“Twilight, I must ask why you believed that dressing in such an outfit was even acceptable in a public venue?” Rarity asked Twilight as they left the bathroom.
“I told you, Rarity, it was in the magazines.”
Rarity shook her head and let Twilight guide them down the stairs. “Twilight, there’s a party tonight and you’re coming. After the festivities wind down, I’m taking you to my room and we are going to talk about what you’ve read, understand me?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’re just like Spike, telling me you know more than the ponies that write the articles. Well, maybe you might, Rarity, but that doesn’t mean everything you know is applicable to this situation.”
“Darling, because it’s fashion, and that’s something I know more than a fair share about. What you were wearing was something a mare desperate for thirty bits and a free ride across the slums of downtown Manehattan. That is not a good thing, Twilight,” Rarity interjected when Twilight inhaled to begin talking. Twilight exhaled and humphed.
“Well, whatever you may think, the ponies in the library are always happy to see me when I dress up for them,” Twilight countered.
They reached the main floor and Rarity looked over the ponies. “Excuse me, who is here to see Twilight drop something?” Every adult raised a hoof and Rarity looked back at Twilight. “You may all leave now, there will be no more shows of any kind in the library.” Rarity stomped her hoof and the ponies grumbled while leaving. One glared at Snickers and when Rarity saw the colt and dragon on the couch she moved behind the stallion and ushered him out.
“Have a nice day, come back for another book anytime, we’re open sunrise to sunset,” Twilight shouted as they left and the door creaked closed. “Spike?! Where’s the graphite for the door hinges? Spike?!”
“Holy crap, he’s right here you loud queef factory!” Snickers slammed his hooves on his book and looked at Twilight, then his eyes darted to Rarity and his ears went limp. “Uh, hi, mom… I didn’t mean--”
“Silence, Snickers. First of all,” Rarity said marching toward the males on the couch, “thank you for calling me your mother again, it warms my heart. Second,” Rarity said and looked over to Twilight who was approaching cautiously, “watch your language around others, need I remind you of your first day here and the jar that already contains several bits?”
“But, I didn’t even swear that time,” Snickers rebutted.
“True, however you still insulted a pony that didn’t deserve it. Not that any actually do, but that brings me to my third… are you two getting along again, or should I be wary of you, Spike, harming Snickers over his colorful vocabulary?” Rarity looked between them both.
Spike raised a hand. “I’m cool with him, as long as he doesn’t try to hurt you or anything.”
“Hurt me?” Rarity asked and looked at Snickers. “What were you planning?”
“Nothing, honest!” Snickers replied quickly, “I was talking about pranking you. Like, sneezing power in your cocaine or jalapeno juice on Mister Ed.”
Rarity grimaced and stepped back. “I have no cocaine, or drugs of any kind for that matter, and if you do anything to Mister Ed, I swear the same will be done to you,” Rarity threatened with the utmost honesty behind her eyes.
Snickers silently nodded. “Yeah, I won’t, I was just joking because not even I’m that mean.”
“Okay,” Twilight said after listening in for a moment, “what’s going on here? A colt and a dragon that were fighting are best friends, I can understand, but I have so many questions about everything that’s happened lately. Rarity, what happened with Harmony and Snickers? Snickers, why did you call Rarity your mother just now? What’s a ‘queef’ and is it a bad word, or did you mean ‘quiche’, because those are actually pretty tasty, but I’m not making them in any way that would even come close to a factory.”
“Twilight,” Rarity said and called some cushions over to sit on, “there’s a lot that’s happened, mostly to poor Snickers here, over the past day. If I could, I’d take it all away and leave him where he was, as it seemed he enjoyed it quite a bit more.”
Snickers knocked his book onto the floor. “Forget that, that place was a nightmare I can’t escape now.”
“What do you mean, Snickers?” Twilight asked and dropped a scroll and quill into Spike’s lap.
