An Alternate Path

by Rhino


Chapter 18: It's Just a Natural Thing

“So, how is it?”

Rhino looks over to Manila as a griffon that had come in for a checkup leaves. “What do you mean?”

She huffs lightly. “Your marefriend, her situation?”

Trying to keep Gel’s privacy, he plays dumb. “I still don’t know what you mean.”

The mare sighs as she slumps in her seat. “I know she was in heat you know. So, I ask again, how is it? Does she act like a mare with an unquenchable thirst for you, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice?”

Seeing her attempts to tease him, Rhino does his own teasing. “Oh, she has a potion to keep most of the effects under control. We actually spent most of the evening playing a game.”

Manila grins. “Good job, Rhino, making it interesting in the bedroom already!”

He blushes as he replies. “Not that kind of game, we played chess.”

“...What...” She looks at him, flabbergasted. “You have a mare like that, shy, in heat, and you... play chess?” She facehoofs. “Ugh, you are such a buzzkill sometimes!”

The stallion grins. “I know. Now then... since you seem so interested in my relationship, tell me Manila, how go your own attempts?”

She sighs as she puts her head on the desk. “No progress yet... I just... can’t figure out how to approach him...”

“Have you considered the direct approach?” He offers.

She shakes her head quickly. “I can’t just walk up to him! What do I say? ‘Hey, I’ve been watching you for a while now -I’m not a stalker- and I was wondering if you wanted to go out because you’re hot and nice and....” she trails off.

Rhino blinks before responding. “Perhaps work on your lines a bit...”

She gives him a look. “I don’t suppose you have any advice on how to make a relationship happen?”

He shrugs. “Sorry, mine just sort of happened.”

Another sigh. “Figures...”

As they continue, a red pony walks in. In his mouth is a basket, a brown muzzle sticking out over the edge. He stops in front of the two, patiently waiting for them to end their conversation.

Rhino notices their company first. “Oh, hey Big Mac.”

At the name, Manila’s head whips up. Seeing the large red stallion, she lets out a quick squeak and forces her eyes down onto the desk. “U-umm... How may I help you sir?”

The stallion sets the basket down on the ground, frowning in concern. “Something’s wrong with Winona. She’s hardly touching her food, and doesn’t run around like she used to.”

The green stallion frowns at this. “Oh dear... that doesn’t sound good...” As Manila starts scribbling away at the bureaucratic sight of the job, he motions to the basket. “Would you mind if I carried her to the examination room? You are free to come along, of course.”

“Nope.” He glances at the mare before stepping forward, moving to follow the other stallion.

She keeps her eyes averted as she scribbles expertly on the pages. After a moment, she glances back up, her eyes meeting his before she blushes and ducks her head down lower than it was before.

Big Mac doesn’t seem to respond to this, keeping a straight face as he goes down the hall. He enters the examination room, finally allowing a trace of emotion to show through - concern. “Is she alright, Doc?”

Rhino has the collie up on the examination table. She appears to be fine, the usual happy face and wagging tail that make her kind so lovable in full effect. However, at a closer look, from the fact that she is lying down and the slight slowness to her movements, there does seem to be something at least a little off.

The unicorn does the usual things, checking her teeth and throat, moving her limbs. “She seems mostly fine... it may just be an upset stomach but that usually doesn’t last more than a day...” He starts checking various muscles and stops when he gets to her abdominal region. “Hmm...” He brings up his stethoscope and starts listening to various points on her body.

He stands off to the side, watching with a hint of anxiety. “So what is it, Doc? Will she be okay?”

Rhino smiles as he confirms something by listening to her. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be back to normal and better than ever in about six weeks.” He straightens up and turns to the stallion. “Until then, as the prospective grandpa, you’ve got some things to prepare for.”

He stares blankly, the sprig of wheat dropping from his mouth as his mouth gapes slightly. “What?”

The unicorn chuckles. “Sorry, that’s a bit of a joke in my family. ‘A pet is like your foal.’ So, by grandpa, I was telling you that Winona here is pregnant. There’s at least four or five of them in there, it can be a little difficult to tell their heartbeats from one another.”

For the first time since he arrived, Big Mac smiles. “That’s great, Doc. The family will be pleased to hear that, Ah reckon.”

The two stallions make their way to the front, Rhino giving the farmer a pamphlet on dog pregnancy and birth preparation as they walk. Manila gets the payment settled and gives the red stallion a small wave as he leaves.

Rhino looks over to her as soon as Big Mac leaves. “If you haven’t asked him by the time he brings the pups in for their first exam, I might have to take drastic measures and call in reinforcements.”

She blushes and sputters out quickly. “D-don’t you have a marefriend in heat to worry about?”

He looks upward. “True... I wonder how she’s doing?”

***



***Warning, Sex. Might as well skip the rest of the chapter if you don't want to see it.***



Gel paces her room, her tail flicking restlessly. "...oh...this heat is unbearable..." She stops in front of her bed, biting her lip and rubbing her hindlegs together. ...h-how do mares deal with this?! She thinks for a bit, trying to figure out what to do. ...I-I guess I have no choice...

She lays belly-down on her bed, her hindlegs planted firmly on the floor. She reaches a hoof back, touching her treasure softly. ...m-maybe I'm supposed to press a little harder? She closes her eyes, bring both hooves back to firmly rub against herself. ...I-I think it's working...

She works for what feels like hours, but her arousal just won't leave her alone. She groans, her cheek pressed against the cover as she attempts to look at herself over her shoulder. This is pointless. All I'm doing is making my forehooves soaked! She stomps a hoof against the floor, frustration setting in. Bucking heat!

Rhino arrives home just in time to hear the frustrated hoof stomp. "Well, I guess I know where she's at." He hums quietly to himself as he goes through his usual ritual of dropping his bags and taking a few things out.

The white unicorn shifts from one hindleg to the other, trying to see if it was her positioning that was giving her trouble. Sadly, this didn't help in the slightest. ...damn it, nothing's working! She starts to trail a hoof slightly higher, desperate to try anything at this point. She strokes her taint, her groans of sexual tension growing louder. Please, just let this work!

Rhino's ears perk at the sound of groaning. He calls out, but the groans drown him out. Concerned, he quickly climbs the stairs and makes a beeline for her room. He opens the door quickly and enters. "Angel, are you alright-" he cuts himself off as he processes what he is seeing.

She freezes, blushing as red as a cherry as she sees him standing there. She makes no move to cover herself, as her drenched hooves are already covering most of her. ...t-this is...awkward... She shifts her hips slightly, squirming a bit from the uncomfortable silence before trying to break it. "...um...h-hi..."

He trembles a moment before one of his forelegs snaps over his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, I-I just heard you groaning and I thought something was wrong! I-I didn't mean to walk in on... this..." He starts backing away. "I'll just go back downstairs or something..."

"N-no!" She turns to look at him, teary-eyed. "...p-please...y-you said you would help me..." She bites her lip, squirming slightly. "...I-I've been...t-trying to do something...a-about this...b-but I can't..." She covers her face with her forehooves and turns away, ashamed. "...p-please...I-I need you..." Her flagging tail twitches slightly, unable to lower over her now-exposed glistening slit.

He groans under the leg that is covering his face. "Oh come on, not the sad voice... I can't take the sad voice..." He takes a breath. "O-ok... just don't start crying or anything, I wouldn't be able to take it..." He feels his way over to the bed and slowly removes his leg so he can bring his face down to hers. "Umm, what... what do I need to do?"

She whimpers softly, looking back at her legs. "...I-I don't know...I-I need to release...s-so I guess...s-stroke it a bit?" She averts her eyes, frowning a bit. ...but I've been doing that for a while, now...maybe... She glances at her bookcase, almost completely full of romance novels, as her blush returns full force. "...m-maybe...o-one of those c-could help?"

He looks over to the bookshelf and brings a few over with levitation. He lays them out in front of her. "Will one of these work?"

She reads the titles before picking one up in her magical aura. "...t-this should work...'Winning Love'..." She opens the book to the table of contents, carefully reading the chapter titles. "...t-this story progresses quickly..." She shyly holds it up in front of him. "...t-the first sensual scene...i-is in chapter five..." I guess it's one I've never read...but I was sure I read them all...

"Umm... alright..." He quickly skims through the specified chapter about the act between a unicorn mare and a pegasus stallion. Obviously, some things are impossible for him to do, lacking the appendages, but he gets the general idea. After about two minutes since he started, he closes the book. "Ok... I think I know what to do... Beyond basic guidance, this mostly seems to be instinct anyway..."

She nods, her flanks rising up in the air as her hindlegs extend as much as possible in her spread stance. "...o-okay...b-but please hurry...i-it's starting to hurt..." She groans softly, turning her head to look at him and behind her. Why must heat be so painful? It just doesn't make sense to me!

His looks at her sympathetically. "Ok... let me see what I can do..." He gulps as he moves around her and finally get a full view of her glistening treasure. The smell of her arousal wafts into his muzzle, dulling his hesitation as hormones within his own brain are released. He sits down behind her, one hoof coming up to slowly stroke down the inside of one of her thighs.

She gasps softly, trembling from his touch. W-what's he doing? W-why's he moving away from it? She watches him in confusion, waiting to see what he'll do.

He shifts his weight so that he can use both his hooves. After raising the other and placing it opposite of his first, he begins having them make their way towards her slit, stroking up and down as they close in.

She softly coos, enjoying the ministrations of his hooves. ...this is...actually kind of relaxing... She sighs softly, only to squeak when he moves over a sensitive spot in the middle of her thigh. G-great. I have a ticklish spot.

He pauses at her noise, licking his lips once. He then stops his inward progress for the time being and begins circling around the sensitive spot on her right leg. He moves faster than he had been going and purposefully goes right over the spot every other rotation.

Gel giggles, helpless to stop him from exploiting her weak spot. She tries to move her leg away, but ends up pushing his hoof against the mirroring spot on her left leg. She squeals, a tingle going up her spine from his movement. ...t-that's not a ticklish spot...

He smiles at her squeal, now switching his attention to the new spot on her left leg. He rubs all around and over it with a hoof, never slowing down. As he does thus, his other hoof begins to continue its journey towards her treasure, constantly rubbing and inching closer.

She pushes her hips back towards him, trying to suppress her quiet moans. ...h-he's amazing...h-how did he... Her train of thought trails off as she starts to lose herself in the pleasure, a clear, fragrant fluid trailing out of her flushed slit and down her legs.

He lightly pushes back in response to her. He applies a little more pressure to the spot on her leg. After a moment, his other hoof reaches the very edges of her outermost lips. It stops its inward progress and begins circling, barely maintaining contact with the soaking petals.

She moans a bit louder, her eyes drifting closed to enhance the sensations. "...R-Rhy..." She bites her lip, enjoying the affection coming off him. ...such pure love...e-even in the middle of this... As she's lost in her thoughts, her delicate flower spasms slightly, briefly flashing her supple pink flesh at him.

Rhino tilts his head at the convulsion, but focuses back on his task after a moment. He begins rapidly going back and forth across the spot on her leg, never giving her a moments rest. Likewise, his seeking hoof also quickens its ministrations. In its haste, it inadvertently grazes a small hidden nub ever so slightly.

She throws her head back, crying out in ecstasy as she squirts onto him. Her head falls back onto the bed, her eyes rolled back in her head and her tongue lolling out onto her forehoof as she slowly starts recovering from her orgasmic high. "...s-so good..."

He looks down at his now soaked hooves, his nose sniffing rapidly before he shakes his head. He idly flicks the excess of a hoof as he finds his voice for the first time since they began. "Feel... better?"

Gel looks over at him, her eyes unfocused. "...y-yes...m-much better..." She takes a breath, trying to slow her hammering heart. She touches her sensitive slit, pulling away with a soaked hoof. "...w-wow...I-I didn't know I was a squirter..." She nervously giggles, carefully moving to get off the bed. "...t-thank you, Rhino..." She leans up, gently pulling him into a slightly-lazy french kiss.

She blinks as her leg bumps into something. She looks down and freezes, seeing his pride standing at attention. ...at ease soldier...I don't think I can handle you, at the moment... She shyly turns back to Rhino, coughing politely before pointing at his predicament. "...i-it seems like...l-little Rhino wants some thanks, too..." She giggles, blushing brightly from her own joke.

He blushes, but after everything that just happened, doesn't turn away. "What can I say? You had a very... inspiring performance..."

She gives him a sultry look, lowering herself onto her belly in front of him. "...maybe you'd like a followup?" She gently puts a hoof on his length, feeling the warmth coming from it. She forces her gaze away from it, looking up at him in embarrassment. "...i-if you want me to, I mean..."

The hormones in the air from their recent activity keeping his thoughts stable, he averts his eyes as he speaks. "Well, I mean... Are you sure you're up for anything so soon after..." He gestures to the puddle on the floor.

She puts a damp hoof to her lips, thinking about this a bit. She pulls it away, quietly licking it as she does so. "...w-well...I want to return the favor..." She slowly stands, wincing at her sore leg muscles. "...m-maybe I can just treat you to dinner tomorrow?" She gently touches noses with him, smiling kindly. "...does that sound good, Rhino?"

He smiles softly at her. "Sounds fine to me."

"Good." She pulls him into a passionate kiss, her eyes fluttering closed. ...this is nice...but dinner can't be all I can do... She pulls away and nestles her head under his chin, hiding her sly smirk. ...I think I know what I can do...

He is slightly dazed after the kiss, but a peculiar aftertaste draws his attention. He rolls his tongue around in his mouth as he tries to place it. It tastes like what was in my mouth the other morning... But where would she get that- His eyes widen. She licked her hoof... So that taste was... Oh, you dirty mare...

She moves to her dresser, pulling out a pair of white cotton panties, a pink bow adorning the front of it. She carefully slips it on before heading over to the bedroom door. ...I really am tired...I should head to his bed before I pass out, or something... She brings her journal with her as she exits the room, wobbling down the hall. "...good night, love...I'm going to go sleep..."

He looks to his watch. "Wow, it's only two o'clock and she's that tired? She's either gonna be really energetic if she sleeps until the morning, or she's gonna be up half the night..." He shrugs as he heads downstairs. "I guess we'll see what happens."