Chapter 111: Date Night 2 Honey Pot

Thomas and Moonlight were in the midst of last minute preparations for their date. The human wore dark indigo shorts and a gray t-shirt with Luna’s cutie mark imprinted on the shoulders. Moonlight wore a white, short sleeved blouse that completely covered her cleavage and a pink skirt with a blue trim and slits cut for her cutie marks. Honey had told them to dress casual, but that didn’t stop Moonlight from adding a modest bit of lipstick colored the same green as Honey’s fur.

“Where do you think we’re going?” Thomas asked. He glanced back at the night stand where Moonlight had set his tie, insisting it wouldn’t be necessary. It would have looked awkward with such a casual shirt anyway.

“Silver said they went to a rodeo themed restaurant on her date,” Moonlight replied, turning this way and that to examine herself in the mirror. “I’ve always been curious about those places.”

“Think that’s where she’ll take us?”

“I certainly wouldn’t,” Moonlight replied flatly. “The same place two dates in a row just screams lack of imagination.” She turned her head as a comb magically ran through her crimson mane. “And you can bet she and Surprise talked things out, so a dance club is probably out too.”

With nothing else that could realistically be done with his attire, Thomas began pacing around the room. “I’m guessing this is all according to pony dating protocol, right?”

“Sort of,” Moonlight confirmed. She tried to ignore Thomas’ pacing, as it only added to her own anxiety. “It’s not often that multiple ponies try to join a herd at once. When they do, they usually try to coordinate things to give themselves, and each other, the best possible impression, so this isn’t out of the ordinary.”

Thomas hummed thoughtfully. “Seems kinda intimidating when you think about it. You do this while I do that. One on one or even all at once just seems way simpler.”

“It’s not like this is our first time meeting her,” Moonlight reminded. She, too, had found nothing else to do with her attire and elected to sit on the bed. “She knows what we’re like, so I doubt she’s that much more nervous than us.”

“But she is probably expecting sex, right?” Thomas met Moonlight’s eyes as he continued to pace around the bed. He then glanced briefly at the bathroom, where their ‘plan’ was waiting to be enacted.

Moonlight frowned. “Is that so wrong?”

“Well no, but… I don’t know,” Thomas admitted. “I think I’m just being weird, again.”

Moonlight smiled. “You’re weird 24/7,” she reminded playfully.

“Oh yeah?” Thomas asked playfully. “Well what does that make you?”

“The lead mare of a weird little human who is currently having trouble expressing himself,” Moonlight replied flatly.

“Fair enough,” Thomas agreed and sighed. He’d have to try explaining himself. “It just still seems weird to me, treating dates and romance like a job and just having all these rules and procedures around them.”

Moonlight leaned back and patted the spot beside her. Thomas complied and rested his butt down while she looped an arm around him. “You’re absolutely right,” she began. “Treating dates like part of a job interview is super awkward, but I doubt we’re the only ones feeling that way.”

Thomas nodded his agreement. He also noticed how Moonlight’s blouse was partially see-through and snuggled up to her side for a better look. Even after all this time of seeing her butt naked, the allure of partial nudity was still too much to resist.

“Easy there, little guy,” Moonlight cautioned, following his line of sight. “Save it for the new mare who’s spent a long time getting to know you and just wants to take the relationship to the next level,” she explained evenly. “No obligations, no overcomplicated plans, just three friends having a nice time and hoping things turn out fun.”

Thomas pressed himself up along Moonlight’s body and planted a kiss directly below her jaw. “Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered, “but you’re my favorite unicorn.”

Moonlight giggled. “That’s nice, but will you still be saying that if another unicorn joins our herd?”

Thomas blinked, thought it over, and planted another kiss. “You’re my favorite orange unicorn with a pretty red mane and a super comfortable lap to sleep on.” He grinned. “How’s that?”

Moonlight’s cheeks were flushed as she tried to keep her happy squeal subdued. “B-better.”

There was a knock at the door. Moonlight sprung to her hooves like a soldier standing at attention, inadvertently knocking Thomas over onto the bed. He smiled as she marched to the door and followed close behind. On the other side stood Honey. She wore frayed Daisy Duke short shorts that rode up pretty far in the back and had stitching on the sides to show off the three green apples of her cutie marks. Her top was a too-small, red flannel blouse that was tied tightly at the bottom just above her exposed midriff, leaving the valley of her cleavage on full display. She flicked her light brown Stetson up, revealing her confident eyes and beaming grin.

“Howdy ya’ll!” she greeted, cocking her hip to one side as she leaned.

“Howdy ho,” Thomas greeted back, trying not to let his eyes roam over the country beauty’s sumptuous body. However, he did spy the yellow picnic basket she held behind her back.

“H-ha,” Moonlight struggled to say. She cursed herself for getting tongue-tied again. “H-how strong is that shirt?”

Honey giggled and looked down at the blouse that was more like a bikini top. “Experience says stronger than it looks, but we can test that later, sugar.”

Moonlight blinked and came back to reality. “I look forward to it.”

**********

“Ah probably should’ve done this from the start,” Honey began, “but ya know how it goes. Live ‘n’ learn.” She swung the picnic basket lazily in one hand while walking alongside Thomas and Moonlight through the streets of Canterlot.

“A moonlit picnic under the stars,” Moonlight commented as she gazed up at the sky. She found that the moon was waning, but still mostly full. Her tail reached behind Thomas, tickling his back and brushing against Honey’s tail. “In hindsight, I really should have expected some classic romance from you.”

“That ya should,” Honey agreed. Her tail wrapped around Moonlight’s before it could retreat and held it fast, forming a rather loose knot behind Thomas as the three of them walked down the road.

Thomas glanced over his shoulder to see what was happening behind him. He smiled. “Any chance you two are offering to carry me in a tail hammock?” Experimentally he slowed down a little and found the conjoined tails caught his back and forced him to keep pace.

“Ya’ll can try, but Ah wouldn’t recommend it,” Honey said. “‘Sides, we ain’t headin’ that far.”

“Where are we going, exactly?” Thomas asked, looking around. “I don’t recognize the area, but that’s not really saying much with my sense of direction.”

“It’s a new park they opened just up the road,” Honey said, swinging her basket forward. “It’s still new and doesn’t have any fancy fountains ‘r nothin’, meanin’ it’ll be nice ‘n’ quiet.”

Sure enough, the park quickly came into view. As Honey described, it was a rather quaint thing in the suburbs. There weren’t quite enough trees to block out the surrounding buildings, making it difficult to suspend one’s disbelief that this was a purely natural setting and not just a small spot of green in a concrete jungle. While there weren’t any fancy fountains, there was a modest sized stream that cut through the middle of the park with four bridges connecting the two halves. On one side was a playground, vacant because of the hour, and on the other were an assortment of picnic tables and other open areas.

Entering, Thomas stopped to feel the coolness of the grass against his bare feet. The softness of the earth was a welcome change of pace from the marble tiles of the castle and the turgid firmness of the sidewalk. A chill blew through the air, likely a lingering remnant of winter. Thomas’ clothes provided little protection and the spell to insulate him against the weather hadn’t been applied in some time. He reflexively wrapped his arms tightly around himself. In response, both mares pressed themselves up to either side of him, protecting him with their body heat, and the human smiled.

The trio quickly made their way to the picnic area, only to forgo any of the tables in favor of the open ground.

“If ya want ta have a romantic picnic under the stars, ya’d best do it the right way,” Honey explained as she found a spot atop a small hill and under a tree. Said tree probably would have provided some welcome shade if the sun was out, but as things were, it only lightly obscured the night’s sky without hampering the lovely view.

“Anything we can do to help?” Thomas asked as Moonlight cuddled him. The chill had passed, but he couldn’t think of a reason why the mare should let go.

“Nah.” Honey waved dismissively. “Ya’ll jus’ have a seat ‘n’ Ah’ll get things started.” Setting the basket between herself and her dates, Honey opened the lid. Their collective senses were immediately assaulted with the odors of freshly baked pastries. Only Honey managed to keep focus. “Ah hope ya like it. Ah made some apple pies, apple fritters, ‘n’ apple dumplings. Jona thought it’d be nice if we shared a friendly catfish, ‘n’ Plow dug into his personal stash o’ Zap Apple jam.” She set each item into place as she listed them off. “Everythin’s 100% homemade Apple quality goodness, even the cider.” She lifted out a few bottles in one hand and gave them an encouraging shake.

Thomas’ mouth watered as he stared at the spread before him. “Whoa,” he said simply.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Moonlight admitted. “And you made all this yourself?”

“Mostly,” Honey corrected. “The pies and fritters were yours truly. Everythin’ else,” she waved her hand over the spread in presentation, “is an offerin’ on behalf o’ the whole Apple clan.” She pulled her hand back and awaited their verdict. Of course she had every confidence in her family’s cooking, but it was always a chef’s worry that their food might not be appreciated, especially when it came to someone they loved.

“Mine!” Moonlight announced as she seized one of the pies, levitated a set of utensils into position, and viciously attacked.

More subdued than his mate, Thomas grabbed the fried fish and set a small slice of pie on his plate.

Honey gave a small sigh of relief, sat down, and grabbed a few portions for herself before Moonlight could devour it all. “So how about ya’ll tell me a bit more ‘bout yerselves. Fer all the time we’ve spent together, Ah reckon Ah don’t know hardly nothin’ ‘bout what ya’ll were like before we met.”

“That’s fair,” agreed Moonlight. She recounted the story of how she grew up in Canterlot with her dame as an officer in the guard and her father as a concubine to Celestia. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to come out and tell the full truth about why her sire had left the harem, including the secret around Blue Blood being a jackass in service to the crowns. She then recounted her cutie mark story with the bullies, touched on a couple notable points in her education, and rounded off with her joining Luna’s house guard.

Thomas did much the same and provided the cliff notes of his upbringing. He told of how he’d always been a quiet and rather reclusive child. He’d only grown quieter with time, making few friends as his parents moved around a couple times. Eventually he made a friend once they’d both settled down from their initial awkwardness, who became his girlfriend with time. However, they split upon going to university and she found someone she loved. Thomas, meanwhile, after spending years in his own imagination, finally discovered his passion for writing. Then graduation with a useless degree, then work in retail, and finally his arrival in the castle.

“Wow. Sounds like ya’ll’ve led some perty interestin’ lives.”

“Only the last bit for me,” Thomas corrected. “Everything before was pretty much the pinnacle of mundane.”

“Your turn,” Moonlight cut in. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about what you were like growing up?”

“Well, Ah had a simple foalhood, all things considered. Ah was born on a farm jus’ outside o’ Baltimare in Red Tree County. Us Apples are planted perty much all over the place.” Honey straightened her back and donned a small, proud smile. “That’s where Ah spent most o’ mah early foalhood, too. There weren’t much ta do ‘cept chores ‘n’ school. No fancy arcades ‘r the like, so most o’ our free time was spent jus’ chasin’ each other, lazin’ under the sun, ‘n’ watching the clouds ‘n’ wishin’ somethin’ excitin’ would happen.”

“Normally that’s the point in the story where there’s some sort of disaster,” Thomas pointed out.

Honey shrugged. “Eh. A couple wild storms here ‘n’ there, but nothin’ that’d uproot an Apple. We jus’ dug in ‘n’ waited it out. Then we got back ta doin’ what we do best: growin’ strong ‘n’ makin’ the land green ‘n’ red.”

“What about your family?” Moonlight asked. “The Apples are pretty famous across Equestria. Did your family have any special influence or anything?”

“Kinda. We had the third largest private farm in the county, so most folks tended ta listen whenever mah parents spoke at town meetin’s. But we didn’t get all stuck-up about it, though. Lots o’ ponies in town relied on us Apples ‘n’ we took pride in what we did. It was mah ancestor who dug the first reservoir more ‘an two hundred years ago that made livin’ on that patch o’ dirt possible. Like usual, an Apple plants its seed, and perty soon it blooms into a bustlin’ little town.” Honey beamed and looked up nostalgically into the sky. “Mah granpappy use ta tell me that more ‘n’ half o’ Equestria wouldn’t be here if not fer us Apples plantin’ all over the place.”

“That reminds me of something,” Thomas began. “You said this was all ‘100% homemade Apple quality goodness.’ I don’t really know all that much about the Apple family, except that they’re really… prolific?” He asked experimentally. After giving it some thought, Honey nodded. “I know that the branch down in Ponyville are also the sole producers of Zap Apple jam and make some good cider. Does every branch have their own specialty? Is there any kind of competition for business?”

Honey gave a thoughtful hum as she nibbled on a fritter. “Ah mean, Ah guess,” she said uncertainly. “I like what ya’ll said about the ‘branch’ in Ponyville, ‘cause that’s pretty much how it works. Ya got the main branches o’ the family tree that’re mostly the original settlers o’ places all over the country. They start the farms that grow the towns, makin’ them the main branches. Apples, bein’ the fruitful lot we are, start spreadin’ out from there, but never stray too far from the main branch.

“We do got our specialties, though. Like how the Oranges up in Manehatten ‘re actually part o’ Clan Apple. The way mah grandpappytold it, both Apples ‘n’ Oranges were tryin’ ta settle the land at the same time, but neither was gettin’ too far. Orange trees grew better than apples, but the family didn’t have much as far as business sense ‘r trade connections. Apples had all the business, but none o’ the crop. So, after buttin’ heads for a few years, the heads o’ both families finally got some sense knocked into ‘em and realized the only way they’d ever grow anythin’ was if’n they worked together. Nature took its course, ‘n’ now we got a healthy branch o’ Oranges growin’ out o’ our Apple family tree, which Ah s’pose makes it more like an everythin’ tree.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Thomas said, fully engrossed into the story, making Honey beam in pride.

“The same thing’s happened with a bunch o’ other produce over the years,” she continued. “It’s gotten ta the point that now the Apple clan is easily the single biggest family in the land.”

“My dame once told me that half the earth ponies in Equestria are part of the Apple Clan, or at least connected in some way,” Moonlight added.

Honey shrugged while beaming in false modesty. “Eh. More like a third, the way Ah hear it. But we’re getting’ there.” The two mares shared a laugh and even the human grinned his appreciation at the family’s proud history.

“So the original families who settled things are ruling the extended family?” Thomas asked.

“Nah. It ain’t like how Canterlot folks are all obsessed over bloodlines ‘n’ status climbin’,” Honey explained. “That’s jus’ not the earth pony way. It’s more like the main branches are at the center o’ where everythin’ grows, so they’re more like jus’ the default place the clan gathers whenever decisions need makin’, not ta mention family reunions. They usually got the most land, but not always. We try ta keep things democratic, but the toughest willed pony in the room usually gets the biggest say, no matter which branch they come from.

“Oh. An’ as fer competitions…” Honey trailed off and pushed a plat of apple dumplings into the center of the picnic blanket. “We have a lot o’ fun at family reunions. Besides games ‘n’ excuses ta spend time together, we also hold big competitions ta show off any new recipes we got goin’. A lot o’ bigger towns ‘n’ cities hold cooking competitions o’ their own right around the same time as Apple reunions.” Honey tried not to look smug as she continued, but she wasn’t trying all that hard. “Naturally, Apples usually take home the gold.”

“Wow,” was Thomas’ humbled reply. “You’ve got quite the family history.” He glanced at Moonlight. “Both of you. Is that a pony thing?” This question caused the mares to frown.

“Families aren’t a human thing?” Honey asked.

“Depends,” Thomas admitted. “Some families are closer than others, but not too many have… what I guess you could call storied lineages these days. I kind of felt like I was drifting away from the rest of my family as I got older, so I can’t really say for certain, although I got the impression they still passed on stories with each other. Both of my grandfathers fought in some pretty big wars, but neither liked to talk too much about the experience. My dad was interested in tracking our family lineage and found some pretty cool things. Apparently I’m 1/16^th Native American.”

“Wait,” Moonlight interrupted. “I thought you said you were from the country of America, so wouldn’t that automatically make you a native?”

“I am, but my ancestors took the land from people who were there centuries before us. We’re part of the country called the United States of America, but the ones before us were the numerous tribes collectively referred to as Native Americans.”

“Huh. Sounds a little like the trouble Ah heard brewin’ down in Appleloosa,” offered Honey. “Settlers are gettin’ into some pretty nasty squabbles with the local buffalo tribes.”

You have no idea, Thomas thought, not wanting to delve further into this particular topic. Instead, he decided to take a stab at another thought that had been weighing heavy in his mind. “So, are you happy?”

Honey furrowed her brow. “What d’ya mean?”

“I mean, you had a family – a herd – before applying to the harem. Given everything you’ve seen and been told so far, does the idea… you know…”

“Still seem like a good one?” Honey guessed and Thomas nodded. She smiled with soft reassurance. “It does.”

“It does?” Thomas pressed.

Moonlight listened in silence as Honey gave her explanation. While Thomas rarely showed it, he was a very sensitive creature and it was in his nature to fret about the happiness of others, especially those closest to him. He hated the idea of forcing others into uncomfortable situations and, as much as he could, would work to help them feel more comfortable. Moonlight knew that no word but Honey’s could assuage the concerns of her thoughtful stallion.

Honey nodded. “It does, an’, if’n mah date with Luna went as well as Ah thought, Ah’m looking forward ta spendin’ the rest o’ mah life with both mah herds.” She chuckled. “Heh. Ain’t too many ponies ever expect ta hear those words comin’ out o’ their mouths.”

“Agreed,” confirmed Moonlight. Upon spying Thomas’ confused expression, she reacted with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I really wish there were a way to explain this better. Maybe it’s a difference in culture, or maybe the magic of destiny is playing a role?”

“What she said,” Honey stepped in at Moonlight’s urging look. “While the idea o’ bein’ in a second herd still makes me a little nervous sometimes, it jus’ seems right ta me now.”

Thomas pursed his lips as his eyes begged for elaboration.

Moonlight shuffled in place, suddenly feeling very sweaty. She hoped she didn’t stink. “It’s like that night we went to the zoo. I remember how anxious and awkward I was at the start.”

Thomas smiled sympathetically. “You weren’t the only one.”

“But by the end, after spending time with you, getting to know you, and just… It’s now impossible for me to imagine a future without you in it.” She reached out and set her hand on Thomas’ thigh. “I love you, Thomas. I love you with all my heart.”

Thomas took deep, steady breaths, rapidly blinking his eyes to keep the tears from forming as he felt the sincerity of Moonlight’s words. “I love you too,” he replied, noting the utter lack of hesitation in his words.

Then Moonlight turned to Honey. “And I love you, too,” she added, not doing nearly as much to hold the tears back as she met Thomas’ eyes once more. “It’s just like that night. Awkward and confused, but now…” She trailed off, the turbulent emotions making it difficult to articulate.

Honey, having patiently followed along, decided to take up the slack. “Yeah. Ya’ll told me about that zoo date o’ yours, ‘n’ that’s pretty much how Ah’ve been feelin’. At first it was jus’ Luna. Ah wanted ta be in her life, even if Ah knew that part would have ta be different than the one with mah herd, but that was okay. Ah’ve realized it’s okay ta have different friends who like different things. It’s okay ta be part o’ different groups, even if they don’t like hangin’ out all that much. An’, while it’s still kinda hard ta put into words, Ah know deep in mah heart that it’s okay ta have different lovers, so long as the love’s real and don’t take away from any other.

“That’s why Ah want ta be in the harem. Ah love Jona ‘n’ Plow, but Ah want you guys in mah life, too. Ah’m imaginin’ a future where Ah’m commutin’ between mah house ‘n’ mah room at the castle. Maybe for one night, or maybe two or five in a row. Ah’ve talked about it with Jona ‘n’ Plow, ‘n’ they were the same. It was weird at first, but the idea jus’ seems ta make sense now. Ah want to spend the rest o’ mah life with ya’ll ‘n’ am willin’ ta do whatever it takes to make everypony happy.”

Unable to help herself any longer, Moonlight began to bawl. She then reached out and yanked both Thomas and Honey into a surprise hug. She squeezed them both as if she were afraid they might float away otherwise. Honey squeezed right back, but was careful with the little guy. Thomas – also caught up in the moment – put every last ounce of strength he had into holding the mares as tightly as he possibly could. If the tears running down everyone’s cheeks wasn’t indicator enough, the rapid swishing of tails told him that this was a happy moment.

“So Ah was wonderin’ about some o’ those stories you like ta tell us,” she said, directing her inquiry at Thomas.

“What about,” Thomas took a swig of cider to wash down the mouthful of fish, “them?”

Honey shifted a little uncertainly. “Well, Ah was wonderin’ if’n ya had somethin’ a little… different.” She licked her dry lips.

Thomas frowned his confusion. “What? Like a particular genre or something?”

Honey breathed, deciding it would be best to just rip off the bandage as quickly as possible. “Well, mah friends always had ta read ‘em ta me, but mah favorite kind o’ story is… Ah’m not sure how ta describe it.”

“How about an example,” Moonlight helpfully offered between bites. She figured Honey was still a little insecure about her problems with reading, so it was still a little tricky to talk about, even after all they’d shared already. “From what I’ve seen, odds are ten to one he at least has something similar in that noggin of his.”

“Fair assessment,” Thomas agreed evenly. “I was kind of a shut in growing up, so I consumed a lot of fiction.”

Honey nodded and continued. “Well, Ah guess it’d be like a character startin’ out all ordinary like, maybe in secondary school, ‘n’ then they get thrown into this whole other world o’ fantasy ‘n’ wonder.” Honey flinched when she heard Thomas and Moonlight start to chuckle, cursing herself for her poor diction and bad timing, or whatever was responsible for them laughing at her.

Thomas shook his head. “No problem. In fact, there’s this ridiculously popular story back h-uh, where I’m from that fits perfectly.” He’d almost said ‘home’, but that no longer felt right. While there was still some acclimating to be done, he could no longer imagine living happily anywhere but with his new friends and loved ones in Equestria.

“So it starts, as these things often do, in the dead of night; the witching hour, to be precise,” he began. “The streets are empty and dimly lit, for no one in their right mind would ever have business at such an hour. Yet despite this, a lone man with a long white beard walks down the middle of the road, looking upon the mundane homes with mild curiosity. He holds out a strange contraption. It looks like an ordinary lighter, but when he points it at one of the dim lamps, the fire goes out, sucked right into the lighter…”

And thus ends the initial part of the date between Thomas, Moonlight, and Honey. I wanted something simple and down-to-earth, and a picnic just seemed ideal. I’ll admit I felt more could have been done with this chapter, but nothing was really clicking for me. It reminds me of what a lot of people say about Apple Jack from the show; that she’s dependable and someone you’d want for a friend, but her character is kinda dull. Oh well.

Tier 1: Nobody at this time

Tier 2: Arthur Daniel Caro, Cerberi, and Josh

Tier 3: Jonathan Applewhaite, kent, Nakey Jakey, and AuthorGenesis