The day was starting and Granny Smith just finished dropping the foals in her care off at school. Kind of strange to not see Miss Cheerilee out greeting them. Even stranger to seeing her running up so late.

"Morning, Miss Cheerilee," Granny called out, getting the previously absent educator’s attention.

Knowing she was late but still sporting the biggest smile, she started to slow down.

"Good morning, Granny Smith. I can’t believe I overslept this morning. Last night was quite the party."

Despite the somewhat odd behavior, Granny shrugged off the irregularities of the teacher as just another inspired event.

"Egh. Can't say I blame ya. Them humans have been distract’n everypony in town it seems. What with the parties, fight'n in the Everfree Forest, and-" She held her thoughts for a moment, not wanting to start any rumors about Big Mac or Applejack. "Well, their plenty distracting. Especially them two, Kelly and Lumberman. Got my oldest grandfoals acting nuttier than a pair 'uh squirrels in 'uh almond farm."

Despite the elder Apple’s attempts to be subtle, Cheerilee knew exactly what she was implying but kept her words to herself. Even if she could relate to the situation, she was looking suspicious enough as it was.

"I haven't had much time to get to know those two as much as Chris and Becky, but I can think I see why. But! It's time to get class started and I need to get inside. You have a great day."

Once in the classroom, there was a particular silence that set an ominous stage. Only a few giggles and an oddly focused collection of stares let Cheerilee know that the silence was focused on her.

Her first instinct was to act naturally and hope that the normally curious foals didn’t see fit to pry into her personal affairs.

"Good morning, class. Sorry I was running a bit late this morning. But, after our little field trip yesterday, we need to get back to studying the exciting world of-"

"Are you special someponies with Chris?" One of the students asked, immediately shattering any sense of normalcy in the room.

Well, apparently this was something Cheerilee had to deal with.

"Now, class, it's very rude to ask a pony if they’re-"

"No, Nurse Redheart is special someponies with Chris." Another student announced, again cutting their teacher off at the word. "That's why he was at her house yesterday."

Just as certain, Cotton Cloudy piped up.

"Nah-uh, my mom is gonna date him."

Sitting in the back, Dinky just sat with an all too pleasant smile. Thankfully for Cheerliee’s growing stress, Derpy’s foal didn't say anything about the date she joined her mother on with Chris. However, Cheerilee wasn't about to have a repeat with Chris where any of her students would get involved as they did with Big Mac.

"Alright, class, that's enough," she harshly called out to silence the room. "Now I need all of you to listen and listen well. I happen to think I know Chris very well, and whoever he sees is none of your business, and nothing for you to gossip or speculate on. Now, if you all want to make this fun and games just because I was generous enough to let you all see Nurse Redheart and play with Chris yesterday, we can take all that energy you have and put it towards a pop quiz."

The whole class groaned. The pains of a pop quiz on a topic they've barely even studied being the last thing they wanted to do. At least Cheerilee had hopefully put an end to their questions.

"Pull out your pencil and paper and let's see just how much you can remember about geodes."

While bringing out her testing materials, Sweetie Belle whispered to Button Mash, "We heard that Chris had a night out with your mom. We think there’s a good chance he might want to be her special somepony."

At the same time, Scootaloo was whispering a similar message to Dinky.

"I think Chris is gonna be with your mom after that amazing dance they had."

Innocently, Dinky just giggled.

"I like Chris. He's really nice. He's gonna marry my mom and we're gonna be a real family someday."

At the front of the class, Cheerilee quickly thought up some questions to ask.

"Okay, class. First question… of all the naturally occurring crystal formations, which is the hardest?"

After nine more questions, all of which she had gathered from the top of her head, she was wondering how much the foals had come to know about her human stallion.

"Alright then, since you all are so excited about Chris, I'll give you one bonus question. If Chris was to go on a date, where would he want to go, and what would he want to do?"

The class stared, deadpanning at their teacher, to which she had a clever explanation.

"If you all are so interested in Chris, this is your one chance to get it out of your system before we move to our lesson for the day."

With that cleared up, the class ooh'd and ahh'd, then promptly started to write.

Sitting at her desk, Cheerilee looked out at her students diligently writing away, wondering what, if any ideas, they could come up with. At the very least, she hoped this would silence their questions until she got the rest of the details worked out with the others.

Then there was another thought. If Chris stayed and settled down, three of her students would be her children… or shared children. It was both exciting to take on the role of motherhood, despite Chris not being able to father her a foal of her own. Although the fact she'd be able to enjoy the process of trying all she wanted was a glorious bonus.

Abruptly distracting her from those thoughts, was Button Mash at her desk, paper in hoof.

"Here you go. I think I got all the questions right, but Chris likes telling stories and playing video games. I made a list of some really cool games. They all have some really good stories. My mom played a bunch with him at the arcade."

Remembering what happened after the arcade was more interesting to Cheerilee, but that was for her own private musings.

Right behind him was Dinky, with a much shorter answer.

"Umm…"

She did a quick look over both shoulders before rushing up to Cheerilee’s side. Nervously excited, she motioned her teacher closer and whispered privately her paper's meaning.

"I'm not supposed to say. My mom said so."

As Dinky backed away, she revealed her answer so only Cheerilee could see it. A crudely drawn picture of what had to be Chris with Dinky and Derpy on either side of him. Large smiles, a swing set, desserts, and a bright sun over their heads. Cheerilee was moved.

"Oh," she praised the work shown. "Well, don't you worry. I know all about this."

She leaned down again and whispered back to the adorable unicorn.

"Your mother told me all about it, and I'm very happy for her. Now take your seat. You’ll be seeing him again tonight."

Sitting on Fluttershy’s couch, Cerb felt a little off sharing it with Harry. That and the rest of the herbivores kept giving him odd stairs. It was almost like they knew he missed the taste of meat.

At the same time, Fluttershy kept herself busy looking over a snake with a sore throat.

“I’m going to suggest you go on a liquid diet for a few days. I have some nice tasty soups that will help soothe your throat. Then you should be just fine.”

Curious, if not growing incredibly bored, Cerb interjected into the conversation.

“Something he ate?”

Distracted by the question, Fluttershy turned to Cerb.

“It’s hard to say. He doesn’t seem to be ill, but it could also be some kind of seasonal allergy.”

Now with a new question bugging him, he asked the question he should have the last time he was at her house. Though hopefully, it wouldn’t cause too much of a stir.

“So, how do you stop them all from attacking each other? I mean, Harry seems pretty chill for a grizzly bear, and the wolf you let out this morning... You’re never worried about them eating each other?”

Trotting back into the living room to allow the snake to rest, Fluttershy answered with a surprising lack of concern.

“My home is a haven for all animals. So long as they respect one another, and there’s no violence, they’re allowed to stay here. Those that can’t follow those simple rules, either can’t stay when I’m not here or occasionally I have to cage them.”

Cerb nodded, assuming it was still some kind of cartoon logic at play.

“Alright… but, not to sound morbid, but have they ever told you about others they’ve eaten?”

Fluttershy froze, still holding the snake in her wings above the blanket she set aside for him. It should have been an obvious answer to give. Yes, they have, or no, they never have, yet she felt a familiar gap in her memory.

“I… don’t think I’ve ever heard any of my animal friends mention it,” she calmly answered as she put the snake down to rest. “I would say that I never ask about those things, but I’ve never even heard of it happening in passing. Kind of like… Actually, can we talk about something else?”

It was a rather morbid question to ask, even if it did feel a bit familiar to Cerb.

“Sorry, it just kind of came to me thinking about going to the Crystal Empire. Pretty sure I’ll have to talk about what I did in my past. I guess I was wondering if you had any experience with your animal friends having to deal with it. Though for them, I’m sure it would be a lot different.”

As much as Fluttershy didn’t want to talk about such a horrible topic, as she approached Cerb, she could see it must have been weighing on him.

“It would be different. You were in a war against horrible humans. Animals don’t have a choice but hunt or be hunted out in the wild. It’s only when they’re with me that they have something else to eat. Not much room for exceptions.”

Cerb just shook his head, not wanting to get into it either anymore.

“Don't worry about it. We can wait until we’re with Cadance to go over all this. The plan for the day was just to relax anyway, right?”

Seeing how cramped the couch was with Harry there, and all the odd stairs from the smaller critters, Fluttershy could see this wasn’t all that relaxing of a setting.

“How about you follow me upstairs to my room. We can lay down together for a bit.”

Completely unabashed, Cerb looked up with a grin, making Fluttershy blush and her ear snap.

“I didn’t mean… Well, you know. We can just relax for a while. After our little adventure, the party… last night… this morning… I think we could just use some downtime to rest.”

With a playful laugh, Cerb stood up, still favoring his good leg slightly.

“You’re fine, Flutters. You get the door, and I’ll get my lumbering ass up those stairs.”

While there was still a dull ache in his leg, it wasn’t much worse than anything before. At least not until he tried to take two steps at a time, hinting at a greater injury. Although, seeing the size of Fluttershy’s compact bed once he reached the top of the stairs brought about a goofy smile on his face.

“We’re going to have to ask Twilight where she gets her beds.”

Fluttershy took another look at the mattress size and the limited space it would leave them.

“Sorry about that. Most beds are pony-sized. Rarity has a larger bed if you’d rather we head over there.”

Already pulling his shirt off, Cerb thought better of their situation.

“Maybe later. I know she’s going to be busy, and I’d just be a distraction to her feeling like she has to take care of me.” He sat on the bed and started to undo his boots. “Or whatever other urges she might have with me there.”

Fluttershy watched hungrily as Cerb continued to disrobe, something she wasn’t expecting. Then again, this was the first place she really started to explore her fantasies about him.

“I wasn’t going to ask, um… not that I… Oh, my.”

Paying his mare’s sudden bashfulness no mind, Cerb worked his way under the covers.

