Chapter 60
Sleep was a dark and empty thing. It felt like I was barely out when whispers stirred in my head, as if from far away. My ears twitched lightly and my eyes opened over the course of a couple seconds. Dim light greeted me, the room having darkened significantly from my last memory of it, nothing but black outside the window across from me. Crap. How long had I slept?
Ever faithful, Clocky reported that it was quarter after twenty-two hundred hours, which honestly explained the relative darkness of the room. The only light came from the stairs leading down to the first floor, and I looked towards it curiously. Somepony had come home and turned on the lights, obviously, but was it Fluttershy or that crazy bastard, Discord? My hoof snagged something lightly as I moved it upwards, however, and I frowned, looking down at my chest.
A soft, woven blanket had been laid over me with great care, covering every little inch of myself all the way up to the shoulders. A light smile played at my mouth. Fluttershy. The voices that had stirred me from my sleep popped up again suddenly, and my ears flicked back towards the stairs.
"I just don't know. What are we going to do about her?" I heard asked in a soft, concerned voice. I'd recognize it at almost any distance now as Twilight's. She was visiting? Her bath must have gone well after Discord's disruption.
There was a pregnant pause before a very timid sigh was returned. "Um, I don't know. Her heats are really bad, and she seems like she's better now and thinking clearly," Fluttershy suggested. Bad heats? What, were they talking about Rainbow?
"Yeah. Her apology was really earnest sounding. I can tell she feels horrible and that it's all her fault. Really, I don't think that I, well, I don't really feel angry about it," Twi returned hesitantly, as a rare moment of stumbling over her words. Rainbow was apologizing to her? Did something happen?
"Rarity told her to stop going over there. The race is really, really important for her this year, if you remember," Fluttershy pointed out. Oh, oh crap. Did Rainbow tell them about what happened?! Wait, she wasn't supposed to take all the blame for that!
Twilight chuckled for a moment, however, then added, "Yeah. It sounds like it was a complete accident, plus the link is barely a tenth of the way completed. As it is now, I doubt it's any stronger than the disks are." Tenth? Wait, this was only ten percent of the link?! Holy hell! No wonder it was a huge deal for Ponies. I'd probably be able to feel almost everything Dash did if it were ten times as strong when completed!
There was a long pause, and I relaxed against the cushion again. It didn't sound like Dash was in trouble, anyway. I guess it turned out okay after all. Still, Twilight was probably here to try to talk to me. There wasn't really any point of them coming back here if that weren't the case. I'd kind of figured Fluttershy would be returning by herself after everything that happened, but lying up here in the dark wouldn't change anything.
Regardless of my awareness of that, it was remarkably hard to will myself to move. I didn't want to face them yet, or deal with this now. Frankly, I just kind of wanted to run and hide somewhere, and engage in a therapeutic bout of wailing and mauling things. I openly admitted I was childish in that regard. Sometimes I was tired of trying to be a grown up.
A sigh from downstairs snapped me out of my irritated stupor. "What are we going to do about the herd, then?" Twilight asked softly. I froze. Eavesdropping was bad, and I was a bad pony, but I listened regardless. Not that I should really care, because if Hell existed, I most certainly already had a very special spot reserved just for me.
At first, I wondered if Fluttershy hadn't fallen asleep or something, but finally I picked up the barely audible whine, magnifying my hearing a couple times. Could Twilight even hear that? "I don't know. It's just, um, nothing is going the way it should," the yellow mare finally whispered.
A light groan sounded from Twilight, and I winced, toning my audio level down a bit again. "That you don't need to say twice. Did he say anything at all about it?" she asked, sounding tired. Well, I didn't feel so badly about eavesdropping now that she was grilling Fluttershy on me. I guess even 'reformed', she was a rather natural spy.
"No," Fluttershy muttered, making it officially the saddest sound in the world. A moment later, she elaborated with, "He just said that he was happy for us and smiled. But his eyes looked... They looked so dead. Oh dear." A knot formed in my throat and I swallowed. She was highly empathic. I should have known she'd notice. Suddenly, I didn't want to go down there after all.
I heard a chair adjust itself down there, and hoofsteps on wood for a moment before Twilight let out a light groan. "This is bad. Really bad. Gah. I was so stupid! Why did I send out the herd form?! We need to think of something, Fluttershy. Anything to fix this. Do you think Princess Celestia could do an official appeal for the time limit? Wait, that would require me to actually tell her," she started rapidly muttering. Herd form? Time limit? Suddenly, I took a shot in the dark and guessed there was more lovely news I wasn't aware of yet. I figured there'd be a form for it. Governments run on paperwork, after all. Time limits, however, were usually not in my favor. Like waiting for your planet to explode, as a good example.
"T-Twilight, calm down. You're, um, panicking again. Please sit down, if it's okay with you," Fluttershy spoke up, a little louder to get over Twilight's rambling. There was a delay, then a sigh and I heard the chair scrape across the floor again. The unicorn was tense, like earlier. I could tell she'd shifted into complete panic at some point over the week given the state she let herself fall into, but I hadn't realized she could go right off the deep end like that. The image of her grinning face burned into my mind again and I shuddered.
My throat knotted up again as I heard crying instead. At least 'anger' wasn't a viable argument anymore. Either of them crying tended to really beat the crap out of that approach. This was a soft sobbing instead, as if trying to hold itself back from tumbling into full out misery. "I'm scared, Fluttershy. We're both going to be lucky if we're not dumped, and after everything we've been through, I really... He's special to me. I don't want one foolish, compulsive decision in the middle of estrus to ruin that for both of us!" Twilight admitted. She gave up on composure when her voice died down and the crying picked up fully.
No answer came, and I heard another chair slide out again. Pushing my face into the back of the couch, I sighed weakly. I just wanted the three of us to be happy together. In the long run, did it matter if I had to wait a little bit to get into the herd? Sure, I was sad that they made it without me, but it sounded like they really felt badly about it, too. Plus, seeing how Rainbow got, I really did understand what Estrus could do a bit better. Even if it didn't dictate their every action like it might have their distant ancestors, it certainly made choices a lot 'easier', as Rainbow would have said. They cared deeply for each other, so was it really a surprise?
Then what bothered me? I wasn't as important as I'd subconsciously hoped, was a good part of it, I admitted. It felt like a kick to the stomach to fully 'think' about finally, but I guess I deserved that. Equestria was already different enough from my old dimension to give me plenty to be thankful for. I didn't need to be the most important pony to them, and it was just conceited at this point to even think that way. When did I start thinking I was that entitled?
