Just on the outskirts of Ponyville, in the area designated as the Human Embassy, Lumberman was finishing siphoning fuel from the industrial equipment Pinkie had abandoned in the backyard.

“Well, this will easily get us through the month. This bad boy looks like a generic replica of a Caterpillar Excavator. Fuel tanks on these are at least two hundred gallons… Shitty thing is that diesel is only usable for about thirty days. After that, it could end up damaging the engine and fuel lines. But, at least we know diesel does exist here.”

Benny nodded like he knew what Lumberman was talking about.

“Yeah..." Sadly, he didn't. "No, why?”

Lumberman shrugged, only vaguely remembering it himself.

“I dunno. Something about the fuel oxidizing and water getting in. Regular gas can last for up to six months. Too bad Pinkie couldn’t bring us some of that. Could have at least kept the generator going longer.”

Benny made a sour face, realizing how useless what little gas he had left was.

“Meh, fuck it. Only got enough gas for maybe another twelve or fourteen hours anyway. Might as well use it while we got it. The gas I had left over I replaced about four months ago anyway. Though I’d like to know how the power works everywhere else out here. Not sure if you haven’t noticed, but there’s no power lines anywhere in town.”

From inside the truck, Applejack groaned, having grown bored from waiting, along with some of the soreness returning, without the pleasant high she had experienced earlier.

“Woody? How much longer? I hate to sound needy, but these other pain pills don’t work for shit unless I’m next to ya.”

Taking one more look at the fuel tank, Lumberman huffed a short breath through his nose and grinned.

“Just finishing up. Don’t worry. We’ll head out in a minute.”

Applejack grumbled something from the front seat of the cab.

“Anti-magic hands my ass.”

Lumberman couldn’t help but laugh a little at that.

“Yeah… kinda weird how we’re both anti-magic, yet it’s almost like our hands are literally made of magic fingers.”

Well past mental exhaustion, Benny sighed.

“Yeah, I’m taking a break from trying to figure this shit out. It’s like damn near everything we figure out either contradicts itself or has special rules for when it can work or when it won’t.”

Pinkie hopped down from the top of the backhoe and joined the two guys in mid-conversation.

“I know, right? Kinda like this thingy,“ she said, tapping a hoof on the exterior of the backhoe. "I’ve never seen one of these things before. Now I own one. I even know how to use it. But speaking of magic fingers.“

With her usual lack of restraint or regard for personal space, she cozied up to Benny’s side, “You might be treating some very lucky pony to a magic finger back rub tonight.”

For a moment, Benny closed his eyes and held that look someone would have right before the straw broke the camel's back to make them want to suck-start a .45.

“Let me guess. Part of your plan for me is to give you a back massage again?”

Unsurprisingly, Pinkie snorted and giggled.

“No, silly Billy BenBen. You’re going on a double, double-blind date tonight. Well, this afternoon. Late afternoon. Not exactly noon, but still not evening. We have a party to go to after all.”

Benny did a slow turn to Pinkie, the gears in his mind slowly starting to turn so he could process what she was subjecting him to.

“Are you fucking with-I mean. God-Damn, it’s hard not to swear around you sometimes. Are you seriously setting me up on a blind date tonight? Aftern-I… Fuck.”

Still as chipper as ever, Pinkie started bouncing up and down around Benny like Peppy Le Pew.

“Yep. A double, double-blind date. That’s doubling the fun that’s already been doubled. And with you there, it really will have Ben doubled.”

Lumberman did his best to restrain his laughter, unaware of the call back to Luna’s one-liner, but didn’t hold up so well regardless.

“Damn, Benny Boy. You really gonna let her pimp you out like that?”

Assuming that pimping was something fun friends do, Pinkie perked up between them.

“Yep. He sure is. He made a Pinkie Promise, and nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.“

She turned to Benny as the light in the world around them grew dim, and she leaned over him, expanding in size.

“And no human will either.“

And, just as suddenly, she shrunk back to normal size with the light returning, as if the sudden tonal whiplash never occurred.

“But BenBen knows not to break a Pinkie Promise.”

Naturally, after such a display, Benny should have been terrified but stood unphased.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Stick a cupcake in my eye and all the darkness of the NetherRealm or whatever.”

Lumberman, by contrast, was left frozen, looking as if he had just seen the devil himself.

“That’s right,” Pinkie chirped but then lowered her tone into a threatening voice. “And no drinking until after the date is over, mister Drinky McVomit Von Whiskey Shits.”

Benny sighed, still not impressed or possibly not even attached to reality at this point.

“Yes, I’ll be sober, Pinkie. But could you start vacuuming the carpets in the house for me? There’s still no power, and Chris or Starlight somehow fucking melted one vacuum cleaner, but I know you’ll find a way to get it done.”

Ready as ever to help, Pinkie happily trotted off to the house.

“Don’t you worry, BenBen. You leave everything in the house to me. I’ll have it party ready in no time.”

Benny watched her trot off and started to remember all the cartoon logic she could use to fuck up a simple, albeit impossible, task.

“And don’t vacuum the carpet by ripping it out to be vacuumed somewhere else! And don’t use the party canon to set the table!” He shouted loudly, secretly praying that the house wouldn’t be ripped open with burning confetti and silverware.

Pinkie shouted back in her cheerful voice, “Okay! Might take a little longer to get done then!”

Benny shook his head with flashbacks of the Everfree Forest as he started to talk to Lumberman.

“It’s weird. Half the time, she drives me crazy, and the other half, she’s fucking hilarious… But… goddamn. A blind date? Really? I know we put Cerb on a date with Rarity, but… I can’t believe I’m getting hooked up with a horse.”

Lumberman bit his lip, seemingly ignoring Benny’s gripe as he turned his head back to the truck.

“Hey, Apples, gimme a second to talk to Benny alone, then we’ll head out.”

Applejack raised a hoof from where she was lying across the front seat.

“Fine… Not like I’ll be running off nowhere.”

With some serious issues on his mind, Lumberman led Benny not too far around the other side of the backhoe. Once he knew they were alone, he asked a question he had been mulling over in his head for a while.

“You’ll have to excuse the question I got for ya, but it’s one I’ve been really thinking about, and I’ll try to phrase it as best I can, given your own question… If you were offered the chance to actually hook up with a pony out here, would it be beastiality to say yes, or racist to say no?”

It would have been an understatement to say that Benny wasn’t ready for that.

“Say again?”

Annoyed he needed to clarify the rhetorical question, Lumberman crossed his arms and looked away to the bath tents as he started to speak again.

"One of the first conversations I had with Applejack was about what we're all talking about now. At the time, she meant it as a joke. but I didn't want to play along and gave her an honest answer instead. I told her that we wouldn't because we're different and, well, pretty much explained the obvious. And she was insulted by it. The fact that I even hinted at her and the rest of them being animals to us, even if just in appearance—“

He struggled for a moment, leaving his mouth open, but the words faltered to come out. The blunt truth was hard to say, even to a trusted friend. Not without some careful thought.

“But then I told her that I understood if she was upset. Because... let's face it. We all understand what racism is for us. How fucked up our history is with it. That the color of our skin could be something that made people think others were less than human. That we could be treated like livestock."

Lumberman finally turned his eyes away from the tents and back to Benny with a sympathetic look. His tone also was a bit more serious, but not so much as to lecture his friend.

"And if y'all haven't noticed, the human race is the minority here. But even still, they see us as equals, despite how fucked up we are. Being nice to 'em is one thing for them to be cool with us, but they've gone so far beyond that. This might not be a white versus black thing, but I think we're past the point of saying it can't be a racial thing.”

Benny was oddly taken aback by Lumberman’s explanation.

“Dude. I’m not a fucking racist, but this is very much not the same thing.”

Lumberman took a deep breath and sighed, the weight of the conversation already bearing down on him as he continued.

“Yeah… I know it’s not. They’re not human, but they’re also not animals. They’re not stupid or driven by instinct. They’re not led by a leash or tempted by sugar cubes to do a trick for us… And I’ll be honest about my bias. I really like Applejack, and part of me realizing that was because of what happened to her yesterday. It really started, though, when I stepped up to help take care of her. Given how tore up she was about what happened to Kelly and all the other shit we’ve had to deal with."

Somehow it felt like he had made up his mind, yet was still looking for the right reasons to rationalize it. Regardless, it didn't change his explanation.

"Maybe it’s because this world is based on cartoons that are meant to be super nice and compassionate, but once you really get to know ’em… They’re ain’t nothing about ’em that isn’t human. I’d take it a step further and say most of them are better people than most people.”

Seeing how hard it was to not sound like an asshole, Benny grunted, knowing any position to take was grounds for harsh criticism.

“Yeah, I get it. And I agree—”

“Ben,” Lumberman cut him off with a cold voice. “I’m not gonna blame you for this because you were in a fucked up situation, but you killed the only thing in this world that probably had a clue about how we got here and how to get back. Not that we had great lives to go back to, but I don’t think we’re going home.”

Stunned and confused, Benny tried to understand why the sudden change of topic.

“There’s got to be a way back.”

Lumberman shook his head, making it clear he sought to quell any false hopes Benny had.

“I ain’t banking on it. And if that is the case, how much longer until everyone else starts to realize that? That we aren’t just visitors anymore? That we’re stuck here for good? There’s only seven of us. Five guys and two girls. And in all likelihood, Sniff and Drip would hook up because they tend to think alike enough to make peace with it. That leaves Becky to pick between the four of us. And just being real wit ‘chu, her top pick is Cerb. After that, Chris. Between me and you after that… Kinda hard to say. But if you haven’t noticed, Cerb is hard-core attached to his new girls. And they can both put his ass in check, keep up with him like a fucking marine out there, and they both take care of him. Chris…“

Out of nowhere, Lumberman scoffed, but it turned into a short laugh. The painfully obvious reality was too funny not to laugh at.

“Yo, dude… Between the Renamons and Pokemons, or all the other fantasy chicks he’s been into, that boy is an ounce of courage away from bagging himself a waifu."

It might have been funny in retrospect, but his laugh and smile waned off before he took a more somber tone to finish his thoughts.

“I… never saw either Kelly or Becky as someone I’d hook up with… Too much like sisters to me. That and Kelly… Love her to death, but she’s not my type. Becky, though. Way too much like a little sister, and she ain’t never been comfortable with getting too close after she swore off dating. Maybe she’d change her mind and not want to die alone out here, hopefully many, many years from now instead of only a few… But how many of us are gonna last living alone out here?”

Finally having a chance to speak, Benny gave Lumberman a funny look.

“You’ve… put a lot of thought into this.”

Lumberman shrugged and spit off to the side.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to look out and take care of us. And it’s been hard because all our new guardians keep doing it for us. The more I thought about that… Hey. I’m not saying you don't have to like it, or what you should or shouldn’t do. I’m just saying that it’s coming.“

With the ridiculousness of their reality settling in again, Lumberman scoffed and laughed again.

"Fuck, man. Who am I kidding? Everyone’s been so lost and wrapped up with their ponies… I wouldn’t doubt the shit’s already happened, and no one wants to own up to it. Chris, Kelly, and Peter, for sure, man. We’re all human and fucking broken.“ He turned back towards the house to see Pinkie shaking out a rug. “… and slowly but surely, they're putting the pieces back together for us.”

Benny suddenly felt a bit tense, like that reply was more of a warning than anything else.

“Aren’t you afraid that if they’re the ones putting them back together, they could change the order and how we see things?"

Lumberman grinned but gave Benny a serious look.

"Dude… you got stuck with the craziest chick this planet has to offer. She stuck by you as close as she could when you fought that big-ass horse demon. Then you had her lie to her friends about what happened by making sure they wouldn't believe her. She let you emotionally manipulate her into keeping quiet about how you and everyone else there was in danger. That was fucking both selfish and stupid… And she still did it because despite how much you put her and everybody else off, she fucking cared enough to do what we all would do for you. But unlike us… she don’t know you, bro… Maybe some of our perspectives should be changed."

"Woody!" Applejack shouted impatiently. "Can ya please hurry up? This shit's hurt'n."

Despite the loud interruption, Lumberman kept his eyes on Benny but hollered back.

"Yeah, just finishing up over here!" He gave Benny a nod, his expression far more serious but still calm in his delivery. "A long time ago, you all put my ass on blast ‘cus I was fucking up and acting stupid and selfish. I’m a better man for it, even if it did hurt to accept something different from what I thought was all I knew. And this ain’t nearly the same thing but… You do what you think is best, man. That's all we can do."

Satisfied at having said his piece, Lumberman started back towards the truck.

"See ya later tonight."

Now more or less alone, Benny, for all he thought he knew, didn't know what to think anymore.

"Yeah… I'll be there."

As Lumberman started up his truck and began to drive off, Benny started his walk back to the house. A lot was weighing on his mind now. Not just the prospects of being stranded in Equestria forever but what that meant for his friends and their romantic futures.

There were only two girls there with them, and he had no interest in Kelly, given her history. Becky was… She was attractive, but there was no chemistry there. She had always been closer to Cerb after he saved her when they were just kids. Then, given all the emotional support Lumberman provided over the years, he also would have thought that would have put the two closer together.

At the same time, Chris did make sense, considering all the time he and Becky spent watching cartoons and animes together. They actually shared a lot of interests and entertained each other, given how reclusive they were during the work week.

Benny himself had always been a good friend, but his own emotional issues left him distant in a lot of ways. If anyone, he would be one of the three odd men out of companionship.

As he watched Pinkie give her excited wave to welcome him back to the house, it finally hit him that this was going to be his life from now on. If they all were truly stuck here because he killed The Pony of Shadows, he may have given them all a death sentence to die in this world, however long that would take. But then, as to Lumberman's question, if the ponies really were human underneath their outward appearance, then how long would he be willing to spend his time in this world alone?

Pinkie was in the middle of wiping down the countertop when Benny finally walked in. Still the picture-perfect display of a gratuitous host, she looked up to welcome him with a big, bright smile.

"So, carpets are done, and the countertop is the last thing I need to wipe down before setting up the decorations. But yoooou need to get ready for your big date tonight. I sent out the invitations this morning, so everypony knows to be there."

"Cool," Benny replied, though the shock from the day's revelations deadened any enthusiasm he could have mustered.

Still, that didn’t stop him from trying to play things off as normally as possible until he could probably handle this new revelation. And the best way was to distract himself.

"So, what are the plans for the date anyway?"

Pinkie finished wiping down the countertop and tossed the rag into the sink behind her without looking.

"Well, the first thing to do is turn that frown upside down. Then, when you're dressed and ready, you're all going to meet up for some fun games of bowling!"

"Bowling?" Benny had to question how that was going to work but refrained out of fear of it making any sense. "Oh… That should be fun… Haven't done that sober in a while."

After Pinkie's stellar plans failed to turn Benny's frown upside down, she knew something was wrong.

"Are you upset that I'm not letting you drink before your date tonight, or do you not want to do the date at all?"

Rather than immediately respond, Benny pulled out a stool across from Pinkie and took a seat, looking uncharacteristically down, even for him.

"No, it's… Do you think me and my friends are going to be stuck here forever?" He watched her deflating smile drop even lower, but he couldn't stop himself; these thoughts had to be said. "That Twilight won't be able to find a way to send us home? That by killing The Pony of Shadows, I might have doomed us all to be stuck here?"

At this point, Pinkie could be an optimist and lie or be painfully honest, but decided to do her best to meet somewhere in the middle.

"BenBen… we really don't know how you all got here. We thought we had a clue, but everypony says that it's not possible, even if we combined all the alicorn magic in Equestria. And even if it were possible, Twilight still doesn't know how to find your home. But you’ve got to believe me, Twilight is the smartest pony when it comes to stuff like this. She always pulls through. We'll find a way home for you. I promise."

Despite the sentiment, Benny looked up with unconvinced eyes.

"Can you Pinkie Promise that it will happen, or are you just hoping she'll find a way home for us?"

Seemingly filled with confidence, Pinkie stood up tall on her hind legs, raised her right hoof, and with a proud voice, declared, "I..."

She held her pose there momentarily before dropping back down to lean on the countertop and sulking.

"... I'm sorry BenBen… I can't promise you anything except that we're going to do everything we can to help you and your friends while everypony who can work on this magic stuff tries to figure it out. I can't make that promise for Twilight. I don't understand any of it enough to even try to explain it. All I can do is try to make you smile a little more. Make you happy while you're here."

After that explanation, there was only one thing Benny could think to do.

“You know, Balloon Butt, that’s all I can ask for. It might not be what I was hoping to hear, but it’s on me to get the fuck over it and carry on the best that I can."

Seeing the positive change she was hoping for, Pinkie giggled and brightened up again.

"I still don't know what that word means."

Benny grinned, debating on how best to exploit such an opportunity.

"It can mean a lot of things, though we can go over them later. Come on. Help me pick out what to wear."

After a short tour of the upstairs, Benny led Pinkie into his room.

"And this is where I would normally sleep and will probably be crashing tonight." He looked down to his side and saw his companion wasn't there anymore. "Pinkie?"

The closet door sprang open, and Pinkie tumbled out, tangled in Benny's clothes.

"Woah! You have a lot of shirts, BenBen… And your room is a mess."

Her eyes suddenly became fixated on a particular shirt that she held up.

"Oh, you should wear this shirt tonight. It has a cool robot on it."

Benny eyed the shirt with Optimus Prime printed on the front and had to stop himself from laughing at the rather ironic brand choice.

"Of course, you think I should. How about I pick a few I'd be comfortable in, and then you pick one of those?"

Unsatisfied with his answer, Pinkie turned the shirt around and looked at the robot again.

"But this one is so cool!" She cried out before...sniffing it. "It even smells like you. And you know how good you smell."

"That shirt is unwashed," Benny complained before he remembered the whole weird scents the ponies claimed his other friends had. "Out of curiosity, what do I smell like to you?"

Pinkie scurried across the floor and ran her nose up from Benny's shoes to his neck in one long but fast sniff.

"Hmm… You smell… Kinda like your shirt."

“The actual scent, Pinkie,” Benny groaned, completely ignoring he’d just been subject to a full-body sniffing. “I know the shirt is going to smell like me. What do the shirt and I smell like?”

Pinkie leaned in closer again. But this time, her movements were slow and deliberate. The hold she held around his shoulder and around the back of his neck was delicate compared to her normally forcefully, jerky pushes and pulls.

Closing her eyes, she let her muzzle tickle its way along the crux of Benny's neck as she raised it up its length until the broad face of her muzzle was dragging under his jawline. All along this intentionally measured journey, she softly inhaled his scent until the trail led her up to under his chin, her lips falling short of touching his.

Fearing a kiss was coming, Benny stood oddly still, unsure what type of resistance to put up, if any at all. His concerns quickly tapered off when Pinkie pulled her face away from him, and she returned to all fours, turning away just enough to put him out of her direct line of sight.

"It's complicated," Pinkie started to explain in a voice that was so tame and refrained, sounding as if she had been deeply moved or wounded.

"There's so much there to take in and unpack. Small notes of earthy tones like rich, fertile soil that's been tended to with loving hooves and gave birth to a lush garden. Not just fruits and vegetables. There's hints of rosemary, budding flowers, but also the hefty scent that comes when the crops are ready for harvest. But they are almost lost in it is the faintest scent of sea salt… Sea salt… With all of you, it's always sea salt. It's soft, yet strikingly, unavoidably powerfully there. And something else… It's not a perfume or a cologne, but just as noticeable and equally warm and inviting. It… It's like smelling it makes me feel like I'm remembering an old friend who's happy to see me... It would almost be terrifying if not for how beautiful it is and how handsome you are."

Of all the things he could recall about Pinkie and all the disturbing things she'd done around him, this threw Benny off the most.

"You think I'm—"

"A summer's garden!" Pinkie shouted in jubilee as she jumped into a celebratory dance. "Yes! Nailed it!"

Being how Pinkie ruined whatever kind of moment Benny thought she was going for, he turned to the wall behind him and posed like he was in an Old Spice commercial.

"Benny's Body Scented Body Wash. Summer Garden Edition." He gave a thumbs up and a playboy's smile. "It's what mares want."

"What?!" Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the side. "Who are you talking to?"

Rather than respond appropriately, Benny simply turned around, proud of his imitation of breaking the fourth wall and leaving Pinkie in utter confusion.

"What? Oh? I think you're right. I should just dress myself and see if you approve."

He picked up the Transformers shirt, half-hazzardly folded it, then handed it to Pinkie before ushering her out.

"As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you this shirt as a gift to show my appreciation. Now, how about you get started on those decorations?"

Pinkie stood outside of Benny's doorway, totally confused as to what happened.

"But… you were talking to the wall?"

Benny continued gleefully playing ignorant to her questions. Finally able to get one over the pranking pink party pony in a way he felt fitting of her behavior.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Balloon Butt. Let me pick out some clothes…. Crap. I still need to take a bath. Hey, you mind doing me a solid by helping with cleaning up the rest of the house? I've barely touched it since we crashed here."

With the last bit of shenanigans seemingly forgotten, Pinkie turned around and found something new to distract herself with.

"I can do that! No sweat, BenBen. Anything to help you get ready for your big double-double date tonight."

Benny ultimately let the entire date issue go, no longer having the strength or energy to fight it anymore. Like it or not, he made a promise.

"Yeah. I'm sure it will be a great time."

Lightly humming a little tune to herself, Zecora opened a case with the prized flowers.

"I cannot believe you were given three. Your way with animals always impresses me."

With her mind quickly falling back to those hours high in the hills with Cerb, Fluttershy started sorting out a bulk of the other items.

"I can't take all the credit. I had so much help from Justin."

Flowers in hand...or mouth as it were, Zecora limped slightly as she went to fetch a bowl for mixing.

"Your friend Cerberus is rather peculiar and left me very impressed. For as big and as brutal, he’s so timid and kind, I would never have guessed."

Fluttershy visually gushed at the slightest compliment towards Cerb.

"Oh, my gosh, Zecora. You have no idea how amazing Justin is. He's so sweet, and kind, and loving once he opens up. Which is amazing once you stop and think about the horrible world he came from."

Chuckling at the mare’s obvious enthusiasm, Zecora dropped some roots into a pot and set it over a small fire.

"A powerful ally to have in these troubling days. And a powerful fighter he's made you, no doubt by teaching his warrior ways."

A little embarrassed by her ferocity yet proud of her performance, Fluttershy blushed.

"Yes, he noticed my lack of confidence and thought that training me how to fight would help. Not that we had much time to train together. Most of what I did out there was instinct. But, I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to fight like I did if it wasn’t for him being there with me. And again, I have to thank you for helping me with all of this.”

Zecora chuckled, happy to see the positive change in Fluttershy in spite of all that had happened.

“We have become good friends, so there is no doubt I would do this for you. But Cerberus saved my life, so I will do this for him, too. And please don’t think me to be one to gossip over such emotional mush. But if I’m not mistaken, with him, you have more than a crush?”

“Is it that obvious?” Fluttershy asked, practically glowing. “I’m surprised nopony else has noticed. That, or they’re just being nice and not bringing it up because they know how shy I am about things like this. But I also wanted to ask you some questions that I couldn’t find any answers for anywhere else. And even after what Twilight told us this morning, I have to ask you… What do you know about rutting? Specifically the physical side of it."

Not expecting such commitment from Fluttershy, Zecora gave a nervous smile.

"I assume that marriage is your goal. Even if it means you two would conceive no foal. If it is not true about what Twilight would like to believe, then you should know what must be done so a foal you may conceive."

Fluttershy waited in anticipation for the rest of the pieces to finally be revealed. She even had an ear twitch as her heart raced.

Zecora turned her attention back to the roots boiling in her pot, doing her best to explain the situation.

"When two ponies love each other and wish to bear a child, their emotions take control as their hearts run wild. The stallion... “

As soon as Zecora trailed off, Fluttershy could tell she was running into the same problem every other pony had given her.

“You have no idea, do you?”

Embarrassed, Zecora turned around with an apology at the ready.

“No-No. I assure you I know what you need. Every mare knows what they must do if they wish to breed. It’s a physical act where… You have to… No. Yes. No. Wait, I am getting confused. I can’t seem to remember the method that needs to be used.”

Seeing this was yet another dead end, Fluttershy sighed, moving to unpack a bundle of Foal’s Breath.

“I want to be with Cerberus, and I’ve been fantasizing about him. Rarity and I both have, and it wasn’t until I was in the forest that I had a dream of a memory I had forgotten. But all I can remember of how it’s done is the stallion's penis comes out of its sheath and gets long and stiff. Then he puts it in the mare’s vagina, but in my dream, I didn’t just see two of my old deer friends doing it; that was the memory I had of it being done. I dreamt Cerb was doing the same thing to me.”

Zecora was so taken aback by the story she let the pot boil over, and it took her a moment to come back to reality.

“My apologies, Fluttershy, I could have sworn that I knew… But of all ponies, I’m surprised that you do.”

Fluttershy continued prepping the rest of the ingredients as she spoke.

“It’s fine. Nopony else seems to know either. And I’ve read through dozens of books looking for answers, but there’s nothing that covers how procreation is supposed to be done. Rarity didn’t know either, so we asked Applejack. Little did we know, she was looking for the same answers we were. But then she told us she asked Granny Smith, and Granny Smith said that even though she’s had foals of her own, she doesn’t remember how she got pregnant or even giving birth. It’s as if no pony knows, and those who did, just like me, somehow forgot.”

Even if she was new to this, Zecora knew something was wrong with how this was turning out.

“I believe we have stumbled onto quite the strange mystery. Our harmony has been disrupted, or so it appears to me.”

For such a peculiar thing to forget, Zecora tried to put it to the back of her mind and focus on the present issues with her friend.

“As for now, I can see you both as the perfect pair. If you want him as your husband, I will help get you there."

Fluttershy smiled at such an idea, but there was some sorrow still behind her eyes.

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. It's actually both Rarity and I that are trying to win him over. And we've been working together to try and get him comfortable with us so at least one of us can be the pony he chooses. But with all that's been happening, we think he's afraid of losing us as friends or… I'm not even sure how he sees us. I think he knows what we want, and he's trying to give us everything he thinks we want to be closer to him, and that’s actually our problem. We don't want to risk doing more damage to his emotional state by leading him into doing something he isn't comfortable with. We could end up losing him because of it, given his sometimes fragile mental state. That and… Rarity and I have become a lot closer as of late because of all the issues we've had learning about sex with each other."

“Knock, knock?” Sniff announced himself as he walked in.

“Morning, Sniff,” Bon Bon greeted warmly in front of the sales counter as she dropped a few bits down.

Oven Fresh smiled cheerfully from behind the counter.

“Welcome back. Bon Bon here was just telling me about how she helped with an emergency extraction of some flowers for your friend Becky.”

Sniff looked down at the non-intimidating mare in front of the counter with surprise.

“Yeah? Oh, right. You’re Lyra’s friend. The one she had help watch me.”

Bon Bon grinned.

“I did a lot more than that. But I wanted to ask. How was Applejack doing? That was what I heard yesterday, wasn't it?"

Sniff nodded, grateful for her improvement he saw that morning.

"It was, and she's fine."

Bon Bon gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad to hear. I've never heard anypony scream like that before. What happened?"

In a quick dismissal of the question, he waved his hand and lowered his gaze.

"Nah. Sorry. That's uh… Outta respect for Applejack and her family. I'm not at liberty to speak about that. But, if you like, you can see her tonight… You did get an invitation, right? I don't know how Pinkie gets her invites out."

Bon Bon reached back into her satchel and pulled out an envelope in her teeth, flashing it just long enough to let Sniff see the paper parcel.

"I was checking the mail when I'm pretty sure Pinkie Pie ran past me and put it in my hoof. But I'll be there tonight regardless." She started towards the door. "You have a good day."

Sniff held the door open for Bon Bon and then motioned for Swift Sails to follow.

"Could you do me the favor of letting me and Oven Fresh have a moment alone?"

Dutiful as always, Swift Sails saluted.

"Absolutely. As far as I'm concerned, you just lost your keys." She gave a wink and posted up outside the door. "I'll be standing by, Peter."

With their privacy secured, Oven Fresh made flirty eyes at her lucky man.

"Do you want to talk to me here, give a hand in the kitchen, or should I close up shop for the rest of the day and meet you in the bedroom?”

Sniff chuckled and made his way over to the countertop.

“I dunno. Mostly, I came here to ask you why Twilight said that she and I should have a fun time if I’m not going to be here for a long time. And I want to know what all you told her.”

Caught red-hoofed, Oven Fresh gave an embarrassed smile.

“Oh… that. Well, after you left, I… I don’t know how to really explain it. After you pointed out the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their disguise, I kinda see things differently now. And it really makes a lot more sense after our first night together, but knowing what to look for now, I could tell that Twilight wasn’t being honest with me when we started talking after you gave me a hand in the kitchen. Thank you for that, by the way. So, after you left, I confronted her, and… we talked a lot about you and everything that’s been going on… I… didn’t know you already slept with her.”

Sniff raised an eyebrow at that statement before realizing what she was referring to.

“Oh! No, I didn’t sleep with her like you and me did. I just slept in the same bed as her. We didn’t even cuddle or kiss. I was just trying to help take care of her, and she wanted company until she fell asleep.”

Seemingly unaffected by this revelation, Oven Fresh continued filling in Sniff, knowing he needed to understand exactly what was going on.

“Well, regardless. You have had a huge impact on her, Peter. She really cares about you. We both do, but she… Peter… I think you changed her whole world before she even realized she was falling in love with you. But I think I know what you really are wanting to hear, and the answer is no. I didn’t tell her to have sex with you, if that really is your big concern. I did tell her that you can’t get a pony pregnant, which she seemed to have some understanding of because of what you told her, but she didn’t know what sex was either. So I told her the same thing I told you. That it’s a right of passage for a mare to know about what to do.”

Sniff softened his expression and nodded, looking a little like he felt guilty now.

“I see… and, thanks for not sending her after me all worked up and trying to get in my pants.”

Still worried about Sniff, Oven Fresh laid a hoof on his forearm.

“Peter, I still can’t get over just how amazing of a stallion you can be for… Wait. What did you say when she asked you out? You didn’t break her heart a second time, did you?”

Not in the mood for any more drama, Sniff rolled his eyes, still wanting to get down to the brass tax of things.

“I said yes, but now Luna, Starlight, and Spike all know that I’m dating both of you at the same time because they were spying on us. I’m guessing they knew that Twilight wanted to be with me, too.”

Seeing the concern in Sniff’s eyes, Ovens started to worry that her best intentions may not have been the best of choices.

“Do you want to be with her?” she asked cautiously.

There was a short pause from Sniff before he answered.

“I asked you before not to bring her into this because I am scared of hurting her. Just like I was worried about hurting you, either by letting you down and breaking your heart, or even physically. Yes, I really do like her. Both of you girls challenge me in different ways that make me feel like I’m actually working for something. Aaaand I was trying to let her be the one I didn’t try to seduce while helping her.”

Hearing Sniff speak with such conviction, Oven Fresh started to feel a little guilty for acting so impulsively. All she wanted to do was to help him, but wasn't sure exactly how Twilight was going to fit into all of her plans now.

“I won’t push her or give her any information that she could use to tempt you. Unless you would prefer that I at least let her know what you like?”

Knowing what was at risk and the faith he gave this mare, Sniff sighed.

“Ovens… I trust you… which is the other reason I’m here again this morning. I’d like to know what you think I should do concerning whoever comes after me next. Because now that I’m dating Twilight, we both have to take her into consideration about what I should do with the other ladies in town. Because, I’m going to head over to the spa after this, and that’s just asking for trouble.”

Oven Fresh giggled inappropriately, more than a few images popping into her head.

“Right. Well, for now, how about you only work your magic fingers over the ponies you treat at the spa, not work into them. Because you’re right, we should take Twilight’s feelings into consideration. And I’d think that she’d like to know how amazing a night with you can really be before you show somepony else. That, and this can help you figure out how to best balance your wants of helping others with your desires to… Oye.“

She wilted slightly with dreamy eyes and an ear twitch. “How much longer until you rut me? Because I’m looking forward to you living out all your desires with me.”

Sniff couldn’t help but laugh a little at that at the sudden shift into erotic territory.

“Are you saying you need a hand in the Kitchen?”

Both of Oven Fresh’s ears twitched as she looked up with a lustful smile.

“Only because the bed is farther away.”

Shining had just about wrapped things up with Becky and Cerb.

"So, with all the shops and events our ponies put on, you won't be getting bored any time soon. And with all the knowledge you have to share, Becky, along with Fluttershy and everypony else helping, I have nothing but faith in finding a cure."

After the lengthy explanation, Becky started feeling more optimistic about the trip.

"At the very least, I know I'm going to have a lot of fun. And now I have to wonder who Flurry Heart is going to throw herself into first."

Shining laughed as any father would.

"My bet’s on Becky. I've never seen her so worked up as she was over not being near you."

Remembering that cute little foal, Cerb chuckled at the thought of it.

"Yeah… So weird how she wanted nothing to do with me until you made her give me a hug. But if we're done with this, I’d like to make a run out into town. Gotta follow up on something."

Seeing how early it was, Becky looked just as interested in leaving.

"I should follow up with the hospital. Figure out what the fuck happened when Chris was there last and if there's anything I should take with me."

Shining took a glance between the two and made a judgment call.

"If it's alright with you, Cerb, I'd like to escort Becky if nopony else is available. If there are any dangers out there, I doubt you'd need as much protection as she would."

That sounded like a solid plan, and Cerb nodded along.

"True that… and I think I know who to bring."

Onyx was still skeptical of what he was hearing.

"You think I can outbox Cerb?"

Chris sat on the couch with a cup of coffee, looking calm and collected over the question, as well as his answer provided.

"Not easily. You're both sluggers when it comes to boxing. Cerb knows a lot of other fighting techniques that… yeah. He'd hurt you bad. But just boxing? He doesn't have the discipline in it, not on a technical level. Really, he's just good at the basics. Blocks and strikes. You’ve got all the, uh, fancy hoof work down. But we can work out times to train together later tonight. Things are calm here, and Prim Posy should be showing up any minute now."

Only getting optimism and no real strategy, Onyx sighed.

"Yeah, you should be fine here, I imagine. But how sure are you that I can take him in a rematch?"

Deciding to throw his friend a bone, Chris took a deep breath and leaned in with a grin.

"Let me tell ya a little secret."

Onyx focused all his attention on Chris.

"What's that?"

Chris lowered his voice as he spoke with a confident grin.

"Since high school, I've been the only one to knock Cerb on his ass."

Onyx drew a smile that practically went from ear to ear at this little nugget of information.

"I'm starting to really like you, Chris. See you tonight at the party."

A moment or two of silence after Onyx closed the door behind him, Chris broke the ice with Redheart.

"I really wanted to thank you again for all the help you've been giving us. And I wanted to know if there's anything I can do to repay you?”

Despite the wicked temptation, Redheart was quick to turn down the offer.

“There’s no need for that, Chris. I took an oath. But more than that, I love what I do. And I’ve been grateful to continue learning from you and all of your friends. Besides, you already helped me get to know Starlight and the rest of the girls. And again, I’m so sorry about what happened at the hospital. There’s still so much I wanted to learn from you. I can’t very well ask for anything if I haven’t even finished doing my job."

With a response like that, Chris started to think that maybe she wasn't that interested in him.

"Alright. I was going offer you another massage, but if—"

"Yes!" Nurse Redheart blurted out, only to quickly cover her mouth, not hiding her cheeks turning as red as the symbol on her hat.

Then again, maybe Chris was wrong about being wrong.

"Okay?"

Nurse Redheart lowered her hoof with an embarrassed smile as her ear twitched.

“I’m sorry. If anything, I would like that. That massage you gave me earlier was... “

Already knowing without the need for clarification, Chris smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. I know. I don’t understand it, but I know. You’re not the first to think or have trouble saying it.”

This was too good to be true, so she had to verify one thing.

“Starlight wouldn’t mind if you did this while she wasn’t here, would she?” She asked nervously. “Not that I want to assume anything between you two—”

Chris smiled and waved her off.

“Don’t you worry about that. She remembered how much you enjoyed the last one and said I should offer you another as a thank you. And believe me, no matter what you ask for, she’s going to want me to do it for you… So, would you like me to pick up where we left off last time?”

In a comical, rather cute display, Redheart’s ears twitched and flopped sporadically up and down.

“I yes very yes would you to… I mean.”

After seeing how flustered the nurse had become, Chris chuckled again.

“Would you like to do this on the couch, or would you want to have more room to do it somewhere else?”

To avoid making any more of a fool of herself, Redheart started to lay belly first on the couch.

“Here is fine.”

This time, there was no blanket in Chris’s way, and he had a full view of everything Nurse Redheart was graciously leaving on display for him.

“I’ll start just above the knees and work my way up, then tell me where to go, and I’ll get there.“ He knelt down on the floor and started working over her lower thighs. “What else were you hoping to learn about us? From the examination that I stopped, I mean.”

Redheart was already distracted by his hands and had trouble keeping her thoughts straight. It was hard to keep focus now that she had him back where she wanted him.

“Your bodies are… mmm… so complicated. And your physiology is so intricate. It’s so unlike a normal stallion’s body. Higher, please. Mmm… But seeing you unclothed after reading Becky’s medical books, it all makes so much more sense... why you need to protect yourself with clothes.”

Now getting more invested in the conversation than he originally planned, Chris decided to ask another question.

“And why do you think we wear clothes?”

Anxious, Redheart shifted again, spreading her legs and moving her tail further out of the way.

“Your sex organs, they’re always left exposed if you don’t cover them up with clothes. Even a simple injury to them could be devastating, and they must be very sensitive. But then that wonderful scent you have-Higher please.“

She could feel Chris’s hands working over her flanks and the sensitive creases of her thighs meeting her hips. The wonderful sensation left her close to losing self-control, and she didn’t care if she did.

“You’re such an amazing stallion, Chris. You have to protect yourself because if you walked around uncovered, every mare would be trying to rut you.”

The moral foundation Chris tried to hold was weakening. It had been ever since his first night with Starlight. He’d been given a taste of the forbidden fruits of this world that had left him wanting more. Then, there was Starlight pushing him towards others and telling him to get out and enjoy himself. Now, here was one of the most attractive characters he knew, practically inviting him in and telling him what she was thinking. Plus, that last little comment had given him more than a bit of an ego boost.

Chris slowed his hands and worked his thumbs, deepening further towards her divide. It was then that he noticed the rich sweet, tarty perfume, gladdenly introducing itself to his senses.

“Is that what you want?” He cautiously asked, trying to sound confident.

Nurse Redheart looked over her shoulder, ready to ask for the unthinkable.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

With a shocked jolt, Chris pulled back his hands and turned to the noise that came from the front door.

"Goddamnit. What is up with this shit timing and knocking on doors?"

Having a moment of clarity, Nurse Redheart dropped her head back down to the couch cushion.

"Could you be a dear and see who that is, then promptly tell them to leave?"

Nodding and obviously frustrated...in more ways than one, Chris started to stand up, ready to give the biggest ‘Fuck You’ to whoever stood behind that door.

"Of course.”

Nurse Redheart watched Chris walk out and thought of what would happen when he returned.

As far as she knew, Chris was single. Not only that, he had taken an interest in her. Not in the way some of the other stallions had in the past, where they only saw her as a pretty face to gawk at. Lots of nurses got that. But with him, there was another level of attraction she had for him.

His scent, his looks, his personality, not to mention those hands of his. Plus, reading all those books on human development, showing her that human sexuality was a biological component of their species, not a relationship-restricted one, made her question her own.

After sharing her praise for Becky’s tutelage, Cerb’s voluntary services for his examination, and Fluttershy’s assistance, Redheart was hopeful to see them return. Of which, Cerb showed promise of doing so.

"If I'm not busy after we get back,” Cerb replied. “Have a good night, though.”

Already excited to see them again and learn more, Redheart waved them off.

"Take care, Mr. Husk. You too, Miss Landon. And thanks again, Fluttershy."

Exiting the hallway, the three joined up with Benny, who had been waiting for them in the lobby. That left Nurse Redheart to meet up with her team to discuss what they’d learned. Once she’d entered the conference room, Doctor Horse welcomed her back.

“Nurse Redheart, now that you’re here, let’s get started.”

Taking her seat, Redheart started with how things ended with her last patient.

“I’m happy to say that Mr. Husk has shown interest in returning for a follow-up with us, and if we’re lucky, we may be able to receive another full body exam. Which reminds me.”

She turned her attention to the three other seasoned nurses. Celestia willing, they might have come through for her this time.

“Nurse Tenderheart, after what we reviewed today of Mr. Husk’s anatomy, how well does it match up with the illustrations from the medical book of human anatomy?”

Nurse Tenderheart, a light blue Earth pony, hid her light lavender-colored eyes behind her pale teal-colored hair.

“I… only remember getting as far as the upper torso and legs, mostly. But that all seems to match up, so—”

A deep grumbling rose up from Redheart.

“Nurse Tenderheart, your colleagues Nurse Snowheart and Nurse Sweetheart tried pulling the same excuse yesterday. I don’t know what is so difficult—”

“Nurse?” Spoke up another mare. “I apologize about not reading the material provided the other day, but I looked it over this morning, and I think the illustrations are more of a guideline. Mr. Husk is much larger than what the pictures shows. Mr. Yale is much closer in stature, but he refused to disrobe, so we only have Mr. Husk to go off for reviewing the genitalia.”

A little relieved, Redheart started to relax and smiled at the mare. Nurse Sweetheart was exactly what her name implied. Though, with her slightly more heavy-set appearance, she might have been named after her love for sweets.

Her pale, pink-colored fur gave a warm and almost motherly appearance to her puffy cheeks, not to mention how cute the dimples on them made it so easy to work with the kids. The muted purple hair and white stripes really made her baby blues pop, but it was what those eyes saw that captured Redheart’s interest.

“I agree, though I was surprised to see how much larger our patient's genitalia were when compared to the illustrations. Though, it is such a strange concept that their penis would remain outside of their body. Although, comparatively, I can’t say for sure how it compares to a pony. Through all my examinations, I’ve never seen one to compare to Mr. Husk.”

Looking a little uneasy, Doctor Horse coughed into his hoof.

“As the only stallion in the room, I would say he is comparative to a pony stallion in his… relaxed state, as it were.”

The last nurse, a near banana yellow-colored Earth pony mare with a two-tone light blue mane and tail, and emerald-colored eyes, looked to shy away.

“I know I was the first you told to read over the material, but while I could have sworn I did, I didn’t even know what I was looking at. At least I can see why they choose to stay covered. That must be so cumbersome to have to constantly deal with.”

At the far end of the table, Doctor Horse mumbled something angrily under his breath, barely catching the ear of Redheart.

“What was that, Doctor?”

Quickly shaking himself out of his funk, Doctor Horse returned with a pleasant smile.

“Nothing, sorry. I was thinking to myself. Regardless, this whole new field of study based on their anatomy is something we need to pay attention to. Much like their open surgeries and ability to deal with blood-related injuries, such as the ones that appear to have saved Mr. Husk’s life, we have literally nothing like it. Not just life-saving operations, but a whole portion of both stallion and mare anatomy. But Nurse Redheart, what were your observations?”

Thinking about what she studied in the brief time she had, she had lots of theories. One that made her ear twitch.

“It’s clear there is a greater significance to their genitals as described in the books dealing with human development. However, from so far away, and the limited focus, my theories are inconclusive. If we could examine the other humans, we might make some real progress in this field. However, as much as I would like to request a hooves on examination, we should focus on their major trauma-related studies for now.”

Reaching over the table, she flipped open a book showing the circulatory system.

“Understanding the volume of blood that the human body can pump every minute, and putting the scars on his body in relation to the major blood vessels and arteries, Mr. Husk wasn’t lying when he said he should not have survived.”

She pointed to a few particular areas in the illustration.

“If any of our human patients receive a wound like those treated by human doctors on his torso, we currently have no training on how to heal them. Even a laceration deep enough into his inner thighs or groin could still be lethal.”

As Chris neared the door, her mind raced back to what she wanted to happen as soon as he got back.

“The night we saved Kelly, I knew there was more I needed to learn about their medical knowledge. That night changed how I saw the body. Human, pony, mine. Seeing a blood-related injury. The damage it can do. How valuable life is; I became desperate to know how to save it.”

So much had changed since that bloody night. Seeing into Kelly’s chest made her want to understand her own anatomy more.

“I never expected to discover I was so ignorant regarding reproduction. Her books showed me so much, yet it wasn’t until Cerb exposed himself that I started to understand the instincts that came with this knowledge. Then you and your amazing body, Chris. You made those instincts so much clearer, and now I have to know if we can procreate. I’ve been practicing, but I can only hope—”

"Gah!" Chris shouted out as he hit the floor as happy cries of a dozen or more foals flooded into the house.

Over the noisy foals, Cheerilee's voice tried to call them back.

"Children! Get off of Chris and out of Nurse Redheart’s house! You can't just go barging in like that… Are you alright, Chris?"

There was a bit of commotion from the kitchen area leading up to Chris walking back into view with foals hanging off his hands or clinging to his legs, all of them giggling.

"I guess we have guests," Chris apologetically said with a grin.

Cheerilee walked around the corner with an apologetic look appearing behind her grin.

"Sorry to barge in, but my students heard their favorite nurse was at home with a broken hoof and wanted to come cheer you up with some get-well-soon cards."

Despite how badly Nurse Redheart wanted to experiment, she couldn't say no to her patients, even the healthy ones. Especially when they were adorable little foals.

"You make it so hard to say no. Come on in."

For the next hour or so, the cramped living room became a schoolhouse. No lessons learned or tests given. Just a bunch of foals doing a game of show and tell with the pictures they drew of her giving them medicine or tending to whatever bumps or bruises they suffered in the past. That's all it took for the nurse to fall back in line with tending to the young ones. And somehow, they managed to rope Chris into all of it, periodically making him the center of attention.

Then, the house got a little more crowded as Prim Posy finally showed up.

"Oh, my? What is going on here?"

An adorable young pegasus, nearly as white as the clouds, with a faded sky blue mane and tail, ran up to Prim with wide cream-violet colored eyes.

"Mom! Remember when you said Nurse Redheart hurt her hoof? We got Miss Cheerilee to let us cheer her up with some get well soon cards. It was my idea, and I’m so happy she said yes because Chris, the storyteller, is here!"

Sweetie Belle, proud to promote her support, stepped up to Prim.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders pitched in the supplies for the cards."

Scootaloo rushed over, remembering when she last saw Prim near Chris.

“Hey! Didn’t you dance with Chris at the party?”

Not to be left out, also with her own tidbit of recollection of Chris and ponies, Apple Bloom trotted over with a sly grin.

“We’ve known Chris longer than almost any other pony. Sniff says that Chris wants all the pony hugs and kisses. Was he like that after the dance?”

Just then, as if to make things more crowded and chaotic, Starlight showed up with Derpy and Cream Heart.

"What's going on here?" Starlight asked, a little more confused than normal at the sight of the many foals along with Prim Posy.

Despite all the extra voices, Chris managed to answer from across the room.

"The whole school showed up to cheer up Red when they found out she broke her hoof."

More excited than Cotton Cloudy, Dinky ran up to Derpy.

"Mom! Are you done with work for today?"

Ever the affectionate mother, Derpy brought a hoof down and rubbed Dinky's head.

"No, sweetie, I'm just on lunch. Starlight invited me out with Chris and Nurse Redheart today."

After a little catch-up and Prim pretending not to have remembered being asked about Chris’s hugs and kissing preferences, the foals were too excited to eat and pulled Chris out to play. That left the mares alone to talk and have lunch together.

As soon as the food was dished out and they knew they were alone, Starlight made a shift in the conversation.

"Girls, I would like to bring a few things up while I have all of us here. And I do mean all of us."

There was an uneasy look about the room, mostly from Nurse Redheart, but Starlight took in the questionable looks with little concern.

"As you all know, Chris and his friends have been through a lot. And the closer everypony is to them, they’ve ended up sharing those hard times.”

For a moment, the others could tell how hard it was for her to keep a smile going. Still, Starlight knew she was right in what she wanted to say.

“And in the case of Applejack, she shared some of their injuries. Though, that’s a subject we can discuss later tonight. In the meantime, Red can vouch that the injuries received out in the Everfree Forest warrant a lot of concern." She looked around the room to see their shared look of worry. "We all need to be more vigilant with Chris's safety. Which brings me to my next point. After all the care Nurse Redheart has shown towards Chris, he accepted a future dinner date with her as soon as her hoof heals."

The looks around the room quickly turned to a mix of anger, confusion, and fear. Understandably so, but Starlight had that covered.

"Now, girls, I would like to bring her into our little group. I think she's earned it, and I think it will only help us in the long run with Chris."

Amidst this conversation, Redheart was left very lost and confused.

"I thought I was part of your group? Isn't that why you came to visit me?"

Starlight giggled for a moment but quickly read the room and straightened up.

"Sorry, and yes. We did want to spend time with you, but there's another purpose to our group. And now that the prior rules about human pony relationships are gone, we can be open about it and tell you… we're all dating Chris."

Utterly baffled by such a revelation, Redheart looked around the room to see the others blushing and sheepishly grinning, confirming it to be true.

"All of you? Together? Hold on. Is this about what Twilight mentioned earlier?"

Starlight nodded, hoping it wasn’t going to require too much explanation.

"Yes, it is. Girls, humans having multiple partners is something a lot of humans do. Sniff is already dating two mares. I'm pretty sure that as close as Rarity and Fluttershy are to Cerb, they're probably doing the same thing. Actually, come to think of it, for as often as they've been sleeping together, I'm pretty sure they've already had sex."

Everypony in the room froze and stared at Starlight, to which point she chuckled to herself, almost delighting in the tension before addressing them.

"Don't worry, girls. It's not what you think. Turns out that while humans are very sexually active, they can't get ponies pregnant. And before any of you start running through all the questions of how, or why, and what about starting a family, let me tell ya." She grinned drunkenly and practically melted into her chair. "Once you try it, you'll be glad for how active he can be. Even if he can’t give you foals."

Quickly picking up on what exactly Starlight was implying, Nurse Redheart's ears snapped back and forth before she sat up straight, barely holding back from screaming her question.

"You actually did it? Did he know what to do?"

"Know what to do?" Starlight laughed, her mind flashing back to their first night together. "He knew everything and more. And girls, I know you've all kissed him and loved it, but kissing doesn't even compare to what else he can do. And Creamy, dear? You almost had sex with Chris before I did, and I can tell that he wanted to."

Cream Heart stared wide-eyed, feeling like she had a lump stuck in her throat as she tried to process this newest detail.

"With me?"

"Yes," Starlight confirmed her previous assessment. "All of you, really. But I need your help, because I think Chris is afraid of what others, namely all of you, will think of him. That is, he’s afraid of the rejection."

Redheart was the only other one in the room who knew what that implied about his safety, though the opportunity to test Twilight’s theory was now being offered to her. Resisting such a thing was difficult, to say the least.

"So… you think that us… having sex with him will—” She tried to think of a way to say what needed to be said without breaking the expected confidentiality from Twilight. ”How should I put this?"

Starlight turned to the other girls again, ready to take over the conversation.

"This is hard to explain because… I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to say too much, but… we think Chris and his friends were sent here against their will. And whoever is behind it wants to use the pain from their past to stop them from saving us. The only way to change that is to help them conquer their fears and fix the worst parts about themselves… So far, those that were too afraid to face their fears have almost been killed, and we think that whoever brought them here was involved. In one case, he almost killed one of the stallions himself."

The room went silent, and Starlight had to shift the mood of the room once more.

"Okay, look. I think I have it figured out, and the only thing that's changed is that we all know now that what we're doing is keeping him safe. And part of keeping him safe is what led all of us here together… We all want to be with him, and we can."

"All of us?" Cheerilee asked doubtfully. "How?"

Starlight hung her head slightly but also held a weak smile.

"Look at us… Six mares struggling to hold onto Chris just to get a little alone time with him. But what do any of us have if we don't stay with him? Stuck with our work? Ostracized because of our past mistakes or passed over because maybe some of us started a family but lost our first special somepony?”

That question might have been a bit of a low blow for some, but it hit them the way she needed it to.

“None of us have a shot out there with so few stallions. And have you seen Big Mac recently? Fuck making assumptions, him and Kelly are a thing now, and I think I'm not the only one who sees it, but nopony, or human wants to talk about it.”

There was a big point she needed to make, but she was certain putting things into perspective was going to help them see her point.

“Becky is the next single human mare, and as cute as she is, that's another stallion we're going to lose. And by the look of things, the only stallions in this kingdom that care enough to look at us like we're worth fighting for, worth risking everything for—and believe me, when Chris first started this, he was risking losing virtually everything just to see us in secret.”

This seemed to recapture their attention in a positive way, encouraging more passionate emotions into Starlight's speech.

“The only ones who care enough are Chris and the others that came with him. In fact, the only one I see unattended so far is Benny, and even he has a date with Princess Luna tonight. So you all need to make the call. We can share something together, or risk going on with nothing apart from each other."

For a while, the room was quiet. There was a lot to take in, but none of what was said was something they could argue against. All the human males had been eyed up and silently claimed amongst the many lonely mares of Ponyville. Only now, they found out those silent claims had gone unheard by the human stallions, and they had been taken, along with Big Mac. Their chances were slim, if not laughably absent.

Finally, Derpy spoke up.

"If me and you shared Chris… would Dinky still be able to call him dad?"

Starlight drew a heartfelt smile at the relatively simple request.

"If we can keep Chris long enough to make it final, of course, he'd be her adoptive father. Chris loves Dinky. Girls, he cares about all of us. He's so worried about hurting any of you by not choosing any of you. And what's the worst way to look at this? We're all already dating him. We've even gossiped about how we’ve all kissed him and know how wonderful it feels to have him hold us and rub our bodies together. And son of a bitch, wait until you try it with his clothes off."

With the proverbial line in the sand drawn and now determined, Derpy sat up in her seat.

"I want to stay. I don't want to be with anypony else. Chris is what Dinky needs, and I'm happy when I'm with him. I feel like I'm better and less clumsy because of him and his friends."

Cheerilee was contemplating her decision and looked out the window to see Chris playing carefree with the foals.

"I don't know if this is what I had in mind when I started this, but at the same time, I also don't want to be alone. So much that I've been wondering if I'd be okay ending up like those old mares, staying together like husband and wife… but if we were all together in this, would I ever be a mother myself?"

Starlight's smile softened, knowing there wouldn't be easy answers for every question, including this one.

"I don't claim to know exactly how a harem is supposed to work, but if we're going to make this work, and let everypony get what they want, this is our best bet. And if Twilight and the others can find a way back to the human world, we could be the one thing that keeps him here. Otherwise… we all lose him in the end anyway."

Redheart sat uncomfortably, wrestling with her own thoughts.

"I want to have sex with Chris. It's been tearing me up inside just thinking about it. At first, that's all I thought I wanted, but now really getting to see the kind of stallion that he is? There's so much more to him, and I want to see what all else I can learn. I don't want to be married to my work, but—" She paused for a moment and turned back to Starlight. "Can I have sex with him before I’ve decided?"

"What?!" Cheerilee yelped, deeply offended. "Starlight might have said before that we all kissed Chris, but that's not true. Now, Nurse Redheart is going to have sex with him? Prim and I haven't had our dates yet! Right Prim?"

"Well… " Prim blushed and fiddled with her hooves for a moment. "We haven't dated yet, but—"

"Wait! When did this happen?" Cream demanded. "Starlight practically lives with Chris, and only Derpy and I have had our dates so far. When did you find the time?"

Prim hesitated for a moment, seeing how the jealousy in the room was quickly growing.

"Yesterday morning, when Red went to the bathroom. I couldn't help myself. We were in the kitchen and we were flirting."

"So?" Prim asked with a sultry grin. "You're very good with your hands washing dishes. Just how good are they at handling a pegasus?"

Chris finished rinsing the last glass and set it down to dry as he started to answer.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really had the chance to find out.”

“Oh?” Prim playfully asked as she drew closer, pressing him closer towards the wall. “Because I remember on the dance floor that they were very good until we were interrupted. Maybe you can show me now that it’s just us?”

Chris nervously grinned and bumped into the wall, no longer able to back away.

“Maybe we can dance on our date? Have we scheduled that yet?”

Instead of responding, Prim Posy rose up, pressing her chest to Chris’s and blocking his escape with her hooves bolted against the wall around him.

“How about we skip the dance and go straight to the after-party?”

Chris didn’t move or protest. He just stared back at Prim leaning in closer and relaxed himself, closing his eyes and bringing his hands up to pull her closer against him.

So, with little effort, Prim started to recreate the experience Cream Heart and Starlight gossiped about. Mashing lips and wrestling tongues while feeling over each other.”

“You were going to have sex with Chris in my kitchen?” Nurse Redheart asked bluntly.

“No!” Prim Posy quickly shouted. “... Maybe? I don’t know what all we were going to do… Do you think he would have?”

“Seriously?” Cheerilee complained aloud. “Am I seriously the only one here he hasn’t kissed?”

Trying to show some support, Derpy bashfully answered.

“We only had one kiss. It wasn’t anything like what the others described when they were with him… but it felt so wonderful and… I want to do more when Chris is ready.”

All eyes turned to Nurse Redheart, who was ready to defend herself.

"We haven’t kissed. I’ve only had a massage from him. That’s all.”

Seemingly relieved, Cheerilee started to calm down.

“Well, at least I’m not the only—”

“But I was about to ask him to have sex with me before everypony showed up,” Nurse Redheart finished explaining.

Now more than a little angry, Cheerilee stood up in a huff.

“Alright, that’s it. Class is dismissed for the day. I lost Mac because I was indecisive once and lost him for good because of Kelly. I’m not losing Chris. Not without at least having my chance to actually have a real kiss at the very least.”

Seeing the normally sweet teacher’s reaction, Redheart couldn’t help but try and back peddle the significance of her time with Chris.

“I don’t know if he would have said yes! He was just rubbing his hands where I wanted him to rut me,” she quietly finished saying and realized her back peddling might as well have been a dash to the finish line.

Starlight hopped out of her seat and cut Cheerilee off before she could even leave the room...along with unintentionally scarring someone with her abrupt actions.

“Hold on a second. There’s no reason to be mad at anypony. We all agreed to have our chances with Chris, and you getting upset like this is only going to make him think he was right about hurting us. But, if we’re trying to look at things as fairly as possible, Prim Posy did jump in line with Chris. But so did I.“ She blushed with a slight ear twitch. “Twice… three if you include this morning.”

Cheerilee’s face grew cross. Whatever Starlight was doing, it wasn’t working, so she gave way to the obvious but then smiled deviously.

“Okay, you have every right to be mad, but you just so happen to be in luck. Chris owes me a favor, but… it’s not going to be sex. Not yet, at least. Chris and I started off a little fast with that.”

"That and having a lot of sex while I have you here," Starlight answered as her ear started to twitch and flap back and forth the more excited she became as she sat upon his lap in his bed.

"Oh, my God. - " Chris reached back and pulled Starlight's legs up and spread them apart over his hips to put her in position - "I've created a monster."

"Let's do it," Starlight gleefully requested. "I want to do this with you. Can you… help me? I still don't know what I'm really supposed to do or how you want me to do it to you or if you're the one that needs to… You know what, how about I stop talking, and you just tell me what to do?"

Chris grinned and started to think about the best way to approach this.

"I don't know the best way for a first time. I've only heard mostly bad experiences… Except from Sniff. He was a lot of girls first. Slow and… I was going to say lots of lube, but you've already got that covered."

Starlight blushed and pulled back into herself a little.

"Stop. That's still so embarrassing. I know it's supposed to help, and, yeah, feeling you slide up against me when I'm wet feels fantastic, but it's like… Ugh."

She grumbled in a mix of anger, confusion, and laughter. "I know it's not pee, but how can I not look at it like that? Either that or look at it like my pussy is drooling all over your crotch. So it's more like I'm spitting on you."

Chris grinned, not at all deterred by the visual.

"Well, if it is just like spit, and you like me kissing you so much. Then maybe you should let me—"

"No," Starlight teasingly answered as she dropped her hooves on Chris's chest. "That's so gross. And if what we’re doing right now didn't feel so good, I don't think I'd let you fuck me. But that's what I want, so can we just try that?"

