Rainbow Dash shouted as she leapt clear out of the water, "Oh, yeah! I win! I win!"

Sniff apologized as he pulled his hands away from Twilight's back, "Awe, shit, Twiggels. Uh… damn… I'll make it up to ya by buying you something nice with the thousand bits Shining owes me."

Cadence glared at Shining again.

"And you couldn't think to add on at least one back rub for us in that thousand-bit bribe?"

Shining grinned apologetically as his ears pinned themselves back.

Twilight reached back with her hoof and pulled Sniff's hand back to her shoulder.

"I appreciate the offer, but a few more minutes of this, and I'll be fine."

Rarity spoke warmly to Twilight, "Don't you worry, darling. Frilly and lacy or not, you'll still look absolutely gorgeous."

"Mmmhmm," Twilight reached the point of no longer caring. Just enough alcohol in her system to keep her feeling buzzed and Sniff's magic fingers combined with a hot tub; things could be so much worse. "Pretty Pretty Princess."

A small fire lit the desert sands between a weathered blue Wagon where Trixie sat alone and a barren landscape. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically. She had only managed to work one show, and due to exhaustion and recent stressors, her performance was lacking. As a result, so were her food supplies. She wouldn't be able to stay out in these lands for long, but didn't have the physical means to carry herself out at the moment.

Trixie groaned as she closed her book of notes.

"Why me?... Why me? Why did this have to fall on my shoulders?“ She eyed the horizon leading back to the disaster she left in Ponyville.“ Maybe I should have stayed in Ponyville or see if Luna could have helped me? But no... I had to run away like always."

Sitting next to the comfort of the fire, it gave her a false sense of comfort. She didn't know what type of danger still lay in wait for her out there, and her dreams were no better. Through all the nightmares she had, she couldn't make sense of them. What were they trying to tell her or make her see? The future, the humans, the darkness of the void that would come to devour them, or even how they were all connected?

"Why ten humans in all the other dreams? I only brought seven here. Are there supposed to be more of them to come? But who would bring them? I can't do that again, and why did it seem like the others came on their own free will?"

She held her head, frustrated with all of the inconsistencies and missing explanations. These new dreams left her feeling like she knew less than she had dreamt after the first one.

"Maybe I'm just losing my mind, and all of these dreams are only in my head. Maybe I just hit my head too hard in the explosion and just imagined the pain."

She held her head up in her forehooves as she remembered all of the horrible sights of a desolated Equestria and the ponies she watched die. Then again, everything she felt. The hot blood weeping from open wounds, broken body parts, the searing heat from Day Breaker, down to the subtle chill in the air of the night or the cloth against her back. She reasoned again that she couldn't have imagined so much detail that the pain would linger on after she woke or subconsciously make her body sweat in her sleep.

It was so hard to put any reasoning to this madness when she was this tired. She was ready to turn in for what few hours of sleep she would allow herself. At least out here, she wouldn't have to worry about being booted out of an alleyway or having her wagon towed.

"Mmmph," She groaned as she sat up and unfolded her forelegs, only to be assaulted with the reality of her surroundings.

Had she any fewer senses, she would have screamed but knew better. The fire was gone, taking away its warmth and light. It hadn't burnt out; it simply vanished without a trace. Same as her wagon and even the journal she had just put down.

"I fell asleep?" She asked quietly to herself as she peered over the empty landscape of the night. "Okay. Don't panic. Just... keep it together. Stay low. Stay quiet. Stay in the shadows—" She realized all of a sudden that there was no cover to take in this desert. "Well... maybe just... maybe the desert is safer than the forest?"

She surveyed her surroundings again and found everything to be calm and quiet. The same stillness and unnatural darkness she was so used to seeing were no longer present. That's how they had been in the prior week of dreams. In fact, this almost felt like she was still in Equestria and not the dream version. Although, there was still something off.

Trixie's ears went on alert, perking up as she coiled low to the ground.

"Who's there?"

Still on alert, she looked around to the emptiness that surrounded her. It didn't make any sense. She knew she heard a voice. Actually, thinking back to what words had spooked her, she never heard a voice. She only understood the words, or at least part of them. She knew they were words, but they came with no sound.

Again they came. Fragments of sentences and broken words came to her like overhearing a conversation that was cutting in and out. The series of fractured dialog seemed to come from familiar sources, but all of them were without voices.

"... we know ### harm### is masking ##em."

"as long ## Trixie is with them ## can gu### them all ########. Find a better way ## #### ##is work."

"### #ree of Harmo## ## still strong, but is ### ## s##c. It is deaf to us ## ## ## ## blind ## ### humans."

"Discord does not #### ## be #### ####. It is ######## ### chaos magic ## ####### in###ference."

"Our new Trixie ### lost ### #### Harmony. ####### that ## why she ### the Tree have be#### blind and deaf ## ###."

"If that is true, #### per#### what we felt ## ### echos ### her i####ing ### ###### of ### memories."

Trixie crumbled to the sand as she cringed at the invading conversation. It was overwhelming her mind. The silent voices grew loud enough that eventually, their words overlapped even her own, and she couldn't separate her thoughts from their disjointed conversations.

Trixie coiled in the fetal position and did her best to keep her ears closed, and desperately screamed, "Stop! What do you want from me!"

The voices continued until her mind was so overwhelmed by the soundless voices that she was paralyzed. The more the conversation intensified, the more detached from her senses she became. Eventually, there was no sound, no feeling throughout her body. Even the concept of time was lost to her. There were only the unintelligible voices that dominated her dream state shell.

Sometime later, the voices had quieted down to a murmur. Only one voice stood out. And even though she could only perceive it, she somehow recognized it.

"Then, for now, we shall rest. We wish to return to the memory of the bonding with our human."

"You ##### say we, as ## you ### ### one? Did you not ###### one #### ### #ose?"

"We did. But the part of us that grew so close to him refused to let go. We do not know if we are mostly Harmony or mostly pony. Even if we were to know, that part still refuses to listen."

"It #### #### ##th time. As ### thi### do,"

"Then we will let time do as it will while we remember him. Maybe see where we both made our mistakes."

Slowly, Trixie made it back to her hooves, though she was left with a pounding headache. She groaned and wavered slightly while trying to regain her bearings. As her vision came back into focus, she noticed the world around her changing.

The soft pads between her hooves could feel grass sprouting as the darkened desert lands bloomed into lush fields of green. Even the gloomy moonless sky shifted to a warm summer's day. The sight was truly something only dreams are made of.

As the transition spread further, a familiar sight came into view. A battered and defeated Trixie sitting alone.

"Oh, great. Another vision of the Great and Powerful Failure," Trixie huffed. "I wonder what misery and tragedies I survived this time."

Trixie was about to march off from her dream self; not wanting another repeat of the Las Pegasus foul-up she narrowly escaped, but there was nothing to run from this time. This was unlike all the other dreams she'd been stuck in. Everything was warm and inviting, pleasant even. The cold lurking fear of death by darkness didn't hang in the air.

A series of short sniffles and the sound of weeping entered her ears, grabbing Trixie's attention. If this was a sign of things to come, then she might as well see if it was something she could avoid. She trotted over and was surprised to see the sad state her dream version was in.

The dream version of herself had been severely beaten. Bruises were showing through her fur on her chest and shoulders, and all the way up over her face. The left side of her face seemed to have taken the brunt of the blows. There was a cut over a large bump on her forehead, cheek, and a split lip that were all still bleeding. The wounds looked to be rather fresh but had been left untreated.

Trixie took in the sight that was the dream version of herself which had been worked over something fierce.

"Oh, my gosh! Is there ever a time I get to see where my life doesn't suck?"

The crunching of grass from behind the Dream Trixie made her ears perk again. She looked towards the source to see a human approaching. It was Chris, the same human from Ponyville.

This Chris was different, though. He looked leaner, angrier, and was carrying a long curved blade in his hand. It was clear he was coming for Trixie.

Trixie reacted the only way she could.

"Oh, for buck's sake! Dream me! Run!"

Chris shouted as he pointed the blade toward the dream mare.

"Trixie! This is the second time you almost got me and my friends killed. First, your bullshit stories, which we all overlooked because we knew you were a fucking idiot. But this... you brought back Becky's disease and turned Justin into a toddler. Not to mention Pinkie almost fucking starved to death."

Trixie put herself between Chris and her dream self, charging her horn.

"Stay back! I know you can't hear me, but that won't stop me from defending myself!" A sudden sense of doubt took hold of her. "If I can even do that here."

The dream version yelped, "I'm sorry, Chris... The Alicorn Amulet took control. I just wanted to see you again, and I knew Twilight and your friends wouldn't let me. What else was I supposed to do?"

Trixie hadn’t heard about that artifact in ages.

"Alicorn Amulet?" She said with shock. "But that means—"

She did a double-take between her dream self and Chris.

"This isn't my future... this is my past? But—" She turned back to Chris again. "This never happened... Am I going crazy?"

Chris had stopped outside of striking range and glared down at the Dream Trixie.

"How much of you was back there? How much of you tried to kill my friends? Did I beat the shit out of you or the amulet?"

Trixie's eyes bolted open.

"What! You did—" She looked back at the face of her dream self and then to Chris's fist, still marked with blood and a few bruises of their own. "You did this?! What is going on?"

The Dream Trixie sniffed hard as the tears in her swollen eyes streamed down her face.

"I came to Ponyville. The amulet tried to hurt your friends... but it was only me after Twilight tricked me into taking the amulet off, and you hit me."

Chris lowered his blade but not his anger.

"Why... Why did you run away last time? I could have fixed everything."

The Dream Trixie turned to finally face Chris, showing all the hurt she held, both inside and out.

"I always run when I'm scared. When the Ursa almost got you, I thought you would blame me like everypony else. And after you hit me this time, I knew I ruined everything for good and—"

Chris dropped his sword and lunged toward the Dream Trixie.

The Dream Trixie recoiled and braced for another assault.

"—No, please!"

Trixie charged her horn, ready to fight off this new version of Chris if she could, but was utterly flabbergasted again by what she saw.

Chris had his arms wrapped around the Dream Trixie, holding her tightly against him, letting his own hurt out.

"Just come back... Let me fix everything for you. Please. I don't care what Twilight thinks about you. I understand how you feel. Never good enough for your family. Always an outcast... and I'm so sorry I hit you. I didn't know."

Trixie watched in bewilderment at a version of herself she never knew existed.

The Dream Trixie wept.

"Chris, I was so close to being a good pony... so close to having you all to myself." Her weeping escalated into blubbering. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't want to go back to a solo act. When I lost you, it felt like my heart broke into a million pieces, and I thought the amulet could help us put them back together."

Trixie started to get a bit emotional watching another version of herself breaking down and crying her eyes out. It was enough to make her turn her head away in detest.

"I... I'm not that lonely. Besides, I have Starlight now. She understands me and accepts me for the pony I am."

The Dream Trixie cried out, "You understand me like nopony ever has! You're the only creature to ever accept me for the pony I am."

Utterly blindly sided by that admittance, Trixie turned back and deadpanned at the sad sight.

"Oh, come on! It can't be that easy to win me over!"

Chris gently rubbed his hand over her back and tried to calm the miserable Dream Trixie down.

