As the sun was lowering itself, it painted the sky with warm, serene colors and hues, setting the mood for the evening. The open sign flipped to closed for the Carousel Boutique. Not that it mattered. There hadn't been much traffic in or out that day. Only a few orders had to be finished before Rarity could move on to fashioning some extra clothing for the new human occupants of Ponyville. The task was made all the easier when a delivery of freshly washed and dried clothes had arrived. Amazing how much more convenient putting together clothes can be when provided a source for measurements. Though it was still embarrassingly funny for Cerb to explain the utility of boxers and panties, and why men wouldn't take kindly to panty-styled undergarments.

"Well, that was a rather productive day," Rarity said, practically singing with excitement as she walked out the front door.

While Rarity was always one to take her appearance into consideration, she was dolled up more than her usual this evening. Her mane and tail were the same, her coat as finely brushed and polished as always, but tonight she wore a unique black piece that wrapped around her barrel, then trailed off over her plot and crisscrossed over each other under her tail. It could best be described as a half-dress, half-sash style of wear. She even painted her lips with a color that blended perfectly between her black eyeliner and the color of her main.

Cerb followed not too far behind in his jeans, and a new long-sleeve button-up Rarity had fashioned for him.

"I'm just glad we can finally go eat. That Hay-burger tasted just like it sounds."

"Yes, terribly sorry about that." Rarity apologized as she turned to close the door. "In spite of Fluttershy being aware as she was about your... particular dietary needs, you'd think she could have thought up a more suitable place for lunch."

Cerb wasn't one to complain.

"Could have been worse. At least you were kind enough to let me have your side salads. And I gotta say that I'm still surprised that neither of you two freaked out about what we normally eat."

Rarity tried to downplay the significance of befriending another species that lives by eating lesser creatures.

"Oh, please. It's just as Fluttershy told you. You're not doing what you did back where you came from, and as long as you don't start doing that here, there's nothing to worry about. Besides, after how poorly you took to the hay-fries, she recognized the limits of your mixed diet. So, she recommended the perfect dish for you tonight."

A quick adjustment to Cerb's new long sleeve button up shirt helped him feel a little more confident in the night's dinner plans.

"I'm still skeptical on that. Not that I don't like mushrooms, but I-"

The slamming of a window opening from the upper level of Sweetie Belle's room interrupted the two.

"Have fun on your date, Rarity! Don't eat up my sister, Mr. Cerberus!"

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity hollered back with instant ire. "If you do not cease this nonsense, I'll... I'll-"

Cerb laid a hand on Rarity's shoulder, pulling her out of her empty threats.

"Don't worry, I got this," he softly spoke with a smile before turning up to Sweetie Belle. "Don't worry, Sweetie. I promise not to eat your sister."

"Awe!" Sweetie Belle jokingly whined from her room.

"Rarity told me I could eat you instead!" Cerb shouted up his fake threat.

Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide with terror.

"What!"

"She said you wouldn't be too chewy!" Cerb continued to tease the young filly.

Cowering back into her room, Sweetie Belle loudly whined, "Rarity! You wouldn't say that!"

It was all Rarity could do not to laugh, but she played along.

"I'm sorry darling, but it was either you or me, and I'm far too busy these days take the time off it needs to be dinner for some poor stranded, lost soul like Mr. Cerberus, here."

She ended her phony sob story by leaning hard into Cerb's leg and petting his hand.

Sweetie Belle knew they were joking, but at the same time, she couldn't run that risk.

"Rarity!"

Rarity turned and tugged on Cerb's belt to coax him along with her.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll make sure he's very well-fed before dessert. Apparently, where he comes from, naughty little fillies that like to tease other ponies are considered a delicacy."

"That's not true!" Sweetie Belle yelled back, still too childlike in her mind not to get caught up in the wild stories of her sister. "Is it!?"

"Only one way to find out!" Cerb yelled back, getting the last word in.

The two of them laughed as the boutique grew further out of sight.

"Is she always a handful like that?" Cerb jokingly asked.

"No. She's usually much more well-mannered than that - " Rarity looked up to Cerb and shared a warm smile - "If I had to guess, she's taken a shining to you and is trying to impress you or win you over by knocking down the competition."

"Heh, yeah, I could see that," Cerb answered, sort of laughing as he thought about it. "Probably shouldn't have mentioned my eating habits when she was in the house, though."

Rarity still felt bad about not catching Sweetie Belle eavesdropping on them when the conversation came up back at the boutique.

"Yes. Terribly sorry about that. She's normally not so nosey, either. But don't worry, I'm sure she won't tell anyone. And if she does, it will just be the other crusaders... Oh, I really hope they don't do anything foolish. They always do."

"Like what?"

"Ugh!" Rarity groaned. "You can never tell when those three get an idea stuck in their heads. "

Rarity ran through the long list of antics the three had gotten into over the years.

"But as I said, she's really taken a shining to you. All of them have, apparently. So at worst, maybe something food related. Or maybe they'll shower you with presents so they don't look like bad little fillies."

Cerb snorted out a laugh.

"I kinda miss being a naive kid like that."

"Naive?"

"Yeah, well, like-" The first thought that came to mind brightened his mood even more than it was. "When I was really young, my father told me and my brother that this tunnel we had to drive through to my grandparent's house was so long that there wasn't any air in it. So we had to hold our breath when we drove through it, or we'd suffocate."

"Oh my. That doesn't sound safe at all."

"No, no," Cerb waived his hand to dismiss the threat. "It was a joke. And we believed it for years."

Rarity snickered.

"Well, now. That is rather funny, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it was... Those were good days."

The cheerful expression slowly faded to one more longing like he suddenly became homesick. Rarity noticed it and was quick to distract him.

"And we're here!" She rejoiced, hoping some of her upbeat outlook would rub off on him.

"Oh?" He looked up to the sign. "Huh... Fancy."

Cerb opened the door for her, like a gentleman, and followed her in where the host greeted them.

"Good evening, and how many of you will be dining with us to-Nah!"

Apparently, this pony hadn't received the word that there were new visitors in town and reacted not much unlike Starlight's first meeting with Cerb. He was frozen, violently shaking as he cowered below the towering beast that Cerb was to him.

"Ahem..." Rarity cleared her throat. "This is my good friend Cer- Ahem. Mr. Husk. He's from out of town. I hope you can accommodate a table for two for us tonight."

This was a terrible start to dinner, and Cerb was feeling like perhaps they should bail out and opt for a place where the staff didn't run the risk of making a mess on the floor when they saw him.

"Hey, if I'm scaring them this much, maybe we should find a better place around here."

"Nonsense!" Rarity protested. "There is absolutely no reason they shouldn't be able to accommodate us. Just because you may be larger than the average pony is no reason why we can't eat here."

"Excuse me, madam," A refined and robust voice of a male unicorn spoke out from behind a corner. "Did your friend say find a better place in town?"

Rarity turned to see the owner of Grapes and Olives, Italian Stallion, approaching them.

"Why, yes. Yes, he did."

The stallion chuckled to himself in a way that came off as both confident and amused.

"Well, I assure you that there is no finer dining establishment in Ponyville than Grapes and-Oh my word!"

He finally noticed the behemoth standing in front of the host.

"My... you're a big fella."

Rarity looked back to the elephant in the room. She couldn't fight that claim.

Cerb just stood there and took it as it came.

"Yep. That's me... Big, tall, and hungry."

"Hungry and from out of town?" Italian Stallion asked, switching from genuine shock to something more excited and welcoming. "By golly, if that isn't just the perfect combination for a dining experience here at G&O's."

He gave the host a firm kick in the chest to knock him out of his daze.

"Straighten up, would you. We have a new guest that needs to be shown with what fine Ponitalian dining truly is, and as for you two." He averted his attention back to Rarity and her human stud for the night. "If you wish, please take a trip over to the bar while we prepare one of our reserved tables for you."

Rarity was relieved to see the owner had such hospitable manners and wasn't going to be put off by Cerb's appearance.

"Oh, I don't think we are need of a- "

"Compliments of the house." He quickly encouraged her.

"Well, if you insist," Rarity graciously replied before she started off to the bar since she knew the layout rather well. "Come along, Justin. Let us leave them to their work."

Cerb nodded as he took Rarity's lead.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Mister, uh, Husk, was it?" Italian Stallion asked.

Cerb nodded again.

"Yes, sir. And uh... just let us know when the table is ready."

"Very good, Mr. Husk. We won't keep you waiting."

Italian Stallion and his host watched the two make their way to the bar seat themselves. After the host thought they were a safe enough distance away, he turned back to Italian Stallion in a panic.

"Are you mad? We have no idea what kind of creature that-that-that thing is. What if he-"

Italian Stallion's horn started to glow, and its magic grabbed the host by the collar of his vest. Italian Stallion pulled him in close enough that they butted heads and held him there. "What if nothing," He growled. "Maybe you didn't catch the word, but rumor around town is that Celestia herself recently welcomed new dignitaries to Ponyville. Dignitaries who have all been tended to by the Elements of Harmony, including, hooves down, the biggest celebrity Ponyville has to offer."

The host was sweating bullets.