“We don’t have to do anything, but if we’re going to lay together, I’d rather we be close like normal.”

A little too excitedly, Fluttershy ran to her side of the bed and jumped in with him.

“Oh, Justin, you have no idea how much I enjoy this. Not that I have a problem with Rarity joining us, but I do like it when it’s just the two of us. Kind of like how she and I enjoyed our alone time together.”

With just the two of them there, Cerb felt a little conflicted about his take on it.

“It does seem easier to talk just one on one, but when it’s all three of us… to borrow a phrase, it’s different.” He pulled her on top to lay chest to chest with him. “Though this is how it really all started, isn’t it? You on top of me, cuddling in close… Wanting to ride me?"

He gave a deep happy sigh as he stroked his hands up and down her back, thinking about how so much had changed in the last few days.

"I would have been satisfied if things hadn't changed after the first time I woke up between you two on Rarity’s couch… The way you two held onto me and kept me calm was something I needed so badly. The sleeping together and waking up wrapped around each other, I'd forgotten how good that feels."

In a seemingly subtle gesture, he embraced her tightly in both arms.

"I'm everything I want to be when I'm with the two of you, but it was you who broke down my barriers. Helped me to realize that I didn't need to be afraid of being more than friends while allowing me to fight for something… But then to top it off, last night and this morning was the best sex I've ever had in my life."

Now really getting in the mood, with her ears frantically twitching, Fluttershy sat up on Cerb's lap.

"Was I really that good?"

Placing his hands firmly on her hips to grind her over him, Cerb opened up a little more about himself.

"You held me down and took what you wanted, confidently, and you weren't afraid to be rough with me. I like when you rough me up like that, and I can't wait until we can spar again… I want more of that."

Just being alone with him was making it hard enough to control herself, now this? And while she didn't admit it out loud, she liked being rough with him.

Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t verbalize her other desires.

"Justin, please rut me like you were putting a filly in me, and for the love of all the stars in the sky, cum inside. I want to feel that so badly."

As tempting as that was, Cerb knew it was going to take a while to get there, and they weren't known for keeping up. Not to mention, last night had proven how little he could do without hurting himself.

"I… really want to feel that, too. But I don't want to wear you out if you got-"

"Nope," Fluttershy abruptly answered as she raised her ass and positioned him to take her. "I already tended to the animals this morning. It's Rarity who is going to be busy for most of the day. We should have plenty of time for me to rest up and-" She shuttered excitedly as she felt the tip reach her. "I've been looking forward to you wearing me out."

Despite his prior protests, Cerb grinned happily at the thought of her body milking him dry as thoroughly as she had with Rarity with their amazing oral skills.

"Just keep doing that thing where you flex around me, and don't be afraid to get a little rough again. I'll take over if you get too tired, but I won't pull out."

After looking over his third book from Twilight's pile, Sniff was ready to give up.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be of much help in this. While I have studied some advanced topics that might flirt with this field of study, what I can read barely makes any sense, and the Old Ponish just looks like scribbles to me."

Understanding the difficulty Sniff was having, Twilight did her best to explain.

"Most of what you're reading, but can't understand, goes over the magical properties of forming a path between two points with enough bridging structured between those points can be established. As for the Old Ponish, it's not always a linear language. There can be different symbols for saying the same thing in different ways. Believe me, I have to do a lot of lookups just to make sure I know what I'm reading."

Barely understanding the concepts, Sniff returned the book, still determined to figure something out.

"So, I imagine it's not as easy as when you teleport around town then?"

With her nerdy laugh, Twilight put her book to the side, setting it down with the others.

"Not even close. Teleportation is the process of channeling magic into matter and having it relocated to another predetermined location. So long as there is enough magic linked between the two points, or the magic-user has some other means to lessen the load or simplify the transfer, it's far easier than creating a portal."

To make things clearer, Twilight hovered over a globe and pointed at two different locations.

"Imagine for a moment that the air, water, and all the solid mass of the world is filled with magic. A magic-user needs only to think of the location they want to teleport to. Every location is like a magical set of coordinates. So long as the user has enough power to cross that distance, or refined the process of teleportation enough, they can travel through that magic to where they want to go."

She let go of the globe and frowned.

"No pony can teleport to where your embassy is because there's no magic there. Same reason why Starlight couldn't teleport Chris the other day. None of you carry the magic to be affected by these spells. That actually plays into the next problem of trying to teleport you home."

With his full attention captured, she laid two identical maps down next to each other. To make her next point, she conjured a mini illustration of herself on the map closest to her.

"With traditional portals, there’s no movement between the two points."

Two mini portals glowed on the map and her avatar jumped through one and appeared in Canterlot.

"The space between the two points that a portal connects removes the distance being traveled altogether by building a bridge between the two points. The portals can be infinitely close enough together that they appear as one, or many meters, if not miles long depending on how well the bridge is constructed or if there’s an incredible distance to travel, like between continents or parallel dimensions. As of right now, I've only known of portals doing this by connecting them on planes with the same magic powering them."

To make things more complicated, somehow, Twilight created another portal for her avatar. This time it was on a separate map. Her avatar jumped through her portal at Canterlot and appeared on the new map.

"The mirrors Celestia and Chris talked about making a connection to a similar world, must have some of the same magic powering them. Not unless there’s a method to either convert the forms of magic or have it travel along a stronger path of another magic source. I'm assuming that the fact it can only open so often means the other world doesn't have as much magic, so it takes time to gather enough for it to open. That’s why Sunset Shimmer wasn't able to go in and out as she pleased. Even then, there had to be some set of coordinates that instructed the portal where to open."

Back on the first map, another larger portal opened over Ponyville, but it had a long tube opening up to nowhere.

"The problem I'm trying to solve is how a portal large enough to bring all of you and Benny’s house reached out to the coordinates of a world I don't know how to find and open up where, as far as I can tell, doesn't have any magic. That is, unless it used an unfathomable amount of magic that I don't know how to create, and used that to force open the other end for long enough to pull you through."

A miniature version of Benny’s house popped out of the Ponyville side of and landed. From the mini house, seven small avatars of Sniff and his friends funneled out. Then the mini-versions disappeared, leaving Twilight still confused.

"You can't be teleported, and I'm worried that unless I can figure both where your world is, and how to gather enough power to return you through a portal, you might not make it back before the bridge that would connect both our worlds becomes unstable from your anti-magic properties and… Anything could happen after that."

Thinking of all the worst outcomes, Twilight started to get herself into a state of distress and reared up to look over the maps. Then to illustrate her fears, she conjured up new avatars of Sniff and the other six humans.

"You could be lost in space, scattered between dimensions… or your arrival back on Earth could be so forced that you might not survive the landing."

As Twilight’s overly analytical mind started to formulate all kinds of potentially negative outcomes, she started to panic, rambling hysterically.

"You could end up crushed under the pressure of an event horizon, torn apart with the fabric of space and time, or if I don't get the spell just right, I might end up killing-"

Silencing her little tirade, Sniff wrapped his arms around her from behind, making her avatars vanish in a puff of magic.

"Calm down, Twiggs. If you haven't noticed, none of us are in the biggest rush to get home. Honestly, if this takes a few years, that might give us the time we need to cure Becky, so let's stay focused on the priorities. Hmm?"

Still surprised by just how amazing Sniff felt around her, Twilight turned herself around and pulled him against her. She smiled innocently at first but then pulled him in close for a kiss, rubbing her wings and forelegs over his back.

"Mmm… I love how easily you can help me calm down and see things more clearly." She started to paw over his chest while nuzzling under his chin and drawing in his aroma of clovers. "Mmmmm… and I love the things you do to me. Mph."

She took another long inhale of his scent before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"I can't wait until our date in Canterlot. There are so many things I want to show you. Lots of fancy restaurants, shows to see..." She tilted her head up to his and briefly kissed him again. "I want to take you out and spoil you for everypony to see, then head back to our room and see how you want to repay me."

Sniff hummed a little laugh as he felt over Twilight's petite frame and trailed little kisses up her neck.

"There are so many things I'd love to show you. Your little moans are so cute."

As Sniff leaned in for another kiss, the door opened with a knock, and Swifty's voice entered the room.

"Peter, are you here? You said you needed an escort heading to-Oh, my gosh!"

Not at all reacting at this point, Sniff just hung his head while pressing up against Twilight. It seems like trying anything outside of the kitchen or a bedroom was subject to somepony walking in on him.

"Well… at least she wasn't spying on us."

Since Twilight didn't need to worry about being caught so intimately close to her stallion, she giggled and pulled Sniff back into that kiss she wanted.

"Mmmmmmwah! You go ahead and get to work, and I'll get back to mine. We can pick up again tonight for another study session."

Getting back to all fours, Twilight could see Swifty gulp hard, then looked over her shoulder to see Peter distracted with collecting himself. A wonderfully terrible thought had suddenly entered her mind of having yet another pair of devoted eyes watching over Sniff.

Though, given the timing and growing list, she'd have to run it by Ovens later. At the very least, some precautions should be taken.

"Peter, how about you finish getting ready while I talk to Swift Sails about the expectations I have for watching over you. I'd hate for her to think you lost your keys around the wrong ponies."

With a quick nod of his head and another peck on the lips in passing, Sniff left Twilight to lay down the law.

"Don’t keep her too long. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a full batch of customers today."

As soon as the door latched shut, Twilight returned to her typical calm demeanor.

"Swift Sails, obviously there are no restrictions for us getting intimately close with our human guests, but given the heightened tensions in town, as well as the professional courtesies that go along with your position, could you keep this to yourself for now?"

With a bashful smile, yet her usual professionalism, Swifty saluted.

"Understood, Princess. My lips are puckered. I mean, sweet. I mean, sealed."

Twilight, giggling at the flustered mare and moved to calm the poor guard’s concerns.

"Don't worry, Swifty. You're not the only one to feel that way about him. You can relax about it. That's an order."

Thankful, Swifty breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good. And I'm sorry, Princess. There's just something about him, you know? And I knew you two were close, but after seeing him last night with Oven Fresh-"

Holding back another giggle, Twilight grinned.

"Oh, I know more than most lucky mares. But anyway, I trust you to take care of Peter for me when she or I can't be with him. And yes, we are both dating him. Just like Cerb is with Fluttershy and Rarity, and Chris has his whole… Gah! Why isn't herd catching on?"

Quickly realizing she was trailing off into other topics that need not be mentioned, Twilight returned to what was most prudent at the moment.

"Never mind that for now. What is important is that you watch over Peter and take care of him. And if he happens to bump into, say, the Mayor, or Ovens, or a few other mares and wants to step away with them for a while, don't be surprised by what you see or hear."

Knowing how being vague might not be the best strategy, Twilight wanted to give a little more clarity to avoid a mishap.

"Peter is teaching better dating techniques to some mares in town, just the same as he will be doing with Ovens and myself. So, just try and follow his lead on who to let in close and who to stop from getting too close if he shows any sign of discomfort. Of course, I can fill you in more later. For now, though, he's got places to be, and you have a carrot cake to collect on your way back, just a reminder."

Still shocked and not entirely sure what all was going on, Swifty bowed.

"As you say, Princess."

With one last moment of curiosity, Twilight asked, "Actually, before you go, could you tell me, when you asked to transfer here, was it so you could continue serving under Onyx or so you could stay close to Peter?"

For a moment, Swifty looked as if she was trying to solve a Rubik's Cube with her mind. Eventually, like so many others, she seemed to give up.

"Yes?"

That seemed telling enough, and Twilight left it at that, ending the topic with a refrained giggle.

"Don't worry. I still want you close to Peter. After you showed me what you could do against the Timberwolves, I want you by his side when Ovens and I can’t be there. Just keep doing what you're doing, and hopefully, you can get even closer to Peter like Ovens and I have."

After another bow, Swifty left the room, excited yet confused as to how much closer to Peter she would be allowed to get. As a matter of fact, why would she be allowed to get closer to another mare’s special somepony? A shared special somepony, but still.

In Swifty’s absence, Twilight returned to staring at her maps, trying to get back to her research. Once alone, she reverted to talking to herself.

"Teleportation isn't going to work. I can’t even nudge Peter with my magic, and Cerb thought it was a prank when he was hit by the attack from Helix. Not even their clothes were teleported away."

As funny of a goof as that would have been, Twilight realized something that didn't add up.

"Wait a minute. Why was Rarity able to lift Cerb’s arm, and Starlight could move and teleport Chris's phone and their alcohol? Is it just them that have the anti-magic properties? If not… then I wouldn’t have been able to chill their drinks every time they asked."

This suddenly became a lot more complicated for the young Princess.

"Goddamnit. Whoever brought them here must have planned this for years to make everything so intricate that it’s this difficult to understand. Solving one problem produces a dozen more. How am I ever going to figure this out?"

The more she thought about everything, the more she knew she needed more information, if not a lot more help.

"But if I'm going to solve this..." Another discrepancy with the whole problem came to mind. "Trixie's spell! It referenced emotions, that must be the key. Nothing else has shown any resistance to magic."

She looked back to the books she lent to Trixie, her mind already formulating her next step.

"Perhaps I should brush up on emotional bindings before heading out to Rarity’s. It shouldn't be long until our first guests arrive."

With a flurry of needles and thread, Rarity was sewing up a storm, relishing in her creations. Currently, she was finishing up an abnormally large garment she had put off since Ovens had visited for her first date with Sniff.

“Yes, this will do quite nicely. Assuming her proportions are as Twilight said the Prince requested, our new visitor will look utterly smashing with the rest of the delegates.”

Placing the garment on a rack, the bell above the door chimed with a royal greeting from the town's favorite drake.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Announcing her fiery elegance! Princess Ember!"

As Rarity’s ears perked up, she could hear the familiar dragoness's voice just beyond Spike’s.

"He's not going to do that everywhere we go, is he?"

Twilight's voice spoke up alongside Ember’s.

"Spike, could you tone down the theatrics?"

Leaving her workspace, Rarity ventured out to the salesoom to welcome the familiar royal before Spike dug himself a hole.

"Princess Ember, how wonderful to see you again. So glad you could make it.” She suddenly looked disappointed to see no other dragons with her. “Did you come alone?"

The tall, thin, blue draconic ruler of the Dragon Lands stood at the entryway with Twilight and Spike. Her first look appeared to be annoyed but brightened as soon as she saw the seamstress.

"Hey, Rarity. So this is what fashion ponies do for a living?" She turned with a scowl to the door again. "Would you get your scaly tail in here already?"

A new dragon, younger, smaller, and a hell of a lot oranger, stomped her way in, claws clenched tight, wearing one mean-mug of a face. Whoever this new dragoness was, she clearly didn't want to be here.

"This is stupid. Why did I have to come and do this?"

Only slightly disgruntled for having to explain this for probably the hundredth time, Ember tapped her scepter hard on the floor.

"Because the ponies are our friends, and Twilight wants us to show the other nations how strong we are together. You're still going to be able to burn and destroy stuff so stop complaining."

Being the optimistic type, Spike tried to encourage the new face.

"Don't worry about it. Rarity will make you look great. She's an expert at this."

Sadly for the drake, instead of being encouraged, Smolder folded her arms over her chest like a spoiled child.

"Of course you'd like it. You're more of a namby-pamby pony than any dragon I’ve ever seen."

Knowing how cutting of a comment like that must be to Spike, Twilight rose to his defense.

"That's exactly the kind of mentality that this whole event is about. Spike may be well mannered and sophisticated, but judging him by his appearance and how he presents himself would have you think he's not really as strong and capable as he actually is."

After the events in the Dragon Lands, Ember couldn't help but agree.

"Spike is a lot tougher than he looks. If not for him and the lesson of friendship and acceptance he showed me, I wouldn't be Dragon Lord."

From across the room, both Twilight and Rarity started laughing but quickly apologized with embarrassing smiles. Thankfully, Twilight quickly cleared up the possible insult towards Ember's remark.

"While Spike was very brave during that challenge, I was actually referring to a skirmish he snuck his way onto the other day. Spike took out probably a hundred Timberwolves and even a few Kings."

While more confused than impressed, Smolder had to ask, "Timberwolves have kings?"

The question was left unanswered as Ember was now extremely curious.

"Hold up-Hold up. Spike fought multiple Timberwolf Kings? Aren't those like… forty feet tall and super tough?"

Ever proud of the young drake, Rarity took a moment to shower Spike with some well-earned acclamation.

"Indeed they are, although this would be the second time Spike fought them. The first one he took out was around three years ago, and that was with only a stone no bigger than his claws."

Turning back around, Twilight was ready to fill Ember in with some crucial details.

"So, when you first got here, I didn't have much time to explain, but we've acquired some new guests to Equestria. Ambassadors to a whole new world, actually."

Rarity giggled at how low key Twilight was playing it off, likely straining herself to keep details to minimum.

"Oh, please, darling, don't be so modest. They're more than just ambassadors to us now."

Despite the sting that truth still carried, Spike had to agree and turned to Ember.

"She means they recently started dating a bunch of them. Speaking of them, Rarity is dating the biggest and strongest one. He goes by Cerberus, and as good as I was, you should have seen him demolish the Timberwolves out there. He saved my life, and a lot other ponies too."

Not missing a chance to flaunt her beloved, Rarity had to gloat.

"Well, his real name is Justin Husk. Cerberus was a nickname he picked up when he was serving in his country’s military. He's actually offered to share his people’s training with us."

All these new revelations were leaving both dragons more and more intrigued with each new detail. Naturally, with all this gloating, Twilight had to get some of her own in. They were her responsibility, and their success was her success in a lot of ways.

"Justin is an incredible warrior, and we're very happy to have him joining us. I was lucky enough to win over Peter. He’s arguably the most handsome and suave of the bunch, as well as maybe smartest. He’s incredibly gifted at understanding relationships and helping ponies improve themselves. In fact, this whole plan with the dresses was his idea.”

Still unsure of these new ambassadors, Ember was grasping for straws at what question to ask next.

“So… am I going to meet them anytime soon? Not that you ponies are a bunch of pushovers, but you aren’t normally known for priding yourself on fighting. They sound pretty cool.”

Also at a loss, Smolder was looking at Spike in a new light. She might've been doubtful, but if the ponies that Ember trusted, spoke so highly of him, there had to be some truth behind it.

“How did a dragon as young as you manage to fight off so many Timberwolves? I’ve never seen one, but I’ve heard about dragons getting ambushed by them as they appear out of nowhere from the forest.”

Letting his ego take hold, Spike took a moment to relive his glory like the days of being praised by the ponies of the Crystal Empire.

“It’s a long story.”

As he positioned himself to pose to regale the audience of their epic tale, he noticed just how intently Smolder was staring at him. He recognized that look. Rarity and the others had worn that look many times recently, and it was immediately draining away all of his bravado.

“It… um… I’m not sure if I’m allowed to talk about it.”

Looking at her again, he wondered why he hadn’t noticed how cute another dragon could be? This wasn’t like him. Then again, only wanting Rarity had been his trademark for the longest time, but that was a phase he’d recently grown out of. He wasn’t ready for this. Why hadn’t Sniff taught him more?

Thankfully, Twilight stepped in to stop Spike from putting his foot in his mouth.

“Actually, there’s a lot we still need to keep quiet about in regards to a lot that happened during those events. Perhaps tonight we can talk about it in private when the rest of the humans are with us.”

“Humans?” Smolder asked abruptly, only to be interrupted by a late arrival, busting open the door with a literal red carpet rolling out.

Two large yaks marched in, parted to either side of the floorcloth just in time for Pinkie to tumble in and throw party poppers in the air, showering the room in confetti.

“Announcing his fashionably late excellency! Prince Rutherford!”

Somewhere, royal horns tooted for his entrance, and a mountain of a Yak, garnished in gold marched in to shout, “GREETINGS PONIES AND DRAGON PRINCESS!”

After his bellowing ceased, he stood eerily still for a moment, awkwardly letting the air remain empty. Then he coughed into his hoof to try and clear the air.

“Yaks usually best at showing up on time, but little one get lost on train. Yaks apologize and not make excuses.”

Making a quick dash around the prince, a smaller female yak ran into view.

“Yona so excited to try pony dress! Yak only ever wear-Woah!”

The over-enthused yak accidentally stepped on her own large ponytails, tripping herself onto the floor. The sudden impact from the large little lady set every display popping up, along with every jewel-encrusted accessory. The room gasped as everything was about to come crashing down.

Miraculously, said items were quickly enveloped in a fabulous blue aura before making contact with the ground.

“No need to panic,” Rarity quickly called out in only a mild freak out. “Everything’s under control. I got… Wow… I got everything.”

Ever cautious, Twilight scanned the room and was impressed to see the level of control Rarity had on every dislodged item of fashion caught just in time.

“Wow, I never knew you had such an impressive control over your telekinesis, Rarity. This is like… super wow.”

With little effort, Rarity returned each item back to their rightful places, more concerned with salvaging the situation with the hyper-temperamental yaks.

“Oh, that’s nothing, just a simple… Pah! Let’s not focus on that,” She excitedly announced before turning to her new fashion project. “I just finished your attire for the ceremony this morning, so if you could calmly walk this way, I’d like to see if there are any adjustments that would need to be made.”

Further adding to the chaos of the rapidly filling boutique, one of the unmentioned human ambassadors arrived at that exact moment with three guests.

“Woah! What party did I miss?”

Ever the blunt one, Ember pointed at Benny in the doorway.

“Who and what is that?”

Inexplicably appearing was Benny, as well as Vinyl and Octavia. Sure, Trixie was there, but she was intentionally standing back. Regardless, nopony was going to introduce Benny... except for Pinkie of course.

“This isn’t a what! It’s a who! This is my BenBen, but you-” She suddenly remembered the present company and gave herself some distance between the group. “Well, technically he’s Octavia and Vinyl Scratch’s BenBen. Him and me, we’re just friends, but he’s one of the new human ambassadors you’re going to meet—are meeting—have met… met. Yeah, one of those.”

Stepping up to greet the new faces, Benny held out his hand for the yak in gold.

“Benjamin Yale, everyone calls me Benny,” He noticed Pinkie grinning an abnormally large smile. “Or BenBen. I get that a lot around Pinkie.”

Without any hesitation, Rutherford placed his hoof and Benny’s hand.

“Pinkie friend of Yaks. Friend of Pinkie is friend of Yaks. This great day for Yaks. BenBen also give great hoof shake greetings.”

While slightly cautious yet oddly intrigued by this odd-looking fellow bipedal creature, Ember walked over to offer the same greeting, taking his hand into her claws.

“Ember, Dragon Lord of the Dragon Lands, aaaaaand what exactly are you?” She noticed something pleasantly odd about Benny’s hand as it touched her clawed appendage. “Twilight and... they said you're a human? I’ve never heard of such a… uhh… sorry. What exactly is that? You’re not like some kinda miniature troll or a shaved minotaur, are you?”

That old mislabeling was making a comeback? Benny could only think of one pony to blame and pulled his hand back, missing the odd look Ember gave her claws. His attention was at the one who first labeled him the wrong species.

“Pinkie…”

Shockingly innocent, Pinkie shrugged, looking rightfully, wrongly accused.

“What? I didn’t tell her anything. She must have seen the same thing I did.”

After swallowing his pride and offering the pink pony a look of apology, Pinkie stepped aside, letting Benny welcome his pair of mares forward.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m not sure if any of you have met my two lovely ladies, but this is Octavia Melody, classic music composer and cellist. As well as Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ Pon3 and party music master.”

That last introduction seemed to garner a lot of interest from Rutherford.

“Human friend BenBen is friends with more than one party pony? Yaks must know human’s secret.”

If ever there was a time Benny needed Chris at his side to explain this confusing pony shit, it was now.

“Oh… Well… When my friends and I first arrived here, Pinkie was one of the first ponies I met. Oh! Along with this lady over here, actually.”

He turned out the door and waived the last mare in, even if her hangover was still wearing her down. Also, it would have been rude for Benny to leave her out of the mix.

“This is Trixie Lulamoon. The famous traveling magician… She does parties too. Her shows are a big hit out here.”

Showing little to no enthusiasm, Trixie walked in and waved, managing to maintain her usual speech despite only going at about half her usual energy.

"Hi. Great and Powerful Trixie. Magical performances guaranteed to dazzle and amaze, currently on hiatus. Now if you’ll excuse Trixie, she’s going to lay her face on that table until her head stops pounding."

After that disaster of an introduction, and the traveling stage pony faceplanting a table, Benny took over again.

"Anyway… I met Trixie first. Through her, I met Pinkie, and Pinkie then introduced me to these two. And, now the three of us are dating."

Ember's eyes went wide at that cheerful announcement, though obviously with shock rather than excitement.

"You're dating two ponies?"

Being ever so cordial, and thankfully not hungover like some others, Octavia blushed and giggled, remembering how it all came to pass.

"In truth, it started with a blind date that was kind of a welcomed debacle. But Benny was such a charming gentlecolt, and Vinyl and I are such good friends, we decided to join the new fad of more than one mare dating a stallion."

Also surprised, Rutherford shared his honest opinion.

“More than one? Huh… Humans must be very smart. Yak not think of that.”

Just like so much of everything else pony-related, Ember just shook her head and gave her by now practiced response.

“You ponies are so weird.”

Not being able to disagree, Benny continued on.

"Well, be that as it may, I apologize for interrupting, but my girls here were in the market for something to wear. Apparently your new line caught their attention and… Well, I was going to call it a gift, but Vinyl doesn't understand why chivalry is dead after refusing to let me pay."

Laughing foolhardily and completely ignoring the current situation, Vinyl slapped Benny on the ass.

"This guy, I tell ya. But, nah. Tavi here is going to be performing at some fancy gig in Canterlot for a bunch of dignitaries. She needs to be looking good for our stud when she’s done playing and we hit the town."

Rarity took one good look at the new trio of lovers and started to get some ideas.

"Well, you two girls are in luck. And as a matter of fact, won't all our human friends be going to the conference?"

As if this gathering couldn't get any larger, yet another mare stepped into the shop.

"Funny you should mention tha-Woah!" Lyra yelped. "It's a full house up in…"

Now noticing who was in the whole group, more specifically the royalty in the room, Lyra immediately bowed.

"Prince Rutherford, Princess Ember, please pardon my intrusion. I'm here on official business… sorta."

Rising back up, she gave a gleeful smile toward Twilight.

"I might be playing for that same event. I have to head out to Canterlot here shortly and wanted to see if I could get a rush order in for something to wear for it. While I’m there today, I was also going to see about possibly representing the humans so they could all attend."

Twilight was more than pleased to hear this. That would make things a lot easier than trying to pull something last minute. That or only take Sniff as her plus one and sneak Ovens in somehow.

"Oh? That sounds like a wonderful idea, and what better way to introduce every human to Equestria."

Seeing yet another chance to show Cerb off, Rarity pulled out her measuring tape.

"Let me take some quick measurements for some new fashion ideas I have. So long as you all don't mind."

Before that could go down, a familiar grating female griffin's voice spoke up as the door chimed open.

"Ugh… Somehow I know this is Dash's fault I got picked for this. At least I won’t be the only one looking stupid. Well, I’ll probably pull it off. I feel sorry for you, Gallus.”

After tending to three other very satisfied clients, Sniff was dealing with an unruly customer. Granted, she had reasons to be upset, but that hardly made things better.

“My husband already wasted a thousand bits on your friend Becky. I don’t see why I should have to pay full price.”

Sadly, somehow Sniff knew he would have to deal with a stuck up bitch of a customer, as well as deal with the fallout of Becky punking Filthy Rich. He just wasn’t expecting to have to handle both problems at the same time.

Thankfully, he’d dealt with worse. Then again, what could be worse than trying to close a deal for a car dealership's campaign after accidentally sleeping with the owner's wife?

Here’s hoping the universe didn’t decide to answer that question.

“Oh, I understand the dilemma of your problem. I’d be angry too if my spouse spent all my money on a charity dance, but I’m sorry, even if he spent your money, I don’t have it.”

Spoiled Rich was an Earth pony who held herself in particularly high regard. Some might have thought she had mistaken herself for an Alicorn; her ego was so massive.

While her salmon-colored coat and purple-colored mane was a welcomed appearance to the eyes, sadly, her name hid nothing of her personality. It was just as obvious as the diamond-encrusted gold ring of her cutie mark. Almost as easy to see as to how shocked by the accusation she was.

“Money is not the issue here. It’s the principle of the matter.”

It wasn’t, and Sniff knew it. This was nothing more than her trying to get some petty revenge for her husband looking like a fool. However, it would never be enough, so Sniff had to change the target of her anger. Maybe even get some petty revenge back for the dick move Filthy Rich pulled on Oven Fresh all those years ago.

“So… I know I’m here to give you a massage, but are you here for my services, or did your husband send you here because he thinks that you trying to guilt me and the spa out of money will save his image? Because if so, I'm sorry he sent you out to fix his problems, but not me or the spa had anything to do with his embarrassing dance performance.”

Only further angered by this human not giving in, Spoiled Rich doubled down.

“You led the charity event, and I am not-”

“Okay,” Sniff cut her off, seeing this was the make it or break it point of the negotiations. “I may be new to town, but I’m not new to the situation you’re in. You’re rich, popular, highly-respected, and you lost face because your husband got clowned. But if you think your problems are bad now, they’re going to get so much worse if Ponyville hears you were fighting tooth and hoof for a discount at the spa.”

“My problems?!” She bleached back, evidently only hearing part of what Sniff had just said.

Sniff nodded, trying to look sympathetic to her cause.

“Believe me. I know how rumors spread around town. They spread like wildfire. So if the ponies here in town hear that after blowing a thousand bits, you can’t afford to pay full price-”

“I most certainly can pay full price, and more!” She shouted back, rudely cutting him off.

He’d anticipated such a claim but wasn’t backing down and continued, ready to illustrate how deep the trap Filthy Rich had set up for himself.

“As well as getting flirtatiously close to the new pretty face in town… Who’s to stop them from saying that you acting out like this has nothing to do with the principle of the matter, but instead, it’s an underappreciated wife, struggling to make ends meet while dealing with an unfaithful husband?”

The mare was mortified, but speechless. The perfect opportunity for Sniff to work his magic.

“Personally, I know your husband has been involved in some shady dealings. He’s hurt a lot of ponies in the past, and while I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that he’s not going to risk hurting you by cheating on you with someone he just met. And with all the fine clothing and gold you’re wearing, you probably aren’t hurting for money… but ponies talk. They gossip. They like to spy into other ponies issues and see what scandals they can find.”

Suddenly, this was turning into a public disaster, yet Sniff was all too eager to offer some help to solve her imagined problem.

“You’re angry, you’re stressed, and you have a lot to talk to your husband about, but you should do so calmly. If you would like some help with that, I would be glad to honor our appointment and still give you the massage. If you would rather try and talk to the owners out of lowering the price because of something they were not involved with, that’s on you.”

With the situation de-escalating, Sniff could see she wasn’t really the problem here and opted to provide a peace offering.

“Mrs. Rich,” he said with honest concern. “I don’t like seeing women in your situation. I’m even willing to help you smooth things over and clear up this mess. But right now, I’m on the clock, and I’m willing to give you an extra fifteen minutes to help you relax.”

Still upset, but fearing the shame and rumors that could start, Spoiled started to disrobe.

“Well, clearly, there have been some misunderstandings on both sides of this situation, but I refuse to let the ponies of this town take such a simple misunderstanding and use it to start spreading lies about my husband and I. As for the fifteen minutes, I’ll gladly pay for the additional cost for your time.”

Still brooding inside, she hopped up on the table to make herself comfortable, though it was easy to see she wasn’t.

“You seem like a smart… human, wasn’t it?”

Already getting his products ready, Sniff happily acknowledged her question, despite the hint of disgust at acknowledging his species.

“That I am. And don’t worry. Whatever ponies think or say, it won’t have anything to do with what we talked about. I offer complete confidentiality with my clients… Well, outside of what the law requires me to act on. Harm to yourself or others, but you don't seem the type."

With a playful scoff, the pompous mare rejected such a notion.

"Oh, I can be plenty-Oh my word."

On the first touch, Spoiled knew her money was going to be well spent. What he was doing was so good she contemplated not mentioning Sniff to the other mares to keep his availability open.

“Okay… if you keep this up, you just might end up seeing me as a regular. But, word has that you now work for the mayor? Mmm… What’s that all about?”

As tempting as it was to market himself, doing so on the job wasn't the best place to advertise. Not directly at least.

"You see that right there? A perfect example of ponies spreading rumors. I don't work for the mayor. I only offered my help to run an ad campaign for the Wonderbolts show coming to town. Well… Actually, it might be a paid gig, but we haven’t made a contract yet, so I'm still not actually working for her. Not yet, at least."

No longer caring about any feelings of hesitation, Spoiled gave herself to Sniff’s gifted hands.

"Ooooh, Sniff, how are you doing this? I've paid far more for less."

Taking the new change of topic in stride, Sniff continued to work over her neck.

"It's a gift, I guess. And I apologize if I said anything earlier to put you off. I've seen these kinds of things get way out of hoof, as I think you would say."

At this point, there wasn't much she wouldn't agree to. If she were Pinkie, she’d have literally turned into putty in his hands.

"Ahhh, yes. Just a… silly misunderstanding."

With a hearty chuckle, Sniff agreed, though he honestly felt her bastard of a husband deserved it.

"Let's not worry about that. You just relax and let me finish up."

As the minutes rolled by, Swifty stood her post outside Sniff's door. Constantly on the alert for any mare that thought “that was their room to go into." As if they couldn't think of a better lie.

At least she could see just how much Sniff needed a bodyguard. He'd never get anything done without her guarding him and running defense.

Eventually, after the slotted time was over, Swifty started to think something might have gone wrong. However, since he never called out for his keys, she had to assume he had everything under control.

Finally, going fifteen minutes over their scheduled time, the door open and a very, very happy Spoiled Rich stepped out, drunkenly eyeing the Solar Guard.

"You there, missy… Watch over that human stallion as if your life depended on it. I will be returning for his services."

Her euphoric state of mind halted abruptly. Without provocation, she turned with a sharp stare at the pegasus guard.

"And if you can, don't let my foolish husband within speaking distance of Sniff or any of his human friends. There shall be no further misunderstandings between Mr. Rich and any of them. He’s going to have a lot to deal with until he gets his act together."

Just as quickly, she dropped the attitude and returned to her blissfully clear mind and a pompous smirk.

"A lady needs to be pampered every once in a while, and this is the ticket."

Just behind her, Sniff stepped out, a towel drying off his freshly washed hands, looking rather pleased with himself. If Filthy was the crooked antagonistic type Sniff figured him to be, keeping his wife on his side would serve as a good buffer in the future.

"I'm still getting a schedule worked out, Mrs. Rich, but let the ponies upfront know you'd like another session, and we'll work out a day and time. I look forward to seeing you again."

Not even acknowledging whatever the stuck up mare replied back with, Swifty gave Sniff a look of utter amazement. Thankfully, she waited until that rude mare was out of listening distance to share a piece of her mind.

"How could you tolerate that… Would 'crazy bitch' work in this circumstance?"

Relieved his client was out of earshot, Sniff motioned Swifty into his room and closed the door behind them.

"She was a tough customer, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt… And no, she's not crazy. Spoiled, arrogant, egocentric, and way too confident her money can let her get away with anything, sure. Of course, her pride and ego also can make her very agreeable when her image is on the line."

Swifty cocked her head to the side, then remembered their first real conversation over ponies like Spoiled Rich.

"Oh… this is like what you told me about on the castle rooftop."

Happy to hear she remembered, Sniff continued preparing the table again.

"Right you are. Now, how about you step out of that armor and hop up on this table for me?"

Not able to put it together right away, she looked at the table. Thankfully, unlike her, Sniff hadn't forgotten.

"I told you I owed you a wing massage, remember?"

A bit of a delayed recall finally reminded her of the promise.

"Oh, yeah. But, I'm still on duty."

Standing with the heated oils in reach, Sniff smiled down at the mare. By the looks of things, he wasn’t accepting her excuse. So, even if it technically wasn't allowed, Swifty caved.

"Fine, but then you're going to have to share that carrot cake with me."

As Swifty started to remove her armor, Sniff thought about looking away, but saw a friend that he could apply an old goal to.

She was young and impressionable, but she hadn't even flirted with him. So, while this would be challenging it, he figured she could be the one he tried to help without sleeping with to get what he wanted. But still… what could that tongue do with the proper training?

And he was quick to mentally slap himself for even thinking such a thing.

Sadly it did little good.

Trying not to think about it only reminded him that he wasn’t ready to go that far. Maybe he was going to have to give in a lot more with Ovens and Twilight. Relying on just using his hands wasn’t exactly cutting it. Actually, twice now he relied on his hands from stopping him from going any further than testing the waters.

Very, very warm and inviting waters of fiery hot unicorn baker box and one pristine alicorn royal ass.

"Need anything worked on besides your wings?" He asked, not even sure if that was an honest question or an invitation for trouble.

Now lying on the table, Swifty thought about just how much of a problem her wings hadn't been. Not with her talent being used so often.

"If anything, my legs. Since I can't stand my watch perched, I spend all day on my hooves."

That wasn't optimal for Sniff, but she'd earned it.

"Well, I’ll start with what I promised and then move on from there."

With no protest being given, Sniff set to work on her wing joints. He hadn’t forgotten that Rainbow mentioned those were problem areas for a winged pony. And just like his first client, another pegasus, she melted as soon as his fingers sunk in.

"Oh, my Celestia… Peter… this truly is the best job ever."

Sniff silently laughed at her confession, sounding just about on point with what every other client had said. It was always the best ever, the best this, the best that… Which was actually kind of disheartening since it required virtually no effort outside of keeping a positive mindset.

"I'm not going too hard?" He jokingly asked.

Lost in the services rendered, Swifty could have been donkey-punched and let it slide.

"No… this is… Mmmph… Please don't ever let them transfer me anywhere that isn't close to you."

This laugh he couldn't keep quiet as he worked his way down to the elbow joint of her wing.

"Tell you what. You keep me safe and the crazies away when I lose my keys, and we can make this a regular thing. "

Swifty sprawled out even further, practically zoning off into unconsciousness.

"Mmm… deal… I don't even need the carrot cake."

The wing massage went on with all the loving moans he expected. Every pleasing egress over her extremities giving him a deeper appreciation for the friendship he was forming with her.

Even as he worked his way over to her rear legs, only pleasant thoughts filled his mind towards making this the best reward for a job well done that he could provide. So enthused to show his appreciation he lost track of the time, not noticing that he was twenty-minutes in until he reached the back of her thighs and her tail lifted for him, making him carefully withdraw his hands.

