To say Rarity was excited about making a dress for me would be like saying Twilight ‘liked’ books. Suffice to say, after nearly deafening me with a squeal that would rival Twilight getting a new scroll, I was quickly stripped down to my underwear and carried by her aqua magic over to the design platform. Now I stood in the middle of a slightly familiar fabric hurricane while Rarity muttered to herself as bolts of fabric spun in and out of my vision like windblown paper.

“Aha!” She cried as a ream of dark purple fabric came to rest next to my right hand, “Perfect. This will look absolutely marvelous on you, darling. Now what to use for the trim – Ooh!” Another ream of fabric, this time a dusty gold in color floated into view, “This will compliment your complexion perfectly! Oh, I do believe I’ve got it!”

In an instant, the storm of inspiration that had surrounded me was gone, leaving only the reams Rarity had selected and a veritable hailstorm of needles and bobbins of thread.

I gulped as the cloud of sharp metal pointed my way, “Um, Rarity, you do know how many needles are pointing at me right now, right?”

She either didn’t hear me or didn’t care to reply, because the next instant I was covered from neck to toes in swaths of fabric, holding my breath as the needles plunged in and out of the cloth around me in seemingly effortless motion.
Rarity hummed to herself as she walked around me, taking in my form and the soon-to-be dress from every angle, “Yes, a little shorter on the hem, oh, and a bit more around the chest.”

This continued to the point I was starting to get sore, but I dared not move lest I interrupt Rarity’s work, or more importantly, get stuck by the swarm of needles that were flying about my body like hornets. Finally, after what had to be almost half an hour of solid work, Rarity let out a huff and wiped a hoof over her brow. The needles holding the cloth in place were thankfully turned away from my body as she lifted the mess of fabric over my head. I grunted in pain as my arms let me know how they disliked staying lifted for long periods of time, but other than that I wasn’t feeling too bad.
I glanced towards the alabaster mare as she carried the beginnings of my dress and her supplies into the next room, leaving me to get dressed in my jeans and jacket before she reappeared.

“So how much am I going to owe you for this one, Rarity?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t be too outrageous for one dress.

She waved off my words with a hoof, tutting me like I had said something silly, “Oh, you needn’t pay me, darling. The simple fact of the matter is that I don’t even know fully what this dress is going to look like. Call it, an expanse into the art of fashion, if you will. I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay for something when I don’t even know if you will like it. Why, it would be like asking a patron to pay for an undercooked meal at a fancy restaurant.” She shook her head as she directed me out the door, “No, I simply won’t have it. This dress is on the house until I say otherwise. After all, you have no way of paying for the dress even if I did ask for bits, let alone for all of the clothing I’ve made for you already.”

I lowered my gaze as I opened her front door, “Don’t remind me. The fact I’m having to freeload off of you and the others is a huge pain in the rear. Not to mention a huge blow to my pride on top of that.” I rubbed my eyes as I groaned, “Oh I just wish I could figure something out so I could pay for things without having to take time off from my training. It’s hard enough getting this Auramancy stuff to work without having to worry about working odd jobs on the side to pay for food and the like.” I glanced over my shoulder at the mare and saw her worried expression, “Don’t worry about me, just venting my frustrations is all.” A sigh escaped my lips as I pondered my next step, “Maybe I could ask Princess Celestia or Princess Luna for a stipend or something because I’m working under them to protect Equestria.”

“You know,” Rarity mused as she walked up, levitating her working glasses over to a side table, “that might not be all that hard to do. Why don’t you ask Twilight to send a letter to Princess Celestia about your troubles? The worst they could say is no, after all.”

I thought over her words for a second, finding that for the most part there wasn’t anything that could go wrong, save for Celestia or Luna giving me a very confused or slightly miffed letter.

I smiled at the thought of the royal sisters writing a letter to me about why they couldn’t afford to pay me for my services to the country.

Dear Sarah Lovegood, we regret to inform you that at this time we cannot pay you in any fashion, as our treasury is currently under too much strain for any additional expenses.

Yours truly, Princesses Celestia and Luna

Fuck that, they had to have enough gold to sink a battleship if they wanted to throw money away. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that I was getting the short end of the stick. Sure, Twilight had been kind enough to let me stay in her home and to feed me for no charge, but how exactly were Celestia and Luna expecting Twilight and the others to pay for all of that stuff if I had no money to pay them with to cover the overhead?

Feeling a bit more energetic now that my mind was going at full speed, I turned to Rarity and gave her a smile, “Thanks for the advice Rarity, I think I’ll check with Twilight once I get back to the castle.”

“Think nothing of it, darling,” she said with her own smile as I opened the door, “come back any time if you need more clothing, I would be more than happy to make you additional sets. Also, your dress should be done by this afternoon, so come pick it up some time before dinner, alright?”

I nodded, “See you then, Rarity, and thanks.”

“Oh, go already,” she waved me off with a hoof, her cheeks showing a slight blush, “you’re going to make me blush if you keep buttering me up like that.”

Given she was already blushing, I decided not to correct her and walked out the door. The walk back to the castle was short, but it seemed to be ten times longer with Swift Blade sticking to my hips like glue. She’d been extra attentive ever since my little run-in with Moon Song in the Everfree, and had been determined not to leave me alone unless I was sleeping or somewhere inside Twilight’s castle. At first it wasn’t so bad, but after I had to stop her from following me into the bathroom for the third time it was starting to get old.

I groaned under my breath as she jumped in front of me for the second time to check an intersection for threats, “Really Swift? I’m a highly-trained, combat-tested soldier who can kill just about anything with my bare hands or a weapon. Do you really think Moon Song would be dumb enough to attack me in the middle of town?”

The guardsmare kept her silent vigil as her gaze moved from one street to the other, only answering me after giving the all clear, “Like I’m going to risk your life on something that might not happen. We nearly lost you to that witch once, I’m not taking chances this time around. Besides,” she added as she fell in beside me again, “we saw a zombie right outside the town limits right after you got released from the hospital.”

“That thing was headed towards the Everfree and had no interest in fighting us,” I countered, “it didn’t even react other than to try and walk around me when I confronted it. Don’t try to twist the situation to fit your ideas when you know you’re wrong.”

Swift huffed in frustration before sending a glare at me over her shoulder, “You’re lucky we need you healthy so bad, or I’d have you running laps for a week for taking that kind of tone with me.”

I flicked her ear with one hand, making the mare stop and hold her head with both hooves as she glared at me, “Keep in mind that I’m not under your command, even if you do outrank me. I could just walk out of this little village and never come back if I wanted, but I don’t because I know what’s at stake if I did leave. So don’t presume to lecture me about respect and honor if you aren’t willing to offer me the same thing. We used to be able to talk to one another without biting each other’s heads off. What happened to the calm and cool Swift Blade I knew from before?”

Swift’s expression remained neutral as she turned away from me, her head and tail hanging a bit lower than before as she walked ahead of me, “She left when her friend was in danger and she wasn’t there to protect her. Now the only thing left is the hard commander who will do anything to protect those she cares about,” she glanced at me over her shoulder, “even if they might hate her for it.”

I was a bit taken aback by her admission, although it still didn’t completely excuse her overprotectiveness. I decided to let things slide for now as we came up to Twilight’s castle, entering the grand foyer as the doors slid closed behind us. Swift followed my lead as I walked up to my room, although I mostly ignored the earth pony as I fumbled through my mind about what was happening that evening. Sure, I had agreed to go on a date with Lyra and Bon-Bon, but I had no idea what that entailed. Were we going out for a girl’s night or was there more romantic themes involved? As the door to my room came into view I paused mid-stride, feeling Swift bump into my legs from behind.

She let out a startled yelp as she backed up, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof as she looked up at me, “Something wrong, Sarah?”

I shook my head, “No, not really at least. I’m just thinking about what I’m going to do with this whole date thing tonight.”

“What’s there to be worried about?” She asked as she stepped in front of me, “It’s just a date with two mares who liked your music. What could be bothering you about that?”

“But do they like me as a friend or do they want to be more than that?” I replied, trying to keep my voice level as my nerves rose, “Are there special rules I need to be aware of or traditions that only ponies use? It’s all just making me crazy not knowing what to do about this whole thing.”

Swift rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips, “Come on, I think you need to talk to the Princess about this. If nothing else, she’ll be able to tell you what you don’t want to do on a first date.”

Swift led me down the halls until we stumbled across the library. Seated upon a couch with several book piles surrounding her, was Princess Twilight. She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice our presence until Swift cleared her throat. She jumped slightly before turning to face us, her eyes lighting up with interest as her magic flipped the book closed.

“Oh, Major Blade, Sarah, what can I do for you?” The stacks of books were enveloped in her magic grip before being levitated over to the shelves in perfect order.

“Well,” I forced out, trying to muster up the courage to speak, “you see I’m having a bit of nervousness concerning your social norms. I got asked out by a pair of mares the other day and I’m not sure if it’s friendly or romantic in nature. Not to mention I have no idea what to do if it is a romantic date because I have no idea what your rules are for that type of thing.”

Twilight’s face lit up at the prospect of teaching, “Oh, this is so exciting! I can’t believe you’ve become integrated into pony society that well!” She picked up a scroll and quill in her magic before indicating the couch with a hoof, “Take a seat, and tell me all about what they said when they asked you out and what kind of date it is. This is going to be important because it will have a huge impact on how involved your date is going to be and whether it has romantic context or not.”

I glanced towards Swift, only to get the ‘you’re-on-your-own’ look from the mare. I rolled my eyes as she grinned at me, taking a seat next to the purple princess as my guard stood next to the doorway. I braced for the inevitable storm of questions and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Well, it started out as just a little get-together between friends,” I said slowly, “Lyra and Bon-Bon were interested in hearing some of my music and I let them listen to it at their house. Swift was with me, as she normally is, so she tagged along while we took turns picking songs. Octavia and Vinyl dropped in a bit later and picked a few songs as well before having to head back to their house.”

“Is that when Bon-Bon and Lyra asked you on a date?” Twilight asked as she finished notating my words.

I nodded, “They said it was something they had been planning for themselves for a while, but wanted me to join in as a way of thanking me for the music show.”

“And what kind of date were they planning before inviting you?” She prompted with a raised eyebrow.

“They were going to a restaurant called the,” I paused as I tried to remember the exact name of the place, “Goût de Plaisir, I think. They said it was a real high-class place and that I would need a dress if I was going to join them.”

Twilight nearly dropped her quill and scroll as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, “The Goût de Plaisir?! Most mares only dream of being invited on a date to that kind of place. It costs more than most of Ponyville can afford on a regular basis, and that’s not even considering the wait time for reservations.”

She took a moment to clear her throat and set her utensils aside, “I can tell you right now that this date is of the romantic sort. Nopony would take a friend out for a casual dinner to a fancy restaurant like that, not unless they had a lot more bits than most of the townsponies have to spare. Did either Lyra or Bon-Bon say anything about it when they asked you?”

I shook my head, “Nope, they kind of just dropped it on me as we were getting ready to leave. I had no idea what kind of date this was until you explained it to me. For all I knew we were just going out for drinks and dinner as friends, not some kind of three-way romantic dinner date.” I paused as I thought about that for a moment, “Wait a minute, if Lyra and Bon-Bon are already a couple, then why are they asking me out on a date?”

Twilight tilted her head slightly in confusion, “What do you mean? Is there something the matter with them asking you out?”

I shook my head, “No, it’s not that, it’s just that where I’m from, couples don’t usual let other people into their relationships. It’s usually illegal, in fact, to have more than one spouse in most modern countries back home.”

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly, “Then how do you deal with all the uncoupled mares? Surely you must have something in place to care for all of the mares in your world that can’t find a mate if monogamy is so strictly enforced?”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, “What do you mean? There’s plenty of men to go around back home. Other than the odd homosexual couple, most women actually have trouble finding the right guy because there’s too many to choose from.”

Now Twilight lifted an eyebrow, “What’s the ratio between males and females in your world?”

I glanced at her like she had a screw loose, “One to one last time I checked, although it might have shifted to more like one and a half to one in favor of males. I never was that up to date on statistics.”

Twilight’s wings flared as she gasped, “One to one?! No wonder your people support monogamy so strictly, anything less and you’d risk gender infighting.”

“So, what’s the ration here in Equestria?” I asked, “I’m assuming it’s not the same as back home?”

Twilight shook her head forcefully, “Not even close. The gender ratio is more like five to one in favor of females, although in smaller villages like this one you can get upwards of ten to one. It’s why we support polygamy, or herds, as we usually call them. The norm for a herd would be one stallion with three or four mares, although some larger herds have been recorded up to two stallions and ten mares in one family group. It’s largely dependent on the nature of the herd, but there have been all-female herds more recently, although they’re still not as common as the usual formula.”

I felt like my brain was about to short-circuit, “So you’re saying that ponies form these herds because otherwise most of the female population would go without a mate? What about the all-female herds? What do they do if they want to have kids?”

Twilight blushed as she averted her gaze, “Well, there’s a spell most unicorns can cast that will alter the genitalia of an individual to that of a stallion, although adoption is also very common among those groups as well. Sometimes a single stallion will offer himself to an all-female herd as a donor for a sum of bits, although that’s fallen by the wayside as more stallions choose to join the herd instead of simply impregnating the mares.”

I nodded, processing the information as Swift spoke up from behind us, “Most stallions wouldn’t pull the whole ‘bang and bit’ unless they were in desperate need of the money, although there have been stallions that have made quite the living doing just that. I even heard of single mares asking for their services when they couldn’t find a stallion who would form a herd with them.”

“So, what about my date with Lyra and Bon-Bon?” I asked, hoping to direct the conversation back to the topic at hand, “What exactly am I getting myself into with this date?”

“Well,” Twilight mused, “I think they’re looking to add you to their herd, although I might be wrong. From what I can tell they want to take you on a date to see if you’re the kind of mare they want to add to the herd, and depending on how you perform at the dinner will help them decide how they want to go forward.”

“So, they’re testing the waters with me?” I asked. “Well, then I guess I don’t have a problem with it. I’m actually quite flattered that they would have that kind of interest in me, although I’m not sure I should be looking at relationships right now.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes in confusion, “Why not? You’re a single mare with great looks, a wonderful personality, and you’re fighting to protect Equestria from dark sorcerers with just your magic and combat skills to aid you. Seems like you’d be great dating material for any herd.”

“Exactly,” I said, “I’m fighting to protect the ponies with next to no help available to me other than the rank and file guards. No offence, Swift.”

She shrugged, “None taken.”

I turned back to Twilight, “The point is that I don’t have time to date. I’m doing everything I can to make myself stronger and the only thing I can afford to do is keep training in the hopes I can stop these necromancers when they make their move.” I leaned forward until I was nearly nose to muzzle with Twilight, “I could be putting Equestria in danger by not taking every second seriously.”

To my utter astonishment, the purple alicorn placed a hoof against my nose and pushed me away, keeping her gaze level as she forestalled my next sentence with a hoof over my mouth, “Sarah, I know you want to do your best to protect the ponies of Equestria, but be honest with yourself. You’ve been lazing about the castle for almost an entire week with next to nothing to do. Other than the strengthening training you’ve been doing for your aura abilities, you’ve had almost nothing to keep yourself occupied. That means you have more than enough time to date ponies if they show an interest in you. So, what’s the real reason that you don’t want to go on this date with Lyra and Bon-Bon?”

I pushed her hoof away from my face, but struggled to make a comeback. In my heart I knew she was right, and I couldn’t bring myself to lie to the alicorn in front of me. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a gusty sigh, “Alright I’ll tell you.” Another sigh escaped my mouth as Twilight sat patiently, “I guess the reason I’m not too keen on this whole date thing is because those two aren’t my species.”

“So?” Twilight asked, “What does that have to do with anything? Inter-species relationships aren’t all that common but they do happen. It’s not something you need to worry about if you think ponies are going to be put off by you dating a couple of mares.”

“But not from my point of view,” I countered, “where I come from humans are the only sapient species, which means dating or having sex with other creatures is considered wrong and highly illegal in most countries.” I tried to keep my face level as I looked her in the eye, “You wouldn’t have sex with a dog, would you?”

Twilight’s face twisted in disgust, “Eew, Celestia no!” She managed to school her features as she returned her gaze to me, “Alright, I see your point, but can I ask you this? If Lyra and Bon-Bon were human, would you at least give them a chance?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but paused as I actually thought about it. Lyra was a bit eccentric, but she was fun and had great taste in music when she wasn’t acting crazy. Bon-Bon was more like the older sister I never had, always trying to keep her marefriend under control while still being fun and caring. All and all, they were both wonderful ponies, and if they were human I wouldn’t hesitate to call them close friends. And yet, the whole dating thing was still throwing me for a loop. Never mind the polygamy thing, it was the simple fact that they weren’t human that hung over my head like a dark cloud.

And yet, Twilight’s words kept hitting home in my mind, what if they were human? Would I be willing to date them if they were human women instead of mares? After thinking about it for several minutes, I finally came up with an answer. I turned to Twilight, who was watching me with an expectant expression.

I smiled, “Yes, if they were human I would be okay dating them. I guess I’m just going to have to get my mind around the fact they aren’t human at some point, but I’ll try and follow your advice.” I stood up and walked over to the doorway, Swift falling in at my side as I opened the crystal slab, “Thanks for the words of wisdom, Princess, it really helped me get things right in my mind. Oh, before I forget, could you send a letter to Princess Celestia about maybe getting a stipend for me so I can pay for things? Getting free stuff is all well and good, but not being able to pay ponies for things is starting to get annoying for everyone.”

Twilight waved to us as she pulled out her reading materials from earlier, “Sure thing, Sarah. I’ll send it off once I finish with my studies. Let me know how the date goes when you get back.”

I nodded, closing the door behind us as Swift fell in at my side. We walked through the castle, taking our time as I thought over what Twilight had said, finding more and more reasons to support her arguments and to push aside my own insecurities. We came back to my room and I slipped inside while Swift left to go do something on her own time. I never really saw the mare all that much when she was off duty, but I did know that she somehow knew exactly when it was I left the castle and where I was going. The reason I knew this was because she always managed to find me right as I was leaving the castle, or right as I proposed a plan to Twilight or Spike that didn’t involve staying on the castle grounds. It was uncanny, but I chalked it up to her knowing my habits from guarding my behind day in and day out.

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly, although I did manage to find Swift again and challenge her to a game of Admirals and Aces. It was a game of my own design that resembled the board game Stratigo, although it was played using a single deck of cards for simplicity. Given no one had ever played the game before, even back home, it wasn’t surprising when I kicked her flank the first time around. What shocked me was the speed at which she learned the different strategies of the game, and before long she was kicking me to the curb four out of five times.

I grumbled under my breath as her two diffused my bomb for the second time in a row, “I swear you must have an IQ of two hundred or something with how fast you learn these games.”

Swift smirked as she destroyed my ace with her own bomb, “You just need to learn to think outside the box. It saved me a lot of headaches when I was facing the other cadets back in basic training.”

I nodded as I moved my remaining ace back into my formation, “I can guess, but that doesn’t make me feel all that better about losing nine times in a row.”

Swift smiled as she destroyed my king with one of her aces, moving deeper into my territory, “Well we can’t be the best at everything. Maybe this will help you to overcome some of those pride issues you’ve been having when it comes to training.”

I narrowed my eyes at the mare as I destroyed her king with my ace, only to then watch as she used her own ace to wipe me out, “I don’t have a pride issue. I’m just better than you at hand-to-hoof combat. It’s not something I brag about.”

“But you still need to learn restraint,” she replied as she slid another card into my formation, “otherwise you’ll get in over your head and somepony is going to knock you for a loop.”

I glanced at the sun as I moved my own card, noting that it was getting to be later in the afternoon. Rarity’s reminder flashed through my mind, and I felt a devilish grin forming on my face as I began collecting the cards.

“Well it looks like this game’s a draw.” I said with a perfectly straight face, “Better luck next time Swift.”

“Hay!” She yelled as I pulled her own cards into the pile, “I was winning that round you flat-faced traitor!” She made a swipe for the cards but I slid them out of reach. She pouted at me and grumbled under her breath as she crossed her hooves over her chest, “You’re lucky I like you or you’d be eating my hoof for that.”

I rolled my eyes as I slipped the cards back into the deck, “Yeah, yeah, they always say that. Maybe next time I’ll kick your flank for that little stunt you pulled two games ago.”

Her grin returned as I slid the deck into my pocket, “Never underestimate your opponent. It almost always gets you in trouble.”

I waved to her as I walked down the hall, “See you later then, I’ll be back once I finish up at Rarity’s and then I’m off to my date with the girls.”

Swift hurried from her seat and fell in at my side, much to my annoyance, “You didn’t think I’d let you go anywhere without escorting you, did you?”

I rolled my eyes, “Oh how I wish you would. It’s getting a little old having a babysitter every time I leave the castle. Are you going to be with me during the date too?”

She returned my eye roll with one of her own, “No I’m not going to interrupt your date, just stand guard at the door to make sure nothing messes it up.” She used her foreleg to elbow my hip, “I’m not that heartless as to mess up your first romantic night out with a set of hot mares.”

I groaned, running my hand down my face as we exited the castle, “I swear you’re going to be the death of me before those necromancers even get a crack at me.”

She sent a wide grin my way, “But you love it all just the same.”

I declined the opportunity to answer, mostly because I didn’t have a quick comeback to her words, and instead ignored her soft chuckling as Rarity’s shop came into view. I knocked out of courtesy before opening the door, Swift taking up her usual spot outside the entrance as I continued inside.

“Just a minute!” Rarity called from the back room as I closed the door behind me. It was only a few minutes before she walked out of her creation room, her working glasses resting naturally upon her muzzle as she spoke, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and – Oh, it’s you, darling.” She paused mid-step as she spotted me in the doorway, “I presume that you have come for the dress you wanted made for tonight’s date?”

I nodded, “I figured if I was going to be on time for this thing I needed to have everything ready beforehand or else I’d show up looking terrible.”

“Oh, trust me, darling, first impressions on a first date are the most important thing, apart from the actual date itself, of course.” She walked back into her sewing room, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at me as she went, “I’ll be but a moment. Don’t go anywhere.”

I smiled to myself as I walked around, taking a look at some of Rarity’s other designs as I heard her rummaging through fabrics in the next room. Most of the designs were so frilly or blindingly colorful that I couldn’t look at them too long for risk of getting a headache, although some of the more basic dresses were actually very appealing to look at. The only thing that struck me as odd was the fact that a fashion designer could stay in business when most of the population went in the nude during a regular day. I mentally shrugged, feeling it was a mystery that would remain unsolved as long as this world stayed the way it was. I turned around as I heard Rarity returning, carrying a purple and matte gold bundle in her magic as she beamed with pride.

“Well I am happy to report that your dress came out beautifully.” She said as she passed the dress over to me, “Try it on please. I need to make the final adjustments to your body so it fits just right.”

Not feeling like being stripped for the second time that day, I pulled off my own clothing and stepped onto the platform, sliding the dress over my legs as Rarity provided a mobile privacy screen for me to use. Feeling slightly less self-conscious, I pulled the dress up and over my body, feeling it form perfectly to my torso and hips as the strapless bust supported my chest despite the removal of my bra. All and all it was a splendid show of tailorship, and I was enthralled by the colors and design as I turned around to inspect myself in the bank of mirrors.

The dress was beautiful in the most basic meaning of the word, with subtle curves that accentuated my figure like nothing I had ever seen. The deep near-black purple of the body complimented my chocolate locks while the matte gold detailing made my skin seem to glow in the overhead lights. The strapless bust left my shoulders and arms open to the air, the smooth fabric of the torso hugging my body from my chest all the way to my hips. The hem was straight, although it was cut along the sides to let my legs move freely. However, despite the openings in the train, it did a wonderful job of hiding my mechanical limb unless I chose to push it into view. All and all, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the dress, and I even did a pose or two for fun as I winked to myself in my reflection.

“Well don’t keep me waiting, darling,” Rarity said with a slightly impatient tone, “I still need to do the detailing so that it fits just right.”

I decided to play the tease and slipped one leg free of the hem to stick into the open around the edge of the screen. I heard Rarity gasp as I sashayed into full view, noticing the deep blush that covered her face as I walked around and did some more poses for her.

She cleared her throat as she adjusted her glasses, “Yes, very nice, darling, but we still have to do the final adjustments. I won’t have it until this dress fits you perfectly.”

I pouted as another storm of needles surrounded my body, forcing me to stay still as she made small nudges with her magic before holding the fabric in place with a pin.

This continued for a minute or two until Rarity nodded to herself in satisfaction, “There, all done. Now I just need to sew it and you can be on your way.”

With no warning whatsoever, Rarity ripped the entire dress up and over my head in a smooth motion, leaving me completely topless with nothing covering my lower half but my panties. I raced to cover my chest with my arms as Rarity walked back into her sewing room, my cheeks flushed bright red as I practically leapt behind the divider to reclaim my bra. I quickly slipped it back on and then pulled my shirt over my torso before stepping out from behind cover. Luckily, it seemed Rarity hadn’t seen my assets in her haste to finish my dress, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I pulled my jeans back on before tying on my boots.

Moments later, the seamstress returned with a beaming smile, “All finished.” She passed me the dress once more before winking at me, “Be sure to give those girls a good time for me, alright?”

I nodded, still feeling a bit flustered after that close call with my wardrobe, “I-I’ll be sure to make it worth their while.”
Rarity nodded, making a shooing motion with her hoof, “Off you go then. Wouldn’t want you to be late because you dilly-dallied around here, now would we?”

I nodded, fumbling with the knob for a moment before walking out into the afternoon light. Swift cast me a slightly concerned glance, but made no comment as we returned to Twilight’s castle.

“So, I guess now you just need to get ready for the date and then we head out again?” She asked as I made my way back into my room. She paused in the doorway, but entered after me once I waved her in. “That was the plan as far as I know from your talk with Princess Twilight.”

I nodded, slipping into the bathroom to take a quick shower before I got my hair straight. Swift was polite enough not to walk in while the water was running, although she nearly gave me a heart attack when she opened the door and all I had on was a towel wrapped around my body. The brush that smacked her on the muzzle should have taught her not to peep, but there she was again a second later, sporting a rather nasty expression as she opened her mouth to retort. My reply was to throw the shampoo bottle at her head, forcing her to duck out again, and thankfully for the last time.
I managed to get my hair in its natural hanging curls as I slipped the dress on over my body, taking care not to rip the thin fabric as it slid over my squeaky-clean skin. After that was done, I opened the door to find Swift was sulking over in the corner, although her ears turned to face me as I closed the door behind me.

“Oh, come on Swift,” I said as I walked up behind the guardsmare, “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just considered an invasion of privacy to peep on someone when they aren’t dressed where I come from.”

She snorted in contempt, turning around to look at me as she replied, “Yeah, well, next time I’m going to make you run laps if you throw another bottle at my heeeeeaaaaad – Whoa!” Her eyes bugged slightly as a vibrant blush came over her face as she looked me up and down. “Sweet Celestia, what are you wearing?!”

I turned to one side to inspect myself along the hem, “It’s not too much, is it? I thought Rarity would know that this was just a dinner date, but I think she might have confused date with a formal dinner.”

Swift’s jaw hung as she tried and failed to speak, “Um, uh, you look, um, great! Just not exactly, um, what I was, uh, expecting.”

I smirked as I did a little pose I had done for Rarity, “Like what you see?”

Swift’s blush got even darker, although how she hadn’t passed out from blood rush yet I couldn’t guess, and she hid her eyes with a hoof as she waved me off with the other, “Go on, get out of her before I get a bucking nosebleed, you succubus.”

I chuckled as I rubbed her behind the ear, making her moan rather loudly before turning away, “Sure thing boss, just remember that you got to keep me company on the way there and back.”

Swift groaned as she followed me out of the room, mumbling under her breath as she fell in on my side. She made it a point to keep her gaze leveled on anything besides me, and I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips as we made our way out of the castle.

The trip to the restaurant was a smooth one, with nary a soul to be seen on the streets save for us two. I followed Bon-Bon’s directions past Berry’s Punch and found the fancy building just a ways down the block. The front was done up in the typical French style, or Prench, as the case may be, with wide arches over the tall windows and smooth white siding for the walls and door. The roof was steep and covered with blue tiles instead of the usual thatch of the rest of the town, marking the building as something of a more high-grade design. A doorman, er, door-stallion was waiting beside the main entrance, his black mane slicked back and his dark blue coat mostly covered by a white dress shirt and black tie.

I swallowed thickly, hoping for the best as I walked up to the stallion, “Um hi, my name is Sarah Lovegood. I believe I have a reservation under Lyra and Bon-Bon?”

He glanced at me for a moment, one eye widening slightly before he coughed into his fetlock, “Right this way Miss Lovegood, Miss Heartstrings and her companion are already inside. They arrived just before you did.”

I glanced at Swift for a bit of courage before I took a deep breath, “Well, here goes nothing.”

I stepped through the doorway and into the dining room proper, leaving Swift at the door as she took up position next to the stallion. I was on my own from here, and I couldn’t help the thin sheen of sweat that covered my body as I spotted my dates seated to one side of the room. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I walked up to their table, feeling my heart beginning to race with nerves as they spotted my approach.

Lyra’s jaw dropped as a vibrant blush overcame her features, although Bon-Bon wasn’t far behind her. To make matters worse, I could see the other patrons giving me wide-eyed looks as I walked by, making my own cheeks flush with both embarrassment and flattery at the attention. Sure, back home I wasn’t a slouch in the beauty department, but never in my life had I captured the complete attention of a room before. Even the couples that looked to be here on dates were openly staring at me, paying their own significant others no mind as all eyes followed my every move.

I finally came up to the table and gave a hesitant wave to the duo, “Um, good afternoon. How are you today?”

My words seemed to pull them out of their shock, although it was Lyra who spoke first, “Oh! Please, sit. We were just wondering if you were going to show up late.”

Bon-Bon cuffed the aquamarine mare over the head with a hoof, “Lyra! That is no way to speak to our date when she first arrives.” She turned an apologetic look my way, “I’m sorry if anything she said was rude, but sometimes she likes to speak first and think second.”

I chuckled as I took a seat opposite the pair in the booth, thankfully losing the majority of my audience as they went back to their own business, “It’s alright, I do the same thing more times than I would like. So how have you girls been the last couple days? Anything interesting come up at the shop?”

Bon-Bon shook her head, “Oh it was the same old thing day after day.” She leaned over and nuzzled against Lyra’s cheek, “Although Lyra was very helpful with the taffy puller when I couldn’t fix the motor.”

For some reason Lyra’s face turned a vibrant shade of red and I couldn’t help but think something else had happened with the taffy puller that Bon-Bon wasn’t saying, “Anything interesting happen while she was fixing it?”

Lyra looked over at me with a slightly mortified expression, although Bon-Bon seemed to delight in her marefriend’s discomfort, “Oh it was the funniest thing. Poor Lyra got stuck in the puller arms and got absolutely covered in taffy when the machine started going by mistake. I had to pull the mana crystal out to get the thing to stop, by which time she was well and truly stuck.”

“So how did you get her out?” I asked, some part of my mind thinking of rather naughty situations that could have come about from that little accident.

Bon-Bon leaned over and gave Lyra a long lick up her jawline to the base of her ear, making the unicorn squeak in the most adorable way, “Why I ate her out of course,” she hummed as she nuzzled against the other mare’s ear, “in every sense of the word.”

Now it was my turn to blush a bright red, my mind going nuts with images of Lyra trussed up like a spring chicken, covered in taffy with Bon-Bon slowly working her out one bite at a time. I shook my head to clear it, coughing into my hand once to try and hide my embarrassment as I replied, “Well, um, that certainly sounds, tasty.”

Bon-Bon gave me a lidded glance, “Oh it was.” She leaned in towards me, motioning me to lean closer with a hoof as she cupped it against her mouth, “The taffy wasn’t bad either.”

At that point I think Lyra had had enough, because she pulled Bon-Bon back and spoke in a slightly too loud voice, “Okay, moving on. So, Sarah, how has your week been so far? Read any good books lately?”

I chuckled with Bon-Bon at Lyra’s terrible attempt at changing the subject, but decided to take pity on the poor mare, “No I haven’t read any new books. I haven’t had time what with all the training I’ve been doing.”

Both mare’s eyes lit up with interest, “Training? You mean like physical training?” Lyra’s eyes were almost glistening with as she looked me up and down, “If it’s to trim up your figure it certainly worked. I could bounce a bit off those flanks.”

I blushed again as Bon-Bon swung for Lyra’s head, only to come up short as Lyra blocked the blow and snatched a quick kiss from her marefriend, “Not today Bonnie. Besides, you know I’m right.”

Bon-Bon blushed as she retrieved her hoof from Lyra’s grip, “Yes, well, it’s still not polite to point something like that out in public.” I caught her gaze roaming over my body, “No matter how accurate.”

Feeling like we were getting way off topic, I decided to bring things back around to a more neutral subject, “So do you girls do any kind of exercise to keep fit?”

Lyra nodded, “Yep, I go for runs daily to burn off all the sweets I get from Bonnie.” She elbowed the other mare gently with one leg, “Although I like you with a bit of bounce to that flank. Makes it so much more entertaining to look at.”

Bon-Bon shook her head as she turned her gaze to me, “What Lyra is trying to say is that I don’t really get out much. Mostly because I’m too busy running the shop to do anything else on weekdays. I do enjoy going for walks in the Whitetail Woods on occasion though, helps me to clear my head after a long day at work, and dealing with Lyra’s antics of course.”

I stifled my laughter behind a hand as Lyra turned an indignant glare towards the other mare, “Hay! I just like to keep life interesting is all. How would you ever live from day to day if I didn’t liven things up for you?”

“Probably with several dozen more bits a week because of all the painkillers I wouldn’t need anymore.” Was the barbed reply, although the teasing glint in her eyes told me she didn’t really mean it.

Lyra was about to retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of our waiter. He was a handsome fellow, as far as ponies went, with a light grey coat and bright green eyes shining from under his combed over blonde mane. The horn on his head marked him as a unicorn, although from what I could see of the other wait staff, he was more the exception than the rule when it came to which tribe was most common. He was dressed in the same white dress shirt as the stallion by the door, although instead of a black tie he had a dark blue bow under his collar. He also had three menus floating along in his green magic, which he distributed to each of us as a notepad and quill floated in front of his chest.

“Welcome to the Goût de Plaisir, mademoiselles.” His accent was minor but still distinct as he spoke, although his small smile did wonders to help his image as he turned to each of us and gave a small bow, “My name is Gilded Platter and I will be your server today. Tonight’s special is an eggplant salad with roasted pecans and an original Prench dressing. If you wish to make a special order, then I will speak with our head chief and we will do all we can to accommodate your tastes.” He bowed again to all of us and then held up his pad, quill at the ready, “What can I get you lovely mares to drink?”

I glanced at the others, not quite sure what was acceptable or available, but it seemed that Bon-Bon was on top of things. “I think we would like the Viné d'or, bottled before 1950 if you have it.”

Gilded nodded, “A fine choice of wine. I will see if we have any in stock at the moment.” He glanced my way, “Anything in particular for you, miss?”

I shook my head, “Wine is alright for me. I would like some water to go with that though.”

He nodded once more, taking a note on his pad before speaking, “I will be right out with that. Anything for an appetizer or would you like to order now?”

I opened my menu and looked at the options available to me. Most of the food I couldn’t eat, given the various flowers and other non-edibles that were staples in pony diet, although as I made my way to the back of the menu I was shocked to find that they had a small section of meats for the more carnivorous species. Given I hadn’t had any meat since Spike had cooked me a Brook trout last week, I was more than itching for something meaty to eat, not to mention the fact that they served more than just fish. I cast a quick glance towards the girls, but was thankful that they were too engrossed in their own reading to notice me.

I leaned in close to the waiter, cupping my hand to muffle my words as I spoke to him, “What would you say if I asked for one of the meat dishes?”

Without missing a beat he whispered back to me, “We have served all kinds here at the Goût de Plaisir. You aren’t the first meat eater to grace these walls, and you won’t be the last. Our head chief is actually a gryphon, so you won’t have to worry about your food being improperly cooked. If you wish, I could wait until the others are done ordering and then you could simply point to your desired dish.”

I shook my head, “It’s alright, I was just curious.” My mind flashed with inspiration, “Have you ever mixed dishes before?”
One eyebrow rose slightly, “A new recipe? Well, I’m certain Aile d'Argent will be delighted to try something new. What did you have in mind?”

I pulled up the menu, keeping it pointed away from the girls as they looked over their own selections, “How about you make the fettuccini alfredo as you normally would, but then put grilled chicken pieces on top?”
Now both eyebrows rose until they hid in his mane, “That certainly is a new one.” He made several notes with his quill before turning to me again, “Would you like the chicken partly cooked or more well-done? Forgive the distinction, but some meat eaters prefer raw meat over cooked.”

I nodded in understanding, “Fully cooked please. Raw chicken can make humans very sick if we eat it uncooked.”

Gilded nodded in turn, making another note, “Fully cooked, got it.” He turned to the girls as they looked up from their menus, “Are you ladies also ready to order?”

Bon-Bon nodded, “I’d like the Rosetta salad with a side of garlic bread and butter.”

“And I’d like the Risotto with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, please.” Lyra added.

Gilded nodded as he wrote down their orders, “Alright then, your food should be ready momentarily. I shall fetch your drinks while you wait, so give me a moment to place your order with the cooks.”

With that he was gone, leaving us to ourselves for a few minutes. No one really had much to say, such as we were thinking about our food, although it seemed Lyra was curious about my culinary selection.

“So, what did you get, Sarah?” She asked as she leaned over the table, “I never heard what you wanted when you ordered.”

I decided to keep the meat part of my dinner out of the conversation, lest I scare or sicken my dates, “Oh, I got the fettuccini alfredo. It’s something that we have back home on Earth so I’m curious to see how it tastes here in Equestria.”

Bon-Bon smiled, “Well it’s nice to see that a piece of home managed to follow you here. I understand it’s more of an Neightallian dish, but I’m not one to nitpick when it comes to food.”

Gilded returned a moment after that, levitating three glasses and a large bottle of wine in his magic before pouring us each a generous portion, “Please enjoy your drinks, the food should be out momentarily.”

We thanked him as he walked away, leaving us to drink our wine in peace. I took a careful sip from the glass, being careful not to spill as the liquid passed over my tongue. It was rich and had a rather unique taste that I couldn’t quite figure out. Part of me wanted to say it had an earthen aftertaste, while the other half of me said it had more fruity hints. All and all, a very tasty drink, and very strong in alcohol if the burn that followed was anything to go by. I figured I had to be careful not to get drunk on our date, lest I ruin any good graces I had with the locals by making a fool of myself.

A few minutes later, Gilded returned with three large platters in his magic, placing them before each of us as he removed the domed lids. A waft of steam erupted form the dishes before Lyra and I, leaving Bon-Bon’s to simply sit as the vibrant greens and reds of her salad came into view.

“Bon appétit, mademoiselles. Please let me know if you need anything else.” With a bow of his head, he turned and vanished from view into the kitchen, leaving us with our food and more than subtle stomach rumblings.

Lyra immediately dug into her pasta, leaving Bon-Bon to roll her eyes before taking some more dainty bites of her salad. I picked up a fork and rolled some of my own noodles into a ball, sticking the block into my mouth before humming in delight at the rich creamy flavor. I bit into one of the chicken chunks next, and nearly moaned at the flavor. Oh God it had been so long since I had something other than fish to satisfy my meat cravings.

“What’s that you got on your pasta?” Lyra asked between bites of her own dish, “it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Bon-Bon turned to look, an expression of curiosity on her own face as she inspected my food with a critical eye, “Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen either.” She glanced up at me, “What is that stuff on your plate, Sarah?”

Oh shit, I was a terrible liar and I knew there was no way they were just going to drop it now that they had both seen the chicken bits on my pasta, “It’s, um, something I asked the chef to add as a special request. It’s a recipe from back on Earth that I thought he might like to try.”

“Sweet, I want to try some Earth food.” Lyra said in eager glee as she speared a chunk of chicken with her own fork. Before I could stop her, she lifted it and several strands of pasta into her mouth, closing her muzzle around the meat before chewing with a thoughtful expression. “Hmm, not too bad. Not exactly what I was expecting though.” She swallowed the food and turned back to me, “Alright, now I have to know. What was that stuff, Sarah?”

Seeing no way out of it, I took a long draft of my wine and sucked in a gasp before setting the glass on the table, “That wasn’t something ponies usually eat, Lyra. It was bits of food that usually make ponies sick to their stomachs at the very thought of eating it, let alone what you just did.”

Lyra clutched at her stomach with her hooves, “It wasn’t poisonous, was it?”

I waved her off with both hands, “No, no, no, nothing like that. It’s just that, well, you just ate a bit of chicken.”

“You mean like an egg?” Bon-Bon asked, “Those don’t look like any kind of eggs I’ve ever seen.”

I shook my head, “No, not eggs, actual chicken.” I paused to brace myself, “Lyra, you just ate meat. Cooked chicken meat to be exact.”

Bon-Bon gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves before turning to look at Lyra in horror. The aquamarine mare was looking several shades darker green around the cheeks as she swayed slightly on her seat, yet she managed to keep her stomach under control and not faint at my revelation.

Finally, she locked her gaze on the nearly full glass of wine before her, snatching it up and draining the whole thing in one go before turning to look at me, “So you’re a meat eater, are you?” I nodded slowly, “Then I’ve just got one question for you, are you going to hurt Bonnie in any way because of that fact?”

I recoiled at the very thought, “Of course not! I’m not some mindless beast that will kill sentient creatures for food! I care for all of you little ponies, most of you I would even call friends if I had the time to get to know you.”

Lyra’s gaze bore into mine, as if searching for any sign of falsehood. When she seemed to find nothing to prove my statement wrong, her face brightened and she slid around the bench to sit next to me, “Well then, I guess I don’t have a problem with it, so long as you warn me next time.”

Feeling a great weight come off my chest at her words, I let out a sigh before ruffling her mane, “Sure thing, short stack. I’ll make sure you don’t go blundering into any steak dinners or fish grills.”

Bon-Bon sighed as she pushed her food away from her, “And there goes my appetite. Please refrain from speaking about such things if I’m present, I’d rather keep what food I managed to eat prior to Lyra’s little stunt.”

We ducked our heads apologetically, “Sorry Bon-Bon.” We chorused.

“So what else is there about you that might be cool?” Lyra asked as she leaned into me with big eyes, “Are you like some secret agent that can kick major flank?”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, “Really Lyra, must you come up with such ridiculous ideas every time you meet somepony new?”

“Actually, she’s not too far off.” I corrected the candymare, “I’m actually retired from a special forces unit called the Rangers. We are the best of the best of our nation’s army, although there aren’t all that many of us at any one time. Maybe three battalions at the most worldwide.”

Bon-Bon’s eyes widened to match Lyra’s as they both openly stared at me, although it was Lyra who broke the silence, “You’re a military mare? No wonder I thought you were so cool when we first met.”

Bon-Bon scoffed, “I seem to recall you freezing like a filly in front of her coltfriend when you first laid eyes on Sarah. Not exactly a winning first impression.”

Lyra stuck her tongue out at the other mare, “Oh who asked you? Anyway,” she turned back to me with a curious expression, “why are you retired? From how old you look I’d think you’d have lots more years of service before they would let you out.” She gasped as she covered her mouth with her hooves, “You weren’t kicked out, were you?”

I forestalled her line of thinking with a raised hand, although I was hesitant to correct her. My lost leg was still a sore spot in my mind and it wasn’t something I was particularly proud of. Even still, I knew I couldn’t lie to them about it, so I simply stood from the bench and pulled my dress to one side. The slit in the hem slid over my leg, revealing the metal and composite to their sight as I spoke, “I was discharged from service when I lost my leg in a battle. They were kind enough to pay for this replacement, although it wasn’t my leg that makes the memory a hard one to bring up.”

Lyra was too engrossed in my metal limb to reply, but that didn’t stop Bon-Bon from looking up with a worried glint in her gaze, “Then what was it that makes the memory so painful? What could possibly be worse than losing a leg?”

I swallowed as I sat back down, running my fingers through Lyra’s mane out of habit as I gathered my thoughts, “I lost a lot of friends that day. It’s a long and painful story, but the short answer is that I’m the last member of my squad. The rest were either killed in the explosion that took my leg, or taken out by the ensuing ambush.” I averted my gaze to my lap as the memories tried to force themselves to the surface, “It’s not a day I like to remember.”

Lyra placed a hoof over my hands in a comforting gesture, and was quickly joined by Bon-Bon as she sat on my other side and hugged me around my shoulders.

The cream mare rested her head against my neck and nuzzled into my hair as she whispered in my ear, “I’m so sorry about what happened to your friends. I know it must be hard, but you have friends here in Ponyville that can help you if you ask for it.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added as she joined in on the hug, “Bonnie and I will be there to support you as long as you need us.” She leaned around me to meet her marefriend’s eyes, “Isn’t that right, Bonnie?”

Bon-Bon nodded, pulling back so she could meet my gaze, “In fact, we would like to be there for you from now on, in a closer setting than simple friends. Lyra and I have been looking for another member to add to our herd, and we both think you would make a fine addition to our group. We’re not asking for you to give us an answer tonight, but we would love it if you would at least think about it.”

I thought over her words as my mind battled with my heart over how to reply. My mind was screaming at me that this was a bad idea, that I needed to focus on the mission above all else. Yet my heart was yelling back just as loud that I hadn’t had someone close in my life since I got back from the war. I had a hole in my chest where my family used to be, and an even bigger one left behind by my squad. If these mares were willing to look past my alien appearance and accept me as I was, meat diet and all, then I figured I had to at least give them the benefit of the doubt. If for no other reason than I needed this as much as they did, maybe more so.

“Yes.” I answered and I turned to smile at Bon-Bon, “I would love to join your herd.”

Lyra squealed as Bon-Bon hugged me tight to her chest, “Oh this is wonderful,” the earth pony said as she nuzzled into my hair, “I wasn’t sure you’d accept, but thank you so much for choosing to join our herd.”

“Yeah!” Lyra cheered as she pulled my head around to look at her, “This is going to be the best thing since I first met Bonnie and asked her out on our first date!”

Without any warning, the unicorn lunged in and pressed her lips against mine, making my eyes widen in shock as she pressed into the kiss. For a moment my brain short-circuited, and all I could do was sit there as she worked her lips against mine. However, my brain caught up with my body fairly quickly, and I lifted a hand to cup her cheek as I closed my eyes. It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was defiantly one of the better ones I had partaken in, although when I teased Lyra’s lips with the tip of my tongue she squeaked and pulled back in surprise.

“What was that?” She asked as she held a hoof to her lips, her eyes wide with surprise.

I tilted my head to the side in confusion, “Do you not know how to French – or rather – Prench kiss?”

This seemed to catch both of the mare’s attention, “What kind of kiss is that?” Bon-Bon asked as I turned to look at her, “Could you show us?”

Feeling a bit of my devilish side coming out to play, I flashed a sultry grin her way as I lifted one eyebrow, “Are you sure you want to know? Kissing back home seems to be a bit more advanced that the stuff you do here in Equestria. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you girls on the first date. Besides,” I added with a pointed glance behind her at the rest of the restaurant, “we’re in a public setting. It’s not exactly the type of thing you do in front of others.”

Bon-Bon’s cheeks flushed as she caught onto my meaning, “Oh, well then I guess you’ll have to show us when we have some time to ourselves.” She cleared her throat as she sat back on her haunches, “So, would you care to join Lyra and I for a quick trip to our house before you return to Princess Twilight’s castle? I’d like to at least get to know you a bit better before we part ways for the night.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Lyra, who nodded with a big grin plastered over her face as she leaned forward to give me another peck on the cheek. I couldn’t help the blush that roared to life on my own face at her brash actions, although I managed to get myself under control as I turned back to Bon-Bon, “I would be delighted to join you for some time alone. Although I’m not sure how my bodyguard is going to like the idea of hanging around outside your house all evening.”

“Bodyguard?” Bon-Bon asked, her eyes widening in surprise, “I didn’t know you needed one. Are you in some kind of danger?”

“It’s more of a precaution,” I half-lied, “in case some ponies think I’m some kind of monster of something and try to run me out of town. I’m not too worried about it, but Princess Celestia was adamant that I take Swift Blade along with me whenever I leave Twilight’s castle.”

Lyra blew a raspberry, “That’s silly. Like anypony around here would think you’re a monster. From what I hear you’re more like a monster hunter, saving poor Lilly from whatever it was that scared the poor mare to death the other day.”
Bon-Bon nodded her agreement, “Indeed, you were very brave scaring whatever that thing was off, although I find it strange nopony knows what it was that scared Lilly so badly. Usually the rumor mill is buzzing when something like that happens.”

I chuckled, knowing that Twilight and the others had done everything they could to keep the whole zombie thing under wraps, “Who knows? I only saw a shadow of the thing before it ran off into the Everfree. Probably a rouge Timberwolf or something like that. Nothing to worry about.”

My explanation seemed to satisfy the mares, and we paid for our food with a large tip for Gilded as he came to clear away our places. With that taken care of, I followed Lyra and Bon-Bon out of the building, picking up Swift along the way as we made our way back to the mares’ house. As we passed by Berry’s Punch, Lyra struck up a conversation with Swift about life as a guard, leaving Bon-Bon and I to walk in comfortable silence in the rear as their house came into view.

I sped up to open the door for them as we arrived, flashing a grin their way as I bowed like a butler, “After you, miss.”
Bon-Bon blushed and giggled behind a hoof as she walked past me, “Keep that up and you might just be spending the night.”

Lyra smirked as she followed the cream mare, “She’s right you know. We like you a lot already, don’t make us do something out of character because you keep buttering us up with those little tricks of yours.”
She flicked me in the face with her tail, flashing her rear at me in a very obvious manner as she grinned over her shoulder at me. I glanced at Swift for an explanation, only to find the guardsmare averting her gaze with the brightest blush I had ever seen her make. I was just about to ask her what was wrong, when I was suddenly grabbed by a golden glow of magic and dragged into the house. The lights were off and the door slammed shut behind me with a resounding thud. I heard the click of a lock being thrown and I fumbled around for a moment before I spotted the soft glow of Lyra’s horn. I managed to make my way over to her, only for the overhead lights to suddenly flash on, blinding me for a second as my retinas screamed at my brain it was too bright.

Once my eyes had finally adjusted, I spotted Lyra and Bon-Bon sitting on the couch, their eyes lidded and their tails flagging up and over their backs, leaving nothing to the imagination as to what they were doing. Both ponies were already dripping on the couch material, and I could swear I could smell them in the air as they slowly got up and walked over to me.

“We know you just joined the herd, but we’ve been itching for somepony to join us in bed for ages now.” Bon-Bon’s voice had taken on a sexy undertone as she walked around me and began pushing me up the stairs, “If you don’t want to do this, then just say so, but know that if you stop us now, it’s only going to make it ten times worse when we do get ahold of you for real.”

I tried to appeal to Lyra, but the unicorn was already eyeing me up and down like a present to unwrap, and I realized I had just jumped into a shark tank by joining the girls’ herd. Seeing no way out of this situation without upsetting them, I allowed Bon-Bon to push me up and into the bedroom, stepping in and sitting down on the bed of my own volition as Lyra followed us and locked the door behind her.

Finally realizing what I was about to do, my mind went to all of the crazy things I had always wished of trying with a girl but never had the chance to. My lips pulled back into a sinister grin a I saw the two mares before me in a new light, “Oh this is going to be fun.”

Needless to say, I was glad Swift was going to be outside for this one. I’d never hear the end of it otherwise if she knew what kind of crazy stuff I had planned for these two mares.

Author's Notes:

Well that was longer than expected. Anyways, welcome back to all my favorite readers, and I hope you all enjoyed Sarah's first steps into the romance part of our little story. Of course, given the ending, you all know what happens next. The first Clop chapter is up next in line, and will be skippable for those who don't want to read it. For those of you that don't give a damn, feel free to read to your little heart's desires.

Also, I'm heading back to collage at the end of the week, so updates might be slowed down a bit from the usual pace. I hope to keep updating for you guys, but don't hold your breath or you might pass out before the next one drops.

Anyways, hope you all liked the story so far. Leave a thumb's up, follow if you like, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill Messenger of the Moon.