Twilight and I assumed positions largely similar to the last time we came out to the balcony, though the ambiance was graced with a beautifully-setting sun with hardly a cloud in the sky as the chilling spring breeze flowed gently like a nurturing mother's touch; a setting that I'd say greatly symbolized the calm after the thunderstorm. Taking in the captivating view and environment, we made ourselves comfortable as she sat next to me, snuggling close. This romantic sunset would hardly be enough to deter either of us from the long-awaited talk we had ahead of us, and boy was it going to be a doozy...

"So... what's on your mind, sweetie?" Twilight kindly asked, wasting no time getting right to the point. Learning from the last time I hesitated, I decided not to stammer or stall, so as not to get her nerves worked up into high gear again.

"Hmm..." I began, still a bit uncertain of how to convey my rampant thoughts... However, I DID know where to begin. "These heat cycles... I understand that they happen quite often, no?"

"That they do... From now until the end of the summer, mares and fillies who've hit puberty will be getting these cycles sporadically, with varying degrees of frequency and intensity..." she explained, though I could sense her nervousness.

"And... does sexual activity end the cycles?" I asked, getting sidetracked from my original point due to my curiosity.

"No... At least, not unless the mare becomes pregnant with a foal. Otherwise, intimate satisfaction merely staves off the onset of symptoms temporarily."

"Uh-huh... and I don't suppose there's any tellin' when your next cycle will be, huh?"

"Nope... Buuuut, luckily for me, when the occasion arises again, I have a wonderful stallion to help... 'satisfy my urges,' so to speak," she added as she looked at me and flashed a smile I took as a little salacious.

"Damn right you do... Anytime at all..."

"That you do, baby..." I agreed as I rubbed her back, causing her to arch it in stark satisfaction as she let out a satisfied sigh. "But that brings about this question... Forgive me if this sounds out o' the ordinary, but... between a group o' mares... do your heat cycles sync up in when they happen due to how much time you spend around each other?" At that, she widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yes, actually! How'd you know that?"

"Just a hunch, really... A similar thing happens t' human women back home. Not sure if I'd call what they go through 'heat cycles,' but aside from various differences I'd rather not go int' detail about, women who hang around each other synchronize in terms of their cycles... There's no fully irrefutable reason as to WHY it happens, but it does..."

"Interesting that you should mention that, though... It isn't really explained all that well why it happens to mares here either, but it's a phenomenon that definitely holds true."

"I figured as much..." I lamented.

"What's the matter?" she asked, taking note of my worried tone.

"Well uh... I'm gonna be blunt about this, so forgive me... but um... when you went upstairs t' clean up..." Twilight got the message immediately.

"She did something unusual, didn't she...?" she asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Y-yea..." I confirmed before we went silent. After a few seconds, she spoke.

"Well... what'd she do? I don't want to outright assume anything out of the ordinary, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt... so... what'd she do?"

"We... *gulp* we hugged... but... b-but right before we separated... she... she... uh..." I was stumbling over my words harder than a near-sighted dancer with two left feet. It felt like I'd suddenly developed a speech impediment.

"Why is this so damn HARD!? Spit it out!! Have you learned nothing from the last time??"

"...She kissed you... didn't she...?" Twilight finished for me, frightening me out of my wits. It didn't help that her face read nothing but seriousness.

"Yea..." I admitted. "She kissed me on the cheek. She only realized it when I called her name in complete surprise right when she was doin' it. She panicked an' flew off, totally embarrassed..." At first, the unicorn mare said nothing. Total silence yet again; only this time, MUCH more intense in its gravity... A small part of me actually hoped the balcony didn't actually collapse from the weight this conversation suddenly bore.

"I knew something of the sort would happen if I left you alone with her..." she lamented to my surprise.

"Wha...?"

"That's why you were asking if mares who are close friends synchronize heat cycles, right?" she cleverly deduced. I could only nod in bafflement at how calm she was being about this... "Truth be told, I'm fully aware that my friends and I will be hitting our cycles at roughly the same time... But I'm not worried about anypony doing anything unusual to you... because I have complete and utter faith in your commitment to me."

"O-of course! I would NEVER do anything like that to you. Not jus' because o' the Pinkie Promise, either!" I frantically rambled. "Like I said before, Twi... I love you. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you like that..."

"I know... There's no reason to be afraid, hon... I'll admit, though..." she began as she looked into the luminescent sunset sky. "I do worry about... about another mare trying to take you away from me... I mean, I know I can trust you with all my heart, but... it's other mares... specifically Fluttershy..."

"You... don't trust her?"

"I do trust her, but... these heat cycles aren't a joke... You are aware that mares are a bit more... susceptible to drastic changes in mood because of them, right?"

"Mm-hmm... Comet let me know the basics of how they work."

"Right..." she nodded as she brought her eyes to meet mine once again. "Then you know why I'm so uneasy about her now."

"You think she'd be that prone t' them that she'd try somethin' with me?"

"In all honesty... yes," she plainly admitted. "I mean... just a few moments ago, she kissed you. Doesn't that raise a red flag to you?"

"Of course it does... Tha'ss why we're talkin' about this now. But if the case is that you don't trust her as much as you want to, why set me up t' spend a day with her?"

"For one, to clear the air between you two. Other than that... I... I..." she faltered, which confused me.

"What, you ain't gon' say somethin' like 'this is a test o' faith' or somethin' like that... are you?"

"...Would you be disappointed if I said yes?" she bashfully admitted, making me shake my head.

"That doesn't make me happy, Twi. The last time you 'tested my faith,' it got us right where we are with Fluttershy now."

"I know, but you were only following tradition that time. This time, it's totally devoid of holiday-inspired sentiments. And it's not my faith in YOU I'm testing... it's my faith in her."

"I understand, but that doesn't make it any less... dishonest. I get your idea. I really do. Jus'... it's not nice t' do this t' her when she really seems t' like me... I'ss like danglin' candy in front of a foal, then yankin' it away just before they get t' taste it."

"I... I understand..." she conceded, her gaze falling to the floor. I took the initiative to hug her for comfort. Though, I was unsure of what to say about what to do with Fluttershy. This sort of thing was entirely alien to me.

"Don't worry, Twi... Whatever happens, at the end o' the day, it'll be you an' me. If you're worried Fluttershy's gonna steal me away, I'll assure you she won't. She's too considerate, even WITH the possibility of her bein' in heat, to do that t' either of us. Worst case scenario, she'd prolly try t' talk us int' turnin' our relationship into a threesome... Heh, wouldn't that be somethin' t' consider?" I joked, though it only made Twilight cringe.

"Y'know... you have the most arcane way of speaking my thoughts aloud..." she quipped as she smirked at me, thus totally astonishing me.

"WHAT??? That's SERIOUSLY something she considered???"

"Hey. I ain't complainin'... I mean, it IS still a little weird that they ain't human, but..."

"I'll take that wide-eyed gawking look of yours as you being totally surprised," the mare remarked. Again, I could only nod. "Well I suppose I should explain so as not to cause you too much alarm... In the early days of Equestria, ponies were scarce in number... it was largely due to the fact that Discord, before being overthrown by Princesses Celestia and Luna, made it very hard for ponies to get together and mate. His constant abuse of the laws of physics and relentless tearing of the fabric of reality for his own amusement caused the number of ponies in the country to dwindle drastically to the point where ponies as a species would've likely been extinct by now had the Princesses not intervened."

"Whoa..."

"Once the Princesses became the leaders of Equestria and order had been restored, measures were taken to proliferate the pony population. One of those methods included the practice of 'herding': The arrangement in which one virile stallion would court multiple mares with the intent to impregnate all of them in order to propagate the pony race. Of course, with the passage of time comes change. That said, once the population was suitably restored, herding eventually fell out of favor; mainly because of the risk of overpopulation. Though, some argue that it was because mares were unable to share one stallion and said stallions were exhausting themselves trying to please anywhere from two to eight mares all by himself. That aside, herding isn't a popular practice anymore. Some ponies still do it since there are still situations like ours that arise every now and again, but it's extraordinarily rare."

"I... I see..." I said as I comprehended her words... Such a captivating story... with a point I could hardly even fathom. "So..."

"Yes, the idea of maybe, albeit TEMPORARILY-- not to mention surreptitiously-- allowing Fluttershy to... to become intimate with you... has crossed my mind..." That statement all but blew my mind like an F5 tornado. I was rendered all but speechless as my heart was pounding so hard I thought I'd faint.

"Wh... Buh... H-huh??"

"You heard me right, Ty... I actually considered temporarily granting Fluttershy the ability to... well, do a lot of the same things you and I do..." she admitted with a furious blush.

"...Even...?"

"Yes, even that."

"Well ain't that somethin'...? Two lovely ladies sharing? That... is... incredible..."

"Herding knows very few boundaries in terms of the connections between participants. I only thought about it because it'd be the easiest way to avoid trouble, so long as all three of us kept our mouths shut on it. But there's so much to worry about, from anypony finding out, to Fluttershy wanting to make it permanent and forcing me to share you with her, to you taking favor with her over me, to you possibly leaving me for her should we decide to end the herd... I..."

"You're... not sayin' you'd... be jealous... are you?" I asked, as the majority of her reasons had to do with how well we (I, specifically) would handle Fluttershy's presence.

"No!" she sternly, yet unconvincingly denied. "Don't be ridiculous. I-I have total faith in you..." she crossed her forelegs and pouted as she turned away. Though, the inadvertent admittance of her jealousy amused and interested me. So I gently laid a hand on her cheek, turned her head to face me, and gave her a deep, passionate, assuring kiss.

"You're so adorable... It's okay t' be jealous, y'know..." I informed her as I caressed her cute, blushing face as she seemed totally lost in the afterglow of the smooch.

"It... is?" she managed to ask as she recovered.

"Yes... I'd be jealous too if I had t' share you with another guy... It just means you care."

"But... jealousy indicates a lack of faith, which would mean I didn't--"

"Baby... jealousy is natural. If you really weren't jealous in the least, I'd actually be more worried than if you were. That would mean you didn't care what I did with another girl. On the other hoof, if you were OVERLY jealous, then that would mean you had no faith in me at all."

"Okay... but how would you gauge jealousy to decipher the specific category it falls under, going by that logic?"

"Through actions. Generally in this regard, it's a natural reaction t' the threat o' something or someone you like bein' taken away from you. I'ss how you handle the feelin' that lets others know how little or how much somethin' bothers you."

"I... I see your point."

"Good. That said, if, hypothetically, you, Fluttershy, and I DID wind up doin' this... herd thing, I would be considerate enough t' give both o' y'all equal attention so as to curb the jealous feelings y'all might have for each other. An' before you say I couldn't handle it, the only thing t' think about is how well you two would handle sharin'... I mean, I honestly don't know myself if there's enough o' me for more than one girl, but so long as we all synchronize our views, I think it could work..." I elaborated before I realized just what the hell I was saying. "I-I mean if, HYPOTHETICALLY, we did that, of course..." I added with a nervous titter. Though, Twilight didn't laugh with me... she simply stared into my very inner being, seeming to comprehend and interpret my words.

"I... I understand... So... do you think that would be a better idea than you trying to let her down easy while she's in heat as well?" she inquired, throwing me for another loop. It made me wonder if she'd REALLY be okay with this sort of thing; even though it, at its core, simply meant sparing the feelings of a friend...

"Damn... That's a very good question..." I uncertainly answered, my mind instantly bringing into consideration Fluttershy's feelings on it, how long it would last since Twilight seemed vehement on only letting it be temporary, whether or not to keep it secret, the general outlook of other ponies if they were notified, how the sex I mean uh... how we would spend our time together... It was no easy thing to think about.

To give an opinion on herding with Fluttershy versus letting her know once and for all that her feelings were unrequited when... when I honestly didn't know myself if they were unrequited... All the things the gentle pegasus mare had done for me had come into mind... the nature of most of our recent interactions... that dream I had about her... her confession... the fact that she rounded up the courage to kiss me before she left... it sent butterflies swarming through my stomach; an elating sensation normally only Twilight could get me to feel. It was then that I came to a shocking conclusion...

"Oh my god... Do... Do I LIKE Fluttershy??"

"...Judging by your consideration and prolonged dead silence, is it fair to guess that you... actually care about Fluttershy... the same way you do about me?" And with that, she checkmated me.

"SHIT! This is WAY harder than I thought..." After a moment of tense silence, I spoke.

"I... I don't know, Twilight..." I responded, feeling guilty for my ambivalent answer. "I really don't know. I mean, I don't wanna hurt the girl, but I know for a fact that I love you more than I could ever love anyone else... That an' no matter how many times she an' I try t' clear things up, it only makes it worse... The way she stares at me... the way she acts around me... the numerous times she showed that she cares... the fact that, even though it might've been heat-fueled, she kissed me... It makes me think that this is more than a simple crush for her... In conjunction with the fact that she's very likely about t' be in heat... I guess what I mean is... is that I don't think either way we go about this will end up without her bein' hurt in some way or another... but t' answer your other question... I feel like maybe, just MAYBE if we were to lay down the law with her an' explain that it'd be temporary, she wouldn't be quite as hurt... but even THAT answer is full of flaws an' loopholes..."

"...*sigh* Well, it'd be unfair of me to say I don't understand your viewpoint... I also won't pretend it doesn't hurt to hear you say you actually MIGHT like her back..."

"Twi, I don't mean it that way. I'm not perfect. Far from it--"

"It's okay. Let me finish..." she calmly stated. "I still do see that, of the three of us, you're in the hardest spot. I mean, if I were in your place, I'd be just as torn and scrambled as you are right now. Fluttershy told me herself that she'd been enamored with you for quite a while now. And though I don't know how many times you've talked to her since you were last out here with her, I know every interaction since then is weighing heavily on your mind. From the looks of it, she really touched you with her natural kindness... especially since she's been so nice to you and I in particular despite me immediately telling you about her feelings after she told me. That said, while I'm not at all okay with you harboring affection for Fluttershy, I acknowledge that it isn't without good reason... That said... how long?"

"How... long...?" I echoed, still stunned by her analysis.

"Yes. How long?" she enunciated, a slight twinge of anger evident in her tone. It was clear she didn't want to say what she was asking, for the mere thought irritated her. I really felt horrible for upsetting her, but she deserved nothing but complete honesty from me.

"Oh! Um... N-not long at all, I promise..." I stuttered, unsure of what to say to her. "Probably since... like yesterday... when she uh... c-confessed t' me in full..."

"Hm... Alright then," she flatly stated, which of course did nothing to ease my nerves. "Do you think it would get in the way of our relationship?"

"Not at all!" I boisterously replied, eager to convince the mare of my undying love for only her. "You've been FAR too good to me, Twilight. There hasn't been a day since our relationship began that I ever doubted how much I like you... An' for us t' actually have sex despite all that happened AND all the physical differences between us? Over the course of nine months? There's no way in Hell I'd ever disregard that. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me, Twi. T' give you up for ANYONE else would be t' let a huge part o' myself perish in an unforgiving abyss of misery and regret. I love you too much t' hurt you. Believe that..." My words seemed to strike a chord with her, as her facial expression immediately changed from one of stern concern to dreamy, love-stricken affection. Her graceful smile... her glowing cheeks... her radiant, glimmering violet eyes...

"You're the sweetest... I love you..." she confessed, much to my relief.

"And I you..." I replied as we hugged tightly.

"There's still what to do about Fluttershy, though..." she reminded me as we ended the embrace. "Are... are you sure you'd really want to make our relationship into a herd?"

"What?? When did I say that?"

"Well, you pretty much implied it. You basically said that you'd rather begin a herd than try and let her down, right? Especially considering how you feel about her?"

"Uhh... I don't think I did...? I don't even remember answerin' the question candidly..."

"Hmph. Do you have an answer now?"

"Er... it's tough t' say... plus, I don't wanna answer unless she's actually here t' give her input... I'm not very comfortable with it t' be honest, but after all we jus' discussed... I don't think I could bring myself t' say no... but I can't readily say yes either..."

"Very well then... I'll talk to her about it."

"Okey doke... Though, putting MY feelings aside, how would YOU feel about it?" I asked, as she hadn't really given a clear explanation of her viewpoint aside from clues of mild discomfort.

"Me? I'd... I'd be okay with it, I guess..." she reasoned. "After all... I WAS the one to come up with the idea..."

"Hm. I'd be inclined t' believe you... if you didn't already let me know you basically don't trust Fluttershy... Be honest with me, Twi. We don't have t' do it if you don't want to. Your feelings on it are just as important as everyone else's."

"...Fine, you got me. I don't like it very much at all," the mare solemnly admitted.

"I didn't think you did... This might sound redundant, but... why not?"

"Of all the things I'd share, you aren't one of them. Not to sound selfish, but I feel as though in terms of romantic companionship, you're mine and mine alone, whereas I'm yours to have and no one else. When we began our relationship, I obviously expected it to just be between us... nopony else. I never even took into account the possibility of another pony taking such a liking to you."

"Very true... very true indeed..." I nodded in agreement.

"For this fiasco with Fluttershy of all ponies to come up... and so abruptly... I was overwhelmed by it. Heat or no heat, this is something very alarming to me. As she told me, she'd been harboring her feelings for a long time. I feel as though it might have been long enough that it might have gone far beyond simple infatuation, considering what happened over the course of this weekend. She's my best friend, and I wouldn't ever want to bring her any anguish or sorrow... but how fair is it to any of us to ignore her affection when she's shown to care so deeply?"

"You're a good mare, thinking about how she'd feel..." I commended. "...but how fair would it be t' you if we DID wind up doin' this threesome thing if you ain't even comfortable with it yourself. The last thing I'd ever wanna do is make you do somethin' you don't want to."

"Also true..."

"I can tell there ain't really an easy way outta this. The time o' year only makes this harder... No matter what way we handle it, not everyone is gonna be happy in each scenario... If we choose t' let her down, she'll likely be deeply hurt... If we choose t' do this herd thing-- even temporarily, you'd be extremely uncomfortable. In both those events, I'd feel bad. Lettin' her down would feel like the worst thing imaginable, but herdin' with her would make me worry about you t' the point where I wouldn't feel good doin' anything with her because you'd be hurt by it..."

"I see your points, Ty..." she nodded as she went silent. "...Maybe we should postpone actually deciding anything until all three of us are able to talk it out..."

"Maybe we should... Oh yea, that reminds me: We never got t' decide when I was gonna be her indentured servant for a day..." Twilight giggled in amusement.

"That depends entirely on your already-cumbersome schedule, Mr. Indentured Servant. Looking at the sheer amount of services you owe, your best chance would likely be next weekend."

"Funny you should say that... I was gonna ask if you'd be willin' t' sacrifice a day..."

"Yeah, sure... My weekend will be fairly busy anyway, what with all the studies I have to catch up on thanks to this crime-fighting excursion of ours, amongst other things." Hearing that actually disappointed me greatly. "Plus, now that I think of it, it's probably best if you also went to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia ASAP to fulfill your bargain with her." Hearing THAT made me angry, considering what one of Celestia's favors was...

"Ugh, don't remind me... That pretty much screws all the time I had planned out jus' for you..."

"We'll still have ONE day together... and we'll spend it with you doing me the favor you owe for making me so upset with you..."

"Hmph... I just hope you're gentle with me..." I shot back, honestly unsure of what she had in store for me. I could only guess that she'd probably make me do all of Spike's chores or force me to be the test subject in an experiment of hers...

"You'll be fine..." she assured with a chuckle. "Plus, if I'm not too wrapped up in anything by the time you and Fluttershy are done hanging out, we could have this discussion with her then. It'd be knocking two things out in one go. Plus, by that time, we should all have our thoughts in line to make a better judgment."

"Good point."

"Indeed," she concurred. "While we're still out here, is there anything else you wanted to get off your chest?"

"Hmm... Yea, actually... I wanted t' ask you somethin' else: Now that we've... in a general sense, consummated our relationship, do you feel there are other milestones to get by? I mean, we've come so far already... Do you feel as if there's much left for us t' conquer before we fully realize the depth of our relationship?"

"If we were basing our relationship on milestones alone, then we probably wouldn't have much else to do... aside from us meeting each other's parents. However, I think what we have is much more meaningful than a human/pony relationship... We have... a sort of an existential connection... One that spans across inconceivable cosmic boundaries. One that defies most conventional explanation. One that, no matter how we look at it, is astronomically astounding in countless ways... simply for the fact that we're so involved with one another that we can, despite all the odds and the obstacles and even the presumably-cosmic physical distance between our worlds, love each other..."

"Wow... you sure do have a way with words, Twi..." I commended. "I agree with you wholeheartedly. But... I still feel like there are things, even with our level of connection, that might serve to drive us apart..."

"Like what?"

"General life, simply put... I mean, with you being Princess Celestia's protégé, bein' a natural leader, bein' one of the most powerful unicorns-- if not THE most powerful-- on the planet, not to mention the bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony... I'd bet it's only a matter o' time before you wind up sproutin' wings, bein' given a crown an' kingdom, an' possibly becomin' nigh-immortal like the Princesses... an' because of all o' that... our connection would fade into nothingness as we eventually separate so that you're able t' fulfill your life's greatest accomplishments. You're well on your way t' doin' great things... whether I'm here or not. I'm no stranger t' that realization."

"Ty..."

"On my end, I'm not sure how long we could keep up this before it gets tedious... with you payin' visits t' me an' bringin' me to an' from here on an occasional, limited basis... with me havin' t' come up with excuses an' reasons t' people for my complete disappearance from my world when nobody at home knows I'm here... Then there's the fact that I might wind up havin' t' do things in my world that might serve the same purpose of driving us apart... Maybe I'll move from my house t' somewhere far away for some reason... Maybe I'll become so busy that comin' here stops bein' an option anymore... It's even possible that either one of us might wind up findin' somebody in our respective worlds t' become close to due to the lack of frequency in how often we see each other... The paths I may possibly take won't be anywhere NEAR as great or glamorous as yours, seein' as I'm not of royal blood like you are, nor am I anywhere close to any of my world's leaders, but... my general point is... how much longer do you think we'll... last?"

"You raise some really good points, Ty... you really do..." Twilight replied, pondering my inquiry. "To be honest, I can't answer those concerns for certain. They've crossed my mind as well and I haven't come up with any answers either of us would be satisfied with... But if there's one thing I do know, it's this: Whether or not I REALLY wind up becoming a princess myself or the hooves of fate whisk us away to our lives' greatest aspirations... Whether or not you and I eventually separate for some reason or another or in some bizarre twist of events, you wind up being trapped here forever or I wind up getting stuck in your world... I merely say only time will tell. But no matter what happens... you'll always have a place in my heart..." she informed as she snuggled into me; an embrace I happily welcomed. She went a step further by giving me another small kiss.

"I agree in full. Whether or not we separate... there's a place in my heart that no one could ever fill but you... but then that brings me to this: How do we handle things now that Ponyville knows I'm neither a pony, nor a native of this world?"

"I'm well aware that simply alerting Ponyville to your existence in itself was but a minor step in the progression of our relationship... or in the possible prospect of human-to-pony interactions in general. There IS the fact that it's possible for ponies to get to your world and that two ponies-- Comet Gazer and myself-- have managed to do so. There's no telling who else might wind up crossing that boundary, though the odds are fairly low... I feel as though that's something you could talk to Celestia about."

"I suppose I should... I feel like we been keepin' this on the D.L. too long... Gillian an' I are the only humans t' see this world, though he pretty much made it impossible for him t' go back, as he chose t' live out the rest of his life as a pony... I still have access t' my world thanks t' you, but I have no idea where t' even begin if we were t' decide t' reveal the actual existence of ponies in my world. There's no scenario I could think of that wouldn't end in a huge mess..."

"I understand... If you were to go as far as becoming an ambassador of humankind, you'd have a lot of work on your hands. But, your pioneering of the prospect would serve to educate humans and ponies alike on an entirely new realm of studies and research. It's even possible that negotiations to enable some easier, much more convenient form of intergalactic travel would take place should your world's leaders ever possibly come into contact with the Princesses or any of the other world leaders here in that scenario... The possibilities are endless. But we'd have to start slow. I wouldn't worry too much about it right now, as something as big as that takes a lot of time and deep thought to even consider. Again, I'd have to refer you to Princess Celestia."

"I'll... keep that in mind..." I answered, at this point being given a new idea to consider in my impending conversation with the Sun Princess. "In the meantime, is there somethin' you wanted t' say or ask me?" I asked, wondering if there was some issue she wanted to bring to the table.

"Hmm... Sorry if this sounds a bit lewd, but... when we were... um..." she began to blush as she tried to find her words. "When we were... engaging in..."

"Intimate activity?"

"Yes, that... When we were doing that... you seemed to really know what you were doing, despite that being our first time... how?" Her question almost made me laugh, but I knew she was serious.

"Well... I won't pretend like I knew everything I was doin'... Most of it was impulse. I figured that, even though you're a pony, you're still a girl, with feminine desires and needs... The rest was through communication... whether verbal or bodily."

"Oh... I see. And the oral stimulation...?"

"Hm. I take it you... liked that...?" I couldn't help but smirk at her as she scratched her mane, unsure of how to answer me.

"M-maybe..." she admitted with a cute little flustered smile as she got warmer.

"Heh heh... Well, I jus' thought it'd be somethin' you'd go for... Evidently, I was right. It was a huge gamble, considerin' I actually know next t' nothin' about how ponies get intimate..."

"I honestly don't think any amount of pony knowledge would've changed how well you satisfied me... Simply doing what you did with your mouth... Not to mention those hands of yours... And the different ways we... m-made love..." she trailed off with a slight quiver of presumable excitement at the thought.

"All the better t' please ya with, m'lady... But generally, i'ss a matter of explorin' one another when it comes t' this sort o' thing. Tha'ss the fun part about it. Tha'ss why I was askin' you what you'd have liked me t' do based on what you did for yaself. When you told me you don't please yourself, I could only figure out what you liked by pleasin' you myself... which is why, beside the reason of relievin' your heat, I focused much more on you than myself."

"Ooooh... I remember you saying we were conducting an experiment while we were doing it, but I thought it was merely you being figurative... So it was essentially you conducting actual experiments on me to find out what... how do I say, 'turned me on'?" she asked in wonder, though her diction surprised me.

"In a sense..." I shrugged, though she giggled in amusement.

"Looks like the tables turned for once in terms of whom was experimenting on whom... Though... Would you be okay if I spent some time... experimenting on you the next time we do it?" At that, my eyebrows raised like the roof of a nightclub during a fantastic party.

"Ain't got a problem with that!"

"Be my guest... I'd actually like t' see what you could do..." I permitted with a sly wink. It was then that Twilight got warmer under my arm and I began to detect a certain aroma filling the air.

"With what you did for me last time... I'd be sure to repay you tenfold..." she lustfully matched my quip with another, surprising me in the best way possible.

"That a fact? Oooh, I can't wait..." I replied, the butterflies in my stomach fluttering intensely as I anticipated our next encounter. Though, we weren't done talking just yet, so I had to curb my urges in the wake of clarifying our relationship status. "*AHEM* but before we tackle that again... there's just ONE more thing I think we should clarify..."

"Hm?"

"Do... you think I'd still need the ability to transform into a pony?"

"Good question. I don't think you'd generally need to, but I'm sure you've been able to find out for yourself what advantages and disadvantages came along between each of your forms. Although, only Ponyville has seen you in your human form. Outside of Ponyville, only Celestia has seen you. You might still need it if you were going anywhere in public outside of Ponyville, but other than that, you should be good."

"True, true... Is there anything else you wanted t' talk about or did you wanna go... conduct some more experiments...?" I asked, my tone becoming lascivious.

"Oh my, Ty..." she blushed again, smiling coyly as she turned away slightly while batting her eyes at me. "Um... I think we've covered all the most important topics for now... Anything else can wait at this point..." she answered as her scent became stronger as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and climbed onto my lap. "For now... we consummate our relationship... again..." The forwardness of the mare was alarming, yet serendipitous. I had no complaints at all as I leaned in to kiss her once more... Though something caught my attention from my peripheral vision JUST before our lips met... and when I turned to catch a full view of what my eyes detected, I froze in terror.

"Ah! Uh-oh..." Twilight heard this and was snapped out of her romantic stupor. Befuddled, she turned to look at what I was looking at, only to be just as flustered as I was...

"How long have you been standing there!?" she screamed as she leapt off of me, appalled at the presence of our unwelcome guest.

"Long enough..." admitted the peeping tom from the balcony door: A small, nosy amethyst-colored lizard who'd been wearing a grin wide enough to make a hyena jealous.

"Oh, you gon' learn today, boy...!"

"Spike...!" she growled, her cheeks redder than tomatoes as she angrily approached him. "How long...!?"

"Uh, s-since you two got done talking about Fluttershy... I-I swear I'll keep this all a secret!" he begged, his triumphant demeanor already gone and replaced with sheer horror at Twilight's justifiable anger. She was right up in his face as he cowered in understandable fear.

"And how much did you hear?"

"Um... j-just about everything..." he conceded in shame. I mentally groaned as I threw my head back and released enough hot air through a deep sigh that I might have been able to make a tea kettle boil. Considering what Twi and I were just talking about...

"Aww man... Looks like somebody might need t' hear the 'Birds and the Bees' talk pretty soon..."

"Why was you jus' standin' there listenin' in on us for that long?" I dared to question as I got up and walked over to him, kneeling down once I was close enough. I was pretty upset myself, of course.

"I was curious... I mean, you two seemed to have a lot to talk about and from the sound of it, I thought you guys might've been talking about what this 'Heat' thing was. I needed to find out one way or another."

"I... I assume you did, then...?" I asked, afraid of the answer I was going to get from the inquisitive little dragon.

"Yeah... a-and then some..."

"Of COURSE you did... Dammit...!"

"Well then..." Twilight began. "It seems you and I have a talk of our own to look forward to. You are a growing dragon and I suppose it's only necessary for me to eventually talk to you about these sorts of things. I just didn't expect it to be so soon... One word of this to ANYPONY, Spike...! And I'll cut your allowance by three fourths, make you do all of Owloysius's chores on top of your own for a year, and make sure you never see even one STRAND of Rarity's mane so long as I live...!"

"Jeez, Twilight, lighten up!" he complained. "I wasn't going to say anything! I promise! You don't have to be so cruel about it!"

"Considering how long you stood there and eavesdropped on us, Spike, I think it's only necessary. But, just so I can really take your word for it... Pinkie Promise."

"Aw come on! Is it THAT serious? I REALLY won't tell anypony!"

"Not even Rarity...?" I asked, knowing that he'd most likely slip something to her if left unchecked. I also knew that Rarity, indulgent as she tends to be in the business of other ponies, would likely get one unprovoked clue from Spike, then get him to sing like a caged canary with as little as a seductive wink in his direction.

"Well... MAYBE Rarity..." he foolishly admitted with a nervous smirk.

"Pinkie Promise. Now." Twilight commanded, convinced that he'd go back on his word otherwise.

"Fine, fine, jeez... Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye..." he halfheartedly performed the legendary ritual, thus sealing the deal (and his loose lips).

"Good," Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as she calmed herself. "Now I'll be right back. I have to take Ty home now. Say your goodbyes." Spike and I obeyed the mare, shaking hand with claw and flashing each other peace signs. Though, I wasn't planning on leaving so abruptly. I was about to ask Twilight why she was taking me back to my world so soon, seeing as the sky was still illuminated with the final waning rays of sunlight... but then I got the idea, considering her natural musk was still resonating off of her.

"Catch ya on the flipside, Spike..." I bade, just as worried for him as I was mad at him for being a fly on the wall.

"Y-yeah... See ya later, dude..." he somberly replied as he stepped back into Twilight's room.

Twilight charged her horn, touched a hoof to my back and with a *POOF*, sent us back to my world.

Author's Notes:

Not a lot of action here, but it was necessary in drawing this story closer to its long-awaited close. Still, hope it was enjoyable!

...and if you think that ending was some sort of open transition to a possible second chapter of a certain story having to do with lowering temperatures, then you're wrong... L-like dead wrong... and stuff. Oh, and there TOTALLY isn't a link hidden somewhere in this chapter...