All over Ponyville, many of the new relationships were coming into their own and starting to find their respective comfort zones. However, Chris would soon be starting his new expansion with those attached to his lovers.

Largely in a similar situation, Cerb was about to do this with one of his… just as soon as Sweetie Belle calmed down.

"Oh, my gosh! Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?!"

Thankfully, Cerb had covered his ears in time, saving his eardrums. Given her excitement, however, he had every reason to believe she didn't know what Rarity had started to explain. And that was a conversation he wasn’t looking forward to having.

"Probably not," Cerb whispered under his breath.

Rarity, sitting next Cerb, which probably led Sweetie to jump to conclusions, heard the comment, and silently agreed.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was about to burst.

"If you're asking me what I think about Justin, that could only mean one thing, because you know what I think about him! So did he ask you out on another date?! Are you special someponies?! Are you gonna get married and-"

"Sweetie," Rarity interjected, hoping to stop the string of questions. "Justin and I are together-"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Sweetie Belle belted out in celebration, not ready for what was to come next.

Unfortunately, that took longer than Cerb and his two ladies would have liked, but to be fair, it was probably best to let her get it out of her system. Though, now, Rarity had to delicately navigate the minefield that was explaining the rest to her sister.

"Well, now that we can hear again, I wanted both Justin and Fluttershy here to tell you the rest of the good news. However, I knew this would be difficult to explain."

Something about Rarity’s change of tone gave Sweetie Belle the impression that what she was about to say wasn't going to be good news at all. It was important that Rarity convey just how important her choice was for all of them.

"Sweetie… There are so many things that have happened since the night Justin and I went on our first date together. Too much that I would rather not have to explain, but you remember that it was both Fluttershy and I who wanted to be with Justin, don't you?"

Sweetie Belle's confusion only compounded itself at the question.

"Uh, yeah. I heard the whole song you two sang together about it."

Cerb did a double-take between his two mares on either side of him.

"You sang a song about me?"

“Minor details, darling,” Rarity quickly told Cerb with a dismissive wave of her hoof before turning back to Sweetie Belle. “But, yes. Both Fluttershy and I have fancied Justin for some time now. So, as I’m sure you recall both of us agreed to do what we could to help Justin and help him see that he could be happy with us. And… while we did, we ended up finding a lot more love on our journey than we anticipated.”

She raised her hoof towards her young sister and turned her gaze away to silence another question that didn’t need to be asked. There was so little left she needed to say to finally get this out in the open, and with that next line of questions halted, she could continue.

“You can ask your questions when I’m finished, Sweetie, but what I’m trying to tell you is that Fluttershy and I have come to realize that we love each other just as much as we love Justin, and Justin feels the same about the two of us. So, while it may be unconventional, the three of us are each other’s special someponies.”

Sweetie heard the explanation loud and clear, yet she was sure she didn’t hear her sister correctly. Thus she responded how any child would given this situation.

“Wut?”

As much as Cerb wanted to step in and set things straight, it just didn’t seem like his place to do so. Fluttershy seemed to be clamming up just as much, so the burden remained on Rarity to be as blunt as possible.

“Dear, what I’m saying is that Justin is together with both Fluttershy and me. I’m going to be dating both Justin and Fluttershy, just like she will be with both me and Justin, as he will be just as romantically involved with me while also with her… I hope you can understand that this wasn’t an easy decision for us to make at first, but we hope you will accept it as well.”

As it turns out, it was exactly what Sweetie Belle thought her sister said. It just seemed too far out there for her to fully comprehend. At the same time, that seemed like a resolution too farfetched for solving the problem of who Cerb would date. Not even the combined efforts of her and the other Crusaders would have let a hair-brained scheme like that be executed.

“Isn’t that like… cheating?”

Fluttershy could only stand by for so long, and listening to Rarity try so hard to explain things to the foal needed her help.

“Sweetie Belle,” she quietly spoke up as she slid off the couch, opening up as she made her way over to sit by Rarity. “You’re sister and I both became very close while helping Justin. And the closer we got to him while helping each other, we realized that no matter what happened, her and I wanted to stay together. It actually worked out that while Rarity and I were a couple first, we both still wanted to be with Justin as well. Of course, Justin didn’t want to hurt either of us by choosing over the other, so we asked him to be with both of us. Now we’re all happy and no pony is left out of what we all wanted.”

Somehow, hearing the lead up to where the three were now, finally got it through to Sweetie Belle, or at least that’s how it looked to the Fluttershy.

“Rarity is right about our relationship being a bit unusual, but when it comes to Justin and the rest of his friends, this has somehow become normal. His other friends Benny, Chris, and Peter are also with more than one special somepony. Even Lumberman and Applejack are a couple now, just like Kelly is with Big Mac, but the way things are going, they may want to have more ponies join them as well.”

Maybe this multi-special somepony wasn’t such a bad idea after all, and Sweetie Belle was starting to see why her sister had made the choice, even if she still couldn’t make total sense of it.

“So… instead of just getting a new big brother, I’m also getting a big sister? But, even though you said you’re dating my sister, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to start kissing her or anything, are you?”

Rarity should have seen that coming, better nip in the bud before it becomes an issue later on. Oh, this was going to be awkward.

“As a matter of fact, Fluttershy and I will be kissing,” she sternly corrected her sister. “It’s as I said, we all love each other, and when you love somepony like we do, you express that love with a kiss.”

Well, there were other things, but there was no need to bring that up. Things were complicated enough as they were, but at least that strong tone appeared to get the point across to the little filly.

“Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just…”

Cerb had been quiet long enough. He wasn't going to give up his two mares, but he couldn't let this little filly carry around any negativity and throw a wrench in his plans.

"Sweetie Belle, we just wanted to talk to you first so you didn't find out from someone else. We also wanted to make sure you understood and weren't going to be angry or having any problems with us all being together."

The softer approach seemed to break up the tension, and Cerb figured he was on the right track.

"Do you have any concerns about your sister being with both me and Fluttershy?"

Sweetie Belle gave three a good long look. She still didn’t understand it, but couldn't find the harm in it.

“No, I guess not.” she said though her face slightly downcast, her uncertainty obvious to all.

While it didn’t go as smoothly as Rarity had hoped, it seemed as if the crisis had been avoided and they were set to continue getting ready for their dinner. Or at least they would have been if Sweetie Belle did have more questions that were perhaps harder to answer.

“But can you tell me what happened to Applejack?”

The three froze at the question. Lumberman had done a good job at keeping her out of sight, and she likely hadn’t gotten around to seeing her sister, and Granny hadn’t explained things yet either.

Sadly, it wasn’t exactly something they could just keep hidden forever.

“We heard her scream the other night, and Kelly said that she was angry because she had to stay back at the castle for secret stuff, but Apple Bloom hasn’t seen her since then. Even Big Mac wouldn’t tell us. He just went to sleep without a word ‘bout it and left before we woke up this morning. Is she okay?”

Again, Cerb figured he would handle this, but wasn’t about to give too many details. Gentle steps after all.

“Well, Applejack was very angry about having to stay at the castle, she really wanted to go home that night. If you or Apple Bloom are worried about her, I assure you she’s fine. She’s been with Lumberman this whole time. Otherwise, she’ll come around again soon enough.”

Given all that had transpired the last few years, Sweetie knew it wasn’t actually unusual for Applejack or any of the others to disappear for days on end, so that didn’t set off any alarms. At the same time, if they were being so vague, there was still something going on. She would have to look into that when she met up with the other Crusaders again. For now, she would avoid suspicion by asking another question that was about to give Rarity and them just as much trouble answering.

“Who is Chris dating? AB, Scoots, and I all were trying to figure the perfect pony for him to fall in love with.”

This was going to be fun, even though Rarity realized too late she should have told the Crusaders to not try and do any matchmaking for the other humans, but it was too late for that. Still the sight of her sister starting to sweat seemed to atleast perk up Sweetie, so a positive there.

“Well, Sweetie. Who did you all pick for Chris? I’d love to hear if any of you guessed right.”

There wasn’t much thought put behind Sweetie Belle’s approach to this question and she blurted out her answer.

“Button Mash said Chris already went on a date with Cream Heart, but AB and Scoots think that Derpy was a better match because of how well they danced at the welcome party.”

The three all smiled and chuckled for a moment. Those were both correct guesses, but it was funny how little they knew. Perhaps for now Rarity would let her keep guessing a little more.

“Well, you three all had very good guesses, and both are right. However, you’re missing a few, and I’m sure you’ll find out tomorrow about the rest.”

“Chris is dating both Derpy and Cream Heart?” Sweetie Belle asked for confirmation just as Rarity’s follow up hit. “Wait! He’s dating more mares?! Is that why he was at Nurse Redheart’s with-”

She was about to start to mention a few names, but then remembered all the mares that ended up having lunch together while they played with Chris that day. There were too many possibilities and Rarity didn’t give a number to help narrow it down.

The sight of her sister racking her brain desperately to process and handle this new information allowed Rarity to breathe a mental sigh of relief. Finally having put a cork on her barrage of questions.

True, it might have been a little mean, but it served her sister right for meddling in other mare’s love affairs, and Rarity would let that bother Sweetie Belle and her friends for the rest of the night. Besides, pulling the occasional prank on your sister was one of the perks of an older sibling.

“Well, unfortunately, we need to start getting ready for our dinner. Why don’t you go check up with your friends and see if they have any clues to who the other lucky mares might be?”

That wasn’t fair, but if Rarity wasn’t going to give any more hints, what else could Sweetie Belle do if she wanted to know?

“Okay, but am I still staying with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith tonight? Granny said she would make dinner back on the farm for us.”

Fortunately, Rarity had plans for after dinner, so she could let her sister spend more time with the Apples. Plus it’d help keep her far away from the group in the event they decided to be a bit more...intimate.

“I believe the three of us will be inseparable for the time being, so you’ll still be staying with Granny. Although, once things calm down, I’ll be more available for you… though I don’t believe we can stay here until I get a bigger bed.”

Fluttershy giggled, knowing all too well Rarity’s bed wouldn’t be able to hold up once Cerb’s leg finished healing. That along with some other concerns.

“We’re going to need a lot more bed sheets, too.”

The overall mood of the late afternoon wasn't exactly what Chris had hoped for, though thankfully it was far from the disaster he’d expected.

Pina Colada seemed to stick to her mother's side, and had kept Cotton Cloudy close by. It almost felt like the former held a grudge while the latter used her friend as a shield. Button was surprisingly a bit better but would shy away when the other two fillies gave any look of disapproval.

The only shining light was Dinky. That foal never dropped her smile and was already sold on having Chris in her life. Though that only perked up the mood slightly.

The atmosphere had fallen so much that Trixie put off doing her magic show. So, as cheap of a tactic as it was, Chris decided to surprise them with the wonder of human cinema and popped in the first Aladdin movie.

It certainly did the trick of brightening the mood of even the most distant of the two foals, but seeing Genie's proficiency with magic left Trixie switching between inspiration and self-loathing. Probably didn’t help he likely reminded her of Discord as well.

Still, it was making their time together easier, but it seemed like only Thunder had noticed that Chris was more focused on the foals than the movie.

That in itself had to mean something. This movie was certainly exciting and entertaining. It also reminded her a lot of Saddle Arabia, or at least what a human version would look like in a cartoon.

For Chris, this felt like his first real setback. He wasn't winning the foals over, Disney was. Then again, Disney always won over children, so he really shouldn’t have been surprised.

After dropping Spike and Smolder off in the middle of town, Benny returned to have the unpleasant conversation of cross-species relations. It wasn’t long, or grossly in-depth, but he did the best he could to keep it practical and easy to understand.

Much like Vinyl, Octavia was unsure what to make of it all, though for different reasons.

"So… even though our species could never make a family together, all the others still wanted to stay with your friends?"

Benny nodded, though he wasn't sure what all the other ponies knew or had even done.

"Before the party started yesterday, Twilight got with her core group to discuss things about what they all were doing. Apparently, they had some misconceptions that needed to be cleared up. I didn’t ask what they all were, but I'm guessing they know just as much as you do now. Outside from a few that have already put it to practice."

Unlike Octavia, Vinyl's uncertainty was of something else entirely. And as expected from the DJ, she had her own way of expressing her opinions.

"So what's the big deal? If it's something natural, there's no reason to feel weird about it. And I'm not sure if you've noticed this yet or not, Hot Stuff, but it felt good just dancing with you, so I can totally see why Starlight and the rest of those girls were all over each other. Plus, not getting pregnant? Just saying, sounds like a pretty sweet deal if ya ask me."

Octavia, trying to take her friend’s lack of tact into consideration, could see there was more than just the physical acts described weighing on Benny’s mind. Though a simple twitch of the eye at that last statement seemed to show she wasn’t entirely opposed.

“Benny, now that we know, you still don’t seem optimistic about it. Is there something else you need to tell us before Vinyl says or does something else to make you uncomfortable?”

Typical of Vinyl, she only shrugged and fiddled with her music equipment.

“I’m just being real , you guys. So long as it looks, sounds, feels, or tastes good, I’m not afraid of getting weird.”

The truth was, there was still something beyond the obvious that made Benny uncomfortable. And Vinyl’s wording of that last statement wasn’t helping.

“The truth is, I haven’t been with anyone since I broke things off with my ex. I stopped getting treatment for it, but I do still struggle with depression, and that makes it hard for me to want to do things that I would normally enjoy. That being said, I don’t like the idea of rushing in to have sex without getting to know who I’m with first. More than just a single date at least.”

Try as Vinyl might, the tone of the room was too serious for her to try and entertain herself. The distance between Benny on the couch, Otactavia sitting by her cello, and herself by her equipment didn’t work for what they were talking about. She figured it would be best to either tackle the issues Benny had head-on and squash them or just move on towards something they could all enjoy.

“Look, stud,” sShe powered down her equipment and leaned hard over her stand that held it. “Something you gotta know about me is that I tend to just go with the flow. So long as everypony is having a good time and being cool, I’m just gonna keep on doing what I’m doing. So when I was asked to play your music at the welcome party, I really got into it because I loved what I heard and saw everypony getting into it. Same thing with the dancing.”

Reflexively, her eyes turned to Octavia. It was only for a moment, but she could still see how overwhelmed she was with the discomfort this conversation brought, but still happy to have Benny there. Maybe she even saw having this talk as another means to get even closer with him, and that was bothering her, which Vinyl thought was a shame. There was no need to make things so complicated.

“At the time, I didn’t realize that Tavi had the hots for ya. I thought she just really enjoyed the dance, so I thought I’d give ya whirl myself.”

She started to grin, but it quickly grew to a smile so big she had to take a breather as it started to make her laugh. The laughter wasn’t loud or drawn out, but it was something else altogether and she had to remove her shades to wipe her eyes.

“Benny boy… every moment with you is electric. There isn’t a base note that hits as hard as being with you. So, if I’m being rude by saying I’d be down to try the stuff you said your friends told you we could handle our first time with hands and kissing, it’s because just brushing up against you feels good. Every time you hold my hoof in your hand or touch my back, I don’t want it to stop.”

That wasn’t like her to open up like that, and she put her shades back on to hide her eyes.

“Even sleeping on ya last night felt awesome, but I’m not one to get pushy or make demands of other ponies. If you don’t want to have sex, and rut or whatever the hell, that’s cool. But if you do, I don’t want you to think that I’m not going to be cool about it.”

That certainly was far more forward than Octavia could have been, but she could still appreciate how it seemed to remove a lot of the tension in the room.

“Very well said, Vinyl. And Benny, I suppose I feel much the same way, but I know this is still all new to you, or at least it will be if it’s to be with us, I mean. Regardless, we’re all still figuring things out with each other, so don’t think there will be any expectations we have regarding sex we will have for you.”

Well… that certainly seemed to flip the situation back on Benny, but it still left him with a smirk.

“Not gonna lie. I totally thought you two were going to freak out on me about all this.”

It seemed like that issue had ended before it began and Vinyl was taking some pride in herself for handling the topic as she did. Although, the mood had changed and she wasn’t feeling the magic for music at the moment.

“Freak out? No way, stud. We ain’t letting you off the hook that easy, but how about we get outta here for a while? The dinner with the delegates is probably gonna be boring if Twilight didn’t put me in charge of the tunes, ya know?”

A change in scenery sounded like a good idea, and it probably was going to be mostly boring given the nature of the dinner.

“Yeah, I could stretch my legs for a bit. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?”

“Of course not, dear,” Octavia sweetly answered, pointing towards the restroom. “We’ll think about where to go until you get back.”

As soon as Benny was far down the hall and shut the door behind him, Octavia gave a sigh, relieved their conversation had ended on such a positive note.

“Vinyl, darling. It always amazes me how bold you can be, but it was exactly what we needed-”

Octavia nearly gasped, but she locked up from Vinyl’s hooves reaching out from behind her, wrapping her in a strong embrace and an out of place sad tone to her roommate’s voice.

“Let’s see if we can go back to Benny’s place tonight. Just the three of us.”

The odd request and troubled voice forced Octavia out of Vinyl’s hold and her seat. She didn’t even have enough time to finish turning around before Vinyl was hugging around her again.

“Vinyl?”

Octavia went to push her friend away again, but this time Vinyl wouldn’t let go. Instead, she stayed there and spoke in a voice she’d never heard from her roommate before. It sounded almost fragile, like that of a child rather than the loud party mare she’d come to know.

“I’m sorry Tavi. I woke up after the coffee was made. I was going to sleep in and just let you have him, but I heard everything. I wanna go wherever we can sing our own song together. I don’t want to lose you if I don’t have to, but I want to be with Benny, too.”

Of course, Vinyl would have to be so forward like this with her. What else should have Octavia expected? At the same time, what more could she have hoped for? All the same, she didn’t push Vinyl away. Instead, she slid her forelegs up Vinyl’s barrel and hugged her back.

“I don’t care what others may think of us. Twilight and the others have the right idea. I want you with me just as much as Benny.”

“Oh,” Benny stated, a bit shocked at seeing the two musical mares holding each other. “Am I… interrupting something?”

Both mares cracked an embarrassed smile and let each other go, though their red faces said all he needed.

“Sorry,” Octavia apologized, nervously rubbing a forehoof behind her other fetlock. “It would appear that Vinyl was not as light a sleeper, as usual, this morning. She heard our conversation and has made my feelings a little less complicated regarding the three of us.”

Vinyl grinned and tried to play it cool, though she was clearly off her game from being caught.

“Aye, with Starlight and all the other mares doing it, it just seems like all the more reason to go with the flow, ya know.”

That wasn’t the truth at all and Octavia rolled her eyes at what was probably meant to be a joke.

“Be that as it may, I hope this doesn’t change things between us, because we would greatly like to take you up on your offer to allow us to express ourselves at your embassy tonight.”

God damn her voice was still so sexy, and the way she asked that question nearly gave him a shiver as he thought about it in real-time. Must be the accent.

“As soon as dinner is over, I’ll do what I can to get us back the first chance I get. It will probably just be Trixie there, but there won’t be a problem with us having privacy.”

After some heavy petting and probably getting Lyra more worked up than was needed, Sniff felt they had spent enough time relaxing. In truth, he had gotten so aroused that he would have ended up removing the borrowed shorts and probably had Lyra ride his pool noodle for real.

Hopefully, heading out for drinks before the dinner and being back in public would keep him in check until at least Twilight or Ovens would be available.

On the way down though, he rounded a corner for the next stairway just in time to see Kelly pulling away from a kiss with Luna. Thankfully, he was leading the way, which led to Lyra and Swifty both missing the sight.

Luna had seen him too late, and he could see that, so it was upon him to calm her concerns.

“Well, rise and shine you two,” he greeted the pair, sounding perfectly normal. “And Luna, thanks for checking in on Kelly for us last night. With Big Mac taking care of Granny, and the rest of us preoccupied, we really appreciated it.”

That was right, Benny had discovered her affinity for Kelly rather easily, and Sniff was a friend Kelly could talk to about her sexual issues. It stood reasonable to believe that if he was not told upfront, he would have figured it out on his own. Not that him knowing or seeing would have been an issue, but Lyra and Swifty? That was different.

“It was my pleasure. Since I’ve spent the most time with her, aside from Big Macintosh, she felt more comfortable around me. I even had her personal items moved up to the room next to mine so she would be better protected.”

And that was the perfect segway into a great explanation of the added protection, as well as additional information Luna needed to provide them.

“That reminds me. I came in contact with my sister last night. Our conversation was brief, but I was to let you know that the trial against Kelly’s attackers should be upon us once the investigation has completed.”

Thinking about it again, had it been just Sniff and Swifty, there wouldn’t have been much of an issue at all, being the good soldier she was. It wasn’t optimal, but why was Lyra there? Not that her position couldn’t be helpful for Sniff and the others. It was just out of place to have her here in the castle, though Luna now wondered if this was Twilight’s doing.

“And I presume you are all returning from the hot tub. What exactly is your business with Peter, Miss Heartstrings?”

That was the kind of question Sniff had to answer, otherwise, things could get heated and messy.

“Lyra has been a great help to me and has even gotten all of us and our new special someponies into the summit. Also, Cutter recommended her to speak to Ovens about… uh…”

Come to think of it, there was no point beating around the bush with this. The two in front of him he was explaining things to were already fucking each other in a three-way relationship. Even Twilight and Ovens already knew why she was there, he was wasting his charm on this by trying to be sly.

“I still don’t know what we’re calling this. Regardless, Lyra’s been helping me out, but after talking to Ovens, she realized that things in life for her weren’t going as well for her as she would have liked. So, Ovens figured she and I should spend some time together. We’re actually about to head out and hopefully get her out of her shop for drinks before the delegates make things less private for us.”

Kelly, somehow, a little impressed at the arrangement, eyed up the mint-colored mare. On the way up from her examination, she could see he was pitching a tent through his shorts, but the towel wasn’t covering it enough to keep it hidden completely.

“Well, she’s certainly a cutie. You must have had a… hard time keeping your hands to yourself around her.”

Sniff looked down and saw the eyesore not fully blocked by his towel. It didn’t matter if Kelly and Luna knew what was going on, it still wasn’t a good look for him. Nor was what Lyra was about to say.

“Well, Peter did have his hands on me for a while.”

Kelly and Luna’s grins both continued to widen, and the thoughts of who else he must be doing only made Luna more curious.

“Did he now? You must be very lucky to have Miss Ovens request Peter to treat you so kindly. What all has he-”

Knowing where this was going, Kelly turned and playfully tapped Luna on the chest.

“Luna, leave the poor girl be. We don’t need to know what all those two love birds have been up to.”

Seeing the lighthearted nature the others appeared to have surrounding her potential relationship with Sniff, Lyra decided to humor the princess.

“It’s no problem, I’m okay with you knowing. I had him hold me like he does Ovens when they kiss.”

So much for Kelly’s attempt at protecting Sniff from having his private affairs out for others to see. But also, coming from Lyra, it sounded so cute.

“Awwwwe. Is he a good kisser?”

Lyra blushed but now felt silly not taking advantage of the situation.

“I’m not sure. I just sat on his lap and had him hold me. I didn’t… I wasn’t sure if we could kiss yet. But just feeling him like that was more than enough for now. I’m hoping for more of what Ovens does with him.”

This was fun, but she could tell that if they hadn’t kissed, there was probably a reason for it and decided to help Luna leave them be.

“Well, you two enjoy the rest of your time together, and I hope you all can have fun together tonight. But don’t let Sniff fool you. He does kiss on the first date.”

As if he wasn’t having a hard enough time as it was, if kissing went the same with this mare as it did with the others, he would be in trouble.

“Thanks, Kel. Although, that reminds me.” He held up one finger and rubbed it over his lips so that she would have to see it. “You seem rather well-rested. Did the advice you got yesterday help out at all?”

With wording like that, on top of that gesture, Luna now knew Kelly had spoken with him, but he had every right to sneak that in a quip like that. Turnabout was fair play, after all.

“Don’t you worry about Kelly, my dear Peter. She has everything well in hand and is being well tended to in Big Macintosh's absence.”

Kelly snorted and continued to make her way out.

“What she said. Oh, and can I borrow your car to go see Mac?”

“That won’t be necessary,.” Luna quickly cut in before anyone could get a word in. “I’ll have my carriage take you there. Otherwise, there would be no way for him to return with you. This way you’ll have somepony with you at all times. Until you are with Mac again, of course.”

Saving gas and having Mac all to herself on the ride back, plus guards? Sounded like a win-win.

“Sweet. Nevermind Sniff.”

Watching those two leave, Sniff could see that Kelly’s leg was doing much better, but if the advice worked, then that was probably even better news.

All the funnier that Lyra understood nothing of what had happened and mistook childish jokes and pleasant conversation.

“I like Kelly. She seems nice.”

Some idle chit chat started between Lyra and Sniff as they continued behind Luna and Kelly towards Sniff’s room. On their way, Swifty started to think she was understanding what Twilight had offered her earlier.

“Sniff is dating multiple mares just like Chris and Cerb are. But unlike those two, Peter is still finding new mares to date. It seems like some are just so he can help them, but others, well, I still don’t know what he did with the mayor, but the way he held Lyra, that has to be serious. Even Princess Luna seems to be in on it, trying to see how involved with Lyra he was. For some reason, Kelly tried to encourage them to kiss. Is that what Twilight wants for me?”

Another exchange of words ahead had Swifty look up to see Lyra walking into a vacant spare room. Probably going to get more towels.

“I do like Peter. I certainly would have liked to go out with him. Will that be something I’m allowed to do with him like Lyra is? Is that something I would want to do? Kissing another mare’s stallion… But those hands of his.”

“Uh, Swifty?” Sniff’s voice rose up in front of her.

She raised her eyes to see Sniff looking down at her… and they were both in his room. Was she really that easily distracted that she was blindly following him without knowing? That wasn’t like her.

“I’m sorry. I must have been lost in thought. What were you saying?”

To Sniff, his bodyguard was acting strange. Through thick and thin, she always presented herself as the solid and capable type. Even after everything from walking in on him with Twilight, the conversation at breakfast, his time with the mayor, and now…

Maybe now it made sense. More than likely, it was one of two things that he could think of if carrot cake wasn’t involved with her distracted state.

“Does it bother you seeing me with so many mares?”

While that did seem odd to Swifty, she vehemently shook her head.

“No, not at all. Sure, I thought it was strange that they all would agree to let you see so many of them at the same time, and I’m still trying to understand the dating techniques you’re teaching them, but I can see how much you care about them. I…”

Somehow, looking into this human’s eyes, she could see that he had already figured her out and was giving her the option to say it so he wouldn’t have to.

“I… didn’t know you were seeing Oven Fresh until the party last night... Nor Twilight until this morning.”

She turned her eyes away, never dropping her guilty smile. What she was admitting was unprofessional, but he deserved an honest answer, and Twilight had no issues with how she felt about her ward.

Weighing her options and all she’d learned, she decided to come clean.

“I liked you since the day you bought me the carrot cake, but I didn’t really consider I would have wanted anything more until that night with you on the rooftop. And every interaction I’ve had with you since then, getting to know you more… Twilight knows."

Sniff nodded, remembering how Twilight was getting better at picking up on these things, much like how Ovens was. The discussion those two shared after he left likely had put her in a similar situation as Lyra, if he had to guess. Then again, she had made no advances or even any hints. Did she know even less than his other prospects?

"And what did she say? You're still guarding me, so she obviously wasn't mad."

Swifty slowly shook her head. Even with how things were messed up, telling him how she felt, he at no point made her feel uncomfortable to talk about it.

"No, she was fine with it. She just told me to continue staying close and take care of you. Though, I think she wanted to talk to Ovens before… I’m not sure. Maybe doing what Ovens did this morning for Lyra? Should I tell her not to now?"

This certainly seemed to change things, but Sniff wasn't upset or worried. Swifty was another mare he liked and trusted after all, even if part of him was getting slightly concerned by his growing number of admirers.

"Let them talk, then we'll talk. But if at any point it becomes too much to see me with others-”

Before Sniff could even finish that line, Swifty was already laughing.

“No… I don’t think that would be a problem for me. I like spending time with you regardless… though… what you did with Lyra? I wouldn’t mind trying that, if I’m allowed to, that is.”

Maybe it was the horny speaking, though it could have just been his desire to reward this mare, but she’d earned more than just another carrot cake.

“I might be a little busy tonight… I know my lunch is tied up tomorrow, but I got you.”

That got another giggle out of his favorite Solar Guard. She already had a good idea of where’d she’d be, given her orders.

“But I’m going to be with you all night and all day tomorrow… Aren’t I?”

This was giving Sniff too many terrible ideas.

“How about we go find Twilight before we grab those drinks tonight? Also, you’re still wet, and… maybe you can help me with something before Lyra finishes drying off.”

Having successfully dried most of herself off, Lyra ventured out into the hallway to meet up with Sniff again. He said he wouldn’t take long.

How could he? He was covered with that incredible pristine bare skin.

“What the hey? He shouldn’t take longer than me to dry off, he doesn’t even have any fur.”

As she walked closer to his door, the sounds of what had to be Swifty’s giggles and flirtatious banter could be heard.

“Stop that. I told you how much it tickles.”

From inside the room, Sniff replied, sounding like he was having just as much fun.

“Then stop squirming so much. Look at the mess you made. We still have to clean this up and don’t have a lot of time.”

Curious, Lyra peaked her head inside. For some reason, Sniff was sitting on the edge of his bed over a wet floor next to his shorts, but he was still loosely wearing a towel around his waist.

Looking to be having a wonderful time with her pre-practice date, Swifty was being dried off with what looked to be her third towel. That seemed a little out of place, given she was supposed to be guarding him, and it was still Lyra’s time with Sniff, not not the bodyguard.

“Hey, what gives? Why aren’t I getting this special treatment.”

That was a fair question, but Sniff had already anticipated this if she had walked in.

“Sorry about that, but somepony just so happened to start turning greener than you after seeing us together.”

Swifty craned her neck to playfully scoff at the claim.

“I didn’t change colors, stop lying.”

Not even slightly abashed by her presentation, she turned her attention over to Lyra with a smile so big she couldn’t have looked any happier if she tried.

“Don’t listen to him… although I was envious. But this isn’t any special attention. I needed help drying off before we head out. Also, this was my reward for helping Peter make sure you’d be okay with what he wanted to offer next.”

After admitting that, she frowned a bit, though her smile quickly returned.

“Not that I got to kiss him like you get to, or get the special massage, but… I’m sure if you like Peter as much as I do, you’ll be fine with what you see. And can you close the door behind you?”

Now more than curious, Lyra stepped inside and let the door close behind her.

“I really get to kiss you? Are you sure that’s going to be okay, and what’s the special massage?”

Sniff was really tempting fate with this, even if it was what Ovens and Twilight wanted for him. On top of that, his own unsatisfied needs had grown through the day, making the idea easier to accept. So, with a few soft taps on Swifty’s butt, he let her go to join him on the bed before he invited his other new mare.

“Yes, we’re allowed to kiss and do a lot more, but we’ll only do what you’re comfortable with. Though, given how much you enjoyed what we did in the hot tub, I’d say I know something you’ll enjoy.”

Already willing to go for whatever, Lyra happily trotted up to Sniff, but he moved away to rest his back against the headboard of his bed, giving some distance to explain some things first.

“Now, if you just want to enjoy some more time together like earlier, then you can sit up on my lap just like you did in the hot tub, but with kissing this time. However, if you trust me and want to experience what Ovens has, I’ll have to remove my towel, but my body is not like that of a ponies.”

Laying contently along the foot of the bed, Swifty smiled down at the anxious unicorn.

“From what little I’ve seen and heard, Peter knows what he’s talking about. And if Twilight is giving her blessing for other mares to do this with him, I think the towel needs to go. Apparently, the more of him you can feel, the better the experience. Just don’t be too shocked by how different he is from a pony under the towel.”

There was no hesitation from Lyra, who jumped on the bed, ready to mount Sniff’s lap again. Her usual eager expression plastered across her face.

“I loved how it felt in the hot tub, so if this feels better with the towel off, let’s do that.”

With little doubt this was going to end exactly as he expected, Sniff obliged the mare and undid the simple fold of the towel, then laid it two ends on either side of him.

Try as she might, Lyra’s eyes danced between Sniff’s face and his crotch until she realized she had no idea what she was looking at.

“Um… is that-”

“That’s his penis,” Swifty answered from behind as casually as if talking about the weather. “That’s why all human stallions wear clothes. Well, except for when they bathe or give special massages, from what Peter tells me.”

With stage one completed, Sniff moved on to stage two, testing the proverbial waters.

“If it bothers you that much, I can cover up again.”

With the towel removed, Lyra had a much better look at his body. He was fit, his muscles firm, and his skin had a darker complexion than Benny, Cerb, or Chris. And the rich scent of clovers and sea salt was so much stronger now, in spite of washing off in the hot tub.

When it came to Sniff being covered, less was more of what she wanted.

“Don’t be like that,” Lyra playfully protested. “I trust you more than most ponies I know, and your body isn’t that different than a pony stallion’s.”

It really was Lyra’s trust in Sniff that led her to his lap again, and once she had her forelegs draped over his shoulders, she lowered herself down. Of course, once contact was made as she sat firmly down, she knew she made the right choice.

Her first reaction was a shallow gasp as her eyes rolled up and her eyelids fluttered down. There were no words to say. She could have cried out, but it was a struggle just to breathe as she found herself unable to pull her body away from what she could feel happening.

Already knowing what this unicorn must be thinking, he placed both hands on her rump and pulled her a little closer, drawing the same whimper from her lips as he had from Mayor Mare. If that was the reaction, even Swifty was going to get an earful to help explain things.

“I know this may feel strange to you, in spite of how much you’re enjoying it.”

Still unable to speak, Lyra gently nodded, with Peter gently placing his hand on her mane.

“That’s okay, there’s a lot of things I can show that feel like this, and it’s about to get a lot better. So, try kissing me like Ovens did this morning and I’ll ask nicely if we can have a little time together tonight.”

Lyra tried to remember exactly what it was she saw them do. It wasn’t a normal kiss because they both had their mouths open, almost like they were trying to lick inside each other’s mouths. So, it wasn’t out of the question or off-putting, just unusual. Certainly, it was something she wanted to try if it meant more of what she was feeling.

Sure enough, as soon as her lips parted against his, she could feel his tongue brush against hers. And just like that, she understood.

It was no wonder Ovens got so carried away with him that morning. Everything about this kiss was amazing. The taste of his tongue, how it felt against hers, his hands feeling over her backside, and then the immense pleasure of feeling his male anatomy doing unspeakable things between her legs and under her tail.

The way he pulled her up against him and let her move her hips back down. Why and how was she doing that? She hadn’t even thought of doing it, her body was moving on its own, but she had no intention of resisting.

“Oh, merciful Celestia, Luna, and Twilight,” her mind praised internally while her mouth remained occupied.

For what good deed did she deserve such a reward as this? She couldn’t stop from moaning at this point, her body was burning, floating over the mattress, and the sensations only got better with every stride against him.

Then there was the sweat she could feel soaking both of them. She would have to apologize after this massage was over because there was no way she was going to stop. Not when that feeling was growing into something… something… It was there, somewhere. Her body knew what this was and was moving faster against him to have it.

It almost felt instinctual, then there it was, almost in reach, if only she could press herself down a little harder, really press his stallionhood further between the holds of her marehood.

That was what he wanted, wasn’t it? That’s why he requested this position. Why he’d told her to trust him? Those parts of the body weren’t something anypony ever touched, let alone together. That must be what made it special; why she was going to help him make it special. Humans just had a different, albeit, much better way of massaging each other.

From Sniff’s perspective, this was exactly what he anticipated. Her kiss was just as sensual as the others, and her untouched pussy was a sopping, hot mess. She was close, and her quickening moans were music to his ears.

A bit sooner than he expected, her body tensed as her hips rocked hard down in one long stroke before rising up with her clit pressing down hard against the tip of his cock. It was her first orgasm, making her shutter violently while she whined sharply into his core as her loins flooded over his cock, more than he felt any woman ever cum with him before.

He loved it and worked his hands over her, searching for her most sensitive areas. Up her back, down her side, around her neck, even borrowing a bit of her fluids on his fingers to massage over everything from the underside of her tail down to her pussy again.

Right wrong, ignorant, or playing dumb, he could tell she loved it as well. If she didn’t she certainly was the best faker he ever met, judging by how hard she was still trying to grind against him.

However, since that was her first, he had to know how she was managing and broke their kiss, along with his adventurous hands.

However, Sniff was not fast enough to open the dialog, and Swifty got the first question in.

“Is that what you did with Mayor Mare this morning? Because now I really wanna try it.”

That was fine, Swifty had every right to speak during this and Sniff should answer her.

“No, we did something else actually. In fact, Lyra, you might like what Swifty missed a little better. You did like my special massage, didn’t you?”

Lyra raised her eyes to Sniff, still a little light-headed, her heart racing and lungs desperate for air.

“I… made… a mess… sweating… but would… like… more… please… towel?”

Sniff chuckled a little, at the mare’s almost drunken response, but couldn't have been happier.

"Don't you worry about the mess. It's supposed to happen like that, but it’s not sweat."

After the copious deposit she left from her climax, a peculiar sweetness filled the room, causing Swifty to speculate.

“That sweet smell, does every mare you give those massages to have that?”

The scent was far too strong for anyone in the room to ignore, but now it was time for Lyra to question it. Actually, upon thinking about it, she started to think she had even more reason to apologize and now looked positively mortified at the implication.

“Oh, gosh. I’m sorry, Peter. I thought I was just sweating. I didn’t-”

“No-no-no,” Sniff quickly tried to calm her, knowing exactly what she was freaking out about. “You didn’t have an accident on me, look.”

Knowing that words alone weren’t going to cut it, he brought up his hand with just enough of her juices to show its viscus qualities.

As he parted his fingers, the somewhat milky, translucent goo parted in strands. With it, there was an even stronger reaction as it invaded Lyra’s senses. All the more enticement to drive him for more.

“When your body is ready for stimulation like this, you’ll naturally start to get really wet like you are now. The better you feel, the more you want it, the more wet you’ll get, and wetter is better, for both of us.”

This news clearly confused Lyra, but she only continued to nod along, listening intently as she could focus on what he was saying. There was, of course, more for Sniff to explain.

“The sweet scent is a biological reaction, it’s what lets me know how bad you want it. Although, if you’re still worried about the mess, there’s something else I can do for you. Something I very much enjoy doing. It’s a little stranger than this, though it was so good that Oven even kissed after I was done doing it with her.”

Lyra didn’t know what to think but was also too overwhelmed to even care.

“I can kiss you right now, but you can show more.”

“And show you I shall,” Sniff said with a grin before starting to lead her into another kiss. “But I can stop whenever you like.”

Swifty continued to lay and watch, content with her restrained excitement and curiosity for these strange acts.

The way humans, Sniff, in particular, held a pony wasn’t much different than how a pony would hug another. Yet with their bipedal anatomy and gifted touch, there was certainly a new element to it. There was also his male anatomy that was also unique. Odd-looking, but with the stronger scent of clover and sea salt, she could easily overlook the oddities and accept his appearance for what it was.

Of course, there was also the way he kissed. That wasn’t at all how ponies would kiss. At least not when he was holding onto a mare like he was with Lyra at the moment. Even as he laid the mare down on her back, the way they let their tongues push and lick inside each other’s was unusual, yet looked to be more than just enjoyable.

As for Lyra, and presumably the others Sniff had done this with, leaking that fluid out from their privates didn’t seem natural. After all, Swifty wanted to kiss and be touched by Sniff just as badly as Lyra right now, yet she wasn’t getting wet.

Then again, she’d only received a normal massage from him, not a special one. So, maybe it was a technique only he and other humans could make happen. Maybe something like being tickled too much could make her eyes water? Although that was going to be difficult for him to recreate the lower down Lyra’s body Sniff continued to kiss over.

If the special massage required their genitals to be touched by his genitals, he was moving his too far away. Not that Lyra seemed to mind the kisses and other soft touches from Sniff’s hands down her sides and over her thighs. As a matter of fact, if he was to kiss any lower, he was going to do something he was likely to regret, and Lyra noticed this as well.

“Be careful, Peter. If you keep going down like that, you’re going to-”

Finally revealing his intentions, Sniff pulled away from one last kiss between her breasts to stop her from warning him.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do,” he told her before lowering his lips between her wet folds.

Swifty’s senses went on high alert as she watched Sniff do the unthinkable. What he did before was questionable, but this had to be some gross violation. Not that she could recall any law addressing this, but the way Lyra reacted, Swifty mentally raced for her reason to intervene.

“Ohhh! Yes!” Lyra belted out in passionate cry. “Yeh-ye… yes… this is the best kiss yet.”

Down below, Sniff was impressed with how well Lyra could speak during this. All the others could barely muster two words together, yet here she was forming a whole sentence.

Likewise, Swifty was shocked to see that Lyra was approving of this oral massage. How was that mare not repulsed? Could it really be that good?

She had to know, and so close to the edge of falling into a panic she was two heartbeats faster away from passing out, and had to ask for a reason to intervene.

“Lyra? Do you want him to stop?"

Lyra arched her back and spread her legs further apart, clearly encouraging her new practice date for more.

"No! This is… Oooooou~," she cooed loudly, interrupting herself, practically bending her neck all the way back. "This is even better than before. Uhh-uhh-Mmm, yes. Oh, Swif…. Swifty… You need to try this-Ugh! Deeper. Deeper, Peter!"

With his mare's request made clear, Sniff agreed to feed her needs and forced his tongue deeper into her canal. Her sweet juices flowed freely as her inner muscles gripped down, trying to pull him in further, instead, pushing him out. It was becoming a struggle to keep up with her contractions, though he would not give up so easily. He knew she was getting close.

Lyra could feel that same peak building up, only deeper inside her this time. Stronger, enveloping more of her body than the last. Still, her body was telling her to have him push further, and she reached out, grabbing behind her knees with her fetlocks, pulled her legs back to her sides.

"Don't stop if you cannnnnnn~. Oh, umph. Yes, moooore."

That amazing feeling was about to return, making her pull back even further as her breathing began to race. Then, as his tongue pressed as deep as it could, that wonderful sensation erupted. That magical feeling warmed her body as she rocked her hips, panting with low shallow whines from the electric jolts of pleasure migrated from her loins.

It was so good she didn't even bother worrying about the high flow of her juices she felt gushing out. It wasn’t like Sniff cared. She trusted that he knew what he was doing, and she was going to let him continue.

Unfortunately, Sniff knew he couldn't take things much further. He wanted to, but this was Lyra’s first time, and he already took things farther than he should have for not properly dating or educating her on what they were doing. Just because he was sure she would enjoy it didn't make it right, but he couldn't stop himself from pleasing her.

For himself, he would have his time after dinner was over and he could have Ovens and Twilight with him again. Then again, if things got busy… he could improvise.

At the very least, he could play with Lyra until they were ready for him.

Feeling her orgasm beginning to subside, he started to pull back on the intensity, helping her come down naturally, extending its decline in the process.

After her breathing seemed to steady off to only a slightly elevated rate, he sat up and wiped his chin free of the long string of her mare juices that clung to him. Now, feeling satisfied with her introduction to spending private time with him, he grinned and examined the unicorn's current state.

Still silently observing whatever just happened, Swifty was more excited than before, despite her initial reservations about how inappropriate his methods may have been. Though, one question still was blaring in her mind that she had to ask.

"You just kissed her vagina… Isn’t that gross or against some kind of health code?"

Another fair question, but one Sniff had no issues answering.

"Not at all. So long as you keep yourself clean, there's nothing gross about it. As for the taste, if that's what you're worried about, it's got kind of a milky, sweetness to it. There's also a little metallic sourness to it as well, but it's a good taste overall. But, health code? No, it’s perfectly safe. Ovens even kissed me last night right after we did this. She wasn’t bothered by it."

Satisfied, but not wanting to spoil the evening by leaving this mare exhausted, Sniff let them know this little treat was over.

"I'd love to do more, but giving you too many in a row can leave you too exhausted to move. So, let's get cleaned up. We can do a little more tonight if Ovens and Twilight don't mind. Sound good?"

Mustering her slowly returning strength, Lyra turned to her side and sat up enough to put her hooves on Sniff’s shoulders, looking him square in the eyes.

"That… was incredible."

Without another word, she leaned in and did as she understood Ovens had done and kissed him again. Much to her surprise, he was under-selling the taste of herself. Creamy, sweet, with just a bit of the sour, metallic tang he mentioned, but very pleasant to the pallet. Mixed with everything Sniff had to offer, she gave a throaty moan into him and pulled him closer.

Still watching, Swifty was over her concerns. Watching Lyra had convinced her that this was what Sniff was needing and what Twilight was wanting to offer her. After seeing just how good it could be, she wanted it too, but one obstacle remained in her way.

"Let's see if we can't pull Twilight away from the group for a while. I want to have a turn with you next."

With great luck, Sniff walked in with his personal guard and delegate aid on either side, all being greeted by both Ovens and Twilight. Oddly enough, Starlight and Prim were there as well.

“Peter,” Twilight cheerfully welcomed him in. “Oven Fresh was just telling me about her new-”

Upon approach, Twilight was again surprised to find a sweetness mixed with his clovers, though this one was new. Of course, this piqued her curiosity, and judging by the added closeness and glowing smile on Lyra, she figured she had a good idea of what happened and made eyes with the mint colored mare.

“So, Ovens told me that you were going to be spending some time with Peter today.” She fluttered her eyes, playfully. “How was it?”

As the door shut, that all too familiar scent rushed over the sales floor, letting the other mares know what must have transpired.

“Twilight!” Starlight cheerfully called out to her mentor while eying the mares next to her. “What has gotten into you? Are you trying to build up a harem for Peter like we have with Chris? If you are, you have a good taste in mares.

Wanting to beat Twilight to the joke, and maybe put her on the spot a bit, Starlight turned her humored smile to a flirty grin.

“Assuming you care to have a taste of mares.”

Not ready to be called out, or address where she stood on the matter, Twilight giggled and blushed.

“Well, not a harem, but I am still trying to see how well herding can work myself, much like you are. But I’m also doing this for Peter. I… sort of had to stop things short for him this afternoon, but Ovens suggested Lyra, not me. Also, only Ovens seems to be interested in what you’re into.”

Still standing behind the counter, Ovens didn’t exactly fight the claim. Although, growing more excited from things going well for Lyra, she stood up a little taller, letting Sniff see that she was wearing her outfit from last night again.

“I’ve only had a good taste of myself last night, but I’m not against experimenting a little with Twilight. I know I enjoyed what we’ve done together so far.”

As interesting as this conversation was, Sniff needed to have some things addressed on his behalf. Dealing with their gossiping habits could wait for another time.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat to get their attention. “Ladies, you didn’t give Lyra a chance to answer your question, but you’ve also left her with many of her own. Namely, the other names for what a special massage might be. Also, Swifty here tells me she also didn’t get an explanation of what you were offering her with me? Not to mention the fact that I didn’t know.”

He tried to glare at Twilight, though it came off more as on “Oh really?” kind of look.

“I have no objection, given the amazing job she does, but might you have some time to do that now?”

Seeing the guilty smile on Swifty’s face, Twilight felt terrible for leaving the dedicated guard half-cocked and so ill-informed. An apology to her favorite guard was in order.

“Right, sorry. Well, first, I spoke with Ovens, and we both agree to both you and Lyra. However, making the offer without talking to each other first and not telling you everything wasn’t our smartest move.”

Only adding to the confusion, the door opened with two familiar voices.

“Princess Twilight,” Helix spoke as he entered the bakery. “Mayor Mare has requested to speak with you concerning tonight’s dinner with the other delegates.”

He noticed an odd scent in the bakery. Something he swore he’d smelt before, just never this strong. Then he noticed Sniff standing off to the side.

“Oh, hey Sniff. What are you up to?”

Mayor Mare needed only to hear that name and trotted inside, excited to see her stallion that was always somewhere around town.

“Oh, Peter? So good to see you again.”

Being this close, she could smell Sniff on Lyra and Lyra on Sniff. Both scents only seemed to increase her excitement.

With Mayor Mare in view, there was a look in her eyes that told Peter that he was in too small an enclosure with far too many mares together and no barriers to protect him. He needed to put some distance between them before push came to shove and he let them push and shove him wherever they wanted.

That positively couldn’t happen... Not at least without all of them actually knowing what they had agreed to.

“It’s good to see you again, too. But you got some business to take care of, and I need to get over to and reserve some seats for… Shit… I’m guessing all of you, now?”

God was he ever horny. It was only by some unknown power that he had held out this long. Unfortunately, that power had its limits. Such limits were no match for his lustful baker, the seductive princess, Ponyville’s hot mayor, his sexy stalker, and his already tempting personal bodyguard.

Regardless, he had an out and was going to take it.

“Hey, Twilight. Do you mind if I borrow Helix to take me over to G and O’s so you can catch them all up on everything?”

The mares that had all just joined them needed to know what the fuck was going on, and Twilight could see that it was probably best to let Sniff leave so things didn’t get carried away.

“That’s a great idea. Helix, if you would be so kind?”

Helix nodded and made an about-face.

“Yes, Princess. Are you ready to move out, Sniff?”

Two steps ahead of the beat, Sniff was already out the door.

“Yep, let’s go bud.”

As the door closed, Ovens turned her sign to closed and drew the blinds. All they needed now was a little more privacy.

"Twilight, could you do your thing for us again? I doubt we’ll want everypony outside to have a chance to listen in on this."

Knowing full well what she was asking for, Twilight effortlessly cast the privacy spell. As in, FLASH, and it was done.

"Wow, I'm getting a lot better with that. I barely even had to focus, but the room is soundproof now."

While not the most versatile in magic, Lyra was at least in the know of a few sound-based spells. Soundproofing room was one she was aware of. Unusually difficult for those not versed in the intricacies of certain studies of magic, as well as one not most would admit to knowing, let alone using.

"What the? Won't you get in trouble for using a silencing spell? I could have helped if you wanted no pony to hear us."

Twilight merely shrugged off the issue with a smirk. Having that same question asked of her yesterday.

"No, that spell is perfectly legal. It just gets a bad reputation, and I’ve got it covered for now.”

With no further concerns, Twilight turned to address the three mares with Ovens grinning over the counter and Starlight with Prim ready to assist.

“Now, Lyra, Mayor, you two have already experienced some of what Peter has to offer since you’re dating him and got a taste.”

Lyra blushed and turned her eyes away.

“I don’t think we’ll technically be dating until tonight, and the taste I had was kind of spur of the moment. But Peter seemed to enjoy it so much, I didn’t think there was any harm in it. I guess when he said that Ovens kissed him after doing it, that was what I was supposed to do after he kissed me down there.”

That answer came to the surprise of the others, yet the mayor opened up with a lot less embarrassment about it.

“My word. And here I thought I was doing something no pony else would do, let alone admit to. Peter never even mentioned Ovens kissing him afterward. I was just so lost in the moment and wanted to kiss him again after making me feel so… Mmm, I can’t even put words to it.”

Much like Lyra, Swifty was still a bit bashful about discussing what she observed.

“I couldn’t believe what Peter did to Lyra. Well, first I followed him into his room after we left the hot tub. I guess after watching him get so close to her, and being told that I could have that too, I didn’t realize that I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve, and he could tell that I had feelings for him, too. After I confessed that I was told that I didn’t have to hide how I felt, and that I wanted to be with him more... he undressed in front of me and asked if what I saw made me uncomfortable.”

She smiled and sat on the floor, pleasant thoughts returning from being that close to him.

“He told me that things were moving faster than he thought they would with Lyra, and wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t bother her either. After that, he helped me dry off so I wouldn’t get his bed if I wanted to watch him and Lyra get intimate. He said I should see if it was something I wanted to do with him... if I was allowed to.”

Her smile deepened as she thought about having her first chance. Hopefully, it would be tonight if she was lucky.

“Watching Lyra enjoying her amazing massage was exciting to see. It was like the massage I watched her get the first time, but only about a million times better for her. I had no idea a stallion’s penis could do that to a mare.”

“His penis?!” Mayor yelped, clearly riled up. “He put his penis inside her?”

Lyra, surprised that the mayor was surprised, quickly corrected the misconception.

“Oh, no. He just had me sit on it. He put his tongue inside me… Is that what he was supposed to do?"

Being among the more sexually informed, Twilight could already see this collision of mares occuring, given how each had different experiences that left them confused over was happening.

"Okay, what you both experienced is normal, but it's our fault that we didn't give you the information on what to expect from him or what an orgasm is."

All three mares turned their attention to Twilight with a deer in the headlights look.

Thankfully, Starlight knew how to get the ball rolling, using her magic to pull up a projector screen for some visual aid.

"Alright, girls. It's time we start going over the basics. I'll start things off, then Twilight can take over. Prim and I still have a date to get back to. We only stopped in for something to snack on."

Finishing his second drink, Sniff was still hedging his bets with Top Shelf on how far he should be taking things while she was working. While this was originally going to be the night he surprised her with some time together, he hadn’t planned on the double whammy of Lyra and Swifty being added to the roster. Also, seeing how fast things escalated with those two, he didn’t want to distract his favorite barmare while she was working for the dinner party that wasn’t far off.

“Yeah, things have been a little crazy today. I just feel bad that you have to work tonight.”

After a long night of dreaming, and an even longer day of working, Top Shelf was feeling the same way.

“Ugh, tell me about it. But maybe after the dinner is over, we can have a repeat of what your little sample of what’s to come? A little more of we did at the party last night?”

That was a tempting request, but between the long list of mares already pining for his attention, he didn’t know if he could make that work. Not to mention, by then, he likely wouldn’t be able to hold back and likely take things too far.

“We’ll have to see how things play out, but you and me definitely need to have some time together. Which also reminds me, some of the other girls are having a talk with Twilight, Ovens, and two of Chris’s girls. Nothing bad, just some clarification on what all to expect and things to look forward to while we’re together.”

“Oh?” Top Shelf inquired, leaning over the bar into near kissing distance. “Would any of that be the, more to come, you promised me after our kiss?”

She slid him over his next drink, never breaking eye contact, once again impressing him with her talents. Unexpectedly, that temptation was really starting to tug at him, inspiring some heavier flirting.

“Actually, yes,” he answered, ignoring his drink, temping the bar mare closer.

In the mirror in front of him, he could see that there was no one around and took the opportunity to sneak a quick peck on the lips for the mare. They both wanted more, but this wasn’t the time nor the place. Even she knew that when they had all but minutes to spare until the first group of delegates showed up.

Nonetheless, while it was appreciated, she returned behind the bar and tried to busy herself with focusing on preparing more glasses for the next set of orders she would likely be getting.

“I’m very excited to find out. I’ve never fawned over a stallion before. Though, I’ve never met one like you either.”

Before Sniff could reply with something witty, from behind, Cerb gave a response for him.

“And you never will.”

Cerb walked behind Sniff and laid a hand on his shoulder, letting his friend know something serious was about to go down by speaking in code.

“Something came up, I need you to cover for us for a few hours.”

Looking in the mirror again, Sniff saw too many faces he hadn’t expected to see so soon. With all of them there, it had to be something serious. Then, Cerb’s request circled back to heighten his worries. Cerb asking for someone to cover for him before he going off somewhere typically only meant he was about to fuck someone up.

The fact he wasn’t alone though?

Sniff turned around to make sure he wasn’t missing anyone. Luna, Cadance, Shining, Ember, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Octavia, Vinyl, Helix, Midnight, and Ralph. Behind all of them the rest of the delegates had just shown up and were welcomed by Italian Stallion, getting a very formal greeting from the owner.

With so much going on at once, Sniff didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

“Dude? What the fuck is going on?”

Trying to look normal, Cerb took a seat next to Sniff and motioned for Top Shelf to join them.

“Hey, Topsy. Pinkie, Octavia, and Vinyl are going to stay behind with Sniff to help entertain our new guests. I need your tip-top service for them until we get back. Sniff, same goes for you, and I need you to keep Twilight calm after we leave. This all came up last minute, but even though we don’t expect any trouble, we’re going in stronger than we last time.”

Behind the soon to leave crowd, Twilight led in the three newly informed mares, all of them quickly singling out Sniff at the bar and making their way over. Unfortunately, they were stopped short by Luna.

At the bar, Sniff could see Luna smiling and started to say something to his girls, looking very cordial, but for some reason stopped with a puzzled look on her face.

After a few sniffs over the four, she rolled her eyes and brushed Twilight aside to bow to the three other mares. They bowed back and stood with the rest of the group as the Moon Princess brought Twilight up the bar with Sniff and Cerb.

“My apologies for the short notice, Twilight. However, it was made clear to me today after speaking with Granny Smith, that my plans to revisit my old homestead simply cannot wait. I was hoping to do it with my guard fully assembled and the rest of you standing by, but that would be irresponsible to wait that long.”

For Sniff, everything he was hearing sounded like nothing but bad news.

“Why are you going back? What happened?”

Cerb turned in his seat and gave Sniff a confident pat on the back.

“Nothing happened. We’re going back to make sure nothing else happens. Make sure you know who really is still you know what.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be the nervous wreck, which for her was like her third default setting between organized and calm.

“I don’t understand. Why now? What happened with Granny Smith?”

Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, silently reflecting on the conversation, as well as the bomb she was about to drop.

“Granny Smith had to endure much sorrow and worry over Applejack. And while she was comforted by both Big Macintosh and Kelly, it took me two days to address her properly. And when she asked me if he would return or was truly at fault for Applejack’s injuries, I had no answer… and I will not address her again until I can answer at least one of those questions. If not, then there would be no added precautions to keep any creature safe. Let alone all of our delegates you will be watching over, Twilight.”

This was all coming on too fast and the priorities didn’t seem to fit.

“Wait? Why am I staying behind? I should be the one to-gmph umph…”

Rudely silenced by Cerb clamping her mouth shut with his hand, her heart nearly jumped into her throat. She turned her eyes up to his, finding a comforting smile. Only then as her panic died down did he slowly let go to speak reason to her.

“The biggest threat, if it does exist, is out there. If it is, the two best suited to take him out is me and Ben. If we’re wrong, and it comes this way, you’re the one to stand up to him. As an added precaution, we’re giving Lumber the Kimber. Chris will be bringing it over with the rifle. Those two will have more than enough firepower and fighting experience to back you up and do what needs to be done if we can’t get back in time.”

Luna could see Twilight struggling with herself on what to do. Then, seeing Kelly walk in with Big Mac, she knew what to say to keep the young princess calm.

“Twilight, I know you are responsible for all of them, and you have left them all in very capable hooves, but who are you solely responsible for?”

It didn’t take a genius to figure that out, and she turned to Sniff, and suddenly she started to look calm again.

Now that it was clear, Luna knew she had to leave with something encouraging.

“You know what is at stake, and I am leaving you in the position that I believe you are best suited for success. No games, tricks, or tests. My faith in you is not blind or subject to question. You have earned it over and over again. We shall return in time for dinner. If we do not, then I trust you will figure out a backup plan that I did not afford us the time to come up with.”

With that said, Luna turned and started to make her way out, greeting the other delegates along the way to excuse herself. That left Cerb to wrap things up.

“Seriously, don’t worry about us. We ran the risks, and if things were really that bad, I wouldn’t be going with my leg still not at a hundred percent. If anything, this is just a routine security recon mission to make sure what we already know is true. No shadows to worry about.”

He craned his neck to make sure Luna was out of earshot, then turned back to Twilight.

“Honestly, I think Luna feels responsible for not being able to protect Apple Hat since she got hurt the worst. She’s your senior and was there when it happened, but couldn’t explain to Granny what happened, despite it being a part of her. Imagine how you’d feel.”

That was probably the truth of the matter, but one thing still seemed out of place to Sniff.

“Why is Ember going with you?”

That question actually left Cerb looking a little uneasy, but he decided to be honest about it.

“I guess a certain somepony got carried away with how amazing it can be with a human and she wanted to claim a warrior worthy to share her throne with.”

Sniff immediately turned to Twilight, who shrunk with an embarrassed toothy smile as Cerb moved in closer to continue so only Twilight and Sniff would hear.

“She knew Benny was taken, went after Chris, but he was taken too. Got pissed off, saw me, remembered that Rarity and Flutters were with me, then asked them what she had to do to win me away from them.”

Sniff damn near turned pale as he quickly realized just what exactly that implied.

“Oh, no.”

“Ooooooh, yeah,” Cerb replied, as he stood up. “I’ll have to tell you later what happened. We want to get this over with before it gets dark.”

He stood there for a moment, looking for the words to say.

“This place is getting fucking weirder by the day, bro. But again, don't worry. We'll be back soon."

Thankfully, that seemed to put both of them at ease and Cerb took his leave with his two girls. Once they got outside, he came upon the sad sight of Benny giving a hug to both his mares as they tried not to break down. Only a stone’s throw away, Pinkie was cowering below Luna, at the tail end of being scolded.

"Have I not made myself clear? You are our ambassador to Yakyakastan for Equestria. Benny will be under my direct supervision. Your task is to remain here and watch over Octavia and Vinyl. Do this and I will not seek retribution for your Double-Double Blind Date fiasco. Even if it did end well, I have only held back my ire because of Benny’s request. Temp me again and that goodwill shall be for not. Are we clear?"

Pinkie nodded as if her life depended on it, and Cerb again felt terrible for her. With Benny so focused on his two music mares, he probably hadn't even noticed that something was digging at the party pony about his new arrangement with them.

He'd have to handle that later. Preferably before something else insane happened.

For now, the real threat they had to face was not falling off the flying chariots being flown by Luna’s bat guards. Stepping onto it again, he couldn't stop himself from pointing out the complete lack of safety features.

"I understand the lack of seat belts since there's no seats, but would it have killed ya to install a rail to hold onto? Or some doors maybe?"

As Benny took his place next to Cerb while Rarity jumped in, Helix stepped on with the obvious answer.

"This was made just for Luna. What's the point of putting in something to keep her from falling out when she can fly?"

Of course, that was the reason, but that wasn’t the point Cerb was going for. He was just trying to make light of the situation. Even still, Cerb could work with that.

“You know what, Helix? Fuck you and your right answers.”

Hearing that, Luna guessed that was just more of their sense of humor he was sharing. Thankfully, conversations with Kelly had cued her into their meaning, which she got a kick out of the more she thought about it.

Such terrible jokes in the worst of times seemed to take the edge of a little. Perhaps she could join in on the fun and keep their spirits from dropping any further before they arrive at their destination. Given who else was going to be riding along with them, Luna had a good idea of how to keep the joke going.

“I would have thought Rarity to be the more likely target of your physical affection if you needed to feel comfort along the way. But if his right answers suit your fancy… Who am I to tell you no?”

That was a sick burn that none of them saw coming, and the few that understood, we’re already laughing. Everyone but Cerb.

“God damnit. Shining, get on her so we can go to the house and get our shit.”

Still laughing himself, yet not understanding the joke, Shining hopped on with a big goofy grin.

“I still don’t know what that word means.”

With everyone in who couldn’t fly, the bat ponies started off, struggling at first, never having to pull so much weight. Even still, they could manage. At the same time, Luna, Cadance, Ember, Fluttershy, Midnight, and Ralph took off with them, flying close just in case any of them did happen to fall out.

Back on the ground, Pinkie turned to Benny’s two mares. They were just as worried for him as she was. The only difference was they were going to have him when he returned. Regardless, Benny was still her responsibility, as well as keeping him happy. If she couldn’t do that by his side, she damn well was going to do all she could to keep these two safe for him, and that was going to start with putting on a strong face.

“Don’t you worry about Benny. He’s a lot stronger than he looks, and if he has his Shockwave gun, nothing is going to stop him from coming back home to us."

Vinyl continued to watch the chariot shrink in the distance, but let what else was on her mind fall out unfiltered.

"Yeah, he already told us that he killed The Pony of Shadows. If anything, I'm worried about Cerberus fucking Helix. If it's going to hurt us, I can only imagine what that poor guy is gonna go through."

Pinkie turned back to look again at the group vanish in the distance, wondering why Vinyl would think that.

"What? That's not what Cerb meant at all. That's just something they say when they-"

In a sudden realization of what Vinyl saying that meant, Pinkie snapped her eyes back to the two mares.

"Holy shit! You know what fucking is?"

With a deep regretful groan, Octavia rolled her eyes, now having a second pair of lips with no filter to deal with.

“Yes, we know what fucking is. Benny told us before we met up with you and everypony else at Twilight’s.”

Vinyl, finally giving up on trying to figure out why Cerb would fuck a stallion, turned her attention back to Pinkie.

“Yeah. he spent like a whole ten minutes breaking it down for us. I think we got an understanding of it.”

Now Pinkie was a pony who enjoyed a good joke. Even a good prank would get a good laugh out of her… but this?

“Ten minutes? When Starlight told us all about sucking a dick, that took at least twenty. Not saying that I don’t have all the faith in all of Equestria in my BenBen, but I don’t think he could have covered all the positions a guy could have with one mare, let alone both of you with him in ten minutes. I mean, fucking a pony can’t but much different than all the fucking I saw humans can do together, and I didn’t even see the whole movie.”

Well, that makes two times today Vinyl was gifted by a mare with no filter. Sex was meant to bring lovers together, and Pinkie knew more than a whole ten minutes worth of explination from Benny? This was too good to pass up.

“How much do you know about fucking?”

Considering the self-love session she had not too long ago, and the mood killer that was Luna’s verbal assault, this could be a fun topic for Pinkie to kill the time with.

“I guess that depends on what you want to know. Sex is all the basic stuff, rutting good stuff, but fucking, and I don’t just mean butt fucking… that’s the reeeealy good stuff.”

Vinyl found her eyes widening to where she needed to take them off to properly convey her surprise, while Octavia need a moment to pick her jaw back up. The sight naturally left Pinkie with a grin. Now she had their full attention, but not all the details.

“I can tell you about what I’ve seen and heard Starlight and Twilight talk about, I’m sure they’ll be glad to share what they know about it. Oh! Maybe they learned some new ways for me to Wonder Rush!”

Of all the things to hear, that brought all of Vinyl’s cognitive abilities to an abrupt halt.

“Wonder wut?”

Seeing Vinyl that confused was funnier than it should have been, and Pinkie had a good giggle snort over it.

“Oh, wow. Yeah, you two are way behind. Let’s go inside first. I need to make sure Prince Rutherford gets a good party drink. Then we can see who’s all gotten some dick and is willing to help you two out where I can’t.”

As soon as the convoy had arrived, Chris was sadly grateful for the distraction.

Four royals, one of which was a dragon, the biggest baddest human the foals all idolized… Chris was willing to ride their coattails if it meant giving him even a little headway.

Instead, they came with a warning and the stupidest last-minute mission he could think of.

“You’re going back?! Are you-”

Chris had to calm himself down. He was getting loud and taking his anger out on the wrong person. Thankfully, Cerb could see this was out of character for the pony enthusiast. Even if Chris was right to be worried about going back, he was clearly upset.

“Dude, is everything alright?” He looked over his shoulder to see Ember distracted by the foals asking her a million questions, then turned back to his friend in need. “Did she try something while we were gone?”

It took Chris a second to realize who he was talking about, then shook his head, motioning for Cerb to follow him back into the house with Luna, now curious, and inviting herself along.

Once up in Benny’s room, Chris pulled the rifle out of the closet, made sure the chamber was clear, then shouldered the sling and sighed. He didn’t mind that Luna was there. It wouldn’t change anything.

After he grabbed the pistol from the lockbox, he holstered it in his waistband, emotionally beaten up by the events of the day after arriving back at the house.

“I wanted tonight to be my chance to get close to the kids and thank Berry Punch for watching them all the time… But Berry’s girl doesn’t like me at all. Pretty sure she fucking hates me. Now Prim’s daughter is acting the same way and that’s got Button… fucking doing the same when he gets too excited. Like it’s peer pressure not to like me or something. Dinky still thinks I’m awesome, but I’m worried they’ll gang up on her and… Dude… You know how worthless my dad was... How am I’m supposed to be a good one for them and not fuck this up?”

That was a loaded question with a lot bigger of a problem than Cerb knew how to even start to answer.

“Jesus, fuck, bro. I… honestly don’t know what to tell you. Just… be yourself and stay positive.”

Chris gave a look like he was just told to go fuck himself, and Cerb couldn’t blame him. He was going to have to try again and do a hell of a lot better.

“Dude, I’m sorry. You’re hooking up with all their moms plus three others they probably barely know except for their teacher, which is gotta be weird for them. And come on, if they know their moms are dating each other, they’re gonna be confused and probably a little pissed off that they don’t understand why such big changes are happening. But don’t forget how they were all over you at the welcome party.”

This was going to take a little more encouragement, especially if things did go south and he had to defend any of them. He’d have to change his approach, it, at least to get him through the night.

“Look, you need to stop thinking like the Chris who had a shit-hand dealt to him back home. You’re here now. You got six girls that love the shit out of you and... “

He paused and gave a long-drawn-out sigh for what he was about to admit. “Jesus Christ, Chris. You are so fucking spoiled having six, because these girls are so much better at sex than any woman back on Earth could ever hope to be. And they fucking love you, dude. Not only that. Here. You. Fucking. Kick. Ass. You got a big heart, a great sense of humor, slinging dick like a mother fucker… literally, and you slapped Celestia’s heavyweight champ around like a little bitch while taking it easy on him.”

That didn’t fix any of Chris’s problems, but it certainly cheered him up.

“I am a mother fucker, aren’t I?”

This wasn’t just a problem for Chris, it was going to affect some very important ponies, and Luna to step up. She hadn’t gotten around to getting to know Chris better, and that was something she would have to fix.

“Chris, while we haven’t been able to spend much time together, don’t think that what kind of stallion you are has escaped me. It is true that the many mares you have wooed all deeply care about you. And they certainly have no shame about their desires for sexual conquest with you.”

It might have been immature, but Cerb snorted hard over that, although it came from a place of sympathy dealing with his own.

“Sorry… sorry… He tried to warn me about what to expect from that, so I totally get it.”

Had Luna not been able to relate on a personal level, she might have felt some kind of way about that outburst. However, she was just as bad with Kelly, and gave Chris a wink, letting him know she knew, too.

“I do believe Justin is right, though. Stay positive, let them see the wonderful father you can be for them. That is, the stallion I’ve seen you be… And you did kick Onyx Armor’s ass while merely training him. Justin had to be angry to do that.”

There was more to it than being angry to win that fight, but Cerb was going to let it slide. The last thing he needed was another slip of the tongue to have Luna accuse him of wanting to fuck another stud.

Thankfully, that last bit from Luna did even more to restore some much-needed confidence in Chris.

“Thanks. Both of you. You’re right. I just need to be patient.”

Returning back outside, another squad of nine Lunar Guards had arrived. Not just bat ponies either. Unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies were mixed in with these ranks. This play date was sadly coming to an early end, but Luna could still do another act of kindness before departing.

“My little ponies,” she spoke up, calling the attention of the four foals. “I’m terribly sorry to have to end your movie night with Chris early, but we have some very important guests who have come to visit. Unfortunately, since they are so very important, they require extra protection tonight, which is why I’m asking Chris to help.”

All four turned their attention to Chris and the strange-looking wooden/metal club thing slung over his shoulder. Was it true that Luna needed Chris to protect other royals and important creatures visiting? He really must be something even more special than even Onyx implied him to be.

Talking him up seemed to be working, so Luna wanted to leave them with a promising outlook.

“Now, I’m sure you’ll have another chance to finish up watching movies and spending time with him, but for now, you’ll be waiting for your mothers to return to you at Twilight’s castle with some of the other youngsters visiting.”

If that didn’t build him up enough to earn his respect and make up for ending the movie night early, she had one thing left to seal the deal.

“Lunar Eclipse Battalion, First Squad. Please escort the civilians back to Twilight’s castle. I leave them in your care. And Chris, if anything happens, I’m counting on you to keep my squad safe. Onyx, you may join Chris back with the others at Grapes and Olives after escorting them.”

At the head of the squad, the squad leader saluted, ready to carry out his orders.

“First Squad, move out.”

As they marched away, Luna proudly watched the fillies and colt trot closely to either side of Chris. Then, as Chris leaned down to pick up Dinky and put him on his shoulders, she felt like she had accomplished something that would have otherwise been out of reach had she remained in Canterlot.

While not concerned about his location, Cerb must have felt the same way.

“That was pretty cool, LuLu. Chris needed that.”

Benny, on the other hand, didn’t know what all was going on or understand why the big ego boost was needed. He was more focused on reloading his shotgun.

“Needed what? You probably shouldn’t let all that go to his head.”

Carrying a merry smirk, Luna gave her wings a good stretch and readied for their next flight.

“Chris seems like a fragile version of my former self. Without a reminder of his importance to those that care about him, it could lead him to a dark path that is self-destructive.”

Then, with an even bigger smirk, she turned to Benny.

“And I doubt that will go to his head, I honestly needed my guards to know that if anything too big for them to handle were to happen upon them, I wouldn’t want them trying to stop Chris from stepping up to confront it.”

She turned her attention to Helix, still smiling, but with a devious glance in her eyes.

“Do not repeat this, but without Cutter to lead my ranks, even amongst my most elite squad that is escorting them back as we speak, Onyx is most likely our most skilled warrior. Chris, though? I heard what he did to Onyx while going soft on him. Onyx will never be able to stand up to Chris no matter how hard he tries, and if we are wrong about what may still lurk in the shadows, my ponies will need him in our absence.”

On all fronts, Luna was right, and that was a frightening thought, making Cerb double check to make sure his ax was secured on his belt. He was really hoping this was going to be a wild goose chase, for all their sake.

“All the more reason to get in and move out. Even if he did know a way for us to get back, he’s too big of a risk to keep alive. So let’s just hope the fucker’s still dead.”

Benny, in partial agreement, pumped the action on his shotgun.

“If not, I’ll put him down for good this time.”

This wasn’t exactly what Ember thought she was signing up for when she asserted herself into the mix. Although looking at the biggest coward of the bunch, Fluttershy, may have been sticking close to Cerb’s side, she was alert and showed no sign of fear. Nothing like the frightened mare she’d been told to be like Spike mentioned.

These humans. They were something special, unnaturally unique. They made whoever they were with stronger, and no differently from the Astral powers flowing in her veins, she could feel it.

… but power like that could only mean danger was close.

Like all the great legends of old, great power granted to the weak always foreshadows the great evil to confront it.

From behind them and stepping out of the house, Thunder stowed her blade, ready to move with Luna.

Lastly, Trixie stopped at the doorway… not ready not to go anywhere.

"If it's all the same, I’m tired, a little hungover still, and not cut out for hero work. I'm just gonna hang out here... Guard the embassy, watch movies, and drink like Benny said I could."

So... not gonna lie. This edit came through last minute, and I was half in the bag when the edit was almost done. So... this is the recap you get.

What happened with Ember? Where do things go with Benny, Octavia, and Vinyl? What's going to happen with this thing Cerb and Benny are being pulled aside for?

Find out in the next installment: