The next several days rolled by in a blur of fun and laughter for Artex and his herd. The Apple family greatly enjoyed themselves and participated in many of the offered events which included but was by no means limited to Kavim friendly paintball and story telling. The Princesses also enjoyed their time. Celestia managed to acquire the recipe for baklava in exchange for permission for Alex Ludwig to open a branch of The Melting Pot in every city and town in Equestria.

Each of the Mane 6 also enjoyed themselves, though to various degrees. Fluttershy spent most of her time talking to Shadow, Darryl's fox friend. She learned a great deal about the Marine from the fox and made it a point to never think about The Battle For New Humansville if she could help it. Rainbow Dash made the mistake of saying something negative about Changelings in front of Amber Eyes. She met Rifin later that day and to her own immense surprise, actually liked the colossal Changeling. Discovering that a Changeling felt so protective of his kind that he sacrificed his life for them, was a sentiment she could understand well. The two spent hours talking and at the end of the final day, they parted as friends.

Twilight loved everything. There was so much culture for her to learn about that she nearly forgot to sleep. Her favorite event from the whole trip was the old legends and tales told by the Humans. The poems were one of the brightest points for her. He favorite was by a man named Rudyard Kipling. His poem about The Female Of The Species was intense yet balanced, succinct but vague at the same time. The marvelous poetry of Humans was a dichotomy in regard to their frequently barbaric past. She was able to appreciate the entire race all the more for their ingenuity and cleverness when waved in the face of the harsh world they came from.

Rarity learned a great deal about Human customs and modes of dress from three very knowledgeable Human women. They were not always polite, but they were a fount of knowledge for her. She had hundreds of brand new ideas bouncing around in her head. She would revolutionize the fashion industry come Spring and the promises of help from her newest friends was sure to be a big help in that regard. If she were honest, she could see herself visiting New Humansville often in the future.

Once Alex Ludwig acclimated to the frequent and inexplicable presence of Pinkie Pie, he found that she was more interesting than he had at first assumed. She was more than happy to give out some of her baking recipes to her host so long as he kept her fed with her new favorite dish: Garden Garbage. In her own words, "It's the greatest thing ever! Every time you eat it, it's different! Sometimes there's flowers, sometimes there's onion stems, sometimes there's vegetables! You never know what you're going to get!"

After the week was up, Applejack asked Vaiawa to remove her disguise so they could talk. She was almost grudging in her acceptance of the Changeling. She sadly admitted that her problem with Changelings went deeper than she thought, but she also stated that she was more than willing to have Vaiawa in the family. She cemented her claim by stating that if she every heard anypony speaking poorly of Changelings, she would have a few choice words about their own heritage.

* * *

On the final day, as Artex closed the door after the Apple Family departed, he immediately headed upstairs and changed the sheets upon which Big Mac and his wives slept. The smell was intense and while Artex was glad that his adopted brother had such a... healthy libido, he was nowhere near as fond of the echoes of enjoyment that kept him awake throughout the nights. He also gained an insight as to why Kavim slept with their ears folded. He also conceded that if Zecora was any indication, Oriana was likely to be a screamer.

He took the stained sheets outside and began scrubbing them while the mares cleaned up the rest of the house. The Apple family had been fairly tidy despite their earthy natures and there was not too much for the mares to clean. The trip to visit Razor's family in Trottingham weighed on their minds but they did not speak of it in depth.

They were due to leave the following morning. They would take one of the Air Carriages, which made frequent tips from Canterlot to New Humansville. Once in Canterlot, they would board the train and arrive in Trottingham in the afternoon. From there, the plan was for Artex to take a room in the one of the hotels while Vaiawa went with Razor Wit, Rose Thorn, and Oriana to meet with Razor's family. Vaiawa could disguise herself to aid with meeting with Razor's Mother. They had all agreed that it would be for the best, even Razor had thought so. After they hopefully managed to talk Visceral Slaughter into accepting Vaiawa, they would send for Artex. If Razor's Mother was too opposed to meeting them, they would ask the rest of the family to meet with Artex without her and Razor would cut ties with her Mother for good. The tan Unicorn mare's will was set. If her Mother refused to accept her future husband, she would have nothing more to do with her. Razor claimed it was not a big deal, but the other members of the herd knew better. She was nervous and frightened. They did their best to console her subtly, but they could only do so much. They knew that one way or the other, the trip to Trottingham would be a significant event.

That evening Artex noticed that his mares were extra snuggly. He had no complaints about it, but once he asked about it he was slightly confused. According to them, the lingering smell of stallion musk on his skin was making him seem unusually cuddly. The thought was unnerving, but he accepted it with as much of an open mind as he could.

* * *

Artex rose early the next morning and made breakfast for his mares. He enjoyed doing things for them and made no complaint about it. After nearly a year of constant movement and adventure, he was finding the quiet life to be exactly what he wanted. He was growing restless though. He refused to admit that he fervently longed for the kind of physical intimacy that he had previously shared with his wife. He pushed it into the back of his mind as he began imaging what his wives had to offer and what he had to offer them in their marriage bed. He snuffed the thoughts quickly. He knew those things would come in time. He had been patient before and he could be patient now.

While he cooked, he frequently found himself imaging what it would be like to raise foals. He knew that there would no doubt be many, MANY diaper changes and sleepless nights at first, but the excitement of watching his own offspring learn and grow into what they were meant to be was a thought more appealing than he had ever imagined. He fully expected fillies, but he hoped for at least one colt. He longed for times when he could spend time reading to a lap full of colorful little Ponies in front of the fireplace. He could regale them with some of the adventures he and their Mothers had shared. He could fall asleep with them on his lap and wake up with neck pain, but have it all be washed away when he saw their peacefully sleeping forms curled up around him.

The smell of burning toast brought him back to the present and he quickly threw the charred bread into the garbage can, "Damn! Have to stop day dreaming!"

A giggle from behind him, alerted him to an audience. He decided not to turn around, choosing to listen with his ears, as whomever it was, likely did not know they had given themselves away. Kavim ears were unidirectional and even after a year the mares were still not used to his ability to hear everything around him. He shifted to his right and saw a reflection in the shiny steel of the pan he was using. Rose Thorn stood behind him. He watched as her eyes roved up and down his back and legs. He chuckled silently, 'Looks like I'm not the only eager one.'

He decided to give her a bit of a show. He began whistling a jaunty tune as it came to his mind. As he continued whistling, he began swaying his hips in time with the notes. He slid his backside to the right and watched as Rose's head followed his muscular buttocks. He bit his lip trying not to laugh as he continued his little dance, enjoying the feeling of entertaining his mare.

He finished with his cooking and decided to surprise her. He continued his hypnotic swaying and kept his eyes forward as he spoke, "Like what you see?"

Rose's response was an elegant, "Uh-huh..."

Artex suddenly leaned over and swatted his right hip with his hand, making a hearty smacking sound, "Come and get it."

Rose finally realized she had been had. She blinked and blushed, "Artex!" She turned her head away in embarrassment, "You got me all bothered!"

In a lightning quick motion, Artex spun around and stepped up to her. Before she could blink he took a knee he pulled her into a fierce kiss. Rose's eyes bulged briefly, then closed as she kissed him back. He slid his hands up the back of her head, gripping fists full of her mane and pulling her further into the kiss. Rose whimpered at the sudden and forceful move. He was normally rather reserved about his expressions of passion and for her to see him in such a state made her tail curl. Her legs gave out and she almost fell to the floor. Strong arms released her mane and laced under her forelegs, supporting her. She felt him pull her into his arms completely and she whimpered louder in the kiss. He was being forceful, and she had so rarely had the opportunity to express her own passions to him. She had not yet 'Accepted' him and the intensity of the kiss frightened and excited her. She was pressed right up against his stomach and chest. She could feel every inch of the front of his torso pushing against hers. She felt a powerful tingling sensation take root in her stomach and it snapped her out of her haze as if somepony had poured ice water on her back.

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled her head away from him with a shrill frightened cry. She struggled in his grasp, but he held her too tightly for even her own more than impressive strength to overcome. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, trying not to show him the tears in her eyes. Artex let go of her with one of his hands and pressed the left side of her head against his chest, "Easy Rose," he whispered, "Try to calm down. I'm here sweetheart. I'm not going to do anything else." He placed his hand on the side of her head and just held her still. Her whole body shook with silent sobs. She forced herself to take deep, slow breaths, taking comfort in his embrace that she knew she would not have the first time they were together.

Rose listened to the beat of his heart, trying to calm herself down. Her heart still raced within her chest, hammering out a rhythm as wild and untamed as her passion had been minutes before. She focused on his heartbeat, listening closely. Her body tuned itself to him as he held her against his kneeling form.

As she waited for her heart to slow, she thought back to the previous kisses they had shared, 'It was always so... chaste and brief. I wasn't ready... not even close. I know he didn't mean to scare me. It was exciting and new... I went too far. I've been so playful recently. I just showed off the parts of me that I know he likes... I didn't think it would lead to this. When I saw him dancing it... it just... enthralled me so much. I had never seen him like that before. He was playful... just like I was... I must have affected him the same way... oh Artex... I'm so sorry.' She raised her right forehoof and held it against her muzzle, 'I've been doing that to him nearly every day.' She began crying in earnest.

Artex, fearing he had done worse than he actually did, shifted his weight and say down, still holding the muscular Earth Pony. He crossed his legs pushing her hind legs against his crotch. His grip on her tightened and he began rocking forward and back, trying to soothe her. He lowered his lips onto the crown of her head and whispered while he rocked her, "Calm down sweetheart. I'm sorry I hurt you, Rose. I shouldn't have pushed it so far." He was very calm considering the situation. He did not know why he was so calm, but he was glad for it. He was however, concerned that Rose might think he was not upset about what happened. In truth he was very upset, but for some reason that he could not explain, he was calm.

The two of them stayed in their respective, intimate positions for a number of minutes until Rose was calm. Her shuddering sobs had declined to steady breathing and she opened her eyes, "I'm alright now Artex." She said quietly.

Artex released her from his grip and she rose to a standing position just in front of him. Before she could say anything, he reached his hands up and cupped her cheeks softly, "I'm so sorry about that Rose. I let my urges get the better of me. Will you forgive me?"

Rose sniffled and let out a little giggle, "I'm alright, silly." She replied playfully, "It's not as bad as it'll be on our wedding night." She hung her head, her expression falling, "I'm sorry too, Artex."

Artex was taken aback, "Rosy you have nothing to be sorry for. Don't blame yourself."

Rose sighed, "Nooo, not that. I've been... exposing my, as you would call them, breasts to you pretty much every day."

Artex smirked despite his concern, "Well I certainly wasn't complaining about the view."

Rose groaned in frustration, "What I mean is that when you were dancing earlier it... um aroused me... a lot. I know I've been doing the same thing to you and with how hard it was to control myself I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

Artex reached farther forward and pulled a startled Earth Pony into another hug, "It's not too bad for me, honestly." He placed extra emphasis on the last word, "I'm pretty much used to it. Remember that Humans wear clothes all the time? With all four of you walking around naked all the time I have a near constant boner just thinking about it." He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her muzzle tip, "It's fine sweetie. It was more difficult for you because you weren't used to looking. I'm not upset and I understand if you want to hide those lovely parts of your body until we're married. Either way, as long as I still have you, I'll be fine."

Rose nodded, nuzzling his hands, "I would feel better if I did. I know you said it was alright, but the thought of doing that to you makes me feel bad."

Artex smiled, "It's your body, Rose. You do with it what you want. I won't complain either way. Alright?"

Rose smiled back at him, "Alright."

Author's Notes:

Let me know if anybody spots any typos in here and as always, enjoy!