It didn't take long for Cutter to limp her way to the farther away bath tent. Once inside, she was greeted by Becky and Nurse Redheart with instructions to take a seat on a small table.

Right behind her was Ovens, but stopped at the entry flaps, clearly having no interests to be anywhere near her mother.

"So, what do we have to talk about? She knows she can't tell me what to do anymore and what I can do if she tries to come between us again."

Sniff sighed and gently laid his hand on her neck, still trying to calm the still shimmering mare’s fiery temper.

"We'll get to that as soon as you're both checked out."

Try as she might, and in spite of the many noticeable bruises on her body, Ovens was still losing her patience.

"I'm fine, and I'm sure she's been through worse. I just—" She made a funny face like she had something stuck on her tongue. "My tongue is bothering me, that’s it. I keep tasting a gross, kinda salty taste. Kinda like I got a mouth full of hay pennies."

Becky did a sharp turn to Ovens, stopping her visual inspection of Cutter.

"Oh, shit. Cutter don't move, Sniff get everpony with a crown and see if Doctor Horse showed up. I mean… shit. Cutter, move, get off the table. Ovens, you're first."

Now, Ovens started to worry, and any prior bravado immediately vanished.

"What? Why me first? I'm fine. Peter, why does—"

She turned but Sniff was already gone, the flaps to the tent still parted but closing.

At this point, Nurse Redheart started to get just as worked up as Ovens.

"Becky, what's wrong?"

Ovens was too scared to move so Becky had to drag her over to the table, and when did this human get to be so strong?

Twilight quickly entered the tent, and the sounds of Lunar Guards in armor cranked outside the tent. The tent was now being guarded?

"Ovens, are you okay? Peter said you were bleeding."

"What!" Ovens and Cutter both shouted.

Only one possibility came to Ovens, and as Twilight raced over to check on her new friend, Ovens spat some unpleasant flavored spit in her hoof.

Red… Red now covered her hoof, and everyone could see she was bleeding.

"Open your mouth," Becky ordered immediately.

Ovens opened her mouth slightly, scared of what Becky would find. It wasn’t nearly enough, resulting in Becky practically forcing her mouth open wider with her hands.

"Twilight, give me some light. Use your horn if you have to."

As this was going on Cutter was in a panic, struggling with her thoughts.

“I never meant to… How did she even… This is all my fault.”

She could face the consequences later. What was important was taking care of her only daughter.

"What's wrong with my baby? What did I do?!"

Becky didn't have the patience for this shit and began her examination.

"Nurse, or Twilight take notes... Superficial tearing of the left inner cheek. Bleeding along the upper… upper and lower gums."

Ovens had no idea what was happening, her brain already coming up with all manner of horrifying possible outcomes from her currently unknown injuries. Even Twilight’s nerves were so wracked she dropped the notepad out of her telekinetic hold.

Then Becky started feeling over Ovens’s face and skull.

"Besides your jaw, do you have any other pains you haven't mentioned yet?"

These questions nearly brought her to the point of hysterics. She couldn’t understand what was actually happening or how she should answer.

"No, just the—"

Sniff busted into the tent again, with Cadance and Shining following right after.

"I'm back. Luna is trying to figure out where the doc is."

He rushed over to Ovens’s side and took her hoof in his hand.

"It's okay. I'm here with you. I'm sorry I should have stopped the fight sooner."

Time dragged on as Becky ran over a series of practical tests and examinations. Memory, logic, motor function, eye coordination, blood pressure, fractures, muscle tears, loss of sensitivity…

For nearly thirty minutes, Becky looked for any sign of trauma or further injury. For thirty minutes, Cutter sat and watched helplessly, never being able to comfort her daughter the way Sniff was allowed to. For thirty minutes Luna, Cerb, Rarity, Fluttershy, Chris, and Starlight trickled in to help, all equally as concerned as the rest.

Finally, after possibly the longest thirty minutes any of them had experienced, Becky finally gave her best prognosis.

"No sign of brain trauma, nerve damage, organ damage, or other injuries like Applejack was able to walk off. As far as I can tell, the worst she has, besides some bumps and bruises, is the cut on the inside of her cheek. Maybe some loose teeth, but nothing major or any need for stitches. Not even antibiotics, thankfully. Just normal recovery shit. She's perfectly fine."

She turned and looked at Cutter, the miserable mess that she was, and shook her head now that Redheart had done her own inspection.

"These… blood-related injuries, as you all have so elegantly named them, are becoming more common… and I'm not really seeing the connection."

She turned back to the others, already having a clear script in her mind on what exactly to say.

"Mother of the year over there should be bleeding from her eye sockets after the beating Ovens gave her. Zecora should have been ripped open after what the Timberwolves did to her… even that piece of shit Spearhead should have had his skull split open, and his grey matter smashed out over the floor… but here we are. A bloody nose, a split lip, splinters, and now Ovens’s cheek."

She turned to Twilight, looking for answers, but her expression said that she expected none.

"If that Pony of Shadows did something to cause this, I hope you figure it out. The guys can kill the next murderous motherfucker that comes along, but until I can find competent medical staff, with Redheart being the only one I trust at this point, you're prospects ain't looking good."

She moved to the side of the tent and sat on the edge of one of the tubs. Feeling less confident with every passing second and desperately wishing she had some booze to take off the edge.

"Benny knows basic first aid and emergency field aid. Same with Cerb, but he knows a little bit more. Even then, that's only good enough for keeping a victim stable long enough to make it to a hospital. I haven't seen much of doc sense Cerb went out with Fluttershy in the Everfree Forest. He's not even here now.”

She looked down at the faithful nurse, now a little grateful that her attachment to Chris would keep her closer to them now.

“Redheart is the most competent pony we have, and she's down one good hoof. My hands aren't up to the task of patching ponies up for much longer, and I can barely do it now.

Finally, she turned to Sniff, who thankfully had kept Ovens relatively calm or, at the very least, helped her stay still to be examined.

“But... since I'm no longer having a heart attack over another friend potentially dying because they’re too fucking stupid not to do dumb shit, or doubly in this case, too stubborn to say 'Hey, I'm bleeding, somebody helps me.' So, can someone, pony or human, please tell me why this fight was so goddamn important."

"It's my fault," Cutter weakly spoke up. "I started the fight, escalated it and if Luna hadn't stepped in, it would have been worse."

She looked up to Sniff, trails from tears streaming down the darkening her fur on her face, ready to own up to everything.

"I don't know why, and I can’t explain my actions, but I've been a terrible mother. Not because I didn't care, and baby girl I never wanted to hurt you, I just thought that if you wouldn't come home with you're father and I, you'd be safer and more confident if you didn’t know I was helping."

Ovens pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, ready to verbally rip into her mother, but Peter spoke on Cutter's behalf and held her hoof a little tighter.

"Your mother is the one who saved your bakery. She was never going to buy it from under you."

He did a quick turn to Luna, trying to stop her from stepping out to get the others he had requested.

"Don't bother bringing the others in anymore, we'll talk to them later."

Ovens, however, didn’t hear that part, left in utter disbelief. How could Sniff think that? He didn't hear the screaming matches she had or been there for the family-less holidays. She couldn’t think of any way he wasn’t mistaken.

"That… no, Peter. Whatever she told you, she had to lie about—"

Sniff put his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing her forehead to stop her from dragging this out.

"It's not what you or her told me, it's what you both didn't tell me and others did."

He took a deep breath and mentally went over everything again just to make sure he wouldn’t forget anything. Had he not actually cared enough to listen to her confessions days earlier about her family, none of this would have been possible.

"You told me she trained you to be a soldier as a backup plan in case the baking thing didn't work out. That went in line with you originally having to go to Canterlot to work with your father. But what didn't make sense, if she really was the evil mother, that didn’t explain how happy she was to see you again and how scared for you she was over me.”

He relaxed his arm and gently stroked her side, seeing how uncomfortable this conversation was making her, but it had to happen.

“The fact you initially only told me about your father having a falling out and not your mother made me think that it had been worse if you didn’t want to talk about it. Otherwise, you would have told me that you patched things up between both parents, not just your father."

Cutter looked up with apologetic eyes, giving in to the possibility that, somehow, this human had figured things out.

"How did you know I helped save her bakery?"

Again Sniff gave no sense of joy explaining himself.

"The first thing that tipped me off was Mrs. Cake. She was the only pony you stopped to greet when you showed up. It wouldn’t make sense for you two to be so openly civil if you treated your daughter so poorly.”

It dawned on him that during Chris’s explanation and Becky’s reaction to meeting Ovens at the welcome party, his human friends couldn’t have known who she or her mother was. More importantly, who they had connections with.

“The Cakes and Ovens are friends. They trade recipes, look out for each other, even though they should be competitors. And with all the rumors going around, they didn't tip you off about your daughter and me being together. That's what someone would do just to cause trouble for a rival."

Despite Ovens still wanting to argue, everything said so far made sense. However, that still didn't answer the question, so Sniff had to go into detail with all the ponies he talked to that day.

"Hey, Swifty," Sniff called out to the crowd, pushing his way through some ponies. "I need ya for a sec."

Upon hearing her favorite human’s call, Swifty gladly trotted over.

"What's up? Did you lose your car keys?"

That was a welcomed distraction, and Sniff had to laugh a little.

"Nah, Nah, nothing like that, I hope. I need to know what you can tell me about Cutter. Even if she hates me, Luna wants me to give her a good introduction, kinda like the UFC does, but better."

"Oh." Swifty’s lack of enthusiasm was clear in her response. "Well, she's probably one of, if not, the best pegasus combat instructors we have. Well, her after-hours instructions, at least. She actually trained Thunder Glide, who trained me… and she's dangerous."

Sniff wanted to be cute with his response.

"Aren't you all?" He said with a grin.

He was being cute, and Swifty rolled her eyes with an equally amused grin.

"No, I mean she's dangerous to anypony or any creature that upsets her. Sure, she's very caring about ponies and the Guard, but years ago, when she helped catch a burglar at the Canterlot palace, she was given a more honorable and important role guarding Celestia's throne room. Naturally, she was great in the position at first, until her aggressive nature scared away dignitaries and attendees for court."

There had to be more to it than that, Sniff assumed and opted to dig deeper.

"Was she just yelling at them, or—"

"She attacked more than a few," Swift Sails blurted. "Or at least that’s how the rumors have been spread. I've never been able to read any of those reports, but I know she always found justification in the laws she was entrusted to enforce. Even still, they had to move her to a different job more suitable towards her… social skills… But, even then, she excelled at her job training ponies and was close to being the highest-ranked enlist in the Solar Guard."

Well, that seemed to fit his first impression of her, excluding the armor she wore.

"But isn't she part of the Lunar Guard?"

Swift Sails nodded.

"She is, but nopony knows why she made the switch. Unless you’re a bat pony, the hours can be pretty brutal. That’s the main reason you don't see many bat ponies standing with the Solar Guard during the day. Now, granted, changing to the Lunar Guard came with a big promotion and better pay, it also made it harder for her to see her husband and daughter."

Sniff stood patiently, waiting for the big reveal. After a moment, Swifty remembered how new he was and figured Ovens must not have brought it up.

