I awoke to a strange sensation on my chest. There was a slight weight pressing down, but it wasn’t too heavy to hinder my breathing. Letting out a small groan, I rubbed my eyes as I looked down. I couldn’t see very clearly since it was still early in the morning, if the little amount of light coming through the window was anything to go by. Through my hazy eyes, I could make out a few colors. There was a large golden blob on my chest with a red and orange color that I could guess was the front and back. Which one was in either direction, I wasn’t really sure. Blinking a few times, I gave a large yawn as my vision finally came back to me.

Looking at my chest again, my entire body tensed as I looked at what the golden blob was. Spitfire had moved from her bed and laid herself down on my chest at some point during the night. She was curled into a little ball, her head very close to my neck while her tail twitched lightly. There was a smile on her face as she gave a quiet giggle. I couldn’t help but smile along with her, as she looked adorable with how peaceful she was. Her presence helped to wake me up further and her golden fur acted as a miniature sun. Spitfire gave off an aura of warmth as she buried herself deeper into my chest.

Her entire being radiated a sense of beauty and calm as she continued to sleep peacefully. Carefully moving my hand, I slowly stroked my fingers through her mane, getting Spitfire to smile even brighter. As I looked down at her, I could see there was a difference between her and Fleetfoot. Fleetfoot had a wonderful radiance when she was out in the sun, while Spitfire’s golden coat itself gave off her radiance. The sun didn’t have to hit Spitfire’s coat to make her stand out in my eyes. Her coat shimmered of its own accord, a slight warmth permeating off of her and causing me to feel at ease. I gave a small smile as my mind wandered at the prospect of the sun hitting Spitfire’s eyes, causing them to shine just like Fleetfoot’s did.

My eyes widened as I realized where my thoughts were heading. I shook my head clear of all my thoughts, deciding that it would be best to get up and check the train station. Giving a quick stretch, I looked over at the bed to see the elemental ferrets still asleep. Looking down at Spitfire, I thought of the best way that I could go about this. Spitfire’s tail continued to twitch, showing that she was still asleep. The only problem was that I didn’t know how deeply she was asleep. Taking a deep breath, I carefully moved my hands towards Spitfire’s sides. I froze when my hands made contact with her, the mare stirring a little.

I waited with baited breath to see if Spitfire would wake up. Several tense seconds passed before Spitfire stopped stirring and I grasped her sides. Taking a few seconds to enjoy the feeling of her soft fur, I gently lifted her off of me. I was taken by surprise when Spitfire’s wings flared out, giving a few strong flaps before gently falling limp. I had barely moved my body and I could feel sweat pouring down my head. Making slow movements, I sat up, holding Spitfire out in front to make sure she stayed asleep. Once I was sitting up, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Spitfire looked. She was hanging limp in my hands, her body entirely relaxed like a sleeping puppy.

Smiling to myself, I placed Spitfire at the end of the couch, carefully standing up as I gave a few more stretches. Looking closely, I saw she was still asleep. I moved over to the bed, grabbing the small blanket that was at the end. I unfolded the blanket and threw it over Spitfire, tucking it in slightly so she was comfortable. I heard Spitfire mumbling to herself, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Shrugging, I went to exit the room. After I closed the door quietly, my stomach gave a low grumble, letting me know that it was hungry. Knowing that it was still early in the morning, there was only one place that would be open.

I made to exit the hotel when I heard a mare calling to me. “Excuse me, sir?” I turned to see the same mare from last night. “Fluttershy dropped off two bags of food for your pets, along with the documents to show ownership and notes on how to take care of them.”

“Thank you,” I said as I gave the mare a smile. “Do you mind holding onto those until I get back?”

The mare smiled back at me as she nodded her head. “Of course, Mark. Also, I know you’re staying up at Canterlot and I wanted to let you know the train should be ready for its eight o’clock departure.”

“Thanks for that. I was going to check on that while I went to get something to eat, so now I have one less stop to make,” I said as I gave the mare a few bits.

She nodded her thanks before turning and trotting back to the front desk. Turning around, I walked out of the hotel, greeted by the cool dawn air. Giving a large yawn, I moved away from the hotel and headed for the one stall that would be open this early. I walked through town, a few ponies leaving their homes to get their businesses prepared or to get the foals ready for school. I waved to a few of the early ponies as I headed for the marketplace. I looked towards where the sun was rising and figured that I should run into either Applejack or Big Mac setting up their stall.

As I made my way to the market, I saw Berry Punch leaving her house with Berry Pinch following close behind. I’d heard a few ponies mention that Berry Punch wasn’t good enough to be taking care of a foal, but I could easily say they were wrong. I clearly saw the love that Berry Punch had for her daughter, even with the weird teasing that she used, and I would say she knew exactly how to take care of her. Many of the ponies even said that she was a heavy drinker. I wouldn’t say they were wrong, but with Berry Punch, I don’t think it’s really possible. Out of all the ponies I’d ever seen drink till they pass out, Berry Punch could beat them by a hundred miles and still retain some sobriety.

I even spoke with Berry Pinch and she had nothing but nice things to say about her mother. During a few of my stays in Ponyville the young filly would regale to me of tales about her mother and how she was the nicest mother of all. I believe that could easily be challenged by another mare that I knew, but I didn’t have the heart to argue with such a happy filly. Smiling at the old memories of the two ponies, I continued on my way.

I entered the marketplace and found Big Mac setting up his stall. It’s pretty hard to not notice Big Mac since he’s the tallest pony in town and was the color of a fire truck. As I neared, Big Mac noticed me and waved. I waved back to the stallion as I made my strides longer, the stallion quickly flipping over a sign as he pulled out a bucket of apples. I stopped in front of the stall, looking at the various apple treats that he had for the day as he gave a small smile.

Grabbing a few apples, I decided to start a little conversation with him. “You having a good morning, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered like he always did.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at him. Big Mac was a very kind stallion of few words. Even then, it wasn’t hard to learn his mannerisms were never meant to offend.

Grabbing a few apple fritters, I moved onto another topic I needed to know about. “Are the Crusaders up and about looking for me yet?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered, his eyes giving me a slight apology.

I gave a deep sigh as I shook my head. “You have nothing to apologize for, Big Mac. I don’t know how they do it sometimes, but they always seem to know when I’m in town.” Taking a final look at his stand, I handed him the bits for what I grabbed and started to munch on an apple. “Well, I better head out and get everything packed before I get tackled by those three.”

This got a small chuckle from the stallion before I gave him a slight punch in the shoulder. Big Mac just shrugged off my little attack as he gave me a warm smile, nodding his head as I turned to leave. My pace back to the hotel was increased with the fear of the three fillies finding me. I never disliked the Crusaders, but they could sometimes be a little over the top about what they did to get their cutie marks. I still didn’t understand how syrup, a tree, and hungry timberwolves were a good idea at the time, but it was hard to say no when all three of them gave me puppy dog eyes.

Shaking my head clear of that and a few other horrifying attempts at getting their cutie marks, I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of them. I reached the hotel in record time, the mare at the front desk looking at me with a raised brow before going back to whatever she was doing before. Taking a look around the lobby, I found no sign of the fillies and made my way over to the front desk. Once I reached it, the mare closed up the magazine she was looking at as she smiled at me. I gave her a small smile in return as she started to pull out the things Fluttershy left for me.

As the mare piled my items together, I grabbed a note she had laid to the side and began reading it. The note was just a quick list of things I needed to know for taking care of the ferrets. They each required at least a half cup of food each and we had to make sure they had a lot of space to run around. There were also a few grooming tips, but when I remembered how Fluttershy reacted when she saw them, I didn’t think she would mind coming up to give them regular check-ups.

Folding up the note, I looked back at the items and grabbed the documents of ownership. I skimmed through the papers, a brow raising in interest as I learned the two ferrets were only three years old. Nodding my head after seeing Spitfire and Fluttershy’s signatures, I folded up the two documents and put them in my pocket. After the mare finished grabbing everything, she kindly stacked them and wrapped them so I could easily carry them.

I nodded to her as I gave her a few extra bits for helping me with things. Taking the items, I headed back to the room. As I neared the door, I could barely make out some noise from inside. Stopping in front of the door, I pressed an ear up to it, listening intently for anything. I could hear the clopping of hooves and they seemed to be moving at a fast pace. I could only assume that Spitfire was probably messing around with the ferrets since they were probably up and hungry.

I slid in my key, turning the doorknob and taking a step inside. I only stepped one foot into the room when I felt something wrap around my chest, pinning my arms to my side as it suddenly became hard to breathe. Ignoring the fact there was something slowly crushing the life out of me, I took the time to look around the room. Spitfire’s blanket was on the floor in a balled up heap, a few tables were pushed to the side, and the mattress was on its side. Slowly nodding my head, I looked down to what was crushing me to see Spitfire shuddering, something wet staining my shirt as she buried her muzzle in my chest.

“What’s… wrong… Spitfire?” I asked, trying to keep enough oxygen in my body to avoid passing out.

“I had a very… bad dream and when I woke up, you weren’t here. I worried that… something bad happened to you when I couldn’t find you,” Spitfire said, her voice cracking a little as she held back her tears.

Dropping what I had in my hands to the floor, I did the best I could to comfort the mare. I lowered my head until my chin was resting in her mane. Moving my head from side to side, I tried to simulate my fingers running through her mane. I wasn’t sure what could have caused her nightmare and why she was worried for me specifically, but these were questions I pushed away for later. There was a mare crying into my shirt that needed my attention and I would be damned if I didn’t do anything to comfort her.

Her grip on my body loosened, thankfully, and I moved back towards the couch. I continued to nuzzle into Spitfire’s mane as she let out small whimpers, but there was a slight smile on her lips. Once seated on the couch, I took off my shoes and grabbed at the balled up blanket with my feet. It took me a few tries, but when I was able to get the blanket close enough, I grabbed it with my hand and laid it on the couch. Spitfire had finally allowed her body to relax and I was able to move my arms out of her grasp.

This action caused her to squeeze me again, but with my arms now free, I was able to wrap her into a hug as I laid us on our sides. I used one hand to stroke her mane as my other hand grabbed the other end of the blanket and threw it over us. Once the blanket had the two of us covered, I moved my free hand to her barrel and gently ran my fingers along her side. Spitfire let out a happy coo as her shuddering slowly came to a halt, her hooves gently rubbing my back as I let our closeness calm her.

I held the pony close to my chest for several more minutes before leaning close to her ear, my voice calm as I spoke. “Are you feeling better?”

A nod was my response as I pulled away from Spitfire. She looked up at me with a small smile as she wiped at her eyes with a hoof. “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

Spitfire shook her head as she gave a few flaps of her wings. I gave a small frown at her refusal, but I didn’t press the issue. I scratched behind her ear, getting another little purr from her. “Okay. Just remember that I’m here if you want to talk about anything.”

Spitfire smiled as she placed a hoof on my arm. “I will, Mark. Thank you for this, though.”

I smiled as I gave Spitfire a warm hug. “Not a problem, my little Fire.”

As I pulled back from the hug, I could see the small signs of a blush on her face. I couldn’t help the huge grin that took over my face, causing Spitfire to give a playful punch to my arm. “I better not hear the others calling me that. I still have an image to uphold.”

I laughed as I moved off the couch, Spitfire following me as the ferrets came out of the bathroom. “Don’t worry. I won’t let the all-powerful Spitfire fall victim to her friends knowing that she has a lovely nickname.”

Spitfire shook her head as she trotted up to the ferrets, lowering a wing so they could climb onto her back. “I’m serious, Mark. You can call me ‘your little Fire’ all you want, but that’s only in private. Fleetfoot can know though since I know your little nickname for her.”

I shook my head as the ferrets moved into Spitfire’s mane, poking their heads out as they took in their surroundings from a higher vantage point. “Good, because I was going to tell her anyways no matter what.”

Spitfire smiled warmly at me; all traces of her fear and pain that she had were gone. With Spitfire back to her bright, warm, and sometimes friendly self, I went back to the door and grabbed the food that I had bought for breakfast. I set the food on a table and allowed Spitfire to eat as I cleaned up the room. Spitfire tried to voice that she would help before eating, but I convinced her that since I had eaten before arriving back, I could handle cleaning up. Besides, the mess wasn’t that bad compared to a few that I’d made back at the castle as a prank against Luna. I could still hear her mumbling to herself about not being able to help, or even pick up after herself, but she remained at the table to eat her breakfast.

Thankfully, there was no real damage to the room and everything was easy to put back into place. I had to stop cleaning a few times to get Spitfire to continue eating, but at least she went back every time I asked her to. After several minutes, I was able to finish cleaning and Spitfire finished off her breakfast. I looked out the window to see the sun was higher in the air, nearing the time that the train should be able to leave.

I looked back over at Spitfire to see her doing one final sweep of the room to make sure everything was cleaned up. “We should head out to the train station. The front desk mare said that it should be ready for its eight o’clock departure.”

Spitfire turned around to face me, her eyes still looking around the room. “That’s good. The sooner we get back to Canterlot, the sooner we can drop off Blaze and Tundra at home. After that, we can catch up with Fleetfoot at the castle and finish up some paperwork.”

I gave a loud groan as I looked up at the ceiling. “Is that all you two ever do at the castle?”

Spitfire looked at me with raised brow. “What do you mean?”

I looked back at Spitfire, gesturing for her to follow as we made to leave the hotel. “I’ve only seen the two of you relax just a few times. Sure it has slightly increased when Ever Ring was finally dealt with, but you both still only focus on work.”

Spitfire trotted next to me, her expression showing confusion and a little anger. “It’s part of the job. Did you expect us to spend only a couple hours preparing for a show and then just laze about the rest of the day?”

I put up my hands and waved them defensively, seeing where I went wrong in this conversation. “That’s not what I meant. I understand all the work that you, Fleetfoot, and all the other Wonderbolts put into your shows. It just kind of seems that you let your work consume you. I’m not trying to say stop what you’re doing, but try to make more time hanging with your friends.”

Spitfire didn’t say anything as she looked at the ground. She was biting her lower lip nervously as one of her wings twitched slightly. “You know what? You’re right.” Spitfire looked up at me as she smiled. “You, me, and Fleetfoot should walk around Canterlot in the next couple of days.”

I smiled at Spitfire as I nodded my head. “That sounds like a great idea. Do you mind if we stop by Echo and Moon’s place? They should be back in town and I would like to see how they’re doing.”

Spitfire nodded her head as we reached the station. “Sure thing. I actually would like to know how they’re doing as well, since they’ve been helping Everglade understand thestral habits.”

I couldn’t help but smile at hearing that there was a chance to know how Everglade was doing. That filly had a lot of heart and I respected her for that. The two of us bought our tickets, and as we were about to board, I felt a rope tighten around my wrist. My mind jumped to the cause and I sighed heavily as I waited for the impending pain. It came quick as I was tackled to the floor of the train, three fillies cheering as they danced on my back. Next was the sound of disappointment from not earning their cutie marks before they finally got off of me. I groaned as I rose to my feet, Spitfire looking at me with a raised brow as she gestured to the three fillies.

Dusting off my pants, I turned to see the three terrors of Ponyville that I also considered very close friends. Sweetie Belle was Rarity’s little sister and Rarity had really rubbed off on her. Sweetie Belle always made sure that her coat was a shining white before ever leaving her house and the curls in her mulberry and rose mane and tail were brushed to perfection. Her emerald eyes shimmered as she looked at me, a huge smile on her face as she waved enthusiastically. Apple Bloom, Applejack and Big Mac’s little sister, was next to her and she still wore her signature pink bow. Her red mane and tail were a mess and her olive coat had a few dried spots of dirt, showing that she had probably finished her chores. She looked at me with her gamboge eyes, a smile gracing her features.

The final member of their group was an interesting little filly. Scootaloo, who was Rainbow Dash’s biggest fan and self-proclaimed little sister of the cyan mare, stood behind her two friends. Her purple eyes were locked onto Spitfire as she tried to smooth out her orange coat to impress the Wonderbolt. She didn’t even bother with her windswept mane and tail, trying to be like Dash as much as possible. With herself as presentable as she was willing to make herself, Scootaloo walked up to Spitfire.

Spitfire looked at Scootaloo with a raised brow. “Can I help you?”

Scootaloo went to say something, but her words seemed stuck as she found it hard to answer Spitfire. I watched with amusement as Scootaloo tried to speak, her mouth opening and closing a few times with a few cute squeaks escaping her. In a way, she was very similar to Dash, if the latter acted the same way she had when she was younger.

With Scootaloo busy looking like a fool in front of Spitfire, I turned to the other two fillies to see what today’s adventure was. “So what kind of cutie mark were you going for today?”

Sweetie grew an embarrassed blush as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “Scootaloo thought it would be a good idea to get our human capturing cutie marks.” Apple Bloom joined her friend in chuckling nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“I’m pretty sure you tried this before and it didn’t work,” I said, chuckling at the three fillies.

This seemed to get Scootaloo’s attention as she looked away from Spitfire, pointing a hoof at me. “Hey, we used a cage last time. This time we used rope to see if maybe that would work.”

I continued to chuckle at them before settling down enough to smile at the three of them. “Sorry that it didn’t work out.”
The three fillies became crestfallen as Sweetie scuffed at the ground with her hoof. “This is just getting annoying. We’ve tried hundreds of different things to get our cutie marks, but haven’t even come close to getting them.”

I crouched down, petting Sweetie’s mane as I gestured for the other two to come closer. “Then that just means you get to try more things.” The three fillies looked at me with confused expressions as I tried to explain myself. “A lot of ponies here probably figured out their cutie marks without any sense of adventure. You three get to make a list of everything you’re tried that didn’t work to allow future foals to attempt to see if they are related to their cutie marks. Plus, your club was a great idea because now foals can all work together to achieve their future, and possibly make good friends while doing so.”

The three fillies smiled at me, quickly hugging me as they gave me their thanks. It really was kind of adorable to watch the three fillies try their hardest to get their marks. I even believed that in the long run it would help other foals if they were having trouble finding their special talent. Granted, I did try to tell the three what they could do to earn their cutie marks, but Twilight and her friends made sure I kept my mouth shut. I still have phantom pains from when Applejack kicked me in the shin. She did apologize since there was a decent bruise on my leg, but I waved it off since sometimes she really didn’t know her own strength.

The three fillies let me go as I ruffled up their manes. The three of them giggled joyfully, their happiness bringing a smile to my face as I reminisced about my past. If there was one thing that I could say about the noticeable difference between my home and Equestria, it was that the ponies here usually seemed to retain some of their traits from when they were foals. Sure, there were a few people on Earth that liked to let their inner child out, while a few mares and stallions acted cocky here in Equestria, but the ponies easily outdid the many humans on Earth. I sometimes missed the days of my youth, running around outside in the rain, playing on the swings, and even staying up late and watching scary movies that my mother told me not to watch.

Still, the way I had grown up wasn’t all bad. I was pretty happy with my life back on Earth and I tried to keep some kind fun in my life so I could avoid being a stiff, and I would like to think I’d done pretty well. I smiled back down at the fillies as I hoof-bumped each of them before joining Spitfire on the train. We took one of the empty cars as the train’s whistle blew, signaling our departure. As the train started its slow chug forward, I turned back around to see the town slowly pass by. I placed my hand on the glass as I continued to smile, glad to have met some of the ponies that I did during my visits to Ponyville.

I was pulled from staring out the window when Spitfire moved off of her seat and joined me in looking out the window. She placed a hoof on the glass as she spoke openly, not seeming to really focus on me. “You have some very interesting friends, Mark. It’s good to see that you’ve been able to connect with enough ponies to create a friendship that’s very strong.”

I wasn’t sure, since it disappeared as fast it showed, but I was certain that I saw a tear fall from Spitfire’s eyes. “I’m glad to call a lot of those ponies in Ponyville my friend. Most of them didn’t even bat an eye that I was a different creature from them. I mean I still ran into a few that refused to associate with me, but there isn’t much anyone can do about that. Also, if I had to say anything, I think I’m very proud of my friendship with both you and Fleetfoot.”

Spitfire released her hoof from the window and the two elemental ferrets that she was carrying jumped to the ground as they ran around. Spitfire looked at me with hesitant eyes, unsure how to process what I said. She didn’t say anything as she turned around, sitting in the seat as she looked out the other window. I took a quick glance out the window to see nothing but open fields and turned so I could stare straight ahead, wishing that the train would move faster because I hated long train rides.

Silence easily filled the room as Spitfire continued to stare straight. I began to worry that I may have said something that caused her to feel uneasy. As I opened my mouth to speak, she interrupted me, her eyes taking a quick glance at me before looking away. “Mark, you remember I had something to ask you at the restaurant, but I didn’t after the food arrived?”

I nodded my head, only to realize that she couldn’t see me so I answered her. “I remember. Are you going to ask me the question now?”

Spitfire tapped her hooves together nervously as she turned towards me. She looked at me, her bright orange eyes that were usually filled with confidence were now faltering. She continued to tap her hooves as she looked at me worriedly. “Like I said before, you’re free to not answer it if it’s too personal, but I would like to know something.” I nodded my head, moving my hand to her mane, which she thankfully leaned into. Spitfire let out a content sigh as she nuzzled my hand. “Fleetfoot will probably ask this later at some point, but have you ever asked the princesses to send you back, and if you did, then would you go back?”

I took a deep breath as I pondered Spitfire’s words. This was a question that most ponies assumed I was asked, but in actuality, it was the least asked one of all. I looked at Spitfire, continuing to let her nuzzle my hand as I thought of an answer. I wanted to lie to her, saying that I wouldn’t because I enjoyed the friendship, but if she found out another way, then everything I had done would mean nothing because she would believe it all a lie. I looked back at Spitfire, realizing that she stopped nuzzling my hand because of how long I was silent.

I could see the fear in her eyes as she probably thought she stepped into an area she shouldn’t have, and as she opened her mouth, I stopped her when I finally answered. “I have spoken to the princesses about sending me home.” Spitfire looked at me with slight confusion as I continued my answer. “I asked for their help in finding me a way home, but I also told them to take their time. Sure, I would like to go home and see my old friends and family, but this is probably a one-time experience to learn a different culture. I mean, you and Fleetfoot have even made this an interesting experience, including the rough patches.”

This seemed to make Spitfire smile a little before quickly turning to a frown. “But you would still go back to your world, wouldn’t you?” Spitfire looked down at the ground, not wanting to look at me for the expected answer.

I couldn’t really blame her, but this was something I hadn’t given much thought to. I moved a hand to Spitfire’s cheek and turned her head so she was staring into my eyes. I was lost for a few seconds in her enticing orange orbs before I finally found my voice to answer her. “I would go back because it’s my home.” Spitfire’s ears flattened and she tried to remove her head from my grasp, but I held her still because I wasn’t finished. “Although, I haven’t really decided on anything, yet.” Spitfire stared at me, her eyes filled with a slight hope, but confusion outweighed it. “I have enjoyed my time here and it would be hard for me to leave the new friends I made. Depending on how things go, I might be able to ask Twilight if it might be possible to create a two-way portal so I could come and visit.”

This seemed to cheer Spitfire up as she grabbed my arm with her leg, nuzzling her cheek as she gave me a heartfelt smile. “Would you be willing to do all of that just to see everypony again?”

I smiled at Spitfire as I ran my thumb along her cheek, the feeling of her soft fur giving me a little comfort as well. “Of course I would. I mean, who else am I going to get into yelling matches with?”

Spitfire giggled as she gave a playful punch to my arm. Blaze and Tundra returned to us, jumping up on the seat as Spitfire’s eyes started to drift closed. I grabbed Spitfire around her barrel, the mare not caring about me moving her. I laid her down on my lap, the pegasus curling into a little ball as she used her tail slightly as a makeshift blanket. I scratched behind her ear as the two ferrets went underneath her tail, going to sleep as well. I smiled as I thought how good this trip had been for the two of us. I may not fully understand where her worry was coming from, but it was nice to know that she cared to make enough memories before I left. Whenever that would be.

A Few Hours Later

The train had arrived at Canterlot, and I made sure to wake up Spitfire at least fifteen minutes before our arrival so she would be ready to go. After the train came to a complete stop, the two of us exited the train, the ferrets hanging onto my back as they looked around the large city. A stallion came over, carrying our luggage that I assumed Spitfire had put aside to be put away when I was busy talking with the CMC. Spitfire handed the stallion a few bits as I picked up our luggage. The two of us headed back for the castle, Spitfire giddy to show off the two pets to Fleetfoot.

The trip back to the castle was pretty quick; many of the nobles around Canterlot were missing for the afternoon. I nodded to the two guards at the front gate, a unicorn and pegasus who I weren’t familiar with, but were the replacements for Strongheart and Shield. The two guards seemed to shy away a little from my presence, making me assume that they were probably fresh members of the guard. I wasn’t bothered by it much since I believed many of the other guards would give comfort to the two new members that I wasn’t something to be entirely worried about.

As we entered the castle, I learned why there were so many missing nobles in the afternoon. There were four long lines of ponies that were leading to the throne room. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but I ignored it for now as Spitfire and I took another route to Spitfire’s office. The two of us had to be careful walking through the halls as many of the castle staff were rushing around, many of them either carrying food or papers to one place or another.

After another set of ponies passed us, I decided to inquire about what was going on. “Hey, any idea why there are so many nobles here today? I know there’s usually a long line during some days, but this is more than I’ve seen.”

Spitfire looked back at me as she stepped around a maid that was carrying a platter. “The princesses hold an open court two times a year. Anypony can show up to court and speak about whatever they want, within reason of course.” Spitfire gave a little laugh before shaking her head as a small smile appeared. “It actually didn’t used to be this bad. Most of the time it was Celestia before Luna’s return. Then Luna came back and this increased attendance. Cadence’s arrival increased it even further before Twilight’s ascendency pretty much made it to where this castle is jammed pack with a bunch of nobles.”

I shook my head, not even feeling a bit envious of all the attention the princesses were getting. I actually considered taking back my revenge plot on Luna for those pictures that she hung in my office. The key word being considered, but not actually going through with it. Luna did admit to there being another pony that helped her, and that sealed her fate for me to get my revenge.

My slight smile turned to a small frown as a thought occurred to me. “I do feel bad for Twilight, though. She’s still new to being a princess and I think she’s dealing with a lot of stress right now with all these nobles.”

Spitfire nodded her head in agreement as we made a few turns, finally nearing where Fleetfoot was at. “She has worked hard for her accomplishments. She has done so much that it’s kind of sad to see all these nobles try and use her slight naivety about being a princess to fulfill their selfish desires. I do have hope for her, though, because she has Princess Celestia to help tutor her.”

I nodded my head in agreement as we finally reached the office. The two ferrets stared at the door with interest, their whiskers twitching as they tried to figure out what was behind the door. I put the luggage by the door as Spitfire opened it. She walked into the office, her voice a echoing around the room slightly as she spoke to her friend. I followed and was immediately tackled to the ground.

I let out a pained groan as Fleetfoot snatched the ferrets, squealing in delight as she hugged them close to her chest. “Oh, my, Celestia! They’re so cute! These are the most adorable animals I’ve ever seen! What are their names?!”

I slowly sat up, feeling my back pop in multiple areas as I slowly recovered from the tackle. “The red one is Blaze, while the white one is Tundra. They’re elemental ferrets and apparently sisters from what Fluttershy found out. Also, can I make a rule?”
Spitfire looked at me with an arched brow. “That depends. What kind of rule are you wanting to make?”

I got to my feet, leaning back and listening as my spine popped back into place. “No one is allowed to tackle the human anymore. If that continues, then I might end up back in the hospital.”

Fleetfoot giggled as the ferrets nuzzled against her chest. “I thought you liked hanging out with Nurse Redheart. I heard that she has a new nurse that helps her out here in Canterlot. I can’t remember her name, but she’s foreign. Her names begins with an ‘F’ and rhymes with heron. I haven’t met her, but some ponies say that she’s very kind while others say that she’s very strict.”

I gave Fleetfoot a deadpan expression as I cheered in a sarcastic tone. “Yay, another nurse that gets to poke and prod me. It’s not like I have it rough enough with Redheart being so personal about everything I do here. Thankfully, I was able to reduce that questioning by just telling her that most of those things would never change in answers.”

Spitfire hovered next to Fleetfoot, taking Blaze from her hooves so she could hold her. “What exactly won’t change?”

I gave a shrug, not really minding telling them since I didn’t find it too personal to keep private. “The main things that never change are my height, diet, certain measurements of my body, and my sexual history.”

This seemed to get Fleetfoot’s attention as she placed Tundra on the floor. She looked back at me, her eyes holding a slight bit of worry before she was able to turn it to neutral. “How many mares are you sleeping with that your sexual history doesn’t change?”

I couldn’t help the loud laughter that escaped my lips. I pounded on Fleetfoot’s desk, tears streaming from my face as I found it hard to breathe. I continued to laugh before slowly settling down. I looked back at Fleetfoot to answer her question, only to burst out laughing again.

Spitfire placed Blaze on the floor as she hovered next to me. “Are you almost done yet?”

I laughed for several more seconds, my face red from how hard I was laughing. I wiped away a few tears that were still present as I rubbed my sides. “I haven’t had sex for the past seven months that I’ve been here. I actually haven’t even relieved myself because I feel that I don’t actually have any privacy. Redheart is to thank for that second part because of her little quip about unicorns and a spell that allows them to see through objects.”

Both Spitfire and Fleetfoot had visible blushes as they stared at me with wide eyes. Fleetfoot landed on the ground, looking at me intently, which made me feel uncomfortable. It was almost like she was undressing me with her eyes. I quickly pushed that thought out since I knew that neither of these two saw me in that kind of way. We were just very good friends and that was fine by me.

I was pulled from repressing my thoughts as Fleetfoot spoke. “Do you not find any of the ponies here attractive?”

I could hear the hurt that was in her tone, making me give a sad smile as I leaned back in her chair. “I honestly haven’t had much time to think about it. I’ve never really thought it would be possible to find a relationship, especially since I’m taller than most ponies, easily scaring them with my height alone. I don’t think there’s even a pony that would be interested in dating me.”

I looked up at the ceiling as Blaze and Tundra jumped up on my lap, curling into little balls as they tried to get some sleep. I could hear Spitfire’s wings beating in the air as Fleetfoot’s hooves shuffled on the ground. Silence filled the room as I moved to pet the ferrets.

Spitfire’s voice cut through the slowly building tension before it got any worse. “Would you date a pony now after seeing how relationships kind of work?”

I let out a deep sigh as I pondered those words. I’d never really thought that a pony could be sexy enough to arouse me, and this was true for a while as I never really felt anything. Now that I’ve been here for a while, especially those weird moments where Fleetfoot and Spitfire seemed to stand out a little more, I really didn’t know what to think.

I leaned forward in the chair, being careful not to knock off or disturb the ferrets as I answered. “I probably would now since I understand relationships slightly better, but it probably would be awkward. The pony would have to at least be okay being seen with the freak, while I should at least know the pony a little. I’m not saying I need to know everything about them before dating them, but knowing what they’re like would help to see if I would be interested.”

Spitfire landed on the ground, moving towards her desk as she grabbed a folder. “Well, I hope that you can find somepony to have that connection with. Everypony deserves a little fun time and happiness when they can find it.”

I couldn’t quite place it, but it sounded like Spitfire wasn’t really telling me what she wanted. It sounded slightly forced, like she was hiding something, but then again, she was a hard pony to gauge sometimes. The only thing that was odd was that she had her muzzle buried in the folder that she pulled out, but I decided not to question it. A yawn escaped me as I carefully picked up the ferrets, placing them on Fleetfoot’s desk as I got out of her chair.

I headed for the door before turning around to the mares. “I’m going to put the ferrets’ supplies in my office for the night. I’m also going to get some work done before heading back to the house.”

Spitfire waved a hoof, keeping her muzzle buried in the folder in front of her. Fleetfoot gave a weak wave as I left their office. I looked to where I placed the supplies for the ferrets before seeing a note. I picked it up, easily picking up on Celestia’s calligraphy. It was quick to its point, mentioning that she had one of the staff take it back to Spitfire and Fleetfoot’s home. I pocketed the note as I entered my office. I took a seat in my chair, opening one of the drawers and pulling out some papers. As I closed the drawer, I saw Fleetfoot in front of my desk, hovering in the air with her forehooves behind her back. I raised a curious brow at her presence, taking note of the slight buildup of sweat on her forehead. I went to ask her what she wanted, when she quickly flew in front of me.

Fleetfoot held out her hoof, one of her feathers being presented to me. I looked at the feather with interest as it shimmered a little in the moonlight. I would have asked what this was about, if her next words didn’t halt all functioning of my brain. “Mark, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?”

Author's Notes:

Eppie Genetic was kind enough to edit this chapter so it could come out quicker. Depending on the next couple of chapters, I may have her become part of the editing team with the other two. If this happens, I will link her name in the description so you can find her amazing stories that aren't shit like mine.

Also, if you know the pony that I'm referring to, and at least one should recognize it pretty easily since it's from their story, they won't be making an appearance.