After a well-earned night's sleep, Sniff awoke early, as he often did, sandwiched between his baker and his princess. Ovens to his right, and Twilight to his left. Both were cuddled up with their muzzles laying over his shoulders and hoof over his chest, holding each other’s hooves under the covers.

It was a Hallmark moment... if Hallmark did porn. Though odds are the Internet probably already did that, but that was moot.

For a moment, it all felt familiar. Like the end of another wild weekend, but the holding of hooves made it quite different. Different in a way he never had to deal with before.

They were holding onto each other as much as they were holding onto him. The particulars weren't so discreetly hidden, nor did they make themselves visible like a poisonous snake with bright colors or an alarm with flashing lights. It was carelessly left out in the open, probably unintentional, but with no fear of being discovered as they slept.

Again, it was that together, they were holding onto him, not merely holding him.

Women he had been with before had held him throughout the nights they shared. However, those women were holding onto the moment, a memory, another opportunity, the comforts he brought… but never him. What he offered, what they took, was only what he gave them, and it was never what these two he was with now were afraid of losing.

He suppressed a yawn, not wanting to wake them. Not when there was so much to over analyze, like the holding of hooves and how he was projecting his fears onto the two ladies he felt like he didn't deserve… or was this where he really fit in?

There was so much he still had to think about.

"Maybe Swifty was right. I already started building up a fortune, I’m sure I could make my marketing business work here… and I have a proverbial stable of women who want and enjoy sharing me."

On second thought.

"Perhaps a proverbial stable is an offensive way of phrasing it, not like they live in actual stables. Regardless, I enjoy their company more than most women I've spent time with over the years. And after getting to know these mares, I can't see them as animals… and every sexual encounter with them only seems to get better."

Sex… he'd come so close to going all the way so many times. What difference would it make at this point? They were already doing so much, as well as getting attached.

How far was he supposed to take this? How far could he when this was a "give or take as much as you want with no commitment" arrangement?

Thinking again, he found himself searching for reasons.

"If I ever did make it home, and that’s a big if, what kind of future would I have after all I've done with these mares? Is that world even worth going back to? I mean, my friends are here, my family were all written off years ago, and the women…?"

The women he left were to him as what he made himself to them.

...replaceable.

"Win, lose, or draw, if Twilight could find us a way home, maybe I'll just cash out what I have and stay here… That world is better off without me there, and I’m probably better off without it"

He turned his eyes to the blinds. It was still dark outside. He must not have had much sleep or had simply lost track of time last night and had no idea what hour they all clocked out.

Under the covers, he shifted his legs and felt the sheets sticking to him, along with the now rather palpable smell of the prior night’s events.

"Oh, right. We didn't shower… Damn that was amazing last night. It's been a while since I ran through five girls in a single go. Had Topsy stayed, I'd have matched Chris. And some of his girls are damn cute, too."

Outside of the curtains, he could see the light of the moon lowering, slowly being replaced by the warm glow of the morning sun. Maybe he did get enough sleep for the day?

On another note, the sun rising meant Ovens would have to open the bakery soon. Best wake her up.

"Hey, Ovens," Sniff quietly spoke her name to wake her. "You gonna get up for work? Sun's coming up and we still need to shower."

There was a slight flinch from the baker before her eyes opened. Quickly she adjusted to the world around her, taking in a deep breath and the heavy scents of clover and the many moments of intimacy from the night before.

"Em… A shower sounds nice," she happily answered, still a bit drowsy. "Though, I'm not showering alone am I?"

Not speaking quietly enough, Twilight, now also awake, blinked with her eyes fixating on Sniff. She was sure she only caught the tail end of a conversation.

"Showering alone?" She asked, her sleep rapidly leaving her waking state. "Oou, I hope not. I'm all sticky."

Ovens stretched her legs, pulling the sheets down/peeling parts of them away from her. The lack of lust made the scene far less attractive than it had seemed the previous night.

"Oh, wow. We need to keep the towels closer next time, but I'm more than happy to share a shower with you two this morning."

If that was the plan, Twilight wanted to make the most of it. She cuddled in closer to Sniff and trapped his hand between her thighs.

"Would our stallion care to join us for a shower?"

Ovens, just as interested, considering what Twilight told her about her first shower experience with Sniff, lowered her hoof away from his chest. Sure enough, he was still dealing with some morning stiffness.

"Won't you help us clean those hard to reach places, Peter?" She asked, trying to sound both adorable and alluring.

Temptation is a motherfucker, but it seemed a little unfair to the other mares. Speaking of such injustices sounded like the right thing to say, but was it?

Swifty was still passed out from last night and had slept in later than he did the last time she shared his room. Lyra seemed to have only started her day well after the sun had started to rise when he saw her out last time. Same thing for the mayor.

It wasn’t anyone's fault they weren't awake for this but their own.

"Let’s see just how hard to reach these places are."

After a shower that spent more time in hard to reach places than it did getting clean, Sniff took it upon himself to wake the others. His first stop was the guest room with Mayor Mare.

"Good morning, Mayor," he softly said sitting next to her.

Mayor Mare woke with a bit of a shock, realizing she wasn't where she last remembered laying, but was calmed by the sight of Sniff waiting for her.

"Oh, dear. That exhaustion really knocked me out, didn't it?"

Happy to see her recover so quickly, Sniff leaned down and treated her to a good morning kiss to help improve her day.

"And how are you feeling this morning."

Rather than respond verbal thanks to feeling especially virile, Mayor Mare pulled him on top of her. Slowly kissing him with a soft approach. All seemed like a harmless show of affection until Sniff noticed she was steadily pulling down her covers.

"I feel like last night never ended. I've been dreaming of you, and I'd love for that dream to continue for a little longer now that I have you here."

It shouldn't have surprised Sniff that Mayor was no different than Ovens or Twilight, waking up with the need for some extra affection. Nothing a little hands-on attention couldn't take care of.

Next was going to be a roll of the dice if Swifty and Lyra were going to be the same in his room. Thankfully, if those two got carried away, there were plenty of towels left if he needed a shower afterward.

Not wanting to startle them as he did with Mayor Mare, he took extra caution to enter the room as silently as possible. To no surprise, they were both peacefully asleep. Also, much like Ovens and Twilight, they were both holding each other.

It was touchingly sweet, though he was noticing a trend and prepared his hands for another wake-up session.

"You two gonna sleep in all morning like that?"

The two mares snapped awake, instantly realizing the position they were in. A moment of panic sunk in, but Lyra was the first to snap out of her momentary freakout.

She smiled and pulled Swifty closer, making the Solar Guard grin nervously.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I got some time to spare for this mare if she isn't in any rush."

Feeling a sense of calm return with the memories returning of last night, Swifty snuggled up closer.

"Sorry, Lyra, but this mare has a very handsome and important stallion to guard."

Knowing that was true, but not wanting to give up so easily, Lyra pushed her muzzle into Swifty’s, making a spectacle of it, but then turned to point Swifty’s face towards Sniff. It had been mentioned that having more than one mare made it easier to lure a human stallion into bed, last night proved that, and she wanted to prove it again. Even better odds were looking likely as both of them caught the strong scent of another mare on him.

"How about we keep Peter safe between the two of us until breakfast is ready since Mayor let him slip away unprotected?"

Ovens, Twilight, and Mayor Mare all had him worked up to the point he regretted not going farther in the shower… and setting it to cold. These two together were just as dangerous of a duo as his first two that morning.

Considering how easily the mayor pulled him into bed, he wouldn't put it past them to get him out of his clothes.

"Oh, no girls," Sniff playfully declined. "I'm a man about town today, and I got a schedule that's got me busy until after lunch-"

"After lunch it is!" Swifty shouted in joy, immediately cutting him off.

Can't say Sniff didn't walk into that one, but trying to walk away now seemed like a poor idea.

"You know what… I'm probably going to need it to get through the night after the day I'm going to have. So, how about you two get showered up and meet us downstairs. The delegates were encouraged to sample the local diners for breakfast." He smirked. "Pretty sure that was just Twilight’s excuse to wander off and have breakfast at Oven's place. So, get showered and you can join. After that, Swifty, I'll need an escort to the spa."

This was an even better arrangement, but Lyra couldn’t let Sniff get away that easily.

"Can we at least get a kissie-kiss before we clean up?"

Stepping back into the hallway, Sniff was greeted by his other three waiting for him, with Twilight giving him a playful smirk.

The fact she was back in her Pretty Pretty Princess dress made her appearance funnier than it should have been.

"So… we shouldn't make plans for after lunch?" She jested.

Not letting this degrade into whatever Twilight was going to try and twist it into, Sniff started down the hallway with a laugh.

"I know my limits, Twigs."

The three quickly trotted forward to catch up to him, Ovens egging him on.

"Oh, come on. We're happy for you. We’re all going to be busy today, and unless you forgot, I still remember what you told me. Five times a day? An hour unless you try hard? You haven’t lasted more than an hour until last night… And that took five of us. We want you to enjoy yourself and not to try so hard.”

Mayor, practically walking on air after her time with Sniff and an invigorating shower, wasn’t exactly following along.

“Well, ladies. If having Peter hard for an hour is a problem. My office is always open.”

Twilight heard Mayor’s offer and receded back into her nerdy giggle snort. Understanding the proper context made the Mayor's comment a rather humorous slip.

“I think you mean your legs are always open, but we appreciate it. What Ovens means is that before arriving here, Peter would be able to spend an hour with a human female before he was able to achieve full sexual stimulation and climax. He could make it happen faster if he put more effort into making that his goal, but since we tire out so quickly, he isn’t actually able to enjoy sex equally with us one on one.”

While not entirely wrong, it didn’t please Sniff to hear that’s how his girls saw his situation.

“Hey, I don’t want you girls thinking like that about me. I enjoy everything we do and don’t need to make it about me. I’m trying to-”

“Peter, it’s fine,” Ovens comfortingly protested. “This was my idea, and you agreed that it would be helpful to you. All of us want this for you, and since you want to take things slow, you shouldn’t be forcing yourself not to fully enjoy your time with us. We’re all here for you when we’re available, and unless you want to push Top Shelf into going faster than what she asked for, or not take your time with the other mares you haven’t even dated yet or let know what’s going on, Lyra and Swift Sails will have more time with you. And since we only had a little time with you in the shower, and Mayor Mare didn’t have enough time for you either, we know you’re going to be wanting it sooner rather than later.”

Sniff thought about that for a moment. What she said was true, making more of his morning thoughts seem valid. Plus, thinking about what would happen if any of the spa ponies started flirting with him made him realize that having an outlet was exactly what he needed… though thinking of Lyra and Swifty as if they were to be used by him whenever he wanted to bust a nut seemed…

Was that cruel or was it no different than his casual hookups he was used to? Maybe it was wrong before and he didn't notice because he didn't care about them the same way he did for these mares?

Then again, if he cared about them, why would he not be more considerate about their needs?

"You're right. Now let's get ready. I'm hungry."

Nearing the door, Sniff made a dash to the front, jamming his key in the lock, laughing all the way to be the first.

"Nah-uh. I got the spare key, remember?"

After putting his weight on the door to open it faster as soon as he unlocked it, he accidentally fell into the sales floor from the door already being unlocked.

"Oof!" He grunted as his face connected with the wooden floor, wondering how this happened. "Ah… The fuck? I know I locked the door last night?"

From inside the kitchen, a voice none would have expected called out.

"Is that you, Peter? I hope my daughter is with you."

There wasn’t much put together for breakfast. Some coffee, tea, muffins, and a small pot of overcooked oatmeal Cutter had boiled before they arrived.

There were going to be some over-easy eggs for Sniff, but for some reason Ovens started off breathing a flame that was two-burnt-eggs too strong.

Thankfully, that led the conversation away from potential pillow talk and guided them all into topics that were more civil. That at least let Sniff talk about his ideas for the Wonderbolts upcoming show.

"So, after the fights at the party, I had another idea for posters. Namely, they'd be focused around Spitfire. Really playing up the name with a backdrop of some really intense flames. There would be others I'm still trying to get the right imagery down for. I was thinking the cross storm trail they used for Spitfire's entrance but swapping her out with other Bolts."

Mayor Mare, now not as hot and bothered as she was when she woke, seemed impressed.

"I don't believe I've seen any advertising presented in such a fashion. Do you have an artist in mind?"

Finishing another sip of coffee, Sniff swallowed hard. Normally he had more than a few he could call up for help with these things. Here in Ponyville, that would be a whole new adventure.

"Not yet. I still need to at least get the concept art drawn out."

Was that another talent Twilight could come to appreciate from her stallion? Her curiosity demanded she know.

"You never told me you're an artist."

Sniff had to stop from taking another sip of his coffee after hearing that. It wasn’t so he could brag, but to laugh instead.

"Oh, hell, no. I'm by no means an artist. I'm just talking about stick figures and shapes with notes of what I want. I'll need a real artist to take my scribbles and make a rough draft for me, then finish it. "

Another thought entered Sniff’s mind about this potential contract. Something that he would need to address to not only protect himself but the mayor also.

"We need to set a deadline and let others know that they can submit their ideas as well. Probably have a blind voting process to see who should get the contract."

A blind vote? Cutter couldn't believe the risks Sniff was taking with his future. He would be supporting her baby girl sooner or later, after all.

"Why would you want to compete against others? I think at this point, Mayor would just give it to you if you asked."

Lyra was about to agree when Sniff felt the need to educate them on what was wrong with that assumption.

"That's precisely the problem. For both of us. If word gets out that we have an intimate relationship, and I'm not interested in hiding it, even if we do have you supporting it, then it's going to give off the appearance of impropriety."

Clearly, they didn’t know how to separate business from pleasure, then again until a few months ago they didn’t know what pleasure was, so he gave the four a serious stare to set the mood.

"I don't lie. I don’t cheat. I don’t manipulate, con, exploit, or abuse those I work with… And I'd never want to risk hurting those I care about or let them hurt themselves needlessly."

Somewhere in the mix, Sniff let himself separate his work and his pleasure. This wasn’t going to be a one-off deal he could sneak a fuck session in after signing the deal. That's how deals were sealed back home… in only a few states where that was the norm.

It might have been wrong then, but he wasn't going to be making those same mistakes here.

… Sort of.

Shit… He already was.

"Look… If I can get this business going strong and build up my reputation, no one will question it. Right now though, I'm a pretty face with a lot of charm that could be viewed as a means of taking advantage of others. Making it a contest where the public decides will free you from any accusations of playing favorites or me extorting you."

Hearing that explanation, Lyra frowned. That was a basic level example of fraud, and she’d almost encouraged it.

"Son of a bitch. I should have caught that. You're right Peter, this whole dating us thing is actually causing you problems now."

That was taking it a step too far, and Peter didn't want them bringing each other down over it.

"Nooo, no… It just means that we have to be more transparent about the details leading to any contracts with Mayor Mare, and everything you do for me is by the book anyway. Besides, a little competition wouldn't hurt getting my name out there."

Sitting at the table contently, Cutter couldn't help but think how wrong she was about Sniff from when she first met him. He truly was a stand-up stallion worthy for her daughter. Taking care of an old friend was a little bonus, too.

But how well was he taking care of Mayor Mare?

"You are too kind, Peter. Has your kindness extended to the bedroom with Mayor as well?" The unabashed Lunar Guard turned her eyes over to the blushing mint-colored mare sitting next to Mayor. "Or did Lyra manage to earn her spot first?"

So much for avoiding the naughty conversations. Not that Cutter was the first mother he'd met like this. However, it always weirded Sniff out when he was with a girl whose mother was openly interested in their daughter's/daughter's boyfriend's sex life.

"Uhh, both… And Swifty," Sniff reluctantly answered.

Cutter gave an uneasy smile. Almost looking sad when she heard that. For some reason,
that made Twilight think she needed to step in and verbally fix things.

"Mayor Mare, Lyra, and Swift Sails have been wonderful with Peter. And Top Shelf will be getting involved while we're in Canterlot. So, with any luck, there will soon be enough to fully take care of him."

Ovens had the help of four other mares, with plans of adding a fifth, but still wasn't sure if they all could keep up with him? Now that was something particularly sad for Cutter to hear after the last two nights she had.

"Must be nice the way he leaves you all exhausted."

There was that same smile in front of her forced regression of sadness. It wasn’t even subtle, so Sniff knew something was wrong, but he was starting to think it wasn't about him or her daughter.

"Hey, Cutter. You're looking like you could use a pick-me-up. You mind joining me at the spa today for a while?"

She quickly turned up her eyes to meet his. The request must have surprised her, going by her expression. He would have to make his offer more clear with some added incentive.

"I'm offering some training to some of the staff today instead of working on clients. I would love to bring you along as an example to show how effective the right kind of therapy can be."

Swifty thought about all the mares she'd already ran defense on already. Keeping Cutter around would make her job a lot easier.

"Yeah. Might also keep all the mares from trying to walk into Peter's room between clients."

"I'll go!" Cutter quickly spat out, nearly making everyone around her jump out of their seats.

Normally, such a response from her mother in a situation like that would have been screamed in anger. That time, it sounded more like… desperation? Maybe an obligation?

Either way, Ovens knew she had to talk to her mother about it now that they could openly support each other again.

"Hey, Peter. How about you go ahead and head to work and get things ready for mom. I haven't spent any time in the kitchen with her in ages and wouldn't mind having some mother-daughter time, if you don't mind."

Sniff didn't need to look at his watch. It was too early for that, but he could tell what Ovens was really after. This would give him time to take care of something else before heading into the spa, though.

"I need to stop and see the florist first. We're supposed to have lunch plans for today."

Already thinking ahead, Lyra made flirty eyes at Sniff.

"Hopefully it's a short lunch."

Fearing a reaction from her mother, Ovens butted in to downplay the flirt.

"Don't mind Lyra, mom. She didn't get enough time with Peter this morning and is maybe a little too excited to share him with Swifty this afternoon."

"Is that so?" Cutter asked, genuinely looking interested. "You'll have to let me know how that works out for you. I could certainly use some pointers."

Pointers? Was Cutter having romance problems with her husband in the bedroom? And judging by the improvement in her appearance, was that what was bringing her down?

Sniff wasn't going to let this new mother figure let her relationship struggle like this.

"Hey, Cutter. How about you spend a little more time with Ovens this morning. I'll come back around ten and give you a full session here."

Cutter was loving this colt more by the moment and was about to appreciate him even more after he continued to extend his hospitality.

"I'll cut the training short with the spa ponies this morning," Sniff added. "I'll do what I did last time and share my techniques in their big open room and keep Swifty with me."

With all the mixed tensions in the air and rapidly changing emotions in the room, Twilight wanted to ensure everyone was still okay with the arrangements made.

"Cutter, I just want to make sure we're all still on the same page. You're still comfortable with all of us being close and affectionate with Peter, aren't you?"

That same sad smile returned to Cutter, and she gave a single nod without hesitation.

"I think every mare should be able to show the stallion they care about how they feel, so long as he's willing to accept it. So, if Ovens is okay with every mare you bring into this… herding experiment of yours, and Peter is willing to share his affection with them, I of course support it."

That was a relief to hear, being how Mayor Mare was set to open her office soon and was happy to have an old friend back in town again.

"Thank you for being so understanding, and you can drop by anytime for details or just to catch up like old times. And thank you for joining us for breakfast. It's good to have you back in Ponyville."

Politely excusing herself from the small table, Mayor stood up, trotted next to Sniff, and gave him a soft kiss goodbye.

"Mmm, thank you again for the wonderful night and the extra time with you this morning. I look forward to seeing you again when you return from Canterlot."

If that was the pace of things, and Lyra was in the clear with Sniff while Cutter was around, she figured she'd give her goodbye before returning home.

"I need to get going, too. Still have to gather some things before leaving for Canterlot. Plus, I still need to buy my ticket for the train."

As this was going on, Twilight sat in her oversized dress, thinking about the good company Lyra made and figured she could offer a better option.

"Don't worry about your ticket, Lyra. Just meet us back at the Castle. We'll all go together and take care of your transportation needs."

Lyra smiled warmly back, happy to have built up such a positive relationship with Twilight already. She’d always been known for her friendly nature, but one on one, it was something different altogether.

"Sounds great. I'll…" She paused for a moment, slowly grinning wider until she was snickering foolishly. "I'll probably already be there, sleeping off my time with Peter after lunch."

Feeling more brazen than the mayor, Lyra reared up, plopping her forelegs around Sniff’s neck, and kissed him like she already had his clothes off.

"Mmm, yes… How about I just wait for you in your room after lunch?"

Well, there was no use fighting it now, and Sniff rolled his eyes.

"Sure thing. Just make sure we get some more towels."

With that settled, Lyra made her way over to Swifty and put the same moves on her as she did Sniff, much to the surprise of the other mares.

"You take good care of Peter, and I'll keep taking care of you."

Swifty returned her affection with a more subtle kiss before shooing the flirty unicorn away.

"You know I will, and thanks for the fun time this morning. We need to spend more time together like that."

With a playful giggle and a perky bounce to her step, Lyra trotted her way out towards the door.

"Have a good day everypony. See you after lunch."

This was going to take a little more explanation on Oven’s part to bring her mother up to speed. That was if she was picking up on what she missed.

However, not before Sniff would take his leave as well.

"Ovens, thanks again for breakfast."

Placing a hand on her thigh, he leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss goodbye, then turned to his other side to face Twilight.

"I'm going to be busy at the spa, but nothing special. Lunch will be slow. Slower than the others, I mean. I'm well taken care of with what we all have now, and they don't need to know what we have… though we can talk about that later on what all to let them know. If anything at all."

Twilight took the lead this time, pulling Sniff closer by the chin for a timid peck on the lips, only for Sniff to pull her in closer for something more involved. She could have stayed there, letting him tempt her into something more, but he pulled back just abruptly as he had pulled her in.

"We’ve got a good thing going, Twigs. Let's not be afraid of it."

An unexpected chuckle came from the motherly Lunar Guard. Seemingly amused by Sniff’s words.

"Even when kissing another mare, you make me proud."

All eyes turned to Cutter from such an odd thing to say. Odd for even them, and that was saying something.

"It takes a brave stallion to truly love a mare. To trust them. Care for them… not let them make all the calls… not be afraid to share with them everything you've shown my baby girl. What I've been waiting to have with her father again after all these years."

Again, Cutter appeared to have captivated her audience, prompting a laugh from her before she continued.

"What? I'm just saying that what Peter has to share is something special. A mare's need for affection shouldn't be denied with the stallion she loves."

Still weird, but it was the kind of weird that wasn't going to get him decapitated the next time he came in slashing distance of Cutter. So, he was willing to roll with it.

