Cerb slowly stirred from his sleep. No alarm had alerted him, nor was he shaken or called to wake. He merely left his sleep with the sense that he had rested enough, and it was time to rise from his bed. There was a sweet scent in the air, possibly another breakfast already being cooked downstairs. However, it couldn't be time to get up if the alarm hadn't gone off or anyone came in to let him know he overslept. Then again, he felt so rested, as if he had slept soundly the entire night.

Laying on his side and entirely content, he opened his eyes to see that what little light had entered the room gave little to no indication of the time. It was early, that much was certain, but his watch was with his clothes, and his cell was powered off. His best option was to get up without waking the others if he wasn't going to go back to sleep. Then again, the pillow and blankets were just the right kinds of warm and soft that could convince anyone to stay in bed. Although... Royal linens or not, they were not this comfortable the night before.

Suddenly, his blanket started sliding up his legs and tightened up around his waist. Then, before the reality of his situation became obvious, the pillow under his head curled in around him.

It only took about forty seconds from waking for Cerb to realize he was sleeping on Rarity for his pillow and under Fluttershy as a blanket.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," he hushed under his breath.

By this time, his eyes had adjusted enough to make out the new sleeping arrangement. The side of his face was lying in the crux of Rarity's hip and stomach, which was covered by her tail. She somehow managed to work her way under him during the night.

Then there was Fluttershy. She had moved down and was lying over his legs with her head resting just under his abdomen. It was astonishing how much they all had repositioned themselves and become so entangled with each other without waking him.

So, as he lay there, a hundred and one thoughts building up in his mind as to how this all happened or what he was suckered into, he couldn't help but notice how they looked. In some ways, the way they were sprawled out couldn't have been comfortable, and yet they seemed so at peace. Even from the awkward angle, he could see Fluttershy wore a faint smile while she was nuzzled up against him. Rarity, even in her unconscious state, seemed to wear the same placid expression she often wore while trying to calm him in his most troubled moments with her. Just looking at them had him drop the flurry of conspiracy theories of immoral intent. It was as if he knew their warm expressions were an unconscious display of the joy they got from helping him.

Truthfully, they were innocent in ways that made him feel unworthy of their affection.

Then, a thought brought back another thought, and his eyes focused on Rarity. He brought his free hand up and ran it down her mane and the back of her neck. The gentle contact instantly triggered a soft hum, and her placid expression grew to a weary smile.

He silently thought to himself, "If only things were different."

That thought ran through his mind. 'Different.' How different things would be if she were human? Not that he thought he would have a snowball's chance in hell with a woman of her caliber, but at least he could have tried.

Then there was Fluttershy. How exactly did she fit into all of this? She seemed to perhaps be more invested in taking care of him. But unlike Rarity, the hints of romantic interest never seemed to show up. Some infatuation, maybe, but if her lack of interest in seeing him nude was any indication...

Actually, that only made things more complicated if Sniff was right about them having no concept of sexual immorality. These were cartoon show characters. Well, maybe not really. At least not literal cartoon characters. They were real, alive, and self-aware. They were perfect reflections of the show, or at least of what little bit Chris had shown him in the clips he shared. And yet, spending time with them and talking to them, there was something so much more human about them. Very naive in the real world, but human all the same.

Again, he found his thoughts had created a new conflict. This was their real-world he was living in, not the other way around. Of course, they were naive to the kind of hell he and all his friends had lived through. How could he make any clear understanding of their interactions if his outlook had become so jaded? All he could do was go with his gut and accept the good fortune he found himself in. Just take things in stride and try to be the best version of himself he could be. Find a way to pay it forward... Starting right after the morning wood went down.

After another minute or so had passed and the fear of embarrassment softened, Cerb stroked his hand down Fluttershy's neck.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

Fluttershy flicked an ear and groaned, hugging more tightly around Cerb's waist and nuzzling in closer, "Mmm. Too early."

Cerb did his best to hold in a chuckle as he ran his hand down Rarity's foreleg, "Wake up time, Rarity."

Rarity barely budged but reached out and brought Cerb's hand in between her hooves and pulled it to her chest with a pleasant groan, "Fluttershy, could you be a dear and tell Justin we need our beauty sleep."

Fluttershy adjusted herself, driving her left back leg higher between Cerb's and flopping a wing out, but missing him entirely when she dropped it down.

"Justin... More sleep."

As cute as they were, today was a big day, and he was ready to get started.

"Nope. Come on, girls. Ya can't keep me trapped here all day just cuz you think I'm comfy."

Finally, Rarity opened an eye, ready to stare down Justin into submitting to a few more minutes of sleep.

"Justin, you set the alarm for us, and I don't hear any... Oh... Fluttershy, dear. We may have wandered in our sleep."

"No," Fluttershy grumbled. "Cerb is right here."

Fluttershy raised a hoof and waived it out to her side, searching for Cerb. It flailed around a few times until she realized there was nothing but open air. Realizing this, she snapped her eyes open and looked to her side and the empty section of bed below her.

"Did Justin already get up without us?"

"Fluttershy... Darling," Rarity spoke up with more than a hint of embarrassment.

"What? Did we oversleep?" Fluttershy asked before moving her field of vision to the head of the bed, where she was able to understand their situation. "How did... "

"Dunno," Cerb admitted with a grin they could now clearly make out with the sunlight that was lighting up the room. "Are you two at least comfy?"

A look of shock took hold of the two as the unspoken accusation hung in the air.

Cerb spoke up, not trying to hide the humor in his tone, but not enough to let them know he was messing around.

"Best night's sleep I've had since I got here. You two would be nothing but trouble if you weren't so cute."

As poorly lit as the room was, it wasn't so dim to hide the blush the two mares grew flush with. Of which only got Cerb to glowing red, trying to stifle his laughs.

"Come on, ladies. Cuddle time is over," he cheerfully informed them. "Got a big day ahead of us. Let's get to moving."

Fluttershy was the first to move, quickly pushing herself up, "Sorry. I don't normally move around so much in my sleep."

"It's fine," Cerb assured her.

Rarity tried to hide how hesitant she was to move.

"Honestly. How does something like this even happen?"

Cerb sat up and stretched.

"No idea. But, so long as this stays between just us and I can continue to sleep this good, I'm not gonna complain. Unless..." He did a quick turn to Rarity and then back to Fluttershy, realizing his lack of oversight. "Sorry. As funny as it is to me, are you two okay? Neither of you are bothered by how we ended up, are you? This doesn't make you feel weird or uncomfortable at all, does it?"

Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged a glance at each other. Some silent conversation of how much to admit and how much to deny exchanged in an instant.

Fluttershy, trying to make herself smaller, admitted, "I'm a little embarrassed knowing I must have crawled upon you in the middle of the night. But it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you."

Rarity gave her best guilt-free response.

"We did say we would help you any way we can. So if being a pillow for you to keep the nightmares away is what it comes down to, that's hardly enough to consider a burden for me. And while I don't know if Fluttershy makes a good blanket or not, I was surprisingly comfortable with you—" She realized she was saying too much and pursed her lips together "—I'm going to stop talking now."

Cerb snorted, still trying not to laugh and make the situation any more embarrassing for them.

"No, you both make for a surprisingly comfortable bedspread."

Fluttershy sheepishly grinned, "You make a good mattress," she joked but knew it didn't land right after saying it. "But, um... You seemed kind of apprehensive about this and what your friends would say. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Rarity glared at Fluttershy for giving Cerb an easy out from this perfect scenario they were coaxed into.

Despite the easy exit, Cerb sat up, resting upright with his hand supporting him behind him on the mattress without a look of remorse.

"Look... We all know how this looks, and it's probably nothing we're gonna go bragging about. But I'm not waking up in a panic and flipping tables or hurting anyone when I wake up. I'm not having any night terrors, and I get a whole night's sleep without having to drink like Chris did with Starlight. And most importantly, I get to go out and find this stuff to hopefully cure Becky. There are far worse things that could happen to me trying to keep my brothers and sisters alive. I'll take two lovely young mares to bed for the rest of my life if it means I can keep them safe."

Rarity hugged him from behind and told him in a comforting voice, "Don't you worry, Justin. This will be our little secret. Anything to help you and your family of friends."

Cerb stroked his hand over Rarity's foreleg.

"Thanks. I owe you girls both big time when this is all over."

Fluttershy giggled.

"You don't owe us anything, Justin. You're already training us, and going on this trip with me is already more help than I could have asked of anypony else."

Before Cerb could respond, the alarm on his watch started to go off.

"Huh, look at that," Cerb rolled off the bed and out of Rarity's hold on him to grab his watch. "Beat the alarm by ten minutes. We slept almost a good seven hours."

Rarity sat up proudly on the bed.

"Well then, we shouldn't keep ourselves from staying on schedule. Off to the shower with you, Justin. We'll take care of the bed and see you downstairs after we freshen up."

"Right," Cerb answered, feeling energized and excited to start their trip. "We got time, but don't take too long. And hopefully, that sweet smell is Spike making breakfast already. Smells amazing, whatever it is."

The two sat idly by on the bed, watching Cerb grab what few things he needed and disappear behind the bathroom door. When they heard the shower start and the curtain drawn closed, they then met each other's gazes with an ear to ear smiles, silently celebrating their continued success of getting close to Cerb.

Then, without warning, Rarity's expression dropped to her being serious, verging on the edge of overly serious.

"Grab the sheets while I get the pillows; I'm pretty sure I'm dripping everywhere like an ice cream cone under a heat lamp. Thank goodness my tail didn't absorb it all."

Fluttershy gasped, "Oh, my gosh. I'm just as bad right now, but I think the blanket got bunched up between my legs in my sleep, thank goodness."

Rarity drew her magic into her horn, taking hold of the pillows in her aura behind her, and readied them for removal.

"Ditch the linens, then we'll head into the shower together."

"Wonder Rush?"

"Wonder Rush."

Fluttershy jumped off the bed, tossed the blanket to Rarity, and ripped the sheets off the bed. Before tossing those as well, she held it close and drew in Cerb's rich scent.

"Oh, my... This is going to be torture if we can't figure out how to control these urges."

Rarity grumbled while folding up the linins to hide the wet spots.

"Gah. Blasted... When is Zecora going to get back, anyway? If she stays gone for too long, one of us might end up Wonder Rushing all over Justin."

Those words sent a shiver all over Fluttershy and got her tail swishing about wildly.

"Mmmmm... I need to stop telling Justin not to worry about paying us back. Maybe if we save up enough favors—"

"Stop!" Rarity yelped a bit too loud before her knees buckled and her tail clamped down against her. "Let us not conflate fantasy with favors from a friend... Not until we're in the shower, at least."

Fluttershy turned and bolted for the door.

"I'll get the water started."

Almost like clockwork, Twilight woke up with the rising of the sun.

She blinked a few times and let her eyes adjust to check the time on her clock.

"Five o'clock, time to get up," she told herself.

She sat up and swung her back legs over the side of the bed and stretched her wings. This was going to be a big day for her. Her first experience, even if it was more of a training exercise, for the most part, of leading a military operation. Her first thoughts were of all of what the different aspects of running this operation were going to be. Administration controls, updating their intel, overseeing operations and reviewing their reports, maintaining their supplies and coordinating logistics, communications, and seeing what all works and what to improve. It still amazed her that what she feared to be a simple one-human, one-pony hike had become some enticingly complex and engaging multi-pony extravagant event.

However, something else was on her mind. The smell of clovers with a hint of sea salt still lingered on her bed. Sniff had only slept there once the night she was at her lowest. But what was it about these humans that made them so relatable while, at the same time, so difficult to understand? Not only that, how could Sniff be so distant and irritating, only to turn around and become a trusting rock of foundation to support her?

She hated to admit it, but she was infatuated with him. The conversations and debates they would have given her the mental stimulation she so desperately needed. Even his insight on friendships and how to relate with others challenged her own preconceptions that she couldn't argue against. But at the same time, she couldn't say much about who he really was. There was still so much she didn't know about him.

Why was she even so fixated on him?

Those were all things she could focus on after Cerb and Fluttershy were done with this fiasco they created. Today and the next few days would be focused on supporting their efforts and learning as much as possible from what Cerb was willing to share.

Whatever her personal thoughts and concerns were, Twilight still needed to get up and put her young dragon to work.

"Spike. Wake up. Cerb and the others should be waking up soon. You said you would make them a nice breakfast."

Spike rolled over in his tiny bed, silently debating on whether to follow through on his word or fight for a few more minutes of sleep.

"Arg... Did I say I would do that?"

"Yes, Spike," Twilight chuckled and decided to play with him. "You're going to have a hard time learning all that manly stuff if they're too hungry to teach you. And you've done so much already to make Sniff so proud of you. If you let him down, Cerb might not want to—"

"I'm up! I'm up!" Spike shouted as he forced himself out of bed. "Eggs and oatmeal! I'm out of pancake batter."

"Thank you, Spike," Twilight cutely called out as Spike stormed off. "You're making your Kingdom proud!"

Spike shouted back, "That only works when Sniff says it!"

Twilight giggled to herself as Spike closed the door behind him.

"Well, if there's one thing I can say about Peter, it's that he's been a great influence on Spike."

Just beyond the door, Spike's muffled voice peeped through.

"Morning Fluttershy. Morning Rarity. What are you two in a rush for-Umph!"

Something landed in front of the door with a thud, as well as Rarity's voice passing by.

"Sorry, Spike! Didn't see you there! Need to hurry and help Fluttershy get ready! See you downstairs!"

Twilight giggled again before jumping off the bed and letting out a long pleasant sigh.

"I swear. I've never seen those girls so wrapped up in a stallion before."

As Twilight neared her private bathroom, she gave her last statement some deeper thought.

"Then again... Rarity did already have a date with Cerb. But..." She stopped just short of the sink and thought deeper about the three's past interactions and how they were now sharing the same bed, but that only reminded her that she did the same thing with Sniff. "Nah. They'd never go for a stallion like Cerb."

Sunlight was slowly creeping into Applejack's room. The soft hues streamed through the window and reflected off the nightstand. That's where Lumberman had been staring toward the entire night. Mostly he had been watching the night's sky, but as the warm colors started to stain the clouds, he tried to focus on those.

It wasn't long until a patch of sky glowed in the same orange and blond as Applejacks' coat and mane. It was about that same time that enough light had come in, and that very same mare could be clearly seen, still sleeping soundly in his arms.

He didn't know how many hours had passed since he followed her up to her room and joined her under the covers. However long it was, he had spent all of them reviewing everything he could remember since arriving in this beautifully strange world.

This was the dawn of their ninth day in the land of magic-talking ponies. Seven days and he struggled to try and keep everything straight.

Day one, crash-landed Benny’s house and nearly started a fight within the first hour of meeting the mare he was comforting, as well as him and at least two of his friends having unexplained... Actually, he still didn't know how to explain what it was that happened to him or the others. What it was to make them all lose control of their behaviors was still a mystery. Couldn't forget Kelly winning over Big Mac that same night.

Day two, they discovered the ponies had all the bits and pieces a cartoon character were never drawn with. Of course, he couldn't overlook the most significant event of almost losing Kelly at the hooves of Celestia's guards. The same Celestia, who, near that same time, forged an alliance with Benny and the others while Kelly was bleeding to death. What a hellish night that was, scrambling to do anything to save her. He could still remember how destroyed Big Mac looked holding Kelly's hand. All of them were distraught over Kelly, but the beating that stud took...

Lumberman realized he still hadn't done anything to really show his appreciation for Big Mac. That was something he would have to fix. Actually, add in the seven other ponies he and his friends had partnered up with and another Princess who almost all died trying to save Kelly. The doctor should be included in there, too. Maybe another little favor for Nurse Redheart. She still didn't know he got Kelly to convince Cadance to rig the votes in Nurse Red Heart's favor. And with that, might as well add another favor towards... Fuck it. Everyone's getting favors for life.

His mind wandered off there for a minute. Where did he leave off at?

Oh, right. Him taking care of Applejack in her distraught and disheveled state after getting the bad news of Kelly not waking. Which reminded him, remove one favor for Big Mac for pranking him to the point he almost exposed himself in the bathtub with Applejack.

Day three was probably the most pleasant. An entire day of relaxing and lounging around with all the downed mares. It would have been perfect if Starlight hadn't fucked things up with Chris that same night.

The fourth day would have been another perfect day had Starlight not fucked things up with Chris again. Then again... She really redeemed herself with her bootleg booze duplication trick. Plus, all those pics he was able to take of her and Chris? No. That might be a contender for his best day. That was also the same day Cerb had to take Rarity out on a fancy date. Lucky for all of them, how that worked out, since it went well enough that she didn't mind helping Cerb with his night terrors now. That was the same night he stayed with Applejack and found some comfort of his own in taking care of her.

Day five started with a real eye-opener... Still didn't know how to think about that. Best not to think about how shapely and... Just best not to think about that.

However, the ride over with Applejack, sharing his music with her, connecting with her, and that stupid bet. Then starting off on the losing end of that bet before breakfast, only to turn it all around and one-up her at their dance introduction. That whole day and night was fantastic.

Lumberman gave a good look over Applejack. She was so adorable when she slept. He brushed some of her mane off from her face, causing a smile to force its way out from her lips at the slightest touch of his fingers.

Here and now, just like that night, he enjoyed making her happy. Lifting her up and getting her to laugh... The dance... Then the after party and teaching them all to play Kings, which led to having a hot tub pool magic into existence, was a trip. Watching Twilight lose a bet was pretty entertaining as well. It was only shortly after that and discovering their superpowers of 'hands?' What a stupid superpower. But shortly after that, Applejack, as drunk as she was, pointed out that she knew how much he enjoyed making her happy.

That was also another night he shared a bed with her. Sure, she made him stay up later than needed so she could shoot the shit with Fluttershy and Rarity before getting her rubdown. At least she freshened up with whatever perfume she came back wearing. Apple scented, of course, but it had a little something extra added to it that still clung to her even now. Whatever it was, it was better than the perfumes back on Earth.

Although, that night had taken a turn for the worst, with Cerb having one of his episodes. He still didn't understand how they even concluded that Fluttershy and Rarity could keep the nightmares away. Also, he couldn't understand how Cerb was cool with it. Then again... there he was doing the same thing for Applejack. So, the opposite situation with half the company, but still willingly sharing a bed with a local female in an obviously compromising position.

The creeping light grew bright enough to wake Applejack, and she started to readjust herself closer to Lumberman.

"You awake there, Woody?"

He answered, not very enthusiastically, "Yeah."

"Time to get up yet?" She asked, not hiding her intent to stay in bed.

"Nah, we got a while," he answered with the same lackluster level of enthusiasm.

The tone of his response was enough to give concern to her.

"You alright there, Woody? I didn't wake ya or nuthing, did I?"

"Nah," he answered, sounding more alert this time. "Just thinking."

She spoke up with genuine concern, "Thinking 'bout what?"

Lumberman pulled her in closer. Whether it was to comfort her so she wouldn't worry more or to help calm himself, he couldn't tell.

"Just everything that's happened since we got here." He wrapped his arms deeper around her. "How just about everyone has changed so much since..."

Applejack could tell what he was referring to, even if he wasn't going to say it, but couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I probably ain't been helping none too much."

"Nah. Ain't like that," Lumberman assured her. "Normally, I'm the one right there next to the ones dealing with shit, ya know. Keeping Cerb or Benny company. Listening to Sniff talk about what girl he hooked up with and hearing about how down and out they were and what a great time they had together or taking care of Becky or Kelly and whatever drama they got going on... Sitting down with Chris, watching one of his dumb-ass cartoons."

"I hope you don't mean that one about us," Applejack joked.

Lumberman cracked a grin and snorted out a laugh, "Nope. He kept that one a secret from us. I didn't know a damn thing about y'all when I woke up here."

Applejack giggled for a moment.

"Yeah. I think it showed. Only a little, though."

"Yeah, probably," he laughed with her. "But now... I dunno. Seems like everyone is so wrapped up in their friends that they don't need me like they used to."

Applejack piped up, turning herself out of the spooning position to scold him face to face.

"Now, hold on just a minute. I've seen how y'all come together and pick each other up and take care of each other. There ain't no way—"

"Calm down, Apples." Lumberman clamped Applejack's muzzle closed with his free hand. "I ain't saying they up and left me behind." He pulled back his hand. "I'm just saying that I don't know how to feel about everyone not coming to me first. Not to brag, but Sniff wasn't joking when he said I was the backbone of our group."

Applejack eyed him curiously, "What's that even mean?"

It took a moment for Lumberman to find the words to best explain himself.

"Look. We all seem like great friends, and we are. But that don't mean we ain't had our fights with each other or had our breakdowns in hard times. But generally, I'm the one to break up the fights and the one they come to when they can't talk to anyone else. But after everything that's gone down—" He rolled over onto his back and took a few deep breaths before finishing his thoughts. "—they've all been going to Mac or the rest of your friends. And it's not like I'm mad or have anything against y'alls. I just don't understand how they made the switch so fast."

This wasn't the kind of problem she would have thought someone like Lumberman could have. He was feeling left out and excluded. That or he was feeling inadequate.

He turned to look Applejack in the eyes.

"I feel kinda bad saying this, but I know it makes me sound needy, but I'm glad you wanted my company last night."

"Woody?" Applejack reached out and laid a hoof on his chest. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Lumberman answered, not sounding very confident in his response. "I just don't know what's really going on with everyone, and I'm not sure if I should be happy for 'em or worried."

"Listen here, Woody." Applejack snuggled in close to his side. "Yer friends are a lot like my friends. Brave, honest, funny, loyal, kind, and most of all, trustworthy. And while I don't know why we all been getting so close so fast, least of all me 'en you, but I see only good things coming of it. Because, I'm not sure if you've been able to see it, but your friends are doing a lot to help out every pony they've been with."

Lumberman gave her a glance of suspicion.

"How so? I thought I was the only one really helping out any of you?"

"Not at all," Applejack answered with a cheery voice. "Cerb's been training Fluttershy tuh hold her own in a fight. Shucks. He's even got Rarity out of her hoity-toity, can't get rough and dirty, mentality. Sniff saved Twilight from Princess Luna's wrath because of what happened to Cerb after the party. Rainbow Dash has taken such a shining to Becky that she's been more focused on taking care of her responsibilities and not slacking off so much. I think Chris has helped Starlight learn how to be a good friend more than Twilight has. Not that I'd tell her that."

Lumberman noticed one pony she skipped over.

"What about Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, uh..." Applejack fell short on giving an answer and drew a blank for a moment. "She really likes his music?"

"Nah," Lumberman tried not to laugh too much at the lack of a valid answer. "Benny's good. And Pinkie did throw a pretty bomb-ass party."

"Bomb-ass?" Applejack had a good laugh at that one. "I get the feeling you all just keep on making up new meanings or ways to use them words. Bomb-ass? Ha, ha! How ya gonna make some ponies butt blowing up sound like a good thing?"

"Ha!" Lumberman couldn't help but laugh at her misunderstanding of the phrase. "Maybe it was a really nice ass, and blowing it up just helps spread that goodness around."

Applejack was lost in a giggle fit.

"I know yer joking wit me. What's so good about a butt? You like butts 'er something?"

"Hey," he playfully slapped his hand down on the side of Applejack's flank. "Gotta love a girl with a nice butt."