“That place, Harmony’s asshole or wherever, sent me to some dreamland where I just returned from a wasteland that wasn’t like my home at all!” Snickers fumed and snorted. “I thought I was family with Sweetie and Rarity when I woke up in the dream and we had a great day, then I went to sleep and woke up for real just…” he growled and squeezed tears from his eyes. “It fucked with me so bad, I didn’t know what was real or a fucking lie… I still don’t fucking know,” he collapsed onto his belly and grabbed a pillow to cover his head.
Rarity moved next to him and hugged him awkwardly. “Darling, whatever happens, I’m here for you. You may not understand, or appreciate it, but you have a lot of ponies who are willing to do anything to help you.”
Snickers peeked his eye from under the pillow. “Use your magic powers to erase my memory of that place, then?” He asked Twilight.
Twilight shook her head. “No way, mind magic is very tricky in the first place. Using mind magic on a foal is another problem.”
Snickers sat up. “I’m not a fucking foal! I’m a grown adult that got crammed into this body! Give me a fucking mind wipe or whatever,” he shouted and tumbled off the couch into Rarity’s magical grasp.
“Young stallion, that language is uncalled for at the worst of times. I’ve tolerated you acting this way and I’m growing tired of you claiming to be an adult when you clearly don’t act as though you are one.”
Snickers was set back on the couch. “Well, what do you expect? I was in my forties last week, now I’m, what, a five year old colt?” He gestured to himself. “How do you expect me to act?”
Twilight and Spike shared smiles. “Snickers, if you were in your forties you’d be older than most of the townsponies of Ponyville.”
Snickers looked at Spike. “How old do ponies live?”
Spike shrugged. “Depends on the tribe, but earth ponies are usually ninety when they join the herd in the meadows.”
Snickers raised an eyebrow, still unsure of the conflicting and loose religious beliefs held by those around him. Rarity tapped her hoof to her jaw. “However, Granny Smith is nearly one hundred and ten, while my grandmother only lived to ninety.”
“Yes,” Twilight said sagely, “it truly depends on the tribe and pony themselves. But, you can expect a long life as long as you don’t injure yourself or get too sick… I guess you can make eighty, easy.”
Snickers sat in stunned silence. “I… can live that long? How old are you, then?” He looked between the mares.
Rarity flipped her mane. “I happen to be sixteen, darling, even though it is quite rude to ask a lady her age.”
Twilight giggled. “I don’t mind. I’m fourteen, and I’ve spent the last eight years learning both at Celestia’s school and directly under her tutelage. Do you know how old you are, Snickers?”
Snicker sat back and thought about it, in the back of his mind an answer came to him. “I’m almost six, in the spring, during the second full moon.” He shook his head. “Where’d that come from?” he asked.
“Sounds like you know a little more than you let on, dude,” Spike said and punched Snickers’s leg playfully.
“Wait,” Snickers added, “what about the others? Since we’re talking about it, and all.”
Rarity humphed and was about to dismiss the colt, but Spike started before she could. “Well, Rainbow Dash is the youngest at fourteen, then it’s Applejack at fifteen, Pinkie Pie is sixteen, Fluttershy…”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Seventeen, Spike. She is actually the oldest of us all, which is what made her such a hit with the mares and stallions when she modeled for that time, she’s at the perfect age to bear foals while holding a steady career. Why that mare hasn’t even found a pony to...
“Ah, yes. Well, let’s make plans for tomorrow since we’re all here and make true friends between these two,” Rarityexpertly changed the topic and tousled Snickers’s mane while urging him to move. Twilight nudged the drake into motion from watching Rarity’s swaying rump, getting him to blush while rolling the scroll up before handing it over to Twilight.
***
The sun was setting when Sweetie was led into the doorway to the Carousel Boutique, lights flicked on and surprise was shouted, delayed, Pinkie shouted a second too late. “Shoot,” the pink mare shouted and got a lot of laughs. Sweetie was swarmed by other foals her age while Snickers sat at a table in the back of the room.
“Twilight,” Snickers asked the mare who sipped some punch from her cup, “how much did you heal her?”
“Oh, enough so she can go through her days like normal, just make sure she doesn’t over stress her tail by pulling on it, having her sit on it, or do anything that could push it out of alignment. Being a Cutie Mark Crusader, that may seem difficult, but I’ll have a talk with all of you about that after the party,” Twilight waved at a friend across the room. “I’ll see you later, have fun.”
Snickers watched her walk away and noticed the sway in her hips when she walked, averting his eyes in time to avoid thinking anything he shouldn’t. He adjusted his blue and white shirt, making sure he was comfortable before getting to his hooves and joining the crowd of foals. “Oh, Snickers,” Scootaloo called when he was close enough to cause a scene and get all eyes on him for a second.
Apple Bloom draped a foreleg over his back. “This here is Snickers, he’s new ta town and is our first male crusader and herdmate,” the farm filly proudly announced loud enough to get several adult’s attention. One stallion did a spit take across the mare across from himself.
“Wow,” several fillies said as they left Sweetie and crowded around Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, asking questions over one another of the fillies basking in the attention about the shy colt held in place by his herd mates.
Applejack hugged Rainbow since she was the closest pony she knew, beaming a smile at Snickers and his closeness to her little sister. Rainbow blushed and relaxed into the tight embrace of her earthen friend.
Rarity, meanwhile, dropped her cup and started wide eyed at the three foals being bombarded with questions. Rarity marched to Applejack and tugged her elbow with her magic. “What’s up, Rares? Isn’t this the best thing ever? Snickers might be an Apple soon.”
“Applejack,” Rarity said quietly, “did you put those fillies up to this? After our talk earlier, none the less?”
“Rarity,” Applejack said letting Rainbow go and ignoring when the blue mare thudded to the floor, “Ah wouldn’t do that behind yer back. What happened between them is as natural as the reddest apple fresh off the branch,” Applejack wiped a tear from her eye and smiled weakly. “Ah couldn’t be prouder of mah sister than Ah am right now.”
“Well, be that as it may; I won’t condone my son being in a herd so soon. He has far too much to adapt to and there was an issue with the magic of Harmony bonding with him,” Rarity said loud enough for Applejack to hear, if she was paying attention. Applejack waved her hat in front of her face.
“Ah can’t believe it, my little sis is all grown up…”
Rarity ground her teeth, then looked at the fillies pressing their sides to her son, preventing him from moving away from them. Her horn lit and surrounded Snickers in her magic, pulling him free and to her side while still scrambling against the unknown pull that moved him.
“Hey, what’d you do that for?” Snickers shouted while he turned to face Rarity.
“I have strong reservations of you being in a herd so soon after becoming a member of this household, young stallion. The last thing we need is for you to fall victim to nature and--”
“I told you, Rarity,” Snickers said with a scuff of his hoof across the floor, “I’m not doing a filly, alright? It’s just not natural for me, so get off my tail, okay?”
Rarity looked around her and noticed several partygoers looking at her. “Snickers, we’ll talk in the kitchen for a moment, then you can rejoin your friends. Sweetie,” Rarity called over the noise of the foals and music, “we’ll be right back. Play some games and share a story, okay?” Rarity picked Snickers up in her magic and placed him on her back.
“Okay, this is important,” Rarity said once they were away from the crowd, “you may be an adult in mind, as you said, but you’re a colt in body. Regardless of what you think or believe,” Rarity lay on her belly to look into Snickers’s eyes, “you’re acting like a colt, and you have to prepare yourself for urges that will happen that you will have trouble controlling.”
“Whatever,” Snickers waved her off, “I can control whatever ‘urges’ you’re talking about. I’m the master of my own body, not this little,” he patted his body at different places, “body.”
Rarity sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” she closed her eyes and silence befell the room.
“What’re you doing? Casting some spell on me? Because I’ll let you know that… I’m not really…” Snicker inhaled deeply and his eyes went blank for a second. He shook his head. “I’m not really ready to have… some magic… stuff, happened… what’s happening?” he asked as his mind became fuzzy. He shook his head again and noticed Rarity blushing brightly.
“That, Snickers, is the scent of a receptive mare. All it took was for me to think several lewd thoughts to bring me to readiness, and look what’s happened to you when you noticed?”
Snickers stood up and stepped back from her. “What the hell, I feel funny, Rarity.”
“I’m sorry darling, let me open a window,” Rarity apologized as cool air blew into the room. Snickers shivered and squatted down, blushing. “Ah, I see… and hopefully you do as well. You’re a colt, Snickers, no matter what you wish to be otherwise. You may not be able to sire a foal, but the desire is there none the less, what will you do if one of your herdmates becomes ready around you?”
“I’ll… fight it. I can fight this,” Snickers said trembling.
“I understand you believe you can,” Rarity placed a hoof on his back and Snickers leaned up to nuzzle her foreleg, “but there is a spell I know that can help you in this case, as well as a couple tools for added resistance to the call of nature.”
“Wh-what are they? I think I need them, please mommy, I can’t fight this,” he whimpered and brought a certain elation to Rarity’s heart.
“Okay, this is a spell to tense certain muscles inside your body, it will help you from exposing yourself and encouraging females from encouraging the cycle,” she thought the spell over several times and then cast it on Snickers.
Snickers sighed and shuddered, then stood up. “Well, that’s one problem gone,” he said looking under himself. “What’s the other stuff? Some kind of aid to pump out the stress?” He asked and averted his eyes.
Rarity laughed loudly. “Hardly, you’re not exactly at the age to produce what would be expected and you can handle such matters on your own. No, there’s a special cream that can be applied to your upper lip that will mask the scent and prevent accidental overdoses of scents that cause those reactions.
“Most foals know of them by now, but you’re a bit different in every way, it seems. You may be what you claim,” Rarity said moving beside Snickers, “but you are also everything you seem to be. A colt that wasn’t exposed to our society as much as he should have been, now go and play. I’ll prepare for the night ahead,” she nudged him with her hoof and he looked back with an awkward smile before trotting from the room. “I have so much more to do being a parent than I thought,” she said taking a seat and rubbing her temple.
“Hey, Snickers, you’re back!” Sweetie said and hugged him. “It’s so cool you’re a part of our herd, the girls told me about the games you played and how much fun you are, so I hope you wanna still take a bath tonight? I promise not to break any more bones,” she giggled and nuzzled him.
Snickers blushed. “Yeah, that’s cool. Are Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joining, too?”
Sweetie shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t care right now. I just need to make sure you’re okay, since you were feeling really bad after my slip.”
Snickers nodded weakly. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just keep learning new things that are really messing with me, and I have to learn what this Harmony thing is all about, too.”
Scootaloo ran up to Snickers. “Forget about that, you’re gonna play with us! C’mon,” she moved beside him and urged him toward the foals. “And we’ve got a ton of new friends to introduce you to. This is Featherweight and he takes pictures for the paper, and this is Twist, she makes great peppermint sticks…”
The night flew by filled with games, drinks, sweet snacks full of hidden vegetables, and fun for Snickers that he wouldn’t have been able to have in his past life. Finally, at nearly nine at night, most of the foals were teetering on the edge of sleep and being brought home while adults were filtering out and saying their farewells.
Sweetie Belle was deep asleep and being carried to her bed with Snickers, both on Rarity’s back. Reaching Sweetie’s room, she decided that both foals could sleep together in the hope it would help Snickers with his dreams and give her a night without Sweetie Belle crawling into bed with her.
Tucking them in, Rarity left the room with the door open to talk with Twilight about fashion and being used as eye candy for ponies without her knowledge or understanding.
Snickers rolled to his right and scooted closer to Sweetie Belle and draped a foreleg over her. She scooted back and snuggled into his embrace and they stayed like that for most of the night, cuddling and cozy with the sweetest dreams they could have had.