"But I thought Twi-"

"Princess Twilight is royalty, and not to mention friends with Rarity. One of the biggest names in fashion in all of Equestria. So the next time she comes in, with any pony, or any creature, I don't care if it's a Diamond Dog covered in parasprites, you smile, put on your best performance, and make sure she has the nicest table in the house. " He shook the host violently a few times to get his point across. "You got that."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."

Italian Stallion dropped the host to let him scurry off and prepare their table. He, however, saw fit to mingle with Rarity and her new guest.

"My sincerest apologies about the misunderstanding at the door," Italian Stallion spoke up behind the two sitting at the bar.

"What?" Rarity turned to see Italian Stallion. "Oh. Well, I suppose it's alright. My friend here can be a bit intimidating at first."

Cerb laughed. "That's putting it lightly. You should have heard Starlight scream the first time she ran into me."

"Well, that's unfortunate," Italian Stallion claimed, still trying to win over the two.

"Well, I can't blame her. It wasn't a planned meeting, and she... literally ran into me." Cerb said with a knowing grin.

"Your drinks," Came a feminine voice as the bar mare slid over two colorful cocktails, standing a few feet back farther than would seem reasonable.

Rarity glared as if she was about to say something to lecture the female earth pony, but Cerb did something unexpected. He placed down a handful of bits on the bar and pointed to the bartender.

"That was fast, so these are for you."

"Oh, no, sir. These are on the house, tonight." Italian Stallion chimed in, still trying his best to appease them.

"I know," Cerb answered back, speaking as if they were having a normal conversation. "It's a tip. People don't mix drinks as fast as she just did for us back where I come from. And all with only her hooves, " He turned to the bartender - "No offense by that, I'm just not used to drinks being made without hands - " He wiggled his fingers for her to see and then turned back to Italian Stallion - "Or is tipping not a common practice around here?"

"It is... sometimes," The bar mare spoke up, earning all three's attention again. "Most ponies don't leave tips for the bartenders, though."

Cerb took his first sip of his drink as she spoke.

"Mph. That's a real shame, darlin'. Because this is pretty good for just juice."

The compliment was well received by the young earth pony.

"Thank you. Oh, and I should say that what I said doesn't apply to you, Rarity. You've always been very generous."

"Generous?" Cerb started to snap his fingers, thinking back to what Chris had told them about when he briefed them about the ponies. "Isn't that your whole thing with the powers?"

"Guilty as charged," Rarity chimed, posing with a hoof to her chest like she was bashful.

"Yes," Italian Stallion continued, shamelessly buttering up his prized guest. "We're all in a great debt to Rarity and her friends for all they've done for Ponyville and Equestria."

Thankfully, the host approached them from the dining area.

"Miss Rarity Belle, Mr. Husk. Your table is ready."

"Why, thank you, darling," Rarity spoke up as she slid off from her chair and grabbed her drink. " I hope you're ready. The food here is just to die for."

"Third time's the charm, right?" Cerb joked.

Rarity turned back with a look of shock. "What? Oh, heavens, no. That's not even remotely funny. I don't even know how you can make a joke like that."

Cerb followed along, still laughing to himself over her reaction.

"Hey, if I can't make it funny, what good does it do me?"

"That's..." Rarity didn't know how to take that explanation. "I'm not even sure how to respond to that."

She tried to shake the joke from her mind and get back on track to enjoying the night.

"Let's just focus on the menu, shall we?"

"Not a problem, pretty lady," Cerb spoke without thinking.

"What?"

"Err, nothing," Cerb quickly sputtered, trying to save face. "You dressed up for the occasion, and I never said anything about it... You look nice."

Rarity lost herself, taking the compliment with a touch of crimson flushing in her cheeks.

"I.. well, yes. You look rather smashing, yourself."

Cerb stretched out his arms and looked over his new shirt.

"Are you saying that because I'm wearing your shirt or because I'm big and intimidating?"

An unexpected laugh belted out from behind the two. Italian Stallion was trailing behind them.

"Oh, Mr. Husk. You are quite the character. But while both may be true, I'm most certain your attire for the night would be doing the smashing. But if I'm wrong, there's a quaint little cafe next door that keeps blocking our delivery door in the back with their trash cans. I think I even have a buy one get one free coupon to sweeten the deal."

Now there was a joke that Cerb could appreciate.

"Ha! Wow, that bad, huh?"

"Oh, ho, ho!" Italian Stallion laughed along. "No. Just a joke, and all in good fun. Just a mild annoyance. We've gone back and forth for years now. And... I'm sorry. Look at me, rambling."

Maybe it was the pandering and free drinks or the inappropriate joke, but Cerb was starting to like this guy.

"Nah. It's fine. And I'm still learning about the people-I-ponies, I mean. It's nice to hear the little things that go on between you all like this."

Italian Stallion seemed to be taken aback by that comment.

"Things like what exactly?"

The whole party walked up to their newly reserved table, and Cerb pulled out the chair for Rarity.

"Here you are, Rarity."

"Ah. What a true gentlecolt," Rarity purred as she took her seat.

Cerb helped to push her to the table before continuing on with Italian Stallion.

"Sorry. What I mean is that from the outside looking in. So much of this place seems... I dunno. Too perfect? But just hearing about the little things that happen between the residents here, little disputes and rivalries, that just makes this place seem all the more normal to me… Kinda sounds terrible now that I say it out loud."

Que Rarity for the save. "Not at all, darling. While true, we are a rather friendly and peaceful little town; we do have our little quirks and problems that we deal with while living with one another. It can't be helped."

"Sad, but true," Italian Stallion added before grabbing the menus from the host and personally handing them off to Cerb and Rarity. "But being how this is your first time here, might I be so bold as to offer a few recommendations?"

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Rarity quickly answered. "I'll have my usual, and Justin here would like the Titanis Morchella seasoned steak. Oh,-" She turned back to Cerb, realizing she forgot one thing. "-what about your side dish, dear?"

With no time to think, Cerb went for the first thing that came to mind.

"Uh... Alfredo pasta?"

"Both excellent choices, Mr. Husk," Italian Stallion was all too thrilled to compliment them on Cerb's meal for the night. "I'll take this to the kitchen personally. Shall we start with any appetizers tonight or another drink?"

As much as Cerb was happy to see Italian Stallion having so much concern into them enjoying their night there, this was starting to feel more and more like pandering to him now.

"Dealers choice. Whatever you think is good, but I'll take another one of these from the bar and a water."

"I'll do the same, please," Rarity added.

Italian Stallion looked relieved to see how well he was able to salvage the near disaster his host almost created.

"Very well. You two enjoy yourselves. I'll send a pony over to check on you again soon."

As soon as Italian Stallion was out of sight, Cerb turned to Rarity.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was here for the date with me instead of you."

Rarity nearly spat out her drink. She swallowed as best she could, choking on it for a moment.

"Oh, please, Justin. He wasn't groveling that bad."

"Free drinks? Personally walking us to our table and taking our orders?" Cerb emphasized his words with a humourous tone as he tried to stress his point. "If he was trying any harder, he would have kissed me and asked me to follow him home for the night." Cerb joked with a chuckle.

Even though he was joking, Rarity couldn't argue that Italian Stallion was a bit intrusive with his attempts to convince them to stay.

"Well, maybe he just has good taste in humans."

"Oh? It's like that, huh?" Cerb grinned, reaching for his drink again. "Gonna try to turn this back on me with compliments? Then again, maybe your sister will settle down if he takes your seat for the night?"

"Darling, if all you want is a pony tending to your every need and free cocktails, I'm already here."

"That you are... That you are." Cerb raised his glass to Rarity. "Here's to good company."

Rarity levitated her glass to his and let them clink together, happy to share the toast.

"I couldn't agree more."

Small talk between the two continued on as they waited for their meal to arrive. Mostly it started with how Rarity came to know the restaurant and how they tend to cater to the wealthy, those associated with royalty, and other ponies of high society. Not that they didn't serve just any pony, but she couldn't lie that she enjoyed the pampering she got every time she dined there.

An appetizer arrived without much wait. It was a simple-looking dish of blended veggies deep-fried in bread batter with an orange sauce drizzled over it. The best way to describe it would be a vegetarian crab patty, but with Italian seasonings and spices and plenty of garlic.

Their second order of drinks were delivered by the bar mare herself. She said that she wanted them to try a new mix she had been working on: a more subtle blend of aged apple cider, caramel, seltzer, and a few ingredients she wanted to keep secret. Cerb complimented the drink, as it certainly was something to behold, and offered to sneak her a bottle of rum to really give it some kick. Rarity did her best to explain what alcohol was and how humans occasionally mix it with other drinks. Cerb said maybe that could be her trademark drink. Maybe even make her famous, all of which seemed to get her excited and was grateful for the offer.

"You know, Justin. You seem to be rather generous yourself," Rarity claimed, referring back to how happy his offer had made the bar mare.

"Maybe... Well, that and I really want to see how it tastes."

"So, not so much of being generous, but more of an honest case of gluttony?" Rarity joked with a sly grin.

Cerb smiled and shrugged.

"Why not both?"

Rarity laughed along with him.

"I don't see why not, but make sure to spread some generosity this way when it happens."

"Deal."

The voice of the host and a squeaky wheel crept up from the kitchen.

"Mr. Husk, Miss Belle. Dinner is served."

Two silver trays were placed in front of the two hungry patrons and their covers lifted. Rarity had a small dish of feta cheese and truffle stuffed ravioli and a mint leaf salad. Cerb, on the other hand, was given a plate with his alfredo noodles and what looked like an unholy combination of a beef sirloin steak and a sponge made of rubber.

"I hope you like it," Rarity spoke up from across the table. "I've never had it myself."

"And what is it? " Cerb asked, never taking his eyes off the dish. "I'm starting to get flashbacks to the hayburger."

"It's just a morel, darling. Really it's just a big mushroom," Rarity reassuringly answered.

Cerb seemed unphased by the explanation, so Rarity tried again to convince him that the food was fine to eat.

"Fluttershy said that when it's cooked, her carnivorous friends told her that it both tastes and has a similar texture to... food they would normally consume."

With a skeptical opinion, Cerb picked up his knife and fork, ready to at least give it a try.

"Well... if this is as close as I'm gonna get."

Upon cutting into his first slice, he noticed that it did actually cut like a steak. Tender but still much like what he would expect from a steak. Even as he lifted it closer, it could have very well passed as a piece of meat in smaller bits. The aroma was, at least passable. The seasonings also added a particularly alluring scent to it. Enough that he had higher hopes for what this fungi was going to offer him. He took his first bite and slowly started to chew.

Nervousness started to creep in as Rarity watched him study the edibility of his dinner.

"Well?"

Cerb swallowed his first bite and took on a new expression.

"It... taste just like a normal steak... Wow... Pretty damn good, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like... spot on."

"Well, now. That's a relief. " Rarity looked down at her plate. "A bit unsettling to think about."

After the thought settled in more, she looked back up to Cerb with a comforting smile.

"But I'm glad for you, all the same."

Cerb forked another slice and lifted it up, twirling it slightly in his fingers.

"You want to try it?"

Rarity leaned back in her seat slightly.

"Oh, no, dear. I don't consider myself that much of an adventurous eater."

"Awe, come on," Cerb playfully egged her on, leaning closer in and bringing the slice closer to her. "You ordered it for me, and you said you never tried it. It can't be as bad as my hayburger experience."

Peer pressure is a mother fucker.

"Oh, alright. If you're going to guilt trip me into it."

Being both playful and acting cute, Cerb fed her the small bite of his dinner. She looked slightly squeamish as she bit into its tender texture. As soon as her teeth pressed in and separated the bit and released the juices it had been cooked in, her opinion and expression changed.

"Oh my... that is just simply delectable."

"Like a taste of home."

Now a swirl of thoughts started to come to mind for the mare.

"I don't think I could ever eat the real thing, but this makes the idea devilishly tempting."

"Hey now, horsie girl. Don't be getting the wrong idea about taking a bite outta me."

"Perish the thought, Mr. Husk," Rarity grinned with what had to be impure thoughts.

Cerb chuckled over his immature jokes.

"Okay, okay. Let's not get any red letter rumors started."

"Red letter?" Rarity asked, again sounding as if she had not been clued into the conversation.

"Yeah." Another poor choice of words from Cerb had answered with. "... you know? Silly rumors about you trying to sink your teeth into me or something stupid like that."

Rarity giggled, thinking of what it would be like to actually take a little nibble out of the hunk of man meat Cerb was to her.

"Don't be ridiculous."

The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Every so often they would exchange a comment about their food or trade a bit of their dish with the other. More and more, without them knowing it, it looked like the two might have been on a legitimate date. The chemistry between them would have been unavoidable if not for the obvious difference in species.

In what felt like not much time at all, they both had emptied their plates and were still discussing the ins and outs of what they liked about the food they had just demolished. That was until a familiar voice spoke up and brought them out of the private world they were living in at the moment.

"I take it everything was to your liking?" Italian Stallion was standing next to their table with another cart and platter covered with a silver lid. "I hope I'm not intruding- "

"You must certainly are," Rarity grumbled under her breath.

"-but you two have been such wonderful guests with us tonight, I just couldn't help myself but offer you our finest dessert." Italian Stallion proudly to announced. "A scrumptious slice of a Phillydelphia style cheesecake, drizzled in Manehatten's finest dark chocolate sauce."

The lid was removed, revealing a sight that was fit for the cover of a food magazine.

"Only one?" Cerb asked with a deadpan expression.

Italian Stallion looked back to the tray. There was indeed only one slice. Was that an oversight on his part? Did he misread just how close of friends these two were? A new wave of panic started to force sweat from his pores with the fear that maybe they thought he was implying that he thought they were a romantic couple.

"Rarity. Mr. Husk. I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to imply -"

"I'm joking with ya, bud," Cerb gleefully told him, nudging him in the shoulder with his fist. "This is more than enough for the both of us."

"Justin," Rarity called out, seeing how Italian Stallion had reacted. "That's no way to thank him for dessert."

"Oh, ho ho! Quite alright." Italian Stallion started to laugh. A real hearty laugh at that. "You really had me going there."

Cerb grinned. "Hey, man. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't joke with ya. Know what I mean?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Just don't go smashing everything on your way out tonight."

"Ah!" Cerb laughed. "Ya got me. Can't do it now."

Rarity sat with a face that was a cross of angry at the stupid jokes exchanging in front of her and trying not to laugh at how easily they could act so immature in such a refined setting.

Cerb could see the frustration and restrained smile she was hiding.

"Oh, come on, Rarity. Laugh a little."

"No, no. You boys have your fun," Rarity responded, trying not to give in to his aggravating displays of charm.

"Fine, fine," Cerb backed off, though not sure why she suddenly seemed so turned off by his jokes. "Dessert, and then I'll take the check when you can get it to us. I'm buying tonight."

"Very well, Mr. Husk," Italian Stallion said with a bow.

He placed the cheesecake in the center of the table and took his leave. Cerb and Rarity stared at it, then each other, then the distance between them.

"Well, this ain't gonna work," Cerb said, standing up.

"It's fine, Justin. " Rarity raised her dessert fork with her magic. "I can just..."

Cerb didn't care to humor the idea of making her reach over the table, magically able to make reach or not.

"I've been a gentleman all night. Don't try to change me now."

Rarity wasn't ready to have Cerb sit next to her. After such a wonderful evening, having him this close was too romantic of a situation for her to keep herself from dropping her prim and proper etiquette. "I... you said gentlemen, was it?"

"Yep, - " Cerb took his new seat next to Rarity. "I know you said gentlecolt earlier. I knew what you meant."

"Sorry, still learning," Rarity answered, having difficulty hiding how flattered and bubbly she was.

"Me, too. So if I keep calling ponies 'people' in the future, just know I mean ponies... I might get the whole mare, colt, filly, and pony or horse thing mixed up a lot, too."

"You're perfectly fine, dear... and... thank you."

"For?..."

"For just how kind and accommodating you've been through all this."

Cerb readied his spoon.

"I don't mind. You've all done far more for us than anything we could ever do for you. And besides, you make good company. Kind of a shame this wasn't a real date. Would have been the best one I ever had, if I'm being honest."

"Yes... same for me, actually."

"You trying to one-up me? Some big-name all-star and savior of the world like you having the best date with some big lug like me? A pretty lady like you must of had at least a dozen better dates than this one."

Rarity dropped her bubbly smile and slowly spooned the first piece away from their dessert.

"I've led the way of Equestria's fashion. Been sought after for beauty tips, love advice, dating etiquette... but this would have been my very first date... to tell the truth."

What Cerb heard was more than just her words. That sad confession was her being crushed, and he allowed her to be put in that position.

"Hey, I'm-"

Rarity snapped, afraid she was putting him on the spot.

"Oh, no. Please, don't. You couldn't have known my love life history... or... lack thereof."

There was a painful moment of silence that passed as Rarity tried and failed to enjoy the sweet taste of the strawberry-flavored dish and the rich dark chocolate, but all she could detect was sugar and heartache.

"Fuck it," Cerb blurted out. "I asked you out here, I-"

Rarity interjected again to cease his attempt to salvage the situation.

"Justin, please-"

"No," Cerb firmly demanded. "I asked you out, I'm buying you this amazing dinner we just had, we had drinks together, and now a dessert that kills me to see you looking so miserable trying to eat. So fuck it if I'm not a horse, colt, whatever thing I need to be to make this normal, or the joke that got us here. I'm still here because you and Flutters are the best thing that's happened to me since I got here, and you don't deserve to have anything except the best this world has to offer. And as of four days ago, that includes me, or so help me god, I will start smashing shit."

Rarity sniffed as her eyes were watering up, and the dessert on her tongue finally started to taste like she was feeling... lovely.

"Well, I can't very well let you go smashing up one of my favorite restaurants in town, so I concede."

She turned to face him eye to eye, some of her mascara starting to pool up in the corner of her eyes from the tears yet to fall.

"And I doubt I'll have another date night that could top this one. Human or not, I still think you're the most amazing colt I've ever met."