"Shhhh. It's okay, Twilight. Just let it out," I heard Fluttershy whisper weakly. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Slowly, I sat up on the couch and let the blanket slide off me. My left forehoof lifted up and I brushed it along the single braid descending from my bangs on that side. "We'll be okay. Mender's a nice stallion, and if we explain ourselves, I'm sure he'll, um, well, I hope he'll listen," she added after thirty seconds passed with just the softer crying.
"I-I know. We have to try. Do you think he'll also be, um, angry he was left out? Oh no. We sent him to the cabins to avoid this!" Twilight suddenly murmured, and my ears flattened back. She was just going to work herself into a panic again. I heard Fluttershy try to say something, but Twilight just continued, totally drowning her out. "Oh no. No, no! I'm not safe yet! If I ask him to wait another day or so, though, after everything we have to already tell him, it's going to sound really, really bad!" Okay, yeah, time to stop this.
Her rambling ground to a halt a second after my hooves touched down on the floor, my own hoofsteps probably easily heard through the wood. I heard her gasp a second later, and a chair slid out rapidly again as I walked towards the stairs. Oddly, I heard the jingle of the front door's knob a second later before a light thud resounded through the air. Uh... Wait, no, I think I knew what happened.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs confirmed it with Twilight flattened on her stomach in front of the door, and Fluttershy on top of her. She'd tried to escape. Heh, it was actually almost cute. Fluttershy gave out a weak squeak as she saw me, and Twilight looked up with an expression of horror.
"T-This isn't what it looks like!" Twilight shouted abruptly, rolling and pushing Fluttershy off her back with a light thud. Eh?
I raised my eyebrow, sitting down at the base of the stairs. "You weren't trying to escape, then, and got tackled by Fluttershy?" I inquired curiously.
I was mildly amused by her dumbfounded expression before she rapidly shook her head. "N-No! I mean, yes! I, well, uh..." she whined, looking flustered suddenly before just groaning and flopping over onto her stomach again. That feeling I could sympathize with.
Sadly, this wasn't very conducive to just talking. Standing again, I walked towards both mares as Fluttershy managed to get to her hooves again, looking rapidly back and forth between us. Oddly, Twilight stood fully upright and lowered her head towards me, not saying anything. What was she expecting, judgment or something?
"Of course she is. They both fucked up, and now are at your mercy. This is your chance to take control and really get what you want out of the relationship," was whispered into my ear, and I felt her smile. My eyes narrowed, and I shot a mental snarl her way, earning a snicker.
Fluttershy's eyes widened, however, and I suddenly realized that I'd narrowed mine in reality, too. "Please don't be m-mad, Mender. Please? We, um, we're really sorry for what happened and we want to fix it, but we j-just don't know how..." she whispered, unease shifting into her voice as she stepped further forwards, past Twilight now. Brave for Fluttershy, but it's not like I was going to hurt her anyway.
"I know. I was listening for a while up there. Being a cyborg gives me really good ears," I admitted quietly. The yellow mare looked stunned, but Twilight looked up at me again with a frown. Her eyes searched mine for a second, and I realized she wasn't mad at my eavesdropping, but surprised at what I said for some reason. I further noticed that she still had a light smell to her from before, but had cleaned herself up nicely.
Her features softened as she looked at me, and I realized I really had missed her quite a bit. Her eyes widened as I leaned over, but I pushed my lips into hers regardless. Her momentary tension melted instantly as she pushed back a heartbeat later, slipping closer into my forelegs. Fluttershy let out a surprised squeak, and then I saw her slowly smile as I opened my eyes again.
Twilight was flushed by the time I pulled away and shivered lightly, mildly surprising me by ducking forward again and pushing into my torso. "I missed you, Twilight. You don't need to run away. I'm not, well, angry at either of you," I muttered quietly.
"Y-You aren't?" Fluttershy squeaked, shifting a bit closer to both of us before I reached out and pulled her against Twilight's side instead, hugging both of them.
Much more conducive to talking! "No. I'm, well, sad that you two made the herd and left me out of it, and I don't know what to think about you two suddenly jumping your relationship up to a sexual one, but I'm not going to just give up on both of you," I tried to explain. Well, as far as I got myself, anyway.
Both shifted lovely shades of pink at that last part. Twilight shook her head against me, however. "The heat, estrus, doesn't control us, per se, but it does make it a lot easier to, well, 'justify' certain courses of action that you might know as not the best choice in the long run. I take full blame for that. My inhibitions were already lowered, and I was the one that solicited Fluttershy," she explained, pushing her face further into my chest before finishing with, "That means that really, the whole herd thing is my fault, too. I was so stupid and sent the form in without thinking!" There was that form again.
I pulled both of them a bit closer and sighed. "You're not stupid, Twilight. What exactly is this form, though?" I asked softly. Remembering her when I first opened the door still frightened me a bit. That was about as far from 'proper state of mind' as I'd imagine Twilight to get. Yeah, it didn't honestly surprise me that she did something potentially without thinking about the future consequences. I'd be a hypocrite if I held that against her.
"It's, um, a form you fill out when you, well, officially 'consummate' a herd. Well, it's more tradition for the, uh, consummation part. But really, it's for legal things. Um, I know you're supposed to fill one out before getting married, too, or for a herd marriage," Fluttershy explained in a wonderfully awkward manner. So, sort of like getting engaged, but for potentially more than two ponies.
Twilight fidgeted against me, and I frowned, not entirely sure of the specifics with just that description. Thankfully, the unicorn was there to elaborate. "She's right. It's both for legal herd founding, and a pre-marital contract. Sometimes both at once. Write the names down on the form, have everypony sign it, then mail it to Canterlot for filing," she added, sighing afterwards and sitting more upright to glance over at Fluttershy instead. Er, well that did indeed get the point across that they were legal contracts, anyway.
The little yellow mare only blushed and shrank down a bit, however, so Twilight smiled and continued instead. "Consummation of the herd is just tradition. It used to dictate herd 'ordering' and establish who the 'leader' is, but that's mostly ignored nowadays. We both felt, well, pretty badly about it afterwards and signed it, and I was going to leave it in wait for when you got back home so you could be added but, uh..." Mostly?
"It got sent out instead, accidentally. I understand," I finished for her, eyes softening a bit. Now what did that mean for our 'herd' then?
Twilight swallowed and nodded, then, as if reading my mind, added, "Normally you can add members to the herd after it's formed, obviously. Happens all the time. But, uh, in order to cut down on, well, hasty decisions being made and causing a lot of paperwork in Canterlot, they implemented a thirty day wait period between 'changes' made to the herd. At least a pre-marital herd, anyway." Oh. So I was stuck as a 'third wheel' for a month.
Fluttershy squeaked and shook her head rapidly, causing me to realize that the link was enabled again after I woke up, and functioning quite well at this distance. "No, Mender! We're going to treat you just like you're part of the herd anyway, even if we have to wait to make it official!" she yelped, pushing further into me as she did so.
"Ah! Of course! It's only the 'official' herd. I mean, I could try to talk to Princess Celestia and see about waiving the wait time, as it was obviously an accident but, uh, that would mean I'd have to tell her about, well," Twilight hastily added, then shrank a bit, her blush coming back.
Sighing, I shook my head towards her and relaxed, releasing both of them. Neither moved, however, to my surprise. Regardless, I assured, "It's okay. Waiting a month isn't honestly that big a deal. It's not a very long time, and it's only a piece of paper, right?" I wasn't quite so good at social things still, and this whole 'reassuring' thing was rather hard, I decided, as both looked at each other with an uneasy glance.
Fluttershy shook her head lightly towards Twilight before turning back to me. "This still doesn't feel very good. We shouldn't have, um, done what we did regardless of the herd form. It, well, it was so selfish! It's not just Twilight's fault. I normally have really light, um, heats. I thought I was in control of myself! I should have stopped her. I should have said no and to wait." Her voice got quieter and quieter as she went on, and she shivered lightly after falling silent. Twilight frowned towards her and wrapped her forelegs around the yellow mare, pulling her into a gentle hug. That was how things normally worked, regardless, I realized. Maybe I should just start 'planning' on everything falling apart in the worst possible way? Then, if anything short of complete disaster happened, I'd be pleasantly surprised!
There was no easy answer or way to relay my feelings. I didn't even fully understand them myself. Sliding sideways, I rested my left temple against the door and exhaled. Both mares turned to me instead for a moment before I slowly closed my eyes. A few breaths later, I felt two warm and furry sensations push into my chest and smiled weakly.
"I just don't know. I'm, well, sad, yes. Originally I was a bit mad, too. I mean, I left partly because both of you weren't ready for anything sexual in the relationship yet. At first I was angry because it goes directly against that, and made it seem more like, well, 'not ready for anything sexual with me', I guess," I started to explain, my eyes cracking open to look at them. It felt good being honest, anyway. That feeling was smashed and I regretted saying it almost instantly as Fluttershy suddenly looked like she just watched a kitten run over by a landslide. Twilight swallowed and shook her head rapidly, her mouth slightly open but no words seeming to escape.
After a moment of awkward silence and Fluttershy's eyes starting to water, I closed mine again and shook my head. "I know it's also because I'm male, and neither of you want to risk getting pregnant, too. It's different with me, I know. Now I see that and don't blame you two," I added, not sure how to feel and suddenly being distinctly aware of that tightening in my chest. I was okay with it. Why did it hurt so much?
"W-We're not going to do anything like 'that' again until we're really ready this time, so, um, we really goofed up and made some really bad decis-" Twilight started to rapidly defend.
A light scraping sound interrupted all three of us, and I opened my eyes again questioningly. Twilight looked momentarily confused as Fluttershy turned and looked into her kitchen. My eyes widened as a full-sized bathtub 'slid' out and peeked around the doorframe. They widened even further as eyes opened up on the rim, and a smirk shifted against the ceramics. What the hell?!
"Oh ho ho! If only bathtubs could talk, for what Twilight's saw earlier!" the bathtub revealed in a familiar voice. Oh.
Twilight shot him a glare in an instant, her horn lighting up as her eyes narrowed. He made a yelping noise and the entire bathtub poofed away as fast as it had arrived. Shape-shifting? No, he could probably appear as whatever he wanted. 'Spirit' seemed only partially correct, as he had more properties of some sort of quantum entity. It was a little disturbing how he could kind of show up anywhere and seemed to like eavesdropping...
"T-That was just, um, snuggling and kissing! Besides, I'm still technically in heat, so, well, it doesn't count!" Twilight defended adamantly, her cheeks shifting a bright pink as Fluttershy shrank a little. Heh. As cute as they were when awkward like this, I didn't see much sense in it.
"You two don't have to lie about it, or stop being with each other that way. There's nothing wrong with it," I pointed out idly, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Fluttershy wasn't handling the conversation well at all, maintaining a full-face blush at this point. Regardless, she actually managed to retort, with the utmost politeness, of course. "Well, yes, but it is wrong. It's wrong because you're not a part of it," she elaborated. Ah. I had immediate mixed feelings due to the simultaneous revelation that they were willing to abstain and wait for me, and the other revelation that they'd rather abstain and wait rather than just make me part of it. Did they know something I didn't? Suddenly, I started wondering exactly how desirable I appeared to be. This time I blocked out the link as best I could.
It didn't take a second for Fluttershy to shift to a frown, however. "Um, please don't hide your feelings, Mender. At least not from us. We care about you very much," she whispered gently, leaning in and nuzzling my right shoulder. It was amazing how fast she could make me feel like a total jerk. I swallowed and looked down instead.
"I just... I don't want you two to not be as close or anything because of me. I'm okay with waiting for you two to want me to join in," I muttered, slapping back the selfish jerk inside of me. I valued them both for so much more than that. To say otherwise suddenly felt insulting to them.
Twilight smiled gently, and then looked over to her herdmate instead. Eh? Fluttershy simply blushed and nodded timidly, however, earning a smirk back. "I'm not safe yet, unfortunately. My hormone reading was four point five this morning when I took it, and it needs to be under four for me to be completely infertile. It'll be fine by tomorrow afternoon or so," Twilight informed suddenly. I, er, what?! Why was she suddenly telling me this?
Fluttershy turned a bit pinker before nodding. "I'm safe already. We really want to be comfortable with you, too, Mender. In a few days, maybe the three of us should, um, try to take steps towards that? If it's okay with both of you, of course!" She barely squeaked out the last part before shrinking down again. I smiled towards how adorable she was before a light twinge went through my mind. A few days? Wasn't I supposed to be remembering something?
"That's a good idea, Fluttershy. We want you to be comfortable, too. Also, can you stay here tonight, Mender?" Twilight asked softly, glancing over at me. Huh? I wasn't going to sleep at the library tonight?
Fluttershy's eyes expanded to maximum size in half a second flat, but Twilight held her hoof up quickly. "Just for tonight. I'm not fully out of estrus yet, and the, um, pheromones are still all over the library," she muttered, blushing profusely. Oh yeah. Fluttershy wasn't producing pheromones anymore.
"Oh. Well, of course. I don't want Mender to, um, be uncomfortable," the shy pegasus murmured, tone shifting to more relaxed as she seemed to realize the reason for it as I did.
Twilight lost a bit of the blush, eyes softening as she slowly shook her head. "Not just that. I'm also afraid of not being able to control myself again," she admitted, tone quieter now.
I smiled gently at her, leaning forwards and giving a soft kiss to her forehead. Yeah, no matter what, I made the right choice. I didn't like being angry, especially not with Twilight or Fluttershy. Not much really needed to be said, my feelings being fairly self-explanatory. Fluttershy smiled and nodded to her, too, before resting her head on Twilight's shoulder. The lavender mare blushed, but pushed into us a little more. This was really all I needed. All I... Oh. A few days! I should probably tell them about that meeting with Tia.
"I suddenly remembered, did Princess Celestia send anything to you two over the week?" I asked, looking between them.
Fluttershy looked momentarily curious, but Twilight smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she said she sent you a letter and requested all of our presence in Canterlot in a day or so. I already told the girls," she assured, causing me to relax. I'd figured Tia had sent a letter to them, too, but it was better safe than sorry.
At that, the yellow mare perked and nodded to me as well, relaxing once more. "Yeah, it's a bit sudden, but we know why. Um, I was going to also ask, if you don't mind... Do you think you could tell us about everything that happened during the week, if it's not too much trouble? We heard about a lot from Dash but, well..."
Twilight snickered softly to herself and nodded. "We'd like to hear it in your own words. She has a tendency to, well, embellish things a bit, and not pay attention to other spots," she added, coughing lightly and looking away, causing Fluttershy to fuss nervously.
Chuckling, I nodded to them. "Of course I can, but it might, well, take a little bit. It's a little drafty here. Why don't we use the couch upstairs?" I suggested, not really wanting to relay the entire story while sitting on my rump in front of the door to the cottage.
Twilight smiled and nodded, while Fluttershy just smiled, a tiny shade of pink dancing over her cheeks. Deciding we were in agreement, I smiled to both and turned, heading up the stairs. It was really, really hard not to trip when I suddenly picked up on Fluttershy staring at my butt, via the link...
* * * * *
So many questions! It had taken over an hour and a half to relay all the events that had happened while I was at the cabins to both mares. It had taken another half an hour at least to get through all the extra questions they had afterwards. Between Fluttershy panicking over my getting injured and Sweetie hurting and poisoning herself, and Twilight's avid curiosity about how linking with Rainbow and healing her mental fatigue went, it had taken us long past midnight and into the new day.
Twilight almost didn't seem to even care that Rainbow had partially linked with me. I hadn't expected that, but her focus seemed almost entirely on my healing her having worked, and the various enchantments I gave all of them. Fluttershy's only concern was that Rainbow hadn't forced me into anything apart from surprising me with the kiss, which was a no, thankfully. Both agreed that she'd probably be a lot more levelheaded now that heat was over, and that we all should talk about it in Canterlot after the meeting. It made sense.
Fluttershy's eight second long yawn had called the meeting to a close, Twilight saying she should go get some sleep after finishing giggling towards the yellow pegasus. Only then had the epic battle begun.
"No, really, it's okay, Mender. Um, the couch is perfectly comfy, and you had a really, really hard week, so take my bed!" Fluttershy offered again, blushing lightly while she patted the couch cushion, as if emphasizing how soft it was. I resisted her cuteness as best I could!
"Fluttershy, I've slept on tons of couches since I got here, and find them perfectly comfortable. This is your house, so you deserve the bed, Silly," I protested, nudging my hoof in the direction of her extra soft, comfy looking bed a half dozen meters away.
She rapidly shook her head, however, and I sighed. We'd been at this for ten minutes now, and weren't going to sleep tonight at all if we didn't settle it. "You leave me no choice, then. I'll have to resort to drastic measures," I warned, standing up fully as her eyes widened a bit.
"Um, w-what are those, if you don't mind me asking?" she squeaked out, edging backwards slightly as she watched me approach. She let out a gasp, however, as my tentacles extended instead, and I smiled happily towards her.
"Nooooooooooo!" she squeaked out in protest, flailing about as I carried her over to the bed in a bundle of soft, warm tendrils. Snickering, I set her gently down on the mattress and watched her pout up at me.
Giving me a timid smile, she hesitated for a moment, starting to open her mouth again. My proximity sensor went off before she could say anything, however. Wait, what?! Something very pissed off, furry, and white bounded out of nowhere and put two padded feet right into the side of my face. With its whole body, it provided enough force to kick my head sideways, tipping me. Flailing, I yelped as gravity took over and I went off the side of the bed with a crash.
"Angel!" I heard Fluttershy yelp from somewhere above me as my head spun, giving me a very good, if not slightly dizzy view of the ceiling. What was an 'Angel', and why did it hurt so much? Wait, I'd heard that name before. Given the double vision and developing headache sadly, recollection wasn't the easiest for me. Eh, what's another concussion at this point?
There was a rapid thumping from the bed, but I heard a huff instead. "No, that was a very bad bunny! Mender is Mommy's very special somepony, and would never hurt me, no matter what you think you saw! You are not to attack him," Fluttershy scolded suddenly. Bunny? Oh! Yeah, she had a special pet bunny named Angel. I'd forgotten.
Crawling up and onto my hooves again, I stood and propped my forelegs up onto the bed. A very pissed off looking rabbit stared at me, its ears flattened back as Fluttershy chewed him out. My eyes softened a bit and I just watched.
"You're going to have to behave, Mister! Apologize to Mender!" Fluttershy demanded, still glaring at him. The little bunny's front legs crossed, and he abruptly looked away from me instead, closing his eyes. That was a no, I was going to guess.
"Angel!" my fillyfriend protested. It was too late, however. The bunny shot off in an instant, bounding off the bed and running downstairs faster than Fluttershy could grab him.
Sighing, I hopped up the rest of the way onto the bed and helped Fluttershy up from her face first flop upon missing the speedy bunny. "Phooey. Um, are you okay, Mender? I didn't think he'd even come up here tonight," she whispered, gaze shifting to me as she straightened out her mane.
"Yeah. I got my armor up before I hit the floor. That was your pet, then?" I asked, reaching out and helping her straighten back some of her mane. Actually, it looked rather adorable a bit messy, too, but I might be biased there.
She gave me a timid smile and nod, returning, "Yeah. Um, normally I don't see much of him during, well, estrus week. Bunnies go into theirs during our second one and he has a female friend... Um."
Smiling, I nodded in understanding of her, releasing her from the need to say anything further. She relaxed and nodded back, looking pleased to not have to finish that statement. "Anyway, he must have, well, heard me yelp when you picked me up. He's been my friend for a long time, and sometimes he gets protective of me. Um, he didn't mean anything by it," she excused, frowning and looking down at her hooves.
"I figured that was the reason. He's got quite a kick! I'm leaving my armor on next time around him," I muttered, snickering and earning a soft smile.
"He'll warm up to you, don't worry. Um, he has to. I know I'm not giving you up," she added, voice dropping off as she blushed.
Feeling my chest warm up a bit, I smiled and leaned over to her, ignoring her widening eyes. She gave a slight shiver as I pushed my lips into hers, but slowly slid closer against me a moment later, relaxing into my hug. I brushed her mane back and cupped the side of her face as she leaned back, having gone from a soft smile to a full out happy one instead. The timing was perfect.
"Sure you don't want me using the couch?" I offered one last time, my smile lifting up into a smirk instead.
As empathic as she was, she picked up on it instantly and snickered, shaking her head at my teasing. "You'd better not. Mmm. Twilight's been with you while sleeping before tons of times, so, uh, if you don't mind, maybe I could be with you tonight? We don't, well, have to do that dream sharing thing, but I kind of want to cuddle, if it's not too much trouble?" she asked quietly.
"Anything you're comfortable with, Fluttershy," I assured, squeezing her gently against me as her smile came back and she nodded.
"Um, okay, then! I'm going to go get ready and brush my teeth, okay? I think there's an extra brush in my cabinet, so could you go get that for yourself while I go first?" she offered, standing up again and hopping down off the bed. Oh! I'd not been able to brush my teeth during the entire cabins excursion. My toothbrush was in the library, that's right.
Smiling, I nodded and hopped down on the other side. "Right! Uh, I'm allowed to use your toothpaste?" I inquired, watching her trot over to her bathroom.
She gave me a skeptical glance back over her shoulder before smiling and nodding happily. "Of course, Silly. I'll be out in a few minutes!" she chirped, in a good mood suddenly. She was the silly one. She should know by now that she didn't have to even ask when it came to cuddles. I adored every inch of her, and feeling her warm fur against me and snuggling up to her while sleeping would be amazing!
A surprising burst of giddiness hit me as I swayed back and forth, smiling happily. Okay, Mender, don't weird her out! Toothbrush! Surely it wouldn't be that hard to find. She only had three cabinets up here.
Three minutes later, I was eating those words. Toothbrush… Toothbrush… Why was it so hard to find a stupid toothbrush for me?! Glaring, I shifted to the side and opened cabinet number three. At this point, I was considering just forming one with magic for tonight. I only needed it once!
My ears perked up, listening to her quiet but adorable humming as she brushed her own teeth behind the carefully closed door. Smiling, I sighed contentedly, actually rather enjoying staying with her. She had a totally different dynamic to her apart from Twilight. I felt more at ease and relaxed with Fluttershy.
Looking through the third cabinet like an ancient explorer might peek into a trap filled tomb, I noticed nothing even vaguely shaped like the one I’d had at the library. Damn it! Mane curler, combs, a couple animal bowls, a few bags of powder-looking stuff labeled with bars of soap on them… Getting frustrated, I dropped back down to all fours and looked a bit lower. Maybe she’d meant one of the drawers! Perking up, I smiled as I hopped back over to the larger cabinet that had contained her clothes for special occasions. Admittedly, that dress I saw in there was really pretty, and if I guessed right, I’d have to compliment Rarity on it later!
Smiling, I opened the first drawer that was right under the cabinet main doors, and then blinked in mild confusion. Uh, what were these thingies? There was some sort of molded form placed into the bottom of the drawer, shaped indentations that were all filled up with strange objects. They were elongated and very multi-colored, in quite a variety of shapes and sizes. Some looked like carrots, while others kinda more like wiggly pencils of some sort. One was even colored like a carrot! I tilted my head, glancing over them while sliding the drawer out more. Had I stumbled upon some sort of Equestrian culture that I had yet been aware of?
Tentatively, my left hoof extended down and poked the closest, pink one. It was easy enough to pick up the enchantment on it, and I perked up. Oh, they were some sort of specialized device, then! Drawing that one out of the mold, I looked it over more closely. It didn’t really have any smell to it, and looked thoroughly and meticulously cleaned. Maybe it had to do with her vet practices? Although why it wasn’t with the other tools downstairs, I didn’t know. Scanning the enchantment over, I found the ‘on’ nub at the base of it a moment later.
It only confused me further after I activated it, however, and it started vibrating around on my hoof. What purpose was that supposed to serve? My eyes widened and I let out a startled squeak as it accidentally fell off the side of my hoof and landed on the floor, despite me trying to catch it again twice. I stared as it bounced around on the floor, its function suddenly dawning on me! Ooooooh, these were animal toys! Snickering to myself and watching it bounce around, I created a little walled off section for it with small barriers and just stared for a second. It was quite an energetic little thing, and I pictured a kitty or something bounding about after it.
Looking back in the drawer, I stared at the different shapes and tried to guess what animals they were for. Maybe each different animal liked a different color? I tilted my head and slid the drawer out a little more, to its maximum, then widened my eyes at the massive toy in the back. It was oddly reddish in color along the majority of it with a more mottled brown spot thing going, and the base where the activator was appeared to be made of gemstones, both blue and white in color. I tilted my head towards it, immediately thinking of Rarity with the colors and gemstone usage. Trying not to laugh, I imagined the pearly unicorn bounding around after the thing, trying to pounce on it like a cat would.
Okay, that was adorable. Rarity would probably find it undignified, however, so I decided to definitely not tell her about that one. Besides, it was huge! Actually, it was almost Big Mac sized, being probably two thirds of a foreleg in length. The mental images of ‘him’ pouncing at it weren’t as cute, being more just strange, and I shuddered, banishing the mental images. Actually, now that I looked at it, its color was very similar to his coat. Staring a little harder, I noticed it also wasn’t as smooth and uniform as the others, looking like it actually had veins running through it. Creepy! Eh, actually it had a lot of dust on it, so maybe Fluttershy thought it was creepy, too?
Deciding it was for a meat eater or something, I slid the drawer a bit further closed to banish it from sight, and peeked at some of the others. Heh, these were kinda fun!
A minute later, I had five of them bouncing around inside of the open-topped box I had formed, snickering in amusement as I watched their ‘battle’ progress. So far, the wiggly and floppy one with the prong-thingy at the base of it was winning due to sheer mass, but the tiny pink one was really dodgy! Debating who’d win in the end, I suddenly realized why these thingies weren’t down with the other tools.
“Oh, these things are for playtime instead, so they’re up here,” I muttered, perking at my realization. Equestrian society was getting easier for me to grasp!
“Oh? What’s for playtime?” I heard Fluttershy ask in her usual happy yet soft, sing-song voice. Oops! In my attempts to figure out what the victory conditions would be for the animal toys, I hadn’t heard the water stop in the bathroom. Fluttershy stepped out, rotating around with a small towel in her mouth before immediately freezing in place, dropping it when she saw what I was doing.
Swallowing, I snickered sheepishly and nodded. “Oh, sorry. I found your animal toys and was having a ‘battle’ with them. Uh, I’ll put them back,” I apologized quickly, shrinking the box to gather them up again.
Fluttershy’s jaw dangled loosely, the pink tint in her cheeks shifting to a full-blown red color that expanded over her entire face in an instant. “An-Animal t-to… Ah… ha…..aaa,” she whispered, it slowly turning into an airy squeak as her eyes rolled up. Mine widened at the same time as she sagged and simply fell over sideways. Ah!
Standing, I rapidly rushed over to where she was, panicking! What had I done this time?!
* * * * *
"Fluttershy, it's natural. I don't think any less of you," I assured weakly, faint blush still on my cheeks after she finally managed to get me to understand what they actually were for. Of course, it was nowhere near the pronounced, full-faced blush she still sported. I kept fanning her with a thin barrier to cool her off regardless.
She looked less than assured, and continued shivering and hiding most of her body under the blankets. Okay, so I felt like a total asshole. Keldarian females didn't have toys like that. I thought it was only a male thing! The only accessories I knew existed for that sort of thing were the, well, holes for males and specialized clothing for the females that 'really' liked to exercise their dominant status...
"I, um, I don't use them very often a-at, uh, no! I barely used any of th-them! And the big one is Rarity's!" the shivering mare protested. Huh. I had guessed right after all. Uh, wait, why was it the same color as... No, never mind. There were some places even my exuberant curiosity refused to tread.
New tactic! "Fluttershy, I kinda already knew you were with Twilight in a significantly more than friendly way. I didn't think that was strange, did I?" I pointed out quietly. Heartbreaking and traumatic, yes, but definitely not strange.
Fluttershy peeked up at me again, her left ear popping out and showing one of the only non-pink tinted areas of her fur that was visible. "R-Really? You don't think I'm, well, w-weird?" she hesitantly stuttered out, making me want to haul her out and hug her tight. That probably wouldn't go over well, though. Eh, I was just happy Angel hadn't bound up here upon hearing her collapse and kick my face in again.
Smiling through my flush, I nodded lightly, averting my eyes slightly. Regardless of what she thought, the revelation of the toys' existence was an interesting one, to say the least. I decided it was more the stallion in me thinking that, though, and pushed it down. Fluttershy frowned, however, and shrank back into her blankets. Crap. Figured she’d pick up on that.
"P-Please be honest, Mender. Um, you can tell me what, well, what you really think," she spoke, followed by a weak whimper.
My flushed tint probably got a little darker as her question pulled what I 'really' thought of it right back to the forefront. No, that would just freak her out more! "I'm telling the truth, Flut-" I started to reassure, looking back down at her again. I froze when I saw the look in her eyes, coupled with them starting to look wetter. Ack!
"F-Fluttershy, I don't think you want to, um, hear about that. I promise I absolutely don't think that, well, you're weird or anything," I muttered, looking away from her again awkwardly. No, I couldn't keep looking into those eyes. Even when she wasn't doing that potent technique from earlier, it still tore me apart inside.
She rapidly shook her head, coming a little more out of the blankets in my peripheral vision. "Please? I really do want to, um, hear," she asked, almost pleading. I was going to be lucky if I ended up in a comfortable enough bush outside to sleep in tonight. Well, here goes.
"I, well, I didn't know females had toys for that sort of thing before now. Um, honestly, thinking about you, uh, using them... Well, it's actually kind of hot," I admitted. A long second passed and the anticipated shriek of despair and assault didn't come. Had it happened so fast I hadn't realized I was dead yet?
Deciding that was unlikely, I peeked back over at Fluttershy to see, awareness extending heavily towards my own flushed cheeks with the movement of my head. She stared at me in shock, her jaw hanging slightly open. Honestly, I couldn't tell if she was blushing any more than before or not, which was a little awkward in and of itself. My eyebrow rose slightly, however, as I saw two little bumps start to rise up a little in the blanket over her back. Was she...?
The second she saw me look, she shrank down again, this time the blush flaring up even more as she squeaked, shaking under the blanket like a dog until it was all wrapped around her, significantly tighter than before. "Ah, I'm sorry! Um, that wasn't... I didn't expect that. It's really, um, h-hot?" I barely heard her ask as she dropped yet again in volume, and the blankets had been added to the barriers between my ears and her mouth.
"Well, yeah. I'm really, really attracted to you. Um, in every way, Fluttershy. Thinking of you enjoying yourself is kinda nice," I reiterated, shrinking down a little into a lying position as I felt an awkward stirring. Could we please just go to bed?! I'd committed enough faux pas today!
Oddly, she just watched me from under the blankets for a moment before the shivering stopped. I gazed back, noticing a timid lifting of the corners of her mouth. She was happy? I stayed perfectly still as she slowly slipped out of the blanket a little more and leaned over, pecking me lightly on the nose. She was still blushing enough to make me a tad concerned for her circulation, but she finally wore a tiny smile, which was an improvement in my opinion.
"Thank you, Mender. Um, I wish I was as b-brave as you. I'm really, uh... What I mean is, you're really handsome and, well... Oh, I can't seem to say it!" she whined, clamping her eyes closed in obvious frustration. Well, it leaked down the link easily enough, anyways.
Slipping forwards, I lay next to her instead, but on top of the blankets, of course. She gave me a surprised glance, but gently started to widen her smile a little more as I returned her nose-kiss. "Relax, Fluttershy. I promise. Absolutely promise that you can talk to me about anything you wish. I'm not going to judge you, or even think less of you in the slightest. I just, um, I want to help you, Fluttershy," I explained, resting my head on the mattress next to her.
Her eyes shimmered again and she nodded twice, switching back to a shy smile before nuzzling against the side of my muzzle. "Thank you, Mender. I, um, understand. To be honest then, I... I'm attracted to you like that, too! At first I was super worried about still having the estrus hormones in my body and having my smells bother you. I check at least three times a day to see what my, um, level thingy is so I know how often I need to, well, wash up. But you actually staying here is..." she started rapidly explaining, and then froze for a moment, shivering again. Everything she'd said so far was perfectly understandable. Out of all of my friends, her home had the most 'occupants' apart from her, so she was undoubtedly more self-conscious of her pheromones.
"It's scary. I want you to be happy and, um, you finding those made me think I screwed up and... I thought you'd think I was a weirdo or something, and you'd never want to come here again," she finally admitted, her ears lowering a bit as she looked down and away from me.
Leaning in, I kissed her forehead instead before squeezing her with my left foreleg through the blanket. She relaxed against me a second later, and I shook my head. "Well, you didn't screw up, and I'm very, very happy to be here, Fluttershy. I was already considering talking to Twilight about that, actually," I admitted, honestly. This was as good a time as any to bring it up, I guessed.
Her ears perked up and she gave me a curious glance, of course, her flush returning to normal Fluttershy-levels, finally. Elaborating, I explained, "Oh, I just thought that once we actually became a proper herd, maybe it would be a good idea to take turns sleeping at either the library or the cottage? That way you could keep a close eye on your animals and she could keep the library updated, but the three of us could get to snuggle each night."
Her teal eyes were dancing by the time I finished, and she rapidly nodded, looking significantly happier at that idea. "Oh, yes! Very much, yes. I'd be delighted! Until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement, that's a really good compromise," she agreed. I could always tell her comfort level without even needing her link, based off how loud her voice was, I noticed.
Kissing her on the lips this time, I felt her shiver once, then push into me a bit more. I smiled but kept it chaste, leaning back a moment later and nodding. "I'm glad you like it, and also happy you're not getting after yourself anymore about earlier. It's normal, and not only do I think you're perfectly fine in doing so, I also think it's rather appealing, so relax about it, okay?"
She was still a little pink, but her smile stayed this time as she nodded. I resisted the urge to pounce her adorable self and kiss her more, and instead returned her nod, a pleased smile on my muzzle. I'd actually managed to help rectify a social situation! By myself!
"Okay, well, you get ready for bed, okay? I'm going to go brush my teeth, and then I'll be back," I said, standing up again now that I was assured my body was a bit more relaxed than before.
Fluttershy gave me another happy nod before sinking into her blankets more, giving a content sigh. It was enough for me that she was happy, and I hopped off my side of the bed before trotting around and over to the bathroom, giving a quick glance to the special drawer again as I passed by it. Maybe, just maybe, once we finally got comfortable with each other a ways down the road, she'd show me how they worked. Heh, that was undoubtedly a long ways off, but maybe I'd ask her one day. Snickering silently in my mind, I went into the bathroom, the image of a toothbrush forming from my magic...
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And they bucked like rabbits!
...what else did you expect from me?
Seems like I'm not the only one to make Flutters the sex pest. Oh wait... do I sense a Censorship Pending chapter soon? Awesome
1. Fuck you
or Celestia, Luna, and potentially any one else they know in Canterlot could learn of it and maybe be a little mad
at Twilight for ditching Mender like that. Also, they wouldn't know they had made up sorta, they would just see Twilight ditching Mender
. There is no such thing as sending a form like that off "accidentally". 
2. sorry just had to get that out my system don't ask why.
3. There is a potential shitstorm in the making with that form going out. Either the press could somehow know about it and it's be all over the paper
3945711
It's already up. This chapter was censored.
It's exactly what you are expecting.
3945800 Well.... shit, I must have unfaved it! Time to read it!
Healing the wounds of Mender's heart
After they pierce him with loves lethal dart
He wants to find happiness, and want it to last
But still things show up and things go down fast
Normal well never be what he will get
His life, and love, on a rollercoaster seem set
But should things get good, he should know by now
Things will drop dark, the question is how
He's crazy, insane, and a voice unconfronted
How will this end when the hunter is the hunted
Fear he feels and consideration abound
We see his mental state still is unsound
But he tries to be good, he tries so hard
As he picks up his psyche, shard by shard
But leaving things be has never gone well
Soon Mender will be back to his own little hell
But he has his mares by his side once again
He has them at his side for the inevitable when
When his hell finds him and sees his world wreathed in fire
The candle to the sun, the rain on the pyre
So Mender's content, for a short while at least
Can it be enough, to calm the raging beast
Until the release of his past from it's cell
We all look in to Mender's little hell
As he hides it from all the rest of the world
This respite was earned, before off the rails he's hurled
Once the Princess comes back, and shows once again
She may just give the news of the beginning of the end
And when that news comes, where will he be
Anger and hate and despair make three
The three that follow Mender around
And make times like this, a treasure to be found
Love and warmth to feel for a bit
Before it all goes wrong, sanity once again hit.
~Black Sun Eclipse
I can't even...
Mender, why-
Y'know, fuck that, I'm going back to bed.
oh gods, this chapter. The image of Rarity chasing a vibrator like a cat!
I cracked. I couldn't stop laughing.
3945766 Sure there is. Set it out on a table, someone else (Spike) walks in, sees something that needs to be sent, sends it.
Yes Mender. Right alongside those who molest children or talk in the theater.
Meh. I'm not happy about Mender forgiving so quickly, but I'll live.
I really REALLY hope the Big Mac 'inspired' one is NOT a checkov's gun (or any other applicable titles). Great job Kiro!
~Momentai
3946068
Nice Firefly reference.
3946105
We can hope that at some point, everything will come to a blow.
~Hearn
the love
mender is giving is so ... i just don have word to say to it 
Man i love this so much keep up the good work and how the hand get better
Oh my god, beginning of that chapter was sad and adorable, then it ended up being the most awkward thing I've ever read. Holy shit. I barley made it though that.
I think I ended up skipping parts. God damn.
The tears coming from my face this is by far the funniest chapter yet. -buster
The situation with that form, sounds like the situation where Twilight didn't want to admit knowing him when he first met Shining.
And thus, it comes full circle...
All hail Angel Bunny, destroyer of Planet Killers and owner of the Leader Of Kirk shirt.
Toy racing? Didnt they do that on Red Dwarf? And now, on powered toy race games, its Craig Charles.
The fun that has been doubled rapidly approaching in Canterlot.
The heck?
Did i miss that or have neither Twilight nor Fluttershy appologised to Mender for what they did? Just babbleling on that it wasnt supposed to go that way? What way? Him finding out?
I get the "heat ot the moment" desiscion that Twi. and Flutter. did but sighning an official document for starting a herd and then accedently sending it? What was that "accident"?
And why not tell Celestia? Is it so embarrssing? Or is Twilight afraid because it´s realy bad and doesn´t want her to find out?
And the part with these dildo´s wasn´t called for. Seemed to me the Author wanted to distract from something.
I am confused and a little agitated since chapter 58. If this trend continous with Mender behaving like he isnt worth anything and just accepting what they did i cant guarantee for anything. And let us be honest. Twilight should know better how he thinks. Or at least Rainbow with this "improved" link.....
So many questions!
I´m wating for the next chapter. Gogogo.
o-o
so awkward...
yet funny xD
Welp, I say about once every three chapters or so but...
Poor Mender.
been reading this non stop after i found this yesterday (WHY DIDNT I KNOW THERE WAS A SEQUEL TO MEMORY PENDING
) ya still got it mate.
I love this story. I really do.
I often find myself laughing whenever I finish a chapter...
Awkward ending is Awkward. Fluttershy, you are weird! Just sayin' what everybody is thinking!
3948546 you can find the reason for the dildo battle royal in censorship pending. One of kiro's other stories. WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT
This chapter is great
Like super great
I'm dieing
After I figured out what those 'toys' were.... The more I read the deeper my horrified blush got.
I was laughing and blushing like an idiot when he found her 'animal toys.'
...
Bwahahahahahaha!
th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2013/348/8/c/when_you_look_funny_thing_by_ilifeloser-d6xx3ip.png
I just noticed that I got super-distracted last week, and didn’t put up a comment! How annoying of me… Well, here goes for this week! I’m really enjoying being caught up, and I’m looking forward to the future of this fic with bated breath!
In regards to last chapter, I really enjoyed the Discord part, which was incidentally a HILARIOUS introduction of an interesting character to Mender, who took it rather well, I have to say. Though Discord does throw in some interesting possibilities for the future.
If that was only a tenth of a completed link, I’m glad they didn’t get much farther, since that might have pulled some of Rainbow’s heat into Mender, and the situation would be much more awkward than I currently is… But I am a bit happy about how pragmatic Twilight and Fluttershy are being about the link, not overreacting and making things more uncomfortable for everypony.
I was a bit surprised two chapters ago that Mender didn’t remember how empathic Fluttershy can be, though his slightly extreme existentialism combined with the crushing disappointment from the herd news makes it realistic that he wasn’t in the best state of mind. Either way, he didn’t fool her back then, and I’m interested to see how this all goes down shortly.
At least the paperwork gives Twilight something to be concerned over, rather than how he feels. Honestly, I’m getting a bit annoyed that she’s not focusing on making him feel better, but rather on how to fix the error she made with Fluttershy. I guess I’m also being a bit unfair with her, but still…
Have to admit, Fluttershy tackling Twilight to the floor is a really funny image! Aslo a bit hot too… Just sayin’.
But really, I’m glad that Twi’s gonna stay around to figure this out, rather than running off.
You know, for someone continually talking about wanting to act like a child, Mender really can be the adult in many situations. Props there, Kiro.
Mender, you’re only stuck as a third-wheel for a month in a bureaucratic sense. I’m sure you’re not in how they feel about you, but that’s something for you to discover as you continue talking. Gonna shut up now. *goes back to reading*
And there we go.
Yes, that is the general mentality to use, though I have difficulty with it myself. I’m always anticipating the best outcome and continually being disappointed by what happens. I really need to alter that…
Oh dear lord… Can’t say I haven’t been hoping for this to happen, but I wanted it to happen for the right reasons, not as proof that they do actually care for him…
HA he got the same introduction to Angel as most ponies in most fics I’ve read that are guys and potentially hitting on Fluttershy (so, like, all of them). LOVE IT.
Oh dear, this can’t go well. Never root through a female’s things. EVER. You will always find something you wish you hadn’t. Then again, I grew up with two sisters. Yeah, that got a bit awkard….
Okay, I have to say that this entire part made me really uncomfortable. Not sure why, it just did. I couldn’t even read Censorship Pending, which I normally do directly after the original chapter, just because I was sure I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’m just gonna skip ahead to the part where I stopped skimming and started reading again.
I didn’t think the chapter could get more amusing from the Angel introduction, but seriously, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOW MOON MENDERISH! And poor Fluttershy…
And that wraps up this chapter! Can’t wait for tomorrow now! Kiro, you’ve done it again, though I am enjoying the fact that most chapters (right now, at least) aren’t cliffhangers. Yet.
Fir out.
EDIT: Well, due to what happened at the beginning of Chapter 61, I went back to Censorship with the feeling I had missed something. And I was right! I thought it was in Censorship because of the 'toys' part initially... So I'm gonna go read that now.
Looking forward to it!
Mender shouldn't really feel too bad about listening in on their conversation. Really, the fact that he feels like he has to eavesdrop to know what's going on is exactly the sort of problem they created with this situation to begin with. They really should have just been having that conversation with him in the first place, not leaving him out of the discussion about how they left him out of the herd development. But in any case, once they were all participating in the conversation, I suppose it went about as well as could have been hoped for, once all three of them were joining in. It wasn't really a problem that had a genuine solution, so talking it out with honest communication was pretty much the only thing they could do for a positive course of action that hopefully leads to them treating each other with more consideration in the future.
It seems rather strange that there would be any sort of legal involvement at all for a herds at that stage of a relationship. They say that 30-day waiting period is partially meant to save paperwork, but it seems like it'd save a whole lot more if there was nothing like that at all until actual marriage came into play. What would happen if they didn't send in that form anyway? "Halt! Cease your unlawful copulation this instant and stand clear of the bed! We received an anonymous tip that you three have been screwing without providing proper government notification, and it appears the information was well founded. As such, you will all be required to wear these magical chastity belts until your assigned caseworker deems you ready to have them removed. Now if you'll just lie on your backs and cooperate, we'll get you fitted and be on our way."
So, uhh... Why exactly does Fluttershy have Rarity's "Big Mac" stashed in with all her own toys anyway? Did the CMC find it at some point and not know what it was either, so they brought it to Rarity and asked for two more so they could have a sword fight? So once she stopped screaming and took it away from them, she decided to hide it at Fluttershy's so she can just discreetly retrieve it whenever she needs it? At least "the thing at the place" would finally mean something to her, although she probably can't even say that much without Fluttershy turning as red as the toy itself apparently is. Mender calling them "animal toys" though... I could practically hear her thinking, "Just what does he think it means when I talk about taking care of my critters?" Yeah, no wonder she fainted.
Hmm, you know, I'm kinda surprised at how quickly the chapter cut off in this version. I would've thought quite a bit of the last chunk could have safely fit in here, since as it is, this ended with pretty much the opposite implication as what actually happened, but I guess you settled on removing entire scenes, instead of just skipping the detailed portions. And by the looks of it, about half as many people read the full version. Ah well, I suppose there will be enough about it after-the-fact next chapter to make the implication clear enough.
3963902
I just read the other version of the chapter and it is the same reason as in this one. What i meant was why it was there in the first place. It is just so random.
Thanks anyway.
And he conveniently forgets he can control his fertility.
3947259 I think I've figured it out why his name is moon mender this is a very bad pun add on teh the circle I guess u could say full moon who can fix things ( moon ) ( mender )
Erm. Weren't his tentacles covering pustules?
6158790 that only when he used them for the first time. Now that they have adjusted to common use, they aren't covered in smelly, bleeding pustules.
Damn it, mender.
6306460
I was more under the impression that it was due to his mental state, and thinking himself to be a monster which caused its appearance to be that way. As his armour wasn't as dark after that night either.