As the sun rises it finally reaches the angle of the window, banishing shadows from the bedroom and chasing away the darkness. Its glow warms both skin and fur as light fills the room, ushering in the beginning of a new day. Tim squints and moans against the unwanted reminder of the world outside, before the soft chiming of magic, and the rustling of the curtains, banishes the intruding morning. He feels a body shift on his right side, and he reaches out to touch the soft fur. That gets a smile, then he feels a body shift slightly on his left side. He squeezes his eyes tightly shut for a moment as he thinks. When they got home last night, he had fallen asleep by himself while the girls were out in the family room talking. He remembers when Citrus had crawled up into bed with him and snuggled with him on his right side. So, did Cayenne decide to join in the middle of the night? He just thought Citrus’ head was on his chest. Maybe not, he opens his eyes slowly, in the dim light he can see both girls are asleep with him, both of their heads are on his chest, their horns are just barely touching.

He reaches out, “Citrus.” He says quietly, though he doesn’t get a response. He smiles and reaches out to touch her ear. She had mentioned something about him nibbling on her ear, but he likes to simply touch the soft ears. He runs a finger down the outer edge of her ear, getting it to flick a little bit. He ups the ante a bit, using a finger nail to gently run along the inner edge. Her breathing quickens for a moment and she bearily opens an eye. She looks forward at Cayenne, then her eyes rotate and focus on Tim.

She smiles sleepily, “G’mornin, love.” She whispers.

“I kinda need up, Citrus.” He whispers back.

Her forelegs tighten around his body, “But I want you here.”

He cups her cheek, “It’s going to get very wet in the bed if I stay here much longer.” He says, keeping his voice low in deference to the sleeping Cayenne.

Citrus grins, “Oh, really?” Then her eyes widen, “Oh, wait, you mean?” She glances down, then back up at him, “You gotta…?”

He nods.

She scoots back then climbs over him, getting next to Cayenne. He slides out from her grasp as Citrus moves in to take his place. He kisses her on the cheek before sliding to the edge of the bed. This bed is enormous, larger than a king size at home. He shakes his head as he pads into the bathroom. He closes the door and turns on the light.

It’s not the gold plated everything at the castle, but the marble countertop along with the white porcelain of the toilet and bidet still shows very high quality. He closes his eyes in pleasure as he’s able to let loose. The loud splash reverberates around the room as he empties his bladder. That task done, he moves over to the sink and grabs a tooth brush, the girls had thoughtfully gotten a few extra and one of them is with each of theirs. He squirts a dab of tooth paste onto his brush and looks at it for a long moment, the flavors the ponies choose for toothpaste take quite a bit of getting used to. He brushes his teeth quickly and then he rinses out his mouth. He looks in the mirror, a couple of days of growth has him needing a shave quite badly. Hopefully his razor will arrive soon. He looks at the clothes folded over the towel bar. All he’s wearing is his boxers. He contemplates getting dressed, but he walks from the bedroom leaving the clothes where they are. He stops and looks at the girls on the bed, Cayenne has her head over Citrus’ barrel, Citrus has gone back to sleep apparently. Part of him wants to wake her up the way she had woken him up the day before. He smiles at them, then he gets an idea, he walks back into the bathroom and grabs his shirt. Then he pulls on his pants quickly. He barefoots it downstairs into the kitchen.

With their rapid move, there are plenty of boxes to deal with, but most of them are stacked in the living room, written on in that incomprehensible pony script. But Cayenne, being a chef, had prioritized getting the kitchen unpacked first of all. He reaches up above the island where several pots and pans have been hung and grabs a large non-stick pan. The oven is fairly easy to understand, he turns the knob and hears a satisfying whoosh of the burner igniting. He remembers seeing eggs in the fridge before, and…yes, there they are. He looks around in the fridge and finds some big mushrooms, along with some bell peppers. He’s not the best chef in the world, but he knows his way around the kitchen. A large cast-iron pan is added to the stove, along with a generous pat of butter. Dicing the peppers and some onions happens quickly, along with thin slicing several potatoes. They all end up in the cast iron fry pan as he cracks an egg into the other pan. As he walks by it, the coffee maker is switched on, after checking to see if it was prepared the night before. Soon it’s burbling away as he works on the rest of breakfast. Quite quickly there’s a stack of fried eggs ready, and he finds the spice cabinet to work on the peppers, onions, mushrooms and potatoes. Soon he’s pouring the meal into a large serving bowl just as he hears the soft clip clop of hooves at the stairs. He looks up at the pony that emerges.

“Good Morning.” He chirps happily.

Cayenne growls, “Not until I have coffee.”

He takes a sip of his own before he slides a cup over to her, “I don’t know how you like it.”

She takes a sip, “I like it unaltered.” She glances back at the doorway, “Citrus likes hers with lots of cream and sugar.”

“To be as sweet as she is.” He says, getting a bark of a laugh from Cayenne.

“No kidding.”

Cayenne’s horn lights, and several eggs along with the potato and vegetable mixture float onto her plate, she takes a fork and stabs a pepper, she brings it up and inspects it, she raises an eyebrow, “Not bad.” She takes a bite and chews thoughtfully, “Not bad at all.” She looks up at him, “You are pretty good around a kitchen.”

He shrugs, “When you are on the road a lot, you take advantage of time you get in the kitchen.” He takes another bite, relishing the flavor.

“Food.” Comes Citrus’ voice. Both Cayenne and Tim look over at the yellow pony as she walks into the kitchen, she hops onto the stool as Cayenne floats the food onto the plate. Citrus takes a bite then her eyes go wide, “This is really good, another new recipe Cayenne?”

Cayenne grins, “It wasn’t me who cooked it.”

Citrus looks at Tim, “You?”

He grins, “This is the first time I’ve been in a kitchen in over a year, the chef at the palace could never figure out how to do that right. And boy, if I asked to use the kitchen to cook, I’d get chased with a wooden spoon.” He giggles, “There’s a first time for everything, and getting chased by an earth pony with a wooden spoon isn’t something I’ll forget anytime soon.”

The girls both giggle as they slowly complete their food. Citrus is the first to finish, her magic brings over a napkin and she daintily wipes her lips, “Tim, I’m sorry, but I do have to work today.” She glances at the clock on the wall, “And if I don’t hurry, I’m going to be late.” She leaps off the stool and the clatter of her hooves follows her upstairs.

Cayenne looks back at Tim, “Unfortunately, I have work to do as well today.” She looks around, “Are you going to be good? All alone?”

Tim smiles, “Of course, Cayenne, I’ll clean up, and maybe I’ll work on unpacking.”

Her eyes get wide, “I appreciate the help, but Citrus and I know how we want things, could you let us handle it?” She stops at the look on his face, “Well, there are several boxes of books, you can load the book cases if you want.”

She hops off of her stool, “I’d better get ready myself.” She stops for a moment, looking at the stairs, “And in three, two, one.”

“Gottagoloveyoubye!” Citrus calls as she gallops by, opening the door with her magic so she doesn’t even have to slow down. She slams the door behind her as the sound of her hooves fades down the hall.

Cayenne giggles, “That girl never changes. She’ll probably gallop down the stairs because the elevator takes too long.” She walks towards the stairs and walks slowly up. Tim focuses on finishing his own meal before he hears Cayenne walk back down. She hops up in the chair next to him, her face bright red, “Tim.” She says very softly, “Would it be okay if I were to kiss you?”

Tim moves closer and puts a hand to her cheek, he leans down and gives her a kiss on the lips. He opens his eyes to an annoyed looking Cayenne, she arches an eyebrow at him, “I’m not your sister, Tim. Why don’t you kiss me like you mean it?”

In response, Tim gathers Cayenne into his arms, she reflexively puts her forehooves around his neck, getting their faces very close. She licks her lips for a moment, then leans forward, her eyes closing as their lips meet. Tim decides to be bolder this time, his tongue teases her lips apart, and their tongues meet, her longer tongue curls around his as she invades his mouth, she tightens her grip on him as their kiss continues, but finally, she pulls away. She takes a deep breath and smiles, “Citrus said you were excellent at kissing.” She pants for a moment, “She was right.”

He can feel his face heating as she continues, “I was kinda on the fence about bedroom activities,” her ears turn red, “But I think it would be fun, don’t you?”

He nods stiffly, Cayenne giggles, “are you worried that Citrus would get jealous? She’s told me how odd you are when it comes to such things.”

He nods again.

She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek, then she runs the tip of her tongue on the edge of his ear, then she whispers into his ear, “I promise you, she will be happy if we take that step. But remember, it’s up to you, I’m not going to push you,” she nips at his ear lobe, “not too hard, that is.” She giggles as she moves out of his arms, she walks slowly towards the door, “Remember Tim, both of us want you to be happy.” She waits until he is looking right at her before she flicks her tail to the side, giving him a view of her own femaleness. She giggles as he can feel his face getting even more red as she disappears upstairs.

He shakes his head as he picks up the plates, “Two mares, at once?” He says softly as he starts washing the dishes.
He works until Cayenne comes back downstairs, she hops up on the stool and asks for another kiss, and he tries to outdo himself from earlier, and seems to be largely successful as she pants softly walking out the door, making sure to give him another eyeful, along with a slow wink, and he can tell there’s a bit of moisture back there as she exits the apartment. It doesn’t take him long to finish the dishes and have the kitchen tidied up. He wipes off his hands as he moves into the living room, the furniture looks quite comfortable, he grabs one of the boxes and heaves it over in front of the large chairs, he settles in as he strips the tape off the box.

“Books, how did I know it was going to be books?” He picks up a tome, feeling it’s heft, he opens the book and riffs through the pages, the written language of the ponies seems to bear no relation to English. That’s more than a little curious to him, since the books that Twilight had given him are easy to read. He closes the book as his attention is grabbed by a knock at the door. He frowns as he gets up, who would be coming here today?

“Good morning Tim!” Comes a very familiar voice as he opens the door.

“Twilight?”

“In the fur.” She chirps, then she stops for a moment, “Can I come in?”

He smirks, “That’s better than appearing in my bedroom before sunrise.”

She blushes, “Well…” She looks down and traces a hoof on the floor, “You were in the castle then.”

He smiles and opens the door wide, “I know, but it’s really nice that you aren’t barging in. Though I’m confused, I understood our lessons would be weekly.”

She walks past him, her tail waving from side to side as she walks, and for a second time this morning he gets an eyeful of a mare’s parts, she turns around to face him as he closes the door, “When Princess Celestia informed me that you had moved out of the castle, I decided that since you have been dropped in the deep end, so to speak, when it comes to living in pony society outside the castle, you might need a bit more.” She sits down on her haunches, “Plus, I still need more information from you.”

Tim nods as he closes the door, “I’ll tell you anything I can, Twilight.” He moves over to the box and draws out another book, he looks at the book, “This is just so crazy.”

Twilight’s ears perk forward and she comes over next to him, “What?”

“I was blown away that you spoke my language when I woke up, but your written language is completely beyond me. Yet the books you gave me are in English.” He looks sharply at her as she laughs, “What?”

She wipes away a tear, “Oh Tim, you are so cute.”

He frowns, “I don’t understand.”

She cocks her head to the side, still chuckling, “I’m not speaking your language. I have some knowledge of what your language is like, but you hear your language, but when you speak, you are actually speaking mine.”

That gets a shake of his head, “But, how?”

“It’s a series of spells that Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and myself worked together to place in your brain.” Her ears flick back and forth, “It was quite difficult, you continue to be curiously magic resistant, so establishing the weaves and getting them to stay was quite a challenge.”

“So, I’m not speaking English?”

She shakes her head with a giggle, “It was easier to imprint a translation matrix in you than to take months, if not years, to teach you our language.” She looks down, “The decision was made by Princess Celestia after one of the few times you were conscious and the words you said made no sense to us. It really took a lot of effort, for all three of us, to get it working correctly.”

“Amazing, but why can’t I read these books?”

She sighs, “The books I gave you have a translation spell imbued into the pages. It’s quite tedious, and very time consuming, even for an experienced mage.” She floats a book over, “For much written communications, we use simple pictograms, color and shape specific, to indicate stores, restaurants, gathering places, that sort of stuff. For official documents, like with treaties, we will imbue the document with the translation spell, so a yak can read something written by a zebra, or a pony can read something written by a minotaur. The spell inside you affects verbal communications, different parts of the brain handle visual.”

“And with these books?”

“They are in our language, and I don’t have the time, or energy, to put that spell on each and every book here, I’m sorry Tim, but for now, you’ll have to read the books that I’ve brought you.” She giggles, “Well, they are at your old rooms, I’ll make sure they are brought here with the rest of your things.”

“Would you be able to actually teach me your language?

She narrows her eyes, her ears flicking back and forth, “It will take a long time to learn, I’m not all that versed in your language, just what we could glean from you. The spell is incredibly complex, you were hard to understand for a while, until the spell was able to learn your language and adapt to your thoughts.”

He frowns, “It reads my mind? My thoughts?”

She shakes her head, “Sort of, but more in line with able to read what’s on the surface.”

He looks down, “Well, perhaps if I can write out at least some of my language in my words. I’ll teach you what I can, and perhaps we can teach each other.”

That gets a bright happy smile from the purple princess, she again sits and clops her hooves together, “That would be wonderful!”

He stands up and starts to walk towards the kitchen, then a thought strikes him, “When is my stuff to be delivered?”

She stands up to follow, “Princess Celestia is doing some work before everything is being sent over. It should be later today.”

He nods as he opens the fridge. He moves over and opens a cupboard, a familiar pictograph gets his attention, he pulls out the box and points at it, getting a smile from Twilight, “Exactly how it works, with familiar pictograms, we can make such communication much easier, like a tea bag for tea. The little picture on the corner of the box tells you the brand, but you’d have to decipher the scripts to know exactly what’s in it. But at a glance, you see that’s a box of tea bags.”

He sets down the tea and pulls out a big pot, filling it with water, he places it on the stove. A quick glance in the freezer shows there’s plenty of ice, “I’m making iced tea, want some?”

Her eyebrows rise, “But tea is a hot drink.”

That gets a big smile from him, “Not always.”

***

Tim takes a sip of his tea, with Twilight’s help, all the book boxes are now folded flat, and all the books are arranged by subject in the several built-in book cases in the living room. Twilight is now reclining on the couch, with him on the other side. He sets down his tea, “you mentioned needing more information about how I got here.”

She nods, then she hops off the couch and moves to sit on her haunches right in front of him, “When we had worked on your memories before, a lot of the pain you had endured had clouded those memories. So, I want you to tell me what you were doing, well before that point. Then I’m going to start a spell I found, it should suppress the pain of the memories, and allow you to remember them easier.” Her horn lights, “I simply want you to close your eyes and relax. Speak naturally, don’t try to force the memories, just…let them flow.” Her saddle bags, which she had hung up by the door when she had entered, float over next to her, and a small writing desk emerges. A purple quill and a long roll of parchment are ready very quickly. She looks at him expectantly.

Tim closes his eyes as directed and leans back, listening to the soft chime of her magic, “Well, as I’ve told you before, I drove trucks. I didn’t own my own truck, but I worked for a trucking company. I’d been hired for a job out west, moving car parts from the dock to the distributor warehouse, where it would be trans-shipped to different car manufacturer factories. It was to be a six-month contract to start, with options to renew, driving a company truck, they paid per diem so I could live in a hotel, or rent a place. I was looking forward to it.” He smiles, “I remember getting into the plane. I was planning on bringing my girlfriend out after a few months, and we would rent a small place together.”

He shifts, this is where the pain would rise again, and the memories would get hazy, he squints a little in anticipation, “The plane had gotten to the height it was supposed to get to, the captain had turned off the seatbelt sign, so I had leaned back my seat and loosened the seatbelt.” Amazingly the pain wasn’t coming this time, “I wanted a nap during the flight, so I’d be refreshed and ready when we got to California.”

He finds himself relaxing more as he talks, “I know I had fallen asleep, then there was the craziest sound, like metal being sliced.” He shakes his head, “I opened my eyes and I was in the air, thousands of feet in the air, but the plane was gone. I screamed as I fell. It felt like forever, falling. Then I remember some sort of impact, but it wasn’t with the ground, but it hurt like hell.” He jerks, “Someone caught me, but I was dropped again, the last fall wasn’t all that long, but I hit the ground then.” He shakes his head, “Then I remember that blue pegasus picking me up and flying me super fast into the town.” He shudders, remembering the pain, just not really feeling it this time, “Then it’s all a jumble,” he furrows his brow, “I remember hearing you ponies talk, I didn’t understand what you were saying, but I remember that I was in and out of consciousness.”

A soft gasp gets his attention. He opens his eyes, Twilight’s eyes are closed tightly, the quill is darting over the parchment, it looks like she’s written quite a bit in the last few minutes, but then he looks at Twilight again, she’s got sweat dripping slowly down her face, “Twilight, are you okay?”

Her horn quiets a bit, and pain slams into him, not as bad as other times, but it’s certainly enough to make him gasp, Twilight looks horrified, “Oh Tim.”

He shrugs it off, “It’s been a lot worse, Twilight, but it looks like you were in pain.”

She looks down and traces patterns on the carpet with a hoof, “Well, I couldn’t find a spell to remove the trauma of the event from you, at least not without removing the memories associated with it,” her face falls. “So, I found a way to transfer it.”

His eyes bulge, “So, you felt the pain I had felt every time I tried to tell you all of this?”

She nods as she sets down the writing desk, her horn finally extinguishing, “I told you, I need to know everything I can about you, Tim.” She hops up on the couch next to him and extends a wing around his shoulder, “I’m willing to accept the pain, if it helps you.” She nuzzles him softly.

His eyes widen, the only other pony to nuzzle him like that has been Citrus. He finds himself on his feet, “Okay, Princess, what do you think of the iced tea?”

She pouts for a second before lighting her horn and bringing the tea over, she takes a sip, “It’s quite good, I never knew tea was this good when iced.”

He nods as he moves into the kitchen and pours himself another glass. Moving back into the living room, he sets down his glass on the end table and settles back into the sofa, Twilight had moved back to the other side of it, and has her own tea glass between her forehooves.

She takes another sip and smacks her lips softly, “So, now, about your parents?”

He cocks his head to the side, “How do my parents have any bearing on getting me back home?”

She sighs and sets down her tea, “Tim. I told you I need as much information as I can get, it may not seem relevant to you, but the more I learn, the more complete picture I can build. And even if you decide not to go home, the information will continue to be valuable.”

He looks at her for a long moment, “My dad was an iron worker in Philadelphia. I grew up just outside the city. I never really cared to work with hot steel…” He trails off as her wing enfolds him, while he was talking, she had moved closer to him. Her wing brings him closer to her, “Um, Twilight?”

She lays her head on top of his, “It’s alright, just keep talking.” She says softly.

He swallows a couple of times, “My mom was a school teacher. She taught special education in elementary school.”

Twilight inhales softly, “You smell nice.” She says almost too quietly for him to hear, but he does.

He pushes away from her and stands, he whirls around and opens his mouth, and before a word comes out, there’s a knock at the door.

Twilight clops her hooves together and she leaps off the couch, “That should be from the castle.” He watches as she moves to the entry foyer, her tail seemingly casually moving side to side, though it seems to hang when it’s up high to either side, giving him a good long look at her. His eyebrows rise as her marehood winks once, then a second time as she finally opens the door.

“Good morning, Princess.” Comes a voice that Tim recognizes, Twilight moves back to reveal a cream colored unicorn stallion with a gray mane and tail, along with an impossible gray moustache. Tim stands up as the stallion canters into the apartment and stands before him.

“Mr. Malone.” He says stiffly.

He gulps, “Mr. Kibitz.”

The older unicorn’s horn alights and a scroll comes out of his saddle bags, he clears his throat. “From Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia and Her Royal Highness Princess Luna. Mr. Tim Malone of Earth. You are hereby appointed Ambassador to the throne from the Royal Courts of America, with addition responsibilities of advisor on human affairs to the Crown. Signed this day in my presence.”

Tim sits down, “What does that exactly mean?”

Kibitz cocks his head to the side a bit, “You now have legal status in Equestria. Princess Celestia has worked quite hard to get the language correct. You have diplomatic immunity, to an extent.” He refers to the parchment, “You are entitled, due to the proclamation, to a stipend of five hundred bits per month. As your new herd has procured sufficient living arrangements, that was deemed sufficient.”

Tim look at Twilight, who’s beaming at him, then back at Kibitz as he clears his throat again, “Now, as to your responsibilities, you are required to present yourself before the crown when commanded, but not more than two times per year. You will also be expected to attend the annual Grand Galloping Gala. You are also expected to continue to work with Princess Twilight Sparkle when it comes to your acclimation to life here in Equestria. Do you have any questions?”

Tim sits down heavily, after a moment, he shakes his head. Kibitz smiles and brings forward another piece of parchment, “This is for your signature, acknowledging your receipt of your first month’s stipend.”

He takes the proffered quill and looks at it for a moment, Twilight comes up next to him, “This is good, Tim.”

Tim looks up, “But America doesn’t have Royal Courts.”

Kibitz smiles, “To be honest, that really doesn’t matter, it does make it easier to translate in this case though.”

Tim looks at the parchment for a bit, then finally signs. He hands it back to Kibitz, who puts it in his saddle bags. He brings out a small card, “Here is your diplomatic identification. Congratulations Mr. Malone.”

He looks at Twilight, who comes up and nuzzles him again, “This is wonderful Tim, you have full legal status here.” She nudges him, “And that means Blueblood, and some of the other nobles which have made your life somewhat difficult won’t be able to do anything.”

Tim brightens as Kibitz turns and gestures. Several earth ponies file in, with boxes on their backs, Kibitz turns back to Tim, “And where do you want your belongings placed?”

Tim gestures to the bedroom and Kibitz bids him a good day. Twilight draws him into the kitchen as the other ponies do their work, “It’s better to stay out of their way, Tim.” She says softly.

He sits on a stool at the island, “This is a lot, Twilight. I’m an ambassador now?”

She hops up next to him, “No worries, Tim.” She nuzzles him again, “Well, let’s get back to work.”

***

Tim flops down on the bed, he’s hot, sweaty, and exhausted. After Twilight was finished with his education for the day, he decided to put everything that had come from the castle away. This apartment is truly a penthouse suite. Three bedrooms, yet the master bedroom is enormous. With a walk in closet that would qualify as a bedroom back home. Given how little the ponies wear clothes, it’s quite surprising. But then again, if a large herd has quite a few mares, even the small amount of clothes each mare has would add up pretty quickly. He rolls onto his side to look into the closet, he’s taking up nearly half of it, though with several pairs of shoes along with all the clothes that white mare had given him. He’s never going to use them all.

“Tim?” Citrus calls out softly as she pokes her head into the bedroom.

He mumbles in response, causing her to hop up on the bed, she nuzzles him, “Tim, why is there a bag full of bits on the kitchen counter?”

“It’s my stipend.”

She cocks her head to the side, “Oh, for what?”

He sits up and explains the visitors he’s had that day, her eyes get round at the mention of his new position. But she lets him finish before she comes up and hugs him. Then she recoils, “Tim, what have you been doing?”

He shrugs, “After Twilight left, I got busy. Mainly unpacking my stuff, and getting the books put away.”

Her nose crinkles, “You stink.”

He reaches out a hand and cups her cheek, “I thought you liked the way I smell.”

That gets a giggle from her, “Well, not when you are stinky like this. Go take a shower, and get dressed up. We are going out to eat. To celebrate!” She rears back and clops her hooves together.

He furrows his brows, “To celebrate what?”

“Our new herd, of course.”

He just shakes his head as he rolls off the bed, as he pads into the bathroom, Citrus calls out, “Want some company in the shower?”

He thinks for a moment, “I really do, but I have a feeling we might be spending a bit more time in the shower than we need to.”

She trots into the bathroom as he pulls off his shirt, “So, then when we get home, we can have sex?” She sits down, her tail waving from side to side.

Looking at her face, and the expectant, happy smile there, he kneels down and kisses her, deeply. His tongue battling with hers as he wraps his arms around her. Then she surprises him by pushing forward, and in moments he’s on his back with her laying on him, her hooves gently moving all over his body. He runs his hands along her back, he grips her rump, getting her to moan into his mouth. He moves forward on her body, running his hands over her cutie marks, then he traces along the point of her hip, just off of her rear leg, she pulls away and shudders. His eyebrows rise and he repeats the motion, getting a guttural moan from Citrus.

Finally, she opens her eyes, he smiles at her, “Did that feel good?”

She gulps and nods, “That was amazing. Like lightning along my body.” She’s able to gasp. She moves off of him, “I want you to be clean and smelling nice when we go.” He rolls over and gets to his feet easily, though he feels a pinch on his rear. He stops and turns around, Citrus is looking at him with a lascivious smile as her horn quiets. He shakes his head as the strips off his shirt. He opens the glass door to the shower and glances back, Citrus has disappeared. He shakes his head as he turns on the water and adjusts the temperature to his liking. Before long he’s showered and dried. He stands in the closet with just his boxers on. That white mare had a great love of formal clothing. Despite his initial protestations when she had come in to measure him, about him wanting just simple clothing, he has enough formal clothing for a lifetime of Grand Galloping Galas. He picks up the sleeve of one barely pink suit, he’s not much for the color, but he has to admit, the cut with the maroon shirt to go with it and brilliant white tie makes it very striking. He moves over to a dark blue jacket with white pants, the shirt is also brilliant white with a purple tie. How did that mare know so much about human clothing? He shakes his head as he gets into the outfit.

“Tim.” Citrus says quietly behind him, he turns around as he finishes tying the tie around his neck. She is wearing a cream colored dress with a bright purple accent, this one his different though, it has a cutout for her tail, which is exquisitely braided, and has a big purple bow right over her rump, with the tails of the bow weaved into the braid of her tail.

She breathes in softly, “Tim, you are beautiful.”

He smiles, “I was just about to say the same about you.” He extends an arm, “Shall we go?”

She rears up and gives him a hug, “Most certainly, love.”

***

The walk to restaurant row, the heart of Canterlot’s culinary district, goes much like his first walk through the capitol. The streets are dotted with ponies in pairs or small groups, all who give him a wide berth. Few ponies seem to be alone, and those that are seem to be the quickest to change streets at the sight of the strange creature.

A group of pegasi quickly usher a griffin inside one of the restaurant chains, much to the griffin’s surprise. An older filly quickly grabs a little pony in uniform and pulls her inside. The idea of new and strange doesn't always sit well with the pony mindset. Though, Tim feels better with Citrus walking this close to him. But before too long, they are in front of a set of double doors.

“Well,” she says, “Here we are.”

He looks up at the sign, he can tell it’s a restaurant, but not much more than that. He looks down at her, “Where is this, exactly?”

She looks confused for a moment, then she smiles, “Oh yeah, about our written language.” She shakes her head and points with a hoof, “Spitfire Grill”

He nods as she draws him into the restaurant. The lighting is muted, and the booths are arranged to give a modicum of privacy to each table. A pegasus is standing at the entry, she chirps happily, “Hiya Citrus, and who do we have here?”

Citrus cocks her head to the side, “Orange Swirl, Cayenne has told you about Tim, right?”

Orange Swirl’s cerise eyes widen as she looks up at Tim, “The hoo-man?” She asks stiffly.

That gets a giggle from Citrus, “Yeah, the human.”

The tan pegasus comes closer, looking up, “You’re tall.” She extends her wings and hovers a bit, she gives him a considering look, then she glances down at Citrus, “Well, you have pretty good taste in stallions, Citrus. He’s different, but certainly not ugly.”

Citrus rolls her eyes as the pegasus lands and folds her wings, she moves over and grabs some menus, “I’ll let Cayenne know you are here. She had mentioned something about a celebration. I’ve got just the table in mind.”

Citrus grins as they are brought back through the restaurant, and they are quickly seated in an intimate booth. Water is brought out, along with coffee. Tim leans back as Citrus looks over the menu. She looks up for a moment, then moves around the round bench to sit next to him. She places a hoof on the hard cover of the menu, “Spitfire Grill,” She says softly, then she points to the second line, “Food with attitude.”

That gets a laugh from Tim, “Given her love of spicy food, I believe it. That linguini last night had plenty of attitude.”

She opens the menu and starts reading off the different menu items, as she is doing so, she sidles a bit closer to him, and soon she’s pressed up against him, her head on his shoulder as she lazily reads the menu to him. Then her entire body tenses and her head moves away, Tim looks at her, her ears are flicking back and forth. She moves away from him, though he can feel her shudder as she moves.

Tim reaches out a hand, “Citrus, what’s wrong.”

She shudders and shakes her head, Tim looks around, then he sees a large unicorn stallion walking slowly towards their table, he’s light gray in color, with a black and dark gray mane and tail. Green eyes stare daggers at Tim and Citrus. Tim narrows his eyes and tries to slide closer to Citrus, only to be stopped by her hoof.

Tim is able to keep a hand on her withers, she ducks her head, “Hello father.”

Tim’s eyes widen, he looks at the stallion, who puts on the fakest of fake smiles, “Yes, Citrus Blush. Good to see you too.”

Citrus tries to pull into herself, the stallion looks at Tim, and the smile falls off, “And who in Celestia’s name are you?”

“I’m Tim.”

“And exactly why do you have those claws…” he frowns, “or talons of yours on my daughter?”

Tim bristles at the tone of voice of the stallion, “I’ve told you my name, wouldn’t it be courteous to tell me yours?”

The stallion’s eyebrows rise, “I’m quite surprised my errant daughter has not informed you. My name is Rotten Apple, but that doesn’t address the question,” His horn lights and a golden magical field enfolds his hand and draws it away from her withers, “Why are you touching my daughter?”

“Father, please…” Citrus starts

"Father please?" He snapped a glace back at Citrus sternly, "I am your father, and I will see to your safety." Turning his head back to Tim, he narrows his eyes. "I am waiting for an answer, you furless primate."

Tim stiffens, “Citrus is my marefriend.”

“Marefriend!” He shouts, “The buck I’ll let some monkey man mount my daughter.” He stops and shakes his mane, “Our family has a proud and noble heritage. We are hard workers, strong, trusted by the princesses. Do you want to dishonor that? For the sake of your dam, please. There are many wealthy, wise, and respected stallions around this city. Several are even graduates of the Gifted Unicorn School. Young filly, you are coming with me, and…” His muzzle is covered by a pink magical field and all that can be heard is muffled attempts to talk.

“Rotten Apple, you’ve had too much to drink.” Comes Cayenne’s voice, “Let me help you to your taxi cart.” She comes closer, “Do I have to eject you?” She growls at him, “This wouldn’t be the first time my bouncers have had to.”

Rotten’s eyes are as round as they can go, he attempts to shake his head in her magical field. His horn lights, and Cayenne's field disappears from his muzzle, he glares at Cayenne, then he turns back to Citrus and Tim and straightens his own jacket. He huffs as he looks back at Cayenne, “This is Canterlot, for a restaurant to succeed, it depends on reputation. Not just of the food, but of the building, staff and owner. Unicorns, visiting dignitaries, and the royal staff care primarily about social status first and foremost. If you don't care about yourself, your family... if you don't care about your status. Then your business will fail."

He looks at Citrus, who withdraws further, "Would you buy goods from unicorns who have a reputation for cheating and stealing? Would you buy from unicorns that have a reputation of ignoring the laws? Your relationship could have other unicorns looking down their nose at you and spreading the word that your restaurant is not... socially acceptable."

Cayenne growls “And what do you think those unicorns would think if they knew you were browbeating your own daughter, in public?”

"A level of standards is expected of all who live in Canterlot." He scoffs, “My daughter, dating some hairless ape creature? That is far more shameful.”

Cayenne moves up and smacks her snout into his, “Well, in MY restaurant, there is a reputation that ponies can eat here without harassment or belittlement.” She lowers her voice, “Now, you get out of here before I get really upset. You are banned from my establishment, Rotten Apple, if I see you here again, I’ll make sure you are thrown out of here so hard you bounce twice.” she paws the floor, “Now get out of here.”

Rotten looks at Citrus and Tim, but a soft growl from Cayenne gets his hooves moving. Another unicorn stallion, nearly four times the size of Cayenne walks up, he crowds up against Rotten to keep him moving. Cayenne smiles as the stallion is finally led from the restaurant and she hops up into the booth, “Sorry it took so long.” She nuzzles Citrus, “I was finishing up my paperwork so we could enjoy dinner together.” She recoils, “Citrus, honey, he’s gone. It’s alright now.”

Citrus is just sitting there, trembling, Cayenne looks up at Tim, “Help me with her.” She says as she presses herself up against Citrus. Tim slides over and brings her up against him, Cayenne nuzzles Citrus, keeping close as Tim rubs his hand along her side, trying to get her to calm down. She looks at one of the servers, “I need a drink for her, right now. A mojito to start, and we’ll go from there.”

Rapidly, the drink is brought in, Tim holds the cup for Citrus to drink from the straw, Cayenne growls, “If he weren’t a stallion, I’d beat him from here to Baltimare.”

“What’s his deal?” Tim asks.

“Rotten Apple really lives up to that name of his.”

Tim brings Citrus into his lap and wraps both arms around her as Cayenne holds up the drink for Citrus to slurp down. It takes three tall drinks before the trembling subsides. But finally Citrus relaxes into Tim’s arms.

As their food arrives, Cayenne grins at Tim, “I think you’ll have to carry her home.”

Tim leans over and kisses Cayenne on the cheek, getting her to blush heavily, “Thanks.” She glances around, “You know, Tim. Public displays of affection like that are actually frowned upon.”

He cocks his head to the side, “But you ponies are always rubbing up against each other.”

Her blush deepens, “Close contact like that isn’t kissing, Tim.” She ducks her head, “You will very rarely see a stallion mount a mare in public.” She looks around, “That’s why I have the booths arranged the way I do, to give couples and herds enough privacy.”

“So, it’s okay here?”

She nods, though her blush remains, “It’s okay, but if you did that outside, you might get a couple of old mares doing more than giving us dirty looks.”

He looks down, “I’m sorry.”

She rears up and runs her tongue along his ear, “I’m just letting you know.” She sits back down and mops up the last of the sauce on her plate with a piece of bread, “You like the food?” She takes a bite of the bread.

He nods, “Your food not only has attitude, but quite a bit of authority.”

“My new chef is quite skilled, wait until I get some windigo ghost chili’s. You’ll get a taste of some real fire.”

Tim gulps, “I like heat, but I think I’ll pass on that, love.”

She looks at him for a long time, taking the final bite of her bread and chewing, finally she swallows and again moves up to him, nuzzling his cheek, “I like it. You can call me love anytime, love.”

Just so you know, Here's Rotten Apple...