Despite not technically being home, I was kinda sad to leave my room in the palace. It was a nice room with a comfy bed and a decent view from the balcony. I even had a few fond memories of the place. There was me nearly getting smothered by big yellow boobs, nearly getting smothered by big pink boobs, arguing with Twilight about something or another, awkwardly chatting with alien royalty, throwing pillows at those who displeased me, and all those wonderful wake-up calls courtesy of Fluttershy. During my short stay in the palace, the room had become a sanctuary of sorts, my safe haven.

And I was about to leave it for some town out in the boonies where who knew what lay in store.

Packing up and carrying all my belongings was easy considering how little I actually had. My wardrobe consisted of the clothes on my back plus some extra changes of underwear. I also took some hygiene supplies from the bathroom on the assumption that they were complimentary. I dropped everything I wasn't wearing into a pillow case and tied that to the end of a broom handle I'd pilfered from a nearby maid's closet.

I took a moment to check myself out in the mirror. Before I'd been pulled out of my bedroom back on Earth, my beard was little more than stubble. By now, it had grown in just enough to be properly scraggly. Unfortunately, whoever stocked the bathroom hadn't thought to include a shaving kit or even a beard trimmer. My hair was pretty much a lost cause as well. I was already overdue for a haircut before, but now, even a tactful observer would consider it, "a bit unruly." I still ran a comb through, for all the good that would accomplish.

On general principle, I paced around the room one last time before heading back down. I knew I hadn't forgotten anything important because everything I really wanted to have with me was on my home world and thus, inaccessible.

As I completed my circuit, Luna appeared in the doorway. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends await. Are you finished here?"

Saying nothing, I nodded and followed her out.

Luna headed off into the throne room once we'd made it downstairs. The entry hall had more than just Twilight and company waiting on me. A handful of guards and a few nurses from the medical staff were also set for the trip. One of the guards was discussing something with Twilight over an unrolled piece of paper. As I approached, I saw it was a map that appeared to show the route our train would take.

"So, we're taking the scenic route?" I butted in after listening in for a few seconds.

The guard spoke up first. "When a train pulling two royal sleeper coaches passes through a town, it tends to attract attention. In the interest of security, we're taking a longer route that keeps us away from crowded areas until we reach Ponyville."

I accepted the guard's explanation. It only made sense to keep the VIP out of harm's way when traveling.

"What?" Twilight asked. "No argument?"

"He answered my question, not you," I pointed out, gesturing to each of them in turn.

Celestia and Luna emerged from the throne room and got everyone's attention. The assembled ponies made their best attempts at bowing without falling over. Most of them succeeded, if only just. The Princesses, for their part, acknowledged them with their usual benevolence.

Luna addressed the group, "We apologize for not accompanying you all to the station. Our duties require us to remain here. Nevertheless, we shall see you off from here with the assurance that accomodations in Ponyville have been arranged for those without residence, and that reasonable expenses will be covered by the crown."

The guards opened the main palace doors and filed out first, followed by the nurses. Twilight and the others got more personal farewells from Celestia and Luna, who had moved over to the exit to distribute hugs and nuzzles.

I went ahead to wait outside, but a pink wing belonging to a pink Princess disagreed with my decision. "Ah ah ah, not so fast," Cadance chided lightly. "You're not going anywhere until you go over there and get your hugs."

Retracting her wing, Cadance guided me into line and took her spot behind me. I soon found myself in front of Celestia. She regarded me with an amused smirk before pulling me in. As I'd predicted many times before, my face went straight into that wonderful place betwixt her beautiful, bountiful bosoms. I didn't do anything so tasteless as motorboating. I did, however, take slightly more time than was strictly necessary to enjoy my position. Besides, she was still hugging me. I finally managed to reach up and hook my arms under her shoulders to return the hug.

Just before letting me go, the Princess leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Was that so hard?"

Luna, being slightly shorter than Celestia, couldn't quite smother me in fuzzy cleavage the way her sister had. Instead, she rested her chin on top of my head as I rested the side of my face on her rack. Luna had decided to get her wings in on the act. I couldn't reach upward to return the hug like I had on the taller Princess, and I also couldn't wrap my arms around the normal way. I was forced to aim for a slightly lower target. I tried not to squeeze. Really, I did.

Luna broke the hug and gave a quick nuzzle before she whispered, "We shall meet again soon," and let me go.

Not long after I'd stepped outside, the pink Princess exchanged parting hugs with her peers and joined us outside, grinning at me as she approached. "So," she teased, "Ready to admit you enjoyed that?"

With a defiant huff, I made a show out of crossing my arms and turning my head to the side. That earned me a few giggles, but principles are principles. Like hell I would admit defeat, even if I had been beaten, which I hadn't been.

During our exchange, the guard escort had closed the palace entrance behind us and took up positions around the group. Twilight took the lead and headed for the main gate. Cadance followed close behind me. I offered my arms to provide stability to the less sure-footed members of the group. Fluttershy and one of the nurses took me up on it.

Slowly, but surely, we made our way into the city proper, drawing more than a few stares from the few locals who were out and about. Like my previous trip out with Rarity, I got the distinct feeling that there were more eyes watching us from inside the homes along the street. Also, I idly noted that I had somehow drifted to the center of our procession, surrounded on all sides by Twilight's friends, the accompanying medical staff, and Cadance. An outer layer of royal guards completed the formation.

Our route to the train station took us off the main drag and onto one of the side streets. Most of the businesses were either closed or closing as the Sun drifted slowly toward the horizon. There were, however, certain other businesses that appeared to be just waking up, if the pink lights shining from behind a few windows were any indication.

'Surely, it's just a coincidence,' I thought to myself.

Conveniently, our path happened to veer close enough to one of these nocturnal establishments that I could verify my suspicions. It was housed within the upper floor of what appeared to be a store of some kind. The store's sign advertised its primary wares, warhammers and watermelons, and an exterior staircase provided access to the upper part. When I saw the other sign, I stopped in my tracks, and my jaw hit the metaphorical floor.

Whore Spun

House of Comfort

My groan and sudden halt drew surprised protests from several members of my escort, in turn drawing the attention of the self-proclaimed leader of our group.

"Is there a problem, Richard?"

"Do they have no shame?" I asked the world at large. "They're not even bothering to hide it."

"Why should they be ashamed?" Rarity asked. "It's just a comfort house. Not everypony approves of them, but the taxes always go toward charitable causes."

"Maybe he wants to make a detour," Pinkie suggested, waggling her eyebrows in my direction.

"We don't have time for that," Twilight protested.

"Oh Twilight," Cadance reassured. "It's a private train reserved especially for our use. The engineers wouldn't leave us behind."

"Let's just go," I cut off the discussion before it could get out of hand. On one hand, I was agreeing with Twilight, which was a terrible thing in and of itself. On the other, patronizing a brothel at this stage seemed kind of redundant. I deemed it better to stick with the relatively known quantities surrounding me than to risk whatever the local adult entertainment industry might serve up. For all I knew, it could be full of the alien equivalent of ladyboys.

The train station wasn't much further. We walked just a few more blocks before the platform and tracks came into view. From the looks of it, ours was the only remaining departure for the evening. The ticket booth was already closed, but there were still a few station attendants and guards milling about.

From the outside, the royal coaches looked exactly like one would expect them to. Someone with actual taste and a talent for design had ensured that all the ornate trimmings were there without being overly ostentatious or offensive to the eye. The trim lines extended along the entire length of the train, including the engine itself. To hazard a guess, Twilight, Cadance, and the girls would take the two royal cars, and the guards, medical staff, and I would be distributed among the other three cars along with whatever catering and other services would accompany us on the trip.

To my surprise, Cadance took me by the shoulder as I started following the guards to their car and steered me to the first of the two royal coaches instead. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Uhh..." I replied dumbly. "I thought that since we're going so far out of the way for security, the most secure place for me would be with the guards."

"Nice try," the pink Princess said dismissively. "But you're riding with us. We even set it up for you to have your own bed."

Thankful for at least one small concession, I let her guide me on board. The first sleeping compartment took up most of the width of the car, leaving a narrow passageway for movement from one car to the next. I couldn't see inside the compartment because of the curtains over the windows. Separating the two sleeping compartments was a common area in the middle of the car. The furniture was not unlike the sitting area in my guest room, with a low coffee table surrounded by plush sofas and chairs.

Cadance indicated the far compartment to be my bed for the night. Stepping inside, I dropped my stuff on a nearby table. The bed covers were more or less what my guest room had but smaller, for obvious reasons. Though, I could still easily fit on it with plenty of room to spare. The rest of the room wasn't much to speak of. There was a small vanity in one corner as well as a sink next to a curtained-off area that housed a commode. The sparse decor made me wonder if Celestia had a say in it, or if it was simply a practical matter of not wanting a bunch of fragile, expensive stuff getting jostled around on a moving train.

I turned back to the common area to see only Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy looking back at me. The others had already made their way to the other coach.

"Don't just stand there, darling. Come join us," Rarity said, gesturing to an empty spot on the couch next to Fluttershy.

"Yeah," Pinkie chimed in. "We have cookies."

'How can I refuse?'

Sure enough, there was a tray of cookies sitting on the table along with a pitcher of milk and some glasses. I took the offered seat and began reviewing my options. The peanut butter cookies were right out. Many family members have tried, without success, to produce one that I would like, but as far as I was concerned, peanut butter just never tastes right after baking. Outside of that, there was the fairly standard trio of sugar, chocolate chip, and oatmeal raisin. I went with the oatmeal raisin and poured myself a glass of milk.

From outside, the conductor called, "All aboard!" and the train began moving shortly after.

"To Ponyville!" Pinkie declared happily.

Unsure of what to talk about, I let the girls tell me all about their hometown and their livelihoods and the things they wanted to show me once we arrived. According to them, I would just love it in Ponyville, or at the very least, I wouldn't lack for something to do. After a while, Rarity complained that it was too stuffy inside the cabin. I thought it was perfectly fine, but she asked nicely so I agreed to let her open one of the windows to let some air in.

The way down the mountain passed through several tunnels and made too much noise for any kind of peaceful shuteye, so I waited it out while helping Pinkie deplete the cookie supply. After we cleared the last tunnel, my travel buddies excused themselves to their compartment. Apparently, they'd had the same idea as I did.

With the door shut behind me, I shed my clothes and went about my usual evening routine. The bed made up for its smaller size by being extra soft, and I settled in to make myself comfortable for the night. For the first time in a while, I had little trouble falling asleep.

The tattered rags I wore did nothing to protect from the ice storm, yet I still clung to them as if my life depended on it. I didn't know how to do anything else. Flat and empty, the landscape extended as far as I could see in every direction. Although, in the driving snow, that wasn't very far. At least, that's what I told myself as I forced myself to keep going, to find some kind of shelter even as I became more disoriented by the minute. Any respite from the bitter cold would do.

Suddenly, I was engulfed in warmth. The snowstorm hadn't abated. It simply no longer reached me, as if a barrier had formed and shut out the frigid wind. Wherever my skin was exposed, I felt a strange but soft tickling sensation, not unlike being wrapped in a thick, fuzzy, invisible blanket.

I woke up to find a pair of new additions to my bed. They pressed gently against my shoulders. Other additions included an arm wrapped around my chest and a wing folded around my entire upper body. To top it all off, whoever had joined me had thrown an extra comforter over both of us.

Though a sheet and blanket still separated me from my newfound companion, my chest and shoulders were not covered. Her fur and feathers felt like fine silk against my bare skin. Given the wings, I could narrow down the list of potential culprits. Celestia and Luna had stayed behind in Canterlot, so they were out. Rainbow Dash lacked the chest cushions to give the same sensation I felt in my shoulders. Twilight and Cadance were possible candidates, but I was pretty sure Twilight wasn't that fond of me, and Cadance seemed more interested in teasing me while encouraging the others rather than indulging in activities herself. That just left one other possibility. A contented sigh from behind confirmed my suspicion. Fluttershy was in bed with me.

If she felt the sudden jump in my heart rate, she didn't say anything. Although, she was most likely still asleep and had no idea I was awake. It certainly wasn't an unpleasant feeling to be embraced in such a manner. In fact, the warmth and tenderness of being held so closely by someone else was more than welcome. I just never expected Fluttershy to be so forward so soon. Rarity and Pinkie Pie seemed more flirtatious and outgoing. I figured one of them would've made the first move.

Of course, I'd learned enough from everyone else to know that the yellow one's apparent shyness wasn't the whole picture. If the things they said were true, then this girl had sent a full-grown, honest-to-god dragon packing simply by reading him the riot act. She also won a staring contest with a foul beast that could turn its victim to stone for that type of offense, and I still remembered her telling me about how she wakes up sleeping bears for fun.

With all that in mind, if this world's most hardcore badass had decided that it was time for cuddling, then I was certainly not in a position to argue. Not that I would anyway, I couldn't even think of the right words to describe just how good it felt.

Besides, she just so happened to be perfectly positioned to snap my neck at the first sign of defiance, but that was more of a side note coming from the cynical part of my mind. I let myself sink into the relaxing warmth and fell back asleep.

I was surrounded by flowers, a whole field of flowers, far as the eye could see in every direction. Some light clouds provided just the right amount of shade, allowing the sun to gently warm the landscape without overwhelming everything. I walked around aimlessly for a while, still alone as far as I could tell. At least the smell was pleasant. A gentle breeze mixed all the scents together and wafted the finished product across my face.

Curious, I bent down and picked one of the flowers for closer inspection. For reasons I couldn't explain, I decided to give it a taste test, just a lick. It certainly didn't taste like what I expected a flower to taste like. The petals seemed to have a fuzzy underside that tickled my chin and bottom lip, and they had a definite non-leafy texture. It crossed my mind that I probably wasn't dealing with literal flowers.

When I woke up again, the light of dawn was already peeking in through the window and illuminating the compartment's interior. Fluttershy's ear twitched and batted me in the face, damp with my saliva. Putting two and two together, I noted that we had switched positions during the night. We had both rolled over in our sleep and now faced the cabin instead of the window, making me the big spoon. Since her wings prevented me from getting an arm around her properly, my hand had decided of its own accord to place itself on her hip. As a further act of treason, it was gently stroking up and down from her butt to her side.

After a few seconds, Fluttershy began to stir, and if her pleased murmuring was any indication, she had no objections to this horrifying state of affairs. She even curled up a bit and pressed her back tighter against my chest, allowing my traitorous hand to reach around to her stomach. How she managed to stay comfortable with her wings folded the way they were was beyond me.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the cabin door, and Rarity stepped in. "Fluttershy, are you in..." She trailed off as soon as she saw the two of us in our compromising position. Her look of bewilderment quickly changed to one of mischief. "My my my, Bill, what do we have here?"

"It's not what it looks like," I defended, removing my hand from Fluttershy's flawless flank. Although, Rarity probably wouldn't have noticed since it was underneath a thick comforter. She definitely wouldn't have noticed the morning wood straining against boxers and bedsheets to press against her yellow friend's backside. Fluttershy, for her part, continued to give no objections.

Rarity tilted her head to the side, looking confused. "Really?" she asked. Then she reverted to her previous look of mischievous glee, "So you aren't feeling cold and snuggling up to Fluttershy to stay warm? Why Bill, I never expected this from you. Yet here you are, taking Princess Cadance's advice. Good for you."

"Did somepony say my name?" the aforementioned pink Princess inquired as she stepped into the cabin, once again demonstrating her impeccable timing. She got one look at how red my face was before covering her mouth to suppress the impending giggles.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy rolled over to face me, getting my attention by taking my hand and holding it to her chest. "It's okay, Bill. You don't have to do anything, um, if you don't want to," she said softly.

"When did you come in here anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Um, well," Fluttershy hesitated. "After we went to bed last night, I felt a chill in our cabin. Then, I remembered that we forgot to shut the window before we went to bed, and I thought that if it was bad for us, it must be awful for you, so I came to check. You were shivering so bad that I had to warm you up fast, and the only way to do that was to share my body heat. Please don't be mad at me."

Only a soulless monster could stay mad in the face of those deep, pleading pools of blue looking back at me, not that I was angry to begin with. On the inside, I felt almost as warm and fuzzy as the copious cleavage currently concealing my hand. I let out a relaxed sigh and angled my head to touch my forehead to hers for a couple seconds. Fluttershy let out a barely audible giggle and nuzzled under my chin in return.

Cadance finally recovered enough to speak up again, "Awww," she complained. "So do I get to tell Twilight not to bother setting up the extra bed or not?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I replied. "Though, I am warming up to the idea."

That drew giggles from both Rarity and Cadance. "Well, we'll just leave you two alone, then," Rarity said, turning to leave. "Breakfast is outside when you're ready."

"We'll be in Ponyville in about an hour, so don't take too long," Cadance added as she left.

That just left me and the yellow one. She was still cuddled up against me and reluctant to move. I understood completely. I, too, didn't want to get up, but given the time limit, something had to give.

"Fluttershy, I'm fine now. You can go join your friends, and I'll be out there as soon as I get dressed."

"Oh my. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." she started saying in an increasingly frantic voice.

"Fluttershy," I cut her off. "I'm not mad. You have nothing to apologize for."

She calmed down a bit before extricating herself from me and the pile of sheets, blankets, and bedcovers on top of us. Once free to move again, I sat up to watch her leave.

"Thanks," I said quietly, and she stopped short of the door to look back at me. "I needed that, but if you tell anyone else about it, I'll deny everything."

Fluttershy just smiled in acknowledgement before walking out and shutting the door behind her.

All eight of us ate breakfast together in the sitting area outside my cabin. By the time we were all done, the train had begun to slow down for its approach to Ponyville. My first order of business was to get settled into my guest room at Twilight's residence, which doubled as the public library for some reason. I guessed it was just another cultural oddity that I had to write off. Of course, I did put up a token protest to staying with the purple one, but Cadance insisted that it wasn't up for debate since Celestia had placed me under royal supervision and that she was also staying with Twilight.

One by one, Twilight's friends broke off from the group towards their own homes as we made our way through Ponyville. We even left the medical team and all but one of the guards at an inn just off the main street.

All three of us had to duck just to get in the front door of the library, but at least the ceiling inside was a reasonable height. The remaining guard posted himself outside. Twilight's live-in assistant, a so-called baby dragon named Spike, showed me up to my accomodations. Upon seeing his posture and bipedal gait, I asked if he was affected by the same transformation as the ponies. Apparently, dragons have a high enough resistance to magic that he hadn't been changed.

In exchange for a few moments of peace and quiet, I agreed to let him ask any questions he wanted at a later time. He seemed like an okay kid, if a bit excitable. Granted, I was an alien from another planet taking up residence in his house. He went down to help the two Princesses with whatever they needed while I took stock of my new digs. The bed was smaller than those at the palace and in the royal coaches on the train, but it was pretty close to what I had back home. It wasn't anything special, but it was clean and serviceable, and that was all that mattered to me. I emptied my bindle and sorted out what little I had. An empty drawer became the new home to my pile of extra skivvies, and I set aside my hygiene supplies to be moved into the bathroom if and when I ever found a spot for them among the piles of products likely accumulated by my hostess.

Heading downstairs, I was nearly bowled over by Cadance. She wrapped her arms around me, looked me in the eyes, and gave me the biggest sad puppy face I'd ever seen.

"Uhh, can I help you?" I asked awkwardly, not expecting this kind of attack without context. Although, a not-so-small part of me was ready to agree to whatever she wanted.

"Can I sleep with you? Twilight's bed is too small for the both of us, and the only other option is the couch."

"Cadance!" From the sound of her voice, Twilight was horrified at the prospect. "You're married!"

"What of it?" the pink one retorted, not letting me go. "Your brother is married too, but we don't let it get in the way of this and that."

Spike took the opportunity to make his presence known. "Uhh, am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, Spike..." Twilight trailed off for a few seconds. "How would you like to go help Rarity? She's been away from her boutique for so long without her supplies. I'll bet she needs someone to take care of her chores while she's busy with any new ideas she's come up with."

"Really?" Spike asked as if Christmas had come early.

"Yes, you have my permission."

I didn't think the little guy could move so fast. The front door was opened and shut before I could see where he'd been.

"Wait, what's going on?" I chimed in. I was still processing what Cadance wanted from me and why she wanted it.

"I want to know if you're willing to share the guest bed with me since Twilight's bed is too small, and the couch is uncomfortable."

As soon as Cadance let me go, I walked over to the couch and sat down. "Twilight says you're married," I pointed out. "Where I'm from, that sort of thing is pretty heavily frowned on, especially if you're a public figure. Adultery is serious business."

Cadance just rolled her eyes and sat down next to me. "Shining is probably getting busy with one of the mistresses I introduced him to as we speak. We've both agreed that we can still mess around with other ponies as long as we're upfront about it, and it's not estrus season. When the mares are in heat, though, he's all mine."

Twilight seemed to take this revelation even worse than I did. Granted, she was probably learning way more about her brother's sex life than she ever cared to know. "B-but, I thought the transformation made us all go into heat out of season," she rationalized.

"You had access to a room full of doctors and nurses, and you never bothered to confirm it with them?" Cadance asked incredulously. "The hormones are there, so we all feel like we're in heat, but none of the mares that have been checked were actually fertile. It's a false estrus, so Shining can get all the practice he needs in his new body while I'm away. Then, when I get back, he can show me everything he's learned. It'll be like a test."

I couldn't decide whether to be amused at Twilight's horrified reaction or terrified by Cadance's gleeful enthusiasm while discussing the subject at hand.

"Sooo," Cadance turned her attention back in my direction and drew out her words slowly. "Can I? I can help you stay warm during the cold nights."

I knew she was turning up the charm to entice me, and it was super effective. "Fine," I relented with a sigh. "But no funny business."

"Of course I wouldn't try any funny business," the pink Princess radiated the innocence of pure intentions in every direction. "I solemnly swear I won't do anything Fluttershy didn't do with you on the train," she said. Then she leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Unless you want me to."

Cadance gave me a quick wink as she leaned back. Twilight shot me a Dirty Look.

'Why do I feel like I've sold my soul to the Devil?'