AUTHOR'S NOTE: WOW. I'VE SEEN A SERIOUS INCREASE IN FAVES AND FOLLOWS FOR THIS STORY. I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO A REVIEW FROM THE AUTHOR CLA. I'M GLAD YOU'RE ENJOYING THE STORY. THE AFFECTION IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT JACKSON. AS FOR THE BRONY/PEGASISTER DEBATE, DOESN'T IT MAKE IT MORE FUN NOT KNOWING? THANK YOU ALL FOR THE LOVE. BACK TO THE MAGIC!
The trip back to Canterlot was instantaneous, the pop of teleportation echoing through the halls. I huffed out a breath as sweat beaded up on my forehead. The sound of running hooves drew a few curse words from me as I turned and fled down the hall.
"Stop right there", a familiar voice shouted.
"Hey, Shiny", I called, sliding to a stop.
As I turned I was struck in the face by magic and a golden haze obscured my vision on that side. I clasped my hands over my face and fell to my knees, an anguished scream ripping from my lungs.
"Stand down", Shining Armor shouted. "Cloud Duster, fetch a medic NOW!"
I heard a set of hooves take off running before I felt something being tied around my head. Shakily I stood and turned my good eye to the gathered guards, grinning awkwardly as I caught Shining Armor's disapproving gaze.
"Prince Jackson", Shining Armor sighed, "I wish you would stop popping in unannounced like that. My guards are the best at what they do, but I fear for your safety, your Highness."
"Who blasted me?"
"Me, your Highness", a unicorn guard replied as he hung his head.
I walked up to the unicorn, who had started shaking, and stood there silently for several seconds. He glanced at me and hung his head again. I glared at him before drawing my sword and striking with deadly precision across the back of his neck.
"Drop the weapon", Shining Armor shouted before his colleague hit the floor, his horn blazing with a red aura.
"Dafuq", I shouted back as I dropped my sword.
"Prince Jackson, you are under arrest for murder", he growled.
"What do you mean murder", I yelled. "I didn't even cut the little pussy!"
Shining Armor opened his mouth to argue but at the moment the unicorn stood up shakily, his eyes bulging as he rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at me before scurrying away down the hallway. Shining Armor shook his head as I picked up my discarded blade.
"How did you do that", he asked.
"Reversed blade", I replied as I ran my hand across the dull leading edge.
"Genius", he sighed as he eyed the blade closely.
"Yeah, I used this blade in a fight against Nightmare Moon last night", I grinned, outright laughing as the guards' eyes bulged.
"She's returned", Shining asked in a panic.
"Yeah", I replied. "This blade and my magic stalled her long enough for the Elements of Harmony to zap her."
I looked around me to see every one of the guards staring at me in wide eyed disbelief. I had begun telling the story and had gotten halfway through before I heard two pops behind me. The guards dropped to their knees as I turned around.
"You teleported directly into the castle, didn't you", Celestia asked flatly, a disapproving expression on her face.
"Uh huh", I said sheepishly.
"When will you learn", she sighed.
My mother dismissed the guards and began leading me to the infirmary. As soon as we were out of earshot of the guards she let me have it, lecturing me yet again on the lethality of the guards' magic and the need to be careful. The entire time Luna wore an expression of amused confusion.
"If thou art my sister's offspring then much has changed in these last thousand years", Luna mused aloud. "Art thou some manner of hairless Minotaur?"
"I'm not a minotaur", I laughed. "I'm a human."
"Human", she repeated quietly. "We are not familiar with this species."
"Well I'm the only one of my kind", I said sadly.
Before she could reply we entered the infirmary wing of the castle, the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air. I made my way to the receptionist and knocked on the desk. She started to ask what I wanted before she caught sight of me and screamed. I asked what was wrong and the little unicorn mare summoned a mirror.
My breath caught in my throat as I saw my reflection. My featherless wings hung behind me twitching feebly. Blisters covered my exposed skin from the black fire I had been hit with. The left side of my scalp had been peeled back but held back in place by the bandage Shining Armor had applied, even though my gold blood had soaked through the fabric.
"I don't feel so good", I muttered.
The last thing I remembered was collapsing on my face amidst cries of alarm from mom and shouts for a doctor.
"He really is lucky", a gentle male voice floated through the fog in my mind.
"Luck had nothing to do with it", mom sighed tiredly. "Your medical team is truly the best."
"Thank you for the praise", the doctor smiled. "You truly flatter us, your Highness."
"Mom", I muttered groggily.
In an instant she was by my side, the doctor's hooves making a hasty retreat. She stroked what was left of my hair gently, avoiding the bandage over my eyes. She spoke softly to me, letting me know everything would be okay. I groaned and shifted position, ignoring her protests.
"What did the doctor say", I asked nervously.
"That you should have been dead", she replied with a teary voice.
"What's the damage", I whispered.
"The worst of it was your scalp", she said sadly. "The surgeons spent hours repairing the damage, but there was an unexpected side effect."
"What side effect?"
"The hair that was on the severed part of your scalp has turned white", she replied.
"Well, that ain't so bad", I shrugged.
"The burns and blisters healed nicely", she said, "but it would seem you are now an alicorn."
"I'm not a pony", I hesitated.
"Well, as this is an unprecedented situation, I have no other term that applies", mom said, sounding like she was smiling.
"And my eyes", I asked. "Only the left one was damaged, so why the hell did they wrap both of them up?
"About that", mom hesitated. "Your left eye was not damaged."
"Then why am I all bandaged up?!"
"Calm yourself", she begged. "I do not know what happened, but for some reason your eyes are now the same color as your blood."
"I got blinded by blood when the guards shot me", I huffed.
"Your blood is pure magic", she gasped. "That means…"
"Sister", Luna called as she entered my room, "We have been looking for y- SWEET EQUESTRIA, WHAT HAPPENED TO JACKSON?!"
Out of nowhere a great weight fell on me, feathery wings wrapping me in a protective embrace. Her constantly flowing mane tickled my nose and made me sneeze, drawing an airy giggle from my aunt.
"What do you mean 'what happened' to me", I grunted. "You walked here with us."
"We do not remember this", Luna said somewhat defensively.
I pondered her words for a moment before reaching up and pulling the bandages from my head despite my mother's objections. As the last layer fell away I opened my eyes, squinting as I saw two bright blurs before me. I blinked really hard several times and sighed with relief when I opened them again and beheld two worried Alicorns.
"So beautiful", Luna whispered as she drew closer to gaze into my eyes.
"Thanks", I replied awkwardly.
"WHERE IS JACKSON", a familiar yet impossibly loud voice shrieked from the hallway.
"Fluttershy", I called out, "I'm in here!"
A pink and yellow blur came flying through my door and somehow gently slammed into me, four hooves wrapping around my abdomen. Aunt Luna called for guards, but cocked her head to the side as I yelled for the guards to stand down.
"This commoner hath assaulted thee", Luna said in disdain as she ripped Fluttershy's shaking form off of me with magic.
"That's not a commoner", I shouted as mom gasped. "She's the Element of Kindness and my very first friend!"
"An E-element", Luna balked as she gently set Fluttershy back on the bed and bowed slightly. "Please forgive us."
As soon as my aunt's magic released her she was wrapped around me again, even tighter than last time, with her face buried in my neck. I gently stroked her mane and whispered soothingly to her for several minutes before she quit shaking and whimpering. Slowly she slid down beside me on the bed, still clinging to me.
"Are you okay", I asked gently.
"I am now", she whispered with a glance at my mom and aunt.
"Hey, she won't hurt you", I whispered, eyeing my aunt as I pulled Fluttershy into another hug.
"We have no desire to harm thee", Luna said quietly. "We only had the Prince's safety in mind, dear Fluttershy."
The shy Pegasus pressed against my ribs let a small smile shine across her face as she settled down against my thigh, almost on my lap. I cracked my own smile as I pulled her onto my lap with a tiny squeak from her and began stroking her mane again.
"Jackson", my mom began, a blush flashing across her face.
"Fluttershy", Luna asked with narrowed eyes, "art thou Jackson's mate?"
"Do what", I shouted, startling the pony on my lap more than the sudden question.
"Is she your mate", Luna repeated, directing the question to me.
"No!"
"I see", Luna replied. "Forgive me for withholding my manners, but one can only wonder due to your… familiarity with each other."
"She's my friend", I said firmly as I stood, ignoring the draft I felt.
"Good heavens", Luna gasped, her eyes bulging before she turned away.
I cocked my head to the side and glanced at mom to see that she too had averted her eyes with a large blush. I finally turned to Fluttershy to ask what was wrong but her eyes were locked on me, her face bright red and her pupils were tiny pinpricks. Her tongue just barely licked the corner of her mouth and I had a bad feeling about it.
Sure enough when I glanced down I saw I was completely naked. To make matters worse my nether region was standing at full attention. I cried out in embarrassment and materialized a pair of loose pants, my cheeks lighting up a nice shiny gold as I blushed.
"I'm sorry", I gushed, reaching out to Fluttershy who just stared at the general area of my crotch.
"Is she alright", my aunt asked.
"Jackson has a habit of breaking ponies, as he calls it", mom smiled before turning her gaze to me. "Would you mind, dear?"
I shook Fluttershy by her shoulders, called her name and even poked her in the nostril, all to no effect. I stared at her for a moment before I got an idea. I leaned close, whispered an apology in her ear, tilted her head up and pressed my lips to hers.
I held the kiss for several seconds and a jolt of surprise shot through me as Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around me to deepen the kiss. To my surprise I felt her tongue lightly brush my lips so I snaked my own tongue out and touched it to the tip of her tongue. For several minutes our tongues twirled and coiled around each other, a sort of hunger emanating from the shy mare.
We broke the kiss, gasping for breath. For a while there it was as if nothing else in the world existed other than us. She drew in a shuddering gasp as her eyes fluttered open. She whispered something that sounded suspiciously like a proclamation of love before she just vanished. I looked around and noticed the curtains in the hall swaying in the breeze she left behind.
"Interesting", my aunt said slowly.
"Well, Jackson", mom smiled, staring at a note floating in front of her, "it would seem it's time to consult the caterers and public relations department."
"HUH?!"
"This letter is from Princess Cadence about Fluttershy and it is quite certain in its implications", she actually grinned.
"Meaning what exactly", I asked.
"The love Fluttershy just felt was the strongest Princess Cadence has ever felt", mom said, grinning even bigger. "I do mean ever."
"Well, fuck."