"Oh, come on, Trixie. It can't be that easy to win you over."

Trixie pointed at the dream Chris with great urgency.

"See! He gets it!"

Dream Trixie sobbed, "I know... You also helped me with my magic show."

Trixie went wild with rage at the claim.

"Celestia's royal butt, it was that easy!"

Dream Chris pulled himself away to be eye-to-eye with Dream Trixie.

"Trixie, when you first came here. You were the first pony not to judge me or treat me like I was some evil monster at first sight."

Dream Trixie sniffed and wiped away a mix of blood and tears.

"Ponyville has always been a tough crowd, and you were actually enjoying the show. I was just hoping for some extra bits." She coughed with a weak laugh.

Chris smiled apologetically and ran his fingers through her mane.

"Is that all it really took?"

Dream Trixie smiled through the pain, some warmth and light returning to her eyes.

"I might have thought you were kind of cute at the time... Even if you weren't a pony."

Still beside herself, both literally and figuratively, Trixie asked aloud, "I can't be serious?"

Dream Chris smirked.

"I'm still not a pony."

Without hesitation, the Dream Trixie responded coyly.

"And I'm still not a human. According to Twilight, that's a problem."

A new look of longing overtook the eyes of this Dream Chris.

"According to me, Twilight's not here to be a problem."

Trixie shouted as the unthinkable happened before her very eyes, "What are you doing, me!? Stop! Quit it! Trixie Me! Stop kissing him! He just beat us up! And you're getting my blood... your... our... one of ours blood all over, and that's gross!“

Since that wasn't working, she switched to shouting at her dream assailant.

“Chris! Stop! I... We... She tried to kill your friends!... But it was an accident, I'm sure!"

A soundless voice spoke out.

"Trixie. Are you here?"

Trixie looked around anxiously, she didn't like the idea of her doppel returning if that was the case. That's what sparked all this madness.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

The soundless voice spoke again.

"I think you are here. I hope you are, and I hope you can hear me."

Trixie started to back away, cautious of what horrors would befall her.

"Stay away. If you're making all this happen to me, please make it stop."

"The Echo's don't know what is happening in your Equestria. We don't know for sure, either. We can only hope you're free for once."

Trixie hunkered down, ready to fight off whoever or whatever was communicating with her.

"Do you call this free?!" Trixie snarled. "Of course, I'm not—"

"Over a thousand years of moving ponies like pieces on a chessboard... A sudden change in the weather. Letting a civil rivalry fester by allowing only one sister to bask in the spotlight. Touching one filly with the prismed light of Harmony. Letting one colt experience the same warmth of a burning star like Celestia... Creating a light in a father that cast such a great shadow on his daughter, who never had the brilliance to outshine him... let alone be noticed."

It finally dawned on Trixie, and there was no longer any mistaking the source of those soundless words.

"You... can't be... How many..."

"Then the unseen consequences of letting one bitter mare destroy Equestria repeatedly, never knowing what would happen in the worlds left behind in the ripples of time. What would come back to destroy everything. Not even sure of what was the cause of it all. Not even sure of where it started. Inviting a black death with no name. No face. No mercy or conscience. Nothing more than cold, lifeless, loveless, hopeless, ever devouring mass of despair and obliteration."

Trixie cried out in desperation, "That doesn't help me at all. What can I do? What can any pony do? I'm not cut out for this!"

There was a moment of silence from the disembodied voiceless speaker. Only the sounds of the dream versions of Chris and Trixie kissing and becoming overly affectionate with each other were left to hear.

"Every attempt from Harmony to save one Equestria or the next ends with total annihilation, or only one survivor to be inducted as its successor if they are fortunate enough... I have seen all of their failures. I can even still feel all their hope... but it is nothing like what we have lost, what I hope you will have the chance to experience."

Trixie tried to process what she was being told.

"You can't possibly mean—" She stared at the unlikely dream couple comforting and caressing one another. "— ...that."

It was so strange for Trixie to watch another version of herself being felt up by a human. And for as much as it looked and sounded like her, they had to be completely different from each other. She never thought Chris was cute. Chris was weird looking. All of the humans were. She could never imagine herself kissing a human or letting one touch her under her tail like this dream version of her was doing.

"He gave us strength... hope... compassion... warmth... a new sense of purpose... But they took it all away, save for my hope."

The dream scene began to melt away, transforming into the Castle of Friendship. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight stood atop a thrown, looking down at Chris and Trixie. Twilight and Luna looked infuriated, while Celestia seemed to sit further back with a look of worry. The Dream Chris and Trixie held their heads down in shame."

Twilight belted out with vile scorn, "What were you two thinking?! I trusted both of you, and you go behind both our backs to—"

The Dream Trixie shouted, painful tears in her eyes building up, and she started to make her case, "He's not your prisoner! Chris came here willingly and went with me willingly! You don't control him!"

Luna shouted down, "Silence! We are not on trial here. You are!"

Dream Trixie wasn't going to back down.

"You think I don't know what's really going on here? Ponies loving humans was never an issue until Twilight—"

Twilight shouted down again, "Quiet! We will not tolerate any accusations or rumors to try and shame us out of our decision."

Chris started to approach the throne.

"Twilight. I'm sorry about not—"

Cerb barked as he pulled Chris back, "Stop it, Chris. You're making things worse for yourself." He leaned and whispered. "Just take your punishment, and she'll be lenient. We already got this worked out."

Chris held firm for a moment before turning back to see Trixie looking back at him with fear and an expression ripe with worry. It was clear he was concerned about her well-being, and as such, he backed down as he was told.

All the while, Celestia had her eyes fixated on Sniff and Kelly holding hands as they stood behind and watched the trial continue; the solar princess seemed oddly fixed on the hands they held.

Sniff looked up at Celestia as if he felt her eyes upon them, his own mix of fear and sadness showing through. Their eyes met, and Celestia looked away, turning her attention back to the trial.

Twilight continued, "Now then. While I can appreciate all the time Chris invested into helping you give up your old ways and the help you gave us in stopping Starlight, we have decided to be lenient on both of you."

Dream Trixie tried again to make her plea.

"But—"

Twilight barked, "Let me finish, Trixie! We don't know the dangers of mixing Equestrian magic with the power the humans possess. In low volumes, it has proven to be extremely potent and even helpful. But the changes it creates have yet to be understood."

Dream Trixie, still resolute, continued her plea, "But the changes are good, Twilight. Can't you feel—"

Twilight shouted again, but her anger turned to one of remorse, "Trixie! I know you think I'm just being spiteful. But I value both of your friendships. And maybe one day we will find out that something like this wouldn't be a danger, but as for now... I can't risk losing either of you."

The expressions around the room seemed mixed. Some looked disappointed, if not angry. Others looked relieved or merely confused. For a select few, you'd swear they just caught Twilight in a lie but would not dare to speak up about it.

Twilight, meanwhile, sat tall with a stern glare.

"Chris, the agreement for you and your friends being allowed to remain here with us was that you stayed with us to help defend Equestria against the threats we have yet to discover. These past months with you sneaking off with Trixie put all of us in danger. Especially for you, without me there to keep an eye on you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Chrysalis returned and tried to take you again."

Twilight turned to Dream Starlight, looking just as stern, but there was some hurt behind those eyes she couldn't completely hide.

"We've become good friends, and I don't want to lose that with you, but this has to stop. As such, Chris will be relocated to Canterlot with Celestia. I will be working with Peter from now on, and you will be working with Kelly. I hope this will remove any concerns of favoritism."

Chris looked up to Celestia, his eyes pleading for some better resolution.

Celestia lowered her head, her voice hinting at some sense of defeat.

"We have already discussed the matter. We have decided that this would be for the best."

The dream vision began to fade and returned to Dream Trixie sitting alone in an empty field of green. Chris was off in the distance, marching forward with the curved blade in his hand.

The first dream was starting over.

"Trixie, if you really are here. If you really can hear us, please listen and listen well. Take only these few words of advice."

Trixie stood silent, her mouth agape and hope shining in her eyes. This could be the moment she'd been waiting for. Actual guidance or insight on what to do. Her heart started to race at the prospect of finding a way out of this mess.

"Follow your heart. Whatever your instincts tell you to do, do not question it. If it is to run, run. If it is to stay and fight, show them how great and powerful you really are. Do not let any voice tell you that you are destined for anything other than what you have destined for yourself."

Once again, the lack of any real help fired up the anger in Trixie.

"That's it? That's not—"

"And lastly... Harmony has a plan for you."

Perhaps Trixie spook too soon, and needlessly asked, "Harmony? As in the Tree of Harmony? I've been chosen by the Tree of—"

"Ignore it."

Trixie lurched back and yelped, "What!?"

"Fight it."

These words of advice were starting to throw Trixie into a panic. "I can't fight—"

"Destroy the Tree if you must. Toppel any Prince or Princess that stands in your way if you have to. Sever all strings that would control you."

There was no way she was going to take this advice.

"You're crazy!"

"And by the way... Your bridge was beautiful."

Trixie again fell silent. This unseen voice had seen her work. How much else had she seen if she couldn't see her now?

Luna stared down at the rest of her subjects being treated to the skillful hands of their new human guest.

"So... you're not sharing, I take it?"

Pinkie slumped forward as Benny's hands worked their way down her lower back.

"Party planning takes so much effort. I have a week's worth of coordinating on top of working overtime for Mr. and Mrs. Cake that needs to be tended to."

Starlight was getting lost in treatment from Chris's hands.

"Combat recovery. This might take a while."

Rainbow Dash groaned as another knot was worked out from her shoulder.

"Combat recovery and Wonderbolt training therapy. Mmm."

Applejack shared a blissful smile and answered with her eyes still closed.

"Won dez hands fair and square. Ask Woody when my time is up."

Fluttershy quietly let the other royals down.

"Umm, technically, we're already sharing."

Rarity wasn't going to give up her well-earned attention either.

"Today has been simply exhausting. And I already know tomorrow will not be better."

Twilight wasn't even angry about losing her bet for how amazing Sniff's hands felt, then adding in all the alcohol, her mind was turning to mush.

"Pretty Pretty Princess—" the rest of Twilight's words turned into gargled bubbles as her head slipped down into the water.

Kelly saw how disappointed Luna looked and finally gave in.

"Hey, Mac. I think Luna could use a little love. Could you scoot over a bit."

Big Mac smiled and responded accordingly.

"Euyup."

Kelly gave him another look.

Big Mac grinned sheepishly.

"I mean, uh, sure thing, darling."

Kelly chuckled slightly before turning to Luna.

"Come-ear, MoonButt."

Luna was elated to finally be chosen.

"Ha! MoonButt, yes. Normally, we would not humor being addressed as such, but since we are all friends here, we can accept this, if done so privately."

Kelly laughed again as Luna swam her way over to her.

"I'm sorry, I won't call you that in public. But if you want to exchange nicknames, my friends call me Drip."

Luna carefully started to sit her rump on the ledge inside the pool between Kelly's legs.

"We suppose that will be fine, but... Drip? Such a peculiar nickname."

Kelly chuckled as Big Mac fought off a blush.

"It's just an old nickname that stuck with me. Something about me dripping stuff on the floor or whatever. I used to be a little sloppy back home."

Sniff looked over at the last two royals, looking like two kids put in the timeout corner.

"Shining? Why not treat the misses to a back rub while you're waiting? You're not just gonna leave her high and dry like that, are ya?"

Shining shrugged and moved to put his hooves on Cadence's shoulders, only to be blocked off by an extended wing from his wife.

Cadence touted indignantly, "I think I'll wait for a massage from one who doesn't have to be told how to treat a lady, thank you very much."

"Ouch," Sniff spoke a little too loudly. "I hope Twilight has a couch that's comfortable enough for you tonight, brah."

Cerb spoke up as he kept to task on his two mares, "Cadence, I'll get ya after these two are done exploiting my good nature."

Fluttershy's ears perked up.

"You don't really think we're-oooou—" She fell weakly as Cerb's thumb worked over the small of her back just where her tail met her body. "—maybe a little."

Becky folded.

"Fine... Sorry, Rainbow. You've had plenty of attention, and you'll be getting a lot more while I'm here. How often is he going to be around?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess yer right." She pushed herself off to the center of the pool and made herself comfortable on the inner tube Pinkie left behind. "Get it while ya can, Tin Foil. Her fingers don't stay strong for long."

Shining started to swim over, "Alright."

Cerb pulled his hands away from his mares.

"Alright, girls. Let's not be greedy."

The two moved off his lap and sat beside him, leaving room for Cadence.

Cadance was all smiles and radiating her joy as she swam over.

"I'm a little excited now after seeing how much you girls enjoyed it," Cadence announced as she backed herself up between Cerb's legs.

More than happy to help the Princess who counseled him earlier, Cerb felt a sudden jolt in his boxers.

"Oop. A little too close there, Princess. Scoot up a bit."

Cadence turned back.

"Oh?" She wasn’t entirely sure what the offense was but did as requested. "Sorry. You don't leave a lot of room back there."

Sniff held back a ‘Lever Action in action’ joke but would likely save it for later.

Cerb started working his hands over the base of her neck.

"I kinda owe ya for earlier today, anyway," he admitted.

Cadence answered with great modesty, "No need to thank me. It was... oh, wow," she suddenly came to realize just how amazing even such a gentle brush of contact could be and was taken aback by it. "I've been treated to the most talented hooves, paws of skilled griffons, and even Spike's claws a time or two... but this is... just out of this world kinds of good."

Cerb huffed a weak laugh.

"I think y'all are making this up."

Cadence replied earnestly, "Not even in the slightest... Is it the same for you, Shining?"

Cadence cocked an eye open to see her husband leaning forward with one of the goofiest-looking faces she'd ever seen him wear. So lost in what he was feeling he almost looked like he was under a spell that robbed him of his mental functions.

The goofy sight left Cadance chuckling.

"I'll take that as a yes-mmm." She felt weeks of tension in her wing joints loosen as Cerb's hands rubbed over them. "Could you focus on those joints, Justin? Those are so hard to work on for anypony else."

Rainbow Dash lazily floated by in her inner tube.

"Magic fingers, Princess. I'm telling ya."

Even if he didn’t understand it, Cerb accepted the consensus.

"Alright. So we got one thing going right for us."

Cerb remembered something Lumberman had said earlier.

"Hey, Lumberman. You said they give good back rubs, too?"

Lumberman answered with no emphasis on how he felt about it.

"Yeah. They got pads under their hooves called frogs. Shit's kinda freaky looking at first, but it's good, bro."

Luna finally spoke up after being at a loss for words while Kelly worked on her middle back.

"I think our new friends deserve the favor returned."

The ponies all agreed as they looked back to their human counterparts.

Finally, Sniff found a legit reason to complain over one of his previous gripes.

"Okay, see? This is why I said it's bullshit Cerb gets two ponies."

Kelly corrected him, teasingly, "Three ponies. He just poached a Princess from you."

Sniff turned to Cerb, who was already staring back at him, looking confused with a half-grin.

Even if it had been a running gag for Sniff, he couldn’t believe Cerb’s luck.

"That's fucked up, bruh."

Cerb went to respond, but Cadence unexpectedly slid back farther as his hands started kneading in from her lower back to just above her hips. Her movement pressed her ass back into his crotch again, bumping into something she thankfully didn’t notice.

It took Cerb a second to collect himself, but he finally responded, "Egh... Just get over it, would ya?"

He knew the contact was going to be causing some problems if she kept pushing back into him.

"Anyone else getting a little too hot? I think we've been in here a too long."

Luna, still under Kelly’s skilled hands, moaned, "Mmm, just a little longer."

Becky called out over the Princess's limp body, "Yeah, Cerb. This is kinda fun, actually."

Benny tagged himself into the conversation.

"Yeah, man. It's kinda like discovering you have a superpower, and now you get to test it out."

Chris ridiculed the claim.

"What a lame superpower. Look up in the pool. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Handsman. With the amazing power of... hands? I mean? The fuck?"

Not to be left out, Kelly added, "And Handsgirl"

Lumberman laughed, "I don't think there's enough Hands person names to go round."

Cerb tried to scoot back more, but that did little to nothing to help, and he could feel a twinge of growth between him and Cadence's rump pressing against his crotch. If he didn't do something soon, he would have a lot of explaining to do.

There was only one option Cerb could think of, and asked, "Hey, Princess?" He pulled his hands back. "You mind if we stop here for now? I think I need to get out."

Cadence was nowhere near ready and whined, "So soon?"

Cerb did his best to keep a calm and cool face.

"Yeah, it's starting to get a little uncomfortable in here. I need to cool off."

As soon as Cadence started to swim away, Rarity figured that she had her fill with the hot tub if Cerb was going to leave.

"I think I could cool off as well."

Rainbow Dash was feeling the heat too.

"Yeah. I'm gonna start getting all pruney if I stay in here much longer."

Sniff offered his own input as he pulled Twilight's head up from the water again, "At the very least, take it inside. If we keep this up, one of our pony friends are bound to drown in here."

Becky spoke up as she let go of Shining and let him fall forward into the water.

"You can say that again."

One by one, ponies and humans alike started pulling themselves out of the hot tube. Each pony shook themselves free of as much water as they could, but the humans would have to wait until they could get ahold of some towels. At least they were all lucky enough that the sun hadn't started to rise yet. The air was just cool enough to cause their nipples to harden, which would have been a fun thing to explain for the girls. However, wet boxers and a softy or two was something that couldn't be so easily explained away by the temperature of the air.

Twilight started to lead the group inside and told them, "Don't worry about getting the floors wet inside. They’re due for a good cleaning."

Cerb and his two mares brought up the rear of the group since he was still worried about having his partial erection noticed when they entered. All he could do was hold his dry clothes out in front of him.

Lumberman was the second to last with Applejack walking carefully beside him, and with a slightly drunken voice, she informed him, "You still owe me at least another fifteen minutes, Woody."

Lumberman scoffed with a smile."Pft, fifteen? More like five, Apple Lush. All them booze are affecting your ability to tell time."

Applejack playfully countered with her cutesy voice, "Nu-uh. Yer just trying to weasel your way out because you don't want to admit how much you like making me happy."

"Ha!" Lumberman reached down and ruffled her wet hair. "Now I know yer drunk."

"Hmph," Applejack hummed as she leaned against his leg as they walked together. "Maybe a little."

Fluttershy and Rarity took note of the cute display between the two. They couldn’t help but notice how close the two were. How he held himself as they walked together so he could support her leaning against him. The sudden swish of her tail and flickering of her ear... Another twitch of her other ear.

Rarity was the first to recognize the signs.

"Oh, dear. Uh, Justin. You wouldn't mind if we returned the favor at another time, would you?"

Cerb was unsure why they weren't jumping at the chance to be close to him, but also grateful that it would give him time to let his body calm down.

"Uh, no. That's fine."

Fluttershy looked to Rarity, also confused as to why they were going to be putting off some hooves-on time with Cerb.

Not wanting to draw too much attention to them, Rarity playfully suggested, "Fluttershy, I think we need to bring our friend Applejack in on our little... inside joke," she stressed her words to emphasize what Fluttershy had overlooked.

Fluttershy's ears perked up again, and her wings twinged as she went on alert.

"Oh... I... didn't think she would have, uh... been. I mean, you think she's at that point we should let her know?"

Rarity looked ahead as they entered the hall leading back into the castle. Applejack's tail continued to swish back and forth, and her left ear flicked repeatedly.

Rarity replied with all the ominous fallout heavy on her mind, "Oh, I think she's going to need to hear about this."

Fluttershy could see it now, too.

"I'll go grab her while you get Justin settled in."

A short time later, after Rarity got Cerb into a room farther away from the others, she was able to find Fluttershy waiting outside a door in the hall. Kinda cute seeing her main wrapped up in her towel, much like Rarity was wearing hers. She trotted up and made sure the coast was clear.

Applejack huffed as she sat on the edge of the bed, still wrapped up in her towel.

"Now what's so darn important about this inside joke y'all had to pull me away from Lumberman? I got another twenty minutes worth of uh massage time from Woody, and I intend to collect."

Rarity entered the room and coldly corrected her farmer friend, "Fifteen, darling."

Fluttershy followed behind, shutting the door behind them, and absentmindedly made her own correction.

"I thought it was five?"

Applejack grumbled as her ears flicked back and forth over her hat.

"I'll find out when I get there."

This was going to be an awkward conversation.

Rarity was the first to try and introduce the subject.

"Applejack, I'm going to cut right to the heart of the issue of this Wonder Rush inside joke."

Applejack growled, "It better be a real knee-slapper." Her ears went on the fritz again. "Consarn it! Stupid ears won't stop flopping like laundry on a clothesline in a wind storm."

Fluttershy spoke up meekly, "We noticed that about you, Applejack. That's the first sign."

Applejack held her ears to her head and shot Fluttershy a glare.

"First sign, uh wut?"

Rarity readied herself for the pending embarrassment.

"We don't fully understand it ourselves yet."

Applejack sat impatiently as she felt her tail twitch… as well as something else?.

"Understand what?"

Fluttershy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"It has something to do with procreation."

"Proc- re- a—" Applejack's eyes slowly went wide, and her pupils narrowed. "Ya don't say..."

Rarity, blushing, painfully admitted, "Eeegh... yes. We—"

Applejack snapped at them, "Did Granny Smith or Big Mac put you up to this?”

Rarity took a step back with a yelp.

"What? No. Why would—" It then dawned on her that Applejack must have had her own experience with this topic. "Why would they put us up to this? Do you know something we don't?"

Applejack flung her hooves out to emphasize her frustration and barked, "Obviously not." Only to snap them back when her ears went on another twitching fit. "I asked Granny about how all that stuff happens, and she said she didn't know. Couldn't remember any bit of it happening to her."

Rarity threw her head back and whined dramatically.

"Oh, of all the lousy luck."

That wasn’t the kind of reaction Applejack would have expected, and asked, "What? What's she complaining about, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy sat on the floor, shaking her head in a fit of despair.

"I've spent the last few days reading everything I could find about how babies are made.“ She looked up with sad eyes. “None of my books have anything about it. Not even the books I borrowed from Twilight have any information that even hint about it."

Applejack was only getting more confused and angry by the lack of clarity.

"For the millionth time. What?!"

Rarity didn't know how to answer. She could only hope that if she could prove she knew what Applejack was going through, Applejack would have to believe them. It was a gamble that what little Fluttershy and her did know would be enough to make their story believable.

Rarity sat in front of Applejack and looked up to her with a soft expression and sympathetic eyes.

"You and Lumberman have gotten rather close since he arrived, yes?"

That question put Applejack on edge, but she was too scared to be open about it and instead narrowed her eyes, hoping to intimidate Rarity away from the subject.

"Yeah... What about it?"

Rarity cowered back some but didn’t let up.

"And you find yourself thinking about being with him a lot, too. Am I right?"

Applejack dropped the glare and switched to sounding insulted.

"What's with all the questions? I'd mighty appreciate some answers."

The change in tone let Rarity know she was on the right track.

"You think about being close to him."

That was too specific a question for Applejack to hear and not know something was up.

"How did—"

Rarity started to soften her expression with a smile.

"Having him hold you."

Applejack was now getting concerned.

"Rarity?"

Rarity’s eyes went bright and dreamy.

"And the thought of it makes you feel—"

Applejack knew she had been found out.

"Oh, shit."

Finally having her cornered, Rarity let all of her own feelings pour out as she continued.

"—warm inside. Safe... Special... and your body just..."

Applejack couldn’t hold it back any longer and answered with what she really felt.

"It's the best feeling I've ever done felt in my life..."

Fluttershy finally joined back in.

"Yes, and from what I've gathered, what your feeling is your body telling you that you're ready to start a family."

Applejack shook her head.

"No. You don't know what you're—"

Rarity obviously hadn’t said enough to let her friend know that they did understand what they were talking about, so Fluttershy decided to hit Applejack with the rest.

"You've become overly affectionate with Lumberman. Become almost territorial and protective of him. Wanting to feel him against you and started having feelings that drive you wild in your... well... your—"

Rarity said what Fluttershy couldn't.

"That private spot between your legs, dear."

Applejack wasn't ready for any of this.

"I... but... why? I'm not ready to—"

Rarity set a hoof on Applejack's leg.

"The next part is about to get a lot more intense, Applejack. That's why we're here."

Applejack squeaked, "Next part?“ She gulped. ”There's more?"

Trying to sound confident, Fluttershy answered, "It's nothing bad if that's what you're worried about. We both went through it alone. And it can be very confusing at first."

Rarity shamefully admitted her experience, "Truth be told, it scared me half to death. But mine came on under different circumstances."

Applejack grabbed Rarity's face and pulled it to hers so they were eye-to-eye.

"Listen to me, you trifling bitch. I need answers. Right. The fuck. Now."

Fluttershy giggled at the sight, earning her a death glare from the confused apple horse.

"Sorry. Rarity was the same way with me when she wanted answers. But... it might be better if we show you what a Wonder Rush is instead of just trying to explain it."

Rarity removed Applejack's hooves from her face and placed them down in the confused mare’s lap.

"Applejack, we're your friends, and you can trust us on this. We'll guide you through it all the way up to where you'll understand what to do for yourself."

Applejack hushed under her breath, starting to get a little frightened at what she was being led into.

"Do what myself?"

Fluttershy tried to explain as best she could.

"Find your release with the Wonder Rush. I'm rather fond of using a pillow. Rarity seems to prefer a more hoofs-on approach."

Applejack darted her eyes back and forth between the two mares.

"Am I ever going to understand what the fuck y'all two are talking about?"

Rarity answered in a comforting voice, "Of course, darling. But to get started, let us tell you that we understand how you feel about Lumberman, and we're okay with it."

Applejack recoiled at the accusation.

"I ain't never said nuthing 'bout nuthing with Woody."

Fluttershy spoke quietly as she took a seat next to Applejack on the bed.

"Applejack.... We feel the same way about Justin."

Now Applejack felt stupid.

"You mean?"

She couldn't hide it anymore. Not to them, not even to herself.

"Gosh darn it, Big Mac, you shithead.“ She looked up to the ceiling with weary eyes. “I can't believe he was right."

Rarity took a seat on the bed on the other side of Applejack and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yes, dear. We understand if you don't want to be out in the open with this. As you can see, Fluttershy and I have been silent about it ourselves. We don't know what the others would think. Not to mention all the mixed messages from Justin himself."

Fluttershy interrupted, "That and—" She caught herself and gave the two a moment to give their attention. "Well, Celestia said not to get too attached. But if they end up staying here, we'd like Justin to have one of us be his special somepony. We think we have a chance, but you might have it easier than either of us."

Applejack was having a hard time coming to terms with how she felt about Lumberman.

"I... I still don't... I can't stop thinking about Lumberman. I'm just so happy when I'm with 'em. I... I never knew how lonely I was until the first night I went home, and didn't have him holding me the whole night. I can't explain all the feel'ns I get when I'm with 'em."

Rarity did her best to comfort her.

"We know, dear. And if you don't want to scare him away from all these feelings catching up to you. You'll have to follow our lead."

Applejack pleaded with tears welling up at the thought of losing the man she accidentally fell in love with.

"Please, help me. What do you need me to do?"

Rarity flashed a loving smile.

"First, calm yourself. Put those tears away and close your eyes."

Applejack sniffed and dried her eyes.

"Okay, now what?"

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around Applejack's shoulders and held her hoof.

"Think about Lumberman. All his handsome looks. How he feels when he holds you. How wonderful his hands must make you feel. His scent."

Rarity took Applejack's other hoof into hers and slid it closer between the clueless mare’s legs.

"Just think about how you want to feel him against you. How you want to feel yourself against him. And no matter how strange it may seem, don't feel embarrassed about what happens here tonight. What you're going to feel will be wonderful."

"A Wonder Rush." Fluttershy clarified.

Rarity gently guided the hoof up and down Applejack's thighs.

"Now tell us what your desires are when you're alone with Lumberman."

Cerb had hung up his wet clothes. His boxers were drenched from the pool-sized hot tub. The rest of the clothes needed to dry off after being used to cover himself up. Rarity had been kind enough to give him another pair of shorts, but he left his other shirt in Sniff's room. For the time being, he slipped into his new pair of boxers and was getting ready for bed, only to be distracted by a knock at the door.

Still not entirely sober, Cerb asked, "Uh... who is it?"

"It's Cadence. Is it okay to come in?"

Cerb answered with a slight panic, not being adequately covered, "Umm... Hold on a sec,"

In a pinch, he settled on covering himself with a spare towel before opening the door.

"Yes?"

Cadance looked unexpectedly surprised.

"Oh? Sorry. I thought Rarity and Fluttershy would have already started."

Cerb cocked an eyebrow.

"Started?... Oh, right. No... They said they'd have to do it another time. Something about explaining a joke to Applejack."

Unexpectedly, Cadence invited herself into Cerb's room.

"I guess that's why Fluttershy was waiting by Applejack's room earlier. Well then, I guess you just get me tonight."

Cerb was getting all of the wrong vibes from that statement.

"I... wut?"

As Cadance scoped out the room, she started to explain.

"Well, after all the drama Shining caused today, I sent him down to repay Becky. What with the smoke she inhaled and everything that went down at the dance.“ She grunted in frustration and rolled her eyes. “And then the pity party he threw himself in the hot tub... Not that Rainbow Dash wasn't up for the challenge, but I think Shining would have a more gentle touch for how well he takes care of Flurry Heart."

Cerb didn't feel comfortable with this scenario but also didn't know how to deal with a Princess of another kingdom. And even if she had been helpful just after meeting her, he still barely knew her.

"Princes, you really don't have to—"

"Justin, please," Cadence dismissed his modesty with a wave of her hoof. "You don't know how refreshing it is to find others who aren't royalty or nobles that Shining and I can just be ourselves with. Every day it's like walking on eggshells with who we can speak candidly to or be friendly with and not be bombarded with fake platitudes or request for some special favor. You and all your friends are a blast to hang out with."

She started to saunter towards him with an excited smile.

"You're all so kind and giving. Not an ounce of greed or malice amongst you. Even after all you've been through since coming here. Even Flurry Heart seems to like you all. Well... at least Becky."

"I.. yes. I know," Cerb stumbled on his words for a minute before he knew she had him cornered with kindness. "So... how do you want me?"

Silently he screamed in his head, "Phrasing!"

Cadence looked over to his empty bed.

"Well, when I left Becky's room, she was lying face down on her bed. And the height would work really well for a pony my size." She turned to him with an innocent smile. "Would that work for you?"

As she stared at him again, she finally got a good look at the scars on his chest and arms. She tried not to stare at them, but whether if it was the booze still in her system or her lack of tact, she was telegraphing her points of observation. Even as she blushed, she couldn't stop herself.

Cerb closed his eyes and nodded, acknowledging what she was doing.

"It's fine. You're not the first, and you won't be the last."

Hearing Cerb speak finally snapped her back into her witts.

"I'm so sorry. That was incredibly rude of—"

Cerb interrupted her with a calm and apologetic tone, "Stop. Please... I'm not some precious snowflake or clueless imbecile that doesn't know how these scars look. It's just human nature to look... And by human nature, I obviously mean... You know... Yeah, face down on the bed. Sounds good."

Cadence followed Cerb and watched him slide over the covers. The way his muscles moved was such a curious sight. So drastically different than a pony's or any other species she could recall. There seemed to be so much more complexity and definition to his anatomy than even minotaurs'. Then, there were the scars on his back. There weren't as many as on his chest, but these ones were larger than in the front.

She examined his back a bit more intensely.

"They won't hurt if I press too hard, will they?"

Cerb already knew what she was talking about.

"No. Not really. Most of them, I can't even feel. Nerve damage... Except for this one." He reached behind and pointed to a scar between his ribs and shoulder blade. "For some reason, that one will hurt if something with an edge presses into it or when it gets cold. Other than that, pretty sure you can go as hard as you manage."

Cadence replied with a nervous giggle, "I'll start gently just to be on the safe side."

Cerb braced himself, expecting Cadence to climb up onto the bed and straddle him, but to his surprise, she knelt on the side of the bed. He turned his face to the side and looked back at her with curious eyes.

Cadence smiled back as she removed her golden horseshoe coverings. She set them down on the nightstand and slowly started going to work.

The first thing Cerb felt was the hard surface of the hooves. They were smooth to the touch, almost like polished marble. However, between the hooves were the pads that Lumberman spoke of. He remembered that same incredibly soft feeling from Fluttershy and Rarity, but now that he was not in such a high-stress or unfamiliar setting, he could appreciate just how pleasant they were.

They also seemed to move in a way that didn't seem possible. It was like the pads were moving on their own. Shifting and rolling or flexing in different positions, even changing their density in some spots.

Overall though, it was an excellent massage.

Cadence finally spoke.

"You're quite the curious creature, Justin."

Taking the comment in good faith, Cerb joked, "I've been getting that a lot lately, believe it or not."

Cadence chuckled before giving a soft sigh.

"No. Not just because you're not Equestrian. There's something else. Actually, there's a lot about you that I find interesting."

Cerb gave a light-hearted huff.

"Like what?"

Without losing focus or straying from her work over Cerb's back, Cadance started to share her thoughts.

"I received an update from Celestia about a letter from Twilight. You showed them a movie with horses of your world. It didn't seem to be a topic of conversation when they were on the screen, but equines from your world aren't intelligent. They're just wild animals. Dull colors, small eyes, and drastically larger than even an Alicorn. And yet... you don't seem to treat any of us like dumb animals."

Seems like a conversation that should have come up, at length, much earlier now that he thought about it.

"Yeah. Horses are nothing like any of you ponies here. Why would we treat you the same when it's obvious you're nothing like them?"

Cadence didn't answer. It seemed like a rhetorical question.

Given the dead air, Cerb had some other thoughts to share.

"I know there's a cartoon show about all of you, so it's easy for me to say that you're just as human as we are on the inside. You would have been designed to be just like us. But I can't get behind the idea that you're just a cartoon brought to life."

Cadence giggled and said, "Well, I'm glad you share that opinion with us. I've been here far too long to only be as old as the day you arrived. Or as old as some cartoon that looks like us. But what do you mean ‘just as human as you are’?"

Cerb hummed to himself in thought before answering,

"That's a loaded question."

Another giggle escaped Cadance.

"Give me your best answer you can think of, then."

It took Cerb a moment, but he started with what first came to mind.

"Being human is complicated. Can't really put the words to it. Normally we would say that human is just our species. But even humans can be inhuman."

That statement intrigued Cadance.

"Inhuman?"

This wasn’t going to be easy for Cerb to convey, but he was about to do his best.

"We tend to think of being human as being generally good in nature but still riddled with faults. Bad habits and poor choices that make us all laughably imperfect... But then there are those that seem to defy that image with unspeakable acts of cruelty. Truly evil people. So if it's possible for a person not to be human—“ He thought about what he just said and decided to condense that down to a simpler statement. “Being human is more of a state of mind or way of living and treating others than it is something strictly physical or biological."

Ever the more interesting these humans can be, Cadance thought to herself, but then spoke aloud, "That's... surprisingly deep."

Cerb snickered.

"Maybe, but I didn't think of it. Something a buddy of mine brought up after watching a youtube video."

Cadence was lost at what the source of the ideology was.

"You what?"

"Sorry," Cerb instantly apologized, realizing he needed to tone down the Earth references if he didn't want to spend most of the conversation explaining every part of his world she was foreign to. "Just a short movie he watched. Something that caught his interest when we went to war. Trying to make sense of how people could be so evil."

She still didn’t know much about this war he fought in and asked, "Were you able to stop their evil deeds?"

Cerb didn't answer. Instead, he turned away with an empty look in his eyes.

"Sorry," Cadence apologized, noting the poor reaction her question caused in Cerb. "Best not to dwell on those thoughts. But, uh... What do you really think about us? Talking horses that look nothing like the ones you know from your world?"

Cerb replied with a tone so flat that Cadence didn't know what kind of emotion was behind it.

"Honestly?"

She jokingly countered.

"Well, I hope you wouldn't feel the need to lie to me."

Cerb slowly grew a soft smile as he turned his face back to address Cadance directly.

"I think you're all too good for people like me." He watched her shocked expression. "But I'm glad ponies like you were willing to take us in."

Cadence flashed a sly grin as she stood up to sit on the side of the bed next to him and moved her hooves up to work over his neck and traps.

"Well, I don't know why you think you wouldn't be good enough to deserve our kindness, but I'm glad… people like you were willing to accept it."

They shared a quiet moment before Cadence started a new topic.

"You don't have to answer this question, but being the Princess of love, I can't help but ask." She moved her attention down to his shoulders. "What is love like where you come from?"

Cerb chuckled.

"Another loaded question?"

Cadence huffed.

"Hardly. What can be so complicated about love?"

Cerb simply answered, "It depends on the kind of love."

Cadence countered with the utmost confidence, "Love is love, no matter how you show it."

Cerb figured he had the perfect way to get his point across.

"Shining, Twilight, Celestia, and me. I take it that you love all of us?"

It was clear she was being set up for a gotcha question, but she couldn't see what he would try to get her with and decided to answer anyway.

"Well, even though I just met you, I can see the kind of human you are, so yes."

Now for the real questions for him to ask.

"Would you love your husband the same as a stranger like me? Love your family like a superior? Or are they all different?"

Cadence should have seen that coming, but he had a point. She had to stop what she was doing to think of a response.

There wasn't a long pause, but it was long enough for Cerb to continue fleshing out his approach to her question.

"I doubt you'd love your daughter like your favorite food. Nore, would you love a good friend like your favorite book. There's a difference between loving something, loving someone, and being in love with someone and how you express it. The kind of things you’ll feel for one type, but not the others, even if some expressions carry over and overlap."

Having been outwitted on her own question, Cadance started to giggle.

"Did you hear that from a friend who watched a movie, too?"

Cerb grinned.

"No. At least, I don't think so? But I'd have to guess that we don't love any differently than any of you do. Community, family, friends, and lovers. And whatever falls in between."

Cadance had to surrender her superiority on the subject.

"I suppose you're right."

Another awkward silence fell between the two before Cerb decided to ask his own question.

"Why do you ask, though?"

Cadence sat up and crawled over the bed and straddled herself on Cerb, sitting on his glutes. "One of the benefits of my special talent is that I find love in others and help draw it out. "

Cerb thought to himself as she positioned her more comfortably, "Fucking called it."

Cadence started walking her forehooves up his spine, pressing in and making them pop and crack as she went along.

"You have a strong heart, Justin. Such a deep reserve of love is buried deep down inside you. I think it's a shame that you keep it so well hidden."

The way she phrased that made Cerb a little uncomfortable.

"You didn't—" A nice crack of his back made him groan and interrupted his question. "You didn't try messing with my heart or put some kind of mind control on me, did you?"

"No," Cadence might have lied a little. "Well, I did try to connect you with Fluttershy and Rarity. It's not mind control or some type of emotionally manipulating magic. It's supposed to let you feel the love of those around you."

Cerb wasn’t convinced.

"Sounds an awful lot like mind-control and emotional manipulation."

Cadence grinned mischievously.

"I don't know any mind-control magic, but I can easily play cupid if I wanted to, and have helped couples in the past rediscover their love with the help of my magic."

None of this was appeasing Cerb’s worries.

"Please don't ever do that to me. Not even joking."

She giggled at the request.

"I wouldn't. And I don't even think I could if I wanted to."

He didn't sound too convinced.

"What makes you say that?"

Cadence finished walking up his spine and moved her attention to his shoulder blades.

"According to Twilight, you have some form of anti-magic around you. So it would be nearly impossible for a spell to have much of any effect on you. But... Besides that, and the reason I asked you about love where you come from is because I think all that love you have buried deep inside... I think it's stronger than any love magic I could conjure up."

Cerb pushed up and turned to face the Love Princess still sitting on him.

"Am I getting pranked? It's a weird prank, but ya got me if that was the goal."

Cadence rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No, it's not a prank, and don't give me that look. That love was there when I got here." She pulled his arms out from under him, making him fall back down to the bed. "And if your thinking I pulled some voodoo spell on you earlier, rest assured that anything you felt during or afterward was all by natural means."

Cerb wanted some clarification on that.

"Natural means?"

Cadance warmly answered, "Hugs and talking about your feelings. Working through the pain. No different than an Earth pony or pegasus could do."

Cerb wanted to trust her, but if she was telling the truth, maybe she could answer something for him.

"If I was put under a spell, would you be able to tell?"

Cadence scoffed and laughed.

"You don't honestly think I would... Or do you mean you think somepony else tried to put a spell on you?"

Cerb flatly answered, "From the first day I was here."

She pulled back her hooves and looked him over, half expecting to see some blatant sign of magical influence.

"Hold on. What kind of spell? What happened?"

Cerb sighed in defeat.

"I don't know. I don't understand magic. Not even a little. All I know is that as soon as I met Rarity and Fluttershy, something happened to me where I didn't have control over my mind or body. So if you can help, please let me know."

Now she was taking him seriously.

"Can you give me some more information?"

Cerb turned just enough to look back at her.

"Can I sit up first?"

She suddenly remembered that she was sitting on him.

"Oh, right."

Sitting side by side, Cerb did his best to retell what happened in about ten minutes or less.

She repeated his short story.

"So, at first sight of Rarity, you called her gorgeous and gave Fluttershy a hug?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

Cadence cocked her head with a coy look.

"Do you think she's gorgeous?"

Cerb turned up a sly half-smirk.

"That's a loaded question."

Appropriate or not, Cadence laughed.

"So, yes. And I'm sorry, but giving Fluttershy a hug doesn't seem to be out of character for you."

Cerb frowned, not wanting to be mocked.

She returned with her own sly grin.

"Okay, so we're being serious again." She immediately suffered a giggle fit. "Sorry. Sorry. Ahem... Sorry... So, there are two things I can do. The first is easy... ish. And the second you'd have to really trust me if you agreed."

Despite being laughed at, Cerb still wanted to trust her.

"What's the first option?"

Cadence started to put on her golden horseshoe covers as she gave her explanation.

"The first option is I do a simple spell that looks for different kinds of magic that might be inside you. Spells, curses, hexes, that sort of stuff, as well as any type of inert or poisonous magic or their after-effects."

That didn’t sound too bad to Cerb.

"And the second option?"

Cadence slowly tapped her hooves together.

"I try to put a spell on you that makes you love some pony."

That was a no-go for Cerb.

"Uh, ffffffuck no."

Cadence forced a smile and gestured to the nightstand next to his bed.

"Or a lamp?" She tried to lessen the severity of such a spell and how it would affect him. "Or... actually, I could just as easily do an increase love spell."

Cerb sounded just as enthusiastic about that idea as he did the last.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

She shook her head quickly.

"No-No-No. I wouldn't be casting a spell that made you love anypony or anything. It would only make you feel more... love... You'd basically just be a little happier."

Still not encouraged by the idea.

"And what would that even prove?"

She answered him like it was common sense, "That it was possible for a love spell to affect you. But, if the scan comes out clean and the love spell fails, then that would rule out you being under a spell."

Cerb wasn't going to go for the second option, not under these circumstances.

"Well… Can you do the scan?"

Cadence affirmed her offer and slid off the bed.

"No problem. Now just sit there as still as you can."

Cadence closed her eyes as she stood in front of Cerb, channeling her magic and focusing a pink beam of light that covered her target. The entire event took only about ten seconds to complete. Then the light faded, and she canceled the spell.

Cadence tilted her head with a perplexed look on her face.

"Well… I have some news you probably won't want to hear, some news you'll be glad to hear, and one very... Very... Serious question."

Cerb's heart started to race, thinking she must have found something wrong with the scan.

"Oh, god. What is it?"

She lowered her head and fiddled with her hoof on the floor.

"Well, for news you don't want to hear. My scan did find some inert love magic near your heart."

"Oh, fuck," Cerb couldn't even begin to think of what that could mean. How much had his mind been messed with? "What's the good news?"

Cadence raised her head with a look of high optimism. Why did Cerb look so cute sitting there in a panic like that? She just wanted to smother him with affection when he looked like that.

She smiled brightly.

"The good news is that you are by far the least magical thing I have ever seen in my life."

If Cerb wasn't pranked before, this had to be the prank.

"But..."

Cadence went on to explain in an almost giddy fashion.

"I don't think you understand. Besides the fact that the magic there is inert, a pebble might hold more magic than what's attached to you." She shook her head as she tilted it back, and an even bigger smile washed over her. "Whatever this Order stuff is that you're made of, it's incredible. There's not even any trace of the magic I used on you before you joined the party. I mean... Twilight is going to have a field day over this. You might actually be magic proof."

Cerb didn't know if he should celebrate for being free of some mind control or be frustrated for having even less to work with now that this was exposed to him.

Cadence stopped mid-circle of the room and put on a more serious face. As much fun as she was having with him, her previous concern was now doubly worrying to her.

"However... I'm going to ask you something, and I'm very serious about this... Who attacked you? Was it a pony or something else?"

There was no way he heard that right.

"Who what? Who attacked me?"

Cadence didn't back down from her question.

"Yes."

Cerb was now someone she found herself caring about, and wouldn’t let this attack go unpunished.

"That kind of magic residue would only come from direct contact. Either some pony hit you with something with love-charged magic, or they shot you with some type of weaponized love-powered blast that I've never seen before."

Cerb didn't know how to explain that he hadn't been in any fights or magic battles.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. I haven't been magic'd in the chest or had any fights with a—“ One match-up suddenly came to mind. “No... Awe shit. My bad. Fluttershy head-butted me in the chest before the welcome party."

Cadence blinked hard and started bobbing her head towards her shoulder over and over while tapping the other side of her head with her hoof.

"I must have some water in my ear still. Who did you say head-butted you in the chest?"

"Fluttershy."

"Head-butted you?"

"Yes."

"In the chest?"

"Yes."

"The yellow pegasus with pink hair and butterflies on her butt?"

Cerb had enough of repeating himself.

"Do I need to walk you down to her room and point her out to you? Yes. Fluttershy. The quiet one that I danced with and gave a back rub to before I gave you one. Really friendly with animals. Hangs out with Rarity and the other Elements. Said 'heck' as a curse word during our game of Kings. Also—"

Cadence stomped her hoof and barked.

"Yes. I get it. I just can't believe she would... What happened?"

Cerb shrugged.

"I dunno. She seemed really down and lacking confidence a few days ago, so I offered to help her learn how to fight. She agreed, and we sparred before breakfast this morning."

Cadance deadpanned.

"And she thought head-butting you was a good idea?"

Cerb suddenly put on that guilty face people make before they admit to fucking up and hope you won't be mad at them.

"In her defense, I might have said something that got her mad."

Cadence slowly reeled back, taking a deep breath in.

"Ohhh. Yeah. I've heard some stories. You probably shouldn't ever do that… LIke, ever again."

Cerb answered back with a smirk.

"Nah, it's cool. I still won."

She couldn’t believe how careless he was about this.

"You still—"

There was something about Cerb's goofy smile and the fact he not only got Fluttershy to spar with him, but he also got her mad enough to fight back, and he still won. But they both acted as if nothing had happened.

It was too much, and she started to laugh so hard she had to sit on the floor.

"Justin—" She started to catch her breath. "You are just... Wow. You are just the most impossible enigma I have ever come across."

Whatever this whole experience was, Cerb was sure it had run its course.

"So, as far as you can tell. I don't have to worry about some pony messing with my mind or anything?"

Cadence was still coming down from the laughing fit and had to cover her mouth to contain her giggles.

"Oh, boy... No, Cerb. You have nothing to worry about. But whether you trust me or not on this, I recommend you talk to Twilight about your anti-magic body."

Cerb moved to sit back farther on the bed. "I'll take your word on it, for now, Candy."

Cadence tilted her head with an enigmatic smile and asked, "Candy?"

Cerb waved her off with a gesture to ignore him.

"Nevermind. Kay-dense. Can-dee... I dunno. I thought it sounded cute... And you probably want to get off the floor. It's still a little wet from all the water I tracked in."

"Ugh," Cadence groaned as she looked down to see the few small puddles she had sat in. "Yeah, and after getting out of the hot tub, all clean."

She stood up and brushed what little water dripped down her backside with her wings.

"Gross... But I'm glad to see you look so much more relieved. You didn't think that Rarity or one of the others out there did something to you, did you?"

Cerb didn’t really know how to answer that.

"I didn't know what to think." Suddenly he had a realization of something he didn't really focus on, but a fear that had always been there. "But I really do like Fluttershy and Rarity. I feel safe with them."

It was still kind of a frightening thought just how fast he had grown attached to them. But looking back, the possibility that it had been fake was just as frightening as being stripped of his free will.

"I think that being here has been one of the best things that could have happened to me. As crazy as that sounds," Cerb admitted on some not-so-confident terms. "I think in some ways I was more scared of all the trust and admiration for them, and you too, uh... wasn’t real. Like I couldn't find a way to get better, and this was all some mental illusion. Like some giant sick mental game, I was thrown in."

Cadence called out to him softly as she walked over and placed her hoof on his hand.

"Justin, we would never be so cruel as to deceive you like that. And I'm sorry if I made you think that was even a possibility when I was joking with you."

Finally, Cerb seemed to really relax.

"It's fine."

Cadence wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings, and there was only one way to be sure about that.

"Come here. Gimme a hug." She placed her forehooves around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze. "You're a good stallion, Justin. Or whatever the human version is. Just know that even if Shining and I are busy, we'll find the time to help you out in any way we can."

Cerb returned the gesture but didn't know what he could offer.

"Likewise, Candy. I'm pretty good at lifting heavy things. So if you got a big couch or a—"

"Oh, hush." Cadence took one last deep breath before letting him go.

His rich scent was stronger now, or perhaps it only seemed that way now that she was so much closer to him.

"We don't leave until tomorrow night. But, it's past midnight, so, yeah. And tomorrow I'd be willing to have another session with you before we leave."

Cerb let her down from the hold they shared.

"I wouldn't be against it. We'll see how the day pans out."

Cadence let out a yawn.

"Sounds good. Best to get some rest. And thanks for the dance and everything else. We all need to do this again sometime."

Cerb shrugged.

"Well, we're here indefinitely."

"Ha," Cadence feigned a laugh as she opened the door to leave his room. "Hilarious, Justin. Have a good night."

"So," Rarity smirked. "Now you're part of the Wonder Rush inside joke. The joke is... that it's not a joke, apparently."

Lying face down in her pillow, still panting enough to interrupt her speech, Applejack answered as best she could.

"Euyup... Thanks, fer... let'n me... know... the punchline."

Fluttershy stretched as she dropped her soiled towel to the floor.

"I love how relaxed and refreshed you feel after a Wonder Rush. It feels like a giant ball of rubber bands coming undone."

Rarity stood up and stretched, discarding her towel in a heap with Fluttershy's.

"While yes, that may be true, but with the release of all that tension of the rubber bands, also comes the mess." Rarity looked over her hoof to verify she hadn't missed a spot. "An unfortunate side effect."

She blew between her frogs to help them dry faster.

"But, one I think I can live with."

Applejack sat up, still in a bit of a daze.

"So... Am I good now? This won't be a problem again?"

"Hmm," Rarity thought aloud as she slid off of the bed. "Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you choose to look at it now. Bringing on a Wonder Rush only takes away the current desire for one. They will come again."

She stopped a few steps away from the bed as a new thought crossed her mind .

"Although we have never tried to bring about one to see if it would delay the desire for another."

Applejack scratched her head, trying to follow along.

"How often does this even happen?"

Fluttershy answered as honestly as she could.

"It's a little different for the both of us. But some of the things that help bring them on are lots of contact with Justin, his scent—"

Rarity abruptly whined, "Even just overthinking about him can stir up those feelings again. And while we probably could have held ourselves off until after a good night's sleep or even mid-afternoon like I was planning, I suppose helping you along might have gotten us a little carried away with our demonstration."

Fluttershy sweetly chimed back in, "Not that we didn't enjoy it. It's kind of fun for Rarity and me to talk about our fantasies while we do it. Even the things you talked about were pretty exciting."

Applejack finished reusing her towel and added it to the pile.

"Yeah, well, I do appreciate the help. I don't know what I woulda done with myself if I had been with ole Woody and... well, ended up doing what we all just done did... Cuz, while sure, it does feel nice... amazing even, it is still kinda gross when ya think about it."

Fluttershy looked away with a slight blush.

"We know. But until we find a way to stop them from happening, we're going to be stuck with them. And even if they are a little messy or gross, I'm glad to have some good friends to help me not be so alone through this whole experience."

Applejack donned her hat again and proudly announced, "Speaking of not being alone. There's a Woody down the hall I'm fix'n to hop into bed with. So, if y'all don't mind me." Applejack started to make her way to the door. "Oh, and uh... if either one of yous could do me a solid and be the ones to knock on me and Lumberman's door when it’s wake up time. I'd mighty appreciate it. I'm still trying to get used to how I feel about all this... Don't need no other pony meddling in my affairs more than you two already have or tossing their two bits worth of insight at me. Less'n they're in the same situation as us."

Rarity fanned a hoof to the newest member of their Wonder-Rush inner circle.

"Perfectly understandable, darling. I'm sure we will have some questions for you and ask for some insight when the time comes."

Applejack answered back with a wink before opening the door and heading out.

"You can count on me, partners."

Rarity gave a happy sigh, pleased to have helped out a friend and avoided a potential travesty in the human pony relations. Although, the sigh did detect one problem. She turned back to the window with her horn glowing and flung it open with her magic.

Rarity pointed out to Fluttershy, "We simply must find a way to be more discreet with these kinds of get-togethers. Just one of us leaves a scent. Two of us covers a bed. But three of us... we must remember to leave a window open next time."

Fluttershy giggled.

"I kind of like the scent. But you are right. It is a little thick in the air this time."

Twilight stood over Sniff lying down on the bed under her.

"And you're sure this isn't going to hurt?"

Sniff was getting tired of waiting for the indecisive Princess.

"Not if you go slowly and don't start slamming yerself down on me."

Twilight looked down at the exposed flesh.

"But you've never done this with a pony, right? What if it—"

Sniff silenced her worries with another protest, "What if nothing, Twiggels. I did this all the time back on Earth. Believe me, it feels great."

Even if she felt compelled to perform this favor for him, she was still wary of what might happen.

"I'm also afraid of falling off."

Sniff turned his head off the pillow and looked up to Twilight standing over him.

"You're not going to be jogging in place on my back or dancing a jig. You obviously weigh less than the masseuses that normally walk on my back, and you have four points of contact. But if you don't want to do this, I can just as easily have Aloe and Lo—"

Twilight pushed Sniff's face back into the pillow and lamented with a groan, "Don't say their names right now. It's bad enough that I have to wear that stupid dress. And—" Twilight groaned miserably. "Pretty Pretty Princess Twiggels Twinkles?"

She glared at Sniff and bopped him on the head with her wing.

"I blame you for the stupid name part of the bet. You know that, right?"

Sniff had to own up to the role he played.

"Okay, so I may have said Twiggels a few too many times around Rainbow Dash. But I don't know why you agreed to such a dumb bet in the first place. Or why you haven't already figured out a way to have it work to your advantage."

"Work to my advantage?" Twilight asked like he just told her mud tasted like chocolate.

Sniff pointed to his back with his thumb.

"Get to stepping, and we can start brainstorming together. You like creative problem-solving, don't you?"

"Hmm," Twilight hummed as she gave herself a few seconds to think her situation over before she slowly started to bring her forehooves on Sniff's back and her back hooves on his glutes as he suggested. "This okay?"

The pressure on his back was just right.

"Steller."

Seeing how she wasn’t, in fact, hurting him, Twilight’s mood improved.

"Good, then let's brainstorm. You have any ideas?"

Sniff gave a few healthy moans as Twilight's hooves worked over the tender spots from the crash landing less than a week ago.

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind involves an abhorrent abuse of your power and status, and an even worse abuse of the cuteness of foals."

Twilight had an uneasy feeling about this.

"I wish I knew you better so I could tell if you were sinisterly honest or hilariously deceptive."

Shining commented as he worked over the soles of her feet.

"Your toes are cute. Can you grab things with them like you can your fingers?"

Becky wiggled and scrunched her toes for him to see.

"No, not really. Sometimes I'll grab some laundry with them to toss in the hamper or move a power cord, but we don't get much use out of them since we normally wear socks and shoes."

Rainbow Dash added with her own thoughts while messaging the palms of Becky's hands.

"I'm sure you can do lots more with your toes than you're letting on."

Becky humorously snorted.

"You'd think I hung the moon if it weren't for Luna, Dashy,” She joked. "And I'm good if you guys are. I think I'm relaxed enough for now."

Shining sighed with relief and said, "Well, that's good to hear. I'd be in the doghouse if Cadence thought you were neglected after all the drama from today."

Becky pulled a sheet over herself before rolling over.

"She worries too much. You bribing the Crusaders was hilarious."

Rainbow Dash threw a jab toward Shining.

"Not as funny as you getting caught."

Shining grinned foolishly.

"Yeah, well, at least it didn't cost me a thousand bits."

Becky giggled.

"No, it didn't. That was getting Twilight in the dress. You still outspent your wife."

Shining grimaced at the thought of how much money he blew through for this little vacation.

"Oh, yeah… I'll have to have that payment shipped out. But are you sure there isn't anything else I can do?

Becky giggled as she booped him on the nose with her big toe.

"No. Go to bed, you. And let Cadence know she's still your number one in bed tonight."

Shining gave a hearty laugh as he turned and walked out the open door.

"She's always my number one. Have a good night, you two."

Rainbow Dash scoffed after he left with a low laugh.

"Do you think he... you know?"

Becky fluffed her pillow before rolling over to continue talking to Rainbow Dash.

"I don't have a clue, honestly."

Rainbow Dash still thought the exchange between the three of them was rather funny, but didn't understand why she had such a hard time comprehending the different social cues.

"Really?... Probably for the best, anyway. Right?"

Becky pulled an extra layer of the bedsheet over her torso.

"Definitely."

Curiously, Rainbow Dash watched Becky try to keep herself covered.

"I still don't get it."

Becky smirked playfully.

"Don't judge me. This is still super weird for me."

Rainbow Dash answered back with a happy tone.

"I'm not judging. This is super weird for me, too. You partied with your clothes on, danced with your clothes on, partied indoors a little more with your clothes on, swam in the hot tub with your clothes on, and now you're in bed... still with your clothes on. It would be like me wearing that girly dress Twilight is gonna have to start wearing for the next week. It all seems so... out of place. Like... I dunno. Like somepony is trying to hide something or forgot what they were doing and kept their clothes on longer than they needed to. I hate wearing warmer clothes in the winter longer than I need to."

Becky knew Rainbow Dash wasn't trying to be rude or intrusive, but it was fun to mess with her a bit.

"Yeah, well. I guess I'm gonna keep weirding you out then."

Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Weirding me out? I've been friends with Pinkie Pie for I don't even know how many years now. You've got a lot of catching up to do if you think you're gonna weird me out."

"I'll do my best," Becky joked. "But I'm turning in for the night. I'll see ya in a few hours, Dashy."

Rainbow Dash gave a stretch and a yawn.

"Yep. It's been fun, but even I can only handle so much fun in one day. G'night, Becks."

Luna was sitting next to the bed where Kelly was lying down, softly brushing a wing over Kelly's back.

"We are sorry we can't do anything more for the pain or help speed up your recovery. This hardly seems to quantify an adequate restitution for favors rendered upon thyne withers and croup."

Kelly hadn't studied for this oral review of old English.

"Uh... You were a lot easier to understand drunk, I didn't catch any of that you just said."

Suddenly, Luna remembered who exactly she was talking to.

"We said you deserve something better than just a simple grooming with our feathers. What you did on us was far more... impressive."

Kelly flapped her hand at Luna as she lay with her face resting over the pillow.

"Luna, stop with the apologies. I get it. I did a nice thing, so now you think you gotta do something just as great. But don't sweat the small things with us. If you get too caught up in going tit for tat with the favors, then they kinda lose their purpose."

Luna pulled back her wing and folded it to her side.

"I suppose you are right. It is customary, if not expected, for a Princess to repay their debts when one of our subjects gifts us something of value. For some small things, it's understood that our time alone is a gift. For much more significant contributions, we pay them honors or return a letter or a trinket to show our appreciation. Though with the nobles or dignitaries and other leaders, it can be a bothersome exchange of gaudy and useless gifts. Usually, neither of us desires them, but the expectations are... I'm sorry. I got a little carried away there. These are not your problems to be bothered with."

Kelly rolled over and slowly sat up, not bothering to cover up her bra as it sagged slightly off her shoulders.

"Do you know I once met a rock star?"

Luna suddenly felt like she missed an entire conversation and was only now realizing she was in it.

"I... I beg your pardon?"

Kelly clarified.

"A rock star. Some guy who was in a rock band. Big label deals, sold-out concerts, boatloads of money. The whole shebang. But I met him at a club. Thought he was kinda cute, but nothing special. He came at me like he was some hot, super important guy. And he was, but I didn't know it at the time. So I told him to cut the crap and just relax. And he did. And... we just talked. Mostly I was just killing time waiting for Becky and a bunch of the guys to show up. "

Luna apologized.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm supposed to be taking away from this story of yours."

Kelly smiled and bobbed head her like she knew exactly what Luna was talking about.

"Lemme finish, and then you'll understand. So... he's still talking, and I'm just listening. He's talking about the people that he works with, his manager that he hates, the family that he misses, and that he can't believe how messed up his life is and that he's super stressed out and feels like he doesn't have anyone else to talk to besides the people he hates... So, I gave him the best advice that I could and paid his tab."

Luna cocked her head.

"I thought you said he was rich?"

Kelly smiled and continued on.

"Yeah, but like I said. I didn't know that. But anyway, getting to the important part here, he told me who he actually was and that he couldn't let me pay for his drinks, and that he had to pay me back or do something to make up for it. So, I told him the same thing I'm going to tell you."

Kelly reached out for Luna's hoof and held it gently once Luna realized what she was gesturing for.

"I held his hand and told him, 'It doesn't matter who you are. If you're famous, or rich, or whatever. I like you, but those are not the reasons I like you. You're a good person, and you deserve to have someone just be real with you and be a friend without expecting favors in return. I don't have any intention of using you or asking for favors because of how we are together."

Luna blushed, not thinking such a simple story would end with such a positive message.

"Tis a fine tale you tell. And if you truly say those same words to me. Then I am honored that you would extend such kindness and courtesies to me."

Kelly softly spoke again, releasing Luna's hoof and laying back down on her bed.

"Luna, we're only visitors, so you can't really expect us to interact with you the same way a subject would. And we're not nobles or leaders of some neighboring country. I can barely consider myself a dignitary for my entire planet. I'm—" Kelly's happy smile faded to something more of worry and fear. "I'm just a girl with a messed up life... Living like a rock star who just found the perfect stranger who didn't care about my status and gave me kindness without expectations."

For a moment, Luna thought Kelly was talking about her. But as she looked to Kelly's eyes, they were stuck on Big Mac, who had fallen asleep leaning over the foot of the bed.

Despite the sudden turn from the revelation, Luna couldn't argue with Kelly's choice of a companion.

"I see... You are fortunate to have Big Mac at your side. And I'm not saying that because of the bravery he has shown to keep you safe... Another debt my sister and I must find a way to properly repay." She returned a quick glance to Big Mac, ensuring he was still asleep before leaning in closer to Kelly. "You know we once fancied Big Mac ourselves."

Kelly did a double between the two.

"Really?"

Luna looked back fondly on that day not so long ago.

"Yes. I rarely find myself in the events of the daytime. But I was fortunate enough to attend the Summer Wrap-Up Festival here in Ponyville.“ She cracked a nostalgic smile. “I may have strong-hooved him alongside me to compete in the many games we played. Our victories were endless and without question… However, I had lost him, at some point in the day... But we found each other again that night. Then, up in a Ferris Wheel, I stole a kiss under one of my most beautiful starlit skies."

She chuckled slightly.

"Twas only a small peck of the cheek."

Luna's eyes suddenly became heavy, and her head wilted with the memory, yet she still wore an honest smile.

"He seemed to be rather appreciative of the show of affections... though he did not return them. We know not of the whys, though we assumed it to be a combination of some lingering fears my dark history carried and our status as a Princess.

Kelly pointed playfully to the Princess.

"I think I can relate to you a little on worrying that our history will come back to bite us in the ass."

Luna asked with a curious grin.

"Really?"

Kelly shrugged.

"Different skeletons, same closet."

A cute expression, if Luna ever heard one.

"As you say, Miss Kelly." She drew a deep breath and sighed. "Eventually... we chalked our flights of fancy up to being only that. Too timid... or merely disinterested. We would venture no farther for him nor hope to be ventured after."

Kelly shot Luna a sultry smile.

"Luna... Are you on the singles market?"

Luna held back her laughs with only a few giggles escaping.

"Oh, don't say such things. It is not easy to find some pony when you are of the night, of royal birth, or an Alicorn."

Kelly jested playfully.

"And you won the lottery to bag all three."

Luna answered in such a way that the smile seemed deceptive.

"Yes. We have been alone for very long now, save for my sister growing up. And before my banishment, we did not make for good company. Then, as I'm sure you're aware of, I was imprisoned for a thousand years on the moon. Only to return to a world where, not only was I feared... I found myself foreign to my own kingdom. So much time had passed by. So many changes. Customs had been removed and replaced with ones that... often still confuse me. Even speaking to our subjects was a task that needed to be relearned."

Kelly playfully tossed a small pillow at Luna's side.

"Try not being of the world at all, to begin with."

Luna caught the pillow in her magic and tossed it back with a sad smile.

"Yes, different skeletons, brand new closets."

Finally having a good connection with the Princess, Kelly leaned in against her.

"Awe, I see what ya did there."

Luna did not shy away from the contact.

"We... I appreciate the humor and levity you bring. Makes us... me... not feel so alone in this Kingdom. I often wonder of trying again as I did with Big Macintosh. Just to find some company to keep that isn't dressed in armor or pandering for privilege and status."

Kelly reached for Luna's hoof again, which Luna heartily returned.

"Hey, Luna. Take it from me. Don't sell yourself for affection. The company you keep is only warm for as long as they keep you. And trying to win them over with kisses or having them just to keep you from being lonely, and hoping you'll be happy with the next one you throw yourself at... It sucks... Because eventually, the only time you feel anything, is during the chase. Knowing that the catch-22 is that it comes with the inevitable release."

Luna laid another hoof over Kelly's hand.

"I hate to assume… You speak from experience?... Your... skeletons, as they were?"

"Yep..." Kelly admitted with no pride in it. "Too many to count. Had to take a not-so-subtle hint from my friends to stop doing it."

Luna asked, trying not to sound too desperate for an answer, "What would you recommend?"

Kelly shrugged with an apology.

"I'm still trying to work all that out myself, honestly. All I can think of is that you need to find the one that you can trust to be honest with you, respect you, and love you enough to show you the kindness you don't think you deserve and with no strings attached."

Luna smirked like she just caught Kelly in a lie.

"Sounds like you have it all figured out after all."

"Oh," Kelly thought of something else. "I'm pretty sure another good sign is that they're willingness to tell you things they would like, but don't try to guilt-trip you or manipulate you somehow for 'em."

Luna praised Kelly with a few taps on the back of Kelly's hand.

"All sage-worthy words of advice. But I feel like we have served our time here together well. I don't feel as amazing now that the many drinks have lost their magic in me."

Kelly gave Luna’s hoof a gentle squeeze and leaned into her again.

"You are a blast to drink with. We should send you home with a bottle or two. Maybe we can party at your place next time. Hmm?" Kelly had a great idea. "How about just a girls' night? Leave the boys at home, and we can do our own thing?"

Luna felt a warm tingle in her stomach at the thought of having Kelly over.

"That... sounds like a wonderful idea. I will see to it that we do."

Kelly gently rubbed her cheek into Luna’s shoulder.

"Heh. Awesome."

Luna stood up and stretched, flexing her wings and swiping her tail side to side from having to sit on it for as long as she had.

"But for now, there are still dreams for me to patrol until my sister raises the sun... Perhaps I will see you there as well."

Kelly gave a goofy smile and poised herself as if confused.

"With your sister or in the sun?"

Luna thought she must have miss-spoken.

"Eh, no. I can enter the realm of dreams and—" A smile and poorly repressed giggles from Kelly alerted Luna that she had fallen for a joke. "Very funny, Kelly.“

Still amused by the joke, Luan turned and started to gather magic into her horn.

“Now, just don't be frightened when I open my portal to the dream realm. I'm not sure how much magic you have witnessed, but this might be a bit much for you."

Kelly seemed entirely unphased by the warning.

"Probably not. I watch a lot of TV and movies. I've seen it all."

Luna used her horn to open a rift through the dimensional plane.

"Cocky little thing, aren't you?" She jested.

Kelly watched Luna walk into a glowing mist and vanish as the portal closed in on itself.

"Okay... a lot cooler than the movies." Kelly turned her attention back to the only pony in the room and sighed. "Damn... how the fuck am I ever going to get you alone with me again where I don't have to worry about someone fucking walking in on us?"

Big Mac didn't answer. He only continued his soft breaths in his sleep, unaware of the conversation about him or anything else that followed.

Frustrated at not having the answers, Kelly rolled over in her bed.

"Last thing I need is to finally get laid and have Big Mac's almost ex walk into the stallion of her dreams, balls deep in me... I'm gonna be so fucked if I dream of Mac."

Shining welcomed his wife into the room from under the covers in their bed.

"There you are,"

Cadence apologized as she crawled under the covers and kissed Shining on the cheek. "

Sorry I took so long. Cerb had some other issues that needed to be dealt with."

Shining asked, assuming it had to be something related to her expertise, "Broken heart issues?"

Cadence hummed to herself for a moment before Shining pulled her close to him and nuzzled into her neck.

"Among other things, but there's something different about him. Something special that I can't help but be drawn towards."

Shining pulled back to rub his muzzle to hers.

"Oh? Should I be jealous of our new friend or worried some new stallion is going to steal away my special somepony?"

Cadence answered his question, knowing full well it was a joke, and confirmed it with a kiss.

"Who could ever steal me away from you? But I could ask the same of you and Becky, you little sneak."

"Of course not," Shining said before feeling a twinge of guilt. "Uh, hun?... I didn't, um... Go too far dancing with her... did I?"

Cadence playfully answered back with another kiss on the tip of his muzzle.

"No more than I did with Justin." Suddenly, she felt her own twinge of guilt. "Or did I?"

Suddenly the thought came to both their minds that they both had acted rather brashly with their new friends.

Shining felt like he should say something to offer them both a way out.

"Maybe we both got a little carried away in all the excitement?"

Cadence quickly followed with her own explanation.

"And their alcohol was said that it might make you act a little funny."

"They were just fun to hang out with."

"And they're so nice."

"And good with foals."

"Justin isn't nearly as handsome as you are."

"And Becky might be cute, but I only have eyes for you, Cadence."

"Sure, his hands are nice—.

"And Becky's too, but..."

Somehow during their rapid exchange, they both knew each other was coming to terms with their sudden infatuation towards their new human friends, as well as their own.

Cadence was the first to admit her fault.

"His scent... I can't believe how powerful it is."

Shining replied in a near panic, with his own burdens to release.

"Becky smells like honey, and the perfume sunflowers would wear if they wanted to smell better."

"Justin has such a big heart and so much love to give. I just want to shower him with affection until I help him open up his heart and let it all pour out. He makes me feel so warm inside like you do."

"Becky is so loving but so fragile. I... I want to hold her close and make her feel loved and special like you are to me."

Something was happening to them. Something wrong, yet felt so inexplicably right. They should be horrified and chucking furniture at each other after that exchange. As it turns out, though, infatuation had overcome their shame, and desire overruled their guilt. And even worse, some selfish drive had placed them at odds with the jealousy they should have towards each other.

They had mystifyingly understood each other for being just as guilty and accepted it.

Shining looked deep into his wife’s eyes.

"I love you, Cadence."

Cadance stared back just as deeply.

"I love you, Shining."

Instinct and passion overtook them as they met their lips together and began to intertwine their limbs. Their fervent coiling and mashing of bodies were matched only by the night they agreed to wanting to start a family of their own. Their commitment and trust with each other, creating a magical night they could only faintly remember.

Now here they were. They were still committed to each other and just as trusting, even after confessing that they found themselves wanting after another outside of their vows.

Together they found themselves in an entanglement of animalistic carnal acts. They were lost in the moment of unyielding love and a craving for something deep inside them. An intimate secret being rediscovered.

Getting this excited was making Cadance more aggressive with her affection, and she pushed off of the mattress with her wing and mounted Shining. She wanted to show him how powerful her love could be, even if it meant holding him down to do so.

She forced herself down on him and started kissing much deeper and with a sense of urgency the likes she could not remember having before. She was acting like a completely different pony. Even Shining was acting differently. He was kissing and holding her with greater intensity than usual but also grinding his groin against hers as if they were dancing with their human partners again. That seemed like a first for them; dancing against each other while kissing?

However, it felt amazing and caused her to let out a sultry groan.

"Mph. Mmm. Mph," Cadence moaned through her lips locked with Shining. "I'm so, Mph, lucky to be married to you. Mph, I can't-Mmm-believe how hot you make me feel, Mph-Mmmm, I'm already sweating, Mmmmm, We're gonna need another bath and new sheets before, Mmm, we can sleep."

Shining could feel the heat and dampness between them building up.

Mmm, I can feel it. Mmm, I can't believe we haven't, Mmmmm, done this before."

"Haven't we?" Cadence passively asked between gasping for air and kissing him again. "After our wedding, Mmm, after deciding, Mph we-Mmm, wanted to have a family?"

Cadence sat up, making her moist slit slide over Shining's firm sheath. Something that should have felt out of place, but she was too worked up to notice anything other than how good it felt.

"We were just like this," she looked down to Shining, a hungry look in his eyes she knew she had seen before, but couldn't recall where or when or why he had it. "But... no... it was different."

Shining offered his faint recollection of the event.

"I was on top of you? I... felt... something... but I can only remember waking up the next morning." He reached up to caress her face gently. "So happy to have you in my life. Remembering how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

She started to practically glow with the warmth she was feeling inside.

"I remember that morning. You had a secret from that night before you didn't want to tell me, and I was too bashful to ask. What was it?"

Shining laughed at what he thought had to be a joke.

"Secret? What secret? You were the one with a secret. You wouldn't say anything to me almost the entire morning."

Cadence giggled as she rocked her hips against him.

"What are you talking about?"

This was a strange joke Shining wasn't getting.

"You... did something to me the night before. I didn't know what it was, and you wouldn't tell me." He blinked a few times, trying to remember the guesses he made at what it might have been. "No... We... You thought."

He could only remember the love and joy he felt from everything as he thought back to it.

"I can't even remember anymore. It’s all so… fuzzy… How are we only now remembering this?"

Cadence cooed as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Mmm, I feel like helping you remember."

She kissed him again, slowly, deeply, causing more heat to build up and the sweat to increase between them. A sudden ear twitch flicked; feeling like her ears were trying to cool her off. So much sweat was building up now, it felt like she was swimming in it, the way it pooled up at her marehood. Was that part of the forgotten memory? It felt like it was. Just like the stiffness between his legs she felt. Something else was supposed to happen now. She could feel it.

Luna's voice erupted into the room as she bursts through the door, almost knocking it off its hinges.

"Justin! Justin! Where's Justin!"

The sudden intrusion made the two lovers jump, knocking them out of the intimate spell they were under, and Cadence yelped as she flinched and pulled the bed sheets tightly around her.

"What?! Luna? What's wrong?"

Luna's voice was shrill and panicked.

"Justin! Cerberus! He's in danger! They're going to kill him! We have to find him! Now!"

Damn... So close to a perfect ending for the night. Now Cerb is in mortal danger and only Luna knew what's happening to him.

But, yeah. Sorry for how long this chapter turned out to be. There was so much I wanted to cover, and so many things that I wanted to introduce to help give a better understanding of what these characters are dealing with. Not just emotionally, but also with how their world is affecting the humans. Or in this case, doesn't or can't affect them... Maybe? Well, at least in regards to Cerb being shown to be magic resistant. That's going to have a major effect on everyone's dynamics with each other.

Also, did I trick any of you into thinking something naughty was about to go down with Sniff and Twilight? Because that was the intention. Same with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Well... I wanted to let you think something happen, only to come back and let you know something did. Now the Wonder Rush club is three members strong and Applejack doesn't have to feel so alone with her thoughts.

Oh, yeah. And for those who might not have had the chance to read the comics. That bit with Luna and Big Mac at the Summer Wrap-up Festival is technically canon. I might have had to embellish a bit on the kiss and what she felt about him, but this is a fanfic, so some liberties have to be taken.

Mmm, yes... And of course, Cadance and Shining, who were so close to making another foal... If they could remember how to. Rather strange that the Princess of Love doesn't remember making love to her husband.

Lastly, the plot thickens with more revelations discovered by Trixie in her dreamscape. Another flashback to the same Trixie of a previous nightmare, now with more back story. Also, the other soundless voices? Who might those be? Why are they so hard to understand? What were they saying? Why can none of them see or hear her?

Even with all these new revelations, she's only scratching the surface.