As my scattered mind came back to my body, I was acutely aware of the incessant beeping of a heart monitor as my body rested on a soft surface. I could feel the warmth of something pressed against my left side, and I groaned as a dull ache made itself known in the back of my skull.

I opened m eyes with some difficulty, taking a moment to look around at the now obvious hospital room, along with the seemingly asleep forms of Lyra and Bon-Bon. The aquamarine unicorn was lying on the bed with me, having curled up against my side and resting her chin in the valley of my breasts. Bon-Bon was sitting next to the bed with her front half draped over the edge and her hindquarters rested on one of the chairs that dotted the room. All and all, it was an absolutely adorable sight, although it did beg the question of how I ended up in the medical wing yet again.

I lifted my free arm and rubbed Lyra’s ears with my fingers, causing the mare to hum in pleasure before cracking her eyes open. As her eyes met mine they widened in what seemed to be joy, and before I could react I was enveloped in a crushing hug as her forehooves wrapped around my neck and shoulders.

“You’re awake!” She cried, causing Bon-Bon to start and jerk upright as her sleep-addled mind tried to catch up with her marefriend’s exclamation.

“Whozawhatzit?” She muttered as she looked around the room for signs of the loud voice that had pulled her from her slumber. Her gaze landed on me as Lyra continued to hug what little air was left from my lungs, and her eyes widened in a similar reaction as she leapt to her hooves and climbed onto the bed with us, “You’re awake! We were so worried about you!”

Before I could say anything, Bon-Bon joined Lyra in her firm hug and I was forced to take it as both mares tried their best to strangle the living daylights out of me. Luckily, I wasn’t forced back into unconsciousness by their forceful welcome as they pulled back and laid down on either side of me.I struggled to take calm breaths as I got my heart back under control, and I was just opening my mouth to reply when Lyra cuffed me over the head with one hoof.

“Ow!” I yelped, shocked by the sudden blow, “What was that for?” I held my aching temple with one hand as I turned my full attention to the unicorn at my left side, halfway expecting another strike from the furious expression on her face.

“That was for making us worry about you when you did something stupid for no good reason.” She replied, “We only knew you were here because Swift Blade came by to tell us on the way to drop you off in the emergency room.” She wound up to hit me again, but Bon-Bon stopped her with a raised hoof.

“I think she gets it, Lyra. You don’t need to make her concussion any worse.” She rounded on me as I let out a sigh of relief, “Don’t think that means you’re off the hook. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, starting with why exactly you were at a fort getting you flank pounded in by four of the most powerful officers in the Equestrian military.”

I growled under my breath as I tried my best to not climb out of the bed and go kick Swift’s plot for blabbing to my herdmates about my little skirmish with the commanders. Adding them to my already growing problems was not what I needed right now.

“Well, the thing is girls,” I said slowly, hoping they would buy my deflection, “I can’t exactly say why I’m working with the Equestrian military, other than I’m acting as a consultant to help modernize your tactics and weaponry as a favor to the princesses. Other than that, I’m sworn to secrecy by Princess Celestia, so I can’t tell you anything else.”

Neither mare seemed amused by my lack of detail, although Bon-Bon seemed more irritated than her marefriend for some strange reason. However, my thoughts were redirected back to Lyra as she leaned forward to stare into my eyes.

“So, the princesses have sworn you to secrecy, eh?” I nodded, hoping that she wasn’t about to hit me again. She held my gaze for a moment or two before letting out a gusty sigh and pulling back, “Just great, we finally find somepony who can fit well with us as a herd and she’s part of some top-secret government conspiracy.” She flopped onto her side and growled, meeting my gaze from her lopsided angle as she asked, “Just answer this one thing for me, are you going to be gone for long periods of time while doing whatever it is you need to do for the princesses?”

I shook my head, “Not that I know of. As far as I’m aware my only responsibilities are to teach the troops at Fort Reinwright during the weekdays. Other than that, I should be here in Ponyville during the afternoons and weekends with no issue.”

Lyra’s hard expression softened as she sat up, a look of relief on her face as she smiled, “Well that’s a relief, I was worried we’d have to let you go if you couldn’t be a part of our herd anymore.” She leaned close and pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss, “Glad to hear you can still be a part of our little club.”

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my own lips as she pulled back and sat down on my stomach, “I wasn’t planning on leaving our herd last time I checked. I just have things I need to do in order to earn my keep. Where did you think I was getting the money to take you on our date tonight?”

The two mares shared an uncertain look, and I picked up on their darkened moods as I glanced at the clock next to the bed. It read a solid nine thirty in the morning, and I realized I had been unconscious for at least several hours.

I slapped my hand over my eyes as I groaned, “I missed our date, didn’t I?”

Bon-Bon rested her hoof over my other hand as her expression took on an understanding light, “We know it’s not really your fault, although getting into a fight with some of the most powerful ponies around might not have been the best idea.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added, “how exactly did you end up in a fight with those four anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be answering to them for orders or something?”

I nodded, “Technically that’s true, although I wasn’t doing it to beat them per say.” I glanced at the wall as the memories started coming back, doing my best to ignore the burning of shame in my cheeks as I spoke, “I was sick and tired of the grunts giving my shit about being a girl and not being able to supposedly give competent orders. I was given a lot of grief in basic training back when I was going through Ranger School, and having those stallions objectifying me like some kind of prize dragged a lot of those memories back to the surface.”

Both mares growled as the fur over their shoulders fluffed like a cat, “Those idiotic, senseless, ignorant,” Bon-Bon couldn’t even continue before Lyra finished for her.

“The word you’re looking for is plot-holes.” The unicorn was far from pleased, if the murderous light in her eyes was any indication, although I was glad it wasn’t directed at me.

I placed my hands on their shoulders, rubbing in slow circles in an attempt to calm them down. It seemed to work, given both started to hum in appreciation as my fingers worked out the knots I could feel under their fur. For a moment I thought they might roll over and let me rub their stomachs like a pair of dogs, although my suspicions were smashed into tiny pieces when Lyra pulled back and pressed my hand into the sheets.

“Wait a minute,” I grinned as I felt and heard her ragged breathing against my stomach, my hand pausing its work on Bon-Bon as the earth pony separated herself from my grip as well, “I know you need to rest, but I need to get a straight answer from you about one more thing. Why exactly were you fighting the commanders if the grunts were the ones who were giving you grief?”

I let my hands rest on the bed as I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling, “Because I thought beating the commanders in a duel might earn me some respect with the basic rank and file instead of having to bark at them like I did with that one stallion. I was hoping to beat them into a pulp and then demand respect from the grunts, although given my current location I can guess it didn’t go exactly all that well.”

Lyra snorted, leaning in to peck me on the lips again as she grinned, “From what Swift told us, you beat three of them before fighting the fourth to a near standstill. I’d say you did pretty good for taking on some of the most powerful ponies in Equestria.”

I placed my hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a longer kiss before letting her go, smiling at the blush that had taken residence on her cheeks, “Well pretty good isn’t good enough, at least from my point of view. But thanks for saying so anyway.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes before leaning into a kiss of her own, her tongue teasing my lips for a moment before I opened up to allow her access. Her tongue forced its way into my mouth and battled with my own for a moment or two in a heated exchange, leaving us both out of breath and with burning cheeks as she pulled away.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that since we parted ways.” She managed to gasp out, “We’ve both missed you terribly the whole time you’ve been working out your feelings.” She glanced over at Lyra, who was grinning like an idiot, “Lyra and I want you back in the herd, completely and permanently. We realize that mistakes were made by all of us, but we want you to know that we understand your feelings and know that you’re doing your best to make up for your part of things. We don’t care about the missed date, at least not right now, because we were too worried about you getting hurt to care about it.”

She leaned in and gripped me in another hug, although it was softer than the first. Lyra joined in a second later, and I realized that I had to be the luckiest girl in the world to have such understanding herdmates. They were willing to overlook my idiotic choices and mistakes because they cared about me enough to work past them. Now I really felt terrible for missing our date, and I knew just how to make it up to them.

“Listen girls,” I said softly as I held them with an arm over each of their haunches, “I hope it’s not too much to ask, but could we have a do-over on that date? I really was looking forward to taking you two out on the town as an apology for my idiotic actions before, so would you be willing to go out with me once I get discharged?”

Both mares pulled back and nodded, pressing their lips to my cheeks in a double kiss before taking turns kissing me on my mouth.

“We’d be honored,” Bon-Bon said softly as she sat back and rested her hooves on my stomach, “at least once you get out of here and find something to wear.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added as she stood and shifted her entire body onto mine, resting her chin between my breasts as she nuzzled against my chin, “I like seeing you dress up for us. It makes you look even better than when you wear your usual clothing.”

I could feel a blush coming over my cheeks again as I averted my gaze, “Well now you just had to go and say something like that. Now I feel like I have to dress up for you girls.” I glanced at them with a grin to let them know I was joking, although it was secretly very glad I had Rarity make my dress before I went to the fort. Now I didn’t have to worry about getting something done at the last minute. “I think I have something that you’ll like, although it’s going to be a surprise for when I pick you up for our dinner. I have this place in mind that I’m pretty sure you’ve never gone to, and I want to see your faces when we get there.”

The girls shared a look of glee before turning back to me, “When will you come to pick us up for the date?” Lyra asked.

“How does seven sound?” I replied, hoping that things would work out to let me make that deadline.

Bon-Bon nodded, “That sounds fine. From what the nurse said you should be cleared to go once they make sure you aren’t in any further danger from your head injury. You really got the stuffing kicked out of you when that stallion hit you in the head.”

I rubbed the bandage that I just realized was wrapped around my head with one hand, “Well he was a pretty good fighter for being an earth pony. I’ll never underestimate Swift again after seeing what that old coot could do.”

Bon-Bon chuckled as she nuzzled against my nose, “Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe next time you won’t underestimate your opponent because of his tribe.”

I nodded in agreement, although I noticed that something was a bit off about how my herdmates were acting, “You girls are acting oddly cuddly right now, are you sure you aren’t in your heat anymore?”

Lyra giggled as Bon-Bon nodded in return, “Yes, I’m sure. We just haven’t done anything with each other because of you being off on your own. You could say we’re a bit heated now that you’re finally going to be a part of our herd once again and the thought of those amazing fingers of yours has us a bit excited.”

I smirked as I worked my hands over the curve of their flanks and under their tails, causing both mares to gasp as their tails flagged in reflex. “A bit excited, eh? Looks to me like you two haven’t had a good roll in the hay since that night we spent together.”

I kept my fingers away from their heated cores, even though I could tell they both certainly wanted me to continue. Instead, I rubbed my fingers deep into the tissue of their rears and molded the firm flesh in my grip as a means of apology for not pressing the issue like they wanted.

Bon-Bon let out a frustrated growl as she worked her flanks deeper into my hand, Lyra following similar actions as she spoke, “Oh buck me that is making me so want to jump you right now.” Both mares opened their eyes as I removed my hands from their bodies, their gazes lidded and their lips curled into matching grins. “Oh, you are so going to get it once we get you back home.”

Any further actions of the carnal variety were interrupted as the door opened, revealing the familiar form of Nurse Redheart with a clipboard in her grip. She walked into the room without looking up from the chart, only to pause as she sniffed the air twice. Her eyes rose until she spotted both of my herdmates in the bed with me, and she rolled her eyes as she walked up and unceremoniously dumped both mares onto the floor.

“No roughhousing with the patient until she’s been cleared of any lasting injuries,” the irate nurse stated as she pinned Lyra and Bon-Bon in place with a firm glare. “Any actions that don’t follow hospital guidelines will result in the both of you getting kicked out for the duration of Ms. Lovegood’s stay. Am I making myself clear?”

Both mares blushed as they tucked their tails between their hind legs and nodded, “Yes ma’am.” They chorused.

Redheart nodded in return and turned to face me as she placed the clipboard on the peg that was sticking out of the wall on my left. She moved up and placed her front half on the bed so she could reach me, taking my vitals much like she had in my first visit. As she conducted her tests I detected a distinct level of jealousy coming from Lyra and Bon-Bon as the white mare placed her ear between my breasts to listen to my heart and lungs.

“Well, you seem to be doing fine all things considered,” Redheart muttered as she pulled back and made a note on my chart. “Once I have Dr. Tenderhoof look at your head we should be done here.” She fixed me with a withering glare as I sat back against the wall, “Just try not to get beaten into a pulp for at least a week or I just might put something nasty in your food the next time you have to stay for an extended time.”

I lifted one eyebrow in an inquisitive manner, “And what would you put in my food that wouldn’t get you in trouble for harassing a patient?”

She winked with a dark gleam in her eyes, “Oh you’d be surprised how stress can cause a patient to lose control of their facilities, such as, oh, I don’t know,” her lips curled into a devious smile as she leaned in and whispered in my ear, “their bowel muscles.”

My eyes widened as I imagined having to deal with laxatives lacing everything I ate next time I ended up in the hospital. I’d been tricked into eating the gum in MRE’s one time and ended up sitting in the bathroom for the next three hours while my guts tried their best to vacate my body. Not an experience I was looking to repeat, although it would be ten times worse if Redheart was lacing my food with it for every meal.

I nodded nervously as she pulled back and looked me in the eye, “I understand. I’ll do my best not to end up in your care for a good while. No promises if someone pisses me off, though.”

Redheart rolled her eyes but relented as she climbed off the bed and made another note on my chart, “Fair enough I guess, much as I loath conflict between ponies, I know with a personality like yours something is bound to happen sooner or later. Just try not to get your skull caved in or break half your ribs next time we see each other, alright?”

I smiled as she walked back to the door, brushing past Lyra and Bon-Bon without looking at either of them, “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Nurse.”

Redheart nodded over her shoulder as she opened the door, “Dr. Tenderhoof will be here in a minute,” she cast a withering glare over the other mares as she paused in the doorway, “try to control yourselves until he arrives, please.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon hung their heads, their ears folding against their heads sheepishly as they returned Redheart’s gaze with hesitant grins. Redheart stayed in that position for a moment more before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her as my herdmates let out shared sighs of relief.

“I don’t know about you,” Lyra said softly as she walked up and climbed onto the chair next to the bed, “but that mare scares me.”

Bon-Bon shivered in agreement as she sat down next to Lyra and rested her hooves on the bedside, “She’s under a lot of stress because of her job. I can only imagine what she must go through seeing injured ponies all the time. I would think seeing a returning patient would be painful for her because of what she does for a living and the work she puts into making them feel better.”

I rested my head against the headboard as my body relaxed into the mattress, “Well she must be under a lot of pressure, given she has to deal with ponies like Rainbow Dash on a fairly regular basis. It must drive her to her wit’s end trying to keep up with that mare alone, not to mention all the other patients she has to take care of on a more scattered schedule.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon agreed, stepping to the side as the door swung open to reveal the light brown form of Dr. Tenderhoof. The unicorn smiled as he walked in, nodding to Lyra and Bon-Bon as he stepped up to the bedside.