In fact, he couldn't help but show a little appreciation for the motherly mare.

"You're a better mom than I deserve."

Deciding to be more affectionate than needed, he rounded the table, hugged Cutter around her neck, and kissed her on the cheek.

Surprised by what she felt, Cutter's eyes shot wide open and she blushed. She likely would have said something had Ovens not held her hoof over her mouth, barely managing not to bust up laughing as Sniff walked away, seemingly aware of the thrill he must have given Cutter.

"I'll be back before lunch. Have fun catching up with Ovens."

Stepping away and nearing the door, he called for his faithful companion.

"Come on, Swifty. Grab your beat'n stick and let's get moving. Flower shop should be opening soon."

As soon as Ovens believed they were out of earshot, she gave her mother a guilty smile.

"Yeeee-ah… I think we should tell you that before you catch us in the act, it's not just Peter that Twilight and I are getting close and intimate with."

Before a question could even be formulated, Ovens reached out and held Twilight’s hoof. As she held her Princess's fetlocks locked in together, Cutter didn't even bat an eye. After Lyra kissed Swifty, there wasn't much to speculate on for the otherwise overwhelmed mother.

"I see… Are you both… happy with each other? Can you…" Somewhere between being shown how easy it was for Ovens to have that close intimacy with Sniff and that surprise kiss from him, she was getting choked up. "Do you both get to feel each other like you told me Peter can?"

Ovens didn't need the years she had lost with her mother to know how bad things must be to hear her mother like that. It was something terrible, and now she was worried.

"Uh, yes. We just started, but mom, what's wrong? Did Peter or one of us do or say something?"

This was happening, the tears were coming out. Cutter couldn't keep it together.

"No, dear. You're lucky. Both…" She sniffled a little, remembering why she was here. "All of you are so lucky to have Peter and each other. But something is wrong with your father and I."

Ovens’s heart practically stopped and Twilight was already prepared to call in whatever support she could to address whatever this problem was. However, neither were ready for what Cutter had to say.

"We can't remember the last time we loved each other physically. The memory is gone… I tried to help us remember what it's supposed to be like the night I came home, and the next day he forgot… He was disgusted by it, felt nothing, and neither did I."

In saying it out loud, her heart broke all over again.

"Something or somepony made it so I can't love your father the way we should be able to."

Her sobs quickly filled the room, and in a flash of light, Twilight silenced the outside world from hearing what was happening in the room.

Now secure with just the three, another piece of the puzzle slowly started to look bigger than it had before.

Sticking close to Sniff’s side, Swifty was trying to get a better idea of what to expect with this "slow" approach.

"So, obviously you're not gonna try and rut any of them."

"Obviously," Sniff nearly laughed out his answer as he rolled his eyes, only half-amused by the suggestion.

It was looking like Sniff honestly had no intentions of running a bedroom marathon with these new mares. Not unless there was something else less-involved that Swifty hadn’t seen yet.

"I'm guessing no hand stuff or oral either?"

Sniff couldn't believe how distant the concept of “slow” was for these mares to understand.

"No, Jesus Christ. I'm keeping my hands and dick to myself as much as possible. And if anything, it'll be a hug and a kiss on the hoof at most."

Already expecting a flurry of questions as to why he wouldn't be putting out, as it were, Sniff knew how to shut her up.

"Otherwise we'd have a lot less time after lunch."

Swifty could feel an ear twitch and snap, and she realized what she was walking into. Now, for the first time, she felt conflicted about what she heard Sniff say.

"You’re making it really hard not to want to be selfish with your time, Peter. One of the things I admire most about you is how you help others. Those florists seem like such nice mares, they deserve some of your time."

After saying that, she realized how inconsiderate she was sounding, which dramatically changed her tune.

"You don't speak up much about it, but you just keep allowing us to occupy more of your time and attention… Are we taking advantage of you?"

Finally, even if a few of them were getting it, Swifty was at least admitting it. Something Sniff couldn't help but privately celebrate this small victory.

"There’s a grey line there, somewhere. You all want to help me and help others, but our communication is a bit off. Much like how you had no idea what was happening yesterday in my room. These three girls know even less than you did then… I think."

"Peter!" Roseluck shouted from her flower stall. "Good morning, handsome. Are we still on for lunch? We still couldn't find that Wednesday restaurant you were talking about."

Oh, that old chestnut. Thankfully, a little conversation with Twilight cleared up the confusion the day before.

After letting Twilight ride his lap to her satisfaction and discussing their future prospects of further sexual aspirations, Sniff was trying to pump the breaks on what Twilight was clearly encouraging him to pursue.

“Well, I know it might sound like I’m playing favorites, but after last night and this morning with Mayor Mare, next on my list is Top Shelf. Though, I plan on taking things slow like I did with the mayor after we escorted her home. Tomorrow, I said I’d have lunch with the three florists, and speaking of them, what kind of calendars do you have? None of them knew what Wednesday is.”

Twilight tilted her head, visibly confused.

“A what?”

It took her a second, but this wasn’t the first time she heard him or the others use that method of planning and timing.

"Oh, that's right. You use the Georgian Grande Calendar system. That hasn't been used in centuries, and only… huh."

In a moment of trying to connect the dots where dots didn't need to be connected, Twilight had to force herself not to bring Celestia into this.

"It’s still used, but only for a few royal historical records, so not many are familiar with it. We mainly use a solar calendar to better keep track of the growing and harvesting seasons. Most ponies base their appointments around holidays, solar phases, or which day into whichever third of each season is divided into."

It shouldn't have been a surprise that ponies had to make something as simple as what day of the week it was needlessly complicated, especially since they themselves chose when each season ended. Of course, Twilight was smart enough to know how to explain it.

"Spring has ninety-three days divided into Happiness, Love, and Building. Summer is also ninety-three days equally divided into Harvesting, Ripening of Fruits, then the Sprinkling of Seeds. Autumn only has ninety days for Giving, Waking the Seeds, and Family. Winter has the longest nights but is the shortest period with eighty-nine days. But that's why the first third is for Resting. Then it's a period of Flooding as the weather warms up again, which leads into the last days of Darkness."

Okay, time to do some quick mental math. Ninety-three, ninety-three, ninety, and eighty-nine.

That's one eighty-six, then two seventy-six, and winter makes three sixty-five.

They based their days and months on growing seasons and emotions. Go figure.

"So… what day are we on right now?"

Thinking a bit faster than Sniff could, Twilight cuddled in a little closer, tickled with how fitting the answer was.

“Today is the twenty-first day of Love.”

Not exactly smitten, but overly taken in by how cute Twilight was in her delivery, he couldn’t help but want to give her a little extra to love him with.

"Well, my calendar says it's Tuesday, the tenth of May. Now how about we take a shower and I'll show you something you'll really love."

"That was my mistake," Sniff apologized. "The calendar system humans use is only used by royals for… certain record keeping. I should have told you that our date would be on the tenth day of the Love Tripartite."

Lily, now joining Roseluck with Daisy, had the perfect response.

"Oooh. You meant the Rooooyal Wednesday. Yeah. We’re super available on a Royal Wednesday."

Not wanting to be left out, Daisy perked up next to Lily.

"We're available every Royal Wednesday."

Watching these three, Swifty could see the need for Sniff to take things slow. She could only imagine how much more desperate their attempts to have him alone would be after anything more than a kiss to the hoof would be. And Celestia forbid she leave him alone with the three, they’d likely never let him go.

Likewise, Sniff knew this was going to be a challenge for him to deal with. Humoring them a little would help.

"Yes, I'm sure you are. Probably available on the other royal days of the week, too. But for today, I'd like to know if you three would be free at eleven. I have to see somepony before you three, and then I have some pressing matters that will be deserving my full attention back at the Castle before leaving for Canterlot at noon."

