. She still wanted to keep grooming Far, and she still missed the hum of the hive in her mind, but his warm presence next to her took the edge from her loneliness, and she was so tired, that soon she'd fallen asleep anyway.

Far, beside her, lay awake for some time, breathing carefully and deeply, and trying very hard to not think about the sudden flash of desire he'd felt as the strange yet somehow beautiful creature beside him had pressed close and nibbled his mane.

The next few weeks were terrifying, fascinating, and yet also incredibly boring for Ember. She stayed inside Far's apartment, unwilling to try to face other ponies yet, so there was little for her to do while he was away. He began to teach her to read immediately upon finding out she didn't know how, but that didn't help much when she was alone, she could barely remember the letters, so the books on his bookshelves were of no help to her. So the long nights while he was at work were boring, and lonely as well. The ache of the hive's absence in the back of her mind never quite faded away.

On top of that, every little noise outside made her certain that someone had found out about her, that there would be guards outside the door, come to drag her away. She had nightmares, too, about Chrysalis returning, finding her, and dragging her back to the hive to live on the bitter taste of fear forever. In her waking life she knew that was probably not going to happen, but that didn't keep her from starting awake, her heart pounding, after such dreams.

Yet when Far was home, their long conversations were captivating. Ember learned a great deal about pony life, and told Far a great deal about changelings in return. And though the lessons in reading were frustrating, she was still happy to have them. Far was a good teacher. "I used to teach foals, actually, before I had this warehouse job. But I burned out on that pretty quickly. My talent has its drawbacks, unfortunately."

"Hmm?" Ember tilted her head quizzically, always happy to learn more, especially about Far himself, who was even more interesting to her than ponies in general.

"Being able to see auras means that I always know when a pony has a serious, deep problem. Passing issues don't tend to show up, but real, ongoing ones do. And with foals, I just couldn't leave those problems alone. So I was trying to not only teach them, but fix all of their home lives, and social lives, and it was just too much for me. I learned that all good teachers do this—go the extra mile to help students—but most teachers never find out about the majority of their students' problems. I knew about all of them, and so I was trying to fix the issues of a dozen foals at once, every year. And so many of them were tied up in the lives of the adults around them, who weren't always terribly amenable to my intervention. So I couldn't help a lot of the worst cases. It was incredibly stressful for me. I sometimes think about going into adult education of some kind, I think I'd handle it better. But for now," he shrugged, "I have a job where I hardly see a single pony all night, and then I sleep all day, and for the time being it's restful. Eventually I'll go back to teaching and helping ponies if I can. For now, though, I get to teach and help you." He smiled at Ember. "So, let's go back to reviewing the letter sounds."

Ember smiled back and returned her attention to the book, which she now knew must be one of Far's teaching materials from before, since it was obviously aimed at foals. It was reassuring to realize that he helped ponies in general, and wasn't making some kind of exception for her.

As her learning progressed, she swiftly realized that where changelings stored their collective knowledge in the hive bond, ponies kept theirs in books, and if she knew how to read she could learn anything about anything. She liked that idea. As her nervousness faded—at least around Far—her curiosity grew and grew.

Her closeness to Far grew too. She spent the nights with him still, and he did eventually agree to groom her a little, and let her groom him in return. She found it pleasant, and the energy she got from him while doing so was pleasant as well. He seemed more than able to supply enough for her needs, she never felt truly hungry. It was like living at a perpetual banquet of different tastes. The varied flavors she got as they spoke together were mostly delicious. She had started, lately, to taste one now and then that was particularly good; a sweet, rich flavor that was better than all the others. It came at odd moments. Sometimes it happened while they were sitting together, talking about nothing in particular. Sometimes she would wake up and find him looking at her, tasting faintly of it. Sometimes it happened when she asked some innocent question of him, and he would laugh, and she would taste this new, rich flavor mixed with the light, sweet taste that she'd identified as amusement.

She didn't know what this flavor was, but she liked it, and it seemed that whatever it was made Far feel good, for he was always smiling and seemed happy when he tasted of it. So she started to try to think of ways to make him feel it. She wanted him to feel good. He'd done so much to help her, for no reason that she could find.

One evening, after a comfortable day's sleep—free of nightmares—Ember woke and once more saw Far already awake, smiling down at her with an oddly gentle smile. He was tasting again of that rich, sweet, captivating flavor. It was faint, it always was, yet even that hint of emotion was more filling, somehow, than any other emotion he'd felt. She blinked drowsily up at him, drawing in the sweetness of it, wondering what he was thinking of that made him smile so, and taste so; and, still half-asleep, she reached out to him as she would to any hivemate. They had, after all, been living together as a kind of hive.

So strangely beautiful, still. You wouldn't think that something half-insect would be so beautiful...

She was shocked fully awake by the realization that she'd heard what Far was thinking. What?!

Far jerked back, the shock running through him as well. What the hell was that?

Ember threw her hooves around Far, clinging to him as her shock was followed by a profound relief that flooded through her. She wasn't alone any more. It's a hive bond. It's me, us, we're here. You're here. Thank the First you're here.

He blinked at her, his hoof coming up to stroke her instinctively, without conscious awareness. Ember?

Yes.

I have no idea what's going on. This is really weird.

We have bonded, as if you were my hivemate.

How is that possible? I'm a pony!

I don't know. I don't care. I am glad, so glad. I didn't want to be alone. She buried her muzzle against Far's neck, clinging closely to him. Emotion shuddered through her as she let go of all the fear and loneliness she hadn't even realized she was holding back.

He nuzzled her, soothing her, his own hooves coming up to hold her against him. Ssh, it's all right, I am here, he said gently to her.

Don't ever leave, she said silently, trembling.

I won't, I promise. He nuzzled her, holding her tightly, and when she lifted her head he bent his and kissed her gently. She'd been kissed before, but not often. She'd visited the males of the hive only a few times, Queen Chrysalis mostly reserved them for herself, and laid most of the eggs in the hive. But kisses were familiar enough. What came with them, though, was new, for she felt and tasted a flood of things she could hardly sort out. That rich, wonderful, sweet flavor was there, and the feeling flowing from Far through the bond that matched it was warm and welcoming and wonderful. She couldn't find a word for it, nothing in her experience was anything like it. She couldn't consult the hive bond about it, and found herself reluctant to ask Far what it was. The feeling, and the new connection between them, both seemed fragile. They were new and delicate and she found herself terrified that anything she did might somehow break them both.

Still, whatever the strange feeling was, she wanted more of it. And since the kiss had seemed to intensify it, she kissed Far back. Though it wasn't just the sweet taste she wanted, she liked Far. She trusted him. She wanted to be close to him. So she kissed him with fervent enthusiasm, which he matched readily. She tasted a spicy flavor, then, and could at least guess at what that might be, given what she felt from him and what she herself felt in turn.

She knew it would be so easy to just give in to what she felt. But the thought of mating with a pony came with a shiver of uncertainty. Did she want that? What would happen if she did? Surely she couldn't become with egg from it, but if she did, what would she do with the egg? The thought of raising a nymph on her own, without the resources of the hive, was terrifying. She'd laid a few eggs, but she'd never really liked tending the nymphs and she'd liked watching over the grubs even less. And what would Far think about it? What did mating mean to ponies? She knew they had strange mating habits, but without the knowledge of the entire hive to draw on, all she could remember was vague rumors. They pair bonded, didn't they? Did she want to pair bond with Far? Surely since she was already bonded to him now it would be fine to pair bond as well, but maybe not, maybe Far would be upset if she tried.

All those thoughts raced through her mind in a few brief instants. The heat she'd felt faded in the face of uncertainty that bordered on terror and she broke off the kiss, finding she was once again trembling.

"Ember?" Far muzzled her gently. "Are you okay?"

"I..." she couldn't find words for her fears, but as Far held her she couldn't help but send a jumbled confusion of thoughts through their newly forged bond. Afraidofponymatingwhatwillhappendoyouwanttowillyouhatemeifwedonthelp!

"Shh, shh, it's okay," he said softly. There's nothing to fear. Of course I won't hate you. Yes I find you attractive. But it doesn't need to go any further than that, unless you want it to. I care about you a lot. Maybe even love you a little. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.

Ember's relief as he said he wouldn't hate her was immediately eclipsed by a startled wonder. You love me?

I think so. What is love, anyway?

It's... it's a flavor, she said, suddenly realizing what it was that she had been tasting from him lately. It's a feeling. You do love me. And, she added, knowing that the thing he felt was very like the way she felt about him, I think I love you too.

The hive bond with Far Gaze, and the less tangible bond of shared feeling between them, changed everything for Ember. She was no longer so fearful around ponies. She knew that if she found herself in an unknown situation, she could ask Far for help through the bond. That was enough to bolster her confidence immensely. It also helped that she was starting to make sense of the puzzle that was pony writing. So much of their world was contained in the written word, from street signs to restaurant menus. Her reading was still slow, but being able to instantly consult Far was helpful there as well.

Up until that point she had barely set hoof outside of Far's apartment, but now she began to venture out on a daily basis, simply walking the streets of Canterlot and watching the ponies that thronged them. She was the target of occasional stares, given that her pony form still lacked a cutie mark, but she found she didn't mind. She often caught herself staring in return. Ponies were so fascinating. They did so many different things! Changelings in the hive tended the farms, kept the hive's infrastructure up, tended the nymphs, or were soldiers or infiltrators. They spent almost no time on frivolities and certainly didn't have the dizzying array of occupations that ponies seemed to revel in.

And that wasn't even addressing cutie marks, which Ember found herself regarding with something rather like envy. The wild variety of special talents possessed by the ponies, and the symbols that represented them, were amazing to her. She found herself wanting to take a cutie mark simply to have one, rather than to avert the stares of the curious. But she had no idea what particular talent she could lay claim to. In the hive her role had been simple enough, she'd carried out tasks that Chrysalis assigned her, usually to do with overseeing construction or farming projects within the hive, occasionally aided with the raising of nymphs—though she had always preferred to tend the older ones and avoid the newly hatched—and on a few rare occasions had mated and laid the resulting eggs to be tended by others. None of those tasks seemed remotely suited to a life among ponies.

Still, perhaps someday she would find something she could consider her special talent. Until then, life among ponies was at least becoming fairly comfortable, and life with Far Gaze was downright pleasant. He gave off more than enough emotional energy to sustain her, and she enjoyed his company a great deal.

Unfortunately there was one thing about his company that she did not quite enjoy. She wanted to. She quite wished she could, but she simply could not let go of her panic at the idea of trying to raise a nymph on her own. So every time she felt or tasted a hint of the spice of arousal from him, fear was inescapable. If she gave in to the attraction that she admittedly felt in return, nymphs might happen. If she didn't, Far would eventually be upset, and their bond would be ruined. He always insisted, and seemed to sincerely mean, that he didn't resent her for turning him down. But she could feel that he was disappointed all the same, and such disappointments could build.

Even putting his feelings aside, though, she wanted to be with him. Her desire grew each time, to the point where it was growing difficult to shut down the heat she felt in response to his. Caught between fear and need, she found herself starting to actively avoid touching him, fearing that any contact might turn him on and start her on a downward spiral where desire warred with panic. She even started avoiding cuddling him before sleeping.

That was apparently too much for Far to continue to let lie; on the second night that she slipped away from him when he climbed into bed he said, gently, "Ember, tell me what's wrong."

"I..." she hesitated, looking for the words, afraid that their bond wouldn't bear the strain if she said the wrong thing, but finally simply said, "I'm afraid."

"I can tell. You act as if you're afraid of me."

"No! Well, yes, but not... I'm afraid of mating."

"I've said before, you don't need to if you don't want to. I don't mind. I really don't."

"But I mind! I do want to! But what if there are eggs, and grubs, and nymphs?"

Far blinked at her, then laughed. It wasn't an unkind sound at all. "Oh Ember. That's what this is all about?"

She nodded. "I know maybe it's not possible, but if it is, what will I do? I don't have any hive, there's just me, and I can't deal with raising nymphs on my own, I just can't!"

"You don't have to. Ponies long ago came to a solution for that particular problem." He grinned at her.

"They... they did?"

"Yes. Let me tell you. No, in fact, let me show you." His horn was surrounded with the soft purple glow of his magic, and a moment later something floated from a bedside drawer and dropped into Ember's lap. It was a box with a colorful label.

She slowly puzzled out the letters on it. "Condoms, size large." She looked over at Far, puzzled. "Condoms?"

"Yep. They fit over the stallion's cock and keep his seed inside when he comes, so it never actually enters the mare. No seed means no eggs getting fertilized, so no foals, or grubs, or anything."

"I see." She looked at the box, they over at Far. She could already feel, through their bond, that he was feeling a tingle of arousal. Mostly he felt amusement, but the topic at hoof was apparently enough to turn his mind to mating. Her mind was rapidly following. If she could be assured she couldn't get with egg, well...!

"Let me show you how it works," said Far with a grin. He pulled a condom out of the box with his magic and opened the little packet it came in. Ember watched with interest. He pulled out the condom as he rolled onto his back. He was already partially erect. She found herself staring at his cock and licking her lips without consciously intending to.

"You make sure it's the right way up, and set it on like so." He demonstrated. "Then you just roll it down, see?" He used his hooves, not his magic, pushing the rubbery tube part way down his cock. "If you want to help?"

Ember frowned, puzzled. Surely he didn't need any help? She sent her confusion through the bond, half-wordless, and got a silent laugh in reply.

It's not because I need help, it's because having you do it is more fun. I want to feel your hooves on me. Come, try it.

Ember licked her lips. She wanted Far very badly at this point, but she was still a little nervous. It was obvious that ponies went about mating quite differently from changelings. She knew what to expect with a changeling male. She was very much at a loss here. Still, she trusted Far, so she reached out and unrolled the condom the rest of the way down his cock. She could feel and taste the extra pleasure Far took from her touch. Daringly, she let her hooves linger a little, and he made a soft sound of pleasure. She liked that. She liked that a lot. Making him feel good was... wonderful.

She was still nervous but also suddenly eager. What do I do next?

Let me do something first, was Far's reply. This is our first time, and I think first times should be something special. So there's no rush. We have all day, after all.

He put his hoof to her cheek and pulled her muzzle around gently to kiss her. She kissed back, feeling a mixture of physical pleasure and the warm glow of love. He cared for her so much, and she cared for him to. He was right, this should be special. Far broke off the kiss and lifted his head, nuzzling at the base of her horn. Ever have a horn job?

Uhm. No? What is that?

Hmm. Maybe it won't work on changelings, but if it will, you are in for a treat. Let me show you. He shifted a bit, and nudged her head down a little, lining things up. Then he was rubbing his muzzle along the length of her horn. It felt... good. A faint, pleasant tingle started to run down her horn.

Ah yes, this will work just fine. Far hummed softly and ran his lips the whole length of her horn. Ember shivered at the sensation, but was thoroughly distracted by the realization that something was different about her horn. Was it a little longer? And there was a small bend in it about half way along. That hadn't been there before.

Realization was distracting enough that the pleasant tingle vanished, and Far pulled back in confusion. Ember? Is something wrong?

My horn! Under-queens have smooth horns. It's not smooth anymore!

He blinked at her. "Oh hey. Yeah, that used to be just curved, not bent. When the hell did that happen?"

"Are my eyes green now? Are there shadows on them?"

"They were always kinda greenish, but... yes, there are."

Ember tried to calm herself from the shock of realization, but it was easier said than done. "I'm turning into a queen. Oh First. Oh stars and moon." She wished she knew more curses. She didn't want to be a queen!

"That's bad?"

"QUEENS LAY EGGS!" Ember felt panic closing in around her. "Queens feel the mating urge. That's why I want you. It's just the hive, needing eggs, because the hive just has you and me, there are no nymphs. It's trying to make me get with egg!"

"Woah, woah, calm down. We just discussed that, I have a condom on, we're not going to be making any eggs here, even if ponies and changelings could, which I don't think they can. Seriously, you don't have to worry about that, Ember. Trust me."

Ember shivered, but looked up at Far. His deep green eyes were calm, sincere. He felt sincere. He was so certain. How could he be so certain?

"But I only want you because of the mating urge. How... how can it be special if it's just about making eggs?"

"Ponies get mating urges too, you know. Maybe not in quite the same way, but biology is always part of it, when sex happens. That doesn't mean love isn't part of it too." I love you, Ember. You can't possibly doubt that.

Ember took a deep breath. She couldn't doubt it, not when she could both taste and feel his love. "I love you too," she whispered.

"Then let me show you how ponies make love together. Don't be afraid."

Ember hesitated only a moment, then nodded. "Yes," she said, her soft assent a surrender and an expression of desire all in one. Far gave a little shiver, and Ember could hardly sort out the complex feelings that filled him. Desire was strong among them, though, so she was a little surprised when his hooves and magic nudged her over onto her back, rather than up into a mounting position. He spread her hind legs apart, regarding what lay there with curiosity as well as with desire. He found a pubic mound and slit not unlike a pony's, the chitin there softer and more flexible than elsewhere, parting slightly to show greenish labia. Above it, though, were no small nipples but instead the discreet bulge of her ovipositor's sheath. It was not entirely unlike the sheath where a stallion's cock rested, though there were no balls accompanying it, her eggs waited within and needed no such organ to produce them. Far regarded that for a moment, but quickly turned his attention back to what lay below it, which was much more to his taste.

And he quite literally tasted it, much to Ember's surprise. His tongue lapped gently at the sensitive entrance, and Ember let out a tiny sound—somewhere between a squeak and a whimper—of pleasure at the feeling. She had never felt anything quite like it. Far felt pleasure too, not from anything physical, but simply from the satisfaction of causing her pleasure. He felt pleasure through their bond as well, her bliss echoing into his mind, only slightly diluted. He continued, pushing his tongue between her outer lips and running it up the folds of her labia until he came to the little nub at the top. Ember gasped softly at the sensation when he licked there. It was amazing! Only a few slow, sensuous licks and she could already feel a climax—something she'd felt only on very rare occasion during her previous more straightforward matings—starting to build.

"Mmm," said Far. So close already? Well, let me just give a little push... His tongue moved faster, in broad strokes against her clit, lapping rapidly.

"Oh yes!" That was said mentally and out loud together, and Ember arched her back, straining towards the peak that was suddenly there, breaking over her instantly, easily, intensely. She shuddered, and Far continued to lick, pushing her through it, drawing out every last drop of pleasure, until she finally went limp, suddenly panting hard.

Far lifted his head and smiled contentedly down at her. The glow she felt radiated through him as well, and he sighed happily. "That was... interesting. Good. Different."

"Mmmhmm," said Ember dazedly. Far pillowed his head on her stomach, letting out another happy sigh.

When the haze of completion that filled her started to fade a bit, Ember lifted her own head to peer down at Far, once again finding herself confused. "You're finished? But you didn't come."

"Guess we didn't need the condom after all," said Far with a chuckle. "But I like pleasing you, I don't need anything myself. Especially with this... bond thing. I felt you come! That was something else."

Ember considered this. She did feel quite nice, and it would be all right to lie there together. But she wanted to please Far at least as much as he'd pleased her. And she still felt a hint of need. Her pleasure hadn't quenched the mating urge, it was still there, quietly whispering somewhere at the very back of her brain. She frowned faintly, weighing her nervousness about having nymphs against the feeling of need and her desire to pleasure Far. The latter two won. He'd promised the condom would work. She trusted him. And she wanted him.

Far, looking up at her with a smile, sensed the conclusion she'd come to. "We're not done, hmm?"

"No. It's your turn now. I want to please you. I want to mate with you properly."

"Heh. Okay. I won't say no."

Ember climbed off the bed and stood beside it. She didn't know how much pony mating would resemble changeling mating, but she decided to try what she knew, and let Far tell her if she was doing anything wrong. So she turned and presented herself to him, her tail arching up and to the side. She tasted a fresh wash of desire from Far and he climbed from the bed as well, apparently finding nothing wrong with her actions. He nuzzled against her flank for a moment, which surprised her a little bit, but then he moved to mount her, resting his hooves on her rump as he positioned himself. She felt the touch of his cock against her entrance and a shudder of anticipation went through her. This was what she wanted. This was what she'd wanted for weeks, if only her fears hadn't stopped her. She let go of them utterly now and gave herself over to sensation as Far sank slowly into her. He was a little larger than the males she was used to—she didn't know if that was because he was large for a pony or because ponies were larger than changelings—but either way, the way his cock filled her as he pushed it slowly in felt wonderful.

He groaned as his hips pressed to her rump, and she pushed back, making sure every inch of him was inside. His forelegs slid down to clasp around her barrel, pulling her hard against him. "Oh yes," she gasped.

Then he was moving, a steady, primal rhythm. He bucked his hips into her, slowly at first, but firmly, each stroke pushing as deeply as possible into her, making her cry out in time with his thrusts. She felt his slowly growing pleasure and she touched her mind more closely to his, drawing their bond tighter in that moment, feeling what he felt and letting him feel what she felt in turn. Mutual pleasure spiraled rapidly upwards and Far began to move faster, panting hard as he took her in earnest. She gasped, bracing her hooves and pushing back, feeling him pounding into her, feeling her own warmth around him, the two sensations almost impossible to distinguish. Coherent thought became impossible and all she knew was pleasure.

In an instant pleasure flashed over into something even more intense and Far and Ember both came in the same moment, crying out together.

It was over almost as swiftly as it had arrived, fading away to leave a contented glow behind. Far sighed deeply and relaxed on Ember's back. She sighed too, but also grunted a bit as more of his weight came to rest on her.

"Mmm. Sorry." Far slowly straightened and pulled free from her. She turned, and found herself watching with interest as his magic whisked the condom from his cock and knotted it. She realized that it had indeed worked as promised; she felt a hint of moisture dripping down her leg, but that was only her own arousal, all of Far's seed had stayed within the translucent tube, and was now simply tossed in a trash can beside the nightstand.

Heaving a contented sigh, Far flopped over onto the bed and beckoned to Ember. She sprawled next to him. She found she didn't have the energy to speak out loud, so she spoke through their bond instead. I think I like pony sex.

Far laughed softly. That was... a somewhat better than typical example, I think. This bond thing is kind of intense. But I could get used to it.

It was good.

Yeah.

Ember stared at the bathroom mirror. It wasn't big enough to show her whole body, but given that she was taller than Far now, she knew the changes were affecting more than just her face. Her eyes were greener than ever, and had developed dark spots in the center that would eventually become pupils. Her vision was a little blurry, especially at a distance. That would clear soon enough. Her mane was already growing longer, as was her horn, and another little bend had appeared on that only today.

The mating urge was growing too. She felt the need as a constant gnawing at the back of her mind. She'd had sex with Far a dozen times now over the last few weeks, and each time had helped a little bit, but the need came back almost immediately. She was starting to wonder if the condom wasn't getting in the way. A queen's need demanded eggs, and eggs demanded seed. If Far's seed actually reached her, maybe it would help more. She wished she could feel comfortable without the condoms, but she wasn't certain, and she needed to be. Her fear of getting with egg had eased a bit, but she still worried that it might be possible, and she had no way to find out. If she could just consult the hive, some changeling or other would surely know. With all the infiltrators imitating pony loved ones plenty of inter-species sex had to have happened over the years, so somebody had to know if half-breeds were possible. Maybe the fact that ponies seemed completely ignorant of them was more proof, but she had to be absolutely certain.

"Ember! Look at this!"

Ember poked her head out of the bathroom to find Far by the front door, holding up a newspaper in his magic. She trotted over and peered at it curiously. He turned it so she could read the headline. Slowly she sounded it out. "Ch... change.... changeling!" She blinked, then kept reading. "Changeling t... thwa...thwarts? Thwarts changeling? In... invasion! Changeling Thwarts Changeling Invasion of Pony... Ponyville." Ember stared at the title. She must have read it wrong, it could not possibly say what it seemed to say.

"That's something else, isn't it? Let's see what the story says." Far spread the paper out on the table, and patiently helped Ember read through it. The story was simple, but remarkable. A changeling drone named Sweetcake had helped the famous Element Bearers repel an attempt by Chrysalis to take over their home town of Ponyville, apparently in revenge for their interference in her plans at the royal wedding. Ember could believe it, Chrysalis had always known how to hold a grudge. But the thing she found most remarkable of all was that the changeling in question was apparently simply living in Ponyville now. The reporter who'd written the story had actually gone there and spoken to her! The changeling was living among ponies, and in fact was apparently dating one of the Element Bearers. And Celestia herself had vouched for the changeling!

Ember sat down at the table, feeling stunned.

"Hmm," said Far thoughtfully, reading over the article again.

"What is it?"

"Just thinking. They quote Twilight Sparkle, the Princess' protege here. She's talking about being excited for the opportunity to learn more about changelings. I wonder how much she already knows?"

Ember tilted her head curiously. "Why do you wonder that? If you want to know more about changelings, you have one right here."

"Yes, but there's one thing you don't know, and that's if changelings are closely related enough to ponies to produce offspring with them."

"Oh." Ember blinked.

"I am fairly certain they're not, but I'm not biologist, and I could always be wrong. Mules happen. And Zoneys, but they're both sterile! Hippogryphs only happen with very strong magic, there haven't been any in centuries. Dragons can't cross with ponies, and neither can minotaurs. Horses are the only other race ponies interbreed with fully. It seems impossible that changelings would be the exception. I wonder if Twilight would write back if I sent her a letter about it?"

"Maybe?"

"I hope so. I know you're still feeling this mating urge like crazy. And I know you're still worried about eggs and nymphs. Hell, I don't want to raise baby changelings either! But I think going without a condom might help the whole 'urge' business. I'm not really up for having sex every single day, you know. Nice as it is, that's a bit much."

"Aww." Ember mock-pouted. "Does that mean you're turning me down today?"

Far coughed. "Well, ah, if you think you can manage to do without? I like sex with you, Ember, but you're wearing me out a little bit."

Ember bit back a sigh. She could feel that Far felt a little bit guilty, but he was also telling the truth. He didn't seem to be nearly as interested in sex as she was, and pushing him into it didn't lead anywhere satisfying, she knew that already. "I'll be okay," she said. And she would. The annoying need that nagged at her could be ignored, at least for now.

"I'm going to write Twilight Sparkle and find out if she knows anything about pony changeling hybrids. Hopefully I'll get an answer and not an inquisition. But if a changeling can be dating one of her friends, surely she won't be upset to find one here, dating me."

Ember tilted her head. "Is dating what we're doing, then?"

Far chuckled. "Well, not really. But I don't have a better word for it. We're not married, after all. So considering you my marefriend is as close as I can come. Ponies don't have a term for hive-mates or whatever it is we actually are."

"I don't think changelings have a word for it either. Hive-mates are more like siblings. Sisters, actually, since most changelings are female. I don't think we're much like sisters."

Far grinned. "I should hope not! Though I hear tell some ponies are into that... But never mind. I think I'll go write Twilight Sparkle a letter. If we're lucky she'll know the answer to our little hybridizing conundrum."

When the knock came on the door, Ember looked up from the book she'd been reading with a start. It was a foal's book, so it hadn't exactly been riveting, but on the other hoof sometimes a foal's level explanation of the pony world was useful.

Far was reading a rather thicker book, and he was the one who got up to answer the door, while Ember quickly disguised herself in a flash of green fire. Ember could just catch a glimpse of the pony on the other side of the door as Far opened it. The pony was purple, a lighter shade than Far, and shorter, so probably a mare.

"Hello there." Her voice was definitely feminine, and quite cheerful. "I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, things have been quite busy of late, but I got your letter."

Far blinked in surprise. "Uhm. Letter?"

"Oh, right. I'm Twilight Sparkle. You wrote me about changeling-pony hybrids?"

"I see. Uhm. Come in, miss Sparkle. I confess I was expecting a letter in reply, not for you to turn up on my doorstep."

She stepped inside and Ember got a better look at her. She was a very pretty mare, with beautiful, sweeping straight hair and intense violet eyes. "I've been doing a great deal of research into changeling behavior. Having Sweetcake available has been invaluable! But your letter suggested, well... I can't imagine why you'd want to know unless you, ah, knew a changeling other than Sweetcake who was living among ponies. So I wanted to come in person and see if I could ask a few questions."

"I see." He glanced over at Ember. "Well, I'm Far Gaze, this is my roommate Ember, by the way. But as far as changelings go, there are none here."

"No?" Twilight frowned. "Oh. Then why did you want to know...?"

"I have my reasons."

Twilight tilted her head curiously. She looked over at Ember for a long moment, then gave a little shrug. "I'm sure you do. Well, firstly, Mr. Gaze, I can tell you that hybrids are completely impossible. I don't know if that will be reassuring or disappointing, but either way that is the simple fact of the matter. I mean, changelings have green blood! Their biology is utterly different from our own."

"I see. Thank you for letting me know."

"You might also find it interesting that changeling biology is in fact so different that we don't even have any diseases in common." She winked. "So if you happened to have the flu, for example, you couldn't give it to a changeling, and if a changeling had a cold, why she couldn't give it to you."

Far chuckled. "That is indeed very interesting, Miss Sparkle, thank you."

"I do still have some questions about changelings, though. And something else you should know is that being a changeling is in no way illegal. Princess Celestia has been quite clear to me about that. Queen Chrysalis is in trouble because of committing several crimes, including kidnapping and, you know, overthrow of the government and all that. But other changelings are not wanted by the law and won't be arrested just for being changelings. Just so you know." She looked at Ember again and smiled.

"Uhm. Thank you?" said Ember, feeling a bit bemused. Twilight obviously had guessed what she was, but she didn't seem inclined to push the matter.

Far chuckled softly. "Yes, thank you very much, Miss Sparkle. I don't think we can answer any of your questions about changelings today, but... eventually we'd probably be able to help you in your studies."

"I appreciate that." Twilight gave a little nod that was almost a bow. "In that case I suppose I'll be going. I was in Canterlot anyway on other matters—somewhat related, in fact, my friend Sweetcake is here as well at the moment—and remembered your letter, so I wanted to stop by. I'll probably be fairly busy for some time, but you can send me a message any time."

She stepped out the door and waved a hoof.

Far waved back, smiling. "I'll be sure to write, in that case. Thank you again." He shut the door and immediately spun around to grin at Ember. "Well! That was very enlightening!"

"Huh?"

"Not only do we not have to worry about eggs and nymphs, my dear, wonderful changeling queen to be, we don't even have to worry about garden-variety sexually transmitted diseases. We can do away with the condoms and just have sex. I find myself so delighted at the prospect that I'm actually in the mood, so we had better take advantage of that now!"

"Oh!" Ember scrambled to her feet. "Yes, please!"

Far laughed, and trotted happily back towards the bedroom.

"Ember... We need to talk."

Ember looked up from her book. She was still reading foal's books, though she'd tried a few made for school age foals rather than near-babies. They were slow going, but she could understand them without Far's help most of the time. She hadn't really been reading the book, though. She'd been trying to read, or maybe pretending to read, so that she could have something to think about other than Far's guilt and her own burning need to mate.

They had made love without a condom for the first time and it had been just as good as Ember had hoped. For the first time in weeks her need had cooled completely.

But it wasn't the perfect solution she'd hoped for, since her continuing development into a changeling queen seemed to be making her need for sex even more insatiable every day. The relief from that wonderful night had lasted barely a day before the need began to creep back in again. Biology wanted her to found an entire hive, hundreds or even thousands strong. A stallion's seed fooled her senses briefly, but when no egg kindled, the need returned, and it was driving her mad.

It was driving Far mad as well, from the guilt when he inevitably turned her down as much as anything else. When he did say yes when not in the mood it was a coin's toss whether Ember could get him interested or whether the sex would be lackluster and disappointing to them both. Either way the whole situation was obviously not working, but Ember had no idea what else she could do.

"Yes, we do," she said with a sigh. "I don't know if we can fix this mess, though."

Far sat on the couch beside her. He reached out and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "I think we can. I hope we can, at least."

"I don't know how. I want sex kind of all the time. You want it... not so often."

"About once a week, I think."

"Once a week." Ember swallowed. "I can't... I mean, we're having it way more often than that."

"Yeah. It's okay for now, but it can't last. But there may be a solution. I don't know. You've mentioned 'the hive males' like you mated with more than one there, yes?"

"Yes. But what does that have to do with us now?"

"Well... it has to do with something called 'polyamory.' You probably haven't heard of it."

Ember shook her head. The word was strange to her.

"It means 'many loves,' and that's what it is. You do know that most ponies mate in pairs, and don't have sex or act as mates in any way outside that, yes?"

"Yes. I never used to understand that, but I think I do now. I do love you, Far. I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else."

Far smiled. "You might not feel exactly that way about anyone else, and I certainly wouldn't feel exactly how I feel about you about any other pony. But ponies are herd animals. Long ago we used to mate in groups. Many mares with one stallion, in particular. These days, well... as I said, most ponies pair off. But a few keep the ancient way, and form harem groups. And a few also have... call them reverse harems, one mare, many stallions, or even mixed groups of nearly equal numbers of both."

"You mean, as lovers?"

"Yes."

"So..." Ember's brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle through this. The solution Far was suggesting was obvious, but it included things she wasn't so sure about. She loved Far, as she'd said. Mating with Far was wonderful because she loved him. Mating with the hive males had been nothing like it. It was hard to imagine having that sort of perfunctory relationship without the structure of the hive requiring it. It didn't seem like it would be terribly satisfying. And if it wasn't satisfying, why would any ponies engage in it?

"So I'm trying to explain that ponies can love more than one individual. Ponies can have sex with ponies other than their mates. Ponies can have bonds ranging from the very causal to the extremely intimate with many other ponies. I think that might work well for you."

"But what about you? I still don't know a lot about ponies, but I know enough to know what jealousy is. Wouldn't you be unhappy if I love other ponies?"

Far chuckled. "No. I'm not the jealous type! I know that what you and I have is special. Whatever you have with any other pony, however it works out, whether it's just for fun or whether you fall in love again, it wouldn't be the same. It would be something else. I mean, I won't claim that jealousy will never be any kind of problem, I'm only equine, but what I need from you is your love and at least some of your time, so we can share our love together. So long as I get that, you can do whatever you like with other ponies."

"Oh."

"What do you think about the idea of trying to have sex with a different stallion, somepony other than me?"

Ember considered that. "It's... a little scary. I know you. I trust you. I don't know any other ponies."

"What if it were a friend of mine, somepony I know and trust?"

"Well... Yes, that would help."

Far grinned. "In that case, I actually have a pony in mind. He's polyamorous himself. He and his wife are both friends of mine. In fact I've had sex with both of them once, when they wanted a threesome."

Ember blinked. "A threesome?"

"It's when three ponies have sex together, at the same time."

"That seems hard to do."

Far laughed. "It is a bit awkward sometimes, but it can also be a lot of fun. But right now I'm just suggesting one other pony at a time. Would you like to try having me set you up with my friend?"

"Well, if he's a friend of yours, I think I would be okay trying it. I trust you."

It took several days before Far could make arrangements for his friend Fancy Pants to visit. During that time Ember stopped bothering Far for sex at all. Knowing, now, that he wanted it so seldom—at least by her standards—she wasn't going to pressure him to have it more often. But that meant that by the time Fancy finally arrived, Ember was nearly mad with desire.

There were some difficulties. She had not expected the sheer size of him, for one. Fancy was no taller than Far, but it turned out that height had no relation whatsoever to the size of a stallion's member, and Fancy was unusually well-endowed. But eventually they made things work and at the end of the night Ember was satisfied. It had not been as wonderful as sex with Far was. They did not share a hive bond, and they did not love each other. Yet she had found that she truly enjoyed giving Fancy Pants pleasure. The things she had tasted from him had been good, even beyond the relief he had provided her.

Far, happily, was delighted.

"I'm happy when you're happy, love," he said after Fancy had left.

"So, will Fancy be back tomorrow, then?" asked Ember.

"Ah..." Far Gaze rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly. "No, tomorrow you'll have to make do with me, I'm afraid." He smiled and added, "It's been almost a week this time, so I don't mind! But it'll be a few days before Fancy can come back. He has a busy life."

"Oh."

"I know, it's not a perfect solution. But we can find other ponies. Fancy's wife, Fleur, may actually be able to help as well."

Ember considered that thought with curiosity. "His wife? How could she help? You don't need another mare to have sex with."

Far chuckled. "No, I don't. But mares can have sex with other mares, you know."

"...they can?"

"Yes. I'd think that with almost all changelings being female, that sort of thing would happen with you too."

"No, I've never heard of..." Then Ember paused. "Actually, maybe it does happen. I was barely more than a nymph, and not developed into an under-queen yet, so I was disinterested in mating, but I remember that the queen before Chrysalis, Sepal, sometimes used to bring an under-queen with her when she visited the males for mating. I remember that the under-queen who was training me thought it was very strange. I had almost forgotten about it until now."

"I'm not surprised. You've taken to a broader range of sexual behavior so readily, I had a feeling that nothing about changelings made them inherently sexually boring." He grinned. "It's just a cultural habit, I suppose."

Ember nodded. She considered the idea of having sex with a mare. It seemed strange, but the idea of having sex for pleasure and mutual bonding rather than merely for eggs had seemed strange at first too. But... "Won't sex with a female be like when we were using condoms? It seems like it wouldn't actually help very much with my need to mate."

"That still did seem to take the edge off, so I think it might still be worth trying. And there's another reason it might help, but I need to discuss it with Fleur first. She has a secret that's not mine to tell."

Ember frowned, feeling quite puzzled, but didn't ask further questions. The feel of Far's mind made it clear that whatever the secret was, he took it very seriously, so prying would be pointless as well as rude. She would hopefully find out soon enough, in any case.

A few more days passed, but eventually Fancy Pants did return with his wife Fleur de Lis. Far made love once in the meantime, but she was half mad with need once again by the time the couple arrived.

The pair sat on the couch, Fleur draping herself comfortably over Fancy, who sat more upright. Far and Ember both sat on the floor, since Far didn't have much in the way of furniture. Far had made the introductions, and now Ember and Fleur were regarding each other curiously. Ember had already met Fancy, of course. Fleur was as tall as her husband, but far more slender and graceful, with a coat of pink so pale it was almost white. Ember was in her natural form. She could have disguised herself, but she found she was somehow reluctant to hide who and what she was from ponies she was planning on being so physically intimate with. She might take whatever form they desired in the course of lovemaking, but for now she preferred to be herself.

Ember had progressed further towards being a queen. Her eyes had finally developed pupils, and her colors had deepened and become more iridescent. Her horn was longer and even more jagged than it had been, and she was by far the tallest of those present. It was hard to be sure without any means of comparison, but she thought she was still shorter than Chrysalis, so she had growing yet to do, but not all that much. Her mane and tail were longer as well, and were entirely teal green, no trace of their original gray remaining. She was, for all intents and purposes, a full changeling queen now.

"I must admit I find you rather fascinating," said Fleur. "Fancy has told me about your time together last week. Is it true that you can turn into anything at all?"

"Not anything. I can only become living things. Things closer to my real shape in shape and size are easier. Ponies are easier than things like dragons. I can't be really huge or very tiny. And I'm still learning, I'm not as good at it as some changelings. I'm not actually sure I could do a dragon yet."

"Interesting. And could you be male rather than female if you wished?"

"Of course. That's very easy."

"Ah, would that it were so easy for ponies! I rather envy you in some ways." Fleur smiled. "And since we are likely to be intimate one with another, I suppose I should tell you my little secret, so there won't be any surprises once we begin."

Ember nodded a silent assent. She had to admit she was curious what this secret might be.

"I am a mare, of course. That goes without saying at this point. Yet when I was born, I had a colt's body."

Ember found herself frowning, confused. "I don't understand. How can you be a mare and have a colt's body?"

Fleur smiled. "Tell me, Ember, if you turned yourself into a colt, would you be a colt? Would your heart and mind be a colt's heart and mind, or would you remain yourself?"

"I would be myself. A changeling changes her appearance, not her nature."

"Exactly. My heart and mind are that of a mare. They always have been, but I had to discover that over many years, since I seemed to be a colt. Eventually I learned the truth, and since that time I have been bringing my body into alignment with my true self. Ponies are not changelings, our magic is not capable of true transformation, not permanently at least. But there are hormone treatments, and small illusions that help. I should dismiss the chief of those now, I suppose."

Her horn glowed briefly, and suddenly the mare sitting on the couch had the discrete bulge of a stallion's sheath between her legs. Ember's eyes widened just a little. "Oh."

"I don't mind having a cock. In fact I sometimes enjoy it, though when I can manage the transformation magic I enjoy having a vagina too. But the cock is easier, and truth be told, it's been part of me for so long that it seems quite natural, even if it doesn't quite suit a mare."

"I... think I understand." Ember could hardly imagine what it would be like to be caught in such an alien situation. But then maybe she did, just a little. Was being stranded among ponies any less comfortable? Perhaps it was not the same, but maybe it was a little bit alike. She often had to be something she wasn't, after all. "I guess I see why Far said you could help with my mating urge," she added.

Fleur just smiled and nodded.

"I think it's high time we retired to the bedroom," said Fancy Pants with a smile

"Well, this is where I leave," said Far, also smiling. "You all have fun."

Thank you very much, said Ember silently. I am so glad that you don't mind me doing these things.

I just want you to be happy, said Far.

I am. And I will be. You are amazing, replied Ember. Then she rose, and led Fleur and Fancy into the bedroom. It was a spartan space, simply holding the bed itself and one single night stand with no other furnishings or decoration. Far Gaze was not wealthy and hadn't cared to spend his limited bits on such things. For him the bed was simply a place to sleep. For Ember it was becoming something more. She gestured to it. "Here. I'm not quite sure how to start, though. I've never been in a threesome."

"We have done this quite a bit," said Fancy. "Let us guide you."

Fleur climbed into the bed gracefully and beckoned with one hoof for Ember to join her. Feeling slightly nervous but also very excited, Ember did so. Fleur pulled her close and gave her a warm kiss. Ember cooperated, cuddling up, their hind hooves tangling together. She felt the bed shift as Fancy climbed in as well and then he was cuddling up behind her, sandwiching her between the two of them.

Fleur deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue into Ember's mouth and then running it over Ember's fangs. She returned to them over and over, seemingly fascinated by them. When she broke off the kiss at last, Ember tried to capitalize on that interest by nibbling at Fleur's neck, which got her a gasp and a stronger taste of arousal. The taste of lust was already heavy in the air. She didn't really need any more energy, but she drew in a little bit anyway. It was delicious; sweet and spicy.

Just as good—perhaps even better—was the feeling of being between the two unicorns. With their bodies pressed together she could feel that both were already somewhat aroused, and that fanned the fire of her already burning need even brighter. She nipped and nuzzled at Fleur while wiggling her hips and pressing back into Fancy's embrace. He in turn nibbled at her ear, one foreleg caressing down her side, while his hips pressed tightly to hers, letting her feel every detail of his growing erection. Ember desperately wanted it inside her, now, but she remembered their previous encounter. Fancy Pants was a remarkably well-endowed stallion, and his cock wasn't going to fit without taking special measures. Which would interrupt things considerably. So for now she merely ground back against it more, moaning against Fleur's neck.

Fleur lifted her head slightly and began lapping at Ember's jagged horn, sending a warm wave of pleasure through her. Ember moaned again, too distracted to continue her nibbling. Meanwhile Fancy's hoof, that had been caressing her side, had slipped lower, pushing past her ovipositor to rub between her legs. She shuddered as it caressed her pubic mound, teasing but not quite touching her clit.

Fleur suckled on the end of Ember's horn expertly, her tongue caressing it, making Ember moan repeatedly. Fancy was still teasing her with his hoof, and also still pressing his hips to hers. He started making a slow thrusting motion, rubbing his cock along her lower back, smearing pre-cum on her smooth chitin.

Eventually Fleur let go of Ember's horn. "Do changelings spark?"

Ember, panting slightly and still more than a little distracted, since Fancy hadn't stopped what he was doing, took some time to realize that Fleur was asking about the magical discharge that came from a horn job. She'd learned about that with Far Gaze, he enjoyed horn jobs sometimes. "I don't think so," she managed to reply.

"Too bad. Well, why don't we try some other way to get to a climax, hmm?"

"I vote for skipping straight to the good part," said Fancy, giving a little wiggle of his hips. "I'm not really in the mood for drawn-out foreplay. Unless you ladies want it, of course."

"I think I'm quite ready to move along," said Fleur with a grin.

"Y-yes," said Ember, licking her lips, remembering the feel of Fancy's cock within her.

"Then perhaps you would be so kind, Ember my dear, as to change to that large, lovely shape you used before?" Fancy's expression could only be described as a cheerful leer.

Ember giggled and obliged, green fire washing over her. The flames had no heat, so neither of the ponies still pressed close were harmed. Both were, however, slightly pushed aside by the alicorn-sized pony that now lay between them. She was an earth pony, but she was easily as large as Celestia herself.

"Oh my," said Fleur, looking up at her. "How amazing! It is so tempting to ask you to try out a dozen different shapes. Why, we could be with Princess Celestia herself, if you truly can become anything."

"That is a rather alluring idea," said Fancy thoughtfully. "I don't suppose..."

Ember licked her lips, feeling a flicker of nervousness. Become Celestia herself? But then why not. Nopony was here to see besides Fleur and Fancy. She didn't think she could imitate Celestia's mannerisms, but the shape, that would be simplicity itself. "Well, if you want," she finally said.

"I think I do," said Fancy.

"Yes, how exciting!" said Fleur.

Ember smiled, tasting their feelings. There was a subtlety to the spice of arousal that she couldn't quite identify. It had a hint of something that was almost like fear. Well, the idea of having sex with Celestia herself might indeed be fearful! But they both obviously wanted it all the same, so she changed again, broad wings and long horn sprouting, blue coat becoming white, and plain mane and tail turning rainbow and shimmering in the wake of her changeling's flame.

"Wow." Fleur stared at her for a long moment. "I can't wait to see you take my husband. This is going to be amazingly hot."

Fancy chuckled. "I'm more than ready." He put a hoof to Ember's cheek, pulling her head around to kiss her. She turned, and twisted her body too; facing Fancy, wrapping her hooves around him. She felt his cock pushing against her stomach. She was large enough in this form that it was a little awkwardly high up while they were kissing, but Fancy soon broke off the kiss and slid down a bit, trying to position himself. Ember put a hind leg over him, shifting to help him line his cock up with her entrance. Fleur, behind her, was softly stroking her wings, watching them both intently.

Fancy's massive member pushed against Ember's entrance, slowly spreading her open. She moaned shamelessly as it began to sink it. It felt amazing. It went in fairly easily, for she was so wet she was nearly dripping. Fancy let out a deep sigh and rested his muzzle against her shoulder once he was fully hilted.

Then Ember felt Fleur shifting, laying behind her, and then Fleur's cock was prodding at her rump, a hard warmth that was obviously smaller than Fancy's, but that still excited her. She found herself wishing there was some way to take them both, but she didn't think that would work. Then, as Fancy continued to hold still, simply resting within her, Fleur said, "Do you want me as well, 'Princess'?"

Ember licked her lips, glancing back at the elegant mare behind her. "I do want you, but how would that be possible?"

Fleur smiled and leaned forward to give Ember a brief kiss. "Far Gaze did say you were new to this. I take it you're not familiar with anal sex?"

Ember shook her head. "No." She licked her lips again, her desire still a burning flame within her. Fancy's cock felt wonderful, but he was just lying there!

"Well. It is fairly simple. It's sex that uses the anus rather than the vagina. You know what that is?"

Ember blushed. "Yes."

"And how do you feel about the idea?"

Ember frowned. "Mostly confused. But... ah, First take it. Fancy, why are you just lying there?"

Fancy actually laughed. "Because I am waiting for my delightful wife to join us, as is only polite."

"Then yes, I'm fine with it. Join us. I do want you. I want Fancy. I want you both. Please."

"Wonderful," said Fleur. "Just let me..." her horn lit, and Ember felt a very odd sensation of warmth, then a wet coolness, beneath her tail. "Ah, there. Now..." Ember felt the hot hardness of Fleur's cock touching beneath her tail, prodding gently. It felt strange, but not unpleasant. She found herself lifting her tail up further out of the way.

Fleur shifted, seeking just the right angle, her cock pushing beneath Ember's ethereal tail. Ember tensed for a moment at the strange sensation, then relaxed, and suddenly Fleur's cock slipped inside. Between Fleur's cock being relatively narrow and Ember's current size, she was only stretched out a little, certainly not enough to be truly uncomfortable. It felt strange, but it was a good sort of strange.

With both of them inside her she felt wonderfully full, in truth, and when Fancy finally began to move, slowly thrusting within her, it was one of the most amazing things she'd ever felt. She wrapped her hooves tightly around Fancy and bucked her hips to his. This had the effect of also moving Fleur's cock with her, and the mare was soon matching her motions, all three of them moving together.

They had barely begun and Ember was already nearly at her peak. She clenched down around both cocks within her, tensing, feeling her climax building rapidly. She usually needed at least a little bit of attention to her clit to come, but this wonderful new sensation was so intense, and the doubled pleasure she tasted from the pair was so great that she found she was already on the edge. Fleur was nibbling at the base of her neck, but she hardly noticed. She pressed her muzzle against the top of Fancy's head, panting into his mane. "Oh yes... please..." She was so close. Everything felt intense, amazing, and wonderful.

Suddenly she was there, her back arching, pushing back against Fleur, her whole body shaking as she came intensely. Neither of the others stopped, they both kept moving, pushing her through it, drawing her pleasure out even longer. But when her orgasm faded, Ember gasped out, "S-stop!"

Immediately both Fleur and Fancy stopped moving. Fancy pulled out of her. Fleur nuzzled the back of her neck and stayed where she was, but kept still. "What is it?" Fancy asked.

Ember, panting, said, "Just... I need a moment." She shuddered again, her whole body feeling twitchy and electrified, and her clit and vulva like if a single motion happened anywhere near them she might combust. It was very like the pleasure she'd just felt, but it was also rather like pain, and she wasn't sure she could stand it.

"Are you okay?" asked Fleur softly.

Ember almost laughed, breathlessly. "Yes! Very okay. Kind of... too sensitive right now."

"Ah. I see." Fleur reached up to nibble her ear and Ember shivered.

"Hmm. Let us try something." Fancy's twinkling smile was downright mischievous as he shifted, bending his head towards Ember's hindquarters. Fleur shifted too, encouraging Ember to lean back against her. Ember lifted one leg slightly, giving Fancy better access. He lapped lightly, just touching his tongue against her clit, and a shudder went through her. Even that tiny touch was almost too much, but it felt amazing. Fancy licked her again and she moaned loudly. Fleur, behind her, laughed softly in her ear and ground her hips to Ember, pushing her cock deep within her once more.

"Oh stars," said Ember, breathing the pony curse fervently. The pleasure that had ebbed away started building again, rapidly. It hardly took any time at all before a second orgasm washed over her. She let out a low cry, shuddering again, but Fancy didn't stop what he was doing, he continued. Ember whimpered. It was intense, maybe even too much, she felt as if she might explode, riding a white-hot line between pleasure a pain. Another orgasm broke over her, then another. She shuddered repeatedly, her whole body shaking and spasming. It was becoming hard to tell if she was coming or not, everything blending together into an ocean of pleasure. Then she felt another wave break over her, and something about it was different, more final. She twitched and clenched once more, her body tensed as the pleasure raced through her, and then she relaxed utterly, going completely limp.

When her moans and twitches ceased, Fancy Pants finally lifted his head. "Shall I continue, my dear?" he asked, looking up at Ember with an amused smirk.

"Hmmwha?" Ember tried to gather the mental energy to respond, but her brain was nothing but wonderful static.

She heard Fleur chuckled behind her. "He's very good at that, isn't he?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Are we done for the evening, then?" asked Fancy, sitting up as he did.

That managed to give Ember a thought to gather her wits around. She blinked, trying to bring her eyes into focus as she also tried to focus her mind. "Neither of you came yet," she managed to say.

"Ah. That's a no, then."

"I'm done. Very done. So done." Ember giggled. She felt a little bit giddy, and also like she could sleep for about a day. But she took a deep breath and then wiggled her hips, pressing her sun-marked rump back into Fleur slightly. "It wouldn't be right to stop now, though."

"You've been done," said Fleur, and Ember didn't have to see her grin, she could hear it.

Fancy laughed. "Indeed. But I don't mind if you want to continue. I don't mind that at all." He slid himself up and kissed Ember, while pressing his body close to her once again. She kissed back. A flicker of need woke in her once again. What they had done had been very satisfying, but she hadn't gotten what she truly needed, and her body knew it.

"Neither do I," said Fleur.

Ember shifted her hips, feeling Fancy's cock, still hot, hard, and slicked with her juices, rubbing against her. She wanted that inside her again, and it didn't take long to line it up. Fancy pushed in swiftly, eagerly, and he and Fleur once more set up a rhythm, filling Ember utterly. She squeezed down around them both, wanting their pleasure, wanting to be filled in a different way, with their seed.

Her greater height put Fancy's horn just at nose level, and Ember nuzzled it, prompting a soft groan from him. She lapped up it once, slowly, then took it into her mouth. The steady rhythm the three of them had set up skipped a beat, and Fleur pulled out of Ember for a moment, but she swiftly found her way within again. Fancy, his eyes shut and his front hooves going to Ember's hips, began to press the pace, thrusting harder and faster. He was panting fast, and the taste of his pleasure was strong on Ember's tongue as she continued to suck his horn.

With a low grunt he thrust even faster, as deep and hard as he could, and then he came, his seed pumping into her. His horn sparked at the same time, shooting out a fizzing magical fountain, and Ember pulled her head back with a startled yelp at the sudden explosion. It hadn't exactly hurt, but the sparks were hot and shocking, like static electricity.

Fleur halted again, seemingly endlessly patient. Fancy, flushed and still panting, said, "I am so sorry!"

"About what?" said Ember, feeling a wash of bliss, mostly mental but partly physical as well. Fancy's seed was within her, cooling the fire of her need, and she was delighted to have been able to please him so.

"A gentlecolt always warns a lady when he is about to spark in her mouth."

Ember giggled. "I think you were a little distracted. It's okay. That was... really good."

"I hope you're not done yet," said Fleur, giving a little wiggle.

"Mmm. No, I'm happy to continue. I think I insist, even," said Ember.

"Good. If you don't mind, though... I like being on top."

Ember felt a strange little shiver go through her. "Uhm. I don't mind."

Fancy obligingly pulled himself from her. She felt a flood of warm stickiness oozing down her leg, but at the moment she didn't really mind. Fleur pulled from her as well, and Ember rolled over onto her stomach, letting her wings splay out over most of the bed. Fancy sat on the floor beside it, getting well out of the way, and just watched.

Ember lifted her tail and Fleur positioned herself behind her, trying to line her cock up once more. Ember looked back at her, and saw her frown faintly. "Can you be a smaller pony?"

"Okay." Ember let go of Princess Celestia's form as her changing magic washed over her and became her usual pony self, blue on blue, with no cutie mark.

"Much better." Fleur grinned. "Now, it's finally time to make that pretty little rump of yours mine. Lift your tail, dear."

Ember felt another strange shiver of emotion. Being ordered like that was oddly exciting. She lifted her tail up obediently. Fleur lined herself up just beneath Ember's tail and then sank in with one swift, almost rough thrust. Ember cried out. It had hurt a little bit, yet somehow it hurt in a good way.

Fleur put her hooves over Ember's shoulders as she started to buck her hips, setting a steady, rapid pace. She pulled Ember back into each stroke, sinking in deeply. Ember moaned. Why did this feel so good? The very idea of anal sex had been alien and bizarre mere minutes ago, and now it was so very good.

It was obviously good for Fleur was well, for Ember could taste her rising passion. After all they had done, it wasn't surprising that it didn't take long for Fleur to be on the edge of her peak. She started bucking her hips harder, in an almost frantic rhythm, slamming into Ember. That hurt even more, yet still, somehow, it was good. Ember cried out repeatedly, her head tipped back, and her body tensed as she clenched down hard on Fleur's cock. She desperately wanted Fleur to come, wanted to please her, to be filled with her seed and taste the pleasure of her release.

"Please," she found herself moaning.

"Ah... yes... Yes!" Fleur's thrusting suddenly turned short and jerky as she came hard, hot seed flooding into Ember, hot passion overwhelming her senses. Ember cried out with her, not in climax herself, but still overcome with a different, mental sort of pleasure knowing that Fleur was coming inside her.

Fleur slowly slumped down on Ember's back, and Ember lowered her head to the mattress with a deep sigh. She felt completely exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Feels like you had a lot of fun there. Far's mental voice was startling, and Ember's eyes flew open.

You were watching?

I was trying not to, but there was a little bleed over. I don't know what you did, but I can tell you had a good time.

Yeah. Mmm. Thank you again.

Hey, this way you're happy, and I don't have to be pressured to have sex, or feel guilty I'm denying you sex. And getting a hit of the afterglow without any of the work is not bad either, I think.

"That was rather delightful." Fancy climbed back into the bed. Fleur shifted off of Ember's back and sprawled beside her, and Fancy stretched himself out on the other side with a yawn.

"It was one of the nicest threesomes I've had. Better than the last one, with that girl we hired from Rosie's."

"Indeed. I trust you enjoyed it as well, Ember?"

"Oh yes. Very much so." Then what Fleur had said suddenly registered with her. "Wait... last time you hired someone? You mean doing this is a job, that a pony can be paid for?"

"It is indeed. Some ponies make quite good money doing it, I'm told."

Now there's a thought... I've wondered what kind of job you could do. I didn't think of having you be a courtesan, said Far, with a thoughtful tone to his mental voice.

"They more than earn it," said Fleur. "Not all customers are the two of us." She grinned. "Quite a few are rather bad at sex. Or awkward. Or want strange fetishes. Though as far as that goes, if we keep seeing you, I might introduce you to a few of my own fetishes. But yes, it's definitely a job, and potentially a lucrative one."

Do you like the idea of being paid to have sex?

You know, I think I do, said Ember. "That's really interesting," she said aloud. "Do you think you could... I don't know, introduce me to somebody who knows more?"

"It would be our pleasure," said Fancy. Then he chuckled and added. "Tomorrow. Right now I am quite tired. Far said he had an eight hour shift, so I'm sure he won't mind if we occupy the bed for at least a nap while he's away."

Fleur yawned. "Yes, a nap sounds delightful. If you don't mind, Ember?"

"Mmm, it is definitely nap time," said Ember drowsily. But as she began to drift, warm and thoroughly worn out between the two unicorns, her mind ran over the thought of being paid to do this. Somehow that felt right. She'd wanted to find some way to fit into the pony world. None of the other ideas she'd had seemed to suit her. Most jobs were entirely outside her abilities, or terrified her, or bored her. But this... yes.

The last thought she had, before slipping into sleep, was that she needed to find out if there was a symbol for courtesans, because if there was, then she had found her cutie mark at last.

Ember tried very hard not to yawn.

Yawning was probably not sexy, and she was supposed to be looking sexy. She also tried to not shift uncomfortably in her lacy pink lingerie. Supposedly, it set off her teal green mane and tail. She wasn't sure about that, but Madame Rosie had insisted. All her girls wore the skimpy, frilly outfits, in whatever colors the Madame thought suited them, and that was that.

The stallion currently looking over the room full of mares stared at Ember for a moment. She was not only the tallest one there, she was quite definitely the only changeling. Most of the stallions who came to the brothel gaped at her for a while. Most of them then went on to pick somepony else. Indeed, this particular stallion headed for one of Ember's co-workers, and soon had vanished into the back with her. Ember didn't resent being passed over at all, though. She got at least one customer most nights, and that was all she really needed.

The taste of her client's emotions was delicious, and the easing of her constant urge to mate was wonderful. She went whole weeks without really being bothered by it now. She was also starting to feel more confident about imitating famous ponies. She was sure her imitations were far from perfect, but her clients didn't really seem to mind. Mostly, she didn't need to talk much anyway.

The sex itself, she had to admit, was sometimes a little boring. Without the love bond she had with Far Gaze or the close friendship she'd developed with Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis, sex sometimes seemed a little bit mechanical. She could taste the passion her customers felt, and it was good to quench her own need, but after three months working at Rosie's, sex itself just wasn't that enticing. It was a vaguely pleasant necessity, that was all.

Which probably explained why the clients with fetishes were starting to be the ones she enjoyed the most. Their odd variations on sex were so interesting! And those variations seemed to come in an endless variety. Some of them were more work to satisfy than others, and some she found she herself liked more than others, but they were all completely fascinating. Ember was delighted every time she encountered a new one.

Tonight, she'd already had one unfortunately boring stallion who'd simply wanted to have sex with Princess Celestia. She did Celestia a lot. She did Princess Luna a lot too, though not quite as often. She'd long ago resolved that if she ever met Princess Luna she would absolutely never mention that particular fact to her. Though maybe Luna already knew. If she was the Princess of Dreams, she probably saw a lot of erotic dreams. I bet she knows more about sex than any pony alive, thought Ember with an inward giggle. I've learned so much in less than a year. She's hundreds and hundreds of years old, and has been watching dreams all that time.

She was drawn from her amused thoughts by a hint of unpleasant flavor in the air. It wasn't strong, the pony in question couldn't be that close to her, but the taste was so distinct, so instantly recognizable that it drew her attention. It was the dark, almost herbal flavor of self-loathing. It was a bit like anise, but not really in a good way. It held hints of the acid taste of guilt and the bitter flavor of sadness, resulting in an unpleasant, rotten bouquet. Ember wrinkled her nose involuntarily, despite that expression being very un-sexy, and looked around for the source.

Immediately she saw a unicorn stallion who had to be responsible. Madame Rosie had just ushered him into the room, and the blank look on his face matched the bleakness of the emotion she tasted. He was of fairly average build, perhaps a bit on the pudgy side, with a gray coat that looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks and a slightly untidy brown mane and tail. His cutie mark was a trio of stacked bricks, and his eyes were grass green.

Those eyes were fixed on Ember, but he didn't look surprised to see her. He said something, pointing a hoof at her, and though Ember couldn't quite make out what he'd said, she suspected he was telling Rosie he'd chosen her for his night's entertainment.

Indeed, a moment later Rosie was escorting him to Ember's side. "Ember will take good care of you," Rosie was saying as the stallion halted next to Ember. That unpleasant taste was stronger now, it was definitely coming from him. He didn't meet Ember's eyes, but just mumbled something under his breath.

"Let's go somewhere more private," said Ember with a smile, trying to sound reassuring. She wasn't sure exactly what to do. She'd tasted bits of shame and sorrow on clients before, but this was worse than usual.

"Okay," said the stallion. Ember rose to her feet, towering over him. Some clients didn't like that. This one barely seemed to notice. Ember frowned faintly, then tried to smooth her expression, remembering the things Rosie had told her about customer service and trying to always seem pleasant.

"Come with me." Ember led the way out of the room, down a door-lined hall, and into a baroquely decorated bedroom. This room was hers, so Ember had been able to set up some things the way she wanted, but as with the lingerie, Rosie had insisted on a certain style of decor. It was not at all to Ember's taste, but she put up with it.

Inside, with the door shut, Ember settled herself on the floor. "So, tell me what I can do for you, sir," she said, still keeping a pleasant smile on her face.

"They said... well, they said you can turn into any pony?"

"I have to know what they look like, so not any pony. But I can do most celebrities, or anypony you have a good photograph of."

"Well, I guess she'd kind of a celebrity. Could you do Twilight Sparkle?"

Ember smiled. "It happens that I've met her once, so yes, I could."

"That's what I'd like. I know it's stupid. I know I shouldn't be here, wanting this. She's the Element of Magic and Celestia's special student and has saved Equestria like three times, and I'm nobody. She'd never even talk to me, I'm sure. I just... really want to know what it'd be like. If she did. Sorry."

Ember tilted her head curiously. "What are you apologizing for?"

He looked away from her, and the flavor of self-loathing grew even stronger. "For being so pathetic I have to be here, wanting this from you. You probably don't want to have anything to do with me either."

"That's silly. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be with a pony who seems unattainable. That's what I do. I wouldn't have a job if lots of ponies didn't want that kind of thing. Nobody comes and asks a changeling to turn into somebody they're actually dating, you know."

The stallion blinked at her, as if he'd never thought of that. "Most stallions can at least talk to a mare, though. They probably just come here after they get shot down. I can't even get the balls to do that."

Ember shook her head, thinking of being Celestia again. "I really don't think so. I suspect most of them have never asked." Then, deciding that they should probably move forward, added, "So what do you want to do while you're here? Anything in particular? Many clients just want straightforward sex, which is quite fine, but if there's anything else you'd like, I'd be happy to oblige."

"Oh. Uhm. I'm not sure about sex." He actually blushed a little bit, which Ember found rather charming. "I thought we could maybe... talk? Or go out on a date? I don't know if you do that."

Ember shook her head. "I wouldn't go out in public as somepony else. It's possibly illegal, for one thing, and it has the potential to cause trouble. I only imitate ponies in private. But I'd be happy to just sit here and be Twilight and talk to you. In fact..." Ember gathered her power, picturing Twilight, remembering how she looked, how she sounded, everything she could recall from their one brief encounter. Green flames washed over her and a moment later the tall, dark changeling was gone and a short, lavender unicorn stood in her place. "There." She smiled brightly at the stallion. "Hi! I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you."

The stallion blushed even more, ducking his head shyly. "I... uhm. You can call me Gray, I guess. Uh. Er. It's nice to meet you."

Ember climbed up into the bed and sprawled in a slightly graceless way on the silk coverlet. She wasn't entirely sure, but she'd gotten the impression that Twilight was a little physically awkward at times, and she was trying to work on imitating those sorts of things more accurately. "Come sit next to me," she said, patting a spot on the bed, "and tell me about yourself."

"Er. Okay." Gray was even more awkward than Ember had been as he climbed into the bed, and he sat perched on the edge of it, leaning a little bit away from Ember.

"Hey, I don't bite," said Ember, and scooted closer to Gray.

He gave a sort of nervous chuckle, and didn't move away, at least. He was still sitting very stiffly, though, obviously tensed up.

Ember patted his shoulder. "Relax a little. Tell me something about you. How did you get your cutie mark?"

"Oh, er, that's not really very interesting."

"Come on, everypony's cutie mark story is interesting to them, or it wouldn't be their cutie mark."

"I guess. I was just playing with blocks as a foal. It's not like I can do anything special."

"Hey now, don't put yourself down like that." Ember smiled warmly and turned her patting into a rubbing motion, trying to get him to relax.

"It's true though."

"I don't believe it for a minute. I'm sure you have a talent. Do you have a job?"

Gray shrugged uncomfortably. "I build things. Any pony could do my job. I'm just a nobody."

"That's just silly. Everypony is somepony or they wouldn't be a pony at all. You're somepony; you're the nice, interesting pony who's here with me." Ember leaned in and nuzzled Gray's cheek. He froze, going completely rigid. "The nice, really tense pony," said Ember with a tiny frown when Gray didn't respond at all. "I think you need a massage."

Gray blinked at her. "A massage?"

"Yes," said Ember firmly, nodding. "I've been learning how to give them, so the practice will help me out, too. I mean, you don't absolutely have to get one. But I'd like to give you one."

"Uhm. Okay, I guess."

"See? I told you that you were a nice pony. Thank you! Now lie down on your stomach on the bed." Gray stretched himself out somewhat hesitantly, repeatedly glancing back at Ember. She smiled reassuringly and settled herself straddling his legs. She leaned forward, letting her belly press against his rump as her hooves began seeking spots of tension along his neck and withers. She was discovering that she liked giving massages. They were a way to build a comfortable intimacy. She could taste her client's feelings, but that ran entirely one way, they had no such connection to her. The physical closeness of the massage created a connection, while remaining safely non-sexual until both parties were ready for it to become more intimate. Massage was a good way to deal with the nervous, and a good way to get herself wound up a bit on those nights like tonight when she'd already had one client and so wasn't desperate for release.

Feeling Gray's warm hide against her own false pony skin, Ember felt the first tingles of desire. As Gray began to relax a little bit she tasted a hint of spice from him as well. He wasn't turned on, not quite yet, but some brief thought of lust was almost certainly passing through his mind as she worked.

The foul flavor of his self-loathing was fading a bit, as well. It had eased slightly as they had spoken, and a little more as she began the massage. She wondered if she could do away with it entirely. Perhaps not, but it was worth trying. She didn't like the idea of a pony feeling so awful about himself, it didn't seem right. She shifted her massage down Gray's back, working her way to his rump, where she rubbed gently over his cutie marks. The taste of lust reappeared at that, making Ember smile. She worked over his rump for a while, thinking. She wished she could come up with some perfect plan, but nothing wonderful came to mind. Still, the taste of lust on her tongue and her own slowly waking desire sent her thoughts down one particular path. Perhaps if she merely showed Gray that he was desirable it might ease some of what he felt.

With her decision made, Ember slid her hooves up Gray's back to his withers. Then she bent over him, laying her body over his, and nuzzling at the back of his neck. "Feeling more relaxed?"

"Uhm." He was blushing again, and she tried not to giggle at it. "Yes?"

"Good." She ran her muzzle up a bit and nibbled at his ear, "I know you said you weren't sure about sex, but I hope you don't mind if I get a little bit... physical." She nipped his ear lightly, and smiled when she felt him shiver in reaction.

"I. Er. I don't mind. But you don't have to. I don't want to make you. I know it's just your job."

Ember chuckled. "You said you'd pay just to talk to me. I believe you. But I want more than just talk."

"With me? But... but... I'm not... I mean, I'm not handsome. I'm just a fat loser who can't even talk to a mare."

"You're here, talking to me," said Ember, and she nipped his ear again. He flicked it, and she could taste a half dozen conflicting flavors floating in the air around him as desire warred with uncertainty, and belief that she meant what she said fought against the self-loathing that told him she couldn't really believe it. She decided to lend desire a further hoof and lifted her head to nuzzle at the base of his horn.

He tipped his head back just a bit, instinctively, and Ember ran her muzzle up the length of it. It was awkward, though, she had to stretch out to reach it. Still, he seemed to quite like her attention there, so she decided to continue. She climbed off of him, and he looked at her with something like disappointment in his face. "Let's get comfortable, shall we?" she said, and re-settled herself next to him on the bed, laying with her legs tucked up neatly under her, her body against Gray's side, where with him still on his stomach, her head was at just the right height for her to reach his horn.

"You don't have to..." he started again as she settled into place.

"But I want to," she replied and then ran her tongue up his horn. This had the desired effect of both cutting off his protest as he let out a little, involuntary moan, and sending a spike of desire through him that she could taste, driving out most of the warring emotions she'd sensed.

She made a soft, humming sound of satisfaction and drew her tongue up Gray's horn once again, slowly this time, tracing along one of the spirals. He tilted his head slightly, turning his horn towards her a bit. She swirled her tongue around the tip, feeling the smooth hardness of it, enjoying the faint not-quite-taste of his magical field that tingled on her tongue. The hardness of it made her think of other things, and she felt the heat of her desire starting to build further. "Stars, I want you, Gray," she murmured, her muzzle pressed against his horn. She felt him shiver, and she couldn't name the taste of the emotion that caused it, though the spice of lust was blended with it.

Her eyes half-lidded with desire, Ember took the tip of Gray's horn into her mouth. He groaned softly as she sank down, taking as much of his horn as she could. She worked her tongue along it, feeling its grooves and ridges. She knew she was getting wet as she started working back and forth on Gray's horn, tasting the fizzing tingle of his magic as she did. That taste blended with the growing taste of his desire, which in turn seemed to be merging with the heat of her own lust.

The pace of her motion along his horn increased and Ember closed her eyes to better focus on what she was doing. The dual tastes of lust and magic were growing stronger, and she knew that Gray might spark soon. A little part of her remembered the last time a stallion had done that in her mouth, and she thought maybe she should stop, the sensation could be a little painful, especially if the stallion's magic was strong.

But she didn't really want to stop. She wanted the reward of Gray's pleasure, the blissful release of magic that meant she'd done everything just right. Perhaps she could time it perfectly, and pull back as he sparked. But she was likely to get it wrong, she wasn't all that experienced with this particular act yet.

With a kind of mental shrug she threw caution to the wind and committed to seeing this to the end. She hadn't lied when she said she wanted Gray. She wanted this; wanted his pleasure, wanted the taste of his lust, and the hardness of his horn in her mouth. She wanted even more than that, if he was willing. So she continued with fervent intensity, her tongue caressing, her lips sliding up and down, seeking the increased tingling that meant she was doing it right.

Suddenly Gray himself pulled away from her with a low cry, and a fountain of sparks shot from his horn, showering over her in little flecks of silvery light that crackled like static, almost painful but not quite. She sighed happily as she saw his blissful expression, and tasted his pleasure, feeling almost as if she should purr in contentment.

"Wow," said Gray after a long moment of silence.

"Mmm hmm. That was very nice," said Ember, just a little smugly.

There was another long pause, in which Ember tasted a mix of things. She caught a hint of that unpleasant flavor again, and Gray said, "I guess I should go."

"Nope," said Ember.

Gray blinked at her. "Huh?"

Ember leaned forward, aiming somewhat lower than the horn this time, and kissed Gray right on the lips. When she drew back she paused a moment, hunting for the right words, and finally said, "I said I wanted you. You can go if you really want to, but what I want is for you to stay. I want more than just your horn. I want you. All of you. I want you to take me, ravish me, have your way with me, however you want to put it. I want you, Gray."

"I..." Gray swallowed, hard, and a wave of sudden lust rolled off of him.

Ember kissed him again, and this time he kissed back. When she pushed her tongue into his mouth he answered, twisting his tongue with hers passionately. She moaned softly into the kiss, her need rising. She'd waited long enough, she didn't want to wait any longer. She turned as she lay beside Gray and wrapped her hooves around him, then pulled him to roll atop her. He let out a little startled squeak, but when she pulled him down for a kiss, he pressed his body tight to hers willingly.

The curve of his stomach pushed against her belly, and she felt his erection pinned between them, a hot hardness that only fanned the flames of her desire higher. Her hooves roamed his body, feeling and touching and pulling him hard against her, her lips locked to his.

He broke off the kiss, panting, and shifted, trying to line his cock up. Ember immediately moved to help, guiding him with her hoof so that the head of his member pushed against her entrance. She spread her legs, shifting her own hips, seeking just the right angle, and then—oh so wonderfully—he pushed in at last, sinking into her wet heat easily.

She moaned, and she heard him groan faintly as well. He started to move in an instinctive rhythm. She locked her legs around his hips, holding him tight to her, encouraging each stroke to go deeply within her. "Oh, Gray," she said, wrapping her forelegs around him as well. The taste in the air was now pure lust, with nothing else to taint it. He thrust into her faster, his muzzle buried against her shoulder. She tipped her head back, moaning, her hooves digging into his shoulders as she grabbed him hard. Everything was intense and wonderful, as good as she'd hoped it could be.

Gray was panting hard, and there was something in the taste of his passion, in the way he was moving, that told Ember he was close. "Oh Twilight," he groaned.

For an instant that shocked her out of her passion, disorienting her. She was not Twilight. But of course at the moment she was. Someday she hoped she would get used to being called by other names. For now it was strange and jarring, but it didn't remotely ruin things, for only seconds later it was forgotten as she slipped back into her state of primal need. She wanted to bring Gray to his peak, to have his seed within her. That was the only thing that mattered.

It wasn't long before she got what she desired. With one last low cry Gray came, his hips tight to her, his cock pressing deeply as his seed filled her. A shiver went through Ember and she let out a soft cry of bliss at the sensation. It was absolutely wonderful.

After a long moment Gray slowly relaxed atop her. Ember sighed happily and stroked a hoof down his back. "That was very nice," she said, her voice drowsy and content.

"Mm," said Gray, a little incoherently. Ember shifted, rolling him off of her, and he cooperated, sliding to lie on his side on the bed.

"I think we need to clean up," said Ember with a smile. Her horn glowed. She knew the green would ruin the illusion a bit, but Gray didn't seem to mind as her warm magic cleaned his seed from his cock, and from herself as well.

When she was done Gray hesitantly said, "It really was good for you?"

"It was absolutely perfect," she replied, smiling warmly.

"Really?"

"Really. You can come back any time and I definitely won't mind." She tasted a mix of emotional flavors from the stallion, but she caught a hint of a deep pleasure, that went beyond mere physical satisfaction. It was sweet, the way love was sweet, and she drank it in.

"Maybe. I don't know. Being with you... with Twilight... it wasn't quite like my fantasy." He frowned faintly, trying to puzzle through some no doubt complicated thoughts.

"Reality never is. And this isn't all that real, as far as Twilight herself goes." Ember let her magic burn over her skin, returning herself to her natural form. "But it was pretty real as far I am concerned, and I did really enjoy myself."

"Well... I'm glad then." Gray gave her a soft, almost shy smile.

"I am too," said Ember. She rose from the bed and stepped towards the door. "Unfortunately even good things must eventually end, and I think your time is nearly up."

"Oh. Uhm. Thank you."

"Thank you," said Ember, still smiling warmly.

After Gray had gone, Ember thought about the experience she'd just had. The sex itself had been good, and it wasn't always good, some stallions really were bad in bed. Mostly the ones that had a "technique" that they swore by, in her still admittedly limited experience. Putting that aside, though, what she'd really enjoyed had been the way Gray had left feeling so much better than when he'd arrived.

Oh, certainly most of her customers felt better, but in a very superficial way, simply because they'd had sex and enjoyed it. Gray had come in feeling genuinely bad about himself, and had left feeling at least a little bit more confident.

She had helped him.

She hadn't just satisfied herself, or satisfied him, she'd actually helped him.

It felt good.

She'd tasted love. She tasted it every day, from Far Gaze. But the brief taste of whatever bit of positive feeling he'd felt had been somehow better than love to her, even though it wasn't as powerful or as good a flavor. A pony that had come in tasting of self-hate had gone out tasting of something that if she were to put a name to it might be called self-love. Not overwhelmingly so, she knew she hadn't fundamentally "fixed" him. But she'd helped, even if it was just a little bit.

The moment, some months past, when she had decided to choose a courtesan's cutie mark, had felt like an ending, like she'd finally figured out who she was and what she would do with her life. She changed to her pony form and looked back at that mark now, at the triskelion that she'd settled on as best symbolizing what she liked about the way she'd found to fit into the pony world. Perhaps picking that mark hadn't been an ending. Perhaps it had been just one step.

Now she'd taken another, and she had a sudden vision of a path stretching out ahead of her, with many more ponies to help as she traveled along her way.

She checked out of Rosie's at the front desk and began to make her way home, still mulling over that thought. When she arrived, with the gray of early morning beginning to brighten towards the dawn, she found Far Gaze only just arriving himself. They both stepped inside and kissed briefly, physically reaffirming their love.

Then Ember said, "I think it's time for me to start planning for the future. I have an idea about what I want to do with my life."

"I take it you had an interesting night?" said Far.

Ember chuckled. "Definitely."

"Well then, tell me all about it, and let's make some plans."

Harvest Moon landed on the cobblestones with a little flourish of his bat-like wings. There was nopony there to see, but that was beside the point. He was feeling quite good and very much looking forward to this evening's activities. There was, admittedly, a faint hint of nervousness somewhere down near the base of his spine, but it was a good sort of fear. Tonight was going to be exciting in ways he probably couldn't even imagine.

He looked up at the red lantern that glowed beside the door he was about to enter and grinned, showing short, sharp fangs. This was going to be a lot of fun.

Inside he paid his bits to the unicorn behind the desk, but was told he would have to wait. He frowned. "How long?"

"Not long. She's simply cleaning up after her last customer."

"Could I book an appointment, next time?"

"Of course. Shall I put you down for one?"

Harvest nodded. He couldn't imagine very many reasons to not come back. "Might as well."

They spent a few moments working out what time would suit, and the unicorn noted it down in a little book, which he then closed with a satisfied snap.

Harvest sat and waited, looking around the plushly furnished little antechamber curiously. Everything was quality, speaking of wealth and opulence. He wondered how Ember afforded it, given how cheap her prices were. He watched the fire cheerfully burning in the hearth for a while, and after what seemed like a small eternity but was probably no more than twenty minutes at most, the unicorn coughed gently and said, "Ember will see you now."

Harvest spared a moment to wonder how the stallion knew, since Ember certainly hadn't come out and told him. But no doubt it was some unicorn magic thing. He shrugged mentally and trotted through the door, eager—if slightly nervous—anticipation filling him.

"Harvest Moon." Ember was seated on her lounge again, smiling warmly despite her long fangs. "It's good to see you again. Come, sit down."

He settled onto the couch across from her. "Uhm. Hi."

"So, what can I do for you tonight? Much the same as your previous visit?"

"Ah. Uhm. Yes. Maybe, uhm, a little more?"

Ember raised one eyebrow and smiled a bit wider. "More?"

"I just... well... I liked what you did. A lot. So, uhm..." He tried to settle his nervousness. Considering what Ember had done to him, just talking shouldn't be embarrassing, right? "The biting. And the things you said. And I, uh... I..." He took a deep breath then finally blurted, "I thought maybe you could use a knife or something."

"Ah, I see. A slightly different scene than the dangerous changeling queen. What sort of danger, then? A sexy spy?" Green fire flashed and a slender, elegant unicorn mare—bone white with a shocking red mane and tail—lay there, giving him a sultry glance. Harvest licked his lips. She was very alluring. "Or perhaps something rougher, more simple, more... in theme with the knife itself might appeal?" Changeling fire this time revealed a unicorn stallion, blue of coat and mane, but rough, with an unshaven scruff and a scar across his face. He leered at Harvest, and Harvest felt a knot form in his throat. He swallowed. This form was not alluring. Not even remotely. And yet... He shivered.

Ember chuckled softly. "I suspect I could get a very enjoyable experience from the first. But this one..." Her—his? Harvest couldn't really think of this rough pony as a mare—grin widened and he said, "Ah yes. I recall that last time you wanted to be afraid. This will do for fear, don't you think?"

"It... yes. Uhm. Yes." Harvest swallowed again, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Although you said you liked the biting. Perhaps one more small change." The grin was suddenly even more toothy, fangs as long as Harvest's own, and perhaps a little bit sharper, appearing with a faint flicker of green.

Harvest licked his lips.

"Now, you do remember the safe words I explained last time?"

Harvest nodded.

"Excellent. Since you do specifically want knives, I assume a little blood will be okay?"

Harvest gulped. "A little, yes. Not like... everywhere, I don't want to have to see a doctor. But some."

"Of course. Though you may have some very small scars. I use quite sharp knives, but I can't guarantee no scarring."

He nodded. "That's okay."

Ember smiled again. "And... are you still interested in sex along with the other fun things I'm going to do to you?"

Harvest found himself blushing a little, but nodded again.

"Also excellent. In that case, why don't we retire to the bedroom, where I can retrieve a knife from my toy collection, and we can get started?"

Harvest nodded once more, feeling like a bit of an idiot for not knowing what to say, but also feeling a rising tingle of pleasantly fearful anticipation. This was going to be intense.

Inside the bedroom, Harvest hovered a bit uncertainly, not knowing where to go, while Ember went to a closet door that he hadn't noticed on this last visit. He had been rather distracted, so he'd had good reason for missing it. Inside it proved to be lined with shelves, and the shelves were mostly covered in boxes. One box was soon withdrawn in Ember's emerald magic and set on the floor in front of Harvest. It had an assortment of small tools. Ember pulled three knives from it and hovered them in his field before Harvest's eyes. "Would you like to pick the blade I'm going to cut you with?"

Harvest hesitated, then tapped a folding knife with his hoof somewhat shakily. As Ember put away the other two and stowed the box again, he said, "I was worried you might not have even one. I thought about bringing my own."

"You can always bring your own toys if you like. But knifeplay is, well, if not exactly common then not exactly rare either. You are not the first to be interested in it."

"Oh." He knew that he wasn't alone, of course, but he had thought such things were very rare indeed. Then again, Ember hardly moved in typical circles. "Common" among Ember's customers didn't necessarily mean common, did it? Still, there was something a little reassuring about knowing he wasn't a complete freak.

"But it's time to start, now." As that last syllable fell from the rough stallion's lips his horn glowed and several things happened at once. The room's light switched off, plunging Harvest into darkness. Even his batpony eyes couldn't adjust instantly, so for a moment it was a shock. The light from the closet was still on, just leaking out of the nearly-closed door, backlighting Ember dramatically. He lunged forward at that same instant, shoulder-checking Harvest a little bit roughly. It didn't quite bowl him over but it sent him back on his hindquarters. And even as he did that, Ember also swung the knife forward in his magic, holding the tip at Harvest's throat, instantly cutting off the urge to try to rise back to a more steady stance.

He froze exactly where he was, his heart pounding. Ember crowded up against him, chest to chest, that rough stallion's form proving to be a few inches taller than Harvest was. He spoke in Harvest's ear, a harsh not-quite whisper. "If you know what's good for you, you're going to be very, very well-behaved for me tonight, colt."

Harvest swallowed hard, and felt the tip of the knife prick a bit more firmly as he did. He bit back a whimper. "Y-yes."

"That's 'yes sir,' colt!" The knife pushed just a little harder, and Harvest tried very hard not to flinch.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Better." Ember smiled. It was a sadistic sort of smile that definitely showed off his sharp fangs. "Now I'm going to get a few more things I need. You are going to sit right here and not move even an inch, or when I get back I'll make you regret it. Got it?

"Yes sir."

"Good." Ember turned and vanished back into the walk in closet. Harvest sat very still, trying to slow his breathing just a bit. This version of Ember was almost more terrifying than the evil changeling queen. It felt less like a fantasy, more like the scenario they were playing out might be real somehow.

When Ember reappeared, he was carrying several coils of rope in his magic. "Up on the bed," he ordered, frowning at Harvest.

Harvest climbed up into the large bed. Ember dropped the rope beside him, then shoved him over onto his back, using both hooves and magic to push and position him. He found he was breathing fast again, his heart already pounding in anticipation. Ember started tying his hooves to the bed, one at a time, pulling him this way and that as she did so. He was taking his time, looping and knotting each rope with care. The slowness was almost maddening. Harvest squirmed, tugging against each restraint as it was completed. They were very secure, he felt no give, and though they weren't so tight as to hurt, they were certainly too tight to wiggle out of, no matter how he tried.

At last Ember was finished, and sat back to admire his work. Harvest squirmed more as Ember looked him up and down. Tied on his back like this he felt dreadfully exposed, and his already partially erect cock was extremely obvious. He flushed as Ember grinned lasciviously down at him. "Very nice. And you held still for me, so I don't have to make you regret it. On the other hoof, I never did say what I was going to do to you if you obeyed, did I?" He flicked open the knife with an audible click.

Harvest shivered. Ember floated the knife in front of his face, hovering in a green glow. "Now let's see. Where shall I begin? Somewhere where the marks won't show much, I think." With that he moved the knife down, and Harvest felt the prick of it against his chest, right in the center. He held perfectly still, trying to not even breathe. He felt the knife draw down along his chest, barely brushing at first, then moving back up pressing in harder, enough to hurt a little. He let out a low moan.

"Maybe I'll draw a pretty picture on you. How would you like to have my cutie mark say, right about there?" The knife dragged down suddenly, harshly, making Harvest cry out in shock, and stopped just at his navel. It stayed there, holding still for a long moment and Harvest, trembling, lifted his head and looked down. He expected to see a bloody line, but his hide was still unmarked. The knife was resting against his stomach reversed, Ember had been using the back, blunted side.

Ember laughed. "Hurts more than you'd expect, doesn't it? I'll get to the real fun soon enough, though." He traced the reversed knife in a circle around Harvest's navel, then dipped it lower, running it along the inside of one thigh. Harvest whimpered. The scraping, pricking touch of the knife's tip did hurt even if it didn't cut, and the skin there was very sensitive. The hardening of his erection revealed all that needed be said about the effect the pain and fear were having on him, though.

The knife glided up again, and twisted suddenly, turning, the sharp edge now set against Harvest's skin. He caught his breath, once again freezing completely. It rested at the center of his chest again, and this time Ember moved it in a little flick to one side, swift yet controlled. Harvest hardly felt it, it had been so fast, but red beaded bright against his dark coat now.

"Ah, there's the sweet sight of your blood. How delightful. We'll both see more of it before I'm done," said Ember. He bent then and lapped up the scant drops, his tongue slow and sensuous against Harvest's chest. "Delicious."

Harvest let out a low moan. The licking made the wound sting more than the cutting itself had. Ember chuckled softly, darkly, and traced the knife along his ribs, just brushing the point through his fur. He ran it along the outside of Harvest's thigh this time, over the cutie mark. Harvest shuddered. The thought of getting a scar across his mark was uniquely terrifying. Ember wouldn't actually do that, would he? He realized he hadn't asked him not to, and shuddered again as he felt the knife press harder. He flinched away from it, panting hard, but once again saw that Ember had reversed the knife and was using the back side.

But even as Ember moved the knife away from his cutie mark and around the front of his thigh, he reversed it again, and it bit in, drawing a thin red line across the front of his thigh. Harvest whimpered, then moaned again as once more Ember lapped at the wound. This time, after licking the blood from it, he nipped Harvest's thigh sharply. "You are a tasty little morsel, colt."

He turned his head as he lifted it and blew a warm breath over Harvest's cock, then laughed when it twitched and Harvest moaned in response. "You don't want me to pay attention to your little prick, colt. Not while I have the knife out." And he ran the back of the knife, not even the tip, just the cool metal, along Harvest's cock briefly, which made him freeze once again, actually holding his breath. Ember laughed again, and moved the knife on.

The teasing continued for what seemed like forever, mostly using the back and the very tip, almost never drawing blood, but occasionally biting in. There were more than half a dozen shallow red lines showing through Harvest's hide by the time Ember at last set the knife down. Most had been licked clean, but a few oozed blood still.

Ember looked down at Harvest, putting on a mock-thoughtful expression, resting his chin on his hoof. "Now whatever shall I do to you next? I suppose I could cut a little bit deeper, do some real damage, but then you'd no doubt end up fainting, and it's no fun without an audience. I could try cutting something off, maybe. You wouldn't miss an ear, would you? Or maybe I could cut one of those wings a little, hmm?"

Harvest instinctively pulled his wings tight against his sides. The membranes on the bat-like wings were terribly fragile. He could still fly with a little damage, but it wouldn't take much to ground him.

Ember laughed. "I could do anything at all to you, colt, and you couldn't stop me." He floated the knife to Harvest's throat and drew the tip slowly across it. "I could end this, right here, right now, if I wanted to."

Harvest shivered, his heart pounding.

"Maybe I could cut off something a little more near and dear to you than an ear?" The knife was suddenly at Harvest's groin, resting against his ballsack. He whimpered and tried to flinch away from it.

"Ah, but damaging that would be a waste. No, I think I'll try something quite different." Suddenly the knife was moving, but not to touch Harvest. Instead it cut the ropes that bound him, leaving them attached to his legs, but severing them from the bed. Harvest pulled his legs in, rubbing at one wrist with the opposite hoof. Now that he could move again he realized how stiff and uncomfortable he'd become.

But Ember didn't let him just lie there, Ember's magic picked him up, the whole room cast in a green light as the glow covered him completely, and flipped him over in one swift motion.

Before Harvest could even react to that, Ember was atop him, the big, rough stallion's body pinning his down, Ember's hooves on his shoulders, and the hot length of Ember's cock pushing against his flanks. Ember leaned forward and bit his ear, hard. He yelped and Ember laughed, then said, with soft intensity, "I'm going to make you into my mare, colt, and if you fight, I'll go ahead and cut off that nice little dick of yours. So you'd better just lie there and enjoy yourself, got it?"

Harvest whimpered, his ears going flat back against his head. The knife was suddenly there again, pricking at his throat. "I said got it?"

"Uhm, y-yes sir!" stammered Harvest.

"Good." Ember shifted, lifting his rump, rubbing his hard cock under Harvest's tail. Harvest's own tail arched up and aside in eager cooperation, but Ember didn't move to take him immediately. He changed the angle of his hips a bit, pushing his cock between Harvest's legs, pushing beneath him, between the soft bed covers and his body, Ember's cock now rubbing against Harvest's own cock and balls. Harvest let out a low groan at that. The contact felt incredibly good after all the teasing he'd been subjected to.

Then Harvest yelped as Ember bit down on his ear again, hard. Ember chuckled and nipped again, more lightly, then started to nibble down the side of Harvest's neck, all while still slowly rubbing their cocks together.

When Ember reached the sweet spot, just at the base of Harvest's neck, right above the shoulder, he lingered there, nipping roughly, his fangs digging in over Harvest's pounding pulse, making him moan even more.

Ember moved then, lifting his hips away from Harvest to reposition, his cock rubbing now directly beneath Harvest's tail. "Are you ready for me, colt? Ready to be my mare?" Harvest felt a sudden dampness, even as Ember's rough voice whispered in his ear, and realized that he'd cast a lubricating spell. He squirmed, his wings twitching. He wanted to push back onto the hardness that pressed against him, but was pinned too thoroughly to move.