Seeing the pools of tears and mascara was a crime against humanity, and Cerb took the napkin from his lap to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry if that's the truth." He started to dry her eyes. "You should have every guy in this kingdom bowing down to kiss your hoof like you were a wingless Celestia with a better smile."

"Bawh!" Rarity burst out laughing and had to cover her mouth to avoid making a scene. "My goodness, Justin. You've made your point. Any more flattery like that, and I might end up kissing you in front of all these gawking ponies."

Cerb looked up to see that, at some point, they had drawn the attention of more than a few tables on the other side of the room.

"Doubt it. The kiss doesn't happen until the end of the date."

Cerb noticed her silence after saying that and looked down to see a blush he knew right away that he was responsible for.

"If you know any magic that will make me stop talking, feel free to use it any time, please."

Finally, back in her element, Rarity shifted gears into her normal proper posh self.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now let's just forget about them and finish this wonderful little slice of heaven."

"Well, hold up now, I think I dropped my spoon-"

Cerb was silenced by another spoon invading his mouth, treating him to what Rarity had already sampled.

"It's not magic, and it will only shut you up for as long as it takes you to swallow," Rarity cooed, batting her pretty little eyes.

"Mmm," Cerb swallowed. "Phrasing."

"What?"

"Nothing, let's eat."

Now, this was the perfect end to dinner. Rarity had Cerb sitting next to her, as close as close could be, sharing the same spoon without protest, enjoying each other's company, and no shame or rejection on his behalf of letting this officially be her first date. A human and a pony drawing closer and closer to her dream of having him all to herself.

Across the room, a pony clearing his throat just far enough away to be heard warned of another intrusion. From the corner of her eye, Rarity could see Italian Stallion walking over with the check. As she fed Cerb another bite, she used her magic to yank it from Italian Stallion's mouth from across the room and waved him away, not wanting any more distractions. Italian Stallion stood dumbfounded to be so easily dismissed, but took the hint, smiled, and turned back from where he came from.

After they finished, Cerb looked over the bill and made no complaint about the cost. He emptied his stash of bits and left it on the table. What he left covered the tab and included a generous tip. As they exited, they were overly greeted and thanked by Italian Stallion again and even got a shout-out from the bar mare. Even if the prices were high, and Italian Stallion was borderline obnoxious with his pandering, he saw himself returning. Perhaps with a bottle of rum if Starlight did indeed have a way to make more for them.

"So," Cerb started up a new conversation. "Back to Twilight's?"

"Oh, I would, but I've neglected Sweetie Belle so much this week. I'd feel awful if I left her home alone any longer than I need to. Oh! But you probably don't know the way back, do you?"

"Nah, you're fine," He reassured her. "This town isn't that big, and it's kinda hard to miss that." He pointed to the giant castle piercing into the skyline.

"Oh... right," Rarity giggled.

"So," Rarity was apprehensive about asking her next question. "You don't mind having a date with a pony, or what your friends might say?"

"After everything that's gone on, and how non-existent my love life has been these last few years. No." He answered. half serious. "I doubt I'll go bragging about it. Save you some embarrassment in the process. Having to date outside your gene pool."

"Oh, please. I doubt that's the worst that somepony could say about me."

"Heh. Same here. And besides, my friends might riff on me a bit, but they know enough not to say something to make me punch them upside their stupid head."

"Pfft," Rarity couldn't believe he would do such a thing. Not after the night, she spent with him. "I don't see your friends being so cruel. Nor do I think you would ever willingly hurt them."

"True," Cerb said, coming to a stop.

"Something wrong?" Rarity asked, wondering why he stopped walking her home.

"I hope not. This is your home, right?"

Rarity looked in front of her to see they were already at her doorstep.

"Oh. I must not have been paying attention to where we were going."

Cerb chuckled. She was too cute for her own good, but he didn't mind that at all about her.

"Well, Miss Rarity."

"Miss Rarity?" She bashfully answered. "My. So formal all of a sudden."

"Just being a gentlecolt."

"Gentleman, darling."

"Sorry, still learning."

She giggled slightly, not forcing it or trying to hide her smile.

"Now you're just being silly."

"Maybe," He joked back before kneeling down to her level. "But I wasn't joking when I said this was by far the best date I've ever been on."

He took her right hoof in his hand l, bringing it to his lips, and kissed it.

"Sorry. I normally don't kiss on the first date."

If the night sky was any brighter, or more lights from her house were on, her brightest blush to date would have been unavoidable.

"Was that too much?" Cerb asked because, obviously, the writer of this story was wrong about the lighting.

"No," Rarity slowly lowered her hoof back to the ground. "Perfect, in fact."

She turned around and opened the door to her home.

"If things were different, I'd be furious if we didn't do this again."

"If things were different... Makes me wish they were. But hey, if I can get that bottle of rum over there, we're definitely going back. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

Rarity chuckled at the offer as she walked inside.

"It's a date," She replied back and winked before she softly closed the door.

Cerb stood there in the dark, feeling unnaturally happy with how everything turned out that night. Although, a sting found its way into his chest. Something that struck him in his heart.

Why did she have to be different? Everything about her was amazing.

But it would never work.

Fate can be cruel.

"It's a date," He uttered under his breath, turned, and started to make his way back to meet up with the others at the castle.

Back inside Rarity's place, the boutique she called home was dark and silent. Sweetie Belle must have already fallen asleep, scared into compliance by Cerb's mock threats. But that was fine with her. She had the rest of the night to herself to bask in the afterglow of how fantastic her outing with Cerb had gone. All of his generous ways, his quirks and jokes, all the kind words he said to her, and that kiss at the end. It was pure magic.

These memories would stay with her forever, and she would swim in these thoughts over a nice cup of tea before lofting off to bed. She flipped a switch to turn a light on in her work area to see her way to the kitchen.

"How was your date!" Fluttershy thrust herself onto Rarity and lifted her up by her shoulders, wearing the biggest smile she could physically manage.

Rarity was scared nearly half to death.

"Fluttershy! When did you-"

"Oh my gosh," Fluttershy let Rarity down. "I was just so excited to see how your night out with Justin went that I just couldn't wait for tomorrow. So, I told the others that I was going to check up on Sweetie Belle and make sure that she got to bed on time, you know how fillies her age can be, and came straight over."

"Okay, that's very thoughtful of you, but can you keep it down? I can give you all the details, but that will be much harder to do if you wake her up."

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Fluttershy said with a smile that somehow squeaked.

"... Why?"

"Well, after I came over, and Sweetie Belle let me in, she just went on and on with questions about 'Cerb' and if he was going to eat her if she kept bothering you about him, if he really ate meat, or if I was going to try and date him, too. I tried not to say much or let her know that we're working together on helping him get comfortable with being with a pony, but she just wouldn't go to sleep. She just kept asking more questions and popping up from the covers with more ideas."

"Is she still awake?"

"Oh, heavens no. I told her we could talk about it over some tea."

"Oh, Fluttershy, what did you tell her?"

"Not much. My sleepy-time tea might have been a bit too strong."

"Fluttershy... "

"It's the same tea I gave you. And I'd never give her anything I thought might hurt her - " Fluttershy's eye lit up, and she started brimming with excitement. "Now, please... " She pulled Rarity over to the couch and sat her down, uncomfortably close. "Details."

"Well." Rarity gave a long pause, trying to think of the best way to recap the night - "I have to say... We have a chance."

"Really!"

Music started to fill the air.

Rarity placed a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulders.

"We've got ourselves a chance."

Fluttershy bounced in place with anticipation.
"Well, don't keep me waiting. Tell me everything."

"♫ The night was alive with magic.
Every turn, another surprise.
A dinner full of more than elegance.
So much more at a second glance. ♫"

"Oh? How so?"

"♫ Imagine him, a charmer, a joker. That, and so much more.
Pleasant, and engaging. Never without a conversation,
Even shared my spoon for dessert. ♫" " He didn't mind?"
" ♫Would you believe it? Not an ounce of hesitation. ♫"

"♫ So we've got ourselves a chance.
He’ll give us a second glance.
Then we'll show him a mares romance. ♫"

"So what else can you tell me?"

"♫ He's so caring and loving. Modest, not to mention kind."
"Not too modest for a kiss on your hoof. Please don’t think me blind. ♫"
[Gasp]"I didn't know you saw that."
“I might have peaked. I hope you don’t mind."

“♫ He’s got an aura that’s stronger than the guard of Hades.
“And the looks that catch eyes of all the ladies.
Not to mention his arms hold you and steal your fears away."
“If we play our cards right then that’s just where we're gonna stay. ♫"

“We’ll be the queens that play into his hands.

"♫ Now we've got ourselves a chance.
We’ll get more than a second glance.
Then we'll show him a mares romance. ♫"

"♫ He wishes things were different, or so he’d have us think.
But I’ll have my second date. I secured it with a wink."
"You. And me. We’ll win him over. We’ll fill his every need."
“It won’t be long until we have him" “fin-a-lly concede! ♫"

“I have a good feeling about this."

“Me, too! And you know why?"

“Of course I do. Because now-"

“Now."

"♫ Now we've got ourselves a chance.
We’ll get more than a second glance.
Then we'll show him a mares romance. ♫"

“♫ You’ll both show him a mares! Ro-Mance! ♫"

Rarity’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she saw Sweetie Belle slide on her knees in between her and Fluttershy to deliver the big finish to their song like she was in a Broadway musical.

“Sweetie Belle! Why are you still awake?!”

Sweetie Belle jumped to her feet and started prancing excitedly in a circle.

“Because I’m so excited for you getting your first special somepony! And he’s gonna be the coolest big brother I could ever have. Ahh!” She continued to scream in excitement.

"How much corn am I supposed to give'em?" Lumberman called out to Applejack while he continued to fan out handfuls of corn kernels to her chickens.

"Just the one bucket is fine, Woody," Applejack hollered back from near the big pen.

"Ya, know. This would have gone a lot faster if you didn't do all that needless bullshit to feed yer pigs."

"I told ya! I used to need to do all them extra steps." Applejack hollered back while dumping a bucket of slop into the pig's feed trough.

Frustrated, Lumberman dumped the bucket of corn out all at once.

"You danced like a chicken and nearly killed yourself bungee jumping from the barn!"

"I did no such thing!" Applejack yelled back in protest. "I've been doing that fer years and ain't never once been hurt."

Carelessly tossing the feed bucket off next to the chicken coop, Lumberman started to walk over to the pig pen.

"Anything else we need to waste time on before we can actually start the next chore?"

"Are you gonna nag me all gosh darn night over this? Sides." Applejack counter complained, dumping the last bucket of slop for the pigs. “We’re dun, now. That was it.”

Lumberman walked up to the section of fence opposite of Applejack and leaned up against it.

“Awesome, you ready to head back to Castle Up-Chuck?”

“Egh…” She groaned, not sounding enthused. “I think I’ve had about enough excitement today. No offense, but yer friends are a bit much to handle in anything but small doses.”

“From what I saw this morning, I can say the same thing about your friends.”

Applejack tipped her hat to Lumberman.

“Point taken. But uh, you fixen to head up on out, or heading back to y’alls house?”

Lumberman leaned off the fence and started to circle around to join Applejack, who was already leading the way back to the house.

“I’ll probably head back to the castle, wait till everyone’s done there, and head on back to the house after that.”

“Yo, AJ! Lumberman!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called down from overhead.

Applejack looked up to see Rainbow Dash already on her descent.

“Well, howdy, Rainbow. What brings you out here tonight? Everything alright?”

Rainbow Dash landed just behind the two and trotted the rest of the way up next to them.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. You two were out here all day, and no pony’s heard from ya, so they asked me to drop in and see what you’ve been up to.”

“Nothing much,” Lumberman answered first. “I drew up some plans to fix up the house, cleaned up a bit, then helped with the chores.“

He turned back to Applejack, trying to act coy.

“If I didn’t know any better, though, I’d swear some pony was trying to keep me too busy to leave.”

“Pft,” Applejack huffed to dismiss the accusation. “As if.”

Rainbow Dash had a little laugh at that.

“That’s AJ for ya. Never enough work to do in a day. Ain’t that right?”

Applejack glared at the accusation.

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“Depends on who you're dragging along with ya.” Rainbow Dash answered, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows towards Lumberman.

“Gah, dang it,” Applejack realized she never asked Lumberman if he wanted to spend the whole day working on the farm with her. “Hey, Woody. I apologize. I should have asked if-“

“Apples, please,” Lumberman cut her apology short. “I could have left any time I wanted. You didn’t keep me here.”

“Yeah, well.“ Applejack looked side to side, like the right words to say were written down for her somewhere. “I still should have asked ya first.”

“I’m over it,” Lumberman answered before turning his attention back to Rainbow Dash. “Anyway. What’s going on back at the castle? Benny and them ready to head back to the house?”

Rainbow Dash had an odd look about her.

“Well, that’s another reason I came down to check up on you guys. With Chris still sick in bed, Twilight offered to let all your friends stay the night, and they all said they would. Except for Cerb. He’s not back yet. But I came out to see if you wanted to stay, too. You too, AJ. Kelly asked Big Mac to stay to help her get around while she’s there.”

Applejack groaned, more than a little put off that her brother was bailing on her. “Figures as much.”

Something in the back of Lumberman’s mind was pulling him in another direction. “You know what, I think I’ll pass on the castle tonight. I think I’ll take the peace and quiet out here. That is if you don’t mind, Apples?”

“Ugh… I guess not?” Applejack answered, blindsided by his request. “I can fix up a spot fer ya to camp out in tonight.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash blurted out, not at all surprised to see another pair wanting to stick together. “Suit yourselves. Breakfast at nine tomorrow morning. Spike’s all excited about it for some reason.”

Lumberman nodded.

“Sounds good.”

With a small gust of wind bursting out behind her, Rainbow Dash took to the sky.

“Check you squares later!”

“You don’t mind me staying, do ya?” Lumberman asked again.

“Not at all,” Applejack answered, already heading back to the house again. “I’m actually, ugh, kinda glad yer staying. Would’a been an empty house, otherwise.”

“Yeah, figured it would have been a dick move to leave you here alone after everything.”

“Wud’ya mean, a dick move?”

“Crap,” Lumberman apologized. “Slipping with the slang again. Just means it would have been a really rude or mean thing to do.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but I certainly do appreciate it.”

“Plus, I thought it would be nice to not sleep in a crowded room again,” Lumberman admitted with a chuckle.

Applejack laughed along with him, or at him, really.

“You know that castle has more than enough bedrooms to fit y’all?”

Lumberman stood at the doorway, realizing the fault of his logic.

“Fuck me…”

“Crimeny, Woody,” Applejack shouted down from the staircase. “I don’t even have the bath water running, and yer already starting?”

“Damn it, Apples. Don’t even start that shit up again.” Lumberman called out to Applejack as she entered the house behind her.

Applejack was ready with another.

“Well, if ya don’t want me starting up on turning ya down, stop asking bout it.”

Lumberman wasn’t going to win with this round. He lowered his head in defeat.

“God damn it.”

The sound of running water poured out from the bathroom, and after a moment, Applejack poked her head out.

“Hey, uh… Woody? I’m drawing a bath.”

“Swear to god, Apple Hat.” Lumberman’s voice rose up with annoyance.

Applejack shook her head and shouted down to him again.

“Quit yer bellyaching and weeny whining. I was gonna ask if you wanted to use it first or not.”

“Oh… sorry! And no! You can go first!”

A while later, after both had bathed, Lumberman ventured outside to where Applejack had started a fire and was sitting on a log and picking at her guitar.

“You play?” Lumberman asked, as stupid of a question as it was at this point.

“Nope. No idea what I’m doing with his here trumpet-phone thingy,” She sarcastically answered before strumming out a few chords.

“Pretty sure that’s a kazoo,” Lumberman fired back.

“Really?” Applejack jokingly answered back, flipping the instrument over and examining it. “Last time I ever shop at the Flim Flam Thrift Shop. Told'em I wanted an accordion anyhow.”

“Alright, seriously, though. How do you play with hooves, or can you still hold a pic?”

“No. No pic needed. I just feel the strings with my frogs and pluck’em that way.”

“Frogs?”

“Not frogs like bullfrogs and them.“ Applejack answered before she stuck out the bottom of her hoof to show the soft fleshy section underneath. “See?”

Lumberman moved in closer to take a better look. He didn’t see anything that looked like a frog. Just two folds of skin that match the color of her coat. They were really only two soft pads like you would see on a dog's paw, but still much larger and smoother in appearance.

“They ain’t gonna do the kinda work like your fingers do, but they get the job done,” Applejack added as she pulled her hoof back to her guitar.

Lumberman was a bit baffled by how she could do anything with her frogs.

“Do you even have much grip with those things?”

“You tell me,” She answered, extending her hoof to him again and then waiting for him to touch it. “It ain’t gonna bite. There’s no teeth in there, I promise.”

Feeling like there couldn’t be much harm in testing it, he reached out and pressed his pointer finger down the crease.

Like some kind of alien limb, the two creases shifted, letting his finger press in deeper before folding around his digit and holding it in place. The hold itself wasn’t very strong, though perhaps she wasn’t trying to squeeze too hard. Simultaneously, the texture and pressure gave such an odd feeling over his finger.

“Weird… Is that as tight as you can squeeze?”

“Almost,” Applejack squeezed as hard as she could, but even that wasn’t that much stronger than a toddler's grip. “Strong enough for ya?”

“Not really,” Lumberman admitted.

Applejack released his finger and set her guitar to her side; she wasn’t much in the mood for playing anyway.

“Yeah, not very useful for most chores. They ain’t much useful for much of anything. That’s why we earth ponies do most work with our teeth. You’re pretty lucky to have them hands of yours.”

“I guess so,” Lumberman answered back, rubbing his thumb over where she held his finger, still trying to make sense of what he felt.

Applejack looked down to the ground, trying to hide a guilty smile.

“Speaking of them hands ah yers. Might I ask a favor of ya?”

Lumberman started getting that weird feeling from Applejack again.

“Depends.”

Applejack giggled, feeling silly for what she was about to ask, if not a little giddy, keen on him answering with a yes.

“I was just hoping you could give me a bit of a shoulder rub. Kinda sore from putting in a full day's work after still recovering from that exhaustion.”

“And what do I get out of it?” Lumberman asked.

Applejack changed her posture slightly.

“Tell ya wut. You put in a good amount of work today. You give me a little rub down, and I’ll return the favor.”

There was a long pause of Lumberman contemplating if he should or not.

Applejack sighed.

“It’s no big deal if yer not up to it. I just…”

“Just what?” Lumberman asked, questioning her backward delay.

“I… Nah. Just ferget about it.” Applejack’s grumbled, her mood seeming to sour after she retracted her request.

“You know,” Lumberman started to speak up and walked around behind her, laying his hands down on her shoulders. “For a pony who’s all about telling the truth, ya kinda suck at being honest with me.”

Applejack wanted to protest, but his fingers had already started kneading their way into her muscles, and it was heavenly. What couldn’t those fingers do? But he was right; she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Then again, she was so confused about so many things that she didn’t even know how to be honest with herself. Might as well be honest about that.

“I’m not trying to- oh… that’s nice. Not trying to keep secrets from ya or nothing.”

“Then what is it?” Lumberman quietly asked, working his thumbs farther into the center of her back.

“Promise not to laugh?”

“No.”

Applejack gave an angry groan.

Obviously, it was a joke, so Lumberman pulled back on yanking her proverbial chain.

“I’m kidding. What’s on your mind.”

“I’m still kinda scared," Applejack quietly admitted, "… and just all around confused. I feel weak and like I’m alone in all this.”

Lumberman didn’t stop his handy work, messaging his hands back out to her sides to the underside of her forelegs.

“You mean because of what happened to Kelly?”

“Yeah… And then there’s you in all this.” Applejack admitted, guilt and shame lacing her words.

“Me?” Lumberman asked, stopping his hands on her sides. “What did I do?”

Applejack looked up to the stars in the sky, not even sure what she was doing anymore.

“Nothing bout y’all makes any sense to me. I mean, look at how close we are right now. You said you’d never have an interest in a mare, but… why are ya always so kind to me?”

She was asking some good questions, and on the surface, they were easy to answer, but there was something deeper he felt as well.

“I think you’re confusing the two things, Apple Hat.”

Or maybe he was confused himself.

“Do you think I’m crossing any lines when we’re together?”

“No,” She answered back, though she still had some uncertainties. “And I’m glad ya ain’t even tried. I’m guessing that’s what makes me feel so safe around ya. But you still haven’t told me–“ She looked over her shoulder, showing off her big sad eyes. “I’m scared yer doing all this kindness out of obligations for helping out y’all out or guilt because of what we talked about before. And if either of those are true… then I can’t help but think that I’m taking advantage of ya. And that ain’t right.”

Lumberman pulled back his hands. This conversation was making him nervous. Nervous enough that it got his heart racing.

“Well, I do have an obligation to return the favors you and your family have shown us, and I won’t lie, I am pushing myself to be more open because I feel like a hypocrite, but there is something else.”

“Something bad?” Applejack blinked slowly, fearing something else may be causing a problem between the two.

“That’s the thing,” He tried to explain, taking a seat on another log near the fire. “I don’t know what it is.”

“Don’t know what ‘what is?” She softly pressed.

“Remember out in the forest?” He asked but let that thought float for a moment. “Remember how I started yapping off about losing some of our other friends and how worried I was about everyone?”

“Yeah?”

Lumberman shook his head and raised his hands with a gesture of confusion.

“Still have no idea why I told you all that. I didn’t want to. I tried to stop myself. But I, physically… mentally… couldn’t. And that wasn’t the only time.”

“I’m not understanding.”

“Me either. I lost control of myself, and then I passed out. No explanation of why.”

“I remember the passing out part, but I didn’t know bout the other stuff...“ A sad thought crossed her mind. “You thinking you being nice to me is the same thing? Like something’s forcing ya to put up with me and act kindly and such?”

“No,“ Lumberman quickly answered, though he could feel his pulse quickening as he was caught in a lie, “But I think it makes it harder for me to pull myself away from you. Makes it damn near impossible not to be honest with you.”

“What would you want to lie about?”

“How much I actually like you.”

Again, whatever force had grabbed him before was pulling its magic on him again. He could feel it compelling him to be honest. Although, it also came with some relief. However, it left Applejack more confused than when the conversation had started.

“And when you say you like me?” Applejack cautiously asked.

“I mean, I like you. Just like you,” Lumberman stressed. “You’re funny, you’re not afraid to give me shit, you’re just as loyal and dedicated as anyone of my friends here, and… I’m jealous of the family you have.”

“Jealous?” Applejack didn’t expect that to be something worthy of so much admiration. “I mean, we’re close and all. But we’re not that much different than any family round here.”

“But you’re a hell of a lot closer than any of our families,” Lumberman lamented. “I don’t think you could possibly know how bad me or any of the rest of us would kill for that. How bad I want that. Hell, I left the family I did have, hoping to find someone to start my own family with so I could have it.”

“Well, if it makes ya feel any better, we all pretty much consider you family already.” She confided to him.

Lumberman smiled, but that wasn’t what he was talking about.

“I appreciate that, Apples. I really do. But it’s not the same thing. Just like with Cerb, and Benny, and everyone else, we’re each other's family now, but it’s not the same thing for any of us. We’re family by choice, but we’re never gonna be the family we lost by choice.”

“Lumberman,” She gently spoke, skipping her own nickname for him. “Can I risk ruining the moment and just give ya a hug?”

He spoke no words. Instead, he gave her a look that held no resistance and opened his arms open for her. She took the open invitation, quickly rushed to him to wrap her forelegs around him. They both held each other, lost in the moment they weren’t even sure of what exactly they were sharing. Neither could complain, though it was better than being alone.

It wasn’t long until that sporadic embrace was over and they had shifted to something else. Lumberman was now sitting on the ground and leaning up against the log while Applejack laid across his lap, giving him full access to her back and shoulders for tending to. At least now he dropped any concerns of doing something inappropriate and viewed what he was doing as a favor to a friend.

Part of the old concerns of crossing the line was still there, but he figured if he ever came close, she would be sure to tell him. Or at least he would have the good sense not to push that far or let Applejack get carried away in the first place.

“I got a question for ya,” Lumberman broke however long of a period of time they had remained silent with each other.

“Fire away, Woodman,” Applejack responded, sounding just as relaxed as one could be.

“What was up with you tricking Rarity into saying the name of that restaurant?”

“I un-know,” She softly answered back. “Seems like you fellers get a kick out of putting each other on the spot. Just like he did to you in the bath tent. Figured a little payback was in order.”

“Huh,” Lumberman huffed out a laugh. “Makes sense. Even if you also put Rarity on the spot.”

“Meh,” She carelessly answered and shrugged. “The way she was acting all goofy and protective of yer buddy Cerb, figured that’d shock her out’uh her… Awe, shucks. I don’t even know what’s up with her.”

Lumberman continued to work his right hand into the back of her neck and his left hand down to where her back met her flanks.

“Do you think her or Fluttershy has a thing for Cerb?”

“I kinda doubt it.“ She answered through a yawn and stretched out farther in his lap. “I don’t think Rarity ever turned an eye to any pony who wasn’t rich, just as into fashion as she is, or related to royalty. Fluttershy? She’s too shy most the time to even talk to another pony unless it involves one of her critters or a new animal she thinks needs help. To her, Cerb probably fits that role. Otherwise, they both tend to go overboard taking care of others. What about your buddy Chris? Think he’ll try anything, if he hasn’t already?”

“Chris?” Lumberman came back to his friend's past and recent cowboy incident. “Maybe… I dunno. Not even sure what I would do if I found out he was interested or trying.”

“Pft,” Applejack responded with raspberries. “So long as he ain’t out there hurting any pony. Why bother getting involved. Maybe it’ll make’em happy.”

“The idea of that doesn’t bother you?” Lumberman was surprised to hear. “Like… even a little?”

Applejack started to turn, rolling herself belly up in Lumberman’s lap.

“When it first came up talkin to ya, I had no real opinion on it. But then after talking to you, I guess it did bother me a bit. But then I really thought about it, and I can’t really see why it should. So long as they make each other happy, what’s the harm?”

Lumberman looked down with his hands up, not sure if he was supposed to continue working her over, or if she just turned to have an easier time talking to him.

"I guess it’s just different for humans.”

“Yes, welcome to Equestria,” She sarcastically answered back, “A kingdom of ponies, by ponies, and for ponies, and no human input since its inception. Color me surprised that we ain’t all on the same page. And keep going with dem hands, please and thank you.”

“Apple Hat?”

“Yes’um?”

“Don’t you think inception is too smart of a word for you?”

Applejack’s eyes went wide in shock as she gasped.

“Why you mean little-“

In a spur-of-the-moment reaction, she gripped her hat in the frog of her hoof and swatted Lumberman over the head with the fine weathered leather.

“I know plenty of them fancy words, ya ass-brained fuck jerk.

Lumberman padded her stomach just below her ribs.

“Oh, shut up and take your belly rubs.”

An unpleasant frump on Applejack’s face took over as she turned away from him. It was cute to watch, despite how easily agitated she would get when antagonized like that. Then again, she wasn’t trying to get away, either. In fact, the longer his hands felt their way along her undersides, the more she relaxed and melted over his legs.

“Damn, Apples. Should I be concerned by how much you're enjoying this?” He asked as a joke but averted his eyes from his task to watch her reaction.

“Should I?”

“Jesus Christ, Apples, Nothing?” Lumberman spoke out with a laugh.

“Mmm… Nope.“

She unexpectedly reached up to grab his hand and hold it against her.

“But… the fire is dying out, and it’s getting to be pretty late. So, as much I would love to stay here enjoying this, I imagine you’re about ready to call it a night.”

Lumberman watched in disbelief as Applejack rolled over to all fours, stood up, and started walking back to the house without owning up to her side of the deal.

“Hey!” He shouted as she walked off. “Yer just going to head off to bed without returning the favor like we agreed on?”

“Oh,” Applejack did forget about that. “Well, lay face down in the grass, and I’ll get started. Or would you prefer a belly rub?”

“Okay, good point. If you’re not gonna back out, let’s do it inside.”

After a short debate, it was decided that the floor was too hard to lie on and the couch was too small. So, with regret for even agreeing to the arrangement setting in, the two ventured up to the one spare bedroom. The room itself was absolutely nothing special. The bed looked to be only just barely long enough to stop his feet from popping out off the mattress, but it would have to do.

Applejack nudged Lumberman in the leg.

“Alright, let me see if I still know how to do this.”

“Yer not instilling a lot of confidence in me, Apples. I don’t even know what I was thinking, letting you do this when you got hooves for hands.”

“I ain’t got hooves fer hands. You got hands fer hooves,” Applejack spat as she shoved him closer to the mattress. “Hooves are the standard here, partner. Now get over yerself and onta the bed.”

With no real reason not to comply, Lumberman did as he was told and sat on the edge. He sat and wondered what all she was going to do and how a back massage from a pony would be like. That, and he pondered why he seemed so at ease with it all. He noticed Applejack jump onto the bed with him and braced for the worst.

Finding some solid footing on her hind legs, she placed her fore-hooves on Lumberman’s back.

“Now, just cry out in pain if I press too hard.”

“Ahh!” Lumberman immediately screamed.

“I ain’t even started yet,” Applejack scolded him.

“Yeah, I know,” Lumberman complained. “It hurts just thinking about it.”

Applejack took her hat and swatted him with it.

“Don’t be shitty.”

Lumberman chuckled back at her.

“I don’t know if I should be proud or mad at myself for teaching you all these bad words.”

“Should I stop?” Applejack sincerely asked.

“You’re a big girl now. What do you want to do?”

Applejack thought about that as she started working her hooves into his back. “I’m not sure, come to think of it. I only seem to use'em when I’m around you.”

“Trying to impress me?”

“Is it working?”

“Nope.”

“Damn it.”

They both laughed, and Applejack continued to work in more pressure against Lumberman’s back.

“Kinda strange how things have flipped since we got here, ya think?” Lumberman asked with a more serious tone.

“What’da mean?”

“Well,“ Lumberman started off, thinking back to their first meeting. “-we didn’t all make the best of first impressions.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Applejack answered back, a bit exacerbated.

“Yeah. No doubt,” Lumberman replied with a slight laugh before continuing on. “But look at us all now. Cerb is taking your friends out to dinners. Sniff is taking Spike under his wing like a mentor... “

He took a short pause, thinking of the events earlier that day, and had to hold back another outburst of laughter.

“Starlight and Chris are bootlegging liquor and drinking all the profits.”

“And paying for it, now,” Applejack jested with a grin.

“Heh, yep…” Lumberman nodded. “And then look at us.”

That almost sounded too friendly to Applejack for it not to be tempting. “Come again?”

“What?” Lumberman asked, not sure how she couldn't see what he was seeing. “We were the first two to get into it. But now, pfsh…”

He looked around the poorly lit room they were in.

“I’m fixing your house back up, hanging out, just the two of us… “ He looked down and patted the mattress. “-sharing the same bed again.”

Somehow Applejack hadn’t applied the same weight to their current situation. He was right about how far they’ve come since their first exchange. Not only that, she also had him alone and had talked him into a bed with her again. Her breath nearly stopped entirely, but her heart rate quickened at the thought of having him sleep with her for a second time.

“I, uh…”

Perhaps Lumberman said too much.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Lumberman went to turn to her and apologize, but she brought her hooks up to his shoulders and forced him back to where she was massaging him.

“Don’t be adding vinegar to the cucumber yet. I know what ya mean.”

“Vinegar to the cucumber? What does that mean?”

“You ain’t never heard that before?” Applejack asked, somehow surprised. “Think about it. You got yerself a perfectly fine cucumber, but if you add vinegar, which is sour and salty and not exactly what you’d call palatable, and that’s what makes a pickle.”

“Yeah?”

She couldn’t believe she had to explain this even further.

“A pickle? You know, like a problem?”

Hitting Lumberman like a sack of potatoes, he realized the logic of phrasing things in such a way.

“I sorta hate the fact that that makes sense.”

Applejack stopped what she was doing to reach for her hat.

“Did I ask you to stop?” Lumberman asked in a funny voice.

No swatting from the hat ensued. Instead, Applejack groaned and went back to returning the favor. She let her hooves dig in and pressed them around the edges of Lumberman’s shoulder blades and then tried something new.

A new and peculiar sensation sparked his curiosity.

“What are you doing?”

Cautious, Applejack asked, “What? It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No," Lumberman calmly answered. "It just feels weird. It’s good but weird. What’s doing that?”

Describing her new method wasn’t going to work through a simple explanation. She knew he would have to see to understand, so she leaned her chest against his back to bring the underside of her hoof around for him to see.

“I’m just using muh frogs, ya see?”

In renewed amazement, Lumberman watched the two pads under her hoof move. Not just simple twitches or flexes in any one direction. They moved more like a tongue could move. They were bulging up, contracting in, rolling in a waving motion, and even flexing in different directions at the same time. It was something he would have expected to see in a science-fiction movie.

The demonstration gave the explanation that was needed, but Applejack felt like it wasn't being welcomed. She pulled her hoof back and sat away from him.

“Don’t worry. You don’t need to tell me ta stop.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Lumberman reassured back to her, turning to see why she moved away; outside of the poor reaction he had to watching her frogs move the way they did. “Look, Apple’s. I’m not trying to be a jerk. I just never seen anything move like that. I didn’t understand what I was looking at.”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, turning her hoof up to look at it again why she flexed the pads again. “They are kinda funny looking.”

“They’re still good for a back rub, though.” Lumberman informed her, looking up with a raised eyebrow.

Applejack was still a little cautious.

"It's not gonna weird ya out, or nothing is it?"

"I think I peaked on the weirdness in the bathtub with you," He joked. "Here, I'll make it easier."

As a show of faith and trust, Lumberman stripped off his shirt and laid face down on the bed.

It worked. Applejack was confident that there would be no further issues with this simple task. Plus, all that skin to experiment with was rather tempting.

"Alright, back to it, I guess."

She walked across the bed and straddled over Lumberman, placed her forehooves on his shoulders, and went back to work. At least now that she was free to focus on what she was doing, she could let herself take in the sensations of the skin-to-skin contact. What she felt was much like it was the first time with him, though her making contact didn't bring about the same feelings as their night bathing and sleeping together. It wasn't even as nice as the rubdown she just had outside. Not that his skin didn't feel pleasant under her hooves, as it did. But the other sensations that attracted her back to him weren't as intense. Perhaps it only works one way?

Whatever the causes, she had no complaints about where she had found herself. Even if she wasn't getting those beautiful feelings again, she did still enjoy her new friends' company. Plus, the feeling of being alone never came to her when she was with him. Although, it was hard to say if he was responsible for keeping it at bay or if he might have created it in the first place. She had plenty of time to think about that while she finished up.

"Well, I think that about makes us even I'd say," Applejack announced. "Unless it wasn't, cuz then yer just plum outta luck."

Lumberman rolled over, being free from Applejack's weight holding him down.

"We're good. It's actually a nice mix having the hardness of your hooves with the soft feeling from your frogs-god does it feel weird saying that."

"Well, get used to it," Applejack said with a slight grin before sitting down next to Lumberman on the mattress. "Having to say frogs, not the back rubs. Them's reserved for farming ponies."

She raised her nose up high and turned her eyes away in a playful mock of snubbing him.

"I gave you a pass since you managed to be somewhat useful on the farm today."

"Would I have been more or less useful if I slammed the gate to the pig pen before not using it, making goofy faces, or the chicken dance, or-"

"Alright!" Applejack shouted. "I read ya loud and clear! Ya done saved the farm from the brink of collapse and revolutionized the daunting task of emptying a bucket."

"And I'm not even an Apple to the core."

Applejack chuckled.

"Naw, but yer plenty fine just as ya are."

As the humor of the moment moved away, silence fell over the room. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was more of tension and anticipation building up between the two waiting for what the other would say. With every second passing, their eyes would dart from each other to another part of the room, thinking that at any moment, something would have to be said. But nothing came to mind, and the longer Applejack sat there, the more she felt like she was imposing herself.

