Cadance had done everything she could to prepare herself for the search, other than the most important one—tell her daughter where she was going, although it was clearly obvious what her intentions were. Sin was definitely somewhere close. His speed was extremely difficult for her to match. He had spoken of his abilities surpassing most, but she never expected it to be true. The most she had to mind about his statements is he was more likely telling lies for attention or slightly insane. But with the facts proving true to his word, Cadance regretted every second of disbelieving his power.
Sure she liked to tease him about it, but it was the meticulous care she paid to hint her feelings for him. He did not have to make lies to impress her; at least that is what she thought until he fought Discord.
"Where the hay did he go?" Cadance asked herself, sprinting around a thorn bush. She followed split in the clouds to track the disgruntled human, hoping he was alright.
She'd thought about his safety for a long moment. She had to completely embrace who and what he was. He was an Immortal. This man was far more powerful creature, one with a kind heart, but also a broken mind. Not a single enemy the Princess of Love faced ever showed so much power, but where did it come from?
Cadance took a deep breath and tried to think past the sudden aching in her chest. She was very determined to have this human, even if it meant taking action for herself. He was everything good she wanted and was going to gift herself with some happiness in her life; and if it meant taking that happiness, she would.
She ran through the Everfree Forest and cleared the next leap smoothly, determined by infatuation and Rose possibly losing good man as a father. Her instinct as a mare was to claim him fast, to bind him to herself so that there was no argument between her and the princesses, but that felt too much like imprisoning herself to his good qualities without remembering the bad.
Without the right spell to track Sin's movement, the Princess of Love was left to follow the footprints in the snow and run into a large pond past the old castle. She came to a sliding halt as the clearing grow and her wings provided just enough wind resistance to stop herself from falling into the icy water at her hooves. She cringed at the idea of catching a cold or hypothermia while on the lookout for her handsome devil.
When she stopped at the edge of said pond and wiped the beads of sweat on her brow so they did not freeze on her, she sighed deeply and stared at her own reflection and caught the signs of stress and worry. Her mane was a mess and snow was sticking her like glue between two pieces of paper. Her wing tips throbbed at the touch and she cringed whilst cursing herself for thinking of plucking a single flake from them.
"I better find him fast;" she said to herself, searching around the pond where his footprints disappeared. Strangely it was leading her to the edge of the water. "If I stay out here any longer I'll freeze my wings off."
Cadance stopped at the other end of the pond and spotted Sin's clothes hanging off a dead branch to her left, bloody feathers from his surprise growth spread around the last pair of footprints before trailing into the water. This did not bode well for the pink alicorn as she put the clues together. Her heart began to race while the pain in her wings began to mull over from adrenaline and fear. She looked back to the clothes, then to the feathers, and finally the pond before realizing that he jumped in to a freezing pond.
"He didn't. . ." she whispered to herself, before seeing bubbles rise in the middle of the water. Her eyes widened and she gasped as the water started to ripple. "OH BUCK, HE DID!"
She took a breath as if it were her last one, and she was able to find the courage to brave the water. She cringed—seemed to motivate herself—and then she went for the leap, preparing to make the swim for Sin's life. The water, however, rose at the last second and splashed the princess, startling her. She yelped and jumped backwards into a pile of snow. If she was not freezing her plot off then, she was definitely going to right now.
"Oh my god, I feel so much better." a masculine voice said enthusiastically in the water, his body steaming from head to toe while the rippling water edge closer to the princess.
Cadance rubbed her head so the pain would go away and cursed the one that scared her whilst opening her eyes. She had all the intent of scolding or attacking the jerk that made her heart leap into her chest, but his voice stopped her. She gazed at the man in the suddenly steaming water as though he were a ghost, jaw dropped in shock of his appearance.
"Nothing like a hot bath in the winter to fix you right up." he said to himself, smiling at one of the wounds he gained in his fight with Discord. It began to close up and scar over as he scrubbed the more personal sections of his body, disregarding that he needs soap to remove the stench completely. "Should be a couple more hours and I'll be in tip-top shape again, but I better get home fast and make sure everyone is alright. Rose is probably scared shitless while Cadance and Spitfire and wondering how they should kill me for leaving."
Cadance threaded her hooves together at the small cut she received from falling on top of a broken branch and stared at the man. He did not look like the monster he was a few minutes ago, steadying himself with a small tune to know that he was still a person on the inside, that he was still in control of himself and not the other way around.
"It's too late to apologize. It's too late~" he sang to himself, uncaring of the large erection he unknowingly revealed to the Princess of Love. He wasn't aware of her presence by the simple fact that he was not using his powers to sense anyone or anything, but she was there; and by the gods was she impressed by his girth and confused as to how it was standing up in this weather. It was a mystery to her.
Cadance managed a flush of red across her cheeks before frowning at the oblivious immortal. She coughed into her hoof very loudly, wanting to let the man know he was not alone. Sin heard it and turned and turned to face the pink alicorn rising to her hooves, though with a little more difficulty from the throbbing in her frozen body. He looked back just as calmly as he did the first time their eyes met, willing her to know that he was not surprised by her presence.
"Well this is quite impressive," he said to the embarrassed and shivering princess, uncaring that he was showing all his glory to her. "I haven't been chased and caught in over six hundred years. For you to actually keep up tells me you are very determined."
Cadance struggled a nervous grin. "It's not so hard to follow you in this weather. Your tracks are very easy to see." she stuttered, coughing into her hoof as he realized the winter is not the same for him as it is for her. He had a very high resistance to the cold from years of living in it and harnessing his magic. She did not.
Sin stepped out of the water and approached her as the wind chill worsened, but not for him in the slightest. He was pulsating a red glow and radiating a high temperature while the water that should have froze to his skin and hair actually dripped into the snow. He grew concerned for the coughing mare as she stood there with that cute glare. It made him smile to know that she cared about him.
"You are in so much trouble," she sniffled, trying her absolute best to act like the adult. Sin's smile, nakedness, and strange heat radiation was far too strong for her. She just wanted to have that white haired hunk shared the heated magic he had around his body. "You left your daughter with Spitfire and the others. You abandoned her."
"You did the same with Skyla," Sin rebuked in a warm tone, teasing the mare by resting his hand on the back of her neck. "But I had to leave her with them. I don't want her to see me so beaten up by that sadistic bastard." He gestured her to the water. "Now get in the water before you freeze to death. It's already warmed up."
Cadance looked out into the steamy pond. By now, the fog covered most of it like a gray blanket. She felt the steam on Sin's body nip at her. The heat teased her skin and kissed her face. It's so cold, you jerk. she whispered to him, ignoring her mind telling her to ask more about his actions against Discord.
Sin chuckled and removed the alicorn's crown and slippers with a snap of his fingers. He snapped them again and teleported Cadance and himself into the shallow edge of the water before it dropped to his waistline. Cadance was shocked for but naught a moment when the hot water melted away the throbbing in her hooves. She gasped like her virginity was taken a second time and then moaned at the warmth spreading through her legs.
She looked up to the man and let go of her instincts, trusting Sin to keep himself at bay and watch over her as she made the journey into the pond's middle. Sin did watch her take those few steps, but not without tormenting himself with a small glance at her backside. Cadance had a very supple rump to compliment her slim figure; and given that she gave birth years ago, he was very aroused by the natural curves still with her. He was about to give himself a stroke when suddenly the pink princess turned back with a sly grin of her own, causing his blush to flare and for him to drop in the water to hide away his shame.
"You're still on my bad side right now," she said smoothly, giving her blushing swordsman a giggle and a wink. "But I'll let this one slide since the water is so warm. It is quite relaxing, and I can know more about you before I have to drag you back to town."
"You make it sound like I'm an escaped prisoner." Sin said in a bemused tone, wondering where she was going with this conversation.
"That's because you are right now. You did cause some damage to the town, so you have to pay for it."
Sin resisted the urge to play foul with Cadance, knowing he was in the wrong by causing a scene and a fight with the Spirit of Chaos, but the need to kill that monster at the monster was too strong in him, his every protective instinct merged with the hatred and rage of his past. He scrunched at the princess and turned away to face his side, while she studied him a little more carefully. The magic inside him was very large, perhaps too large for any alicorn to bear on their own, barely fitting inside his soul, with several barriers around it. Cadance became worried that he was ticking time bomb beneath that façade of his; it was as if the magic was at his control yet manipulating him at the same time. His body was normal again, but the transformation and power, where did it come from?
Where did Sin Firestorm gain so much power to rival a god? Where did he come from?
At first the tingling in her skin felt nice with Sin's magic manipulating the water to bubble everywhere. The individual bubbles around her felt like tiny hooves tickling her as they massaged the soreness away, almost too good for it to actually be a simple bubble bath in the Everfree Forest. The warmth was very necessary for her wings and mane, heat melting away every snow flake that stuck to her the entire time. That princess had to have been blessed by the heavens with this man's presence, because he had so many good qualities beneath that tough-guy attitude.
Cadance knew the Sin Firestorm she met was the real one, not the violent and belligerent man that tried to kill Discord. She could feel with her talent in feelings how much he likes her and Spitfire and how strong his love is for Celestia and Luna. There was no mistaking the warmth that made her heart flutter when Sin was so kind to Luna, he was still in love with her and desperately wanting to take her back without a care of the past they share.
So why didn't he do that? Why did he treat Luna equal to her and Spitfire?
Does he want Spitfire and I, as well as Celestia and Luna, Cadance thought whilst staring at the backside of her companion, seeing through the surprisingly clear water his small rump. That tiny, furless, hoof sized pair of flanks he has for a plot. It looked so smooth and firm while in the water that Cadance wanted to grope it. She wanted to especially claim that part of Sin and own it like it was her own property.
Cadance could not fight her imagination as the immortal human stood up and turned to his left, bending over to reach for the rock that poked his big toe. He was now leaned over at such an angle that Cadance could watch every drop glisten in their decent between those sexy cheeks. Her lips continued to curl in anticipation as she followed the voice in her head. Like a snake drawn to its dinner, she somehow slithered through the water without making a sound.
Try as she might, the Princess of Love could not fight the fact that she has been lonely and for quite some time and deprived of her first taste in the world of good stallions. Then again, she never had the chance to find her special someone in this big world; destiny was played out by her aunt for Shining Armor to be her husband. It was a web of lies that brought them together; and it was all for the sake of Canterlot's protection. For that special talent of his.
Make no mistake she understood the reason behind Celestia's manipulation, but to pair her with a stallion that is cruel and belligerent on the inside. . .
Cadance continued to smile evilly. Her movement was indistinct, making it difficult for any creature to see her through the steam. Up close, she could almost smell the musk of his scent down there, that sweaty aroma of masculinity beading her nostrils so elegantly. Her mind was nearly blank as the confusing emotions in her body became very clear and direct. There was only one thing running through the mare's head as she inched closer to the self-loathing human: she wanted to make the first move. Her first move as a mare that is filled with lust for the stallion she was slowly falling for.
If this is what Luna and Celestia had in the past, then I want it too.
Sin had no idea of time passing, nor the princess drifting closer to him, only that the silence made his bathing very pleasing. Fear of what he would return to after bathing was ever present. He had been strong-willed and mentally invincible these last four hundred years, a man who destroyed thousands of lives and conquered dozens of kingdoms from every species. No one, in all these long centuries had rattled him like Discord did. No had ever managed to defeat him, and it was difficult to think that after using the first stage of his power that anyone ever could match him blow for blow.
Shame and pride endured. He knew it was not over, and Discord would always be there to remind him how strong he must be to destroy a god. If he could ever find a way to change into that shameful god form his torturers drew out of him without losing his body or mind. . . He could not go there again, couldn't think like that. He had come too far to let go of his morals. He had worked too hard to prove that a human can beat a god. That you do not have to kill an alicorn by becoming one. In any case, his teachers were right, he couldn't go on as himself and defeat every opponent he meets. But that meant. . .
He cringed at the idea. The shadow of his regret was wedged in the roads of self-preservation and redemption, the choices to a vicious conclusion of power that ran through his blood. He knew he was not as human as he once was, but that did not mean he would give up the rest to the painful facts. That he was ever so slowly losing his humanity to the third alicorn inside him. The monster that went on a rampage and slaughtered an entire kingdom to abate his thirst for vengeance.
Sin was disconnected from the world and thinking back to what Holy Nova and Dark Rai said when they saved him from his rage: that there will be a time when he must change into that monster and be it long enough to destroy what only a true god can kill. He knew what that meant and pondered it whilst looking at the blood-stricken feathers on the ground, though very begrudgingly.
They're right about a god showing up and overpowering me, and I'll have to spare enough time to change into that godly abomination to save myself and everyone around me. But why me? What did I do to deserve such a punishment? I want to be myself, not a fucking— Sin's words went paralyzed at an unnerving touch.
Time returned, and he realized he wasn't standing alone on his side of the pond. He looked over his shoulder, not speaking, not asking questions, just allowing himself to stiffen and blush again for the rubbing on his buttocks. He looked down and found Cadance touching his right cheek tenderly, as though it were fragile. He choked on his own embarrassment as various thoughts ran through his mind—one being he should run away.
Why is she touching me, he thought whilst coughing into his hand to warn her.
Cadance stopped abruptly and with a loss of her balance, threw herself into the nervous human. There was a yelp and a loud splash after Sin tried to catch her, but he slipped on a rock and with strange luck, found himself hugging onto her whilst falling onto the steep edge of the pond. Where he stood was a wall he could lean against and relax, but Cadance' fall pushed him into it and forced the top of his head to bounce off. The force of the blow was enough to make him dizzy and mislead his senses where the should not.
Just the splashing was enough to confuse them both before he sat up with his hands holding onto her, but not where he expected.
"What the hell Cadance?" he groaned, cringing at the headache she gave him. It was about to get very ugly between the two when their close contact stopped him from speaking another word. Destiny had a way of manipulating lives and taking hold or wrenching the moment into its own way.
Cadance opened her eyes and went to apologize, but she quickly realized that he was sitting under her with his hands firmly grasping her flanks. Her hooves had somehow wrapped around his neck and brought them close to a kiss she failed to ignore. They were so close that she could feel the heat of his breath over hers. Just the scent of his musk and his naked body was enough to drive her crazy, and now she was on top of him, straddling his erection.
Having such a familiar sensation run through the mare's loins—that familiar tingle for pleasure with the distinctive signs—was wonderful yet terrifying to her. She had not felt this kind of warmth since the maid fetched her newest toy from the mail office. Shadowing the pleasure was such a horrible thing when she was with Shining Armor, removing his doubt in the bed to help him improve with different methods.
And yet they were all failures.
She shuddered and gasped when he lips slid across Sin's rod, eyes nearly rolled back from years of withdrawal. She craved for heaven's to split at his touch, but he was as still as she was and barely holding onto his sanity with a strong grip. Their gazes met and connected to understand how awkward and inappropriate this was. Still, neither of them attempted to separate from the other, just sit there with their bodies almost merged by the overbearing feelings they have for each other.
"This. . . is embarrassing." Cadance stuttered, squeezing her legs to try and remove the kiss she has on his cock, but it was easier said than done.
Sin wanted to tell her to get off of him and take space on the other side of the pond, but her invasion of his backside and falling this way helped his mind drift to other ideas. He breathed in heavily and caught a weak scent of strawberry perfume beneath the cotton candy aroma in her mane. His hearted started to throb out of his chest, something the Princess of Love could feel with her chest touching his. The slow and calm breaths became deep and threatening, almost to a predator stalking it's prey. His gentle grasp of her flanks hardened and made her gasp shortly.
Cadance was not entirely sure what in Equestria this man was doing to himself, but deep down, she kind of liked it. She liked the deep growling and slightly painful squeezing to her flanks. No one had ever acted like this to her. No one ever took the chance to abuse the situation they were put into; especially when it is one like this. Still, she was worried that maybe things went too far and now he was going to hurt her.
Seconds passed before she loosened her grip on his neck to see the shade in his eyes darken into that deep redness she saw today. She was starting getting scared of the man's power overwhelming him again. She was worried that the Sin Firestorm before her was going to take his rage out on her.
"Sin. . ." she paused at the sound of his growling, before scrunching at how his gaze rose up to meet hers. His eyes were red again, but there was pink in the pupils this time. "I'm. . .I'm sorry for what I just did. Let me down and I'll leave now and never bother—"
"You grabbed my ass," Sin growled. "I don't mind the invasion of privacy, but you grabbed my ass while I was in deep thought."
"I-I'm sorry. It's just that you have such a small plot and I—"
"You need to leave now!" he quickly threw onto the edge of the ground and crawled out of the water, snarling like a wild animal as she recovered. "Son of a bitch, I should be in control of this. Why does it have to happen with her!?"
Cadance looked up and stared at the human to see he was struggling to stay on his hands and knees and glowing the same red aura from before. Lust and pain welled the man's body while he did everything he could to not look at the princess, something she found to be strange, rather than insulting. There was something wrong however. There was something very wrong with Sin and he was doing his best to fight it.
He clenched his jaw and punched the frozen ground as hard as he could, frightening her in violence, coughing strongly, disapproving the overflow of his mixed emotions and power, their power, at his own command. He closed his eyes and punched the ground a second time before it was too much for him to handle. His instincts were overtaking him, and so were his teachers'.
"I told you to get the hell out of here!" he snapped, pointing towards his visible footprints that lead back to Ponyville.
"What's wrong?" Cadance approached him and draped a wing over his back, ignoring the increase in steam across his skin. "Sin, what is wrong with you? Are you hurting?"
"Go away!" he growled. "Or I am going to do unspeakable tings to you!"
Cadance flinched and gawked. "Excuse me!?" she said incredulously. Sin looked up to her with the best of his ability, his eyes narrowed and focused on every inch of her.
"You do not understand what it means to have two gods inside you," he said very cruelly whilst resisting another spasm. "You don't get what it means to have everything about them control you. You will never understand what it means to have everything about them affect who you are."
"What are you talk—"
"IT'S MY FEELINGS FOR YOU, CADANCE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, clawing the ground to the point of bleeding. "I THINK YOU AND SPITFIRE ARE FUCKING GORGEOUS, BUT I CANNOT EXPRESS IT BECAUSE HOLY NOVA AND DARK RAI—THE TWO GODS INSIDE ME—ARE FUSED TO ME. EVERYTHING THAT MAKES THEM WHO THEY ARE MAKES ME THE SAME WAY. IT MAKES EVERYTHING THREE TIMES WORSE, INCLUDING LUST!"
"What do you mean?" Cadance was flabbergasted by this. She panicked and did what she could to try and heal whatever is doing this to Sin, but all he did is laugh in three voices and push her away.
"It's not pain, nor agony. It's my feelings for you, combined with Holy Nova and Dark Rai's lust." he chortled. "Their lust is mine, and it is so unbearable that it makes me sex crazy. I feel so much lust and my feelings for you so strongly that I want to make you my mare, but I can't do that. I won't do that. I—" he bit his tongue and thrust his head into the ground, forcing pain to overcome the lust. "MOTHERFUCKER, STOP IT YOU TWO. STOP DOING THIS TO ME!"
In truth it was not Holy Nova and Dark Rai's doing, nor was it in their control. They were just as powerless as he was and forced to endure the lust until it subsides. The best they could do is encourage him to either fight it or embrace, but his mind was blocking them out in every way for them to communicate.
Cadance not only wanted to run away from Sin and get her daughter as far away from him as possible, but also warn everyone that he is insane and forget that he ever existed. She was fairly certain that the nice guy under that hair was a lie and by now revealed himself to be a rampaging monster that needs to be put down or in a cage.
"Please get away from me," Sin fell onto his side, curled into a ball and shivering to the next jerk of his body. Cadance was about to take off and leave him to writhe in whatever nightmare he's put himself in when the pulsating aura around him travelled from her wing to the rest of her. She fell onto her stomach and gasped for air as the wave stricken her with the same feelings he has right now.
She looked at him in disbelief, but it was real. Sin was not lying. Everything he felt right now went through her with the smallest touch and inflicted her entire body with it all. The lust. The feelings he has for her. His love for Celestia and Luna. All the anger and pain from seeing Discord again. It was there and so surreal that she could not find an excuse for what she experienced.
Cadance was stunned by the truth. Stunned by Sin feeling so strongly for her that it hurts. How could anyone have so much to feel for one pony? How could he feel so strongly for her? She not only felt terrible for thinking of leaving Sin, but pitied him for enduring so much to protect her. To keep her safe from himself.
Cadance took a deep breath and let herself brave what will come next. Sin was terrified of this, of what he would do to her. Strong enough to fight whatever may take over, he was still terrified of himself. He did not want to hurt her. He didn't want her to be the first victim of a terrible act he'd fought for generations.
"Get away from me," he said pitifully, rolling to his other side as she leaned in. "I don't want to hurt to you. You're the only thing that reminds me what it's like to be happy; and I don't want to destroy that."
She ignored that request and stroked caresses down his scarred back, soothing some of his pain in silence, smiling warmly while her emotions returned. Sin was on the brink of self-destruction until the softest touch was felt on a particular spot. He shuddered the very second it hit his mind and tried to lean back, but the wide-eyed look did more for the princess than it did for him. It was actually cute to see him in shock of what she had to give him.
Cadance brushed her lips a little stronger over his and used the other wing to pull him closer. She embraced him, held him tighter, pressing herself into him while the tremors of his power and overbearing lust wracked them together. She inhaled the clean masculine scent of him and endured the shaking to give him solace in his dire situation of integrity and compassion. Sin was not the kind of man to be surprised, but this was no ordinary mare he met on the train; and it wasn't for the fact that she is an alicorn.
The moment she moaned in his mouth, Sin realized just how much this mare wanted him. His heart automatically began to adjust to the slower, steadier beats of hers. His breathing evened out, following that calm, composed rhythm of hers.
The young mother pulled away unwillingly to see the man was himself again. There was no magic eroding his body, no combined feelings torturing his mind, and certainly no color shifting in his eyes. Sin was himself again, a normal man, though a little more stunned by her kiss abating the lust of two gods and his own.
"You have got to be the biggest wreck in the world," she chuckled, planting a quick peck those moist lips. "But you're heart is in the right place. You just need somepony to help you through everything you're going through."
"How did you do that?" Sin asked and checked himself for the smallest sign of an illusion. To his fortune, there was no magic deluding his problem. He really was back to normal and feeling calmer than normal, as if all the weight of his stress fell off his shoulders.
She giggled at the confused human and bopped his nose, to tease him, he assumed, as a way to show her affection. "I honestly do not know, but let's not complain about it. You are not going crazy right now, so why not be thankful for it."
Sin saw it. It was there, the magic in her eyes meeting his steadily as she helped him to his feet. He waited, not prying or questioning her what it is that made her quell the lust and magic, just allow her to guide back into the water.
Cadance wrapped her wings tightly around Sin's stomach and rested against his chest. She was grateful to fate for following her long-awaited wish to have a chance at true love. Sin did not move from her, nor ask her any questions, he simply sat in the shallow end of the water and pretended he was snuggling with her as a way of saying thanks, although Cadance made it very obvious that it was more than that. The heat, so deep in their bones, wrapped them in a cocoon of relaxation while the world seemed to pause.
When he lifted his head off the rocky wall and rested against hers so the comfort did not end, he stared into her nearly glowing reflection. The image of another divine beauty in his life.
"Don't you think this is wrong?" he whispered, needing solace of their kiss. He wanted her, yes, very much, but right now, knowing how wrong it is, he wanted to be more sure of himself. Cadance, on the other hand, was more certain about Sin being what she's wished for, albeit a little different from what she expected, but he still had the qualities she wanted.
"It's not like we're making love or asking about marriage;" Cadance shushed him with a loving nuzzle before holding onto his hand. "Besides, you did imply that you have feelings for me and Spitfire. Plus you were desperate to calm down, so I helped you out."
"You mean you panicked and decided to kiss me," Sin chuckled, petting the back of her neck as the heat of the water increased at his command. "But I will not complain. Still, doesn't it feel wrong that we're sitting like this in a pond of hot water? We barely know eachother, and I just arrived in town."
"So what does it matter?" she asked.
"I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, nor to cause any trouble." He took a deep breath and tried to think past Celestia and Luna knowing he is alive and well and wanting him to come back to them, but it was not that easy when their love is as strong as his. "Oh man, I hope Celestia and Luna are not causing any trouble with Spitfire or the kids. Knowing how they are, I suspect they'll be pissed about me having a daughter."
"But you adopted her."
"Yes, but they don't know that—not that I have anything to hide in the first place—but still, they don't know that I've only adopted children throughout my life."
That made Cadance very curious; if he was over a thousand years old, then surely he had many foals. She dwindled on how many children could be in his family and wondered if he was a man of pity or a man of desire, meaning, does he want children of his own or is it out of good will that he takes in unfortunate foals?
She raised a brow at this thought and looked up to her smiling human. "How many foals have you adopted?" she asked very cutely, the overlay of her mane in her eyes making the immortal chuckle before he helped her regain her sight.
"I've lost count." Sin stroked her face with his fingertips, brushing them across her lips. "I have adopted colts, fillies, gryphons, and even a couple of dragons. Throughout my journey of self-discovery I have come across many abandoned children that needed a loving parent and a good home. If I was not training or protecting kingdoms, then I would be at home with my child wanting my help or to go out and play. But not all of my children were good, I've stumbled across some that needed a good lesson in growing up. The worst one I had was a hatchling that went by the name of Boomer. He was a Gryphon and a handful during his teenage years, but a good slap across the beak and taking him on one of my missions straightened him out."
Cadance nodded. "I am guessing that you are stern father, but everypony needs one of those, above all else. I haven't been that great as a parent with Skyla, not since we left the Crystal Empire. She's been so desperate to have a father that loves her she will try to pair me with any stallion that talks to us."
Sin felt a curious melting sensation in the region of his heart. The tight knots he had forgotten to exist in his stomach unraveled when he eyed her with anticipation. Cadance was a grown mare and she spoke her mind. He could not sense hesitation in her mind. There was only resolve—and understanding. He felt surrounded by her touch and the gods inside him laughed with victory. The ancient human felt that age-old need, that bond of companionship that connected him to many for centuries with his love and devotion. He wanted to be the missing puzzle piece of Skyla's life, because he loved children.
The words escaped without warning, but they came out from his soul, not just his heart. "Maybe she needs to stop looking so hard and realize that a father figure is right in front of her." he told the Princess of Love in a soothing tone, confusing her whilst thinking about how foolish he was to believe he could be the missing piece. "I'm not saying I would immediately take on that role, but I do love kids more than anyone could."
"Anyone," Cadance rebuked, smiling grimly. "Even a mother?"
"Yes, more than a mother ever could." Sin said with confidence, gazing into her eyes, allowing himself to be ensnared. "Cadance, I've lived a long life as father and have come to understand that my love for children is stronger than everyone's put together. I have raised families and made so many sacrifices to keep those I adopt safe and happy. I have come to understand that what I feel for children is immeasurable."
"So you're saying you love my daughter, even though you barely know her?" she questioned, testing the man for his bold statement. She felt very insulted as the one who knows and understands the meaning of true love.
"Yes, but not in the way you think." he clarified with hand imagery. "My care and love is not specified as a fatherly thing; it is just there. I love kids for no apparent reason. I adore them with all my heart. Hell, I have proven that by defying kingdoms and putting my life on the line on more than one occasion."
"Now you're just boasting," she giggled, nudging his side with her hoof. Sin knew what she meant and decided to laugh with her, though a little more enthusiastically than he normally would.
"Yeah, I am acting high and mighty; and I'm all about others being equal no matter what you are." he smiled down towards the princess and scratched the back of his own neck, nervous by the stare she was giving him. "Listen. I know this is going to sound very weird, but I want you to know that I am very thankful for everything you've done to me."
"Done to you?" she leaned away and gave him an incredulous look. "You mean the kiss that calmed you down."
"Not just that, but also your strange way of making me feel more like myself these last couple of day." he muttered, the nervousness almost too much. "Though I am still the same man on the outside, there has been a great deal of time where I don't feel human. You made me smile and feel happy for the first time in two years. Your daughter reminded me what it was like to enjoy the little things you do for others, and it's helped me remember that a small, good deed is better than a big one."
"And I'm guessing Spitfire helped you remember what it's like to have fun?" Cadance said in a sarcastic tone, teasing the serious man as he thought about their time together since the train ride.
He looked down at his reflection, a bemused look across his expression. "No, she's reminded that I am still a very perverted and dirty minded man who needs to get his head out of the gutter."
"You're not that perverted."
"I masturbated on the first night in the house. I imagined bending you and Spitfire over the bed and making love to you both until my legs give out."
"Oh. . ." Cadance blushed crimson and wheeled her gaze to the other side of the pond. "Well I did see your 'thing' a few minutes ago and was tempted to have you make love to me. You were without your clothes and erect at the time."
"Yeah, but not now." he coughed. "Besides, I'm not a one night stand kind of guy. I do have feelings for you and your friend, but we met two days ago."
No one said anything as they thought about their mishap in the pond, side to side. Sin sank down a little more into the water with Cadance still holding him, their minds drifting together on the same subject before she accidentally ran her hoof over a scar. Cadance did not enjoy the feeling of his many wounds and cringed behind her mane.
"So. . . how did you get so many scars?" she paused, looking away to avoid what she believed to be his glare, disgusted of herself.
"I have been in more wars than I can count or remember," Sin said. "But the ones across my back were not earned in war or being an experiment for several years. Those were given to me by a pony that I hate with every fiber of my body."
"Who?"
Sin thought back to the day he received them and sighed. "My disowned father, Solaris."
Sin had never been so exhausted in his life, but now wasn't the time to rest in his fiancés' bed. Canterlot had just lost many of their ponies to the dragons and Solaris was not happy about it. When he was unhappy, others paid the price for such fury. He would go after anyone and anything he could find that has done a crime; even the smallest of bad deeds meant harsh discipline for the poor soul. He would go after that sad fool in his kingdom, and if he could not strike at those he considered his enemies, he would take his anger out on a criminal.
The broken human found himself struggling to reach the throne room as Celestia and Luna tried to stop him, but they did not have the courage to force him back to bed. They would not risk the pregnancy anymore than they already have. It was hard enough to find the proper spell to breed with their mate.
"Sin, you need to stay out of this;" Celestia pleaded, her pulls on his arms so gentle that he did not feel them. "If you go in there and cause a scene with father, he will surely punish you the same way he is about to punish the prisoners!"
"Beloved, please stop this foolishness!" Luna begged whilst holding on the other arm. "Thou must remember that father cannot be reasoned with. Thou believes in thy laws and morals."
"I don't care if he ignores me!" Sin spat his own blood against the wall and fell over from weakness, bandages unraveling from improper care and revealing the burns he gained in Canterlot's failed siege. Celestia and Luna attempted to help teenager to his feet, but he swat their hooves away and used sheer will as the drive of his anger.
The attack on Canterlot had left many with depraved and twisted minds; even Sin was victimized by the destruction and death, but he was not robbed of his integrity and credibility as the Prince of Nothing. He had never felt so depleted and weak after having a few gryphons attack him, but that was not the point. He had a vendetta for the innocent and weak, a goal that must be met before it was too late. Inside his head were a thousand thoughts racing to the same question he'd been asking everyone for hours: What will Solaris do to the families that were left behind?
Sin found himself driven by that question, as if something inside his soul had awoken from a long slumber. He was always angry with the King of Equestria making poor decisions to the weak and needy. Since their first encounter as a new family, there was never a day that went in peace without them fighting over the smallest of things. They were the bane to the other's life, poisoning it with anything that may ruin what little happiness is shared. This invasion, however, was the bomb that set off both boys into a raging feud of jurisdiction and justice. A real conflict of saving or removing the problem from the other's clutches.
Celestia and Luna knew what his first thought would be, and that made them worry more as the throne room came into view. The two sisters had enjoyed seeing their lover take a stand against their cruel father to show the citizens a perspective that guides, rather than dictate. It gave them the idea to become better princesses to their subjects, knowing it would be worth all of the trouble Solaris would bring.
This, on the other hand. . . This overbearing sense of right and wrong. . .
"I'm not going to let this stand," he managed to gasp out, staining the armor of a Lunar Guard standing at his post. "He can be all high and mighty he wants. He can tell others to do things that are near impossible to accomplish, but this going way off the deep end." Fury was in his broken voice, desperation and determination in his eyes. "You may be afraid of him, but I'm not. I don't give a shit if he is a god, I will not let him do this!"
Luna teleported to the doors and spread her wings, glaring at her future husband, her hooves pressing through the tile while her sister ordered a guard to run ahead and warn the king and queen. Sin could not help but almost gulp at the intensity of Luna's stare. He felt overpowered and starved of support. She was of this and provided her sister the same courage, nodding to her. Celestia abhorred defying Sin's request, but even she had to help him realize the limits of his efforts. She stretched her wings to him and he pushed against them like a bull on a rampage.
Luna helped her sister, struggling from the worry of her foal harmed in the process. Her heart pounded and her mind was focused on preventing anymore catastrophes than what the kingdom already faced, but Sin was a man on a mission. He coming for the king and he would be damned to hell before anyone stopped him. He met their gazes and knew well how determined they were to stop him.
"I'm only going to say this once," he said intensely, pointing at the door. "Move from the doors."
"No, we are not going to allow this to continue." Luna replied, pushing him back, though with a bit of apathy in her effort. "Hast thou not caused enough trouble for thy kingdom?" She asked in a harsh tone. "The conflict between our lover and father hast been a difficult endure for sister and myself; and we simply cannot take more of such pettiness. If my prince dost love us, then he will return to bed with us and allow their punishment to continue."
"Sin, we are begging you to let this go for today." Celestia pleaded in a very soft tone, holding onto his trembling hand. "We know what father is about to do is wrong, but there is nothing we can do. It is set in stone that the prisoners are to be punished for the attack."
"But they are innocent!" he yelled, startling the mothers of his foals. He had never yelled at Celestia and Luna before; even when they ruined his first relationship in school, he did not yell. This terrified the Royal Sisters. "Those are woman and children arrested by that son of a bitch, accused of withholding information about the attack, but there is no evidence to prove it. And even if they did know, do you think they had any choice!?"
"We are sorry," Luna apologized immediately. "It is wrong of father to punish the innocent, but there are some things that we cannot stop. For the time being, our power as princesses and prince do not compare to his. We must wait until our marriage to rectify his wrongdoing."
"Fuck that. I'll rectify it right now!"
Immediately there was a current of terrifying energy swirling through the boy's body. His wounds opened slightly and he took a deep breath and shoved his lovers aside, harboring the deepest hatred anyone could feel for the King of Equestria. He retracted his right arm and thrust it the palm of his hand into the crevice of the doors. A powerful compression of atom based magic unleashed itself and sent both doors flying off their hinges. Equivalent to a cannon, the sound startled the nobles, prisoners, and even the king and queen. Sin's shoulder crunched underneath the repulse of the spell, but he grit his teeth and took the pain whilst entering the throne room.
Those who were caught into the blast rubbed their eyes of dust and dirt, trying to recall what the witnessed. "Are we under attack again, or did somepony just decide to lose their head!?" a very arrogant noble snarled.
Celestia and Luna rubbed the boy's arm where the repulse showed the faint slashes of the invasion laced up and down his neck and forearm as if the wounds were open and throbbing. Sadly they were and Sin was ignoring it. He marched towards the venom of his peace and scowled, sending silent messages over the many guards that stand between him and the throne.
Era touched her tongue to her dry lips whilst keeping a neutral expression to her son, though it was obvious by the ruffling of her wings that she was fearing for his life.
My son, you must not do this right now. She shook her head slightly to warn him. Sin met her with the response of raising his middle finger to her, something she learned to be a human's way to insult. Darn it, you will never listen to me; even if your life depends my guidance, you'll defy me in every way you can.
"Solaris, you son of a bitch!" Sin screamed, blood slightly dripping from his lips. "I always knew that you were a manipulative bastard, but this goes beyond that."
Solaris simply looked down at his son, begrudging that he must remain calm when every nerve in his body screamed to silence the boy. "Prince Sin, you should be in bed with your fiancés, not out here while trial is underway." he said, pointing towards the broken west corridor. "Return to your bedchambers with your mates so my queen and I may finish this trial."
Sin turned to the prisoners and stomped towards them, unintentionally inflicting fear as the crowd watched him. He looked to his adopted father, but pointed at the gryphons in shackles, the women and children to be exact.
"You are going to charge them for the invasion; that I know." He spat venomously. . .dangerously. "You're going to punish the women and children of this bullshit attack and make them suffer for the crimes. You're going to punish those who did not take part in the invasion."
Solaris and Era exchanged a frown. The silence had taken place in seconds of hearing the nobles whisper to one another about the trial. The nobles believed that every available gryphon was involved and enlightened this belief with the evidence, but with their prince, their future king, speaking differently, they had no idea what to say or think.
"They were aware of the attack." Era said.
"Yeah, but if you had to choose between your loved ones and invading a kingdom, I would chose the same." Sin yelled as he pointed at himself. "Besides, you cannot put them on trial because they did not raise any hostility towards us; and to punish those who relate to the attacker is no different from tyranny."
"And you suppose releasing them would be best for us," Solaris prompted when he fell silent. He stepped out of his throne and descended with a device he found ideal for their 'trial'. "No, we are proceeding with this trial as scheduled. These gryphons withheld information of the attack and will be brought to justice."
"Their fucking king announced the attack to his entire kingdom, you stupid bastard. Everyone of the gryphons knew, but you cannot blame them for that."
Solaris bid himself to stop before the injured human. He was like a wall pushing against a small door, and right then, Sin needed all of the strength he can muster. Solaris' glare was very uncomforting, deep in the blind fury, in the heat where a mortal would never survive. Sin was able to withstand the fear, even preferring the icy stare of his adopted mother, who turned away at the worst moment.
The temperature and pressure of the throne room would have left Sin gasping for air. His eyes and lungs would scorch or break if it was not for the connection he shares with Celestia and Luna. Quickly a man would succumb and perish, much like a normal human would to that intensity of the king. Celestia and Luna found themselves petrified in the thought.
"You still wish to defy your father, why?" Solaris questioned gently. His magic gripped the leather handle and swung the ropes to their reach. "Why do you keep defying me? Why do you defy your father?" He tightened his grip and raised it, but Sin did not flinch. This angered him even more. "Why!? Why are you so spurred by my actions!? What is it that makes you forget that I am a god who should not be trifled with, while you are just a mortal that is growing to become immortal? WHAT MAKES YOU FORGET THE COMPARISON!?"
Sin wanted to shrink to the alicorn and move away for his own protection. How could he compare himself to a god that has the power to erase his existence. He had wanted to believe there was some hope for the stallion to see reason. The world was cruel enough as it is, true evil without a hint of remorse or feeling for anyone. Sin just seemed to take the agony further than his friends and family could process, as if he did it out of pure enjoyment rather than purely for result. He did not doubt that Solaris was going to punish him for insubordination, but he was not going to break or quiver at this god. He was going to make his point with everyone in the room. He was going to send a terrifying chill that would encase their mind in horror. It was going to happen, and he was a little grateful for it. For being the brave soul that will not stand for injustice.
Sin looked back to the cowering gryphons and flicked them a warm smile. He felt a surge of soothing accomplishment circulating through his body as they whimpered and cried.
"It's not that I'm forgetting how different you and I are," he said kindly, raising his gaze to the irritated king. "I just chose to deny it. I chose to see you as a creature that is equal to me, equal to everyone in this room. I chose to be a prince that is equal to his subjects, because I do not want them to feel lower than me."
The gryphons looked up to him slowly, hearing every word as Solaris began to shake. They wondered if this really was the same prince their king said to be no different than the alicorns, a tyrannical monster that believes in living above the clouds while those on the ground fight to survive. They asked themselves "How can he be so ignorant, yet so full of meaning?"
"Hate it all you want," Sin said, a sharp edge in his voice. "But you are not above me, nor every mortal that lives on this world. You're not a god, nor a dictator. You are a stallion that was gifted with great power, but that does not make you better than anyone in this room. You're still a king that is equal to everyone in this room, because it is not you they depend on, it is us who depends on them."
"Not above you, am I?" the king chuckled slowly and lifted his weapon of choice. The fury erupted from his orbs and aimed at the closest gryphon in the group, a child tightly hugging on his mother. "Well let me correct your thinking!"
Right there in the shambled throne room, surrounded by very perspective ponies, Sin felt a fiery rage explode inside him like a bomb. He actually felt his legs go numb when Solaris lashed at the gryphons. Waves of purple banded the whip, and seeing this kind of magic, his body loosened. He fought back the pain in every muscle and sprinted towards the group, their screams echoing throughout the room. And like those unfortunate prisoners, Era, Celestia and Luna screamed at the top of their hearts out in a unison of defiance.
The injured prince whirled like a dancer, never losing the natural flow of his feet, but rather performed the brutal ballet there with magic guiding him, keeping close to the range of Solaris' strike. Even as the prisoners scrambled in their shackles, the desperate human cut down the strike to his form, using his back to redirect the aim.
"You stupid fool," Solaris yelled, and by a jerk of the handle, his whip struck across Sin's back, driving his wounds deeper. The bellows of agony soared through the holes of the castle and reached the commoners, dropping the moment of peace in the king's hatred. "I will not be talked down to, not by a disgusting ape like you. You will learn to respect me!"
Era and the princesses managed to extract themselves from the shock long enough to charge the alicorn, but Sin's anger followed to them. He shot a glare so deep and dark that it sent shivers down Celestia's spine.
"NO!" he screamed.
Solaris split the panic through the center of Sin's back to nail the meaning of terror and glided the bloody leather back to strike again. He roared at the boy, ignoring, that the diamonds were ripping his flesh. When he struck a seventh time, Sin's emotions flowed like water, striking faster than the whip before he dropped to one knee and looked up to the mother and hatchling he was protecting, an intense heat in his heart and his body pulsating.
The guards finally decided it was too much at the sixteenth lashing and rushed the rotten alicorn, when suddenly, their mistreated prince fought the pain to stand back up and spin to face him. Another pulse, and he was drawing everyone but Solaris' attention, his hand raised fast and precise.
The whip cracked against his hand, but was caught and held impossible for the king to break free. He scowled at his unwanted son, back into the deeper magic behind those eyes, seeking the courage that keeps him awake. He had started the duel of aura with a quick shift, just as he'd done the first time he fought with the boy, but he was not taking anymore chances on getting his reputation tarnished. He was going to show the crowd what godlike power is.
"You want to challenge me, the Alicorn of Time!?" he barked. He pushed the boy's limits further by overpowering him in magic and jerking the whip to bring him close. Sin almost lost his balance and leaned towards the king, but quickly regained his feet and shredded the short burst of magic with his own. This startled Solaris and the rest of his family.
"You still have some fight in you?" he questioned, before smirking in recognition of his son's determination. "Alright, I'll remind you to know your place by blowing your through the wall, WITH THE FULL RELEASE OF MY POWER!"
Releasing without consideration of everyone's safety and watching the size of his aura engulf Sin's from a good distance, Solaris acted a very amused stallion beating a defenseless animal, even laughing when his wife and daughters begged for him to stop hurting Sin. The screams would have reached him if it weren't for his lack of awareness to the world around him. He was too caught up in humiliating the prince and teaching him a good lesson in superiority.
"Do not play with the gods when you know you are no match for them," said the arrogant king, grinning from ear to ear. "You may just end up hurt. . . or dead."
The gray aura whirled to consume the growling human, destroying what little hope the prisoners had, the pressure crashing down on Sin, but he did not fall, nor kneel. He thought about how many innocent lives were hurt by Solaris and then stiffened, his mind focused toward the smiling king, only to be broken by the screech of a hatchling that was hit by the backlash.
The king looked back to see the young gryphon lying on the floor with a large gash across his eye.
"Stupid bird. . ."
Sin's entire body went hot, tension coiling tight. He bent his knees and clenched his fists with hating him. Everything about him was frozen, but feeling it devour him as if it were a treat was the least of his problems.
His eyes were now milked with colors shifting every second and more magic spilled out of his body. Keeping his gaze of Solaris, he shook violently and clenched every muscle. The floor was caved in, destroyed by the overwhelming pressure. He released the whip so that no more of his blood would slip through is, and then surprised everyone. He pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the alicorn at blinding speed to reach up and grab the horn. He still had an uneasy feeling that signaled danger to his well-being—and it was much stronger in the open air—yet he could not find compassion to stay his hand.
Sin began to screech furiously and lashed out with arcs of lightning, each traveling to window so they shattered. His first impulse was to rip Solaris' horn of his head, but something made him continue screeching. His hand retracted from the shocked king, only to tighten while Celestia and Luna approached.
"Has father finally pushed him too far?" Luna asked her older sister, but the surprising result of Solaris' actions was too great for the Solar Princess to answer. She was caught up in the stunning performance of her fiancé losing control.
"What are you—" Solaris tried to speak, but he was interrupted by Sin's fist suddenly connecting to his left cheek. The force knocked him off his hooves, and into a barely standing column. Though the pain was real and enough to make him cringe, he did not show that emotion. Instead, he expressed fear while looking up to the boy.
A chill went down the alicorn's spine. This was a serious, dangerous attack on him. "He was already injured and depleted of magic. He never showed this much power against Sombra or Discord. How is this happening?"
He stood up in time for the human to bullet through the rubble as he lost his sense of reason. The rage crashed into him, into the transparent wall of his psyche, so that a hole appeared first and then brought down the rest, revealing a darker person Solaris had drawn out. Another punch was thrown in rapid succession, sending him through a wall—not that it mattered. He recovered by flying out of the roof to give himself a safe distance before retaliating. The king looked down and went to counter, but he found himself coming face to face with the blindly infuriated human.
The princesses felt their lover's energy gather itself to take another massive burst through his broken form just as he flung himself at the airborne alicorn. Lightning arced into his wounds as he roared at the surprised stallion, and many more managed to travel around the room into anything fragile in a wild attempt to destroy. No one knew it—except for Celestia and Luna—but Sin was manipulating his power through his fury.
Screams rang out as the next blow connected with the top of Solaris' head, knocking off his crown. He fell through the air and burst through the dining hall with his wife quick to react. When he landed on his side, Era was the first to help him up while the young prince floated high above them.
"My word, he is angry." Solaris said to his wife. "What got into him all of a sudden?"
"You finally pushed him over the edge!" Era snapped, before coming to realization that her son was not finished.
Bullets of intense, fiery magic were thrown from Sin's good hand and whined through the air, the sounds reverberating through peace, but Solaris and Era had constructed a shield around themselves. The bullets could not penetrate the safeguard. Unfortunately for both gods, the buffer was only so thick, only keeping them safe until the entire room was thick with dust. Sin was fast to appear through the dust, a surprising prince hovering whilst winging his way towards the frightened alicorns.
Era moved between her husband and son, knowing she was closest thing to him. Most nobles were pouring through the hole to see the roaring human continue his assault.
"Sin—" Era spread her wings, glaring at her child, worriedly. "You need to calm down. You're going to destroy yourself with—"
The remainder of Era's statement was sorely blocked at the last second of Sin's strike, her eyes wide in terror as he closed in. Without warning or second thought, screeching at the top of his lungs, the broken prince tackled both of his adopted parents through the next wall in an attempt to break the king. The walls crumbled and this time part of the ceiling folded over. Along the southern wall, the corner sagged over them.
"He's going to kill father and himself," Luna yelled. "Sister, we have to do something!"
Sin rose fast, rushing the downed stallion to make his mark. Solaris leaned low on his mare's side, looking down at his son, his heart in his throat, watching for the boy to make the wrong move. Sin was already in the air again, crowding the room with his overwhelming aura as it ripped his wounds open. He hovered upright, no idea, an instinct burning his passion and rage.
"Starswirl was no fool when he said you were the answer we've been seeking;" Era said, loud enough for her husband to hear while the boy began to show signs of fatigue. "There is no mistaking what we are seeing, you are the answer."
Sin was to reply with more brutality, but much like an explosion, his magic disappeared and left him on the brink of consciousness. His aura dissipated as quickly as he hovered in front of the king and queen. The sound of his groaning filled Era's mind as she snapped to his descent with lightning-fast reflexes. She caught her child before he could fall and held him closely, listening to his desperate muttering for justice.
She hushed him with a tender voice and disregarded his attack on her and the confused stallion. Given the fact she could not have another foal with Solaris, the relationship she possessed with her only son mattered more than any trial ahead. She felt horrible for siding with her mate out of fear, but there was no greater fear than seeing your own son tear himself apart for the sake of others. Beneath that thick layer of hide, the Queen of Equestria was very afraid for her son's health and their bond.
. . .
"I don't know what happened after that," Sin chuckled, hugging the pink alicorn's side a little tighter than normal, causing for her to blush. "But everyone did stop doubting me. Solaris was still a dick, but he did his thing from a distance. Era, on the other hand, was like Celestia and Luna, always watching me to make sure I did not get out of hand."
The silence of her future coltfirned filled Cadance' mind. Her eyes snapped open. She looked up to the man holding her with both arms now to see she was curled into him, feeling warmer than ever; and it was not the heat of the pond making her so flushed. Thin strands of his long hair, bright from lack of controlling his magic, had wrapped around some hairs within her mane as a living flora. Beneath the connection, both of them were feeling a strange sensation, needing the touch to heal the emotional wounds. Cadance caught glimpses of the calm and peaceful man she grew infatuated with deep inside his milky orbs, green overlay, marred now by a feeling that made her think she travelled the universe through his eyes..
Her hoof moved against arm, the smallest of gestures, a mere brushing of her fur and his fingers, back and forth, betraying nerves.
Immediately the nervous human retreated just before a second kiss could be made and coughed away from her, to allow in logic and his conscience. A strong breeze instantly fanned their soaked bodies, but it did not affect him like the princess. He sat still while she dug deep into his hold for extra warmth. Cadance did not want to admit it, but falling for this man was more than worth the trouble of seeing both sides of him. As strange as Sin might be, it was impossible for her to deny that he had a unique energy she'd felt between Twilight and Flash Sentry, an energy she never felt with Shining Armor.
She pondered that energy and thought to herself the possibility of it being desperation for true love or that the human she watched become a monster was the stallion of her dreams. She was uncertain of herself and the magic that connected their hair. She was scared and confused.
Sin brushed back the hair from her face, removing all residue from her beautiful face, while allowing the heat of his body to engulf her. He wanted her to be comfortable with him, not aware that both were so close in a pond he heated with his scarred body.
"You are right to be afraid of me. I am a monster beneath this mortal form."
Her long lashes lifted and she looked up to him. The moment their eyes met, her heart leapt in her chest. Sin had always been stunningly handsome to the mares, but to call himself a monster. . .
As the Princess of Love watched him grow in disbelief, her true self became more apparent. The strong and confident mare ran in her, giving her ever-changing personality, bright now, with the uncertainty in her eyes now filled with determination.
"The only thing you've done is surprise me," she answered. She turned her snout up into his neck, rubbing like a cat over his skin. "So do not sell yourself short for my sake, because it is not you that I am afraid of."
There was a little hitch in her that caught at him. "If not me, then who?" He lifted her chin with one finger and bent his head to lock eyes with her. "Who could you possibly fear after seeing what I can become?" He looked away, confused and ashamed, to the other side of the pond.
Cadance felt him tremble, the smallest of shivers, and braved a kiss to his cheek to remove all doubt, but he did not pull away from her, rather he turned his face subtly while her next kiss landed on his lips. It was not intended for their lips to connect a second time, but Cadance went without warning of him turning and now she was parting him with some satisfaction.
Her lips curved into a faint smile as the embarrassed human hung his head low to hide his expression. "You have not kissed a mare in a long time, have you?"
"The last time I kissed a mare was the day Luna became Nightmare Moon," Sin assured. "After that, I've spent my entire life in solitude and darkness."
"I see. So if somepony—perhaps a mare that you may know—were to like it and want more. . ."
"I would tell her that I am not the kind of guy to do one night stands. We would have to be dating, and she would have to be alright with the possibility of Luna being my mate once more."
"Just Luna, not Celestia?"
"Celestia did worse to me than Luna did as Nightmare Moon. Luna is easier to forgive, but Celestia has to work harder to be given a second chance."
Cadance laughed, turning her face back up to his throat. Bravely yet childishly, her soft lips brushed over the two scars circling his throat and neck, leaving Sin with a terrible desire for another kiss. Her fur stroked careless caresses there, following the path of those deep cuts. She knew why she'd awakened desperate. For herself. Not for the short flames of passion. She wanted a love of her own, a love that is not fake, but true. She wanted the blushing man in her wing.
Sin slid his hand into his hair, bunching the thick silken strands into his fist as he parted from her. "Thanks for the company, but we better head back to town before everyone wonders if we're dead. Plus I need to talk with Luna about our daughter."
She laughed softly. "We all have our own problems to deal with, but what would you say to date?" Her eyes went back to feathering Sin's backside as he stood up and stopped to look at her. Bewildered by that question, he coughed into his hand while she hopped out of the water.
A rush of heat sent small flames flickering through his veins. Every muscle loosened, became aware of the mare giggling at him. With every second, his mind raced intimately. He caught enticing glimpse of the mare fluttering her eyes, the ensnaring orbs webbing his emotions.
They were bound now by a single chance, fate and time, and even a man as strong-willed as him could not deny there being a little joy for this pony asking him out. He did try to hide his body's reaction, but that made it more arousing to the pink alicorn. She enjoyed Sin's cuteness too much to pretend anymore that she is solely focused on being a single mother.
Sin scratched the back of his head and looked down to the water, his dark green eyes shimmering with ever-changing color. "I haven't been on a date in a millennia. I doubt I could do good on one."
Cadance gave him a smug grin. "You really are like a colt that just asked out his first crush." she teased him. "Sweetie, you're going to experience dating somepony again."
"Did I miss something, or did you and Spitfire switch places?"
She imagined him being a total goof at a nice restaurant, which made it more fun. "I can be a little flirtatious when I want to be, but you will not speak of this when we head back. Now hurry up, because I have a date to schedule."
Sin tilted his head. "Who are you going on a date with?"
"I'm going on a date with you," she said simply, meaning it with a seductive wink. She had her eyes on the human now, and in a way that was beyond friendly.
"When did I agree to that?"
"You never agreed, but I know from your expression that you need to start dating again before you deal with your problems with Celestia and Luna."
"Shit," he sighed.