Crossing the Trixie Bridge
Chapter 108: 94. A Garden of Werewolves?
Previous Chapter Next ChapterWhile it might have been a bit of an early end to the evening, considering how long a party would normally go for this group, Becky was ready for it to be over. Now in her bed, and her room overly secured, she could end the night right. Also, still being a little drunk, she laid her hand on the side of her guardian yak’s face to rub his cheek.
"Kühn, thanks again standing watch at my door.”
The giant yak bowed, gracefully accepting his orders, and rather taken back by what he felt from the human hand.
“Yaks first like ponies. Very kind. Very fun. Humans also very kind. Very fun and make great friends and allies. Humans also show great respect for yaks. We give impressive show of strength because smart Peter human know that yaks strong like humans… even if new friend Becky is not as strong as Devil Dog, Kühn know Becky still great to have as friend. Kühn proud to protect new friends.”
The words were oddly spoken in the broken delivery, but everyone could appreciate the sentiment. Especially Midnight, who was now one guard short since the departure for Ponyville with Applejack and Lumberman.
“Kühn and I will stand watch tonight at your door, Lady Landon. I trust him to stand guard if you are in need of anything during the night for me to retrieve.”
With a tired smile, Becky accepted and excused the guards for the night.
“Thanks. You two are awesome, but I’m sure I’ll just be sleeping for the rest of the night.”
The two bowed and left the room, leaving Becky to the care of Rainbow, Shining, and Cadance. Now was time for Becky to make good on her word.
“Hey, Shining? You think you could take me out to see the city and maybe grab lunch or something while we’re here?”
Without even thinking, Shining shrugged and looked out towards the window as if he already had places in mind.
“Sure. Just say when.”
Not even sure if Shining had been clued in on the arrangement or not, Becky held back a chuckle and waved him off.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll let you know. And thanks. You too, Cadance.”
Shining must not have been informed, judging by Cadance’s smirk as she turned to leave the room.
“It was our pleasure, Becky. You have a good night.”
Instinctively, Shining took his wife’s lead, mindlessly following along.
“Sweet dreams, Becky. Night Rainbow.”
All but stupefied, Rainbow faintly followed the couple out with her eyes.
“Yeah. You too, guys.”
Once the two had left, and the door was shut, Rainbow’s million questions instantly boiled down to just one.
“Becky? What the fuck was that?”
Not even slightly taken aback by Rainbow’s reaction, Becky yawned and stretched before starting to make herself more comfortable in her bed.
“Dashy, I never should have made that bet, and Shining is about the only guy I could ask without having a yes blow up in my face for not wanting more than just dinner or whatever the date is supposed to be. That’s why Cadance said I should ask him, because it’s harmless.”
That one question Rainbow had, quickly started turning back into a million more, and Becky figured she’d stop them all with one admission.
“Soarin’ is dense, but I wasn’t about to make myself available to him. I know you like him, and I don’t want to ask some guy out when I know I’m not going to take it anywhere.”
Becky had effectively found the cheapest loophole to worm her way out of the bet while not breaking it, but Rainbow didn’t have the heart, or standing, to fight Becky on it. So, with a heavy sigh, she submitted.
“Fine, ya got me. You asked a stallion out while you were here, and we never said they had to be single or anything… Aaaaand you didn’t try to sleep with the stallion you know I like.”
With a crack like that, Becky responded with a swift pillow to Rainbow’s face as she laughed at the remark.
“As if. And shouldn't you at least settle on one guy to sleep with before you try to make assumptions on me?”
Sure, Rainbow deserved that, but the night was young enough where she could have some fun over it.
“Awe, come on Becks. You gotta lighten up a bit more.”
Making herself comfy, Rainbow took the bottle of vodka Becky had been working on all night in her wing and joined her friend on the bed.
Flopping down on her side before rolling onto her back, she spun the cap off the bottle and took a short sip.
“I mean… who would you pick?” Rainbow asked, offering the bottle back to Becky. “I thought Soarin’ might have noticed me from the Post-War Party, but he danced with you and either got cold hooves or lost interest in me.”
Just drunk enough to be civil with approaching this topic now, Becky took the bottle and did her best to clarify her thoughts.
“There’s no bad choice among my friends, Dash. Any one of those guys would treat us right… Granted, Sniff might not be the one to settle down, but he wouldn’t leave without making sure we had what we needed. But if you really want to know which pony I would want to choose, I’m not there yet.”
Becky took a quick drink and passed the bottle back to Rainbow, who exchanged it for some gossip of her own.
“I kinda lucked out with you running off to Zecora’s without me today. I barely slept at all last night, and fixing the weather today pretty much kicked my flank. But, I got a back and wing massage from Cerb because of it, then I got to sleep next to him while he did the same thing for Thunder Glide.”
She took a longer pull from the bottle, drinking in the memory as much as she tried to drink away whatever else she was feeling at the moment before loudly smacking her lips.
“Cerb is like Soarin’ kinda… Doesn’t have a clue when a mare has a crush on him. Spitfire and Fleetfoot both got it bad, but they’re not good at hiding it. Thunder kinda confuses me though. I know she likes him, and she knows about everything our friends are doing, but it’s more like she just wants his respect.”
Another long drink from the bottle nearly had Becky reach out to stop, but Rainbow had stopped on her own before passing it back.
“Then Cadance and Cutter both want to take care of him like he’s their foal or something. And between you and me, there’s still other mares we know that want to be with Justin. One I know for sure, and others… ya just kinda see it. And part of me wants to feel bad about it, but another part of me just wants to feel it. Just once, at least, so I don’t end up feeling so miserable lying in bed alone at night.”
Becky took a small sip, almost regretting it as soon as it touched her lips, but reluctantly swallowed. What she heard wasn’t far off from how she felt, although with different ambitions of who to be with, or to what end result.
“I remember how much you enjoyed the first time I rubbed your wings for you., I can only imagine how much you must have loved Justin doing it for you.”
She was at her peak drunken high that wouldn’t likely end with her hating life. It was what she needed to allow herself to keep talking, but capped the bottle from stopping Rainbow from getting tanked and talking in her sleep again.
A quick grin as she set the bottle off to the side silently told her guardian that they were both cut off, but she was still welcomed to stay.
“I thought about my options today. How many I don’t have, and that includes Kelly,” She huffed a quick laugh, but the smile it ended with felt a little empty. “If it hadn’t been for your friends latching onto mine, I probably would have given in eventually. One of the guys, eventually… Kelly, probably almost certainly if she hadn’t got with Big Mac or… hell… She probably would have talked me into a three-way or something.”
Rainbow tilted her head to keep Becky in sight as she spoke, silently wanting to ask where this was coming from, but too invested to interrupt.
“Now I don’t want to get involved with them, but also kind of want what they have. Maybe not what Chris and Sniff have, but the others, even with two girls, they’re all so happy and comfortable with each other.”
“And their sex is amazing,” Rainbow added, rather bluntly.
To that, Becky forced a smile, but the alcohol was clouding her thoughts a bit more than she expected.
“Yeah, and even their crotch smells like… Ugh… You were right about that one, Dash. But, I still don’t know what I really want. Just a pony to date, someone to sleep next to… there’s no sex toys for me to use, so until I build my own or my hands give out, I might not have a choice but find a stud.”
Finding a stud of her own? If that’s what Rainbow heard, perhaps her friend really was coming around. Just the possibility alone was enough to make her smile back at her human friend.
“If this thing with Soarin’ doesn’t work out for me, but you find some pony just for sex, you think you wouldn’t mind sharing?”
To that, Becky chuckled and turned to her sleeping position.
“Yeah, sure,” she answered like they both knew it was a joke. “We can trade weekends or something.”
Rainbow laughed at the offer but didn’t want to knock the idea outright. Not when she had limited options herself. At the same time, she wasn’t looking forward to leaving.
“Heh… yeah… weekends.”
She laid there for a moment, not exactly drunk, but being sober wouldn’t have likely changed her train of thought or current outlook.
“Hey… Becky? I know you’re still not into ponies, and I’m not into mares… but if you don’t feel like sleeping alone tonight, I don’t exactly either.”
Mildly, surprised, Becky turned her head back to Rainbow, running the offer over in her head, eventually smiling on the idea.
“Sure, just tell Midnight and Kühn you’re keeping me company for the night just in case I can’t get out of bed. But if you talk in your sleep again, I’m gonna record it.”
Promptly, Rainbow frowned but a snort gave away her shared humor.
“You bitch.”
[Elsewhere up the stairs to Twilight’s quarters.]
Swifty was, of course, overly excited to get back to their room with Sniff alongside her. Something that Pinkie could tell by nearly every measurable ledger.
“Wow, you must really want it bad. Huh, Swifty?”
Since the halls were clear, and Swifty remembered the guard’s rotations, she figured she could speak a little more candidly.
“Oh, believe me. With Peter, you always want it this bad.”
While there was no animosity towards Pinkie, there just wasn’t anything about her that would have made Swifty ready to share her ward with their proverbial third-wheel. Sadly, while none of the others had been explicit, they seemed to give off the impression that Pinkie wasn’t supposed to be invited in with the others.
Not that such a concept was unbelievable. Inviting one’s self in with another mare’s stallion seemed rather rude, and the others made it clear that it was up to the mares who started a relationship to decide who could join, if any at all.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help with Peter and keeping the other mares away. Those mares had no right trying to force their way in like that. I’ll let Twilight know what you did, but what happened to Captain Flash Sentry? How did you know he was afraid of nurses? I didn’t even know that.”
Before she could answer, her ear started a twitching fit, and Sniff thankfully answered for her.
“I think Pinkie was hoping to have Flash join her in the bedroom for some role-playing between the sheets.”
And just like that, Pinkie was ready to make an exit.
“That was the plan! Here’s my room! Gotta go! This Pink Party Pony Pussy won’t pleasure itself!”
One could only hope the door the Pinkie just opened and rushed inside of was actually hers, if not at least vacant. However, crisis avoided, and Twilight’s room was just down the hall.
[Moments later in Twilight’s room.]
After a few knocks, Peter let himself inside, with Swifty stepping in and scanning the room for danger.
“Twilight? We’re back. I hope you’re ready for bed.”
In a not-so-excited voice, Sniff let Swifty know what Twilight’s condition was. Namely, with the upper part of her body laying flat on the mattress, forelegs splayed out and a bit of drool leaking from her mouth.
“Oh, I think she’s way ahead of getting into bed… or tried to be at least.”
Twilight, only just now opening her eyes, welcomed the two back.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I must have drifted off getting ready to take a bath.”
Sniff took a glance towards the open bathroom door, no signs of anything more than the lights having been turned on. Then his eyes went back to Twilight on the bed, still in her oversized dress, only now realizing how far she had gotten.
“Or maybe I didn’t get that far. I’m so sorry, Peter. I’m not sure how it happened, but I must have accidentally used up too much power for the demonstration. This feels just like magic exhaustion. If you like, I can ask that you get your own room tonight. That way you and Swifty-”
Perhaps this wasn’t the way any of them had envisioned the evening to end for them, but Sniff could make this work.
“Swifty, could you be a dear and start a bath for the three of us? I’m going to help her out of her clothes, then it’s rub-a-dub-dub, our dirty little princess in the tub.”
The helpful Solar Guard wasted no time kicking off her boots, then giggled with some extra pep in her step as she trotted her way towards the tub.
“I hope by dirty, you mean messy.”
Twilight, unsure if she should apologize or feel swooned, lifted her head, a drunken sleepy smile shining through.
“Damn it, Peter. Why are you so good to me?”
Sniff joined Twilight on the bed, slowly undoing the buttons, clips, and bindings that held her dress in place. His comforting touch and calming tone only made her resistance vanish with each piece of fabric he started to remove.
“Because you never stop taking care of me.”
He lifted her head up by her chin and kissed her lips softly, but with more warmth and affection than lust or desire, making her melt in a soft moan. Where it was coming from, he was still trying to figure out exactly, but just like with Ovens and more of these mares, he was growing very comfortable with their offers.
“Because you make this all worth being here.”
[Not much later in the hall to Celestia’s chambers.]
Finally back in his armor, Flash finished off his report.
"- and the Saddle Arabians actually insisted upon staying in the rooms you provided this time, instead of their penthouse in the city."
This wasn't exactly a first for the Saddle Arabians, but still a first of its kind.
"Every nation is staying within the castle walls?"
Flash was impressed as well. This simply was unheard of.
"Princess, I'm aware that the humans all made an impression on our guests, but they've never been this civil with each other before. Nor would they agree to have rooms so close together. Is it possible Twilight’s show of power has scared them into a compliance of friendship?"
For a moment, their shared strides resembled the portion of the melody from Celestia’s dance with Sniff. Or perhaps it was closer to the chaotic clopping of hooves from the mares trying to get closer to them she thought she heard. Either way, the noises were all still in her head, much like the feeling of human hands that held her not long ago.
"No," she quietly answered. "It's not fear that compels them. The yaks, griffons, and dragons know of the dangers involved with the humans. They would not squabble to pander to Becky unless they wanted the protection the likes of Cerberus and Benny have offered. The Abyssinians seek the riches Sniff has already begun to accumulate faster than any sales pony could dream of. The Arabians seem to be after holding their status and influence. Even the nobles appear to be racing to join the newest trend of adding the human’s notoriety to their portfolios."
With so much influence gathered so quickly, Flash had to question those who weren't in attendance.
"Is that why you sent Prince Blueblood away on last-minute business?"
Celestia stopped short of reaching her door, a sudden rise of discomfort showing through.
"No. My nephew was sent away because his arrogance is of the worst of the nobles, and I am certain he would have caused an incident with Rarity. If he did, Cerberus would have been a problem the likes of which I was not ready to deal with."
Fearing he may have crossed the line, Flash bowed down to the floor.
"My apologies, Princess. I did not mean to pry so deeply. My concern was only the overall situational awareness for the safety of the castle."
Celestia knew she came off strong, which wasn’t her intent, and bowed with a heavy sigh to apologize.
"Rise, Captain. My anger is not with you. I am merely tired, please pardon my behavior. You have done an outstanding job, all things considered. Far better than your predecessor. Now, I leave the watch to you. Good night."
[Over in Twilight’s tub.]
What could have resulted in a rather...involved exchange among the trio, ended up rather controlled. Twilight, far too weak to actively involve herself, found her body lovingly trapped between Sniff, as she sat atop his lap, and Swifty, sitting on hers.
Obviously, they both shared a portion of Sniff between them, but that was more of a constant comfort than the focus of their attention. Instead, this was more of a bubbly, cuddle session in the tub.
Naturally, much of the attention was provided by Sniff, his hands slowly working over and between the two as they experimented with how they touched, kissed, felt over each other. It was Sniff's idea that they get to know each other better this way, so who were they to say no?
"Mmm, I can't believe I'm kissing the Princess whose stallion I’m sharing," Swifty softly spoke in her calming bliss.
Twilight reached her forehooves down and pulled Swifty a little tighter against her.
"Ooh, Swifty. Don't say that like you're not a part of this. Dating or not, you're just as much a part of this as Ovens or any other mare. And everything we do, I want you to have with us as well."
As slow as they were moving about this, they couldn't stop the occasional jolts and rises of pressure between them; teasing each of them closer to the crossing the line comfort and foreplay.
"Uhh, and I would love for you to show me what you and Lyra have been up to,” Twilight fawned with great interest. “That tongue of yours is nothing short of amazing."
While this had been all very arousing for Sniff, he knew Twilight was forcing herself to stay awake. Not that what they were doing wasn't helping, but he could see how tired she really was.
"Alright, you two. Knowing you both, we can pick up on this in the morning. "
He turned Twilight’s lips to his as she broke from Swifty to kiss her deeply into submission, then pulled back with another outlook.
"Plus, you and I have a date tomorrow, although we should really get an update on Cutter and Ovens."
Swifty couldn't help but feel extra affectionate like this and nuzzled in closer with Twilight.
"You're going to have so much fun tomorrow. I can take care of the updates while you're busy."
Getting Twilight ready for bed took longer than expected, but it would be safe to say that it was a welcomed experience. However, going to bed together while feeling overall dry was a plus.
"I'm sorry we didn't do more," Twilight all but whispered, barely able to raise her voice. "But this was nice."
Unlike usual, Twilight found herself in the center between the two she was with. She never considered what it would feel like to be the center of attention.
"We should do this more often."
Happy to see the night turn out so well, Sniff let his arm lay over both mares. Their mutual interests in each other made their shared embrace easy to hold. More so for Sniff.
"So long as I'm here, I don't see why not."
[Up in Luna’s chambers.]
Unlike both would have expected, Kelly and Luna found themselves sitting quietly on a reading sofa, doing nothing but examining the starry sky above. Only the simple comforts of each other’s company and the beauty of the sky above were what they needed to occupy the time.
“Do you have any regrets about getting involved with me?” Kelly asked, clear from out of the blue, opting to rip the proverbial bandage right off.
Luna wanted to answer right away but stopped to give it some serious thought. The question itself needed to address so much more than having Kelly as a lover since she came with so much more.
“I would think not,” she calmly answered, making sure to focus on her tone to avoid sending the wrong message. “You are the greatest companion I could have ever hoped for. Having Mac share so much with both of us is comforting as it is thrilling. I even feel closer to the rest of your friends because of how supportive and welcoming of me they have been.”
Kelly traced her fingers lazily up Luna’s chest and down her side, thinking about all of that as well.
“Yeah. We do get along, the three of us, and I know my friends love ya as well… But if you could sleep with any one of them, who would it be?”
Luna hummed happily as she readjusted herself to pull Kelly closer towards her, letting Kelly lay in her lap again.
“So many ponies seem to gravitate towards Justin and Peter, and it is easy to see why.”
Kelly quietly laughed for a moment. Both at the observation, as well as the fact that laying next to Luna’s crotch also put her eye-level at her breast.
“Justin is a hunk, and I told you how great he is in the sack. Peter, though? We traded girls a few times. Sniff really knows how to please a woman, and I’ve had guys like that. Neither is really better than the other. You can’t really compare raw sexual aggression and comfort to someone who is more methodical and personal.”
Without having experienced either of them, Luna simply nodded in agreement.
“I think I understand what you mean. But I was going to say that Benny, Lumberman, and Chris also have their merits. Benny has impressed me many times with how adaptive and caring he can be.”
She seductively traced a few feathers up Kelly’s legs and over her tummy, making her lady giggle.
“You should have heard what Octavia and Vinyl had to share about their first time with him.”
Playfully, Kelly brushed the feathers away, still entertaining this conversation.
"Yeah, I could imagine."
Luna gave a reserved sigh, smiling up to the stars as she thought about the many happy ponies she had become friends with recently.
"Applejack has a stallion that has sworn himself to her, and she the same. There is still something special about that, and I hope they can enjoy as much as we all share more than that. But Chris, however… it was an oversight at first, but he arrived in this world with a desire unlike any of the others. His six mares have yet to outpace him, even together."
For a moment, there was silence between them. Kelly had thought there would be a follow-up comment, but that seemed to be where Luna had intentionally stopped. It took a moment, but she finally started to get it.
"Holy, shit… Chris out fucks everyone here? That son of uh… How the hell did that happen?"
[Back on the Apple Farm.]
Lumberman closed the passenger door and followed Applejack closely by her side, a little tired, but happy to see his girl doing so well. Even Wyona returned, her tail wagging wildly as she ran circles around them until Lumberman reached out to pet the lonely pupper.
“How them hooves of yours doing? You wanna go buck some trees before going to be?" He asked cheerfully.
A bit tired herself, a feeling she was strangely becoming more accustomed to, Applejack laughed, though her enthusiasm was fading out fast.
“Haaa-nope. I’m thinking bed will do me just fine for now.”
“In that case,” Lumberman scooped her up in his arms, placing her upper half over his shoulder. “All the more reason to hurry upstairs."
Lumberman managed to open the door, but once inside, he realized they would not be alone tonight and stopped in view of the living room. That's when Applejack turned her eyes to where Lumberman was looking.
Big Mac lay on the couch, sleeping, and surrounded by invoices. From what Applejack could gather, there were a series of stacks of orders delivered in town for businesses and homes. On top of that, there was another pile for new orders, of which there were many more than usual.
"Poor fellas all tuckered out," Applejack commented in a cute little voice, though clear sympathy was felt for her overworked sibling.
Since there was no need to get involved at the moment, Lumberman continued on his path again for the stairs.
"Let's just try not to wake him up then."
Once in the bedroom, Applejack was laid on the bed to be undressed. As the zippers, buttons, and straps began to be undone, the conversations started to flow back from her. Of course, the topic was of the night’s plans, but also a different approach to them.
“Woody? I don’t regret a moment I spent together with ya, but I wanted to ask if we’re moving along too fast?”
Given how he didn’t Speed Racer them back to the house this time, the context could have only been about one thing. Thankfully, it was a conversation Lumberman was willing to have as he finished the straps under her chest.
“Not faster with everything, but there are some things I think I would have done a little differently to pace ourselves better.” He gave a sigh, sounding pleased with himself. “No regrets though.”
There were a few different ways to take that, but nothing sounded bad to Applejack. Just enough to hold her curiosity.
“What would you have done differently?” She asked, with a curious tone.
Lumberman started to pull her dress off, careful not to jerk her too much or damage the fabric.
“Well, I wanted to ask you out in private, for starters. Kinda had a whole thing in my head planned out to drive you out back into the orchard, play you that song and—”
He took a pause to think about it, then laughed off whatever he had thought up. What he thought seemed funny to him, but he didn’t say what it was and went back to removing the rest of what she was wearing.
“I probably would have screwed it up. Probably better I just got it over with like we did. Otherwise, maybe waited another night or two for our first time getting physical… Although… I also kinda regret not getting physical sooner.”
To that notion, Applejack had herself a little laugh at all the times they spent together. So many of times they were together she wanted more but was all but clueless as to what she could have asked for.
“Heh, yeah. Can’t say I could ever get enough of having ya next tuh me. Probably better I held back on asking ya tuh let yer hands do a rubdown where I really wanted’em to go. Waiting to find out what we could do took a lot of pressure off of trying to understand why I wanted tuh keep ya so close to me.”
Lumberman had been quick with his duties, already having her stripped down to just her panties, leaving her to question how far they would go tonight. The fact that he left his hands on the elastic band with a look of, “Do I or don’t I,” made it seem he was at the same crossroads she was.
“We could do it tonight if you wanted to,” she bashfully stated. “But you’d have to want it to. Any bad feelings going in makes… well… hurt going in. A lot more at least.”
Lumberman traced his fingers around the undergarments band, contemplating what he wanted. He had done so much already and toyed with doing more in the last few days. He wasn't completely over the fact she wasn't human, but the who she was, that was more than human.
After a monetary flash of clarity, the topic was just sex, his friends made it clear how they felt about it. Even if just for her, he did want it, but knew a part of him just wanted to experience the gratification himself.
“Apples… I had to do a lot of soul-searching to get to the point I realized I wanted this with you, with your family. I didn't want to rush in, making the same old mistakes. And so far, I haven't. If you want to wait, I'll wait. If you know you want to go all the way tonight, I'm pretty sure I won't regret a thing in the long run."
That seemed like a decent enough answer to let Applejack settle on what she wanted, and she let her forehooves rest on Lumberman's hands before she softly spoke.
"Woody, I waited as long as I could to get you close to me. Longer than I wanted fer you tuh hold me, and I downright gave in tuh ya finally touch me the way only you can and then let me do the same fer you. Believe me, I want you rutting me like we were fixing to raise a stampede uh' foals… But maybe we should wait to make it special on purpose."
In one swift motion, she knocked Lumberman's hands away, making him fall over her, barely catching himself just inches away from landing on her. Her and that wicked grin she shot him.
"Not tuh say we can't keep doing what we been doing. I ain't given up a damn thing we got going. Just let me heal up more so I'm sturdy on my hooves, then we can both make the most of it. What'dya say?"
Still in his clothes, Lumberman pressed himself against her, making her lips part in a shallow gasp.
"When you're ready for more, I'll fill you up until mother nature changes her mind on this whole us not having a foal of our thing."
As expected, Applejack laughed like a drunken fool. It was such a goofy way of putting things, but when her laughs died out, the snapping of her ears spoke of another reaction.
"Take them panties off for me would ya please? I need those hands uh' yers, sug."
[Over at the Castle of Friendship.]
What was supposed to be a mother breaking the bad news to her daughter on the ride home had fallen into the disarray of Cutter breaking down. While not a total collapse of uncontrollable bawling, the firm hold Cutter held on her life had left her sobbing, trying to piece together all the wrong choices she had made in her personal quarters.
Thankfully, Ovens wasn't willing to let her mother go through this alone. Asking Lyra to stick around on top of asking for another old friend to join them, made discussing these issues much easier.
"Mom, you can't keep blaming yourself for this. Dad is… You know how he is about his baking. He's as bad as me about getting what he wants."
Also still around, and wanting to offer some kind of help, Lyra had some of her own experiences to share.
"It must have been difficult dealing with your husband having such a terrible opinion of Peter, and then you because of it. I've had to deal with that myself."
More shocked than Ovens or Cutter, Mayor Mare gasped at the claim.
"You can't be serious. Who couldn’t love any of our new human friends? Especially Peter.”
Lyra sulked, not knowing how to best answer the mayor without outing her friend… if that’s what she still was. Still she had to say something, having already put the idea out there.
“I’m sure just like your father, it’s coming from a place of ignorance of not wanting to see someone they care about with a non-pony. Not that it makes their behavior any less hurtful.” She looked up to Cutter, having gained a substantial amount of respect for the motherly mare. “But I think if Baked Fresh thought you had done what we have with Peter, that-”
“I would never!” Cutter barked angrily, but her words stopped suddenly as she thought about how he worked on her earlier that day. “I just wanted that with my husband. I’m his wife, and even if Peter is amazing at intimacy, I would never betray my oath to Baked.”
Comfortingly, Ovens hugged her mother tightly but noticed a lovely scent still floating around her.
“We know you wouldn’t, but maybe that’s just what Dad thought because he could smell clovers on you. But it’s not like he would know that if Peter is going to have sex, his scent is so much stronger than this."
Cutter cocked an ear in Oven's direction, a new curious thought only a second away from escaping her lips.
"How much stronger?"
The three mares shared a collection of giggles, twitching ears or tails, as well as a few blushes.
"Well," Mayor Mare started off for the others. "Normally, the scent of clovers is the first scent you notice. But when Peter is ready to tantalize us with his wonderful touch-"
Lyra leaned in so as to embellish.
"It's like walking into a field of nothing but clovers on a hot, humid, summer evening. The scent just envelopes you completely. But then that touch of sea salt that's always there?"
For the last part, Ovens wanted to get the final say.
"It's kinda like that burn you get from smelling Dad’s hot peppers, but with the added bold and sweetness of the clovers… A little like sugar and cumin on a sweet roll. Which isn't bad with a little added cinnamon and butter, come to find out."
Cutter chuckled a little. Her mistake in the kitchen had been saved by the clearly more skilled set of hooves. Now all they had to do was save her marriage.
"Thank you again, girls. I believe my impatience has played a large role in this. I should have taken my time with Baked Fresh like Peter did with you. Let him decide he was okay with and cater to what he enjoyed instead of trying to recreate what you all have. Same for thinking he would have been fine with Ovens dating Peter with getting to know him first."
Again, Mayor gave her thoughts to share. One old friend to another.
"You know, Baked Fresh has always been focused on his business. Perhaps if Peter were to offer his assistance in some advertising, that could get them talking and perhaps finding some common ground?"
Oven’s face lit up, such a simple solution could yield impressive results if Sniff was given a fair chance.
"You know what? That just might work. Come to think of it, I wasn’t really Dad's Little Girl until I started baking on my own."
Now there was some nostalgia that took Cutter back.
"Oh, my goodness. Your father was the happiest stallion in Equestria when you earned your cutie mark.”
Ovens had herself a little giggle again just thinking about it. It was as if her father finally noticed her that day. Although those fond memories brought back some blank ones. Ones that didn’t seem like the right time to bring up.
“Well, the important thing is that we can start making up for lost time.”
Happily, Cutter nodded.
“Lots of time. I actually put in for some leave. I haven’t had a proper vacation in years. That and I need to sort out some business with keeping my position or if retiring is actually what I want right now.”
Lyra shuttered slightly, a rush of excitement sending her mind racing and ears twitching.
"Mmmmm, I know what I want right now. And I really hope you get it too, Cutter."
As pleasant as the night had been so far after working through so much, Ovens was feeling the urge as well.
"How about we pick up on this in the morning? Breakfast at my place tomorrow? And do you think Twilight would mind if we borrowed her bed tonight?"
[Up on an off-limits balcony.]
A small spread of appropriated snacks had been laid out on a blanket taken from a room that probably wouldn't miss it. Among the group, the youthful members of the night's display of power had collected themselves around one important cause.
"Yona not understand. Why old griffon so mean? Gallus great griffon! Old bird must not thinking clearly."
Still angered by the straw that broke the camel's back, Gallus took an angry bite out of a hearty loaf of bread. So distracted by his anger, he barely even chewed before swallowing.
"It's more than that," Gallus groaned with a sadder tone. "He's practically always been like this. I should be used to it by now. It's like the best parts of him are all stuck in the past."
Falling back into theatrics, Gallus flailed his front paws up dramatically, tossing the bread over the railing and holding his head in distress.
"Back in my day," Gallus mocked the old bird's grainy voice. "We had pride in our kingdom. We were the envy of-blah-blah-blah and everything now is terrible… And it's not like I don't get it. Most griffons don't care about anything except what's theirs and getting more bits."
He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of the faces that surrounded him. A mix of the starlit sky above them and the glow through the skylight ceilings covering the ballroom below allowing all of their features to be seen. Even the soft music was practically setting the tone for them.
"Yona, Spike, Smolder… You three and the foals back in Ponyville are my first real friends. I mean, yeah, Gilda started being nice to me not too long ago, and she really stuck up for me tonight, but all of you? I don't want to go back to Griffonstone. I literally have nothing there to go back to. Even Gilda barely has any time with her baking and community outreach with scones.”
Sitting close enough to see just how bad Gallus’s situation was, Smolder couldn’t help but take pity.
“I’d offer to give you a place to stay back in the Dragon Lands, but I really don’t think you’d like it there. Not that the other dragons there would be all that welcoming to an outsider. Most dragons don’t even like each other. Plus, you don’t exactly strike me as a fan of lava.”
For as negative as nearly everything Smolder had to say about dragons, Gallus had to wonder how bad they really were.
"Smolder, no offense, but exactly when do dragons ever get along?"
A sudden reflex of balling up knuckles stopped as suddenly as it started, evolving quickly into Smolder giving that question some real thought. Not a long thought, but after a short careless shrug, she had her answer.
"Not often, but usually it's when we're ganging up on some weaker creature, or if there's some codependency after surviving together through a really rough time. Either of those things can make dragons get along. Kinda like me and my brother. We've done just about everything together since I was born. He's the only dragon to ever take care of me and not push me around."
That still sounded questionable for his safety, along with the lava, allowing the resident yak to think about his options.
"Yona can ask if Gallus can be new brother. If new pony sister is possible, so is new griffon brother. Even if griffon better at cutting than smashing."
It didn’t take much for Spike to write up a shortlist of all the problems that came from either of those choices, he wondered what kind of pull he had.
"You know, I can ask Twilight about finding you a place too. You wouldn't have to worry about your caretakers bullying you and wouldn’t even have to pretend to be something you're not. We already accept you for who and what you are, and with the new ties with our human allies, there’s nowhere safer to be.”
That did seem like the safest option, but as close as Gallus was to it, he didn’t seem excited by the offer.
“Yeah… maybe in a few years when I’m old enough to finally go off on my own, but thanks for letting us hang out up here away from the party, Spike. Even though I did my part in the ceremony right, I don’t feel much like celebrating.”
On that note, Smolder tugged down on her dress. Possibly to cover more of herself up, or maybe it was to have more of it looking presentable. Regardless, her expression was a mix of embarrassment and excitement.
“Tell me about it,” she grunted out, trying to sound uninterested. “Wearing a dress is one thing, but dancing and that sappy song that music pony Benny is dating sang? Not really the best place for dragons.”
Yona rolled onto her side and gave a nice long stretch, pulling all attention back to her, intentionally or not.
“Music not so bad, but dancing very different from yak dancing.”
“Not enough smashing?” Gallus joked, playing it coy to avoid offending thee extremely strong yak.
Yona rolled back onto her stomach, getting comfortable with a small plate piled high with desserts in front of her.
“Yak dancing not all smashing, but yes. Also, Dragon Lord danced to pony music so why Smolder not want to dance.”
The fluttering of two pairs of wings growing closer came with a quick answer.
“Because this balcony is not open for dancing,” Thunder’s voice answered, earning the eyes of all those seated.
Spike looked up to see Thunder Glide descending with Gilda on either side of their private party.
“Uh oh. We’re busted.”
Gilda, without any hesitation, strolled up and took a seat on the blanket next to Gallus. She didn’t seem to have any aggression showing, more like she was showing up late to a party she had been invited to.
“Busted? Not really. More like we’re just wondering why you guys didn’t let us join.”
Thunder strolled up, taking a seat between Spike and Yona, impressed with the remaining spread laid out before them.
“It’s good to see you still know your way around the castle, Spike. You don’t mind some extra company, do you?”
If Spike wasn’t in trouble, he wasn’t going to upset the guard and ruin their night.
“N-No. Of course, you’re welcome to join us,” he answered nervously, but quickly calmed his tone. “But… why are you both here?”
Gilda huffed, now showing her annoyance as she angrily bit into a large slice of cake she scooped up in her claws.
“We did the demonstration, had some drinks, but then the snooty ponies and other delegates started hogging all the humans. They’re like, I dunno, the only thing cool about staying here.”
Thunder, not looking annoyed, more like extremely bored, spread some fancy butter over a slice of bread.
“I’m officially off duty. And unlike Swifty, I’m not directly assigned to any of the other wards. Lumberman left with Applejack, and the rest, as Gilda pointed out, were crowded by other delegates, royals, and important nobles. Eventually, Gilda and I got tired of standing by, and neither of us felt like drinking more, so we decided to check up on the lot of you. Make sure Evening Aster’s reports of you all getting along were accurate.”
From the shadows above, a feminine voice scoffed.
“Well, if you’re going to just give it away.”
The youngster’s eyes searched the darkness above them along the castle walls and other balconies, and from the darkness Evening Aster spread her wings and glided out into view. Unlike the other two, she seemed to be in relatively high spirits, swooping down and landing between Yona and Gallus, a smirk telling of what she knew had been discussed.
“Don’t any of you worry. What you all talked about will remain confidential as you all are provided the same courtesies all delegates visiting are granted.”
Still munching a small bite of her bread, Thunder started to explain what was going on.
“To spare you all a long story, Princess Twilight wasn’t able to join all of you and the other delegates on the train ride you all took to get here. However, she ensured the leaders that brought you here that Spike would keep you all out of trouble. However… they didn’t like the idea of you all wandering off on your own, so it was suggested that you all remain supervised if you wandered away from the others… They were concerned about the recent security threats, obviously. So, Evening Aster was asked to keep an eye on you.”
Gilda, having gobbled up her slice of cake, nudged Gallus to get his attention.
“Hey, champ. I know you’ve been making friends here, and I’m real proud of ya for doing that. But, knowing the kind of danger that’s been going on around here, I asked that they send a hatchling-sitter to follow you four around all day. Aster said she could give you all as much privacy as you all needed while still keeping an eye on you. That was good enough for the other delegates, but I didn’t know she could hide in the shadows like that.”
Aster sunk her fangs into an orange and sucked hard, making the fruit shrivel in towards itself, then smacked her lips in approval. A sight that earned more than a few looks of surprise and awe from those present.
“Mmm, yes. Not many know much about us. Not even the ponies we protect during the night.”
Thunder, having been given some of the details of the young four, she thought she would say something to help them all relate a little more.
“Bat Ponies are often forced to stick to their own. Not many ponies are comfortable around those like Evening Aster.”
Leave it to Smolder to try and take a sensitive social topic and make it as blunt as possible.
“So, what you’re saying is that Bat Ponies are pretty much outcasts because they look cool? And by cool, I mean scary by pony standards.”
The question didn’t seem to be interpreted too well by Thunder, going off the cross expression she bore, and even Aster seemed to sulk a bit over it. Although the answer did make Aster feel the need to answer.
“Well, over a thousand years ago, our numbers were small. Having adapted to thrive in the darkness, harvesting, and foraging was made difficult by the predators that were running unchallenged. Ponies back then feared us, but Princess Luna accepted us as we lived for her nights… Then… after the events of Nightmare Moon, most returned to the shadows. Eventually, nearly all Bat Ponies feared the reprisal of our association with Luna even after her banishment.”
She dropped the husk of an orange peel and pulled a small bunch of grapes out from the center of the blanket, eyeing them as if they held some part of the story. Really, she was searching for the words to say.
“We were overjoyed when Luna returned. We thought that after being saved by the Elements of Harmony, we could be welcomed back as well.”
At this point, Thunder took over, knowing of the struggles that still existed.
“There were a lot of us who grew up listening to scary stories of the evil Nightmare Moon, and even a lot of hurtful stories about how Bat Ponies were good ponies turned evil, or that they would feed on little fillies and colts. So, even for those of us working with them, we had a hard time at first. Just like they had a hard time not being afraid that we would strike first out of fear. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia eventually cleared a lot of things up, so things were good within the Solar and Lunar Guard, but that’s about as far as they wanted to go.”
Even with the years that had gone by, as well as all the improvements, Aster didn’t seem too happy retelling the story of her kin.
“It’s annoying having to deal with most other ponies or creatures, but our culture usually had us keeping to ourselves, to begin with. Plus, having ponies and other creatures afraid of us did make our job a lot easier most of the time. Even so, not really feeling like you have a place with those around you never feels great.”
She looked around to the others, many of them seeming to understand what she was trying to say.
“Equestria does seem like a better place to live in now that the humans are here. They don’t ignore us, walk by as if we didn’t know they were pretending not to notice us, as so many ponies do. They’ve welcomed us into their home, shared their gifts of orange-flavored bat rum… Even tonight, Becky's dance with Midnight… That has never been done before. Not for us.”
The heartfelt words of a bat pony that lived for so long in the darkness didn’t go unappreciated, from for one listener, those words seemed to be a little overkill. Or at least that’s how Gilda felt.
“Doesn’t that seem a little bit of an overreaction for just a dance and some party drinks?”
Aster shrugged and popped a grape into her mouth, smiling warmly at her confession as well as the meal.
“My kin have waited for over a thousand years to serve our Princess because she saw our value as guardians of the night. She gave us not only the means to protect ourselves, but others as well, and even a new home where we no longer needed to fear finding another meal. After six years from her return, we have working relationships with the ponies we serve alongside with. The humans needed only days to extend more offerings to us than the peasants and nobles we have watched over, so forgive us for showing our deepest appreciation to those who appreciate us.”
More words that seem to be easily understood, given more context, but she didn’t think every listener appreciated how much the gestures meant to them. However, seeing a coconut, of all things in the spread, she rolled it closer with her wings, tossed it up, and caught it spinning on the claw of her wing joint.
“After all, to many ponies, we’re still the scary-looking bat ponies that feed on fillies and colts.”
Having their attention, she tilted the coconut off balance, catching it again with both wings, only to hiss, and open her maw wide enough to sink her fangs into it.
The crunch of teeth piercing through the thick husk made everyone but Thunder yelp and fall back from the sight. Not just her biting into it, but how she held in her jaws, tilted her head back, and audibly gulped down the milk that no longer sloshed around inside.
With the coconut trained, she lowered her head and extracted her fangs to make her point, inching her wing claws closer to the puncture holes.
“I’m sure you can all understand how nice it is to be accepted despite being so different. Or as Twilight had you all demonstrate, that while you are powerful in your own unique ways-”
Her claws creaked as they were pushed into the holes, followed by the cracks and crunch of her wings ripping the fruit in half. Small flakes of the white inner flesh sprung out, but appeared to be nearly dry from what all present could see.
“-but there is so much more to us than what can be used to destroy.”
She passed one half of the coconut over to Smolder, who cautiously accepted it, not speaking a word as Aster finished.
“By the way, you look very nice in that dress.”
Smolder gulped, finally to fully understand the concept of the old adage of not judging a book by its cover.
“Thank you. Rarity made it.”
Now hoping she didn't come off too intimidating, Aster turned to Gallus.
"What do you think?"
Ever since she bit into the coconut, Gallus had kept his eyes glued to it, even as he answered.
"I think I'm going to have very confusing nightmares about coconuts and bat ponies from now on."
[Back in another room in Canterlot Castle.]
Fleet Foot returned to her bed with another half dozen pillows. Another mound of cushions to lay on for the night.
"Gah… We totally blew it tonight, Spits. We gotta get some other Wonderbolts to do the formal greetings so we can actually enjoy these events. Oh, and I totally called it. Soarin' has to have a thing for Becky."
Spitfire was busy sorting away her uniform for the night, but looked to be just as disappointed, although humored by the observation.
"Yeah, but we can't complain too much. I can't believe how amazing Cerb's hands felt. All of his skin, really. If we can't get a dance with him, at the very least a massage like Rainbow and Thunder Glide got would be even better."
Fleet Foot made herself comfortable in her little nest, thinking back to earlier that day.
"Yeah. That would be nice… still crazy to think those scars on his back were exit wounds. Then he beat a yak in hoof wrestling? I can't believe we missed that. We could have won a thousand bits!"
A thousand bits would have been nice, but Spitfire was really starting to see where the real prize lay.
"Sure, money would be nice, but I think Octavia really sold it for me tonight. That song she dedicated to Benny and Vinyl? You can't fake that kind of happy."
Snug in her nest, Fleet Foot snorted a laugh.
"What's there to fake? Benny is pretty cool himself, and so many ponies were talking about their scents. I can't believe they all smell like that all the time… Do you think Soarin' has a shot with Becky, or maybe he'll try to hold out for Dash?"
"Probably Becky," Spitfire calmly answered, taking her position on her own bed. "That stallion is well-disciplined, but rather impatient when not in uniform. But don't worry about him. I’ve got a plan for another way to get closer to Cerb for us tomorrow. I heard some rumors about what went down at the Apple Farm and what's about to go down because of it.”
She had a cold shiver for a moment but appeared to mentally push whatever those thoughts were away, having moved onto better ones.
“Cerb might be immortal, if those scars on his back tell us anything, but the human mares?” She shook her head, both saddened and disappointed. “Do you really wanna know what happened after the Sunset Protocols were activated and we were stuck on standby?”
[6 AM the next morning.]
A knock came at Becky’s door, waking both Becky and Rainbow. Surprisingly, Rainbow woke up to Becky holding her like a foal would a teddy bear. While not uncomfortable, it might have also been a bit too comfortable.
“I’ll get it,” Rainbow mumbled as she quickly pulled herself out of bed and clumsily flew towards the door.
Opening the door, Rainbow was a little surprised to see Thunder standing there.
“Good morning, Dash. Princess Celestia wanted to give Becky time to get ready for breakfast. I just spoke with one of the day staff ponies, and she confirmed that breakfast will be on schedule, but wanted to make sure every human would be able to join."
Given how this wasn’t Rainbow’s first time at the castle, and heard plenty of stories from Twilight, this request showed a lot more interest than the normal guests would receive.
"Uhh, I’m pretty sure we are. I'll ask Becky. And where's Midnight?"
Thunder turned her eyes down the hall, seemingly looking as if she wasn’t exactly sure.
“I relieved Midnight of his watch a bit early this morning. Having been pulled out of bed prematurely to join Becky on her travel to Canterlot, I would hate to have him as poorly rested as you or I was yesterday.”
Kühn nodded, his motionless, yet ridged posture, stood unwavering as he held his dutiful watch.
“Bat Pony very good guard, but stay up for many hours like yak.”
To that, Thunder half-rolled her eyes and sighed in remorse.
“Kühn, Midnight had to wake you up to let you know I was taking over for him.”
Getting called out, Kühn grumbled angrily, fidgeting with his hooves slightly.
“Kühn not sleep on duty. Merely resting eyes. Wanted to give seeing with ears like Bat Pony a try.”
Mocking an expression of understanding, Thunder pretended to accept the explanation.
“Ohhh. Okay. So I didn’t hear you snoring. You were just trying to use echolocation. How effective was your sonar experiment?”
Again, Kühn shifted in place, trying his best to not look guilty of sleeping on the job. Also didn’t help he likely had no idea what echolocation, sonar or experiment meant.
“It not work like planned. Yak not Bat Pony. It stupid idea. Kühn know that now.”
As entertaining as these two were, Rainbow was the only one there who was trusted enough to help Becky inside the room.
“Right. Well, you two keep doing what you’re doing… Preferably without echolocation. I’ll get Becky up and moving.”
Closing the door and trotting back to the bed, Rainbow’s little human was slow to move, despite being awake. Not unless her right hand rubbing over the center of her chest counted as moving.
“I think if I get enough tea from Zecora, I’m gonna try making a cold brew using vodka instead of water. Make that my nighttime drink so I don’t wake up needing it right away.”
While not a terrible idea, there were more immediate concerns to address, and Rainbow wasn’t about to miss another breakfast with her favorite human.
“Might wanna cut back on the alcohol and wait until you’re actually in bed so we don’t need to keep carrying you everywhere."
Thankfully, this morning came with little to no hangover for Becky. So, after a few healthy grumbles and two or three pillows tossed at Rainbow, Becky rolled herself out of bed and made a quick assessment for the day.
"Yeah… not gonna be doing much walking today."
Rainbow, thankfully in high spirits, returned the pillows, and exchanged them for a question.
"Hey, so apparently Celestia wanted to talk about making breakfast with you or Kelly? Wasn't that from back when Kelly made us all breakfast instead of just telling us all that she was fine?"
Becky gave her legs another stretch as she sat on the bed, thinking back to that crazy day.
"Yeah… Kelly used to take care of me a lot and eventually got good at making us breakfast, which was funny because she wouldn't cook for anyone she slept with."
[Over in Luna’s Canterlot chambers.]
"It sure is pretty," Kelly complimented the transition of one sky to another. "And thanks for hanging out with us."
Evening Aster looked out through the balcony at the same sky, a renewed promise of prosperity shining in along with it.
"It was our pleasure."
A rustling of bat wings, armored hooves, and yawns stirred up behind them. Many of the bat ponies that had joined them in Canterlot now set their sights on resting until the sun was lowered again. Another night Aster was looking forward to.
"Miss Kelly, for all you and your friends have done to brighten Princess Luna's spirits, as well as share the company of you and your friends, we all would like to thank you before we retire for the day."
That was sweet, but there was a sense of some of it being undeserved praise for Kelly. Something she wouldn’t accept without returning in kind.
"Relax, Aster. You had to watch Spike and the others all last night. Besides that, you all deserve a break after all the craziness that's been going on… Not to mention all the extra booze I brought. Someone had to help me drink it all."
As the Bat Ponies, as well as the few other run-of-the-mill races that made up their ranks began to depart, they allowed one of the day staff regulars in. She was an Earth pony mare, with little to her appearance to make her stand out; A flat white coat, dark brown mane, tail, and eyes all did nothing to grab the eyes as it was practically as uninteresting as the inkwell and pen for her cutie mark. Although a white-collar piece she wore with a red neckerchief, along with her large black-rimmed glasses did add some sense of personality to her appearance.
One might view her as a younger, more serious, though slightly-nerdy Mayor Mare… Only, this version seemed to be all business and with little excitement in her eyes, though there was a glimpse of a mare yearning for adventure behind her reserved approach.
“Good morning, Princess, Miss Kelly. It’s a bit short notice, but Princess Celestia wished to invite you both to breakfast, along with the other human delegates. She also wished to know if Miss Kelly was interested in joining her in the kitchen to discuss recipes, though any topic she is open to if you wish.”
A kind offer, though not one Luna was remotely interested in entertaining. However, another spat with her sister through hired help would be just as undignified, not to mention upsetting to Kelly.
“Raven Inkwell, a pleasure to see you again. It seems my absence has called upon your expertise yet once more?”
Luna’s introduction of the young mare was more of a means to delay addressing the invitation. Not that she had anything against the mare, as she was pleasant enough. It was more of the association Luna had to deal with, though some back story would hopefully help calm the Royal Temper.
“Raven has certainly made her rounds with her exquisite note-taking and professional scribe. She’s worked for Princess Cadance, as well as Mayor Mare, but seems to have finally settled on working full time for my sister.”
If nothing short of dull while calm and proper, Raven looked charmingly adorkable when as bashful as she was now.
“Well, really it’s Princess Twilight and her friends that are to thank for my position. Ever since the treaty had to be written for her efforts, along with her friends, bringing peace between the Appleloosians and the Buffalo Tribe, I’ve been keeping very busy penning official records and legal documents.”
And that managed to eat up almost an entire minute. It was time for Luna to let Kelly take the lead on this one, if she was willing.
“It is getting on into the morning. If you are ready to sleep, we can always reschedule for another time.”
The events of yesterday’s arrival at Canterlot hadn’t been something Kelly forgot about. She knew Luna and Celestia weren’t getting along, but in the midst of her near breakdown and slip of the tongue, she never got around to prying about their issues. Still, making an appearance held more advantages and hiding away. Not without a quick getaway, however. One she might actually need.
“I think a little breakfast would do me some good… Could Aster join us?”
[About thirty minutes later in the royal dining room.]
The long table was full, to the point of nearly being uncomfortably crowded. All the big players from the night before were there. Yaks, griffons, Abyssinians, Arabians, humans, and all the royals.
Actually, it wasn’t the complete lineup. Gallus had reportedly left in the middle of the night, saying he’d been told by Gruff to head home early. All the more reason for Gilda to stare down the stubborn old griffon, who denied the claim. This also allowed for Lord Gestal to take Gallus’s spot at the table.
Also, to the disappointment of many, both Sniff and Twilight were absent, although a very energetic and glowing Swifty had informed Raven that Twilight had already made a promise to Sniff to treat him to a day in Canterlot. However, Twilight had failed to mention any of the details of where or what they would be doing.
Gallus’s disappearance had been chalked up to youthful rebellion, as there were little to no consequences from his absence. Sniff and Twilight however caused a stir amongst many of the foreign royals who were expecting his company, as they had voiced upon discovery.
Fortunately, Benny was in the right state of mind to help provide some cover for his tail-chasing friend.
“We apologize about Peter not being here today. As you all saw last night, he seems to have his hands in just about everything and got to know all of you pretty well. He’s been doing that since we got here and has been a big part of us all getting along so well. The downside being that he hasn’t had any downtime since we literally crashed here. There were also some other personal issues that needed to be addressed, which was why Princess Twilight made these plans today with him before knowing how the events of last night would pan out.”
The fact that Sniff was going to skip off with Twilight today had been briefly mentioned prior to the delegation, but no one had bothered to look into it, something that Cerb now regretted.
“Peter has been working non-stop but should be available to you all again tomorrow. That, and I’m sure Twilight has been involved with so much, she needs this break as much as he does.”
Desperate to save the situation, Celestia raised her empty glass and tapped it with a spoon.
“Every creature, if I may have your attention, please. While it is true that there have been many events that have nearly exhausted our new friends, our goals have not changed. Twilight and Peter may be absent from today, but there is still much to be done. So, I believe that we should stay focused on what is in front of us at the moment to best serve our subjects.”
Wise words, truly, but also quite boring. Boring didn’t work well for Kelly, who figured she knew what the other delegates would be motivated by.
“If you all get today’s work done sooner, doesn’t that means we can start the next party sooner?”
All the faces went blank before turning to Celestia, with the Arabian Prince to ask aloud what the others were just as confused over.
“We were not aware of a party being held tonight.”
Even the Abysasians were confused, especially the Queen.
“Princess? Not to say that a tour of the gardens didn’t sound like a pleasant evening, is it supposed to be some kind of garden party?”
Rutherford, not following at all, tried to ration if it were some mistranslation.
“Human Kelly must be confused. Party is fun. Garden tour is more, how you say… Like watching ice melt on cold winter day. Party much better idea.”
While not any turn-of-phrase used or heard before on Earth, Kelly could see she just screwed up some of Celestia’s plans. Such a misstep would normally be quickly fixed by Sniff, but with him out, Chris was the next best candidate, and thankfully he was quick to jump in.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s not the kind of party you’re thinking of, and we had yet to ask Celestia if it was something she wanted to do. It’s called a Werewolf Party. It’s a party game we can enjoy while enjoying the gardens. Actually, that might make it even better.”
[Out in a fancy Canterlot cafe.]
In front of the slowly busying streets, Twilight sat outside with Sniff, taking another long slow sip of the extravagant coffee.
"Mmm. How is it?"
Sniff lowered his cup, savoring the mix of flavors brewed into his beverage.
"Oh, that's good. Vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, some incredibly heavy cream, and if I didn't know any better, I can even taste all the extra money they charged you."
"Peter," Twilight mused through a fair laugh.
"It's very good, Twigs," he honestly answered with a huge grin. "And how is your first day of playing hooky? Does it go well with your Frappuccino?"
There was a twisting of words in there somewhere, but Twilight knew it was all in fun. Even in her oversized dress, nothing was going to ruin this wonderful day out.
"It pairs up wonderfully with present company, and I'm not playing hooky from my duties. Celestia never asked for my help with this delegation. All I did was send her a letter about the demonstration I wanted to put on and who I was inviting over for it. She wrote back saying that if I thought it would help improve relations between our nations, that I should do what I think is best. Then… nothing else. So… I’ve done everything I’ve agreed to do, the delegates are getting along great, and I’m keeping my promise to you.”
She grew a smirk as she pulled her cup of coffee closer and took another sip. Clearly, she had something on her mind, like a gotcha phrase or something witty she was about to share. So, after lowering her cup again and clearing her throat…
“Ahem… I should also say that there is another promise I need to uphold before I do my best to spoil you today. Something I still feel terrible about not getting earlier, but at the same time, can’t wait to have you alone for now. That is… if you don’t mind us doing it here?”
Now granted, Sniff knew that Twilight was still new to many of the nuances of sex and what she helped in creating was an exclusive open relationship, but if she was requesting what he thought she was, he hadn’t had enough coffee yet.
“Uh, Twi? Don’t you think maybe we should-”
“Two and a half hours to pick your brain and get to know the real Peter James and the culture that he comes from. And I know you’re supposed to take Spike under your arm to teach him how to be manly, but he’s already busy today and you already agreed to let me spoil you. So, you can do that with him tomorrow. As for now-”
While she had thoroughly thrown him off-center by bringing this up, as well as used “under your arm” as opposed to “under your wing,” she appeared to have this pretty well thought out. Even going as far as bringing out the crystal copy of Sniff’s smartphone and starting up a timer.
“This morning was fun, especially watching you with Swifty again, and I’m really looking forward to having you alone this evening. But, last night reminded me of what really got me falling for you the way that I did. You never stop amazing me with everything that you are and your impressive intellect. I want to know more about the man who’s taught me so much.”
She tapped her hoof on the count down. Two hours and thirty minutes dedicated to just talking and a promise bound by his trust. This was the real start of their day together.
“So tell me. What was life like back where you came from to get you so well educated, and how do you see that impacting your life here while I have you safely close to me?”
[Back at Oven Fresh's bakery.]
Oven Fresh exited the kitchen with another sheet of breakfast buns. Her sales floor was surprisingly busier than usual, making her particularly thankful for all the extra help.
"Fresh buns, coming in, thank you for waiting. Lyra, could you fill her order and stick the rest of these out on the shelf? I have another two dozen scones that are just about done. Mom, is there anything else you can see we need in here?"
As yet another basket was filled, thanks to Lyra's help, Cutter was loving the flash back to the good old days behind the cash register.
"Running low on bagels and both the lemon and zucchini bread. Also, Mayor Mare had to leave but invited us all out to dinner tonight." She turned her attention back to the register. “Sorry about that, and thank you for waiting, Lemon Hearts. Would you like a receipt?”
Lemon Hearts was a unicorn mare with a coat as yellow as her name would imply, but with a cerulean mane and tail, both with a lighter tail streak. She fluttered her raspberry eyes, and turned her flank, showing off her cutie mark of three hearts; two light blue and one light green, smiling brightly as she stepped out.
“No thank you. Just let me know when that future son-in-law of yours gets back in town. Word around town is that he can help a mare find a stallion. Amethyst said there was a lot he had to offer, but wouldn’t say until after her first practice date with him. We’re both still waiting on that. Have a good day.”
Ovens, quick to try and salvage as many sales as she could, quickly called out to her mother loud enough the patrons could hear, half of which were giving their baskets a second look.
“Mom! Peter and I are not engaged! Stop spreading rumors.”
Seeing the customers hold fast to their baskets, Ovens huffed happily over the business and started back for the kitchen, but stopped in front of the register.
“Not that I wouldn’t love that to be true,” She quietly spoke before giving Cutter a kiss on the cheek. “Now let those girls dream as much as they like if it means leaving my inventory bare and let my ambitions determine whether or not Peter wants to drop to one knee for me.”
Lyra, living up the friendly morning banter, giggled at the mother-daughter hijinks as she restocked the shelves.
“Hey, now you two. Don't be leaving me out like yesterday's leftover bread dough. I happen to like what we have going so far."
Speaking of what they had going, Spring Forward just so happened to be one of the actual customers not shopping for a shot at Sniff caught that last bit. The vague concept of having something together with a shared stallion recaptured her interests.
"I hope Peter isn't too preoccupied. What's a mare to do in these trying times?"
Just another reminder that perhaps Twilight was right about how far overextended Sniff was getting with their ambitions to at least let Ovens know to be considerate of this mare’s own ambitions. It was largely her fault for instilling them in the first place.
“Don’t you worry. Top Shelf and I are going to see him tomorrow. We’ll be sure to remind him that you are still looking forward to seeing him again.”
As Top Shelf neared the door, Cutter picked up a basket she’d been filling behind the counter and removed her apron.
“Lyra, could you be a dear and take over sales for me? I’m going to go have a visit at the Apple Farm in a moment and would like you to join me if you could. I’m just going to stop upstairs for a moment.”
Ovens popped back out of the kitchen, two more trays ready to be unloaded, and a sudden bout of questions to ask.
“The Apple Farm? What’s going on out there? Do they even know you’re coming?”
Cutter simply took her time to the stairs, confidently talking out loud so that she would be easily heard.
“One of my boys left without so much as a goodbye last night. He has a whole house to repair, no lady of the house to cook for him, and has yet to be given a business license to finally higher all those construction ponies that want to work for him.”
Instantly, Lyra remembered that was something she was supposed to get around to taking care of, now feeling like a heel because of it.
“Ah, son of a bitch. Lumbermen is usually so busy with Applejack that I rarely ever see him. Dammit, Ovens, I’m sorry, but your mom is right. I need to go take care of this for him.”
While the bakery was busier than normal, this wasn’t anything Ovens couldn't handle.
"No problem. I’ve got the bulk of my work taken care of right now. You two have done more than enough. Have fun and tell them I said hello."
[Off in a realm beyond any mortal’s reach.]
Harmony was having so many issues. At the moment, chaos was starting to feel like an unwelcome guest. If not the chaos, the lack of information was too much. The vast network of viewing and listening stations had been focused on Ponyville and Canterlot, but so many had gone dark, blurred, silent, or muted with distortion.
"Nothing is working. I can't stop the progress from accelerating. Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt too soon. The kingdoms are uniting without the intended purpose, but it's unclear if Twilight is still the needed unifier."
She looked again at the many creatures of the lands near and far. Many going about their daily tasks, in the skies, in buildings, castles, underwater, busy streets, traveling through the wilderness, all of them under her domain. She looked again, little emotion showing through, but a sense of dread billowing up inside.
"The Words can’t be wrong. The flow of Harmony has set in motion everything to save Equestria as planned-"
The world around Harmony faded, bringing up the events of Starlight challenging Twilight to save the future by altering the past. Every detail captured perfectly as the two squared with Spike stuck observing.
"-up until this event… but why?"
The world froze as the time portal opened and strings of magic revealed themselves. Bands of Friendship bound with Harmony's own magic filled Twilight while Starlight's Light Magic was amplified with more Harmony. Even Spike's aura glowed brightly with a different magic, unlike the others she so easily manipulated. All of them though were linked with strings of Harmony leading away to a distant source, whispering thoughts believed to be their own.
"I have to stop her!"
"Nopony knows what I've been through! It's all Twilight and her friends’ fault for ruining everything!"
"I'm so scared! I need Twilight to protect me!"
Harmony examined the scene closely, looking for what might have gone wrong.
"It took so little to put Starlight where she needed to be. Her anger and loneliness put her on the path The Words foretold… but why would it guide us to her actions that I could no longer control?"
She stepped closer, the strings beginning to fray, crossing over with others not of this realm. All of them mixing and melding with infinite possibilities of realities that could have been or were never meant to be. Her attention to the details so fine and precise of what she knew to be of her marionettes and that was when she noticed one so thinly veiled that she knew it had been overlooked.
"What is this?"
The world grew dim, all visuals of the physical world fading out, leaving only the strings that bound this reality together. Ethereal bands of prismatic hues in all colors centered around a single thread.
It was unique, composed of all types of magic. Pure, refined to a divine quality she instantly recognized.
"Another Harmony? That's not possible. They're still dormant. It will be years before-"
One brilliant shimmer from the thread ended her exposition when she noticed what was out of place.
"No… Harmony from another Equestria?"
Suddenly, a whole new string of questions began to formulate into quandaries as she realized she might not be alone.
"Is this where the visions came from? But… why wait for so long to share the warning? And where did-"
Another shimmer revealed another clue, lighting up a path leading away from where Starlight had opened the portal. The path was not like that of only another Harmony's Magic.
There was an impossible level of power attached to its signature. Unfortunately, its trail became undetectable the farther she followed it.
"One of the Harmony Crystals escaped? That's not possible. It can't be."
An uncomfortable feeling began to dwell within Harmony as she realized that she may not be the only one pulling the strings in Equestria.