Sleep was a dark and empty thing. It felt like I was barely out when whispers stirred in my head, as if from far away. My ears twitched lightly and my eyes opened over the course of a couple seconds. Dim light greeted me, the room having darkened significantly from my last memory of it, nothing but black outside the window across from me. Crap. How long had I slept?

Ever faithful, Clocky reported that it was quarter after twenty-two hundred hours, which honestly explained the relative darkness of the room. The only light came from the stairs leading down to the first floor, and I looked towards it curiously. Somepony had come home and turned on the lights, obviously, but was it Fluttershy or that crazy bastard, Discord? My hoof snagged something lightly as I moved it upwards, however, and I frowned, looking down at my chest.

A soft, woven blanket had been laid over me with great care, covering every little inch of myself all the way up to the shoulders. A light smile played at my mouth. Fluttershy. The voices that had stirred me from my sleep popped up again suddenly, and my ears flicked back towards the stairs.

"I just don't know. What are we going to do about her?" I heard asked in a soft, concerned voice. I'd recognize it at almost any distance now as Twilight's. She was visiting? Her bath must have gone well after Discord's disruption.

There was a pregnant pause before a very timid sigh was returned. "Um, I don't know. Her heats are really bad, and she seems like she's better now and thinking clearly," Fluttershy suggested. Bad heats? What, were they talking about Rainbow?

"Yeah. Her apology was really earnest sounding. I can tell she feels horrible and that it's all her fault. Really, I don't think that I, well, I don't really feel angry about it," Twi returned hesitantly, as a rare moment of stumbling over her words. Rainbow was apologizing to her? Did something happen?

"Rarity told her to stop going over there. The race is really, really important for her this year, if you remember," Fluttershy pointed out. Oh, oh crap. Did Rainbow tell them about what happened?! Wait, she wasn't supposed to take all the blame for that!

Twilight chuckled for a moment, however, then added, "Yeah. It sounds like it was a complete accident, plus the link is barely a tenth of the way completed. As it is now, I doubt it's any stronger than the disks are." Tenth? Wait, this was only ten percent of the link?! Holy hell! No wonder it was a huge deal for Ponies. I'd probably be able to feel almost everything Dash did if it were ten times as strong when completed!

There was a long pause, and I relaxed against the cushion again. It didn't sound like Dash was in trouble, anyway. I guess it turned out okay after all. Still, Twilight was probably here to try to talk to me. There wasn't really any point of them coming back here if that weren't the case. I'd kind of figured Fluttershy would be returning by herself after everything that happened, but lying up here in the dark wouldn't change anything.

Regardless of my awareness of that, it was remarkably hard to will myself to move. I didn't want to face them yet, or deal with this now. Frankly, I just kind of wanted to run and hide somewhere, and engage in a therapeutic bout of wailing and mauling things. I openly admitted I was childish in that regard. Sometimes I was tired of trying to be a grown up.

A sigh from downstairs snapped me out of my irritated stupor. "What are we going to do about the herd, then?" Twilight asked softly. I froze. Eavesdropping was bad, and I was a bad pony, but I listened regardless. Not that I should really care, because if Hell existed, I most certainly already had a very special spot reserved just for me.

At first, I wondered if Fluttershy hadn't fallen asleep or something, but finally I picked up the barely audible whine, magnifying my hearing a couple times. Could Twilight even hear that? "I don't know. It's just, um, nothing is going the way it should," the yellow mare finally whispered.

A light groan sounded from Twilight, and I winced, toning my audio level down a bit again. "That you don't need to say twice. Did he say anything at all about it?" she asked, sounding tired. Well, I didn't feel so badly about eavesdropping now that she was grilling Fluttershy on me. I guess even 'reformed', she was a rather natural spy.

"No," Fluttershy muttered, making it officially the saddest sound in the world. A moment later, she elaborated with, "He just said that he was happy for us and smiled. But his eyes looked... They looked so dead. Oh dear." A knot formed in my throat and I swallowed. She was highly empathic. I should have known she'd notice. Suddenly, I didn't want to go down there after all.

I heard a chair adjust itself down there, and hoofsteps on wood for a moment before Twilight let out a light groan. "This is bad. Really bad. Gah. I was so stupid! Why did I send out the herd form?! We need to think of something, Fluttershy. Anything to fix this. Do you think Princess Celestia could do an official appeal for the time limit? Wait, that would require me to actually tell her," she started rapidly muttering. Herd form? Time limit? Suddenly, I took a shot in the dark and guessed there was more lovely news I wasn't aware of yet. I figured there'd be a form for it. Governments run on paperwork, after all. Time limits, however, were usually not in my favor. Like waiting for your planet to explode, as a good example.

"T-Twilight, calm down. You're, um, panicking again. Please sit down, if it's okay with you," Fluttershy spoke up, a little louder to get over Twilight's rambling. There was a delay, then a sigh and I heard the chair scrape across the floor again. The unicorn was tense, like earlier. I could tell she'd shifted into complete panic at some point over the week given the state she let herself fall into, but I hadn't realized she could go right off the deep end like that. The image of her grinning face burned into my mind again and I shuddered.

My throat knotted up again as I heard crying instead. At least 'anger' wasn't a viable argument anymore. Either of them crying tended to really beat the crap out of that approach. This was a soft sobbing instead, as if trying to hold itself back from tumbling into full out misery. "I'm scared, Fluttershy. We're both going to be lucky if we're not dumped, and after everything we've been through, I really... He's special to me. I don't want one foolish, compulsive decision in the middle of estrus to ruin that for both of us!" Twilight admitted. She gave up on composure when her voice died down and the crying picked up fully.

No answer came, and I heard another chair slide out again. Pushing my face into the back of the couch, I sighed weakly. I just wanted the three of us to be happy together. In the long run, did it matter if I had to wait a little bit to get into the herd? Sure, I was sad that they made it without me, but it sounded like they really felt badly about it, too. Plus, seeing how Rainbow got, I really did understand what Estrus could do a bit better. Even if it didn't dictate their every action like it might have their distant ancestors, it certainly made choices a lot 'easier', as Rainbow would have said. They cared deeply for each other, so was it really a surprise?

Then what bothered me? I wasn't as important as I'd subconsciously hoped, was a good part of it, I admitted. It felt like a kick to the stomach to fully 'think' about finally, but I guess I deserved that. Equestria was already different enough from my old dimension to give me plenty to be thankful for. I didn't need to be the most important pony to them, and it was just conceited at this point to even think that way. When did I start thinking I was that entitled?

"Shhhh. It's okay, Twilight. Just let it out," I heard Fluttershy whisper weakly. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Slowly, I sat up on the couch and let the blanket slide off me. My left forehoof lifted up and I brushed it along the single braid descending from my bangs on that side. "We'll be okay. Mender's a nice stallion, and if we explain ourselves, I'm sure he'll, um, well, I hope he'll listen," she added after thirty seconds passed with just the softer crying.

"I-I know. We have to try. Do you think he'll also be, um, angry he was left out? Oh no. We sent him to the cabins to avoid this!" Twilight suddenly murmured, and my ears flattened back. She was just going to work herself into a panic again. I heard Fluttershy try to say something, but Twilight just continued, totally drowning her out. "Oh no. No, no! I'm not safe yet! If I ask him to wait another day or so, though, after everything we have to already tell him, it's going to sound really, really bad!" Okay, yeah, time to stop this.

Her rambling ground to a halt a second after my hooves touched down on the floor, my own hoofsteps probably easily heard through the wood. I heard her gasp a second later, and a chair slid out rapidly again as I walked towards the stairs. Oddly, I heard the jingle of the front door's knob a second later before a light thud resounded through the air. Uh... Wait, no, I think I knew what happened.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs confirmed it with Twilight flattened on her stomach in front of the door, and Fluttershy on top of her. She'd tried to escape. Heh, it was actually almost cute. Fluttershy gave out a weak squeak as she saw me, and Twilight looked up with an expression of horror.

"T-This isn't what it looks like!" Twilight shouted abruptly, rolling and pushing Fluttershy off her back with a light thud. Eh?

I raised my eyebrow, sitting down at the base of the stairs. "You weren't trying to escape, then, and got tackled by Fluttershy?" I inquired curiously.

I was mildly amused by her dumbfounded expression before she rapidly shook her head. "N-No! I mean, yes! I, well, uh..." she whined, looking flustered suddenly before just groaning and flopping over onto her stomach again. That feeling I could sympathize with.

Sadly, this wasn't very conducive to just talking. Standing again, I walked towards both mares as Fluttershy managed to get to her hooves again, looking rapidly back and forth between us. Oddly, Twilight stood fully upright and lowered her head towards me, not saying anything. What was she expecting, judgment or something?

"Of course she is. They both fucked up, and now are at your mercy. This is your chance to take control and really get what you want out of the relationship," was whispered into my ear, and I felt her smile. My eyes narrowed, and I shot a mental snarl her way, earning a snicker.

Fluttershy's eyes widened, however, and I suddenly realized that I'd narrowed mine in reality, too. "Please don't be m-mad, Mender. Please? We, um, we're really sorry for what happened and we want to fix it, but we j-just don't know how..." she whispered, unease shifting into her voice as she stepped further forwards, past Twilight now. Brave for Fluttershy, but it's not like I was going to hurt her anyway.

"I know. I was listening for a while up there. Being a cyborg gives me really good ears," I admitted quietly. The yellow mare looked stunned, but Twilight looked up at me again with a frown. Her eyes searched mine for a second, and I realized she wasn't mad at my eavesdropping, but surprised at what I said for some reason. I further noticed that she still had a light smell to her from before, but had cleaned herself up nicely.

Her features softened as she looked at me, and I realized I really had missed her quite a bit. Her eyes widened as I leaned over, but I pushed my lips into hers regardless. Her momentary tension melted instantly as she pushed back a heartbeat later, slipping closer into my forelegs. Fluttershy let out a surprised squeak, and then I saw her slowly smile as I opened my eyes again.

Twilight was flushed by the time I pulled away and shivered lightly, mildly surprising me by ducking forward again and pushing into my torso. "I missed you, Twilight. You don't need to run away. I'm not, well, angry at either of you," I muttered quietly.

"Y-You aren't?" Fluttershy squeaked, shifting a bit closer to both of us before I reached out and pulled her against Twilight's side instead, hugging both of them.

Much more conducive to talking! "No. I'm, well, sad that you two made the herd and left me out of it, and I don't know what to think about you two suddenly jumping your relationship up to a sexual one, but I'm not going to just give up on both of you," I tried to explain. Well, as far as I got myself, anyway.

Both shifted lovely shades of pink at that last part. Twilight shook her head against me, however. "The heat, estrus, doesn't control us, per se, but it does make it a lot easier to, well, 'justify' certain courses of action that you might know as not the best choice in the long run. I take full blame for that. My inhibitions were already lowered, and I was the one that solicited Fluttershy," she explained, pushing her face further into my chest before finishing with, "That means that really, the whole herd thing is my fault, too. I was so stupid and sent the form in without thinking!" There was that form again.

I pulled both of them a bit closer and sighed. "You're not stupid, Twilight. What exactly is this form, though?" I asked softly. Remembering her when I first opened the door still frightened me a bit. That was about as far from 'proper state of mind' as I'd imagine Twilight to get. Yeah, it didn't honestly surprise me that she did something potentially without thinking about the future consequences. I'd be a hypocrite if I held that against her.

"It's, um, a form you fill out when you, well, officially 'consummate' a herd. Well, it's more tradition for the, uh, consummation part. But really, it's for legal things. Um, I know you're supposed to fill one out before getting married, too, or for a herd marriage," Fluttershy explained in a wonderfully awkward manner. So, sort of like getting engaged, but for potentially more than two ponies.

Twilight fidgeted against me, and I frowned, not entirely sure of the specifics with just that description. Thankfully, the unicorn was there to elaborate. "She's right. It's both for legal herd founding, and a pre-marital contract. Sometimes both at once. Write the names down on the form, have everypony sign it, then mail it to Canterlot for filing," she added, sighing afterwards and sitting more upright to glance over at Fluttershy instead. Er, well that did indeed get the point across that they were legal contracts, anyway.

The little yellow mare only blushed and shrank down a bit, however, so Twilight smiled and continued instead. "Consummation of the herd is just tradition. It used to dictate herd 'ordering' and establish who the 'leader' is, but that's mostly ignored nowadays. We both felt, well, pretty badly about it afterwards and signed it, and I was going to leave it in wait for when you got back home so you could be added but, uh..." Mostly?

"It got sent out instead, accidentally. I understand," I finished for her, eyes softening a bit. Now what did that mean for our 'herd' then?

Twilight swallowed and nodded, then, as if reading my mind, added, "Normally you can add members to the herd after it's formed, obviously. Happens all the time. But, uh, in order to cut down on, well, hasty decisions being made and causing a lot of paperwork in Canterlot, they implemented a thirty day wait period between 'changes' made to the herd. At least a pre-marital herd, anyway." Oh. So I was stuck as a 'third wheel' for a month.

Fluttershy squeaked and shook her head rapidly, causing me to realize that the link was enabled again after I woke up, and functioning quite well at this distance. "No, Mender! We're going to treat you just like you're part of the herd anyway, even if we have to wait to make it official!" she yelped, pushing further into me as she did so.

"Ah! Of course! It's only the 'official' herd. I mean, I could try to talk to Princess Celestia and see about waiving the wait time, as it was obviously an accident but, uh, that would mean I'd have to tell her about, well," Twilight hastily added, then shrank a bit, her blush coming back.

Sighing, I shook my head towards her and relaxed, releasing both of them. Neither moved, however, to my surprise. Regardless, I assured, "It's okay. Waiting a month isn't honestly that big a deal. It's not a very long time, and it's only a piece of paper, right?" I wasn't quite so good at social things still, and this whole 'reassuring' thing was rather hard, I decided, as both looked at each other with an uneasy glance.

Fluttershy shook her head lightly towards Twilight before turning back to me. "This still doesn't feel very good. We shouldn't have, um, done what we did regardless of the herd form. It, well, it was so selfish! It's not just Twilight's fault. I normally have really light, um, heats. I thought I was in control of myself! I should have stopped her. I should have said no and to wait." Her voice got quieter and quieter as she went on, and she shivered lightly after falling silent. Twilight frowned towards her and wrapped her forelegs around the yellow mare, pulling her into a gentle hug. That was how things normally worked, regardless, I realized. Maybe I should just start 'planning' on everything falling apart in the worst possible way? Then, if anything short of complete disaster happened, I'd be pleasantly surprised!

There was no easy answer or way to relay my feelings. I didn't even fully understand them myself. Sliding sideways, I rested my left temple against the door and exhaled. Both mares turned to me instead for a moment before I slowly closed my eyes. A few breaths later, I felt two warm and furry sensations push into my chest and smiled weakly.

"I just don't know. I'm, well, sad, yes. Originally I was a bit mad, too. I mean, I left partly because both of you weren't ready for anything sexual in the relationship yet. At first I was angry because it goes directly against that, and made it seem more like, well, 'not ready for anything sexual with me', I guess," I started to explain, my eyes cracking open to look at them. It felt good being honest, anyway. That feeling was smashed and I regretted saying it almost instantly as Fluttershy suddenly looked like she just watched a kitten run over by a landslide. Twilight swallowed and shook her head rapidly, her mouth slightly open but no words seeming to escape.

After a moment of awkward silence and Fluttershy's eyes starting to water, I closed mine again and shook my head. "I know it's also because I'm male, and neither of you want to risk getting pregnant, too. It's different with me, I know. Now I see that and don't blame you two," I added, not sure how to feel and suddenly being distinctly aware of that tightening in my chest. I was okay with it. Why did it hurt so much?

"W-We're not going to do anything like 'that' again until we're really ready this time, so, um, we really goofed up and made some really bad decis-" Twilight started to rapidly defend.

A light scraping sound interrupted all three of us, and I opened my eyes again questioningly. Twilight looked momentarily confused as Fluttershy turned and looked into her kitchen. My eyes widened as a full-sized bathtub 'slid' out and peeked around the doorframe. They widened even further as eyes opened up on the rim, and a smirk shifted against the ceramics. What the hell?!

"Oh ho ho! If only bathtubs could talk, for what Twilight's saw earlier!" the bathtub revealed in a familiar voice. Oh.

Twilight shot him a glare in an instant, her horn lighting up as her eyes narrowed. He made a yelping noise and the entire bathtub poofed away as fast as it had arrived. Shape-shifting? No, he could probably appear as whatever he wanted. 'Spirit' seemed only partially correct, as he had more properties of some sort of quantum entity. It was a little disturbing how he could kind of show up anywhere and seemed to like eavesdropping...

"T-That was just, um, snuggling and kissing! Besides, I'm still technically in heat, so, well, it doesn't count!" Twilight defended adamantly, her cheeks shifting a bright pink as Fluttershy shrank a little. Heh. As cute as they were when awkward like this, I didn't see much sense in it.

"You two don't have to lie about it, or stop being with each other that way. There's nothing wrong with it," I pointed out idly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Fluttershy wasn't handling the conversation well at all, maintaining a full-face blush at this point. Regardless, she actually managed to retort, with the utmost politeness, of course. "Well, yes, but it is wrong. It's wrong because you're not a part of it," she elaborated. Ah. I had immediate mixed feelings due to the simultaneous revelation that they were willing to abstain and wait for me, and the other revelation that they'd rather abstain and wait rather than just make me part of it. Did they know something I didn't? Suddenly, I started wondering exactly how desirable I appeared to be. This time I blocked out the link as best I could.

It didn't take a second for Fluttershy to shift to a frown, however. "Um, please don't hide your feelings, Mender. At least not from us. We care about you very much," she whispered gently, leaning in and nuzzling my right shoulder. It was amazing how fast she could make me feel like a total jerk. I swallowed and looked down instead.

"I just... I don't want you two to not be as close or anything because of me. I'm okay with waiting for you two to want me to join in," I muttered, slapping back the selfish jerk inside of me. I valued them both for so much more than that. To say otherwise suddenly felt insulting to them.

Twilight smiled gently, and then looked over to her herdmate instead. Eh? Fluttershy simply blushed and nodded timidly, however, earning a smirk back. "I'm not safe yet, unfortunately. My hormone reading was four point five this morning when I took it, and it needs to be under four for me to be completely infertile. It'll be fine by tomorrow afternoon or so," Twilight informed suddenly. I, er, what?! Why was she suddenly telling me this?

Fluttershy turned a bit pinker before nodding. "I'm safe already. We really want to be comfortable with you, too, Mender. In a few days, maybe the three of us should, um, try to take steps towards that? If it's okay with both of you, of course!" She barely squeaked out the last part before shrinking down again. I smiled towards how adorable she was before a light twinge went through my mind. A few days? Wasn't I supposed to be remembering something?

"That's a good idea, Fluttershy. We want you to be comfortable, too. Also, can you stay here tonight, Mender?" Twilight asked softly, glancing over at me. Huh? I wasn't going to sleep at the library tonight?

Fluttershy's eyes expanded to maximum size in half a second flat, but Twilight held her hoof up quickly. "Just for tonight. I'm not fully out of estrus yet, and the, um, pheromones are still all over the library," she muttered, blushing profusely. Oh yeah. Fluttershy wasn't producing pheromones anymore.

"Oh. Well, of course. I don't want Mender to, um, be uncomfortable," the shy pegasus murmured, tone shifting to more relaxed as she seemed to realize the reason for it as I did.

Twilight lost a bit of the blush, eyes softening as she slowly shook her head. "Not just that. I'm also afraid of not being able to control myself again," she admitted, tone quieter now.

I smiled gently at her, leaning forwards and giving a soft kiss to her forehead. Yeah, no matter what, I made the right choice. I didn't like being angry, especially not with Twilight or Fluttershy. Not much really needed to be said, my feelings being fairly self-explanatory. Fluttershy smiled and nodded to her, too, before resting her head on Twilight's shoulder. The lavender mare blushed, but pushed into us a little more. This was really all I needed. All I... Oh. A few days! I should probably tell them about that meeting with Tia.

"I suddenly remembered, did Princess Celestia send anything to you two over the week?" I asked, looking between them.

Fluttershy looked momentarily curious, but Twilight smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she said she sent you a letter and requested all of our presence in Canterlot in a day or so. I already told the girls," she assured, causing me to relax. I'd figured Tia had sent a letter to them, too, but it was better safe than sorry.

At that, the yellow mare perked and nodded to me as well, relaxing once more. "Yeah, it's a bit sudden, but we know why. Um, I was going to also ask, if you don't mind... Do you think you could tell us about everything that happened during the week, if it's not too much trouble? We heard about a lot from Dash but, well..."

Twilight snickered softly to herself and nodded. "We'd like to hear it in your own words. She has a tendency to, well, embellish things a bit, and not pay attention to other spots," she added, coughing lightly and looking away, causing Fluttershy to fuss nervously.

Chuckling, I nodded to them. "Of course I can, but it might, well, take a little bit. It's a little drafty here. Why don't we use the couch upstairs?" I suggested, not really wanting to relay the entire story while sitting on my rump in front of the door to the cottage.

Twilight smiled and nodded, while Fluttershy just smiled, a tiny shade of pink dancing over her cheeks. Deciding we were in agreement, I smiled to both and turned, heading up the stairs. It was really, really hard not to trip when I suddenly picked up on Fluttershy staring at my butt, via the link...

So many questions! It had taken over an hour and a half to relay all the events that had happened while I was at the cabins to both mares. It had taken another half an hour at least to get through all the extra questions they had afterwards. Between Fluttershy panicking over my getting injured and Sweetie hurting and poisoning herself, and Twilight's avid curiosity about how linking with Rainbow and healing her mental fatigue went, it had taken us long past midnight and into the new day.

Twilight almost didn't seem to even care that Rainbow had partially linked with me. I hadn't expected that, but her focus seemed almost entirely on my healing her having worked, and the various enchantments I gave all of them. Fluttershy's only concern was that Rainbow hadn't forced me into anything apart from surprising me with the kiss, which was a no, thankfully. Both agreed that she'd probably be a lot more levelheaded now that heat was over, and that we all should talk about it in Canterlot after the meeting. It made sense.

Fluttershy's eight second long yawn had called the meeting to a close, Twilight saying she should go get some sleep after finishing giggling towards the yellow pegasus. Only then had the epic battle begun.

"No, really, it's okay, Mender. Um, the couch is perfectly comfy, and you had a really, really hard week, so take my bed!" Fluttershy offered again, blushing lightly while she patted the couch cushion, as if emphasizing how soft it was. I resisted her cuteness as best I could!

"Fluttershy, I've slept on tons of couches since I got here, and find them perfectly comfortable. This is your house, so you deserve the bed, Silly," I protested, nudging my hoof in the direction of her extra soft, comfy looking bed a half dozen meters away.

She rapidly shook her head, however, and I sighed. We'd been at this for ten minutes now, and weren't going to sleep tonight at all if we didn't settle it. "You leave me no choice, then. I'll have to resort to drastic measures," I warned, standing up fully as her eyes widened a bit.

"Um, w-what are those, if you don't mind me asking?" she squeaked out, edging backwards slightly as she watched me approach. She let out a gasp, however, as my tentacles extended instead, and I smiled happily towards her.

"Nooooooooooo!" she squeaked out in protest, flailing about as I carried her over to the bed in a bundle of soft, warm tendrils. Snickering, I set her gently down on the mattress and watched her pout up at me.

Giving me a timid smile, she hesitated for a moment, starting to open her mouth again. My proximity sensor went off before she could say anything, however. Wait, what?! Something very pissed off, furry, and white bounded out of nowhere and put two padded feet right into the side of my face. With its whole body, it provided enough force to kick my head sideways, tipping me. Flailing, I yelped as gravity took over and I went off the side of the bed with a crash.

"Angel!" I heard Fluttershy yelp from somewhere above me as my head spun, giving me a very good, if not slightly dizzy view of the ceiling. What was an 'Angel', and why did it hurt so much? Wait, I'd heard that name before. Given the double vision and developing headache sadly, recollection wasn't the easiest for me. Eh, what's another concussion at this point?

There was a rapid thumping from the bed, but I heard a huff instead. "No, that was a very bad bunny! Mender is Mommy's very special somepony, and would never hurt me, no matter what you think you saw! You are not to attack him," Fluttershy scolded suddenly. Bunny? Oh! Yeah, she had a special pet bunny named Angel. I'd forgotten.

Crawling up and onto my hooves again, I stood and propped my forelegs up onto the bed. A very pissed off looking rabbit stared at me, its ears flattened back as Fluttershy chewed him out. My eyes softened a bit and I just watched.

"You're going to have to behave, Mister! Apologize to Mender!" Fluttershy demanded, still glaring at him. The little bunny's front legs crossed, and he abruptly looked away from me instead, closing his eyes. That was a no, I was going to guess.

"Angel!" my fillyfriend protested. It was too late, however. The bunny shot off in an instant, bounding off the bed and running downstairs faster than Fluttershy could grab him.

Sighing, I hopped up the rest of the way onto the bed and helped Fluttershy up from her face first flop upon missing the speedy bunny. "Phooey. Um, are you okay, Mender? I didn't think he'd even come up here tonight," she whispered, gaze shifting to me as she straightened out her mane.

"Yeah. I got my armor up before I hit the floor. That was your pet, then?" I asked, reaching out and helping her straighten back some of her mane. Actually, it looked rather adorable a bit messy, too, but I might be biased there.

She gave me a timid smile and nod, returning, "Yeah. Um, normally I don't see much of him during, well, estrus week. Bunnies go into theirs during our second one and he has a female friend... Um."

Smiling, I nodded in understanding of her, releasing her from the need to say anything further. She relaxed and nodded back, looking pleased to not have to finish that statement. "Anyway, he must have, well, heard me yelp when you picked me up. He's been my friend for a long time, and sometimes he gets protective of me. Um, he didn't mean anything by it," she excused, frowning and looking down at her hooves.

"I figured that was the reason. He's got quite a kick! I'm leaving my armor on next time around him," I muttered, snickering and earning a soft smile.

"He'll warm up to you, don't worry. Um, he has to. I know I'm not giving you up," she added, voice dropping off as she blushed.

Feeling my chest warm up a bit, I smiled and leaned over to her, ignoring her widening eyes. She gave a slight shiver as I pushed my lips into hers, but slowly slid closer against me a moment later, relaxing into my hug. I brushed her mane back and cupped the side of her face as she leaned back, having gone from a soft smile to a full out happy one instead. The timing was perfect.

"Sure you don't want me using the couch?" I offered one last time, my smile lifting up into a smirk instead.

As empathic as she was, she picked up on it instantly and snickered, shaking her head at my teasing. "You'd better not. Mmm. Twilight's been with you while sleeping before tons of times, so, uh, if you don't mind, maybe I could be with you tonight? We don't, well, have to do that dream sharing thing, but I kind of want to cuddle, if it's not too much trouble?" she asked quietly.

"Anything you're comfortable with, Fluttershy," I assured, squeezing her gently against me as her smile came back and she nodded.

"Um, okay, then! I'm going to go get ready and brush my teeth, okay? I think there's an extra brush in my cabinet, so could you go get that for yourself while I go first?" she offered, standing up again and hopping down off the bed. Oh! I'd not been able to brush my teeth during the entire cabins excursion. My toothbrush was in the library, that's right.

Smiling, I nodded and hopped down on the other side. "Right! Uh, I'm allowed to use your toothpaste?" I inquired, watching her trot over to her bathroom.

She gave me a skeptical glance back over her shoulder before smiling and nodding happily. "Of course, Silly. I'll be out in a few minutes!" she chirped, in a good mood suddenly. She was the silly one. She should know by now that she didn't have to even ask when it came to cuddles. I adored every inch of her, and feeling her warm fur against me and snuggling up to her while sleeping would be amazing!

A surprising burst of giddiness hit me as I swayed back and forth, smiling happily. Okay, Mender, don't weird her out! Toothbrush! Surely it wouldn't be that hard to find. She only had three cabinets up here.

Three minutes later, I was eating those words. Toothbrush… Toothbrush… Why was it so hard to find a stupid toothbrush for me?! Glaring, I shifted to the side and opened cabinet number three. At this point, I was considering just forming one with magic for tonight. I only needed it once!

My ears perked up, listening to her quiet but adorable humming as she brushed her own teeth behind the carefully closed door. Smiling, I sighed contentedly, actually rather enjoying staying with her. She had a totally different dynamic to her apart from Twilight. I felt more at ease and relaxed with Fluttershy.

Looking through the third cabinet like an ancient explorer might peek into a trap filled tomb, I noticed nothing even vaguely shaped like the one I’d had at the library. Damn it! Mane curler, combs, a couple animal bowls, a few bags of powder-looking stuff labeled with bars of soap on them… Getting frustrated, I dropped back down to all fours and looked a bit lower. Maybe she’d meant one of the drawers! Perking up, I smiled as I hopped back over to the larger cabinet that had contained her clothes for special occasions. Admittedly, that dress I saw in there was really pretty, and if I guessed right, I’d have to compliment Rarity on it later!

Smiling, I opened the first drawer that was right under the cabinet main doors, and then blinked in mild confusion. Uh, what were these thingies? There was some sort of molded form placed into the bottom of the drawer, shaped indentations that were all filled up with strange objects. They were elongated and very multi-colored, in quite a variety of shapes and sizes. Some looked like carrots, while others kinda more like wiggly pencils of some sort. One was even colored like a carrot! I tilted my head, glancing over them while sliding the drawer out more. Had I stumbled upon some sort of Equestrian culture that I had yet been aware of?

Tentatively, my left hoof extended down and poked the closest, pink one. It was easy enough to pick up the enchantment on it, and I perked up. Oh, they were some sort of specialized device, then! Drawing that one out of the mold, I looked it over more closely. It didn’t really have any smell to it, and looked thoroughly and meticulously cleaned. Maybe it had to do with her vet practices? Although why it wasn’t with the other tools downstairs, I didn’t know. Scanning the enchantment over, I found the ‘on’ nub at the base of it a moment later.

It only confused me further after I activated it, however, and it started vibrating around on my hoof. What purpose was that supposed to serve? My eyes widened and I let out a startled squeak as it accidentally fell off the side of my hoof and landed on the floor, despite me trying to catch it again twice. I stared as it bounced around on the floor, its function suddenly dawning on me! Ooooooh, these were animal toys! Snickering to myself and watching it bounce around, I created a little walled off section for it with small barriers and just stared for a second. It was quite an energetic little thing, and I pictured a kitty or something bounding about after it.

Looking back in the drawer, I stared at the different shapes and tried to guess what animals they were for. Maybe each different animal liked a different color? I tilted my head and slid the drawer out a little more, to its maximum, then widened my eyes at the massive toy in the back. It was oddly reddish in color along the majority of it with a more mottled brown spot thing going, and the base where the activator was appeared to be made of gemstones, both blue and white in color. I tilted my head towards it, immediately thinking of Rarity with the colors and gemstone usage. Trying not to laugh, I imagined the pearly unicorn bounding around after the thing, trying to pounce on it like a cat would.

Okay, that was adorable. Rarity would probably find it undignified, however, so I decided to definitely not tell her about that one. Besides, it was huge! Actually, it was almost Big Mac sized, being probably a little shorter than one of his forelegs. The mental images of ‘him’ pouncing at it weren’t as cute, being more just strange, and I shuddered, banishing the mental images. Actually, now that I looked at it, its color was very similar to his coat. Staring a little harder, I noticed it also wasn’t as smooth and uniform as the others, looking like it actually had veins running through it. Creepy! Eh, actually it had a lot of dust on it, so maybe Fluttershy thought it was creepy, too?

Deciding it was for a meat eater or something, I slid the drawer a bit further closed to banish it from sight, and peeked at some of the others. Heh, these were kinda fun!

A minute later, I had five of them bouncing around inside of the open-topped box I had formed, snickering in amusement as I watched their ‘battle’ progress. So far, the wiggly and floppy one with the prong-thingy at the base of it was winning due to sheer mass, but the tiny pink one was really dodgy! Debating who’d win in the end, I suddenly realized why these thingies weren’t down with the other tools.

“Oh, these things are for playtime instead,” I muttered, perking at my realization. Equestrian society was getting easier for me to grasp!

“Oh? What’s for playtime?” I heard Fluttershy ask in her usual happy yet soft, sing-song voice. Oops! In my attempts to figure out what the victory conditions would be for the animal toys, I hadn’t heard the water stop in the bathroom. Fluttershy stepped out, rotating around with a small towel in her mouth before immediately freezing in place, dropping it when she saw what I was doing.

Swallowing, I snickered sheepishly and nodded. “Oh, sorry. I found your animal toys and was having a ‘battle’ with them. Uh, I’ll put them back,” I apologized quickly, shrinking the box to gather them up again.

Fluttershy’s jaw dangled loosely, the pink tint in her cheeks shifting to a full-blown red color that expanded over her entire face in an instant. “An-Animal t-to… Ah… ha…..aaa,” she whispered, it slowly turning into an airy squeak as her eyes rolled up. Mine widened at the same time as she sagged and simply fell over sideways. Ah!

Standing, I rapidly rushed over to where she was, panicking! What had I done this time?!

"Fluttershy, it's natural. I don't think any less of you," I assured weakly, faint blush still on my cheeks after she finally managed to get me to understand what they actually were for. Of course, it was nowhere near the pronounced, full-faced blush she still sported. I kept fanning her with a thin barrier to cool her off regardless.

She looked less than assured, and continued shivering and hiding most of her body under the blankets. Okay, so I felt like a total asshole. Keldarian females didn't have toys like that. I thought it was only a male thing! The only accessories I knew existed for that sort of thing were the, well, holes for males and specialized clothing for the females that 'really' liked to exercise their dominant status...

"I, um, I don't use them very often a-at, uh, no! I barely used any of th-them! And the big one is Rarity's!" the shivering mare protested. Huh. I had guessed right after all. Uh, wait, why was it the same color as... No, never mind. There were some places even my exuberant curiosity refused to tread.

New tactic! "Fluttershy, I kinda already knew you were with Twilight in a significantly more than friendly way. I didn't think that was strange, did I?" I pointed out quietly. Heartbreaking and traumatic, yes, but definitely not strange.

Fluttershy peeked up at me again, her left ear popping out and showing one of the only non-pink tinted areas of her fur that was visible. "R-Really? You don't think I'm, well, w-weird?" she hesitantly stuttered out, making me want to haul her out and hug her tight. That probably wouldn't go over well, though. Eh, I was just happy Angel hadn't bound up here upon hearing her collapse and kick my face in again.

Smiling through my flush, I nodded lightly, averting my eyes slightly. Regardless of what she thought, the revelation of the toys' existence was an interesting one, to say the least. I decided it was more the stallion in me thinking that, though, and pushed it down. Fluttershy frowned, however, and shrank back into her blankets. Crap. Figured she’d pick up on that.

"P-Please be honest, Mender. Um, you can tell me what, well, what you really think," she spoke, followed by a weak whimper.

My flushed tint probably got a little darker as her question pulled what I 'really' thought of it right back to the forefront. No, that would just freak her out more! "I'm telling the truth, Flut-" I started to reassure, looking back down at her again. I froze when I saw the look in her eyes, coupled with them starting to look wetter. Ack!

"F-Fluttershy, I don't think you want to, um, hear about that. I promise I absolutely don't think that, well, you're weird or anything," I muttered, looking away from her again awkwardly. No, I couldn't keep looking into those eyes. Even when she wasn't doing that potent technique from earlier, it still tore me apart inside.

She rapidly shook her head, coming a little more out of the blankets in my peripheral vision. "Please? I really do want to, um, hear," she asked, almost pleading. I was going to be lucky if I ended up in a comfortable enough bush outside to sleep in tonight. Well, here goes.

"I, well, I didn't know females had toys for that sort of thing before now. Um, honestly, thinking about you, uh, using them... Well, it's actually kind of hot," I admitted. A long second passed and the anticipated shriek of despair and assault didn't come. Had it happened so fast I hadn't realized I was dead yet?

Deciding that was unlikely, I peeked back over at Fluttershy to see, awareness extending heavily towards my own flushed cheeks with the movement of my head. She stared at me in shock, her jaw hanging slightly open. Honestly, I couldn't tell if she was blushing any more than before or not, which was a little awkward in and of itself. My eyebrow rose slightly, however, as I saw two little bumps start to rise up a little in the blanket over her back. Was she...?

The second she saw me look, she shrank down again, this time the blush flaring up even more as she squeaked, shaking under the blanket like a dog until it was all wrapped around her, significantly tighter than before. "Ah, I'm sorry! Um, that wasn't... I didn't expect that. It's really, um, h-hot?" I barely heard her ask as she dropped yet again in volume, and the blankets had been added to the barriers between my ears and her mouth.

"Well, yeah. I'm really, really attracted to you. Um, in every way, Fluttershy. Thinking of you enjoying yourself is kinda nice," I reiterated, shrinking down a little into a lying position as I felt an awkward stirring. Could we please just go to bed?! I'd committed enough faux pas today!

Oddly, she just watched me from under the blankets for a moment before the shivering stopped. I gazed back, noticing a timid lifting of the corners of her mouth. She was happy? I stayed perfectly still as she slowly slipped out of the blanket a little more and leaned over, pecking me lightly on the nose. She was still blushing enough to make me a tad concerned for her circulation, but she finally wore a tiny smile, which was an improvement in my opinion.

"Thank you, Mender. Um, I wish I was as b-brave as you. I'm really, uh... What I mean is, you're really handsome and, well... Oh, I can't seem to say it!" she whined, clamping her eyes closed in obvious frustration. Well, it leaked down the link easily enough, anyways.

Slipping forwards, I lay next to her instead, but on top of the blankets, of course. She gave me a surprised glance, but gently started to widen her smile a little more as I returned her nose-kiss. "Relax, Fluttershy. I promise. Absolutely promise that you can talk to me about anything you wish. I'm not going to judge you, or even think less of you in the slightest. I just, um, I want to help you, Fluttershy," I explained, resting my head on the mattress next to her.

Her eyes shimmered again and she nodded twice, switching back to a shy smile before nuzzling against the side of my muzzle. "Thank you, Mender. I, um, understand. To be honest then, I... I'm attracted to you like that, too! At first I was super worried about still having the estrus hormones in my body and having my smells bother you. I check at least three times a day to see what my, um, level thingy is so I know how often I need to, well, wash up. But you actually staying here is..." she started rapidly explaining, and then froze for a moment, shivering again. Everything she'd said so far was perfectly understandable. Out of all of my friends, her home had the most 'occupants' apart from her, so she was undoubtedly more self-conscious of her pheromones.

"It's scary. I want you to be happy and, um, you finding those made me think I screwed up and... I thought you'd think I was a weirdo or something, and you'd never want to come here again," she finally admitted, her ears lowering a bit as she looked down and away from me.

Leaning in, I kissed her forehead instead before squeezing her with my left foreleg through the blanket. She relaxed against me a second later, and I shook my head. "Well, you didn't screw up, and I'm very, very happy to be here, Fluttershy. I was already considering talking to Twilight about that, actually," I admitted, honestly. This was as good a time as any to bring it up, I guessed.

Her ears perked up and she gave me a curious glance, of course, her flush returning to normal Fluttershy-levels, finally. Elaborating, I explained, "Oh, I just thought that once we actually became a proper herd, maybe it would be a good idea to take turns sleeping at either the library or the cottage? That way you could keep a close eye on your animals and she could keep the library updated, but the three of us could get to snuggle each night."

Her teal eyes were dancing by the time I finished, and she rapidly nodded, looking significantly happier at that idea. "Oh, yes! Very much, yes. I'd be delighted! Until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement, that's a really good compromise," she agreed. I could always tell her comfort level without even needing her link, based off how loud her voice was, I noticed.

Kissing her on the lips this time, I felt her shiver once, then push into me a bit more. I smiled but kept it chaste, leaning back a moment later and nodding. "I'm glad you like it, and also happy you're not getting after yourself anymore about earlier. It's normal, and not only do I think you're perfectly fine in doing so, I also think it's rather appealing, so relax about it, okay?"

She was still a little pink, but her smile stayed this time as she nodded. I resisted the urge to pounce her adorable self and kiss her more, and instead returned her nod, a pleased smile on my muzzle. I'd actually managed to help rectify a social situation! By myself!

"Okay, well, you get ready for bed, okay? I'm going to go brush my teeth, and then I'll be back," I said, standing up again now that I was assured my body was a bit more relaxed than before.

Fluttershy gave me another happy nod before sinking into her blankets more, giving a content sigh. It was enough for me that she was happy, and I hopped off my side of the bed before trotting around and over to the bathroom, giving a quick glance to the special drawer again as I passed by it. Maybe, just maybe, once we finally got comfortable with each other a ways down the road, she'd show me how they worked. Heh, that was undoubtedly a long ways off, but maybe I'd ask her one day. Snickering silently in my mind, I went into the bathroom, the image of a toothbrush forming from my magic...

It was no good. Terribly improper thoughts of the mare next to me kept plaguing my mind, and it just refused to settle down. Sleep just wasn't working. Staring up at the ceiling, I tried to drive the echoes of what I imagined her soft moans to sound like out of my head. Even more of my focus was going into locking down hard on the link so none of this accidentally slipped through! Damn it! I was supposed to be a 'gentlecolt'! If anypony else saw what was going through my head, I'd probably be arrested.

My eyes shifted back over to Fluttershy a moment later. Even though I was suppressing the link, it felt oddly like she was still awake. She stirred every couple of minutes as well, shifting about to a different position. I was a little sad when she suddenly decided against snuggling, too.

Surprise was an understatement when she suddenly slipped, mid-rotation, and her wing slipped out from under her. It shot across the distance to my face in half a second flat, sadly. Thankfully I had been zoning out prior to that and didn't instinctively throw up my armor, which could have injured her. Instead, I winced as the feathered appendage smashed me in the face, giving out a surprised yelp.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Mender! Oh no, oh no, oh no," Fluttershy instantly apologized, not only revealing that she had been totally awake, but also knocking my senses out enough for me to drop the hold on the link. My mind reared as her feelings shot into me, rather than the other way around, bombarding my mind with a flood of raw feelings and desires, no image or words put to them. My tongue went dry as they washed over me alongside her sudden squeak of realization. These were... They were primal and base desires, and I knew them well enough.

Frowning, I extended my left hoof up and lit it with magic, revealing the entirety of events under the covers. Fluttershy had rolled onto her side and froze, mid-way through trying to physically force her wing back down, a furious blush on her cheeks. Her eyes locked with mine and she swallowed heavily before rapidly starting to shake her head.

"This isn't, um, oh dear. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why won't they go down?" she groaned, frustration seeping through her quiet voice as she resumed trying to push them down. She was having problems with the post-estrus hormones! I should have realized me staying here might cause her to be affected, too. My mind whirled and I realized how hot it was under the covers, and saw via the link that her body temperature was quite high. Yet she was just silently lying there, trying to suffer through it rather than bother me.

Frowning, I lifted the blankets off us, causing her to shudder as the cooler room temperatures hit her body. I was distinctly aware of the, well, interesting smells that drifted up off her, oh so like Fluttershy but with a distinctive, heavier undertone. "Fluttershy, you should have said something," I whispered, pulling out the trusty barrier fan again and trying to cool her down.

She blushed a little more, but finally stopped trying to push her wing back, looking up with a rather miserable expression. "It's the post-estrus stuff. Um, I'm sorry, Mender. I know you're trying to sleep and-" she started to apologize.

I lifted my hoof up instantly and shook my head. "Don't even think of apologizing. I should have been more considerate of you. I'm, well, supposed to be your mate, and I didn't even think of how me staying here would affect you. Don't push them down, though. You'll hurt your wing muscles. Let me try to get them to relax," I suggested, sliding over to her instead.

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she stared at me, but ever so slowly, she nodded and rotated, giving me full access to her stiff wings. The muscles responsible were readily apparent, but I didn't know which I should do. Rainbow got significantly more relaxed until she fell asleep when I applied magic to hers, but her muscles were exhausted and not in an active state.

Taking a shot in the dark, I hoped Fluttershy would have the same reaction and finally get to sleep. Gently massaging along her shivering flight muscles, I shot a couple bursts of energy down and along them. Their shaking picked up, and her whole body shivered for a moment as she released a soft squeak. Okay, that was adorable. I had no idea if it 'helped' her or not, but it was very cute!

Sadly, the more energy I put into the affected muscles, the tenser Fluttershy seemed to get, her wings now rigid and unmoving as she quietly gasped against the mattress. Okay, yeah, it was having the opposite effect I wanted. Switching, I shifted to the upper muscles instead, trying to draw some of the tension and heat away from the sensitive areas.

To my surprise, Fluttershy gave out a slow groan, followed by, "N-No, Mender. Could you please, um, keep doing that other thing? It feels... Oh my... If it's not too much... Hah..." My eyes widened a little. Tentatively, I sniffed the air again, only to discover that scent had saturated the air around us, stirred up ever so slightly by her little pants as she shyly glanced back at me, eyes pleading. Was she...?

My blush deepened as the bad thoughts came back. I was technically supposed to be her mate. I didn't know much about how Equestria did things like this, but if a Keldarian female was this badly in need, it was the responsibility of the male she chose to 'fix' that as best he could. Fluttershy had chosen me, and I was the only one here for her. Was it so wrong to help her as best I could?

Swallowing, I released her back muscles, earning a frustrated groan as I pulled away completely. Based on the feelings coming from the link, she probably assumed I was uncomfortable with the situation and stopping. "I... I'm so sorry, Mender. I shouldn't h-have actually," she started to whisper, flush deepening before she hesitated. She froze, however, as I lit my hoof up instead with another bit of magic, illuminating her lower body. Her tail covered her up nicely, but I could see the soaked areas of her inner thighs well enough. She definitely needed help.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. I'm sorry I got you more worked up with the massage. Um, I know we've not, well, progressed this far, but I want to offer to, well, help you calm down so you can sleep?" I questioned, watching my wording as I looked back up at her. Her eyes widened a little bit, and I saw them lower slightly, aiming further down my stomach into the shadows still concealing between my back legs. She then froze, her inner thoughts doing well to paralyze her.

Shaking my head, I corrected, "N-No. I want to help you out. This isn't about, well, me." Those lovely teal eyes shot back up towards me, and I felt her mind whirling behind them, through the link. Temptation, mixed with confusion. That wouldn't do. She wanted to say yes oh so badly, but didn't know what I intended to do. I smiled as I felt that, and her flush widened, extending all the way down to her neck now as she realized I'd picked up on the thought. Giving the final little push, I showed her my intent, slipped my tongue out of my mouth, slowly letting out almost half a meter of it as I undulated it around. Her eyes hazed a little, and either intentionally or subconsciously, her tail flagged me lightly. I shuddered as I realized how wet it was, and my tongue actually got the tiniest sample of her taste. A tangy honey assaulted my senses, followed by that delightful scent that made my heart beat faster and my blood rush through my body. Her tail didn't lower again, however, and she silently swallowed, starting to shiver there again as her back legs oh so slowly slid apart a tiny bit more.

It took an epic feat of will, but I made myself stay focused on her eyes, heat drifting up into my face, amongst other places. Was this really happening?! "Are you sure, Fluttershy? I want you to be comfortable with this," I asked once more, leaning down a bit as she finally closed her mouth again. A flurry of emotions rushed inside of her, panic and shock fighting with a deeper hunger and... Was that affection? Then she nodded. My heart raced as I fully processed her affirmation.

Fluttershy finally opened her eyes a moment later. "Y-Yes. Please, Mender? I trust you," she finally begged, giving in and actually raising herself with her rear legs to lift her butt up off the mattress, tail folding over her left hip. There was no way I could resist that any further, and my eyes locked onto the one bit of her I'd never fully seen prior.

My breathe caught, eyes widening as I took in every little detail, hardly even realizing I wasn't dreaming, and indeed seeing Fluttershy's most private place with her complete consent. I'd only caught tiny glimpses before now, which did nothing to prepare me for the full view. Admittedly, I didn't know what an equine was supposed to look like back there, but it was familiar enough for me to easily identify the parts. Her puffy and partially parted slit was totally soaked, letting free thick streams of her juices to slide down her inner thighs, now leaving spots on her blanket. It wasn't purely symmetrical, having a thicker, more puffed out lower half, sort of like a light teardrop shape. It was a darker yellow than the rest of her as well, which I didn't remember seeing before. The skin must darken with blood during arousal? That made sense, as they were thicker and more pronounced as well. So, not that different from a Keldarian.

Feeling a little more sure of myself now that I realized how 'familiar' it was, I suddenly became conscious of the sheer amount of fluid she was producing, I shifted slightly and slid the blankets across and under her rear legs, causing her to shiver as I raised them individually to do so. There, now her bedspread wouldn't get wet.

The scent, however, was far more potent at this range and with nothing covering it, and I freely let myself inhale, feeling it shoot through my body as my pulse quickened. She shuddered at the same time, my own empathy sliding down the link, and suddenly I was surprised by a bit of movement as something popped out of the thicker, bottom portion of her lips, sending a light spray of her liquid right into my face. What was that?! She groaned heatedly as my breath hit her, and I realized that whatever it was, it obviously wasn't bringing her any discomfort. Actually, its position seemed to indicate...

It popped out again a few seconds later, tossing a bit more of her fluids out. Ah, her clitoris? Okay, so it, um, moved on mares. That was new and different from Keldarians, but I didn't have the availability of asking questions as I already promised to help her. I stored it away for later instead.

Moving in a bit more, I felt her jump as I lightly placed a hoof on each of her Cutie Marks. Heh, she had gotten adjusted to me not touching her, I noticed. Deciding to be just a little teasing, I ignored her soaked lips for a moment and slowly kissed her left cheek instead, just under the connection to the rest of her hip. Fluttershy shuddered and let out a low whine, a flicker of motion accompanying another spray of her juices at the same time. Smiling, I teased just along her inner thigh, making sure to clean up the mess she was making of her own fur as her breathing deepened. She certainly made a lot of juice. I wondered idly if it was normal for a mare as I tasted it. It was a unique blend of sweet and tangy, not quite sour but definitely having that lightly tart aftertaste. Yeah, I could definitely get to like the flavor.

Her wings were held out rigid to each side of her as I held her steady, switching to the other leg as I made sure she was clean again. The smell was all around me now, somewhat like honey with a light flowery smell mixed in, which I assumed was her shampoo. A heady scent seeped through it all, however, and I knew I was inhaling tons of pheromones, given my light-headedness. I was wrong, then… She did produce them during post-estrus still. I guess she had reasons to worry about her smell after all. The blood rushed hot through my veins as I licked up to the meeting of her leg and body. At this point, my willpower had melted away, and I just let myself fully extend, throbbing against my stomach as I shivered. Oh, it would be so easy to convince her to let me go even further, but no. This was all for her. I wasn't going to be selfish, and it wasn't my place to be. The little pants and squeaks she let out were reward enough.

Her right cheek got a little nip as I finished kissing lightly up it, and she let out a yelp. "M-Mender, please, if it's not... Ah! Please, no more teasing," Fluttershy managed to gasp out. True to her tone, her puffed lips had swollen even more during my teasing, and I slipped my long tongue down her navel to catch the liberal flood she was releasing as it ran down her torso instead.

Smiling, I slipped further upwards without another word, and both of us shuddered as the flat of my long tongue made contact with her folds directly. Her rear immediately raised a bit more, giving me more access to herself as her back legs spread apart. Oh so carefully, I licked up the entirety of her slit, gathering up all the moisture on the top of my tongue before drinking it in. I could barely think beyond the idea of giving her as much pleasure as I could manage!

Fluttershy buried her face into her pillow, giving out an airy, muffled whimper. Her swollen lips were easy enough to part with my dexterous organ, and I gave a content groan myself as her clit slipped out again, this time directly into my waiting mouth. She gave a sharp intake as I 'caught' her surprisingly mobile button and gave it a light twirl at the base of my tongue. Her inner muscles clenched down at the same time, and it stayed outside for significantly longer as she pushed herself back against my muzzle.

That was all it took. Her pushing back against me, wanton need flooding down her connection as I pushed it right back. I lost restraint and slipped my tongue inside of her, tasting along the wet, hot walls inside her body. Her forelegs gave out completely as my muzzle pushed against her pussy, parting the top with my nose while I dug deeper inside. My nose actually pushed inside of her as well, sinking ever so slightly into her and inhaling her scent, drinking it in as I let it flood through my body. Fluttershy gave out a long whimper that slowly turned into a tiny moan the deeper into her I got, surprisingly loud for Fluttershy.

A heartbeat later, the tip of my tongue brushed into something, barely a third of the distance I predicted. Huh? The haze of my mind managed to halt my actions as she gave a sudden intake, freezing on the spot. A tingle of pain drifted through our connection, and my eyes widened. Fluttershy was physically a virgin. Ponies must have hymens, then?

Adjusting my mental tactics, I retreated from the newfound barrier and gave her throbbing clit an apologetic nuzzle as it popped out again. The pain felt through the link melted away into a miasma of lust and pleasure almost instantly, and I felt her relax against my muzzle. She trusted me completely, despite the compromising position she was in, and that thought spurred me on even more.

Shifting a bit more creative as I picked up my rhythm, I folded my tongue over on itself as I gave shallow thrusts, avoiding the barrier while doubling back with the tip. I'd rapidly discovered that when not popping outside of her, her clit was on the bottom of her tunnel, and still very sensitive. The tip of my tongue found it easily enough, manipulating it in time to each thrust I did with the majority of the flexible appendage.

Fluttershy, while predictably quiet, was far from idle and soundless, giving out a pleased squeak with each thrust before actually starting to push backwards in time to the rhythm I'd set, mouth hanging open while her eyes squeezed shut. Her inner walls clenched repeatedly down on the invader, and I felt her body trying to pull my tongue deeper inside, my muzzle buried into her soaked lips. Thankfully I held her steady with a hoof to each flank, and massaged her Cutie Marks as I worked. Her rear was decidedly larger than Twilight's, with more give and a bit more bounce. For the moment, it was my new favorite thing as I drank in her taste and scent, listening to the wonderful sounds she made with every movement I did. Suddenly, I understood why this was sometimes compared to playing an instrument...

Being in a hypersensitive state already, with my teasing only adding to it, I was surprised she lasted as long as she did. But as fun as it was, it couldn't last forever, and I felt her breathing get faster, less time between the clenching and shivers going through her tight walls. Murmuring contentedly, I pushed a bit harder against her, sensing her gasp and push back at the vibration my voice induced. The distinct smell of 'Fluttershy' was all around me, the dull thud beating through my ears alongside her moans and gasps, making it impossible to think through the haze. If I paid close attention to the sensations, I could almost feel my own tongue touching upon wonderful nerves inside of me.

"A-Ah, please, Mender..." she managed to gasp out, widening her stance as best she could and giving me all the access she could manage. Disappointing her was the last thing I wanted to do, so I pulled out another ace. Magic shot down my tongue, me finally realizing a practical application for tongue casting, and her discovering a unique property of having a coltfriend who was a cyborg.

Her voice hit something comparable to normal talking volumes as she gasped out, it failing a second later as her whole body shivered. Every little spot I'd memorized that got a particularly good whimper or moan from her, I shot full of heat and energy, and her body melted against my mouth. Her spasms cut all strength she had, and I held her up myself as I continued thrusting up until the point she locked down hard on my tongue, entire body going rigid with spasms shooting through her. Copious amounts of her liquid shot out of her while she trembled there, soaking my muzzle in an instant and running down my neck as I tried to drink as much as I could manage. The feedback through our link was incredible at this distance, and I felt smaller tingling shooting through my body, too!

She held herself there for almost twenty seconds, it seemingly endless at the time. Her elongated outcry rang through the room the entire time, literally the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. It coming from Fluttershy at the height of bliss might have made me biased, though. I just kept swallowing, her warm fluids easily going down my throat and I imagined it pooling in my stomach with each gulp.

Afterwards, she collapsed onto the mattress with a limp flop. The silence suddenly made my head spin, the distinctive feeling of my heart pounding inside my chest threatening to overwhelm. I was dizzy and could barely think, only able to see out of one eye as I tried to wipe the slick fluids from the other, almost stumbling in the process. I realized a second later that it had even gotten up my nose, several sneezes wracking my frame, knocking me onto my rump from the force. It felt like a fever danced through my mind as I looked back up at her, unmoving on the bed.

Well, that wasn’t as clean as I’d imagined it to be. "F-Fluttershy, do you think we could, um," I started to ask, voice barely a whisper as I coughed again, feeling the inside of my throat uncharacteristically slippery. She didn't move, however, breathing having deepened and her eyes closed. She fell asleep?! Urges and thoughts burned through my mind. I wanted so badly to climb fully on top of her, waking her up to the sensation of me sliding inside her body. It would be so amazing, and surely she wouldn't...

No. No, she was asleep! She was... Stumbling, I rocked on the surface of the mattress before intentionally falling off the side of the bed. Landing like a bag of wet potatoes on my side jarred my mind out of the haze and I winced, gasping out as I realized I was fully extended and absolutely rock hard. The pheromones had affected me to this degree?! In blind panic, no longer trusting my own judgments, I slid myself around and took off for her bathroom as fast as I could.

It wasn't pleasant, but I didn't have a choice. It only took forty seconds under the shower head with the spray set to what I could only imagine was 'liquid helium' temperature. Well, no, I'd be dead then, and probably everypony in the cottage shortly thereafter from thermal radiation. Turns out, it's really hard to get just a single object cold without making everything around it so as well.

But given that I had the ability to actually reason that out was enough for me, and I retreated from the water to dry off and warm myself up, blood no longer pooling in troublesome spots. That unfortunately left a different task next, however. One I was responsible for all the same, not only as the 'male' from a Keldarian standpoint, but also as the only conscious party capable of doing so.

Gently, I used my magic and a soft, damp towel to properly clean Fluttershy up as well. She was a mess, having leaked a substantial amount of fluids during the event and finale. It took me almost ten minutes to make sure she was spotless and brushed back to satisfaction. Then I had to get her top blanket into the laundry hamper, of course. And even then, I had to figure out where she kept her replacement blankets in the closet downstairs. Thankfully, I had help in that regard.

Angel crossed his front paws and watched me gently tuck Fluttershy back in and give her a kiss on the forehead. The little bunny had investigated after I'd gotten out of the shower and, surprisingly enough, only watched as I made sure Fluttershy was clean and dry, and the blanket taken care of. There was almost a familiar look of understanding in his eyes. I had expected to get attacked again, so this was an uncertain change of pace. Thankfully, the little guy was intelligent to an extreme and led me to where the closet was, and the extra blankets!

Nodding to him, I suddenly realized I was unsure of if her earlier offer still stood after everything that happened. No, it was better to be safe than sorry in the morning. Acknowledging that to myself, I headed for the couch instead, eyeing up the small blanket that she had laid out over the top of it. Making up for lost time, Angel came out of nowhere and drop kicked me in the side of the head, making me veer off course and smash into the small coffee table in front of the couch instead. Reeling, I stumbled backwards and fell into a sitting position, clutching both sides of my muzzle while glaring at the small, white rabbit.

He glared back a second later, and for a moment, we just stared each other down while I waited for my head to stop ringing. It was hard to believe I thought he was a Grosh when we first met. The ears were what got me the most. I was already uneasy way back then, and on the edge of my nerves. Turning to the side and seeing him just staring at me was all it had taken to almost have a heart attack, the memory of them blowing the crap out of everything I loved rather fresh in my mind. Now, however, he was just a tiny rabbit who was seriously annoying me. Why attack me when I was leaving Fluttershy, like he wanted earlier?!

Almost ten seconds later, he stubbornly shook his head and pointed at the couch, making an 'X' motion with his right arm. Eh? His other arm rose up as that one dropped a moment later, and he pointed back towards the bed with Fluttershy, giving the direction a double jab, as if imagining my face was next to him, getting repeatedly punched.

"W-What?! I can't... I shouldn't assume she wants me to sleep in her bed after..." I hissed before cutting myself off. I also shouldn't assume he knew what had transpired, even though I had a sneaking suspicion he was even more aware of what had happened than I was. My mind personally still reeled with the implications of what I had just done with Fluttershy.

He kicked me in the right forehoof with his paw and jabbed over to the bed again, eyes narrowing a little more. Okay, so he had changed his mind about me? Or was there something else he was trying to point out by the bed? Sighing, I turned around and walked back over there instead, hopping up on the mattress and looking around for anything specific that might be wrong. Fluttershy was still asleep and tucked in comfortably enough, although I noticed she shivered lightly, her ear twitching in time with it. Was she cold?

Turning, I started for the edge of the mattress again to grab the other blanket on the couch. I could do without so long as I knew she was warm. The little bunny cut me off, however, giving me another stern glare and pointing back over at Fluttershy. What did he want me to do if I couldn't go get another blanket?!

His arms wrapped around himself a moment later and he swayed, pantomiming a hugging motion, and I blushed. Oh. It all fell into place. How well did he know Fluttershy? Was his suggestion accurate, and she wouldn't be angry when she woke up? How many times would he kick my face in should I ignore his suggestion?

Sighing, I decided the noises of him bashing on my armor would undoubtedly wake her up anyway, and I gave in, sliding up and under the covers with her. She shivered again over her whole body as I moved forwards, wrapping my forelegs around her and hugging her closer. She didn't wake, to my surprise, instead exhaling gently and resting her forehead against my chest, as if somehow aware it was me. Did she have that much control over the link that she could feel it subconsciously? The draw was there as well, which was something I'd never felt after the sleeping individual, usually Twilight, had already fallen asleep. Was it possible to enter somepony's dream after they were already unconscious?

Angel gave a small smile, so quick I almost didn't see it before he whipped around and hopped out the door to her room, slowly closing it as he left. Well, that was interesting. He trusted me with his 'mom' now? Deciding not to mention it to Fluttershy, I turned and pushed my forehead into hers a second later. I guessed it was okay to be a little greedy and see if I could have company for tonight. Curious to see how my test would go, I closed my eyes and let my energy flow into her mind, drifting into the dream she was already having...

Author's Notes:

Reasons for Censorship: Sexual Situations