Roseluck again took the lead to answer for the three.

"Eleven it is, and we were thinking a picnic in the park would be perfect on a day like today."

A day outside would be a change of pace, and Sniff was fine with that.

"Fantastic. Should I bring anything?"

Lily sauntered up closer, doing her best to work her feminine wiles.

"Hmm, a reason to come early and stay later would be nice. Otherwise, we'll have everything covered for you."

With that everything looked to be in place until a new voice called out from behind.

"You there! Guard pony!"

The five turned to see two stallions trotting their way over.

The first was a light grey Earth pony stallion with a bluish-grey mane and tail. He wore the black and white collars of a tux, stuffed with a puffy neckpiece and a top hat.

Next to him was a taller, bulkier unicorn. He had a smokey dark blue coat and mostly silver mane and tail. He was also partially clothed but wore a full black vest and a button-up shirt. Very dapper, complete with a yellow neckpiece and red wine-colored piece of ruffles in front of his shirt.

They both seemed out of place in Ponyville, yet they appeared to be familiar with Swifty.

"Yes, you!" The Earth pony called out. "The one with the pointy stick!"

Okay. Maybe they were just familiar with guards in general, but it was clear this pony was demanding her attention, not requesting it.

In other words, he sounded like a total douchebag, and Swifty lost her pleasant, airy personality, returning to a cold and firm militant mentality.

Taking a strong grip of her halberd in her feathers, making the wood creak, she steadied herself to deal with the regulars of Canterlot's high society.

"Yes, Count Caesar, Sir Blue Moon. Welcome to Ponyville. Is there something urgent you require assistance with? If so, I am currently on duty with my ward. Any emergencies can be handled with the guards on duty at the Castle of-"

"That's where we just came from," the Earth pony snarled, rudely cutting her off. "Blue Moon and I need to speak with Princess Luna right away. We only have hours to avoid a disaster, but the guards said Princess Luna has retired for the day. Only she can fix our problem since we can't speak with Princess Celestia."

A disaster? Celestia wasn’t able to fix it. Swifty was beginning to believe it had to be something serious.

"What's happened? What's the emergency?"

With the weight of the free world in his shoulders and the gates of hell opening under his hooves, Caesar to a deep breath. He was about to-.

"He doesn't approve of my flower arrangements for the delegation conference today."

- to be cut off by Blue Moon.

Any and all consideration for assisting these two up and vanished like a fart in the wind. Swifty should have known better.

"Flowers… Right… Best of luck to you. Princess Luna will be up at four if you're lucky to catch her good graces. Now if you excuse me, I need to return to-"

In a hurried rush of self-importance, Caesar stomped his way between Swifty and Sniff.

"What you need to do is-"

In the simultaneous moment that Caesar's hoof blindly extended towards Sniff's groin to push him out of the way, her training took over.

"HALT!"

Before Sniff could even begin to protect himself, the pummel of Swifty’s halberd shot out under the noble.

With only a fraction of a second to spare, Swifty hunkered her hindquarters down, and kicked her front right foreleg out under the pole of her weapon. She followed through, striking the noble square in the chest, raising him high off the ground, leaving only the air that was in his lungs behind.

Her weapon continued to rise, bringing the stallion overhead, where she pivoted, shifting closer to Sniff, and continuing with slamming Caesar on the ground hard enough to where he bounced.

On his bounce up, Swifty brought her right forehoof down on his throat and forced him back down again, though this time he didn't bounce.

He opened his eyes, croaking, with stars and the finely sharpened blade of a halberd in his face.

"The human delegate, Peter James, is my ward, of whom I am sworn to protect with extreme prejudice. To assault him or any of the other human delegates is in direct violation of the status of forces agreement, and punishable by Royal High Court under Princess Celestia and/or Princess Twilight Sparkle. Whoever is faster to claim the right to sentence you first. Do you understand me, sir!?"

Lacking clear vision but coherent enough to realize he just found himself another Cutter equivalent guard, Caesar was the epitome of compliant. It was also to his great fortune the gurgles that were to be his voice came out understood as "Yes, mam," and he was released.

Slightly approaching the point of shitting his pants, but closer to sporting a fear boner, Sniff was still trying to figure out how Swifty just whooped that stallion's ass before he could even put his hands over his nut sack.

At the same time, maybe he saw another opportunity here and looked to the unicorn stallion just as frightened as the Earth pony still planted in the ground.

"Uh, Blue Moon, I take it?" Sniff cautiously asked, who immediately nodded with rapid speed. "What is the issue with the flower arrangements?"

The noble unicorn half-rolled his eyes, thinking the danger had passed, then realized he was in the midst of a new delegate. One that seemed to be in favor of at least two of the Princesses.

This could be good for him if he played his cards right.

"Sir Blue Moon, yes," the noble answered, extending his hoof, which met the broad side of Swifty’s blade instead.

Still trying to salvage the situation, Sniff lowered Swifty’s blade with his left hand and met the noble's with his right.

"Peter James, nice to meet you. And Swifty, I think this one is alright. I got my keys in my pocket."

The two shook, and there were those eyes again from the pony. Magic fingers were still in effect, but the stallion seemed to stay focused.

"The pleasure is all mine, and yes, Count Caesar believes my selection of seasonal Tulips and Freesia flowers is unfitting for the venue. He wants to have the Saddle Arabians surprised with their own seasonal Datura Innoxia flower arrangements."

The three florists gave each other a mix of sad, confused, and disappointed looks. Daisy, being the disappointed one, had to break the first bit of bad news.

"I'm sorry to say, sir, but both Tulips and Freesia were the Happiness seasonal flowers. They would certainly look good together, but we already had a similar arrangement put together for Princess Celestia visiting the same delegates for the Lady Amira's anniversary to her husband, Prince Haakim."

Lily looked down at the still unmoving Count, confused as to why he was grinning like he just won an argument.

"Even worse, Datura Innoxia doesn’t grow here. It will take at least a week to be shipped in, and that's only during the dark portion of the winter season. But they're also extremely poisonous."

As if to take the wind out of his sails, Roseluck just shook her head.

"Objectively, you're going to miss your goal and look unprofessional with your flower arrangements that we already provided for them last month. Who did you both consult with for this?"

Both stallions pointed at each other, inspiring Sniff to step in.

"Well, gentlecolts, I suppose this is your good fortune that we all met here this way… Except for you, Count… That was… unfortunate… However, these three lovely ladies here are not only pleasant on the eyes, they also happen to be the foremost experts when it comes to floral arrangements. And they have earned the distinguished honor of catering to multiple royal events for Princess Cadance on more than one occasion, and have been sought out by the Princess of Friendship herself, and can no doubt help you out this jam if… Wait… they already do have something planned today-"

He paused to try and look concerned but wouldn't say for what.

"Could you two give me a moment? Swifty, you mind making sure me and the florists here have a minute or two so we can discuss this?"

Cautious, but compliant, Swifty sidestepped to block their advance towards either the mares or Sniff. All Caesar could do was bring himself upright anyway, no longer much of a threat.

In not too much time, Sniff returned next to his guard with no good news to share.

"My apologies, I may have spoken too soon on their behalf. Even if they had been tasked with this, they'd have to use, literally, their entire supply currently available. The expedited resupply fees would be ridiculous on top of rush order charges and…"

He did a quick look over his shoulder to see what the mares were up to, then returned to the two stallions.

"Look, I'm new to the area and still getting used to how things work here, but last night Twilight and Luna meet up with the representatives of the Dragon, Yak, and Griffon kingdoms, three of my fellow delegates and I have been working closely with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. They are all extremely invested in this event tonight."

The two stallions gulped, not realizing the others had come to Ponyville early.

"Three of the other kingdom's leadership members are here already?" Blue Moon asked with a shaky voice.

Swifty heard something in Sniff’s delivery. It sounded oddly familiar the more he broke down the situation.

"Yes. The four kingdoms have started building professional and future relations with our human embassy members."

As things continued it was becoming more apparent this was a waste of time. Swifty grew more apprehensive the longer Sniff allowed himself to engage with these stuck up nobles.

"Peter, you have your appointments waiting for you at the spa, and I'll have to start my report of the attempted assault on you and alert Twilight of the lack of decorations for the ceremony tonight."

Even if well-intentioned, Swifty was taking Sniff off course. He needed to stay and work his magic a little longer and would now have to change tactics.

"Woah, how about we only let Twilight know about the near-accidental poisoning was the reason for a repeat presentation to the Arabians. She's already stressed enough with the heightened security as it is. The second she hears that poison flowers were going to be brought in to our introduction to the other nations, or that somepony took a swipe at me, heads are gonna roll. The flowers alone are going to be more than enough for her to try and fix without having to restrain Cutter from coming after these two."

Caesar instantly felt his heart drop into his stomach and his blood run cold as his eyes narrowed to pinpricks.

"Cu-Cu-Cutter is here?"

Finally, something that might get these two to leave. Swifty had no reason to be agitated even further and saw this as means to remove the nobles from her presence.

"Yes," she coldly answered. "Sergeant Major Cutter has transferred to Ponyville along with Princess Luna. She will in all likelihood be speaking with you personally for nearly striking so carelessly the human stallion her daughter is dating."

While this could have ruined everything, it only put Sniff in a better position as Caesar and Blue Moon both dropped to their knees with Caesar groveling at Swifty’s hooves.

"Please don’t report us! We'll do anything!"

And just like that, this became too easy for Sniff to turn around.

"Swifty, hold off on your reporting for a moment and give me another moment with these three."

Again, she held her post, though this time things were taking longer as he spoke with the florist. At this rate, he was going to be late to the spa. Thankfully, another helpful voice joined in from behind… sounding particularly angered by the mess she was brought into.

“Oh! Wow! If it isn’t Count Can Never Get My Way Fast Enough Caesar.”

Swifty didn’t even have to look to see that it was Lyra stomping her way over with Lily and the other two now joining in behind her. Apparently, Sniff saw fit to send one of the three out to fetch his representative.

Having his plans shift so dramatically, he needed an intermediary.

"Blue Moon, Count Caesar, I apologize for the situation you found yourselves in. I've talked with Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy. As a favor to me, because we already have one court case pending, they're willing to help alleviate the stress of the flowers, but it's not going to be cheap."

The two stallions opened their mouths to protest as they took a step forward, but the combined forces of a fully armored guard, a pissed-off unicorn charging her horn, and three equally pissed off Earth pony mares ready to stop him out, quickly had the two fall back in line.

That's where Sniff picked up again.

"Yeah, it's a bum deal. I get it, but, given the sensitivity of this issue, Lyra will intermediate for you two, but that's only if she allows me to handle the issue with Cutter directly, and I will do my best to keep her civil over this accident... Otherwise, given my close relationships with Lyra and these lovely ladies who will be taking care of you, I can't be involved with whatever you workout together, and it's upon you to make nice to avoid upsetting Twilight."

He took a deep breath, stuck his hands in his pockets, and started to walk away.

"You stepped in the wolf’s den. I suggest you speak softly and offer whatever you need to keep their teeth from munching on something that isn't your proverbial throat."

Trotting up close to Sniff’s side, more on alert than before, Swifty had to figure out what she missed as a commotion of the four mares scolding demands berated the nobles.

“It’s a good thing you got Lyra involved, but what did you all discuss?”

Not happy about how things turned out, Sniff came clean.

“I could tell those two were the Canterlot elites you can’t stand. After that Caesar guy tried to shove me out of the way, I thought I’d build up his problems to convince him that whatever Roseluck and them wanted to charge to help them out was going to be his best bet. Once you brought up Cutter, who probably would have literally taken his head off, he could have argued that we were blackmailing him. Lyra knows what my relationship with them was supposed to be, and since we’re all… you know… She’ll know enough to make sure whatever they charge him, and it's going to be a lot, stays legal."

There was something else sitting on the tip of his tongue. She could see Sniff waiting to find the right words to string together before he could say it.

After waiting the few seconds that felt far longer, Sniff spoke frankly.

"You… went a lot harder on that dude than needed… but thank you."

She was getting better at reading him, and what she heard was more than a thank you. Without realizing it, she did something he really liked, but she decided to have a little fun playing innocent.

"Peter, I take my job very seriously, and I will do everything I can to protect you no differently than I would any of the Princesses, nobles, or random citizens… But I might have gone a little bit harder than I needed to when I saw him going for your dick."

Of all the things to say, Sniff had a good laugh over her bluntness, even if by now he saw the joke coming from a mile away.

"I think it's more than that, but I'll let it go for now if you tell me how you took him out of commission so easily."

The short conversation of the weight, balance, and lots of practice ended at the doors of the spa. The two were laughing it up as they walked in, getting greeted by Lavender Essence, but Sniff was a bit too focused to stop.

"Morning there Lavender. Looking good as always. Could you let Aloe and Lotus know that I'll be in the large room for training again in just a bit? I need to stop in my room to grab some items, then we can get things started. They can take their time, I might be a minute."

Quickly matching his chipper mood, Lavender smiled warmly as she slid away from her seat.

"Right away, Peter. I'm sure they're already waiting for you."

Passing the front desk and making a b-line for his room, he turned the handle and motioned for Swifty to join him.

"Come on, I need yer help with something."

Swifty trotted inside and started looking for the supplies he was most likely going to need.

"What do you need help with? Oils, towels, the heater-"

Behind her, the sound of the door locking and the zipper of Sniff’s pants going down had her freeze in place as an ear snapped back in his direction.

She did a slow turn over her shoulder, the powerful scents of clover and an inviting burn of sea salt alerting her of what she hoped were true.

Sniff was walking towards her as he adjusted his hard cock out for her.

"What you did out there earlier… I wanted to thank you."

This was unprofessional to the highest degree… just like everywhere else he ever worked. But this was different.

"I'm all yours for the next five minutes. Then we clean up, do the training, explain everything to Twilight, calm Cutter down. Then you and Lyra can sleep on the way to Canterlot if you have to."

After a heated five minutes of both partners touching, grinding, and sliding against each other's partially exposed bodies as they kissed and she let his hands do as they do, Swifty was a radiant glowing mare of contentment. A few towels dropped off in the bin for cleaning were hastily discarded after a mutual wipe down, and they left together to start the "training" so many mares had been eagerly waiting for.

Truthfully, calling it training would be gracious flattery to what he was really doing. All he was training them on was to know was what he could do with his hands. There was nothing new to his approach or the concepts they could already employ. They just wanted some hands-on time, pun intended, with him to feel what he could do, which was everything that their hooves couldn't do for each other.

"Now, my dear, if you would let me have your other hoof," he happily requested as another mare was taking in his gracious services.

Even with Sniff’s best attempts at keeping his mind focused or where it needed to be and not where his dick wanted to be, more than a few of his massaging moments had been infused with impure thoughts.

Gripping around their hips, sliding his palms over the small of their backs, and particularly when feeling around their breast had provoked a handful of inexcusable moans that left Swifty grinning like a troublemaker in the classroom.

Holding out was becoming more of an issue, but he was working through it as best he could.

"I think the most common area needing attention besides the lower back reaching into the hips are the rear legs. Even a pegasus left standing for most of her job will have the same issues as an Earth pony."

He strummed his thumb in between the bands of muscles in the mare's thigh. A pleasant coo rolled from her lips as he drew closer to her glutes.

As he looked down to make sure his fingers didn't venture too far, this mare's tail began to lift the closer his hand drew. Pleasant as it might have been to see, he was easily piecing together that much of these were in all likelihood something involuntarily happening. Such unrestrained actions were going to be a sign for him from here on out to distance himself.

There would be no need for such temptations when he had all the voluntary tail he could want. One such piece of tail with a mint-colored coat was now leaning next to the doorway with a pleased look about her. He wasn’t sure how long she had been there, but it might as well have been a sign that his time for demonstrating was over.

"And that should about do it for today, ladies," Sniff announced.

Collectively, the mares whined at Sniff’s early end to his demonstrations. There was just never enough time to spend with this special stallion they worked with. So, while they all hung around as if they had something to do, Sniff made his way over to Lyra, curious to what she was looking so smug about.

"What's got you all smiles?"

Lyra turned around and started to lead the way out.

"Count Caesar has been banned from any and all royal functions and events, indefinitely. It seems he already had a strike against him from Cutter the same day as the Post-War-Party. Blue Moon has left with Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy to ensure the floral arrangements get taken care of. They will also be seeing you there tonight and request a dance to make up for missing your date. But… they also wanted me to thank you for getting them this job, as they'll be making over triple their normal rate for all the reasons you sighted."

Opening the door for them, she smiled even bigger.

"I plan on showing you all their thanks after you talk with Cutter."

That could be a good thing or a bad thing, and Sniff wasn't sure of what to expect.

"Is she mad?"

Lyra just rolled her eyes.

"About as mad as me, but she has a sword and a lot less restraint than I do, but it's all taken care of. She wanted to talk to you before she knew about that drama anyway, but wouldn't say anything other than it was something private."

Walking into the sales floor, Sniff was treated to some pleasant aromatic mixes of sweets and seasonings, baking together with some mother-daughter bonding from the kitchen.

"No, that's cumin!" Ovens laughed. "We need cinnamon and-"

Cutter's generous laughter quickly drowned out Ovens with a clear case of not giving a shit.

"Cumin and sugar rolls for dinner? It could work."

Thankfully, Ovens was taking it all in stride.

"Fuck it. Maybe we'll get lucky with this batch."

Intrigued, Sniff poked his head into the kitchen, curious to see what these two had gotten into.

"You two sure sound like you're both having a good time. Should I come back later?"

Playtime was over for Ovens, but there was still some work to do.

"Yes, we were having fun. Mother is still a walking disaster in the kitchen." She gave Cutter a kiss in the cheek, then bumped her hip into her mother's to send her off. "But she would like to talk to you over a professional rub down."

Knowing Sniff’s luck, he would want that clarification upfront. Although, the other two mares need not wait around.

"Lyra, Swifty? Cutter will be escorting Peter back to the castle shortly. You might want to take this time to see Rarity for some extra clothing while you have the chance. Then I'll want to hear all about what you've both been spoiled with after all you've done today."

As the two mares departed, Sniff took Cutter upstairs, where she started to remove the remaining Lunar armor. With the removal of her armor, so started her side of the conversation.

"Between you and me, I can make sure Count Caesar won't bother you again."

Oh, the benefits of having friends in high places.

"That won't be necessary," was Sniff’s well-humored response. "But now that you’ve got me, what did you want to talk about?"

Rather lazily, Cutter made her way onto the bed and flopped down on her belly.

"Are you happy being with Ovens?"

Was that a clown question? If it was, Sniff certainly found it funny.

"If I said no, would you even believe me?"

He stood at the side of the bed, waiting for her to react. All he saw was a forced angry eye turning up at him, though her grin couldn't be held back, and he had his answer.

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either. So, how about I go back to work on your wing joints again?"

For a second time, Cutter tried to put on a strong front, but her crotchety old grumble was more mumbling laughter than anything else. Might as well own up to it and not pretend to be anything but happy.

"My baby girl has told me that sharing you has grown into something more like what your brother Chris has started."

Wow… These mares really do like to gossip. Not that Sniff wasn't getting used to it, but perhaps he needed to set some limits with them.

In the meantime, he could enjoy discussing sex without the fear of this mare making the moves on him while he oiled up his hands. Or at least he hoped that wouldn’t happen.

"Yeah. I didn't expect it to happen the way it did. They all kind of sprung it on me… How do you feel about it?"

There had been much discussed while Sniff was out, none of it was all that helpful to Cutter. Nothing that she could dwell on while Sniff was working on her back and wings.

"My daughter is past the point of requiring my help or approval to get what she wants. Though she seems to be doing much better knowing she has my support. I hope to mirror her success of having such a loving… more physical relationship with my husband now that we have the time."

Grateful he was keeping the Lunar Guard calm and relaxed, he thought of how to take her answer.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you thinking about growing your family, some more casual encounters, or do you mean going farther by finding another female partner to spice things up with?"

She didn't seem to respond right away, but he was working over an area that had been particularly sore the day before. It was possible she wasn't able to respond. That or he said something he would need to preemptively apologize for.

"Or I'm asking something too personal or if asking about another mare-"

A slow pleasant moan hummed freely from Cutter. She turned her head with a trusting smile and her eyes carelessly closed.

"I trust you, Peter, and both Ovens and Twilight told me there's still a lot you're learning along with them. I'm not upset with your questions."

She turned onto her side, pulling her wings out of Sniff's hands, and raised her right forehoof for him.

"I am curious, though. Could you sit with me and work on this for a while. It's still a bit tender."

Not even the slightest hesitant, Sniff sat next to Cutter and began to carefully work his hands over her still swollen limb. Every moment granting Cutter some much-needed relief and reasons to speak so civil.

"I suppose a lesser mother would have walked away or cried from a distance if they thought about what I did and had to fight their own daughter… I should have stopped well before the last punch. It's actually surprising I didn't break anything."

Her smile softened some, a slightly somber expression washing over her.

"I know your future is uncertain with us here, but I want you to know that I consider you a part of my family already."

In a moment of clarity, she thought to approach her position a bit more honestly.

"Life was a struggle for us when my husband and I still lived here, and I think I would have loved to have a much larger family if I could have, but with money and work… We had the love, just not the opportunity."

Her thoughts split in two directions for a moment. What she wanted to say could change the conversation in a lot of different ways, making her words sound uncertain when she settled on what to say.

"Could you help me with my husband?"

The question came on so quickly that Sniff nearly dropped her hoof, then realized what she was really getting after.

"Did you have a fight with him because of Ovens, and… or is this something different altogether?"

Cutter did her best not to laugh too hard, but Sniff’s concern was too cute the way he said it. However, the humor didn't remove all of the negative feelings she still harbored. It was just enough to keep her amused appearance bright.

"No. He was worried that we were hurt from our fight, but I quickly turned all that around when I told him that we had patched things up because of her new coltfriend getting involved."

She fluttered her eyes in a remarkable facsimile to Ovens. Perhaps Cutter really did have a softer, sweeter side?

"I didn't tell him much after that because I was so happy that Baked Fresh and I had our girl back. I was so happy that I wanted to show him how much I loved him in all the ways Ovens and Twilight told me about."

For a motherly mare that nearly came to slicing him open not too long ago, she was surprisingly loving and accepting. Not even she could ignore the extreme change of her own persona.

"I wouldn't take anything away from her after all I kept from her since I stayed in the shadows of her life, Peter. You gave her something I couldn't, and in doing so, gave me back something I was too stubborn and scared to take back on my own. Not just with Ovens, but I know what else I want back in my life."