"Is there anything I can get ya before I head on off to bed?" Applejack finally asked.

"No, I'm good. Need anything from me?"

"No. You've done plenty taday."

The time to leave for her own room had already come, but she somehow couldn't find the will to move. Now she was stuck in an awkward silence, taking up half his bed, too afraid to ask him for what she wanted, but also dreading another night alone.

The longer Lumberman waited for Applejack to say goodnight and leave, the more he could see that she was forcing a smile.

"Everything okay, Apple Hat?"

Applejack had been lost in thought.

"Uh, wut? Uh, No. Course not. I'm just uh right as rain. Yes, sir-y. Why, if I had a bit fer ev-"

"Holy fuck, you are this world's... shittiest liar," Lumberman called her out, saving her from a rambling mess of blatant and nervously constructed lies. "Like... cartoonishly bad at it. So, let's spare each other the embarrassment and try this again... What's wrong?"

It was too late to save herself from any of the embarrassment and past the point for her to use her own words. She could only look away, crushed, and feeling rejected.

"Lemme guess," Lumberman could see past more than just the lousy lies. "You don't want to sleep alone tonight, do you?"

If this were any more humiliating or painful to force herself to sit through, she'd be crying herself to sleep over it. Instead of running off in an emotional fit, she just nodded her head.

"Figured this was coming," Lumberman said, not sounding surprised.

"Really?" Applejack asked with all the confusion Lumberman should have had. "You figured that I wanted you to sleep next tu me again, tonight? Since when?"

Lumberman scooted over closer to the edge of the bed, wearing a misleadingly blank expression.

"I thought you were gonna ask me after you said you were glad I was going stay so you wouldn't be alone tonight. Then the back massage and belly rubs."

Applejack hid her face behind her hat and grumbled.

"Stupid Big Mac. Big red stupid asshole."

"What was that?" Lumberman asked, poking Applejack's foreleg with his index finger.

She looked up enough to see the shit-eating grin Lumberman sported. If he weren't so lovable, she probably would have bucked him off the bed. She groaned in frustration that grew to what had to be a shout but instead fell into a sigh.

"My stupid brother tried to warn me I was making this too obvious."

"That you wanted to sleep with me?"

"No!" Applejack shot back. "That I'm... too attached to ya, already. That I lean on ya too much."

"Because of Kelly and all that? You're really that messed up by it?" Lumberman asked, almost like he was giving her the chance to say otherwise, even if he wouldn't have believed her if she did. "Damn... you really do care about us."

"It's not just that," Applejack started to explain. "We ponies are tough, or 'durable,' as Celestia would say."

She lowered herself down all the way to the mattress next to Lumberman.

"But I can't believe how resilient and strong you humans are. Brave to bout. I don't know what you planned on doing with that metal stick uh yers, but you stood between Princess Celestia and her best guards, to protect Kelly and Big Mac. Without any question or hesitation. Then everything after that... why wouldn't I want to stay close to somepony like you if I wanted to feel safe?"

Lumberman gave a few sharp tugs on the blanket and successfully pulled it out from under Applejack. Too weak and too big of a softy, he pulled back the cover and tossed it over his cuddle buddy for the night.

"Yer lucky I got a heart as big as your insecurities, Apple Hat."

Still waiting for her to snap out of her state of amazement at how fast he welcomed her, he grabbed her hat and tossed it across the room onto a dresser.

"You know they call me 'Tub Thumper' because of you."

Speaking with just as much caution as intrigue, Applejack asked, "Is that bad?"

There were at least three good responses to that question, and he could only pick one.

"Not as bad as Lever Action."

A cleaver answer, but not one that gave any clarity to Applejack, as she would verbally make clear.

"Do any of these nicknames come with explanations, or am I supposed to magically know what that means? Or you gonna leave me in the dark like I am with what Sniff and Drip are suppost’uh mean?"

That was a good question he wasn't going to answer.

"Ya know, speaking of being left in the dark, mind killing the light?"

"That's a lousy ultimatum, but fine," She responded, pretending to sound annoyed but was too happy to pull it off.

As Applejack crawled her way over to the nightstand to blow out the flame, Lumberman couldn't help but pick on her a little bit more.

"Ul-tah-may-tum. Four whole syllables. You impress me more 'en more every day, Apple Hat."

A quick puff of air blew out the lantern as she heard the jab taken.

"Wha? Oh, ha, ha. Woody. Yer cruz'n for a bruising if you keep that up."

"What? It's a compliment."

Applejack scooted herself back closer to his side of the bed.

"Yeah, and I'll compliment my hoof upside yer noggin."

"Fair enough," Lumberman quietly accepted her threat as he pulled her close up against him. "I take it this is what you wanted?"

It was, and she was happy to have it again. She reached her foreleg back and pulled his hand up to her chest and tucked it under her neck.

"It's no scrub down in the tub, but this'll do."

"Huh," He dismissed her claim. "Right. I'm sure you drunk, scared, sick, and getting felt up by a dude you barely know who almost drowned you on accident was such a great experience."

Applejack rubbed up and down his arm holding her.

"When you say it like that, yeah, it sounds terrible. But I wouldn't be here like this if it weren't for you."

"For real?"

"Yes... I don't know how to describe how much better you made me feel, Woody."

"Yeah, I know I cheered you up when you were down."

"No," Applejack quietly protested. "It was more than that. Just you holding me. Werk'n yer hand and fingers over me... No pains or aches. All the soreness and stress of hold'n myself up, even when I couldn't... I didn't feel it. I just felt you."

Lumberman eased up on some of the tension he had against this arrangement and relaxed more into her.

"Okay... That's a lot deeper than I thought you were gonna go with it."

Still holding Lumberman's arm tenderly, Applejack continued to speak from the heart.

"Then you kept me safe and warm that same night, and we got to wake up to the good news that Kelly was better. Spent the whole day together, you still taking care of me. Watched them movies and had a great time, minus the part with Starlight and Chris. But then I walked home in the rain, dried off, and looked over this busted home... and had to sleep alone."

It was impossible for Lumberman to miss the change in her voice and how she hugged down tighter on his arm as she spoke.

"Are you going to be okay with all this? It's not a big deal if you need someone to talk to and help you work through it."

"We're talking, ain't we?"

"I mean more like a professional, but yeah, we are. I might not know how best to help you, is all."

"I just know I like the way I feel when I got you here like this."

"And how do you feel?"

"Better?... Not alone? I dunno. I can't describe all of it,"

Her words honestly did fall short of what she felt, and Lumberman could hear it.

"I'm sorry all this came crashing in on ya, Apples," Lumberman apologized and readjusted his left arm up farther until it was under her neck, letting his left hand take the place of his right hand. "None of this should have ever happened. Especially to you and your family."

He ran his free hand down her chest and started to gently rub over her tummy again. She enjoyed it before, and he thought that if even such a simple thing could help make her feel better, she deserved it.

"Mmm," She hummed, enjoying this treatment far more than she was letting on.

In that moment, Lumberman knew full well that what he was doing was going beyond what was needed. And there was no denying that Applejack's enjoyment was crossing some level of acceptable behavior, but he didn't seem to mind. Maybe it was guilt that was driving him to engage in this, now intimate exchange of contact. There was also a strong sense of returning the favor for helping him save Kelly's life that gave him a hard time turning down anything she might ask of him, but there was something more. Something buried deep down inside that was telling him to use his guilt and obligation to repay her as an excuse to let him be this close to her. Whatever it was, it was too timid to step out front and own up to the fact that he enjoyed making her happy. Maybe even enjoyed being this close to her.

"Lumberman?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever feel alone when you go to sleep at night?"

"Not tonight at least."

"Same here, partner... Same here."

I spent way too much time trying to put that song together. Even went as far to try and find the music that would play along with it... but then I remembered that I never took music theory and had no idea what I was doing. I could have gone the route of making a parody of an existing song, but that didn't seem to fit what I was going for. So... I hope it wasn't cringy.

Also, as I had to explain to my editor. Yes, Italian Stallion is cannon to the series. Funny enough, I wrote in his character originally as "The Owner" and then looked up the restaurant and found it had an owner already listed. Reading on, the character profile matched up to how I wrote him in (mostly).

Also, Morchella is a real thing, though I knew them as morels while growing up. And yes, when fried up in a pan, they taste like steak. It doesn't make any sense, but that's just the way it is.

However, it might be looking like Cerb and Lumberman might have stumbled upon some feelings that go beyond obligations of returning favors and maintaining good relations with those of their new host nation. Also seems that some mixed messages are being sent as well from all parties, even when they think they're giving clear answers.

Personally, I think I still have the most fun writing Lumberman and AJ together. They just play off of each other so well. Also, this chapter went through a massive rewrite early on when I was working out AJ and Lumberman's dialog and how she would end up confessing to wanting his attention (and hands) again. My first attempt came off as overly emotional and ended up becoming way too out of character for her and wouldn't have worked with him either. I'm much happier with what I ended up with.

And if you enjoyed this chapter, leave a comment or a question if you got one.

Everyone is welcome to join.