"Oh, looks like we went over the fifteen.” He needed an excuse to leave and thought fast. “I still need to see the mayor before heading back to see the delegates."

Not even trying to move, Swifty lay there, at peace with the world.

"Twilight and Oven Fresh are the greatest ponies ever for entrusting your safety to me."

Sniff just shook his head at her choice of words.

"I'm glad to have you, too. Now come on and get your armor on. I'll get your other legs tonight if I can."

While Swifty got herself battle-ready, Sniff made his way to the front desk to get the rundown from Roxie.

"You are making quite the impact on business, Peter,” Roxie happily complimented. "Blossomforth, Fly Wishes, Hoofer Steps, and even Spoiled Rich have all requested another appointment. And congratulations on calming Spoiled Rich down. She also said that you offered extra time for her appointment and… she paid double, saying the rest was a tip to show her appreciation for your services… I've never seen her tip before."

For a moment, Sniff stood a bit stupefied. There was no way he was tipped that much. Then again, he did put her ego on the chopping block, and she seemed like the type who would want to buy favoritism.

"Wow… well, then that puts me ahead quite a bit. Let Aloe and Lotus know to schedule some staff for some training tomorrow."

While she was busy writing that down, Lavender Essence found her way to the front desk.

"That's great to hear. I'm sure the staff will be glad to get some training, but is it true that Benny is dating both Octavia and Vinyl Scratch? I heard Aloe and Lotus talking about it this morning. I know they were with him the whole time at the party, and I didn't want to pry, but dating two ponies after one blind date?"

With a question specific to just Benny, Sniff knew why she was asking. If she was there for Benny’s speech, she was either in denial or worse, desperate.

So, taking a soft tone, Sniff broke the bad news.

"Yeah… Seems like his blind date went rather well. He made it official last night before the party."

Standing with a warm smile, but a clear sign of disappointment, Lavender offered her support.

"Well, while this new trend of mares sharing a stallion seems kind of odd, I guess I don't blame them. Benny seems like such a nice stallion. I hope they stay happy together."

All Sniff could do was nod, feeling sorry for this mare to lose out before even getting a shot. Though he had a feeling this was likely to become a common issue in the weeks to follow.

"Benny is a nice guy, but there’s still a lot of other guys in the area that seem unattached. You got your eyes on anyone?"

Lavender just put on a brave smile, clearly not wanting to dwell on it.

"No, not really. I'm just happy to see he got over his concerns and can be happy with them… Lucky girls."

Seeing this pretty little mare doing her best to hide her disappointment was hard for Sniff to watch, but there wasn't anything he could really do. He was already stretching himself thin as it was, and Benny was hesitant to even take on his blind date, let alone two mares. He very much doubted he could talk Benny into trying to go for three.

Thinking more about it, was that even what Lavender needed? If anything, Sniff was going to have to learn more about their culture if he was going to make good on his plan to help mares find love with other stallions.

"Hey, keep your chin up there, Lavender. The next guy to come around won't see that lovely smile otherwise."

The complemented mare smiled a little brighter and had a little giggle at that as she waved him off.

"Stop that, Mr. James. You go on and enjoy the rest of your day. I'll see you tomorrow."

Taking his leave with Swifty at his side, Sniff left the spa, heading for Sugarcube Corner.

"So, I wanted to give Twilight some time with the delegates this morning so she could handle all her immediate responsibilities. A least not before throwing any of us into the mix. I already know meeting us is going to get things sidetracked."

With the sweet scent of so many confectionery treats drawing closer, Swifty was losing focus.

"Yeah, those tracks sure do side to the Princess a lot. Don't you just love carrot cake?"

This girl and her cake, she might be just as bad as Pinkie… Okay, maybe not that extreme, but still. Even so, Sniff thought it only added to her charm.

"Do they not have dessert where you come from? Because I've never seen a girl this excited over cake."

Swifty realized just how much she was getting worked up and tried to pass off that she wasn't.

"They do… I just really like carrot cake. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Sniff happily answered. "I just think it's kinda cute seeing how excited you get, that's all."

Opening the door to the shop, Mrs. Cake greeted the pair.

"Good afternoon, Peter, Miss Sails. It's there something I can get for you two today?"

While taking a look at the displays, Sniff scanned for anything to take along for his next stop. If he was going to drop in unannounced, he better have something to offer. However, he had a feeling it wouldn’t be sweets.

"Well, one whole carrot cake for starters. Two slices for here, the rest to go. Aaaand, how about two of these cream puffs to go as well."

Happy to serve, Mrs. Cake trotted off towards the back.

"I'll get the cake from the kitchen. You two take a seat, and I'll bring everything out for you."

After taking their seats in the familiar booth, Swifty sized up her curious human friend. Every moment they shared seemed to bring out something about him that impressed or intrigued her.

"Can I just say that I'm glad I met you? I wasn't joking when I said this was the best job I ever had."

Seeing how innocent she was, Sniff couldn’t help but laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun. It’s nice to have someone looking out for me when I'm out and about. I've seen enough of Chris’s shows growing up to know that something else will happen."

Curious, Swifty drew in closer.

"More fighting shows like your UFC?"

Sniff laughed again, knowing Swifty had no idea about all the cartoons he watched as a kid, or the animes and other goofy shows Chris shared with the group.

"No, I'm talking about shows with heroes and villains that can fly, do magic, or have super fighting moves like you. There's always someone else to step up and try to take out the heroes."

With good timing, Mrs. Cake set a tray down with their plates.

"I'll box up the rest of your order. You two take your time."

Sniff thanked the baker of sweets as he took his fork in hand.

"Thank you, dear." He turned his focus on Swifty again, ready to lay out the standard format. "Okay, basically it starts with a group of heroes showing up, getting accustomed to the new lands, make friends, fight a badie to set the stage, then a bigger threat shows up. It's a standard outline for a story."

Foregoing the fork and biting straight into her slice, Swifty didn't exactly buy into his interpretation of events.

"You really think you're the hero of this story?"

Indulging in another bit of the scrumptious dessert, Sniff almost choked as he laughed at the notion.

"Me?" He swallowed hard so he could speak clearly. "Not even close. I'm more of a supporting role with some comic relief thrown in."

Having a hefty swallow herself, Swifty finished by blowing raspberries.

"I was just joking, and since when is the handsome stallion not the hero type? Can't you fight, or do any of the cool combat stuff like Benny or Cerb?"

Sniff rolled his eyes, knowing where he stood amongst the other guys. The few fights he had been in were either dominated by Cerb and Lumberman or quickly broken up before anything became physical.

"That's gonna be a big nope from me. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Hearing that understatement, Swifty shot Sniff a coy grin. It was the kind of smirk where she didn't have to say anything. Sniff knew what it implied, and he couldn’t even deny it.

"Oh, don't even start," Sniff jabbed with a good sense of humor about it.

Playing along, Swifty feigned ignorance, almost completely forgetting her confectionary.

"What? I didn’t say anything."

Even if she was playing dumb, Sniff wanted to know how much she really knew about his romantic endeavors.

"Okay, what did Twilight tell you, and how much of what's going on do you really know?"

Swifty just grinned, thinking there couldn't have been much she'd missed out on.

"Not too much, other than Twilight hinting at you dating more ponies. That's about it… Who all are you dating anyway?"

Not knowing the potential interpretations of that question by all present company, Sniff took a quick look over towards Mrs. Cake. Thankfully, likely just out of earshot and busy preparing more treats to put on display, Sniff figured it was safe to quietly converse about it now.

"Right now, officially, just Ovens and Twilight. However, last night I started getting more familiar with Mayor Mare and Top Shelf. Next on the list lined up for me is Amethyst Star, Spring Forward, and the three florists. Daisy, Roseluck, Lily Valley… But with so many, I wonder if I'll have the time to make anything special of it.”

He twiddled his fork with a bemused look, suddenly realizing just how deep he was into this, yet fought with himself on how to feel about it.

Though which side was winning was proving difficult to discern.

“You know… before I got here, I kind of fantasized about a setup like this. Surrounded by girls that wanted me, living the rich life. I even had a plan for it. I could have pulled it off given just a few more years.”

Confused and mulching another mouthful of her cake, Swifty tilted her head and flopped her ear to the side. She honestly couldn’t tell what all he was truly feeling about his situation, deciding to only nod and let him continue.

“Did you know I was rich back in my world? I mean… I had money. More than I led on to my friends. I think only Benny really knew since I bought his house for him. Helped finance Kelly’s shops, marketed her sales, promos… Shit… It was scary how quickly she picked up on it and made that business her own.”

Quietly laughing to himself, he spun his fork over the cream cheese frosting before hastily popping it in his mouth. Delicately, he pulled it free, enjoying the sweet taste the dessert baker had perfected, though still deep in contemplation.

After a heavy sigh, he let his thoughts flow freely.

“It kills me sometimes just how similar Kelly and me are…. were… You see, Kelly and I both sought out our earthly pleasures of food, drink, luxurious comforts, relationships, and taking care of the company we kept.”

Shoveling in a small bite, he relaxed enough to swallow half his bite before continuing his lecture.

“The kicker was how we became each other's opposites. Patience was our fatal vice.” He swallowed with an uneasy smile. “I was always in it for the long haul, looking ahead, planning much further down the road, only giving in to the needless vices to help me along. Unlike Kelly, oh no. She was all vices and always aiming at the short gains… even if it meant selling off her shops and striking it rich with no plans to keep investing it on anything other than what she wanted to enjoy at the moment.”

Looking at their mutual cakes slices, his missing only a few bits, hers almost gone, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the visual parody.

“Now, though… Kelly wants the long game with no short gains, and I’m living the short, acting like there’s more to me than that.”

It was difficult to see Sniff struggling like this, so Swifty figured what he needed was a laugh.

“You know, when you think about it, you’re already pretty wealthy, you have a long term plan with your marketing business, and if you haven’t noticed… you need a bodyguard to stop you from being overwhelmed by ladies left and right.” She huffed a laugh. “Seriously… knowing what I know now, I’ve got my work cut out for me keeping you limited to just the girls you want. What’s changed?”

Sitting there with another cute mare, a small fortune to spare, and on the verge of juggling more females than he was ready for, Sniff was still left empty. Every mare in his list wanted him for more than a fun time, yet everything was looking more and more like he was there for a long time. Short or long game, broken hearts was what he saw in his path.

Even worse, he was growing attached to Twilight and Ovens. Even the mayor held a special place in his heart for taking care of Ovens for all these years. But looking at it, a princess, a baker, a mayor, a bartender, three florists, and he didn’t even know what the others did? It was all too complicated, too risky.

How long until he fucked this up and was buried in the fallout?

It was too much to think about. Too many bad memories attached, all of them eating away at what he didn’t want to remember, what he didn’t want to fee. As much as he hated to admit it, only one thing would bring him out of this funk. Something that likely wouldn’t have been an issue if Twilight or Ovens were free to help him with it.

"Hey, as good as this is, you're enjoying this far more than I am. Do me a favor and finish this bit off for me. We can have another slice later, but I really need to make a stop in town before we meet up with Twilight."

In a quiet room of public office, a lonely mare sat penning over papers, silently reminiscing over recent events and fantasizing over dreams she longed to live out. Such pleasant thoughts had made the morning pass quickly, even if her work had suffered for it. Just thinking about such inappropriate things left her squirming in her seat.

After thinking about it so much, she had to drop her pen. The thoughts had become too distracting, leading her to believe a break for lunch would help her return to focusing on work. However, leaving would have to wait until after dealing with whoever was now opening her door.

“You’ll have to excuse me. I was about to step out for lunch. Is there something I can help you with right now, or… oh.”

The door finally finished opening, instantly changing her plans.

“Well, then. I suppose lunch can wait.”

Sniff stepped in and gestured for Swifty to wait outside.

“I’m not sure exactly how much Twilight told you is up with my dating practices, but-”

Quickly raising her wingtip to her muzzle, giving the pegasi version of trying to hush him, Ovens smiled warmly with a wink to let him know not to worry.

“I was told not to be surprised by anything I see or hear while you’re with the Mayor or anypony else you share your dating techniques with. Buuuut, if you're worried about anypony else listening in, I’ll just pretend you’re in there looking for your keys.”

This mare… Sniff knew he was going to owe her something special for the immaculate job she was doing.

“Figure out something you like more than carrot cake. You’re getting it.”

Still following her orders blindly, Swifty turned to the public square and struck her halberd’s pummel firmly in the dirt. These were her orders, and she would carry them out without wavering in her duty.

More than her duty, Sniff was already more than her ward to protect. He was a great friend. More than that, he was a kind soul who needed more good ponies in his life raising his spirits. She was ready to do what was needed to make it happen.

“Think nothing of it. The Solar Guard always answers the call. I’ll be waiting for you until you’re ready.”

With his privacy secured, Sniff closed the door and made his way over to the mayor’s desk, setting a small to-go box down on the desktop.

“Hello again, Mayor. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in unannounced.”

Beyond thrilled to see Sniff again, Mayor Mare leaned in with her chin resting on her forehooves. She eyed the box for only a moment, then locked eyes with his, hoping he wasn’t there to talk business.

“Oh, Peter, my doors are always open for you. And after last night, I don’t think I could ever mind you dropping in on me.”

Seeing the desire in her eyes, Sniff coyly turned his attention to the box. As he opened it, he did his best to speak candidly. He’d already made her day, and it was so hard to feel anything but the positivity she was sending his way.

"I just so happened to be in the area and figured I'd stop by while Twilight was busy and thought we could go over a few things about the Wonderbolts."

He looked up before even attempting to reach in the box to see her forcing a smile through her disappointment. Running an ad wasn’t even on her radar. He knew what she really wanted, and now he would let her claim it.

"... unless you would rather we do something else," he offered, clearing flirting the idea she was thinking.

Seizing the moment, the mayor acted on putting Cutter's suggestion to practice by stepping away from her chair and rounding the corner of her desk to face Sniff.

She stood there, just as well put together and polished as ever. Only now, she was wearing a conservative office skirt, stretching down just past her knees. Standing in her brazen demeanor, ready to see where this venture led her, she looked up to him with a soft expression of wanting.

“We can go over the Wonderbolt’s plans later. Right now, I would like you to show me everything you shared with our lovely little Oven Fresh. I was hoping to have the same intimate touch you showed her. Just… take it slow and don’t go too deep.”

By the sound of things, the mayor had been fed a few lines. Either Twilight or Oven’s doing he figured. Regardless, this was exactly the distraction he needed, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the right time to take care of his own needs. He could probably hold out until the night to take care of that.

“So… you think you’re ready for more than what you had last night?” He asked, playfully egging her to ask for what she was told. “And which of the more intimate touches would you like first?”

Utterly blindsided by the request and now frozen in place, Mayor didn’t know what to ask for.

“Oh? Umm… Well, I loved what we did last night so much, but for the more-”

Not wanting to embarrass the poor mayor, Sniff took the initiative to help educate her with a guiding hand. It wasn’t uncommon for a lady to be indecisive their first time with a new guy. Then adding the unfamiliarity she likely had, it would have been rude to keep her on the spot.

“Would you trust me to slowly show you what Oven’s likes and let you decide from there?”

Caught off guard again, Mayor pulled a hoof up to her chest and looked away blushing, assuming he knew she was clueless.

“I suppose that would be best. I don’t actually know of anything I’d like more than what we did last night.”

Not wanting to wait any longer, Sniff knelt down and gently guided Mayor’s chin up to start with what she was familiar with. A soft kiss to her lips had her melting in seconds, only to eagerly push herself up to wrap her forelegs around his shoulders.

She rose up with him running his hands over her sides and lower back, pulling her close to him. Almost impatiently, he pressed his lips in more forcefully and opened wider to kiss her deeper. Again she moaned like she had the night before, this time with her tail lifting under her skirt, snapping side to side.

Feeling her excitement and recognizing the signs, Sniff reached down under her flanks and raised her hips against his, pressing his erection under his pants against her crotch. Instantly, she wrapped her legs around him, never breaking from their kiss, despite the new feeling of being rubbed on her most inappropriate body parts.

Wanting to please her more, Sniff set the mayor down on her desk and let his hands venture under her skirt. Feeling over her flanks and stroking her thighs, he noticed her tightening her grip around him with every limb as she started to grind against him. Her body was ready, and so was he.

“You like it when I touch you,” he asked between their frantic kisses. “You ready for more?”

Quickly picking up on how humans kissed with their tongues, Mayor wrestled with his briefly before pulling back to quickly answer his question.

“It’s all I’ve been dreaming about. Having you here-” She paused to taste him again then pulled back. “-my home, the party-” She kissed him again. “-feeling me like this. Kissing me again.”

Feverishly, she kissed him further, giving way to a long passionate moan, feeling her body heat up and her nethers practically sweating from the friction. Momentarily ignoring any concerns and growing wilder with her affection, knowing there was more to experience, she longed for him to show her.

“You’re so good to me, Peter. I want more of you.”

A lovely fragrance started to fill the air, finally moving Sniff to end her wait.

“I’m going to touch you in ways no pony ever could. The ways I touch Ovens is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. If you still want me to and trust me, relax your legs and lay on your back for me.”

Giving one last deep kiss, Mayor started to lean back, pulling him with her as far as she could until she lay with her legs draped over the desk, his hands still under her skirt. This whole venture was so wild and new, and he was such a bold stallion to engage her like he did. The same as he encouraged her to do to him. Plus, those hands were still drifting over under the fabric, caressing her like their massage, only going over areas he hadn’t at the spa. Even if he was approaching her inappropriate areas, she couldn’t stop him when it felt so good.

Then, shockingly, he lowered his head to the hem of her skirt and started kissing over her inner thighs.

“Oh, my… Peter… I’ve never even heard of a mare being kissed like-mmmmmm.” She hummed happily before sharply inhaling as his kisses drew closer to the crest of her legs meeting her body. “Oooooh, Peter.”

Her soft coos ebbed in and out as his lips explored further under her skirt. Kissing over the back of her legs, working their way up their crest again, finally focusing on her breast.

The feelings were all but a gross violation of any proper ponies etiquette, but if it were forbidden, she didn't want to be a proper lady while with this human stallion.

Still blown away that the intimate touches she had been tempted into were so unusual, yet so divine, she didn’t even question why her legs were lifted over his shoulders. If anything, she figured it was a courtesy to make her more comfortable, and she appreciated the gesture.

To show some of that appreciation, she reached down, pulled up the skirt to watch him tend to her breast as she lovingly held his head.

Beneath that skirt, what she mistook as sweat was a slim trail of dew slowly trickling out from her neglected quim. The heat from her unserviced snatch was tempting him to go further than his thumbs edging down in a slow stride over the soft curves between her thighs. After giving one last suckle on her teat, he pulled up with a wet pop on its release, ready to meet her temptation.

Looking up, seeing how lost in bliss she was, Sniff playfully made his intentions clear.

“This is the deep part you were told to ask for, so just relax and tell me if I go too deep or doesn’t make you feel as wonderful as you deserve.”

Not wanting to mince words, nor waste her time with him to degrade into a discussion, Mayor returned her hooves to his head and lowered his lips down to service her once again. No words were needed for things she did not understand, nor an explanation for what she trusted him with providing her.

Returning all the same ardent pleasures to her breast, she gave a long sigh and gasped with an approving groan as she felt his hands do the impossible and wander over the base of her mound, intentionally grazing up its peak. The feeling was inexplicably greater than any thought of disgrace for such a violation of being touched there, though likely a mistake, she moaned and giggled innocently at the presumed accident.

To think he would have touched her there was something she hoped he could laugh at with her before they parted ways for the day.

Still believing the touch had been done blindly, she didn’t question his hands moving away, likely to wipe them clean, she imagined. However, too quickly she felt his fingers return, this time very intentionally being placed on either side of her slit, spreading her open as another digit began to embed itself inside her.

Complete bedlam overtook her thoughts at the first contact, not knowing how Sniff could have mistaken this act as something intimate. Before a protest could be brought to his attention, a new wave of pleasure struck her so intensely that her legs seized and her hips rose as her breath was stolen.

Her eyes shot open wide, and she braced herself with her forehooves firmly on the desk as her chest continued to heave.

Absent of logic to her predicament, she glanced up to see Sniff tentatively servicing her while slowly pumping his arm back and forth, penetrating her deeper and deeper with every stride. Still unable to speak or fathom what was happening, her head fell back to the desk as her mind floated, swimming with pleading thoughts for this not to stop.

Slowly, her voice returned, not with any words to speak, but with whelps and moans as she found herself willingly forcing her hips into his thrust. Whatever mental resistance she had was overtaken by her trust in Sniff and the urge to go against what she had been warned to give caution towards.

“Deeper,” she brashly requested, arching her invaded divide up further for him to fill. “Had I known-Ughhhh!”

A stronger thrust of his fist drove his finger down to his knuckles, causing her to grunt in the most unladylike of ways. All her sensibilities had been erased, and she was a devoted accomplice to this barbaric act. Her body demanded it.

Quivering from the waist down, she was astounded by how her vile inner marehood clenched and stroked the newly introduced stranger. With every flex, she could feel the sweat gather in mass and trail down between her cheeks and pool down her tail. Those flexes only grew stronger as she felt the talented hand begin to pull back, then push in to impale her again.

Not thinking this introduction to dating a human could get any better, she felt his kisses beginning to trail away from her breast closer to his hands. Fearing she was right, though silently begging she wasn’t wrong, her mind raced with what she dare not say.

“His lips on me feel amazing. He wouldn’t possibly try to kiss me where his hands are? That would be so… Oh, I don’t even care anymore! If those lips could make this feel any better-”

Proven right, she felt the heat of his breath wash over the peak of her mound and invigorate the pink walls he exposed. Then the soft touch of his lips pressed down as he delivered his human kiss, with the same tongue that kissed her earlier, making her mind fade to white. What should have been unthinkable, gave her the most glorious sensation. Reflexively, she clenched her legs around Sniff to press his ministrations even harder against her.

Rapid pants of yelps of noises she had never made before filled her office as her hips bucked against the fist pummeling her marehood. It was almost violent the way he assaulted her inner depths, yet the intensity of his punishment against her backside only forced the climax to remain a constant.

Bound to this entanglement, she held tight. His tongue continued working over her soft, pulsating nub while one hand madly fingered her, and the other groped her breasts.

It was maddening how it robbed her of her mental faculties while also embarrassing how it made her act out. Even more sickening was knowing what he was doing to her and the mess she was creating. Yet, most shameful was how badly she wanted it. She couldn’t stop herself, even as the minutes continued, she offered no resistance until an ache began to set in that was strong enough to distract from the pleasure.

“Stah... Peter… slow duh… ugh… oh, sweet Celestia- I nee-uh.”

Familiar with that string of broken English, Sniff parted his lips and held his hands still against her. He rose his head to welcome his third mare to this new experiment of an open relationship he had agreed to. At least now, he was satisfied with his gift to the mayor. Or at least pacified with his service to this mare to the point he had forgotten his prior concerns.

“Normally, I start off a lot slower, but I was needing this as bad as Ovens normally does, and might have gotten a little carried away. Did you still enjoy yourself as much as you expected?"

Laying flat and out of breath, Mayor struggled to find her bearings and the will to act like a normal pony again.

"I.. no idea… you did… door… open… visit… often… please."

Seeing how badly he had messed her up with her first orgasm, and however many others he had subsequently worked her into in his rush, he removed his finger.

"I'd like to see you outside of work if we can make it happen. Although I do have some ideas I'd like to run by you. Say, maybe tomorrow morning at Oven’s place?"

Mayor flopped a hoof up, trying her best to recover her ability to breathe properly.

"I can be there… still can't believe-" She forced herself up only as far as her elbows. "Is this why Ovens needed help with you?"

Sniff shrugged with a smile, not even winded from their little escapade.

"I have needs that sadly no mare can keep up with on their own. That and Ovens and Twilight seem to think I can do some kind of public service by helping to introduce the idea of one stallion for multiple mares… kinda surprising to see how well it's working so far. But, since we’ve gone this far, I don’t want you to think that this should have any influence on what I had in mind about my ideas for the ads. Just because-"

Not even caring where Sniff’s mouth had been, Mayor grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for what was likely a ‘Stop talking about work’ kiss. The Wonderbolts could wait. Right now, all she wanted was more alone time with her shared stallion.

If there was going to be a talk, it was going to be about what they just did and why their kiss was so much sweeter now. Preferably, this was going to be a conversation with Ovens, since it was her mother that set her up for this wonderful surprise.

Well, a conversation after a thank you. A little more heads up would have been nice, though.

The door creaked open with Sniff and Mayor both laughing, as well as a pleasant aroma drifting out into the breeze.

"Thank you for fitting me in like that. I’ll be seeing you again soon, Mayor."

Mayor waved him off with a tired, dreamy smile.

"No, thank you for stopping in. You take care now. And thank you again for that wonderful treat you surprised me with. It was… breathtaking."

With a quick wave, Sniff departed with his bodyguard at his side. A guard who had a curious grin on her snout.

"So… That didn't take too long. What did you both do in there? I've never heard a pony make those kinds of noises before. Not even at the spa."

Not wanting to bring any attention to it in public, Sniff opted to defer the conversation to someone more appropriate.

"Magic fingers, Swifty. Also, I'm not sure how much Twilight would like to leave private and how much she intends for you to know."

Oddly distracted by the strong scent of clovers and something much sweeter that seemed to overpower the sea salt, Swifty opted not to pursue the issue any further.

"Oh, well, she said she would explain more of it later. It's no big deal. Anyway, where to next?"

After a quick survey of the town, Sniff tried to gauge the time Twilight might have needed.

"Right now I'm thinking Rarity’s. Pinkie should have taken over by now. And if Twilight is there, I need to see about ordering some more clothes. After that, probably just head back to the castle."

After all the debauchery, Cheerilee went through it was important I put her back in a state of normalcy. Also, it's easy to forget just how far the word about the Stranded Seven's interests. Although, with the children, there's a lot left out for good reason, leaving them all still trying to figure things out.

I kind of regret not making the drawing to post that Dinky made. It must have been adorable. Like... hang the shit on a fridge kind of adorable.

Elsewhere, Cerb is oddly still struggling in some ways. Also, just like waking up, and oddly familiar in some ways to Sniff or Kelly's level of reasoning, he found something positive to take his mind away from his worries. And thankfully, Fluttershy was all too receptive to address his needs.

... she might need some more endurance training though.

Back at the Castle, Twilight had gotten around to showing what she had been working on with Sniff. A nice thought, but sadly out of his area of expertise. Completely unlike where he really excels in the realm of taking care of Twilight. And thinking about it, you'd think Twilight would put a lock on that door.

Although, that did allow a new opportunity for Twilight to add to her herd.

Also, right before Twilight left, she noticed some more irregularities in trying to solve the mysteries surrounding her human friends. Although, at least she has a good starting point to reference.

At least I hope you call could appreciate the explanation of how teleportation and portals work with Twilight's overview.

What else we got? OH! Yeah, new faces for our humans to meet. And for those of you wondering when or how the world was going to start expanding, congrats. Three new kingdoms have been introduced.

I had a lot of fun writing in Prince Rutherford. “More than one? Huh… Humans must be very smart. Yak not think of that.” That shit's funny to me.

Also, good save by Rarity in there.

Then, back to Sniff. He's got 99 problems and bitch was one of them. It's a good thing, too. Heaven knows what Swifty would have done had Sniffy lost his keys. At least now Sniff has a buffer between Filthy Rich besides Ovens and Cutter. Also, now Swifty got a taste of them hands. How close can she get to Sniff? I'm sure she's going to be more curious now.

How curious? Hopefully not curious since Sniff had an "Oh, shit" moment with her on the table.

Close call?

Oops, still on Sniff. Anyway, business is good, but... I donnu? I always thought Lavender Essence was a cute background pony. And after her time helping Benny, it's a shame she got her hopes up.

Not like everything goes to a certain set plan or ends up the way you always expected, so why bother making claims one way or the other at this point?

After that a little more insight into Sniff, and a snippet of Kelly's, past, and mentalities. Sadly, not even Swifty there taking care of him could pull him out of his funk enough to have him fall back on some bad habits.

Bad habits? What? Where?

At the mayor's office? Ohhhhh... Sniffy... Ya gone done went and did it now. I mean, the flirts were putting you at a 4 outta 10 with going too far. Being a clit tease with the kisses and feeling up her skirt, 7 outta 10. This, though? Homeboy sat Mayor down on the desk like "Hey, remember that 7? Here's an 11. I hope you were ready"

She wasn't...

Last one of these. Okay, well, Mayor is probably going to try and be a regular by the sound of things, and Swifty is still in the dark.

But their next stop is Rarity's? That's gonna be an event I imagine. Although... what's happening to Chris, Becky, and Lumberman? What's going to happen with the new dignitaries interacting with humans? Who was it that had a lunch date scheduled for that day? What's going down with Celestia?

So many questions that will have to be addressed next week in: