Lero took the next day off, at both Rainbow and Twilight’s urging. They both felt it would be a better idea for him to take a day or so to get over that emotional gut-kick and get himself on a more even keel.

He met with Shimmer early in the morning in the market square, the unicorn mare proving to be more than happy to delay her breakfast in order to make her apology for their fight the previous day. Rainbow watched her like a hawk, ready to beat the hay out of the gray-coated unicorn at a moment’s notice, but the apology she offered was sincere and heartfelt, as was Lero’s. Darn it, I kinda wanted to get into a fight. Shimmer had disappointed her on that front, though, proving to be thoroughly personable and quite willing to forgive. Both she and Lero expressed their embarrassment over losing their tempers, and went on their way.

The human wanted to take a walk, just to wander and clear his head a bit, and to Rainbow’s regret she couldn’t go along. She had something to do that she’d been putting off for far too long now, something that had to be done, and soon. She had to…

(Even the thought gave her a mental shudder)

...Build her weather schedule.

It was the downside of being Ponyville’s head weathermare; she had to do the weather scheduling each season, to make sure everything stayed balanced and working, and make sure they didn’t wind up with droughts, or storms, or floods. She’d missed a small shower last season and had to upgrade to a major downpour on the next storm in order to balance out, something that really hadn’t looked good to her bosses in Cloudsdale, so she needed to be sure to get everything right for this coming season. If she screwed up again, she could be looking at an audit, and besides that Rainbow hated screwing up. She hated everypony knowing she’d screwed up even more, so she really needed to get this done.

She had to fly up to her house to get her reference material, and she toyed briefly with the idea of staying up there so her lovers didn’t see her struggling with her work. She dismissed the idea almost immediately; much as she’d rather not have them see her working and frustrated, she still liked being around them, and she wanted to be nearby in case Lero wanted to talk about something. Rainbow pulled out some saddlebags and started filling them with her weather references, a collection of big, incredibly boring volumes of statistics, charts, and maps covering the way Ponyville and the surrounding area were supposed to be managed, tossed them into her bags, and slung the now-heavy pack over her hips.

The pegasus glided back down to the home she and Lero shared, noting that it was still empty, so he and Twilight were likely still out walking. That was a good thing; she’d been trying to give them a little more alone-time lately. Rainbow and Lero had spent a lot of time alone together when they’d first started seeing each other in a romantic context, and the bond that had resulted from that was strong as steel. She hoped the human and the unicorn would be able to forge a similar bond.

Rainbow dumped all her books on the floor in one of the lesser-used rooms, shoving them around to make a clear space in the middle, and quickly grabbed an inkwell, a quill, and some paper to work on. Sighing heavily, she hovered over the scattered books and landed in the clear spot she’d made, flipped open a book on humidity tables, took the short quill in her mouth, and dragged over some paper to start work.

She’d been working for about fifteen minutes (and had crumpled up and thrown away three useless pages of work after realizing too late that she’d forgotten something or made a mistake) when she heard the door open.

“…Except there were actually four of them instead of three!” Twilight exclaimed as she and Lero stepped inside.

The human chuckled, and Rainbow could hear him kick off the shoes he wore as the door closed. “That must have come as a bit of a surprise!”

“Oh, it certainly did, for everypony involved!” They both laughed.

“Rainbow!” Lero called, “You here?” She felt a curious sense of relief at hearing that. At knowing he’d come home again. The thought of home in conjunction with her stallion kindled a cold little fear, and she quickly stamped it back again.

“Yeah, I’m back here.” Rainbow turned a page, rubbing her forehead with a forehoof as she stared at the column of figures and notations. Aw man. They’re gonna hassle me about this. I just know it.

“You okay, Rainb-…” He stepped around the corner and paused, seeing the cyan pegasus sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by books, with ink stains on her lips from her pen and on her forehooves from moving her papers before they were dry. His hand crept up to cover his mouth, a gesture she’d seen before that either meant he was hiding a smile or wasn’t sure what to say.

Twilight was right behind him, and the unicorn made a strangled noise and tried to stifle her grin behind a raised forehoof, very much like what Lero was doing.

Rainbow huffed. “Don’t even start with me, Twilight.”

“Oh, no, no, I wouldn’t think of it.”

“I know this makes me look like a total egghead, but I’m not.”

“Of course not.” Twilight’s eyes danced. “You’re just surrounded by reference material, covered in ink stains. Oh, and you like to roleplay as a heroine from one of the classics.”

Rainbow flushed. “I’m not. That last one’s your fault anyway.” She sighed again. “Stupid weather charts.”

“Is that what those are?” Lero asked, cocking his head in curiosity and leaning over to look at one of the open books.

“Yeah. It’s coming up on the new season, so I gotta make a new schedule. Put it off way too long,” like I usually do, “so I’ve got to get ‘em done in the next couple of days, or I’m in serious trouble.”

“Interesting.” He eyed the scattered books and papers carefully, and started delicately making his way through, stepping on isolated clear spots. Rainbow had a tiny pang of conscience; she’d basically taken over the entire room without a second thought and made it difficult for anyone who didn’t have wings to navigate. Lero’s relatively long legs and bipedal stance made it surprisingly easy for him to get through the obstacle, though; most ponies didn’t realize how good his balance actually was, and it was much better than the topheavy look of his body suggested. He made it to the center space where Rainbow sat without much difficulty, and knelt to kiss her in greeting.

“Woah, hold up!” She interrupted, pulling her head back. “I know I’ve got ink on my lips, dude. It’s from this stupid pen.” She gestured to her quill, lying on the page she’d been working on. She noted in dismay that the stupid thing had leaked, spreading a big inkspot over her work. Evidently it hadn’t been dry after all. Argh, I have to start over again!

“You say that like it’s going to stop me.” He smiled, leaning in closer until his lips met hers. Rainbow sighed a little, closing her eyes and letting some of her frustration melt away into the kiss. This always felt so nice; relaxing when she was tense, arousing when she was in the mood, warm and intimate when she was calm. She couldn’t imagine a world without these kisses in it.

Twilight giggled. “Well, I’m not going to try threading the maze,” she observed. There was a flash of light, and the unicorn appeared sitting next to Rainbow, her body pressed against the pegasus’s in order to fit in the remaining space. “Good thing I’ve got an alternative!” Twilight pressed a kiss of her own on Rainbow’s cheek, her lips lingering a trifle longer than they usually did. It felt… surprisingly good to have Twilight snuggled against her side, and Rainbow had to admit that she enjoyed the feel of that soft kiss on her cheek. She’d gotten a lot closer to Twilight in the last few weeks, sharing intimate moments with her stallion and her friend had built a stronger bond of trust and affection than any she’d ever shared with anyone before, other than Lero.

Impulsively, Rainbow twisted her head around and returned Twilight’s kiss, except she placed hers on the unicorn’s lips instead of on her cheek. The kiss was light, quick, almost nervous, but it actually felt really nice.

Twilight blinked in surprise, her eyebrows climbing. She didn’t look upset, though. Quite the opposite. “Did you mean to do that, Rainbow?”

“Yeah.” The pegasus fidgeted nervously. She stammered a bit. “I, uh, y’know, uh, it… just felt right.” She bit her lip. “I still don’t… I mean, I’m still into guys, but, y’know, you’re cool, and…”

“I understand, Rainbow,” Twilight interrupted gently. She leaned forward for another quick kiss, on the lips like the one the pegasus had offered, and Rainbow didn’t draw back. “Thank you. I haven’t been completely sure you were comfortable with me being in this relationship before now.”

Rainbow shrugged, relieved that Twilight understood. It wasn’t really attraction that had motivated that kiss… (she didn’t think it was, anyway... although it did feel a little bit like it) but she did feel a strong, intimate connection with the lavender unicorn. She wondered if maybe someday that would grow into something else; she’d never felt this way about another filly before. It was a little bit confusing. “I was. I just wasn’t really sure how to show it, and, well, I’m a little more comfortable now.”

Twilight giggled again. “That’s almost exactly what Lero said when I asked him about it.”

“It is?” Rainbow looked up at Lero in surprise, who was still kneeling in front of her.

He shrugged. “More or less. She asked me about it, what, about two weeks ago?” He looked to Twilight for confirmation and received a nod from the unicorn in return. “She was worried that you didn’t actually want her in our relationship. I told her that you were happy with it, but that you were generally more comfortable showing your feelings than telling someone about them, and you weren’t sure how to do that without looking like you were making advances that you actually weren’t.”

Rainbow grinned, feeling a quiet rush of pleased happiness. She loved it when he showed how well he knew her. She knew it was a little self-centered of her, but it still delighted her that someone she cared about could know her that well, and paid enough attention to her to know what she was thinking. Although, to be completely honest, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure she hadn’t been making an advance, there, and from Twilight’s smile it looked like the unicorn was aware of that.

“Well, would you like us to help out?” Twilight asked brightly, looking at the books scattered around.

“Yeah, we’d be glad to,” Lero put in. “I mean, at the very least I can scribe for you; I write faster and neater than you do. Neater than Twilight does, too.” The unicorn stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Oh, man, is that ever tempting. They probably didn’t know anything about weather scheduling or proper humidity balance or any of that stuff, but they were both way smarter than she was and would probably pick it up fast.

Still, though… “Nah, I got it.” She smiled at both of them, noting as she did so that they both had inkspots on their lips now. I warned ‘em, she thought with a mental giggle. “I mean, it’ll take me a bazillion hours and I may wind up asking you guys for help later when I get all frustrated, but I want to at least get it started.”

“You sure, Rainbow?” Lero asked. “Seriously, I don’t think either of us would mind helping.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” Rainbow leaned forward to kiss him again, letting the last of her accumulated frustration wash away as her lips caressed his. “I got it, though.”

“Okay, then, if you’re sure. Want us to leave you alone?” There was that chill again. That fear at the thought of him leaving her alone. She fought it back, fought to box it away where it wouldn’t show.

The pegasus shook her head. Her reply was a little hasty. “You don’t have to leave the house or anything. Heck, it’s your house! Uh, you’d probably be more comfortable somewhere else, though.” She gestured sheepishly to the books covering the floor.

Lero snorted. “Yeah, probably. Okay, tell you what, we’ll go hang out over there,” he jerked a thumb toward the next room, where the couch and several chairs resided, “and you can just call for us if you need. That okay?”

“Sure!” Rainbow exclaimed brightly. They’d probably be a bit of a distraction, but she vastly preferred having them around. Besides, they were often either funny or interesting to listen to.

“All right, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, nuzzling her neck. “We’ll get out of your way. Don’t work too hard!”

The pegasus chuckled, watching Lero make his way carefully out of the mess. “As if. Thanks for sticking around.”

“Glad to, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with a smile, before she teleported herself out of Rainbow’s pile of references.

Rainbow went back to work, her herdmates’ cheerful conversation forming a calming backdrop. She mostly tuned them out, listening with half an ear while she shuffled through books and papers, until Twilight’s voice caught her attention.

“Hey, Lero? Mind if I ask something?” The unicorn’s tone was a little tentative, which was what had shifted her voice to the front of Rainbow’s mind.

“Don’t mind at all, Twilight. Go ahead.” The corner of Rainbow’s mouth quirked at the response. Yeah, Twi, like he’s ever said he wouldn’t answer a question.

“Well, we’re at home, we’re not planning on going anywhere, and you, me, and Rainbow Dash are the only ones here, right?”

“Unless someone’s hiding, of course,” he said in a dry tone. Rainbow snickered. She pictured Twilight’s eye-roll in her head, and glanced over her shoulder through the door to see the unicorn doing exactly what she’d expected.

“Well, yes, barring that.” Twilight tilted her head to the side. “I was just curious: why are you wearing your clothes?”

He blinked, and reached up to scratch his head. “I’m honestly not sure if that’s a question or a suggestion.”

“He thinks you’re asking if he wants to have sex, Twi.” Rainbow called through the door.

Now it was Twilight’s turn to blink. “Oh, no, no, it’s just a question. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t say no, but that’s not what I was asking. I realize that you’re uncomfortable being nude in public, but, well, we aren’t in public. Rainbow and I have both seen you without your clothes, and I was just wondering if you’d be more comfortable if you took them off.”

He made a circling gesture with his hand, which Rainbow knew meant he was searching for the proper words. “Well, the thing is… the nudity taboo where I come from is a bit stronger than that.” He shrugged. “Besides, what if someone came by? Where’s Spike, anyway?”

“Spike left with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy a couple of hours ago, they’re on a trip to Fillydelphia. He really wanted to go, and I had things I needed to do, so I let him go with them.” Twilight paused. “I could have sworn I mentioned that this morning.”

Lero shook his head. “Not that I recall. I’ve had a lot on my mind after last night, though, so you may have said something and I just missed it.”

Twilight gave him a whimsical smile and reared up on her hind legs to give him a kiss. “I think I could forgive you for that.”

“Thanks.” He sat down on the couch, and the unicorn hopped up next to him.

“So, you were saying…?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rainbow stifled a giggle. She’d caught on to Lero’s attempt to change the subject, but she was wondering if Twilight would too. The pegasus was glad, actually; this wasn’t something she’d talked to him about, and she was actually really curious. She knew he basically never took off his clothes except for showers, sex, and sometimes sleep, but she didn’t really know why.

“Oh, right.” The human rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, to be honest we generally wear clothes pretty much all the time. I mean, what if someone came to the door? I’d have to get dressed really quick to answer it.”

“Or, I could answer it for you and tell anyone asking for you that you were busy,” Twilight said in a reasonable tone.

“Ah. Yes, that’s an option.” He rubbed his neck again. “Look, it doesn’t have anything to do with you or Rainbow. I’m as comfortable with the two of you as I’ve ever been with anyone. More comfortable, really.” Rainbow smiled at that, a warm, happy feeling settling easily in her chest. She knew that, had known it for a while now, but it was still nice to hear. “It’s a cultural thing. I wear my clothes most of the time.”

“He even wears his undershorts in bed some of the time!” Rainbow put in, raising her voice so it would carry.

“Is there any particular reason?” Twilight asked. She rested her forehoof on his leg. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, I’m just trying to understand.”

“Fair enough.” He looked away for a moment, thinking. “Well, where I come from, there’s a fairly strong historical link to a culture that, for various reasons, considered the human body a shameful thing, something that should be covered and concealed.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “I hope you don’t think that! I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed about!” She glanced through the door at Rainbow for support.

The pegasus was glad to provide it. “Heck no you don’t!” She said firmly. “I think you’re really cute with your clothes off, personally. I like seeing you like that.”

Twilight flashed Rainbow a grateful smile before turning back to Lero. “So do I!” She poked him in the chest with her forehoof. “Is that the only reason?”

“Well, no.” He coughed nervously. “See, part of the result of that attitude is that, when one human sees another without their clothes on, it’s something like a sexual signal. It causes reactions ranging from discomfort to arousal, depending on whether the one looking is attracted to whoever they’re seeing. There’s often a mix; since it’s not considered acceptable to be nude in public, it’s not unusual to be turned on but be embarrassed about it.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “But… but that doesn’t make any sense! I mean, you’re born without clothes, how could it be unacceptable to just not be wearing them?”

“Actually, Twilight, I can sorta understand part of that.” The unicorn looked at Rainbow incredulously, and the pegasus flushed a little. “Not the shame thing, that sounds crazy to me too. But, uh, seeing him without his clothes on gets me a little warmed up. It usually means we’re about to have sex, so, uh, anticipation, I guess?” She shrugged, suppressing a little shiver of delight. She really did like taking his clothes off, seeing more and more of his body revealed while he touched her, kissed her, and then finally having him be completely bare and ready for her… Oh, that was a nice image. She closed her eyes, just for a moment, so she could focus on it better, before shaking it off and trying to go back to her reference book.

Twilight’s head tilted a bit. “Oh, that actually is interesting. Huh. I guess it shows how quickly something like that could develop, given the right circumstances.” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t have to work that way. I mean, I’m nude. So is Rainbow. That isn’t making you uncomfortable, is it? You don’t get turned on just seeing us without clothes on.”

“Well, no. I’m used to seeing ponies wearing nothing but their coats.” A flush spread across his cheeks. “Rainbow actually pointed out to me a while back that she can look remarkably sexy when she gets dressed up. So can you.”

Rainbow giggled. “I can turn you on without clothes, too.”

“That you can,” he said with a grin. She felt a little stirring of excitement in her chest and belly, and tried to ignore it. She had work to do, darn it! He was turning her on like mad right now, though. First that casual demonstration of how well he knew her, then a reminder of how it felt to have him close, now a reminder of the fact that he thought she was pretty… She’d never gotten around to taking that last fact for granted, and it often led fun places. She’d notice him regarding her with interest in his eyes, and in response she’d pose a little or change the way she was moving to emphasize the parts of her body that caught his attention. That would make him blush and focus on her more closely, which in turn would make her want to hold his attention more… That sequence of events happened fairly often. It felt a little backwards, but flirting with him like that was just so much fun. Besides, he responded to her in a similar fashion when he caught her checking him out.

“Maybe if you tried just sitting here and talking without your clothes on, it would make you more comfortable with the whole idea,” Twilight suggested.

Lero quirked an eyebrow. “Why the sudden insistence, Twilight?”

The unicorn shrugged. “I just think you’d wind up being more comfortable. I mean, the temperature’s nice, this couch is soft… there’s no real reason to wrap yourself up if you don’t have to.” She kissed him. “And I promise, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I don’t know…”

“Ah, c’mon, big guy!” Rainbow said, trying to encourage him. “Feel the air on your skin! It feels nice!” She flapped her wings to create a small breeze, and yelped in dismay as her reference materials scattered. “Woah, wait, come back!”

Lero and Twilight laughed, and Twilight’s horn glowed softly as she caught the pieces of paper that had scattered further away and floated them back to where Rainbow was sitting. The pegasus flashed her herdmate a grin. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“No problem.”

Lero took a slow breath. “So, you really want me to just… what, spend the rest of the day in the nude?”

Twilight shrugged. “If you feel like it. I’m not going to force you to do anything, I just think you might wind up being more comfortable than you expect.” She smiled. “We might do a little lovemaking after a little while, if you think that might help relax you.”

Lero mirrored Twilight’s shrug. “Well, all right. I don’t see any reason to make a fuss about it, so I’ll go ahead and give it a try.” Rainbow watched surreptitiously over her shoulder as the human removed his clothes. He did it in a matter-of-fact way, rather than the slower, more teasing manner that he did sometimes to get her heart pounding, but it was still nice to watch.

He folded his discarded clothing neatly, settled back to the couch, and gave Twilight a little half-smile. “Better?”

She grinned. “Well, that’s up to you. Thank you for giving it a chance, though.”

“No problem.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “There was something I’d been meaning to ask you about, what was it…”

“Does it have something to do with clothes?”

Lero shook his head. “No, something you said yesterday.” He rubbed his forehead. “Oh! Right! I was asking about stallions getting into fights, and you mentioned that I was doing my math wrong. What did you mean by that?”

Twilight blinked, her brow furrowing for a moment before her expression cleared. “Oh, yes, I remember that. Well, look at it this way, do you remember when Rainbow was in heat?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Rainbow shivered a bit. That had been unbelievable. For the first time in her life, she was actually looking forward to the next time she was in season. There were a few more months left to go, she thought, and she was planning on asking him to take a holiday for that week. The whole week.

“Do you remember how long it lasted?”

Lero nodded again. “Six days, if I’m remembering right.”

“That’s about normal. It happens about twice a year if you’re not nursing or already pregnant, so a mare has about two weeks out of the year that she’s fertile. Following me so far?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t left me in the dust quite yet, no.”

Twilight blushed. “Sorry. I’m trying to be as complete as I can, because I’m not sure what you already know and what you don’t. Well, during that week, if she wants to have a foal, she needs to copulate at least three times in order to guarantee pregnancy.”

Rainbow’s head jerked up. “Hey, hold on! I thought once was enough? You get the seed watered, then the heat fades away and that’s how you know you’re pregnant?”

Twilight frowned. “Good heavens, are they still teaching that in Cloudsdale? Once works sometimes, it gives between a thirty and fifty percent chance of pregnancy, depending on when in the heat cycle it is. Three or four gives you the best chance, on the order of ninety percent.” The unicorn shook her head. “And no, having an egg fertilized doesn’t make the estrus state go away, that’s an old mare’s tale.”

“Oh.” Rainbow blinked. “Wow, didn’t know that. I figured after the first time we did it and that feeling came back, I was in the clear.”

Twilight chuckled. “You were ‘in the clear’ anyway. I told you, Rainbow, it’s not possible for him to get you pregnant.” She glanced around, suddenly furtive. “Not without some form of magical assistance, anyway.”

Lero looked surprised. “Oh? How do you mean?”

Twilight bit her lip. “Well… I’ve been doing some research and corresponding with Princess Luna. She’s amazing at transfiguration and polymorph magic, and there may be a few ways to employ partial or full transmogrification to allow you to have foals with us, if any of us wanted to.” She hesitated, looking at him anxiously. “I didn’t want to do a full transformation; it felt, well, wrong to me to even suggest transforming you just for that, and it felt like denying an important part of who you are, so I was looking for a way to affect only the germ cells. I wanted to be sure it would work before I even presented it as an option, that’s the only reason I haven’t mentioned it; I still haven’t got the details of it ironed out, so I was keeping it to myself.”

The human frowned. “Er… okay, this is a strange question, but what species would they be?”

“Ponies,” Twilight replied. She sighed. “Actually, with the current version of the spell, they’d probably be duplicates of their mother, with little or no genetic material from you, which isn’t what I was aiming for at all. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t mentioned it; it’s a long way from done.”

Lero looked a little blank. “Huh. I hadn’t even considered that as an option. It’s… something I’d have to think about.”

Rainbow was feeling conflicted, too. She didn’t want kids, didn’t want to have to take care of kids. She certainly didn’t want to have to deal with the effect it would have on her body; she’d lose months of training and exercise time, not to mention being hideously out of shape when she got back to it. Having to look after them would eat deeply into her free time, as well. This was something she’d have to talk to Lero and Twilight about, probably each separately.

Twilight shook her head. “Anyway, all of that’s beside the point. Getting back to your question… Take a single, very small herd, one stallion and four mares, who are, say, running a farm out by themselves in the prehistoric era, when these societal reflexes would have formed. When they go into heat, in order to guarantee that they each get a foal, he has to… oh, I don’t like the word ‘service’, it sounds so exploitative, but it fits in this context… each of them at least three times in that six-day period, which is only two a day. Not terribly strenuous.”

Lero nodded. “I think I’m following you.” He was actually blushing a bit, his skin turning pinkish on his cheeks and neck. It was a lot more obvious with his clothes off. “Ah, is it normal for a group to have that happen all at once? I didn’t notice any kind of… unusual behavior when Rainbow was, er, is ‘in season’ the proper term?”

Twilight giggled. “It is, and yes, it’s normal. Rainbow Dash used to spend so much time off by herself that she never really synchronized with Ponyville’s cycle; she’s still on Cloudsdale time, or she was.” The unicorn looked over at Rainbow, who ducked her head guiltily and tried to pretend that she’d been working instead of getting distracted. She heard Twilight stifle a giggle. “She’s been spending a lot more time on the ground, around the other ponies here in town, since she started living with you. This next cycle may not be fully synched up, but the one after that likely will be. The town generally takes a week-long holiday, because it’s a rather uncomfortable experience when you don’t want foals, and most mares prefer to keep to themselves when it hits. Plus, the ones that do want foals tend to be… occupied… during that time period.”

“I do remember that holiday,” the human observed pensively.

Twilight giggled. “You probably remember how Rainbow acted that week, too.”

Rainbow laughed too. “I got a little pushy.”

He rubbed his chin. “You were a bit... voracious. Not that I minded.” The pegasus laughed again.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Right. Getting back to your original question, let’s take that same situation, a group isolated and taking care of itself in primitive conditions, which means foals are needed to help take care of the chores and to keep the group going, and make it a bit larger. Eight mares, two stallions, not an unusual ratio. If one of the guys is hurt when that week hits, either from a fight of from some other cause…” She shrugged, “Then the other one has to copulate at least four times a day for six days in order to ensure maximum population growth, which a primitive group often needed to keep their numbers up. More, sometimes; it’s not uncommon for heat to last only five days, so he’d need to make sure he got them taken care of in time. Plus there could be arguments, since they’d all be feeling the way Rainbow was.”

“Ah. I see. Yes, that is a bit… strenuous. Not impossible, but…”

Twilight licked her lips in a quick motion. “Yes, it would be… strenuous.” She shrugged. “And, well, completely apart from mathematics, no filly likes seeing her stallion get hurt.” She leaned up close against him, closing her eyes as she brushed slow, gentle kisses across his lips, her foreleg embracing his chest. The sight of it made Rainbow’s heart rate pick up a bit, seeing her stallion nude and being gently kissed and embraced by her herdmate.

Lero’s flush was darker when Twilight pulled away again, spreading down his neck to his chest. She nuzzled him softly on the side of his neck, just below his ear, a spot Rainbow knew he liked. “We can get a little protective when we think our guy’s in trouble,” the unicorn whispered, kissing the human’s neck softly. “I know I was badly upset by how frightened you were last night. It was probably worse for Rainbow Dash.”

“It was… pretty bad.” Rainbow admitted, trying to pitch her voice loud enough that the rest of her herd could hear it from where they were on the couch. “I couldn’t figure out what to do. I was actually pretty close to going after the Princess a couple of times.” That uncertain fear tried to rise again, but it quickly subsided. Rather than being frightened, Lero was getting more and more intimate with Twilight over there on the couch, as the unicorn’s forehoof rubbed his chest in little circular motions, moving slowly down toward his belly. It made it hard for the echoes of that feeling to find purchase in Rainbow; it kept getting dislodged by happiness and a slow, gradual arousal.

“That made you tense up,” Twilight said quietly, still rubbing her hoof slowly against the human’s chest. It was a pretty clear gesture, and the human didn’t move to stop her.

Lero shifted a little. “I… the idea of either of you getting hurt upsets me,” he said softly. “I know you can both take care of yourselves, better than I can in all honesty, but still.”

Rainbow cocked her head. “You haven’t fussed when I crashed doing stunt practice.” He’d actually been pretty good at helping her nurse her bruises and scrapes.

He shrugged. “Of course not. It’s something you love doing. I’d never try to take that away from you, but it doesn’t mean I like seeing you get hurt.” Rainbow felt another flood of happiness and love. He loved her for who she was, and he was willing to let her be who she was. She couldn’t imagine how she could be luckier.

“It occurs to me that this set of reflexes could potentially present a problem,” Lero observed, trying to keep his voice steady as Twilight’s caresses got more intimate. “Something like, say, if I see one or both of you being threatened, and I step in because that’s my reflex, and that makes you respond because now it’s me being threatened…” He trailed off, and Rainbow bit her lip. That… could prove to be a problem at some point.

“We can worry about that later. You’re getting tense again,” Twilight observed. “Here, let me see if I can help you relax a little.” She kissed the hollow of his throat, then continued to trail a line of kisses down his chest and belly. Her forehoof slid down his body, stroking his groin gently for a moment before hooking over his thigh and pulling his legs slightly apart.

“I’m not that ten-” he started to say, before the unicorn’s head dropped down to his lap and her lips brushed against the head of his penis. His breath left him in a rush, and his body twitched in surprise. She kissed his member again, a smile pulling the corners of her mouth up, then licked, her tongue carefully caressing both orbs before wandering up his stiffening shaft.

They suddenly had Rainbow’s full attention. She shouldn’t be watching, she had stuff to do and she knew it, but whooo… This was worth watching. She had a momentary urge to go over there and join in, but she felt like she should at least pretend to be working, and Twilight deserved some time having Lero to herself.

The unicorn kissed and licked several more times, slowly and lasciviously, looking up into the human’s eyes with a smile. His body was responding eagerly, and Rainbow could hear his breath getting harsh and fast. The soft sounds coming from her lovers and the flush on Lero’s face and chest sent shivers of vicarious pleasure dancing through Rainbow’s body, and she had to suppress the urge to flap her wings again.

Twilight paused, the tip of her tongue teasing the tip of his now-erect member and making him quiver. That was something that Rainbow had never actually tried; she’d run her tongue along the end of it, but hadn’t tried lingering like Twilight was doing. Seeing his reaction, she made a mental note to give that a shot herself. Lero worked tremendously hard to bring her pleasure when they were making love together, and she liked finding ways to return the favor.

Rainbow watched avidly as Twilight lingered there, flicking her tongue against the point at the end of the human’s member and watching him shiver with delight. “Twilight,” he gasped after a few moments, “that feels incredible. Would you like me to take a turn, now?” Rainbow shook her head, smiling. That was him all over.

“Nope!” Twilight said with a grin, pausing in her efforts. “I’m not tense, so I don’t need relaxing. Just sit back and enjoy.” She lowered her head again, opening her mouth and guiding him into it with her tongue. Twilight’s lips closed over his member, and she started bobbing her head slowly up and down, making quiet, wet sucking noises as she worked industriously away. The pegasus could see Twilight’s tongue working, too; her mouth occasionally opened a little wider to let it slip out and caress his member further than her lips reached. Rainbow knew from that brief kiss earlier that Twilight’s lips were soft, and she hoped it felt as good for him as it looked like it did. The unicorn was really getting into it, Rainbow noticed with a flush, her head moving faster and her cheeks sucking inward on the upstroke. Lero’s eyes rolled back a bit in pleasure from Twilight’s efforts, but he fidgeted.

Rainbow smiled, making a mental bet with herself. After a short while, watching Twilight’s head bob up and down with her eyes closed, she started a mental countdown. And three… two… one… “Hey, Twilight,” Lero said, his voice tight. “Hey, stop for a minute.” Right when she’d expected him to. The pegasus couldn’t keep the smile from growing into a grin, and she felt a pleased warmth in her chest. She knew him as well as he knew her.

Twilight paused midstroke, her lips still fastened around Lero’s member, looking up at him with a surprised expression. Okay, that’s sexy. Rainbow had no idea why she thought that image was so hot, but something about it made her heart speed up a bit, and made her feel a little damp under her tail. She filed that away in her mind; this was an image she kinda wanted to see again, and she wondered idly how hard it would be to convince them to do that. Lero gently urged Twilight up, and she reluctantly raised her head, letting his penis fall free of her mouth.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Twilight exclaimed. “What was I doing wrong? I thought I’d gotten it down right, I even tried to practice, but I must have missed something!”

“You were doing fine, Twilight,” Lero said, stroking her mane.

“He doesn’t actually like that a whole lot,” Rainbow observed from the other room, figuring it would be easier for her to explain than for him to dance around it.

Twilight frowned at her. “He doesn’t? I’ve seen you do it, though!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, for just a second or two to get him going. The only time I do that for longer is when we’re wrestling and he can’t stop me, and even then I’ve never gotten him to finish in my mouth. He doesn’t like it.”

“Oh.” The unicorn blinked and turned back to Lero. “But you’ve done that for me! And for Rainbow!”

The human smiled, trailing a finger down Twilight’s chest and belly, his hand slipping smoothly between her hind legs. “I know. I don’t mind giving it.” His hand moved a bit, and Twilight caught her lip in her teeth, her eyes closing for a second as she shivered. Her foreleg mirrored his arm, one forehoof sliding between his legs to rub his groin and testes. “But I don’t really like getting it. I know, it’s weird.” The muscles in his forearm shifted a bit, and he arched his back slightly in response to Twilight’s careful rubbing. “Mmm. Besides, I don’t do exactly that, you don’t have the same… parts.” He frowned slightly. “Wait, what do you mean, you practiced?”

Twilight giggled, her face flushing under her lavender coat. “Oh, I was trying to make sure I could do it without my teeth touching and without gagging, so I practiced on a banana a few times, trying to get the motions right.” She giggled again. “I nearly got embarrassed once when Spike walked into the kitchen while I was doing it; I had to pretend that I had been eating it.” Rainbow strangled a laugh at the mental image that conjured; she could just see Twilight shoving half the banana in her mouth and looking awkwardly guilty while she chewed. That mental image was hilarious. The unicorn leaned forward to kiss her stallion, watching to see if he’d object to it, but he didn’t. They kept fondling each other while they kissed, and Rainbow could see Lero starting to tremble a tiny bit. “You know,” Twilight said when the kiss broke, “I may not have identical parts, but I do have analogous ones, so it’s basically the same thing.”

“You mean this?” Lero’s hand shifted under Twilight’s body, and she gasped, the muscles in her hips tensing. Rainbow guessed he’d just stroked her clitoris, from the strength of her reaction. Maybe he’d tweaked it a little instead.

“Yes, that’s the one.” Her free foreleg pushed his hand away. “Now quit it, you’re breaking my concentration.”

Lero raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like me to get you off, too?”

The unicorn shook her head. “You’ve given me more than I’ve given you. I owe you a few, and I’d like to give you a little present to help make you comfortable.”

He blinked. “No offense, Twilight, but while I’m enjoying this, I’d rather not make a mess on the couch.”

Twilight paused in her stroking. “Oh. Right.”

Rainbow snickered. She remembered her own solution to that problem. “Hey, Twi, you’ve got a way to avoid making a mess.”

The unicorn looked at her. “I do?” Rainbow rolled her eyes, and pointed a forehoof between her hind legs. “Oh! Right!” She looked back to Lero, catching his eyes with hers. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Well… I mean, if you want to…” His voice was hesitant.

“Aw, c’mon, big guy, let her do something nice for you.” Rainbow knew he felt weirdly obligated to make sure his partner came. The pegasus didn’t object to that attitude, but if Twilight really wanted to get him to come without getting off herself, she didn’t see the problem with it.

He chuckled. “Well, I guess it is a bit silly of me to fuss. If you want to, then go ahead.”

“Great!” Twilight grinned. “I’ll even take a shot at the way you and Rainbow like to do it.” She hooked one forehoof over his far shoulder, using that anchor point to pull herself around in front of him. She straddled him as his arms embraced her, facing him the way Rainbow had come to love doing, and slowly lowered herself. “Oh,” she breathed as they came together. “Oh, that fits wonderfully.” She shifted a little, coming to rest sitting in his lap, her chest pressed up against his. She looked down at him. “I can feel your heart beating against mine!”

“One of the benefits,” he replied with a smile. The human shifted a little, helping Twilight readjust her position to something a little more comfortable for both of them. “Like it?”

“I do, actually. It feels a little strange, but I can see why the two of you enjoy it.” The unicorn encircled his neck with her forelegs, her forehooves resting against each other behind his head, holding herself in position while she started to languidly move her hips. “Now just hold still; I’ll take care of everything.”

Somewhat to Rainbow’s frustration, Twilight’s long, straight-haired tail was hanging straight down between Lero’s legs, obscuring her view of the best part. It was twitching hard, but not moving out of the way. “Hey, big guy, could you move Twilight’s tail so I can see?” She chuckled dirtily. “You could try giving it a little tug, too; she might like that.”

Lero shook his head. “I swear, you ladies are going to turn me into an exhibitionist.” He raised his eyes to meet Twilight’s. “You okay with that?”

Twilight nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind at all if Rainbow wants to look.” The unicorn gave her herdmate a teasing look and a wink over her shoulder. “Maybe she’ll see something she likes.” Rainbow laughed again while Twilight turned back to Lero. “Go ahead and give my tail a little pull if you like; I doubt it will hurt, but I’ll say something if it does.” Lero’s hand found the small of Twilight’s back and slid down, following the line of her spine down her back to her purple tail. He gathered it up and gently moved it aside, giving it a gentle tug as he did so. “Oooh,” Twilight breathed, “that does feel pretty nice.”

Rainbow could see Lero’s body react to the pleasure in the unicorn’s voice. It was subtle; just a tiny little quiver, but it was all she needed to tell her that he liked it. Better yet, the pegasus now had an unobstructed view of how her stallion was spreading her friend open, sliding in and out with the motions of Twilight’s hips. It was a great view; the way Lero was gripping Twilight’s straight, pink-streaked tail, the unobstructed view of him penetrating her, even the view of that little hairless spot at the base of the unicorn’s tail was turning her on.

The pegasus forgot completely about the work she was supposed to be doing as her herdmates made love on the couch. She watched avidly, reveling in the pleasure they were giving one another. Twilight kissed and teased him as her hips moved, playing with his ears and nuzzling his neck the way Rainbow had shown her. Rainbow found herself almost hypnotized by the motions, watching the light glimmer off of the thin coat of moisture left on Lero’s member as it disappeared inside Twilight over and over again. Her heart pounded with building excitement as she waited for him to climax.

She didn’t have to wait too terribly long. Twilight gave her lover no time to rest or dissipate the pleasure that Rainbow knew was building inside him, keeping her motions constant and steady, and making sure to keep the level of stimulation he was receiving high by kissing and nuzzling in places she knew he liked. She didn’t nibble the way Rainbow liked to, but it was clearly enough. Lero’s body trembled, a sign that he was on the verge of climax, and Twilight felt it. She pushed her hips down into his lap, taking him as deeply into her as she could, and wiggled her backside a bit. That proved to be enough to push him over the edge, as his hands grabbed the unicorn’s hips and his back bent ecstatically, his whole body quivering while he came. Rainbow’s own body trembled in response, a sympathetic echo of his feelings pulsing through her.

He relaxed, releasing Twilight’s hips and letting his breath out slowly. Twilight hooked a forehoof around the back of his head, holding him in place while she gave him a long, slow kiss. “There,” she said when the kiss broke, a gentle aura of light shining from her horn, “Feel more relaxed, now?”

“I don’t think anyone could be tense after that.” He smiled as he spoke, and neither of them looked like they were in any hurry to move, which suited Rainbow just fine. They both looked happy, and she was perfectly content to sit here and bask in that happiness. The human looked over and met Rainbow’s eyes. “How’s it going over there, Dash? Still going smooth?”

“Going smoo…? Oh!” Right, she was supposed to be working. “Heh, lost my focus there for a second. You guys got kinda distracting.” They both laughed. The human and the unicorn moved to separate, and even though she had other things to focus on, Rainbow watched him slide out, the sight of it making her quiver a bit. Man, that was hot. She looked down at a blank sheet of parchment and her open books, and breathed a sigh.

“Are you sure you don’t want our help?” Twilight asked, shifting back to where she’d been sitting before.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually… yeah. I think I kind of do. If you guys don’t mind.”

Both of their faces lit up with smiles. “We don’t mind at all, Rainbow,” Lero said, getting up off the couch without putting his clothes back on. They both walked back into the room that Rainbow had taken over, and the human sat down, reaching out to take the writing materials. “Here, I’ll take notes for you.”

Twilight sat down outside the circle of printed material. “You’re the one who actually knows what needs to be done, but I’ll help keep track of where all your reference material is. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll try to help cross-reference it.”

Rainbow blinked, gratitude, happiness, and a feeling of warm camaraderie suffusing her. “You guys are the best,” she said, a little hoarsely. “Thanks.”

Lero reached out to lay a hand on her neck. “Think nothing of it. Now, just tell me what you need me to write.”

“Right.” Rainbow nodded, flipping open a book. “Okay, first off, I need to figure out where the humidity peaks are supposed to be and write ‘em down, ‘cause I’m gonna need ‘em when I get to…”

The three friends and lovers bent to their work with a will. The room was soon full of the sound of rustling paper, scratching quills, and cheerful conversation. Rainbow quickly decided that this was much, much better than doing it on her own.

Author’s note: big thanks to the anon on the clopfic archive that gave me the idea to do something involving human nudity taboos.