He didn't have to move, though, for Ember soon began to push forward, slowly pushing the head of his cock into Harvest. He paused there, Harvest panting beneath him, wings still trembling faintly. Ember let out a low, almost feral growl and bit down on the back of his neck, hard. Harvest gasped, then cried out as Ember suddenly shoved his hips forward, hilting his cock with one hard thrust.

"Mmm." Ember let go of his neck and whispered in his ear, panting hard himself now. "Now I'm going to show you how I take a mare."

Before he'd even done speaking, Ember started to take him in earnest, thrusting deep and hard each time, nipping and biting at his neck and withers. It was rough and primal and incredibly intense. It became even more so when Ember once again bit at the side of his neck, not over the vein this time but close enough, and didn't hold back when doing so. His fangs sank in, deep and hard, drawing blood, making Harvest let out a cry that had more of pain than pleasure in it. But there was pleasure there too, and as Ember bucked his hips, slamming into Harvest, he was pushed against the bed, his cock trapped between his belly and the blankets rubbed back and forth by the motion. It was rock hard and leaking pre-cum, aroused almost to the point of climax as much from the mental aspects of what Ember had done as from the physical sensation of rubbing against the soft bedding. He half-spread his wings and moaned repeatedly, tensing his body, wanting release. The pain, though, conflicted with the pleasure, keeping him short of achieving it, and he whimpered, tensing harder, clenching down on Ember's cock within him.

"Ahh." Ember let go of his neck and lapped at the bloody fang marks there, murmuring, "Good little mare. Good bitch. You want it, don't you?"

"Stars! Yes! Please..." Now that Ember wasn't biting him so hard the pain faded a little bit, and the pleasure grew. Harvest was already nearly there.

Ember grunted, moving even faster, in short, jerky strokes now. "Yesss. My little bitch. Almost... ahh... Yes!" With a sudden shudder and one more brutally hard thrust Ember came. A few more slower strokes as his seed pumped out into Harvest, filling him, and then he went still. He lay atop Harvest for a long moment, panting. Harvest was panting too, and he squirmed a little bit, his wings fluttering. He hadn't quite gotten there.

Somewhat breathlessly, Ember laughed. "I should just climb off and leave you wanting me, my sweet little bitch mare. But you've been good. So..."

Harvest yelped in surprise, then moaned, as a warmth enveloped his cock. Ember's horn was glowing, his magic wrapping around Harvest, stroking him. He groaned deeply, and then he came, his seed spurting into Ember's field.

For some time afterward the pair simply lay there, both exhausted. Ember had worked hard, and Harvest Moon had been worked hard. Finally Ember climbed off of him and, with a flicker of green fire, returned to her normal form. Harvest rolled over onto his back with a deep sigh. "That..." He stared up at the ceiling, his gaze still somewhat unfocused.

Ember chuckled softly and started untying the ropes that were still attached to his legs. "That was good, I hope."

"Moon and stars, yes."

Ember chuckled again. "I agree. But come, let's get cleaned up."

She helped Harvest to his hooves. He was a little bit unsteady on them. He felt euphoric, but also rather detached, almost as if he were high or drunk. Ember guided him to the big shower, where double shower heads on either side of the tiled cube poured wonderfully warm water over them both. He sighed contentedly and let her soap him up, washing his coat thoroughly and being very careful cleaning all the little cuts she'd left. He winced as she cleaned them, but none were especially long or deep, so they only stung a little bit.

She toweled him off as well, being as gentle and attentive now as she'd been forceful and rough earlier. When that was done she extracted a first aid kit from her apparently well stocked closet, and cleaned the cuts again, this time with an antiseptic, and applied sticking plasters to each of them.

"There you go," she said when that was done. "Feeling better?"

He nodded. "Yes. Thank you. I hadn't really expected you to be so... nice, after."

Ember smiled. "Well, I've found that after very intense sessions most people need a little care, and some time to wind down."

Harvest nodded again. "Thank you."

He flushed a little, realizing he'd just said "thank you" twice, but Ember only smiled and replied, "You're welcome." Then she added, "Did everything else live up to your expectations."

"Yes, absolutely. Very much so. It was all just... amazing."

"I'm glad." Her smile broadened and she gave him a little wink. "And in that case, I shall look forward to seeing you again."

"And art thou ready for our congress, my handsome one?" Ember lay on her back, in the most elegantly seductive pose she could devise, while wearing the shape of Princess Luna, her starry mane spread out on the pillow beneath her.

"I am more than ready to worship your every part, my princess," said Star Dream as he climbed into the bed. He was already breathing fast, the taste of arousal wafting from him. He traced a hoof along Ember's cheek as he bent in, tipping her head so that her lips met his in a softly passionate kiss. As Ember let her eyes slide closed and kissed hotly back, she found herself pleased with how far Star had come. He was growing to be a confident lover, and she had the feeling from a few hints he'd dropped while they discussed this session that he'd gotten a bit of interest from a mare he liked lately, so he might not be returning, or at least not for a while. She always liked it when the shy ones moved beyond needing her.

Here and now, though, she was entirely delighted to have Star there, his body pressing to hers, his tongue delving into her mouth, while his hooves stroked and caressed her. He broke off the kiss, murmuring, "You're so beautiful..."

"Flattery shall get thee everywhere," said Ember a little breathlessly, then let out a soft, low moan of delight as he nibbled down the side of her neck. He nipped just above her shoulder while one hoof slid down to rub at her nipples, making her moan again, a little louder. She could feel, where he was pressing against the side of her flank, that he was already hard and ready, but he was making certain she was ready as well, his hoof caressing and teasing down from her nipples, brushing over her sex lightly, making her gasp and squirm.

He kept up his teasing until she finally rolled to face him and pulled his body to hers, throwing one leg over him. "Torment me no more! I am ready for thee, and I know that thou art ready also."

"Oh yes," he said softly, grinding his hips against hers, his cock rubbing against her entrance. Lying on their sides it was difficult to line things up quite right, so he rolled further, pulling her atop him. She went with him willingly, positioning herself, her tail lifting as she reached with one hoof to help guide his cock to just the right place. Then she sank down, taking him into her dripping pussy in a single stroke that made them both gasp together. His hooves clutched at her flanks, pulling her hard against him, his hips lifting to thrust that last tiny bit into her, and she let out a soft cry as she felt him bottom out, hitting that deep, pleasure-pain spot within. He pulled back, and she cooperated, lifting herself a bit, and then sliding back down as he thrust up again, setting up a steady rhythm.

His hooves began to wander, sliding up her back to caress at the base of her wings. Those were spread out, but they opened wider still, stretching out stiffly as she moaned. Her head tipped back and the pace she set atop him increased. Star, beneath her, was panting hard, his eyes half closed, his own head thrown back too as he thrust with increasing force. His hooves slid back down to her hips, pulling her down hard each time now.

Ember cried out wordlessly with each thrust, wings trembling, body tensing, clenching her inner muscles around Star's cock as hard as she could. He let out a soft gasp, his thrusts changing, no longer pulling back, but just keeping Ember held down tight to him, his hips bucking against her convulsively in short, hard strokes, and then with a final grunt of both effort and pleasure he came hard within her.

She cried out again, shuddering as she felt him come, filled with a pleasure that never grew old as his seed quenched the burning need within her, while she tasted the spicy heat of his passion on her tongue and drew it into her, sating her hunger.

A long, wonderful moment later it was over and Star relaxed, panting. Ember relaxed too, sighing contentedly. "Th'art getting far too good at that," she said somewhat drowsily.

Star chuckled. "I don't know, I think maybe I still need more practice."

"Ha! I see through thy threadbare strategem. Thou art merely seeking excuse to do that again!"

"You got me. Though actually I will have to go soon. Much as I'd like to stay all night..." He shrugged ruefully and smiled up at her.

"Well, I hope thou hast time for a bit of cleaning first. We rather badly need it." Ember climbed off of him and regarded the mess all over both of them with a smile.

Star smiled. "Oh, I suppose I could take a minute to wash up."

"Then let us retire to the washroom." Ember gestured towards the door. Star rose, and together they headed for the large and extensively-furnished bathing room.

Quite some time later they emerged, clean and even further satisfied after a lengthy round of shower shenanigans. "I really do have to go now," said Star.

"But of course," said Ember, nodding. She walked with him to the front room, where she resumed her changeling form. Star was no longer at all frightened by it, though he still preferred her as a pony. But he gave her a quick kiss before leaving all the same.

Ember watched him go with a smile. She was really very pleased with how his confidence had grown. Then she settled herself on her couch with a small yawn. The night was young yet, but she'd gotten what she needed, and wouldn't mind if another customer didn't turn up. She'd been up later than usual the last several nights, so she could use a nap.

Indeed, she had dozed off when Far's mental voice woke her. Incoming, he said far too cheerily.

Ember yawned and stretched. Anybody I know?

Nope, this one's new. Have a look. Far shared his vision with her, and Ember regarded the pegasus who'd walked up to his desk with curiosity. On first glance Ember almost thought the pony was a mare, he was quite short and fairly slender, but there was a hint of something coltish about his muzzle, and he walked like a colt as he strode up to the counter.

"It's fifty bits to see Ember," said Far.

"If everything I hear is true, that's a very good price," said the colt. His voice too was a bit light, a high tenor, though he was obviously speaking at the bottom of his register. His coat was a light blue, with a green and pink streaked mane and tail, both cropped quite short. His cutie mark bore and needle and thread, sewing up a fabric heart.

That wasn't what made Ember perk up and regard him with interested curiosity, though, nor was the also somewhat feminine cutie mark what had made her settle on "he" for her mental pronoun for the colt. Those both came from the aura Far could see around him, and which Ember could see too through his eyes. The colt's body was twisted with tentacles of pink threaded with black, while an entirely separate aura, this one light blue and shot through with golden light, flowed from his head and his heart, wrapping around the other until it almost covered it. Ember had seen an aura like that before, and she was fairly certain she knew what it meant.

The colt counted out the bits, and Far directed him through the door to the parlor beyond, where Ember sat waiting.

As he entered the room, Ember tasted his emotions. A hint of desire was there, but foremost was a kind of nervous dread. It was a heavy taste, laden with something that was as much resignation as fear. Ember was fairly certain that despite the colt's outwardly confident demeanor, he was expecting things to go quite badly here. It was almost heartbreaking.

"Greetings. I am Ember."

"I'm Mender," said the colt with a polite nod.

"Come, sit by me," said Ember, gesturing at the couch opposite hers.

Mender settled himself on it in a comfortable sprawl, projecting an air of lazy confidence. He still tasted of that dread and resignation, and Ember couldn't help but admire how well he hid it. But then she was fairly certain that he'd had far too much experience with needing to hide his true self.

She picked her words with that in mind. "So, to borrow a cliche, what's a nice young colt like you doing in a place like this?"

He blinked at her for a moment, then laughed, and she tasted a sudden spike of actual joy from him, strong and clean. "Well, I'm told you're the best, ah, courtesan in Canterlot. I, well..." the joy faded away, though he still smiled at her. "I happen to have some unique problems in finding a mate. I have needs, though, so while I search for the near-impossible, here I am."

"And a handsome young fellow like you has trouble attracting mares?" said Ember, fishing for an answer, but wanting to pay a further compliment all the same. She didn't get another pulse of joy though, but instead a surge of bitterness.

His smile faded slightly and he gave a little sigh. "I really don't have any experience with mares, that's part of the problem. And... well, I'd have to tell you eventually anyway. I'm not... well..." He fidgeted for a moment, folding and refolding his wings, then sighed and said, "I'm transgender."

"Ah, I see." Ember smiled at him. She'd been right about what his aura meant. "I have a dear friend who is transgender. It can be quite a struggle to find a compatible partner, yes. Many ponies are still rather uneducated about your situation."

He blinked at her, startled by her easy acceptance. She felt a surge of sorrow and sympathy that such a thing should be startling. "Yeah, that's an understatement. And I, well... I only came out recently. Most of my dating experience has been with ponies who saw me as a mare. So I was generally getting chased by stallions. I let a few of them catch me too, but everything was always all wrong, one way or another." He heaved another, deeper sigh, but the taste of dread was gone, replaced by a softer, more melancholy sorrow.

"You'd like to see what it's like to be with a mare, then?"

"Yes."

"Do you have anyone in particular in mind? Or will any mare do?"

He flushed slightly, and Ember tasted a flickering hint of spicy lust. "Not exactly someone in particular, but I have a thing for thestrals..." He gave her a rueful smile. "And if you think finding somepony who is into transcolts is hard, try finding a thestral who is! They're a fairly small population, and kind of insular, and I think I've tried talking to every mare among them that will even give a non-thestral the time of day."

Ember chuckled softly. "Well, it's a good thing you've come to me, then." She willed the change, green fire burning over her, clearing to reveal a form taller than many mares, but much shorter than her natural one. She hadn't tried shaping a night guard's armor, that could be done, but it would then be an integral part of her and couldn't be removed. Everything else was there, though, from the cat-pupiled eyes not unlike her own to the leathery wings. "Is this acceptable?" Her voice shifted to, too a slightly deeper note. Thestral mares tended to have husky alto voices.

Mender looked at her and licked his lips. "Yeah, I'd call that acceptable." The last of his bitter sorrow had faded now, and Ember tasted mostly desire and anticipation from him. "This is going to be a heck of a lot of fun."

Ember grinned, showing her still sharp fangs. "I agree. Though I must confess... I am quite experienced, and normally have a fairly good idea of what to do with a pony, but you will be my first transgender stallion. You'll have to guide me a bit if there's anything in particular I should or shouldn't do."

Mender smiled. "I'm just glad you're not, well... horrified, or insisting that I'm really a mare, or something. I kind of expected that."

"I'm very sorry that your experiences have lead you to expect such things. I'll do my very best to not hurt you. I'm not perfect, but I'll try."

"Thank you," said Mender sincerely. Then he smiled and added, "But given that you look like my every fantasy come true right now, I think this will go just fine!"

"Well, let's go and see what we can do about those fantasies, then." Ember got to her hooves and led the way towards the bedroom. Mender followed close on her heels. Close enough, in fact, that he was easily able to reach out and nip Ember's flank. Ember jumped in surprise and looked back, seeing Mender grinning cheerfully at her. Ember laughed. "Are we even going to make it to the bedroom?"

"I'm sure we will. Eventually." Mender nipped Ember's flank again, then moved forward and nuzzled at the base of one folded, bat-like wing. Ember let out a soft sound of pleasure and partially spread her wings. Mender rubbed along the side of her body, ducking under the wing, and nuzzled along her as he went until he was pressed all along her side. She tucked her wing over him and turned her head, bending it to Mender's who met her lips in an eager kiss. He pressed his tongue into Ember's mouth, running it over her fangs, his breath coming faster as he did, and Ember could taste the hot thrill of desire that went through him from it, mingled with the more ordinary taste of his kiss.

She broke the kiss off and started walking again, with Mender trailing close behind. She put a little swish in her step, bumping her hip against his shoulder and flicking her tail against his side. He aimed a nip at the base of her tail, but missed, and she laughed and jumped forward, through the door into the bedroom, with Mender chasing her, grinning and snapping playfully at her tail. He practically tackled her into the bed, kissing her deeply as he did. She pulled him close, rolling to put him atop her. There was a flash of bitter fear and for just a moment he resisted, keeping his body stiffly away. The taste faded almost instantly, though and he let her pull him close, still kissing her deeply. Determination mixed with desire, both equally delicious to Ember, who ran her hooves across his shoulders, pleased to feel his wings flaring out under her touch; further evidence that he was letting his arousal overcome his fear.

Ember nipped lightly at Mender's ear, and the shiver of pleasure she both felt and tasted from that encouraged her to go further. She nipped harder, letting him feel the touch of her fangs. He moaned softly, his muzzle buried against her shoulder as he let her nip and nibble freely. She nipped at the base of his ear, then left little nibbles all down the side of his neck. He shivered again, his wings twitching, his breath quickening.

With a playful little growl, Ember bit a little bit harder, right at the base of Mender's neck. He groaned softly, a low sound of pain and pleasure together. "Sweet stars..."

"You like biting?" asked Ember with a smile, letting her head fall back on the pillow.

"Ha. You could say that." Mender suddenly kissed her again, deep, hot, and passionate. Ember let out a startled "mmph!" but then kissed back with matching fervor.

When Mender broke the kiss off he slid down from her, panting a kiss on her collarbone, but not pausing again until his head was near her hindquarters. Ember obligingly spread her legs a little bit more, letting him get a good view of her sex. Slate gray fur thinned over her pubic mound, revealing soft pink flesh that flushed darker where her inner labia peeked out slightly.

He'd said he'd never been with a mare, but obviously he knew something of how to please one, for he moved without hesitation to nuzzle at her, pressing his muzzle to her mound with gentle firmness, rubbing slowly. Ember made appreciative noises. That felt extremely good.

Then it got better, for Mender began licking, delicately running his tongue just at the top of her vulva, where her clitoris was. He teased over the top of it repeatedly, then dared to point his tongue and press the tip beneath her hood, making her gasp and shudder at the touch against the incredibly sensitive spot there. She rested one hoof against the back of his head, encouraging him to continue. He glanced up at her for a moment with a small, rather smug smile and then returned to his attentions.

His licking changed from delicate flicks to broad strokes, pushing firmly against her. She shuddered again, letting out a moan that was almost a whimper of need as her pleasure began to build. She lifted her hips to him, her back arching, her body tensing. She wanted release, and Mender seemed determined to give it to her, his tongue lapping rapidly, almost frantically, pushing hard against her until with one final shudder, wings spread wide, head pressed back to the pillow, Ember came.

Mender kept licking until she went limp, then he lifted his head, still with that little smile on his face. "How was that?"

"It... uh..." Ember managed to collect a coherent thought. "It was good. Really good. Are you sure you've never been with a mare before?"

"Heh." There was a little flicker of bitterness suddenly on Ember's tongue. "I'm sure, but I do have some experience with vaginas."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He shrugged, and gave her a wry smile. "It's fine. I don't mind that you seem to have forgotten!"

She smiled back. "I'm glad you're not upset. Now... you've pleased me very well. Perhaps it's time I returned the favor?"

He hesitated, and acrid fear suddenly filled the room again. "Yeah, I... I guess so."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Mender." Ember propped herself up a bit and reached out to caress his mane. "I just want to please you too, that's all."

"It's fine. I just... have to get used to it. I want to have a lover. I can't... I can't very well have a lover if I won't let one touch me. I just have to get used to it. I can do that."

"If you're certain..."

"Yes." The taste of determination was back, but the flavor of fear lingered with it. Still, Ember didn't try to argue Mender out of it when he climbed up to lie next to her in the bed and rolled over onto his back. His whole body was tensed, wings tight to his sides, but he slowly opened his hind legs slightly, and Ember could see that he had a vulva not unlike her own in this form. She knew perfectly well what to do about that, on a purely physical level, but she didn't like the amount of fear she was still tasting from him.

"Mender... it really is okay if you don't want to do this. I don't mind."

"I..." A little shudder went through him, and suddenly, almost violently, he rolled away from her and tucked himself into a tiny ball, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "I'm a failure. I can't even let somepony touch me. I can't do anything right. I hate this. I hate it so much. I hate my fucking body. I hate it! It's all wrong everywhere in every way. How can I be a stallion when I look like a mare and I don't even have a fucking cock?"

Ember hesitantly reached out and stroked his shoulder. "You are a stallion. I'm sorry this is so hard for you. I want to help if I can."

"There's nothing you can do. Nothing can make me a stallion. Even magic can't last, it always fades away. Nothing will ever be right and I'll never be able to have sex again. I just need to accept that. I can't have a cock, there's no point pretending I can."

He was still turned away from her, but the tight curl of his body loosened slightly. Ember lay down behind him, curling herself around him. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but surely you can at least use a strap on?"

Mender heaved a deep sigh. "What good would that do? I wouldn't be able to feel anything, it'd just be a piece of rubber."

"Well... sort of. There are ones that give a little bit of feedback. I've used them, and found them quite tactile. It's not the same, exactly. But it's actually not entirely unlike, either."

"Hah. I suppose you would know. I envy you changelings, you know."

"I'm sorry. If I could give you shape-shifting magic, I would."

"That's only happening if I become an alicorn, which is the least likely thing in the world, I think." He sighed again, but uncurled and sat up a little bit.

"Would you be willing to try a, er, call it a prosthetic cock, I suppose? I don't mind if you don't, but I feel like you've hardly gotten your money's worth yet."

"I don't think it will do anything. But the idea isn't as... terrifying as having my actual, you know... things touched. I could try it, I guess."

Ember nodded. "Let me show you a few options, then." She rose from the bed and beckoned for Mender to follow her. Across the room, a door led into a large walk-in closet lined with shelves, with a large mirror against the far wall. Ember flicked on the light, then pulled out a particular box and set it down. "These are all, ah, insertable or double ended. This one in particular I've found very enjoyable to wear and it stays in fairly well." Her magic picked up a black dildo. One end of the toy looked more or less like a stallion's cock, though without much detail to it. The other end was curved oddly and had a bulb-like flare towards the end. "This part goes inside," said Ember, pointing at the curved half. "I like the look and feel of the end result. I've sterilized this since I last used it, of course. Would you like to try it?"

Mender looking gloomily unconvinced, but he said, "I guess I can. I'm not sure about something inside. But... I'll try it."

"I mean it when I say you don't have to do this either. I won't push anything on you that you don't want."

Mender sighed softly. "I want to try something. I don't want to have to give up on ever having a lover. I want to be able to do something other than just give oral. I just..." He sighed again. "I don't know. Here, let me see it."

Ember held the dildo out to Mender, who took it in his hooves. He sat back on his haunches, contemplating it. He glanced down between his legs, then set his face in a determined expression. "Okay. I'll try it. Can you turn around?"

"Certainly." She wasn't quite sure why he didn't want her to look, but she turned away and closed her eyes as well.

"Okay. It's in."

Ember turned back and looked at Mender. He was balancing on his hind legs, one foreleg resting on a shelf to help. The dildo stood up between his hind legs almost like a flesh and blood cock, though it wasn't convincing on close examination. Still, Ember thought it looked good. Mender was looking in the mirror thoughtfully. He shifted and turned, seeing the cock from several angles. Then he dropped down to all fours. "It doesn't feel awful. And I like how it looks. I'm still not sure, but... it's not bad so far."

"Does it seem to be staying in all right? For some ponies that model isn't secure, though it's been my favorite."

"Seems okay."

"Good." Ember smiled. "Then would you let me return the favor and give you a blow job?"

"I guess. It seems sort of pointless to give a dildo a blowjob."

"For tonight I am going to think of it as your cock, and you might be surprised. I can't give any guarantees, but we'll see."

"Okay." Mender walked out into the bedroom. His gait was a little bit odd, he was obviously unused to the way the false cock moved. His expression turned thoughtful, and Ember tasted a faint hint of pleasure from him, just detectable amid the complicated tastes of his other, less positive emotions. He sat on the edge of the bed a little gingerly. The dildo's shaft stood up proudly as he sat. "How's this? Or should I lie back?"

Ember grinned. "That's good. Let's give this a try." She knelt on the floor in front of Mender, which put her head at just the right height, and licked at the dildo. She used a firm pressure, which she knew would move it just enough to be felt through the insertable end. Mender, looking down at her, made a surprised little noise.

With eyes half-closed, but her emotional senses wide open, Ember began licking up the cock, slowly, rocking it back and forth with each stroke. Mender sighed softly, relaxing slightly, and Ember tasted another flicker of pleasure. "That does feel kind of good," he said.

"Good," said Ember, and then took the tip of the cock into her mouth. Unlike with a typical blow job, that itself didn't get any reaction, but when she started to slide down, pushing the cock against Mender, sinking the far end deeper in, he let out a soft sound of pleasure. She worked back and forth, working the dildo back and forth as she did, and trying to find the angle that might give the most pleasure. Eventually she arrived at what seemed like the best position, where the base of the larger, equine end was pushing against Mender's clit as Ember worked back and forth on it.

Mender kept his eyes open as he moaned softly, watching Ember, still in her thestral form, suck his cock. He reached out one hoof and stroked her mane as she continued.

The pleasure soon stopped building, however, and even though Ember tried other angles, and tried licking again, or using her nose to nuzzle at it, nothing quite worked. At length Mender said, "I think you can stop now."

Ember lifted her head with a wry little smile. "Not quite working for you, was it?"

Mender shook his head. "No. It was nicer than I expected, but it wasn't quite right."

"That's a shame. I'm glad it wasn't a total failure, though. What do you think was keeping it from going further?"

"I'm not sure." Mender gave a little shrug. "Probably just me, being messed up. I think seeing a cock getting a blow job helped, but I kept thinking that... I don't know. That it was still not real. That I was feeling pleasure in my... you know... Sorry, I hate all the words for pussy, or whatever you call it." He sighed again.

"I probably would too, if I were you. Even enjoying having a pussy, I have to admit that's a silly word for it." Ember smiled. "Do you think if you got more into things...? If you had any kinks, maybe, that could distract you from thinking about genitals and just feel?"

Mender shrugged. "I'm not really kinky. I've barely had regular old sex, I've never done any kinky sex."

"There's nothing you fantasize about?"

He shrugged again. "I fantasize about having a cock, and taking a mare like a stallion should, you know? Just... fucking hard."

"Ah. A colt after my own heart! A good, hard, primal fuck is one of my favorite things. I wonder..."

"Hmm?"

"Well, I won't make you keep trying things if you don't want to, but thinking about the old-fashioned 'bucking' just has me wondering if you'd be willing..." As Ember spoke she carefully, slowly begin a partial shape-shift that would leave her a good six inches or so shorter, making her shorter than Mender himself, rather than just barely taller as her thestral form had been. Fortunately such smaller changes could, with practice, be done without the betraying green fire, so Mender might not notice. "I do all the work so much of the time," she continued, "making sure clients are happy, acting out their fantasies, being the one in charge. But sometimes I just want somepony else to be in charge. Sometimes I just want to stand and be taken, you know? How would you feel about taking that," Ember gestured at the dildo, that Mender was still wearing, "and doing me the favor of giving me a good, hard fuck?"

Ember tasted a flicker of spice, and tried not to grin too broadly.

Mender licked his lips, glancing down at the cock again, then at Ember. "Yeah. You've tried really hard to help me, and I wouldn't mind trying to help you out. And I don't know, maybe I'd end up liking it. It's something I haven't tried, at least."

"Very true. But whatever it does or doesn't do for you, I think it will be very good for me!" She turned away from him a little bit, flaring her bat-like wings slightly to draw attention to them and turning her head to look back at him. Her tail lifted and flicked slightly in a final, only partially calculated touch. She knew this was a classic pinup sort of pose, that would hopefully draw his mind back to his fantasies, and remind him how much he liked thestrals, and how much he wanted to mount her.

The increased taste of spice in the air told her it was working. Mender walked forward. He licked his lips again, then hesitantly half-reared, placing his hooves on her back. Ember arched her tail up further, out of the way, as Mender tried to line the end of the dildo up with her entrance.

She reached back with one hoof and helped position it. Mender shifted his hips, and the angle was finally right, the cock pressing just so against Ember's pussy. "Please, take me," she said, and she heard Mender's breath catch. He stepped forward, sinking into her, making her moan softly in pleasure as the cock filled her.

Mender pulled back, and he pulled a little too far, the cock slipping out of Ember. She reached back to help line it up again, feeling her own juices on it as she did. Once again Mender sank the cock into her, and once again she let out a low moan. This time Mender didn't pull back as much, and he thrust back in swiftly. Soon he fell into a steady rhythm, his hips bucking against her and his forelegs clasped around her barrel. Ember could hear him panting in her ear, and she smiled a bit to herself to taste his passion in the air.

She felt it too, the pleasure of being mounted, filled, and taken. When she'd said she wanted just that, she hadn't been lying. She moaned and pushed back eagerly onto each stroke. "Ah... yes..." She pushed back harder, encouraging Mender to thrust harder, faster, and her wings spread out as he responded not only by stepping up the pace but also by leaning forward and nipping at the nape of her neck.

"Oh!" Ember cried out in surprised pleasure. As much as she enjoyed biting, she liked being bitten even more. Mender seemed to notice her reaction and bit her again, letting out a low, almost feral grunt as he thrust roughly into her. The spice of passion was flooding Ember's tongue, while her other senses were being overwhelmed with pleasure. She shuddered, feeling close, and yet not quite able to get the release she now desperately wanted.

Mender changed the pace and angle of his thrusts slightly, whether seeking to better his own pleasure or hers Ember wasn't sure. Maddeningly on the edge, Ember finally lifted one front hoof and pushed it between her legs. It was instantly slicked with her own juices as she started to rub her clit swiftly, almost frantically, her whole body tensing, her wings flaring wide. Mender was thrusting with slow, deep, powerful strokes now and Ember rocked back into each one. She was on the edge of losing her balance, but she didn't even care, she just needed a few seconds more... and then she was there at last, a shudder going through her, a low cry of pleasure escaping her.

Mender stopped moving, and the taste of his emotions was complex as he did. Frustration, pleasure, satisfaction, even contentment all seemed to be there, but Ember was too dazed still to properly sort them out and figure out what they meant. She dropped her hoof and stood for a long moment, just catching her breath. Mender's cock was still in her, still as hard as ever. She squeezed it as she came down from her peak, sending warm little aftershocks of pleasure through her. Mender gave a deep sigh and nuzzled at the back of her neck, and his emotions settled somewhat, mostly tasting of simple contentment. "Was that good? No, that's a silly question, I think it probably was. I'm glad if it was."

"It was very good," said Ember. She might have chuckled, but she was feeling too lazily content. Though a little annoyance niggled at her. She'd come, but Mender hadn't. She hadn't held back, she didn't want to make her request for a primal fucking into a lie, yet she almost wished she had. Now how was she going to get Mender off?

He stepped back slowly, pulling from her and lifting his weight from her back. "I'm glad."

"How was it for you?" asked Ember, folding her wings and looking back at him.

Mender had a thoughtful look on his face. "It was... interesting. I liked pleasing you orally, before, but this was... I don't know exactly how to put it. It was more intense, but it also felt more comfortable. I guess more masculine?"

"Lesbians can give oral?" Ember raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Lesbians can use this thing too," he looked down between his legs, with a little grimace. "But I think that's part of it, yes. It was closer to my fantasies and further from my past bad experiences. In some ways, even though I didn't come, it was actually better than masturbating with a penis spell."

Ember blinked. "...And here I thought I had nothing left to learn about pony sex. Penis spell?"

"Yeah. Uhm, just a minute, this is getting weird." He turned away from her and pulled the dildo free from its place between his legs. He looked around for somewhere to put it, then shrugged and let it fall to the floor.

"I'll clean it up later," said Ember, "don't worry. But, penis spell?"

Mender smiled. "Yes. I'm not surprised you don't know, I only know of two unicorns who can cast it. It's temporary, like most transformations, but it does give a fully functional cock. It's also expensive, though, and since it doesn't last terribly long, you practically have to have the caster right when you're having sex. Mostly it just frustrated me. It was so close, and yet so far away. It felt very right, but when it wore off it was heartbreaking. I haven't had it done again. This though... I don't know. Maybe I'll buy one of my own."

"I can point you at the place I bought mine," said Ember with a smile. "And I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just always feel like I haven't really done my job fully if the other party never comes."

"Hah. Well, this has gotten me closer than anything else in the last several years has, excluding the spell, which as I've said didn't turn out to be a great experience."

"I'm glad then."

"Thank you. Really. This went far better than I feared it would. You're a good person."

Ember felt a faint flush of embarrassment at the praise. "I just do the best I can."

"That's all any of us can do, I guess. But seriously, thank you. I don't know if I'll be back, but I am glad I came."

Ember was bored again.

She was in a rather unlikely position to be bored, given that a stallion was currently atop her, soldiering away, but given her occupation, simple sex wasn't especially exciting in and of itself. And though the taste of his passion was quite pleasant, Ember fed so often she'd forgotten what hunger felt like. His seed would cool the desperate mating need that she nearly always felt, and that was useful, but it wasn't interesting.

Oh, the stallion in question seemed nice enough, and his lovemaking was at least adequate. If he'd been one of the ones who needed something more than simple release—whether that was an interesting fetish or a personal problem she could help him with—she'd have been more than satisfied by the act itself. But he was just an ordinary client. She got quite a lot of the exotic ones, given what she was, but she had these too; ones who wanted nothing more than simple release with their favorite fantasy.

Ember was, in fact, in the form of Twilight Sparkle again. She was a rather popular one. All of the princesses were, though rather ironically Cadance, the alicorn of love, seemed to be the least in demand.

Then again, if certain whispered rumors were to be believed, that might be because those who truly desired her could have the real thing. Ember wasn't sure she bought into those rumors, but she wouldn't rule out Cadance having an open marriage. Such things did happen.

The stallion began to increase his pace and Ember dragged her wandering mind back to what was going on. She made appropriately appreciative noises as he pounded harder, and when he suddenly came she let out a little gasp of pleasure, sampling the taste of his passion, and then relaxed with a satisfied sigh. It had been boring, but she was a professional; she wasn't going to let the client know he hadn't exactly blown her mind.

Fortunately he seemed satisfied enough with her performance. He left with a smile, letting Ember turn off her "professional mode" and attempt to relax. Relaxation, however, proved elusive, and she let out a long sigh, feeling a heavy gloom settle over her.

Hey, you doing okay? Far Gaze's voice in her mind was gentle. You've been kinda down all evening, so I know it's not just Mr. Vanilla there.

I saw Pearl at the market today. She didn't recognize me, of course, but I tasted her emotions in passing. She's absolutely miserable.

Ah damn. That's rough. She was one of your favorites, wasn't she?

Yes. When she came back for that second session, I really hoped that she would become a regular. She seemed happy then. But now I'm left wondering, did I actually help her, or did I only make things worse in the long run?

You know her current misery probably has nothing to do with you. It's been what, two years since her last visit? His mental tone turned lightly teasing. You know you're not the center of the world, right?

Ember couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, I know. But I still wonder. And worry. I have far too much to worry about right now.

Yeah. Ember could sense Far in the other room looking down at the paperwork in front of him and heaving a sigh. Hell, maybe Pearl's having money troubles too. I think being broke makes everypony miserable. Money is really annoying, when you don't have enough of it. You know it's time to raise your prices. Either that or ask Fancy Pants to bail us out.

Ugh. I'm definitely not going to ask Fancy for money. I still feel a little bit strange about taking his charity back in the beginning. I'd never have gotten this place open if I hadn't, but...

You want to help people, not be helped, said Far with a smile.

Hah. Well, yes. I don't want to raise my prices either, though. There have been some ponies I've helped who just barely scraped together the money as it is. I don't want to turn away ponies who need me. That's why I took Fancy's help in the first place, owning the building meant that it was possible to set my prices low.

Nobody says you have to always charge full price. You're already giving some of them a financial break. You can keep your lower rates for the ones who need it, but honestly, ponies like Mr. Vanilla wouldn't feel the pinch if you raised your prices four or five times.

Ember sighed. You're right. I know you're right. She hesitated, then nodded firmly. Okay. I'll do it.

How high?

Well... double? I think given the number of customers we get that would make up our current deficit.

It would, said Far. He handled the financial end of things, and Ember trusted him to know what he was doing, so she simply nodded and sent a silent assent. Far added, personally I'd go for triple. Yes one-fifty is probably a little bit more than most courtesans charge for just a single session, but you're one of the most unique. And then we could start building up some savings.

I... well... all right. But anybody who comes in with anything that looks like real need and can't immediately pay the new price gets the old one.

Right. And speaking of the new price, here comes somebody to try it out on.

Far let Ember look through his eyes as the door swung open and a pony stepped inside. He was a soft shade of pink, something not exactly common among stallions, but that wasn't really the first thing Ember noticed. The first thing she noticed was that he was huge. He nearly had to duck to get through the door, and his shoulders were immensely broad, his body lean but heavily muscled. He easily topped Far Gaze by a head, and probably weighed half again as much.

His mane and tail were seafoam green, both cropped very short, and when he turned to close the door behind him, she could see that his cutie mark was a hoofball. "Evening," he said to Far with a nod. His voice was as low as one might expect, but soft, almost musical.

"Welcome to Ember's," said Far. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here on business,” he smirked. “The business being getting laid. Hope I'm in the right place."

Far smiled. "You are indeed. It'll be a hundred-fifty for a session, though if you don't have the funds for that on hoof, we can be... flexible here."

The big stallion chuckled. "Nah, money ain't—isn't a problem. Here." He hoofed over a trio of fifty-bit pieces.

Far made them vanish, then gestured to the door behind him. "Ember is ready to see you now, so you can go straight in."

"Thanks." The stallion opened the door and Ember dropped her connection with Far as he stepped into the room where she waited, posed on her chaise longue.

She sampled his emotions and found an overall state of calm. There was a hint of nervousness, understandably common in first time customers, and a flicker of a rather complex sadness, but overall the stallion didn't seem to be in any particular distress.

"Welcome," she said, and rose to greet him.

As she stood, his breath caught slightly, and she tasted a sudden rush of excitement, tinged with lust. "I'm Slugger," he said, giving her a nod. He was nearly at eye level with her, but she was at least three or four inches taller. It was a little bit odd to see a pony so close to her height; other than Celestia, she usually towered over her clients in her natural form.

"Slugger?" she said, giving his cutie mark a glance. "Isn't that a baseball term?"

"Ayup. My parents aren't disappointed in me, but they had some kinda inaccurate expectations."

Ember smiled. "I see. So, what can I do for you this evening, Slugger?"

"I don't want anything too wild. I've heard you can do all sorts of stuff, but the reason I'm here is, well... unless I somehow get lucky with a princess, you're the only pony I ever heard of who was taller than me." He flashed her a smile. "I have a fantasy, I guess you'd call it, about giant mares. If I could find a way to be about yea high," he held one hoof a foot or so from the floor, "I'd take it, but as it is, I figure you're the next best thing, and I'd like to see what it's like."

"Ah."

Ember nodded, her mind already working on the problem. She could probably do a little better than simply provide a few extra inches. She'd been able to mimic Celestia when she had still been an underqueen and a good head shorter than she was now. And she'd taken the forms of several larger non-ponies as well. "I think I can help you out," she said. "Is there anything else you want, besides simply for me to be tall?"

He gave a little shrug. "I think the fantasy is about being... toy-like, I suppose? So just... have your way with me." He blushed faintly, a slightly darker pink against his pink hide.

Ember smiled. "I can certainly do that. Shall we retire to the bedroom?" She beckoned with one hoof, and Slugger returned the smile and stepped forward to follow her into her bedchamber.

The lights were dim within, as they usually were. Ember didn't move to adjust them. Instead she adjusted herself. She took her usual earth pony form—blue coat, blue hair, blue eyes—but she poured extra power into the transformation, concentrating on size. The green fire of her change burned over her slowly, and when it finally cleared she stood so tall her ears nearly brushed the ceiling.

Slugger looked up at her, his eyes going wide. "Oh wow," he said absently, the words coming out without his brain even being engaged. That was no doubt busy elsewhere as he eyes repeatedly swept up and down her form, lingering on the "up" portion of that motion.

Ember's smile broadened. "Is this what you had in mind?"

"That is... even better than I had in mind. Wow."

She climbed carefully into her bed. It was a massive king-sized bed, but if she'd stretched out on it now her hind hooves would have hung off the end. Instead she curled herself on it seductively and beckoned to Slugger. He practically leaped into the bed next to her, the taste of his excitement and arousal strong in the air. Ember drew on it eagerly. She'd used so much power transforming that she was actually hungry, a sensation she hadn't felt in years. She'd had all the love—and lust—she could ever need since meeting Far Gaze, and she seldom used much magic.

Looking at Slugger, she found herself licking her lips. This was going to be extremely satisfying in more ways than one. She wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him to her body, enfolding him in a massive embrace. He groaned softly and buried his head against her chest, nearly smothered by her as she held him close. He tried to wrap his own hooves around her as well, but she was too large for him to fully embrace. He pressed closer, and Ember could physically feel his arousal pressing against her belly.

Still holding him tightly, she rolled onto her back so that he lay atop her. She picked him up and repositioned him so he was on her chest, moving the burly stallion easily. This let her pull his head up so that she could kiss him. He answered the kiss with eager passion, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She met it with her own, caressing and pushing back. He groaned softly into the kiss, parting his lips further so she could slip her tongue into his mouth.

The awareness of how large it was, how it pushed his own tongue back, only added to his arousal. His erection pushed against her, somewhere above her navel, but she paid it no attention for now. He'd wanted to be her toy, so she wasn't going to satisfy him until she'd satisfied herself.

Ember picked him up again, breaking off the kiss. Slugger made a little sound of surprise. She held him up over her, as if he were a teddy bear, his hind hooves trailing limply. He was panting a little bit as he looked down at her, and she could clearly see his cock, also hanging down beneath him, but it was anything but limp.

With a giggle of both delight and amusement, she set him down between her legs, and with one large hoof gently pushing on the back of his head, indicating what he should do.

He responded, bending his muzzle down towards her pussy. She kept her hoof on the back of his head, but lightly, as he began to nuzzle at her. "Mmm," she said, letting her head fall back to the pillows and closing her eyes. Slugger shifted just a little bit, running his muzzle up to nuzzle and then lick at one of her nipples. Ember considered re-directing him lower down, but decided that what he was doing was fine. It felt good, so she simply stroked his mane as he began to suck and nibble gently at her nipple.

She drifted, for a time, simply enjoying his attentions as he sucked on one nipple and then the other.

Eventually, however, he lowered his muzzle and lapped lightly at her pussy. She let out a soft sound of pleasure and spread her hind legs a little wider. Waking a little from the drifting haze, she put a hoof to the back of Slugger's head. She remembered what he'd said about being a toy, so she pushed his head around a bit, encouraging him to change the angle of his licking. He gave a little shiver of pleasure and obliged, licking with enthusiasm.

Ember let out a moan of pleasure. "Mmm. Good boy."

Slugger made a little muffled sound and increased the intensity of his attentions, licking with broad, swift strokes that swept over her clit at the peak of each. Ember twisted her hooves in his short mane as he worked. What he was doing was very good, but she decided that she wanted more. There were other ways she could use him.

She used her grip on his mane to pull his head back suddenly. "Stop."

"Yes, ma'am," said Slugger, going still in her hooves. She lifted him up again, examining him, considering his stiff member. That was what she wanted, but with their relative sizes it was just too small. Some other appendage, though, might be made to work.

With a sly, anticipatory smile, Ember set Slugger down again on his haunches, still between her legs. She posed him like a doll, shifting him about until he was just how she wanted him. She could taste the waves of pleasure rolling off of him. The taste was something tinged strongly with lust but also not quite lust, a flavor she knew well from ponies who had fetishes. It was a unique sort of pleasure and she savored it as she grasped one of his forelegs in hers and pushed his hoof against her mound.

He cooperated willingly, sinking his broad hoof into her. It was just the right size, spreading her wet, ready entrance open.

Ember groaned as she pushed Slugger's hoof slowly in. It went in almost to the elbow, and the broader hoof end was rubbing at some very interesting places inside. "Ah. Yes..." She tugged at Slugger's elbow and he pulled back, the hide on his leg soaked completely. That felt amazing too. She didn't have to tug to get him to push his hoof in again. So she let her hooves fall aside while he thrust his foreleg slowly in and out of her.

He twisted it a little, within, and she moaned. A small, almost shy little smile appeared on Slugger's face and he flexed his hoof, pushing it up against Ember's inner walls. He was seeking that special spot within, and as he pulled his hoof back with glacial slowness, running it along the upper portion of her pussy the whole time, he found it. Ember shuddered, letting out a soft cry and pushing her head back into the pillow.

Slugger smiled again, almost glowing with pleasure at being able to please her, and did it again, plunging his hoof in and drawing it out slowly.

"Ah... that's very good."

"Mmm." Slugger settled into a rhythm, trying to read Ember's cues, slowly increasing his pace as he heard her moans grow louder, more urgent. He could also feel how her pleasure built, how her pussy clenched and tensed around his hoof as she neared her peak. He groaned softly. Something about that was intensely erotic. His cock was absolutely aching, but he was content to please Ember without pleasing himself.

He continued his steady pace, thrusting his hoof deep within Ember and withdrawing it repeatedly. She squirmed and moaned, her eyes shut, her body tensed as her pleasure built. He began thrusting hard, shoving his hoof in as fast as he could, plunging into her depths, working to please her. She moaned and cried out repeatedly, her inner walls clenched tightly around his hoof, her body twitching and shuddering as pleasure raced along every nerve.

Getting a sudden idea, he lowered his head and licked Ember, sweeping his tongue over her clit. It was difficult to continue the motion of his hoof while hunched over, but the startled cry of pleasure he got in return was worth it.

Ember arched back, tensing further, on the very edge now. She could taste Slugger's satisfaction and arousal, which only fed her own pleasure more. All it took was one more strong, firm lick and she came, crying out again, her whole body shuddering with it.

Then with a long sigh she went limp, all the tension flowing from her as the wave crested and passed, leaving her lying languid, panting just a bit.

Slugger sat back, smiling. That had been pretty close to his fantasy. Though he caught the back of his mind wondering if it would be alright to wipe his very soaked foreleg on the bed. Fantasy had never been quite that messy. He wasn't going to complain, though.

Ember sat up, and before Slugger could go any further along that particular train of thought, he found himself distracted all over again, for Ember picked him up once more. "That was nice. You do make a good toy, but I'm not quite done with you yet."

She turned and set him near the head of the bed, leaning back against the pillows. He blinked up at her as she stallion-handled him around easily. She smiled down with a wicked little gleam in her eye. His erection stood up between his legs, hard and so flushed with blood that it was nearly purple. She bent over him and breathed on it. He gave a little shiver and his cock twitched.

Ember grinned. She extended her tongue and gave Slugger's cock the lightest possible lick.

"Ah..." His cock twitched again, and Ember could tell he was fighting not to come.

With sudden speed she closed her mouth over the head of his cock and sank down, taking him all the way. Given their relative sizes this was easy, she didn't have to fight her gag reflex at all. She rubbed her tongue along the underside of his cock while her whole mouth still enclosed it, her lips locked around the base of it, and Slugger couldn't hold on any longer, he let out a low, grunting kind of moan and came, bitter-salt seed spurting into Ember's mouth.

She kept still, dealing with a stallion's cum was always a little bit of a struggle, but the relative sizes made it easier than usual, and when he was done she slowly pulled back, sliding her lips along his length in one last caress, and then swallowed.

Then she settled herself on the bed, her head pillowed beside him, her hind hooves hanging off just a little bit, and relaxed. When Slugger's eyes started to focus again, he sat up and looked over at Ember. She tilted her head, thinking, then reached out and pulled him into her large embrace, cuddling him like a teddy bear. He sighed and snuggled back into her arms.

"How was that?" she asked.

"It was better than I'd ever imagined," he said. "I think you'll have a regular customer here."

She chuckled softly, which he felt almost as much as he heard, with his head pressed to her chest. "I'm glad."

"Although it won't be easy on my bank account," he couldn't keep himself from adding after a moment. "It really is a shame that you're the only mare this size out there."

Ember chuckled again. "You know I'm not actually a mare."

Slugger, still a little bit dazed, tipped his head back to look up at her in confusion. "What?"

"I'm not a mare. I'm a changeling."

"Oh, that."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I'm not, uh... I'm not the kind of pony who's into changelings. I just wanted somepony who was taller than I am."

"And yet a changeling is where you ended up." Ember shifted slightly, getting more comfortable, settling Slugger against her chest.

"You didn't look like a changeling while we were, you know."

That made Ember smile. "True. But that doesn't change what I am. Maybe you should think more about dating people other than ponies."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not a pony, yet you did enjoy being with me. Maybe that's because of my illusions, but maybe that matters less than you think. There are several other species who tend to be taller than ponies, you know."

Slugger was silent for a moment. At length he said, "I hadn't really thought about that. My fantasies have always been about giant mares."

"Fantasy often falls short of reality, unfortunately. But is there a reason you couldn't be happy with a giraffe, for example? They're certainly much taller than ponies."

He was silent again for a time, thinking. "I guess I don't have a big reason to stick with ponies. I mean, when you say 'date' I just think of ponies. But that's not really a reason all by itself."

"It isn't, no. Interspecies dating is fairly accepted these days, you know."

"Well, sure. Nopony I know has anything against it." He laughed suddenly. "But I just said 'nopony' there. Even our language just assumes everybody's a pony, doesn't it?"

"But everyone is not a pony." Ember grinned and leaned down to nuzzle the top of his head. "And just think of the possibilities! Gryphon females are all larger than the males, so they'd be used to that sort of situation, and many of them are bigger than ponies. And that's just for starters. Giraffes, as I said, are much taller. Yaks are heavier and often taller, and then there's dragons..." Ember's voice turned almost seductive as she continued. "Think about how large an adult dragon is, compared to a pony. Think about her height, her length, her sheer size. She would be able to hold you in the palm of one hand. If you think I'm big now, you've never been near a grown female dragon."

Slugger swallowed. "That is... something worth thinking about, yeah." He licked his lips. "I don't know, though. I never thought about dating non-ponies. Would a dragon think about dating non-dragons?"

"A few would. I've had a few dragon clients."

He blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. In fact there's one I could introduce you to, we have a friendly sort of relationship, and I know she's not dating anyone else right now."

"I... uh..."

"Not sure about that?"

"I guess not. It seems kind of... I don't even know. It seems like quite a jump, to go from having an impossible fantasy to tonight, to trying to date outside my species."

"Well, you don't have to go out with my dragon friend, but I should at least introduce you. Meet for coffee, or something of that nature." With a twinkle in her eye, Ember added, "Her sessions with me were a bit like this one with you, I was handled about like a toy quite a lot, if that helps your interest levels."

Slugger could help but give a little laugh at that. "It does, yes."

"She's not me, mind, she won't have been paid to fulfill your fantasies. She's a real person and I suspect she'd want a real relationship, not just this." Ember gestured at the bed they lay on.

"I understand," said Slugger nodding. "I'd like more than just this too, to be honest. Not that this isn't nice, but it's not the same." Then he frowned faintly. "But aren't you putting yourself out of business? If I do hit it off with this dragon, I wouldn't be coming to see you again."

"That's my problem. But I like making my customers happy. If this makes you happy, then it's what I want to do." Ember smiled and nuzzled the top of his head again. "Anyway, there's no guarantees that you and she will get along. She does like them short, but that says nothing about if you'll have compatible personalities out of the bedroom. So if it doesn't work out, you're quite welcome to come back as a customer as often as you like."

Slugger nodded with a smile. "Then I guess you can hook me up."

"Wonderful." Ember gave him a little squeeze and added, "For now, though, I think I should clean you up. Come, I am probably too big for my tub at the moment, but I believe we can both just fit in the shower."

Some time later Ember sent a washed, dried and very content Slugger on his way out the door. Back in her own form she took a moment to sit in the lobby and lean against Far Gaze's side.

"Feeling better now?"

She chuckled softly. "You know me. I've improved his day, and that improved mine."

"It doesn't hurt that he had no trouble with the higher price, too. I told you that was a good idea."

Ember snorted and bent her head to nip the tip of Far's ear. "Don't get too cocky. I'm still the boss here."

"Ha. This place would be complete chaos inside a week without me. But I'm glad our financial situation is looking up. I'm glad you're looking up too. I happen to like it when you're happy."

Ember smiled and rested her head atop Far's. She felt tired. Partly because of the extra magic the size change had required, but mostly just because it had been a very long week. Thank you for caring, she said silently to Far.

Hey, I love you. And, you know, freaky insect hive bond thing. But mostly, I love you. You're a good person at your core, Ember. I know you worry about doing the right thing, but I think you mostly do, and mostly is the best any of us can hope for in this world.

I know. And I love you too, she said silently. A long, peaceful moment passed. Then Ember slowly rose to her hooves and stretched. "Well, it's not time to close up yet, we might still get another customer. I need to go clean up the spa room. Let me know if anybody else comes in."

She vanished back through the parlor door, and Far smiled fondly after her. They had a strange sort of life, one he never could have imagined as a youth picturing his future relationship or career, but he was glad he'd met Ember. The world was a better place because she was in it.

"Ahem." Jet Set stood just inside the door of the tawdry little bordello he'd heard so much about. It was completely gauche, of course. Years out of line with current fashions in decor. It was almost embarrassing to be seen in the presence of such poor taste, even setting aside the purpose of the place.

The clerk behind the desk continued scribbling in a little ledger without looking up.

Jet Set frowned and lifted his muzzle a fraction of an inch higher into the air. "Ahem!"

The clerk continued to ignore him.

Finally Jet Set stalked over to the desk, scowling. How dare this common unicorn fail to notice and acknowledge that he was in the presence of the pinnacle of Canterlot Society? "Ahem!"

The clerk finally looked up from the papers in front of him. "Yes? May I help you?"

"I am given to understand a changeling works here, in a, ah, sexual fashion?"

The clerk raised one eyebrow, his expression rather amused. "Yes."

Jet Set cleared his throat. Apparently this commoner was too dense to make the connection and he would have to spell it out. "I wish to hire her. For tonight. Now."

The clerk's other eyebrow went up too. "I see. That will be three hundred bits."

A faint frown creased Jet Set's features briefly. He'd been told that the bug was very cheap, as well as being quite wild and uninhibited. But it would not do to quibble over price like a poor pony. He fished the hundred bit pieces out of his pocket and hoofed them over. Hopefully the rumors about the sex would prove more accurate than the rumors about the price had been.

You double charged him! Ember was more astonished than outraged as she spoke in Far Gaze's mind.

I also recognized him. He pals around with Fancy's crowd. He can definitely afford it. There was a hint of mischief in his thoughts that suggested something else was going on, and Ember poked at that.

What else?

I probably shouldn't say. Let's just say from what I know of him, you'll earn every bit of it. Now go, get yourself ready to give him his money's worth, said Far, sounding amused.

Ember shook her head, projecting both continued surprise and mild disapproval, but she settled herself on her chaise longue in her usual pose of welcoming seduction as the gray unicorn opened the door and stepped into her parlor.

"Welcome. I am Ember."

"Charmed," said the pony, though he didn't sound as though he really meant it. "I'm Jet Set." When Ember sampled his emotions, she found mostly the simple spice of lust, touched with acrid hints of disdain. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant combination, though the disdain really wasn't a flavor she especially enjoyed. Still, it wouldn't do to be rude simply because she didn't like the taste of a pony's emotions.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Come, sit, and tell me what you would like me to do for you."

Jet Set regarded the couch opposite her dubiously. "What is there to tell?"

"Well, many ponies would like me to be somepony specific for them, to begin with."

"Ah." Jet Set still made no move to sit, but he gave a little nod. "I have been considering, well... Can you become...royalty?"

Ember smiled. "I can, yes. The princesses are popular requests. Is there one in particular you are interested in?"

Jet Set cleared his throat, hesitating a moment before responding, "Princess Celestia."

Ember activated her magic, green fire sweeping over her, seeming to remove charcoal gray chitin and replace it with smooth, white hide. A moment later Princess Celestia appeared to be sitting on the chaise, smiling benevolently down at Jet Set. She tasted a wash of fresh emotion—surprise, lust, but also dismay. "Is this what you wanted, my little pony?"

With another little throat-clearing, Jet Set shook his head. "Can you be shorter?"

Ember blinked at him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Of course." A second wash of green fire left her the size of an average mare, but still colored like Princess Celestia, waving hair and all.

Jet Set smiled. "Much better."

"Now, do you have any particular sex acts you want to enjoy? Any kinks or fetishes or fun little extras?"

A faint scowl crossed the stallion's face. "I do not engage in any perversions."

Ember managed to not roll her eyes. One of those ponies. Perhaps that was what Far Gaze had been talking about. She made a mental bet about whether Jet would be bad in bed, though she knew it was a bit mean of her. But while many ponies who weren't interested in kinks were still quite fun sexually speaking, the ones who were scornful about them tended to have some terrible ideas about sex in general. Still, he was a customer, and she would do her best to see that he left satisfied.

"And there's no particular thing you're interested in, other than a fantasy version of Princess Celestia?"

"Are we to talk all night, or will there be actual intercourse?" said Jet with an impatient flick of his tail.

"Forgive me. I merely want to be certain I know what will please a client. But if there's nothing else, then come." She rose to her hooves and headed for the bedroom.

Jet muttered, "Finally," under his breath and followed.

Inside the bedroom Ember decided she might as well jump straight to what Jet obviously wanted. She put a little swish in her step and deliberately flagged her tail higher as she walked over to the bed. Jet's eyes were immediately fixed on her rump, and on the hint of what lay under that arched up tail.

Deciding that she didn't feel like the slightly more intimate face-to-face position, she instead simply reared up, putting her front hooves on the bed, and then settled her barrel along it, emphasizing her rump as she bent over and arched up her tail more. The very traditional "mount me" pose was admittedly one of her favorites, since she liked the submissiveness of being face-down under a stallion. Glancing back at Jet, it seemed that it met with is approval as well, for Ember could catch a glimpse of his cock emerging, which became clearer as he sat back on his haunches and pulled his shirt off.

Tossing the no-doubt-stylish article of clothing aside, and still staring at her rump, he said, "Prepare to be rutted into the ground, little princess."

Ember had long since mastered the art of not giggling at silly dirty talk. After all, pretty much all dirty talk was silly if you stopped to think about what you were saying. Instead she smiled seductively back over her shoulder and said, "Show me what a stallion you can be, big boy."

He reared up, putting his hooves on the bed on either side of her, and she could feel his cock pressing against her backside. That was enough to send a thrill of desire through her; her body at least was as needy as ever, even if her mind wasn't quite fully engaged. She let out a little moan, shifting her hind hooves further apart to better offer herself to him. He shifted too, lining his cock up.

"I'm going to take you like the bitch whore you are, princess," said Jet as he pushed his cock against her entrance.

Ember gave a little shiver. Dirty talk might be silly, but humiliation and name-calling was one of her personal kinks. If Jet kept that up he was going to actually get her going, mind and body both. Though a hint of unease ran somewhere beneath the arousal. Humiliation was something she considered a kink, and they'd specifically agreed on nothing kinky. But different ponies had different ideas of where that line was drawn. No doubt Jet hadn't meant to go against what he'd said earlier about avoiding perversions.

Her mind was thoroughly distracted from that train of thought by the sensation of Jet's cock sinking into her. She moaned again and pushed back onto it, letting all other thoughts slip away.

"You like that, hmm, bitch princess?" Jet slapped her rump sharply. Ember twitched, and would have jumped in surprise if the stallion hadn't been above her, pinning her down. She did indeed like it, yet the little niggling unease was back, and it flared higher when he spanked her other flank. Spanking was definitely a kink. A "perversion," even. Which she had not agreed to. Still, it was common enough, and perhaps Jet was merely ignorant. Not to mention that it felt good. She'd been expecting a boring session of bad sex, but she was getting something much more to her tastes. Surely it was fine to let it slide.

Jet started bucking his hips, wringing another moan from her. He let out a low groan of his own as he thrust into her. "Ah yes. You like that a lot, don't you?" He slapped her rump once more, sharply enough to make her yelp. "Yeah, you do. You're my bitch princess and I'm your king of fucking. Say that, call me king."

Ember twitched again, her unease deepening. This was not what she'd agreed to.

"Come on, bitch. Say it!"

Ember gritted her teeth, then gave a shake of her head. "No. And please stop."

"Say it, you whore," said Jet, not stopping in the least.

Ember scowled. Surely he could tell the difference between a moaning "no" that was playing along with his game and the flat tone of annoyance she'd actually used?

"Jet Set. Stop. I did not agree to this."

He did stop, though he didn't step back, and he sounded utterly shocked as he said, "What?"

Ember sighed and engaged her magic, picking him up bodily from her and setting him down some distance from the bed. She turned around, discarding her disguise as she did so, and repeated herself, distinctly enunciating each word. "I did not agree to this."

"You agreed to service me," he said, scowling at her in offended confusion. "I paid you good money, and plenty of it."

"I agreed to simple sex. You yourself said no kinks, no perversions."

He flushed, confusion suddenly vanishing, and offense turning to anger. It was hot enough for her to taste it even without trying. "I paid for sex the way I want it, plain and simple. That's how this works. I pay, you do what I want."

Ember found herself pulling her lips back, further baring her long fangs. "You paid for what we agreed to in the first place, not for me to do things we never discussed. If you wanted to call me names, spank me, and have me give you dominant titles, you should have mentioned that up front. I'm happy to dispense BDSM fantasies, but..."

A flicker of fear joined the sharpness of the anger on Ember's tongue, but Jet interrupted her, practically shouting, "No. I paid for sex to order, without all these tedious negotiating games. Why do you think I came to a whore?"

"Well you can go from this particular whore, because that is not how I operate. I would be happy to provide your every fantasy, but not if you can't respect that I am still a person, and not some kind of slave or toy." Her own anger was almost strong enough to drown out the taste of his and she took a step forward, her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back.

Jet stepped back, his eyes wide. He gathered his outrage again, though, and spat, "I demand a refund," at her.

"Happily. The stallion at the front will give you back your bits. Now get out or I will throw you out." Ember knew the last was probably unnecessary, but she was mad enough to enjoy saying it.

Jet Set opened his mouth, as if to protest, and Ember gathered her magic, her horn glowing green. He closed his mouth and spun around to the door, yanking it open with his own magic and retreating rapidly.

Ember let her horn glow fade out and heaved a massive sigh of complete and utter frustration. Why did some ponies have to be such idiots?

I couldn't help but overhear the end of that, said Far's voice in her mind. I'm refunding that jackass now. Sorry you had to deal with him. I knew he was full of himself, but I didn't know he'd be that bad or I wouldn't have let him in at all.

Even your sight isn't perfect. And I'm not sure he's "that bad" exactly. I'm not traumatized, I'm irritated. If he would admit what he wants, he'd get it! I'd have been utterly delighted to be his submissive bitch princess. You know I love that kind of thing. I get asked to top so much more often, it's a delight to get somebody dominant in! And then sometimes they turn out like that and just ruin everything for both of us. It's so damn frustrating!

Far's chuckled was clear, even if it was purely mental. Poor little subby bug queen. You're all worked up now, aren't you?

Yeees! Ember almost whined it. It wasn't fair.

Well, it's been a few weeks since we did much together, I could just about get in the mood, said Far teasingly.

Yes! Please? Pleasepleasepleaseplease?

I see I have you begging already.

Ember giggled. Do I need to grovel too? I can kiss hooves very well.

Far laughed again, both out loud and mentally. Maybe later on. Let me just close up here for the night.

Ember practically dove for the toy closet and started hauling out boxes of various kinky gear. A few minutes later Far Gaze stepped into the bedroom and grinned at the scatter of cuffs and floggers Ember was spreading out around her. "Should I get the changeling sized sets, or the pony-sized ones?"

Far chuckled. "Changeling, I think. Whatever issues your ex-client may have had, I don't mind dominating a mare who's taller than me."

Ember couldn't help but laugh at that. She set out sorting out all the restraints sized for her natural form. They'd all had to be specially made, there just wasn't enough demand for things sized to fit a changeling queen. They didn't get that much use, given how seldom she bottomed, though she did occasionally break them out when Princess Celestia came in for a session. Now, though, she was more than pleased to get to use them for the purpose for which they'd been purchased.

"Let's start with the most important part," said Far, his violet field lifting a collar from the pile Ember had assembled. "Now, kneel down."

Ember gave a happy sigh. "Yes, sir." She sank to her knees and arched her neck, lowering her head. Far buckled the broad black strap around her throat with practiced ease. They did not play often, but they'd been together for a long time, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He bent and gave a spot just above the buckle a little nip, and Ember let out a soft whimper of wonderful submission.

Far smiled. "Now, be a good girl and hold your hooves out."

There was something in that smile, and in the feel she got from Far, both through their bond and from the taste of his emotions. He'd stepped into that place where he was very much the king, and she was there for his pleasure alone. Ember immediately obeyed and held her hooves out. Far wrapped a set of hobbles around them, buckling the straps down snugly.

Ember sighed softly, slipping further into her submissive mindset, even as Far stepped further into his dominance. He put a hoof on her withers and shoved sideways, rolling her onto her side on the floor, then grabbed her hind hooves in his magic. She let out a soft whimper but didn't struggle at all as he strapped a second set of hobbles around her ankles, connecting them together. He did not, though, then tie them to her forehooves as she half expected he might.

"Let's see... I think at least one more thing." Far picked up a bridle, and Ember tipped her head back and opened her mouth for it without even being told. "Good girl," he said, and slipped the bit between her teeth. A moment later he had the straps buckled around her head. He gave the reins a little tug, and another whimper, slightly muffled now by the bit, escaped Ember.

She was breathing fast, her heart racing as she thought of what was to come. Submission always aroused her, but submission to Far, her first and closest love, was something special. It went beyond the physical in ways that were hard to explain. She practically vibrated with need, not even truly sexual need, but submissive need to please him any way she could.

Of course the sexual need was there as well. Her pussy was already soaking wet, far moreso than it had ever gotten with the now-departed customer, and she felt a wonderful ache of desire centered there but humming through her entire being.

It would be much too simple, and much less satisfying, though, if Far jumped straight to quenching that fire. Instead he stoked it, pulling her to her hooves where she could only stand a little awkwardly with them hobbled together as they were. He pulled back the reins hard, making her arch her head back, and his magic lifted her tail. A moment later the reins had been looped around her dock. When she lowered her head to a slightly more comfortable position it pulled her tail upward, exposing her.

Far circled her, reaching out frequently with one hoof to run it along the firm yet flexible surface of her chitin. His every touch was like lightning, sending electrifying waves of pleasure through her. She yearned to lean into those caresses, yet if she lost her balance with her hooves hobbled, she would fall over, so she didn't quite dare. The frisson of desire and inability that ran along her nerves was intense.

She let out a yelp and nearly fell over as Far suddenly slapped her rear hard. It didn't sting the way it would have over pony hide, but she could still feel the impact of his hoof. He slapped her again on the other side, delivering a firm spank of his hoof. Ember yelped again, and Far chuckled. "Now what shall I do with this helpless changeling queen?" He slapped her rump again, almost idly, and grinned at her squeak. "I think I have an idea." He pulled her head down a bit, arching her tail almost uncomfortably high, and whispered in her ear, "I think I'm going to make you my bitch. What do you think of that?"

Ember whined around the bit, not able to speak clearly and not able to form a coherent thought to voice even if she'd been able to. Far laughed and nipped her ear roughly. She whimpered again.

"I think I want you up on the bed, bitch queen. Up you get." There was a note of sadism in Far's mind, and in his voice. Ember looked at the tall bed, and at her own closely hobbled hooves. She waddled awkwardly over to it, able to take only the smallest of steps. Getting up on the bed was even more awkward, and Far simply stood back and watched her struggle, an amused smile on his face, but finally she succeeded.

She lay sprawled awkwardly on her stomach, panting, partly with exertion but mostly with desire. Far stood back, looking at her, for another long moment, and she started squirming, whimpering needily around the bit. He gave a low chuckle. "You're a very eager slut, my bitch queen."

Ember folded her ears back and whined again. Far grinned at her. "You'll have to wait a moment longer, I'm afraid." He went over to the pile of toy boxes and rummaged around. When he came back a large, purple anal plug was floating in his magic. He retrieved a bottle of lube from the bedside table and set about applying it to the plug. Ember watched him over her shoulder, somewhat awkwardly since every motion of her head pulled her tail about. It was terribly distracting, especially given what was about to go just beneath her tail.

Far gave her rump another slap, then pushed the tip of the plug up under her tail. Ember gasped and squirmed as it started to enter her. As it sank deeper, spreading her further, she started to bite down on the hard rubber of the bit. The widest part of it was almost too wide and it stretched her enough to hurt a little. She whined again, trying very hard not to squirm away from it as Far continued to relentlessly sink it into her. Finally the widest part was past and the rest slipped in easily, settling into place with the broad base of it making a bright patch of color beneath her tail.

"You're halfway stuffed," said Far, stroking and rubbing her rump. She whined again, clenching around the plug, feeling it fill her. She loved the sensation, but even more than that, she loved what she knew would be coming.

Far climbed into the bed and moved to a mounting position over her. She wanted to spread her legs wide for him, but they were hobbled together and she couldn't. All she could do was squirm and writhe beneath him, letting out more little eager whines of need. Far pushed his hips against her rump and she felt his cock rub along her pussy, the hot hardness of it wonderful. She moaned and tried to squirm to position herself for him, but he didn't cooperate at all, he just ground his hips against her, rubbing his cock to her but not letting the tip get anywhere near her entrance. She whined again, a sound of disappointment.

"Do you want something, little bitch queen?"

Another whine and a nod of her head that made her tail bob around were all she could give in response.

"What's that? I'm afraid I can't tell what you want." Far was grinning evilly. Through their link Ember knew perfectly well that he was as eager as she, but he liked teasing her, getting her worked up as much as possible.

Ember whined again and tried to speak around the bit. "Fwease..."

"Hmm? Are you trying to say something?"

"Fwease," repeated Ember, squirming more, trying to somehow get herself positioned to take Far's cock. "Fwease, fuch mph."

"Hmm. I suppose that sounded a bit like 'Please fuck me.' I'm not sure though..."

Ember whimpered, the sound full of frustrated desire, and tried futilely to enunciate around the bit. "Fwease! Fwease fuch mph!"

"I still can't understand a word. But I suppose that a slutty bitch like you probably does want to get fucked."

Ember nodded rapidly, letting out another needy whine.

Far chuckled and shifted, pulling his hips back. Ember felt the tip of his cock pressing against her pussy as he guided it with his magic. And then he was pushing into her, filling her amazingly, the anal plug making her far tighter than normal. Far's cock seemed to touch every single nerve, every possible pleasure center, as it pushed further and further in. She let out a loud moan of utter bliss, feeling already on the edge of climax. Far moaned too as he sank into her tight pussy, grinding his hips to hers as he hilted so that he could push in as deeply as possible.

The second moan that escaped around the bit was even louder, for Far had pushed against her cervix, sending a jolt of amazing pleasure/pain through her. She pushed her rump back against him, wanting more of that amazing sensation, but instead he pulled back, withdrawing from her almost entirely. Then he leaned forward and bit the base of her mane, just above the collar, and yanked on it roughly. She yelped, and he let go and laughed. "I am going to fuck you into the ground, my bitch queen. And there's nothing you can do to stop me, so it's a good thing you're such a slut."

Ember's breath caught, and then she gasped as he slammed back into her, thrusting in deep and hard. He didn't pause, hesitate, or tease any further, he just made good on his word and fucked her, exactly the way she loved best. She moaned and writhed shamelessly under him, pleasure spiraling rapidly upward. Her body tensed, and she squeezed down harder on Far's cock, which only drove him to take her all the more roughly.

A moment later she let out a breathless cry and came hard, the pleasure in her pussy exploding outward to wash over her whole body and spill through her mental link to Far. He paused for a heartbeat, feeling it, then growled softly and started thrusting again, not relenting in the least. Ember felt the purely physical pleasure of her orgasm fade, but the mental pleasure of pleasing Far only grew as he continued to take her. She moaned beneath him as he pounded into her. It didn't matter that she'd come and was unlikely to come again so soon, having him take her still felt wonderful. Eventually his thrusts grew shorter, more jerky, but if anything even harder and more primal, and she knew from that and from the feel of him, the taste of him, that he was near his own peak.

She clenched her inner muscles again, squeezing down on his cock, wanting his pleasure even more than she'd wanted her own. Her mind was absolutely on fire with need and desire, and the taste of lust mixed with love that hung thick in the air was the sweetest ambrosia she could imagine.

Then Far came at last, and Ember felt a wave of pleasure go through her, partly traveling through their link, but also partly made of an intense satisfaction at having finally pleased her first and greatest love.

Nothing that intense can last, of course, and the emotions Ember both felt and tasted began to slowly ebb as the pair lay still tied together by Far's slowly softening cock. As it began to slip from her, Ember heaved a massive, contented sigh.

After a long, relaxed silence Far said, "That idiot unicorn missed out on a very good thing."

Ember chuckled softly. Her magic wrapped around the bridle and unbuckled it so that she could spit out the bit. "Indeed. Yet I find I don't mind at all. As much as I love working with my customers, I love you more, Far."

Far squeezed Ember gently with his forehooves. "I love you too, Ember. I always will."

Ember sprawled on her back along the length of her couch, her head hanging over the armrest, her hind hooves dangling off the end of it. Her eyes were closed, and she was nearly half-way to falling asleep. It had been a long week. A long month or more, really. Being popular was good for her ego, but she was starting to wear out. Not to mention the financial situation, which was improving now that she'd finally raised her prices. Almost nobody had complained, so it had probably been the right decision, but needing to do it had caused her stress, and she wasn't quite out of the woods yet.

It was an annoying balance. The more ponies came to her, the more ponies she could help, and the more she could handle her financial problems. But the more ponies came to her to more she wore out, and the more she worried about their problems. She did what she could, but there were many things that she simply couldn't do anything about, and even when she could help, her aid almost never magically fixed somepony's problem in one session.

Ember yanked her mind away from the increasingly familiar litany of worry. Stressing over her situation wouldn't help it any. Maybe she should just take a nap. She didn't have any clients scheduled, so maybe she'd be lucky enough to not get a walk-in. She yawned and shifted a bit to make herself more comfortable.

Sorry to interrupt your napping plans, but you've got a customer. Far Gaze's mental voice was sympathetic, but also a bit amused.

Of course, said Ember with a sigh. Anybody I know?

Yes, actually, it's Starflower.

Ember perked up. Oh! Excellent. I'll get everything prepared, then.

Starflower was a regular, and Ember quite liked her. Her sessions were more work than some, topping was always a little extra effort, but Ember didn't mind. Especially not for somepony as genuinely nice as Starflower was.

Ember rolled off the chaise longue and used her magic to shove it over against one wall. The couch facing it was pushed against another wall, and a high-backed, ornate chair that was just short of being a throne was positioned opposite the door. She turned off the lights except for a pair that flanked the chair, turned down low. A flash of green fire and it was no longer a charcoal-colored changeling queen, but instead an ebon-black alicorn that stood in the middle of the room. She looked herself over, making certain that her impression of Nightmare Moon was perfect, then smiled and seated herself in the chair, putting a haughty expression on her face.

I'm ready.

She seems a bit nervous tonight, said Far. She didn't say anything to me, but she might want something outside the usual routine, he relayed, just as the door swung open and a slender pink pegasus slipped inside the room. Her hair was golden yellow, her eyes large and sky blue. Her cutie mark was a golden compass rose, with deep pink flower petals behind each of the major and minor compass points.

"Welcome, my pet," said Ember, looking down with a faint frown at Starflower. "It's been too long." It hadn't been all that long, but Starflower liked punishments as part of their play, so Ember always found some little thing she'd done "wrong" early on.

"I, uhm... I'm sorry, I..." Ember tasted a confused mix of excitement, fear, nervousness, and too many other things to even name coming from Starflower. Her expression softened from the haughty mask she'd donned to a more natural look of concern. That wasn't how Starflower usually reacted at all. Usually Ember got a breathless, "Forgive me, Mistress" and an offer to kiss her hooves or something of that sort. Given her confused emotions, something was definitely up.

"Starflower? Is something wrong?" she asked gently.

"Not...exactly. Something might be right? It's good? I think?"

Ember engaged her magic, her horn glowing green as she turned up the lamps. "Tell me about it," she said, leaning forward in her chair, completely abandoning her dominant posture.

"I met somepony."

"Ah." Ember smiled.

"Yeah. I've been dating her for a couple of months now. But last week we talked about being exclusive, and we also, uh..." her cheeks blushed, darker pink against the pink of her hide.

Ember chuckled. "You became lovers."

"Yes. I do think I actually love her. Probably. It's early still, but she's just so wonderful! I never thought I'd meet anybody I had so much in common with. But I probably shouldn't see you anymore. Just..." Starflower hesitated, and Ember caught a hint of clear emotion emerging from the chaotic tangle of Starflower's feelings: fear.

"Something worries you about this new love."

"Yes. She's not you. You're not her. I mean, I like you but I don't love you. You know that, I'm sure." Ember nodded. "But I do love what you can do for me. Your Nightmare Moon is just..." she gave a pleasant little shiver. "I'm not sure I can live without that. It doesn't have to be Nightmare Moon, but..."

"It does need to be dominant?"

"Yes! And Sweet Lemon is super confident and strong and I'm sure she could dominate me wonderfully, but so far she's been, well... Just vanilla, you know?"

"You don't know how to bring your needs up," said Ember.

Starflower nodded, her whole being wilting a little bit. She sat down on her haunches in front of Ember. Ember summoned a flicker of changing fire, returning to her natural shape, and slid down from the throne to put a comforting hoof on Starflower's shoulder. "It's scary, thinking about telling her."

"Yes! I figured I'd do the easy thing first, and tell you that I probably won't be coming any more. But I need to tell her. I know I need to tell her. I need what I've had with you. I don't think I can be happy without it. What if she is freaked out, though? What if she calls me a pervert? What if she thinks it's sick?"

"You know that kinks are actually pretty common, yes?"

Starflower sighed. "Yes. Not universal, though. There aren't any guarantees. I like her so much. She could be the one. It makes me afraid."

Ember felt her lips quirking up in a wry smile. "I hope you're sensible enough to know there's no 'the' one, yes? Relationships don't work that way. Not outside of fiction, at least. There are any number of ponies you might live a happy life with. It's just a matter of finding one, and of making the necessary compromises to make things work so that you both feel happy. Happy is the goal, not finding your 'fated special somepony.'"

"I know. I know. I just... She seems so perfect."

"Maybe she is. But if she's your perfect dominant lover, you have to tell her what you want, so she can be that for you. And if she's not, well... Better to know now that it won't work out, and not years from now when she finds out accidentally."

"Telling her is so terrifying, though. I might ruin everything. If I just let things go on the way they are..."

"Then what? You'll live with her for years, not getting your needs met, and getting more and more resentful about that." Ember patted her shoulder again. "You deserve better than that."

"I guess."

"Try considering the logical point of view." Ember sat up straight, assuming a teacher's posture. It wasn't quite the haughty countenance of Nightmare Moon, but there was a certain authority in it. "There are four possibilities here, as I see it. One is that you never tell her about kink, and she's not into kink. She can't meet your needs, but you never discuss it. Instead you just...don't get your needs met. At some point that will bother you enough to say something, and after months or even years of feeling unfulfilled, you'll break up. Definitely a bad outcome."

Starflower nodded.

"Two is that you never tell her about kink and she is into kink. Then you have time wasted being unfulfilled when you could have been exploring how your needs fit together. Also a bad outcome. There's no good outcome from not telling her."

"But one of the other two outcomes is bad too," said Starflower, with another deep sigh. "Just one chance in three of things being okay. Because if she's not into kink, and I tell her how much I need this, she'll freak out and dump me."

"The odds aren't actually one in three. I'm not sure what the odds are. Submissives and switches are more common than outright dominants, so the odds are probably against her being a perfect match. But kinks really are very common, and many people can compromise. Her being a workable match for you is very possible. Still, I think if you aren't a match, it's better to get the pain over now. And you pave the way for the one ideal outcome, where she is just as into kink as you are, and you can have all kinds of wonderful fun together."

"I guess so."

"I know it's hard." Ember bent her head and nuzzled Starflower's cheek. "But you've been such a wonderful pony the whole time I've known you. You deserve to be truly happy, and that includes having this need fulfilled."

Starflower leaned against Ember's shoulder. "I guess so," she said again.

"I know so."

Starflower just sighed again.

Ember remained silent, giving her time to think about things.

"I know you're right," said Starflower at last. "I do. It's just so hard. Romance stories are stories. You know that when the girl is going through all this agony, she'll definitely end up working it out somehow in the end, because that's how stories work. But real life isn't like that. It's terrifying. I know it's better to know if this won't work early than late, but what if nothing ever works? What if I never find somebody I can love who can also dominate me?"

"I think that you will, now or someday. You're a wonderful mare, and I've thoroughly enjoyed my sessions with you the entire time you've been coming to see me. There are some ponies who never find life partners, it's true, and nobody can guarantee who will or won't. I think you will, but if you somehow don't, you can keep coming to me as long as I'm in business, and you can still live a meaningful and happy life, even without a special somepony. It is difficult to face that possibility, but you know it's not that likely, and you know what the right thing to do is. I have faith that you can do it."

Starflower looked up at her with wide eyes, and her cheeks flushed brightly. "I... Thank you. I can. I know I can. I know I have to."

"Are you seeing her tonight?"

Starflower nodded mutely. "Yes. Right after this."

"Can you tell her tonight?"

"I..." She swallowed hard. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"Well... Oh dammit, I just want to put it off. All right. I'll do it tonight."

Ember gave her a little wink and bent to kiss her forehead. "Good girl."

Starflower blushed brighter. "Th-thank you." She didn't add "Mistress" this time, but Ember could tell she was thinking it.

"Now don't stick around here, I'll be too tempted by your sexy, marefriend-taken self. Go on. Go see her, talk to her, see how she feels about kink. I bet it will go just fine."

Starflower straightened, standing up on all four hooves. "I bet it will. She's smart and sexy and kind. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Ember smiled broadly. It showed her fangs, but it was a kind expression all the same. "Get out of here, then, sexy."

Starflower laughed and headed for the door. "Okay. I will. And thank you!"

A moment later she was gone. Ember flopped back down on the couch against one wall, not bothering to re-arrange the room. She gave a massive yawn. Okay, nap time now, she said to Far Gaze, who only laughed silently in response as he refunded Starflower, having to insist she take the money back, and then sent her on her way.

Ember sent a good luck wish after her, then yawned again and closed her eyes. A moment later she was soundly asleep.

Ember? Ember? Wake up. You're needed.

Ember blinked her eyes open slowly. She felt vaguely gritty, in that way that meant she hadn't gotten very much sleep at all. It sometimes felt almost worse than not napping. Sorry, she said silently, trying to gather herself together. Another customer?

Not exactly. Far Gaze mentally pulled her closer, so she could see through his eyes. Ember snapped to full wakefulness at the sight of Starflower standing there, trembling faintly, obviously having just wiped tears from her eyes. "I'm really sorry to bother her again. If I need to pay..."

"No, it'll just be a moment, it's no trouble at all. No charge."

Send her in, said Ember instantly, and Far nodded.

"There, she's ready. Go on."

"Yes sir, thank you," said Starflower. Her voice was shaky, and Ember felt her heart breaking for her. Things had obviously not gone well at all.

Starflower slipped into the room, still trembling faintly. Ember went straight to her and enfolded her in a tight hug. She almost changed to her pony form, she knew her hard chitin might be less then comforting, but she felt that somehow offering anything but her real self would be wrong just now. Starflower didn't seem to mind her chitin, or anything else, she threw both forelegs around Ember and clung to her tightly, words spilling out in a sudden quavering babble.

"I'm so sorry, I know you just do your job and I know this probably isn't the place and I know it's not your problem but my mom's asleep at this hour and I just needed..." She sniffled audibly. "Needed...you... I'm so sorry."

"Shh, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm happy to listen and help if I can. It's fine."

"It's not fine, nothing is fine, I'm such a miserable failure, I'm so screwed up, I'm so sorry." Her muzzle was buried against Ember's chest and tears were flowing down her cheeks.

"You're not screwed up. You're not, believe me."

"Sweet Lemon said... She said... She said I was a freak. She said there was something wrong with me. She... She..."

"There's something wrong with her," said Ember instantly, fiercely, "If she can be so cruel to somepony who loves her."

"She's a good pony. She was good to me until... Until..." She started sobbing again, her voice breaking up into little hiccups.

Ember gave Starflower another squeeze, and tried to not sound so terribly angry. Screaming about Sweet Lemon was unlikely to help. "Few people are total monsters. But being so cruel to you was monstrous, Starflower. You are not a failure or a screwup or a freak."

"But..."

"No. I won't hear it. You're not. Or if you're a freak, so am I." On a sudden impulse Ember changed back to Nightmare Moon. "If it's freakish for you to want this of me, then it's freakish for me to want to do it."

"M-Mistress?" A shiver went through Starflower. Ember could taste the confused swirl of emotions coming from her. There was nothing like arousal in it, but that wasn't why she'd taken this form.

"You're a good girl, Starflower. Your Mistress says so, and Mistress is never wrong."

Starflower let out a little whimper and pressed closer to Ember, who continued to embrace her tightly.

"You did something very difficult, because you knew it was the right thing. You knew it could go wrong, and you were brave enough to do it anyway. It didn't turn out like you'd hoped, but that is not your fault, do you hear me?"

"Y-yes Mistress."

"Good girl. A very good girl. You are brave and strong and wonderful, and you don't deserve someone who can't appreciate that."

"Oh Mistress." Starflower clung to her even more tightly, still crying, but some of the chaos of her emotions eased a little bit.

"Now you're going to come with me." Ember gathered up Starflower in her magic, keeping her tightly wrapped in a cocoon of green power. Far? I'm closed for the night. Put out the lantern, would you?

Yes ma'am. His voice was gentle. You take good care of her.

I will.

She went into the bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed. It tended to not be used for this purpose terribly often, but it was a fine, soft bed and she always had it freshly made up even if most of the time the blankets never got pulled back at all. Now she tucked Starflower into the bed. "You can go home if you'd rather be alone, my pet. I won't make you stay, but I want to cuddle you and tell you you're wonderful all night long. I know it won't fix your heartache, but I also know that this Sweet Lemon person is wrong about you. You're wonderful, and worthy of love, and maybe I don't love you, but I do care about you a lot, and think you're infinitely worthy of love. I want to show you that. Do you want to stay?"

Starflower sniffled, but her tears had finally slowed a little. "Y-yes Mistress."

"Good." Ember climbed into the bed beside Starflower and wrapped her hooves around her again, tucking her head beneath her chin and nuzzling the top of it warmly.

Starflower pressed up close, her body still shivering, and started sobbing all over again. She had no words this time, she just let the tears flow, and Ember held her as she cried. Eventually she cried herself all out, and slipped into a deep slumber. Ember sighed softly, her own eyes sliding closed.

You're a good person, said Far to her softly as he came in from turning out the red lantern outside the door and headed up to the upstairs bedroom he and Ember shared most nights, though they wouldn't share it this one.

I just wish I could do more. I wish I could love them all. I wish I could save them all.

You're not a god. You're not even Celestia. You do a lot. More than most people

That's a ridiculous measure. I'm in a unique situation. Maybe somebody else in my place would do better. I always wish I could do more.

You do as much as you can. You'd be the first to tell somebody else to not beat herself up for being merely mortal. Now get some rest, you need it too.

Yes sir, she said with a little smile.

Goodnight Ember. I love you, and things like this are a great deal of why.

I love you too. And thank you. I couldn't do what I do without you.

Then her heavy eyes closed again and she was lost in sleep, still holding Starflower close as the peaceful darkness enfolded them both.

The basket full of kittens was absolutely adorable.

Ember looked down at them, beaming. They were all safely tucked in, and she counted them off one by one, then frowned. One of them was missing. She looked around, suddenly deeply worried, but soon saw the escapee. Ember trotted over and gently lifted the kitten in her magic. Such a naughty little cat! Now it was all fixed, though. She would tuck this last kitten safely into the basket and everything would be perfect.

But as she turned around, she saw that two more had gotten out of the basket, and the rest were all trying to climb out as well.

With her brow furrowed in concern, Ember carefully set the first kitten into the basket, and went after the one that was already most of the way across the room. That one was tucked back into safety, but by then most of the others had gotten out and were crawling in every direction. Ember felt a knot of fear in her chest. How was she going to keep all these kittens safe? She scrambled after them, chasing them with increasingly frantic distress, catching kitten after kitten and returning them to safety, but she couldn't get them to stay! Everything turned into a mad haze of chasing and catching and scrambling and failing and no matter how she tried she couldn't catch them fast enough, and some of them had surely gotten out of the room entirely and they'd be hurt and it was all her fault. What kind of person was she, anyway, that she couldn't even take care of a basket of kittens? She was failing at this. She couldn't do it.

Suddenly she thought of Far Gaze. Far Gaze could help. She would go get Far Gaze, and he would make everything right for her, like he always had, right from the first. She dashed out of the room, into the hallway outside. She swiftly flung open the first door she came to, but the room inside was empty. So was the next, and the one after that. She kept going, running faster and faster down the long hall, using her magic to open each door, but each room contained nothing. There was no sign of Far Gaze.

Her frantic desperation turned to despair and she dropped to her haunches inside the last empty room. She couldn't find him. She'd never find him. He had left her, abandoned her forever. She'd never see him again, and it was all her fault. She curled herself up in a huddle on the floor and began weeping, intense sobs shaking her entire body.

"Ah, poor changeling child." The voice could have been condescending, but it wasn't. It was soft, tender; a warm, caring voice, perhaps even motherly, though Ember had never known a mother in the pony sense. A touch came on her withers, softly stroking down over her wings. "All is well, all is well. You may cry if you need to, but this is only a dream. Only a nightmare."

Ember felt a strange shock go through her, but she knew even before the voice had finished speaking that it was true. She nearly went limp with relief. She hadn't failed. There wouldn't actually be any dead kittens because of her. And Far Gaze hadn't really abandoned her forever.

Even as relief filled her, though, her tears didn't stop. Something about the grief and despair she'd felt still seemed far too real, and it wouldn't let go its grip on her. She felt a warm embrace enfold her, arms and wings wrapping around her, and found herself being held tight by Princess Luna. Luna put her chin atop Ember's head and stroked over her wings soothingly, and Ember buried her muzzle against Luna's chest and wept.

Luna simply continued to hold her while she cried herself out. Ember gradually calmed, and as she did she felt a growing sense of embarrassment creep over her. She didn't even know Princess Luna. She'd imitated her many times, and she knew Celestia very well indeed, but she and Luna had never met before Ember started soaking her coat with tears.

She lifted her head, sniffling, and said, "I'm sorry."

"There's naught to be sorry of," said Luna gently.

Ember's ears went down. "There might be. I shouldn't be crying all over one of the rulers of Equestria."

"And why ever not?"

Ember blinked at Luna for a moment, then sighed. "I don't know. Forgive me."

"You seem somewhat distraught, despite your nightmare ending. Having troubles? I can listen, if you want to talk."

Ember's ears flattened further. She felt a strong reluctance to speak. She was supposed to be the one who helped ponies. It didn't seem right for her to put her problems on someone else. That was absurd though, wasn't it? She could already imagine what she would say—what she had said, even, to Luna's own sister—if someone claimed they didn't need help because it was their job to help others. It wasn't even her job, it was just something she couldn't keep from doing.

"Ember?" Luna's voice was still gentle.

Ember looked up, startled. "You know who I am?"

Luna smiled. "Of course. You have some small fame in certain circles. But come, tell me your troubles. It sounds as though you have a few."

Ember heaved a massive sigh, and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "I suppose I do. They seem so petty, as if it's not even worthwhile to worry about them. Truly my life is a good one. But I can't keep from fretting sometimes. Apparently enough that it infects my dreams."

"And what it is that you fret over? Not kittens, surely?"

"No, not kittens. Ponies, mostly. My clients. I do what I can for them, and mostly I feel they go away feeling better than when they arrived. But there are so many things I can't help. There are so many ways I worry that perhaps I harm, even. There are so many little things I do wrong all the time. I didn't tell Bell Pepper the other day about safe words. I should have! They're important in the kind of play he wants to do! I know he's not stupid, he'll probably figure things out just fine, but I should have mentioned them. I should talk to ponies about condoms. I never use them. I don't need them. But am I teaching my clients that having sex without them is fine? How many of them have followed my example and caught something? Some of them ask, and I explain, but I should be telling all of them why I don't use them. And today..." Ember shivered, feeling like she might start crying again. Sky above, what if she'd made the wrong choice? What if some innocent was hurt because of her? Yet how could she have chosen differently?

"Today?" asked Luna, her voice neutral, her expression kind, yet intent.

"I've called the guard on clients a few times," said Ember softly, letting her eyes drop from Luna's penetrating gaze to rest on the carpeted floor. The room she was in seemed to be her private bedroom, that she shared with Far Gaze, at least going by the carpet and most of the fixtures, though the bed in it was her public bed, the one she shared with clients. "Sometimes a pony gets belligerent, though it's rare. Now and again I get told something criminal. Some people seem to want to confess to their lovers. Twice it was..." Ember flicked her ears at the uncomfortable memories. "Twice it was ponies who wanted me to be a foal for them, and who said things... They said horrible things about foals. Each was different, one was a stallion and one a mare, even, but the things they said implied in one way or another that foals were sexual beings, that foals wanted sex, and presented themselves sexually. That the innocent things foals did actually meant they desired these terrible ponies. The taste of their emotions didn't even bear guilt, they came to me instead of molesting real children solely because they worried about being caught. It was awful, but I knew I'd done the right thing by turning them in. Today, though..."

"You had a client who wanted to lie with a foal?"

"Yes." Ember drew in a deep, steadying breath, then blew it out. "He was... Stars, I've seldom tasted so much guilt. He hated himself for it. He didn't say anything about children wanting it, only about what he wanted, and how terrible it was, yet how very deeply his desire ran. I... I did it. I gave him what he wanted, and told him that if he was ever tempted he could come back to me whenever he wished, and I wouldn't even charge him if it kept him from touching a real foal."

"And that bothers you?"

"Of course it bothers me! I don't judge kinks, I've done ageplay many times, it's a relatively common kink, but it was play. It was people who were attracted to some aspect of the fantasy of childhood, not people who just straight up looked at real foals with desire. Wanting to pretend that you are a child is very different from wanting to harm a child! So playing such games never bothered me. Those clients never wanted me to be young, they nearly all wanted me to treat them as if they were young, or occasionally they wanted me to be an adult but act in bratty, childish ways. It was about the game, about the play, about a fantasy. This, though..." Another shiver ran through Ember.

"This felt far too real, and so I worry. I thought about calling the guard again, truly I did, yet he hated himself so much. How could I be so cruel to somepony who'd never done any harm, despite his desires? He wanted to do the right thing, to find some safe outlet so badly... I don't know. I fear deeply that by giving him his desire I only made it stronger, made it all the more likely that he'll act on it, despite my offer to help him if the temptation grew too great. I don't know. I wanted to send him to a real therapist, but he wouldn't go. He said they were sure to turn him in to the guard. I couldn't force him. All I could do was give him the offer I gave, or turn him in myself, but I don't know which was the right thing to do! I try so hard to help ponies, but if he goes on to touch a foal, it will be my fault. I'll have failed."

"Oh, Ember. You judge yourself far more harshly than you would judge any other in your place. None of us are perfect, and 'tis not in the least your fault should somepony else choose to do evil."

"Even if I had a chance to prevent it and didn't?"

"Mayhap if you knew of a certainty that harm would come of it, but you do not know. For all you know you have done precisely as you should to aid this stallion in staying safe and harming none."

"I wish I did know. Truly I do."

"Alas, a sure right course is seldom granted in this world. Any who think they have found one should question it deeply." Luna hugged her again, folding dark wings around her. Ember sighed, relaxing into that embrace. "You remind me so much of my sister. She too would save every creature in all the world if she could. Especially when she was younger, she always dove into the problems of others. She learned better eventually, but she still acts as if it's some great sin for her to relax and lay down her burdens for a time."

Ember smiled a little at that. "It's no sin to relax, I know that much. But it is hard to not feel responsible sometimes. Helping ponies is sort of what I do. Even the ones without problems I still help to feel better before they go."

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes," said Luna, softly.

"Hmm?"

"It means 'Who watches the watchmen?' And who cares for the carers?" She gave Ember a soft nuzzle. "I know that thou hast cared for my sister, young changeling, and I am glad of't, but who then shall care for thee?"

"Far Gaze does generally take very good care of me," said Ember with a small smile. She was feeling a little bit better now. Talking to Luna hadn't really changed anything, yet somehow it helped.

"That is good. Thou shouldst be happy and well cared for. Thou hast done much for many."

"Thank you," said Ember. "Thank thee, I guess?"

Luna chuckled softly. "Forgive me mine eccentricities. Thou art somewhat of a peer, being something of an alicorn, and something of royalty, and also something of my sister's paramour. And I think of thee fondly, I would be pleased to be thy friend, so 'tis easy to slip into the intimate mode. I hope I do not overstep."

"No, not in the least." Ember smiled. "I should like to be thy friend also. Thou hast certainly acted a friend's part for me this even."

Luna's eyes sparkled and she clapped her front hooves together. "How delightful! Let us be friends, then. And even more delightful, that thou canst say it correctly! So many modern ponies attempt the intimate mode and frankly butcher it."

Ember felt a faint flush coloring her ears. "I, ah, have practiced it a great deal for clients who wanted me to be you for them."

"I am not in the least bit shocked." Luna giggled. "I see dreams, recall. That doth include wet dreams. And not dreams only, for night is my domain, and all that goes on within it! I know that I feature in such fantasies for many ponies. As does my sister. I have seen thee there also, a time or two."

Ember blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Indeed. Why shouldst thou doubt? Thy clients come to thee because they desire thee, why should they not dream of thee also?"

"I suppose I never thought that any of them really felt that strongly about me specifically. I provide a service. I feel I provide it well, but even though I do very much like and care about most of my clients, it's still just business. Dreams seem...different, somehow."

"Dreams are not always literal, so not all who dream of thee truly desire thee. Yet do they not sometimes fall in love with thee, sweet changeling queen?"

Ember found herself blushing faintly again, for some reason. "Well, yes. I try to discourage that, though. Especially the ones that are monogamous." She sighed faintly. "Even with the ones who aren't, it would be unfair for a client to love me if I didn't love them back. Although there are a few of my clients I could possibly fall for, if things worked out that way." She gave Luna a glance and decided not to mention that her sister was on that short list.

"Thou art quite worthy of love," said Luna softly. "Worthy of regard. Worthy of care." She leaned in closer, nuzzling Ember's cheek again, and there was something strangely intimate about it. Ember felt a faint confusion, though. Luna had made an intimate gesture, and what she was saying might even be a kind of flirting, yet there was no taste of such emotions from her. In fact, Ember suddenly realized, there was no taste of emotion from her at all.

Of course. This was a dream. Luna's actual self was miles away from where Ember lay in her bed, and whatever method Luna used to step into dreams apparently brought the sight and sound of her, but not her true presence.

"Ember?" said Luna, her voice faintly amused. "Thy mind doth seem to be wandering."

"Ah, forgive me. I just realized that I'm feeling a bit off-balance because I'm used to relying on the taste of a pony's emotions to know what she wants. I can't taste yours, though."

"Ah. 'Tis quite the advantage! But I can well imagine how difficult 'twould be to act without such a sense when one is accustomed to relying upon it." Her eyes went slightly unfocused. "Let me see what I can do." Ember watched as Luna's expression settled into one of intense concentration. Then suddenly Luna's emotional flavors flooded over her. She tasted of warmth, contentment, and affection, of the kind of warm regard that could possibly develop into deep friendship or even into love. She tasted also of just the faintest hint of spicy lust, and Ember smiled at the confirmation that Luna's physical closeness meant what it seemed to.

"Is that more to thy liking?" said Luna, still smiling.

"It is. I thank thee for thine effort." Ember smiled back warmly.

Luna leaned in close again, and that faint hint of lust—cinnamon and cayenne, warmth and spice—grew stronger on Ember's tongue. "Shall I offer thee a further effort? Shall I care for thee as thou hast cared for so many?" Her muzzle rubbed against Ember's cheek and down the side of her neck in a gently intimate caress.

Ember felt her ears heating again faintly. Why was Luna having this effect on her? But then she did always have to take the lead with her clients. Even with Far she usually had to initiate things, though he would take over once he was suitably in the mood. Having somepony else being the sexual aggressor wasn't something she was used to. Even tasting Luna's emotions and knowing exactly where Luna was headed, Ember still felt a little flustered.

It was a good kind of flustered though, so she leaned in and nuzzled Luna back. "I think I would like that."

"Delightful," murmured Luna, and lifted her head slightly to nibble Ember's ear.

Ember made a soft sound of pleasure, a little shiver going through her. This was odd, but also very nice.

Luna nipped again, then nibbled down the side of Ember's neck, her teeth clicking just slightly on the flexible chitin. Ember felt a strange urge come over her, and she gave in to it, shifting, green fire washing over her body, leaving midnight blue hide behind, with soft-feathered wings and a floating mane and tail that shimmered with all the starry night.

Luna tilted her head to the side, regarding this curiously, then smiled. "How pleasing."

"I am a changeling, imitation is what we do," said Ember, with a little smile.

"They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Luna laughed softly and nipped Ember's neck again. Ember gasped, the sensation sharper now that she had sensitive pony hide and not chitin there. Luna pushed her over in the bed, then, bending over her and pressing a soft yet insistent kiss on Ember's lips.

Ember let her eyes slide half closed and kissed back. Luna lingered for a long, sweet moment, then pulled back and looked down at Ember, lying alongside her. Luna spread and wing and drew the feathers delicately over Ember, caressing her softly. Ember shivered at that light, sensuous touch. The taste of lust, warm and wonderful, was heavy in the air.

"Thou art beautiful, and not merely because thou hast taken mine own form, sweet Ember." Luna caressed her more, her wing brushing up and down, wandering over every inch of Ember's body. Ember sighed, stretching out on her back, her own wings relaxing. Luna kissed her again, then nuzzled her cheek, moving towards her ear which she nibbled with delicate gentleness. Ember felt another shiver go through her, and she made a soft sound of pleasure.

Then the softness of Luna's muzzle caressed up the length of her horn and Ember gasped sharply at the contact, the caress against her magical field sending a pulse of warmth from her horn down through her whole body. Luna let out a soft, throaty chuckle and lapped at the very tip of Ember's horn. Ember gasped again, then moaned as Luna lapped in a long stroke up the full length of it.

"Ah..."

"Relax, my sweet changeling," murmured Luna, and then she licked Ember's horn again. "Relax and let me please thee." Her hoof began to caress over Ember, moving where her wing had been before, but more firmly, stroking over the soft, midnight blue of her hide. Ember sighed deeply, then let out another soft, gasping moan as Luna licked up her horn slowly, sensuously, and then took the tip into her mouth. The warmth of her surrounding and interpenetrating Ember's field was amazing, sending jolts of pure pleasure through her as Luna slowly, carefully, took more of the sharp-pointed horn into her mouth.

"Oh, stars," moaned Ember softly.

"Mmm," said Luna, and she pressed her tongue firmly against it within the warmth of her mouth, then began to bob her head on it, sliding it slowly in and out, sending shuddering waves of magical bliss through Ember each time.

She started to move faster, and Ember moaned again, loudly. The waves of pleasure rolled through her whole body, but seemed to be aimed directly at her groin, each stroke of Luna's lips and tongue making Ember's pussy throb with it. She felt already on edge, her pulse pounding, and she said, breathlessly, "Ah... Luna... I am going to spark soon. Oh stars... I can't... ah.... Can't hold back much longer if you keep doing that. Ah!" Luna didn't pause to listen, but Ember had to stammer out one more shaky line, "I spark very strongly. You should probably stop... Ooohh..."

Luna pulled back just long enough to whisper, "This is yet a dream," before diving back down on Ember's horn. Ember felt a final tension go out of her at the realization that there was no reason to hold back and in only seconds the pleasure filling her seemed to flash back from her pussy to her horn, erupting in a volcanic shower of acid-green sparks.

Luna didn't pull back, she kept Ember's horn between her lips, and the sparks filled her, shining within every inch of her body as if for a moment she was a hollow pony of cobalt glass, filled with streaking fireflies. It was a strange effect, and a strong reminder that this was a dream, but Ember thought it looked beautiful.

When the last spark had faded Luna let go of Ember's horn and smiled down at her, licking her lips. "I have had a taste of thee, sweet changeling, and I would have more."

Ember, still somewhat dazed with pleasure, looked up at her, eyes lidded, and said, "Oh, yes."

Luna chuckled deeply and kissed Ember once more, harder this time, hotter. Ember kissed back with matching heat, wrapping her forelegs around Luna.

Luna pulled from the kiss after a moment and nuzzled down Ember's neck again, nipping here and there. Ember tipped her head back, moaning softly at the touch of Luna's teeth. It was so wonderful to just relax into whatever Luna wanted to do, to not have to plan out the scene or make certain everything went perfectly right for a customer.

Luna nipped at the base of Ember's neck, but didn't stop there, she trailed a line of kisses down Ember's chest and barrel, all the way to where her nipples peeked faintly pink through the deep blue of the fur she was currently wearing. Luna immediately tongued one of them, and Ember moaned blissfully, spreading her hind legs apart.

With a low, throaty chuckle Luna sucked and licked at Ember's nipples, first one and then the other. When Ember was squirming and moaning with it, Luna nipped one lightly, the touch of her teeth on that sensitive spot making Ember gasp. She lingered there for a long time, sometimes nipping, sometimes licking and sucking gently, pushing Ember back and forth between soothing pleasure and exhilarating pain.

Then, at last, she nuzzled lower, her muzzle brushing over Ember's lips, her tongue caressing there, tasting Ember's juices. Ember gasped softly at the contact, then let out a moan as Luna's tongue probed her. Luna lapped up between her labia, working her way up, until her tongue finally found the little nub of Ember's clit. She lingered there, using her tongue-tip to prod gently at it, and Ember shuddered and moaned again, loudly. It felt amazing.

"Mmm, thy taste is sweet also," murmured Luna, and she licked again, drawing her tongue in a long, slow stroke over Ember's clit. Ember couldn't keep from moaning once more. As Luna continued, Ember was soon lost in it, her body tensing but her mind relaxing into the pleasure that rapidly grew as Luna licked in increasingly rapid strokes.

Luna made little humming sounds as she did, obviously very much enjoying her self-appointed task. Her lust was strong enough that the spice of it almost burned, but it was twined with the richness of a caring that bordered on love, and the combined taste was amazing. Ember drank it in, writhing and moaning, tensing more as her pleasure built, and Luna's seemed to build with it.

Finally it broke over her and Ember cried out as the wave of it washed through her, her wings flaring out at her sides, her body arching back on the bed.

Luna kept licking, pushing her through it, wringing every ounce of pleasure from Ember that she could, until Ember at last went utterly limp, panting hard. Luna finally lifted her head, with a rather smug smile, and she tasted now of pleased contentment, warm and bright. She licked her lips, then wiped her muzzle off with one hoof. "I am delighted to have pleased thee so, sweet changeling."

"Mmm." Ember was, for the moment, incapable of saying much more than that. Luna chuckled softly in amusement. Then she rose from the bed.

"Alas, my duty calls me, and I must depart."

That made Ember's eyes finally come into focus as she looked at Luna in puzzlement. "But we're not finished. You've pleasured me twice, and not come at all."

"Oh Ember. Methinks thou hast spent too long engaging in sex as a transaction. It is not a matter of counting off who has come how often, thou shouldst know that perfectly well."

Ember felt herself flushing. "Yes..."

Luna bent in and kissed the tip of Ember's muzzle. "I have delighted in thee, sweet changeling. Thy pleasure hath been mine also. I feel no lack. And as I have said once already, thou art worthy of love, and worthy of care. But now I truly must be off. There is much yet to do in the realm of dreams this night."

"Thank you," said Ember as Luna began to waver and dissolve, the dream wavering around her as well. Luna vanished with no reply, but she was smiling as she went.

Then Ember was blinking awake in her own bed, with Far Gaze lying beside her. Far wasn't asleep, he was instead lying with his head propped up on one hoof, watching Ember with evident amusement. "Have a fun dream?" he said.

"Ah... You could say that, yes."

"I can tell." Far then nodded up towards the ceiling.

With a sudden sinking sensation in her stomach, Ember looked up, already knowing what she would see. There was a black scorch mark, with acid green thaumatic stains streaked through it. "I sparked in my sleep," she said, and put her face in her hoof.

"You sparked in your sleep." Far laughed. "I haven't done that since I was a colt. It must have been some dream."

Ember smiled then, and glanced back up at the ceiling. It looked like she hadn't done any real damage, it was just cosmetic, and could probably be cleaned off. Even if it couldn't, she wouldn't mind having the reminder of everything Luna had done—and everything she'd said as well.

"Yes, it very much was."

Far Gaze held the quill lightly in his field as it scratched across the paper before him. He was busying himself during a lull in business. There were no customers in just now, and he didn't have anything else to do, so he was writing. His current project was a children's story, and while it didn't require that many words, he felt like each one had to be perfect, so he had thus far re-written the tale four times. It might never be "perfect", and he knew eventually he'd have to decide it was good enough, but for now he had nothing better to do.

When the door opened he tucked the paper away. It seemed a bit wrong to leave the text of a foal's tale out while dealing with one of Ember's customers; those things were both fine apart but didn't quite go together.

"Welcome to Ember's. How may I help you?" He regarded the pony before him curiously. The prospective customer was a unicorn, with a cream-colored coat and untidy brown mane and tail. His eyes were green, and were marked with bags and wrinkles that made it look like he hadn't slept in days. Perhaps those bags aged him a little, but he certainly wasn't a youngster. He was wearing a pair of earmuffs and a scarf, with a pair of saddlebags draped over his back.

It had been a fine summer's day, and now was a clear, warm evening, so the scarf and muffs were more than a little odd. Also odd was the newcomer's aura. It was very busy, full of small, darting lights, yet it was also very patterned, the colors and glows of it in neat ranks, the flitting lights corralled into order. Far had seen auras like it before, but never on anyone he knew well, so he wasn't sure what exactly it meant. Obviously, though, this was an unusual pony with an unusual mind.

"I am here to make an appointment," the newcomer said, in formal tones. He was standing stiffly, yet not still, his tail twitching, a hoof scuffing, his body rigid but in motion, very much an echo of his interesting aura.

"Ember is free at the moment, if you would like to simply go in directly."

"Ah, yes, I had rather hoped that would be the case, it is so much simpler that way."

"That'll be a hundred and fifty bits, then."

"Of course." The unicorn pulled them out of his quite full saddlebags without needing to hunt, obviously knowing exactly where every item within was kept. Far tried to not be too nosy. This fellow was very unlike the usual clientele. He would have to ask Ember about him later, though sometimes she wouldn't talk about particularly sensitive issues with him.

The bits having been deposited on his desk in a careful, tidy stack, Far said, "Through the door right there, then," and with a nod the unicorn went to the door and vanished through it.

An interesting one, observed Ember in his mind, but then her attention was elsewhere as she directed it towards the pony that had just come into her sight.

She had seen him through Far's eyes already, of course, but she took a moment to take in her own impression as he stepped inside her parlor.

The first thing she noticed was that he didn't meet her eyes. Like all ponies, he looked at her as he caught his first glimpse of her, in her changeling form, tall and dark and elegant, lounging such that she showed herself off to best effect. But though his eyes flicked over her, they avoided meeting her own. Shyness, perhaps?

He wasn't trying to hide behind his hair, and didn't hesitate on entering the room, though. He just walked in, simply, straightforwardly.

The next thing she noted was the taste of his emotions, as they began to tingle across her tongue. The faintly acrid taste of nervousness, not as bitter as true fear, but not a pleasant flavor all the same, was present, as it often was with first-time customers. Also present, the difficult-to describe taste of determination, a flavor that reminded Ember somewhat of a sharp cheese, and the spoiled bite—faint but very distinct—of shame.

"Welcome. I am Ember." She smiled at him, a warm smile that nevertheless showed her fangs. The nervousness grew no stronger, he didn't seem afraid of her or what she was. "Please, be seated, and tell me what I can do for you."

"Hello. My name is Flux Field." The unicorn settled himself on the opposite couch with a series of too-careful motions, obviously self-conscious. It was made more awkward by his quite full saddlebags. She wondered at the contents. Had he brought something specific to what he wanted from her? Or where they there for some other reason? "I have come here due to certain ways in which I am different from other ponies. I understand if you are not comfortable with those things. I'm quite willing to leave, no questions asked, and I will not hold it against you."

Ember blinked, her head tilting in a mild puzzlement. Ask him to leave simply because he was different? The taste of shame was hovering around him now, and she wondered what exactly he meant by that. Whatever it was, it seemed to bother him quite a lot. "You're very welcome to stay," she said, searching for the right words. "I'm quite different from a typical pony myself, after all, so I have no objection to ponies who are atypical. Though I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that. Would you feel comfortable explaining?"

"Oh. Uh. Yes, of course. Forgive me. I am neurodivergent. I, ah, don't think like other ponies."

Ember hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask for more details, but not sure it would be appropriate to pry. She couldn't resist asking, though. "In what way?"

"Well, uhm," Flux fidgeted, though he'd never really stopped moving at all, he seemed physically quite restless. "I, ah, I interact socially in different ways?" His ears went down, and he added, "I'm not terribly good at it, truth be told. I hadn't anticipated your asking, forgive me the awkward explanation."

"It's fine," said Ember immediately, moving instinctively to reassure. She smiled and repeated, "It's fine, really," realizing that it was fine. Ponies who were socially awkward in some way actually made up a fair percentage of her clientele, given that such ponies naturally had difficulty finding satisfying sexual relationships and thus sometimes resorted to people like her. She wasn't sure she'd ever had a client exactly like Flux before, but she had at least some idea of what he meant, and it really was fine.

A hint of tension left Flux, though he was no more still than he'd been before. But much of the flavor of nervousness from him vanished, and his stiff pose became marginally less so. "That's good."

"So why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, and about what brings you here to me?"

Flux nodded. "I have always been the way I am now, so connections are difficult for me to form. Despite that, my first attempt at a romantic relationship seemed to go quite well. But eventually, as we spoke more, and I explained the way I am to her, things fell apart in a quite catastrophic manner. She said that she was not comfortable being with someone who was 'abnormal.'" Ember tasted another sudden spike of shame from Flux, and felt a stab of sympathy with it. She knew how hard it was to have strangers call her freakish and strange for being a changeling. To have someone she had cared for say such things would be crushing. "I feel," continued Flux, "that after that experience I am not yet ready to venture a second attempt. I find speaking with ponies at all to be quite draining and stressful. Even coming here, for what is a quite formalized situation where I feel on firmer ground since I am paying for a service, was still difficult. Even buying an apple at the store can be difficult. Speaking to ponies socially is so drastically draining for me, though. I don't know if you can understand."

"Not entirely. For me, of course, being around ponies is rather literally the opposite of draining, since I feed on the emotions of ponies." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I understand somewhat, though. My partner, Far Gaze, says socializing is hard work, and often tells me, after working at the front desk all night, that he's done talking for the day, even when he's only had to speak to a small hoof-full of customers. We have something of a bond, and I can tell how exhausting he finds it. He's as worn out, in his own way, as if he'd done hard, physical labor, but it's a tiredness of the mind, and in some ways that's much harder to cope with than tiredness of the body."

"Yes, just so!" Flux bobbed his head up and down in a repeated nod. "Just so. There is a constant strain and a stress to merely walking within sight of other ponies, knowing they are there, that I must seem as normal as I can in front of them, and needing to talk is even more tiring! Yet it's not merely tiring, it causes anxiety, nervousness, even fear."

"It's a performance," said Ember gently. "And you experience something like stage fright."

"Yes." Flux nodded again. "It is a performance. It's a pretense, a mask, that I have to put on. Most ponies simply interact. They speak, the mingle, they make small talk without even needing to think about what to say. But I have to consciously examine every word I come up with, even were it merely about the weather, lest I come across as too inequine, too strange. And more than that, I find understanding ponies difficult, so I must examine everything they say too, seeking nuance and subtext. It is a constant task, every second I'm around another pony. Not to mention that I must worry about suppressing the way I move and the way I want to hum to myself. I've been told that the humming is quite annoying to many ponies, but it's so difficult not to! I catch myself at it all the time, any time my mind wanders, so it requires such intense focus to refrain. And then there's trying to remember to use appropriate facial expressions so that other ponies will be able to read me, and all the while I need to converse the way anypony else would." Flux came to a halt, his voice having risen slightly as he'd poured out the litany of troubles. His tail was switching and his ears were back slightly beneath their muffs.

"That sounds like a lot to have to deal with," said Ember, feeling a deep sympathy. She remembered, suddenly, what it had been like when she'd first come to Canterlot as a lost underqueen, stranded during Chrysalis' invasion. She had been able to taste emotions, but having no experience with ponies, she hadn't known what the flavors she tasted meant, and she'd been completely unable to understand why they did most of the things they did. The world had seemed terrifying and confusing, and she'd felt as though the ponies around her would see through her act and call her out as "other" at any moment. What would it be like to live that way all the time? "I'm sorry you have such a struggle. Please don't feel that you need to worry about expressions, or not moving, or humming around me. I don't find the latter annoying at all, and I have the benefit of being able to taste emotions, so I don't need to see your expressions to understand."

"Thank you," said Flux, nodding. His tail swished again, though less in agitation and more just a steady motion, and he shifted slightly on the couch, his hooves tapping against each other as he did. Ember smiled, glad to see this sign that he seemed to be relaxing further. The initial taste of nervousness from him was now just the faintest hint, and she couldn't taste shame at the moment at all. That was good. What she could taste, now, was just the faintest possible hint of desire as he looked in her general direction, still not meeting her eyes, but letting his gaze occasionally flick over her. The faint flicker of warm spice was pleasant as always, and as always, Ember wanted more.

"I am sure it took some effort to come see me," she said, nudging him in the direction of perhaps telling her more about what he hoped to get from his visit with her.

"Some, some, yes. As I said, the simple, transactional nature of things here makes it a bit easier for me to come." He cleared his throat, his front hooves tapping against each other again, rhythmically, then resumed speaking. "I spend so much mental energy simply getting by, dealing with the required interactions with my co-workers at work and at our weekly restaurant visits, that dating is out of the question for me right now. But though there's an idea, a stereotype I suppose you might call it, that ponies like me are so disconnected from other people that we have no desire for sex, this isn't true at all."

The hint of lust became a strong, burning heat on her tongue, and with it came a flush across Flux's cheeks and the bitter-spice nutmeg taste of embarrassment. "I think about sex quite a lot. Perhaps too much. I want the connection and physical release as much as anypony else. So, well... Here I am."

"I'm delighted you've come," said Ember. "Sex is certainly something I think about all the time as well, and not merely because it's my job." She smiled. "There's no shame in wanting it. It's a very natural thing, regardless of how social you may be."

Flux simply nodded this time, his hooves still tapping gently together. They moved in a regular pattern, right hoof tapping against left twice, then left hoof tapping against right twice. Tap, tap, shift, tap, tap, shift, tap, tap... Ember could understand why a pony might find the sound irritating, but she wasn't going to complain.

"So, before we continue, is there anyone in particular you'd like me to become for you? My performance isn't always perfect, but I can look like anyone you want."

"Oh, no, that's not needed. I, ah, actually quite like the chitin."

"Wonderful." Ember's smile widened a bit. She didn't mind becoming other people, but it was always nice when she could remain in her own form. "Is there anything else in particular that you'd like me to do, or that I should be aware of before we begin?"

Flux shook his head. "Only that touch is difficult for me, and it will take a while for me to work myself up to actually, ah, doing anything. So if we could start very slowly. I could watch you perhaps, or use my field to help you with a toy?"

"That sounds like a delightful beginning." Ember rose to her hooves and smiled down at Flux. "So, shall we begin?"

He slid off the couch and bounced to his hooves eagerly, awkwardly, and Ember's smile only grew wider as she tasted the continuing flavor of lust coming from him. "Yes," he said, and he followed swiftly behind her, though not—like some stallions she'd been with—close enough to touch, and he made no moves to nip her flank or otherwise begin things early.

Inside her room, Ember went to the closet where she kept her toys. There were shelves full of boxes there, but she didn't have to rummage through them, she knew exactly where to find the one she wanted tonight. Her magic grasped it securely, and she smiled. It was smaller than many she owned, sized to a perfectly average stallion, but shaped a bit differently, with a pointed tip for easier insertion and some interesting ridges on one side, while pebbled bumps textured the other.

When she stepped outside of the closet, she found that Flux had shed his saddlebags, and the earmuffs and close-wrapped scarf. He stood in only his own hide, still fidgeting, but radiating at least as much anticipation as nervousness.

"My favorite," she said to Flux with a smile that split the difference between reassuring and alluring, and he took it from her, his magic brushing hers with a warmth that was both distant and intimate at once as he did.

She climbed into the familiar expanse of her bed, big enough for three or four ponies at once, and stretched herself out comfortably just to one side of the middle. She patted a spot beside her and said, "Come, sit by me."

Wordlessly, Flux did, his tail twitching as he stood beside the bed, and a renewed taste of nervousness in the air. His magic glowed brightly, clutching the dildo with perhaps more force than necessary. Ember said nothing, only continued to smile and stretched her whole body, arching her back sensually and spreading her hind legs further apart as she did. A renewed wave of lust washed over her senses and she sipped it, sampling the spicy heat of it.

It was good, and she half-closed her eyes, sighing in soft pleasure, and slid a hoof down her body. Flux watched as she caressed herself, her hoof ending up between her legs, stroking for a moment, Ember teasing herself gently. She looked at Flux, her eyes still lidded, and said, "I think I'm quite ready for my favorite toy, now."

Flux swallowed and nodded, his magic floating to toy to her. He hesitated a moment, and she slid her hoof up, her legs spreading just a tiny bit further. "Right here," she said.

He floating it closer, the tip prodding hesitantly at her. She nudged it with a hoof, helping guide it to the right spot, the right angle. "There, just like that. Push it in slowly."

Flux nodded again, still wordless, and began to sink the toy into Ember. She tipped her head back and let out a long, low moan as it gradually filled her. When it hilted she said, "Ah, yes. Hold it like that." Then she clenched down on it, feeling the way it filled her, and began to rock her hips slowly, while Flux kept the dildo pushed in deep.

Ember moaned again, letting her eyes close. "Yes..." She thrust herself up onto the toy, and her hoof returned to its spot over her clit, her body pushing against that as well, sending pleasure washing through her. She knew she was lucky in this, that she came easily. Not all people could, whether pony, gryphon, changeling or whatever race. But for her it had always been easy, and she felt the pleasure begin to build.

"Thrust now," she murmured breathlessly, and Flux did so, pulling the dildo back and pushing it in. Ember lifted her hips to it, and soon Flux found a rhythm, his magic moving the toy in time to Ember's own motions. "Can you... Ooo... Can you pull it back further? Long thrusts?" she asked, and Flux obliged. He managed to pull it all the way out for a moment though, interrupting the rhythm. Ember bit back a whine of disappointment and only held still as Flux lined the toy back up again. He returned to the steady stroking, each thrust long, but not so long as to come out again, and Ember moaned, "Yes. Oh yes..."

Her hoof returned to her clit, just above where the toy moved in and out in Flux's field. She threw her head back, clenching hard on the toy, concentrating entirely on building pleasure, and taking in another heady, spicy draught of the taste and energy of Flux's lust.

Ember's own lust was reaching its peak, and she closed her eyes and clenched down harder, moaning, and then, with a final cry of "Ah, yes!" she came, her body shuddering as pleasure raced through her.

The wonderful wave of it passed all too swiftly, and Ember sighed, then said, "stop now," to Flux, who immediately withdrew the toy. The taste of his lust was tinged with just a hint of sharp, nervous uncertainty.

"Was that okay?" Flux asked as he set the toy down on the nightstand.

"It was wonderful." Ember sighed again and gave Flux a smile. "Now why don't you come here in the bed, and we can continue to get to know each other?"

Flux smiled back, meeting her eyes for just a moment, then climbed into the big bed. Ember stretched, reveling in the warm afterglow of her climax. The lust she tasted from Flux was intense, he was obviously on fire with need, and his cock was out of its sheath, rampant beneath his barrel, yet as he settled himself in the bed there was still a hint of that nervousness, both on her tongue and in his expression. He looked over at her, and Ember reached out and touched his side, running a hoof down his side, then around to the base of his spine, pulling him in.

He flicked his tail again, but responded willingly, cuddling up to her. She sighed happily as the warmth of his body melded against hers.

Ember continued to stroke along his side with one hoof, and he responded, turning further towards her and running his own hoof over the smoothness of her chitin. She pressed a little closer, feeling his erection make contact with her belly, and snuggling into that contact. He made a tiny, breathless sound of pleasure and stroked his hoof over her flank. She continued to caress him, pressing close to him now, and shifter her legs to tangle them with his.

He snuggled just a bit closer in response, and his cock was now pressed along the length of Ember's belly. She ground against him and also tipped her head to him, nuzzling at his cheek. He nuzzled back, his breath coming faster, the taste of lust now fire on Ember's tongue, strong and hot and wonderful. She felt her own arousal building again, and knew she was wet. She wanted him, and wanted his pleasure. There was no rush, though, and so they lay there for a time, exploring each other, sharing the warmth of their bodies.

Hooves caressed slowly, Ember's running over Flux's flanks and stroking his cutie mark, his stroking down her spine and along the filmy texture of her tail. Ember rocked her hips, grinding sensually against the hot hardness of Flux's cock, and nuzzled at his cheek. He nuzzled back, pushing his body even more tightly against hers, his cock trapped between them, slicking Ember's belly with pre.

Flux eventually shifted slightly to press his lips to Ember's, and she kissed back heatedly, trying to keep from pushing to far, but wanting more all the same.

Apparently Flux wanted more too, for with a breathlessness that was now desire more than nervousness he said, "Can you... Can you give me oral?"

"Yes," said Ember instantly, eagerly, and she didn't hesitate a moment before sliding down the bed, swiftly resettling herself so that her muzzle was level with Flux's cock. He hardly had time to register her actions before her tongue drew up the length of it. He gasped softly at the contact, then drew in a long breath as Ember swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, lapping over the flat top of it, tasting the pre that beaded there.

Ember made a sound of her own, a soft, muffled sound of contentment and pleasure, and took Flux's cock into her mouth. The feel of a cock filling her mouth was good, as always. She loved giving oral, and she lost herself in the sensations as she worked back and forth of Flux's cock, taking it as deeply as she could, relishing even the way she nearly gagged as it pushed down her throat, taking pleasure in her skill, in knowing how good her throat around it must feel, and then sliding back, breathing in time with her motions.

Flux was obviously very worked up, for Ember hardly had to work at his cock for any time before she felt the way it began to flare in her mouth and tasted a higher, brighter spike of lust that meant he was about to come. That only excited her more, since it was the thing she liked best in all the world, to bring a pony—stallion or mare—to their peak. Bitter-salt semen spurted out onto her tongue and she drank it down eagerly.

"Ah! Oh Ember... Please, can you kiss me? Don't swallow!" Flux's exclamation was breathless and a little incoherent, but Ember managed to grasp the important part, and she stopped drinking the cum that flooded onto her tongue and held the last few shuddering, pumping spurts of it in her mouth. She waited a moment longer, making certain she'd gotten it all, then pulled back from Flux's cock and slid up to kiss him.

As his lips locked to hers she pushed the remnants of Flux's load into his mouth, and felt him shudder in her embrace as he took it and swallowed it. The taste of his lust was a heavy spice, hot to the point of pain, in the way that too much spice can be, but Ember still savored it, thrilled to have pleased him so well.

They both lay in the big bed, panting, for a long moment after that laden, intense kiss.

Ember nuzzled Flux's cheek with a happy sigh.

Flux echoed it, but she felt a tension in his body, and tasted a renewed flicker of heat on her tongue.

"That was lovely," she said, but then added, "Do you want more?"

"Uhm. Yes? If that's okay?"

"It's more than okay." Ember smiled as she said it, and Flux gave her a tentative smile in return.

“I’d like to, er, mount you this time. Do you think you could bend over the bed, please?”

“My favorite position,” said Ember, sliding out of the bed even as she spoke and arranging herself. Her hind hooves were still on the floor, but her chest and belly were on the bed, front hooves tucked up under her. Flux slid off the bed as well, circling around behind Ember. She arched her tail up once he was there, presenting herself, a classic pose in the racier sorts of pinups, and she heard him suck in a soft breath when she did, the taste of lust in the air spiking once again. She wasn’t drawing it in now, she’d had plenty of it already. She was eager for something else this time, for the seed that would temporarily quench the continuous fire of need that burned in her.

Flux didn’t hesitate at all, despite having come only minutes before he was already hard again. He reared up behind Ember, and his forelegs enclosed her barrel, holding her, while his cock nudged against her, his hips shifting as he positioned himself, looking for the right angle.

He found it, and began to sink into her, and Ember moaned with it, shifting to push back onto Flux’s cock. She expected him to rest there, to go slowly, to take his time on the second round, but he didn’t, he pulled his hips back immediately and thrust in again, and she let out a gasp at it. It felt amazing, the physical sensation and Flux’s eagerness both. Lust was a heavy spice in the air again.

Ember pushed back onto Flux’s strokes, tensed with eager anticipation as he bucked his hips, thrusting deep and hard. “Oh, yes,” she moaned, and clenched around him. She heard him give a grunt and the speed of his thrusting increased. The taste of lust was strong enough in the air that she knew he must be close, it burned on her tongue, and she clenched as hard as she could on his cock, wanting his pleasure and his seed both. “Yes, please.”

Then she felt it, sensed the pulse of pleasure, felt the slick heat within her, and she cried out as Flux came hard, filling her with what she so desperately needed. She tasted relief suddenly, cool mint, a sharp contrast to the hot flavor of need, and knew that Flux was feeling almost the same as she, the quenching of a desperate inner fire, and it was wonderful as the sensation washed through her and echoed from him.

He was panting hard, his muzzle resting on her shoulder, and she let out a long sigh of contented bliss, heard him echo that too.

Eventually he climbed off of her, and she rose from the bed and stretched luxuriously. Flux shook himself, then gave her a little smile and said, “Thank you.”

“Thank you. That was just lovely.”

Flux tilted his head curiously, and said, “Is that something you say to everyone?”

Ember chuckled. “It’s something I say to many of my customers, because it’s true. I do this job because I like it. But this one was particularly nice. So thank you.”

Flux stretched himself, and Ember noticed that some of the fidgeting tension was gone from him. That made her at least as pleased as the sex itself had. He donned his saddlebags, and earmuffs, and wound his scarf back around himself. She escorted him through the parlor and to the door to the waiting room. “I did genuinely quite enjoy myself. So do feel free to come back any time,” she said as he stepped through.

He gave her a small but glowing smile and replied, “Thank you. Perhaps I shall.”

The night air over Canterlot held a hint of distant rain. The wind was turning brisk, and clouds on the horizon heralded a summer thunderstorm to come. Midnight Storm inhaled, savoring the scent of his namesake, and let out a sigh of soft regret. Riding the wind amid thunder and lightning was one of the thestral’s favorite things. He envied the pegasi who must be out there, shepherding the dark clouds along, who’d get to experience the excitement of a night storm atop Canterlot.

If he’d checked the weather schedule and seen the storm tonight he might have made his appointment for a different night. But he’d worked hard to psych himself up for this, and as tempting as his favorite weather was, he wasn’t going to bail out now.

So instead of staying aloft to watch the clouds cover the moon, he circled down, scanning the streets below, seeking the one he wanted. A speck of red light guided him the final distance, and he landed in a narrow alley, in front of an unassuming door with a red lantern glowing beside it.

Inside was a comfortable sitting room, with a purple stallion behind a modest desk. A mousy-looking tan mare was standing, chatting with the stallion, seeming quite casual. She gave Storm a glance, then said, “I should be going, really. You know how it is.”

“Always busy, yes. See you next week, then.”

“Of course.” She leaned over and kissed the purple stallion on the cheek, then trotted past Storm and was gone.

The stallion turned his gaze on Storm and gave him a polite smile. “Welcome to Ember’s. Ember is just finishing a little cleanup, she’ll be ready in a few minutes. Have a seat.”

“Okay.” Storm felt his stomach clench as he settled on a couch to wait. He wasn’t quite a virgin, but he felt as nervous as one all the same. He’d been torn between fantasizing about tonight and fearing it every since he’d made the appointment. That in and of itself only added to his nervousness. Surely he should be purely excited? He was going to have sex with somebody who was rumored to be the best—and kinkiest—escort in all of Canterlot. And she was a changeling too! He couldn’t quite put a hoof on what it was about changelings, but as soon as he’d learned that fact about Ember, he’d know that Ember’s was the place he’d go to get the experience—and hopefully the confidence that came with it—that he lacked.

Storm squirmed, thinking more about changelings. He could remember the first time he’d seen one, during the Canterlot invasion, and though he’d been terrified, he’d been captivated as well. He’d seen one of the guard unicorns glued to a lamppost right in front of him, and ever since that moment he'd found himself wondering what that would be like. He knew that was a strange train of thought, and he tried to not dwell on it too much, but right now it was inevitable, considering he was about to see a changeling again, if in very different circumstances.

“You can go in now,” said the stallion at the desk, making Storm jump. Dear Luna, why was he so nervous? He was just going to try to be a bit more of a proper stallion, that was all. His father would have been delighted.

Getting to his hooves, Storm rolled his eyes at himself. He was not going to think about his father while having hopefully hot and kinky sex with an incredibly sexy changeling.

Inside the door, the next room proved to be a parlor as well, but this one decorated in cool tones that harmonized with the being who lounged on a chaise within.

“Welcome,” she said, giving him a sharp-fanged smile that was nevertheless warm and friendly. “Come, make yourself comfortable.”

Storm swallowed. She looked amazing. Glossy, deep charcoal chitin, pierced with those holes that somehow made changelings seem sharp, dangerous, inequine, and with the sheer, filmy cascade of her mane falling from the base of a spiked and jagged horn… He found himself worrying that he might be showing his interest indecently, and for a moment tried to climb up onto the couch opposite her while hiding his growing erection, but thinking, with a blush, that she was here to cause that kind of reaction, and probably would be flattered.

Whether she was or wasn’t, she only smiled as he gingerly settled himself. “So, what can I do for you this evening? Midnight Storm, yes? ”

“Yes, ma’am. Uhm. I, ah…” He hesitated, trying to find the right words for the reason he’d come.

“I can assure you that no request is taboo, here. There are a few things I won’t do, but none I mind being asked, I assure you.”

Storm tilted his head. “What won’t you do?”

“Anything without full consent. Helping someone cheat when I can taste their love for their partner. Anything that would require me to send for a healer or doctor afterward. And I have a few reservations and exercise extra care with things such as age-play, since I do not want to encourage later harm to real foals by acting as if sex with one is acceptable. I also, of course, insist on making it perfectly clear that I take partial payment in emotional energy, in addition to the bits you have paid. I’m no longer the cheapest whore in Canterlot these days, but I still charge less than most who do shall we say ‘specialized’ services.”

“I understand that. And I don’t want anything to do with foals.” Storm shook his head firmly.

“I’m sure not.” Ember smiled. “Forgive me for bringing it up, the topic has been on my mind a bit of late. But come, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Uhm. Just…getting experience, I guess. Getting more comfortable. Feeling more…in charge? Like a stallion?” Storm felt flushed again. He was echoing the words of his father, and also of the friends who’d suggested he come here, but he couldn’t think how else to put it.

“Sexual experience in general, or something more specific?”

“Well, I don’t know. I have some thoughts about, uhm, kinks, a little. But I guess mostly just sexual experience.”

Ember nodded, still smiling gently. “So then, I assume you want to try out being the, ah, ‘stallion in charge’ and take a dominant role during sex, rather than the other way around?”

Storm frowned faintly, feeling puzzled. The other way around? Stallions were the ones in charge during sex, they mounted and took a mare, that was just how it worked, wasn’t it? Though his mind was able to immediately present him an image of Ember atop him, pinning him down with her greater size. He pushed that aside. That was only because she was so tall, it didn’t mean anything. He could still be in charge even though he was shorter than she was.

“Yes,” he said. Ember was looking at him with a questioning expression, so he added, “I want to be in charge.”

“Well, I do enjoy that sort of session.” She gave him a smile. “So, do you want to include any kinks, any extras, anything besides sex itself?”

“Uhm. I don’t know, should I?”

Ember, still smiling, shook her head. “You’re hiring me to please you. I’m here to do whatever you like, so long as we negotiate what that entails beforehoof. There is no ‘should’ here. You just tell me what you want, and I’ll do my best to please you. If that means acting the sexily subservient mare to your aggressively dominant stallion, then that’s what it means. If you want something else, you have only to ask.”

“That… That sounds like what I want, yes.” Storm nodded. Getting confidence in being the aggressively dominant stallion was exactly what he was here for.

“Then that is what we shall do. Is there any particular form you’d like me to take for this?”

“Er. No, I can’t think of any.” Storm still felt flushed. Should he have? There were plenty of pony celebrities he’d thought of as hot, maybe he should name one for her?

“Then perhaps my usual mare’s form would do?” Green fire swirled over Ember, and when it cleared there was a mare there, slender but with a generous rump, and entirely blue, deep blue coat, lighter blue mane, soft, pale blue eyes with long lashes. She looked at him shyly from under the fall of her mane. “Is this alright?”

“Yeah,” he said, though he was honestly a little bit disappointed to see all that gorgeous black chitin go away.

“I can change back if you prefer?”

Storm almost said yes, but the idea of trying to mount Ember as she’d been was instantly far too intimidating. This would be easier, even if it didn’t send those same odd shivers down his spine. “No, this is fine.”

“Excellent.” Ember smiled, and it was just as warm, if much less sharp, than it had been. She rose from the chaise and turned towards a second door, swishing her tail flirtatiously at him. “Shall we retire to my bedroom, then?”

“Yeah,” said Storm, flushing all over again as he climbed off of the couch. He was still half-erect, and he watched her rump as she walked, licking his lips. She was plenty sexy, and he knew that if he hadn’t been so nervous he probably would already have been ready to go.

In the luxurious bedroom Ember climbed into the big bed and beckoned for Storm to follow.

Storm did so, but when Ember arranged herself seductively beside him and looked at him under lowered lashes, he knew he was supposed to take over now, and his heart started pounding with a feeling all too close to panic. His erection vanished entirely, swallowed up in his worry. What was he even supposed to do now? Shame mixed with fear. He couldn’t even be a proper stallion with a willing mare right here in front of him.

Ember immediately dropped the seductive look. “There’s no need to be nervous. I promise, I won’t be upset with you, whatever you want to do next.”

“Sorry.” Storm didn’t even know exactly what he was apologizing for. “Just… I don’t know.”

“It’s fine. It really is. I’m here to make you feel good, I don’t expect anything in particular from you. You can even choose to go, if you’d rather, or just to cuddle. There are no expectations here.”

“But I want… I mean, I don’t just want to cuddle.”

“Would it help if I did something different? You mentioned being interested in kink, I could be more submissive. We could role play a little resistance, if that would help you get in the mood?

“No!” Storm realized that had been far to vehement, and he felt himself flushing. He tucked his wings tightly in to his body, trying to look composed and calm.

“You’re worried about something. Whatever it is, I won’t mind. I see all kinds of ponies here, who want all kinds of things. I know there’s something that gets your interest, I’ve tasted arousal on you tonight.” She smiled reassuringly at him.

Storm felt himself squirming again next to her, trying to find any words that might be useful at all, and feeling like an awkward colt, not a stallion grown. “I… I don’t know.”

“When you felt turned on tonight… You were when you first saw me. What was it about seeing me that caught your interest?”

“You’re a changeling,” blurted Storm, unthinkingly.

“Ah. I see.” Green fire flared again, and suddenly the giant changeling queen was beside him, not the slender mare. Storm swallowed, interest roaring back, though it didn’t drive the nervousness away. Stars above, though, she was enticing.

“Mmm, there it is. Your lust tastes delicious. I would love to taste more of it. So tell me, what is it about this form that gets you worked up? Why changelings?”

“Uhm.” Storm flushed. “I guess, it was seeing the invasion. There were all these ponies, and they were all, uhm, helpless.”

“Helpless. Now that’s an interesting word.” Ember’s jagged horn was suddenly glowing, and Storm found himself pinned to the bed in the grip of an irresistible magic. He gasped, squirming, trying to struggle against it, and didn’t move at all.

Oh stars.

“There we are. That’s much, much better. Just look at you.” Ember smiled, still kindly, but with those dangerous fangs. Storm, looking down, saw that he was suddenly erect, his cock fully out of its sheath. His cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but he couldn’t help himself.

“I think, perhaps, that maybe I should be the one taking charge here, not you.”

“But…” Storm swallowed, feeling another flare of shame.

“But?” said Ember calmly, tilting her head to one side.

“But I’m a stallion.”

“Oh, my poor little helpless dear. Being a stallion, or a mare for that matter, has nothing to do with who takes charge. Trust me on this one. I see all sorts of different ponies, who want all sorts of different things, and there are a great many stallions who want to be the more submissive partner during sex, and many mares who want to be the dominant one. Gender has nothing whatsoever to do with that.”

Storm blinked up at her, feeling surprised.

“Come now. Surely you know that there are ponies who like the same sex as themselves. How do you think paired stallion couples work it out? Do they fight for who gets to be on top, when one of them is interested in such dynamics, do you think?” She grinned. “No, of course not. Who takes charge is an individual thing, it’s not a fixed role assigned along with your gender or your genitals or anything else.”

“Oh.”

“I have proof of that right here.” Ember’s magic brushed along Storm’s cock, a faint warmth and pressure, and he gasped. “See?” she said. “You are turned on by being helpless. That is a quite simple fact. And if you permit me to, I am going to take shameless advantage of that. I’ll give you all your wildest fantasies, if you let me.”

“I… Uhmm…”

“You can say no. I do insist on consent, and I won’t mind if this is all too much for you right now. But there is no shame in saying yes to being the toy of a mare. I promise.”

Storm swallowed hard, but nodded. With her looming over him, still holding his body in her magic, he was more turned on than he’d ever been in his life. How could he deny what he felt right this moment? “Yes. Yes, that’s what I want.”

“Wonderful! Now, let’s have a little chat. What is it, exactly, that you dream about? In those private moments, masturbating alone, perhaps, when there’s nobody around to tell you silly things about what stallions should like, what is it that runs through your mind?”

Storm swallowed again. There was a heavy feeling of shame lurking in the back of his mind, but how could he refuse to speak those secret desires when Ember was right here, insisting it was okay, and looking more sexy than anything he’d ever seen in his life? “I think about being…a pet, like, or a slave. Wearing a collar, being…property, having to serve a mare. Having to do what she wants, whether I like it or not. Being forced into…all kinds of things.”

“I see. Is that all, or is there more?”

“The helpless thing, I guess. I think about being tied up, or being stuck in changeling slime, or being held in magic, like this, and a mare just…fucking me. Just climbing on and using me.” Storm gave a shiver, his wings twitching.

Ember chuckled. “That all sounds like a lot of fun to me.” Her magic released him, and Storm felt a flicker of disappointment. “So,” said Ember, climbing out of the bed, “Why don’t we get a few things to help your fantasies become reality?”

Curious, Storm couldn’t help but slide out of the bed and peer after her as she went to a door that proved to lead to a large walk-in closet, lined with shelves. These were full of boxes, and Ember immediately pulled one down. “Hmm.” She pulled out a strip of leather in her magic, and held it up next to Storm, where he sat peering into the closet.

“Not quite. Let’s try this one.”

He realized it was a collar, and felt his cock give a little twitch. Oh sweet moon above, this couldn’t be real. This was something out of a wet dream, things like this didn’t happen in real life.

“That looks about right.” Ember pulled out another box, and from that emerged several neatly coiled lengths of rope. “There. I believe these will do. Now…” Ember looked at Storm, her fangs bared in a practically predatory grin. “Get back there by the bed and get down on your haunches like a nice little pet.” When Storm, still not quite believing this was real, didn’t instantly respond, she added, more sharply, “Go on, get.”

Oh stars.

Storm got, and tucked his hind legs under him, sitting like a dog with wings folded tight, very aware of the cock that stood up against the curve of his belly as he did.

Ember dropped the ropes at the foot of the bed, but held the collar up in her magic. It was of black leather, with a silver buckle and a dangling O-ring half way along.

“Head down,” said Ember in a commanding tone, and Storm lowered his head without even thinking about it. His cock gave another twitch.

Ember slipped the collar around his neck and buckled it on.

Storm felt a shudder go through him. His cock was rock hard by how, almost hard enough to ache. Stars above this was amazing. How had he ever thought there was anything wrong with wanting this?

“Now you’re my nice little pet. Are you going to be nice for me? Are you going to obey?”

“Uhm. Y-yes ma’am,” stammered Storm.

“Good boy.”

Storm felt another shudder run down his spine. Just those two words felt far too good.

Ember climbed back into the bed, and her magic gave Storm’s collar a tug. She had sprawled out on her back, and as Storm climbed up she spread her legs. He stared at her, taking in the sight of her. It was odd, since she seemed to have a stallion-like sheath lying against her belly, but it was small and had no balls, and below it was the soft greenish blush of her vulva, already visibly damp.

“Tell me, my lovely, obedient pet, have you ever pleasured a mare orally before?”

“Uhm. No, ma’am.”

“Would you like me to tell you how to?”

Storm immediately nodded eagerly. “Yes, ma’am.” Something that had seemed so intimidating became suddenly simple, easy, when doing it at Ember’s command.

“Good boy.” Ember gave another little tug on his collar, and Storm followed it, climbing into the bed and settling himself between Ember’s hind legs. The next tug pulled his head down. “Lick over the outer lips,” said Ember firmly.

With a thrill at both the order and the act itself, Storm drew his tongue over Ember, tasting a faintly acrid, faintly sweet, deeply musky flavor.

“Mmm, yes,” said Ember, reaching down to stroke his mane. The thrill Storm felt deepened, yet also mellowed somehow. What he was doing was almost relaxing, even as it was exciting. He licked again and again, pressing his tongue harder with each stroke, tasting more of Ember.

“Very good, yes, like that,” said Ember, her hoof gripping his mane, encouraging him to continue. He let out a muffled sound of pleasure, reveling in the way she was commanding him, the way her hoof held him, the way she seemed to have all power over him. The taste was strange, but the experience was amazing.

“Now, my dear pet, please try to find my clit. It’s a nice little bump, between the outer lips, at the top of the inner lips. Pull me open just a bit with your hooves to see it, then lick right over it. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, ma’am, said Storm, his muzzle hovering over her for a moment so he could reply. Then he obeyed, shifting so that he could use his hooves to gently pull apart the flexible chitin and soft, greenish flesh of her outer lips to reveal the damp, green-blushed folds deeper within. At the top, nestled there, he saw a button of flesh, irregularly shaped but standing out, flushed even darker green, that had to be what she meant. He lowered his head and cautiously lapped at it. It tasted of the same musk, tempered with a hint of bitterness and a hint of sweet, and Ember made a soft sound of pleasure as his tongue washed over it.

“Yes, just like that, do that again.”

Storm didn’t reply, he only obeyed, licking over Ember’s clit a second time.

Ember moaned, spreading her legs wider and lifting her hips. Storm felt an intense shiver run down his spine at this evidence that he was pleasing her. He redoubled his efforts, lapping in quick, repeated strokes across Ember’s clit. That seemed to be the right thing to do, or at least not the wrong thing, for she moaned again, bucking her hips up to each stroke.

“Don’t stop,” said Ember breathlessly. Storm shivered again. He could feel his own cock hardening further. Being made to please Ember seemed like his wildest, most secret fantasy come true.

Ember’s hoof, which had loosened its grip on his mane, tightened again, and she held his head down as he continued to lick at her. His mouth of was full of the taste of her, nostrils full of the scent of her, mind overwhelmed with the experience of serving her.

Just when he began to get used to what he was doing, Ember pulled his head back. “That’s enough of that, my pet,” she said.

He felt a stab of dismay, but then she grabbed his collar again and yanked him over onto his side, and that made his heart race again. He felt almost high with it, floating incredulously on a rush of something he could only call submission. She held him helpless, and he was hers.

“Let’s try something else. Stay right there.”

Storm froze, feeling rooted on the spot. He tried to not even twitch a muscle, but he couldn’t help but tilt his head to see Ember, who’d climbed out of the bed to retrieve the coils of rope she’d left beside the bed.

“I know you mentioned changeling resin, but cleaning it up is such a chore, so I hope you won’t mind if I substitute rope?”

“Er…” Storm found it hard to find words, but he managed. “No, not at all, it’s fine.”

“Marvelous.” Ember’s grin was positively predatory, and not only because of the fangs. Her magic closed over Storm, manipulating him easily, pushing him around on the bed until she had him positioned where she wanted him. The further helplessness of that, the way should could use him like a toy, only fanned Storm’s desire higher. He thought he might burst if this kept up.

Ember expertly tied his forelegs to the bedframe, which had definitely been designed with that sort of thing in mind. His hind hooves she left free, but as her magic let go of him finally, he knew he still definitely wasn’t going anywhere. He found himself panting, pulling and squirming, almost struggling, wings spreading and beating against the bedspread. It wasn’t that he wanted to escape, though, it was that struggling and being unable to escape was part of the thrill, somehow.

A soft chuckle made him halt, and he looked up at Ember, who sat beside him on the bed now. “Be still, pet,” she said gently, and he froze once more.

Her eyes swept up and down him, taking in his still-trembling body, his awkwardly spread wings, and his cock, which stood straight up from its sheath, the dark flesh streaked with a sheen of pre that leaked from the head of it.

“Very nice,” she said, still smiling. That predatory look was still there. “Very…tasty.” She moved closer, and bent down, her breath blowing over Storm’s cock. He shuddered, letting out a tiny, involuntary whimper of need.

Her tongue ran up the length of it, and Storm gasped and came in a sudden rush of unexpected pleasure, mixed with an immediate shame. His mind couldn’t help but supply the thought that real stallions could last longer than two seconds.

“Oh, good boy,” said Ember, and he felt his mind stumbling to a complete halt, all thought totally erased. What? “Such a good boy, coming for me like that. I’m very flattered, it’s high praise from my handsome little pet.”

“Uhm… I…”

“Shh, there’s no need to speak. You’re my toy right now. You’re for my use, and all you need to do is please me.” Her magic brushed over him again, warmth and pressure and a faint tingle. It cleaned the mess he’d painted his belly with away neatly, and when that was done Ember bent her head and lapped up the length of his sheath. Storm gasped, not having expected that.

“Such a good boy,” crooned Ember. “Come now, get ready for me again. I know you can. You can’t do anything else. I have you, and I’ll keep you until I’ve had every single part of you.”

Ember continued to lick and nuzzle at his sheath, and Storm found himself responding, his cock slowly emerging and hardening again. Ember continued to murmur soft words of praise for him, or perhaps for his cock, between licks. Finally she lapped over the head of it, then sat back.

“There. I knew you could do it. Such a fine cock my pet has. I think it will fill me up nicely.”

Storm swallowed hard, holding completely still, even holding his breath, his wings no longer fluttering against the bedspread. Then, Ember did in fact do exactly as she’d said she would, climbing atop him, her magic once more gripping his cock, this time to guide it to the warmth of her pussy.

He groaned as she sank down on him, and she did too, letting out a long sound of pleasure. “Oh yes. Oh, such a good little pet. You feel so good.”

Storm could only groan again as Ember ground down onto him, taking every inch of his cock inside her. It felt amazing, and the things she was saying! The way she was just taking him! It was even better than his half-formed fantasies had been. She began to move, setting up a slow but steady rhythm, and he lifted his hips to match her, thrusting up into her, unable to help himself. He was all instinct and desire now, thoughts fading away as he let his body respond to what Ember was doing. Pleasure rose up in him, heated desire once more building. His forelegs pulled at the ropes binding them, his wings spread out, his hind hooves pushed at the blankets as he bucked up into her.

“Mmm, yes,” moaned Ember. Through half-lidded eyes he saw that she was touching herself, stroking with a hoof just above where his cock entered her. Her inner walls tightened on him and the pace of her movements above him increased. “Yes…” Her tone was breathless, and then with a soft, gasping cry she pushed herself down on him one more time, body tensed around him, no longer thrusting, but shuddering, wings trembling, and utter bliss rushed through Storm as he realized she was coming atop him.

After a long moment Ember relaxed, letting out a sigh. “Very good pet,” she said, her voice contented and drowsy. Then she drew in a breath and straightened, and Storm felt her inner muscles clench on his cock again. “Now, pets who please their owners so well deserve to be rewarded.” She started rocking atop him again, smiling down at him, and he could do nothing but respond once more, thrusting up into her with near-mindless pleasure.

“Good boy,” she said. “Good pet. I can taste how close you are. Come for me now. Come on, my good little pet.”

“Ah!” Storm couldn’t hold back the cry, or the rush of pleasure that went through him. He gave another hard thrust up into Ember, and then one more as she met it, pressing down to him, grinding her hips to his, and then he came hard, mind blanking completely as his cock twitched and pumped inside Ember.

After a wonderful eternity, he relaxed beneath her, some semblance of coherent thought returning.

Ember bent over him and planted a kiss on the tip of his muzzle. “You seemed to enjoy that, little pet.” Her tone was warmly amused.

Storm couldn’t quite gather his wits still, so all he could do was mumble, “Oh yeah,” in response. Ember only chuckled softly and climbed off of him. Her magic began undoing the ropes that held him tied, and Storm pulled his forelegs down with a low groan. His shoulders ached from holding the unnatural position, and his pasterns were sore from where he’d pulled hard on the ropes around them.

“I’m glad,” said Ember as he began to climb out of the bed. “I hope it was everything you’ve dreamed about, or as close to such dreams as reality can come.”

“It was better than my dreams,” said Storm.

“What a compliment!” Ember smiled happily at him. “But also, what a mess.” She laughed. “Care to shower with me? I’ll have to take the collar off, leather doesn’t do well with water, but you can be a nice little pet and help me wash, if you like. Your session isn’t out of time yet.”

“That sounds great,” said Storm. He followed Ember towards the shower, feeling filled with a wonderful, warm afterglow, though admittedly also very sticky, and sore in some odd places. He thought, as he walked behind her, that he had been an utter fool to fear his fantasies. Thank the stars above and the blessed Lady Luna that Ember had been able to show him that he didn’t need to worry, that a mare could take charge of a stallion.

He stepped into the shower, ready to serve Ember more, and felt like everything was suddenly right in the world. He’d been so nervous, with so little confidence, sure he could never be stallion enough to please a mare. How strange the world from only a few hours ago suddenly seemed. He didn’t need to be “stallion enough”, he only needed to be who he was.