“Seems you have a pension for trouble, Ms. Lovegood,” he said with a hint of mirth in his voice, “It was only a few months ago we were saving your life after you crashed into the Princess’s castle. Now here you are again getting you head cracked in by a commanding officer of the military.” He ignited his horn and scanned my head with a thin beam of magic, continuing with his monologue as he performed his spell, “One would think you liked getting hurt if this pattern keeps going as it is.”

I couldn’t keep my grin hidden as his magic finished moving through my head, “Well I guess I just have a thing for pretty nurses,” I ignored the indignant intake of breath coming from my herdmates, getting a little kick from riling them up, “then again, Redheart is a bit too much of a stick in the mud for my tastes.”

Tenderhoof either ignored or decided not to comment on my opinion of his coworker, stepping back so he could go over my chart before turning back to me, “Well Ms. Lovegood, the good news is that you aren’t going to suffer any permanent damage to your brain or any other parts of you body, although the concussion you sustained is going to limit what kind of activity you can do for the next week or so. I am going to have you refrain from any contact sports or hard impact activities for the next ten days so that your head can heal properly, but other than that, you are free to go.” He glanced over his shoulder at Lyra and Bon-Bon, “Please see to it that she follows my instructions, we don’t want to have Ms. Lovegood returning with brain damage added to her record because of her own recklessness.”

Lyra snapped a sarcastic salute while Bon-Bon simply nodded, “We’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything too strenuous, doctor.”

Tenderhoof grunted in agreement before turning to the door, “See the receptionist at the front when you leave, she has some paperwork for you to sign before you go.”

With that we were left alone in the room, giving me time to climb out of the bed and pull my clothing off of the bedside table while Lyra and Bon-Bon talked about something near the door. I slipped into my jeans and T-shirt before turning around, although I was taken aback when I saw that both mares were staring at me.

“What?”I asked, glancing down at myself, “Is there something on my shirt?”

Lyra shook her head, “No, it’s just we’ve never seen you get dressed before. It’s kind of hot for some reason.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion as Bon-Bon clarified for her marefriend, “What Lyra is trying to say, is that it’s common for stallions to put on things like chaps when they want to show off their availability to interested mares. That and,” her cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze, “there are other pieces of clothing that are commonly used in the bedroom to entice either partner when things get heated. It’s not any fault of yours, but your undergarments look a lot like the clothing warn by mares in bed, so you can understand why it might make us a bit heated seeing you put them on in front of us.”

I could feel my own cheeks flushing as I realized I had essentially done a reverse strip tease for my herdmates, although a large part of me was actually okay with knowing how I affected them. It made me feel like I was appreciated for my body instead of being an object for the boys back home.I walked past them, rubbing their ears with my fingers before opening the door so we could get out of the hospital.

“Shall we go?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at them.

Both mares fell in on either side of me, rubbing their flanks against my legs as we walked through the hallways and into the main entrance. All and all it wasn’t so bad to do the paperwork, although the bill was a bit larger than I was expecting, leaving me feeling a bit light on bits after I had to pay the charges. I hoped I still had enough on me to pay for the meal tonight, or else I’d have to go and pull some of my savings from the bank to make sure I had enough to foot the bill.

I was just turning around to lead Lyra and Bon-Bon out of the hospital when I spotted Swift leaning against the doorway. The earth pony was flanked by none other than Princess Celestia and Twilight, both of which looked less than pleased with me. Most of the ponies in the waiting room had already hit the deck at the entrance of the two royals, although I declined to bow because of the level gaze Celestia had locked onto me.

The solar alicorn stepped into the waiting room, Swift and Twilight flanking the larger pony as she walked up to me. She came to a stop before me as Lyra and Bon-Bon watched from their bowed positions, their eyes wide in wonder as their diarch looked me up and down.

“I take it there were no lasting injuries from your duel with the commanders?” Celestia’s tone was cool and lacked the normal motherly warmth that she seemed to have in spades for her subjects. Lyra and Bon-Bon seemed to pick up on this, along with Swift and Twilight, causing everypony present to take a step back as Celestia’s gaze hardened.

I nodded, doing my best to stand up under her scrutiny, “Just a minor head case. Doc says I can’t do any strenuous physical activity for ten days. Other than that, I’m fine.”

Celestia nodded, “Very good. It is nice to know that there won’t be any lingering effects from your little stunt. However,” her gaze smoldered as she lowered her head to stare directly into my own eyes, “any further acts of insubordination will not be condoned or tolerated. You are a part of the Equestrian military and must follow the chain of command just like everypony else. Do not let your special position delude you into thinking you are above your commanders. We are here to protect the common pony, and we cannot do that if we are constantly fighting amongst ourselves. Am I making myself clear?”

I snapped into a salute, “Crystal, ma’am.”

Celestia nodded, turning to face Lyra and Bon-Bon as her gaze softened back to the motherly light she was known for, “And these are your herdmates that Twilight spoke about, are they not?” Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded, their gazes uncertain for a moment before Celestia lowered her head to their level, “It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am happy to see that Sarah has found ponies that care for her in that way. Ah,” her eyes lit up as she turned her full attention to Lyra, “I recognize you. You were one of my students at the School for Gifted Unicorns, were you not?”

Lyra seemed a bit flustered by the direct attention of Celestia, although she managed to reply without stuttering, “Um, yes Your Highness, I was in the same class as Twilight. We grew up together in Canterlot before I moved to Ponyville.”

Celestia’s smile widened as she lifted her head back to its normal level, “Well then I am doubly pleased to meet you both. For a unicorn of your talent to have found love in not one but two beings, you must truly be a very lucky mare to have found something so precious.”

Lyra’s cheeks flushed a dark red as she averted her gaze and rubbed her mane with a hoof, “Oh I’m nothing special, I just ran into Bonnie in the market one day and we sort of clicked. Nothing real romantic about it.”

Bon-Bon smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled Lyra on the side of her neck, “Well I like you just as you are, crazy ideas and all.” She turned to face Celestia and bowed her head, “If you would please excuse us, Princess, I think Lyra and I have some things to take care of before Sarah takes us on our date.”

Celestia’s gaze flickered to me for a moment with a raised eyebrow before turning back to the duo, “Well then don’t let me keep you. Please, take care of your errands and I wish you the best this evening.”

Bon-Bon and Lyra glanced at me with matching grins, Bon-Bon replying as she and Lyra walked towards the doors, “I plan on it, Your Highness. Good day.”

With that, the general sense of tension in the room left, leaving the hospital staff to work through the patients as usual while Swift and Twilight stepped back up to flank Celestia. Said mare turned to face me with a raised eyebrow as she smirked.

“It would seem you have been busy in the time we have been apart, Sarah.” She said with a hint of mirth as she fluffed her wings, “Two herdmates to your name and a dinner date this evening to top it off. You must be either very lucky or the most skilled romantic I have ever met.”

Swift stepped up and rolled her eyes as she stood between Celestia and I, “Not really, she just happens to have some good looks and a silver tongue to match. Not really romance when the mares flock to you like birds going after seed.”

I gently cuffed the mare over the back of her head, although I softened the blow with an ear rub as I turned to give Celestia an apologetic smile, “Pay no attention to her, she’s just jealous that I have someone in my love life and she doesn’t.”

Swift sputtered for a moment while Celestia hid a giggle behind a hoof, although I noticed the longing that was glistening in Twilight’s eyes as she averted her gaze. I had a feeling that I was going to have to address the lavender mare’s feelings at some point, but without knowing how relationships worked on a fine level in this world, I felt it would be best to bring it up at my date so I could ask Lyra and Bon-Bon about it. Better that than to make some huge mistake and shatter the poor girl’s heart.

Celestia seemed to also notice her former student’s mood, although she didn’t make a comment about it as she turned to face me once again, “Well, I guess that is all that needs to be said on the matter. I leave you in Swift Blade’s capable hooves, and wish you luck on your date this evening.”

I nodded my respects as the solar diarch made her exit, glancing down as I realized my hand was still rubbing over Swift’s ears, making the normally stoic mare hum in pleasure as she leaned into my touch.

I removed my hand and smirked as she leaned into the open air between us for a split second before coming back to her senses. She glanced up at me with a glare, only to realize what I was smirking about. She blushed hotly as she averted her gaze and grumbled under her breath about my ‘Celestia-damned fingers’. I decided to let her little comment slide as I walked over to the doors of the hospital, allowing the two mares to walk through before me before joining them on the main street. It was just coming into the noon hour from the angle of the sun, and I knew I had to get my things in order for my date with the girls that afternoon, so I set a quick pace back to the castle so I could get ready in time.

Swift followed me up to my room as Twilight went off to do her own thing in some other part of the castle, and I ruffled through my closet for a moment to find the dress I had commissioned Rarity to make for the occasion. It was a deep satin red with long bell-bottom sleeves and a shorter hem that came to a stop just above my shins. Swift was kind enough to turn her head as I slipped the dress over my head and then rolled the matching stockings up my legs. The smooth fabric did wonders to keep my fake leg hidden from direct view, although the little slippers that Rarity had spent painstaking hours working on were a little thin to be walking on Ponyville’s dirt roads. They wouldn’t stop a rock from poking me in the foot if I happened to step wrong, so I seriously contemplated wearing my shoes instead. However, the idea of coming to a dinner date in sneakers was not very appealing to me, so I slid the slippers over my feet anyway before turning to face Swift.

“So, how do I look?” I asked her as I smoothed out the hem of the dress with my hands.

She looked up and grinned as her gaze roamed over my body, “Like a million bits.” She walked around me in a slow circle before smirking as she came around behind me, “The way the fabric hugs your flanks leaves very little to the imagination. Are you sure you’re just going to a dinner date dressed like that?”

I rolled my eyes as I tugged the fabric to make it lay a little further off my ass, “Yes I’m sure it’s just a dinner date, although now that you mention it, I should probably talk with Lyra and Bon-Bon about setting up boundaries concerning our more, ah, intimate relations.”

“You mean you need to come up with ways to stop them if they try and jump your curvy plot.” Swift translated. “Not a bad idea, although you might want to leave some openings or else you’re going to drive those mares up a wall with your dashing good looks.”

I ruffled her mane with a hand as I walked past her, the earth pony grumbling under her breath as she followed me out and into the castle proper. As usual, she was going to follow me to the restaurant but would remain outside for the duration of the date. Now if I could only find some way to get to and from the girls’ house without drawing too much attention. The streets of Ponyville might have been familiar territory by now, but that didn’t mean I was going to just strut up the main avenue for everypony to stare at on my way to see Lyra and Bon-Bon.

Feeling a little self-conscious, I opened the door to the castle foyer and walked into the afternoon light as ponies went about their daily business. Trying to avoid blushing like a schoolgirl, I held my head high and walked through the main square towards Bon-Bon’s shop. This late in the day the girls should have been finished at the store, although I hoped they were at least going to be ready by the time I got there. If it was one thing the military woman in me hated, it was being late for a mission. Sure this wasn’t a mission in the usual sense of the word, but in my mind things were always the same when it came to being punctual. As the old saying went, ‘fifteen minutes early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable’.

I could feel the eyes of nearly the entire town on me as I made my way to the girls’ house, and I felt my cheeks burning despite my best efforts as several stallions and mares whistled in my direction. Swift made sure they kept their distance, although from the poorly muffled snickering coming from behind me, she was getting an almighty kick out of seeing me turn into a tomato from the neck up.

By the time we arrived at our destination, I could swear the entire town knew what I was doing, and it was only made worse by the rumors I could already hear making their circulation behind us as ponies started commenting about me to each other.

I knocked on the door to the girls’ house and stepped back, trying my best to ignore the sound of cameras clicking behind us and the muttered comments about my state of dress. Lyra was the one to answer the door, although as her eyes landed on me her jaw dropped and her eyes shrank into pinpricks.

“S-Sarah?” She stuttered as she looked me up and down, “What are you wearing?”

I glanced down at my dress and suddenly felt far overdressed for a little dinner date, “Is it too much? I wasn’t really sure what to wear so I had Rarity throw something together for me.”

Lyra worked over her surprise and beamed a wide smile my way, “Not at all! You look great! One minute, I’ll go get Bonnie and we can get ready while you wait in the living room.”

She darted up the steps of the house and I could hear her talking rapidly with Bon-Bon as I turned to glance at Swift. The guard pony shrugged before gesturing to the open door with a hoof. I nodded in silent agreement and walked into the house, closing the door behind us as I took a seat in one of the armchairs. The living room looked much like it had the last time, although there were now pictures of me resting on the walls in several places, although I didn’t remember ever having my picture taken while I was doing my training with Swift.

Apparently Swift had noticed the pictures as well, because she walked over and inspected one of me and her trading blows with our swords that hung on the wall near the fireplace. Her expression was one of intense interest, although the mystery of the pictures was left as such as we heard hoofsteps on the stairs coming down from the second floor.

I turned around and watched as Lyra and Bon-Bon walked down the steps, although my jaw dropped as I saw what they were wearing. Lyra was decked out in a smooth gold dress that hugged her frame like a second coat of fur, leaving her shoulders bare as a set of matching stockings covered her forehooves and a silver set of shoes covered each hoof. Her mane was done up in an elegant bun with golden pins in the shape of lyres holding the silver locks in place. A single lock of her mane hung down next to her left eye as she turned to face me, her lips curled into a smile as she did a little twirl for us. Bon-Bon was dressed up in a similar outfit, although instead of gold, her dress was a dark navy blue with rose pink trim along the leading hem and over her back. A saddle-like accessory rested over her back with the same pink trim around the edge while the main body was a soft cream the same color as her coat.Her mane was in its signature curls, although she had done them up into a duo of braids that rested over each of her shoulders while the curls of her bangs had been swept to one side to partly hide her right eye from view. All and all, they were downright stunning, and any thoughts of being overdressed quickly left my mind.

“Well,” Lyra said as she walked up to me and hopped up to rest her front hooves on m shoulders, “how do we look?”

I did the only thing I could think of with her in that position. I reached around behind her and rested one hand on her haunches while the other pulled her head into a heated kiss between us. She hummed in pleasure as her lips pressed against mine, and I pulled back only after taking a moment to trade a little tongue with her.

I panted softly as I grinned like an idiot, “You look absolutely stunning. I only hope we don’t give the town a collective nosebleed when we walk over to the restaurant.”

Bon-Bon laughed as Lyra leaned in to nuzzle my neck with her lips and cheek, “If that were the case then we’d just have to have your beautiful bodyguard drive them off with her sword while we made our grand escape.”

Swift rolled her eyes but grinned none the less, “Yeah, yeah, just don’t make too big a scene or I might just leave you three on your own to go get smashed at Berry’s bar while you get mobbed.”

I set Lyra down again and ruffled Swift’s mane, much to her annoyance, before turning to the girls, “Well, the night is still young, and I’m starving after being locked up in the hospital since yesterday. What do you girls say to heading out and enjoying ourselves?”

Both mares nodded in agreement and followed me as I held the front door open for them, although I had to hide my laughter as the duo was assaulted by a group of ponies that were openly staring as I led our little group down the road. Swift ran interference as reporters from the local newspaper tried to get pictures of us, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Lyra and Bon-Bon had hired one of those ponies to get pictures of me for their own use. It would explain how those framed photos ended up on their wall without my knowing.

The restaurant that I had selected for our little outing tonight was a little place downtown called Shirubafeza, or Shiru’s as the locals had come to call it, that seemed like a direct reference to Japanese culture back home. However, instead of short Asiatic humans running the joint, it was owned by a family of pegasi that had moved from their native land of Neighpan, ugh, the puns in this world were getting worse by the day, to come and live in a more culturally diverse country. Given the similarities to the food we had back on Earth, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect, with some variation for the more vegetarian diet of the ponies.Apparently pegasi could eat fish, especially if there was little to eat in the way of greens, as it seemed to be for this Neighpan country, so I knew that meat wasn’t going to be an issue. Although, last time I ordered something more human from the menu I nearly made my dates sick, so I wasn’t sure doing so was a good idea this time around.

Lyra and Bon-Bon looked on with wide eyes as I led them into the front doors of Shiru’s, their heads spinning on a swivel as they took in the bamboo and paper decorations leading into the main floor. The pony who met us at the entrance was a pegasus with bright blue fur and a mint green mane, although his striking brown eyes captured our attention as he walked up and bowed while flaring his wings wide. Slightly taken aback, I bowed with my hands spread to my sides, Lyra and Bon-Bon following suite as Swift nodded to the stallion.

“Welcome to Shirubafeza,” he said with a high and tinny voice, “where the best tastes of Neighpan are presented in the most appetizing and aesthetically pleasing way.” He stood up from his bow and nodded to his left, “Please, allow me to show you ladies to your seats.”

I nodded to Swift as she walked back out and took up post on the side of the door, leaving me with the girls as the waiter led us to a set of seats off to one side of the main floor. I noticed that only a pair of pegasi were currently in attendance on the other side of the restaurant, too engrossed in each other’s eyes to notice us as we walked by and took up station on the far wall.

The stallion pulled a trio of menus from under his wing as I pulled out the seats for Lyra and Bon-Bon, placing them before us as I took my own seat with a soft smile on his lips. “Let me know if you require anything to drink before you place your orders, and I will get them for you immediately.”

Bon-Bon glanced at the menu while Lyra looked around at the décor, “I’ll have a cup of your best tea if that would be alright.” She glanced at the still distracted unicorn with a bemused expression, “What would you like Lyra?”

“Huh?” Lyra jumped before noticing the expectant look the waiter was giving her, “Oh, I would just like some water please.”

“Make that two.” I added as I raised one of my hands to get the pegasus’ attention.

He nodded, “A ginseng tea with two waters, coming right up.”

As he made his exit, both mares turned to look at me with expectant eyes, although I had no idea what it was they wanted.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, “Do I have something on my face?”

“We want to know what you’re going to order.” Lyra aid simply as she tapped my menu with a hoof, “We’ve never been here before, so we want to know what you think is good.”

“Well,” I paused, taking a moment to look over the menu to make sure I knew what I was getting into. From what I could see, the majority of the dishes were things I was familiar with, although there were a couple that I assumed were for pony tastes due to the more flowery ingredients in them, “from what I can see, the noodles would be a good thing to start with, although you might not like the toppings. Some of the dishes have crab and other seafood on top of them as extra, so you could stick to the salads. They’re different from the usual salads you’d get from a hayburger joint or one of the Prench places, so you might find them new and interesting. As for me, I’m going to have some of the sushi.”

“What’s sushi?” Lyra asked, though from the sound of her voice she knew it might be something more carnivorous in taste.

“Fish cut into little pieces and wrapped up with vegies and rice inside a roll of seaweed.” I replied.

Bon-Bon looked slightly green, although Lyra seemed more interested instead of being grossed out, “So is that stuff good tasting?”

I shrugged, “It all depends on your tastes. I’ve seen people love sushi and I’ve seen people hate it from the very first bite. I guess you’ll just have to try it for yourself to see.”

We had only a moment to look over our menus after that before the waiter came back, his wings supporting a platter with our drinks resting on the wooden disc. He placed them in front of us and folded the platter under his left wing before turning back to face us.

“Do you ladies know what you want to eat this evening?” His voice was a hint faster, although I passed it off as nerves as he glanced at me out of the corner of this eyes. From the way his gaze kept bouncing over my chest, I had a feeling this was the first time he’s seen anything like breasts, so I did him a favor and crossed my arms over my chest to hide them from view.

Lyra waved it over to Bon-Bon while she flipped through the menu, leaving the earth pony to fend for herself as she read through the selection, “I think I’ll have the miso soup with a side salad and an appetizer of egg rolls.”

He nodded as he wrote down her selection on a notepad with a quill. Lyra glanced at me and I took that as my cue to order, so I took a quick glance at the sushi before speaking, “I’ll take an order of the salmon and tuna sushi platter with a side of white rice please.”

Lyra didn’t even hesitate before adding in, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

The waiter nodded again, “Two orders of the platter with sides of white rice.” He flipped the notebook closed and smiled to us, “Your order should be ready in about fifteen minutes. Please feel free to peruse our desert menu while you wait.”

With that he flipped around and walked back into what I assumed was the kitchen, leaving us on our own as I turned to face Lyra with a confused expression.

“You know very well that I ordered fish for dinner,” I stated in a blank tone, “why did you get that when you nearly got sick the last time you ate meat?”

“Because you are a part of this herd and I’m not going to make you feel like you need to change yourself in order to fit in with us. So, either you have to give up meat, which I know you can’t, or we learn to adjust so we don’t get sick around it.” She sent a wide grin my way as she flipped the menu closed with a click, “I figured the best way to get over my unease was to face it head on and eat meat myself.”

Bon-Bon looked a bit green around the gills as she placed her menu down on the table before her, “If you two are going to be eating meat then I might as well forget having dinner. I don’t know how you can stomach the idea of eating something that used to be alive.”

“You know that fish aren’t sentient, Bonnie.” I stated plainly, “so it’s not like we’re eating something that can think for itself or reason with people. What’s got you so bent out of shape when it’s just fish?”

She turned away and held a hoof to her mouth as her cheeks puffed out, “Let’s just say I had a bad encounter with a gryphon couple in my youth and ended up eating something I wasn’t supposed to. I’ve never been able to look at pot stew the same way since I accidentally ate beef bits while my family was having dinner with our new neighbors.” She shivered as she turned away and walked towards the bathroom, “I’ll be back in a minute, I just need to get some cold water for my face.”

Lyra and I shared an uncertain look as the obviously green mare walked around the corner and out of sight, leaving the both of us feeling a little worse for wear.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Lyra asked, glancing after her herdmate with a worried expression.

“I think she’ll get over it eventually, although now I think I understand why she feels ill whenever I eat meat.” I replied.

Lyra nodded, “Yeah, I never knew she had such a bad experience with food before. It must have really scared her to think she was eating something that could have very well been her neighbor before ending up in her stew. I know gryphons don’t have sentient animals in their land, so they can use them for food without the same problems we have, but at that young of an age she probably wouldn’t have understood that.”

I hummed in agreement, “Yeah, guess we know not to have meat dishes around her if we want her to keep her lunch where it belongs.”

Lyra giggled, although it was a rather hollow sound in the empty restaurant, “I guess we can just enjoy our food while she gets to stick with the vegie dishes. I’m sure she can get over it if she sees we’re not eating something that was once a sentient creature.”

“I don’t know. That kind of mental scaring can really effect a person, although I think if she gets used to seeing us eating it, then it might at least stop making her sick to her stomach.”

Bon-Bon returned a moment later with the waiter right behind her, his wings loaded down with a set of even bigger platters and a folding stand held in one hoof. As he set our plates before us I was hit right in the nose with one of the most appetizing smells I had ever experienced, although the scent was different than anything I had smelled before, so I wasn’t really sure how exactly it seemed so appealing. The food looked amazing in its presentation, even going so far as to bring back memories from my time stationed in the Imperial Islands from the way the food was organized on the elegantly designed china. The meat looked like it had been cooked to perfection, while the seaweed wrap was firm and crisp to the touch.

I glanced over at Lyra, who was inspecting her own food like it was some kind of science experiment, while Bon-Bon was simply sipping the liquid from her miso soup while the rest of it cooled to a more edible temperature. Finally, I couldn’t deny my growling stomach any longer and tucked into the first of the rolls. The salmon bits were soft and flavorful while the vegies were fresh and crunchy between my teeth. All and all it was some of the best sushi I had ever had, and that was comparing to the usual fare from Japan back home.

Emboldened by my own actions, Lyra picked up one of the tuna rolls in her magic and sniffed it once before popping it into her mouth. For a moment she chewed it back and forth, her face scrunching up in thought before swallowing.

“Hey,” she exclaimed in awe, “that wasn’t that bad.”

She popped a salmon roll in her mouth next and hummed as she closed her eyes in enjoyment. Bon-Bon was looking at her marefriend like she had grown a second head, although the unicorn was too engrossed in her food to notice. I smiled as Lyra devoured more and more of her food, completely forgetting about her rice as she demolished her sushi. All and all I was glad she was enjoying her food as much as I was, if not more, although the look Bon-Bon was sending her way was making me worry a bit. I hoped we weren’t ruining her appetite with all the meat we were consuming in front of her. However, it seemed to be a moot point as she snorted in contempt before going back to sipping her soup.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad we had moved past that little hurdle. Now if we could get through the rest of dinner without something going, nope, not even going to finish that thought inside my head. I am not tempting fate by saying that fabled line, given how much like a cartoon world this planet seemed to function.

While Bon-Bon and Lyra worked through their food, I nibbled on some of my rice, trying to come up with a tactful way of starting the topic I had in mind. Although, given my herdmates’ personalities, I could very well just spit it out and they might not mind.

“Hey girls,” I said with some hesitation, “got an important thing that I want to talk with you about.”

Lyra paused with a roll halfway in her mouth, her eyes locked with mine as she set the sushi back on her plate and turned her full attention to me. Bon-Bon did the same as she lifted her head up from her soup and tilted her head to one side.

“We’re listening Sarah.” Bon-Bon said as she cast a quick glance Lyra’s way, “What’s on your mind?”

“Well,” I hesitated again, not really sure how to begin, “I guess the best way to put it is that I think we need to talk about how this whole mess started. I know you girls weren’t taking advantage of me like I thought you were, but part of the problem was caused by us not communicating between each other about what was happening to the other members of our herd. So, I guess the simplest way to put this, is that we need to set up boundaries so that we can’t simply jump each other if one of us is in the mood.”

Both mares looked between each other with a confused expression before turning back to me, “What exactly are you talking about?” Lyra asked, “It sounds like you’re telling us you don’t want to have sex, like at all.”

I shook my head, “Not even close. I just want to put up limits so that way we can be certain all of us are on board with doing something like that so that way none of us get the wrong idea. Like, say I wanted to have some fun with you girls but one of you isn’t in the mood. We would have some kind of signal or code so that way everyone is on the same page.” I ducked my head as my cheeks began to heat up, “I just don’t want a misunderstanding like last time to happen again.”

Bon-Bon placed a hoof over my hand as she smiled, “Then all you need to do is ask us if we’re in the mood. We’ll do the same for you and respect your decision if you’re not feeling up to it. We understand that you were confused and hurt because Lyra and I were on our heats and that caused all of us undo stress because we didn’t communicate that to you.”

“And for that we’re sorry,” Lyra added, “we just wanted to show you how much we cared for you in the best way we could think of. We didn’t even consider what you would think about the whole heat issue until after Vinyl nearly jumped you.”

I shivered at the very mention of the DJ, “Don’t even bring that bit up in the future, please. I don’t think I can ever look at that mare the same way again, at least not if we’re alone in a room together.”

Lyra grinned as she scooted over and wrapped a hoof around my shoulders, “You won’t have to worry about that with us around. Besides, she knows now not to mess with our herdmate unless she wants to get a swift kick in the plot from your trusty bodyguard.”

I chuckled at the idea of Swift delivering a double kick to the backside of anyone who tried to mess with me, although my thought was derailed as I felt Lyra’s lips nuzzling against the base of my jaw. I turned to look at her and noticed that she had her eyes closed and was breathing in deeply as she buried her muzzle in my neck. It was weird, but it actually felt kind of good, especially when her lips planted a soft kiss along the curve of my neck.

“Oh.” I gasped as she slipped into my lap and began kissing up and down the side of my neck, working her mouth along one of the tendons and sending shivers up and down my spine. Bon-Bon was watching with wide eyes, although the blush on her cheeks belied the mortified expression she was sporting.

Not to be outdone, I slipped my own lips over the tip of Lyra’s ear and began to nibble on the tender flesh, causing the minty unicorn to pull off of my neck to let out a breathy moan as she leaned into my touch. I only continued my little treatment for a moment, given our current public presence, although I saved that little trick in the back of my mind for later when we had a more private setting.

Lyra hummed as she opened her eyes and grinned up at me, “You keep doing things like that and I might just jump you anyway once we finish up here.”

I playfully booped her on the tip of her nose, causing her tongue to poke out for a moment as her eyes crossed in an absolutely adorable way. She shook her head and growled playfully at me as she climbed off my lap, flicking me under the chin with her tail as she walked back to her own seat, leaving Bon-Bon a blushing mess as she flipped her gaze from Lyra to me and back.

“You two are incorrigible,” she muttered as she went back to sipping her now cooled soup, although the smile that curled the corner of her lips let us know that she wasn’t being serious.

“Anyway,” I said as I cleared my throat, “there was one other thing I wanted to talk about before we head home. I’ve been noticing Twilight is sending very strong signals that she wants to be a part of this herd, or at least she’s been showing interest in me and would like to join to be closer to us as a whole. I wasn’t sure what to do because I’m still new to the whole herd thing, so I wanted to check with you two before I did anything that might cause a problem.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a surprised look, the unicorn turning to face me as Bon-Bon held a hoof to her chin in thought, “Really? Because we didn’t even know she was interested in joining. What kind of things has she been saying to you?”

I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand as I thought back to some of the conversations I had had with Twilight, “Well, she’s never directly asked me either, although she’s driven home enough hints to sink a battleship. She’s asked me what it’s like to be in a herd, she’s also let other hints drop that she has an interest in me, although she’s never overtly said that either.” I paused as I thought about it further, “I guess it comes down to a gut feeling that she wants to be with me, and by extension you two, in a romantic sense but doesn’t know how to express those interests.”

“Well I don’t really have a problem with it.” Lyra said as she smiled, “Twilight and I were close friends growing up in Canterlot, although we kind of went our separate ways when I moved to Ponyville. If she wants to join our herd then the proper way to do things would be to ask the head mare and her partner, that’s me and Bon-Bon, for permission to join the herd. Because she hasn’t come to either of us to talk about her feelings yet, then technically she hasn’t made a formal declaration of her interest. We understand if she’s been dropping hints, but if she never speaks with us then it’s most likely a crush on you specifically instead of a true wish to join our herd. Does that make sense?”

I nodded, “That’s exactly why I came to talk to you both. I don’t know all of the little nuances that go into something like a herd, so I needed to defer to you for advice so that way I didn’t mess things up because of another miscommunication.” I smiled at Bon-Bon as she seemed to come to a realization, “Something on your mind Bonnie?”

“I just realized that if Princess Twilight came to us with interest to join our herd, we’d be part of the first royal herd in modern history. Princess Cadence is happily married to Prince Shining Armor so the chances of them forming a herd is slim to none, and the very thought of Princess Celestia or Luna forming a herd would probably shake the country to pieces from the shock.” Her eyes widened as her lips curled into a grin, “We could be related to royalty if something like that happens.”

Lyra rolled her eyes as she cuffed her marefriend over the head with one of her hooves, “Get your head out of the clouds, Bonnie. If Twilight wants to join our herd then she needs to do things by the book. I know it’s an exciting idea, but I’m putting my hoof down when it comes to this. My mother asked to join her herd before I was born, so I’m going to ask that we respect the tradition and have Twilight do the same thing for us.”

Bon-Bon nodded, rubbing her head with a hoof as she sent Lyra a pointed glare, “You didn’t have to hit me over the head to make your point, Lyra, although I can see why you would want that. My mother did the same thing with her herd before having me, so I can understand the sentiment.”

“That’s just it though,” I added, “I don’t think Twilight knows how to do all that. She might be well-read, but when it comes to social norms she can be downright clueless. It might be common sense that she needs to ask you two in order to join the herd, but she might not have the confidence in herself to do that if she’s never been in a relationship before.”

“So, what would you suggest?” Bon-Bon asked as she accepted a nuzzle to the cheek from Lyra, “If she doesn’t ask Lyra and I to join the herd what would you have her do instead?”

I shook my head, “I wasn’t planning on having Twilight do anything. I was thinking of having you two ask her to join the herd if she works up the courage to express her feelings to any of us in a definite manner. It wouldn’t have to be much, but it would allow her to build up some of her confidence in order to make a formal request if we let her know that we also have an interest in her.

The girls shared a look of slight surprise, although I was glad they hadn’t immediately shot me down. “It’s not how things are usually done,” Bon-Bon said slowly, “although we technically did the same thing for you, so we can’t really say it isn’t possible to do that for Twilight as well. However, we will need you to at least vouch for her if she expresses a true interest in you and us instead of just dropping hints. If she can do that, then we’ll think about asking her to join the herd, but not a moment before.”

I nodded, “That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks for letting me bounce my ideas off of you so I won’t make any more mistakes. I would rather avoid another issue like what happened with us if I can help it.”

Lyra chuckled as she bit into her last wrap, “No problem, it’s part of what being a herd is all about. If we can’t talk to each other about our problems, then how can we ever get anything done?”

My lips curled into a smile as I finished off the rest of my food, “Then I guess we have a game plan. I’ll keep an ear to the ground for a more concrete confession from Twilight, and we’ll figure out what to do with her if and/or when she makes up her mind.”

The girls nodded, “We’ll also keep an eye out for anything on our end.” Lyra said as she stood up and stretched her back like a cat, “Truthfully I would like the idea of having Twilight in our herd, although she needs to grow a bit of a backbone and ask us already if she’s sending out signals as hard as you were implying.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes but smiled none the less, “Not likely. Knowing Princess Twilight, she’ll look up a dozen things in a book before she’ll think to ask one of us to join the herd. She’ll come up with some kind of crazy formula for the best way to express her feelings and then try and make some kind chart for the proper steps of a first date.”

I laughed as we walked out of the restaurant, leaving a sizable tip for our waiter as I fished out the necessary bits to pay the bill. “You have no idea how accurate that is. If you lived with the mare you’d know exactly how crazy things can get when she doesn’t know how to handle a problem. She’s been working on a pet project for months now ever since she got the idea from some of my camping gear, and she’s barely had any time to eat or sleep since then.”

The mares giggled as we walked out of the restaurant, taking a moment to breathe in the cool evening air as the sun began to set on the western horizon. Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a knowing look before beckoning me closer with their hooves. I stood on the balls of my feet and crouched down to their level, although I was taken by surprise as they took turns pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. I couldn’t help the goofy grin that formed on my face as they pulled back, surprising them both as I reach out and rubbed their ears with my hands.

Lyra hummed while Bon-Bon’s tail wagged behind her like a dog, and I leaned in to hug them around their necks before pulling back so I could look them in the eyes, “I’m really happy I met you girls.I haven’t felt this way about someone in years and it’s made living in this crazy world just a little more manageable.”

They smiled as they leaned in to nuzzle my cheeks again, “We feel the same way,” Lyra said in a heated whisper as she nibbled the curve of my jaw again, “you’ve added some spice to our lives that we never knew we were missing, and it’s made us the happiest mares on Equis to have you as part of our herd.”

“Indeed,” Bon-Bon added as she pressed a tender kiss to my other cheek, “you are a wonderful mare and an even better friend, so we have a little surprise for you if and when you decide to join us at our house again.”

I smiled as they pulled back, “I would like that, although I think it would be best if we take a little time to get to know each other before we get heated in the bedroom again.” I glanced behind me and spied Swift standing at the side of the doorway with her gaze firmly planed on the store across the road, “Besides, it’s past Swift’s bedtime, so we need to get back so she can get some sleep.”

“Keep up the wisecracks and I’ll have you running laps till your legs fall off.” The earth pony retorted without looking at us, “just hurry up with the mush so we can go.I’m pretty sure Princess Twilight is expecting us back at the castle at some point before midnight.”

I rolled my eyes at her grumpy behavior, although I had a feeling it was more to do with my recent hospital stay than anything else. I turned back to face my herdmates and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks before standing up, “I’ll see you guys later, alright? Maybe we can go for a walk in the park later this week or have a picnic at the lake.”

“That sounds great.” Bon-Bon said as she turned to leave, “We’ll see you around later, then.Come along Lyra,” she tugged the other mare with one hoof over her shoulders, “we have some chores to do at the house that need to be done before I can open up the shop tomorrow.”

Lyra mouthed out a silent ‘help me’ as Bon-Bon dragged her along the street, leaving me with Swift as the military mare fell out of parade rest and walked up to my side.

“So I take it things went well?” She asked as she watched my herdmates make their exit, “No world-ending crisis to avert and no death threats from your incensed marefriends?”

I rolled my eyes at Swift’s antics, “For your information, it was a very pleasant dinner and we talked about some very important things that you need not concern yourself with.” I sent her a sidelong grin to let her know I wasn’t being nasty, although the stuck out tongue I received in response made me laugh as we walked back towards Twilight’s castle.

