Author's Notes:

Hello once more. I don't know how I am churning this story this fast, but I hope I am not messing things up too much going with a chapter a week or so. Anyway, two things.

Chapters '4' and '5' happen the same day, and they show a few things. Here you'll see how the 'beautiful magic of bonding and pony beliefs' can fuck you over in a moment. Not everything is made of rainbows anyway.

On that note, these chapters aren't made of rainbows either. A lot of dialog as, like I said, the fan starts spraying it. I promise things will get happier (and raunchier) in either chapter '6' or '7', but for now you wait.

Also, you'll know very soon how I see a very important thing within my 'verse'. Some of you will probably dislike the 'character', but hey, points of view. If these two have too much content for you, sorry, but it is how I planned them, and I know it may not be perfect, but changing the plan would undo a few things so, please, bear with me.

Three days, three beautiful days, seventy two damn hours full of something akin to happiness, and now they were burning in front of him. Okay, so they weren't burning, and it had been more like four days if we count the second day, but all in all? This shit wasn't one week old and it already made a mess of the place in more ways than one. Today had been a good day too, at least it had been a good morning, a good few hours, and now things were crumbling around him.

Alexander was quite happy as he looked at the little plushy that he now held on his hands. It was Oven Bun, Olivia's little OC pony. She had found the name fitting, since she could suck at cooking, but using the oven to bake things? She was very good at it. The pun came from the fact that the cute thestral was, in fact, a trap, much like Olivia, and she loved to have his boyfriends try to fill her up and breed her nicely.

What, did you think Olivia was going to create something non pornographic for her ponysona? Something is wrong with your mind.

A large deal of thestrals had dark coloration, or so Olivia had said when she showed some art she had commissioned for her ponysona, so she made Creamy Oven a bit brighter. Her hair was a nice blonde color, with a single strand of her natural black in the middle of it all, flowing down the side. It went alongside quite well with the white, almost silvery, coat she had and those amber colored eyes that looked almost like the rocks from Jurassic Park (What? They were pretty). The bat wings had a much duller 'silver' color, with the joints and the membrane being dark as the black part of her hair. Finally, the tail was well braided, the black stream giving it a touch of color, with the hair long enough to touch the ground. And yes, her cutie mark was an oven, though Olivia had wanted to make it a little more... Let's just say that it wouldn't have been PG.

Getting the picture sent to the shop had been easy, having a couple of OC lovers making it, with a discount, had been stupidly easier. In such a short time they had made a plushy that was so cute that even Alexander wanted to cuddle it, but instead refrained from getting too attached to the gift he was going to give his sister.

Seriously, he felt this close to kidnapping Oven and having it on his room for some fucking reason. It was eerie.

It was nice of them to deliver it personally this early in the morning, as Alexander was sure that his buddy would've had his soul in exchange of waking up t his early during his day off. Why he had wanted to exchange this Sunday with one of his coworkers he didn't know, but to each their own, after all he had problems of his own. On the bright side, besides not owing a soul to someone, he got this it delivered early, so this meant that he could get Olivia to enjoy the gift first thing in the morning.

But there was something to do before that. Alexander had to get Cup Cake's little thumbs up on this gift. At least that was his idea, but something more had nagged at his mind as he went towards her room.

Mrs. Cake... Three days ago Alexander had been an ass to her after that one embarrassing moment, and the day before that she had been an utter wreck. But these past three days had been fucking magic, and yes, he meant FUCKING. MAGIC. The mare had been happy to work around the house, and not only by baking, away from prying eyes with all curtains drawn and lights on, but also cleaning and even cooking. The only thing that bothered her was the meat part, so it had been postponed.

Alexander had to admit that having an extra pair of ha-hooves had freed so much of his time, and Cup Cake's motherly demeanor and friendly banter once she relaxed was so good it was infectious. He still felt like shit for disliking ponies just because of the cartoon, as talking with Cup Cake had not only made him befriend her quickly, but she had also shown a depth that the cartoon never managed to create for her character. Then again, and you have to have this present at all times, it was just a cartoon for little girls that adults liked, as surprising as it had been at first, so as a secondary, or even support or background character, she wasn't supposed to grow immensely.

And yet, in person, Cup Cake was loveable. She was careful, she hummed gently as she baked, she cared for every single thing with so much love that it could give a changeling diabetes, and she managed to make her creations almost look like the ones in the series! Was it magic? Was it just how ponies did things by default? The thing is that, at the end of the day, what Cup Cake made, even if it was the same as Alexander or Olivia, looked... more, simply 'more'. It was hard to explain, so he just used that word.

Not only that, but Cup Cake had warmed up to them extremely fast, welcoming Olivia to help her in the shower. Her sister had been delighted when Mrs. Cake offered, as she had always wanted to know how the ponies interacted in real life, and since Miss Cake knew perfectly well that Olivia had minus one interest in females, she had basically begged Olivia for help when cleaning herself after she explained how nearly impossible it was for a single pony to do reach everywhere.

That also created a problem or two, but Olivia solved them with eBay. So many years after its creation and the damn thing still worked... Oh well, buying things for ponies wasn't as weird anymore, so getting supplies for Cup Cake had been meet with maybe an odd look from the delivery guy that knew Alexander quite well, at least until Olivia showed up with a big grin.

Now, that Mrs. Cake was this lovable... well... you see... it... It was a fucking problem.

This line of thought had been consuming him since three days ago, when he finally made Cup Cake smile. That had made him realize something extremely weird. The simple gesture of making the mare smile, of comforting her, had shown him that he didn't feel any envy of Cup Cake as he originally thought. He didn't feel envy for the mare's happy life, he didn't feel envy when he thought of her children, he didn't feel envy or anger about her perfect situation and love life outside of Carrot's actual problem.

He felt envious of Carrot Cake. He felt envious of the mare's husband.

Alexander squeezed Oven against his chest as he frowned. He was waiting in front of Cup Cake's room, feeling guilty as he thought about it. Why did he feel envious of the stallion? He hadn't really thought of it right away, though he had noticed very quickly that talking with Cup Cake, that making her happy, made HIM happy, and it wasn't just because he felt good when he did something nice for someone he could consider a friend.

At first he wondered why that would be, but in truth he was denying himself an answer by delving too deep in something that didn't have any secrets to be found. What was the answer then? Why, it is obvious! What Alexander had always wanted was a person that could understand and care for him, that would love him for, well, him, and that would understand all that was good about him alongside what wasn't so good. Despite his actions, despite his selfishness and his anger that Cup Cake had seen, she had asked about his motives, and she had accepted them quickly, saying that it was his own way of attaining balance, of having harmony.

Cup Cake had simply accepted him with a smile and a thank you after helping her without asking anything in return other than for her to be as happy as she could during her stay. Alexander had been given a final farewell for so much as looking at someone in a funny way, not with Cup Cake. Despite all his bad luck with humans, this mare was happy to be around him despite her situation.

Less than a week and, as it usually happened with him, he was falling for someone.

Both brothers were stupid, fucking idiots in fact, because they let their feelings act too quickly. With Olivia it was... her flings and the 'bad boy' motif that seemed to attract her like the moths are attracted to those bright flames, yes that was it. Alexander just wanted those that just accepted him, which wasn't as easy as you'd think. Cup Cake? Since day one she had been quite nice and understanding, if we look at her situation with a bit of perspective, so of course she was a candidate for his stupidity.

It was a drug, to make someone smile and enjoy his company the way Cup Cake seemed to do. It was as if she didn't care about the idea of going back, though both knew it was a lie. She loved being here because it made sure she wouldn't cheat on her husband, but it helped that she had two gracious hosts, each one as different as they could get, that entertained her every need while she repaid the favor doing the one thing she loved most.

Sad as it was to say, Alexander knew this was one of the biggest friendzoned events of his life. This is why he envied Carrot, not Cup Cake, because he had a mare willing to sacrifice her own happiness, the same way Carrot had sacrificed his own with his permission for Cup Cake to add somepony new to the family. They loved each other, dearly, and they would do anything for the others dreams to come true.

Even wallowing in misery for the rest of their lives.

He would be the first to admit that he hadn't been surprised to find that he was starting to like Cup Cake. Once he had seen her as a real person instead of an animated pony that was way too perfect for his taste, well, he had been screwed, and he knew it. Cup Cake was one of the few ponies he could see as connecting with him, mostly because trying to do anything but baking would probably mean he would fuck up, so even Pinkie Pie (and all her parties) would be out of the equation pretty fast, that and he was sure that he could never stand Pinkie Pie 24/7.

Alexander made sure to watch the series alongside Cup Cake mind you, and he had to admit that, while he didn't like the cuteshy shit now, much like he didn't exactly like it before, he was absorbed whenever Cup Cake or her family came into view, waiting to see them acting. True that they didn't have too many episodes where they had much significance, but Cup Cake assured him that most events happened exactly as shown, though there were discrepancies here and there, albeit almost none was related to how the Cakes acted in general and some things that were told from her perspective.

Watching the show hadn't been the most pleasant thing he had ever done, but sitting with his sister at his side and Cup Cake on his sister's lap, that had been great. In fact, despite the self doubt growing in his mind as he thought of Cup Cake, he would be the first to admit that their talks with Olivia were bringing the happiness back to his sister. If nothing else, Alexander was happy to have Cup Cake here just because Olivia was now a happy camper.

It was stupid, he knew, but these thoughts brought anger to him. Why? Because, once more, he was aiming for what he couldn't have. Usually, as he told his sister, he befriended those he wanted to be with, if only to have better chances, but in this case it was a doom castle as big as Skeletor's ego. He could befriend Cup Cake all he wanted, hell, he could make her build a shrine on his image, but this was one girl he would not even have a chance to bed, which was usually the one point where problems started when he tried to get into a relationship. Cup Cake would not allow it to happen, and Alexander himself would not allow it to get that close to fucking up Cup Cake's happiness here.

Despite the negative aspect of things though, Alexander was happy of how things were developing. He hated the idea of being attached to Cup Cake in this way, for it just spelled disaster, but it didn't work the way you wanted to when it came to feelings. It didn't help that Alexander hardly made girl friends at all, both now and before Olivia came here with him. There was just an aura of nope around him or something, an aura that made sure that the friendzone was strong on this one.

Admittedly, despite what his angry selfish side could say, he was willing to live with the frustration of feeling any kind of attraction to the baker pony. He was willing to fuck aliens if he got the chance, why not be willing to do a pony? Even if the relationship was to be a platonic, friend based one, he was happy just because it brought happiness to all involved. Frustrating? Yes, but a happy kind of frustration. He had wanted someone like Cup Cake, so it wasn't fair that he expected sacrifice without sacrificing back, even if it meant sacrificing the chance of something developing. But now, think: What would you do in his shoes? Bring it up and fuck things? It could be that he was just wrong and this was nothing more than something else ponies did, they were herd minded after all, and magical, so maybe his feelings weren't what he thought.

But fuck it all if he didn't feel like kissing her when she had rested on her lap yesterday, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her coat as she thanked him for her new room finally done to her liking. It had been such a nice hug that, once she started it, had told him that yes: He liked the pony. So yea, he was boned, hard, and he didn't like the feeling of it despite loving every moment that he had to gaze on that smile from Mrs. Cake.

Fuck, he was sappy as all heck.

Now, I am sure that many would think of Alexander as a coward for not confronting Cup Cake, after all it was his feelings that had made him wait outside of the mare's room, right? Well, the truth was... not as nice. He had been screwed over in many occasions, and it had been in many ways, as in enough to make him insensitive when his feelings weren't returned, which was, in truth, part of the reason behind his anger and selfish behavior that spilled down to the inevitable outcome of being possessive of his sister. And it was his sister the one to cause the problem and the doubt in this case, for reasons they tried not to bring up anymore.

This had been like a balance: Their moods had improved, but it came with a cost. In Alexander's case it was his stupidity and romanticism that had decided to mess with his feelings faster than ever. For Olivia it had turned her into a taciturn and very grumpy girl whenever she wasn't around Cup Cake, going so far as to snap at Alexander for no apparent reason.

Three days, three damn days and this had played havoc with their lives in one way or another. The only one to show any positivity, to benefit from the situation was Cup Cake, and Alexander was about to break part of that improvement away when he barged in and did more than ask for the mare's opinion when it came to the toy that Alexander held against his chest. And yes, the idea of holding this back was crumbling quickly. One of their conversations, well, a few, had gleamed information on those 'bonds' that Mrs. Cake spoke about, which made Alexander fear what could be the possible outcome if they formed... and then broke down.

The door opened suddenly, surprising Alexander, as Miss Cake's muzzle and eye appeared in front of him. "Are you going to come in or not, my dear? I have been waiting for a while." She snickered at the thought of him waiting forever in the hallway. "This is your house after all. I don't know why you stood there for half an hour."

"Sorry Mrs. Cake, I have a lot on my mind right now." The mare nodded at this, smiling gently as she opened the door for him to come in. "I am sorry to disturb you before we head down to bake, or even before my sister offers you her help to shower, but we need to talk."

Alexander did not miss the vacant stare on Cup Cake's face as he entered, her smile gone. It was as if she had automatically resigned to something, almost similar to the time she had arrived, or when she had talked about her problem. Three days had gone by without a hitch, with happiness blooming, and it all looked like Alexander had snuffed it out with one of the oldest lines most people didn't want to hear. 'We need to talk' usually meant many things, but they were hardly good for those involved.

One of the reasons for Cup Cake to be happy with her new room was that it had been made to look like Sugarcube Corner in quite a few ways, with bright colors and all. Her bed had been put together quickly, she had been given books, the tablet and a lesson on how to use it and search the internet, she had a lot to distract herself. Heck, she had learned more about humanity that she ever wanted to know about, and had seen more Rule 34 that she ever thought possible to exist.

Every small thing, even the negative ones, had brought her some happiness as she saw how different this world was, how strange, how alien. It all meant that the princesses would have an easier time finding her amongst such a beacon, she was sure of it, but it also had brought doubts very quickly, doubts she didn't allow her hosts to see.

Despite her best efforts trying to convince herself that this place was perfect for her to wait her heat out, and that she would get back, Cup Cake felt lonely, and she knew very well what happened when ponies felt lonely. It begun the first day, she hadn't even noticed it, but Olivia had been pulled towards her first, while Alexander came to her shortly after, during their little discussion the second day of her stay. She wasn't sure that it would happen with humans, but it obviously did.

It didn't take much time to show either, but Cup Cake had done her best to distract her mind away from the new problem. Who would like to admit that, once you were pulled away from your world and loved ones, you made new bonds as quickly as you could clap your hooves together? She wasn't even sure about the type of bonds they were, but she had quickly found out that Alexander and Olivia made her very happy, happier than she thought she would be normally by being alone, devoid of other ponies that could give her comfort. Ponies were herd animals, not only in the romantic sense, but also with their need of others for comfort and quick mental recovery. It was hard to add other species to their group of bonds, but it was not impossible.

Usually they weren't a problem, though even simple friendship bonds were tight as a castle's construction, which meant that they were extremely painful to sever, and they could also act up if they weren't fulfilled. A perfect example of this was Gilda and Dash's connections that, as was shown when the griffin came to Ponyville, deteriorated because Gilda's bond felt threatened by Dash's new friends. When it broke Dash ended up staying at Sugarcube Corner for longer periods of time than usual, and Pinkie was disheartened to see her friend moping for so long. It got better, but it took weeks, and it showed when they befriended again.

She had felt other humans when they came to buy stuff, or when they visited Olivia or Alexander. Miss Cake found out that those specks of magic that were coming in and out were, in fact, normal humans, different to the brothers that took care of her, mostly because their magic was almost nonexistent. She didn't know why there was such a difference, but in this world with so little magic it was possible to tell them apart as easily as it was for her to see the difference between a diamond dog and a pony.

When she noticed that it was true, so utterly true, that most humans lacked magic, she thought back to the feelings she was directing towards her protectors. It took no time to understand that, sooner or later, they would be brought up.

She had been taking things in stride for now, she had made the best of it, and she had even felt happy with some bonds warming her heart, but it was bound to create pain for the only humans she had befriended. The magic would tear itself apart when she left, and in her mind there was no doubt she would leave sooner or later, which meant she would hurt somepony, no matter if it was her husband or her new friends.

That is why she knew that, if they noticed after her little 'lessons', they would come for her. Alexander was not book smart, he was just smart, and he would notice things changing, more so if it happened to his sister. There was no doubt in her mind that Alexander came here for that reason alone.

As Alexander sat down on her bed Cup Cake saw the toy in his arms. A thestral like plushy, a little cute thing, not so different from some of those that Olivia had in her room. She had to stifle a chuckle when she thought about the OTHER kind of toys she had seen, but she wasn't about to tell Olivia what she had found, nor was this the moment for some smiles, even if she wanted it to be.

"Mrs. Cake, I am worried." And here it came, full of fury and anger, she was sure of it. Alexander, though, had not so much anger as he had worry, mostly because he knew he should not talk. "My sister has been acting strangely when you aren't close to her."

THAT wasn't supposed to happen. They were very close, the bond would not even break or hurt after years, at worst it would weaken. Alexander wanted to avoid talking about what Cup Cake knew that he felt, or at least she thought he had discovered about that little tidbit.

"I have to say that... that I really think it is your fault." There, Alexander said what Cup Cake thought he would, but with no accusation. What Alexander professed, was certainty that she could not fault him for. "I don't fault her, nor do I fault you, I myself am feeling... conflicted in a few ways." Alexander patted the side of the bed closest to the mare, prompting her to jump up and sit there. "I mean, I have a problem that won't be resolved anytime soon."

Alexander didn't want to show any kind of weakness to the mare, not because he wanted to act tough, but because it would make her feelings conflict themselves if what she had shown was genuine. It didn't help. What he wanted was not what he was doing despite whatever his brain was crying for his body to do.

He offered an apologetic and sad smile as his mouth decide to force his thoughts out of the race that his body won. "Miss Cake, I know this is stupid, but I have to admit I like you." Cup Cake gasped a little as her eyes opened as much as they could. This wasn't supposed to be happening, plain and simple. "At first I didn't like ponies, I told you why, why their apparent perfection just didn't click with me, then you came here and showed me that there were real problems outside of that cartoon series. You know this already." He squeezed the plushy harder against his chest, as if wanting some comfort Cup Cake didn't feel capable, or all that willing, to give at this moment. "It didn't help when I learned more and more about you."

Finally, and with some resentment, Alexander left the toy on the bed. "Miss Cake, if there is one thing I have given all those that I have tried to court, is my devotion, and anything I could spare, even my body, as you already saw." That did give her some uncomfortable thoughts, but Cup Cake nodded. "Self sacrifice, much like what your husband did by giving you permission to pursue your desires and dreams, even against his own feelings, is enticing to me. That you are willing to deny such a gift, sacrificing YOUR own happiness to try and keep your husband happy, is equally enticing. The problem is that both of you will hurt, even if it also keeps you happy with each other. It, sadly, has no way of fixing itself, but I respect how much you devote to each other." He took a moment before his tone turned cold. "But I cannot respect how it hurts my sister."

It would've been normal for anyone to feel bad, to flinch away, but Cup Cake didn't. She wanted to wait and see what Alexander would do, to hear what he would say, and she feared only one thing she was sure he would share. As he spoke again, that fear melted into something else.

"I... I suppose I am jealous of Carrot." Because she hadn't expected those words. "I like a person thanks to their personality, but as you can guess, it is hard for a human to see if they are like they seem to be or if they are genuinely like that. We usually go by appearances most the time, since we aren't actively as nice as you guys, and it hasn't worked well for me." He snorted at some bad memories, more embarrassed than angry. "At some point I practically surrendered and hoped that just plain old sex with friends would work, but I always aimed for more than that, and failed. Sometimes I was made 'just a friend' before that happened, and after a while I got used to it." Alexander gave the mare a gentle look. "It feels right to like you, but it also feels wrong to do more than that. I am not sure if it is your magic, those bonds you spoke about or whatever else is there to explain how fast I fell for you, but I won't nurture it." Those words did cut, and Alexander did his best to ignore Cup Cake as he said it. He didn't want to see what feelings crossed her expression. "Friends? Yes, but I won't try anything. It would hurt both of us if whatever this is blooms, I don't want the risk to your feelings or happiness, or the loss that will come out of it."

"Alexander... bonds don't work like that." Mrs. Cake couldn't stand it anymore: She had to stop him. Whether he meant it or not, this hurt. "You can't just ignore them, if you do, they will break you." She had something stuck on her throat, but the mare powered through the conflicting feelings. "I... I don't know if I could feel the same things you are developing, it is too soon, and it is probably because you and your sister are developing magic faster and more powerful than the other humans that have visited."

That made Alexander turn and look at her in confusion. "What?"

"Look, bonds usually take a long time to develop, simple ones form in a day. Creatures like dragons, whose magic is large enough to make damaging or healing magic hard to use on them, as it partially absorbs itself, have a hard time forming bonds." This one thing she knew, Twilight had indulged her when Cup Cake asked her about her 'little brother'. "It is the same with nearly no magic at all, though it should be impossible to find anything non magical back home, but Twilight decided to use it as an example."

"Alexander..." Mrs. Cake gave the human a sad look. "I felt the bond forming, it was impossible not to when I saw how much magic you had compared to what you said, and by that I mean no magic when in truth you were almost pony like, like your sister." She bit her lip as she saw the man's confused expression. "It was just... natural. Ponies are not lonely creatures, you have to develop that way, and it is very rare for any of us to prefer solitude. Even if that is the case it is very easy to revert, like Twilight did." She felt incredibly bad about what was happening now, and she knew she would feel worse soon. "I bonded with you and your sister because of the magic we share, because of how good you have been to me, which I have tried to return. It should be a bond of friendship, but it obviously developed much more than that for you." She eyed Alexander carefully. "I don't want to hurt you, but ignoring a bond would mean extreme mental pain, because you would be ignoring part of your own self in the process."

"Ignore me for now, we can be friends, even if whatever this is asks for more." His worry, Cup Cake noticed, wasn't directed to himself. Despite what she thought of him when he shared that he may be doing more than just care for her, Alexander was focused on his sister. "Why would Olivia behave erratically when you aren't around? If this just needs care, and you two are spending quite a lot of time together, why would she act like something was utterly wrong?"

This time Cup Cake wished to be Twilight, if only for her knowledge. What would drive a creature to act differently if somepony they were bonded to was just out of sight? No bond was supposed to work like that, no normal bond anyway, even the most horrible magic required code words or magic impulses to force strange and obvious changes.

Well, that was what her old stories said anyway. Fantasy books, adventures, horror novels and other such things that talked about 'horrible and ancient magic', but in truth Cup Cake knew nothing. Was it her fault that Olivia was changing her behavior somehow? Despite what Alexander had shared, and his obvious discomfort with the situation, he hadn't changed in any obvious way... that she knew of, at least.

The thought of harming somepony else, somepony with any kind of bond to her, was killing Cup Cake, it was driving her mind to tears, but what did she know about this? She had almost shared all the common knowledge that she had about her world, and she had seen that Earth didn't work anywhere near how Equis did. This was something that Twilight could deal with, she was the element of magic after all, she had knowledge, while Cup Cake was a baker whose family life had received a very nasty blow, partially of her own doing. She had no place meddling in the love of another family.

But wait, that was it! "Alexander, have you thought about this not being about me?" Because, despite their talk three days ago, Cup Cake had noticed one topic Alexander avoided. "For all I have told you about understanding, harmony, love and friendship, when compared to Equis, you have shown little interest after our discussion. In fact you showed disinterest about a specific topic."

Which he had, because he had heard things he didn't like.

And he knew where Cup Cake was going.

"I have been sharing the same knowledge with your sister, and she has been more receptive, though we both know why." As it was widely known that most bronies' wildest dream was to visit Equestria, Cup Cake had a dose of that when he found the fanbase. "The understanding, love, acceptance and liberal sexual life that humans do NOT share here, they were very tempting points, alongside simple friendship that most humans tend to guard fiercely and only give to very few. Olivia wanted all that, but she paused whenever I brought how liberal we are in a few ways thanks to magic preventing trouble."

"Mrs. Cake, stop."

"No." She shook her head with conviction. "I am sorry my dear, but I think it is obvious that in the same way you came to me with this problem, your sister has one bottled up too." Alexander seemed to swell with anger as Cup Cake finished what she had to say. "It is not me, it is us." And by 'us' she meant Alexander and Olivia. "Your sister sees you as a white knight, despite your faults. She does all you want, despite your selfish moments. She cares for you, even when afraid of your anger." Yet, despite his anger, he couldn't help but nod. "Your sister loves you and..."

"Please! Stop." This brought some very ugly memories to his mind, memories of the first days with Olivia, of her crying, of her snuggling with him just for comfort and out of fear. "That CAN'T happen."

"Why not? Why in Celestia's name would it not?" Cup Cake was offended this time, almost angry. She wished to evade any kind of damage, she wished to make her new friends happy, but as she had said, whitening one's bonds was bad, more if you let them die. "Tell me ONE good reason for it to be a bad idea, Alexander. Tell me why it would be good to allow your sister to suffer such pain when you love her as much as she loves you." Her angry glare bore right through him, making the tall and otherwise strong man cower in fear at how close the mare was to feel revulsion from him. "Be honest with me and tell me that this is partly my fault by telling her how it would be accepted back home, because I am more than willing to take the blame if you swear to me that you don't think this is possible. Tell me you don't love your sister and I will stop."

"Because it is fucking possible, Cup Cake!" At this point Alexander was hissing at the mare, utterly angry and unable to hide it. "Do you know how she reacted when I took her in and allowed her to be herself when my parents finally caught wind of how she wanted to live her life!? She was ENAMORED with me! She wanted to make me as happy as I made her, even if it meant giving me everything, and I mean everything." He stopped for a second, looking lost. "And I wanted it all."

"T-then what...?"

Instead of stopping as Cup Cake recoiled back, Alexander got as close as to touch her nose with his own to whisper through gritted teeth. "Because humans do not tolerate incest." With a hiss that made Cup Cake gulp. "It is bad enough for Olivia to be how she is when so many people bash on her. If we were to do this where everyone knows about us, then the both of us would be destroyed, and I am this close to mean it literally."

"But this is not fair!" Cup Cake surprised Alexander by pushing him back, showing the same strength demonstrated three days back. Luckily for him, she didn't do it hard enough to hurt, but he pushed him against the wall all the same. "How can people in your situation live?! Your sister talks about you with love in her eyes, I have seen it, I have heard it! How can you ignore such a thing?!" She had read much of human customs, but three days was not enough to know everything. She hadn't compared ALL she knew about Equestria with Earth as a whole. This she hadn't expected. This she could not accept. It was monstrous. "I thought that this was one of those things I read, that you two were too shy to share it with others since you aren't as open with relationships as we ponies are, but this? Simply ignoring your feelings? Your bonds? Even without magic it should hurt you!"

"It hurts, every time I have brought a girl I thought was right for me." Alexander's words shut Cup Cake faster than she could ever think possible. "It hurts to see my sister rejected after being used, and it hurts to comfort her every time." He got up from the bed, picking the poor plushy that had been kicked away from him when he was pushed. "But it warms me to make her smile every time I can, it brings life to keep her happy, to give her a roof and to help her search for someone that will make her happy."

Cup Cake was quick to point the truth to him. "You know as well as I do that the one to make her happy is in this room."

"As well as that bonds need to be nurtured, don't you?" The snide tone in his voice made Cup Cake flinch. "Would you give me a chance then? If it feels so right to love my sister like you want me to, since you seem to know how it works, would you give me a chance if this bond, hastily formed or not, was true? Or would you deny me that chance because you don't think it would be fair to Carrot? Because you think you would be doing the right thing by being faithful to him?"

A frog had decided to jump down Mrs. Cake's throat, and it had lodged itself firmly there. What would he expect her to say? That she would jump at the chance? That she would welcome the beautiful feeling of having someone loving here after being deprived of her husband for almost a week? That she was against the wonderful feeling of having somepony just hold her against their chest and tell them how much they loved her? Cup Cake wished to be back with Carrot, she wished to show him how much she loved her, how much she would endure for his happiness, how much she wanted to forget about what she could not have and just go on with their lives as the happiest couple in Equestria.

She did not wish to tarnish such a beautiful picture, nor was she willing to risk it. Alexander wasn't the only one selfish, at least not in certain ways.

"Your silence works wonders to calm my fears." He stated coldly. "I understand this is too fast, I myself found it weird despite how easy I can get attached to someone. But if you find this is the right course of action despite 'knowing' it is wrong for ME to go against part of what you now feel too, then I think hypocrisy is part of you, the same as everything else you have shown me and my sister."

Despite his anger, anger he wasn't sure Cup Cake had earned in any way by being truthful, he did understand. "Mrs. Cake, I know how you feel, because I can't let my mind away from my sister at all." For that reason his voice turned sad as his anger melted away thanks to what was hidden underneath. "But if I go for what my sister wants, for what I want, what will happen? How many people will literally clamor against us in every way? It would be like trying to form a herd in this world: It would not work, despite what feelings we may have. The choice of doing nothing is the only one that would ensure neither her life, nor mine, are in any kind of danger."

He turned to face her once more. Mrs. Cake was downcast, looking away from him. "You can't ask me to ignore one feeling but act on the other here, you can't tell me it is wrong to see if how I do more than simply care for you but that I should go back to the day when me and my sister almost got together because it is 'right'. You think it is wrong to add more people to your family, that it is cheating, while if me and my sister turn into more than brothers, it will be wrong for the rest of the world if they ever know, and these things are impossible to keep down." Alexander sighed as he brought the little thestral up to eye level. "Things don't get to be easy, ever."

"It isn't... and I am not helping." Cup Cake finally looked at him. "I am sorry, I... I am seriously sorry. This has never happened, me and Carrot hardly have had anything that went beyond friendly love for those dear to us, or family love. I have never had any other stallion, or mare, love me, there has been no other bond occupying that space, nor have I ever tried to have anypony but Carrot."

Alexander was the one to look away this time. He felt stupid and hurt, hurt because he felt envious, because whatever fucking happened, had changed him, and it had prompted these fucking feelings. Or were they natural? It was hard to say, you never knew what would happen when you got to know a new person, or pony in this case.

"I don't know if this is just my fault or not but... I know that I am part of this mess, and that I brought many problems with me." She tried to give him a smile, but Cup Cake failed miserably as it broke apart. "I told Olivia all she wanted to hear about my home, and she found hers lacking. In Equis she would be able to love you without any taboo, in Equestria her sexuality, her sex, everything, would be accepted, all would be fine. Now look at this place, look at you." Alexander was unable to do so. "You love your sister, in more ways than a brother should, if we are to go with how humans work because you have been taught that way."

"It is not just teaching." And it was why the taboo was there. "Brother and sister, father and daughter, mother and son. They can create such pain if they get together, they can make their own children sick in so many ways, just because genetically they would be weak while physically they could be deformed, or worse." Cup Cake's fur turned green at the thought. "It is not a taboo because of something stupid, Cup Cake, it is for safety."

At that Cup Cake grinned with a sly hint to her expression, some of her happiness returning. "But she is no woman, is she?" Alexander held his breath at that. "If we were back in my home, if there was a chance for this to be fair for Carrot and I, not just you attracted to me... I... I would consider it." Lucky that he did as he did, because he felt like he could say something very stupid if he wasn't still. "But whatever may happen, may happen, and it may require time. I won't... I won't assure anything, not yet." Though her expression said she wanted to, but something else, something more important, allowed the 'maybe' to exist. "However, that is secondary. There is something more important now."

"More important?" Alexander croaked. "Mrs. Cake, wait a moment..."

The mare shook her head. "Alexander, hear me out, for all you hold dear, hear me out." She bit her lip for a moment, waiting for him to say something, and exhaled in appreciation as he allowed her to talk. "You love your sister, and whatever others think is not important if you hurt nopony else. What matters is that love; to nurture and care for it, to show her you love her, to make her FEEL loved, and to throw whatever shame and preconceptions you have." It was something that, in some parts of Equis, had yet to be taught, but something Cup Cake felt necessary to share here. "Even if she was a normal woman, even if she could get pregnant, you two have as much magic as a pony within you. I can FEEL it Alexander, if I focus I can feel you across the building." That made Alexander's eyes widen as she explained further. "That IS indeed my fault, it has to be. But this also means that, even if she was 'normal', there would be no danger involved because the magic in your bodies wouldn't allow it, not if it is pony magic at least."

Alexander snorted and finally managed to look at Cup Cake in the eye. So magic made it alright? So magic was the cure all? If he went to his sister she would be perfectly fine alongside him? No one would look at them weird? No one would basically bash down their door with the law in hand? There were so many things wrong with that line of thought.

"Magic and rainbows don't work like that here, Mrs. Cake, the same way that the weather on Earth works by itself." He groused, walking towards the door. "I am not going to destroy our lives because you think I should 'be happy'. I may not be ecstatic, but I am happy as I am now."

"Then why not give it a chance?" Alexander was about to rebuke again, but when he turned to Cup Cake she didn't look like she was talking about the relationship only. "If you would sacrifice things, if you seek that in a partner, why not sacrifice what you think makes you happy and go for what will make you happy? " Mrs. Cake jumped out of bed for the simple purpose of walking to him with a hopeful smile on her face. "Do what you FEEL is right, not what others think is right. Show me that what you think can't happen, what you thought was impossible, could be done. If that happens, then maybe there is a place better than this for the both of you."

Alexander was about to turn again and open the door when Cup Cake lifted herself, standing on her hind legs, to reach almost past meter sixty in height as she pinned the human against the door he had tried to use as his escape point.

"'I' am at fault, I know I am. I may not know EVERYTHING about bonds, but I needed support when I came here, I still do, and you and your sister helped me. I befriended you two, I bonded with you two, and the love you feel for one another poured on me, probably because of the magic that is growing within you, I don't know." Mrs. Cake sounded exasperated, maybe even fearful, about that. "If you avoid this, then it will get worse. It only gets worse if you let bonds decay, and it is obvious things weren't all perfect before I came around."

"No, no they weren't." If Alexander had any desire to fight before that, it was gone now. "I doubt either one of us was happy, and we kept jabbing at each other for the silliest of things, bringing a few things up when they should've stayed buried."

"Don't bury them, cherish them, look back at them and wonder how you can make things right. Never forget your mistakes, learn from them." Cup Cake's smile was a motherly one now. Whereas she was not happy with how things had escalated this quickly, she was happy to give some counsel, to maybe make things right, and to stop being selfish herself. "Olivia is not an obstacle to avoid, she is your sister and somepony you love. Do not deny yourself, do not deny HER, that love. Prove that her wish can be your wish, and maybe..."

The last words died in her throat as another voice joined in. "But I AM an obstacle!"

Alexander and Cup Cake were both pushed forward as the door was forcefully opened. In a fantasy Alexander wouldn't have minded falling over Cup Cake, but in real life, after this discussion, it was mortifying, and the look of terror on the mare's face didn't help him any.

He was quick to get away from the mare, but it didn't have the effect he thought it would as there was a feeling of rejection that washed over him like a sickness. Luckily for him, it didn't last. When he rested his eyes on his sister's figure, fuming with anger and sadness in the doorway, crying as he watched him, Alexander was quick to notice things that were utterly wrong, and he didn't simply mean his sister's obvious state of mind.

A quick look to the plushy, still in his hands, was enough for him to see the similarities between his sister's hair and eyes with what had once been a fantasy. The cat like pupils, the two tone hair, and he was almost sure that her skin had cleared slightly, changing from what had once been her healthy coloration.

"I came to him for help and he took me in. I tried to repay his kindness with love and he rejected me... and I still clung to him." Olivia wasn't shy when it came to her rage, or her sadness. "I did ALL he wanted, EVERYTHING, I event went out trying to get friends, to get 'lovers', so he could FORGET about it, so I would be happy. And now, when I was hoping for a better place, when I want to ask the one pony about how likely am I to be admitted in the damn world of magic and friendship, my brother falls for her!? HOW THE FUCK IS THIS FAIR!?"

Alexander's throat was dry, and he found it hard to talk, but he had to try and calm his sister down. "Olivia, wait..."

"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Olivia, however, was done paying attention to her brother. "Look at me! LOOK AT THIS!" But she had enough self control to at least turn and show her brother something he hadn't expected: Oven's cutie mark. "It happened after Miss Cake here," She turned to sneer at the mare, making Mrs. Cake shrink away from her. "appeared. It happened during the night, it was why I was so weird the day after, it was why I tried the tablet and it probably is WHY the tablet worked. It didn't before THIS PONY HERE." Olivia pointed an accusatory finger towards the mare. "Infected both of us with her shit! It is why I was eager to hear of her world! It was why I wanted to talk with her! And it is why I wanted to be free from you!"

Cup Cake was the first to get her guts back as she got up. She managed to take a step forward before Olivia glared at her with pure hate. "Olivia, I am sorry I came here and messed this up, we all know this was not my intention." It wouldn't have been this bad if things had developed with time, if they had been in Equestria, or... No, better not delve on it. "I promise you that..."

"No promises, no more cool heads, no more deals, no more anything." Olivia faced her brother as she cleaned the tears from her face. "I have done everything you wanted, every single thing. I stayed here when you rejected me, I tried to get someone else like you WANTED me to, I have done every single damn thing, all in the slim hope of you coming to my bed one night and simply hugging or kissing me, because you made it clear that I was not to bring it up. Teasing? Oh yes it was fine, but being serious about it?" She sneered at him. "And yet lo and behold! Here comes a pony and says that 'hey, magic totally makes this okay, and if you do it you may get to a pretty pony world'. Fuck. You."

With that she turned away.

"What are you doing?" She didn't even dignify Alexander with a simple look.

"I am going to pick my things and then I am leaving."

Cup Cake's eyes widened. Whether it was because of what she now shared, fear of the young girl, or fear of what could happen with what was obviously going through her body, she felt unable to keep her mouth shut.

"But you are changing! Olivia, think about this." The mare tried to approach Olivia, only to back away as the woman snarled at her with those hateful eyes. "Hate me all you want, Olivia, I can understand it. I didn't want to hurt anypony when I came here, I didn't want to hurt anypony, period! But please, please Olivia, don't do something you'll regret."

Olivia was this close to saying something that would've hurt them all, but she decided to grit her teeth, take a deep breath and give a neutral face. "Cup Cake, I am sorry. You did not break anything, you did not hurt anyone, you just got involved because of my mistakes and because of my brother's apparent fucking feelings. This was a mess that would've been avoided if I did the right thing and left my brother right after I messed up. I was like a lost puppy: I wanted someone to love me for me, and I turned to the one person that always supported me, thinking it was what had to happen, what SHOULD happen." The neutrality was lost when she looked at her brother. "Obviously it was a piss poor choice."

"Sister..."

"No, no more sister, no more Olivia, no more anything, not from you, from our family, from this country or from our past." Olivia shook her head and turned once more. "I am done, done with all this, done with you, done with this life we have lived together and done in general with all this bullshit. I am going, going anywhere but here. Goodbye."

She didn't even wait another second. While Cup Cake looked frantically between brother and sister, trying to sputter some words, wishing for her throat, her mouth, anything, to work and knock some sense on either of them. Ultimately she just sat there, feeling as useless as Alexander.

Mrs. Cake was feeling awful, she was pretty sure that it had been both her desperation and that breakdown what had forged these bonds. It didn't help, at all, that she seemed to be at least more or less the type of woman Alexander was seeking. She had butted in, without wanting to, in a circle that had formed a triangle, and worse yet, if she was sharing this there was a chance she could share the love of Carrot. What cruel irony, right? While she was unable to tell the finer points of how a bond was created, of how most ponies fell in love, how sure could she be that this was her fault? If it wasn't for the magic, she would be unable to.

It had been telegraphed though, she wouldn't be the one to deny the obvious. The moment she felt that she was getting closer to the two humans she knew that it would boil down to something problematic, but she hadn't expected THIS. The worst thing? Olivia hadn't severed the bond, she wasn't angry in a way that would just break it, kill it, but she was hurt and feeling worse than she could express. Through the bond it was felt, and now that they all were aware of it, the mare was feeling everything clearly.

It was simply painful to the mind and soul.

Alexander, meanwhile, just looked at the plushy, wondering how such a good day, with such a happy morning, had turned into this disaster. At least he heard thunder outside, so if nothing else he could say that the world was crying alongside him.