Got lots of things happening in this chapter, many of which I needed to cover. Now you'll understand why I chose to separate the first part out into what's now Chapter 13.

Also, I stole a small piece of dialogue from somewhere near and dear to me. Bonus internets if you can point out the true easter egg exchange and tell me where it was from.

The front door of the Sabre household swung inward, and the trio of Stella, Sveta, and Fredrick all exited out into the morning for their first breath of fresh air.

All still had some sleepiness in their eyes despite morning showers and sprucing up, so the three of them had to eliminate some residual crust with the back of their hands. Further, a group stretch was in order.

For Fredrick, he gazed upon the majesty that was the top of their mountain dome, finding the morning sun obscured by the same rolling clouds that he had come to appreciate from the day before. Also like yesterday, a blanket of ethereal white floated to the ground and wreathed the entirety of Thestralshire in a cool blanket of early-day mist.

Said mist contributed to the shimmering dew that was present on all plant-life.

Yet, despite the group opting for more spring-esque clothing, it was not uncomfortable in the slightest.

Stella was, as per usual, not one for extravagance and decided to sport her usual wear in the form of a blue V-neck and some dark denim pants. Her mane was neatly groomed and glowing in its usual ponytail style, along with that perfect coif of her tail to boot. A Lunar Guard patch was placed on the upper right breast area, on proud display to the entire world.

Fredrick learned recently that the Guards Force had a sort of ‘swag shop.’ He was a little dumbfounded, to say the least.

On the other hand, Sveta was one to wear her norm as well, with a pink V-neck t-shirt, some respectable-length shorts and a light jacket around her shoulders. Her mane-style mimicked that of her older sister and she distinctly fashioned her widows peak-esque style with locks framing her face.

All Fred knew was that if Sveta was in an anime, she’d easily be the main character.

And then there was he: a black polo shirt with some jeans. These mares could probably be completely nude next to him and he’d still somehow manage to look underdressed, not that he would mind in that regard.

Both sisters decided on a mutual stretch of sorts, reading each other’s minds as they hefted their hands and chests into the air in a back-bowing, whine-inducing extension.

“So,” Fredrick butt in while his mind was now fresh and ready for what as to be thrown at him. Eye candy in the form of the two batpony mares further acted as the caffeine to his fatigued body.

He placed his arm around Stella’s waist.

“Remind me of the plan for today?”

Stella bounded into the air with a mighty leap to stretch out her legs, landing on her hooves with a cute little bounce.

“Well, as I explained earlier; I need tae collect some potential recruit documents from one of the army recruiting outposts here. We’re lookin’ tae bring on some new sets of hooves fer the Lunar Guard Force and it’d be easier and cheaper if I just brought the few boxes back with me.”

Fredrick's face lit up in familiarity.

“Right!” he exclaimed, nodding. “And you gotta split off a little later, right?”

Stella nodded eagerly.

“Yup! But after breakfast or something; not right now. I’m fuckin’ starvin’, mate,” she noted.

And at that moment it appeared that all agreed as three stomachs simultaneously issued a proclamatory growl, demanding immediate satiation.

“So…” Fredrick decided to be the voice for everyone present.

“Breakfast?”

Sveta pointed both her fingers down the road, her face lighting up with an already well-placed idea for eating time.

“Right this way!”

The trio fell into step with each other as they made their way off the Sabre property and into the main streets of Thestralshire. With Fredrick situated strictly in the middle—a place that he was quite comfortable being in when it concerned two gorgeous mares—his attention could be drawn either direction when Stella or Sveta would point out something of interest to him.

Being the literal center of conversation was cool, too.

The main streets of the market section of the entire city were much more crowded than the suburban areas, though this was to be expected.

Still, Fredrick felt that occasionally nudging elbows with other ponies hoofing it in the other direction was no issue; he had been in much worse conditions in Los Angeles and New York City when he would visit family.

Less of a chance of getting stabbed, too.

Fredrick did also have to give credit where credit was due: ponies were upstanding and much politer than he had expected! Of course, swear words were like second nature to every single inhabitant, whether it had been a child, to some of the oldest thestrals he had ever seen.

Fredrick had to convince himself that he heard a little batpony filly—holding hands with her father—say the word ‘cunt’ in nonchalant passing.

Nopony in public seemed to mind either.

When in Rome…

As for Thestralshire itself, Fredrick was struck by how dissimilar to Canterlot the architecture and civil planning were. He noted how the contemporary and traditional seemed to intermingle when it came to full amenities, sidewalks, and serviceable roads all right next to crude bricklaying… and how everything was oddly not dissimilar to some more ancient, earthly civilizations from back on his world.

The eating and market district of Noctus Street was chock-full of larger structures that had an almost flashy Roman appeal to them… yet the smaller shops and occasional residence looked strictly Celtic with the Roundhouse building technique. This row of bustling shops was like any other street he had seen in Canterlot or even Ponyville, save for the prevalence of cobblestone and concrete sidewalks.

As the three of them (of whom Stella and Sveta jabbered incessantly about anything and everything) strode down the right side of the street, Fredrick felt that nothing could abate the sheer happiness he was radiating. His own teeth-baring smile was almost a match for Stella’s, especially when anyone would crack a joke and they consequently enter a series of maniacal cackling in public.

Yeah, Fred was feeling pretty awesome at the moment.

Their synchronized stroll was interrupted when Sveta yanked he and Stella into a seemingly random establishment.

Once Fredrick got reoriented, he recognized it as a simple order-at-the-counter eatery. Stella seemed to know exactly where they were, and she joined her sister as they sauntered up to the counter. Several tables were set on either side parallel to the entrance and leaving a wide-open path to the ordering counter. The decor reminded him distinctly of a 50s diner, though with Equestrian tastes sprinkled all over… more specifically, Northern batpony stylistic choices.

Fredrick took this moment to figure out what he was dealing with in terms of food selection.

A slightly raspy accent that he had come to enjoy over the course of the last few months graced his ears and faltered his concentration.

“Oi, dickhead!” Stella called back, yanking Fredrick out of his pensive stupor from the entrance.

“Ya comin’ tae eat?”

Sveta weighed in as the sister duo patiently awaited their turn in line, nudging her side.

“He hasn’t been here before, retard. Let ‘im decide!”

Stella’s jesting exterior was washed over with a layer of realization.

“Oh. Right. Correction: hurry up. Dickhead!”

Free of Stella’s input for the moment, Fredrick scanned over the menu up high above the counter. It detailed an assortment of different fruit dishes ranging from single fruit bases, or fruit salads. Combos included three different additions of toppings, much like a frozen yoghurt bar would afford him.