Once again, I was acutely aware of how most of the townsfolk were staring at me, although at least this time most of them were sending me knowing winks or friendly waves instead of simply gawking. I managed to get back to the castle without losing my composure, and we closed the main doors behind us as we let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that was certainly an experience that I haven’t had before.” Swift muttered as she led me further into the main hall, “I don’t think I’ve ever been the center of attention for that many ponies at the same time in all my life.” She sent me a glance over her shoulder as she grinned up at me, “Oh course your dress probably had the most attention from the very start. And I mean that in a good way, just in case you were wondering.”

I nodded, “I know, it’s just that I’m not used to having that many people staring at me. I never used to have this kind of attention back home, and that was even factoring in being a woman in the military.”

“Is it not that common for mares to be a part of the armed forces where you come from?” Swift asked, her interest peaked.

I shrugged, “In the general rank and file, not really, but I was a part of a special forces unit, so that skewed the numbers much more into the men’s favor. I was the only woman in an entire company of soldiers and I knew of maybe four or five others that were members of the Corps as a whole. All and all it was a very rare thing, so we gathered some extra attention because of our position. Although compared to that, having an entire town looking at me like I was something out of an adult magazine was definitely worse.”

She chuckled as she led me into the library, although we were drawn up short as we spotted Twilight sitting on a couch on the other side of the room, her expression cold and her back ram-rod straight as she stared us into submission.

“Oh boy,” Swift said softly as we came to a stop in the doorway, “looks like the welcoming committee has something to say to you. I’ll just, um, be out here if you need me. Bye.” She took several steps back before beating a hasty retreat as Twilight and I stared each other down, leaving us alone as the fire crackled softly in the background.

For a moment neither of us said anything, although the silence didn’t last long before Twilight indicated an open chair next to her with a hoof, “Please, have a seat, Sarah. I have something important to speak with you about.”

Oh shit, she’s using her Celestia impression. I thought to myself as I walked up and carefully took a seat on the couch next to Twilight.

I tried to keep as much distance as I could between us so that way if she lashed out at me I might have enough time to react, although as Twilight’s gaze pierced me like a laser, I got the distinct feeling that if she really wanted to hurt me, she could do just about anything and I wouldn’t be able to stop her.

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking, her gaze locked with mine as she laid into me with a firm but cold tone, “I understand that you had your reasons for doing what you did, but I have to ask you, what exactly were you thinking when you challenged my brother and the other commanders to a four-on-one duel?”

I sucked in a breath to answer, but Twilight interrupted me before I could even get the first word out, “No, I don’t want to hear it right now. I’m trying my best not to bash your head into the wall for doing something so stupid, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t stop you from doing something boneheaded in the future.”

I growled as I once again opened my mouth to reply, this time getting in a few words before Twilight could cut me off again, “I’ll have you know I learned my lesson when Celestia gave me that dressing down in the hospital lobby. I don’t need to hear it from you as well after getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter by the mare who can literally move the sun.” I leaned in and poked a finger in her face, causing her to lean back before my hand could make contact with her nose, “I don’t have to answer to you for a mistake I’ve already repented for. So, get off your soap box and tell me why you’re so upset before we both lose our cool and say something we’ll regret.”

This time it was Twilight who growled, somehow making the noise sound downright dangerous as she leaned in and pushed my hand out of the way with one hoof. She stuck her muzzle directly in my face and stared into my eyes as she replied, “I was worried sick about you after Colonel Iron Wall knocked you out. Not only could he have killed you with that blow, but you were too reckless to realize you were in over your head until you were face down in the dirt. Do you have any idea how nervous I’ve been since yesterday, hoping that you’d wake up and wouldn’t have some kind of brain damage from the blow you took?!”

“So what?”I fired back, feeling my blood rise as I pressed my nose into the tip of her muzzle, “What’s it to you? I would think you’d be more worried about your brother after I laid him out like a rug with one hit.”

“He might be my brother but he can take care of himself.” She replied, “The issue is that I care for you just as much I care for him and you’re under a much higher threat level, given your responsibilities as an auramancer. You have no idea how hard it was not to teleport you to the hospital when Iron Wall knocked you out and you didn’t get back up. I was terrified. It was worse than the time I had to watch my brother stumble around under the spell of the changeling queen, Chrysalis.”

“But he’s your brother,” I retorted, “why would you care more about me then your own flesh and blood?”

“BECAUSE I DON’T LOVE HIM LIKE I LOVE YOU!” She cried at the top of her lungs.

For several seconds, both of us sat frozen as her declaration echoed around the room, and I could swear I could hear Swift stumble over her hooves outside the door, although it might have been my imagination. Twilight’s eyes were pinpricks as she covered her mouth with her hooves, and I could literally see the blood rush to her face before her horn ignited and she disappeared in a pop of teleportation. For several more moments I simply sat there, my mind replaying her words over and over in my head. It wasn’t until I felt a hoof rest on my knee that I snapped out of my stupor and looked down.

“You alright?” Swift asked, her eyes lit up with worry as she met my gaze, “I heard what Twilight said through the door, so I understand if you don’t want to talk about it right now, although I think you need to work this out before one of you does something crazy.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I felt my heart slowing down, “You’re right. I need to think about this clearly, but I’ve had a long day already and I don’t have the brain power to deal with this right now.” I stood up and walked over to the door, heading to my room as Swift followed me, “I’ll get some sleep and then talk with Twilight in the morning. Until then, I need you to keep quiet about this. Don’t tell anyone about what you heard. Not even the other princesses. Understood?”

Swift nodded, making a zipping motion over her mouth, “My lips are sealed. I’ll let you handle this mess yourself. Celestia knows I don’t have a clue how to deal with it.”

I nodded as I walked into my room, waving a nonchalant hand to Carpet Sense as he waved back, “I’ll see you in the morning, Swift. Hopefully by then I’ll have some idea of how to deal with this whole mess.”

She nodded, closing the door behind her as I climbed into bed, stripping down to my undies as Carpet Sense added in his two bits.

“You do realize Twilight is pacing around her room while talking herself in circles, right?” His tone was flat, but I thought I could detect a hint of worry under his calm attitude.

“Yeah, I just don’t have the energy to deal with this right now.” I replied as I pulled the covers up and over my body, “Let me know in the morning if she gets any sleep. I don’t want to have our little talk if she ends up staying up all night worrying about this. Knock her out if you have to, but don’t let her agonize about her admission if you can help it.”

He nodded, although he neglected to answer verbally as I lay down and rested my head on the pillow. My eyes roamed over to the window, where I could see Luna raising the moon into the sky as its silver glow settled over my body like a cool embrace. I closed my eyes and sent a quick prayer to whatever gods were listening in this crazy world, hoping that I could fix this whole mess with Twilight before it got out of hand. I had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better, but I dearly wished that it wouldn’t ruin the friendship we had been building between us after all this time.

Author's Notes:

Woohoo, Happy Belated New Years to all of my fans!! Also a happy birthday to me as of yesterday, so there's that to celebrate as well. I'm now 22 years old, and boy do I feel like an old mare even though I'm just barely past drinking age.

Anyways, it's so nice to post for all of you guys again, and I hope you enjoy the extra long chapter after waiting for almost a month for an update. Took me almost two whole days of constant work to write this thing and edit it, so I hope it makes the cut.

Wishing you all a happy 2018, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.