Thomas ran to the adjacent restrooms. He almost entered the one marked for stallions, only to look at his breasts and remember that the illusion of a mare’s body was still in place. With much trepidation, he pushed the door open to the domain where man fears to tread, the mare’s restroom. Upon taking one step in, he was immediately accosted by another pony and both fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“Agh,” the mare groaned. “Are you alright?”

“I think so,” Thomas shook his head, suddenly becoming aware of an extra heavy weight on his chest and looked up. To his horror, his face was mere inches away from the naked mare’s exposed behind. Her crotch was smooth and the smell of her slightly parted sex wafted into Thomas’ nostrils. Her pink pucker contrasted nicely against the gray fur of her pert buttocks and tensed as she flexed. The rump in question spread open further as the mare brought her legs forward to help prop herself up. Eventually she slung a leg over his head, inadvertently bringing her taint even closer to his face for a brief moment, as she pulled the rest of her body off of him.

“I am so sorry,” the mare pleaded with a mildly Prench accent as she sat beside her victim on the tiled floor. She was a silver-gray bat pony with large leathery wings and a white mane with a light gray stripe. Her breasts were a respectably perky C-cup and her eyes were the same shade of indigo as Luna’s fur. She wore a gold necklace with a large diamond in the middle with four emeralds to either side. Upon her bare flank was a silver bell tied with a red ribbon that gave it an almost Christmas look. She was also short. Her features were that of a mare in her early twenties, at most, but she was easily the smallest adult pony Thomas had ever seen, seeming only slightly taller than he normally would be. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Please tell me you’re not hurt.”

“Don’t worry,” Thomas assured as he pulled himself up and propped himself on his arms, trying to focus on explosions from action movies to take his mind off the lingering smell. “I’m sure you’ll get over it.”

“Oh? Oh!” the Prench mare realized, giggling cutely as her ears splayed in embarrassment. “I’m glad to hear that,” she stood and offered her hand to pull him up. “My name’s Silver Bell by the way. What’s yours?”

“T…” Thomas stopped. “Um, Moon Lover,” he answered, staring into her eyes much longer than he felt he should have.

“That’s a lovely name,” Silver Bell exposed her fangs in a smile as she inspected Thomas’ form, also for much longer than she probably should have. “Hmm. You wouldn’t happen to have some bat pony ancestry?”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas admitted, trying not to sound nervous. “Why?”

“It just seems like a bat pony sort of name. Oh well,” she shrugged awkwardly. “Now that we’ve been introduced, how is the night treating you? Enjoying your meal?”

“The meal’s fine,” Thomas groaned, cringing at how high pitched his voice was. “It’s just the company that’s a little…”

“Are they the loud ones?” Silver Bell gestured in the direction of the table Thomas had come from.

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “That would be them.”

Silver Bell rolled her eyes and folded her arms, wings shuffling in irritation. “My apologies if I come across as less than civil, but I could hear them half way across the restaurant. Honestly, some ponies just have no manners. What such a lovely mare as yourself is doing with them is…” Blushing, she stopped. “That is, I’m sure they're very nice. Even that griffon who keeps flaring her wings out in public,” she added disapprovingly.

Thomas nodded, laughing internally at being called a lovely mare. It was an off-hand comment, but it sounded genuine. Would she be saying that if I were a stallion? Better question, what about me as I really am? He went on to imagine the bat pony’s reaction if she knew what she’d just said about the Princess of the Night. “Your friends any better? Maybe we could trade.” He added in the hopes of changing the topic away from his appearance.

“My friends are mostly the quiet artsy types, so this isn’t a problem for me,” she explained with a bit of forced mirth. “I have only just arrived back in Canterlot the other day from Prance.”

“Back in Canterlot? You’ve been here before?”

“Oh yes. I used to live here when I was little before my family took me to live in Prance. Now that I’m back and my apartment is settled, I thought I’d check out some of the city’s restaurants before heading over to the castle.”

“The castle?” Thomas inquired, the illusion of his ears perking in interest.

Silver Bell rubbed her arm in embarrassment. “Yes. I’m applying for a position in the night court… um, staff. They wrote that they were pleased with my resume, but I still have to do one last interview before I am officially accepted into the position. At least that’s how I understand it.”

Thomas tilted his head. “If things aren’t official yet, then why move? Shouldn’t that come after you, you know, have the job?”

“Normally yes,” Silver Bell agreed. “However, this is not a normal kind of… job. It can take months before your credentials are even looked at, and even then they accept so few applicants.” She blushed. “To be honest, I’m only here at the request of my parents, they pulled a lot of strings to get me this far this quickly, and the encouragement of my friends. Sounds silly, I imagine.”

“Not at all. It sounds like what you’re doing takes a lot of courage,” Thomas smiled as Silver Bell did the same. “The loud ones have been encouraging me to get out more and try new things.”

“It’s nice to have supportive friends,” Silver Bell grinned, her sparkly whites shining under the light of the magical lamps. “Also the nature of the job is… I can’t really say, but it’s pretty exciting. Even just making it as far as I have in the interview process is rather impressive, even if my parents did pull some strings,” she admitted embarrassingly. "Anyway, what have your friends been helping you with?”

Thomas averted his gaze, ears splaying in embarrassment. “I’m not sure you’d believe me even if I told you.”

Silver Bell pouted. “Try me.”

Thomas shrugged. “Would you believe I was a guy this morning?”

Silver Bell pulled back in surprise, only to lean in as her eyes crawled over the illusion of the mare in front of her. “Not really,” she confessed. “And if I did, I’d question whether or not your friends could even be called friends.”

“That’s fair,” Thomas agreed. “They’ve been teasing me about it all night, but they’re really good pe-er-ponies… usually.”

Silver Bell’s frown softened. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“Might as well,” Thomas shrugged. “Thing is, I’m sorta in this relationship with a mare.”

“Might she be one of the loud ones?”

Thomas nodded. “She’s great, wonderful really. But now she’s talking about, what was the word, stabling with this griffon I know. And I’m just not sure how to deal with that.”

Silver Bell nodded along. “You say you know this griffon. Is she a friend of yours?”

“Yeah. I’ve been in Canterlot a while now and she’s sorta been looking out for me for most of that.” Thomas admitted as his own words lingered in his mind.

“I take it you’ve never been in a stabled relationship before?” she asked flatly.

Thomas shook his mare head. “I’m kinda new to these kinds of relationships in general and I’m just not certain what it all means,” he confessed, looking expectantly at the bat pony for an answer.

Silver Bell nodded understandingly. “Hmm. I think I can see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think this is anything as drastic as you might fear. Do you know why this griffon is stabling with you?”

Thomas rubbed his arm in embarrassment. “I guess you could say we’ve been having some communication issues.”

“Ah. Then I suspect that’s what this griffon is meant to tackle.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

“I’m not sure how things work where ever you’re from, but in this part of Equestria, ponies might stable together for a number of reasons. For example, a stallion might stable with a herd while studding for them.”

Stud while stabling? Thomas grimaced. Great. Use more alien pony words I don’t really get to explain the first one. Might as well speak a whole nother language while you’re at it.

Picking up on his confusion, Silver Bell paused to rethink what she had planned to say. “Ponies stable with herds because the herds need something. Studding was just an example, but bringing in an outsider for communication issues is just as common. There’s no stigma behind it, but I understand how seeking outside help can be a little uncomfortable, so I won’t pry into the specifics.”

Thomas nodded appreciatively as he processed this new information. “You mean like… an intervention?”

“I suppose you could call it that,” Silver Bell wondered. “But I think it’s more fitting to say that it’s a friend helping out other friends in a… quasi-official status. He, or she in this case, joins the herd temporarily until all parties feel the job is done. Could be for a day, or maybe even a year. Maybe you’ll like her so much that you’ll invite her to join your herd formally.”

“She’s already got a herd of her own,” Thomas replied. “Said this was more like a loan.”

“Then I guess her herd must be very lucky to have somepony willing to do so much for the sake of her friends’ relationship.”

“I… hadn’t thought of it like that,” Thomas admitted. Thinking back to what they had said prior, this explanation did seem to make the most sense. Talon’s just doing what she’s been doing and trying to help me fit in. I guess just putting a label on it doesn’t really change things.

“Well I think it’s safe to say the mare you’re herded with has and that’s why this griffon was invited to begin with.” Silver Bell reached out and took Thomas’ ponified hands in hers. “Try to think on the positive side. You love this mare, right?” She waited for the nod which followed soon after. “And you trust this griffon as a friend, right?” Another nod. “Then just think of it as her being your new roommate. She’ll live with you, eat at the same table, do things that’ll probably annoy you,” she giggled, “and speak her mind on things she sees.”

Thomas felt himself relax as he thought more on this. Talon as a roommate didn’t seem so bad. Granted, she’d still likely be as flirtatious as ever, but wasn’t that the point, to help him adjust to herded life? This had been a long time coming and Thomas chided himself for waiting this long. He knew Luna wanted a larger harem which, now that he knew he was her herd stallion, meant she wanted a proper herd that better fit the cultural norms of this world. The idea of sharing Luna, or even himself, with other ponies still bugged him, but logically he knew that this was just how ponies worked. By all accounts, herds worked and ponies were able to get along with one another just fine without being jealous. It still bothered him, and he knew that he and Luna would have to have a proper talk about it, but something about the bat pony mare’s certainty told him that things might just work out in the end. “Thank you, Miss Silver Bell.”

“Call me Silver. All my friends do,” she smiled. “And if things don’t work out, you can room with me,” she assured. “But I’m sure that won’t happen. I had a look at your group earlier. That kiss wasn’t the sort you give to a pony you want to break up with.” She suddenly pulled back. “Not that I was spying, or anything! I didn’t even get a good look at whoever that third mare by the griffon was.”

The illusion of Thomas’ cheek fur turned pink. “You think so?”

“I’ve been the designated driver on enough dates to learn the signs. Trust me. Whatever your problems, if you two aren’t very special someponies, I’ll eat my hat.”

“But you’re not wearing a hat.”

“Then I’ll go out and buy the ugliest hat in Canterlot just for the purpose of eating. That’s how confident I am that things will work out for you two.”

Thomas nodded. “Thanks again, Silver.”

“Any time,” she nodded.

“I think I’ll go out there and get this stuff straightened out. Oh, and when you do get around to going to the castle, look up a guy named Thomas. I think he might be able to help you get the job.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Silver bobbed her head excitedly. “While I’d be a fool to turn down such a kind gesture, I fear it won’t matter. For this kind of job, if I’m not invited up to the castle, there’s nothing anypony can do.”

“Then we’ll just have to make sure you get invited, now won’t we,” he turned to leave the bathroom.

Silver sighed contently as she was left alone. She’d felt that she’d done her good deed of the evening, but wondered whether or not eating that hat might be worth Moon Lover becoming available, horrible as that may be. However, the mere thought of that mare’s pretty eyes and nice flank made her heart flutter.

**********

Thomas barely got two steps out of the bathroom before nearly crashing into Talon. Thankfully, both managed to stay standing afterward.

“Wo there, chimp,” she held out her claws to steady herself. “Ya alright?”

“I think so,” Thomas nodded and gave the griffon a warm smile. “And thanks, stable buddy.”

Talon beamed proudly at the human in a mare’s body and swooped him off his feet in a powerful embrace. “I’m so glad to hear that, but what were you doing in there, anyway?” she asked after setting him back on his hoof-feet.

“Just talking with a mare.”

Talon tilted her head curiously. “Now’s not really the time for making out with strange mares, chimp. And coming from me, that’s saying something.”

“We weren’t making out!” Thomas sneered, only to quickly pull back when he feared he might have reacted too strongly. “We were just talking.” He said in an apologetic tone.

“Whatever,” Talon shrugged, apparently unfazed. “Anyway, Moonbutt’s pretty worried about you walking off like that. And smarty-corn keeps freaking out that you might fall into the toilet or something.”

Thomas felt a chill run up his spine. “I didn’t mean to make her worry.”

“She keeps fidgeting like she’s sitting on a bee or something. There’s dedication to your job, but then there’s just plain paranoia.”

Thomas gulped. It felt terrible making his friends worry like this. “And… L-I mean Blue?”

Talon nodded. “That’s only mostly your fault. Mares are supposed to worry about their stallions, after all. But she’s also worried you might be a little angry with her.”

“What? Why would I be angry at her?”

Talon leered. “Well ya could stand here and ask me all night long, or we could quit stalling and get you over to your talk. Choice is up to you, chimp.”

Thomas nodded and let Talon escort him back to their table. Both mares were elated at his return. After Moonlight finished fussing over him, satisfied that he hadn’t come to any injuries in her absence, Thomas slid back beside the blue unicorn. “Hey,” he said meekly.

“Hey,” Luna parroted. An awkward silence followed. “I am sorry for making you into a mare. W-I may have asked, but it was wrong to pressure you as I did. Can you forgive us?”

For a moment Thomas considered saying that it wasn’t a big deal, but the worried look on Luna’s unicorn face, not to mention her slip into royal pronouns signaling her emotional state, told him there was no way she would buy that. He nuzzled her forehead and whispered “Always, my mare.” And she let out a sigh of relief.

“It occurs to me,” Talon began, “that certain parties might need some clarification on what a royal harem really is. What say we move this party somewhere more private?”

“Agreed,” Luna nodded.

They finished their meal quickly, paid, and departed the restaurant. Once outside, they found a secluded place to modify Thomas’ illusion back to that of a stallion, much to his appreciation. Having such a heavy chest felt just so weird. As before, they decided that the park would be their best destination.

“Alright,” Talon stepped away from the group. “Not exactly private, but since we look like just some weird group of friends, we shouldn’t get any eavesdroppers. Anyway, first thing’s first. This is royal harem business, which means it’s on a need-to-know basis. Got it?”

Both guards nodded and moved to leave.

“Not you,” Talon grabbed Moonlight’s arm. “This concerns you too, now sit.”

Moonlight looked to Swift Scabbard for some direction, but he was just as much in the dark as she was. She looked to Thomas, but the look on his face suggested he didn’t know where this was going either. Finally she turned to the disguised Princess who gave a confident nod, assuring that the guard’s presence was welcome.

Swift Scabbard leaned against a nearby tree as he watched the group from a distance. The rest sat beside the small lake in something of a circle, but with a clear distinction between Talon and Luna on one side and Thomas and Moonlight on the other. Talon motioned for the Princess to begin and she cast a bubble of silence around them.

“Dearest Thomas. It pains us terribly to know that there has been so many failures to communicate between us, firstly in that we actually allowed you to believe for so long that you were but a mere prostitute.”

“Mere?” Moonlight asked, swallowing her offense when she realized she’d spoken out of turn. “My apologies. I shouldn’t have…”

“No, Lady Moonlight,” Luna assured. “Speak what is on your mind.”

“It’s just, what’s wrong with being a prostitute? My father was a faithfully stabled concubine to Princess Celestia for many years and is a very proud stallion.”

“I have no doubt that he is,” Luna bobbed her head calmly. “And while I have never had the pleasure of meeting him, I believe I can safely say your father was never a prostitute.”

“What?” the dumbfounded Moonlight eventually asked.

“That’s just a cover,” Talon answered coolly. “It may have been in the job title, but that’s just a front so the rest of Equestria doesn’t know what concubines really are.”

“Then…” Moonlight hesitated, “what are they?”

When Luna looked to Thomas, putting him on the spot, the human felt obliged to answer as best he could. “We’re your herd, right?”

Luna bobbed her head. “It is as I told you some time ago. You might have dismissed it as playful banter at the time, but know that I spoke with nothing but sincerity when I said you are my herd.”

Thomas nodded along. She’d said as much already, but that didn’t make her current statement any less profound.

“Dearest Thomas,” she continued. “You are my herd in all but title and law, but the feelings we share are no less real. You are my stallion and I am your mare.”

“And smarty-corn,” Talon gently interjected. “Your daddy used to be a member of Celestia’s semi-secret herd, just like I am now.”

“Herd?” Moonlight repeated. “So… father was herded to Princess Celestia?”

“Technically he was stabled, but yes,” Luna answered. “Regarding why, I’m afraid the answer goes back to the early days of Equestria, some five and a half thousand years ago. Despite what the Hearth’s Warming Eve plays may say, the old tensions between the three tribes did not evaporate overnight. In fact, were it not for the arrival of my sister and I, they might have descended into all-out war once more. As the embodiments of all three tribes, my sister and I were looked upon as the natural leaders by the common folk. However, those in power were much more skeptical of the newcomers. Because of the sway they held over their followers, we came to a compromise. In exchange for recognizing our leadership, each of the ruling families would offer up a son or daughter each to my sister and myself to be wedded. It was a purely political marriage which satisfied the nobility, save for the fact that neither my sister nor I ever became pregnant.”

“Why didn’t you…” Thomas snapped his mouth shut, silently cursing thoughtlessness.

“It’s alright,” Luna gave an assuring smile. “Though we may appear similar, alicorns differ from common ponies in many ways. For instance, while we do have heat cycles like normal mares, there is a significantly greater time between heats, and there are further conditions. Now before I continue, I must remind you all that this is strictly confidential and not to be shared with anypony under any circumstances. Matters concerning the private affairs of the royal sisters can only be shared by the royal sisters. Do I make myself clear?”

The three nodded somberly at Luna’s serious tone.

“Regarding these further conditions, not even we fully understand what they are,” Luna paused to breathe while Thomas and Moonlight fidgeted anxiously. Talon looked just as serious, but less eager to hear what she’d already been told. “Alicorns are simply not as fertile as common mares. We are not barren, by any stretch, but it is not nearly as easy for a stallion’s seed to take within us. Even with another alicorn stallion, there is difficulty. Some have speculated that alicorns are all but impervious to insemination without a number of factors being present. One of these factors, we believe, is love.”

“Love,” Thomas muttered absentmindedly.

“Love,” Luna agreed. “My sister and I did not love our first herds. It was merely the first of many political moves to placate the aristocracy. After that, things began to settle as the foundations of Equestria were built. The land was much more savage in those days, so my sister and I spent a great deal of time taming the wilds. Two centuries passed as the lands stabilized and the three tribes finally learned the merits of harmony. However, my sister and I began to succumb to loneliness. We were adored by the masses, some more than others,” she added under hushed breath, “but it was the distant reverence of unreachable idols. The nobility courted us regularly, but theirs was nothing but a shallow ruse to hide their lust for power.”

“You poor thing,” Moonlight offered sympathetically. “I never imagined how lonely it could be on the throne. The way father described her and how she’s always smiling, I had thought Princess Celestia was happy.”

“No doubt your father was part of what made my sister so happy,” Luna smiled appreciatively. “In fact, it was because of her that the harem system was born. You see, after vanquishing an especially vicious hydra that had been ravaging a small town, Celestia found an injured guard mare and nursed her back to health. The guard was herded with another mare and stallion. Their names were Warding Flame, Azure Crystal, and Lawful Virtue. Celestia sat with them in the old castle’s infirmary until the guard recovered. They spoke at length with one another and finally sister was able to make ponies see her as a mare and not just a goddess.” Luna smiled nostalgically. “And as the story goes, they were eventually married as Princess and Consorts.”

“Ooh,” Moonlight cupped her hands over her mouth to stifle her cooing. “That’s so romantic.”

Thomas did better at staying composed as he looked at Luna. “But?”

“But.” Luna let the word hang for a moment. “But the aristocracy was not so tolerant of commoners being raised to the positions they felt entitled to. For the sake of protecting those we loved, we established the royal harem system. In essence, we were herded with the members of our harem in all but law and title, which was enough of a technicality to appease the nobles since it meant that no foal not born of an alicorn and nobility would ever sit on the throne. We even changed the term from consort to concubine. Times have changed considerably since then, but the system has remained in order to ward off any potential threats.”

Thomas and Moonlight exchanged worried looks as they considered what they had been told.

“So,” Thomas began. “Where does that leave us?”

Luna turned to the unicorn beside Thomas. “Moonlight Shield.”

“Ma’am!” the guard answered reflexively as she straightened up to attention.

“You are the daughter of a member of my sister’s harem. As has been tradition since the beginning, you are entitled to consider both myself and my sister as your aunts.” There was something just a little bit off about the smile she gave Moonlight.

Moonlight gulped as her mind raced to process this new info. “So it wasn’t some foalhood faze? Celestia… is my herd mother?”

“It is better to call her your aunt, but yes.” Luna nodded with a grin. “Though it may be a secret, family is still family, my niece,” she added lovingly.

While Moonlight struggled to process this new information, a question came to Thomas. “What about Blueblood?” Immediately the atmosphere became rather stale, but he pressed on. “He’s pretty widely known as Celestia’s nephew. How come he gets to be openly recognized while Moonlight has to keep it secret?”

Moonlight nodded fervently, also wanting an answer.

“Though rare,” Luna explained, “there are in fact some nobles kind and sincere enough to earn the affections of my sister or I. In such cases, we are allowed to refer to them publicly as our husbands and wives instead of concubines. And in the event a foal is born, they are recognized as an Honorary Prince or Princess. The nobles make no fuss when one of their own is elevated, but the title is just that, a title. Tis an imposing title to be sure, but the Honorary Prince or Princess holds little authority except in public perception. I have actually spoken with my sister regarding your particular circumstances, dear Moonlight.” She added, anticipating the unicorn’s question. “She was being unusually cryptic about the matter. However, from what I could interpret, your father insisted on keeping you and your siblings away because he did not want you to turn out as he did,” Luna explained, though even she sounded unsure of her own validity.

Moonlight’s eye twitched in agitation. “So… the reason I was denied a relationship with auntie Celestia,” she spoke her old name for the Princess with reverence, “is all because of Prince bucking blue balls?”

Talon rolled her eyes, but kept her comments to herself.

The naked guard looked ready to burst from her seat, race towards the castle, and turn the Prince’s nose concave, but a few quick breaths and she was able to compose herself again. The flicking of her ears showed that she was still clearly infuriated, though Thomas tried to avert his eyes from the fact that the cold air was eliciting another reaction from her.

“I could have a little chat with my sister,” Luna added. “I do not think she would be opposed to having breakfast with you tomorrow; or, as those backwards day court ponies say, late dinner.”

Moonlight blinked. “You mean I could…”

“Catch up with your old aunt?” Luna finished her thought. “Indeed you could.” Seeing that Moonlight was struggling to adhere to protocol, Luna scooted towards the orange unicorn and pulled her niece into a tight embrace. Both mares reveled in each other’s arms, like old friends finally reunited after so long.

“And chimp.” All eyes fell on Talon. “You might have the title, but I still hold seniority here. Consider this just the next step in your training. Normally you’d be elevated to the position after the old Senior Concubine either dies or steps down, but only if you’ve proven that you were up for it. Since you’re the only member of your Princess’ harem, you’re still learning how these things work. That’s where I come in.” She placed her claw on Thomas’ knee. “I’m here ta help you figure things out and give ya a real taste of herded life.”

Thomas stared back at the griffon, mind spinning with all that had just been dumped on him. “Wonderful,” he dryly told the jittery looking griffon.

Obvious thing is obvious! I am the master of subtlety. And while the obvious thing might be obvious, please don’t ask when it’ll happen. It will happen when the story allows it.

The first bit with Silver Bell was heavily rewritten. This was before the chapter with Sun Dancer was written, so originally Thomas was wondering if perhaps adding Talon into the mix might have been a sign that Luna was becoming disinterested in him, but then then Silver Bell gave him the motivation to finally have their talk. The revised back and forth between them seems alright, but I felt it could have been stronger.

Anyway, a nice butt load of questions have been answered. We know what the harem is, why it is, and where Thomas fits in. However, simply knowing is not enough. Until he truly accepts this, Talon still has work to do.