"Gah!" Applejack knocked Lumberman's hand away with her rear leg and mushed his face away from hers with her forehoof. "Watch dem hands 'uh yer's there, Woody. We ain't in no bathtub, lessen yer wanting me to take a roll in the mud while you get the water started."

Lumberman snorted again, a big goofy grin spreading across his face.

"Okay, what you're talking about is a whole different kinda dirty, and I gotta stop corrupting such a good little pony like you."

Applejack didn't catch the play on words but was too lost in toying with him to pick it up anyway.

"What? You saying you can only take care ah little 'ol me if I'm only a little dirty? I'd scrub ya up no matter how dirty ya got. Maybe ya rather we both get really dirty together?"

"Aight, that's enough dirty talk from ya, Apple Hat," He took his free hand and started to assault her tummy with a rabid flurry of tickles. "This bed is only for good boys and clean girls. Stop try'n to be dirty."

"Wah!" Applejack couldn't stop Lumberman's fingers from ravaging her stomach and started squirming madly, trying to block his attack. "No fair! I can't! I can't! Ahh! Ya, cheat'n varment!"

In the first real show of force against Lumberman, Applejack sprang up from her side, spun on her front hooves, and dropped her flank down on Lumberman's chest. To secure herself, she quickly locked his arms to his sides, holding them firmly in place with her back legs.

"Payback time, ya tickle monster," Applejack declared as she hiked up his shirt from the waistband and lowered her face to his midsection.

Stuck under her weight and disarmed from using his hands, a sense of worry sunk in now that her ass was mere inches from his face.

"Apples? What are ya—"

The sound of raspberries ripped from Applejack's lips as she returned the favor of unrequested tickles. Lumberman bucked and squirmed as the childish retaliation had him laughing uncontrollably.

"Gah!" He yelped. "No! Stop! Ahh! Get off-Ahh! Ha! Ya—"

There was no point in trying to fight or plea for a release. She had him pinned, and there was nothing he could do about it. Fortunately, Applejack decided to show some mercy and stopped her torment to look over her shoulder down at Lumberman.

"Had enough?"

Lumberman huffed, "Okay! Okay! I take it back."

"Take what back?" Applejack grinned, reveling in her victory.

Lumberman grinned back, "You're as dirty as they come if you're gonna fight like that."

"You hard-headed little shit," Applejack leered down with a mischievous smile. "Now yer really gonna get it."

The playful antics and laughter from Applejack and Lumberman had woken both Big Mac and Kelly.

Big Mac wearily spoke up, "Hey, Kelly?"

"Yeah, Mac?" Kelly groaned as she pushed herself back in closer to Big Mac and made herself more comfortable in his forelegs.

Big Mac cautiously asked, "You don't think Lumberman and my sister are... ya know?"

Kelly huffed in protest at the idea but couldn't ignore what they both were still hearing.

"Your sister's a keeper, and certainly would be his type if she was human. But... fuck it. I don't have a clue, babe. I thought for sure I knew I would never go through trying to hook up with you before you saved me. And aside from Sniff, I don't think there is anyone of us more likely to get romantic with any of you... But... here I am. So, I don't know, and I kinda don't care at this point. Do you?"

Big Mac didn't respond right away.

"I'm her big brother. Of course, I care who she wants to be with. He's not gonna be leisure with 'er and move onto some other pony, is he?"

"No," Kelly stated firmly. "Lumberman isn’t the kind to run around get'n tail and ditching her for some new fling. He used to years ago. Like a lot of guys, he was all about just finding someone to hook up with, but he changed for the better after he started really hanging out with us. He really changed the most after he walked away from his mom and his sister... Said he wanted a real family like we had."

Big Mac asked., “You have a good family to go back home to? You never really talk about 'em."

"Me?" Kelly replied. "No. My dad doesn't know I exist, and my mom is a workaholic who wants me around as much as my dad did. My dad's side of the family disowned me for not being a boy. The rest of my mother's side of the family are either dead or wanted criminals in another country. Lumberman was really talking about Cerb's family. Cerb had the perfect family until his brother and mother died."

"I'm—" Big Mac wanted to say something to clear the air, but he was too blown away by that bombshell to think of anything. "I'm sure your parents loved you, Kelly. Yer too amazing not to love."

Kelly huffed again, amused with his naivety.

"Cerb's dad was the last one of our parents to write us off. Which sucks, because he was a good man up until that point... But the rest of us... I'm surprised they didn't ruin us any worse than what they managed to fuck over. Don't misunderstand what I'm telling you, Mackie. They are terrible people. Some worse than others, but they are the reason we call each other family and not them."

Big Mac wasn’t ignorant of family squabbles and thought there had to be some room for recovery.

"Oh, come on now. I'm sure—"

Kelly groaned, pulling Big Mac's foreleg up around her neck and cuddling into it.

"You have supervillains that destroy lives here, Mac... Where we come from, it's the everyday people we should be able to love and trust that end up destroying us. That’s why I think it's a blessing that we crashed here. I hope we never go back."

Big Mac pulled Kelly in closer, nuzzling his chin over the top of her head. He didn't say anything this time. When she was venting about Cerb the night prior, it was clear from her words that she was speaking passionately out of spite from being hurt over the thought of losing him again. In regards to their families, there was something so final and honest about her claim. That, and unlike Cerb, he had no knowledge of what they were like. He had to believe her this time.

A moment of clarity came to Kelly as an afterthought.

"I'd only want a way back if we can't help Becky. But even then, I don't want to go back."

"It's okay, Kelly," Big Mac replied softly. "I won't make you go back. You'll always have a place here with me, darl'en."

Kelly started to stroke her hand over Big Mac's foreleg, pondering her future.

"I want this all to work. Cerb and Fluttershy finding something to cure Becky. Not finding a way home... Us."

"Me too, hun." He craned his neck to kiss the side of her neck. "Me too."

Twilight made her way down to her study for her first review of her checklist for the day. The smell of Spike in the kitchen was a good sign to the start of a great day. Even better, considering the wealth of information she was expecting to receive from this sudo-mock military training operation.

"Saddlebags, check. Notepads one, two, three, and four. Check. Quills, ink, and spares? Let's see. One, two... Hmm. I guess two will have to do. Check. Military leadership and books for search and rescue, check."

Suddenly, Sniff's voice called out into the study, "You in here, Twigs?"

Too caught up in her checklist, she robotically answered, "Yes, I'm here."

Sniff allowed himself into the room and walked up to the Princess.

"Just didn't know if you were up or not. I saw Spike downstairs but forgot to ask him. I didn't want you to sleep in and miss out on anything."

"Thanks," she answered in the same manner as before. "I appreciate it. Oh... How is your crotch feeling? And, sorry I snapped at you like that last night."

"It's fine," he chuckled to himself. "It's taken its fair share of smashings. Besides, I kinda had it coming."

Twilight grinned, rolling her eyes and turning back to focus on her checklist.

"You two are like foals in a schoolyard sometimes. I don't know if it's charming or embarrassing."

“Egh,“ Sniff shrugged. "Depends on the crowd, I guess... But, I like to think it keeps us young at heart and helps us not to take life so seriously that we can't enjoy it."

Now smiling, Twilight laughingly scoffed before informing him, "Life is serious, though."

"I know," he stated with a grin. "But if you take it too seriously, you start to lose sight of what's really important."

This prospect for another insight from Sniff caught her attention, and she asked, "Such as?"

Before explaining, Sniff started to pace around some of the books that had been staked around them.

"You know. Your friends, those you call family, quality food, a good sense of humor, the finer things in life... You know, things that money and the impersonal burdens of life can't give you. Don't you have stupid inside jokes or carefree nights out with your friends just goofing off and yucking it up? If not with them, maybe find a hot date to go out and have fun with?"

Not a huge revelation of insight, but Twilight still found it enlightening.

"Well, of course, we have our little jokes here and there. And weeeeeee... Hmm. It's actually been a while since just us girls went and had a night out to ourselves. Not unless you consider your Welcome Welcome to Ponyville after-party as a night out."

Sniff answered, "Only if you consider us your friends," he ended with a wink.

"Well, duh," Twilight cheerfully replied. "But as for having a hot date, as you put it, no. In fact, I don't think any of us have been on a date since I’ve been here, with the exception of Rarity going out with Cerb. If you even consider that a date."

There were a lot of ways Sniff wanted to approach this topic but decided to let this sleeping dog of a conversation lay undisturbed until he knew enough about their culture to know how to gauge it.

"It's all good."

Twilight put the last few books she was sorting through down and turned back to Sniff, raising an eyebrow.

"Why did you ask about whether I go out on dates or not?"

So much for avoiding touchy topics he wasn’t ready for.

"Different cultures. Yours and ours, I mean."

Twilight sounded off in a voice that wasn't clearly angry or joking, "Do you think it's odd that I'm not out searching for a stallion of my own?“ Something about that embarrassing moment came back as added agitation. “Is that why everypony thought it was so funny that Pinkie suggested I go on a date with Chris?"

This conversation was going down in flames, and Sniff felt like he was stuck in the pilot's seat with only one chance to eject, if he could only find the lever.

"No, to all of that. I'm just not used to being by myself so much, so I'm looking for anything to talk to you about... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring this up. I won't... Look, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Twilight realized whatever her response was, it was the wrong one and she tried to calm herself.

"Peter, hold on I—"

"It's okay, Twilight," Sniff quickly shut her down as he backed away to the door. "I overstepped my bounds. I get it. But you're awake, so... I'm gonna head on out and get out of your hair-mane, I mean. You know."

Before she could find her words, Sniff was out the door and closed it behind him.

Twilight wanted to teleport out into the hallway, cut him off at the pass, and apologize but was stuck in place with her thoughts.

"Why did I snap at him like that? I was joking... a little. No, I wasn't. He should know that nerds like us don't just have ponies fawning over us... Or is it just me that doesn't? Wait? Was he flirting with me? But he said... No. He doesn't want to be with a pony. That's the last thing he said right before—"

Twilight glared up at Sniff for asking such a stupid question.

"Uh, hello? Pony, therefore, no hands."

Sniff was smiling down at her.

"Uh, hello? Pony, therefore, no interest."

Twilight was sure that Sniff wasn't being honest about having an interest in ponies.

"Well, you sure fooled me and the pony that served you your milkshake... I can never remember her name, but she is way too nice for you to be leading her on like that."

For some reason, Sniff was visually struggling to hold in his frustrations over this topic.

"I wasn't... Tell ya what. You don't bring this up again, to anyone, until our next session, and I'll tell ya what's going on with that."

Twilight was confident that if she pushed a little harder, he would know that she was trying to let him know he didn't need to be embarrassed about finding somepony to love. Even if he wasn't a pony or any of the other native species of Equestria.

"It's nothing unheard of. There are plenty of creatures that come to Equestria and develop crushes on some of the ponies they—"

"It's the reason I gave up trying to learn psychology," Sniff blurted out, hanging his head as he stopped in the hallway.

Twilight stopped a few steps ahead and looked back at him like he was about to give some trivial reason, just to mess with her again.

"Were the classes too hard or something?" She asked, trying to look cute.

Sniff tried to force a smile, but even he knew it wasn't a convincing one and turned away.

"Most people go into learning psychology because they want to understand how to fix themselves." He shrugged. "I learned a lot about myself... Didn't like all of it."

Twilight's curiosity had gotten the best of her, and now she wanted to know.

"Wait, so you—"

Sniff interrupted again as he started to walk past her, "Next time we have one of these chats. How about Sunday? Can't imagine you'll all be all that busy on Sunday?"

"Sunday?" Twilight asked, rolling her eyes as she tried to remember what all she had scheduled. "Yeah. Sunday. And if anything comes up, I'll let you know, and we can work out another time that's better for both of us."

Twilight rationalized that since today was Saturday, she knew why he was there.

"He was trying to reschedule a better time to sit and talk with me? Guh... Princess of Friendship, my ass."

As that terrible feeling of hurting a friend started to sink in, the subtle creaking of the door opening made Twilight's ears pop up, eager for Sniff to walk in and try to make amends.

"Peter, please, I need to—"

"Twilight?" Starlight called out into the study, only to be answered by the wrong name before she could even step inside.

"Uh, no. Just me. But I passed Peter by the stairs if you need me to get him for you."

"Yes," Twilight quickly answered. "I mean, no," she huffed in a drastic change of attitude from excited to depressed. "Don't worry. I'll catch up to him in a moment. What did you need?"

Starlight was getting the vibe she had just walked into the aftermath of a sour exchange between the two.

"Okay, I just wanted to ask if you would want me to spend some more time with Chris while you're out helping with the cure of Becky's terrible, terrible, horrible disease that I can't remember how to pronounce-what happened with you and Sniff?... And did you call him Peter?"

"Of course, you can spend more time with Chris. What did you have in mind?" Twilight asked, trying to avoid the last two questions.

Starlight circled around, looking over Twilight's items that were half-packed and sorted around her saddlebags.

"Not a whole lot planned yet with Chris. Mostly I wanted to help show him around town a little more and get to know some more ponies. He still has a little trouble not being nervous around meeting new ponies in more private settings. But he's a fast learner and has been helping me get out and get to know more of the girls around town. I've actually made a few friends already just by helping Chris."

Twilight complimented her student with an overly broad smile as she backtracked to the door, "That's fantastic to hear, Starlight. That sounds like a wonderful idea. I want to hear all about it when I get back in a few days."

Starlight's expression melted down into a disappointed glare.

"I don't know if I'm only now noticing it now, but that overly confident smile is a dead giveaway that you totally screwed something up and are trying to hide it. And judging by how desperate your voice was when you said you needed something and are avoiding my other questions, I'm guessing you did or said something stupid to Sniff."

Twilight froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"How—"

The soulful memories came back to Starlight, and she decided to help her mentor with what she learned.

"I did the same thing with Chris and reacted the same way when Sniff and the others heard me say something stupid. Remember? The whole reason we got sick together was because I was trying to make up for saying the wrong thing to him?"

"Right," Twilight frumped down to the floor. "I don't know what happened. I just... snapped at him this morning. And he didn't even do anything to deserve it. I didn't give him the chance to ask me, but I think he was trying to see when he could sit and have another one on one so I could learn more about their world."

Starlight could sympathize with this verbal disaster.

"Well, did—"

"And have breakfast together," Twilight added abruptly.

Starlight sighed, "Twilight... I don't know what you said or what brought this on, but all you have to do is go and apologize. Be honest about what caused you to act the way you did, and try to find some common ground from there."

Twilight sniffed, part of her being so proud of her student and half hurting from how foolishly she was for lashing out at Sniff.

"Did I teach you that?"

"Actually, I kinda learned that from Chris," Starlight admitted in the most abashed manner she could. "It's what he did with me to help us patch things up and become friends. Then I did it with Rainbow Dash after she split my lip open. Then I did pretty much the same thing with you after we told you about fighting each other. I can't believe how good humans are at making friends. Which makes me feel so bad for Chris since he's so shy and insecure... But yeah, just do that, and you'll be fine... Sniff might have started off a bit rough around the edges from what I remember, but he's only gotten to be nicer and more friendly the more time he's spent around you."

"Your right," Twilight declared, standing up tall and determined. "I just need to be honest and let him know that I took his dating question the wrong way and shouldn't have been so quick to judge him on it."

Starlight's eyes widened.

"Dating?! Did Sniff ask you out?!"

"What?!" Twilight shot back, just as wide-eyed and surprised. "No! He asked me if I ever go out on dates for fun because he doesn't know how different our cultures are. He's made it very clear that he doesn't like ponies like that... Despite how it may look."

"Oh," Starlight felt suddenly relieved but then somewhat disappointed. "How do you feel about that? You two have been spending a lot of time together."

Twilight spoke calmly while slowly approaching her student, "Starlight, don't get me wrong, I like Sniff. I really do, but he doesn't like me like that, I can't see myself with a human, and he's not going to be here very long. It's just not going to work out. He's a good friend. That's all... Why do you ask?"

Starlight fought the urge to return the same sheepishly overcompensating smile, so instead held a strong poker face and rolled her eyes, "Well, it's obvious you both like each other. And from what I heard and all that I've seen, Sniff is the kind of stallion that can woo a mare without a lot of effort. It's like his special talent or something."

Twilight groaned, "You are right about that. It's like he compulsively flirts with every mare he sees, and everything is all about promoting someponies image. But—"

Starlight waited for the follow-up to come, but the open air was becoming awkward.

"But, what?"

"He... really cares," Twilight admitted. "I don't know how to explain it. Because if you only see him for a moment, he looks like this amazingly charismatic stallion who says all the right things at just the right time. But he pulls it off so often with so many ponies, you start to think that it's just a gimmick, and he's spouting platitudes to appease everypony he meets. But when it comes right down to it, he's committed to helping others and trying to make them the best they can be."

"Then go find him and fix it," Starlight encouraged. "It might be rough at first, but if you don't put yourself out there, you're probably going to be missing out on a great friendship."

Twilight smiled warmly.

"Starlight, I'm so glad you're my student."

Starlight countered, "I'm glad to have you as a teacher."

Recommitted, Twilight poked her head out into the hallway.

"Peter?" She looked down both ways, but he wasn't there. "Oh, breakfast. He must be with Spike."

A quick flash, and Twilight teleported herself into the kitchen.

Spike, almost expecting the abrupt arrival, greeted the princess, "Hey-ya, Twilight, Breakfast is coming along. I think Cerb is going to like my way of making oatmeal. Kinda surprised that Sniff said he wasn't staying for breakfast."

"What?" Twilight coldly stated, trying to stifle her shock. "Is that what he told you? When did that happen?"

"Just a minute ago," Spike answered, stirring in some mashed bananas into the boiling oatmeal. "He popped his head in and said he was going into town to check up on some of the food for Cerb and Fluttershy." He turned around with an odd expression. "Didn't he tell you?"

"I, uh... Never mind that," Twilight stuttered. "Thank you. If you see Cerb before I do, let him know I'll be right back."

Spike raised a claw to ask another question, but Twilight teleported out before the first word could escape.

She appeared in the table map room, but aside from the supplies they had staged, it was still empty. She teleported again back in front of the room he was staying in and steadied herself before knocking.

"Peter?" She spoke clearly into the door. "I... What I mean is... Can I please talk to you?... Please?"

No response came, so she took the initiative to let herself in.

"Peter, I'm coming in. I hope you don't... mind."

Inside the room, the rising sun shined in to reveal his empty room. She sighed, trying to think of where he might have run off to. With a deep inhale, the scent of clovers and something rich and pleasant invaded her senses. Immediately her mind went back to waking up to his scent he left on her sheets and the night he spent with her. Again, she berated herself with questions of why she would have reacted the way she did this morning.

She raised her head high, redetermined to confront this wrong and straighten things out with him.

"Come on, Twilight," she said to herself. "Think. What would he be doing to get food ready? Where would he—"

The shortlist of ponies that dealt with food that he knew was quickly shortened down to only one who would be up and available in this world.

"Of course!"

Once more, Twilight teleported out, this time heading into town.

Just beyond where Twilight had been standing, Rarity's voice called out as she peeked her head out of the bathroom across from Sniff's room.

"Is somepony there? Hello? Twilight? Starlight? Anypony?"

From further inside the bathroom, Fluttershy asked, "Is there anypony out there?"

Rarity replied with some relief, "It appears not."

"Whoo," Fluttershy sighed in relief. "I thought maybe you were too loud, and they were checking up on us."

Rarity groaned as she shut the door and dipped back inside, "Oh, please, Fluttershy. I wasn't that loud."

As quickly as Twilight appeared, the smell of freshly baked bread that filled the air let her know she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"If he's not here, I don't know where he could be."

"What?!" Sniff's voice called out excitedly from inside the bakery. "There's no way you make that much bread before the sun rises."

"Bingo," Twilight quietly celebrated to herself before walking up to the entrance.

Sniff's voice came in a little more clear as it sounded like he was walking back into the salesroom of the bakery.

"Okay, fine. I believe you. But I can't thank you enough for letting me hang out here this morning. I just had to get outta that castle."

Twilight stopped just short of pushing the door open as she heard Sniff make such a confession.

Oven Fresh's voice finally came in, loud and clear, sounding just as happy as ever.

"I'm glad to have you over. I told you that you should stop by and see how I work my magic in the back. But why did you need to get away from the castle? I thought all of you were friends with Twilight and all the other girls there?"

"Oh, we are," Sniff confessed. "But uh... I dunno what happened this morning between me and Twilight."

"Oh, no," Oven Fresh hushed with honest concern. "Nothing bad, I hope. Was it something about Kelly or Cerb going into the forest?" She nervously chuckled. "There's a lot of rumors floating around about all of you. None of them bad, mind you, but... it's hard to know what's really going on between all the gossip."

Sniff laughed a little, but it sounded forced.

"No, I get it. We're new in town, and yeah. What happened to Kelly and the Apple family, or Cerb with Rarity, then the huge party... Rumors are gonna happen. But, no. Nothing bad happened, I hope. It's that... I'm good with people. It's why I'm so good at my job back home. But that's because I understand the different social groups and all the different cultures that people belong to. Over here, I'm still trying to learn. And I guess that when I tried to... Well... I'm also a people person because I hate being alone. And all my friends are so far spread out right now, I think I took advantage of Twilight's hospitality and started acting too familiar with her."

Oven Fresh asked, "Too familiar? You all seemed pretty familiar on the dance floor."

"True," Sniff answered. "But... You have to remember who Twilight is. She's a Princess with a lot of authority and responsibilities. Not just that, she deserves to be treated with a lot of respect. But I guess that one of the questions I asked crossed the line of both professionalism and friends."

Oven Fresh's muffled voice spoke up with mild curiosity, "What did you ask her?"

Twilight squeaked from behind the door, "Oh, no," she quietly fretted, imagining what the fallout would be and the scandals ponies would make out of what Sniff was about to confess.

Sniff answered in a tempered but apologetic voice, "No offense, Oven's, but I'd rather keep that between me and her. It wasn't anything bad or rude, really. But if she didn't want to talk to me about it. I shouldn't be talking to others about it either."

Oven Fresh apologized, "You're right. I'm sorry for asking. But you're a good friend for respecting her privacy like that."

Sniff went on to say, "So, yeah. I figured she could use some space and time away from me, and I've been meaning to come out and see you again. So... Here I am."

The sympathetic voice of Oven Fresh could be heard again saying, "You don't think she'll be mad for long, do you?"

Sniff answered, his voice only a little optimistic, "I doubt it. She's surprisingly understanding. Plus, I was kind of a jerk to her when I first got here, and she tolerated all my crap then. Once she's done with this training exercise, I'll do something to make it up to her."

Almost singing her words out, Oven Fresh said, "You are just too sweet, Sniffy. How about some breakfast? On the house."

Sniff answered, half laughing as he did, "Oh, come on! You're killing me with kindness here. Tell ya what. I'll accept your offer of a free breakfast if you accept my offer to buy you dinner tonight."

Oven Fresh lost herself in a sudden giggle fit.

"Oh, my gosh! Are you asking me out on a date?"

Sniff instantly came back with, "You're treating me out to a world-class breakfast, made by not just the cutest, but also the most talented baker in this kingdom—"

"Stop," Oven Fresh squeed. "You're embarrassing me."

"—and that's not a date? But me just buying you dinner is?" Sniff finished.

Oven Fresh gave in.

"Well, fine. I accept your non-dinner date if you would be so inclined to share breakfast with me."

Sounding like he was back in his element, Sniff answered, "Sounds like a lovely exchange."

Twilight backed away from the door and tried to process what she just overheard. Not only was Sniff not mad at her, but he also blamed himself for her outburst. Then, he was already planning on trying to make it up to her? There was also the obvious date he set up with the local baker, but he was also looking out for her after she was so rude to him. He didn't try to embarrass her or shift the blame. He even defended her actions and propped her up.

Twilight took a step back and said to herself, "Humans really are good at friendship... Guess even I still have a lot to learn."

Twilight took a short walk away from the bakery to teleport away, careful not to get caught a second time eavesdropping in on a private conversation Sniff had started.

Starlight was looking over a series of books for audio manipulation and energy transference.

"So, if this spell works for capturing audio from a phonograph, and this spell works with recreating energy patterns for magic crystals, that should have worked for pulling the songs from Chris's phone."

She continued to look over the two spells she barely remembered using in her drunken state when Twilight teleported back in.

"Oh, welcome back. How'd it go?" Starlight asked. "Did you two patch things up?"

Twilight smiled and trotted over to her saddlebags with her head held high.

"It didn't go at all. Everything's fine."

Starlight cocked an eyebrow, "Really? How is everything fine if you didn't work anything out?"

Twilight started to explain as she went back to filling her saddlebags.

"Well, for one thing, you were so incredibly right about humans being good at friendship. And Sniff is an exquisite example of that. I know this because I overheard him talking to Oven Fresh at her bakery. Turns out, he left in such a hurry because he thought he was in the wrong. Not only that, he could have easily taken what happened and made me look like the villain of the whole ordeal, but he did the complete opposite. Not only did he defend me, he refused to say what even happened because he knew how much it would bother me if anypony knew."

Starlight was impressed.

"Wow... He really is a good friend. Such a nice stallion... Too bad he's not into mares. He'd probably get any date he wanted."

Twilight beamed as she let the secret slip, "Oh, he just set one up for tonight, actually."

Starlight's jaw dropped.

"Wuh-huh? Didn't you just say—"

"Yeah, I know what I said," Twilight carelessly answered. "But it's not really a date, according to him. Oven Fresh offered him a free breakfast to help cheer him up, and so he offered to take her out to dinner as a thank you."

"Sounds a lot like a date to me," Starlight countered.

"So did Cerb taking Rarity out for dinner, and their just friends," Twilight offered as a rebuttal.

"Maybe what they consider dating back on their world is different from what we do?" Starlight stated as more of a question.

"Maybe," Twilight shrugged. "Or maybe they don't consider these as dates since we're not human. Who knows? But what I do know is that I'm going to have to do something special for Peter when I apologize for acting the way I did this morning."

"A date?" Starlight asked with a sly grin and comically, raising her eyebrows.

"No," Twilight grumbled through a laugh. "Peter likes the finer things in life. And there's no better place to find them than in Canterlot. So, I think I'll take him there while I go on my Pretty Pretty Princess Twinkels Twiggles tour. He'll love it."

"I'm sure he will," Starlight agreed.

"Now," Twilight announced as she turned with saddlebags strapped on tight. "Now that I'm ready to go, it's time to grab some breakfast and then hit the road."

Cerb put down his cup of coffee.

"So, why did Sniff run off to the bakery again? I thought everything was good to go for our food?"

Twilight sighed and decided to be a bit more honest with her explanation.

"Truth be told, he and I had a less than friendly exchange this morning in my study. It was completely my fault for jumping to conclusions, and, well, I guess I'm still learning how you all interact with each other normally. So, some things we do or say come off the wrong way, and that's what caused me to snap at him."

Spike piped up, ready to defend his new friend.

"You and Sniff got into a fight this morning?"

Twilight answered, "No, nothing like that. Just a bad exchange between the two of us."

Benny asked, "Something he said or something he did?"

Twilight answered like it was nothing serious, which it wasn't, "It was a harmless question he asked me, looking back at it now. But if you could do me a favor and let me talk to him about it when we get back, I'd really appreciate it. I need to apologize and let him know that what happened wasn't his fault."

Benny asked, "How upset was he when you saw him last?"

Twilight answered honestly, "I'm not sure. He looked more hurt than insulted."

Cerb groaned, looking down into his empty bowl, "Yep... That's our Sniff, alright. Nothing changes but the names and faces."

Rarity, clearly out of the loop, asked, "Nothing changes? And whose names and faces are you referring to?"

Benny spoke up to answer Rarity's question, "So, our buddy Sniff meets lots of people. Parties, work events, business dealings, blah-blah-blah. He's always good at working the crowds and talking to people. But, every so often, if he likes a girl and ends up upsetting her instead of winning her over, you'd swear someone kicked his dog."

Fluttershy spoke up, her ears perking up in interest.

"Sniff has a dog? And a lady friend of his kicked it?"

Benny sighed, nearly dropping his spoon in the process.

"No. It's a figure of speech. He doesn't actually have a dog, and people don't go around kicking other people's dogs. It just means that he feels terrible and looks miserable."

Obviously interested, Twilight asked, "And you think that's what happened?"

Cerb took another sip of his coffee.

"Knowing him and how much he loves this place now, yeah. Probably." He stood up, picking up his empty dishes with him. "But, don't worry about it. He'll bounce back as soon as he knows you're not mad at him."

Rarity spoke up, sounding a bit flustered, "You're friend Sniff certainly stands out as a rather interesting character. He's very nice and all, but there is a certain something about him that always makes me wonder what he's really thinking. In the short time I've known him, his emotional state and manors have been all over the place. It's so hard to get a read on him."

Twilight was relieved to hear she wasn't the only one to think that.

"I know what you mean. But, he's become a lot more positive, and I think he’s gotten even happier the more he's gotten to know us."

"He has," Benny answered, giving at least some validation before remembering who else was still asleep there. "Oh, are we waking Chris up? Didn't know if he was going out with us and the rest of the escorts."

Cerb answered as he started towards the kitchen, "Just to the edge of the Everfree. If he wants to."

Seeing another chance to help, Spike offered, "Here, let me take those. I'll take care of these. You go wake up Chris."

"Yo! Chris! You missed breakfast. You heading out to see us off this morning."

The sounds of blankets and sheets rustling around gave a clear indication that they woke Chris up. Then, it only took about a minute for Chris to open the door in just his shorts.

"Yeah. I'll go. When we leaving?"

Benny almost felt bad for Chris, seeing him in this state.

"Well, we have to grab our gear, muster the rest of our support out front, so you got time." He looked at his watch. "Probably an hour or so, and we'll be pushing out."

Cerb checked the time before turning back to Chris.

"Yeah, bro. Hop yer happy ass in the shower, grab some grub and coffee, and watch us leave to go do man things."

"Man things?" Chris replied as he tried to smile but wasn't awake enough yet. "Sounds exhausting. Gimme a short skirt and comfy couch any day."

Cerb and Benny laughed a good deal at that. At least Chris had a good sense of humor this early in the morning.

"God, Chris," Benny started to calm down. "You stupid. But I love you, man."

Cerb playfully tapped Chris on the cheek a few times as he stepped away.

"See ya downstairs in a few, bro. Don't ever change."

That one hour seemed to pass much faster than it should have. At least it felt that way as they gathered everypony out in front of the castle. All the different ponies were standing around in their groups. Even Big Mac managed to show up on time with Applejack and Lumberman. They were chatting it up with Cerb. Most of which was them apologizing for Kelly not showing up.

Twilight finished off another checklist and looked over the crowd of ponies, then to Cerb.

"Well, you're leading this operation. Mostly. Got any words to offer before we head out?"

Cerb nodded, "Yeah, I'll keep it short, though."

Walking with a purpose, Cerb strolled out in front of the mass of bodies, drawing their attention as he passed by. Once in the center, he turned to face them, seeing Benny walking up to join him.

"Morning!" Cerb called out to the crowd. "I cannot begin to thank you all enough for volunteering for this mission. Now I know for Princess Twilight and a few others, this is just training. But for me, this is serious. For those of you who have been lucky enough to meet our friend Becky, or if you've heard from one place or another, she has an illness that's fatal if left untreated. Fluttershy says that there's a combination of plants and herbs that might be able to cure her. So it's my mission to go out there with her and find all of them and bring them back."

The crowd grew silent, many not knowing the severity of her illness.

Cerb looked over the crowd, taking in their attentiveness to what he was addressing.

"Now, we have done everything possible to mitigate the amount of risk we will encounter. That does not mean that any of us should be careless or be lazy with the responsibilities. It is not my intention to ensure only my safety out there. It is my intention to ensure all of you stay safe out there. The same goes for Benny. That means, at some point, we may tell you to stop what you're doing. Step back. Fly away. Or if the danger is too great, maybe go back home."

Again, he gauged the crowd.

"At no point does that mean that I don't like any of you. Personally, I think you're all pretty awesome. But if we get angry out there, or if we yell, it's because we care. And I'd rather see your feelings hurt a lot more than having come back here and tell your friends or your family, that I cared more about your feelings than your safety. Can I get a Hell Yeah from all of you if you agree?

"Hell yeah!" Everypony shouted together, making Cerb smile proudly, but Benny, Becky, and Chris all laughed.

"Alright," Cerb nodded. "Glad to hear it. Otherwise, you know your roles in all this. Those in leadership positions, you know what you're supposed to do. Take care of your subordinates. Maintain good communication. Use your head and trust your gut if it feels like something's wrong. I want everyone, every single one of you, to come back without incident... Benny?"

Benny looked up to Cerb, "Yer gonna have me piggyback off of that?"

A low rumble of chuckles came up from the crowd.

"Alright," Benny called out to the crowd. "I stand behind everything Cerb just said. If you're in the overwatch with or any of the react forces. It's going to be long, boring hours out there. And that's what we want. Excitement, before the mission ends, means someone messed up, and none of you want that. Right?"

"Hell yeah!" The crowd responded again, much to all their amusement.

Benny hung his head for a moment but smiled all the same.

"Not that response I was expecting, but I'll take it. So, with that settled and everypony accounted for, stay in your groups, and we have one stop to make at our embassy before we go deep in those woods."

Twilight took her place next to Cerb, ready to address her subjects.

"Everypony, I'm so proud of all of you today for stepping up to help a friend in need. With that being said, I feel it is important for me to remind you all of the Chain of Command. If you're out on patrol, doing recon, in an overwatch position, or in the command center, you will be taking orders from your squad leaders as they have been appointed over you. Patrol squad leaders will report to Onyx Armor. Recon teams will report to Thunder Glide or Rainbow Dash, depending on your area of responsibility. Those working in the command center will report to Helix Ray. Both Cerberus and Benny have been appointed as advisors that all team leaders will report to, or myself or Prince Shining Armor. Overall authority and final decisions will be my responsibility."

"You heard the Princess," Cerb hollered over the crowd. "You have a Chain of Command and your orders. If you can respect the Chain and follow orders, and are ready to get out there and kick some ass, can I get another 'hell yeah'?!"

Again they shouted, "Hell yeah!"

Cerb frowned and shouted back at them, "What was that?! I didn't hear you?!"

Again they shouted a little louder, "Hell yeah!"

Cerb turned to his side and cupped his ear to the crowd, "One more time! A little louder like you mean it!"

This time they all screamed it together, "Hell yeah!"

"That's right!" Cerb commended their spirit. "Alright! Team leaders, front and center! Everypony else, move out!"

As the mass of ponies started to march their way to the human embassy, Onyx Armor, Thunder Glide, Rainbow Dash, and Helix Ray trotted up to meet with Cerb, Benny, and Twilight.

Rainbow Dash proudly announced herself, "Rainbow Dash, reporting for duty, sir," she ended with a hoof salute.

Cerb corrected her with a smirk, "I'm not an officer, you don't salute me. I appreciate it, but only Twilight would be saluted."

Standing tall and proud at attention, Rainbow Dash apologized, "Oh, right."

Benny rolled his eyes away, and with a soft smile, said, "Relax, Rainbow. We're just doing a quick brief over what we're doing and making sure nothing's changed."

Thunder Glide reported in, "Nothing to report on my end, sir."

Onyx reported just as proper and formal as Thunder Glide, "My team's good to go."

Helix Ray answered, in a near giddy voice, "Everypony is accounted for and ready to help."

Cerb looked over Helix Ray for any signs of damage from their match the other day.

"How's the eye? It's not going to hold you back at all, is it?"

Helix shook his head slightly.

"No, just a little sore. I got a little bit of a headache still, but nothing I can't handle."

Cerb nodded, thankful for the good news.

"Good to hear," he said gratefully before turning to Onyx. "How about you, Champ? You had me worried there for a while when Luna told me the doc's had to check you out, and you had pain in your stomach long after the fight."

Onyx huffed, mostly laughing, but a hint of anger still showed through.

"You hit like a train. Of course, I was hurt'n long after. But I still want a rematch."

"So long as you're good, lead your teams," Cerb answered. "And we'll see about that rematch. But if you really wanna box me again, talk to Chris when we get back. That's more his speed."

Onyx looked over to the human in question.

"Chris? The soft-looking one?"

Cerb snapped, quietly, but also not messing around, "Hey. You underestimated me walking in the ring. What good did that do ya?"

Onyx turned back to see Cerb glaring down at him and held his tongue for a moment.

"...Fair point."

Finally, Cerb turned to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, I've heard a lot of great things about you. Especially after you and Starlight got into it."

Rainbow Dash replied in confusion, "Uh... Thanks?"

Cerb nodded but had more to add to his compliment.

"That being said, you're super green to this. And while I don't know much about the Wonderbolts team you're trying to get into, but if they're anything like our military, I need you to drop the ego and showboating. You're not out here to impress a crowd or win a standing ovation. You're here because you're a skilled warrior and have the experience we need to keep everyone here safe. And most of all, Becky is counting on you."

Rainbow Dash gave a cocky grin, not visually helping her case, and informed the others, "That won't be a problem. Becky and I had a good talk about me going out to the Everfree. I guess her being my number one fan means also knowing all of my biggest faults. She also said you were a hard-ass and not to fuck with you if you tell me to do something."

Twilight growled, "Rainbow! There's no need for foul language."

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you know what that word means yet?"

Twilight reluctantly answered. "No."

Rainbow Dash pushed on, "Then how do you really know if they're actually bad words and not just language enhancers?"

That was perfectly answered, and Cerb chuckled over the response.

"Let it go, Princess. She's speaking our language. And hearing it like that lets me know she gets it. So, I'm glad we're on the same page. Otherwise, any questions?"

Thunder Glide was the first to answer.

"No, sir. Just ready to get out there and get this over with so I can get my chance to prove myself."

Cerb chuckled again but for a different reason.

"Girl, you are just itching to spar with me, and I admire that. But you're going to have to get through those two first." Cerb raised his hand, pointing behind her to Fluttershy and Rarity.

Thunder Glide gave another look over the two, both smiling ominously at her.

"So I need to work my way up the ranks to get my chance? I can handle that."

Twilight snorted, "Your funeral."

Geeze... over 13,000 words just get everyone out of the castle that was leaving for the Everfree? But yeah. This chapter was much more of a slice of life, with the exception of a touch of drama between Twilight and Sniff. Which, however, brings back Oven Fresh, and oh my god do I love her character.

Although, a little more Applejack and Lumberman playtime. And a little more Big Mac and Kelly bonding. I'm sure you all enjoyed that.

But where does this all lead to? Find out in Chapter 49. Finally, Some Time Alone