"Oh, um… This might sound strange, given how the two acted earlier, but Cutter loves her family more than she loves the Guard. I've been in her office only once, and she has a whole wall dedicated to Ovens and her husband. But if you'd want to know more than that, you'll have to talk to the Lunar Guard."

While saying that, she noticed just the bat pony to ask, walking ahead of them with a bottle of Bacardi-O.

"Hey, Ralph! Come here!"

Like a good soldier, Ralph made his way over.

"Specialist Swift Sails, Sir James, is there something I can help you with?"

Swifty motioned with her head towards Sniff.

"Cutter is getting an introduction for her fight tonight like the humans in their combat sports. Sniff needs more info to make her sound cool."

Seeing a chance to learn more, Sniff decided to use the good report he developed with this guard after the events in the Everfree Forest and started up with his questions.

"So, is Cutter really aggressive, or is she sweetheart?"

Ralph looked at his bottle of Bacardi, still unopened, and held it up for Sniff. As soon as it was taken from his wing, he started to explain.

"Sergeant Major Cutter is very aggressive to those who act out of line, but she is very dutiful to those in her care, especially foals. She's also unquestionably the best swordspony in all the ranks and can even take on Captain Onyx in the hoof-to-hoof combat."

Sniff nodded, hearing all sorts of good information, but wasn’t hearing what he really wanted to know. So, to keep the conversation he handed back the now open bottle.

"She was also taken on as the senior enlisted for the Lunar Guard. Is that normal?"

Excitedly, Ralph reclaimed the bottle. He went to pull it back in his wing but realized Sniff wasn’t going to let go until he got some more answers, which he freely gave.

"Not really. We have all sorts of ponies in the Lunar Guard, but it was strange for her. She often had orders from Miss Ovens delivered for Solar Guard functions, but we didn't have those. She was always very adamant about sending out one of her guards to pick up the orders and hear how Miss Ovens was fairing. She didn't want to give that up. She—"

He quickly held his tongue, looking nervously around him. Almost like he was afraid the wrong pony might have overheard him.

"Actually, don't use that. She… just don't repeat that."

Sniff nodded again, seeing how he reached a dead end. He would need to find another pony that knew the ins and outs of how the town worked. And hopefully, one who wasn’t as afraid of the potential fallout.

"Thanks, that helps a lot. I’ve got a few more questions to ask around before I talk to Cutter directly."

Both Swifty and Ralph froze, but it was Swifty who shook herself free from the scare and spoke reason to Sniff.

"Peter, I don't think you should do that. She really doesn't like you being with her daughter, and I don't think she'll do any better if she finds out… you know."

Ralph nodded rapidly, sharing similar concerns.

"Very few have been so bold or foolish as to cross her family. She has drawn her sword against those who have done her husband wrong or spoken poorly of Miss Ovens."

Sniff could tell they were serious but figured he could handle her.

"I'll manage, don't worry about me."

Looking out around the area, he spotted Mayor Mare not far away. If there was a mare Sniff knew he could get some info from, it was her.

"Mayor, my dear, might I steal you away for some conversation for a moment?"

Naturally, the political pony was all too happy to step out for a moment or two.

"You need only ask, Peter. What would you like to talk about?"

She already had the hots for him, so this was going to be easy.

"I need to know some background information on Cutter, Oven’s mother."

Mayor Mare’s smile instantly wilted.

"Oh… I see." She looked up at him with worry. "Peter, you are an amazing stallion, but you mustn't get too close to her. She's very protec—"

"Yes, yes," Sniff acknowledged this fact readily. "Anyone that knows her says the same thing… I don't think Ovens knows that, though. Do they have a history of being at odds with each other?"

With a heavy heart, Mayor Mare sighed.

"Not at first, in truth they were as close as one could expect. Ovens used to be mommy’s little girl, but once she found her special talent in the kitchen, she was daddy's little baker. Eventually, all she wanted to do was bake."

"What about the bakery?" Sniff asked as if it were a passing thought.

The Mayor had an uneasy look about her.

"What about the bakery?"

What about it, indeed. There was a leap in logic he was missing. It was her bakery now, but it used to be her father’s. One would think that they must have spent years at odds with each other over it.

"How was she able to afford the bakery? Who helped her?"

Another sigh escaped Mayor Mare, but this time, it carried a hint of bitterness.

"Ovens was ambitious, but was not prepared to deal with the likes of Filthy Rich, that…" She shuttered with anger. "Filthy Rich said he would assist her in keeping the bakery open if he partnered with her. He fed her some cockamamie story that they would go half and half on the expenses. No contracts, of course. She was too young to make any legal agreements and have it stand in court."

The look of disgust faded into a soft smile.

"She would work at the bakery and made the upstairs her home. Every morning, she’d wake up early, run the shop and the kitchen, then finish her schoolwork at night. Despite working herself to the bone, somehow, she made it work. With all the money she was saving, she even bought new equipment, and it seemed like everything would work out. But… eventually, Filthy Rick's plans came to light when the eviction notice was posted."

Sniff scrunched his face in disbelief.

"Wait, I thought you said she was doing well?"

Another voice spoke up from behind. Mrs. Cake had passed by and overheard the story being told. Being how she liked all the humans, and especially Ovens, she was all too happy to join the storytelling session.

"She was doing well, according to the deal she thought she agreed to."

Sniff turned to see the other town baker's smiling face.

"You know, I was going to come find you next. But, uh… what was the agreement?"

Mrs. Cake smiled, but there were some lingering spiteful thoughts floating behind her eyes.

"Ovens was told by Filthy Rich that they would go half and half, and she thought he meant he would cover half of the costs for the mortgage."

Sniff had to interject.

"Woah, how did she get put on the mortgage? I thought she was too young?"

Mayor Mare stepped in again to answer this one.

"The Ponyville Bakery was set up as a family business. So, being how her parents both had left, she was allowed to take over the payments. That provision was left in case they—"

Mayor Mare grew unnaturally quiet, as well as Mrs. Cake. It was as if she was about to reveal some grand secret or open up about some taboo topic. Her recovery wasn't any more encouraging.

"Well, we tend not to dwell on these things, but it wouldn't be the first time a pony was never seen again. Regardless, that's how she was able to take over the bakery."

The reasoning sounded awfully dark, and Sniff had to ask, "So, you have a law set in place for real estate, saying that if a child loses their parents or is abandoned, they don't lose their family’s property?"

The mayor nodded but wasn’t happy to do so.

"Sadly, yes. Anyhow, Filthy Rich said he would pay half of the mortgage but never said when. He reasoned to her afterward that he would pay his half the following year after she proved the business was stable. Of course, since she couldn’t at that point, he said she could work for him when he bought it after the foreclosure."

Sniff was blown away at the level of greed and deception that pony had. He even felt a little sick to his stomach.

"Wow… what a dirtbag."

Mrs. Cake mournfully agreed.

"We had only three days when the rest of us found out and started to help. Sadly, we discovered that since it was a verbal agreement, and neither established the details; there wasn't anything anypony could do. Not legally, at least. So, the town’s ponies came together to pitch in as much as they could, buying all they could afford, but it still wasn't enough."

Mayor Mare sighed, remembering how close Ovens came to losing it all.

"As a last-ditch effort, I requested she fill all the orders for a dinner with as much as she could bake, and with the help of the Cakes, we held a benefit dinner. All the proceeds and donations were to be going to settle the balance due."

While that might have sounded like it was the end of it, but there was more.

"We had raised a majority of what was needed, however shortly before the deadline was approaching, Cutter returned to make one final demand for Ovens to let the bakery go and finally move to Canterlot. Apparently, she'd heard of the pending foreclosure and came to pay off the balance so she could sell it outright to Filthy Rich. Of course, Ovens would have nothing to do with it and said she would rather sell back all the new equipment and make due with what she could salvage."

Again, Mrs.Cake took over the story.

"You'd swear those two were lifelong enemies the way they fought over why she was in that predicament. Sadly, Ovens was just as stubborn as her mother and refused to admit she was fooled by Filthy Rich and ran out of the bakery. I happened to be stopping by to pick up the last batch of rolls as she ran out."

She suddenly took on a stance like she was on edge and looked around to make sure nopony was close enough to eavesdrop before continuing.

"I finally told her what really happened and… well, you would think she had gone into a rage, but she just went quiet. It broke her poor heart to hear that Ovens would risk every and, well, I guess, go through starting over with even less than what she started with than stay with her family."

Sniff could see the pain in the mare’s eyes, remembering how it all ended, but let Mrs. Cake finish up.

"She told me to leave the last batch to her and return to the benefit dinner. A while later, she showed up, dropped off the last order of rolls, and told Ovens that if this was what she really wanted then she was going to take a new promotion in the Lunar Guard. However, that meant she wasn't going to be returning. It had to be either the bakery or her."

Sniff nodded, already knowing the option Ovens went with.

"And she chose to stay."

Mayor Mare took a deep breath, not enjoying having to retell this story.

"As terrible as that moment was, it inspired one mighty donation that covered the remaining balance and most of the cost for the benefit. However, it came at the cost of not hearing from her mother or father for years. That poor girl practically ate, slept, and worked every day at the bakery after that. She really only had Top Shelf to visit. They both helped each other by trading off recipes and ingredients for some new type of fruit-infused scone or beverage. Though, I was grateful Ovens had somepony to speak with who wasn’t just another customer. ”

She chuckled for a moment, some fond memory coming to mind.

“Top Shelf believed that Oven’s mysterious fire breath made her spices spicier and her ciders more robust… and if you’ve tasted what she can mix together, I’d say she was right.”

That was a great story, even if the ending was a bit sad, though it did leave two things unanswered.

“I’d say you’re right, but did you ever figure out who made the donation? I can’t imagine it was Filthy Rich.”

Mrs. Cake snorted out a laugh, utterly amused by the question.

“Oh, heavens no. That greedy, poor excuse for a stallion was livid that she made enough to save the bakery. Not only was he not able to purchase it, Ovens missing the payments voided his own verbal agreement to remain partners with her. A good thing too. No sense associating with a pony that wouldn’t even apologize for what he did to her.”

That sounded very much unlike what Sniff expected of the ponies.

“Really? That’s…” He shook his head in denial. “Why?”

Mayor Mare laughed, relishing in the stallion's misery.

“Oh, who cares? It’s for the best that those two never crossed paths again. After that night, she wanted nothing to do with him, and he avoided her like a swarm of parasprites.”

Sniff finished his detailed recap of his investigation, with only a few picking up on what it all meant. Ovens was not among them, and so he surmised to wrap it all up for her.

“Ovens, your mother made a painful choice that night. To take you back to Canterlot with her, or take the job she didn’t want so she could afford all the money she donated to your benefit. She also paid for all the special orders you’ve had over the years. And I’m guessing she was too ashamed she didn’t support you enough to leave you more prepared and cared too much to make you worry about the sacrifice she was making on your behalf.”

The waterworks were building up in Oven’s eyes, just as much as they were for Cutter.

“Mom… Is that true?”

Cutter held back as much as she could, but the tears were free-falling nonstop.

“I wanted my little girl back so badly, but you grew up so fast, and I didn’t want to accept it until I saw how hard you were fighting to make your dream work… I couldn’t take that from you once I realized how close you were. I slipped the bag of bits in the donation box before I even made you choose.”

It was clear that Oven’s heart was breaking, teetering on the edge of blubbering like a baby.

“Why… why would you make me choose? Why not just tell me? I could have paid you back—”

“It had to be your choice,” Cutter answered. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want you distracted with worrying over me and your father. And I knew the debt you still owed. You could have never paid back me, the mortgage, and all the new equipment you overpaid for.”

She started to break down, finally letting her vulnerability be visible for the first time in her life.

“Your father and I had to work so hard to make your dream come true… it wasn’t until you finally finished paying off the mortgage we could finally start to relax.”

The tears continued and her words were choked out as she came clean with the rest.

“I was so happy for you, but after so many years of not being close to you and all the resentment you had for me, I started to feel the same. I hated myself for keeping us apart to make you happy. I started to resent you, never knowing everything I did for you. And—”

With all the truth coming out, she turned to Luna, and an embarrassed smile momentarily broke through.

“Princess, I’m so grateful for the opportunity you gave me to make my baby girl’s dream come true… but I hate my job. I can’t stand being awake while my husband sleeps and never getting to see my daughter. I… I would like to put in my resignation.”

Despite the pain, she stood up and walked over to Ovens to hold her daughter’s hoof in her own, and with pleading eyes, she begged.

“Ovens, baby… I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted. I just wanted to be a part of your life again and didn’t want Peter to take you away from me or risk you getting hurt, not when I was so close to having you back again. Can you forgive me?”

Without any hesitation, Ovens dropped down from the table, and on her knees, she finally embraced her mother as she cried along with her.

“Yes, I do, and I’m so sorry I never put it all together. I should have known something was going on when somepony in Canterlot was ordering the same items Dad made. And I’m sorry for being so… so… I’m just sorry.”

Becky turned to Sniff, completely baffled.

“You knew this and still had them fight?”

Sniff tried to pretend to scratch his face when really he was drying his eyes.

“Yeah, I know it sounds fucked up, but I knew Ovens wasn’t the type to accept hearing it from me. I try too hard to make others happy and she wasn’t about to let go of how she felt. I gave Cutter the chance but saw she was just as stubborn. So, just like how it happened with Cerb and Lumberman, I knew they had to hurt each other before they could forgive each other… I just didn’t expect her to whoop her mom’s ass like she did.”

Cutter tried to laugh but choked a little, and it came out sounding completely unlike a laugh.

“Okay, Ovens’s dear, I can’t wait to get to know your coltfriend, but what are these words they keep using? What even is, ‘my ass?’”

Twilight giggled, a slight blush filling her cheeks.

“Ass is a human word for butt, and I’m sorry for agreeing, but she really dominated that fight.”

Cutter only hugged her daughter tighter, a proud smile curling up her lips, utterly ignoring the somewhat crude word choice.

“I had it coming, and I definitely underestimated you. I’m glad to see your love and passions have made you so strong, baby. And I’ve never been happier to lose a fight like I did to you.”

Luna stood and turned to exit, happy with the outcome.

“Well, then, I think we should let these four have a moment to discuss some things. Everypony else, we have a party to get back to. Oh, and Sergeant Major, we can discuss your resignation later. Tonight is a call for yet another celebration. We'll be waiting for you outside. ”

All the ponies followed Luna out, leaving only the humans, even though they knew they were supposed to leave with her but had to stick around for one reason or another. One particular reason came in the form of a question from Becky.

“Sniff… I get the logic behind having them fight, but—”

“Why?” Sniff asked the question for her. “Why did I put so much importance into this? That’s a stupid question, Becks… all the moms we got left are garbage. Cutter is a mom worth having around.”

Sniff smirked at Cutter, getting even more emotional over her undeserved acceptance.

“Think you can handle taking on seven overgrown kids always getting into trouble?”

Cutter quietly laughed, her heart swelling with joy.

“As much as it hurts to admit, you’re worth the trouble with benefits like these.”

With that, the others left, pulling the guards far enough away to give them some privacy. Apparently, some curiosity had been created for how long it was taking for the fighters to come out. However, with the guards pushing out, many had to back away. Ponies like the florist mares, Amethyst, were ushered away. Even ponies sitting farther away like Lyra, her horn brightly lit as she nursed her drink had started to move away.

Now, inside the tent, it was just Sniff, Ovens, Twilight, and Cutter.

“So, Peter... Ovens? How did you two end up falling for one another?”

Twilight nervously cleared her throat, and of course, Cutter was oblivious to why Twilight was still there.

“Princess, I assure you there is nothing to be concerned about. You can trust me not to do anything irrational when they tell me about their relationship.”

Ovens gave an uneasy laugh as she trotted around Twilight and circled around behind Sniff to stand at his other side.

“Well, what a coincidence that you noticed Twilight stayed behind while you asked me that while asking about my relationship with Peter.”

With a motherly laugh, Cutter asked, "Why would you say… no… nooo… noooooo.”

It was all Sniff could do not to slap Ovens up the backside of her head as he gave her his most disappointed look.

“Did you really have to phrase it like that, or do you have a thing for déjà vu?”

Kelly was still chilling with Big Mac and Fleetfoot when the others returned without Sniff and the mares.

"Soooo, everything good?"

Becky reached for a bottle of vodka and uncorked it, still in disbelief.

"Better than good. Ovens just cut her cheek open a little, maybe knocked a tooth or two loose, and Sniff found out that Cutter is actually a super mom and pretty fucking cool."

"What?" Kelly asked, totally lost. "Cutter? Psycho bitch that was going to cut Sniff open and tried to beat her kid up in front of us?"

Cerb took his seat between Fluttershy and Rarity, a more than pleased look on his face.

"Yeah, it threw us for a loop, too. Turns out she’s the reason Ovens even has the bakery and was able to keep it open. Have Sniff tell ya about it. I got lost in all the Sherlock Holmes shit he did. Anyway, assuming all the rest of the news goes over well, and this is Sniff we’re talking about, so, it should be a good night.”

While things seemed to take a positive turn for everyone, Luna especially looked as if she was on top of the world. Her grin was so large and shiny it could be mistaken for a collection of stars.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe the kind of dedication my brave Cutter held for her family. Though I do feel awful that she continued to work knowing it meant so much time away from her family.”

Cerb twisted open another beer, having mixed feelings about it.

“It’s certainly sad, but also kind of amazing she would do that for her daughter. Night watch sucks just as an assignment, can’t imagine going career with it.”

Luna laughed at Cerb’s obvious misstatement.

“It’s not that bad, Justin. So long as you don’t mind the occasional nightmare or thousand-year banishment.”

Cerb swallowed hard on his beer, having picked up on his poor choice of words.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, LuLu…. forgot.”

Becky took her seat next to Rainbow Dash and took a nice long drink from the bottle.

“Sniff is just fucking lucky it all worked out. I was so damn close to slapping the shit out of him when I saw bad how Ovens got hurt.”

Chris was out of the loop but had to wonder how things really were going to work out with the most psychopathic and overprotective mother with her only daughter, the man railing her, and his other marefriend that he might be sleeping with as well… Then he would have to convince the mother that it was her daughter’s idea.

Cutter was in awe, beyond dumbfounded, far past the reaches of the Twilight Zone.

“He’s going to be dating the Princess of Friendship,” she stated as fact, not asking a question.

“Yes,” Ovens answered again.

“And at least six others,” Cutter repeated what she was told again.

“Yes,” Ovens again answered, growing less patient with this part of their talk.

“And you’re honestly okay with this?” Cutter asked one last time to make sure.

Ovens nodded impatiently.

“For the umpteenth time, yes.”

She facehoofed hard enough that it hurt, already regretting what she was about to say.

“I know how it sounds, but he's built differently, and I can’t give him everything he needs, physically at least.”

Completely ready to move on from this, the frustrated baker pulled her hoof away and groaned.

“I mean, I got shit tuh do.”

She did a quick turn to Sniff, a cautious smile and hopeful eyes staring him in the face.

“Did I say that right?”

Sniff snickered and patted her head.

“Yeah, nailed it, and Cutter, I know this sounds crazy. I spent the whole walk over here trying to talk her out of it.”

”You what?” Cutter suddenly asked, sounding angry again. “This was her idea?”

Sniff started doing double-takes between Ovens and Cutter.

“Wait? No… no… That’s-no.”

“Ovens, sweetie,” Cutter softened everything about how she presented herself as she approached her baby girl and hugged her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know this was what you wanted. I’m not going to hold you back from your dreams ever again. I support you one hundred percent if this is what you really want.”

Quick to accept the change in her mother’s demeanor, Ovens hugged her back to welcome the support.

“Oh, thank goodness. That means a lot to hear you say that, Mom. I know you already like some of the girls Twilight, and I picked out for Peter. You actually almost caught Mayor Mare with him when you showed up.”

“Mayor Mare?” Cutter asked, clearly surprised. “Oh, well, isn’t she just the lucky one? Such a mature mare as her should be good for helping him get ready to settle down.”

And just like that, Sniff stood up and headed for the exit, officially done with the whole thing.

“Alright, girls, I’m sorry, but this just got too weird. I mean, it’s been weird, and I took it like a champ, but this is weird for my weird. I need a drink.”

He opened the flap to step out but stopped to make something clear.

“Cutter, I applaud you for your readiness to accept this… Far better than even I did, but I would like to make it very clear that I have no intention of creeping around. My focus is on Ovens, and you too, Twi… Jesus fucking Christ, I can’t believe I can say that and make it sound endearing. But yeah, I have no intent to do anything to hurt her, even if I wasn’t afraid of you literally skinning me alive or—”

A delayed thought from what he had learned earlier came floating back at the idea of fearing for his life if he had been wrong. Something that might have explained why there wasn’t a conflict after the welcome party from the only pony to have a bad time.

“What did you do to Filthy Rich before you took the promotion in the Lunar Guard?”

“What did—” Cutter stopped short of reasking the question when it clicked. “Oooh, about the bakery and how he tricked her? I hid in the shadows until the morning, watched how excited my baby girl was to find out she could keep the bakery open, and then I waited to make sure he wouldn’t try to pull something… And he did, so I broke into his house, hogtied his wife to the ceiling with a bag over her head, and very carefully beat him without leaving a mark.”

She turned to Twilight with a look of concern growing.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this in front of you, should I?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, not showing any concern, even if internally, she was the slightest bit unnerved by that new piece of information. She might need to sleep with one eye open if mother of the year couldn’t handle what else her daughter has been up to with her and Sniff.

“Filthy Rich can eat shit for all I care. He might be the first pony I banish to the moon if he ever tries something like that again.”

Cutter smiled wide and gave a huge sigh of relief.

“Oh, good. Anyway, it’s actually really hard to beat a pony that’s as wimpy as Filthy Rich and not leave a mark. But, if you take your time like I did, you’d be surprised how badly you can hurt somepony without leaving any evidence. After that, I told him if he ever did anything to upset Ovens again, spoke to her, looked at her wrong, or came close enough that I could jump out and take his head off, that nopony would ever find his body.”

Twilight reeled back, not expecting to hear something that intense.

“That’s a bit excessive for just a threat to scare him, don’t you think?”

Cutter cocked her head to the side.

“Threat?”

And that was Twilight's cue to never cross Cutter.

“Never mind… and you should try hanging out with Cerb. I think you two would get along great.”

Sniff wasn’t going to question whether or not Cutter really would have murdered Filthy Rich; he was a prick anyway, but there was one question he had left.

“You told him not to come within your jumping decapitation distance to Ovens; how far is that?”

For a brief moment, Cutter was in deep thought but then snickered like she was embarrassed.

“I honestly have no idea… and I never told him.”

She began to laugh heartily at the oversight. Naturally, as disturbing as it was, only Ovens could laugh along without faking it.

“Wow, that must have really kept him on edge all these years.”

As scared as Sniff should have been, and maybe was just a little, he somehow found the humor in it and genuinely laughed along with her.

“Holy shit, you and Cerb really would get along. Take your time catching up, and think of what you’ll say when I do the post-fight commentary.”

“We will, hunny,” Cutter answered, shooing him off with her good wing.

Certain everyone was going to be safe, Sniff let himself out for the girls to talk amongst themselves.

Now alone, Twilight had some other topics she wanted to discuss.

“I’m sorry to hear that you’re ready to resign, but there are some serious—”

Sniff stuck his head back inside to make one final demand.

“Hey, in your comments for the post-fight, for the love of God, please don’t say something stupid like I’m open for dates with anypony. I’m never going to hear the end of it if everyone finds out that I already have more girls lined up for me to be with than what Chris has… that, and Tealove would… never stand a chance against any of you. That bitch is crazy, but she can’t be the only one.”

Ovens, in the cutest way she could, covered her mouth with her hoof and giggled with a slight ear twitch.

“I’m sorry about that, Peter, but you have no idea how lonely they were. To be fair, though, I made no promises on your behalf. Just be nice and get to know them, but whatever you decide, you’re mine tonight.”

Sniff’s eyes went immediately to the outfit she took off for the fight laid over the edge of one of the tubs, then back to her, and she instantly knew what he wanted.

“Yes, I’ll put it back on for you. Now, go. Shoo.”

Sniff winked and made a kissy face, knowing that if he wasn't going to be able to resist, he could at least feed his fetish.

“You’re too good to me, Ovens.”

After enough time passed and they were sure the coast was clear, Cutter made a proud proclamation about this impressive new human.

“I like him. He’s perfect for you, sweetie. I think once this craziness with sharing him to date other ponies is over, you really need to settle down and give me some grandfoals to spoil.”

Poor Ovens grew crimson and held down her ear, having difficulty controlling her twitches. There was a lot to go through, especially one little detail she still needed to mention.

“Okay, so there are some things that I need to discuss with you. Mostly dealing with Peter’s physical needs that I can't keep up with. It’s actually the first reason I considered having Peter date more than just me and Twilight. Well, considering how much time I still want to spend with him, I suppose he might not even have to date them.”

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, trying to run calculations and scenarios through her head.

“Thinking about it, right now, it’s only you helping him. Chris has six, and he ran through all of them, but he isn't nearly as fit as Peter. We might need more willing mares to fill in while-Ha! Phrasing.”

Funny or not, only Ovens got the joke, and Twilight had only so much time to explain a lot of confusing topics with examples.

“Ahem… We might need more while I try to figure out what’s wrong with me.”

Poor Cutter was trying so hard to follow along but was hopelessly lost; she turned to her daughter again.

“Ovens, you beat me senseless in our fight today, and Twilight, you forced Tirek into a stalemate at his full strength. What could be so physical that you can’t handle it by yourselves, let alone with each other's help?”

Ovens giggled and made some questionably flirty eyes at Twilight.

“Well, Twilight did help me once, but it just wore me out faster.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to blush, and she decided it was safest to cover the next topic behind the soundproof fabric.

“Let’s talk about this part where nopony can possibly hear us. I don’t want them repeating things if they don’t understand.”

Cutter slowly trailed behind, still having a hard time walking on her own, but was too invested not to follow.

“We talked about extra-dimensional beings that can punch demi-gods of darkness out of existence, obliterate waves of Timberwolves like an alicorn, and cure blood-related injuries… Plus, your crazy multi-mare relationship, what else could be more secretive than that?”

Twilight giggled nervously and allowed Cutter in behind the curtain.

“Ah, ha-ha, I found out it’s called herding, though what we’re considering might be a little less committed for the other mares.”

Chris had done a good job keeping the party going, even while the others were awaiting the assessment on Ovens. Now that all the humans were back out, the real games started.

Of course, by games, that meant the beer pong tournament had started back up, and Benny brought out his horseshoes and also introduced his guests to cornhole.

The first game was led by Benny with Vinyl. It seemed like the right thing to do, since he felt bad that she lost miserably at bowling. To keep it fair, they played against Octavia and Spitfire.

Vinyl, actually being decent at this game, was getting back into her competitive mode.

“Yeah! I sunk that one! Ringer!”

While Benny was happy for his partner, he laughed at her misplaced enthusiasm.

"You sure did. That puts us over twenty-one. It's still anyone's game."

Meanwhile, Cerb had partnered up with Thunder in a game of horseshoes against Fluttershy and Rarity, of which he was stressing his skills to carry his team.

Ting, Thud

… Another near ringer for Cerb, leaving him to realize something that should have been obvious.

"You know, when you think about it, you'd have to be good at this game. Why wouldn't a pony be good at playing horseshoes?"

Fluttershy, standing next to Cerb, touted her skills.

"This is one of the games I like playing with Applejack. Add that with Rarity's precision, we're an unbeatable match.” Lining up her next toss, her modesty kicked in. “At least until Applejack heals and plays with Big Mac."

On the other side, Thunder Glide wasn't taking their struggles in stride.

"Anytime you're ready with some sage advice on how to stop losing this game for you, I'm all ears, Justin."

Cerb mentally did a double-take at being addressed by his proper name.

"Wha… What happened to Cerb? And yeah, stop aiming for my shins. You’ve managed to hurt me more by accident than Onyx did in the ring."

Sitting on the sidelines, Onyx had been getting accustomed to how these humans joked amongst themselves, and with a little help from Becky and Rainbow, he countered accordingly.

"Eat my ass, Cerb."

The small group laughed, but Rainbow whispered something in his ear for his follow-up. Unfortunately, playing on his ignorance, he happily repeated it.

"Never mind, Fluttershy and Rarity already called dibs."

Cerb, having heard one too many jokes like that, dropped his beer and did a sharp turn towards Rainbow, running faster than he should.

"You got jokes, Dash?!"

Being how this was probably the fifth inappropriate joke Rainbow had got other ponies to say at Cerb’s expense, she figured that was the one that crossed the line. Wisely, she dropped her drink in a panic.

"Onyx, you're on defense, go!” Jetting off to safety, she let her ward know not to worry. “Be back when it's safe, Becks."

Safely flying with Becky's well wishes, Rainbow was soaring over the crowd away from her pursuer.

In fact, Becky had lightened up a bit since treating Ovens and witnessing the mother-daughter makeup. Even if the physical attraction part was still odd to her, she finally started seeing the real humanity in them, at least making it more acceptable to her.

"Leave her be, Cerb. She's just jealous you only chose two girls and not three."

Circling overhead, Rainbow was low enough to hear everything but high enough that no one could see how red her face was. Thus, she was at the proper altitude to verbally defend herself.

"As if! Cerb couldn't handle me at half speed!"

Not nearly as annoyed as he pretended to be, Cerb made his way back to the game.

"Keep talking shit, Dash. It's a long train ride to the Crystal Empire."

Since being pulled away to help Twilight and Cerb, Sniff was only now able to switch over from the Xbox to Chris's laptop, finally bringing up Winamp. He knew what these ponies wanted, aside from some private time away with any number of his friends with hands.

"Okay, so a lot of you have asked about the music that was played tonight. Yes, it is very different from the others at our welcome party. Tonight’s music was mostly metal. It's not really for dancing; it's a lot more about expressing something with intensity, mainly anger at some kind of injustice or a wrong someone committed.”

Lily, along with the other floral mares that had been sticking close to Sniff since returning, excitedly asked, “How many other kinds of music do you have?”

“Oh?” Sniff had to think about that one for a second. “Uh… I dunno? A lot? Honestly, I can’t count all the different styles of music that people have made over the years. Most of what you heard at the party was pop music. Personally, I listen to a lot of different genres, though I do have a thing for jam bands in particular.”

As he tried to think of the best way to explain what a jam band was, he eyed one mare in particular who deserved some special attention now that the coast was clear.

“Actually, let’s put the metal on hold for a moment while I pull something up here real quick.”

They all watched on the TV screen a list of hundreds of music titles scroll by. Not that they knew what they were looking at, it was just an extremely long list of names and words with numbers in different columns to them.

For a moment, Sniff seemed to be focused on a collection of tracks by Dave Matthews Band. After another moment of looking over the options, he double-clicked on #41 (Weekend On The Rocks, September 11, 2005) (Disc: 2).

With the music starting, along with the cheers from the live recording, and the visualization captivating the onlookers, Sniff extended an open hand to Mayor Mare.

"You never got a dance at our welcome party, Mayor."

It was the perfect song for the two and their situation. There was just enough swing to keep them moving, but slow and steady enough that they could stay close.

The vibes from the fusion of alternative rock and jazz seemed to be fitting to her taste. Even if it hadn't been, the positive vibes Sniff was giving off through direct contact would have been more than enough to compensate.

Following his lead, the close contact from dancing on two legs and his hand on her waist felt as lovely as she imagined it would. Wanting to add to this wonderful moment, Sniff decided to formally thank her.

"I really appreciate what you did for Ovens."

Mayor Mare smiled but wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about.

"Thank you, but I haven't done anything, and how is she doing? She's been away for quite a while now. She isn't seriously hurt or in any trouble, is she? And her poor mother, she must be—"

"They're both fine," Sniff answered warmly. "Cutter is going to be sore for a while, but now that Ovens knows who that anonymous donor was at the event you threw for her, they're both doing great and won’t be minding this dance we’re sharing."

Proof by her blush and how quickly she averted her eyes, Sniff knew he had her pegged. Giving her a little spin and pulling her back in, he dug a little deeper.

"Word travels fast in a small town, but not from here to Canterlot. Not without somepony sending word directly.” He pulled her a little closer against him, letting his fingers trace down the open slit of her back. “Cutter coming back with the money needed for Ovens? You kind of gave yourself away if you were the one coordinating everything."

The blush on Mayor's face didn't fade, but her smile grew a little brighter.

"She asked me to keep an eye on her only foal. I only wished I had kept a closer eye. Even the Cakes couldn't keep up, despite them being good friends with Baked. It was all we could do to keep Ovens from noticing her mother coming into the banquet and dropping off her savings.”

She was surprised just how affectionate Sniff was being. Having him this close made her all too grateful that he chose such a long song to dance to.

“Thank goodness Ovens was such a fast learner. She managed to be more successful than her father had been, even if her mother still helped here and there."

Sniff grinned and chuckled quietly as the song drew closer to the last couple of minutes.

"Well, I think you deserve something special for taking care of my girl like you have. You earned yourself a special place on my list."

Flattery was becoming very well acquainted with this mayor. At least now, with this new arrangement, she easily welcomed it.

"Won't your other clients be upset?" she jested playfully with a flirt.

Sniff only grinned and pulled her closer to finish out the long music outros and winked.

"I suppose you have a special spot on that list, too."

Thankfully, the only ponies not glued to the mesmerizing visuals on the screen were the mares next in line to have a shot at Sniff. However, given the volume of the music, not even they could make out what was being discussed. All they knew was that somehow, Mayor Mare was getting something they were sure they wanted.

That, of course, would be when Top Shelf walked in to offer more drinks.

Jealous?

Maybe.

Envious?

A little.

Motivated?

Certainly.

Angry? … not so much.

"Old girl's got game."

Amethyst was thinking the same thing and noticed the three floral mares to her left, discussing something amongst themselves. Leaving her only option to her right.

"I don't know how this is all supposed to work, but it's one mare beating all of us, and three others working together. Feel like teaming up?"

They were already kind of paired up as it was, so Top Shelf gave a single nod and a grin.

"I'll talk with Ovens when she's free. Let her know her long-time friend could use some tips on what could give us a leg up on the competition… or whatever this is."

She turned to watch Sniff working those magic fingers of his up and down the open back of Mayor Mares's gown.

"I hear they feel like what getting praised by Celestia makes ponies feel on the inside… only better. His hands, I mean. That's why he gets paid so much at the spa. Aloe and Lotus were afraid he'd put them out of business and almost paid him to work on their staff exclusively."

As the song ended, Sniff hammed it up by bowing and kissing Mayor Mare's hoof. Then, given her reaction, Top Shelf couldn’t hide what she was thinking about how lucky Ovens was.

"Kicks flank and gets the stallion? What a stark contrast from what she was growing up, but by Celestia's summer sun, am I ever glad I'm friends with the bread maker who wants me to date her stallion."

From just behind her, a voice crept in that made Top Shelf's hair stand on end.

"He certainly is something special, isn't he?"

Top Shelf froze, too scared to look behind her, making Cutter giggle, which was even more frightening.

"Don’t worry… Topsy? Isn’t that what Peter likes to call you? Ovens told me all about her deal with sharing Peter. Though I’m not sure why Princess Twilight insists on calling it herding.”

Perhaps her perception preceded her too much? She was going to have to be more specific to calm this mare down.

“While I think, with a little… a lot more training, by the sounds of it, my little girl would be all he needs. However, this is her life, and I support her decision. Even if I don’t quite understand it."

Top Shelf turned around, still in disbelief.

"You're okay with this?"

Cutter, still looking more than a little beat up, grinned.

"Fix me one of your drinks, and I'll give you a few pointers"

Just outside, after winning her first game, Octavia had fallen in love with the music.

"Ben, you say you have more of this band’s collective works?"

Benny was sitting and enjoying the tunes as he always did.

"Oh, yeah, and their live albums are a lot better if you ask me."

Twilight, having joined the group again, was also finding herself taking in this new style of music.

"I'll have to get some more crystals if you would like to make a copy of your smartphone for Octavia and Vinyl."

Benny turned to Twilight, a little shocked by the offer.

"You would do that? Hell yeah."

Just then, a familiar stallion they all knew and were glad to see cleared his throat.

"Ahem, I hope I'm not interrupting."

Cerb was the first to greet the friendly face, quite excitedly at that.

"Italian Stallion! Yo! When’d you get here?”

The stallion strolled up into the group, clearly a mix on what to feel.

“Fashionably late, of course. I would have made myself known but the spectacle that was Thunder Glide’s grand entrance, well, who am I to interrupt from such a presentation.”

Thunder grinned, looking at Fleetfoot.

"Your introduction was pretty cool, to be honest."

Of course, ever one to soak up whatever praise she was given, Fleetfoot had to reciprocate.

"It's just a simple rehearsed vapor trail routine. The hard part is following blindly, yet close enough not to get shocked. And hey, just between you and me, did you really not modify your armor?"

Thunder shrugged, not giving the question much thought.

"Nope, no mods were needed. I've only been shocked once by lightning. It’s actually how I got my cutie mark.”

Excited to hear more, Pinkie pulled up closer with her drink and a look of childlike wonder.

“Oou, an origin story.”

With a grin, Thunder gave a good-humored huff of doubt.

“Hardly an origin story. I was still a young flyer at the time and would still stop in to see my favorite coach from flight camp. Even as old as I was, I still wasn’t the strongest flier. Then, out of nowhere, I hear what sounded like muffled thunder, then before I knew what happened, a gust of wind blew me into a heavily charged thunder cloud. There was enough static build-up that it shocked the bejeezus out of me.”

She chuckled, remembering how close of a call she had that day.

“Well, I stirred up the cloud just enough to create some sky lightning and I could feel the path of the charge, if that makes any sense to you, but I was in the path. I felt the charge build up from the cloud, no different than Cloud Chaser and Stormwalker kicking out bolts. So, like a clueless foal, I blocked it with my hooves. Surprisingly, I wasn’t zapped... then when I came out, I had my cutie mark. After a while, the more I practiced, the more I found I could control and work with lightning like any pegasus can a cloud.”

Drawn into the short story, Rainbow was acting like a fangirl.

“That is so cool! I never heard of a pegasus that could actually touch lightning, let alone control it.”

This left Cerb amused yet confused.

“Didn’t Cloud Chaser and Stormchaser control lightning? Because I remember very clearly them blasting the shit out of the Timberwolves with it.”

Being the expert on nearly all things pegasus and weather, Rainbow was eager to explain.

“That’s not technically the same thing. While pegasi do have some higher resistance to lightning, it'll still zap us like anypony else. Even as a Wonderbolt, our flight suits have insulation to help deal with getting electrocuted, but it’s not as effective as some of the armor certain soldiers have to wear in high storm areas. That kind of armor will still only protect a flier if lightning hits the armor. What Thunder Glide can do is completely unnatural for a pegasus.”

Starlight, being rather versed in magic in general, had to interject.

“There are some spells that can let a pony wield lightning and even some enchanted items that can summon bolts from the sky, but I have to agree. Thunder Glide being able to actually touch lightning without getting zapped, that would take a very powerful spell. Even my shields will break if hit with a few bolts, which Dash can verify. Thunder, though… you really are something special.”

Having lived with it for so long, Thunder smiled but shrugged off all the praise without batting an eye.

“It is pretty effective, or at least would be if I could use it in combat, which I didn’t even have a chance to against the Timberwolves. Swift Sails’ freaky talent is way more useful than mine.”

Much the same, Swift Sails felt to the contrary.

“Blah, take it. It was fun at first, now I just feel lazy when I float.”

Since they’d seen Thunder use her ability, Helix had an idea to show off her talent.

“Hey, show’em the perch.”

It had been a while since this had been shared, and Thunder noticed just the individual to exercise this talent on. She motioned the others to be quiet as their victim was exiting the house with Cutter and a train of mares to rival Chris’s harem. All she had to do was get him to play along.

“Sniff! Come here for a moment!”

Unaware of what was to come, Sniff rejoined his friends.

“What’s up? Aren’t we doing the speech?”

Wanting to see this play out, Thunder kept a calm presence about her, not giving away that he should be on guard.

“We need your help with something. Could you stand still for a moment and close your eyes?”

Sniff turned his eyes to Twilight, thinking she wouldn’t lead him astray. Of course, she could tell that after all the events of today, he needed some confirmation.

“I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, Peter, and I’m kind of curious to see this myself.”

It was clear Sniff wasn’t convinced, but that didn’t deter Ovens from speaking out her own curiosity.

“Whatever it is, Peter, if it even bothers you a little bit, we’ll make it up to you.”

If they were gonna make a promise like that, he would risk it.

“Fine, closing my eyes.”

“Wait!” Swifty shouted just before Sniff closed his eyes. “You’re supposed to put this on first.”

She flew overhead and placed Thunder’s helmet on his head. While the fit was a little snug, it still had plenty of wiggle room, just the way she needed it.

“And don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen to you,” she told him as she fluttered behind him, making one last adjustment.

“Now, just hold still, and they’ll tell you when to close your eyes and what to do.”

Sniff did as he was told, only letting his eyes travel from one onlooker to the next of his friends, who were all grinning and snickering. Thinking he figured out what was going on, he quickly turned around to spook whoever was about to pull whatever this prank needed him to wear a helmet for.

“Ha!” He shouted with his hands splayed out.

He held his ‘surprise I got you’ face with his hands up and fingers curled like a creeper. However, it was only Cutter and the other mares that had followed him out, also grinning and snickering.

Behind him, Thunder wanted to keep this going and scolded him.

“Sniff! What are you doing? We told you not to move. What did you think we were going to do, bash you in the head from behind? You wouldn’t have to close your eyes for that to work. Now, just hold still.”

Cerb and Benny were nearly as bad as Pinkie trying to hold back from busting a gut. In fact, Cerb almost ruined it by hinting at the fact the prank had started with the helmet and was still going on.

“You getting this, Spike?”

Spike double checked the screen on Cerb’s phone to see the timer still counting in the corner of the video being recorded.

“Sure am. You’re looking great there, Sniff. Strike a warrior pose and say something cool.”

Something was up, and Sniff figured it had to be the helmet. He lifted it off and started to look it over.

“Okay, I know you’re all fucking with me. What’s with the helmet? Did one of y’all fart in it or something?”

Twilight scrunched her face in disgust at such an idea.

“Eww, no. That’s beyond gross and undignified. We’d never try something like that.”

Ovens giggled, wanting to see more of this continue, assuming Swifty could get back to it.

“Peter, would you calm down and just play along for now? Believe me, if anypony tries to hurt you or do something gross, they’ll have to answer to me… or my mom.”

Sniff looked behind him to see Cutter was smiling but put on a stern face when he’d been staring a few seconds too long.

“What? You think I couldn’t take on somepony just because I took a beating from the daughter I trained for years? Peter, anypony hurts you, you can be certain that… gah!”

Instead of going into detail, she opted to fall back on a previous conversation.

“You know what I’d do. No pony would even know. Just put the helmet back on.”

Even if Sniff knew he was walking back into their little prank, he again dawned the helmet.

“Okay, helmet’s back on my head. Do I close my eyes now?”

Given how dark it was at this point, Thunder could humor him or at least lead him astray.

“If you’re going to cry all night because you don’t feel safe around us, just keep your eyes open.”

Benny snorted, trying so hard not to laugh as he continued to play along.

“Yeah, ya big crybaby. Stop crying; you’re ruining the party.”

Getting back on track, Thunder went on with the directions.

“Okay, stand up straight and tall, then turn only your head to look left, then right, then straight ahead and stand on only one leg.”

Peter went through all the directions, only to have Luna join in.

“Oh, Peter! Do the pose Spike requested.”

At this point, Sniff figured the joke had to be him overreacting and did as requested, striking multiple poses. Of course, the more poses he did, the goofier they became, along with the size of the crowd and laughs only continued to grow.

Finally, he had enough and stopped taking requests, ready to be done with this pointless exercise.

“Alright, now I gotta know. What’s the joke?”

Ovens had enjoyed the show way too much and wanted to be the one to expose the gag.

“Okay, so, to understand the joke, take both hands and pick up the helmet from the bottom edge, then lift it straight above your head.”

He had already removed the helmet once, so it couldn’t be the helmet itself and again did as directed.

After only a few giggles, Ovens was ready with the next step.

“Now, keeping your arms straight, lower the helmet down in front of you.”

As he lowered the helmet, he could feel something brush up against the back of his head. That was it, they must have made the mohawk grow on the helmet when he was doing all the goofy movements. While it might have looked funny, it wasn’t so funny that—why were there two pure white pony ass-cheeks on top of the helmet?

Somehow, Swifty was sitting on the helmet, wings fully extended, and looking over her shoulder at him with a silly smirk.

“Ya, see? I’m as light as a feather. I was never gonna hurt ya?”

This time, it was Luna who needed an explanation.

“Why was I so unaware of such special talents in our ranks? How is it that you are able to… you said float?”

Ready to give away the secret of her quirk, Swifty stood up effortlessly with all four hooves pressed close together, not even bending down the hairs of the mohawk on the helmet.

Of course, given the height, she was giving Sniff an easy view of the edges of her nether region as she turned and walked up along his forearm, ending by sitting near weightlessly over Sniff’s shoulders.

“Well, not trying to be like Thunder over there, but another cutie mark story. I actually got my cutie mark at a very young age. I was barely even old enough to remember it. The story is kind of embarrassing because it made learning to fly almost impossible for me.”

Fluttershy, having had similar trouble with flying at a young age, could relate.

“It can’t be that embarrassing. I was never really a good flier myself, especially in Early Fliers School. But being so light, how would that make flying harder?”

Swifty leaned forward, resting her forelegs on Sniff’s head and dropped her wings down, returning all her weight down on Sniff’s head and shoulders.

The sudden weight forced Sniff to quickly catch his balance.

“Egh! Warn me, Swifty.”

“Oops,” Swifty said with a grin before Fluttering off and again holding her wings open, floating softly in the air.

“So, this is my weird talent. If I don’t focus on flying and keep my wings open, I can make myself float… sort of.”

Given the revelation of Thunder’s special talent, Twilight quickly put the pieces together.

“You can control the air pressure around you! That’s amazing!”

Swifty slowly started to fold her wings, giving her a slow descent to the grass, impressed that Twilight had figured it out so quickly.

“Yeah, you really are smart. But yeah, that was the reason I had such a hard time learning to fly properly. From what I remember though, and my parents can verify this, but—”

Suddenly, Swifty’s eyes lit up and she turned her focus on Rainbow.

"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe I only now realized it! Rainbow! You're the reason I got my cutie mark!"

Totally caught off guard, Rainbow jerked back.

"What?! For real?! How?"

Off to the side, Chris grew incredibly more interested as Swifty went on to explain.

"So, I was too young to fly yet and was playing too close to the edge of a cloud and fell off. My parents didn't notice until it was too late, but what saved me was your Sonic Rainboom! Just like how a gust of wind pushed Thunder Glide through a thundercloud, and she got her cutie mark, I was pushed back up through the cloud and started doing my floaty thing. But, yeah, me floating around like that was so natural I had to learn how not to do it so I could create lift on my own and use the natural negative air pressure above my wings to create lift… It’s actually not that much different from how I make myself float."

Hearing this, Thunder put two and two together, and now she was just as amazed.

“No way! That was the same day I got my cutie mark.”

Suddenly, Ovens looked to be just excited, bouncing up and down next to Cutter, who was also smiling.

“This is so crazy! That’s the same day I got mine! That Sonic Rainboom hit Ponyville and knocked a bunch of spices, and, just like my dad, it made me sneeze. Only when I sneezed, that was my first time spitting fire. The flames heated the spices and seasoned my dad’s dinner rolls. That’s why they taste so good.”

Chris stood up, already seeing the connection.

“There’s no way it’s a coincidence.”

At the same time, Twilight was shocked but also was overjoyed to find three more that shared her experience. Not just those two, but even Chris seemed to know what had happened.

“You know about that, too?! And you’re right! It can’t be a coincidence! It’s no wonder we’re all such good friends. We all got our cutie marks at the exact same time from Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow, as expected, let it all go to her head.

“Check me out. Even when I think I can’t get any cooler, I just go up-it another twenty percent. Heh, makes me wonder how many other super ponies I made out there.”

Thinking there had to be a trend developing, Chris turned to Starlight.

“Do you know if that’s when you got your cutie mark?”

Starlight blushed and shied back a bit.

“Uhhhh… I actually got my cutie mark at night. No Sonic Rainbooms, sorry.”

All the attention went back to the Solar Guards and Ovens where Twilight asserted her judgment on the situation.

"I think we're all missing the big picture. I think Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom must have triggered some special abilities in us or unlocked some special quirk. At the very least, it really did help us become friends. This is amazing!"

Rarity puffed herself up.

"Well, if my exquisite tastes in fashion," She made eyes at Cerb. "and stallions are anything to go off of, I'd say you're right."

This was all well and great, but there was a party to keep going.

"Sounds awesome," Sniff stated abruptly. "And definitely something we should pick up on again tomorrow. For right now, how about we do this last post-fight thing, let our guest know that everything is good, we're all friends, and get back to the party?"

Pinkie was right there, mic in hoof, ready to go.

"Take it away, Smelly."

Sniff rolled his eyes and laughed off the name, finally getting over it.

"Thanks, Pinks. You're a regular bag full of laughs."

One click later, and the announcements were ready to be made.

"Ladies and gentlecolts! Our apologies for the delay, because while the fight was spectacular, the touching moments that followed were more than I could have hoped for between these two. So, without further Adieu to our winner, how did you feel about tonight’s fight?"

Ovens leaned into the mic, a bit more shy than she'd thought she'd be, given all the anger and bravado that had left her system.

"Well, while I didn't get the professional coaching from Cerb, I had one very tall, dark, and handsome motivation in my corner. I… had some other factors driving me. Things that were bottled up for too long, but this, sadly, was something we hadn't done in a long time. Mom, I might not be a little filly anymore, but it was great to spar with you again. I'm never going to be able to pay you back for everything you've done for me."

She gave a nod and stepped back from the mic, letting the audience give their cheers.

"Cutter," Sniff turned to his new overprotective surrogate mother. "You raised a real winner, how do you feel about the fight tonight?"

Cutter smiled proudly as she addressed the crowd.

"I've been away from Ponyville for far too long, and thus, I wasn't ready for how much stronger my baby girl has gotten since all those years ago. I regret that I let my pride and bitterness come between us, but I wouldn't change anything that happened between us here tonight."

The crowd again cheered, but just as quickly, Cutter extended her wing and pulled the mic back.

"Except for that last punch I gave you, Ovens. I should have tapped. Lesson learned."

With a lot more laughs added to the applause, that was pretty much it, and there was only the rest of the party for Sniff to get everyone back to.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, thank you all again, and my apologies to Tealove, that was harsh but at least it was an open hand and not a fist. Everypony else, we look forward to talking to the rest of you tonight, games are still going on, and the bar is open, but Top Shelf, stop serving drinks and start enjoying yourself. More music in the house, and maybe a dance or two if you're lucky. Stranded Seven out!"

After that, the rest of the night was pretty chill. Only a few ponies had to be cut off from the booze, and even Tealove made an apology to Kelly. Although, it was pretty clear that either Luna or Cutter had something to do with it. Pretty sure they both knew that neither was serious about each other's apology or forgiveness. So long as they understood each other… or Tealove would remain too scared to try anything again, that was good enough.

As the groups started to mingle, two particular groups were noted for interest. Kelly asked Sniff and Chris to follow her into the guest room upstairs, while Cutter asked for Top Shelf and Mayor Mare to escort her to the bath tent.

As soon as the door was closed, Kelly got straight to business.

"Okay, we're doing the same fucked up shit, so I'm going to be honest with you… me and Mac need your help."

Right off the bat, Chris was more than sympathetic, even without knowing the reason.

"Sure, Kel. What do ya need?"

Kelly sat on the desk next to the bed and hung her head.

"I really like Mac. It's probably not a stretch to say I fell in love with the guy. I even wanted to turn my life around and take things slow with him… lasted a few days."

Given the many conversations Sniff had with Kelly, he knew this had to be something serious. Unfortunately, Chris thought asking on her behalf would be helpful.

"He's not too big for you, is he?"

Trying not to take it personally, Kelly grit her teeth and answered honestly.

"No, Chris, I've had bigger."

That answer, of course, had to be immediately corrected as all the jokes came rushing into her thoughts.

"I mean, he's human-sized, goddamnit. Fuck… it's… Son of a bitch."

Now Kelly really was struggling, and Sniff ran through a list of the most likely issues. After taking Big Mac’s exhausted state upon arrival into consideration, he quickly figured he knew what it was.

"You wear him out too fast."

Kelly started to tear up, embarrassed, frustrated, a little scared for him, and thinking about how much was hanging in the balance.

"I don’t know how your girls handle it, but our amazing, magic hands, power extend beyond just our hands."

Now it was clear to Chris, and after years of fanfics and online discussions, what had been theorized appeared to be happening here.

"Oh, shit… I never thought that would be the same here… Stallions don't last long to begin with. All horses, really. No wonder they're exhausted."

Knowing Chris would likely have the best take on the situation, Kelly was desperate and needed answers.

"Chris, for the love of fuck, what is happening?"

Chris cringed, knowing that this was going to be embarrassing to explain, being how it meant he knew well beforehand that it was the natural state of things. That is to say...he had a rather firm understanding of actual equine reproductive functions.

"Well… their biology is like that of a real pony, mostly, despite how different they actually look. Equines, like most herbivores, being prey species, don't mate for more than a couple of seconds or minutes. Sex for them is supposed to be fast so they won't be left vulnerable to predators. So, unlike us, who have evolved as predators and could enjoy sex…"

Sniff hung his head, the reality of his situation becoming more clear to why he was being pushed to find more mares by Ovens and Twilight.

"We're always going to outpace them. Fuck me, no wonder they want me to—"

After realizing what he was speaking out loud, Sniff had to censor himself. A split second later, he realized shit would likely only get worse if they continued keeping each other in the dark.

"I'm sorry, Kel. Really, I am. I'm going through something similar with Ovens, and I imagine Chris is too with his girls."

Chris nodded, suddenly having a lot of mixed feelings about his situation.

"Each one that I've been with will last maybe a minute at most before they cum. The more we do anything, the faster their next climax happens. It only takes a few minutes until they can't really do anything or leave me doing all the work. Regardless, it always ends with them too weak to do anything. Not unless I can… well, there was only one time I didn't leave Starlight exhausted-no… two? Three times?"

Both Sniff and Kelly looked away and snickered, leaving Chris feeling stupid.

"Hey, I'm about as new to this as they are."

Kelly was the first to apologize, even if she was still laughing a little while doing it.

"I’m sorry, Chris. I shouldn’t laugh. I really shouldn't, but your first time ever was with a pony, your brony wet dream fantasy, so I can't even blame you for being a quick shot. And the way you said it… Sorry.”

She had one last snicker before getting serious again.

“But… Mac is taking it hard and tried to push me away to… well, there’s another reason I wanted to talk to you guys.”

It took a moment for Sniff to work his analytics of likely partners, but the answer was obvious after remembering who she arrived with.

“Oh, my god, you fucking poacher.”

Before Chris could make the connection, Kelly confirmed the accusation in a not-so-proud voice.

“Yes, Luna offered….”

She mentally stumbled on her words for a moment. Starting things off with saying Luna approached her felt like she was trying to shift the blame or make it sound like she had walked into this blindly. It didn’t feel right to lie about why she was asking for help with.

“Fuck me... I totally led her on and caused this to happen. I’m so fucked up with everything right now, and I’m scared that she can’t help me and Mac, or if I can’t get a decent fuck soon, I’m not going to be able to take it. I don’t think I can keep it together if I can’t have a satisfying sex life again. And yes, I know that’s fucked up and makes me a shitty person, but at least I’m being honest and trying to fix it.”

Sniff raised a hand to urge her to calm down. In some ways, he could relate.

“It’s okay, Kel, I’m dealing with my shit too. I was with Ovens today for hardly even more than half an hour, and I had to carry her here because she couldn’t even stand. I didn’t want to give in, but I’m fucking addicted to sex and all the other fucked up shit I’ve got going on.”

Since Kelly had missed the first conversation with the other guys before Benny returned, he thought to help clue her in on everything. Maybe even compare notes with Chris.

“The first time I was with Ovens, I didn’t even get off. After she woke up the next morning, she knew there was no way she could keep up with me and made the suggestion that I date other mares so I can actually be satisfied.”

For a moment, he was at a loss for words, the irony not escaping him.

“I’m not just dating a chick who loves sex. She’s trying to get me to fuck other girls. She’s even got Twilight helping instead of just trying to find other mares for me to hook up with… and I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with me wanting to fucking other chicks they’re pushing me towards. I can’t tell anymore if I’m trying to make them happy, the new girls happy, or if I’m just so fucking horny that I’m lying to myself and just trying to get what I want.”

Chris trained his eyes between the two and realized he was the odd one out.

“I don’t think Starlight brought the other girls in because she was getting worn out. She’s all about it and wants me to wear her out. She did it because she knew I wanted it, even though I wouldn’t admit it. I even tried talking her out of it, but then the girls all wanted to be together, not just with me, they wanted to make it a group thing.”

Sniff raised an eyebrow, being how some of those details didn’t make it out in the previous conversation.

“Soooo… like Fluttershy and Rarity already being into each other while going after Cerb?”

With only a moment to think over a proper response, Chris hung his head in shame, but also laughed in embarrassment.

“No… they couldn’t wait for their turns for another date with me to see what they could do... That’s when they said they all wanted to make it a harem thing… then it kinda turned into an orgy, and now they’re into each other. They’re so into each other that I’m watching their kids tomorrow so they can date each other.”

Kelly, doubled over laughing with Sniff. Even with the seriousness of her situation, she couldn't stack up to Chris getting whipped so quickly.

“Goddamnit, Chris. You gotta stop.”

It was just one gaff after another and Chris groaned, realizing just how ridiculous his situation sounded. For studying law as long as he had, it didn’t seem possible for him to not properly state what he was really dealing with.

“I don’t want to fuck this up either, guys.”

It took another moment for the two to control their laughs at his ironic word choice, but once they saw Chris was also being serious, they gave him the chance to speak.

“I took on six girls, half of them without any experience at being in a relationship… all with a guy with no experience. The other half have kids of their own. I’m going to probably take on a fatherly role to them, and the best example I have to go off of walked out on Cerb and the rest of us. The next best one was my dad who tried but... fuck him.”

Kelly took a seat next to Chris and did her best to comfort him.

“Chris… you’re not your dad. You’re not any of our dads. I saw you with the kids at the welcome party. They fucking love you, and the fact that you even care about them already, that makes you a million times better than any that we had growing up. And… yeah, yooooou have a lot more on the line if kids are involved. And I really don’t know how your harem is going to go over with them, but if Starlight and all the rest want this with you… fuck it. You can make it work. Just like me, I’m going to do everything I can to turn my fucked up situation around. I mean… I’m actually looking forward to being with Luna.”

Sniff pinched the bridge of his nose, still trying to figure out how she managed to find the time to romance the Princess of the Night, of all ponies.

“Jesus Christ, how are we all hooking up with ponies like this? And, you and Luna? How did that even happen? You were with Big Mac every night she was here, and she didn’t come back until after Mac came back with everyone else.”

Kelly tightened up and clicked her tongue with a sharp inhale.

“Yeah… remember the night you pulled Twilight away because Luna—”

“Holy shit,” Sniff did a one-eighty in the room, holding his head in his hands. “I know we used that move before to get chicks, but that’s not even close to what I had in mind, Kel.”

Kelly tossed a pillow at Sniff, half pissed but also half laughing.

“I didn’t do anything that night. We just talked… mostly about Cerb. You know? Why he was freaking out, how he got all fucked up and shot to shit. Lots of stuff, and we kinda became friends.”

Sniff turned back and leaned against the wall, still trying to figure out why they were all falling into these overtly sexual relationships so fast.

“So you spend one night just talking, and you’re ready to go down on each other?”

That was uncalled for, and Kelly sneered, already getting defensive for her mare.

“We got a lot in common, you dick. And she was super lonely since coming back and… Chris, do you know anything about a Summer Wrap Up Festival and Hoedown something-something?”

Chris shook his head in a knee-jerk reaction.

“The fuck? No, it’s the Winter Wrap Up. They don’t have a… Wait? Do they?”

This wasn’t Kelly’s strong point, and she wasn’t going to argue any of it.

“Fuck if I know, but years ago, that’s where Luna tried to hit on Mac, but he fucking ignored her. So, she already had a thing for him, but I didn’t know about that until our second night together.”

Both Chris and Sniff gave her a sharp stare, silently demanding an explanation.

Unfortunately, this had drifted so far away from what she had come to them for that it was making her even more frustrated.

“Jesus Christ, alright, I slipped a letter to Spike and had him send it to Luna for me. I didn’t want to spend the first night alone after Mac went off with Cerb. So... she showed up, and we cuddled up together, and I started rubbing her again—”

“Again?” Sniff accused as he leaned in. “What happened to just talking the first night?”

Kelly facepalmed, surprised at how fast she contradicted herself.

“Not rubbed her like that. I only laid my head on her first night and rubbed her sides and back a little. The next night, I asked her to lay with me when she came back so I could fall asleep.”

No sooner had she finished saying that, she double-facepalmed and groaned, realizing how far she had taken things. Her explanation of innocent intent sounded more like an accidental confession.

“I was a little drunk and needed someone to hold me. I’m fucking broken, sue me.

There was going to be a lot of explaining from all parties for whom they were all hooking up, but this was her time to go, nor would she let anyone make her feel ashamed of it.

“But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing with her what I would have done with Mac or any chick back home. Outside of me actually really liking her, and I dunno... I felt something that made me want to be close to her.”

Remembering that last night together only led her to Big Mac’s return. That had her sit up straight with some anger growing again.

“Then fucking Mac, kept asking questions about how two girls would fuck around after I told him about my past. He must have been thinking about me with Luna, because I fessed up as soon as he got back… that asshole dreamt about it, and Luna saw. So, what better way to get the girl and stallion of your dreams than literally offering to make their dreams come true?”

She turned back to both of them, her glare growing more bitter, as if she could hear their judgement.

“And yes, I thought about it, too. Being with her felt like being with Mac. So, when I told him, it turned him on, and I got carried away with it. But anyway, getting back on track, is there anything I can do to make things last longer with Mac, and what should I expect and do or not do with Luna?”

Surprisingly, Chris came through with a solution right off the bat.

“With Mac. I think your best bet is practice. Laugh if you want, but my first time didn’t last long, but after that, I could go a long while so long as I don’t go all the way or let them blow me. Not saying your hands won’t do a lot, because I know they do, but even with Starlight… at least her endurance for her first seems to be a bit longer.”

In truth, her endurance had probably only gone up a matter of seconds, but still. Although thinking more about what to say, it suddenly dawned on Chris that he was giving the two most oversexed people he knew sex advice.

What a strange life they were all living, but Kelly still needed his help. Thankfully, having his six had given him the most experience. Plus, with their new interest in each other, he’d seen the gamut of Starlight and Prim’s aggressive eagerness to Cream’s reluctant participation. He knew how to get things started when they needed a helping hand.

“With Luna though, get her started with one climax, then ask for her to return the favor. It will do a lot for her probably. Even my girls really get into it with each other. But if that’ stoo much for her or she gets too aggressive with it, ask her to use her frogs. You’d be amazed at what they can do.”

The two were stunned by everything Chris laid out. So much, in fact, that Sniff had to address it.

“Be real with me, Chris. How long you been fucking around with them to know so goddamn much?”

Chris gave a goofy grin, and sort of shrugged.

“Just the kissing and dry humping like I told you about earlier. Prim Posy got a little aggressive with me once, but I didn’t have sex until the night before Cerb came back. The rest I figured out today because all the girls respond the same way.”

Actually, that was only mostly true. Some didn’t have the same resilience as the others while Chris experimented with them. There were other things to warn her about.

“Also, be careful how intense you get with her most sensitive spots. They can become too sensitive real quick, so don’t get too rough right away.”

Slightly overwhelmed, Kelly leaned over and gave Chris a side hug, showing him some genuine appreciation.

“Thank you, Chris. You too, Sniff, but can we keep me and Luna secret? If shit goes south with us, she shouldn’t have to deal with any fallout. Not after everything she’s done for us.”

Sniff ran his finger through his hair and took a deep breath, wondering how many secrets they were still holding from each other. He had his own, he could tell Cerb still had a few, but more than likely they were for someone else's benefit.

“I think everything we talked about shouldn’t leave this room. At least about what we’ve told each other. No one needs to know about what we talked about tonight. Not without the reason of letting them know that we're helping each other so we don’t hurt the ones we're with.

His eyes fell back on Chris. Even if there was still some shock value left to everyone openly talking about their new lovers, it was still impressive what Chris had pulled off. Especially after the terrible time he had with all the ponies off the bat.

“Still can't believe you actually managed to fuck Starlight, dude."

Speaking of fucking, that was still off-limits for him. The best reason he still had going for him was something Kelly should know, as it was kind of a crucial detail.

"Oh, yeah. She’s probably going to be super tight. Start with one finger and see how that goes. And like Chris said about them becoming too sensitive, but I think it’s only with our hands that it will become too much or hurt."

And now Kelly was wondering if she should’ve pulled a Twilight and started taking notes.

Cutter had Top Shelf and Mayor Mare join her in the soundproof section, possibly under unintentional duress.

"Okay, you two. You stuck with my baby girl more than anypony else, and she needs your help with Peter."

"Our help?" Top Shelf asked, confused. "I thought she was helping us?"

Cutter gave a slight grin at the two.

"She is, more than I would like, but this is what she wants. Also, while I sadly agree that she needs the help, I'd like you two to take advantage while you can. So, if possible, ask Ovens to arrange a kiss with Peter tonight. That will put it all in perspective.”

Mayor Mare gulped audibly, unable to hide how nervous about making the request.

“A kiss? Isn’t that a bit forward, and what woul—”

Cutter, ignoring her pains, turned sharply to her favored mares for Sniff. Despite having a soft spot for both of them, she needed to get her message to them understood clearly.

“She asked you… to date him… and that’s why you’re here,” she reminded them, sounding like a she-devil selling a contract. “You danced with him, had his hands all over you, more than once.”

Mayor Mare blushed deeply, trying to make herself look small as she began to cower down towards the corner. Next to her, Top Shelf was afraid this was some form of intimidation to scare the Mayor away, but Cutter knew what she was looking at.

Fear of what she felt, desire for something she thought was out of reach, guilt from the truth, and longing for Peter’s touch no different than she saw in her daughter's eyes. Those barriers were going to cause Ovens problems if she couldn’t get at least this mare past them.

“Mayor, Mayor, you don’t need to shy away,” she seductively spoke as she began to circle the mare.

“Do you think Peter agreed to make himself available to you just to make my little Ovens happy? No-no-no-no-no-no… Peter, as wonderful of a stallion as he is, Luna’s Lovely Starry Nights, knows I love this human already for all he’s done, but he’s powerful. Too powerful for my dear Ovens to take on alone. And despite how perfect I think he is for my baby girl, especially for when the time comes to give himself only to her, I know he enjoyed putting his hands all over you.”

Mayor Mare gasped as her heart beat loud and strong in her chest. A feeling of that spark from youth reignite at the thought of feeling him again.

That was just the sign Cutter was looking to draw out of her.

“Ovens told me how his hands can make her feel. I’ve seen how she wants them, and now that I see how you want them, I can tell—”

Cutter came to a stop on the mayor’s side to whisper in her ear.

“You don’t know how much better they can be when he makes his touch… intimate.”

Even though the conversation was meant for the mayor, Top Shelf heard every word of it, easily selling her on the proposition as well.

“That’s the same thing Twilight said,” Top Shelf said, letting her curiosity and longing for companionship get the best of her. “Wha… what do you need us to do?”

To that, Cutter smiled brightly.

“You need only pursue what has been offered to you. And while I have nothing against the other girls Ovens has decided to have join, I’m rather biased in favoring you two. I want to give you an edge against those three flower mares, though if you want Amethyst to help you, as was agreed, I’m certain that can work to your advantage since Mayor Mare is most likely to be the first Peter will…”

Unexpectedly, Cutter dropped the seductive tone to entice the two into giving Sniff another sexual outlet and grumbled to herself. The grumbles ended, leaving her looking mournful.

“You have no idea how envious of Ovens I am right now. I can’t remember the last time Baked Fresh has touched me in all the ways Ovens has told me of what she has felt with Peter. But that’s about to change when I return home. As for the two of you, for everything you’ve done, please, I want you both to have this. If Peter can bring half the joy and meaning to your lives as he has for Ovens, I’ll have more than repaid you for all the kindness you’ve shown.”

Mayor Mare didn’t want to pry and instead decided to go along with what was being offered.

“So, might I ask why we should ask for the kiss?”

The mourning faded away with a giggle, seeing that her sincerity at least had gotten through.

“The kiss will put it all in perspective for you. After the kiss, when you next have him alone, ask him to show you everything he’s shared with Ovens. Tell him that you want his intimate touch, but… ask him to take it slow and not go too deep at first.”

“Not go too deep?” Top Shelf asked, clearly as oblivious as Cutter was when Twilight and Ovens explained it to her.

Again, Cutter laughed, but instead of answering, she opened the cloth to lead them out. Although, she wouldn’t leave them with nothing.

“Get your kiss, ask for a date, then when you have Ovens alone, ask her to explain. You won’t be convinced without the kiss.”

As the trio made their way out, Cutter was approached by Lyra.

"Oh, there you are, Sergeant Major. Do you have a moment, I need to talk to you about your behavior towards one of the human delegates. One that I happen to know and have represented under my official duties."

Cutter knew this meant trouble and was going to have to be dealt with to avoid any further fallout.

“Mayor, Top Shelf, could you excuse me while I speak with Delegate Lyra Heartstrings? And if you see Peter before I do, please let him know I would like to ask if he could lend me his hands for a while. I still need to head home tonight and magic fingers might be just the thing I need.”

Top Shelf smiled and nodded respectfully at Lyra before trotting off with a smile at Cutter.

“Of course, and thank you again for your help with Peter. We’ll let you know how things go.”

Lyra was left confused by the drastic shift in Cutter’s demeanor and what Top Shelf was talking about before leaving with the mayor. Something must have changed since the fight, and she had to know what it was. Perhaps it was what she overheard before Luna had left the bath tent earlier.

“Sergeant Major, had it not been for Princess Luna stepping in earlier, I would have. Given my position, it would not have ended better than this outcome for you.”

“I understand,” Cutter softly answered with a gracious smile. “I also understand that you helped Peter with getting his new job at the spa. Ovens has told me so much about him, and there were a lot of old issues that led to my outburst towards their relationship. However, we have since addressed everything and made amends. There will be no further hostilities towards my hopefully soon-to-be new son-in-law.”

That seemed to settle just about everything, leaving Lyra to wonder what was happening between them. If nothing else, it left her with more questions she wanted answered.

“Okay… wow… that was a fast turnaround.” She looked over her shoulder, trying to find the two mares that had vanished into the mix of ponies. “And what was that all about you helping Mayor Mare and Top Shelf with? Aren’t they already friends with Peter?”

Cutter smiled knowingly at what help she had provided but now had to wonder what Lyra’s interest in Peter was. Ovens did speak kindly about this mare that had felt his touch as well. Looking at her again, Cutter viewed herself as a good judge of character and decided to see what she could find where this mare really stood with Sniff.

“They are indeed friends with Peter, as well as two mares I trust to be with him while my daughter cannot... Can I ask you something?”

Lyra turned back to Cutter, not expecting to be questioned herself. In fact, she didn’t take kindly to being questioned, knowing how hostile this guard could be.

“That depends. If it’s about Peter and the other humans, I’m not backing away from my duties to help them in any way that I can. I’m more than a delegate to them, and they are more than ambassadors to me.”

Cutter grinned, already seeing the kind of dedication this mare had for her favorite human stallion and his friends.

“I am very happy to hear that. In fact, I should narrow my question down to… how much more intimately would you like to get to know Peter?”

“Excuse me?” Lyra asked, wondering if she should be offended.

Cutter took a deep breath and stepped forward, still not free from her limp after the fight.

“Lyra, you were one of the first to experience his magic fingers, and it’s very clear that you have taken a personal interest in him because of it. So, given your position, and dedication to looking after him and his friends, I am going to make a recommendation to Ovens that you be considered as another pony to help address his needs.”

Examining Lyra’s reaction, she could see all the same signs Mayor Mare and Top Shelf had. She was also braver, so it wouldn’t be difficult to bring her in.

“I’m not sure how well you know my daughter, but I’m sure she would like somepony as lovely as you to spend some more time with Peter. She needs more ponies like you to help him in the ways only the most trusted and special mares can.”

More time with Peter? A chance to get to know more about him so she can protect the humans even more? MORE HANDS! Lyra’s answer was so much of a yes that she had to dial it back to stop herself from shouting.

“I… uh, sure! Anything to help, but you probably shouldn’t use the word intimate to describe how I should get to know Peter. I know you saw how much in love your daughter is with him. I wouldn’t want her to think I was trying to steal him away from her or have him cheat on her with me. Not that I think he ever would, even though he easily could if he wanted to, but he’s been very adamant about not taking advantage of ponies.”

Cutter chuckled, hearing more confirmation of how suitable a husband Peter would make for Ovens.

Yes, she was thinking that far ahead.

“I believe you, Lyra. Peter has been nothing short of perfect in my eyes… minus the one problem he’s dealing with, which again, I hope you can be of help.”

Working their way back inside the house, they came to the scene of Becky taking requests for new types of music to play. Currently, she was in the middle of a dance in the front room with Rainbow Dash and a small group of ponies to Lady Gaga - Just Dance.

Unfortunately, before Lyra could run in and act on her instinct to join the carpeted dance floor, she lost track of Cutter. Ovens quickly trotted up to them with some drinks to share.

Lyra took her drink and sampled it. It must have been another concoction from Top Shelf. That’s when she noticed Cutter had been whispering to her daughter. Whatever she had to say didn’t take long and left Ovens blushing.

“Mom, I can’t believe you,” she said with a guilty smile. “I know you said you would support me, but cooome ooon.”

Cutter laughed quietly, not ready to let up in the slightest, and replied in her most endearing voice.

“Bay~beeee, I’ve always supported you. I’m only being more direct with you this time. In fact, judging by how nervous your three mares peddling flowers still look, you might want to consider another mare who’s had a bit more experience with what Peter has to offer.”

Ovens grinned, trying to figure out what she was suggesting, but then realized who her mother had walked in with. Her smile only grew as she looked over the mint-colored unicorn.

“Mooooooom… goddamnit, you’re right.”

Still clueless but ever hopeful for some more time with Peter, Lyra smiled brightly.

“I heard you could use some help with… Well, I don’t know what exactly it is, but if it can help Peter in any fashion, just tell me what I can do.”

Ovens was overwhelmingly amused at her mother's antics, as well as Lyra’s blissful ignorance about what she was getting involved with. At the same time, she needed the help and rolled her eyes, still smiling and happy to see how good it was to have her mother back.

“Well, I’d like to talk this over with Twilight first, but I’m sure with everything you’ve done, she will be happy to have you help. Could you perhaps join me for breakfast at my place tomorrow morning?”

Lyra beamed with joy.

“Of course. What time? I know you open early.”

Growing a slight blush and failing to hold back a twitch in her ear, Ovens smiled a dreamy smile.

“Let’s make it a late breakfast; I’m anticipating a long night tonight.”

Well, if you haven't picked up on it by now, I'm not too big on keeping a story completely linear. Really ruins the surprise... kind of like how Cutter is such a bomb-ass mom. Maybe even a little too accepting but that also adds to her charm.

Throw in a little more music, some booze, a few dances and they finally got themselves a real party going.

Well, at least up until Kelly had some real talk with the resident Brony and male sex expert. A few less secrets, but it's for the greater good.

Much like how Mother of the Year is lending a helping hoof for her dear daughter. Much like how Lyra decided to step in to take care of Sniff... only to get roped in as well. But what will all of this amount to? Find out in the next edition: