Rarity blinked in confusion. So much had been thrown at her, what with the money, Sniff dating the local baker, his impeccable taste in fashion, not to mention his peculiar fixation on undergarments and Oven Fresh’s lady parts, and now he was going to bring Kelly into the mix? For what? Why?

"Get Kelly to help?"

Sniff carried on as if there was no need to clarify, and he was only faintly trying to pacify her.

"Yeah, you know… Maybe some photoshoots. A magazine cover or two. Posters, flyers, try to get the news involved. Do a full workup to get your new line out to as many eyes and ears as possible. And believe me, if I can turn…”

He stopped to try and work out some quick mental math. Try as he might, the numbers kept being replaced with two pairs of tits sliding out of wet bikini tops.

He was hard enough as it was already. Although, that also made him wonder if ponies played soccer.

"Screw it, I'll just round the numbers. Though, if I can take a little over three hundred bits worth of our money, and bing-bang-boom. A few car washes and calendars sold later. Turned it into over thirty-seven thousand bits worth of your cash?”

Sniff made a series of gestures with his finger in front of him. Momentarily going back to try and verify the mental math, but quickly gave up.

“Again, ballpark numbers, and that was for a soccer team that wasn't even good…. Yeah, I can make this work."

Rarity and Oven Fresh were both impressed but still slightly confused, leaving Oven Fresh to ask the first question.

"Do we have to wash your car?"

Rarity could care less about the car, more focused on this potentially lucrative business venture.

"What was all the bing-bang-boom with the pictures? And how does selling calendars equate to selling panties?"

It was possible Sniff left a lot out of that example and apologetically spoke to clarify.

"Alright, first off, my car doesn't need to be washed for this to work... but that would make for a damn good picture. As for the bing-bang-boom, that was me getting pictures taken of the soccer players washing cars. We took those pictures, put them on calendars, and sold them at another car wash to help bring attention to them. So really, we only sold a little under fifteen thousand dollars worth of calendars, you do the math. The rest was all donations and online sales, or... magic mail order, I guess, would be the closest thing for you as an equivalent.”

There was so much that had gone into making that project work. Mostly, leg work and talking with the right people, but it eventually amounted to getting those he was helping to take over. Thinking back, the bulk of his work took place in all of a few weeks with little help. Rarity seemed to be a lot more proactive, though Sniff didn't want to oversell his proposal.

“To be fair though, that was over six months in all that we were working it. Those things were still being sold well after their season was over. Regardless, I can sell your product with the right resources and knowing the audience I'm marketing them to."

A slight snicker escaped Oven Fresh, and she had to apologize.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to be really good to sell a piece of clothing ponies don't have a need to wear."

Sniff knelt down to Oven Fresh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and did a mock speaking parody of Rarity's voice.

"Darling. This is fashion we're talking about. It’s not about the utility of a piece of cloth or a necessity to stay covered. This is about expression, passion,—" He dropped the mock voice. "—and grabbing the attention of those around you. These kinds of clothes are for saying something about yourself. Like... I like sports, or I’m here to party, I'm single and looking for love. Anything you want to say to whoever you want to see you. Your clothes can say it for you."

Oven Fresh didn't fully agree but at least decided to play along.

"Ooooh? I see. So... what did my skirt say about me last night?"

That was supposed to be a gotcha question, but Sniff knew how to play this game better than she did. So, with a proud smile and a calm demeanor, he decided to flex on the poor mare.

"A lot, I think. First, its style told me that you wanted my attention. Heh… You know how well that worked."

He watched Oven Fresh blush and went deeper in his analysis.

"It was also shorter than I remembered seeing from the last time I was here, so that meant you had it tailored. Same day no less. That also would have had to be a rush order, so you were obviously invested in the evening. And, of course, the style was just like you.”

Sniff immediately put on a smirk as he prepared to lay on the flattery.

“Cute, flirty, but still plenty of flair and personality, yet it was also smart without flaunting to where it seemed boastful. Wrap that around the cutest baker in the kingdom, and it’s no wonder it caught my attention with the greatest of ease."

Now Rarity was ripe with envy. She still had to play the slow game with Cerb while the town baker was flirting with her human in public... sort of public. Her boutique was also her home, so… whatever.

Regardless, there was both knowledge and advantages to gain from this mutual friend, so she played along and joyfully rolled her eyes.

"Gah! Any more gushing from you, and I'll need a mop to clean up all the sap you're spewing over the poor thing."

Perhaps Sniff played it up a little too strongly, but with how brightly Oven Fresh was beaming after that, he didn't mind. Although, Sniff was detecting a bit of jealousy from the marshmallow mare.

"Awe, and here I thought you were the romantic type, Diamond Thighs. But, I do apologize, Ovens. This took longer than I thought it would, and I need to see if I can talk to Chris or Becky about something I’m working on before I go see the mayor again today."

"Kinda all over the place," Sniff shouted up to Kelly from the staircase.

"We should meet up for dinner tonight. Let's shoot for seven."

Kelly shouted back, "Where?!"

The last words from Sniff were faint, but she could still hear, "No idea! And take my car! Benny's car sucks!"

Just beyond the double doors to the castle, Sniff greeted the sole remaining Solar Guard, "Morning..."

He slowed his pace before stopping altogether to address the guard. For some reason, he kept confusing Helix Ray with this pegasus mare. Probably because they both looked so alike, aside from the mane and tail, not that he was that interested in getting to know them when they first met.

None the less, with the three out in the Everfree Forest, she was left alone to stand guard. And in this slow-ass town?

The poor thing.

"I am so sorry. I don't think we've ever been properly introduced."

The guard was your typical all-white coat, blond colored mane, with blue eyes pegasus. Yet, she stood tall and firm… until she realized that Sniff was giving her more than a passing greeting.

She instantly relaxed and looked up, bright-eyed, and cheerful.

"Morning, Mr. Sniff," she greeted him in a warm yet dutiful voice. "Specialist, Swift Sails. I... uh... with Captain Onyx Armor and my other squad members supporting Princess Twilight, I am the only Solar Guard standing guard today. But, fear not!"

She awkwardly seemed to fumble with her thoughts. It was kind of cute, but also sad this was her job, standing watch alone. She had to be lonely if she was expelling this much exposition like she was starved for interaction.

"I've been training privately in my off-hours with Staff Sergeant Thunder Glide, and I'm quite capable of facing any threat that may come your way."

Wow, this mare was really trying to sell it. Not just to come off as professional and be personable, she was trying to reassure him of his safety. Sniff had to take a moment and brighten up this mare's day.

"Specialist, Swift Sails… I like that name. It sounds calming to me."

He pointed his finger and gave her a salesman's smile. A compliment with an immediate follow-up on something she was passionate about should be enough to get some value from this interaction.

"You put me at ease, Specialist, but I've only seen Onyx and Helix do any kind of combat with Cerb. Apparently, Rainbow Dash kicked some ass saving the world and all that... How does a pegasus like you fight?"

Swift Sails stood up tall and formally began to debrief.

"Mr. Sniff. As an individual trainee, I have—"

"Wait," Sniff stopped her abruptly. "Look, as a favor, could you address me as Peter or Mr. James? Sniff is a nickname that doesn't fit me well over here. And you can speak casually to me in these one-on-ones. I don’t need all that yes sir, no sir, formal military bearing."

The lone guard stood stiff at the interruption but relaxed after hearing his request.

"If that is what you request... Peter. But, yes. Umm... aside from watching Onyx, have you seen any hoof-to-hoof fighting or weapons combat?"

Sniff sported a half-grin and barely even shrugged.

"No, just the two I mentioned before, and even those were pretty short-lived. I can't help but wonder what it looks like compared to how we do it."

There was a moment of weakness where the young Specialist spoke as fast as she could to win Sniff's approval and fall under his good graces.

"We could show you," she realized how unprofessional she had spoken and had to pause to remove the awkwardness. "Thunder Glide and myself, I mean. We're supposed to pick up on our training again once she gets back from this exercise with your friend and Princess Twilight."

Sniff nodded, glad to see what only a few words could do to bring a little joy to this mares day. Plus, an all-white pegasus with a halberd and golden armor? She was actually pretty cool.

"You know what, I’d love to see that. Gotta keep my mind and hands busy with something. Plus, with Cerb training Fluttershy and all that, this could be an opportunity to improve security for each other. But I need to run some errands. You want anything while I'm out? My treat for you standing guard all day and getting stiffed on any support."

Swift Sails smiled and rendered a proper salute.

"No, sir, Mr. James. I'll be fine until the Lunar Guard relieves me this evening."

Sniff grinned and shrugged with his hand open and out to his sides. She was slipping back into her overly formal mindset again. Might need a little extra push.

"You sure? Last chance to get something out in town. I’m trying to be a good ambassador, here. Strengthening bonds, showing goodwill? Egh?"

Another moment of weakness took over the lonesome guard.

"Maybe a slice of carrot cake?... I hear Sugar Cube Corner makes a really good one out here."

A thumbs-up was Sniff's sign of approval as he started towards the center of town.

"Carrot cake for the hard-working warrior. You got it."

Sniff was off to his first stop, which was the metalsmith, still hammering away.

"Iron Forge, morning."

The metalsmith, known as Iron Forge, held his hammer back and turned to the human's voice.

"Peter! Top of the mornin to ya," he called over with an accent that had a Celtic ring to it.

Iron Forge stood out from much of the other stallions. His mane was a fiery red with a few yellow stripes that stood out from his smokey grey coat. That plus his cutie mark, a hammer striking an anvil with three sparks flying off, along with his above-average height, certainly made him look tougher than the average stallion. Not quite as strong as Big Mac, but not too far off either.

Sniff ducked his head and entered the open stall Iron Forge kept on the corner of the market.

"I suppose we're in luck about the delay in your friends' return. The ironwork is done on your order, but the silversmithing is taking longer than we expected."

A smaller unicorn, probably in his teens, walked up behind a tool rack and was introduced by Iron Forge.

"This is my son, Silver Coating. He wasn’t in yesterday when you placed your order."

Silver Coating had many of the same physical features as his father but on a smaller scale, given his age. His mane had the same style of colors, and stripe colors were a pale blue with and black stripes, while his coat was a much brighter silver color that matched his name.

Another difference Sniff noticed was Iron Forge's eyes were a dark orange color, while Silver Coating's eyes were a deep crystal blue that faded into his father's dark orange. Also, his cutie mark was of a silver ball with a bright reflection that was cast off.

Sniff held still as he was about to say something, but his curiosity sidetracked his thoughts.

"Could I take a wild guess and say your son has his mother's color scheme with your patterns, and her eyes are crystal blue?"

Iron Forge gave his son a glance and examined the pair of eyes he knew all too well.

"Yes."

Two coins were slapped down on the anvil in front of Sniff as he said to the father, "Two bits says I can guess what your wife was named after."

The father chuckled to himself at the rather outlandish action.

"No, as fun as that might be—"

"Four bits, and you're on," Silver Coating blurted out as he broke into the bet to raise the stakes.

Sniff dropped two more bits on the anvil and gave a coy smile as he answered simply, "Metal."

Silver Coating leaned in closer, eyes locked to the bits, not ready to give them up.

"Anypony could guess that. Which metal?"

Iron Forge placed his hoof over his son's and pulled it back with the four bits.

"Sorry, Peter, my friend, but I'm not much of a gambling pony, an' rather it not be conducted in my place of werk."

Sniff shrugged and gave an apologetic sigh.

"That's my bad. I meant it more as a joke anyway... Was I right, though?"

Again, Iron Forge chuckled quietly, but looked up to nothing in particular with warm, loving eyes, perhaps daydreaming.

"Yes, ye were, if even only in the vaguest of terms. Platinum Charm is where our son gets much of his looks from. Half of her eyes to my other half, not to mention her impulsion to raise the stakes."

Silver Coating returned his bits and trotted back behind a tool rack with an airy smile.

"Raising the stakes is what is going to make me famous in the metalsmithing industry, pops. Especially when I can take such a—" He returned from around the rack with a cloth covering a wired metal frame. "—no offense, but a simple request and turn it into this!"

The cloth floated off his prized work.

Now in the light of day, the silver worked into Sniff’s order gave off an immaculate glow from its polished plating and spirals. It was everything Sniff had asked of them, only grander in its presentation.

Sniff was beside himself.

"Oh, my god. There must have been some mistake in the order."

Silver Coating's air of confidence and pride vanished in an instant.

"What? That can't be? I know I made some artistic changes to what you requested, but your order said we had creative freedom on the wire placement and silver."

Slowly, Sniff reached out to feel along the curved iron pieces and the decorative silver platings pressed into the coils.

"I never asked for anything this breathtaking... I clearly didn't pay you both enough."

It took the two a moment before Iron Forge belted out a hardy laugh.

"Oh, my boy! Ya done a great job with ya silvah. And Peter, it's as I told ya. Silver is not so costly tuh werk with for mah boy. That’s why the cost won't be getten outta hoof, so you'll be getten yer money's worth. And knowing muh boyo, it should be done by this eve’nen."

Sniff eyed over the gift and nodded, "Sounds good, and I'll be sure to send any business I can your way."

Iron Forge turned and started walking back to his anvil, talking over his shoulder, "We appreciate it, laddy."

After a short walk, the next stop had him crossing three other ladies he had recently come to know who all greeted him.

"Morning, Peter!"

Lily Valley, Roseluck, and Daisy were three Earth pony mares who all sold their flowers together at the local market.

Lily Valley had a pink coat and luxurious blond hair. Roseluck had a soft cream-colored coat and a two-toned rose-colored mane and tail. Daisy had a stronger contrast of a bright pink coat and neon green mane. And of course, they all had cutie marks of the flowers that represented their names.

Sniff waltzed up to the flower cart they ran with all the cheer and confidence he could emulate.

"Good morning, ladies. I see you're all in full bloom today."

The three fell into a fit of giggles at the obvious pun, but Lily was the first with her own comeback.

"Are you in the market for a flower or two, or are we only allowed to sell you a bouquet today?"

Innocently natured or not, Sniff understood the play on words and reacted in kind.

"Lily, I must admit the floral arrangements you ladies make together are tempting, but I have other business to attend to this morning. Maybe lunch one day?"

Roseluck carefully plucked one of her roses from the cart with her teeth and cheerfully presented the flora to Sniff.

"Well, we can't let you leave here empty, uh... handy? Is that how you would say it?"

Sniff accepted the flower and brought it up to his nose to take in its bouquet.

"Mmm... Flowers back home don't smell this good. I don't know how you girls do it, and the term would be empty-handed. Also, the flowers you sold me are holding up wonderfully."

It was Daisy's turn to step up and assert a favorable position with the new stallion in town.

"Flowers are our passion, and we know how to take the best care of what we love. But, if the current arrangement you're working with doesn't pan out, we have much more to offer if you're interested."

These girls were laying it on so thick, Sniff couldn't help but mentally amuse himself with the pun of what easy pickings these flower ladies would be.

"I'm spreading myself pretty thin as it is, girls. Let me know when a good day for lunch would be, though."

As Sniff departed for his next stop, the three banded together and waved him off.

"We will!"

Not much farther into town, Sniff set his eyes on the next pony he had to see. It was a male Earth pony with a dark gray mane and dull amber-colored coat, Davenport. He ran the Quills and Sofas shop, which also happened to be what his cutie mark was.

Jury was still out on how exactly that came about, but Sniff had caught him just in time as he was opening up his shop.

"Davenport, good morning."

The stallion turned an ear first to the voice calling out to him before looking over to see Sniff.

"Good morning, Peter. Perfect timing. I just so happened to finish your orders last night."

He let Sniff in behind him and turned the sign to open.

"I don't normally care to take on rush orders like this. You can't rush perfection, after all, and I do take great pride in my work. However, I was able to complete it in the end."

Davenport stepped behind the counter and pulled up a small box that set out for Sniff to inspect.

"I hope you will find these all to your liking. They're all of rather simple designs, which is why I was so willing to take on your order. I had to stay a bit late to have them ready by today, but with our future dealings, I'd say it's a small investment towards a larger reward with you."

Sniff looked over the strips of fabric, "Simple yet elegant. You are not only a master of your craft, my good sir, you are also the most business-savvy pony I have met here so far. I haven't had the chance to drum up any business for you yet, but I know I'm going to need some more custom prints done here eventually."

Davenport started to write out a receipt with a quill in his mouth as he continued their conversation.

"You seem like a stallion of your word. I have no doubts about your intentions."

He finished writing and slid the receipt over to Sniff.

"I'm waiving the overtime fee of the rush order, so you're all paid up. It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Sniff jingled the bits in his pocket.

"You're too good to me, Dave."

Davenport gave a half laugh at the name, "Ha. Dave?"

He looked as if he had a sudden burst of deep thought. Nopony has ever called him that, but it seemed refreshing to have a nickname for once.

"Actually. I kind of like the name. Dave... I think I'll have to start using that."

Sniff took his receipt and closed the small box, ready to leave and finish up some more business elsewhere.

"Likewise, Dave. I should be seeing you again soon, with any luck."

Before Sniff could pull the box from the counter, the door behind him opened, and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Well, hello there again, Peter."

Sniff turned around to see Mayor Mare trotting up to the counter.

"Good morning, Mayor. Fancy meeting you here. I was just picking up a gift for your older sist-I mean," he posed a reserved laugh, letting the intentional gaffe set in.

The mayor had a slight blush set in as she laughed, "Oh, you silver-tongued scoundrel. Isn't it a bit soon to be wooing another mare out for drinks and dinner?"

Sniff took the question in stride.

"Wow, small towns and gossip, am I right? Should have seen that coming."

Davenport did a series of quick glances between the two before locking his eyes on Sniff.

"Peter? You just got here, and you're already dating?"

Sniff saw no point in fighting the accusations.

"What can I say? I'm a Man About Town who likes to be social, and I'll have you both know that Oven Fresh was a wonderful lady to take out last night and is, of course, a very dear friend to me. By the way, I'm trying to see more of the town here, and I plan on taking my friends out to dinner tonight. Would either of you have a place to recommend, other than Grapes and Olives? The food and staff there are top-notch, but I'd like to see what else your town has to offer."

Davenport was happy to share his suggestion.

"I would recommend the cafe next to Grapes and Olives. They have a smaller menu to choose from, but everything they make is very good. Perhaps not Grapes and Olives good, but nothing to turn down, that's for sure."

Mayor Mare added her opinion to the conversation.

"I would say they have more of a home-cooked meal taste. Not all the complexity and flare of Grapes and Olives, but wholesome and gentle on the pallet."

Sniff shrugged, seeing little reason to argue with both ponies.

"Sounds like that's the place to go tonight. Thank you both. But what brings you in here this morning, mayor?"

Mayor Mare rolled her eyes whimsically, "Only the usual. A few quills and some parchment. Lots of work to do in preparation for the Wonderbolts."

It took Sniff a second, but he remembered that name.

"That's theeee, uh... The air show ponies, right?"

The mayor had a look of pride mixed in with the pity she felt for Sniff’s obvious difficulty understanding who they were.

"Oh, they are much more than just flying ponies. The Wonderbolts are the best of the best: the elite aerial acrobats and emergency service force of Equestria. Mostly these days, they do air shows to help with recruiting, but they are much more than that."

Sniff nodded, now with a much clearer picture in mind.

"I gotcha. So you're reserving the locations, putting together event coordinators, safety personnel, err, ponniel?..." He turned to Davenport and winked. "—Posters and flyers."

Some soft chuckles came from the mayor.

"Among other things, but the Wonderbolts provide their own flyers." She pointed to a small poster tacked to the wall by the door. "Just like that one over there."

Sniff saw the poster and gave his honest take on it.

"Ah, kinda done up in the 1940's war propaganda style."

Surprisingly, Mayor Mare didn't seem to appreciate those remarks.

"I don't know what you mean by the 1940s, but that is most certainly not war propaganda."

Quick to recover from his obvious blunder, Sniff corrected himself.

"No-No-No-No-No. Sorry. That probably came out sounding offensive. The 1940s was an era in my country, some seventy years ago, when our country was involved in a worldwide war. Long story short, there were lots of ads put out in that same style to help support the troops. And I meant it as a compliment. That style is held in such high regard, that even though we don't use it anymore for its original purpose, it's still often referenced to display respect for what, or whoever, it's made for."

The clarification seemed to work as Mayor Mare's expression softened into a grin.

"There you are again with that silver tongue of yours. But if this art style is over seventy years old, perhaps you could assist us in producing something more modern?"

Relieved his tactic worked, in more ways than one, Sniff placidly smiled and answered, "Well... That is what I do for a living, or at least I did until I landed here. Kinda starting over at this point. I'm actually about to head over and see if I can find Lyra Heartstrings to help me get set up a contract for a job at the spa in the meantime."

Mayor Mare raised an eyebrow with intrigue.

"The spa, you say?"

Sniff rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers on his gift box.

"I gave them a demonstration, and they offered me a job on the spot. I had some reservations about accepting it without seeing what else there is I could do, but I don't have the capital or networking yet to start up a new marketing business. This is just to help me keep afloat while I get to know more ponies and build up some bits."

If the rumors were true, and at this point, Mayor Mare had no reason to believe they wouldn't be, she had to ask, "And when would you be available?"

Sniff took a second before responding with, "For what, exactly?"

Mayor Mare cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Well, for one, your services at the spa as a thank you for assisting with the Wonderbolts event. And two, your services with the Wonderbolts event as a thank you for letting me be your first client at the spa."

Sniff could see a change in the mayor. She was more relaxed and seemed to drop her usual air of authority that came with her position. There was even a softness in her voice...

Jesus Christ, she was flirting with him? Not even playfully, this might be the real deal, and why couldn't he stop himself from...

"I don't know about the spa times, but I'll let them know you called dibs. As for working on the event, my dinner plans are for seven tonight. So, how about eight-thirty at Grapes and Olives? Their bar serves the best drinks."

Mayor Mare had a certain glow about her as she walked past Sniff towards the counter.

"Eight-thirty it is. As for the massage, let them know that I'll be in my office, awaiting confirmation of our appointment." She turned to Davenport. "And I'll take my usual for the week, delivered at your earliest convenience. If I'm not in when you arrive, just leave the items on my desk, and I'll return with payment after I've been properly taken care of by the skilled hands of Mr. James, here."

Small towns and rumors, indeed.

Mayor Mare turned to look over her shoulder and informed Sniff, "If you turn right when you step out and make the first left, you should be able to catch Lyra watering her plants."

One right and left turn later, as predicted, there stood Lyra with a watering can.

"Morning, Sniffy. What are you up to this morning?" She noticed what he was carrying. "Oou, what's in the box?"

Sniff jiggled the box by his side, and he drew a cocky grin.

"Just a little something for Twilight when she gets back. If you help me with a contract at the spa, I'll let ya take a peek at it."

Like a dog hearing its feed dish being filled, Lyra's ears perked up straight, and her eyes went wild with excitement.

"Really! Like working there and taking in clients for massages?!"

Sniff couldn't believe how excited she was and snorted a laugh before responding.

"No, I'm gonna mop the floors. Yes, as a masseuse. I'm heading over there right now. Can ya help me out?"

Without any hesitation, Lyra dropped her watering can and darted to his side.

"I'm so excited! My first interdimensional contract negotiation. Oh-Oh!" She looked up to Sniff and fluttered her eyelashes. "Can I be your first client?"

Sniff couldn't help but laugh as he started to lead the way to the spa.

"Line’s already started. You'd be number two behind the mayor. You should feel honored."

A short walk, a pout from Lyra, and a long string of massage-related questions later, they reached the spa. It didn't look to be like they were all that busy at the moment.

As soon as the mare at the front desk noticed Sniff had walked in, she lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Good morning," she greeted him, clearly trying to control her volume. "Are you here to set up an appointment, or is there somepony I can get for you?"

Before Sniff could answer, Lyra reared up and leaned on the desk to explain.

"We would like to speak with Aloe and Lotus about negotiating a contract for employment under Equestria's Cultural Exchange Program. As a delegate, appointed by the authority of Princess Celestia, I will be acting on behalf of the delegation to verify and validate any contractual agreements."

Despite her most professional delivery, she could see the mare behind the desk was lost, thus opted to be more clear.

"He gets special privileges and considerations for not being a citizen of Equestria, and I know how to make sure everything stays legal for both Peter and the spa."

With that out of the way, the mare trotted off to inform Aloe and Lotus of Sniff and Lyra's arrival. It must have taken all the time it took for the two to hear Sniff was there to see them before they sent the mare back out to escort him into their office.

As expected, the office wasn’t large, which made the tension in the room all that more intense, though it wasn’t coming from a bad place.

The two owners were simply overly excited and were having a hard time keeping it all inside. That much was made clear by the overzealous shaking of Sniff’s hand as he greeted them. But after that embarrassing moment had passed, Aloe started the negotiations.

"Peter, we are so happy to hear you have considered joining us. Where do we need to sign?"

And just like that, Peter wondered what happened to the negotiations.

"Uh... shouldn't we agree upon payment, benefits, working hours... or anything else that should go into a contract before you sign?"

Aloe nervously laughed and feigned ignorance, "Yes, of course. I must have forgotten that I haven't read the contract yet."

Everyone in the room was all smiles and bursting with anticipation... except for Sniff. This wasn’t just unprofessional for them; this could come back to haunt him as well. He had to call them out.

"Aloe... Lotus... I'm very gracious that you have been so open in offering me the opportunity to work here. However—" He could see the fear of losing him steal their smiles away. "—you're letting me take advantage of you, and I don't want to do that."

Lotus moved to try and cover for them.

"Petair, ve vould nevair—"

"Please," Sniff politely interrupted her. "Look... I get it. I'm new, popular, and believe me, I know about some of the rumors being spread about me and my friends... mostly me. Plus, the attraction you all seem to have for our magic fingers, I know they’re good. Too good, if you ask me. But, thems be the cards I was dealt. So, taking all of that into consideration, I understand and accept that I'm going to be a valuable asset with unique talents that make me very desirable to have with your team."

He could see he had their undivided attention, and they were actually taking him seriously.

“These are the terms I would like. One, I would like to work on a client-by-client schedule, not hourly. Two, whatever your standard rate is for payment per client, I want twenty percent higher than that. Not to rip you off, but I figure you're going to charge higher for my clients to begin with. That way, you're not losing out on your profit margins, and paying me more will validate your position when asked what my cut is. You charging a higher rate for my services, and paying me more than the standard, shows that my talents put me above the rest of the competition, which makes both your business and me easier to market. Three, I have the right to turn down any client I wish, any time I wish, or deny any service I wish. And four, I make my own schedule. That's the hard one to sell, but with everything going on, and being an ambassador—"

Aloe quietly gave her confirmation and ended the negotiations.

"We accept. There is no need to explain, as we understand your situation. And we apologize for our over-eagerness. We were just so impressed by your demonstration that we couldn't risk losing you."

Lotus, also wanting to close the deal, cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Ewe have our deep'hest appreh' see 'ation. Vut... ve do have vun requests."

Sniff somehow felt he knew what they would be asking for, but let them proceed on their own accord.

"I’m listening. What would you like?"

Aloe took over again and spoke with a nervously apologetic tone.

"We would like the right to reserve some of your appointments for staff members for...training purposes."

She looked into Sniff's eyes and could see he wasn't buying that lie... this was going to be harder than she thought.

"As well as the fact that my staff has been requesting it.”

Still not honest enough to pass Sniff’s bullshit detector, she surrendered in a deep sigh and came clean.

"If not for the fact that Ponyville would riot in the streets, we would pay you exclusively to only work on us. You are that good, Peter. You can't blame us after you showed us how well your hands work."

Sniff took a moment to ponder his situation. He might have underestimated how effective his hands were, which was scary in its own right. On the one hand, he probably could walk out and work freelance. He’d be able to keep full control of his clients and availability, but that wasn't what he really wanted from this short-term occupational plan. Overall, he needed to maximize his exposure and branch out.

Plus, he wanted to use the spa himself.

As it stood, he couldn’t do that if he snubbed the two generous mares by walking out and stealing their clients. So, he decided to meet them halfway in a compromise.

"I'm willing to give some training every so often if it will help your staff be better at their job. Otherwise, if I'm getting paid to work on them, then I would leave those slots available on a priority list of appointments. That might be a bit unethical, as far as business practices go, but I'm looking at it as more of a learning experience for both of us to see what techniques I use works best. So... are we good?"

A piece of paper levitated up from Lyra.

"If you all are, then just sign on the dotted line."

Sniff pulled the contract down and did a quick scan of it, and then turned to Lyra.

"How did you get this contract done so fast?"

Lyra smiled with glowing pride.

"Hey," She pointed at his hands, "magic fingers." She then pointed to her head, looking up at him with a goofy grin. "Magic horn."

There was no room for Sniff even to question it. He took a quill from the desk and continued to look over the contract so he could see if it all checked out.

"Fair enough, and if everything reads okay, I'll signnnnn-Holy crap that's a lot more bits than I was expecting."

"Pft," Lyra blew raspberries and scoffed at the notion. "I looked into what you might need if you decided to work here after the demonstration you gave. The Ponyville spa isn't nearly as expensive as some of the other spas and resorts in Canterlot or Las Pegasus. However, with your natural gifts of touch, that puts you up there with the luxury services of even the best resorts. But if you wanted, I could give you twenty percent over what Las Pegasus or Canterlot charge, but you wouldn't get many clients at those rates out here."

She laughed a little at the thought of those prices.

"Believe me; this is reasonable."

Aloe leaned over her desk and pulled the contract over to her to sign.

"Well, with this done and over with. Might I be the first to schedule—"

Lyra was all too happy to shut that wishful thinking down.

"Nope... you're lucky number three. But if you would be so kind as to get Peter familiar with where he'll be working, I'm going to grab the mayor and let her know she can head over and be the very first for Peter today."

She stopped and looked to Peter for his approval. After all, it would be a shame to make the wrong assumptions and get bumped off the list.

"If that's okay with you, of course."

Sniff shook his head and grinned, "You just want to get your number two slot today. Don’t ya?"

Lyra snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh."

The spa owners gave a brief rundown of the rest of the facility Peter hadn't seen yet. He was shown where the supplies were located along with who made schedules, as well as a few other items of interest. Once that was done, he was assigned his own private room to begin seeing his clients in.

Not much to his surprise, Mayor Mare was sitting patiently on the table waiting for him.

Sniff closed the door behind him and greeted his first client, "Good morning again, mayor. Just couldn't wait, could you?"

The mayor seemed slightly bashful as she answered.

"Well, when you get to be my age, patience isn't always a virtue."

"Hmm," Sniff played coy with her again. "Is twenty-six really an age I should be concerned about?"

The mayor blurted out with a laugh and had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing.

"Bah! You really must stop, Peter," She said, great mirth sounding out in her voice, clearly enjoying it.

Pretending to Ignore her clear signs of embarrassment, Sniff went about the room, grabbing various lotions and placing some oils on a warming pad.

"I'll stop trying to convince you once you start believing me," he mused. "Now, how about you lay down and tell me what I'll be working on today."

The near-giddy mayor laid down and let her face fall into the notch cut out in the table.

"Well, given how we only have thirty minutes today. Could I get some attention on my shoulders, neck, and hips?" She hummed in anticipation. "And call me a young mare all you like. I still feel like these limbs of mine are more than sore enough to be-oh my…”

With his hands greased up in lotion, Sniff started on her upper back between her shoulder blades. That was enough to silence her complaints of body aches. However, her response wasn't that deep groan and murmurs of pleasure. Rather, her reaction was more akin to comfort and release.

This was a refreshing response for once, Sniff thought to himself before checking up on his client.

"How's the pressure? Everything okay?"

Mayor Mare's voice was calm and pleasant.

"This feels so amazing. Ooh... thank you for this. You're worth every bit and then some."

It warmed Sniff's heart to hear her compliment him as she did.

"I'm happy to help, but now that our oil's warmed up, how about we give that a try?"

Mayor Mare gently moaned, "Yes, please."

The oil was at that perfect level of warmth where it was almost too hot to handle but perfect for relaxing any muscle it would be applied to. He started with a whole palmful to slather over the back of her neck. The few drops that dripped felt like liquid silk. Then the hands that followed were beyond description.

He carefully pulled his hands up the back of her neck, tracing them along the strands of the silver hairs in her mane. Slowly applying more pressure, he massaged his finger down, edging close to her throat, working his way back down to her shoulders. Cupping his fingers under her, he dragged his palms down from the base of her neck all the way to her hips.

She was lost in bliss. The stiffness softened, and the knots unbound themselves under his care. Everything about this was so unlike anything Aloe and Lotus's services had provided. There was a warmth beyond the oil and his hands. Something deeper inside under all the pressure he exerted on her. It felt personal, maybe in some way emotionally comforting as well as physical. It was never overwhelming or uncomfortable. Simply put... it was heavenly.

"Alrighty," Sniff's voice alerted her to his hands withdrawing and returning to the warm oil. "Let's take a moment to give those hips a little attention."

Without instruction, Mayor Mare stretched her legs back and let out a gentle sigh of contentment.

"That would be lovely, Peter."

Sniff continued giving his client the attention she needed and was surprisingly enjoying what he was doing. After all, he was by no means a trained masseuse and was only doing this because he knew he could make money off of it, but he seemed to be doing good. Still, this was different from all the others he worked on after Twilight. Mayor Mare must have sincerely needed this.

After a while, Sniff was finishing off the last few minutes by working his hands down the back of her thighs. However, as he did, he couldn't help but notice how shapely and firm she was. Nearly identical to Oven Fresh, actually. Then curiosity kicked in, and he started to wonder if anything else on her matched up with what he'd seen before.

Not that he was interested in the mayor. Although, had she been human, there was something about her maturity and how she carried herself that...

Okay, he needed to stop thinking about this.

"Anything else you'd like me to touch on in these last few minutes?" Sniff softly asked, using conversation to distract from the questionable thoughts he was now having.

A near-silent hum resonated in the mayor's throat, and she swished her tail from side to side as she thought before answering.

"Could you finish off with working under my fetlocks?"

Sniff took a quick look down past her thighs, trying to remember if he could recall what that body part was. Given all the random conversations he's had with the staff, you'd think he'd remember what that was for as many times as he must have heard it.

"That's like, your ankle, right?"

Mayor Mare's body shook slightly as she chuckled and swished her tail again.

"Yes, Peter."

Sniff caught a glimpse the second time she swished her tail, and her anatomy was, in fact, no different.

Come to think of it, so much of the ponies, the mares more specifically, all their bodies were nearly identical. Almost as if by design, somehow. The differences in their appearance appeared limited to a color scheme, hairstyles, and their cutie marks. Their body’s overall build, and apparently their more feminine anatomy as well, didn't seem to have much of a noticeable difference.

He really needed to stop thinking about this.

Instead, he quickly started to work his fingers over the joint and into the groove of her fetlock but, despite his best efforts, couldn't stop thinking about it.

"For what it's worth, and this is just my opinion, but I think all this stress and stiffness you have is from your body refusing to age. Must be hard work maintaining this figure of yours."

Mayor Mare passively adjusted her tail from a ting of sensation that drove her body to move on its own. Meanwhile, her mind indulged the flattery, yet quietly she laughed to feign some level of innocence or denial of his musings.

"Now you're just teasing me."

Sniff replied cheerfully through a smile as he continued the massage.

"Oh, I can be a terrible tease, but I never lie. You should have a lot more confidence in your appearance. You certainly dress and pretty yourself up like you do. Have a little more faith in yourself. But, maybe that's a conversation we can have later tonight. As for now, our time is up."

He pulled his hands free and hoped the reaction from his first client was going to be a good omen for things to come.

"How do you feel?"

The well-serviced mare pushed herself up and turned to lay on her side, posing much like a pinup model.

"Refreshed, rejuvenated, and more confident than I have in years. I will be sure to schedule another session with you as soon as I can."

Sniff smiled warmly and extended his hand, "Well, I am quite happy to hear that. May I help you down?"

She graciously set her hoof in his hand and let him help her back to the floor.

"Such a gentlecolt. Ponyville is lucky to have you here. Thank you for your time and—" She took a glance over at both of his hands. "—those magic fingers of yours."

Sniff wiggled his fingers along his sides.

"Just doing what I can with what I got, mayor. And you can expect my services to only get better after I get some more practice in."

"Oh?" The mayor inquired as she trotted alongside him out the door. "Might you need somepony to help practice on? After hours?"

That could have been taken as either a flirt or an offer that filled her own self-interest, but Sniff didn't seem to mind either way.

"I must apologize, mayor, but that position has already been filled."

It was worth a shot, Mayor Mare figured.

"Well, if that ever changes, you can almost always find me in my chambers, but I must be off for now. Plenty of work to be done if I am going to avoid being late for our date tonight."

Awe, shit. There it was. Now Sniff had really stepped in it, but before he could correct the record, Mayor Mare trotted ahead of him out the door with her head and her tail held high.

As soon as Sniff made it out to the hallway, she turned her back and spoke loudly enough not to be interrupted.

"Eight-thirty, Peter. Don't leave a mare waiting."

He couldn't quite call her back and embarrass her after that... this better not be the omen he was waiting for.

"I'll be there."

Then, without him noticing, Lyra was by his side, with an all-knowing smirk on her face.

"She seems pretty happy."

Sniff flinched, spooked by her voice.

"Jeez… sneaking up on me like that. And yeah, it was a good session, and yes, you're up next on my list, but I'm gonna try to get a schedule worked out either tomorrow or the day after."

Lyra whined, "Awwww. Why not today?"

Sniff tucked his hands in his pockets and headed towards Aloe and Lotus's office.

"Sorry, kiddo, I only came in here today to work out a contract. The mayor got her time because we got everything worked out so fast. So, you'll be the first on my official schedule. Sadly, I've got other things to go take care of today."

Rarity gave an odd look at Sniff.

"You're meeting with the mayor? Is she even in her office this late?"

Sniff thought it best not to dodge the exact specifics of the matter.

"I'm meeting up with her after dinner with Kelly, Becky, and Chris. Actually, do either of you care to join us?"

Oven Fresh perked up again.

"Oh? I'd love to meet your friends."

However, Rarity had other plans.

"I do apologize, but I will be joining Cerb tonight. I'm pretty much standing by in case Twilight shows up early again."

Sniff nodded, silently thankful she chose not to press further into his meeting.

"Right, yeah, that. Oh! How were the soup bread bowls?"

Oven Fresh gained a certain air of pride about her.

"I put a lot of love in those bread bowls, even if I did have to race to get them all done on time."

Rarity gave a pleased look to Oven Fresh.

“Those were yours? Well, then, might I say that they were fantastic. We couldn’t get enough of them.”

The baker couldn’t help but fawn over the praise.

“I’m glad you enjoyed them. It looks like they were good enough that Grapes and Olives requested that I continue making them for future menu items.”

With these two getting deeper into conversation, Sniff saw it as a good time to step out and take care of some personal business that popped up during the skirt fitting.

“Well, ladies, I’m going to step out while you two gossip. Rarity, you stay safe out there with Cerb. And Ovens, I’ll swing by and pick you a bit before seven, if that works for you.”

Oven Fresh looked back at Sniff, sad to see him leave, though did perk up at the mention of their later meeting.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon then.”

Sniff waved goodbye and saw himself out, leaving the two to gossip and finish up with anything else.

Even with Sniff gone, Rarity had one question before moving on to the heart of her interest with Oven Fresh.

“So, what is this meeting over?”

Oven Fresh was still a bit bubbly from the whole exchange.

“Well, Sniff was running around this morning checking up on some things he was having made, and he bumped into Mayor Mare. They got to talking, and she found out he was going to start working at the spa and wanted to start another job in marketing. She asked for help advertising and organizing the next Wonderbolts event coming to town. They were both busy today, and Sniff had his dinner plans, so they agreed to meet up to discuss the event over drinks at Grapes and Olives. Oh, and she was also his first client at the spa.”

This seemed to complicate the matters Rarith wanted to discuss with the baker.

“This isn’t a date, is it?”

Surprisingly, despite the implications, Oven Fresh didn’t seem to be bothered by the meetup.

“Eh, sorta, I guess. We talked about it. He thinks she might have a thing for him, and why wouldn’t she? But he’s doing this more as a friendly business meeting. He’s not trying to date her. And besides, Peter and I aren’t really a couple or anything. I mean, sure, I’d love to be, but he seems to have a lot of issues to work through if we ever get that far. I’m happy just to spend time with him while I can. Which, I have to thank you for helping with that. He reeeeeeealy loves the short skirts, if you haven’t noticed.”

Whatever Sniff and Oven Fresh had was something all of their own, so Rarity opted to pursue another line of questioning, though her words were a bit drawn out and sounded uneasy as she spoke them.

“About the skirt and… everything else Sniff requested during your fitting today. Are all humans so easily drawn towards them?”

The tone and emotions Rarity tried to hide behind her question, and given everything Oven Fresh knew about Sniff now, she could tell where Rarity was going with this.

“I honestly don’t know. I only know that Peter really likes them. Has Cerb shown any interest in you?”

Rarity looked like a mouse just ran under her hooves, and she tried to walk back her question.

“Oh, no-no-no. I’m not saying—”

Oven Fresh extended her hoove to Rarity’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Cerb seems like an amazing stallion. And after everything you said about him, along with the help you’ve given me, it’s hard not to see that you have feelings for him.”

Rarity realized that she had hinted far too much about what she felt about Cerb, unintentionally, but didn’t try to deny it anymore.

“Smitten would be more accurate. Hopelessly so. And it’s not that he hasn’t noticed me, but my poor choice of words, I think, put some distance between us. Nothing intentional, but he was in a difficult place at the time, and I didn’t want to push him away by being too forward. The miscommunication happened after he walked me home from our date."

It was a hard thing to admit, and she fiddled back through her notepad, looking over the early sketches she had done of Cerb. Lovably daydreams from when things were less complicated. They were so close, it felt like. They were so happy for as long as she could keep him... but the time wasn’t right, and neither was her choice of words.

“He commented something to the effect that he would have loved to meet a human that was like me, and he wished things were different… I agreed… saying that if things were different…”

She closed the notepad, hoping to close off the taxing emotions those drawings captured along with the pages.

Oven Fresh didn’t know if there was more to the story, but she wasn’t going to push and make things uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry things haven’t worked out the way I imagine you hoped they would. But, I owe you for the skirt and all the time you’ve given us. If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.”

Rarity turned away and sighed, walking up to a rack of accessories she still had to go through with her new partner in crime.

“I don’t know. I have no idea what he really wants. I know what all he likes about me and Fluttershy—”

“Fluttershy?” Oven Fresh blurted out, assuming she was now involved.

Rarity turned back to Oven Fresh to give some crafty explanation but didn’t see the point anymore.

“Son of a bitch… me and my big mouth. Yes, Fluttershy and I are both interested in him, and we’re both doing everything we can to get him to a place where, at least, we’re hoping, he will give us a chance. We’ve made so much progress with him where he’s now much more comfortable with us, but there is still something in the way. Something we don’t understand on top of everything else he has going on. I mean, he’s grown far more affectionate towards us and enjoys being close, but part of him feels closed off, as if he’s afraid to open up to love still. I suppose it’s our good fortune that—“

She stopped herself from divulging too much information about Cadance’s involvement or how deep his issues were.

“Sorry… rambling on about things. Our human friends tend to hold many secrets and only give them out in confidence to those they trust. Not much different from us, I suppose, with the exception of the severity of what their secrets tend to be.”

Immediately, Oven Fresh thought back to the massage he gave her in private, which made a shiver of excitement run through her body.

“I think I know what you mean. Even Peter seems to open up for a lot more about private things and has more intimate conversations privately compared to when we’re in public. And for how happy and cheerful as he looks to be on the outside, I think he’s secretly dealing with something really painful.”

Hearing that only seemed to add more weight to what Rarity was already dealing with.

“Knowing these humans, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Oven Fresh folded her ear back and tilted her head, perplexed.

“Why do you say that?”

Rarity turned back to the accessories rack and sighed.

“I’m not sure how much Sniff has told you about his past, or the horrors and tragedies his friends have gone through, but they all have suffered a kingdom's worth of misery from what we do know about them. I think they’ve all been barely holding it together and only staying as strong as they are because of each other.“

She turned back to Oven Fresh and walked towards her with a small selection of hairpins levitating in her aura to try out.

“Did you know that none of them are related, but they all consider each other family?”

Oven Fresh took in that new fact while trying to hold still enough for the hairpins to be put in place.

“No, I don’t think I remember hearing him mention that.”

Rarity removed the first pin, a gold-colored trio of stars, and swapped it for another that looked like a mini pompom a cheerleader would use, made of black and neon-green tassels.

“It seems that most of them also either have either lost their birth family due to fatal accidents, murdered, or they had such terrible families to begin with that they no longer wish to associate with them. They really are all each other has.“

She swapped in the last pin of a solid pink star with gold tassels flowing from the back of it. There was a moment of hesitation to give her approval, still fixed on trying to bring Oven Fresh up to speed.

“It’s so sad. All of them are so pleasant and lovable… yet the world they come from seems so dark and horrid.”

Oven Fresh had to wonder how much Sniff had to have suffered for him to be so standoffish towards her, despite how far they’ve come together, only to be sidetracked with another thought.

“Do you think maybe that’s why they were brought here?”

Rarity was in the middle of pulling off the last hairpin when the gravity of that question caught her off guard.

“I beg your pardon? Also, this is the pin you’ll need to tie everything together. But first, I’ll have to swap out these gold tassels for black ones. Though, what do you mean by that?”

Oven Fresh eyed the hairpin, “That’s so cute. But yes, thank you. And I was saying, if they’re all such great and amazing humans, but their world is so terrible, maybe they were brought here to be rescued?”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, “Rescued?”

This was just a working theory, but Oven Fresh couldn’t help but make the connection.

“Yeah, think about it. They all really only have each other, they were taken away from their world together, and now they have us. Becky is terribly sick, and she’s getting new medicine from out in the Everfree Forest. You and Fluttershy are helping Cerb with… whatever he’s going through. And even I’m helping Peter open up. I don’t know about all the others, but if what you say is true, that they all had such a horrible time in their world… maybe they were sent here because they were too good for where they came from.”

Even if Rarity knew Trixie was the catalyst for the human’s arrival, there were still some unknown factors that intervened to bring Cerb and the others here.

“Ovens, my dear, that is the absolute best theory I have ever heard about anything. I think you may be onto something. I’ll have to bring this up to Twilight and the others. This might just change everything for all of us.”

Sniff gingerly made his way up to the steps with a to-go box in hand.

“Swift Sails, one oversized slice of carrot cake, as requested.”

Said pony was practically drooling as soon as the scent hit her nose.

“Mr. James, you have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this.”

He handed the box over with a bow.

“My fair lady,” He said with the utmost intended amount of cheesiness. “A humble reward for defending the castle so diligently.”

“Pft,” Swift Sails took the joke with grace and her own sense of humor. “Oh, you have no idea the struggles I’ve gone through. Standing still, moving over to the other side of the steps so I could stand still over there. Constantly telling ponies, you and your friends weren’t here. I even had to ward off a stray paper bag that dared trespass these sacred grounds.”

Sniff stood up from the bow with a look of intrigue.

“There were ponies here asking for me?”

Swift Sails eye's danced between Sniff’s face and the box she should have grabbed when she had the chance. Now she had to give her report to get her reward.

“Not too many. Shoeshine, Daisy, Lily, Roseluck, and those last three all came together to see if you wanted to join them for lunch. Aloe from the spa also stopped in, but she said it could wait. A few others, but nothing that seemed important. Should I take messages for you in the future?”

It was then that Peter started to realize how big of a problem he might have created for himself if more than five ponies, all mares he assumed, had been seeking him out.

“Uh, no, that’s okay. I’ll uh… I’ll figure something out about all these visitors.“

He tried to clear his mind of what he was dealing with when he noticed the guard still staring intently at the to-go box. Why wasn’t she digging in? Oops, right… he hadn’t actually given it to her yet.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, here.”

Swift Sails stretched her neck out to take the string that bound the box closed in her teeth. As she neared the box, she inhaled deeply to sample the savory scent of her dessert when she caught a whiff of something else along with it. She closed her mouth just shy of grabbing the string and leaned out farther to try and smell Sniff’s hand.

Sniff eyed the mare cautiously, “Yoooou gonna take it?”

The amazed guard looked up with excited eyes.

“Wow! I’m sorry, but I didn’t believe the girls when they came looking for you, but you really do smell just like clovers. That’s so crazy.“

She wore the most oblivious innocent smile and finally took the string in her mouth.

“You better be careful out there, Peter. A scent like that is the kinda thing a single mare might want to get more familiar with,” she said with a wink.

Yep… Sniff had definitely bitten off more than he could chew with his lone travels around town.

“Hey, umm… This might sound like a weird thing to ask, but uh—“ He started to second guess his next request when the guard put down her treat and looked up to him with wide, infatuated eyes. “—so, here’s the deal. I gotta head up and shower, and get ready to head out with the others for dinner. After that, I’m meeting with the mayor for a business meeting and was wondering if you could escort me back here after that.”

Swift Sails looked at Sniff with some confusion and then back down at her box of cake.

“What time?” She asked with some hesitation as she started to open the box.

Sniff scratched his head, “Dinner is at seven. Then talking business over drinks at eight-thirty. So, let’s say, nine-thirty?”

A low moan came from the guard pony as she looked up with the eyes of a mare that just ate the food of the gods.

“This is sooo good. Yes, nine-thirty. Where are you gonna be at for me to escort you back from?”

That look in her eyes really made Sniff hope she was acting likes because of the cake.

“Grapes and Olives… Not that far from here.”

Swift Sails plopped her rump on the steps and buried her face in the box.

Greedily, she started taking large bites out of the cake to the point her cheeks were bulging out to the sides.

Finally, with her mouth full to capacity, she raised her muzzle out of the now half-emptied box and saluted with her wing.

“Non-firty. Grohps en Owlivbs. Awe vwll buh dair.”

Goddamnit… Why’d she have to be so cute pigging out like that with her muzzle covered with cake crumbs and frosting?

“Thanks, Swifty. I owe you another slice of cake after this.”

After minimal chewing, she finally swallowed and looked back to Sniff almost all the way up the steps, eyes glimmering with innocent excitement.

“Really? This is the best guard duty ever!”

Sniff turned back with a comment just in time to see her large wide tongue licking up the center of her muzzle and around damn near under her chin.

“Yeah...no...problem,” he said, somewhat in shock over her tongue, making him think such dirty thoughts display in his mind.

He turned back to head in when he heard a voice in the distance calling his name. One quick glance revealed a unicorn mare with an off-colored pink coat, a violet tail and mane with a lavender streak... wearing a yellow saddle and skirt, quickly trotting up to the castle.

And it was that sight that prompted him to secretly bite his tongue in a vain attempt at a distraction as the tension was becoming more than he could bear. He needed to get upstairs without any more delays.

Naturally, he didn’t want to be an asshole, but he didn’t have the time to think of a better alternative and resolved to put the guard to work.

“Hey, Swifty. If any pony other than Oven Fresh asks for me, tell them I’m unavailable at the moment, and I’m getting ready to leave for an important dinner, slash, business meeting. Tell’em I’ll be free tomorrow morning.“

Gulping down another mouthful of cake and somehow working her powerful tongue like a squeegee over both lips at once, she saluted. All the more increasing his need to hurry, lest he be further tempted to do something he likely shouldn't.

He went to step inside the double doors but turned back for one last thing.

“If I’m not too busy, that is.”

Again she saluted with that same adorable smile on her face.

Sniff was about to dip inside when his urgency had him thinking illogically, and he gave one last instruction to the guard.

“And bring a big stick with you tonight,” and then ducked inside.

The double doors closed just as Swift Sails took in the last bit before Amethyst Star reached that line in the sand to be challenged by this castle’s lone guard for the day.

“Halt! The Princess is currently out. What business do you have here today?”

The now startled unicorn backed off as Swift Sails raised her halberd and thumped its pummel into the dirt. Her previously crumb-covered face was stern and serious.

“Oh! Sorry, I just stopped in because I saw Sniff was finally back. Do you know if he’s available? With so many of his friends scattered around town or off in the Everfree Forest, I thought he might like some company.”

Sadly for Amethyst, Swift Sails was all business now, and not at all like her more charming self just moments ago.

“The ambassador of the human world, Mr. Peter James, Sniff, is currently unavailable in preparations for a dinner event this evening and a meeting with the mayor. He will be available tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

How was this one pegasus mare so intimidating all of a sudden that Amethyst was so intensely shaken by her?

“Oh. Well then, I guess I’ll swing by tomorrow in the—”

“If you're lucky,” Swift Sails intentionally interrupted the civilian.

That was the last thing Amethyst needed to hear to know she wasn’t getting close to Sniff today.

“Right... m-m-maybe, I’ll catch him out in town after—"

Impressively, Swift Sails never broke character.

“I will be escorting ambassador, Mr. Peter James, this evening. He will have a system in place to coordinate appointments from walk-in requests in the near future,” she coldly spoke as she gripped the halberd's shaft tighter in her wing, making the wood creak under pressure.

Amethyst started sweating bullets and backed away, completely unprepared for such hostility.

“Great! I’ll wait for that!” she squealed sharply and scampered off.

Once the coast was clear, Swift Sails dropped the intensity and relaxed.

“Whoo… I did a really great job today,” she said with a gleefully optimistic smile. “Maybe Peter will give me two slices of cake this time.”

Meanwhile, Sniff was hurrying down the hallway to his room. No Chris, no Becky, no Kelly, no Starlight, no Spike. As far as he knew, the castle was empty, so there was no chance for interruptions.

That was until he entered his room.

“Hey! Welcome back, Sniff!” Spike happily greeted him as he finished making the bed. “I got bored waiting for any of you to come back, so I decided to clean your room for you. I mean, sure, I was gonna do it tomorrow, anyway. But now it’s all nice and clean for you.”

Okay, only a small setback for Sniff.

“Dude, you are the man. Tell ya what. Just for being so awesome. Why don’t you go get showered up, and you can join me and everyone else for dinner tonight. My treat.”

Spike might as well have been told he was getting the Power Ponies action figures deluxe set for Hearths Warming; he was that excited.

“Cool! I'll go do that right now! When are we leaving?”

Sniff helped to usher him out of the room, “Dinners at seven. Now hurry up. I need to get ready.”

There were no follow-up questions or comments after he shut the door. Just the scurrying of dragon paw pads outside the door running down the hallway and Sniff’s feet rushing to the attached bathroom. Then the rushing of water and frantic sounds of fabric being pulled off from his body being tossed to the ground.

He stuck his hand under the running water and thanked whatever god runs this world because the water was just right. Without wasting any more time, Sniff jumped in and took a firm grip on himself.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Sniff huffed under the straining tension he had been bottling up since Oven Fresh’s outfitting.

He bounced his head twice off the marbled wall in the shower and resisted the urge to bite his lip as he tried to think of any of the amazing women he had slept with over the many years had back on Earth.

Blonds, brunets, redheads. Tiny aisin chicks. Uptight business executives in L.A. The three-way with the soccer chicks from the fundraiser he helped them with... the other three-way he had with two of the other chicks from the same soccer team. His first. His last. The hefty chick who introduced him to BDSM. Any woman would do if he didn’t have to suffer the shame of thinking all the things he could do with Oven Fresh to help her understand the depraved pleasures that her body could experience if she were only a little wiser, or if he was a little weaker.

Her happy moans and gasps as he neared the point of violating her were still clear in his mind there in the shower as they were when he coaxed them out on her bed. That look of utter admiration and desire to keep him smiling as she turned and posed for him. How he felt having her happy while she was with him. Even the sighs and sounds from the mayor were eating away at his resistance.

Why did they have to be just human enough to let him see what he wanted? That damn skirt, it made him focus on what he wanted.

He wanted to fuck so badly. He had to fuck someone. He wanted to hear a woman's moan. Have her cry out his name as he felt her walls clench down and spasm around his cock.

A pair of tits in his hands and the sweet taste of pussy on his lips. Anything to allow him to have his release, in or on, anywhere she wanted so she would know how good she could make him feel. How great sex could be, and know he made that happen.

But all he could think of was undressing that innocent unicorn baker and slowly driving her wild until she begged him to take her. Feeling up the mayor and making her climax on the table so she could revel in the fact that she was still desirable. Teaching his personal bodyguard all the things she could do with that wicked tongue so that it was his cream she could lick from her lips. Aloe, Lotus, Lyra, any one of the mares that melted under his touch all could experience so much more if only they…

Panting under the downfall of water in the shower growing too hot for comfort, he slid down the wall and sat in disgust with himself.

They didn't want it.

They didn't need it.

They didn't even know what it was.

Yet he wanted it.

He needed it.

The truth was that he didn't know how long he could stop himself before the temptation would be enough to convince him to show them. He wasn't even strong enough to stop from throwing himself headfirst into the compromising positions that he knew would eventually lead to it happening. He even wanted to help Chris just so he wouldn't be alone in this, even if just for the excuse that he wasn't the only one, or at least the first one. Or that it was too late to go back.

Then he was done, and the pressure had been released. He could focus again.

Dinner would be coming up shortly, and then he could talk business. Business was good. Work would keep him busy. Keep him engaged and focused on the perfect product. He always had that drive in him. Even if it was to impress the ladies and… he could work on that. Plus, maybe Twilight could help.

There wouldn’t be any temptation there. She made it clear where she stood, and he never wanted that kind of forced affection. He’d rather go without.

That was the plan from now on. Work, Twilight, and whatever he needed to do alone in his room. But even with that, he couldn’t wait to see Oven Fresh in that new skirt and those stockings. Everything about that outfit was crafted specifically to appease his taste while fitting her more playful style.

She would look great in it, feel great in it. She would be great in it even if she didn’t wear the panties.

… his shower time just got extended.

Fluttershy and Cerb hadn’t moved since the chupacabra had been thwarted off with a gruesome death threat, and the grateful birds agreed to finish the last bit of harvesting for them. The birds had even quickly grown not only to accept Cerb’s presence, they celebrated it.

He was their predator, victor, and protector. They loved him and showered him with gifts of every flower, berry, herb, or twig they thought looked important. Anything they thought could be useful for his friend.

Fluttershy had stayed busy the whole time, laying in his lap, looking over the mound of gifts they brought as a tribute while doing her best to answer their many questions.

“No, of course not,” she giggled to a nearby cardinal. “He doesn’t have any gills. How could he breathe underwater?”

One of the songbirds was hopping erratically on Cerb’s shoulder, chirping another question.

Fluttershy listened intently, still drinking in how perfectly this all had ended, and had to ask Cerb on how to answer the new question.

“She wants to know if you would like to come back and visit. Even if the chupacabra doesn’t come back or another predator threatens them.”

Cerb turned his head to the excited ball of feathers. It chirped happy little noises and twerked its head side to side before jumping off his shoulder, only to fly no more than a foot away before landing right back where it had leaped from. It chirped again, eagerly awaiting an answer.

This whole experience with them had been an entertaining one, and he would never forget what happened up here. However, he could do without all the loose feathers now covering his shoulders and hair.

“Tell her that one day I’ll make a surprise visit.”

Fluttershy quietly hummed out a low laugh before telling the bird, “Yes, but we don’t know when. You’ll just have to wait and be surprised.”

The little bird flapped her wings excitedly and then flew off back into the colony, which started a rupture of the entire colony, cheering together at the prospect of his return.

Now that the other birds had flown off, leaving to do...whatever birds do, Cerb made a small confession to the mare in his lap.

“You don’t have to tell them this, but I wasn’t going to do all that stuff to the chupacabra. I wouldn’t know where to find his family. And we don’t eat meat like that. Not fresh out of the body.”

In spite of how morbid that last bit of information was, Fluttershy was past worrying about what he would or could carry out such a voracious act.

“I know you wouldn't have."

Cerb had a little laugh at that.

"Oh? You think that highly of me that you knew I was lying about that?"

Fluttershy snuggled in closer.

"I know you're physically capable of doing a lot of horrible things if that's what you really wanted to, or if something happened where you thought you had to protect us. But the eating him alive part—" She gazed into his eyes and patted his cheek gently. "—you don't have the right kind of teeth to rip him open and tear him apart like that.”

There wasn’t much Cerb could do to hold back his snickers at her flawless logic.

“Damn it… you got me.”

Confident with her standing, Fluttershy pulled Cerb’s left hand under her neck and rested there.

“You know… I think I understand now. Why you were able to do what you did in your war. That one chupacabra could have killed all the babies in there, and I don’t even know how many others of my bird friends… Even if I was to fight back, I wouldn’t have been able to save all of them. And he probably would have killed me, too. But if I had your gun—”

Trying to stop her from even contemplating such an outcome, Cerb laid his free hand on her head and stroked her mane.

“Don’t think about that.”

Fluttershy wanted to make her point and rephrased her thoughts.

“If it were him or me, would you want me to… or him to?”

Cerb didn’t want to deal with the thought of her having to give up her innocence. Instead, he picked her up, brought her chest to chest, and hugged her tightly, letting their necks press against each other.

“I’d choose you every time, and if you couldn’t, I’d do it. For any of you.”

The confirmation let Fluttershy melt into his arms.

“I know, and I’m sorry about being so scared before. I’ve never been so close to dealing with this that I had to consider what you had. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I did nothing, or not enough. Or just allowed myself to—”

Cerb hushed in her ear, “You won’t have to, not with me here. There will never be a living thing I’ll ever allow to hurt you. If anyone or anything ever tries, you just tell them that I don’t need the right kind of teeth to tear them apart. Tell'em I'm the kind of monster that their nightmares are afraid of. Not even Luna will face the kind of terror I can bring them, and there ain't nothing in this world that's strong enough to stop me.”

Twilight was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth in the open space where they conducted their command and control.

"It was only one noisemaker. Only one. That's all they heard. Not three. Three is bad. But if it was only one..."

She turned back to Benny with his binoculars, looking out to where Cerb should be.

"This noisemaker of his. What if he could only use it once, and something terrible happened? Please tell me you have a plan for something like this."

Benny stood still, confident, gazing out over the treetops for any signs of duress or signals, if that were even possible at this distance.

"No... we give them the time they asked for and don't risk ruining the flower acquisition. This is the only thing that only those two can do. If we go there now, we risk killing Becky in the long run... Pinkie, how much time do they have left?"

Within arms reach of Benny, Pinkie looked at the time on a grandfather clock, a classic alarm clock, a sundial, a series of hourglasses, then an abacus, and finally, a pocket watch. All of which she seemingly pulled out of thin air.

"Three hours, eighteen minutes, twenty-five seconds."

A sudden gust of wind blowing through the room indicated the return of Rainbow Dash.

Twilight's heart was beating violently in her chest as she ran up to Rainbow Dash, desperate for any news.

"What did you find? Are they okay? Are they hurt?! Do we need—"

"They're fiiiiiine," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she tossed a collapsible telescope over to Pinkie. "I know Cerb is gonna be pissed, but I did a high-altitude flyover, and I found them."

Twilight was about to choke the information out of Rainbow Dash.

"Well! What happened?!"

In a burst of frustration, Rainbow Dash threw up her wings.

"I don't know! I was so far above them that I could barely make it out that it was even them. I must have passed them six times before I realized where they were sitting because he's wearing that goddamn camouflage. Heck, the only reason I saw him at all was because of Fluttershy’s yellow fur sticking out from his lap, along with a shit load of birds flying around. It’s like a goddamn aviary over there, but as far as I can tell, they're just relaxing while the birds are getting that healing flower.”

Benny was relieved but had a few follow-up questions to ask.

“Did either of them appear injured, or were there any signs that something might have went wrong? Signs that there might have been a fight or an accident?”

Rainbow Dash was about to dismiss the notion completely until she remembered the one thing that made her search over that area in the first place.

“Nothing around them looked like there was a problem, but Cerb left his bag out in a clearing about a half-mile away from where I found them. I thought something bad might have happened when I didn’t see either of them anywhere near it, but they looked perfectly fine as far as I could tell. If they weren’t, I’m sure either one of them could have sent up a kite to message for help, but that never happened. So… I guess we wait?”

Benny nodded as he walked over and handed Rainbow Dash the telescope she returned.

“You did a good job out there. If Cerb has anything to say about your flyover, tell him to discuss it with me first, because I think you did the right thing on how you handled it. For now, head back to your Overwatch team and move to a high altitude like you were before and keep watch on his bag. If you're sure you can stay out of sight, do another flyover like you did before every thirty minutes, and if it looks like they’re in trouble...“

He paused for a moment, thinking of what the best order would be to give.

“So long as Twilight agrees, I say use your best judgment on how to proceed.”

Rainbow Dash stumbled back, “Wait? Me? But I’m not the—”

Twilight forced herself into the conversation, “Rainbow, you’re the one out there, not us. If you see they’re in danger and can’t use their messaging kites, you and your team might be their only hope. In fact, take some kites with you."

She levitated over a few spare kites left behind and tucked them away in Rainbow Dash's saddlebag. Changing things on the fly wasn’t her style, but what else could she do?

"If something happened to their kites, you can signal for them. If we see the signal, I'll be there as fast as I can teleport us out there to back you up with Big Mac's React Team.”

Benny let go of the telescope and let Rainbow Dash take it.

“Be confident, not cocky. We all know you’re the fastest thing this world has to offer, on top of being the best fighter." He shot her a wink. "You’re now both an Overwatch and React Team, and you know I wouldn’t give you this kind of responsibility if we didn’t believe you were the best one suited for it.”

Hearing that gave Rainbow Dash a new sense of confidence. She tucked the telescope away and rendered a salute to Twilight.

“Roger that. Moving out.”

Wasting no time, Rainbow Dash shot out through the open ceiling and flew out before all they could catch was the faint trail of prismed light behind her.

The rest of the ponies seemed to change gears. Many went from emergency preparations to returning to sorting and prepping the items to be taken back to town or their other admin work. Well, all of them, with the exception of Pinkie and Benny, who were heading for the stairs.

Twilight caught sight of the two heading out.

"Benny? Where are you going?"

Benny looked back as he kept walking, "I'm going to make sure Mac and them are ready to go. Brief them on the situation."

Twilight nodded, a degree of calm finally setting back in.

"Right, good thinking. I'm going to look over our maps, and intel reports. Make sure the evacuation routes are still clear for us."

As soon as they reached the stairs and started down, Benny let Pinkie know what else they'd be doing.

"Once they're briefed, we're doing more training. You're going with them if they go out."

Pinkie gasped in joyous excitement, “Oh! Oh! You gotta see Mr. Mandatory Fun Enforcer!”

Benny gave Pinkie a confused look.

“What happened to your Happy War Noises?”

Pinkie skipped ahead down the hall, just as giddy as could be.

“Happy War Noises? That’s just the first act. Mr. Mandatory Fun Enforcer has the plastics I showed you.”

Benny sped up in a feudal attempt to catch up to Pinkie.

“Goddamnit, Pinkie! I told you that’s too much for them to handle! That shit shouldn’t even exist here! How do you keep—”

Pinkie sped up, keeping just out of Benny’s reach, giggling all the way.

Benny hated how much faster Pinkie was than him and how effortless she made it look. How was a pony who only seemed to eat nothing but cake, cookies, and ice cream so damn athletic?

“Goddamnit, Pinkie! You can keep the silverware if you give up the plastics!”

“Tooooo laaaaate, BennyBenBen! You’re going to owe me two cupcakes!

Lot's of buildup, not much I'm gonna say about this one. I'm too excited about the next few chapters.

Up next though, is Chapter 58. The Learning Curve of Opportunities & Reservations.

Side note: I love Swift Sails. God is she cute.