I peered at them as they stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. I didn't really understand what the big deal was. As if there was much of anything left after Cindy got done with that egg. No, just a near perfect clone of Will. Either way, this wasn't working, so I rolled up to my belly. "Fine, Sandra, who do you suggest? Let's get this over with."

Sandra/Karen seemed to come out of their internal struggle when I stopped offering myself. She spoke with Karen's voice, "Where can we find someone willing, besides you?"

Sandra switched quickly to her own voice. "We don't need to have sex with anyone. We just need someone's who's early in their term and willing to become your mother."

I shook my head with massive doubt. "No mare in their right mind is going to be alright with you wanting to shove some alien mind into her to consume her child. How do you plan to do that? I mean, I'm alright with it, sure, but I know her, and I want her."

Karen sighed wistfully. "I love you too. How about one of the 'ferals'?"

Sandra perked an ear. "Would that be... right? I mean, would they even understand what we're asking of them?"

I shrugged at the question. "One of the deep ferals? I imagine not. You offer to make them feel nice a moment, they'll bob their head, and done. Explaining the bigger picture would just confuse and alarm them, mostly confusing."

Karen suddenly clopped their hooves together. "What about Crystal? She hasn't had a child yet, and she's eager to join the herd."

I thought to the shiny crystal pony I still didn't know that well. "Won't that make you shiny? I mean, I'm not against it. We should talk to her first." I slapped my thick tail on the ground. "If we're not just using her and leaving her, I want to make sure the mother of my wife's a decent person." Ugh, that sounded just as weird to me, I know.

Sandra nodded, taking control back. "I like Crystal. She's been very kind and generous. She might agree to it."

With a flash, Crystal appeared. "Hello. Were you looking for me?" That was kind of creepy. Could she hear when her name was said?

Sandra nodded. "I was. We have a complicated problem with a simple, but deeply personal, solution." Crystal sat and looked at Sandra, so she continued. "The person inside of me, Karen, wants to have her own body instead of sharing mine. I want to give it to her, like Cindy got one."

Crystal nodded slowly. "Alright. I understand that so far, but how does that involve me? She can't have my body."

Karen suddenly took over. "Not that! Make a baby, then I'll hop in there."

Crystal went red, which looked cute as the reflective hide showed the blush in a different way. "It doesn't quite work that way. I can't just 'make' a baby, er, foal, these days. I've only ever made one foal, and that was as the male."

I stepped up to Crystal and smiled. "But I feel quite certain there are some ponies that have earned your respect enough to get your pretty tail to raise for them." She looked so bashful and off balance. I bet she would be quite a bit of fun to play with, but I was focused on the matter at hoof. "I've seen you gazing at Will fondly. You wouldn't mind being rut by her or Cindy, I imagine?"

Crystal shrank a bit with obviously conflicted emotions. "She understood that I prefer being the stallion."

I prodded her in the belly. "And she played the mare first for you, now let her have a turn on top. You're both, not one or the other. Aren't you even slightly curious?"

Crystal pawed at the ground. "But... I shouldn't weigh myself down for months."

Karen suddenly spoke, "Oh don't worry about that. As soon as you give me a place to be, I'll grow as fast as you can feed me, just like Cindy did."

I snorted softly at the memory of Cindy gorging herself nearly constantly. I was glad she was out of that 'phase'. "It's an amazing sight, and one I imagine you'll imitate, since she'll be feeding from you at first. But know this, if you're doing this, you're in the herd. It barely even qualifies as a question then."

That got her. She rose to her hooves nervously. "Alright. If you're sure he'll say yes?"

He? Oh. "If you go up when Will and Cindy are together and say that you're receptive, and you only trust one of them to do the job right, they'll get flustered and pleased that you'd trust them for something so important, then they'll do it. Which reminds, are you receptive? You know, heat?" I sniffed at her, but I wasn't sure what heat smelled like specifically.

Sandra snorted loudly. "You have not one tiny shred of shame, Neon. Can't you tell? Of course she is. She's been fawning after Will, hoping she'd notice it herself."

Crystal sank on being pointed out. "And she hasn't..."

Sandra pointed a hoof at Crystal. "Stop playing coy. If you want them, Neon's right this time. Just tell them."

I raised a brow. "You keep sliding the pronoun back and forth. Will and Cindy are both shes, even if they have great big horse cocks and don't seem opposed to using them."

"Anyone notice they stopped having two?" Sandra cocked a brow. "And they're smaller."

I had noticed that, but didn't comment on it. I shrugged. "I thought they just decided on it, the two to one thing. The smaller thing, well, they got smaller everywhere else, why not there? Just as well. They would have split you in half before, Crystal." I saw her getting nervous and moved up to rub noses with her. "This is a good thing. She's just right for you now."

Crystal turned away, her tail fanning with nervous excitement. "Alright... I'm going to do it." She suddenly hurried off. The others didn't move to follow, but I did. I wanted to see this play out, for good or comedy. I kept well away from her, tailing her. She didn't teleport, thank goodness. I wondered why not. Maybe she was too nervous to think of it?

She still knew where to find them. They were out on a balcony of the building, enjoying the sunset together. They had a hand shared between them and were silent until Crystal trotted up to them. They turned around almost as one. "Crystal!" They both said. It was kind of spooky, but then the sync faded.

Cindy smiled and pointed a hoof at Crystal. "What brings you here? Did you want to talk about the herd?"

Will nodded. "You know you have our support, you just need to talk with the others, make friends."

Crystal gave a faltering nod. "Of course, but this isn't... about that. You see, at a special time of the month, a mare gets these... special feelings..."

I had to put my hooves over my snout to not laugh at how adorably innocent that awkward start was.

Cindy looked confused a moment. "What kind of special feelings?"

Will got it. "Are you in heat, Crystal?"

Crystal flushed deep red. "Y-yes, but it's more than that! I'm ready. I'm ready to be a mare, now that my caverns are empty, and I'm not really in charge of anyone anymore. I want to be with you two. I trust you both. You let me be on top before... maybe this time...?"

Cindy glanced at Will with a look that seemed full of meaning before looking back at Crystal. "It would be an honor, but we shouldn't, not until you've entered the herd."

Crystal pointed back towards where we came from, making me duck back into the shadows a bit more. "I was just talking with Sandra and Neon. They're both alright with me joining. It was... actually their idea that I..."

Will put a hoof over Crystal and drew her close and began to cuddle her gently. "I know Dusk Hope wouldn't object. He remembers you from back then, and in a good way. Really, that only leaves Dust Kicker."

Cindy closed her eyes a moment. "I'll go ask her." She rose up and trotted off towards the stairs.

Crystal gaped at her withdrawing form, then looked up at Will. "Really? Just like that?"

Will tilted her head. "Just like that. We're all adults here. We can talk openly. Now... are you alright? You don't have to spread your legs to join us, Crystal. I hope this isn't for that."

I hadn't thought Crystal could go more red, but it was threatening to turn her entire body as she shivered. "N-No! I swear. I... I'm not feral. I thought about this. I thought about this long and hard, many months before today. Every time I went into heat I thought about you, and how I turned you away when I had the chance. I was stupid and confused before. I'm just as confused now, I guess, but maybe a tiny bit less stupid. I don't want to let you walk out of my life again."

William ran a hand gently across Crystal's back. "Your fur still feels amazing. You know you're the only crystal pony I ever ran into."

Crystal shivered and leaned up into the hand. Her tail went up as it wandered towards her back end and went back down as the petting went up. This pattern repeated several times. She was so ready for this. "Am I really?"

Will nodded. "Our children, together, are going to be the only ones."

Crystal recoiled a little, then a smile spread. "Our children..." Will seemed to notice just then that she had used a plural. She looked ready to say something, but Crystal rushed in and nuzzled into Will's lower belly as she went. "Will it hurt?"

I rolled my eyes at that. Anything worth doing hurts a little, but I wasn't going to shout that out at Crystal.

William ended up rolling over instead of laying on top of her. "I'll be as gentle as possible, but if you mean the other part, that's not really up to me, and I haven't done it yet..." She raised a hoof to brush against the swell in her belly. "I'll get to it before you do. We'll see it together, as mother and father."

Crystal laughed at that. "Then we'll switch hats and see it again from the other side. This is not what I had in mind a few years ago when I was getting ready to ... It doesn't matter much now. The old America is dead, and here we are."

They began to talk then instead of getting more hot and bothered. They talked about what life was like before the ponies came. They talked about their old dreams, old jobs, old aspirations. It was boring as hell. Maybe they'd get to the good stuff as soon as Cindy came back. I hoped that would be soon.

Author's Notes:

I was kind of impressed how the last chapter got a strong response, but none of it included what people wanted, just what they didn't want. Positivity! Only typos can live on negativity alone.