Morning reached over Ponyville and Luke woke up to an unusual feeling. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to see that he was all alone in Pinkie’s bed. This was unusual because one of his girlfriends would either still be asleep with him to give him a morning kiss or doing something very intimate. It was usually Molly that would give him that magical awakening during some days and he never really argued it. He grew accustomed to her antics since it was the way that she showed she truly loved him.

Not wasting any time, he got out of bed and headed for the shower. Exiting the room, he noticed one of the other occupants of the house. He was an earth stallion that had a coat of light brilliant amber with light brilliant orange freckles. His mane and tail is a light brilliant orange and he could see the carrot cake topped with white icing on his hand. His eyes were a moderate pistachio and always made the human felt greeted every time they met. The stallion was already dressed in his striped shirt and pants, an apron draped over his front with a few stains already adorning it.

“Good morning, Carrot Cake,” Luke greeted the stallion.

“Good morning to you as well, but please, Luke, just call me Carrot,” Carrot said as he offered a warm smile.

The stallion walked out of the room with his two newborn foals in his arms. Pound Cake was a pegasus colt with a light goldish gray coat. His mane and tail were a regular brown and his eyes were a dark grayish tangelo. His sister Pumpkin Cake was a unicorn filly with a light yellow coat. Her mane and tail were a light brilliant orange and her eyes were a brilliant azure. Luke could see her horn give a pale cerulean aura before Carrot stopped her magic.

“To think this is the same filly that tripped me when I was walking down this hall,” Luke stated as he gave a laugh.

“Yeah, it’s tough caring for a unicorn and pegasus when you’re an earth pony, but I love them all the same,” Carrot said as he nuzzled his foals.

Next to leave the room was an earth mare with a light cerulean coat. Her mane and tail were light crimson with pale crimson stripes running through them. She was dressed in her work clothes as well and her apron showed her cutie mark which was three cupcakes with pink frosting. Her eyes were a brilliant rose that offered motherly comfort to those that needed it. The human was one of those that sought out her advice during his stay with Pinkie.

“Hello, Cup Cake,” Luke greeted the mare.

“Hello, Luke. If my husband is offering you a chance to call him Carrot, then you can call me Cup. You’ve been around long enough to at least call us that,” Cup said with a smile.

“That reminds me, Pinkie is looking for you,” Carrot said.

“What does she need me for?” Luke asked.

“She wouldn’t say. All I got out of her was that it was a surprise for her coltfriend,” Carrot answered.

“Well, I was heading for a shower. Can you tell her that I’ll be down when I finish?” Luke asked.

“Of course, dear. Just don’t keep her waiting too long since you know how she gets with surprises,” Cup joked.

“I’m very aware and I’ll finish as fast as I can,” Luke said.

The group said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways. It was an awkward first meeting when the human met the married couple, but they were very kind to his surprise. They allowed him to work at the shop to pay his own rent even though they said it wasn’t much trouble. He felt that he needed to since he had Molly and Pinkamena staying with him. The alicorn and dark pink mare offered their own assistance in the store as well. The human couldn’t help but laugh as he remembered the different attitudes the molesting alicorn took when working. The alicorn would be kind and courteous to other ponies, but when it came to his friends and their mares, she was dirty jokes and uncomfortable situations all the way.

He was thankful that the alicorn put a soundproof bubble around Pinkie’s room so they wouldn’t disturb their hosts. Laughing to himself after a funny memory, he quickly jumped into the shower and got cleaned. The hot water really soothed his body from the past aches he’s been feeling. It wasn’t uncommon for him to feel these aches as they came and go at their own time. The aches related to his infection, but he has noticed their slight increase in frequency. He chalked it up to the activation of his new powers since his body needed more time to heal.

He had also been running around with Marcus’ girlfriends for the past couple of days as well. They were trying to find him a gift, but they needed his opinion. They told him their ideas of what they wanted to get him, but they were never really good ones. He offered his own advice that would actually be a great gift to give Marcus. He explained what they should get him and after the mares were done talking with each other, they nodded their heads in agreement. For the past couple of days he had been leaving the house late at night to help them with making Marcus’ gift.

The gift was coming along nicely and should be ready for a planned sleepover Twilight had planned. That conversation was really awkward for everyone as the males tried to find an excuse to go. Drak and Callie were the only ones interested in going and that left trying to convince the others. Andrew gave in as he couldn’t continue to say no to Fluttershy’s cute expression. Alex was tricked into going as he didn’t know it was happening until the lavender unicorn brought it up.

Rarity pulled out her fainting couch and the easily got Ryan to agree. Jaeden agreed when Octavia and Vinyl ganged up on him and told him that he was going. Blake came along since the princesses wanted to find an excuse to skip out on court duty. Brandon gave up when Rose refused to let him stay at home with Bon-Bon staying over. The mare still had a hard time with other mares being around her mate, but she was slowly letting up since she agreed to a herd with her human lover. Luke himself got tricked into going when Pinkie said something too fast for him to understand. He later learned the she pretty much asked him to go.

Whooves ended up going since Callie threatened not to go on any adventures with him if he didn’t go. Marcus was the most stubborn as he kept refusing to go. Everyone was finally able to get him to go when Spitfire and Rainbow challenged him to a bet. Ever since he got together with those athletic mares, he’s been up to more challenges from them if they were looking for something to do. He was determined to win the bet since he ended up on the couch a couple of days ago. The only answer he gave was ‘Spectrum’ and ‘trap question’ as to why he ended up in that predicament.

With a date set for the sleepover, the friends said their goodbyes as they went about their separate ways. Luke shook his head as he finished off his shower and got dressed. He walked down the stairs to see Chrysalis standing in front of the counter. Once the changeling got used to living in Ponyville, she became a regular customer at Sugarcube Corner. Everyone in the confectionary shop memorized her order to the heart and would make it for her whenever she would show up for some treats.

The human noticed something was off as the changeling shuffled about nervously. It didn’t seem like anyone had noticed her presence and he decided to get her order. He walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. The changeling noticed him and called out to him before he was gone.

“Luke, I would like to get something different,” Chrysalis said with a bit of hesitation.

“Oh, uh, what would like?” Luke asked as he grabbed the notepad and pencil.

“I would like some vanilla cake, white chocolate strawberries, and some candy hearts. Could you also make those candy hearts in the shape of a broken heart?” Chrysalis asked.

“Sure. Would you like anything else?” Luke asked as he paid close attention to the changeling.

“That will be all, thank you,” Chrysalis said as she took a seat at a nearby table.

Luke looked at the order had written down and knew something was wrong. There was a chance that the changeling could feel the slight worry that he was giving off, but he didn’t question her. He gave one cautions look to the changeling before disappearing in the kitchen. He didn’t see the Cakes anywhere or his girlfriends. Shrugging to himself, he went to work on Chrysalis’ order. It was weird to make the treats she requested since it was not really anything she enjoyed eating. The changeling was known to despise vanilla and she didn’t like any fruit with her chocolate.

Her regular order consisted of a dark chocolate molten lava cake, some chocolate bars, and chocolate hearts. The hearts stayed the same, but instead of being in full hearts like always, she asked for a broken look. The smile that he had when making the treats as gone as he made the depressing order. Sliding the first batch into the oven, he opened the kitchen store to see the changeling slumped over on her table. He noticed the rise and fall of her body and retreated back into his workspace after seeing she was okay.

Seeing that he had some time till the candy was ready, he pulled out his phone. He cycled through his contacts until he found Marcus and left for another room. He walked through one of the side doors and left a little crack as he heard his phone ring. After five rings, Marcus finally picked up the phone.

“What’s up, Luke?” Marcus asked in a slightly tired tone.

“Are you just getting up?” Luke asked.

“No, I was up late with Nightmare as she asked for my opinion on some of her star arrangements,” Marcus replied.

“Do you know what’s wrong with Chrysalis?” Luke asked.

“Not really. She’s been down for a while, but hasn’t said anything to me. Is there a problem with her at Sugarcube Corner?” Marcus asked, the sound of water could be heard in the background.

“You know her regular order, right?” Luke asked as he stepped out of the room and started sorting the candies.

“Yeah. What did she order this time?” Marcus asked with curious concern.

“She ordered a vanilla cake, white chocolate strawberries, and broken heart chocolate,” Luke answered.

“God damn it,” Marcus muttered into the phone.

“Do you know what that means?” Luke asked with slight hope.

“Sadly, I don’t. The only thing you gave me an answer to was where her appetite is going,” Marcus sighed heavily.

“Do you want me to let the others know?” Luke asked as he packed the candy.

“Please do, but tell them to be discreet. I’m worried, but I don’t want to seem that I’m prying into her personal life. Keep me updated if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary,” Marcus said.

“I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I’ll talk to you later,” Luke answered.

“Talk to you later,” Marcus said.

Luke hung up his phone and put it away as he finished up packing the candies. Taking one last look around to make sure he got everything, he grabbed the bag and exited the kitchen. He noticed the changeling had her head propped on the table with her chin. Her eyes had a far-away look as she stared at the blue wall. Her focus returned when she saw the human carrying the bag of her candy. She got up from the table and as she was about to pay, he told her that this one was on the house.

She looked at the human suspiciously for a few seconds before taking the bag. The changeling gave a small nod before heading out the door. The human watched her leave before turning around as seeing his Pinkie walking towards him. He waved to the pink mare, but soon noticed a few other ponies behind her. He could make out Pinkamena and Molly, but didn’t know the other five. As the small group walked towards him, he took in the features of the new ponies.

There was an older stallion with a dark orange-yellow coat. His mane and tail were gray, easily showing his age. His eyes were a dark amber and he had long sideburns. He wore a black hat on his head as he had a black vest over a white t-shirt. He had long black pants and dirty black shoes. Next to him was an older mare with a light gray coat. Her eyes were blue as she wore gold rimmed glasses. Her mane and tail were a dark gray and she wore a piece of black cloth around her neck as she wore an old dress.

Next to the older mare were two other mares that seemed younger than Pinkie. The young mare on the left had a gray coat and her mane and tail were a dark gray like the older mare next to her. Her eyes were a dark purple as she talked with the young pony next to her. She wore a shirt and skirt with knee high socks and shoes. The next young mare had a dark purple coat and her mane and tail were a very light gray. Her eyes were a dark amber like the older stallion at the far end. She was wearing a shirt and slacks with a pair of running shoes.

The final mare threw him off as she seemed completely emotionless. It sort of bothered him to look at her as it reminded him of his friends and himself after their infection. The mare stood next to the stallion and she had a bluish gray coat. Her mane and tail were a blue violet and her eyeshadow was blue violet as well. Her eyes were a light turquoise and they seemed completely devoid of any emotion. She wore a simple dress with a belt around her waist. He looked back over at Pinkie to see her running towards him.

Experience finally got the human to prepare for any Pinkie surprise jump when he saw her coming. As expected, when she was a few feet away, she jumped straight at him. He easily caught the energetic mare as they embraced each other. The mare a happy sigh as she nuzzled his cheek. He gently stroked her mane as he enjoyed her warm company. He was pulled from the embrace when he heard a gruff cough. He opened his eyes to see the elder stallion look at him curiously. The human let go of the pink mare as Molly and Pinkamena walked next to him.

“Who is this, Pinkie?” The stallion asked as he kept his eyes on the human.

“Dad, this is my coltfriend Luke,” Pinkie replied happily.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pie,” Luke said as he extended a hand.

“The name’s Igneous Rock, but please, call me Igneous. This is my wife Cloudy Quartz and out other three daughters. Introduce yourself, girls,” Igneous said in a gruff voice.

“My name is Marble,” the young gray mare said.

“My name is Limestone,” the young purple mare said.

“My name is Maud,” the slightly older gray mare said in a dull tone.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you all. Please, let us come inside and we can talk,” Luke offered as he stepped to the side.

All the ponies entered and gave their thanks as they passed the human. Luke took one last look to see if he could spot Chrysalis. He couldn’t find the changeling anywhere and went back inside. His girlfriends and the entire Pie family were seated at one of the nearby tables and took his seat in the middle. Pinkie didn’t hold back her excitement as she leaned in close and gave the human a kiss on the cheek. The three mares nuzzled him as Cloudy and Igneous looked at him with slight interest.

“So you’re the human that Pinkie has been telling us about?” Cloudy asked.

“I hope that she’s been saying good things about me,” Luke gave a small chuckle.

“Nothing but praise about you. I do have an off topic sort of question,” Cloudy said with slight hesitation.

“Ask anything you want,” Luke said with a small smile.

“Who exactly is this other mare that slightly resembles Pinkie?” Cloudy asked as she gestured to the mare.

“My name’s Pinkamena,” Pinkamena answered a little nervously.

“Just like my daughter’s, how wonderful,” Cloudy said as she gave a gentle clap.

“She’s actually just like your daughter in every way. In fact, if we were to get a sample of her DNA, then it could show that she is actually blood related as well,” Molestia explained.

“How can she be blood related though? We only had four daughters, Celestia,” Igneous said with a raised brow.

“I’m sorry. You have me confused with my other half. I’m Molestia,” Molly said as she offered a warm smile.

“Did you tell your parents anything about Pinkamena and Molly?” Luke asked Pinkie.

“I forgot to send the other letters that explained them,” Pinkie said as she gave a sheepish smile.

“Can you please get those letters so they can get a better understanding about what’s going on?” Luke asked.

Pinkie nodded as she rose from her seat and bounced to her room. The human decided to get up from his seat as well so he could get some tea started. He was never a big tea drinker back home, but he found Equestrian tea to be better. It felt like there wasn’t much of the addictive properties that his old tea had and it was more soothing. The tea was also something that helped to keep him relaxed as he spent more time with the hyper active pink mare. He would never ask the mare to change from her open spirit, but he did need a calm head every now and again.

The mare grew worried when she saw him drinking the tea to relax his mind as she felt that it was her fault. The human quickly caught on to this and put a stop to any conclusions that she may have come up with. Her frown turned into a smile instantly when he explained that it wasn’t really her fault about the few headaches he had. The pink mare still seemed downtrodden by his headaches and he tried to comfort her. He explained that he knew about what she was feeling and that he would go to Tartarus before he even asked her to change.

This helped to perk the mare back up, but she still feels a little bad about what was going on with him. He spoke with his friends about the few pains and the headache and they all seemed to occur after his secondary power was gained. Blake took a look at him and couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Everything in his body was the way it should be and nothing was looking to be any kind of danger to anyone. Pushing off the thought about the slight pain that he was getting, they agreed that it was powers slowly growing.

He was pulled from his unimportant thoughts as he heard the kettle give a loud whistle. He moved the kettle off the burner and started searching for a cup. He could hear faint conversation outside the kitchen and hoped everything was going okay. He poured himself a cup of hot water and found a bag of Earl Gray tea. Throwing the packet into the water, he started heading for the door. He stopped just outside the door when he spotted Pinkie’s pet alligator. The little creature looked up at the human with its purple eyes as they blinked separately.

“Hey, Gummy. Want to join me as I speak with Pinkie’s parents?” Luke asked.

The alligator didn’t move as he continued to stare up at the human. The creature gave its separate blinks and he took that as a yes. He reached down to pick up the little pet when Gummy decided to bite his arm. The human gave a small frown as he lifted his arm up to stare at the alligator. The green pet looked at him, but didn’t seem to find any problem with what it was doing. Sighing heavily, he was glad that the alligator didn’t have any teeth. Letting the alligator chew on his arm with its gums, he gave a sigh as he walked out of the kitchen.

He entered the main area to see the entire Pie family in a group hug. Keeping quiet as he drank his tea, Molly quietly walked over to his side. She noticed the little green alligator knowing on the human’s on and couldn’t help her slight chuckle. The two said nothing as the Pie family hugged each other, a few tears escaping from some of them. When they finally broke apart, Luke and Molly took their respective seats again at the table. The human held his arm out to Pinkie and she happily took Gummy off of him. He waited to make any conversation as Cloudy and Igneous were wiping their eyes of tears.

“I had no idea that you went through so much, Pinkie,” Igneous said in a saddened tone.

“It’s okay, dad. I didn’t want you to worry since you had Marble and Limestone to look after,” Pinkie said in an assuring voice.

“But still, Pinkie, if we had known we would have done something. We didn’t mean for you to feel neglected all those years,” Cloudy stated as she was holding back more tears.

“Mother, it’s fine. I made sure that Pinkie stayed safe and helped her along the way,” Pinkamena said as she held Cloudy’s hand.

“But you still didn’t have to hide everything that happened in order to make us happy,” Marble said as she let her tears fall freely.

“Does your coltfriend even know?” Maud asked in her plain voice.

Luke felt that he should be upset with the way the elder sister sounded, but he couldn’t. Maud’s actions seemed just fine and it seemed like she cared deeply for her younger sister. Pinkie’s beaming smile helped to show that the older sister wasn’t trying to be rude. He turned his attention back to Pinkamena as she answered.

“I haven’t had the chance to talk to him about it. I was kind of hoping to have a good time with him for a while before telling him,” Pinkamena said, but she found it hard to look at her human lover.

“Whenever you’re ready, Pinkamena. You don’t even have to tell me all at once if you don’t want to. I’m not going anywhere and if I need to, I can get my friends to help you. Just remember that you aren’t alone and my friends are willing to help a friend in need,” Luke said as he placed his head on her forehead.

The dark pink mare wrapped her arms around the human as her tears finally escaped her eyes. The human responded easily by holding the mare close and humming gently into her ear. Pinkie and Molly joined in the hug as the comforted the hurt mare. The Pie family kept quiet as they let the heartfelt moment play out. It brought a smile to their faces to see their daughter or now daughters be happy with their mate. The hug was finally broken off as the human turned around with a question of his own.

“This is off topic, but what exactly do you all do for a living?” Luke asked as Pinkamena slowly collected herself.

“We work on a rock farm, but Maud is a geologist,” Igneous answered.

“I found my pet during one of my expeditions,” Maud answered plainly.

“You should show him your pet,” Pinkie said as she smiled at her sister.

The elder sister didn’t say anything as she reached into one of her pockets on the dress. She looked around for a few seconds, getting a curious look from the human. Her hand slowly pulled out of the pocket and when it was free, she turned her hand over to show him a pebble. He looked at the tiny rock for a few seconds before looking at Maud and then the rock again. Learning to accept this as an answer, he moved on with the conversation.

“What’s his name?” Luke asked as he tried to play off the weirdness.

“His name is Boulder. I found him during my first expedition after I found my cutie mark,” Maud answered. Still without any emotion.

“Would he like anything to eat?” Luke asked as he went along with the mare.

“It is nearing his feeding time. I will go make him a sandwich. Would anypony else here like one?” Maud asked as she rose from her seat.

All the ponies in the room raised their hands except for the human. The elder sister took note of who wanted food and left for the kitchen. The room fell silent as everyone waited for Maud to return. It wasn’t long before the mare returned with a plate full of sandwiches and set it down for everyone to enjoy. The human went back to drinking his tea as he fell into deep thought. There was something he was forgetting, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He looked down into his tea as he tried to recall what was supposed to happen during the day.

He looked up to see that everyone was finished eating and were smiling as they held light conversation. He looked over to see a sandwich in front of boulder, but kept his mouth shut. If it wasn’t for his power, he was certain that Maud could break him like a twig if he insulted her pet. The ponies’ attention seemed to have focused to the alicorn as they had a few questions for her as well.

“So, do you have anything similar to Celestia?” Marble asked with slight enthusiasm.

“I can raise and lower the sun just like her. I also have her immortality as well,” Molly answered.

“Do you have a sister like Celestia?” Limestone asked.

“Yes, but she isn’t very well received by many other ponies,” Molly answered as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

“Who is it?” Maud asked.

“My sister is Nightmare Moon,” Molly answered as she gave a nervous smile.

“The evil mare that was trapped in the moon a thousand years ago in that old foal’s tale?” Igneous asked with a raised brow.

“Yes,” Molly answered as she shuffled in her seat nervously.

“What’s she like?” Limestone asked with wonder.

“She’s similar to Luna, but a little harder to get along with,” Molly answered nervously.

“Do you think we could meet her at some point?” Marble asked with hope.

“I believe we could arrange a time for everypony to meet her, but may I ask why you want to meet her?” Molly asked as she calmed from her nerves.

“Well, besides Luna, it seemed like Nightmare wasn’t very well liked for her night as well. Even given that she tried to take over all of Equestria and bring eternal darkness, it seemed like she still wanted recognition. I just want to let her know that my sister and I really enjoy the work that she has done during the night, if she has done anything,” Limestone said a little saddened.

“I think that she would love to hear that. A lot of the ponies here in Ponyville have gotten used to her and she has been given a chance to raise and lower the moon. She’s only done it for a couple of weeks, but I know she would love to hear that,” Molly said as she ruffled the younger mare’s mane.

Pulling away from the conversation again, Luke began rubbing his head. He knew there was something going on today, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure it out. The only thing that he could recall was something he would have to do with his friends on Thursday. Not even sure what day it was at the moment, he turned to Pinkie so he could whisper to her.

“Hey, Pinks, do you know what day it is?” Luke whispered.

“Today’s Thursday, silly,” Pinkie said as she messed up his hair and laughed to herself.

Giving a slight nod, he now had to remember what he was doing. He was about to go back into his deep thought when his phone started to go off. He pulled out his phone to look at a text message Brandon had sent him. It told him to have the freezer ready in a few minutes. After reading the text, everything came rushing back to the human. He remembered that he talked to the Cakes about using the deeper part of the freezer to keep some food back there. They asked him what kind of food it was and he couldn’t lie to the two ponies that have been very kind to him.

He explained that he was going to use it to store some meat after his friends came back from hunting. They both looked at him with a raised brow before giving a gentle shrug. Confused at their reaction, he asked how they could be so calm about it. He later learned that the two took an anniversary trip to Los Pegasus and the hotel they stayed at catered to every kind of species. Being in the cooking industry already helped to expose them to the different kinds of food and after staying at the hotel, they didn’t find any real problem to bother others about what they ate.

The human thanked the married couple for the generosity and they brushed it off saying it was no big deal. He looked back to see that his text was sent a few minutes ago and started to grow worried. He was about to speak up to the ponies when there was a knock on the door. He didn’t have time to answer as Brandon opened the door before being invited in. Brandon, Alex, Jaeden, and Callie walked in with a giant bag behind them. Luke could already see the blood stain that was on the bag and sight heavily as he was going to have to explain this.

“Hey, Luke. We’re back from hunting. Do you have the freezer ready?” Brandon asked.

“Luke, what is going on?” Pinkamena asked. The human took a deep breath as he prepared to explain the situation.

“After the situation with Discord and Eris, we kind of agreed to start getting some meat for ourselves. We aren’t really looking for much, but enough to eat every once and a while so we don’t get sick. I happened to forget it was today so I could tell you all and hopefully avoid any problems,” Luke said as he hung his head low.

“Would your friends like helping getting the bag into the freezer?” Igneous asked.

“What?” Luke asked with a dumbfounded tone.

“Trust me, young man. Being on a rock farm, you see a lot of things. Maud over there has worked with griffons during her expeditions and lamias love our rock crystals,” Igneous explained.

“So you’re okay that I eat meat and that your daughter is dating the said meat eater?” Luke asked with a raised brow.

“Boy, I don’t have time to care how ponies decide to live their lives. I have a job to perform and a family to take care of. My daughters’ happiness comes first as well and she seems very happy to be with you. I won’t lie and let you know that I still shudder sometimes when I see meat, but I can handle it for my daughters’ happiness and get to know a great stallion such as yourself,” Igneous said.

“I’ve even cooked a few meals that contain meat for the family. It was never anything much, but it didn’t really hurt us to do so. I’m certain alicorns eat it more often than us since they have to go to those diplomatic meetings,” Cloudy added.

“You have no idea how much I wanted a simple salad when I was in the Naga Kingdom. At least with the griffons and lamias a pony can at least get a few greens with their meals. I was certain that I was going to be bed-ridden when I got back from that meeting,” Molly added as she shook her head slightly.

“So that’s why you came back and went straight to bed?” A nod was the human’s response.

“So would you friends like some help?” Igneous continued to offer.

“Dad, it’s actually time to head home. The sun is starting to set and we need to take the next train out if we want to finish our work,” Maud said.

The stallion nodded as he rose from his seat and started collecting his things. The other Pie members collected their belongings as they made way for the door. Pinkie and Pinkamena followed their family to the train station to give their last goodbyes. The human looked to his friends and motioned for them to follow him. He actually liked meeting Pinkie’s family and wouldn’t mind seeing them again so his friends could meet them as well.