I sat on the edge of my bed and stared into the dark as my two companions snored lightly on the bed. My mind was still reeling from the events of the night and how quickly things had changed. I looked over my shoulder and stared at my servant and new fiancé as they slept and wondered just how things had reached this point in my life so quickly.

"How is this my life", I whispered to myself.

This is your life because it is the chaos you have brought on yourself, a familiar gravelly voice whispered in my mind.

"What now", I sigh quietly. "Discord, what do you want?"

I only wanted to congratulate you on your impending nuptials, my father chuckled. If I have to be honest, I never would have thought Celestia would be so cruel as to force matrimony on her own son.

"She isn't cruel", I growled and flinched when Shadow shifted in her sleep.

Of course not, he laughed. It wasn't cruel of her to encase me in stone or banish her own sister to the moon for a thousand years either, but you know best.

A throaty chuckled rang through my mind as his voice faded away. I eased off of the plush bed and stepped over to the windows. I opened the center window and walked out onto the balcony. A light breeze ruffled my feathers and danced across my naked body as I stared out into the night.

A pair of hooves snaked around my chest from behind and I jumped slightly as I looked down to see two gray forelegs gripping my chest. I relaxed and laid my head back against hers as I closed my eyes and laid my hands across her forelegs. Her steady breathing relaxed me further and I felt her press her lips against the nape of my neck.

"Are you okay", she whispered.

"Not really", I sighed, "but I guess I have to be."

"What do you mean", she asked as she balanced against me and stepped around in front of me.

"Discord just spoke to me", I replied as I rubbed my eyes.

"What did he say", the vampony asked.

"He congratulated us on our betrothal", I scoffed but let out a genuine chuckle as she cocked her head to the side.

"How did he know", she asked. "Isn't he encased a statue in the gardens?"

"Spirit of Chaos", I sighed. "That isn't all that's bothering me."

"What is it?"

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers and gathered my thoughts. As I began speaking I cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes.

"I've been in Equestria for less than six months", I sighed. "I have no memories before I was found in the woods."

"I didn't know that", she whispered and hugged me.

"What makes things worse is that I was created by the Spirit of Chaos", I sighed again. "In less than six months I gained three family members, a pair of wings and freaky looking eyes. I'm royalty now and I have no fucking clue what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to be marrying the mare I lost my virginity to."

I turned my eyes to the vampony clinging to my chest and saw the tears on her cheeks glistening in the moonlight. I pulled her against me and hugged her tightly. I felt tears welling up as I took a breath to speak.

"I'm scared, Shadow."

"I am too", she whispered tearfully. "Everything has moved so fast since I met you. I feel like I keep getting swept away by a raging river."

I gently tilted her head back and kissed her softly, making her eyes flutter and her breath hitch.

"Then you go and do things like that", she gasped, "and it makes me love you more."

"Do you love me", I asked quietly. "Or is it because of Cindra?"

"How could you even ask me that", she asked as she jerked her head back.

"I need to know if your love is real or just a side effect from the sex", I responded quietly.

"How can-", she began but froze and stared into my eyes. "Jackson, even if we never had sex, I would still love you. You accepted me for who and what I am, just like you did with Cindra."

"But I don't love Cindra", I whispered.

"Do you love me", she asked shakily.

"Yes."

"But you're scared to get married", she stated.

"It's a huge step and you're my very first special somepony", I whispered with a slight tremor in my voice. "We're getting married, that's for sure. I'm just terrified."

"Why?"

"I'm worried I won't be the husband you deserve", I murmured. I'm worried I won't be a suitable Prince. I'm terrified of losing either you or Cindra."

"You won't lose me", she smiled as she turned my face back to her. "Jackson, I'm an immortal pony, and I would be glad to share the rest of eternity with you. I truly love you."

I pulled her tightly against me and breathed in her scent. It was impossible to describe but put me at ease as our lips met in a shallow but passionate kiss. I hugged her again and stared at the lightening sky as dawn drew close. In the calm morning air I felt a sense of expectation that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"We should go inside", I said quietly.

"Yeah, come back to bed", Cindra said sleepily from the doorway. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"Jackson was having trouble sleeping", Shadow said as she hugged me.

The changeling approached the two of us and stared at me with her shining eyes. She cocked her head as her horn glowed slightly. She stepped closer and cocked her head the other way. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped right in front of me and stood on her hind legs to look right into my eyes.

"Your aura is different", she said and sniffed me. "You smell different too."

"I thought my sense of smell might have been messed up from getting my ass kicked", she muttered quietly, "but you smelled the same as last night. Your scent is stronger."

"So you're saying I need a shower", I asked as I cocked an eyebrow.

"No", she said and shook her head. "What I mean is your pheromones."

"Oh", I replied and looked at my fiancé. "Did you notice anything different about my smell?"

"I didn't say anything because I thought I was imagining it", she said wide eyed.

"Did anything happen while we were hurt", Shadow asked nervously.

"No, not that I kn-", I froze and furrowed my eyebrows. "Actually, when I was healing Cindra I felt a pain of some kind in my chest."

"You should tell your mom", Cindra uttered quietly.

I nodded reluctantly and walked through my chambers to the door, putting on a pair of pants on the way through. I briefly considered taking my alicorn form just to make sleeping naked easier but focused on the task at hand. I opened the door to my chambers and whistled at the guard at the end of the hallway who turned his attention to me.

"Yes, your Highness", he bowed as he approached me.

"Would you apologize to my mother but let her know I need to see her immediately after she raises the sun?"

"Yes, Prince Jackson", the guard bowed and turned away to do my bidding.

When I turned around and closed the door I saw the two mares lying on the bed talking quietly. When they noticed my presence the betrothed patted the bed beside her lovingly. I lifted from the ground and flew to the bed even though it was less than twenty feet away and landed as gently as I could. I eased down to the bed and got comfortable on my back. The two mares sighed happily as they snuggled against my sides.

"You're so warm", Cindra mumbled with a small smile.

"He sure is", Shadow quietly agreed before kissing my neck.

"Cindra just wants me for my body", I whispered very loudly to Shadow and grunted when she nudged my ribs hard.

"That's not true", she huffed. "I owe you my life. Playing with your body is an added bonus."

"Speaking of which", I said slowly, "I think we need to talk. All of us."

"It's never good when somepony says that", Cindra sighed as the two of them sat up to look at me.

"Now I have no clue how to start this conversation, so I'm just gonna ask", I said as I sat up as well. "Since Shadow and I are now engaged, how is our little arrangement going to work?"

"What do you mean", Shadow asked as she squinted her eyes.

"I mean how are we going to handle the sexual part of our interactions?"

"I… I don't know", Shadow said slowly.

"Can you handle sharing your fiancé with me", Cindra blushed.

"I guess", Shadow replied before she turned to me. "Jackson, would it be a problem with you?"

"If you don't have a problem with it then I'm okay with it", I responded uneasily.

"Master, I don't have to have sex to feed", Cindra sighed as she closed her eyes. "Besides, I can always feed off of your love instead of lust."

"What", I asked in confusion.

"Master, your aura is going crazy", she smiled a little sadly. "You smell of nervousness."

"Okay, that's not weird", I said quietly.

"Shadow, you're just as nervous about this", she said as she turned her eyes on the vampony. "A blind foal could see it."

"Cindra", I began but jerked my head back as Cindra whirled around on me.

"I have made a lot of mistakes recently", she said evenly. "The biggest mistake was having sex with you, master. I overstepped my boundaries by seducing you."

"Cindra, stop", I sighed.

"No, master", she said fiercely. "This has to be said. It was wrong of me because you're my master, not my lover. I have no right to you other than to serve you and now your fiancé."

She turned back to Shadow and smiled sadly.

"I seduced you both to satisfy my hunger", she said quietly. "It was an amazing experience that I will never forget, but now it's time for me to leave the bedroom as it were."

Cindra climbed to her hooves and began walking toward the edge of the bed but was tackled by a certain vampony. Her back slammed to the mattress and she stared up into Shadow's glowing eyes. I stared at my fiancé in disbelief as her erect leathery wings almost quivered.

"Where are you going", Shadow asked darkly.

"I was l-leaving the r-room", Cindra whimpered and tried to sink into the bed.

"You're not going anywhere", she hissed. "I want you here with us, so you're going to stay with us."

The changeling began to visibly shake as Shadow leaned closer.

"I may be his fiancé, but you are my consort", she whispered as she got within a hair's breadth of the terrified bug pony. "And nopony takes what is mine."

"Shadow, what the fuck", I finally uttered but gasped when she was instantly in my face.

"Never mess with a vampony", she smirked before kissing my lips.

I stared into her glowing eyes and felt lost. Time had no meaning, but I felt every second dragging by like sandpaper across my brain. I knew something wasn't right but I couldn't figure out what. I felt myself sinking into something soft but I couldn't care less about anything.

"I only want us to be happy", I heard Shadow say. "This won't hurt for long."

Those last five words ripped me out of my stupor and threw me reeling back into reality as two pinpricks of pain jolted into my neck. Fire raced down my neck into my heart before flaring through my whole body. I heard terrified shouting and the sounds of a struggle barely broke through my pain addled mind. I heard someone shouting my name, but when I tried to answer blinding agony ripped through my back as fire consumed my wings. I writhed in agony for the longest time before I passed out.

When I woke up again I knew something had changed in me. For one thing, the weight of my wings was a lot lighter than before. The light streaming in through my windows was blinding and I curled away from the painful brightness. I heard the sound of metal scraping against stone but still wasn't able to see who I was hearing moving around. Perhaps the weirdest thing was the smells in the air.

The smell of ash filled my nostrils as a body sprawled over me as if to protect me. The touch of a leathery wing let me know that it was Shadow herself. Just a few feet away I could detect the scent of sugar and vanilla. Only one guess on who that was. A few feet farther away I could smell an earthy smell mixed with an ever increasing musky scent.

"Jackson", my mother's whisper boomed in my ears.

"What the actual fuck", I shouted as I slowly opened my eyes.

My mother stood over us and she glared daggers at my fiancé as the vampony crouched protectively over me and hissed at the white alicorn. I laid my hand on Shadow's side and she glanced down at me. I could have sworn I saw the barest hint of a smile on her face as she slid off of me.

"Shadow Bloom, what have you done", my mother demanded in a hiss.

"Mom, chill", I groaned as I stood. "I'm alive, in one piece and of mostly sound mind. What's the big deal?"

"Jackson, she's a vampony", my mother shouted.

"I know that", I shouted back.

"She just bit you, son", she said as angry tears rolled down her cheeks. "She infected you."

"So what", I said coldly. "We're getting married soon, and we're gonna spend eternity together. Why does it matter to you?"

"Because necromancy was outlawed nearly two thousand years ago", she said quietly.

"What does that have to do with the price of coffee in Fillydelphia?"

"Vamponism is a type of necromancy", she whispered as tears fell down her face.

"And", I asked, nervousness creeping over me.

"Necromancy has always been rooted out and purged by fire", she said hollowly as she turned her eyes to my fiancé. "Thankfully, only the source of the infection needs to be purged."

"What", I hissed.

My mother turned her body toward Shadow and smiled sadly as the vampony took a fighting stance. The white alicorn whispered an apology and reared her head back as magic flooded into her horn.

"No", I gasped.

Time seemed to slow to a stop as I launched myself at my mother. I found myself in front of her and stared into her teary eyes for a second before I whipped my hand out and struck her left cheek. I watched the force from the strike roll across her face. For some reason I found it funny watching the shock and pain register on her face.

Time returned to normal as her head twisted over her right shoulder and the force of my slap traveled through her body to flip her onto her back. She slowly stared up at me with the shock and pain that had started so slowly.

"You struck me", she whispered.

I started to speak but an enticing aroma flooded the air, sweet yet coppery. I inhaled deeply and realized it was the scent of blood. I turned my eyes to my mother's face and saw two thin cuts on her left cheek that trickled as she trembled slightly.

I looked down at my hand and shuddered when I saw white fur and crimson blood clinging to the middle and ring ringers of my right hand. I turned my eyes back to my mother and a mixture of shame and dread crept into me.

"Well, fuck."