While Fredrick understood that batponies had a fang for fruit as per their biological needs, he did not spy a lick of protein on the menu save for milk. He had been one to always gorge on breakfast meats so this was a new experience in and of itself.

And if this was how thestrals diets were consistently, the human pondered exactly how Stella managed to keep her muscular form from atrophying from sheer carb overload on leave.

At least she’d never get a case of scurvy.

“Alright!” Fredrick announced, rejoining Stella and Sveta.

He placed a hand around their shoulders and mockingly supported himself with their stature.

“Get whatever y’all want. It’s on me, okay?”

Both Sabre sisters angled their gazes toward Fredrick in identical, stony expressions. Sveta was first to reply with:

“Sure! I’ll get me a bowl of ‘get fucked I c’n pay fer me goddamn self, ya shoe-wearin’, shaved snatch.’”

Stella giggled heavily into her hand.

“CHHHK! She called ya a ‘shaved snatch.’ That was pretty good!”

But even with her lightheartedness at Sveta's outright refusal, Stella had to lean into her field of view and deliver her advice against said refusal.

“Just let it happen, mate. He ain’t gonna budge on this. Believe me, I’ve fuckin' tried but I’ve found the one thing this lovable twat is iron-willed on.”

Fredrick redirected his playful yet serious expression back at Sveta, who was alternating her own gaze between her sister and the human.

With a begrudging sigh, she relented.

“Fine.”

Fredrick brightened up and pulled both mares in for a partial hug by their waists.

“Good shit, girls! And as I said, get what you want. All expenses paid for.”

Stella purred as the three of them stepped in front of the ordering counter.

“Oooh~ does this mean I get to take you home after this an’ fuck yer brains out?”

Sveta rolled her eyes while Fredrick scoffed at Stella’s ‘usual.’

“Hehe keep talking like that and you’ll find out that I don’t enjoy being on bottom for my protection,” he challenged, which earned an even more pronounced coo from his thestral marefriend.

Sveta had no will to fight the urge to plant her face in her hands, running her palms down her cheek as she took in the sheer shamelessness of these two.

“Okay, since when did you become so forward?” she questioned, wresting herself out of Fredrick’s grip and smoothing out her shirt.

Stella leaned her entire form against Fred’s steady one, beaming up at his face with pride.

“He has his moments…”

“AHEM,” the batpony mare behind the counter garnered their attention, profusely blushing all the while from the negligent, profoundly inappropriate display of public affection.

And just like that, Fredrick remembered where he was and his swell of confidence receded back into the depths of his core, re-manifesting itself as a rush of heat to his cheeks. He averted his gaze, running his hand over the nape of his neck.

Stella was quite foreign to the emotion of embarrassment, and instead busted out laughing at being caught on the verge of dirty talk in public… not that she would have cared, personally, but the mare lived to see Fredrick squirm.

Sveta, instead, let them have their moment and stepped forward, leaning with hands on the counter.

“Aye, sorry ‘bout these two wankers ‘ere. I’ll just have an açai bowl. Fuck it up with banana while yer at it, please.”

With Sveta having to act like the eldest of the group, the other two took the hint and ordered their food without incident. Fredrick felt the best option would be to follow Stella’s recommendation, which was essentially a fruit salad bowl that looked extra fancy—he couldn’t place exactly why that was, probably the color arrangement.

Some protein would have also been nice, but in the company of two ‘cool’ mares, he could not rightly complain.

Breakfast out in his first temperate morning in Thestralshire was filled with picking up the incessant conversation from before… as well as much talking with full mouths. And with full mouths, came an actual, tangible danger to Fredrick’s life in the form of Stella’s vocabulary.

It was not uncommon for her to try and make him laugh uproariously when the two of them were eating… for the sole purpose that he would have to stop himself from choking to death while Stella would point and laugh at him in tandem.

And the cycle would continue into eternity.

Sveta looked on at the bantering couple with a deadpan as she chewed her food, elbow and open palm supporting the side of her face.

And in a manner most befitting of her family name, the young, teal one voiced:

“Do you lot ever shut the fuck up? Legitimate question from a concerned family member.”

Fredrick went back to chewing his food while Stella swiveled back in her seat to face her sister. Her retort was as swift as it was both sarcastic and smug.

“It’s fun tae banter and talk with someone who gets you so well… not like you’d understand ‘r anythin’, Svet. Gotta have a coltfriend tae really get what I’m talkin’ about, so…”

Sveta returned a half-hearted, obviously fake laugh as she brought her full spoon to her mouth.

“Hilarious,” she replied dryly…

…then without a single measure of forethought, tacked on a subtle:

“Looks like ye only shut up when ya suck his cock, too…”

And only when that last breath rolled off her tongue did Sveta realize what she said, though she kept her body-wide stiffening under wraps.

From her perspective, Fredrick appeared not to take any notice of that comments implication, as he went right back to giggling hysterically at Stella’s expense—in her eyes, he had come to insert himself quite easily in their horribly sexual-laden banter.

“Jesus, Sveta! PFFT! You go straight for the jugular!”

Stella—forcing a chortle to save face—belied her amusement to Sveta’s comment with her golden eyes promising certain death by how hard she was staring at her.

She further hammered home that point when her hoof nearly crushed Sveta’s own under the table. The latter was careful not to show a single shred of reaction to any of this.

She got the message when her ankle almost snapped under pressure.

“Hehe, yeah!” Stella muttered through her teeth and wide, dagger-glaring eyes. “You’re just so fuckin’ funny, aren’t you? It’s a wonder I trust you with anything if you’ll just make fuckin’ hilarious jokes.”

Sveta had already formulated her response that, in her mind, would have quelled all suspicion if there was any.

“Hey, you know me, mates! I don’t hold back with me jokes… and neither should you, Fred,” she said, steering the conversation away from the currently forbidden topic.

Fredrick, for his part, took it and ran with it, as the subject spotlight was back on him.

He shrugged, chuckling as she spooned another bit of granola-crusted acai into his mouth.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, mates,” he concluded, emphasizing that extra bit of false accent on his final word.

One which he knew would draw the immediate attention and accompanying ire of his hosts.

Both batponies regarded him with forced indifference, borderline cringe as he made the worst possible attempt to mimic their way of speaking.

Before their responses flooded his senses, Fred took this moment to relish in how many times he had taken on a rather terrible mimic of Stella’s accent. Though she found it humorous in lesser frequencies, a bit of experimentation yielded the fact that Stella would be eternally triggered if he would mess up any of her slang.

And the inevitable stern rollicking over it only added to the hilarity as Fredrick would attempt to banter back in kind… adding a cycle of fuel to the fire until Stella would almost get legitimately mad at him.

My, how she was just so fun to rile up, in his eyes.

“I really need tae start teaching ya how tae do a proper Northern accent. Fuck me, mate…” Stella voiced.

She then squeezed his earlobe, evoking a pained groan out of the human as he gave into her motions.

Sveta also had a few words to add, though of a more pressing nature.

“While I’d love tae rip off the other stubby ear fer that shoddy performance… Stella, isn’t it gettin’ a bit late for ye?”

Stella swallowed her mouthful with frightening force as her eyes widened. With her trademark lack of any semblance of shame, she shoved her hand down Fred’s pocket and felt around for his phone… which she found after accidentally squeezing his covered shaft in the process.

She took an extra squeeze… for good luck, of course, especially when Fredrick stiffened as hard as his dick did in the process.

Yanking his smartphone out of his pocket which was calibrated for Equestrian time, she indeed realized that the Northern Recruiting Center was expecting her in the next twenty minutes.

“Shit! Yer right. I gotta fuck off outta ‘ere!”

In a move that brought no small manner of shock to Fredrick’s face, she dumped the sizeable remnants of her fruit bowl into her mouth, chewed once, then swallowed the entire contents without a shred of trouble. She then placed his phone back into his pocket and tapped it for safekeeping.

She also took another squeeze.

And in his mind, Fred figured that the previous night’s debauchery could be much better explained by this demonstration in front of him.

“Also!” Stella moved to add one last point. “We need tae have a movie night with that series you and I watched about a month ago on yer phone!” she said.

Fredrick cocked his head. They had watched a lot of stuff on their free time.

“Sure! Which one was it?”

Stella began drawing a blank, and she tapped her forehead a couple of times in any attempt to jostle her memory.

“Achh… fuck it was the movies about the fuckin’... ah! The mane dresser! The fuckin’ space mane dresser!”

Both Fredrick and Sveta cocked an eyebrow at that statement, but Fredrick angled his face away from his marefriend as he tried to wrack his own mind as to what she could be talking about.

“Umm…”

“Aye! He’s got like, a tinfoil pal and a fuckin’ pedal bin that follow ‘im around.” Stella followed up excitedly.

Fredrick’s initial gaze never wavered, and Stella twirled her hand to drum up more thoughts. Her face brightened when she remembered another key detail:

“Oh! His father’s a fuckin’ robot and he’s fuckin’ fucked his sister!”

Fredrick and Sveta remained as confused as one another, yet the former had a mild suspicion:

“Are… are you fuckin’ talking about Star Wars?” he ventured to ask.

Stella’s eyes seemed to sparkle in deep recognition.

“Aye! That's the one! Let's watch later!”

Stella wiped her mouth off on her forearm and brought Fredrick’s face in for a quick, yet ever meaningful four-second kiss with an accompanying ‘mwah!’ to boot.

She then rattled off her goodbye to him as she fumbled to her hooves out of her seat.

“Toodles, love! Have fun with Sveta!” she finished with another hug.

Stella stumbled over to her sister and lavished her with what Fredrick only saw as a normal hug—a gesture shared amongst family members who were especially close as these two batponies were.

“And you!” Stella said aloud, pulling her sister into a one-armed embrace. “Take care of him, aye? I expect this cunt back in the same or better condition than when I lent him to ye.”

Sveta rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry. Your ‘hunny bunny’ won’t be any worse fer wear.”

Stella then leaned closer so her lips barely graced Sveta’s right ear and delivered unto her particular words of advice… ones which belied her flippant smile.

“…and if you ever accidentally let this shit slip out again… and I have to explain to him why I let ye frig yerself while he fucked me face… I’ll rub me fuckin’ flaps all over yer guitars before I set them on fire. Understood?”

Sveta made sure to keep her narrow, pretty face completely stoic.

As an observer to the few seconds of secrecy, Fredrick took note of how Sveta carried more of a ‘resting bitch face’ as opposed to Stella, who would smile constantly. While Sveta was just as prone to exploding into laughter, he had already noted that one major difference between the two sisters was the younger one’s propensity to explode with violent, yet incredibly short bouts of anger before rebounding back to her happy self.

Plus, she lacked the snaggle-fangs of her older sister. The contours of her lips were perfectly curved with her mouth sans pearly-white interruption.

Then there was Stella who just had that ass of hers on display as she delivered whatever important message she needed to. Naturally, Fredrick was more fixated on this development.

“Crystal,” came Sveta’s enigmatic reply.

Stella righted her posture and stretched her back and wings out.

“Righto! I’m off tae deal with the fate of the Lunar Guard. Gonna see which muppets we’re gonna recruit next month!”

And with that, she strolled on by the remaining two individuals whilst delivering a casual wave over her shoulder…

…and a wink to Fredrick, which earned a latent blush from him.

“See ya later, masturbators!”

And with that, she threw open the glass door and was out of sight, disappearing into the small crowd of ponies that casually veiled the walkway.

Once Fredrick lost sight of his marefriend, he felt an odd sense of loneliness that pervaded his core for merely a moment… a feeling of incorrect lightness and a flutter in his chest that just felt… wrong. Of course, he knew for a fact this was because he was in unfamiliar territory without his only guide back to ‘civilization.’

His eyes flicked back to Sveta, who went back to eating as per normal.

The plan was for him to get shown around the area by her until Stella could meet back up with them later at home. Though Sveta was already an awesome mare in his eyes, and he felt marginally comfortable around her (her natural allure probably had some weight to this), Fredrick still technically didn’t… know her all that well.

But perhaps, knowing Stella’s unlikely aptitude for foresight, this was most likely an opportunity to do just that.

“So…” Fredrick spoke up, earning Sveta’s attention in the form of her eyes flicking up to him. “And then there were two.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

“You gettin’ fuckin’ awkward with me, mate? After all we’ve been through??”

Fredrick returned her jesting gaze with one of his own, if a bit more sarcastic.

“All eighteen hours or so?”

Sveta slammed her fist on the tabletop, rousing sudden, rapt attention from nearby patrons as she got to her hooves.

Fredrick recoiled abruptly and had a subtle, nascent urge to shit his pants—especially at a most familiar, dare he say, identical, bollocking face that would give him ‘Nam flashbacks.

She thrust an index finger right to the forefront of his vision.

“Don’t get fuckin’ sarcastic with me, you pale cunt, ye!” she nearly roared, leaning forward as she pressed her snout to his nose.

“Courtesy of Stel’, I can remove yer sphincter in fifty different ways with me fuckin’ pinkie,” she declared, waggling one of her aforementioned digits for good measure.

So close was she, Fred couldn’t even bear witness to yet another down-shirt for the record books.

A slight, primal urge to flee the establishment festered within him, but that was, of course, just instinct. Fredrick knew better than to fear Stella’s sister when he was in the former’s excellent graces—but that didn’t stop his body from wreathing his hairline in the lightest sheen of moisture.

Fredrick responded in the way he knew most when dealing with Stella’s random antics… with an emotionlessness that he had perfected over the last few months:

“Looks like you need to eat a Snickers with that açai bowl.”

It was Sveta’s turn to blink those sapphire eyes of hers. She cocked her head as she retreated.

“…What?”

“Yeah, apparently you also turn into a gnarly wench when you’re hungry.”

“PFFT!” Sveta stifled impending guffaw at Fredrick’s word choice.

Folding her lips inward, she sat back down while Fred regained his normal posture—victory was evident on his face.

“Okay mate, that was pretty good. Yer right though, I definitely can be, as you say a gnarly wench,” she confessed.

Sveta crossed her arms under her chest, and her right ear flicked while she donned a more serious posture.

“If ye knew me well enough, you’d know that that’s how I joke around—a mite more extreme than Stella, I’ll admit, but believe it’r not mate, I’m actually the more… bombastic of the two of us in larger doses. And nicer.” she went on to explain.

And while Fredrick took that to heart, with how much he had been around Stella, the mare’s claim evoked a raised eyebrow out of him.

“I see… well, you could be for all I know. As I alluded earlier, I don’t really know you as well as your sister. Figured you weren’t serious about wanting to pull my asshole out of my asshole, anyway.”

Sveta smirked, then shrugged.

“And I guess that’s why we’re here, at both Stella’s and my agreement,” she replied with a smile an eagerness that only Fred had only ever seen in her sister.

Fred’s shit-eating grin returned.

“You mean to pull my asshole out of my asshole?”

Sveta emitted a teeny, high-pitched giggle from behind her teeth.

“Well, that too if ya get all nyaffy with me… but from what Stella’s always told me about you, I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem.”

Fredrick leaned back in his chair, brushing a few strands of his hair back into place by his temple.

“Well, if my knowledge of siblings plays any role in this world, my guess is that you were the first pony Stella would go to about juicy gossip or any mare-slash-stallion related news, right?”

Sveta bobbed her head in partial affirmation.

“Yeah, most of the time. Of course, Equestrian tech ain’t all fancy like yer human bullshit, so distance played a little bit of a factor in how long it took information tae get to me. MagicMail still ain’t all that instantaneous.

“So, usually Highground got first dibs on ‘juicy gossip,’” she gestured with an open palm.

“Makes sense,” Fred figured.

The human had long finished his meal—he wasted no time in ‘feeding,’ as he was oft to refer his habits. So, once Sveta had taken her last bite during the trough of their conversation, he figured they were ready to get out of here.

Sveta slid her empty bowl away in front of her.

“Ahh… good shite.”

She thumbed towards the exit with a reinvigorated, knowing smile.

“Wanna fuck off outta ‘ere? I’ll show ya around!”

Fredrick nodded, tapped his palm to the table and stood up tall to stretch out.

“Let’s roll!”

The plain-clothes Stella did not meet any of her kin’s eyes as she strode past them on the sidewalk many, many streets over from where she left her company.

She navigated the main streets with ease, tactically ebbing through other ponies with barely an audible ‘excuse me’ each time she had to shove her way past. Her hooves clopped along dutifully and her face donned an expression of placid stoicism… one she reserved for when she desired to do a job, do it right, and get it over with as quickly and efficiently as she was able.

Gotta go, gotta go… fuck outta my way, cunts, gotta go~!

She hummed her mantra in her head, and her mental fortitude kept her ever-focused as she envisioned herself back in Fredrick’s embrace and mentally molesting her younger sister…

...not necessarily in that order.

The weather did not give way to sunnier days as Canterlot would when the tens of minutes ticked by, and that was just how Stella preferred it. The smell of petrichor from the previous night and impending rain was heavy, nearly weighing down her other senses but she, as well, would have it no other way. Batponies were naturally stealthier creatures, and by instinct, anything that would mask their presence was a subconscious sense of comfort in what would otherwise be a crowded, unassuming world.

Stella was weird. Her species was weird. She was well aware of this.

After letting her mind run away to less than reputable activities in public, Stella pushed past one last couple that was going a bit too slow for her liking… while occupying the entire right-side of the sidewalk; the corner-building adorned with Royal Military insignias was in plain sight just across a small street in front.

“Pardon me, laddies!” Stella said as she breezed on by, but her shoulder connected with the bare shoulder of the thestral mare of the couple.

She grunted and scowled at Stella strutting away.

“Oi! Ya fakkin’ mind, twat? There’s many nicer ways outta the ‘Shire, love!” came her accented condescension in response to the physical contact.

Stella angled her mouth over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes as she pulled further ahead.

“Aye! One way out is fer you tae sod off the fuckin’ side o’ the mountain, ya lanky cunt!” she barked.

The mare’s jaw dropped unhinged, and her attention was immediately upon her taller, lean coltfriend who’s face had recoiled in abject shock.

“Yer gonna let ‘er talk to me like that??”

He gestured intelligibly ahead and shrugged.

“Umm.. yeah, actually. I ain’t fuckin’ messin’ with that.”

Slowing her pace to a simple stroll, Stella found herself at the front, glass door of her city’s main recruiting center for the nation’s armed forces. It took up space on the corner of the lot with a subtle importance about it, and the inspirational banners of the army, navy, and Royal Guard were emblazoned proudly in its front windows. Such posters caricatured exciting and rewarding careers in service to the Princesses with the promises of adventure, sightseeing, excellent benefits, and bettering of one’s self.

Stella stopped for a moment to appreciate the banners, as they were what helped her make that decision to be the one of her generation of Sabre’s all those years ago. And from all the experience she had to show for it, she figured that said banners mostly delivered.

A crease of a smile made its way up the side of her face, and that snaggle-fang was now on display to the world. A warm feeling diffused throughout her chest and core as Stella reflected upon her now seven year career as a soldier.

Sure, she wasn’t promoted the most aggressively.

Nor did she have grandiose accomplishments that merited the highest medals the Princesses could bestow on anypony.

But in the end, the batpony could proclaim that she was happy with where she was.

She then wrenched herself away from her little nostalgia trip and pushed the door into the establishment. More posters lined the grey walls of the recruiting center, advertising each and every branch available and seeking enlistees.

And a single desk sat near the entrance, where a lone, uniformed, light-blue coated batpony was busy with paperwork. Four other, unstaffed desks lined the interior of the perimeter.

The aforementioned soldier not too busy to notice Stella’s nonchalant entrance.

He flicked his eyes up and spied the thestral mare, then stood up to reveal his nameplate as ‘Silent March.’

“Welcome to the Northern Recruiting Center, citizen!” he spoke authoritatively and with a perfect, porcelain smile. He then adjusted the beret of his Equestrian camouflaged uniform and offered his hand.

“Corporal Silent March, Third Equestrian Army. A pleasure to meet you miss…”

Stella presented her hand in kind and they exchanged a firm grasp, though the foul-mouthed mare easily won out with her normally, borderline-abusive handshakes.

“Sabre. Stella Sabre, and I’m not here tae get recruited. I’m already in the Royal Guard!”

A wave of realization slammed over Silent March.

“Ah!” he exclaimed, signing with a raised index finger. “You’re the Stella Sabre we got advance notice about. Awesome!”

He thumbed over his shoulder.

“We’ve got all the paperwork in the back. Lemme just confirm your identity and we’ll get you on our way, righto?”

Stella beamed her determined grin and shrugged before she reached into her back pocket.

“Sounds fuckin’ great tae me! Here’s me badge,” she said, having fished her golden Lieutenant’s badge out of its confines.

She presented it to the batpony Corporal and he took it up to his face to examine the shimmering badge. He ran his thumb over the engraved nameplate and nodded.

“Wow… never actually seen one of these in real life, to be honest. It’s beautiful! And the date here is recent, too! Congratulations, Ma’am!” he said, saluting.

Stella smiled a lopsided smile, nodding to her conversational partner for the moment.

“Oi, cheers mate… I gotta say, looks like the enlisted ‘re gettin’ younger every year! You look like yer gettin’ stuffed in the barracks lockers every day” she jested, then fished her ID card out of her wallet.

“And here’s me ID.”

Corporal Silent March could not help but laugh at the subtle jab at his younger appearance whilst he took her ID. He compared her badge with it side by side, and seeing no oddities after glancing up at Stella’s face a few times, he handed them both back to her with confidence.

“Surprisingly… not that often. I’m on edge, actually!

“And Everything checks out, Ma’am. I'll go grab the documents. All records are organized in two boxes in alphabetical order for convenience.”

“Sounds good. Cheers, Corporal!” Stella replied, seeing Silent March off toward the back of the room.

He disappeared through a doorway, leaving Stella to her own devices for the time being. She idly stood for a few moments, glancing and shifting her eyes over her surroundings. And ultimately, she crossed her arms behind her back, righted her posture authoritatively, and went for a slow-paced meander around the perimeter.

To the cadence of her hoof clops, Stella eyed each and every poster, informational, and factoid as she scrutinized them all. While their simple art styles had been updated over the years, Stella recognized a decent few of them from when she first entered the recruiting office closer to her home.

She remembered vividly sitting down in front of that enlisted pony and getting read all the great opportunities that would be afforded to her as a soldier of the crown, as well as all the amazing benefits that would come her way; not to mention the accompanying prestige to her and her family.

It all technically happened to her… and her family name remained, so far, untarnished with her actions and merits. Hell, Stella’s eyes glinted at the thought that she was the first pony in the entire Sabre family name to be in a ‘high-ranking’ position in the Royal Guard.

And with how things were going, on top of she being in the good graces of Princess Luna, Stella ever had to contain herself that she had an incredible chance of making Captain of the Lunar Guard.

“Well, look who it is!” came a different, yet in no way unfamiliar female voice that held an air of infuriating dryness.

Unfortunately for Stella’s mood, she knew exactly who the voice originated from, and upon turning on her hooves to face the rear of the room, she found a less than desirable face.

“Nova Blast…” Stella condescended, the right side of her mouth curling upward. “Didn’t know the Army let mentally handicapped ponies climb up the ranks outta quartermasters.”

The violet-coated batpony mare shrugged ambivalently, her features completely unfazed.

“Occasionally interesting things happen in the military,” came the smooth-accented reply and expert deflection of Stella’s insult. “But one thing I never expected to happen was to see you in these offices again. I thought it was a joke that you were dropping by for a visit, especially since you got that high and mighty position in the Guard you were having wet dreams over.”

Nova stepped out onto the main floor in her full army uniform, adjusting her beret over her faded blue, bunned-up mane.

“Further, with all due respect, I think it’s rather remarkable that you haven’t been shot yet.”

Stella, as well, was not shy, and decided to meet her halfway with her hands on her hips. They scanned over one another, though neither adopted any threatening posture as they attempted to find any crack in the other’s proverbial armor.

Indeed, it had always been this way with them.

Nova Blast was a classical ‘rival’ of sorts. Stella and she grew up together and went to the same schools, and were both the ‘selected’ of their families to proudly enlist. While they had gotten into plenty of less-than-playful banter matches, competitions over colts, and shouting contests, Stella was actually pleased to admit that none of this behavior escalated to outright violence.

“In the end, I’m kinda surprised m’self… but then again my juniors actually, fer the most part, actually enjoy me command. If I was in yours I’d probably shoot m’self, tae be honest,” Stella riposted.

Nova snorted once, a single half-smirk crawling up the edge of her face to match Stella’s.

“And the world would be a much brighter place if that happened.”

Both fell silent as their eyes remained locked on one another.

If Stella had to admit anything there was a mutual sense of respect. Rarely did they smile at each other when they were in constant contact during school, and the same could be said for their position now.

And if Stella was to go further than that, even she would admit that Nova’s somewhat shapely chest and ‘cute’ backside was endearing to a point. Well, at least when combined with oddly soft features for a mare in the military… one which gave Nova a ‘baby-face’ and plenty of ammunition for Stella.

“I hope yer not gettin’ the wrong idea that I came tae see you… ‘r anyone else from secondary fer that matter…” Stella cautioned, refusing to let awkwardness get the best of her as she let her left arm fall naturally by her side

“Shame,” Nova replied, then smirked almost whimsically. “And here I thought you were here to see Quasar…”

Stella’s coat bristled the moment the very air of that name graced her eardrum.

“...The fuck does he haftae do with anythin’?” she dared asked, her eyes narrowing.

Calmly, Nova explained:

“Quasar made Division Commander. He’s on inspection of Her Majesties’ facilities in the area. You just missed him yesterday… but he’ll be back tomorrow if you wanted to pop in to say hi and have a cuppa tea,” she added.

That barely noticeable dimple in her cheek made evident by the figurative cheek from her words was ever more peeving for Stella.

“You shittin’ me, mate? He made Division Commander?”

“Mhmm.”

Stella was about to let loose another mini-tirade against the very name of this pony when Silent March waltzed back into the room with two cardboard boxes stacked atop one another.

“Alright, Lieutenant… here’s the documents!” he strained out and skated into the conversation. He set the column of boxes on the nearest desk with a thud that shook the flat top.

And at both the sight of the boxes and the young soldier who carried them, Stella formed a perfect plan in her mind.

“Oi, cheers love!” she exclaimed, brushing past Nova and getting a good look-over at the boxes. She then batted the lids off to ruffle through the files. All the while, she had something to say to Silent:

“Also, I got a job fer you, soldier…”

Silent clicked his heels together and saluted.

“At your command, Ma’am!” he replied.

Nova only looked on with mild, obligatory curiosity.

“Well, when you see the Divisional Commander next…” Stella began, replacing the tops of the packaged boxes and hoisting them both in her grasp with a gentle grunt.

“...I want you tae tell ‘im…. tae break the long end of a broom handle up in his saggy bonehole, aye?”

Silent’s reaction produced a quite noticeable glitch in his form, barely able to process those words.

“Ma-Ma’am?”

With her hands gripping the built-in carrying handles of the cardboard, Stella leaned the small tower against her chest, and turned ninety degrees to allow her head to face Silent.

“I’m not fucking joking, Corporal!” Stella seethed, then backpedaled her way towards the entrance. Her eyes never left the pair standing in the middle of the centre.

With a tone that belied any form of a jesting nature, Stella followed up with:

“And I’mma come back tomorrow tae make sure you complied with an order... or I’ll crush yer bollocks under these fuckin’ boxes ‘til they look like watercolor blotches on a Mareitonian paintin’!”

Stella’s tone then softened as she redirected her attention to Nova.

“Lovely catchin’ up, mate. See ya around! Pip pip. Fuckity you!”

And with that, she had pushed through the glass door whence she came and let it slam behind her as she strode down the street with loot in tow. Her remaining job was to drop these off at home and get a headstart on sorting through them. She figured she’d let Sveta and Fredrick continue getting to know each other.

Back in the recruiting center, a stunned silence fell upon the remaining duo.

“Uhhh… Ma’am?” Silent dared to ask. “Was she serious?”

Nova, arms crossed under her chest, shrugged.

“Knowing her, probably.”

The young soldier’s pale skin did little to color back to normal at his commanding officer’s less-than assuring words. His ears lay atop his head as she gazed at his leader questioningly.

“Does she have authority over me?”

“Only when I’m not around. You answer directly to me, otherwise. You should know this,” Nova replied. Both she and Silent were still deep in their own thoughts staring at where Stella had graced them with her parting words.

“Should I even think about complying then?”

“Well that depends, Corporal. How much do you value your career?”

“Well, that’s really where all the interestin’ shit is, tae be honest…” Sveta said after the conclusion of a small tour. Thestralshire was not that large at its center, despite its majesty from the mountain edge.

Fredrick and Sveta were casually strolling by one of the parks near the city center. The human felt, as he drew his gaze over the dark-leaved trees; the neatly trimmed grass; the playground where predominantly batpony fillies and colts were playing; and a multitude of other things... that this was pretty average for a park.

Which also meant that fresh air was plentiful, and that endearing, telltale aroma from last night’s rain and more rain to come was most welcome.

“Pretty cool though,” Fred admitted. “It’s a nice, quaint area here, despite the odd feeling of claustrophobia with the whole mountain interior thing you got going…”

The two maintained a respectable, casual walking pace that was consistent with ongoing conversation.

Sveta chuckled at Fredrick’s assertion.

“Aye, the uninitiated always feel that way. You’ll get used to it, mate… and when you do, I guarantee that you’ll miss it.”

“How do ya figure?” Fred asked, slipping his left hand into his pocket.

Sveta gestured her open palm all around them.

“It provides sense of extra security that you can’t really get anywhere else… not that we’re expecting anything bad tae happen but, it’s like somepony’s watchin’ over ye with good intentions. It’s always there, and it does shield us from some of the harsher winds in the region,” she explained.

Fredrick bobbed his head in thought, while Sveta tried to rationalize her own words.

She shrugged.

“Fuck it I dunno, mate. I’ve just lived with it me entire fuckin’ life so I’m used to it. Every time I’ve tripped out tae Canterlot to visit Stel’, I always feel a bit exposed without it.”

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

A small bout of silence wreathed the friendly couple for a few moments, and Fredrick was able to consolidate his thoughts in that time. From when they had left their breakfast eatery, Sveta had taken the time to show him some of the few offerings of ‘downtown’ Thestralshire… definitely a far cry from his home city, that’s for sure.

Regardless, he was made aware of the few attractions, such as a history museum, some tours that took you to the very top of the inner portion of the mountain, and the usual clubs and musical venues that Fredrick would probably find himself visiting at Stella’s insistence. They didn’t get to go to the top of the mountain unfortunately. Overall there weren’t huge, grandly exciting things to do such as Disney World or the like… but there were nice things that could take the edge off of a particularly long work week.

And in the end, that’s kinda what mattered, at least to Fredrick.

“But if ya don’t mind,” Sveta cut into the silence, nudging Fredrick’s shoulder with hers and nearly forcing him to stumble. “I’d like tae steer the topic a little bit more your way.”

Fredrick massaged his left palm into his shoulder as he angled his attention towards the pretty, younger Sabre.

“Uhh… sure! Yeah I haven’t said all that much about myself. And you probably haven’t heard anything but what Stella tells you, I’m sure,” he noted.

Sveta responded with a deep, single nod and an excited smile. The inherited smile shared between most members of this family was still a mild cause for disconcertion to Fredrick.

“Yup!”

“Okay. Anything in particular you’re interested in?”

“Ya fuck ‘er yet?!” Sveta leapt at the opportunity.

Fredrick reeled at the excited aggressiveness of that query, but regardless, he rolled his eyes, chuckling lightly all the while.

He sighed.

“Something tells me you already know the proper answer to that question,” he said with an edge of sarcasm. Stella wasn’t one to kiss and tell but she definitely wouldn’t keep a secret from her closest and oldest ‘best friend,’ as it were.

Sveta rolled her eyes and angled her head over to Fredrick, annoyed. The two rounded a corner of the park and continued down the straight perimeter.

“Why the fuck would I ask you if I already knew? Ever think about that, mate?” she put forth.

“Well, if you haven’t the slightest idea, then I don’t kiss and tell. Not my place to tell others about our intimate life so…” Fredrick said.

The sarcasm and chiding could be heard simply through Sveta’s ensuing laughter.

“Oh, well look at ye… such a fuckin’ honorable and sanctimonious fuckhead you are. You and yer short sleeved shirt armor and shorts. Hell, mate. I like you. Ye can come over an’ fuck me sister.”

Fredrick had no control of the chortle that snuck its way out his mouth, and he pinched the bridge of his nose all the while.

“Okay, you got me on that one. Still, I’d rather let Stella inform you of any details regarding our intimacy life rather than me… seems more in place,” he said.

Sveta mimed attempting to choke him, but then settled for, much like Stella, delivering a gentle swat to the back of his head.

“Gah! What the hell, dude?!”

“How ‘bout ya be like a normal fuckin’ pony an’ just call it a ‘fuck life.’ Fuck’s sake mate listening tae you talk sometimes is like tryin’ tae enjoy nails on a fuckin’ chalkboard. Fuck me.”

She then crossed her arms under her chest and her face devolved into smugness.

“And for yer information, Fred… I already knew. A couple days after, actually, since she penned a fuckin’ note the day after ya defiled her with yer cock.”

Fredrick deadpanned, looking completely at her.

“Then what the shit was the whole point of that conversation just now?” he demanded.

Without missing a beat, Sveta replied:

“Because I wanted to see if Stella was right… and she was!”

Fredrick renewed his deadpan.

“...What?”

His batpony company beamed that fanged smile at him.

“You really are just super fun tae annoy and fluster.”

“I wouldn’t really call that ‘flustering,’ to be honest,” Fred admitted, shrugging at the odd choice of words.

Sveta perked up, and her usual smile was supplanted by one much more devious in nature.

“Oh right! I forgot that Stella told me to do something~!” she boasted, literally skipping in place for a brief moment.

However, that’s when she got perhaps a little bit too close to Fredrick, nudging right alongside him. As the two continued to stroll down the side of the park, she garnered his attention, placed both her hands under her chest, and hefted her bosom so the tops of her breasts and her cleavage were literally busting out of her shirt directly in his line of sight… all while donning a much more lascivious grin.

If asked, Fredrick would admit that he looked… for a split second. But he still pulled away harshly and shielded his eyes out of reflex.

“Jesus FUCKING Christ, Sveta we’re in public what the hell’s the matter with you?!”

Sveta pursed her lips and spared no sense of composure as she held her hands to her tummy in gut-busting guffaw. Even through her contagious, downright hilarious laughter, she still had the coherence to bumble out:

“Fuckin’... PFFT! Doesn’t stop you an’ Stel’ from molestin’ each other in the same public,” she pointed out, her sapphire eyes tearing up and complimenting her laughter-raised cheeks as she fought to contain herself.

“Fuck me though, mate… didn’t think I’d get that much of a reaction outta you from simple fuckin’ cleavage. You need tae fuckin’ relax! They’re just tits,” Sveta added, giving her ‘girls’ a single bounce from underneath.

“I’m in relations with your sister,” Fredrick countered with a raised index finger for emphasis. “We get to molest each other at our own leisure. You don’t get that privilege,” he finished his prodding with a certain smugness that would normally drive Stella insane.

“And I’m not afraid of tits. Quite the contrary. I embrace ‘em. I praise ‘em,” Fred also countered with exaggerated prayer hands.

“Ah, aye…” Sveta replied, fluttering her fingers in the air in an exaggerated show of sarcasm. “The ‘dynamic duo’ ye two are. Alone, but two little twigs in a world of trees…” she then returned a prideful smugness that only a Sabre could muster.

“But bundled together ye form a mighty faggot! Fuuuuck off~! You ‘human’ customs and yer monogamy,” she ultimately dismissed him.

Fredrick lurched his torso forward as he caught his impending laughter in his throat.

“You know, that joke would be a lot funnier and offensive on my world… and don’t be sad, Sveta!” Fredrick began his repost with another bout of obligatory mischievousness, patting her on the back.

“Just because Stella won’t let you molest me doesn’t mean you get to be all mopey about it.”

Sveta almost took offense to that. Her pupils narrowed and she thrust herself into Fred’s forefront as they continued their goalless amble.

“Oi, ya cheesy fud!” she declared. “I ain’t fuckin mopey! I’m just fuckin’ with ya!”

Fredrick cocked his right eyebrow.

Jackpot.

And with a confidence that would make every single batpony mare in a two-mile radius swoon and conceive simultaneously, Fredrick quipped:

“So, you’re admitting you wanna molest me?”

The human had never seen any individual’s face color that fast.

Sveta retracted her finger and glared at him with the force of Nightmare Moon’s rage against the Sun herself. She then withdrew completely and retook her place right next to Fredrick on their ongoing walk toward anywhere.

“Hope Stella decides tae peg you in yer sleep, dickhead.”

Fredrick felt the banterous battle lines had gone back and forth enough for the moment, though he admittedly enjoyed the little exchange with the youngest Sabre. In so many ways it was like talking to his best friend and marefriend, save for a much more traditionally ‘girly’ inflection in her voice.

But in any sense, Sveta’s words proved a nice segue into another, more relevant topic for both him and his relationship with this family as a whole.

Neither party realized they had lapped the park once, and they continued walking even as a gentle gust of wind made small ripples through their respective hair and mane.

“Well,” Fred began more casually. “Your articulation in your insults and Stella-esque sexual harassment shows me you definitely have a mind about your shoulders. You’re in school right now, right?”

Sveta, herself happy to get back to a normal conversation, brightened modestly as she puffed her chest out.

“Aye. University of Thestralshire, third year!” she proclaimed.

Fredrick nodded, impressed. From what he had heard about the school by word of mouth from Stella, it was a fairly well-known institution. Especially so with the apparent size out-of-area student body.

“Cool! What’re you majoring in?”

“Biology,” Sveta answered. Aided by some animation from her right hand, she continued: “I really like it tae be honest. Once Stella was completely taken by the military, I was free tae pursue deeper studies.”

That raised a question or two in Fredrick’s head. He fluttered his shirt and adjusted the waistline of his shorts as he followed up.

“Whadd’ya mean?”

“Tradition in our family going back as far as I can remember of our clan name is that one Sabre from every generation was to serve in the Royal Military Forces and make a career out of it. Stella volunteered first right outta secondary, so it was more of a wait-and-see approach if she actually liked what she was doin’ or not,” Sveta explained.

And she went on to say:

“But, once she wrote back about how much she loved her time in the Army and how quickly recognized she was becomin’, I could just focus on me upcomin’ school work.”

Fredrick took this to heart, and curiosity got the better of him as well as an urge to keep getting to know this mare.

“Would you have dropped out and enlisted if Stella didn’t enjoy her line of work, as it were?” he asked.

Sveta shrugged and gingerly shook her head.

“What choice would I have, mate?” she asked rhetorically. “As much as I don’t understand it, our name is, fer some reason, kinda important. We’re not nobility. In fact, up tae even early in me own life, we weren’t exactly the richest ponies in Equestria, either. Antiquated semantics at best, retardation at worst, methinks.

“Regardless, the moment Stella were tae drop her rifle, I’d pick it right up.”

Fredrick angled his head, both hands in his pockets now.

“Right, but you wouldn’t be happy about it,” he inferred.

“Nope!” Sveta answered accordingly. “And I wouldn’t care either way. I don’t exactly deal in what-ifs, Fred.”

A mark of incredulity crossed his features.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a biologist in training?” he jested.

“Aren’t you supposed tae not be a smart-assed leaky minge, ya fuckin’ cunt?” she fired back.

Fred allowed himself to throw his head back in a hefty chuckle.

“You know, I enjoy both Stella’s and your existence more every minute.”

“Twat!”

“There’s kids around, you know.”

“Oh right. Cunt!”

That about summed it up for the human.

As far as getting to know family was concerned, Fredrick had a good feeling fester in his chest. With how well he perceived things to go thus far, building on the previous night’s shenanigans and introductions, Fredrick felt he had enough leeway to proclaim a successful ‘integration’ of sorts with Stella’s kin.

Meeting her parents, as he recalled, was painless (realistically) enough, though the ultimate test would, in fact, lay with Sveta. If there was one thing he knew about his marefriend, Fredrick had enough notion and assurance to know that Stella loved her parents… though she rarely let their opinions on her personal life sway her if they were negatively aligned.

Thankfully, most of her actions in life had been seen in a positive light by Vampir and Schiavona.

Most.

However, there was still the fact of her little sister… one who happened to have a strikingly similar yet worlds different personality altogether.

Fredrick himself had come to like Sveta as a pony. She stood for essentially everything that Stella did with a bit of extra spice in areas that Stella didn’t necessarily need spice. Furthermore, he figured that if the teal-coated Sabre didn’t care for him at all, she probably would have ditched him at some point during their ‘forced coupling.’

Thankfully, it never came to that. And after several more hours of various activities that included walking, talking, laughing hysterically with one another, and a trip to a karaoke bar to hear Sveta tear it up on vocals… the two found themselves back home towards late afternoon.

Sveta pressed front door open that was, for some reason, slightly ajar.

“Stella! You home, bitch?” she called out as she and Fred entered back into the familiar abode. Both retained comfortable smiles on their faces from a pleasant day out.

To the pleasant surprise of both of them, Stella was actually present in the living room. On her knees with both open boxes that the newcomers assumed were her loot, she had been thumbing through each and every file and checking it against a list that Princess Luna had given her.

She turned up from her work and she glowed at them.

“Awrite! Twatweasels are back!” she exclaimed, dusting off her hands and flexing them twice while she got to her hooves. “I was gettin’ worried ye two had eloped ‘r some shite!” she added whimsically.

Stella draped an arm over Fred’s back and he, by way of reflex, lay a palm on her waist.

“Fuck off, lass!” Sveta dismissed with joking sass. “He’s yer property.”

The younger mare brushed past with an extra, aforementioned sass in her trot and sway in her backside. She stopped in her tracks, however, and turned on her heels with an aura of remembrance.

“OH! By the way Stel’,” she began pointedly. “Fred here was great company today. And judgin’ from what I figured out from the little shiteleak, he may be interested in the ‘spot.’”

Fredrick cocked his head at the utterance of Sveta’s last two words. Stella, conversely, welled up with gleaming eyes and dimpled cheeks from that excited smile she suddenly sported.

“Fuck me how could I forget!? Fuckin’ perfect place tae show a coltfriend of all cunts!” she declared, then grabbed Fredrick’s hand to drag him back out the door.

“Come on, love! Got one more thing tae show ye! You’ll love it. I promise!”

Fredrick was just along for the ride, even at the sudden switch in plans.

“Uhhh… okay!” he affirmed as he let himself be dragged along by his marefriend.

Sveta, meanwhile, had one last thing to add to the leaving couple before she herself retired up to her room to put her hooves up.

“Oh also, Stella?” she called.

Her sister angled her head back over her shoulder, the sudden whipping of her ponytail smacking Fredrick right in the face.

“Aye?”

Her next words came uncharacteristically (though subtly) meeker.

“It’ll also give ye a chance tae… you know…” she alluded out of Fredrick’s mental grasp.

Stella huffed out and chidingly smirked whilst rolling her eyes.

“My fuck yer goddamn impatient. Righto!” Stella ‘acquiesced’ and yanked Fredrick back out the door.

Once the two were back outside, Fredrick took a deep breath and stared upward towards the apex of the mountain that surrounded them. The cloud coverage had become heavier throughout the day, and the living, atmospheric river above swelled with moisture. Another payload of rainfall could be easily inferred for the near future. Unless Stella was not shy about getting a mite wet with precipitation in the next hour or two (he certainly wasn’t), then they would have to make their outing quick and painless.

But the notion of ‘quick and painless’ with Stella was laughable.

Stella closed the door behind them and rejoined his side, gesturing forward.

“Alright,” she began, and the two started their trek anew. Her voice lacked the perpetually razor-sharp wit and impending cheek that she normally touted. “Couple things.”

“Okay,” Fred answered, all ears.

“I wanna show you something… it’s a place that I know you’ll love, but even more than that, it’s a very special place that means a lot tae Sveta and I. I want you tae experience it while we’re here.”

Despite her serious tone, Stella regarded Fredrick with a warmness that seemed to ward off the coolness of the late afternoon… and it was a look that he himself would be insane to not genuinely return.

A blush heated both of their faces pleasantly, and Stella blinked and glanced away, losing the proverbial game of chicken with their joined emotions. It was nothing that Fredrick held against her; such cuteness and vulnerability on display from an ironclad mare such as her did well to bring out a softer side within her.

And give him stomach butterflies out the ass, of course.

So, he nodded, and pulled her body into his for a one-armed embrace.

“I’d love to be a part of whatever you wanna show me,” he said. “And when you say it like that, I really can’t wait! Do lead on…”

Stella let her usual smile return elastically to her features, but there was still some business to further straighten out.

“Cheers! And, well, one last thing love,” she said.

“Yeah?”

Their brisk walking pace continued, yet all the activity below her waist did little to jar the words out of her open mouth.

“Alright well… I have two questions for you, technically,” she coaxed. “One is a question that may seem waaaaaay outta thin air, but I ask that you bear with me. Please hear me out. In fact, I’ll answer your question in response tae my question: No, I’m not fuckin’ joking.”

Fredrick’s eyebrow was well beyond raised at this point… though the oddity of Stella’s impending questions were overshadowed by she suspense she built up. His desire to know more was fucktupling by the second. His brain was liquefying itself attempting to process all the possible questions Stella could ask which would merit such a serious, borderline stern, yet reserved demeanor from her.

“...Okay,” he answered, ready for anything at this point.

“Right,” Stella followed up, steeling herself. “Know what? Fuck this. I’m just gonna come out and ask this in the most serious, unjoking way I can, aye?

“Fred, do ya think Sveta’s smokin’ hot by yer standards?”