Silver ordered a round of pancakes for everyone while Thomas and Moonlight were given the task of rousing the attendants back to full consciousness.

“They’re not responding,” Moonlight said worriedly as she shook Honey. “For Faust’s sake, I thought the weapon kisses were supposed to be a joke.”

“Maybe it wasn’t,” Silver suggested ponderously. “I wasn’t much better when Luna kissed me. Hmm.”

Thomas studied Surprise’s face carefully. She was grinning with a thin line of drool falling from the corner of her mouth. “They’re still thinking about the kiss,” he concluded. “Maybe we need to do something to shock them out of it, to get their minds on something else?”

“Like what?” Moonlight asked.

Thomas beamed at the unicorn. “Moonlight. Put your boobs in Honey’s face,” he ordered urgently.

Moonlight grabbed hold of her tits and pressed them around Honey’s muzzle, kneading them up and down to make sure the mare got a good feel of her breast flesh. The earth mare made a pleased humming sound. However, when it was over, Honey still looked entranced, and Moonlight looked down at her breasts with disappointment.

“Plan B.” Thomas announced and stabbed his fingers into Surprise’s armpits. She burst out laughing, much to his elation. Tickle fetish for the win! “There. At least that…” But he was unable to finish his thought. As he retracted his hands, the white mare calmed down, but reverted back to her mindless bliss. “Well fuck me,” he grumbled.

“Is that Plan C?” Moonlight asked in interest.

“No!” Thomas snapped. “I mean… we’ll save that for later.” Sex on the first day was a line he was not willing to cross, at least not anytime soon. “Let’s just think of something else.”

After a moment of silent thinking, Silver finally stepped forward. “If they’re locked in a state of joy because of Luna’s kiss, then it stands to reason the solution would be to counter the pleasure with pain.” At her instruction, Thomas and Moonlight bent their respective mares forward, heads down and asses in the air, as Silver got into position behind them.

Thomas watched with bated breath as Silver raised her hand high in the air, a sadistic grin on her face, only to bring it back down with a horrific *SMACK* that caused Surprise’s bubble butt to jiggle. He flinched, feeling a phantom pain in his own backside.

“Agh!” Surprise cried out. All eyes fell upon her, watching as her eyes watered and she reached back to rub her sore bottom.

“It worked!” Moonlight cheered.

“I have so many conflicting feelings right now,” Thomas admitted as he watched Silver move over to Honey and administer the same treatment. *SMACK*

“Son of a…!” As if by instinct, Honey’s hands pressed to the floor as her legs bucked behind her, narrowly missing Silver who fell back on her bottom. “What the hay was that for?”

“Luna kissed you!” Thomas reached for Honey’s shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. She was fuming in anger at the unexpected strike, but slowly calmed as she looked at Thomas, though her ears remained at full attention. “Luna kissed you both, and it put you in some kind of trance.” He gestured at Surprise, who was still rubbing her backside. “We were trying to break you out of it, but nothing worked until Silver…” he gestured vaguely in the bat mare’s direction, pondering the right words to describe her actions. “She saved you.”

With an indignant snort, Honey sat up and looked over at a very nervous Silver. “Ah appreciate the help, but Ah’ll thank ya kindly never to do that again.” The threat was unmistakable and Silver nodded urgently.

“Wowey!” Surprise cheered as she stood. “First day on the job and we’re already having a blast. Is there anything else planned?” She looked around eagerly.

“Plan?” Thomas asked as he too stood. “That’s a mighty strong word for us. At best we have ideas and trip over ourselves in the hopes they work.”

“Which happens surprisingly often, now that I think about it,” Moonlight added just in time for a knock at the door.

Breakfast was delivered and everyone sat around the table to eat. The pancakes had come with a wide selection of syrup, of which Honey had apple, Thomas and Moonlight had maple, Silver had coconut, and Surprise sampled a little of each.

Sitting between Moonlight and Honey, Thomas decided to be the one to break the ice. “How was training with Silver?”

“She says she’s not a secret drill sergeant, but I have my doubts.” Surprise narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the bat mare. “Either that or you just really like giving orders.”

“Probably the latter,” Thomas said, giving the mare a playful smile.

“Not exactly the kind of hard work Ah’m used to, but still pretty stimulating,” Honey said after swallowing her latest bite. “She had us dress, undress, ‘n’ clean each other about twenty times by mah reckoning”

“And what about you two?” Thomas asked, realizing that the attendants had barely said a word to one another. “How are you getting along?”

“Well, Silver thought it’d be a good idea fer us ta be roommates, so we’re sharing a bed.” Honey smiled at Surprise. “She’s a cuddler.”

“Aww. Thanks.” Surprise beamed and kissed Honey on the cheek. “You’re a really nice mare to cuddle with.”

“Are concubines sharing a room normal?” Thomas asked.

“Most certainly,” Silver stated plainly. “New attendants are often placed in the same room together to help encourage bonding.”

“Ponies are more physical,” Moonlight reminded Thomas. “A little bit of skinship goes a long way.”

“That not how humans are?” Honey asked.

“Kind of, but less so than ponies,” Thomas answered. “Personally I’m not the biggest fan of being touched by those I consider strangers.”

“Really?” Surprise chirped. “Because you didn’t seem to have much trouble with me in the interview.”

“That’s because I was the one doing the touching,” Thomas corrected, trying to keep his words firm and steady. “I know it probably doesn’t make sense, but please try to be patient with me.”

“Speaking of patience, what all did ya’ll try to wake us up before doin’…” Honey glared at Silver, “… that?”

Thomas chuckled. “Well, I remember the way you were looking at Moonlight’s chest the other night, so I asked her to put her boobs in your face.”

“An’ Ah missed it!?” Honey yelled despondently as she looked pleadingly over at Moonlight.

Without needing to be asked, Moonlight succumbed to the earth mare’s pleading pout. “After breakfast.” Her admission earned her a playful bat of the earth mare’s tail.

“And me? What about me?” Surprise asked.

“Thomas tried to tickle you,” Moonlight answered, her face scrunched in puzzlement. “You laughed and fell to the floor, but then you got back up and went right back to being in a trance.”

Surprise shrugged in acceptance. “Sounds like me. Anyway, what’s the non-plan for today? Got any tests lined up?”

Honey pulled at the collar of her dress. “If it’ll get us out of these frilly things, Ah’m all for whatever.”

Silver and Thomas met each other’s eyes until the bat mare nodded.

“For the time being,” Thomas began, “we thought it’d be best to just get to know one another on a more personal level. We invite you to join some of our routines; you let us in on some of yours, and things like that.”

“It’ll be easier for us to formulate proper tests once we understand your personalities better,” Silver added.

“That makes sense, Ah guess.”

“Sounds like it’ll be super dooper fun! What do we do first?”

Once they’d finished eating, Silver made their first task perfectly clear.

“That’s it, Honey. Work those elbows,” Silver instructed as Honey leaned down on all fours to better scrub the bathroom floor. “And Surprise, I don’t want to find even a speck of dust. Is that clear?” She instructed of the hovering mare as she ran a washcloth over the dresser.

“Yes ma’am,” the attendants announced as one as they diligently set about their tasks.

“Before you can be Luna’s bed warmers, you must first prove your dedication to the service,” Silver instructed as she adjusted the helmet Moonlight had lent her to look more imposing. “Do as you’re told with pride and obedience and maybe, just maybe, you will have the privilege of satisfying the Princess of the Night. Does that excite you?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Good. Now, do the real maids proud and leave this room spotless,” Silver concluded as she walked over to the bed where Thomas and Moonlight waited.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Thomas remarked with a coy smile.

Silver handed the helmet back to Moonlight. “What was that you were saying earlier about this job and having certain things you’re not allowed to say?” she asked playfully.

“Fair point,” Thomas conceded. “But still, is this absolutely necessary?” He waved his hand in the general direction of the attendants.

Silver gave an even smile. “Absolutely. Things might have been a little lax with us, but I intend for these mares to know the full attendant experience.”

“You have to admit, it is a little tempting,” Moonlight admitted, her eyes fixated on Surprise’s bottom as the mare reached up for the really high places. “Having so many cute mares at your beck and call, that is.”

“That goes for you too,” Silver corrected. “Even if you’re just part time, you’re still a full-fledged concubine. That means applicants owe you the same obedience as either of us,” she gestured between herself and Thomas.

Thomas looked between the mares beside him and the mares at work, their ears perked as they eavesdropped. No doubt the pair were listening to every word their peers uttered, which was probably Silver’s intent. She wanted them to hear, to know that she had power over them. And while it was true that such control did have its appeal, Thomas couldn’t help but picture himself in the position of the applicant mares. “You know, if I were asked to go through all kinds of humiliating stuff, even to be with Luna, I’m not certain it’d be worth it.”

Silver stepped back, as though struck in the face. “W-what?”

“I appreciate the idea behind the tests,” Thomas explained as he hopped down and walked over to Honey. She’d paused in her scrubbing as she looked over her shoulder to face him. Ignoring the sight beneath her skirt, Thomas knelt down beside the green mare and began scratching her ears, smiling as she moaned. “But you can’t build a relationship on nothing but a series of obstacles. That just breeds insecurity, and we don’t need any more of that around here.” He grinned at his self-deprecating comment as Honey leaned into his touch, turning her head to grant him easier access as the others watched. “You need trust, understanding, and friendship. That’s what I have with you,” he looked back at Silver and Moonlight, “and that’s what they’ll need with us.”

Inspired by his words, Moonlight also stood and walked up to Surprise, motioning for the pegasus to fly down. There she mirrored Thomas’ actions as she caressed the white mare’s ears.

Silver could only stare in humbled silence. He might not be much of a leader yet, but he certainly has other attributes, she thought. Thinking back to the words she’d shared with Sun Dancer, Silver began looking on her situation in a new light. What if I’m not a full-fledged concubine after all? What if my tests are still ongoing, like they were with Thomas, and this is one of them?

“I promise there will be tests.” Thomas stood and motioned for Honey and Surprise to follow. Both mares left their cleaning implements behind, staying exactly three steps behind him until he stopped just in front of the bed and turned to face them. He sat cross legged on the carpet and gestured for the attendants to do the same. Moonlight and Silver stood behind the mares, wondering what the human had planned. “But I kind of like the idea of getting a sneak peek; a teaser to help build excitement for what’s to come. That’s always built my excitement for stuff in the past.” He grinned as the mares’ faces became flushed. “So then, Surprise, Honey, what would you like to have for your teaser?”

The attendant mares exchanged questioning looks while the concubines above shared more knowing ones. Testing their dedication might have been the point of the tests, but Thomas had, with surprising cleverness, just stoked the fires of passion in the mares’ bellies. He’d offered them the carrot to motivate their journey forward.

What was I so worried about, again? Silver wondered. He might have had a slow, awkward start, but he makes up for it with down to earth empathy. His diminutive size and passive mannerisms actually work in his favor to make the colt very approachable, the sort of colt even the proudest mare would have trouble resisting.

The attendant mares nodded and craned their heads to look up at the orange unicorn, their choice seemingly evident in their pleading eyes. Moonlight sighed sympathetically, understanding where their minds had gone on hearing the word ‘teaser’. If given a similar choice, there was no doubt that she’d pick the same. All eyes turned on Thomas, giving the human the same sense of imminent doom this amount of female attention always did.

“I just now realized what I offered,” Thomas deadpanned. He tried to stand, but Moonlight was too fast, setting her hands on his shoulders as she slid down behind him.

“Thomas?” Moonlight asked.

Thomas gulped as he locked eyes with Moonlight. She was asking his permission, he knew. There was still a chance to get out of this. However, as he looked over to face the hungry looks of the mares dressed as maids, he quickly found his will to withdraw waning. A look back at an equally hungry Moonlight finished the job, making him feel very tight in his loincloth. This had been one of the fantasies she’d shared with him, of her, the big strong mare, holding him, the tiny innocent colt, down while other ponies had their way with his body. Deciding that these mares probably wouldn’t settle for anything less than access to Luna, Thomas muscled past his reservations and slowly parted his legs.

Surprise and Honey stared in wide eyed wonder as the stallion’s treasure was made clear for their visual consumption, the human’s hesitancy only adding to the arousal of the moment. However, much to the surprise of all, when the mares dove forward, they went for Thomas’ head instead of his groin. Each mare planted a firm affectionate lick across either cheek before withdrawing.

Thomas blinked. Their tongues were large, rough, warm, and very wet. Were his arms not restrained, he’d have had to resist the urge to wipe his cheeks clean of the large saliva trails they had left. Honey had blown on his ear before retreating while Surprise pressed her nose against his cheekbone in a brief nuzzle, which he supposed was indicative of their personalities.

“Thank ya kindly, Mr. Thomas,” Honey beamed as she sat upright. “However, me ‘n Surprise think we’ll wait ta earn our rewards.”

“Yep. That way it’ll be more fun.”

“Ah figured you was the sensitive type, but don’t go worryin’ ‘bout us.” Honey pressed her fist to her chest. “A couple strong mares like us can hold our own. No sweat.”

“Probably a lot of sweat,” Surprise corrected. “Especially if we’re doing it right.”

“Point taken,” Honey agreed with a soft laugh.

Thomas released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and smiled at the mares. He pulled forward and Moonlight released him without a fuss. They’re not like me, he realized, looking at the pretty mares with newfound understanding and stood, casting them in his shadow. “You don’t want to be coddled. That’s something I can appreciate. However, that doesn’t exempt you from speaking up if you feel uncomfortable. Are we clear?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Thomas,” the mares said in unison, though Surprise added an extra “Sir,” out of habit.

Thomas looked past the mares to Silver, giving her an approving nod. “I do believe someone was putting you two through your paces.”

Silver barked the mares back to their hooves in an instant, sending them back to cleaning with a renewed vigor in their hearts as Thomas and Moonlight watched.

After Silver had declared the room in satisfactory condition, Moonlight dressed in her armor and they departed. With Thomas and Silver in the lead, Moonlight kept a half step back and to the left of her charge, and the attendants remained three steps behind the main group at all times. Their formation held all the way to the gym where they broke off into groups to begin their morning exercises.

“Won’t working out too much get our uniforms all sticky?” Surprise queried.

“Trust me, my dear,” Silver said with a semi-masochistic grin. “A sweaty uniform is going to be the least of your troubles.” She licked her lips. “I intend to train up that pudge of yours to be worthy of the Princess.”

Surprise squeaked her apprehensive consent and they were off.

Thomas’ party had an entirely different set of issues to contend with. Honey, on top of being an earth pony, had been working hard labor for the majority of her life. It also probably didn’t hurt that she was an Apple. Her strength was utterly ridiculous. Most machines she took on at full weight with barely a grunt of effort. The gym’s usual crowd, which consisted largely of guards, either backed away in intimidation or were spurred on to push themselves to the limit. Thomas was leaning towards the former, feeling very inadequate before the green mare.

“Don’t sweat it, sugar.” Honey nudged his shoulder cheerily. Apparently all this exercise had only given her more energy than when she started. “‘Sides, that ain’t nothing compared to what Plow can do.”

“Lucky me,” Thomas replied flatly as he rested his own weights.

“This ain’t a competition,” Honey said sternly. “Ah’m an Apple. Heavy liftin’ comes with the territory, so don’t go getting down on yerself just ‘cause ya can’t do what Ah was bred fer.”

Moonlight came up to Thomas’ side, ready to offer her comfort, but paused when she examined his expression. There was no despair or disappointment as she’d seen in their earliest gym sessions. Maybe he looked a little envious, but he didn’t seem like he was putting himself down, at least as far as she could tell. Instead, it looked like he was thinking.

“You were bred for strength, but what about softness?”

The earth mare tilted her head in befuddlement. “Pardon?”

Thomas hopped up from his machine and stood beside Honey. “You’ve got strength, probably enough to finally give Lu-Princess Luna a challenge,” he corrected as a grin grew on his lips. “But how are you at control?”

“Ah don’t follow.”

“Hey you. What’s your name?” he called to a rather buff looking earth mare.

“Baked Buns,” she answered. “I work in the kitchens.”

“Really?” Thomas was taken aback. Even at a second and third glance, she really looked like she was better fit for the military, but that was neither here nor there. “Whatever. Could you come here a second? I want to test something.”

Figuring she had nothing better to do at the moment, the buff naked mare walked over to the odd grouping of the concubine, maid, and armored guard. At the human’s instruction, they moved off to a low traffic area where the chef and maid got on their bellies and readied themselves for an arm wrestling match. However, this wasn’t to be an ordinary competition.

“Alright, guys. For this first round, Baked, don’t resist. Just let Honey push your hand down.”

Baked stared quizzically at the feminine looking colt. “Okay?”

“And Honey. You’re going to push her hand down, but it must take exactly ten seconds.”

Honey looked equally confused. “Just what’re you playin’ at?”

“Just a hunch,” was all Thomas would reveal as he lined himself up and sat across from where their elbows sat. “On go. One. Two.” His words seemed to tap into the mares’ inner competitive sides as the muscles in their hands tensed. “Three,” he said with a hint of warning, reminding them they weren’t supposed to compete normally as they relaxed. “Aaaaand… go!”

The swift thud of the kitchen mare’s hand hitting the floor was felt several yards away.

Honey’s glee of victory quickly fell once she realized what she’d done. “Oops.”

“Try again,” Thomas sighed. “Remember, ten seconds. Ready? One. Two. Three. Go!”

It was the same as before.

“Sorry.” Honey’s ears splayed in embarrassment.

“No problem.” Baked grumbled, rubbing at her sore elbow and wrist as she stood. “I think I’ll go back to my room and reflect on doing favors before I know what I’ve gotten myself into,” she said curtly as she walked off.

“I think I see what’s going on here,” Moonlight interjected, “but I’ll let Thomas explain.”

He grinned down at Honey. “We’ve been here for about half an hour. You’re pretty much in the zone when it comes to physical exertion, but not so much for self-control.”

Honey’s ears stood at attention as she started to understand.

“The reason I got an earth pony as your opponent was that I didn’t want you to rip my arm off,” he admitted. “You seemed to have pretty good control when we shook hands the first time, being gentler with me and rougher with the others, but that was when you were fairly calm. Now, right now, your body’s geared up for hard labor, ready to go all out on whatever gets thrown your way. That might be fine if it’s the Princess or any other earth pony, but what happens if the thing thrown your way is me or Silver?”

Both Moonlight’s and Honey’s ears splayed at the mental image, although the former was pleased by her stallion’s observations. While she’d reached the same conclusion at about the same time, she was impressed by the marked improvement to his situational awareness.

“Even Surprise might be on the big side, but she’s still a pegasus,” Thomas lectured on. “That means her bones aren’t that dense. If you’re not careful, I’m worried someone could get hurt.”

Honey sat up on her knees, forcing Thomas to look up to see her dower expression. “Ah learned control with apple trees, how ta kick em just right so they drop their load without breaking in two, but Ah know ponies ain’t trees,” she said as Thomas shook his head in agreement. “Course that’s mostly muscle memory, anyway. Mah body knows just how much ta put in a good bucken kick, but…” she trailed off.

“You’ve never been asked to do something gentle in the middle of a work session,” Thomas finished.

“E’nope,” Honey agreed with a chuckle. “Even hugs from mah family felt like we was tryin’ ta crush each other. An’ when it came time ta do the softer stuff, like handlin’ papers ‘n’ such, we were always given a little bit ta cool down ‘n’ take it easy.”

“I can only speak from personal experience,” Thomas clarified, “but I’m guessing it’s pretty common in groupings for everybody to kinda bounce around from partner to partner, right?”

“E’yup.”

“So there’s not gonna be much chance for a cool down, is there?”

“E’nope.”

“Then that’s where we’ll have to focus,” Thomas concluded by offering his hand.

Honey’s eyes darted warily from Thomas’ face to his hand. “Seriously? After everythin’ we just said?”

“Thomas?” Moonlight asked with equal wariness.

“Just use your fingers if it makes you more comfortable,” he advised, but she still leaned back and he eventually withdrew. “Fair enough. I’ve got some ideas on a few exercises we can try, but I’m thinking what you need is to talk to Steel Hoof or some of the other earth ponies in Celestia’s harem.”

Honey smiled kindly at Thomas’ understanding. “Ah’d appreciate that, sugar.”

Meanwhile, Silver and Surprise were having a… different sort of moment.

“Push it, you overstuffed doughnut!”

“I’m pushing, ma’am. I’m pushing!” Surprise whined. She’d been doing reps at this machine for several minutes and Silver had just increased the weight.

“Are you?” The crack of flesh against flesh downed out Surprise’s squeak of pain as Silver slapped the white mare’s bottom. “Just look at that jiggle. It’s like you’ve got jelly instead of bones.” Despite her derision, Silver caught herself focusing on the ripples of flesh far more than was strictly necessary.

“Ma’am, no ma’am.”

“What was that?”

“Ma’am. My bones are not made of jelly, ma’am.” Surprise’s military side was in full gear.

“Then what are they made of, doughnut hole?”

“Ma’am. Spirit, ma’am.”

“Spirit?”

“Ma’am. The spirit to never back down and do whatever it takes so I can give Princess Luna the best party of her life, ma’am!” This declaration was met with numerous cheers from the lunar staff. Their words of encouragement gave Surprise her second wind as she redoubled her reps.

“Surprise,” Silver said much more gently.

“Ma’am. Yes, ma’am.”

“I believe the Princess is going to like you.”

Surprise’s grip suddenly faltered as the machine snapped back into rest with a loud clang. Her white cheeks were tinted pink from both the embarrassment of her mistake and from Silver’s words. “Y-you think so?”

Grinning softly, Silver’s smile suddenly turned wild as she surprised Surprise with another smack to the bottom. “Only if we get this plot in shape. Are you with me, soldier?”

Surprise stood and saluted. “Ma’am. I will work my plot to the bone and gift wrap it for the Princess, ma’am.”

And thus began the new routine.

A lot of interesting things seem to happen in the gym, don’t they? Oh well. This chapter introduces the new status quo for our new characters. The cast is growing pretty quickly and I won’t like that I’m sweating a little for what I have planned. However, I believe I’m getting a little better every day and hope you guys will enjoy.