It was all in good fun, even if Chris really did want to try doing more by starting slower.

"Yes, but, I don't know if the human way is the best way, so I think we should try it the way ponies normally would. So, um… Okay, I think we can make this a little easier for you if you lean over the side of the bed with your ass facing towards me. That should be the most natural way for you...I think."

"Okay," Starlight agreed and rolled off to get in position with her hind legs standing up from the floor and her chest laying flat on the bed. "Is this how you want me?"

Chris joined Starlight off the bed and took a moment to fully appreciate what he was being offered.

"Yes, just like that… I still can't believe this is happening."

Starlight shook her ass a little and shifted her tail to the side to let him take her.

"Just make it happen, please."

Chris braced himself with his left hand over Starlight's flank and started to slide his length up and down her slit.

"Just getting myself nice and wet before going in. And just tell me if it hurts. Like I said before, the first time for a girl usually hurts, but I don't think you have a hymen, and it would probably take a horse to reach it anyway. I'm only human, after all, so I don’t expect any blood."

Starlight cooed, feeling him tease her entrance.

"You're all I want, Chris. Besides, you said stallions only last a minute at most. I want this to last."

"Hold on." Nurse Redheart interrupted. "How painful is sex the first time? I only had a little discomfort while experimenting. And... you bleed from it?"

Starlight sighed, knowing full well this would be a touchy subject.

"Yes, the first time hurts if you're not stretched out enough to take in how big he is. And I wasn't, but I didn't bleed from it. Thankfully."

Cheerilee had a question to ask as well.

"And what did you mean by a stallion only last a minute? Isn't Chris technically a stallion?"

Given how commonly they had used the term interchangeably, Starlight offered some clarification.

"He's a human stallion. When Chris first told me everything about sex, he mentioned that when it comes to sex, pony stallions normally only last about twenty seconds to a minute at most before they cum and have to pull out or go limp. Human stallions, though? He said for them, cumming fast is lasting only seven minutes, but they can also go for hours. So, anyway."

"I want this to last," Starlight cooed. "And everything you've done so far is-ow! Ooh… Slow. Slow down."

Chris froze, maybe only just an inch in.

"Sorry, I thought I was. I'll go slower. Or should I stop, and we do something else."

"No," Starlight quietly answered. "I want this. I want you to keep going. If it only hurts the first time, let's just get this over with so we don't have to worry about it tomorrow or the next chance we get. And I don't want to wait."

Again, Chris started to press in, and Starlight did her best not to make a sound. True, she wanted it in her so bad, but the pain of being spread to accommodate his size felt like she was being ripped open. So, instead of telling him to stop, she bit down on the blanket.

That led into an unknown passing of time of an agonizing cycle of pressing in deeper and resting. Pressing deeper and resting. Pressing deeper and pulling out to test the resistance, and returning only to rest again after pushing deeper.

Somewhere nearing the last inch or two, and much of the initial pain had started to fade, her desires began to reward her perseverance. Mixing in with the pain was that warmth and tingle that glowed deep inside.

"Can you… thrust from there?" Starlight whimpered. “I don’t—“

After struggling to hold back just how much this was hurting her, she was ready to try to make it work with what she was able to take so far. “I don’t need to take all of you right now. This is… I’m good with you right here.”

Just by the breaks in her voice, Chris could finally tell that she had been silently crying.

"Oh, my god, Sta—"

"Just go slow," Starlight pleaded with teary eyes. "I know you don't want to hurt me, but it just started feeling good. I… just go slow and… please?"

Derpy interrupted the story, looking suddenly horrified.

"He made you cry? Sex sounds horrible."

Prim Posy agreed.

"Yeah, this story was getting good until you said that.”

Starlight groaned, not being able to convey exactly what she had gone through.

“Yes, I know. But at the time, I wanted it so badly. You have no idea what it’s like to have him there, naked finally, kissing you, touching you, and after he makes you cum once… I can’t explain it to you properly. You just want it.“

She shifted slightly and crossed her legs, her ears flickering once or twice.

“Twilight had said that sex is something you understand when you're ready for it, and I think she’s right. Because, well… after he made me cum the first time, I knew I wanted more of what we were doing, even though I didn’t really understand it. Clueless Starlight.“ She giggled awkwardly over the memory. “But as soon as he had me in position, I felt my body wanting to push back and… I guess force him in. Son of a bitch, I would have to if Chris wouldn’t have told me to go slow. But… let me just finish this part of the story first.”

“...please?” Starlight asked desperately.

Chris started to pull out.

“I think we should stop. There’s other things we can—”

Starlight curled her tail around Chris’s back as best she could to hold him in place.

“No, please… Just… try. At least a little longer. I’m close. I can feel it.”

Fearful of hurting Starlight more, Chris reluctantly pushed back into where he stopped last, taking very slow strokes in and out.

He was now more attentive to everything Starlight did. Watching her and every breath she took in, the slightest flinch, a wince of pain on her face, another tear that welled up. Even the contractions around his cock that had her flirting between a groan of pain or a moan of pleasure, he used them all to gauge how to move inside her.

Starlight no longer tried holding herself up on the bed. She let her body fall limply on the mattress, hoping that the more she relaxed, the less tension her body would flex down on Chris and bring another spike of pain.

Her efforts helped with letting fewer contractions down on his cock ruin the mood. However, after each contraction, her body would relax for another moment or two, and that wonderful feeling would return. Unfortunately, as the pleasure continued to build up, it would only cause another contraction.

She was panting slowly, trying to control her breathing. Another flex of pain would make her whine and flex even harder but then relax and moan as the tension gave way, letting Chris continue.

As another spike rose up and she stopped herself from resisting, instead, she forced her body to flex down even harder.

“Keep going,” She pleaded. “It’s getting better.”

Still cautious, Chris did his best to comfort Starlight by softly caressing his hands up and down her flanks and under her hips. Even when her flexing down on him caused him discomfort, he forced himself through it. Just like her, though, after she relaxed and the forced tension released the vice-like grip around him, he couldn’t hide how much he was enjoying the slow strokes.

Eventually, after a few more minutes of forcing through the contractions, the grip her body held on him began to weaken. Her slow pants grew to heavier hollow breaths, and her eyes had softly closed themselves, leaving her to fade into the ministrations. The sting hadn’t left her from being stretched open, and a dull ache still resonated deeper into her core, but it was being overtaken with a buildup that ebbed and flowed of those near climatic feelings.

“Just like this,” Starlight hushed with a blissful call to continue.

Chris held his pace, feeling her body still clinging to him every few strokes, but the hold was different.

Her inner walls no longer clamped down uncomfortably. They were hugging him, sometimes tighter than before, but it ended with a ripple of the inner muscles flexing down like a ring being pulled over his cock. Something akin to her pussy stroking him off while he fucked her, or possibly trying to draw him in deeper.

The pace of the ripples began to quicken in stride with Starlight’s breath. The hollow pants quickened to huffs from her laxed jaw. Then a low throaty groan rolled out, and she gasped with her knees bending to press herself down on his next thrust in. Her gasp of air ended with a groan that fell into a whine that made it clear she was enjoying herself.

“Chris… I can… this is… Oh… gaww… Chris… I wa- I… keep. I wann—“ Her breaths frantically increased like she was running for her life. “Don’t move-uhh!”

Like a switch had been flicked, her body became animated in an erotic display of her forehooves reaching out. Pulling the covers towards her, she buried her face in the bedding to cry out in long moans of ecstasy. Her tail bobbed and flicked in short motions until she curled it around Chris again. Instinct had taken over with her trying to pull him closer to press herself down further against him.

Holding still in her soft grip, Starlight began to work herself up and down his shaft in short, jerky motions. Electric pulses of heavenly delights caused her to thrust back with her muscles flexing down in a hurried pace down his cock. From her outer lips to the tip of his shaft, her pussy desperately tried to pull him in deeper.

Now completely invested, Nurse Redheart was the first to give her comments on the highlight of the story.

"I need to practice more. Chris's penis was plenty big before he was erect, and if he was even bigger than what I saw in the examination room, I don't have any test tubes as big as he was from what I remembered."

Cream Heart was just as invested as well.

"Was your orgasm better than what I did with him on the beach?"

Equally as excited, Prim opted to answer the question instead.

"Weren't you listening?! I know I got those tingling feelings while holding Chris against the wall, but just listening to her talk about doing it? Girls, I'm sorry, but first chance I get—"

"Easy there, girl," Starlight was quick to calm the aroused mare. "That was our first time, and we were both over-anxious to do it. Well… he was anxious, I was impatient. And knowing that, yes, he did hurt me in the process… I couldn't stop myself, which I think scared him, and honestly, I still have a hard time controlling myself. I even, somehow, almost burned myself out while in the Everfree Forest."

Starlight switched her crossed legs and drew a deep breath. It would have almost seemed like she was growing uncomfortable telling her story. Though it was impossible to tell if it was simple embarrassment or a growing sense of arousal.

“I know emotions can change how strong or effective my magic is, but wanting to rush back to the castle to try the oral stuff with him had me blasting out magic like… I don't know how strong it was, but I've never put out that kind of power when I needed to, let alone by accident. But, oral and fingers… girls, I'm telling ya, start there. And no, I'm not trying to keep you from him or trying to keep the best parts to myself. Him cumming inside is… There's ways to get there without going all the way. But surprisingly, as gross as it sounds… when you're the one giving oral, and you swallow it."

“Woah!” Cheerilee finally lost her composure. “Please don’t tell me that when you keep saying oral and—“ She tried not to gag. “-swallow, you don’t mean you put his-”

“Holy, ass-scented candle sticks,” Starlight groaned. “Yes, sucking on his dick like a love-flavored popsicle or him with his lips between your legs like he was in a pie eating con… test?"

Suddenly, her previous hesitations came to look foolish, if not presumptuous.

"Oh! That’s why he said another nickname for the vagina was pie. Wow, do I feel dumb.”

Derpy reeled back, but Cream Heart was the one to say what they all were thinking.

“Are you telling us to use our mouths on him instead of having sex?”

Starlight rolled her eyes with an exasperated huff at the sheer amount of hoops she needed to jump through to get the point across.

“Yes, goddamnit. What? Have I lied to any of you girls yet? Did I not bring you all here to let you know what is going on so I wouldn't be the only one fucking him while you all kept on thinking that kissing and rubbing yourself over his pants was going to be the highlight of your time with him? I’m telling you, the mouth and hands sex you can do with him is… I was going to say, just as good, but in some ways, I think the mouth stuff is…"

This wasn’t working out the way she wanted it to. She needed to change tactics.

"No. You know what? I was going to bring Chris in here when class was dismissed so at least one of you could have a chance to see for yourself. But, hey, if you want to screw things up with Chris and leave me having him all to myself, trying to make it all work by my lonesome, I can live with that. The sex is great, and if you’re freaked out over the idea of tasting him or yourself, you might as well give up on enjoying anything better than a kiss from him.” She let out an irritated huff. “It’s not like I’ve been right about anything else I said you should try with him.”

The room went silent for a moment as the girls all contemplated their options. Then, still ever eager, Nurse Redheart returned with a question.

“How much mouth sex do you recommend before he should rut me?”

“Hey!” Prim Posy snapped. “I still only got a few kisses in. I’m getting my date and whatever else Chris wants to do with me.”

Oddly, rather than argue, Cream Heart simply slouched back in her chair, sporting a flirty grin.

“Kissing Chris and having him rub his hands all over me was the best thing I’ve felt in years. Had I known I could have pushed for more, I probably would have asked him to marry me if we could have rutted on the beach.”

Unwilling to be the odd mare out, Derpy perked up defiantly.

“I’m not giving up on Chris. I only got one kiss, and that was after a date. Prim got more kisses than I did. And,“ She started to blush and pushed her forehooves between her thighs as she sat uncomfortably in her chair. “If a kiss on the lips made me feel—”

“Oh, for crying in the mud,” Cheerilee loudly whined. “Okay, fine. I thought I was the only one here who hasn’t done it and wasn’t at least curious. Yes, if Chris is that interested in me, and there's no real risk—“

Not intending to interrupt, Cream leaned to the side and lifted a leg to look at her seat cushion.

“Did I sit in something?”

Starlight cracked a grin and started to snicker.

“Alright, girls. Now that all the drama is out of our systems, can we get down to business? Starting with giving all our support to help welcome Red into the group?“

She turned to Nurse Redheart. “Red, I think you would be a big help and have a lot more opportunities to learn if you stay close to Chris and us. But more than that, you really do seem to care about him, and that’s something he needs more of. So… what do you say?”

Now having all eyes and attention on her, Nurse Redheart gave a long look around the room.

“I don’t like how isolated I kept myself to my work. I’ll always enjoy spending time with my patients and taking care of them… but you’ve all shown me something I never thought I’d have outside of work. And… even if it does seem a little weird, I don’t think it would be the worst thing to share Chris if it meant I was able to share him with such amazing friends like all of you.”

Derpy closed her eyes and shrugged with a welcome smile.

"Can't say no after a speech like that."

Not seeing much of a better alternative, Prim Posy grinned.

"What the hay? I'm already this far deep into it."

Cream Heart shot Nurse Redheart a semi-flirtatious look.

"This girl already got a head start on getting ready for Chris. We could use somepony like her to keep us ahead of the curve. I'll share if she does."

Cheerilee gave a wholesome smile as she looked past her frustrations and saw the mare for who she really was..

"If there's one thing Red and I had in common before all this, it was how much we cared about taking care of the children that weren't our own. And if we both care about Chris and can appreciate how good with the foals he is, I'm okay with her joining us."

"This is fascinating," Twilight announced to herself as she continued scrolling through the many files she discovered she could explore. "There's so much stuff to examine, I don't know where to start! Virtual photography? What must be days worth of music? All the cute pictures of me and other ponies? Chris even has his own self-produced movies like Benny and Cerb of us, but with them in their own natural environment! I don't know what I want to study first! His content and media about them, or the material about us?

She continued scrolling through the folders of material, making a mental list of items she wanted to explore. Then, one particular folder in the file manager app caught her attention.

"Z Pony Secret Literature?" She read the name with a confused crack in her voice.

She skipped the rest of the folders she hadn't gotten to and opened the incriminating looking link. A mix of excitement, some untold fears returning with the uncertainty of the human's intent, and another of curiosity pulled her deeper in when she recognized the icons next to the file names.

"Why would Chris have virtual documents about us that are secret? Actually."

She cast a quick spell that let her read the translation of the folder and files she was examining, seeing more of its properties and attributes.

"Hidden? The device has the ability to hide content by default? It's… It's part of the file options that I can click? No wonder Starlight had so many issues getting the transition to work properly. It was trying to look for files it didn't know were there."

She started to look over the file names and tried to make some sense of what Chris had been hiding. She went down the list of various titles, but the last one gave her concern.

"Xenophilia? That sounds important."

She quickly opened the file and was shocked to see a cartoon drawing of Rainbow Dash, but put that out of her mind and started to read. She read so fast she had to go back and reread the first sentence to make sure she didn’t make some kind of mistake in interpreting what this document was.

“A human continues to run afoul of pony social norms?” That sounded far too familiar.” Wait? That’s what Peter was having issues with.”

She read a little further.

“This is a… romance story? About ponies and humans? Chris hid a romance novel about… Oh… okay. I can see that. That topic has been kind of taboo with… Oooooh… I should probably warn Starlight about this. She might not know Chris might start to develop feelings for her if they keep spending so much time together.”

She was about to close out of the story and continue on looking over what else was on the copy of Chris’s device, but then she grew curious.

What social norms would be addressed? Who was this human, Lero? How did he end up in Equestria? Which pony would he end up in a romantic situation with? Then, was there anything in this story she could use to get closer to Sniff?

The further she read in, she easily picked up on many similarities. This human wore clothes and that seemed to confuse many of the ponies in the story as much as it did her. Lero also was met with a lot of caution, but quickly had been accepted by many of the ponies around town. Even how this story's Rainbow Dash seemed attached to her human companion was very much like Rainbow Dash herself. Although, the taboo of touching a pegasi’s wings in the story, didn’t match up or make any sense. Then, as if to redeem itself, it even mentioned Lero thought his body odor was offensive, but just like with Sniff and the others, the ponies found it pleasant, like a cologne.

“Erogenous zone?” She read aloud. “Is that a real word?

She levitated over a dictionary and flipped through the pages. Then a second older copy and did the same. Then a new copy she purchased as a backup to her backup. In a last ditch attempt, she skimmed over a pegasus book of anatomy.

The word wasn’t listed.

Maybe it was another misspelling or a made-up word that would be explained later in the story?

She’d have to read further to find out.

“Mating practices?” She again asked aloud. “Ponies in this story already know about… Oh, my gosh! I might be able to… If this was written by a human, it must be at least mostly accurate!”

Her excitement turned to mild embarrassment as it mentioned some form of grooming practice with the human protagonist running his hands over their manes. Something Sniff had done that soothed her as well when they were together. Unfortunately, the story was about to get immediately more interesting.

“Rainbow Dash kissed him?! She would never… they used their tongues? You don’t kiss with… How would? This can’t be right? Maybe they… best-ia… iality? What in the wide world of Equestria am I reading? Is that another curse word or human slang?”

She read on a little further.

“Oh… Not animal, but also not human?”

She pushed herself away from her desk and started angrily pacing in circles. This story was driving her up the wall, and she barely even got through the first few pages. Not only that, there were so many words and terms she didn’t understand.

“Not human, but not an animal? A damn tree fits that description! No, there has to be a better description in there somewhere.”

She returned to the story, determined to discover its secrets.

“Dash waited months? Our humans have been here less than two weeks, and Peter and I are already dating. Did I move too fast? Did Oven Fresh move too fast?”

She hadn’t even finished the first chapter and was already trying to tear it down or explain it out of relevance. Might be best to read past the first chapter before deciding whether or not it was worth moving on from or trying to pick it apart for anything helpful.

She had gotten to a part where the human protagonist was explaining his appreciation for Rainbow Dash’s physique and comparing it to a human's.

“Muscle-bound? Heh… Sounds like Cerberus.”

Another passage finally added some much-needed clarification about the kissing.

“They rub their tongues together when they kiss? That has to be a human thing the author threw in here. No pony does that. And… huh… This Rainbow Dash doesn’t care that humans eat meat either… Still can’t believe I didn’t notice that. And what’s up with Rainbow licking his teeth so much? It can’t be… Wait? That was one whole chapter? How fast did I read this thing? Goddamnit. This better give me some real answers… Although… I can’t see Rainbow Dash ever acting this flirty or romantic. Not any more than… awe, shit on a seat cover. No more than I would… Son of a bitch.”

Welp, now Benny knows to get ready for his big double, double date. Sadly, he didn't seem to keen on the idea, although... Lumberman certainly had some strong opinions on the matter. Now, I will admit, I had hard time approaching his point of view for this. Granted, it's one that I've gone back to and bounced around in my head of what it really means to be human, but in this context, where does the line get drawn for what is acceptable if they are going to regard each other as equals?

I suppose I could have swapped out "racist" with "specist," but again, the common mentality is that they're just "as human" as them, so I decided to keep it, despite the fear that it might sound preachy.

From there, it appears that Zecora wasn't of much help with Fluttershy trying to put the last few pieces of the puzzle together. Still helpful in regards to

Regardless, that led to some interesting interactions with Pinkie for Benny after that. Both confronting her on being stuck in Equestria, as well as dating and what he smelt like. Talk about a close call.

Then, for those of you interested in what would happen with Chris and Nurse Redheart, you get to find out what happened on the first night with Chris and Starlight. Finding out what happened just seemed to fit better when being told to his harem by Starlight to get their interest.

However... now that the harem is all game for sharing Chris, he's going to have 6 mares lusting for him, now knowing what other options are available.

Then poor Twilight... unhiding all the files exposed her to a clop fic, and a big Thank You to AnonponyDASHIE for letting me referance Xenophilia.

To find out how the lewdness and insanity continues, tune in next week for the publication of Chapter 69. Compensating: Part 3 "Merging Fantasy with Theory." Coming to you this Saturday! That's right! Bonus Chapter!