Both of these stories take place in the world of Childhood's End.
Going to expand on it... eventually.


Used

>You've been making out for hours.
>Jade's been panting for a while now.
>Even her wings are blushing.
>Her hoof once again moved towards your boxers.
>You stopped her there.
>Sex... sex would make this too real.
>You knew you were using her, leading her on, but that was too far, even for you.
>She wouldn't be considered an adult yet in your world.
>But it's been months since you felt the touch of a woman.
>And Dash's affections had been dropping off for a lot time before.
>It felt good to have someone pressed up against you.
>Someone who wanted to be nowhere else.
>Someone who loved you for you.
>"I'm so happy that you're here right now."
>You smiled. You wanted to be wanted.
"And I'm happy to be here.
>You felt so guilty.
>You're the first boyfriend she'd ever had.
>You are her commanding officer.
>She trusted you.
>She had risked her life for you before.
>Right now, you're pretty sure she'd die for you.
>This can't go on.
>The center can not hold.
>You're going to have to end this soon.
>You owed her that much, at least.
>She smirks at you a little. Probably about to say something edgy.
>"Stop blueballing me, Anon. I want you. All of you."
>"Please."
>Yeah, it was going to have to be now.
"Jade, we need to talk."
>She didn't look concerned.
>Fuck.

>How the fuck were you going to do this?
>What can you even say?
>Well, Anon? Are you just going to keep staring at her?
>She probably thinks you were going to make a grand confession of love or something.
"Jade, I've enjoyed the last few weeks we've spent together."
>"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way," she said with a smile.
"But the fact is, I don't think my feelings for you were... as strong as I've implied."
>"Are you saying we need to take a step back? I'm OK with that." she said with urgency.
>A part of her knew what was coming, and didn't want you to finish.
"I thought I was in love with you. I'm not. My emotions were messed up, and I took advantage of you."
>"Are you breaking up with me?"
>She sounded incredulous.
"Yeah. I'm sorry."
>"No. No, please. I forgive you for everything. Can you just give me another chance?"
>Her voice was pleading now.
>"Oh, Celestia, no! I should have known it was too good to be true. What did I do wrong? Please tell me. I want to fix it. I- I want to fix me."
>You're the bad guy here. You knew every decision you took would lead you to this moment.
>And you did it anyways.
>She's going to fucking hate you.
"There's nothing wrong with you, Jade. I'm sorry."
>"Wait. I trusted you. You told me to my face that I wasn't the rebound, every FUCKING time that I asked."
"I lied. I'm sorry. I was partly lying to myself, but mostly, I-"
>The waterworks had started. She wailed in the pain of her first heartbreak.
>"Please, no. Please tell me this is all a big prank. I'm not going to ask for sex anymore, can we please just go back to normal?"
>She alternated her crying with coughing. Her face was a mess.
>"If you had just told me it was a fling, I- I would have set my expectations low. I would have understood."
>"Why did you let me believe? Why did you let me believe you loved me?"
>You hung your head in shame.
>You didn't have an answer for that one.

>You left her crying in the dark that night.
>You loved her, just not in the way she wanted.
>Was this how Rainbow felt?
>You could have stopped at any point.
>Why didn't you?
>Why did you let the poor girl believe?

>You had a few conversations afterwards to explain what exactly happened.
>After that, you both agreed to have her transfer to work in the General Staff.
>Months later, you became friends again.
>But it was never the same.
>She couldn't trust you in the same way she had before.
>Despite it all, she still looked up to you.
>In a way, you became a father figure to her.
>Eventually, she forgave you.
>But you never forgave yourself.
>You knew it was wrong when you did it, where it would lead, but you did it anyways.
>Eventually, you learned that she asked Cadance to dampen her unrequited feelings.
>She had the guts to do what you never did.
>It was probably because of it that you were able to stay friends.
>That was the day you started admiring her.


Fantasy
1/?
>You first saw her behind her house, feeding thawed meat to a feral manticore.
>It was her Gift, you realized. She understood animals, and they understood her.
>Not only that, they seemed so much smarter when she was around. Pony smart.
>That was why they visited her, you realized. Why they never attacked her.
>They aren't normally intelligent beings. It was her that gave them their very minds.
>She was like a god to them. It was only when she was around that they were awake.
>She didn't understand, though. Thought that was just how animals acted.
>She wasn't a giver of life. She was a giver of minds. And that was powerful beyond measure.
>And yet, she seemed so anxious. But she wasn't afraid of others, she was afraid of herself.
>No one just grows up that way. Someone or something happened to her.
>And you always had a soft spot for broken things.
>You were one yourself, after all.
>Deep down, you want to give to others what you never recieved. You wanted to nurse broken things back to health.
>It fulfilled some kind of emotional need you didn't entirely understand.
>You just wished they didn't always leave afterwards.
"Fluttershy"
>It was a beautiful name.
>She was your ultimate fantasy.

>You didn't need anything special, just a "reformation" and she gave you a chance.
>You've done those so many times.
>To be entirely fair though, your tricks and plots were meant as harmless fun.
>Harmless, if frustrating.
>Taking over the kingdom was fun. Actually running it wasn't.
>So you just played cloak-and-dagger games with Celestia when you weren't... romantically involved.
>And some times when you were.
>A nice way to pass eternity.
>This one though... she was different.
>She could see straight through your glamour, and she could calm your other selves.
>Even after seeing your true self, she wasn't afraid. That was uncommon.
>But she didn't even pity you. She just treated you as a creature. One with good parts and bad.
>You've never met anyone like that before.
>Somehow, she managed to get you to open up first. Maybe it was part of her Gift.
>But once you did, once you told her your story and she didn't flinch...
>That was when you decided that you actually needed to go against Celestia.
>Immortality for her wasn't enough. You needed it for her friends, and her friends' friends. So, basically everyone.
>She was willing to slowly watch her own children die to prevent that from happening.
>You were going to war. A war for love. A real one, this time. No games, just victory.
>And for that, you needed pawns.
>You knew exactly where to get them.

"It's not my nature, Flutters. I wasn't a dumb creature acting on instinct. I made those choices, knowing full well what the consequences would be."
"I'm not Mr. Manticore."
"I took gifts of the Elements for my own gain. I ran away for my beloved to die, so that I would not have to look her in the eyes."
"I abandoned my kingdom, MY people. I broke up Celestia's one other true love out of jealousy. I know my guilt better than my own body."
"You don't get to take that away from me. I own the bad I do, so that I can own the good I do. That's life."
>She looked at you.
>Damn it all, she wasn't filled with sadness or pity.
>You could see it in her sparkling eyes. Resolve.
>"You can still be forgiven. You were a Prince, right?"
"It was so long ago-"
>"I don't know much about politics or nobles, but I know that those titles you keep for life. You are still a Prince."
"Noblesse oblige", you whispered to yourself in the Old Tongue. "Nobility is a Duty."
>"Now what would a Prince do if he made mistakes like that?"
"He would apologize, try to make things right. As long as it took."
>"So did you?"
>You looked into the sunset from her back window.
>The sun was unable to hurt your eyes.
"I apologized. Celestia says she forgave me for running away, but never for what I did to her husband."
"And she shouldn't. That was just spite. I was just hurting others because I was hurting."
"If you live long enough, you'll know what's like to be weighed down by sins that can't be absolved."
>She gave you a thoughtful look. You've been around long enough to know that she's about to share something personal.
>"Do you know why I run an animal shelter, Discord?"
"Because you like animals?"
>"Because I'm trying to make up for something I did when I was young and stupid."
>"I hurt some creatures when I was a filly. Old enough to know that it was wrong, but not old enough to know why."
>She was on the verge of tears.