Finally, Sniff was catching on… or at least he thought he was. She was uniquely hard to read.

"Are you asking for my help spicing up your sex life with your husband?"

That was the ticket, and now that he knew, Cutter sat up and gave him a motherly hug. There were still other issues in the way, but for now, she had him to help her with this.

"I was confused and questioned so much of what Ovens and Twilight told me, but I trusted them. Had it not been for the massage you gave me before I left your party, I wouldn't have stopped questioning it. Now, I know it's something I want, but I need your help. I don't have what Ovens has… I tried, but you help mares find what they need to have in a stallion of their own."

As she held him, the not so well hidden scent of Swifty was easy to detect. So was the mayor, Twilight, as well as her daughter. All of their scents with that extra something that all but screamed that they had what Cutter wanted.

He knew what to do, how to reclaim what she wanted. She needed Sniff perhaps even more than the others who had him did.

"I want a bigger family, Peter-"

"Cutter," Sniff interrupted her, now lost as to where this was going. "I can-"

"Call me, mom," Cutter happily instructed him. "Even if Twilight finds you a way home and you're ripped away from us, I know what you are to my baby girl. You and every human else. Every mare Ovens takes in with you. All of you… nothing's coming between me and my family ever again."

Mom? Another mother? Maybe another father? A pair he could possibly save this time?

"Anything you say...mom," Sniff answered as he properly returned the hug and kissed her forehead again. " I won't let you down."

Filled with more confidence and greatly relieved of much of her soreness, Cutter escorted Sniff down. Upon arrival, they both were graced with the good company of Prim with Redheart in mid-conversation with Ovens.

"-nothing wrong with waiting. Chris could have worn me out in the time it took for it to stop hurting and I could finally enjoy it. Even our second time this mooo-oh, good morning, Mr. James."

Judging on how that topic made a hard turn away to soft pleasantries, Sniff could only assume what they were talking about. Not that it was difficult to discern, to begin with, or have a little fun with it.

"Good morning, indeed, Nurse. And Ovens, dear, I gotta ask…"

He strolled up to the counter, leaning over and making flirty eyes with his mare to draw her in.

"What was there to talk about in this town before we showed up?"

The need to remain quiet was all but removed, leaving Cream to laugh it up behind Redheart’s chair.

"Very little, Mr. James."

Somehow, trying to find a topic to move away from this embarrassing exposure, Redheart remembered something worthy of bringing up.

"Mr. James, you and Lumberman have yet to be examined at the hospital. Would the two of you be able to make it over before leaving today? I need to go in for a follow-up myself, in about an hour, and I'd rather be there to avoid any unprofessional behavior from the staff."

Beyond the onslaught of questions that were a risk, if any of the staff were to make a move on Sniff or Lumberman, a fight would be inevitable. To keep everyone safe, she turned to Ovens.

"I recommend he not go alone. If Big Mac had Tealove make a scene, and… well, everything that happened with Chris that led to my broken hoof-"

"I'll go," Cutter answered firmly. "Peter has plans for as soon as we leave. Plans which will leave Lyra and Specialist Swift Sails, in all likelihood, unavailable afterward. Mayor Mare and Twilight will be busy with the other delegates touring Ponyville, and I don’t believe that Top Shelf is up for the task of fending off anypony if Peter were to need protection."

That left only one trusted pony, which should have been obvious had not it been for what Cutter was about to point out.

"Granted, we could always trade places so that you take him in and I finish up with your orders in the kit-"

"Oh, fuck no!" Ovens belted out, laughing at the obviously terrible idea. "Peter, I'm sorry. I would take you in myself, but there's a reason I told you not to let my mom go in the kitchen unattended."

Matching her daughter's laugh, Cutter made her first step towards the door.

"Don't you worry, baby girl. One of these days I'll best you over the stove."

With her ward, and potential future son-in-law delivered safely, Cutter reluctantly agreed to leave Sniff to his own devices. In all likelihood, the perfume that was rich in the air was influencing her choices. It certainly wasn’t the empty bottle of alcohol left on the nightstand.

"If everything is satisfactory for you, I hope you’ll let me observe."

While kinky, yet unsettling, Sniff stood by his position.

"If everything goes fine tonight, I'm sure you won't need a visual demonstration. I'll meet you downstairs once I get washed up."

In a manner fitting of a hentai Chris would watch, Cutter shot a proud smile at Swifty and Lyra as she walked out of the room, encouraging them as she left.

"You two enjoy yourselves with Peter, now. I expect my boy to be well taken care of. He has a long day ahead of him and shouldn't be left wanting until after the party."

"We will!" Both Lyra and Swifty happily shouted just as Sniff closed the door.

Now alone, but still on a schedule, Sniff didn't mind the idea of trying to make this quick for him. None of which would be difficult with his current situation, and he began to remove his shirt.

Once the front of his shirt was up high enough to cover his face, he felt a pair of wings reaching into his waistline. By the time his shirt was off, his fly was down and a soft green aura was tugging on his boxers.

"Oh, my," he teased. "Aren’t you both ever excited to have me alone?"

Eager to get started, Swifty left Lyra to finish stripping Sniff and reared up to get face to face with her ward. Her excitement and unchaste intentions could be seen clearly in the reflection of her eyes.

"We can skip the foreplay since Lyra and I already share a passion for each other like we do for you. We both want you now like Twilight and Ovens had you last night."

In a sudden show of aggression not seen by others, Swifty locked her lips to his, giving him a taste of the foreplay he missed before his arrival. As she pulled him down on top of her over the bed, she was now sure he knew that Lyra and Swifty had started without him.

At the same time, she thought perhaps she came on a little too strong, as she sensed some apprehension from her nude stallion, so she let him pull away. However, he didn’t speak or try to separate himself, so maybe she could play this off by playing cute.

"I’m going to need a lot more practice in giving you what you need if we’re going to have so much time alone together… And I know you didn't get enough of me at the spa.”

Lyra appeared next to Sniff, taking his cheeks in her hooves and raising his face to hers. She looked to be just as determined as Swifty, growing anxious to get started.

"You've helped a lot of ponies today. Probably a lot more than you think. We want to thank you, and hope you'll show us a little extra appreciation too since Twilight told me about how wonderful sharing you with Ovens was last night."

Sniff had been a bit surprised by how strong Swifty had moved on him, but he was only more turned on by it. Lyra’s little speech was just the icing on the cake, and he pulled his two mares in closer to show them how fast he could show them how much he cared.

Cutter stood with her back and ear against the wall. The crystal-wall of the castle that separated her from the action in the room made it impossible to know exactly what was happening. Only the distorted sounds of grunts and moans could nearly be heard clearly. It was as if there was another layer between her and the lustful cries she was missing out on. Perhaps something magical even?

"You could always try looking through their windows, Sergent Major," came the voice of a mare she once trained to get that close to her without detection. "Though I'm sure with the door closed and a silencing spell in use, it's unlikely they wish to be observed."

Cutter was caught by Thunder, and while her heart was racing, she hoped her prior issues with Sniff wouldn't remove any chance for a favor. She just needed to think of a proper way to ask and appear sincere about it, once she could muster the courage to face her former student.

"I'm only trying to ensure that Peter-"

She had crafted a great half-truth of making sure Sniff was being taken care of and turned to Thunder. Sadly, concern for protecting her image disappeared at the Solar Guard's condition.

"Thunder? What happened… are you alright?"

So, another chapter with a heavier focus on Sniff and the girls in his life. Not too much for me to say about it other than this guy is getting swamped with mares. However, he's changing his views and approach to them in some ways, which should be good.

That being said, Cutter is still getting more involved as well, and really this chapter was about setting the stage for future events. What future events you might ask?

I guess you'll have to come back next and find out in: