Warden was limping heavier than ever by the time he made it home, his wing and hoof stiff and unwieldy from the rough treatment he had received. The opioids they’d used at the ‘clinic’ had well and truly worn off, and he was looking forwards to soaking his hoof and wing liberally in wonder weed.
Thankfully, Warden didn’t have to carry anything, having arranged, as usual, for it all to be delivered to his home that afternoon.
Kuno was nowhere to be found in the front yard, and Warden assumed she was somewhere in the house. He pushed the front door open with a hoof and a heavy sigh, easing inside and pushing the door closed with a hindhoof, proceeding into the house proper.
The door to the bedroom he and Kuno shared was slightly ajar, and a candle was lit within, casting a flickering orange glow on the wall.
Warden frowned, limping up to the door and nudging it open with a shoulder.
Spitfire was laid out across Warden and Kuno’s bed, resting with her back to him. She was wearing the full Wonderbolt costume, with the furtight blue fabric hugging every little curve of her form. Her head lifted, and she looked back over her shoulder at him, one large yellow wing flexing lazily.
There was even a pair of very authentic-looking Wonderbolt goggles pushed up just under her fiery mane.
“K-Kuno?” Warden asked in a strained tone, his eyes wide, staring.
Spitfire’s low, smoky voice made Warden slightly weak in the knees as she responded. “Kuno is on holiday, Warden. I’ve taken her place for now. Why, what is it that you would do with your darling wife that you wouldn’t do with me, hmm?”
Warden felt his mouth go dry, his cheeks warming heavily. “K-Kuno, what are you doing?”
“I already told you,” Spitfire said brusquely, rolling over to face Warden and then dropping onto her hooves, prowling closer to him, pushing her nose up under his chin, nudging his head upwards slightly as she inhaled his scent. “Kuno isn’t here. And I’m recruiting. You’ll be no good to me in the air with that wing, so you’re gonna have to prove your worth me in some... other way.”
Warden swallowed hard, his ears splaying back and his good wing giving a nervous twitch. “S-Spitfire, this is -” Warden paused then, shaking his head to clear it. “Kuno, what are you doing?”
Spitfire gave a low, husky growl in the back of her throat, gripping him with surprisingly powerful hooves, and throwing him bodily onto the bed.
Warden hissed with a sharp intake of air, teeth clenching at the strain it put on his roughed-up wing.
“Suck it up, buttercup!” Spitfire growled, pulling herself atop him, straddling his form. “You’re gonna have to be a little tougher than that to impress me, rookie!”
Warden could feel every inch of the Wonderbolt captain pressing against him, the firm muscles shifting under the taut fabric of her flight suit, even her warm exhalations brushing across the fur of his face. He gave a weak squirm, pushing at the pegasus’ chest with his forehooves. “K-Kuno, stop.”
“You keep telling me to stop,” Spitfire breathed into his ear, swirling her tongue along it with a slow, eager motion. She deliberately pushed their hips together, smiling wickedly, “But your body is telling me otherwise...”
“Kuno, stop.” Warden pushed a hoof firmly against her chest, before he wrapped both around her form and then rolled them both over, until he was pinning the pegasus to the bed, holding her down under his weight, leaning heavily on his good hoof.
“But you want this,” Spitfire cooed, staring up at him with a slow, coy smile.
“I want my wife,” Warden stated flatly, narrowing his eyes down at her.
Spitfire shifted uncomfortably, and for the first time, Warden saw a crack in Kuno’s facade.
The mare shifted slightly, looking away as she said softly, “No you don’t...”
Warden blinked, entirely confused at the response. “What?”
Spitfire frowned up at him, and then gave a long sigh, her features drooping. A flash of green encompassed her, and his wife was suddenly under him instead of the Captain of the Wonderbolt. The suit, formerly tight and curve-hugging, now hung loose and baggy on the changeling. The goggles slipped down over her face clumsily, and Warden lifted a hoof to push them up over Kuno’s head, slipping them off gently.
“What do you mean?” Warden asked with a deep frown.
Kuno frowned deeply, looking away, fidgeting at the loose suit with her forehooves. “I wanted to give you Spitfire.”
“Why?” Warden asked blankly, rubbing a hoof through his mane self-consciously.
“Because it’s one of your fantasies,” Kuno stated, lifting a hoof to push the suit away from her face, where it was bunching up.
“It was a crush. A silly little celebrity crush,” Warden pointed out, climbing off the changeling and then laying on the edge of the bed, stretching his bad wing out with a faint hiss of displeasure.
Kuno rolled onto her hooves, lifting a hoof to begin gently stroking along the wing, frowning slightly. “Your wing smells like magic.”
“Yeah,” Warden said, blinking once, pausing, before saying quickly, “The wonder weed was starting to wear off. I got a magical alternative that’ll last longer. Expensive, but worth it.”
Kuno frowned at him, her expression falling. “You’re a horrible liar, Warden.”
Warden licked his lips nervously, before deflating. “Yeah... I guess I am.”
“Aren’t I exciting to you any more?” Kuno asked plaintively, licking across her fangs in an expression of faint nervousness.
Warden blinked slowly, completely wrong-hoofed at that. “What?”
“Why aren’t you excited by me any more?” Kuno asked, just as plaintively. “I mean... I know that we’ve been together for years... but I can be any pony you want. How isn’t that alluring to you any more?”
Warden stared at Kuno for several long moments. “It’s kinda weird, hun. I don’t know Spitfire personally... never even saw her up close. The only time I ever saw her were the posters I put up in my room and that one magazine I uh... hid underneath my mattress.”
“And you wanted her,” Kuno said glumly, rubbing a hoof against her cheek sadly. “Was it because you know it’s really me under there? Is that why it’s so unexciting?”
Warden frowned deeply, confused again. “Why are you so intent on me being uninterested in you? I love you.”
“Because I can feel it. I’ve felt it ever since Swarm was born... The fire isn’t there any more, Warden. And because... because...” Kuno frowned deeply, sighing and looking away. “Because I followed you to town. I always do if I can. It keeps my skills sharp to follow you around sneakily and because I want to know everything about you. I know where you went. I saw you go into that... place.”
Warden’s ears splayed back, and he gave a faint sigh. “I can explain.”
Kuno’s hoof lifted to lay gently over his lips, silencing him as she shook her head. “You don’t need to, Warden. I know ponies. I knew that your interest would wane. I’ve been preparing for it for a long time. But you have to let me spice things up. You have to let me keep you excited with me. You don’t have to go some strange... whorehouse for your pleasures. You know that I can entertain you better than they can.”
Warden shook his head firmly, pulling back, licking his lips slightly to wet them. “Kuno... listen. You’ve got it wrong,” he said gently, leaning in to kiss her nose. “I didn’t go to a whorehouse.”
“But I saw you go in there... you came out half exhausted and panting and satisfied in a way that I haven’t been able to make you for years...” Kuno said, swallowing hard, her eyes watering slightly.
Warden gave a long sigh at that, rubbing a hoof through his mane nervously. “I wanted to keep this a secret... keep it a surprise...”
“That you went to a whorehouse?” Kuno asked flatly.
“You’re over-analyzing the situation, Kuno,” Warden said, lifting his good hoof to wrap around her neck and hold her close against his side, kissing her neck gently through the flight suit.
“Then explain to me how what I saw was anything other than you visiting a whorehouse,” Kuno stated flatly, begrudgingly rubbing her nose against his neck.
“I...” Warden trailed off, staring down at the floor and then heaving a heavy sigh. “They’re a new clinic in Ponyville. They’re erm... some kind of physical therapists. They use alternative medicine to try and heal injuries that regular doctors are incapable of fixing. They basically cut my wing open, chipped off the bone that had grown over, mixed up the resulting bone fragments with magical gems and then stuffed them back in my wing, topping it off with some magic to heal the incision, and some remedial magic to encourage the graft to take.”
“I understood exactly enough of that to be confused,” Kuno admitted, frowning deeply.
“I tried to get my wing fixed,” Warden said with a heavy sigh.
Kuno blinked once and stared at him, bewildered. “Why would you want to keep that secret?!”
Warden gave a sad smile. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I won’t know for at least a month if the graft is taking. And even then, it’ll be months more of training to even be able to fly again, considering I haven’t used my wings in years. I wanted... I wanted to take you flying. Like I did on our wedding night. But I don’t want to be doped up while it’s happening.”
Kuno frowned deeply, staring into his eyes, searching him. “You’re... not lying...” she murmured, frowning deeply.
“I thought you’d be happy?” Warden said, growing exasperated.
Kuno frowned even further, biting her bottom lip. “But... I’ve felt your love for me waning. Why?”
Warden likewise frowned, his ears pinning back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kuno nudged him with her nose. “Before Swarm died... there was a fire there. It was hot, intense. It was intoxicating and wild. Like a bonfire on a moonless night. It just radiated this fierce energy... And now it’s died down.”
Warden frowned, staring down at his forehooves. “I guess... I guess my love for you has dimmed a little bit... But... it hasn’t diminished. Just because the flame isn’t as bright doesn’t mean that the coals aren’t there any more. If that makes any sense at all...”
Kuno shook her head. “It doesn’t.”
Warden leaned sideways to kiss his wife’s nose gently. “When I first met you... I was under the influence of your spell. That obviously boosted it a fair amount. And then that spell was gone... and I fell back in love with you, for real... and...” Warden trailed off, biting his bottom lip and taking a deep breath. “And you were my replacement for my ex wife... I fell for you hard, Kuno. I won’t lie about that. I needed you more than I needed to breathe.”
Kuno frowned slightly at that, looking down at her covered forehooves. “And now?”
“And now... I’m content,” Warden said with a slight nod. “I’m happy, and pleased. I have a beautiful, kooky wife, I have a lovely little filly. I have all these things that I honestly believed I would never have. I don’t have to... grasp for you any more. I don’t have to cling to you like I’m drowning... I don’t need you any more, Kuno. I want you. I’m not dependent on you to keep my sanity any more...”
Kuno nodded at that, frowning down at her forehooves. “I... I understand, I guess. I thought I knew about love... but now I see it’s more complex than that. Thank you for... being honest.”
“You’re not hurt, are you?” Warden asked worriedly, wrapping her in his hooves and holding her close. “I still love you more than I’ve loved anything in the world.”
“I’m still... I’m still trying to work out how I feel,” Kuno murmured sincerely. “I was ready for you to grow uninterested in me... I was prepared. But when I thought that you were going to someone else for... for sex... I was... jealous.”
“That’s normal,” Warden said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek gently.
“For ponies,” Kuno stated, biting her bottom lip. “It’s not rational.”
“Love isn’t rational,” Warden said gently, kissing her nose, stroking his hoof gently across her wings. “I love everything about you. Even the things that kind of creep me out. That isn’t rational.”
“I creep you out?” Kuno asked, blinking once in confusion.
Warden nodded, giving a faint smile. “You were fully intending to hold me down and have your way with me as my teenage celebrity crush. That’s weird.”
“I would have rocked your world,” Kuno stated bluntly.
“I’ve no doubt,” Warden said with a faint smile. “But I just had intensive surgery, and Swarm is due back from school any time now. The last thing we need is her walking in on us doing that. Let alone if you’re not even, well, you while it’s happening.”
Kuno blinked once, head tilting. “That’s... a bad thing?”
Warden stared. “Ponies aren’t introduced to sex until puberty.”
Kuno’s brows furrowed at that, and she looked intensely confused. “That’s like... introducing a pony to political parties only when they reach the age to vote.”
“They’re not expected to have sex until years after that!” Warden protested with a shake of his head.
“But they’re hardwired to want it pretty much as soon as they reach puberty. Keeping it secret is stupid,” Kuno stated with a shake of her head.
Warden frowned, and then wrapped his hooves around Kuno’s shoulders firmly, nosing into her neck. “Kuno... you’re being a changeling again. This is a pony thing.”
Kuno frowned deeply, biting her bottom lip, before she deflated and nodded gently. “O-okay... Thank you... for not being mean about it.”
Warden gave a sigh of relief, nosing into her neck gently. “I’m glad you’re so... methodical and rational.”
Kuno giggle faintly at that. “So... if I thought like a pony, this would have been a huge, marathon argument?”
Warden nodded, resting his nose against her neck, and then frowning deeply. “Kuno... where did the flight suit come from?”
“I uhm... got it as a birthday present for you,” Kuno said with a helpless smile. “I was going to surprise you.”
“Even though you know I’d never go for that?” Warden asked bluntly.
Kuno frowned deeply, and then looked away, shifting uncomfortably. “I-I guess...”
“Why?” Warden pressed, nudging her firmly with his nose.
Kuno gave a faint sigh, and then peered at him for a long moment. “I guess... I know you’ll never accept Spitfire under normal circumstances... but I... I get a certain thrill... and ego trip, when I’ve got you quivering with desire under me, offering you something you’ve always wanted... and you’re still so adamant that you want me instead.”
Warden gave a faint smile at that, leaning in to kiss her nose gently. “Well... It’s the truth.”
“I know,” Kuno responded, gently nibbling at his chin. “It just... makes me feel really, really good when you say it.”
“Kuno,” Warden said seriously.
“Yes?” Kuno asked, her ears flattening under the fabric of the flight suit.
Warden leaned forwards to kiss her firmly, wrapping his good hoof around her possessively. “I love you.”
YAY talking things out instead of making fake drama bullshit!
Now for the real drama-llama stampede coming down the street.
So that's what they did......sounds excruciatingly painful. And it kind of makes sense about how his love has......dropped.
I still need to know what that other problem of his is though!
2775860 You should have seen me in the hey-day of 'Trancend'.
I put out three updates in a single day. The entire story, all 45,000 words of it, was written within ten days of the season 2 finale.
I used to release a new chapter of Antecedent almost every single day.
I was the king of fast updates
Now, I have waned.
BWOOP BWOOP BWOOP GRAMMAR MISTAKE ALERT, NAZI'S ARE ROLLING OUT THE GRAMMAR NUKES. BWOOP BWOOP.
2775887 Obviously, his hoof.
They are a medical group, so the only other problem they could be referring to, is his hoof!
2775899 Has waned like his love for Kuno
"Just because the flame isn’t as bright doesn’t meal that the coals aren’t there any more. If that makes any sense at all...”
should be "mean"
"WArden gave a faint smile at that, leaning in to kiss her nose gently. 'Well... It’s the truth.'"
"A" should not be capitalized.
Awesome chapter. Can't wait until Warden is flying again. he deserves it. keep up the good work!
2775904 Actually, yeah. Exactly like that.
I still love writing ponies just as much. There's just not as much fire there as there used to be.
"Just because the flame isn’t as bright doesn’t meal that the coals aren’t there any more."
"WArden gave a faint smile at that,"
There you go
Nice,fast update but better keep your awesome quality than just rushing updates, okay?
2775903 But they mentioned that separately, didn't they? Or did I see something that wasn't there? And oh look! The notifications are broken again!
My guess is they'll be having this wonderful, heartfelt conversation with daww going everywhere, and Swarm will come home from school escorted by the guard because of what she said.
2775899 Speaking of updates of Antecedent....
Another chapter in such a short amount of time and an excellent one to boot too!
Keep up the awesome work man!
2775887 It's interesting, because love can be seen in two stages. The crush, which is the part almost all of us feel the first time we think we fall in love with someone. Usually these 'crushes' are the things people think of as love since it's fairly noticeable and easy to relate to.
It's also wrong.
A crush in this case can easily last up to five years at a reasonable strength, before waning to nothing. Real love, the emotional feeling of love cannot grow until the crush have diminished below a certain level. It's at this point most of the divorces in reality happen (I should have a citation for this, but don't remember where I read it). It's not until after that the real love grows strong enough to be felt and while this emotion isn't as potent as the original crush, it last much longer on average. I don't have the numbers on that, sadly.
It's one of the main reasons couples that stay together for more than 5-6 years usually live together for far longer afterwards, even if exceptions exist. However, the real love in this case can develop even if the original crush never existed either. Arranged marriages usually comes with the phrase 'learn to love' and quite literally refer to this fact.
I think Kuno and Warden is somewhere in this gap where crushes and love mix together in the most unstable of mixes. Or something...
(Whelp that was longer than I expected. I could go on but it would go too far from the story...)
aaahhhh!!! There so sweeth!!!
any sweeter and this would cause diabetus. bravo!
Now, there are two Swarms in this story so you can never be sure, but I think that should have been 'was born'.
“Before Swarm died..."
You mean before Swarm born like? since Kuno meet Warden long after her death right?
Damn, that was adorable and sweet in ways that reality could never reach.
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5530783232/hB5138EE2/
2775899
Come on! You can still be that author. You can do it! We believe in you!
this was nice. Kuno's explanation for the flight suit was a barrel of d'awws
Welp, looks like everypony else got the spelling errors... guess it's up to me to point out a gigantic content blooper:
> Before Swarm died... there was a fire there.
I think you mean, "before Swarm was born". The other Swarm than the one that died
[edit]
Dammit, ninja'd again. That'll teach me to refresh before posting
Jeezus that treatment sounds like a complete bitch to go through. Especially since it seems like he was conscious the entire time.
"Basically, what were going to do is take you apart, put some science stuff in you, and put you back together, good as new. Frankly, you ought to be paying us."
-Cave
2776438
...What? It's comic relief in the form of a reference.
2776009
Here's a link to a nice concise article discussing the brain science behind the stages of love Warden just had to explain to Kuno.
http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm
Daaawwwwww!!! So cute! I could just... HNNNNNGGGGG!!.......ow......cute overload....
Updates don't have to come out like a machine gun, as long as they come out its all good. So your not updating as fast as you were once able to, no worries, take your time. ^_^
Just PLEASE never leave the story incomplete, it's one of the saddest things to see a story left unfinished when it is so great. :(
2775899 Quality over Quantity?
2776114
see this is why a lot of authors try to avoid re-using names. this line threw me off too...
Some stories are like potato chips or french fires; you just have to have more and there always is more. Others are like chocolate lava cake in that they are best in few quantities at a time.
What I'm trying to say is that I am very hungry.
For your story.
You know, if anypony would be working at a whorehouse, it'd be a house full of changelings. They'd also probably put every other boudoir of ill repute out of business too, and not even have to try squelching the competition. Also, working at a volunteer center would be another likely job suited for a changeling.
Nice update.
And that, right there, is why I keep coming back for more. Wonderful!
2777454 That or an actor.
I'm just waiting for the shit to hit the fan now.
2771093 I'm not 100% sure, but there are more clues pointing towards that being some kind of physical therapy than it being... something else.
Haven't read the latest chapter yet, maybe we'll find out.
So, according to Kuno, the love level is now... under 9000.
Huh.
Regardless, it was cute
2775887
I think its his leg
2775903>>2780171 Okay, I went back to check. This is when he leaves the clinic.
And this is what the mare says to him.
So yeah, unless AP screwed up (which doesn't happen that often, I admit), then there is some other injury that we don't know of.
2780215
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images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111015150845/mlp/images/thumb/b/b4/Twilight_face_hoof_not_groomed_bed-head.png/800px-Twilight_face_hoof_not_groomed_bed-head.png
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/3/34/Rainbow_Dash_places_her_hoof_on_her_face_S1E07.png
images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120514152216/mlp/images/thumb/7/76/Pinkie_Pie_putting_hoof_on_face_S2E03.png/640px-Pinkie_Pie_putting_hoof_on_face_S2E03.png
Crippled wing, crippled hoof. Two different injuries.
His hoof is sore from the braces, and his wing is sore from being operated on.
2780603 Now now, no need for that! All I was asking for was a little clarification, due to the way I had interpreted it. And the fact you put down that both hoof and wing had received treatment (see previous comment) made it look like they had done both.
I'm probably just reading too deep in to it, but you've clarified it, so now I can go to the pub happy!
Im curious, are the FIM comic books considered cannon? Because if they are then the changeling story arc kinda breaks this whole series down. Still a good story tho.
not bad but
"oh you know they cut open my wing and pull out a bone"
OMG! i tihnk the whorehouse would of been better! XD
i mean wow that's like asain horror there lol it unnerved me and it takes a lot to do that! XD
also i'm still very interested on the talk they will have with the teacher specifically why she thinks celestias evil!
I think they should raise her in BOTH ways, both pony or changeling so Swarm can choose which thinking path would suit her the best; after all she is half pony-changelings or maybe combination of both.
2782977 yea that's what I was thinking as well
The story is great hope it updates soon :)
Glad to see you picked up your pace again and started to frequently update.
i was afraid that you were grown tired of the story
2788760
Oh gawd that picture has made my day
2775900 TARGET ELIMINATED
Anyone else fedup with reading biting their bottom lip and frowning deeply. I mean it's gotten to a point where I'm smashing things everytime I read the frowning line.How many times can you frown in a min?
You don't have to keep saying that we know they frown and they can sill be frowning in till you say otherwise Like Warden smiled happly,Now I know he's not frowning anymore
There's a point where people over use saying's or expressions and with just those two with a few more I have not said you have past the amount needed,All I'm saying is to Reread your story's and see where a line shows up too much and try to replace it with another word with the same meaning or at the very lest a close meaning so that the reader can follow along It's really anoying to have stop reading everytime I read those saying's.
Any way this is a really great story last time I read it was back in december you were on chapter 4 of vol 1 or 2.I'd like to see what happened to queen chrisy One of the other chapters states swarm tell's her teacher that the casle is where the evil princess live's now most would thing she means one of the two sisters and others might thing you mean the chrisy If you do mean her then you got it wrong Because She is a queen.But maybe some other changing took over maybe her brother's or sister's if she has any makeing her a princess seeing as how she's sill royled Or maybe it's just swarm-Not knowing about her being a queen or maybe she really is talking about one of the two sister's which one? Who know's maybe there's another sister locked away somewhere in the casle it could very well be like hogwart's no one knows everything about it even those living there for most of there life don't know everything so in theory there could be endless secret's in cantorlot casle So there can very well be a third sister.But...Could just be big sister sun-Aka super badass kick you in the face If you don't respect her.
Also thank's for taking the time to write this,if ever you find more time think you could go through every one of your chapters and fix them? Just for future people who come across this and other's who want to Reread it and find you sill haven't changed any of the messup's they found on there first reading.
Hopefully more chapters come out soon I sill got 3 or 4 to go...I hope