A/N: Hey everyone! Another chapter is here, this one took a long time to write. This one however, will have some pretty big changes to the story thus far, so pay attention! I'm fairly certain you will all be pleased, but as always R&R and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters associated with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, nor the original story.
Chapter 7: The Beast Within
I woke up to bright light invading my personal space, on my eyelid. I moved my head out of the way and attempted to slip back into peaceful slumber, only to have the invading light back on my eyes again. "Alright alright, I'm up." I grumbled to no one. I looked down to see Dash curled up at my side like a little dog. 'Daww…' I softly stroked her mane with a hoof and she stirred in her sleep. She mumbled something about Fluttershy…I couldn't really make it out. She moved around a bit and looked up at me, smiling. "Morning, Steel." She wrapped her hooves around me and nuzzled into my side. 'Dammit…why do these girls have to be so damn cute?' "Good morning Dashie. Did you sleep well?" She nodded. "I always sleep well when you're next to me," she said, blushing a bit. A day ago such a response would've made me feel a pang of guilt, but after what Dash told me last night about how relationships work here, I don't feel bad about it anymore. Being an ex-human that was raised in only monogamous relationships, it's going to take some getting used to. However, now I don't have to worry about hurting these girls that I've grown to care a lot for. "Hey Dashie?" She blushed and smiled at me. "Yeah Steel?" I smiled warmly back at her. "Thanks for last night. What you told me really put my mind at ease." She giggled. "Well I don't know if you should be thanking me for just telling you something that everypony knows, but…you're welcome I guess?" I nodded, and with that we got out of bed to get cleaned up.
Both of us had decided to go straighten things out with Luna and Twilight. I asked Dash to teleport with me, but she said she preferred to fly, so I followed her through the air towards the library. When we landed, I felt a little nervous. She must have noticed and put a comforting hoof on my shoulder. "It'll be okay Steel. Like you said, it's just a misunderstanding." I nodded and opened the door.
Twilight and Luna were sitting on the couch in the main room. They both looked up at Dash and I when we entered, then quickly lowered their heads again in shame. I could hear sniffles from them both as they started crying. I quickly strode over to the couch sitting between them. I pulled them into a firm hug. "Girls, it's okay. I don't hate you and I'm not mad." This seemed to brighten their moods a bit and they finally looked at me. Twilight spoke first. "I-I'm so sorry S-Steel…we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable like that. We just…" I wrapped my wings around them, and they nuzzled into my neck. "Girls, I was a little uncomfortable at first. Humans as a whole are raised to choose one mate and one only. Dash explained to me how things work here in Equestria. I'm sorry but I just didn't want to have to pick one of you, because I care about all of you girls. I was afraid that by choosing I'd be losing one or all of you, so I instead opted not to make a choice instead. In retrospect, that wasn't a good choice either." Luna looked up at me. "S-so you are not angry with us?" I shook my head. "I have three beautiful mares that like me…how can I be mad about that?" Dash's face scrunched up. "Don't worry Dash, you can be beautiful and awesome at the same time." She showed a smile so big I was afraid her face would split apart. Luna and Twilight giggled. Twilight nudged me. "I'm so happy you don't hate us, Steel. I'm sorry…I was just worried I guess." Luna nodded. "I am guilty of that fear as well, Steel. I apologize…I should not have worried." I chuckled. "Fear is simply the verification that you're still sane and care enough to be afraid, Luna. That fear is a good thing, I assure you." Luna laughed. "You see Steel that is what I am referring to. You seem to be much more mature than your age suggests. It is confusing sometimes. I find myself forgetting I am the elder, and not the other way around." I chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I love to have fun. Sometimes I can be brash and daring, like Dashie. Other times, I can be wild and crazy like Pinkie Pie. I'm versatile like that. I'm just an old soul. I've not experienced much more than others my age…I just happened to gather more from each experience – learned more." I said with a smile. Twilight giggled. "Way to convince us of your age, old man. No wonder your coat is silver colored." I shrugged. "Gray hair is the crown of wisdom, gained from years of life and experiences garnered through strife." Dash stared at me. "Wow…that's deep Steel." I grinned. "Meh, I have my moments. So, it's been awhile since you guys have seen your other friends and I would like to get to know the element of Kindness better. What say we go visit Fluttershy and see what she's up to?" They all nodded. I walked downstairs. "Hey Mace, what's up man?" An imposing figure came to the doorway. "Oh hey bro. Not much going on here, just decorating a bit. What's up?" I smiled. "Well the girls and I are heading over to Fluttershy's for a bit. Hold the fort down until we get back, okay?" He nodded. I started to head out and then turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot, Princess Celestia says that if you can't find work here in Ponyville, she's in need of a smithy in the palace if you're interested." He smiled a large toothy grin. "Dude, that'd be awesome. Next time you see her, tell her I'm more than interested." I nodded. "Will do, Mace. Alright, we're heading out. See ya." And with that, we all left.
Perspective change – Fluttershy
I was outside in my garden watering the flowers, humming a tune my mother used to sing to me when I heard a pained chirp from behind me. I turned around to see a small blue jay with what looked like blood on its coat. It seemed to have a panicky expression on its face. "Oh my word, are you hurt mister blue jay?" I rushed over only for him to hold up a wing and shake his head. It motioned for me to follow and I followed without a second thought into the Everfree Forest after him. I found myself afraid after realizing I was in the forest. 'No Fluttershy, you can't afford to be afraid. He needs you to be strong! Be like Rainbow Dash, you can do this!' With a rush of courage, I ran further into the forest to where the blue jay had stopped. I saw another blue jay holding its wing in a tree, a frightened expression in its eyes. It seemed to be waving me away. I then heard a growl in front of me. I looked through the trees to find a large figure approaching me. I couldn't move, I was frozen in fear.
Perspective change – Steelbreaker
We were trotting to Fluttershy's house when suddenly we all heard a scream of terror. Dash stopped in her tracks. "Oh no…that's Fluttershy! C'mon, we need to find her!" She took off like a rocket. I had other plans. I focused on Fluttershy's essence…the soft-spoken, caring, and loving pony. I found her without much trouble, and focused on getting to her. The next thing I knew, I found myself standing in front of her. Her expression was shock and terror. I heard a growl from behind me, and I turned to see a large animal approaching. It had the body of a wolf, but looked like it was covered in an armor made from wood, as if a tree and wolf had merged together…a timberwolf. It seemed to have a confused expression on its face for a moment, before it changed to one of aggression. It charged. I locked eyes with it and stood my ground. I focused on my magic and changed my voice to that of a wolf, and made it louder and deeper than usual. I let loose a deep threatening growl, sounding more like a demon than an animal. The beast stopped charging, and instead slowly walked up until it was standing in front of me. It was almost as large as me with glowing green eyes. It stopped advancing and sat down on its haunches about a foot away from me, looking at me with a quizzical expression. I smiled and the wolf's demeanor immediately changed to that of a playful puppy, wagging its tail with what I could only deduce was a smile. It nuzzled up against my face, and I chuckled. Fluttershy was awestruck. "How…how did you do that?" I was confused. "What do you mean, Fluttershy?" Her mouth was hanging open in shock, and I had to restrain a laugh. "I-I mean I've never been able to do that with a timberwolf. I usually run whenever I see one!" I shook my head. "Predator Behavior 101: Never run from a predator." I rubbed my hoof on the wolf's side. "This wolf here seems to be more intelligent than the wolves from where I came from, but the predator instinct still exists. If you run from any predator animal, you'll activate a chase instinct within it. For example, if you were to come across a manticore, you'd be better off standing your ground, but crouching to show you're not a threat. Remember that, it might save your life." She smiled, and a small flash came from behind me. I looked at where it came from…my flank. Fluttershy's cutie mark had appeared to the left of Dash's. I motioned Fluttershy over to me. "Hey Fluttershy, I forgot to tell you about me getting my cutie mark. Great huh? But take a look at it closely…" She nodded and looked at the mark on my flank. She gasped. "That's mine and Dash's cutie mark!" I nodded and proceeded to tell her the story of how I got it. She was