Oven Fresh was laughing hysterically, “No! There’s no way! You had to have planned that!”

“I’m serious,” Sniff nearly yelled back as he laughed along with her. “I had no idea what was going on when you were all standing out there under the banner. And it would have been fine if Pinkie had fired off the cannons. But then she did, and they scared the crap out of Cerb. That’s why he screamed and threw himself on the floor with Fluttershy and Rarity.”

“No,” Oven Fresh held firm to her claim. “Not with the music and the dancing, and how you introduced all your friends. There’s no way you pulled that off without all of you practicing. Not to mention Twilight did the same Wobble dance with you.”

Sniff almost jumped back against his chair, throwing his arms up to his sides.

“I showed her how to do it there on the spot. Honest to God. No practice or rehearsing. Even the dancing events. All of that came up out of nowhere. Actually, there’s an even crazier story behind what started that. I hope one day I can tell you what really happened to get that started. You have no idea how crazy that day was for us. Then the after-party and… “

Oven Fresh was still laughing and waiting for the next hilarious continuation to follow.

“What happened at the after-party?”

“Oh,” Sniff had to clear his thoughts to get back on track. “No, the after-party in the castle was so crazy. Fun, but throw in a bunch of magic, the Princess of the Night, all of us drunk on top of our already stupid shenanigans… Oh, man. What a great night that was. I really regret not bringing you along with us. You would have had a blast.”

Oven Fresh took another sip of her third drink of the night and cleared her throat.

“By the sounds of it, I would have to say you’re right about that. But what happened next?”

“Oh… Uh,” Sniff remembered the drama that Cerb started in his sleep and how furious Luna was with Twilight. “I can’t really say. There was some personal drama that sprang up with one of my friends. I had to step in to keep everything civil and get it all straightened out. It’s all good now, but at the time…”

“Hey,” Oven Fresh reached across the table and placed her hoof on Sniff's hand. “If you said it’s all good now, try not to act like it’s not over with. Right now, you're out having the time of your life with the cutest baker in the kingdom. Or was that all sweet talk?”

“No,” Sniff said with a smile. “I meant every word of it. It’s just… Actually, forget about that. It’s not worth getting into. Things are good, and I’m here with you. Everything bad that happened that night was taken care of, and Twilight can’t hold anything against me after all I did for her.”

“Should I even ask what you did for her, or should I order dessert?” She asked with a sultry smile.

That was an easy question.

“Dessert, please.”

The soft twinkling sounds of a magic aura floated in with a silver tray.

“Did I hear the happy couple say dessert?” Italian Stallion asked as he unveiled a single slice of cheesecake.

Oven Fresh could only hope this was something Top Shelf had set up for her and capitalized on the offer.

“Oh, that looks like just the thing to hit the spot. You mind sharing, Peter?”

“You had me at dessert, Pop’n Fresh,” Sniff chuckled.

Oven Fresh pushed herself out of the seat and trotted over next to Sniff.

“Here, let me move closer so we can share easier.”

Even though they didn’t share the same spoon, the dessert perfectly finished off the meal. After that, Sniff paid the bill, said their goodbyes to Top Shelf and the rest of the staff, and Sniff escorted Oven Fresh home.

On the walk back, Oven Fresh had a slight buzz from the drinks going on but was otherwise still on cloud nine.

“Peter, I don’t know how to thank you enough for tonight. I’m never going to forget how much fun we had.”

Sniff looked down at Oven Fresh, walking alongside him, his eyes falling back to the short skirt she was wearing.

“Me too, but I have to know. Which one of my friends told you to go for a short skirt? I’m not complaining, but I’m still gonna have to give one of them hell for exploiting my weakness.”

“A weakness, aye?” Oven Fresh flirtingly flaunted the words. “You really like how it looks on me?”

Short skirts really were a weakness Sniff couldn’t resist after getting a good look at them. Although, he never would have imagined it would go this far.

“Well, of course I do. But you still—”

Before Peter could finish his question, Oven Fresh darted ahead and posed for him under the soft glow of a street lamp. She giggled as she twisted and turned, striking different poses to show off the low-cut fabric. Every other turn, she would look back with the most endearing ‘Come and Get Me’ stare.

As he finally started to catch up to her, she did a few more turns, the last one spinning fast enough to show everything she had been covering up.

The bare flesh she exposed would have had him searching for eye bleach only a day or two ago. But tonight? Maybe it was the alcohol that had lowered his sensitivities to the sight of her unprotected femininity. Perhaps it was the high he was still on from the wonderful time he had with her at dinner. It could have also been that he had such a great time getting to know her and was talking to her like she was a real human being. Maybe that’s what he temporarily saw her as. Not a pony, but a person.

“Now you dun messed up, Mr. James,” Oven Fresh taunted him. “All is fair in love and war, and you just gave up your greatest weakness. I hope a man about town, such as yourself, can free up the time for another night out when I feel like talking you out to one.”

“Oh-ho-ho,” Sniff mocked in laughter as he approached the flirtatious mare. “You think it’s that easy now, do ya?”

Oven Fresh playfully shrugged, “Well, I’m two for two without the skirt. So I think I could talk you into a few more now that I hold the advantage.”

“Ahh, I see,” Sniff toyed with her. “You forget something, my beautiful bread maker.”

Oven Fresh took to his side again as they came closer to her bakery and home.

“Hmm…. Nope. I don’t think I’m forgetting anything. Care to enlighten me?”

“Ohhhh, nothing major,” Sniff said as he traced his hand down the side of the clueless mare's neck and then back up over her ear. “I know your weaknesses as well.”

“Now, hold on a second,” Oven Fresh called out and nipped for his hand as he pulled it away. “We had a deal about that.”

Sniff looked off in the distance, playing coy, “Did we?”

This had to be a prank, Oven Fresh knew she was going to be his test dummy.

“Yes! You said—”

Sniff raised his voice, cheerful in tone, but mocked a curious nature, “When am I supposed to practice?”

“I…” She finally understood the dirty tactic of technicalities he was trying to employ on her. “Oh, no, you don’t!”

Oven Fresh reared up and took his hand in her forehooves and pulled it close to her chest, but couldn’t fight the smile she had.

“You can’t take these away from me.”

“Is that so?” Sniff asked, still playing coy. “You don’t see me jumping up and forcing your cute little rump into a skirt, do you?”

“Ugh!” Oven Fresh gasped in shock from having the tables turned on her but held strong to his hand and continued walking alongside him on her hind legs. “I could always go get myself another skirt? Another color? A little shorter, even? Would you keep your wonderful hands away from the cutest, most talented baker and part-time pony model of the kingdom if she played dress-up for you?”

Alcohol or not, Sniff was having way too much fun with his date. Cute, funny, loved to push his buttons, but he was good at calling her bluffs.

“So, now you think you can—”

“I don’t mind modeling for you,” she offered in her most seductive voice yet. “I saw the way you looked at me when I posed for you. You haven’t looked at any other mare like that before, have you?”

Sniff didn’t answer, but his expression and change in posture gave her all the information she was looking for.

So much for calling her bluff.

She giggled and nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder.

“I know you’re just messing with me. And not that I don’t mind this little game of cat and mouse, but if you really like the skirt, I wouldn’t mind buying a few more to wear. I actually really like them myself.”

Sniff thought twice about being honest, but he was loving the attention and positive vibes he was getting from her too much to deny it.

“I think it looks great on you, too. But I’m not going to force you to model for me.”

“Hmm,” Oven Fresh pretended to think hard. “Well, at the very least, I’d like to get your opinion on any others I buy. Even if I like the way it looks on me, you’re the only stallion who can appreciate them. So, I’d like to get your say on how they look on me.”

“Okay,” Sniff huffed in defeat. “You keep helping me perfect my craft, and I’ll help you find the style that fits you best. Deal?”

“Hmm,” she hummed again as she nuzzled into his shoulder and rubbed the back of his hand against her chest. “Yeah… I can accept those terms.”

By that time they had reached her shop, she released his hand to drop back down to all fours.

“Well, I had a wonderful time tonight, but it’s not that late if you’d like to come inside for a cup of coffee… Or maybe just have some more company until all your friends come back?”

This was feeling like all too familiar territory for Sniff. He could see himself falling back into the groove of how he would be acting if this wasn’t everything he said he wouldn’t be into. But he had to second guess himself as he looked down into the hopeful eyes of the mare offering him company.

Sure, there were still some...obvious issues with what was being suggested, but what kind of heartless bastard could say no to a lady like that?

“And you’re sure there is nothing dangerous in the water?” Cerb asked Fluttershy, eying the lake cautiously.

“I asked some of the birds around here, and they said there’s only fish and frogs in there. And we shouldn’t be close to any of the manticore dens or anything else. You should be fine to rinse off.”

“Okay.” Cerb ran through another mental checklist as he looked out over the water. “But what could be in there if they didn’t—”

“Justin, please,” Rarity stopped him from asking another series of questions about the water's safety. “How about we both go out there with you? Luna forbid some creepy crawly thing tries to pull you under; we’ll be right there to pull you out.”

Fluttershy picked up Cerb’s towel and threw it over her back.

“I know you’re worried about us seeing you without any clothes on, but I have already. And you have nothing you need to hide about yourself. Even Rarity has a good idea about what that part of you looks like, and she’s not bothered by it.”

“The real question is,” Rarity grabbed two more towels she brought along and levitated them up in front of her. “Are you more afraid of something that won’t hurt you, or something in the dark that you only think could hurt you?”

Cerb didn’t answer.

“Well, suit yourself,” Rarity huffed as she trotted out to the water's edge. “I didn’t have a chance to bathe before Twilight came to pick me up, so if you’re not getting in, I will.“ She stopped a few steps out away from the others and turned to look over her shoulder at them. “Although… I wouldn’t mind at least one of you out there with me in case the birds are wrong.”

Fluttershy scrunched her face and fluttered her wings.

“I need to rinse off after shearing all those roots and digging up everything else. I’m all sticky and dirty.“ She turned to look Cerb in the eyes. “I’m pretty sure the water is safe, but if it’s not… Could you please come and keep watch for us?”

Cerb’s head tilted up, and he gave a look of giving in against his better judgment.

“Fine, let's all go in.”

They all walked over to the water's edge, and the three towels were laid down before Fluttershy and Rarity waded their way into neck-deep depths. Cerb took off his boots and uniform but contemplated removing his boxers. He waited so long thinking about it that he eventually caught the attention of his two mares.

“Justin,” Rarity called out from the shallows of the lake. “This isn’t Twilight’s hot tub, but if you feel the need to stay covered, you can still bathe yourself in your undergarments.”

Fluttershy popped her head up and shook her mane free.

“Phew. Or we can look away while you—”

“No, fuck it,” Cerb begrudgingly answered as he dropped his boxers to the ground. “Ain’t nothing you haven’t seen already, Fluttershy. And Rarity… I think I can trust you enough not to flip out over you seeing me as covered up as much as you are…. Minus the tail, obviously.”

There was a mix of emotions and thoughts the two shared about having Cerb finally trust them enough to disrobe in front of them. It was rewarding to know he trusted them this much, a relief to see him not be so self-conscious, and of course, another odd state of excitement of being able to see more of him. However, that part was still confusing as to why it gave them such a thrill to see that part of him uncovered.

“Holy shit, that’s a lot colder than I thought it was gonna be,” Cerb grunted as he waded deeper into the water. “It shouldn’t be such a big deal to me. Me and the guys went skinny dipping a few times when we went on vacation together. Then there were a few times on deployment when me and boys jumped in because we, kinda like me right now, were out with just our uniforms and wanted to swim to get away from the heat.”

“So, this isn’t something unnatural for you to do with others?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, it’s not something we normally do,” Cerb answered as he finally got chest-deep. “But not unheard of.”

A small bottle of shampoo wrapped in a blue aura floated over to Cerb.

“Not that I think you need it,” Rarity said. “I think your natural scent is preferable to shea butter, but if you prefer to scrub up, you can use mine.”

Cerb eyed the bottle and thought about it.

“I guess you’re in luck, and no offense, but I think that scent fits a lot better on you than me, and I’d rather not smell like that out here. Don’t want wild animals smelling it when the sweat starts dripping off me.”

“Does that really happen?” Rarity asked, now questioning if she should use it.

“I think so,” Cerb said before throwing some water in his hair and scrubbing his face free of the day's grime. “But I’d rather not chance it.”

“I see,” Rarity flatly stated before she tossed the bottle back onshore.

“That, and I don’t want to smell like a girl,” Cerb joked to better lighten the mood.

“What’s wrong with smelling like a girl?” Fluttershy asked in her cute voice.

Cerb started scrubbing his hands under his armpits, using only the water from the lake.

“If you’re a girl, nothing. But would you rather I smell like a big strong man—“ He raised both arms and flexed. “-or smelt like Twilight or Pinkie?”

“Old books and lavender or cupcakes?” Rarity scoffed at the choices. “Gee, I hope you don’t want an answer right away.”

“Hey, I got a question about scents and all that,” Cerb spoke up. “Do both of you wear the same scented perfumes every day?”

“Not me,” Rarity was quick to answer. “I have a few favorites, but they certainly don’t all smell the same.”

Fluttershy shook her head, “Emm-Mmm, I don’t wear any at all.”

Cerb looked between the two again with a mix of disbelief and confusion.

“So you both naturally have that… I dunno. It’s like a really soft scented sweet kinda…. I dunno how to describe it. It’s got this weird… Okay, not weird, but a unique kind of tangy… almost fruity kind of fermented citrus smell. Kind of like a melon with oranges or lemons turning to wine.”

“How does a whine have a smell?” Fluttershy asked.

“No,” Cerb snorted. “Not whine like someone complaining. Wine as… Oh, right. You girls haven’t had any wine yet. It’s another kind of alcohol. I think Benny has a bottle or two, or infinite, back his place. I’ll have you try it after we get back. It’s pretty good.”

“Well then,” Rarity said with a smile. “Something else to look forward to when we get back. But, if we’re not shampooing tonight, I’m ready to get out when you both are.”

Cerb did one last rubdown to get the lint and grime off from between his legs.

“Yeah. I’m ready to towel off and get warmed up by the fire if you both are.”

The three left the water together, but upon the two mares shaking themselves dry and splattering Cerb, he had to take a quick dive back in before joining them again. Once out and back with the other two, Cerb mentally forced himself not to act so modestly around them.

In some way, he was trying to show them how much more he trusted them. It was some novel idea to show he wasn’t uncomfortable with them seeing him nude. Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take much effort, considering how little attention was given to his nudity.

Either out of respect or a lack of curiosity, they paid him no special attention. It was like they didn’t even care...then again, given they were nude all the time, it wasn’t really that surprising. Regardless, after drying off, he wore his towel around his waist like he typically would once they got back by the fire.

Unfortunately, having natural fur coats, while beneficial in some areas, also meant it took them much longer to dry off.

Cerb found his eyes wandering as they turned to let the fire warm each side of their bodies and toweled themselves off. The light from the fire hid little of the equine physiques in front of him. What little he saw had him again wondering how he was supposed to be acting in regard to their nudity.

“I should have asked this a while ago,” Cerb spoke at the two as they were finishing drying off. “You obviously know we have a sensitivity to being fully nude and our genitals being seen. Is that ever an issue for ponies?”

Fluttershy instinctively looked towards her backside and raised her tail slightly.

“Not really, though we also don’t go around trying to show them off. Mostly because, well, even if we do keep ourselves clean back there, no pony wants to be looking at… Well, it’s kind of gross knowing that we….”

“Do something that probably doesn’t need to be openly said in polite conversation,” Rarity abruptly answered/deflected the difficult question. “But as Fluttershy stated, we always take particular care to ensure we are kept pristine. Being how we sit on other pony's furniture, it is considered incredibly rude to leave a mess behind of ones... “

“Yeah, yeah,” Cerb said, saving Rarity the embarrassment of having to use any more literal potty language. “We make sure to clean ourselves, too. But it’s just that... do you never have a problem with perverts trying to sneak a peak or going around gawking at every mare not covered up?”

Rarity lifted her tail and tried to give a quick glance at herself before giving up and focusing back on Cerb’s question.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of that being a… uh… What would you call that? A hobby? Ponies don’t go around trying to look at each other's lady or stallion parts. And what is a pervert? Is that what you call a human that… well, how could a human do that if you are all always covered up?”

“Actually,” Fluttershy butted into the conversation with a thought of her own. “For as much as you all want to stay covered up and not be seen or want to see each other's genitals, does it bother you that we don’t cover up?”

That was one question Cerb never thought he would be asked. It was also one he didn’t know how to answer without sounding like an asshole...didn't stop him from trying, though.

“I… Uhh.” Cerb had to think quickly about how to come out as neutral as possible for this. “Never thought about it. I mean… at least for me, the few times I’ve seen them, they haven’t been an issue. It’s like you ponies say. You’ve seen one body, you’ve seen ‘em all. I’m not bothered by it.”

Rarity had a strange thought about that whole statement.

“You know. We all say that, but I don’t think it’s actually true.”

“What do you mean it’s not true?” Fluttershy asked, suddenly surprised to hear somepony question the old adage.

“Well, it’s just that—“ Rarity turned to Fluttershy. “—with all the talk about being different or being the same, I realized that we never actually make a point to see if that’s true or not. Now, granted, why would we? But, we’re all different from each other. Eye color, mane styles, the lengths of our tails, the colors of our coats, cutie marks… But that statement has always been in reference, primarily, to the parts of us we keep covered up the most. Do we actually look the same back there?” She turned back to Cerb. “Do all humans look the same under those garments you all wear?”

“Uh... “ Cerb stumbled, not wanting to give an answer that would leave a lot of questions open to follow up with. “I think a phrase like that is supposed to mean that you’re all built the same way. You all have fur, manes, eyes, hooves, and your private parts behind you. Not that they all look exactly the same. It’s kind of the same for us. We all have the same body parts, but they don’t all look exactly the same. There’s no two so drastically different that you can’t tell they’re both the same body part.”

Rarity rolled those concepts around in her head for a moment.

“I suppose you’re right. We can’t all look exactly the same, though we all are similar.”

Fluttershy agreed with the logical explanation, “Yeah, it makes a lot more sense when you put it like that. But, anyway.” Fluttershy finished with her towel and hung it over a tree limb. “Since we have plenty of time now. I’d still like to have another look at your leg.“

She turned away from Cerb and looked at Rarity with some hesitation, “Would you like Rarity to look away or wait somewhere else if you’ll still let me look at it? Without the towel on, I mean. I know that’s what we told Twilight earlier, but I really am worried about it. I didn’t really take into consideration all the hilly areas you had to climb up today. I’m so used to flying over them that it never seemed like such a big deal to me.”

Cerb looked over the two and noticed a certain look on Rarity’s face that could only be recognized as rejection.

“Alright, look, you two. From here on out, since you’re both my sponsors or caretakers while I’m here, I don’t want to feel like I’m giving either of you special treatment or trust either one of you less than the other. And since you both were shown how to take care of my leg… I won’t make a big deal out of this if you won’t. So, Rarity, if you would be so kind as to help Fluttershy with my examination, you’re more than welcome to stay.”

Given the wordy invitation, Rarity now felt like she was forcing him to do something that would make him uncomfortable.

“Justin, it’s not such a big deal if it’s only—”

“I made the mistake once of hurting you by not giving you the level of faith and trust you deserve. I trust you not to go out of your way to hurt or insult me. And I still trust you both more than any other pony out here. No offense to your friends, but the only two that come close are Cadance and Big Mac. Maybe Shining too. But if anything ever happens to make it so Fluttershy isn’t available, you’re the only other pony I’d want by my side for anything medical-related if I’m not already in the hospital.”

Rarity took a deep breath, letting all that sink in, though it did seem to finally put her at ease.

“I see what you mean, Justin, and I’m glad to hear that you have that much faith in me. I’ll be sure to learn as much as I can.”

“So—“Cerb undid his towel and hung it on a low-hanging branch. “—where do you need me, and what are you looking for?”

Thankfully, the examination hadn’t taken long to get through most of the basic movements but it had made Cerb very uncomfortable at first. It wasn’t how close Fluttershy was; he was already fine with that. Part of it was having Rarity watching so closely, even if he did agree to allow her to observe. He had gotten over her watchful eyes relatively easily as time when on, though.

Mostly, however, it was the touching up and down his inner thigh along with the occasional bumping against his unmentionables as they took turns feeling how the muscles would move in various positions.

Nearing the end, going through another set of motions with Fluttershy feeling the muscle movements, her left ear twerked to face him. It gave her a curious look about her, which suddenly turned to one of concern.

“Can you spread your legs apart a little more for me?”

Anything to get this over faster was worth doing for Cerb, and he complied, but what Fluttershy did next almost made him jump. Fluttershy had stepped forward and had her face between his legs and her ear pressed up against his inner thigh.

“What are you doing?” Cerb questioned with clear concern in his voice.

Fluttershy hugged a little tighter around his leg and tried to steady herself.

“I think somethings wrong. I need you to squat again.”

Between the repeated movements already making his sore leg more aggravated, the large puff of pink hair pressing up into his scrotum, far too soft for him not to be concerned, left him more than a little anxious.

“Why are you on me like that?”

Despite his tone, Fluttershy hadn’t moved.

“Your anatomy is different, so I wasn't sure exactly what I was feeling happening inside, but I think I heard something. If it’s nothing, we’re just about done.”

With the promise of the examination ending soon, and working against his better judgment, Cerb repeated his motions. Arms up to his sides, face forward, feet flat on the ground, squat down and break ninety degrees… but try to avoid giving Fluttershy Arabian Goggles in the process this time.

After completing the squat, he stood up again; the ache in his leg, while still dull, was enough for him to be done with the whole experience.

“Well?”

Fluttershy pulled her head away and stepped back, clearly not happy with whatever she observed.

“I heard a cracking noise inside. I need to do another test with you. You’ll have to lay on your back for this one. You might have a problem with a tendon running from your knee up into your inner hip. I’m going to have to get a lot closer to you than before to make sure you’re going to be okay.”

Trying to be helpful, Rarity laid a towel down in the grass for Cerb to use, though it wasn’t helping much.

Much as he appreciated the help, this was becoming a bit too much for Cerb. He didn’t know how much closer to his dick she was planning on getting, but she was already a few inches away from kissing it. Calling it a night sounded like a better option for him.

“You know, I think I’m good. We already did a lot, and I feel fine.”

Fluttershy was blindsided by Cerb’s response. Was he trying to passively blow off the rest of the examination?

“Bu… No, Justin. This is important. I’m not going to try and hurt you.”

“No, no. Of course not. I’m not worried about that,” Cerb said, stepping away from the towel, but there was an annoying dismissive air in his voice. “I carried you and the rest of the load all day. We don’t need to waste our time on any more of this. I know what my body can handle, and we can do this later if I think there’s a problem.”

“Justin, please just lie down on the towel,” Fluttershy pleaded angrily. “Why are you being so difficult now after everything else we’ve done? And this could be more serious than the other injuries I already found.”

“Why can’t it wait?” Cerb asked, trying with all his might to stall.

Fluttershy, however, wouldn’t hear it and stomped her hoof.

“Because that cracking noise I heard in your leg means the tendon is probably grinding against the bone in your hip. If it is, and it becomes too tight from overworking it because you were too nervous or stubborn to stop and take a break at the checkpoints like you were supposed to—”

Cerb started to turn away, thinking he could avoid the whole ordeal altogether.

“You don’t know if that’s what—”

“No!” Fluttershy shouted as she flew up in Cerb’s face.”You sit down on that towel right now!”

Cerb backed off with one foot on the towel, not expecting to see her this heated over him trying to walk away.

“My leg’s going to hurt no matter what. I’m gonna be fine—”

Fluttershy flew up over his eye line and aggressively jabbed her hoof in his chest.

“Sit down, and then lay flat. I need you on your back, both arms above your chest, left leg straight, and your right bent at a forty-five-degree angle so I can move it. I need to see if the hills we have to climb tomorrow are going to be too much of a risk for you to climb, and we have to take the long way around instead.” She glared down at him with eyes that could have given Celestia’s a run for their money, waiting for him to comply. “I said, sit!”

Fluttershy jabbed her hoof much harder into Cerb’s chest and pushed him back enough that he went down, ass first, on the towel.

Cerb saw he was no longer in a position to negotiate.

“Alright, geez. Calm down.”

“Calm down?” Fluttershy repeated his words like they were an insult as she lowered herself to the ground. “Calm down?”

And it was at that moment, Cerb knew he fucked up.

“Did you forget all of a sudden that I was put in charge of your health?” Fluttershy asked rhetorically. “And didn’t we just have a big discussion about all the trust you have in us? No! Don’t answer that, because I already know the answer. You didn’t forget because we just heard you tell us all about it.”

Fluttershy started pacing back and forth. Her normal soft and calming shy voice rose in octaves with a grungy undertone of pent-up anger. She was going to let him have it.

“And I have been calm, I have been patient, and I’ve done all that I can to work around your sensitivities that you seem to go back and forth on. It’s so hard to keep track of which pony can, or when a pony cannot be near your covered parts, or how close. And I have been very respectful of your requests because there hasn’t been much that I saw that needed me to be near those spots. But even when I did, I was always careful not to touch you more than I needed, because I knew it bothered you. I don’t know why it does, even if I’m trying to help you, but I said okay, that it was fine. I did only what I thought I could without upsetting you.” She stopped her pacing and stared him down. “But this is not something I can give a quick look over or avoid without getting close to your… parts.”

By now Cerb was ready to give in to whatever she was going to ask of him at this point. Not only was she right about everything they had talked about, but he was also still overly concerned about any perceived claims of sexual misconduct. However, Fluttershy wasn’t done putting Cerb in his place.

“The hills we have to go over tomorrow are much steeper than what we covered today. If you have to take a wider stance going up the hillside, and that tendon is too tight, it could very well snap or tear, sending you tumbling down... You may be tough, you might even be magic-proof, but you're not immune from a tree or a rock breaking your bones if you smash into them. So, when you get carried back, and everypony asks me what happened, I'd have to tell them that I knew you had a problem, but I didn’t care enough to make you stop. Then what? All that trust you built up and all the trust they put into me, gone! Then who’s to say they wouldn’t let me help you with anything else after that? I’m sure Kelly wouldn’t want me near you. What then? What happens the next time Luna runs into one of your nightmares because I’m not there with you at night?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Cerb grumbled.

“Sorry's not good enough,” Fluttershy barked.

“What?” Cerb asked, almost ready to lay down as instructed and give up on the conversation. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to really trust me,” Fluttershy insisted. “More than just the words I say or what you can tell me or show me. I need to get close and touch you in areas you might not want to be touched so I can help you. And if you can’t find a reason to let me get this close to you, then I need you to at least trust me enough to tell me why."

Fluttershy stared down at Cerb and waited for him to give some explanation but quickly ran out of patience.

"Is there something else that hurts you down there? Are you scared of me touching you there because of some cultural thing? Do you think it’s gross because that's where you urinate from?... Justin, I can work with you on any of these issues, but I can’t work on any of them without you! Don't you understand?”

She had given him some good reasons to explain why she was so pissed off. He could at least meet her halfway with his explanations.

“You know it hurts,” Cerb started to explain. “It always hurts. The leg, I mean, and even up into my hip. And I don’t want you hurting me, even on accident. Because I know how much you worry over any little thing that happens to me. And… yes… I don’t want you getting grossed out if you touch anything else. Then, I’m going to feel bad about it. But, you’re right. I need to be more honest with you both. But, my tendon… do you think that could happen?”

“I’ve seen it happen before to a giraffe,” Fluttershy huffed. ”So… can you please help me and lay down like I asked so that I can make sure your leg will be fine for tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Cerb answered with a much more placid tone but then stopped short of laying down. “But… there is another reason about being so close and touching." The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back finally landed. "God, I’m sorry. I can’t keep talking around the word. My dick. I’ve been trying so hard not to say it, but I can’t keep dancing around it. My dick, by itself, is sensitive. And I’m pretty sure it's not like anything you’ve seen or will see on a pony. So, I am extremely embarrassed about it. And I don’t want you to have a freakout and do or say something stupid over it.”

Fluttershy looked down at his crotch, though still not sure why he was so concerned.

“Well, I already knew it was different just by looking at it. What else is so different about it that you would be embarrassed about? Why not just tell me now, so if I find out later, neither one of us will have a bad reaction over it? I’ll know what to look out for, and you won’t have to explain it to me then. I’ll already know and not point it out.”

The time had come for Cerb to bite the bullet.

“It grows.”

“Beg your pardon,” Rarity chimed in. “I’m sorry. I know this is really you and Fluttershy hashing things out… but did you say it grows?”

“Yes,” Cerb wasn’t beating around the bush anymore. “As I said, it’s sensitive, and if it gets moved around or touched in certain ways, it gets bigger. And I can already see you freaking out when you see it… getting big and hard.”

“Wait,” Fluttershy was now lost. “Does it just grow, or does it—”

“When it grows, it gets harder,” Cerb groaned at having to explain something so embarrassing. “It’s like this for literally every male species that has a dick. How do you girls not know this? Or how it doesn’t happen for stallions, which at this point has to be impossible, I don’t know. But if it happens, it’s not really something I can control.”

“Well…” Fluttershy didn’t have a comment to address something she knew so little of. “I’ll do my best not to touch it so it won’t—”

“It can be so sensitive that just touching near it will cause it to happen,” Cerb informed her. “That’s what happened at the spa. It happened to both me and Sniff.”

“What!” Rarity yelped. “Are you saying they tried to massage your di—"

“No!” Cerb shouted back. “I just said, you just have to touch near it, and it'll happen. And yesterday, they rubbed so far up my leg and over my hips that... it started to happen. That’s what Sniff meant by saying we sometimes get stiff.”

Fluttershy seemed to regret going off on Cerb like she did, not knowing the particulars about his anatomy.

"Oh…That's…"

Cerb groaned over whatever Fluttershy was about to say, "Just focus on the leg and not worry about my dick."

"Right," Fluttershy chirped, happy to move on again despite the new information. "Now, I’m going to move it around. I need you to tell me when this starts to hurt."

Fluttershy sat between his legs and raised his injured leg straight up towards his body.

"Anything?"

Cerb didn't seem to be bothered by the movement.

"Doesn't hurt any more than normal."

"Okay," Fluttershy lowered his leg down again but then pushed it out and away, spreading his legs open in a very vulnerable-looking position and started to lift. "How about—"

"Ow! Stop! Tap-Tap!" Cerb shouted with his hands covering his face. "Jesus fucking Christ… God, fuck… Okay, a million times over, I apologize for being difficult. This is new, and I wouldn't have caught it… Goddamnit… What do we do now?"

Sounding a little remorseful, Fluttershy answered, "All we can do is try to remove as much of the tension the way we learned at the spa. Then we will have to let it rest tonight and check it in the morning. But I’ll have to work over a lot of the areas that are close to your…”

“My dick,” Cerb grumbled. “It’s fine. Again, I trust you, and I’m doing all I can to get over these stupid little gripes of mine... I won’t put up a fuss if you can do me a favor and say dick instead of trying so hard not to say anything. It’s more awkward when you don’t say it.”

“Your… dick?” Fluttershy struggled to say.

“Dick?” Rarity said the word as if it were a question. “That’s a much less embarrassing way to say than penis or testicles.”

“Jesus H Christ,” Cerb grumbled again. “You actually know the words to these body parts but haven’t been using them?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Fluttershy whined with a blush. “We talk about those parts even less than we see them.”

“Dick, penis, balls, testicles, or whatever words you have for them, just use them,” Cerb muffled out the request behind his hands covering his face, wishing this whole exchange would end. “How long is this going to take?”

“If you mean working on your leg—“ Fluttershy looked towards the tent. “—I think this is going to take a while, unfortunately. At least if we’re going to do it without inflaming it more than it already is. It would work better if we did this in the tent where you have something more comfortable to lie down on.”

Within no time at all, Cerb gathered his boots and uniform, and they all piled into the tent. Once they were all situated and the lamp was strung up for them to see, Fluttershy and Rarity went to work.

Cerb, however, did take his towel to keep himself covered.

"I'm sorry again for being so difficult," Cerb said, breaking the long silence.

"It's perfectly understandable, darling," Rarity stated very nonchalantly. "As easy-going as we all seem about our bodies, we also have the same sensitivities when dealing with our lady parts."

Fluttershy pressed her hoof into Cerb’s pelvic crease.

“I’m going to start working on this area now. If it hurts too much or if I touch anything that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know, and I can stop or find a new way to work on this tender spot.”

“Go ahead,” Cerb answered, trying hard not to put much thought or concern behind it.

The first few minutes of working out the bad tendon were incredibly unpleasant. Repeatedly, Fluttershy would stop and pull her hooves back, only for Cerb to tell her to continue and that he could tolerate the pain.

Eventually, the long strokes from where his hip met his leg, up to his lower abdomen or down toward his knee, stopped feeling so painful, and he could finally relax.

"Finally feeling better?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Cerb softly answered, sounding much more at ease. "It doesn't feel like you're running a cheese grater over my femur anymore."

"What about the rest of your leg?" Rarity asked as she gently massaged around his knee.

Cerb gave her a thumbs up. "Much better."

Fluttershy placed another small dose of oil on her hoof.

"Okay, I'll just finish this up here, and then we can get some sleep. Unless you'd like me to work on something else before we go to bed for the night?"

"No, the leg is more than enough," Cerb answered. "But when we get back, forget about the spa. I owe you both for all you've done for me. I plan on repaying the favor."

Rarity grinned and nearly laughed at her thoughts.

"I suppose we shouldn't bother with the back and forth of 'Oh, you don't have to' and 'Oh, but I insist' exchange we tend to go through?"

Cerb shrugged.

"I dunno. We got plenty of time to waste. How bored are ya feeling right now?"

Fluttershy giggled, "We gladly accept."

The last bit of the massage was a welcomed change. Every stroke was gentle and comforting, soft and pleasant treatment going over the worst spots she had worked on. When compared to the massage work done, this felt damn good. Perhaps a bit too damn good. And by the time Cerb noticed his towel was moving, it had already caught the two mare's attention.

"Awe, shit," Cerb grumbled as he adjusted the cloth covering him.

Rarity pulled back as well with an unspoken apology on her face.

"Do you want us to stop?"

The welcomed treatment from Fluttershy's hooves was pulled away as well.

"I didn't touch it."

Cerb assessed the situation and decided again to give his girls a bit more trust.

"I'm sorry. If it doesn't bother you, I won't freak out over it. I just wish there was some kind of analogy to help explain why this is embarrassing for me. Not sure what things you know best relate to this."

"Why?" Rarity started to ask the obvious question as she stared at the cloth covering his groin. "What makes it do that?"

Fluttershy watched the cloth move again slightly.

"It doesn't hurt when it does that, does it? Or does it do that because the massage hurt?"

“Then why? “ Cerb ran through a mental list of shit not to say before landing on one that was passible. “—Your ears and tails kinda… twitch on their own, don’t they?”

The two mares suddenly felt like they were being outed.

“I’ve seen it happen to you a few times when you get excited or if you're in a hurry,” Cerb explained. “It’s just an involuntary reaction for you, right?”

“Yes, it is kind of embarrassing when they do that?” Fluttershy both asked and answered at the same time. “I… Yes. I think that’s a good way of putting it.”

“It must look silly,” Rarity added to the cover story. “Kind of annoying, really.”

“Yeah, well,” Cerb paused to let the point get across. “Sometimes it just does it on its own. If it gets rubbed up against something, that will do it. Another reason we stay covered, actually. And… the one that still confuses me is sleep.”

“Sleep?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah,” Cerb huffed with a laugh. “Well, every guy wakes up with their dick hard. Sometimes when I get sleepy… boom. Out of nowhere. I get tired, and he wakes up.”

Fluttershy snickered hard and covered her mouth, “He? Is it alive and has a mind of its own?”

“No,” Cerb groaned, though he was laughing to himself for even saying it.

“It’s kind of a running joke for guys. Saying that it does what it wants or that it has a mind of its own.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

“If you say so, but if it's okay to start again, I’m almost done.”

The rest of the massage went on without any interruption. Nothing outside of Cerb’s cloth moving again once or twice. But in the end, when Fluttershy felt as though she’d done enough, they were ready to sleep for the night.

Rarity blew out the lantern and lit up her horn to look around the small pile of clothes left in the corner.

“Uh, Justin? I’m sure you would like your shorts if you're ready to sleep, but I’m not finding them.”

Cerb steadied his nerves and thought this was the time for the ultimate display of trust and tactical lethargy.

“If it’s just us three tonight, and we have a good understanding of everything now, I think I’m fine with sleeping comfortably without any shorts on.”

Rarity smiled, but that smile quickly revealed to have been forced.

“It’s nice to know that you feel that comfortable around us, but I hope you’re not making that statement on our behalf. But if it helps you sleep better." She turned back to Fluttershy, lighting up her horn and levitating two pairs of pajamas. “Fluttershy, dear, let me know how these fit you in the morning.”

At least any concerns Cerb had about being violated at night had been completely shut down. However, he was still completely mixed up inside on what to think. There were so many mixed signals and inconsistencies about their knowledge and behavior. Then again, today had been a very long and stressful day, with an even longer and more stressful night, given all that they had discussed and had been exposed to. Not to mention how oddly comfortable being naked around them and the lack of sexual knowledge they had made him feel oddly uncomfortable around them.

As he popped out of thought, he found the two were already dressed in their PJs. Not that there was much to them.

A pair of pajama bottoms that wrapped around their waist and a top cover that looked to be made of a much lighter material and was worn more like an open vest. It was cute to see their PJs match their manes and tails, though.

Fluttershy looked down at the limited space the tent offered.

“Umm… do we keep the same sleeping arrangements as last night, or should we try something else so we don’t end up piled up on each other again?”

Even if the day was one giant cluster fuck of pushing each other's buttons and humiliating one another, as well as all the sexual overtones getting in the way, there was one comfort he didn’t want to risk screwing up.

“Can I be completely honest with you two?” Cerb asked, his vulnerabilities showing through in his words.

“I know that today hasn’t been easy for any of us, and it’s been overwhelmingly my fault. But you two.“ Cerb couldn’t believe how choked up he was getting from what he wanted to say to them. “You’ve been more patient and understanding with me than I can understand the reasons for. And maybe part of it is because of how much I’ve closed others off and cut certain parts of my life away. But seeing how much you two mean to me makes me feel like I’m just going to lose you. So, that’s why I keep pushing and trying to keep these barriers… But the only time I’ve ever really been able to really accept what you are is in my most desperate of times. When Kelly was hurt and during my night terrors...”

Rarity pulled back the covers and took her place next to Cerb.

“Justin, as much as we like to hear your praise for us, you don’t need to explain yourself.”

Fluttershy crawled under the covers and started to get comfy.

“We might get frustrated with you at times, but that’s just because we care so much and want to help.”

“I know,” Cerb admitted. “But that’s not really what I was getting at. What I wanted to say was about our sleeping arrangements.”

“Are we...” Fluttershy sounded worried.

“I miss having someone close to me,” Cerb confessed. “Even before we knew you two could help with the dreams… The first time waking up with you two… I didn’t want to admit it, but it felt nice to have someone to be close to and… I guess I just like being able to lay next to someone and have that… closeness. Sorry, I’m talking in circles now.”

Fluttershy giggled and shuttered playfully under the covers as she snuggled in closer to Cerb.

“Are you saying you want to cuddle with us?”

“Justin?” Rarity was surprised to hear such a claim from Cerb. “Are you saying you don't want physical barriers or extra space between us while sleeping? ”

Cerb laid back and placed his hands behind his head.

“I haven’t held anyone close to me like you two in a long time. And I’m not saying that I look at this like…“ Cerb held his tongue for a moment, trying to think of a way to say it wasn't sexual, but opted for a different admission of truth. “I also forgot to pack my shorts and left my boxers outside by the lake."

Laughter erupted from both sides of Cerb.

"So that speech about trusting us was more of an excuse not to get up, I take it?" Rarity jested.

Cerb snickered, "Well, I am trying to show you both that I trust you more, but it's also cold and dark outside."

Fluttershy snuggled in closer again.

"Well, I still appreciate the gesture. And we can keep you warm tonight."

“You know, Justin,” Rarity softly said as she cuddled closer to Cerb’s side. “When you came here, you were keeping so much of yourself locked away in that box of yours, Cadence described. She called them letters, but let’s be honest. What hurt you was far more than words on paper. Dealing with them alone left you so vulnerable that you had to protect yourself from letting more pain in… But then you found us and discovered that you don’t have to be alone. And while it’s been the most daunting task to convince you that you can trust us—”

“Oh, my god. I’m sorry,” Cerb groaned.

“As you should be,” Rarity playfully joked. “But… you really do trust us now. You’ve opened up so much and have allowed yourself to let us see a side of you that nopony else has.”

Cerb huffed and rolled his eyes away from Rarity, “Pretty sure half the hospital staff saw me naked.”

“Not that,” Rarity grumbled. “Well, that too, I suppose. But you know what I mean… What I’m trying to say is things are not the same as they were for you, or any of us, since you first got here. Little by little, all the circumstances that held your heart closed and kept you distant started to change. And now—“ She nuzzled her muzzle up Cerb’s shoulders and rested it over his neck. “—Now, things, I can safely say, are different. I hope you can say the same.”

“Maybe,” Cerb softly answered.

“Maybe you don’t see it like we do, Justin, but things are different," Fluttershy cooed gently as the weariness of the day started to take its toll on her. "And we’re so happy that they are. But until you see it too, we’re both here for you... Sleep tight, Justin. See you in the morning.”

“Yes, have a good night, hun,” Rarity whispered. “Tomorrow will be a much brighter day. You’ll see.”

“Good night, you two.”

Dun dun DUUUUUN! Boom! Oven Fresh is working that unicorn magic. That and skirts just so happen to be Sniff's kryptonite. Maybe that coffee will help him regain some strength?

Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed spending a lot of time with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Cerb. There was a lot to go over. And if you were wondering, those leg issues Cerb is having are legit. And it's amazing how long and how well someone can function and operate with chronic pain from an injured leg.

Also... not sure if anyone else has ever experienced this, but laying in a bed with someone else, just being close in a vulnerable state like that, it's hard to describe. At least it is if there is some form of trust and compassion being shared between you and them. It's an odd combination of disarming and empowering. Being close and having that contact can do a lot to make someone do something out of character, such as laying nude in a bed with one or two others.

At the very least, I hope you can see why these are the Trials of the Lonely Hearts.

Otherwise, stay tuned for the conclusion of this three-parter to wrap up one wild night with: Chapter 54. The Trials of Lonely Hearts: Part 3 (how is this a spoiler?)

Also, a big thank you to The Fan Without A Face for editing this and chapter 51.