beaming. "I'm so proud of you Steel! That's great!" she jumped at me and gave me a hug…one that I happily returned. "Thanks Fluttershy." I then turned my attention to the wolf that was standing behind us. I furrowed my brow. "I wonder if…" Fluttershy looked confused. "What?" I moved closer to the wolf. "Hold on, I want to try something." I looked into the wolf's eyes, hoping it would understand me. "Hold still for just a moment…I'm not going to hurt you." The wolf just stared at me, but didn't move. I focused on what I hoped would be an enchantment – one I hoped would give the wolf the ability to completely understand and speak our language through Spellspeech. I touched the wolf's head with my horn. My horn flashed and the wolf backed away a bit. I could see what looked like a Nordic rune on the wolf's head. It flashed for a moment before disappearing. I decided to test it. I focused on finding the wolf's consciousness. I found one close to me…young, proud, and strangely intelligent. 'Hello there…can you hear me?' The wolf looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. I tapped my hoof on the ground and the wolf looked back at me. 'It's me. I'm the voice in your head.' I thought with a smile. The wolf looked bewildered. I heard a voice within my head. 'This does not make sense…whoa! What was that?' The wolf suddenly looked frightened and yelped. I chuckled and placed a hoof on the wolf's back, it looked at me again. 'That is your voice. I've given you the ability to understand and communicate with us through our minds.' The wolf then stepped forward and gave a sort of smile. 'Well I thank you, Mr…um…' I nodded. 'Steelbreaker, my name is Steelbreaker. Do you have a name?' I inquired. 'No, I do not. Not much use for names in a society that doesn't speak your tongue.' I nodded. 'I understand. Would you like to choose a name for yourself?' The wolf nodded and looked into the sky. 'I have always liked that great white ball in the sky when the dark comes. I would be honored to be named after that.' I shrugged. 'Well there is already one who shares a derivative of the name of that object, the moon. Her name is Luna, and she is actually the goddess of the moon. Hmm…how about Moonfang? I think it suits you.' The wolf seemed to contemplate the idea. 'Yes…yes that would work. I thank you for your gift to me and the name.' I smiled and gestured to Fluttershy. "Moonfang, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is Moonfang. I have bestowed upon him the gift of Spellspeech as a way to communicate with us. No creature this intelligent should be left out of intelligent conversation." Fluttershy suddenly jumped a bit. No doubt Moonfang had introduced himself. I looked at Moonfang. "Moonfang, Fluttershy is the caretaker of animals, large and small. I assure you she will be a friend to you and is no threat to you. I apologize if she was encroaching upon your territory." The wolf simply shook his head. 'Actually Steelbreaker, I am an outcast from my pack. I challenged the alpha and lost. I am now a lone wolf, and I have no territory of my own.' I nodded. "Well Moonfang, I am sure Fluttershy here would enjoy befriending a proud and noble being such as yourself." I continued in Spellspeech. 'She is rather timid with meeting new ponies, so she may be shy at first. I assure you, she is a good friend to have though. Be patient with her…you will find no pony more kind than her.' I could feel the grateful feeling the wolf had towards me. 'Yes…a friend would be nice. Thank you Steelbreaker. I do hope to befriend you as well.' I chuckled. 'Already done, noble Moonfang. I ask that when I am not around, you please watch after this young pony.' He nodded. 'I will protect her as if she were one of my own pups.' I smiled.
As we three started to walk through the forest, we passed by Zecora's hut. I saw the other girls up ahead, exiting the forest. "Hey girls!" I called. They all looked back at me, and then at Moonfang…fear suddenly clouding their eyes. I waved a hoof. "Girls it's alright. Fluttershy is safe, unharmed, and in no danger." They all relaxed a bit, but were still on edge. 'I don't think they like me.' Said Moonfang. I leaned over to him and whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "Well perhaps you should introduce yourself." I said while smiling. He smiled a bit and trotted next to me. I stopped before reaching my friends as did Moonfang, both of us taking a seat on our haunches. Moonfang spoke for all to hear. 'Hello, my name is Moonfang. I am a friend to Steelbreaker and I assure you I mean no harm to your Fluttershy.' I giggled a bit when all of my friend's jaws dropped open, save for Fluttershy. Luna's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Did it just use Spellspeech?" I nodded. I relayed the entire meeting with Moonfang to all of them, and they asked questions here and there. Luna was still confused. "How did you cast such a spell though? I do not even know of such an enchantment." Twilight spoke up. "He's a spellbender, Luna. Celestia confirmed it yesterday." I nodded. Luna's confusion melted away and she smiled. "Well Steel, it appears there is more to you than meets the eye." She turned her gaze back to Moonfang. "Moonfang, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Luna, princess of the moon and the night. I must say I had never thought I would have a conversation with a timberwolf." The wolf gave a small smile. 'I never thought I would be befriending ponies, so it appears both of our assumptions were incorrect.' Luna nodded and turned to me. "I like him already. He reminds me of you in a way." I chuckled. "Well he's also quite the fan of your work, Luna. He asked to be named after your moon. He considers it an honor." Luna was beaming. It was uncommon for someone to revel in her moon the same or more than Celestia's sun. Luna turned back to the wolf. "Well Moonfang, you honor me. I thank you for that." Moonfang bowed his head in reverence. 'The honor is mine, Lady Moon' Luna blushed at the compliment. Dash smirked. "Geez you two, get a room." Everyone laughed at this, even Moonfang. I looked to the wolf beside me. "Moonfang, I wish to give you another gift. I will bestow upon you all my knowledge of how ponies interact, along with social etiquette. Hopefully this will make settling into this new life much easier than it was for Luna. After you've settled in a bit, we will hold a meeting with the town to introduce you. Hopefully this will soon allow you to be readily accepted into the general populace. I will help with this matter." I placed my horn on his head again, and it flashed. I felt our minds merge for a moment, feeling his mind learning from mine. A few seconds later I pulled away. He smiled. 'Ah, thank you Steelbreaker, this will be of great help to me. I appreciate it.' I nodded, then looked at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, I would like Moonfang to stay with you if that's alright." She looked over at the large wolf for a moment, the smiled. "Yes, I think that would be alright. I'll need to explain to Angel what's going on, but I think everything will be okay." I nodded. "Well, we were headed over to your place anyway Fluttershy. Lead the way."
Perspective change - Moonfang
The ponies and I walked towards the one called Fluttershy's home. I was a little apprehensive at first towards the actions of the silver pony called Steelbreaker, but not without gratitude. A timberwolf without its pack is lost and alone...I was greatly thankful for such an act of kindness from a being I've never come upon before. It is odd...the very concept of friendship is foreign to me, but it feels...right. In a timberwolf pack, there is only family, allies, and rivals. There is no such thing as friendship, nor emotions for that matter. During the actions that Steelbreaker had taken on me, I had developed a self-consciousness about myself. I was aware that I felt now. Not physically, but...something else. When a pony would compliment me or treat me with kindness...I felt good. My newfound knowledge told me this was happiness. It is confusing to say the least. It is as if I had been born without the ability to smell...only to have the sense suddenly awaken.
As we arrived at the tree line, I became nervous. One of the things a timberwolf learns early in life is to never leave the forest. To do so results in exile from the pack, and possibly death. Steelbreaker seemed to notice this and looked back at me. "Moonfang, what's bothering you? I promise, it's safe. No one but Fluttershy or her friends ever come out this far. No pony is going to see you." I stared at him for a moment and nodded. He is obviously very wise...it is best I trust him. He seems to know what he is talking about. I advanced with the group, and I soon found myself at a cozy abode near a stream. I suddenly realized something and thought I should ask Steelbreaker for clarification. 'Steelbreaker, something important has just come to my attention.' He stopped and looked back at me. "Yes? Moonfang?" I thought it best to just be honest. 'Your friends...they do know I eat meat, right? From what I understand, ponies only eat plants.' He frowned. 'Ah yes, that may be a problem. I apologize, I seem to have overlooked that. However if you wish, I can alter your body to be able to consume and process plant life as sustainence. Still having a carnivorous body, you will have to consume protein, but it's nothing a diet with plenty of eggs, tofu, and funguses can't fix. I would also be able to change your body structure to be better suited to a life in intelligent society. Would you wish that?' I was rather nervous, but he showed me kindness when he could have easily killed me. For some reason, I trusted him. He gave off an aura of raw power, but at the same time, gentleness. My instincts told me he would not harm me. 'Very well, Steelbreaker...I trust you. Please do.' He nodded and turned to the night goddess...Luna. "Luna, I need your help with something, can you come here?" She turned around to face him and nodded. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, and she smiled. "Sure, I can help with that Steel." She then looked at me. "Are you ready Moonfang? This will not hurt, but I warn you, your body will be very different from what you are used to." I nodded. 'You are my new pack now...my friends. I would do this to be able to stay with all of you.' She smiled a warm smile. "Very well. Steelbreaker? Follow my lead." Steelbreaker nodded and they stood on opposite sides of me. Both of their horns began to glow bright, so much so that I had to close my eyes. I began to feel my body tingle all over, as if ants were crawling all over me. The tingling turned to an intense warm feeling...not quite burning, but very warm and...comforting. I felt my body changing, bones and my thick wooden skin moving and shifting. I felt the toes on my front paws elongating. None of the change hurt, but the feelings were very unsettling. Suddenly, the warmth and tingling stopped. "Well, we're done Moonfang. Come inside Fluttershy's home and we'll show you what you look like." said Steelbreaker warmly. I opened my eyes and proceeded to follow them to the small home. The first thing I noticed was that I felt lower to the ground, as if my size was...less now. It felt different walking now. Not bad, just...different. Steelbreaker and Princess Luna were smiling. The other ponies had an awestruck expression. I should have been nervous, but I was simply happy their expression was not fear. We entered the home of Fluttershy, the place alien to me. I had never been inside the dwelling of a pony. It looked...serene, and comfortable. Fluttershy went to a corner of the home and pulled over a large object that was shiny all over. Once I looked at it, I saw what looked like one of my kind, but something was different. I would not let it attack my new friends, and I let loose a loud growl. Steelbreaker placed a hoof on my back and smiled down at me. "Calm down Moonfang, that's not another timberwolf...that's you." I was confused. Whatever that shiny wall was, we had no such things in the forest. However, I had seen myself in the pools of water spread throughout the forest, so I knew what I looked like. I experimentally raised a paw to see what the other wolf would do...and he raised his paw too. Was that really me? I glanced at my paw, noticing it was different. It was no longer a normal wolf's paw anymore, it was more akin to a monkey's paw. I looked up at Steelbreaker. 'This is...new.' He laughed. "That's not the only thing that's changed, Moonfang." with that, he stood up on his hind legs, balancing himself and standing on only two legs instead of four. "Your new body is meant to stand comfortably like this now. Give it a try. I'll support you so you don't fall." he then fell back onto all fours. I nodded and attempted to stand up as if I were going to grab something out of a tree above me. I found that I wobbled a bit, but this stature felt very natural. I smiled. 'This is very different as well, but I must say I like it.' I turned my head to find myself looking eye-to-eye with Steelbreaker. "You're welcome Moonfang. I know a lot has changed already, but there's one more thing I'd like to give you." With that he touched his horn to my head again. I felt our minds connect for a moment...some sort of information passing through my brain so fast it almost hurt, and then before I knew it he backed away. 'What did you do?' He smiled. "Your new body has a changed facial structure. It will allow you to speak like we do. The knowledge I just passed to you is how to form the different words you've been thinking to everyone with your mind into words you speak with your mouth. You won't need to think about it, just let your mouth talk instead of your mind. Give it a try." He smiled. I was a bit nervous again, but did as he asked. "H-hello?" I was startled by my own voice. It sounded nothing like my snarls, or howls, or growls. Yet again it was different, but not bad. I was uncontrollably happy, and I hopped around the room. "Wow! This is amazing!" I found myself jumping around like a playful pup, and I honestly did not care how it looked. I had never felt so good. I decided to take another look at my appearance, so I carefully walked over to the shiny surface again. I could see that my wooden skin still remained everywhere, and even my glowing eyes were the same. I let a large smile cover my face.
Perspective change - Steelbreaker
I chuckled at the new addition to my friends as he marveled at his new appearance in the mirror. Luna leaned over to me. "Today has been rather interesting. First you protect Fluttershy from a timberwolf, then you befriend said timberwolf. Next, you give it the ability to use Spellspeech using a previously unheard of enchantment. After that, you invite him to join us as a friend, and Fluttershy is okay with him living with her. To top it off, he now has a radically altered form and can speak in our tongue. So...what do you plan to do tomorrow?" I laughed. "I don't know...depends on how I feel when I wake up. I might lounge around on the couch all day with my lovely ladies, or I might just go out and befriend a massive dragon next. Guess you never know with me." She rolled her eyes. "You are quite the enigma, Steel. I have to be honest, I never thought so many things would change simply by bringing you to Equestria." I smiled. "Different, but not bad, right?" She nuzzled against me. "No...not bad. Not bad at all." I giggled and nuzzled her back. I then turned to Moonfang. "Moonfang, we will leave you with Fluttershy now to get settled in." He nodded. "Fluttershy?" She looked back at me. "Yes Steel?" I then took a serious face. "I have changed his body so that he no longer has to eat meat to survive. However, he's going to need plenty of protein in his diet. You can show him how to get it from plants, right?" She nodded. "Yes, I can take care of that. Everything can easily be found in the forest, or in town." I nodded. "Okay then Fluttershy, we're going to head out. Thanks again for doing this." She waved a hoof at me. "It's no problem, Steel. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Besides, I love taking care of animals, as you know. Moonfang isn't really an animal anymore, but I have a feeling we'll get along great." I smiled. "Wow Fluttershy, I'm surprised you've taken a liking to him so fast." She smiled back. "I know a good friend when I see one. Come see us again soon, Steel!" I walked over and gave her a hug. "We will, don't worry." I then looked at Moonfang. "Take good care of her, Moonfang. She's a good friend of mine, and if you'll let her, she'll be a good friend to you too." The wolf nodded. "I will. Thank you for everything Steel...really. Thank you. I would have been lost without all of you." I walked over and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "No need to thank me, it's what a good friend should do. You take care of yourself. I'll be back in a few days." and with that, we left.
Today had been quite a long day, so we all headed back to the library. Luna unfortunately had to leave and go back to Canterlot to resume her duties, so we all embraced her and said our goodbyes until she would return. I had to fight to hold back tears. I knew it might only be a week or so, but I always missed her when she was away. After she left, we continued on to the library, making small talk and whatnot. Dash had been kept out of the loop as far as my new abilities, so Twilight spent most of the walk back updating her. Dash looked over to me afterwards. "So that's how you did a Sonic Rainboom. I thought it was a little off that you were able to do one so quickly." I nodded. "Well it's not rainbow-hued, so technically it's not a Rainboom." She mulled the thought over. "Okay, so what do you call it then, Steel?" I shook my head. "Because of the fact that you were the first one to pull off a Rainboom and I did kinda cheat with magic, I think it's only right that you be the one to give it a name." She put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Hmm...how about Brightflash Wave?" I nodded. "If you like it, I'm cool with it. Like I said, it's your choice." She smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I like that name. We'll go with that. Brightflash Wave...has a nice ring to it." I laughed and bumped my flank against her.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived back at the library. Spike was just arriving at the door as well. "Oh hey guys, I was wondering where you all were. What were you all up to?" I proceeded to give him the lowdown on everything that had happened. He was just staring at me with wide eyes. "Wha- but how-" He shook his head. "You know what? I'm just going to have to treat you like Pinkie from now on, because I can't figure out how you do half of the stuff you do. And you made friends with a timberwolf? I mean...that doesn't even make sense. Whatever...Twilight's not freaking out, so I'll be fine." I laughed. "It's okay Spike, I'm still me." I said, and ruffled his spines. He chuckled. "Okay okay, let's all get inside. It's getting cold out here and I don't do so well with the cold." We all shuffled inside to be greeted by my mother. "And where have you been all day? I was wondering what happened to you!" I cringed. I was definitely more powerful than a human now, no doubt about it. Still...the woman scares me. "I'm sorry mom, things have been kinda crazy today." She relaxed a bit and sighed. "Well, you're okay. I guess that's what matters. Anyway, Jennie and I are ready to get a change of form whenever we can. I'm just going to be an earth pony and she's going to be a unicorn." I nodded. "That's great mom. We'll get a letter off to Princess Celestia tonight and hopefully fit you guys in tomorrow if she's not busy." She nodded and gave me a tight hug. "Well I'm going to call it a night. I'll be reading a bit in the guest room before going to bed, so call me if you need me." I nodded and gave a hug back. "Okay mom. Goodnight then." with that, she headed upstairs. Dash, Twilight and myself grabbed a few daisy sandwiches Spike had been making for us and ate quietly. After finishing and cleaning things up, we called an early night and headed upstairs. I headed to the restroom to take a shower and turned on the water, letting it warm up. Dash walked in and smiled. "Hey Steel, you mind if I join you?" I chuckled. "What's up, no embarrassment this time?" She laughed. "Nah, I thought about what you said and you're right. Ponies do kinda walk around naked anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Besides, it's always nice to have someone helping to scrub that spot right between the wings." I nodded. "Yeah. Amazingly I haven't learned how to levitate things yet and I'm too lazy right now, so some help would be appreciated." I stepped in the shower and Dash stepped in behind me. Luckily she shower was quite large, so we fit without trouble. I grabbed the soap Twilight had bought for me and proceeded to lather myself up. 'Mmm...cinnamon...' Dash grabbed a brush that was hanging next to the shower and put some of the soap on it. She started scrubbing the spot right between my wings. Ah man, that felt great. I let out a moan of pleasure. I looked behind me to find Dash blushing and giggling. "You know Steel, the others in this place might think we're up to something if you keep making those noises." I laughed. "Nah, I'm actually pretty quiet in bed." she blushed really hard, and I could see her wings raise a bit in excitement. I laughed again. "What's the matter Dashie, getting a little excited there?" She blushed again, but continued to scrub my wings. 'Ah damn, that feels good. Wings must be extra sensitive or something.' "Okay, now rinse off Steel." I nodded my head and got underneath the water, rinsing all the soap off my body. I backed up and let Dash stand in front to get cleaned up. I did the same she did for me, grabbing the brush and put some soap on it. Remembering how sensitive the wings were, I started with gentle scrubbing in the place right between the wings. She sighed softly and smiled. I continued to brush all the feathers very softly, so as not to hurt her. I found it hard to get the right leverage, so I instead decided to sit behind her and just use my hooves to clean her wings instead, doing soft massaging to get all the feathers straightened out. She had her eyes closed and was letting out a soft sigh every now and then, clearly in heaven. I moved to the base of the wings, right where they connect to the back. I did the same massage motion and she let out a loud moan. I was a little taken aback. She turned around, breathing a little fast. "Why did you stop?" I smiled sheepishly. "S-sorry Dashie, I thought I hurt you. Well you're all clean. Rinse off." She did a little pout and stepped under the shower head, rinsing off all the soap. I turned off the shower and stepped out, Dash following me. We helped each other dry off, paying special attention to wings to get them as dry as possible. We brushed our teeth and then headed off to Twilight's room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning. "If you two wanted some time alone, you didn't need to use the hot water to do it. You could've just asked." I shook my head. "Twilight we were just taking a shower, honest. I just didn't know how sensitive wings are and well..." She laughed. "Yeah, a unicorn's horn is the same way." I smirked. "I'll keep that in mind." With that she blushed. "W-well okay, I'm going to go get cleaned up then and I'll be back." I chuckled a bit as she walked out of the room. I lay down on my back on the bed, and Dash joined me. I lay there in bed rubbing a hoof along her back, and she let out a cute squeak whenever I accidentally touched the base of her wings. She looked up at me with a fake frustrated face. "You are such a tease, you know that?" I decided to push it further and pushed her on her back, me looming over her. "Oh really? Well, am I a tease when I do," I ran my tongue along her neck, and she shivered. "that?" She growled a bit. "This is so not fair!" I laughed, then ran kisses all along her neck and collarbone. She let out a soft moan. "What? I thought you liked this?" I said innocently. She glared at me before completely losing focus when I ran a hoof along the underside of her left wing. She looked at me, panting lightly. "You're evil, you know that?" I grinned. "Yeah I know...but you love it." I quickly flipped her over and proceeded to kiss the bases of both her wings. She shuddered heavily. "Steel..." she whispered. I smiled and stopped, deciding no to torture her anymore. She climbed over to me with a large smile on her face. She buried her face in my chest and mumbled something. "What was that Dashie?" She removed her face from my chest, but still mumbled. "Still didn't catch that, say again?" She sighed and looked right at me with those beautiful magenta eyes. "I said I love you, Steel." she said, and then winced. She turned her head away from me, so I pulled it back and kissed her softly on the lips, lingering there for a few seconds. I broke the kiss and looked back at her eyes. "I love you too, Dashie." She opened her eyes and smiled at me, then gained a shocked expression. "Steel, y-your eyes...they're glowing!" I was instantly nervous because of her expression. I turned my head to look at the vanity mirror on Twilight's dresser. Sure enough, my eyes were softly glowing, a golden hue to the color. I smiled. "Well...that's cool. I look so much more boss now." Twilight then walked in and stared at me. "Are your eyes glowing?" I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. Pretty cool, huh?" She looked worried for a second, then shrugged. "You don't seem to be acting any different, so I guess it's alright." She snuggled into bed with me and Dash and leaned her head on my chest. I looked at both of the mares in my embrace. "Hey girls..." They both looked up at me with smiles. "Would you be my marefriends?" They both looked like they were going to explode with happiness, but then just smiled warmly and draped their hooves across my chest. "Yes" they both said at the same time. I smiled and kissed Twilight on the lips softly as I had Dash. She looked surprised for a moment, but then closed her eyes and sighed, returning the kiss. After breaking free she looked nervous. "What's wrong Twi?" I asked, wrapping my wings around her and Dash. She buried her head in my chest and then let out a breath before responding. "I have something I want to tell you. I hope you feel the same way, but if you don't..." I gave her a concerned face. "Well just tell me Twi." I already had a feeling what she was going to say, but I wanted her to say it. I felt her mind try to connect with mine, but I focused and forced her out. "No Twi, I want you to say it out loud." She looked even more nervous. Dash reached across my chest and held her hoof. "Twi, it's okay." she said while looking into her friend's violet eyes. Twilight nodded. "Steel...I," she mumbled the rest. "Say again Twi? Louder please. We already have one Fluttershy, thank you." She took a deep breath. "Steel...I...I love you." I leaned down and kissed her again. "See, that wasn't so hard now was it? And I love you too, Twi." She let crack a large smile on her face. I hugged her tight and kissed her again, then Dash. "Feel better now?" They both nodded. "Alright, well I'm beat. I'd love to stay up and play," I winked at Dash and she blushed, "but my body's forcing me to sleep. I love you girls. Goodnight." The both smiled and hugged me tight. "Goodnight Steel." they said in unison. That night would be one of the best sleeps of my life.